Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Onychomycosis in Iran: epidemiology, causative agents and clinical features.

BACKGROUND Onychomycosis represents the most frequently encountered nail disease, which is difficult to eradicate with drug treatment. AIM This study was undertaken to document the clinico-mycological pattern of onychomycosis in Iran. Results of mycological tests of nail scrapings collected over a 4-year period were analyzed. METHODS Both direct microscopy and cultures of the nail material were performed to identify the causative agents. RESULTS The microscopic and/or cultural detection of fungi was positive in 40.2% of samples. The most common clinical type noted was distolateral subungual onychomycosis in 48.4% of cases. Etiological fungal agents were 50% dermatophytes, 46.8% yeasts, and 3.2% saprophytic moulds. The most frequently detected dermatophyte species were Trichophyton rubrum (48.4%) and T. mentagrophytes (41.9%). Among yeasts, Candida albicans (58.6) was most common, followed by C. parapsilosis (17.2%), C. glabrata (10.3%), C. krusei and C. tropicalis (each 6.9%). Aspergillus niger and A. flavus were the most frequent saprophytic moulds. Females were affected more frequently than males, and in both sexes those most infected were between 40-49 years of age. Fingernails were affected more frequently than toenails. CONCLUSIONS The clinico-epidemiological data collected can serve as reference for future research and may be useful in the development of preventive and educational strategies.
Treatment effects on the social adjustment of depressed patients.

The effects of maintenance treatment on social adjustment are examined in depressed outpatients randomly assigned to eight months of amitriptyline hydrochloride, a placebo, or no pill, with or without psychotherapy, using a 2 × 3 factorial design. Results for the 106 patients who completed the trial show a significant main effect for psychotherapy apparent only after six to eight months' treatment. Psychotherapy improved overall adjustment, work performance, and communication, and reduced friction and anxious rumination. There was no effect on the patients' social adjustment for amitriptyline and there were no drug/psychotherapy interactions. The results support the value of weekly maintenance psychotherapy in recovering depressives. Since amitriptyline has been shown to reduce relapse and prevent symptom return, and psychotherapy was shown to enhance adjustment, there is evidence for combined treatments.
A comparative study of generalised obesity and anatomical distribution of subcutaneous fat in adult White and Pakistani migrant males in Peterborough

Obesity can be defined in two main ways - generalised obesity (measured as Body Mass Index (BMI)) and anatomical distribution of adiposity. A comparative study of generalised obesity (body mass index) and the anatomical distribution of subcutaneous fat in adult White and Pakistani migrant males was carried out in Peterborough. No signifi cant difference in the prevalence of obesity as measured by the BMI was observed between Whites and Pakistani migrants. The mean BMI values were similar in both ethnic groups. However, Pakistanis had significantly more truncal fat com pared with Whites whereas the latter group had more upper extremity fat compared with the former. No significant difference was observed in the amount of fat deposited on the lower extremities between the two ethnic groups. The Pakista nis also had significantly more total (sum of all skinfolds) subcutaneous fat compared with Whites. These preliminary results clearly indicate that there is a tendency for accumulation of truncal adiposity in Asians of Pakistani origin compared with Whites irrespective of the level of generalised (BMI) obesity. The health implications of body fat patterning on non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and coronary heart disease (CHD) are well known. It is possible that the pattern of fat distribution observed in migrant Pakistani males in this study exists in other migrant groups originating from the Indian subcontinent. This pronounced truncal distribu tion of body fat could be one of the risk factors predisposing migrant Asians in the UK to develop NIDDM and CHD irrespective of their BMI. Future epidemiological studies should lay more emphasis on morphological fat patterning rather than BMI in Asian migrants in the UK.
Prevalence of precore‐defective mutant of hepatitis B virus in HBV carriers

