Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prevalence and risk factors of HIV-1 and HIV-2 infection in urban and rural areas in Tamil Nadu, India

Summary: We aim to study the factors associated with the prevalence of HIV-1 and HIV-2 infection in the urban and rural areas of Tamil Nadu, India. The population of Tamil Nadu is approximately 60 million. Between April 94 and March 95, 992 samples from 5 representative urban centres and 1071 samples from 5 representative rural centres were collected and studied. A questionnaire was administered privately and it preceded collection of each sample. Samples were screened using ELISA and antibodies to HIV-1 and HIV-2 were confirmed using Western blot. The study was anonymous and unlinked. The prevalence of HIV infection in urban and rural areas was 7.2% (95% CI=6.1 to 8.31%); HIV-1 antibodies were found in 7.4% (95% CI=5.8 to 9.2%) of urban and 7.0% (95% CI=5.6 to 8.7%) of rural population; HIV-2 antibodies were found in 0.8% of urban and 0.3% of rural population. Heterosexual transmission, more so among those with multiple partner sex, was the main mode; higher prevalence of HIV infection among divorced/single individuals both in urban (21.1%) and rural (26.1%) was found. HIV infection among housewives stood at 4.1% (urban) and 3.8% (rural). The strength of association between STDs and HIV was observed to be greater in rural subjects (OR=8.89; 95% CI=5.11 to 15.57) than in urban subjects (OR=1.9; 95% CI=1.14 to 3.18). The prevalence of condom use was found to be less than 2% in the study subjects. HIV-2 is not as widely prevalent in Tamil Nadu as HIV-1. In our study the most common risk factors for HIV infection that emerged were (a) having multiple sexual partners, and (b) history of STDs or Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) reactivity. Mobility of individuals between urban and rural areas has furthered the dissemination of HIV infection. Low condom usage among study subjects questions the effectiveness of the existing AIDS awareness and education programme. The study indicates the importance of placing equal emphasis on HIV prevention in rural India. HIV infection among housewives in urban and rural areas is indicative of gender inequalities and the importance of empowering women to prevent infection from spouse.
A national stroke quality register: 12 years experience from a participating hospital

Registration of all hospitalized stroke patients is practiced in Sweden in order to assess care quality. Data in this register, Riks‐Stroke (RS), may be biased due to incomplete registration. The purpose of this paper was to report changes in stroke outcome in relation to fluctuations in registration. Patients registered in RS at a hospital during the period 1994–2005 were analyzed. Case fatality at 28 days, living conditions, and activities of daily living (ADL) performance at 3 months were correlated to the number of patients registered and follow‐up frequency. A total of 4994 stroke cases were registered during the period. A high annual registration rate was significantly correlated to a high case fatality ratio. A low annual follow‐up rate was associated with a low proportion of patients living in their own home without any need of help. Quality parameters are sensible for selection bias, which make them difficult to compare over time and between hospitals. We suggest that by weighing outcome data against stroke severity, safer conclusions may be drawn. Additionally, hospitals considering setting up quality registers should make every effort to attain complete case ascertainment at all times, including patients managed outside the hospital, in order to avoid selection bias.
Study of Cylindrical Jet Breakup Using One-Dimensional Approximations of the Euler Equations

We study the phenomenon of pinching of inviscid incompressible jets when surface tension is important. This is done by analyzing one-dimensional models derived by use of slender jet theory. Equations are derived for both single- and two-fluid arrangements. Higher-order terms are retained for regularization purposes. In the absence of a surrounding fluid these equations are the inviscid Cosserat system. It is shown that the leading order system terminates in infinite-slope singularities before pinching happens---this is achieved by studying a 2 X 2 system of conservation laws in the complex plane and by numerical solution of the evolution equations. Inclusion of higher-order terms changes the order of the evolution equations and enables the one-dimensional models to produce the phenomenon of pinching and drop formation in many cases. The evolution equations are solved numerically, and the numerical experiments suggest that the interface develops a cusp locally as the jet pinches. Local similarity solutions.
Botulinum toxin type A (BOTOX) for treatment of migraine headaches: An open-label study