Two hundred and seventy‐three serum specimens from hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers were examined for the presence of a characteristic one point mutation at nucleotide (nt) 1896 from the EcoRI site of the HBV genome in the precore region (the preC mutant) using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. This assay approach could detect preC mutants or wild‐type sequences when either form constituted more than 10% of the total sample. Overall, 65.5% (76/116) of HBeAg‐positive carriers had only the preC wild‐type. All HBeAg‐positive asymptomatic carriers (n = 14) had only the preC wild‐type. In patients with chronic hepatitis B and in anti‐HBe‐positive asymptomatic carriers, increased prevalence of the preC mutant was associated with the development of anti‐HBe antibodies and normalization of the serum alanine aminotransferase concentration. Furthermore, 27 (29.0%) of 93 HBeAg‐negative carriers had unexpectedly preC wild‐type sequences only. Direct sequencing of the HBV precore region of HBV specimens from 24 patients revealed no mutation at nt 1896, supporting the specificity of the RFLP analysis. These results suggest that RFLP analysis was accurate for the detection of the preC mutation and that the absence of serum HBeAg cannot be explained solely by the dominance of the preC mutant. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Short-term effects of glucocorticoids in the human fetal-placental circulation in vitro.

A number of studies demonstrate that both long-term and short-term exposure to glucocorticoids alters vascular function. We have examined whether the short-term administration of glucocorticoids into the human fetal-placental circulation affects placental arterial pressure and alters vascular responses to vasoconstrictive and vasodilator agents. Single lobules of term human placentae were bilaterally perfused in vitro with Krebs' solution (maternal and fetal, 5 ml/min Krebs, 95% O2, 5% CO2, 37 C, pH 7.3), and changes in fetal-placental arterial perfusion pressure were measured. Dexamethasone (100 nM) infusion for 1 h into the fetal-placental circulation caused a significant decrease in basal arterial pressure (n = 19, t test, P < 0.05). Continuous dexamethasone infusion (100 nM) did not alter vasoconstrictive responses to PGF(2alpha) (0.5-120 pM, n = 12, ANOVA, P > 0.05) or potassium chloride (5-600 mM, n = 12, ANOVA, P > 0.05) or vasodilator responses to CRH (53-7400 pM, n = 13, ANOVA, P > 0.05). However when fetal-placental vessels were submaximally preconstricted and then infused with dexamethasone alone (40 nM-10 microM), there was a dose-dependent decrease in arterial pressure (n = 8). Dexamethasone-induced dilation was not inhibited by blocking nitric oxide synthase or cyclo-oxygenase activity. These data suggest that dexamethasone can cause dilation in the fetal-placental circulation, possibly via an endothelium-independent pathway.
Data Compression Modelling: Huffman and Arithmetic

The paper deals with formal description of data transformation (compression and decompression process). We start by briefly reviewing basic concepts of data compression and introducing the model based approach that underlies most modern techniques. Then we present the arithmetic coding and Huffman coding for data compression, and finally see the performance of arithmetic coding. And conclude that Arithmetic coding is superior in most respects to the better-known Huffman method. As its performance is optimal without the need for blocking of input data. It also accommodates adaptive models easily and is computationally efficient.
A Comparison of Duration of Analgesia of Intrathecal 2.5 mg of Bupivacaine, Ropivacaine, and Levobupivacaine in Combined Spinal Epidural Analgesia for Patients in Labor

We assessed the duration of labor analgesia rendered by intrathecal (IT) local anesthetics as the sole drugs. In this randomized, controlled, and double-blinded study, labor analgesia was induced using combined spinal-epidural technique in 60 ASA physical status I nulliparous parturients with IT bupivacaine 2.5 mg (group B), ropivacaine 2.5 mg (group R), or levobupivacaine 2.5 mg (group L). Pain scores (0–100 visual analog scale) and blood pressure were recorded pre-block and for the first 30 min post-block. The degree of motor block and the highest sensory block were also monitored. The duration of analgesia (our primary outcome) was the longest in group B but was similar between groups R and L (mean ± se, 76.3 ± 5.9 min versus 52.6 ± 4.0 min and 51.5 ± 3.4 min, respectively, P < 0.05). Group B had the most frequent incidence of lower limb motor block but there was no difference between groups R and L (5 of 20 parturients versus 2 of 20 and 0 of 20, respectively, P < 0.05). The profile of the other side effects was indistinguishable between the groups. With the current regimen, IT bupivacaine produced the longest duration of labor analgesia.
Why is participation inequality important

Participation inequality – the phenomenon that a very small percentage of participants contribute a very significant proportion of information to the total output – is persistent across Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) and citizen science projects. It has been identified in both online and offline projects that rely on volunteers’ effort over the past 20 years and, therefore, can be expected to appear in new projects. This chapter looks at participation inequality (also known as the 1% rule or the 90-9-1 rule), its origins and some of its characteristics. The chapter also explains how participation inequality emerges in a project at both temporal and spatial scales, and also evaluates its implication on the use of VGI and citizen science data. The chapter suggests a generic rule for analysts of VGI and citizen science datasets, in the form: ‘When using and analysing crowdsourced information, consider the implications of participation inequality on the data and take them into account in the analysis. ’
Vaginal cysts: a common pathologic entity revisited.

PURPOSE To further study the clinicopathological features of benign vaginal cysts. METHODS We retrospectively studied all cases of benign vaginal cysts diagnosed in our laboratory over the last decade. Pathological findings were correlated with the clinical records of the patients and histochemistry results. RESULTS Forty cases of benign vaginal cysts were retrieved. There were 12 cases of mullerian cysts (30.0%), 11 cases of Bartholin's duct cysts (27.5%), ten cases of epidermal inclusion cysts (25.0%), five cases of Gartner's duct cysts (12.5%), one endometrioid cyst (2.5%) and one unclassified cyst (2.5%). Patient age ranged from 20 to 75 years with a mean of 35 years, and a peak incidence between 31-40 years (13 cases, 32.5%). The majority of patients were asymptomatic (31 cases, 77.5%). The cyst type which was more frequently associated with symptoms was Bartholin's duct cyst. Most lesions were located in the left-lateral vaginal wall (13 cases, 32.50%). Mullerian cysts were lined by columnar endocervical-like or cuboidal epithelium, whereas Gartner's duct cysts were all lined by cuboidal epithelium. Epidermal inclusion cysts were lined by stratified non-keratinizing squamous epithelium. Bartholin's duct cysts were lined by transitional, mucin-rich columnar or squamous epithelium and were frequently accompanied by inflammation. CONCLUSION Benign vaginal cysts are in the majority of cases asymptomatic and are often incidentally discovered during gynecological examination for other purposes. The differential diagnosis between Mullerian and Gartner's duct cysts requires histochemical evaluation of epithelial mucin production. The pathogenesis of most types of vaginal cysts remains to be clarified.
Title : The Role of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-B in Metabolic Homeostasis : Current Evidence Running Title : VEGF-B role in metabolic homeostasis

Email: cheria_chen@126.com; Telephone: +86-27-85726799 A C C E P T E D M A N U S C R IP T 10.1042/BSR20171089 . Please cite using the DOI 10.1042/BSR20171089 http://dx.doi. org/ up-to-date version is available at encouraged to use the Version of Record that, when published, will replace this version. The most this is an Accepted Manuscript, not the final Version of Record. You are : Bioscience Reports
Knowledge, attitude and practice of infection control measures among dental practitioners in public setup of Karachi, Pakistan: cross-sectional survey.

Objective: The objectives of this study was to determine the knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding infection control measures among dental practitioners of Dr. Ishrat-ul-Ebad Khan Institute of Oral Health Sciences (DIKIOHS) Karachi. The study also examined the correlation between the knowledge, attitude, and practices scores. Methods: A cross sectional survey was conducted at the DIKIOHS public setup of Karachi, Pakistan. All dental practitioners of the institute were approached through a non-probability convenience sampling technique and requested to fill self administered proforma consisting of twenty one variables regarding infection control knowledge, attitude and practices. Results: Among the total, one hundred and sixteen dental practitioners ( 96.7%) were vaccinated against Hepatitis B and around (n=112, 93%) regularly wash hands before and after treatment. Ninety eight percent (n=118, 98.3%) of dental practitioners wore and changed gloves after each patient (n=118, 98.3%). Around three quarters (n=89, 74.2%) of the study participants routinely wore face mask. The habit of changing facemasks between patients and wearing protective eye- wear among dentist was less than 50%. More than half (n=61, 50.8%) of the study participants change hand pieces between patients. In current study the mean knowledge, attitude and practice scores regarding infection control were found poor among senior dental professionals as compared to house officers and junior professionals. Moderate level of correlation existed between the knowledge and attitude (r = 0.4; p-value < 0.01); knowledge and practice (r = 0.367; p-value < 0.01) and attitude and practices (r = 0.487; p-value < 0.01). Conclusion: In all, the infection control knowledge, attitudes and practices of junior professionals and house officers were better, however, there is also a need to improve the knowledge and practices among dental health care professionals to minimize cross infection in dental setup and reduces associated morbidity and mortality rates for both; dental practitioners themselves and patients.
The Development of Unitizing: Its Role in Children's Partitioning Strategies.