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: The object of this clinical experience was to evaluate the correlation between pericranial botulinum toxin type A (BOTOX, Allergan Corp, Irvine, CA) administration and alleviation of migraine headache symptoms. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: A nonrandomized, open-label study was performed at 4 different test sites. The subjects consisted of 106 patients, predominantly female, who either (1) initially sought BOTOX treatment for hyperfunctional facial lines or other dystonias with concomitant headache disorders, or (2) were candidates for BOTOX treatment specifically for headaches. Headaches were classified as true migraine, possible migraine, or nonmi-graine, based on baseline headache characteristics and International Headache Society criteria. BOTOX was injected into the glabellar, temporal, frontal, and/or suboccipital regions of the head and neck. Main outcome measures were determined by severity and duration of response. The degrees of response were classified as: (1) complete (symptom elimination), (2) partial (≥50% reduction in headache frequency or severity), and (3) no response [neither (1) nor (2)]. Duration of response was measured in months for the prophylactic group. RESULTS: Among 77 true migraine subjects treated prophylactically, 51% (95% confidence interval, 39% to 62%) reported complete response with a mean (SD) response duration of 4.1 (2.6) months; 38% reported partial response with a mean (SD) response duration of 2.7 (1.2) months. Overall improvement was independent of baseline headache characteristics. Seventy percent (95% confidence interval, 35% to 93%) of 10 true migraine patients treated acutely reported complete response with improvement 1 to 2 hours after treatment. No adverse effects were reported. CONCLUSIONS: BOTOX was found to be a safe and effective therapy for both acute and prophylactic treatment of migraine headaches. Further research is needed to explore and develop the complete potential for the neuroinhibitory effects of botulinum toxin.
Family formation and cultural integration among migrants in the Netherlands

International migration has profoundly changed the ethnic composition of most Western European populations during the last few decades. This is not to suggest that migration to Europe is a recent development. For example, Lucassen (1997) states that the Netherlands mainly as a result of the immigration of Huguenots and Jews could already be characterised as a multicultural society as far back as the 16th century. The recent influx of migrants is different, however, for at least two reasons. First, international migration has been much more extensive than in the past. For instance, in the 1990s more than 113,000 migrants arrived in the Netherlands every year. Second, the diversity in ethnic background of migrants to Europe has greatly expanded, in particular during the last decade (Ok? lski, 1999). Among non western migrants there has been a shift from labour migration, family reunion and family formation to asylum migration. It is the growth of this latter form of migration in particular that has substantially increased the diversity of countries of origin among migrants. Whereas in the 1980s non western migrants tended to come from a limited number of countries of origin, immigration in the 1990s consisted of Relatively' small groups from a whole host of countries of origin. For instance, in the Netherlands, before the 1990s, most migrants came either from the (former) Dutch Caribbean colonies of Surinam and the Dutch Antilles or from Turkey and Morocco, being the two major countries providing labour migrants during the 1960s and 1970s. During the 1990s, this influx diversified as a result of the growing number of asylum seekers of different origin1. In 1990, 41 percent of all non-Dutch immigrants came from the four major sending countries mentioned above. By 1998, this percentage had dropped to 26. However, up to now the (demographic) knowledge on these new migrants in the Netherlands is only limited.
Side effects of immunization with liver attenuated Trypanosoma cruzi in mice and rabbits

Immunity against lethal, bloodstream forms of Trypanosoma cruzi was achieved in mice by preinoculation of approximately equal to 10(5) culture epimastigotes of an attenuated T. cruzi strain (TCC). The risks of TCC inoculation in terms of pathogenicity or eventual increase in virulence of TCC progeny were evaluated. No pathogenic parasites could be selected from TCC progeny by either mouse, triatome, or culture passages. Immunizing doses of live TCC did not induce in adult mice alterations resembling chronic Chagas' disease, as judged by patterns of mortality, tissue damage, autoantibodies, or parasite recovery. On the basis of the same criteria, However, a remarkable similarity could be established between the disease caused in mice by inoculation of low numbers (10(2)) of pathogenic trypomastigotes and human chronic Chagas' disease. Although patent parasitemias were never revealed in fresh blood mounts obtained from TCC-inoculated mice, a few hemocultures and xenodiagnoses gave positive results, particularly soon after inoculations at birth. The parasites recovered by either method remained in the attenuated, epimastigote stage. In rabbits, no local lesions, fever, weight loss, or histopathological alterations were detected after subcutaneous inoculation of 10(7) TCC organisms, although one fifth of the animals yielded positive hemocultures of epimastigotes. The contrasting host response to cultured epimastigotes as compared with blood trypomastigotes indicates that, in experimental Chagas' disease, immunoprotection is not necessarily associated with immunopathology.
Intrinsically disordered proteins in human mitochondria

Intrinsically disordered (ID) proteins (IDPs) are abundant in eukaryotes but are scarce in prokaryotes. Mitochondria, cellular organelles that descended from Rickettsia‐like α‐proteobacteria, are at the intersection between prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Although IDPs are reportedly as rare in mitochondria as in bacteria, these details remained to be clarified. Human mitochondrial proteins (n = 706) were obtained from the UniProt database, and information on ID regions of all human proteins was extracted from the DICHOT database. A BLAST search carried out against all α‐proteobacterial proteins identified two types of mitochondrial proteins: those with (B) and without (E) bacterial homologues. The B‐type proteins (n = 387) descended from a bacterial ancestor, whereas the E‐type proteins (n = 319) were more recently added to the mitochondria via the host cell during the early evolution of eukaryotes. The average ID ratios of B‐type/E‐type proteins are 10.3% and 21.4%, respectively. The 706 proteins were further classified into four groups based on the mitochondrial subcompartment, namely, the matrix, intermembrane space, inner membrane, or outer membrane. The ID ratios in these different locations suggest that the frequency of IDPs in mitochondria might be due to the evolutionary origin (B‐type/E‐type) of the protein, rather than differences in its functional environment.
Are Muslim women less susceptible to oncogenic human papillomavirus infection? A study from rural eastern India

Muslim women are known to have lower incidences of cervical cancer and/or human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Here we aim to determine any association that may be present between the oncogenic HPV16/18 infections and abnormal cytological lesions along with demographic and other attributes among Indian Muslim women (n = 478) and compare with the neighboring Hindus (n = 534) from a prospective cohort study. Agewise distribution of both subject-groups is similar. HPV16/18 infection is present in 9.6% Muslims and 7.5% Hindu women. Jointly atypical cells of undetermined significance (a typical cells of undetermined significance) and HPV16/18 are present in seven Muslim and two Hindu women. No high squamous intraepithelial lesions or cervical cancer is detected at the baseline. HPV16/18 infections show trends that varied with age, a nonlinear trend among Muslim women. In Hindu women the prevalence is highest at age ≤24 years, which linearly drops with increasing age. Abnormal cytology increases significantly in both religion-groups with increasing age. The data show that these Indian Muslim women are equally susceptible to HPV16/18 infection and for the development of abnormal cytology. There is a paucity in epidemiological data, which justifies the need to screen women of all religions for cervical cancer (that includes oncogenic HPV testing).
REJECTED! ANTITRUST ECONOMISTS AS EXPERT WITNESSES IN THE POST-DAUBERT WORLD

Economists regularly appear as expert witnesses in antitrust litigations. This paper analyzes how their models and methodologies have performed vis-à-vis the standards of relevance and reliability affirmed by the US Supreme Court in Daubert and its progeny. Some explanations for the economists’ troubles when facing a Daubert challenge in antitrust cases are provided.
Immune responses in a mouse model of vitiligo with spontaneous epidermal de‐ and repigmentation

To generate a mouse model of spontaneous epidermal depigmentation, parental h3TA2 mice, expressing both a human‐derived, tyrosinase‐reactive T‐cell receptor on T cells and the matching HLA‐A2 transgene, were crossed to keratin 14‐promoter driven, stem cell factor transgenic (K14‐SCF) mice with intra‐epidermal melanocytes. In resulting Vitesse mice, spontaneous skin depigmentation precedes symmetrical and sharply demarcated patches of graying hair. Whereas the SCF transgene alone dictates a greater retinoic acid receptor‐related orphan receptor gamma (RORγt)+ T‐cell compartment, these cells displayed markedly increased IL‐17 expression within Vitesse mice. Similar to patient skin, regulatory T cells were less abundant compared with K14‐SCF mice, with the exception of gradually appearing patches of repigmenting skin. The subtle repigmentation observed likely reflects resilient melanocytes that coexist with skin‐infiltrating, melanocyte‐reactive T cells. Similar repigmenting lesions were found in a different TCR transgenic model of vitiligo developed on an SCF transgenic background, supporting a role for SCF in repigmentation.
Meeting the Needs of Parentally Bereaved Children: A Framework for Child—Centered Parenting

Abstract This article describes the development and deployment of a framework for measuring parenting capacities in the context of bereavement. Grounded theoretical analysis of interviews with a community sample of 41 bereaved spouses with school—aged children elicited a set of nine bereavement—specific parenting tasks. A corollary coding system (covering all nine parenting tasks) was created to transform interview materials into quantitative data, thus permitting systematic empirical investigation of the parenting capacities of bereaved spouses. Parenting behaviors were coded on a 5—point scale ranging from least child—centered to most child—centered. Sex of surviving parent and circumstances of death proved to be significant mediating variables: mothers were more child—centered than fathers, and parents surviving sudden deaths more child—centered than those surviving anticipated deaths. Lengthy illness was associated with less child—centered parenting. The more child—centered the parenting, the less symptomatic the child as measured by parent report (Child Behavior Checklist) and child self—report (Children's Depression Inventory, Revised Child Manifest Anxiety Scale). Child—centered parenting was associated with more positive and fewer negative perceptions of the surviving parent by the child as measured by the Parent Perception Inventory. Implications of findings are discussed.
A least-squares design of nonrecursive filters satisfying prescribed magnitude and phase specifications

A method is described which can be used to design nonrecursive filters satisfying prescribed magnitude and phase specifications. The method is based on formulating the absolute mean-square error between the frequency response of the practical filter and the desired response as a quadratic function. The coefficients of the filters are obtained by solving a set of linear equations. Examples for designing lowpass filters, differentiators, and allpass phase equalizers are presented. It is shown that the authors' method leads to a lower mean-square error and is computationally more efficient than the eigenfilter method. <<ETX>>
The effects of a language barrier in a South African district hospital.

BACKGROUND Communication between health workers and patients at Hottentots Holland Hospital (HHH) is hindered by staff and patients not speaking the same language. HHH is a district hospital in the Cape Town Metropolitan District of the Western Cape where staff mainly speak Afrikaans or English and a large number of patients mainly Xhosa. OBJECTIVES The study aimed to explore the effects of this language barrier on health workers and patients at HHH. DESIGN Three focus group interviews were held with 21 members of staff and 5 in-depth patient interviews were conducted. RESULTS The language barrier was found to interfere with working efficiently, create uncertainty about the accuracy of interpretation, be enhanced by a lack of education or training, cause significant ethical dilemmas, negatively influence the attitudes of patients and staff towards each other, decrease the quality of and satisfaction with care, and cause cross-cultural misunderstandings. CONCLUSION The effects of the language barrier were considerable and persistent despite an official language policy in the province. The training and employment of professional interpreters as well as teaching of basic Xhosa to staff are recommended.
Antiparkinsonian agent piribedil displays antagonist properties at native, rat, and cloned, human alpha(2)-adrenoceptors: cellular and functional characterization.

Compared with cloned, human (h)D(2) receptors (pK(i) = 6.9), the antiparkinsonian agent piribedil showed comparable affinity for halpha(2A)- (7.1) and halpha(2C)- (7.2) adrenoceptors (ARs), whereas its affinity for halpha(2B)-ARs was less marked (6.5). At halpha(2A)- and halpha(2C)-ARs, piribedil antagonized induction of [(35)S]guanosine-5'-O-(3-thio)triphosphate (GTPgammaS) binding by norepinephrine (NE) with pK(b) values of 6.5 and 6.9, respectively. Furthermore, Schild analysis of the actions of piribedil at halpha(2A)-ARs indicated competitive antagonism, yielding a pA(2) of 6.5. At a porcine alpha(2A)-AR-Gi1alpha-Cys351C (wild-type) fusion protein, piribedil competitively abolished (pA(2) = 6.5) GTPase activity induced by epinephrine. However, at a alpha(2A)-AR-Gi1alpha-Cys351I (mutant) fusion protein of amplified sensitivity, although still acting as a competitive antagonist (pA(2) = 6.2) of epinephrine, piribedil itself manifested weak partial agonist properties. Similarly, piribedil weakly induced mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphorylation via wild-type halpha(2A)-ARs, although attenuating its phosphorylation by NE. As demonstrated by functional [(35)S]GTPgammaS autoradiography in rats, piribedil antagonized activation by NE of alpha(2)-ARs in cortex, amygdala, and septum. Antagonist properties were also expressed in a dose-dependent enhancement of the firing rate of adrenergic neurons in locus ceruleus (0.125-4.0 mg/kg i.v.). Furthermore, piribedil (2.5-4.0 mg/kg s.c.) accelerated hippocampal NE synthesis, elevated dialysis levels of NE in hippocampus and frontal cortex, and blocked hypnotic-sedative properties of the alpha(2)-AR agonist xylazine. Finally, piribedil showed only modest affinity for rat alpha(1)-ARs (5.9) and weakly antagonized NE-induced activation of phospholipase C via halpha(1A)-ARs (pK(b) = 5.6). In conclusion, piribedil displays essentially antagonist properties at cloned, human and cerebral, rat alpha(2)-ARs. Blockade of alpha(2)-ARs may, thus, contribute to its clinical antiparkinsonian profile.
Paramyxovirus mRNA editing leads to G deletions as well as insertions.

Paramyxoviruses are thought to edit their P gene mRNAs co‐transcriptionally, by a mechanism in which the polymerase stutters and reads the same template base more than once. Sendai virus (SeV) and bovine parainfluenza virus type 3 (bPIV3) are closely related viruses, but SeV edits its P gene mRNA with the insertion of a single G residue (at approximately 50% frequency) within the sequence 5′ A6G3, whereas bPIV3 inserts 1 to approximately 6 Gs at roughly equal frequency within the sequence 5′ A6G4. When SeV synthetic mini‐genomes containing either SeV or bPIV3 P gene editing cassettes are expressed from cDNA in cells which are also transfected with the SeV NP, P and L genes, the virus‐specific editing patterns were reproduced. Since the bPIV3 editing pattern was reproduced in a system that is otherwise completely SeV, this suggests that all the information for the virus‐specific editing patterns is due to the RNA sequence itself. Unexpectedly, the length of the template C run was found to be critical, even though it varies from 3 to 7 nucleotides in length in different viruses. Expanding this template C run first led to attenuation of the insertion phenotype, and then to deletions rather than insertions. A stuttering or slippage model to account for these events has been further refined to include a pressure which displaces the nascent strand in a given direction once it has disengaged from the template, and the similarities of this model to those which account for readthrough of cellular RNA polymerase transcription blocks are discussed.
Social and functional impact of reduced posterior dental units in older adults.

The number of teeth needed to maintain adequate dental function in older adults is unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between oral function and the number of opposing pairs of posterior teeth. We identified 338 subjects with complete anterior dentitions from an interview and examination survey of Ontario adults aged 50 and over; 261 had no partial denture and 77 had removable partial dentures (RPD). Oral function was measured using questions assessing chewing ability, mandibular function and socio-psychological impact. Subjects with no partial dentures were further allocated to five groups, based on their dental status: complete dental arch (n = 69); 5-7 functional units-pairs of opposing posterior teeth (n = 109); 3 or 4 functional units (n = 48) and 0-2 functional units (n = 35). Oral function problems increased with decreasing functional units being markedly more prevalent among the groups with 0-2 functional units. 34% of subjects in the 0-2 group reported one or more problems with chewing ability compared to 6-17% in the other groups (chi 2 P = 0.001 d.f. = 3). The 77 subjects who wore removable partial dentures, reported social and dental function at levels comparable to those with no dentures. From these results, there appears to be little socio-functional need to replace lost posterior teeth with a partial denture unit the person has fewer than, 3 posterior functional units. The low number of partial denture wearers limited our ability to detect a lasting benefit from RPD treatment.