The goal of this study was to gain a better understanding of the intuitive activity that precedes the construction of quantity, in particular, to make inferences concerning developmental trends and needs in children's unitizing processes. Using a cross-sectional design, the study analyzed the partitioning strategies of 346 children from grades four through eight in terms of a framework that translated economy in the number or size of pieces and the use of perceptual cues into sophistication in unitizing. At each grade level, a greater percentage of students used economical partitioning strategies than used less economical cut-and-distribute strategies. As grade level increased, the percentage of students using economical strategies increased, indicating a shift away from the distribution of singleton units toward the use of more composite units. Strategies were heavily influenced by social practice related to the commodity being shared and, to a lesser degree, by the numerical portion of the given extensive quantities.
Raf regulates positive selection

T cell development is regulated by extracellular signals that mediate cellular proliferation and differentiation via specific signal transduction pathways. To determine the importance of the mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAP kinase) pathway in thymocyte development, we analyzed transgenic mice expressing dominant negative Raf (DN Raf) and a constitutively active v‐Raf under the control of the p56lck proximal promoter. DN Raf had a profound effect on T cell receptor (TCR)‐mediated signaling events as assessed by the inhibition of mitogen‐induced proliferation of thymocytes in vitro. Overall thymocyte numbers were decreased by at most twofold from nontransgenic littermates. Positive selection was inhibited in DN Raf transgenic mice, as evidenced by both reduced numbers of mature thymocytes and a decrease in CD8+ thymocytes in female mice doubly transgenic for DN‐Raf and a class I‐restricted H‐Y TCR. In contrast, the differentiation of double‐positive thymocytes to single‐positive thymocytes was enhanced in H‐YTCR transgenic mice expressing constitutively active Raf (v‐Raf). Thus, Raf regulates positive selection in the thymus.
Fine-needle aspiration of thyroid nodules: past, present, and future.

OBJECTIVE To present a review of the traditional and more recent techniques and applications of thyroid fine-needle aspiration biopsy. METHODS We describe the cytologic features and differential diagnoses of various thyroid lesions, outline recommendations for diagnostic categories, and discuss new techniques that have shown some promise in the diagnosis of thyroid nodule fine-needle aspiration specimens. RESULTS Fine-needle aspiration biopsy of the thyroid has proved to be an excellent diagnostic tool in the initial management of thyroid nodules. Numerous studies have shown its high sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing malignant tumors of the thyroid, especially papillary thyroid carcinoma. As with other diagnostic tests, however, its effectiveness is highly dependent on the expertise of the operator performing the procedure and the adequacy of the specimen for interpretation of the cytomorphologic features. On-site evaluation of thyroid specimens promotes adequate specimen sampling and reduces the incidence of nondiagnostic specimens. Diagnostic reports on thyroid fine-needle aspiration should include patient demographics and pertinent clinical history, site and size of the thyroid nodule, mode of aspiration, number of needle passes, assessment of specimen adequacy, diagnosis, and recommendations. Although immunohistochemical and molecular markers have received considerable attention recently, additional studies are needed before they can be used to separate benign from malignant follicular thyroid lesions. CONCLUSION Overall, fine-needle aspiration biopsy of thyroid nodules has proved to be sensitive, specific, and well accepted by patients because of minimal discomfort and complications.
HOMOLOGOUS DISEASE, A MODEL FOR AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE *

Two general mechanisms are usually considered for the autoimmune response in man. In one, the abnormality resides in the antigen which, according to this point of view, stimulates an immune response either because it is released from a sequestered site or significantly altered. The second mechanism is concerned with those phenomena which are postulated to be related to an abnormal host response, that is, one in which a change occurs in the immune apparatus of the host, which permits i t to respond to autologous tissue constituents. The graft versus host reaction, originally discovered in 1957 by Simonsen and by Billingham and Brent offers a model for this type of autoimmunity. In 1961, Oliner, Schwartz and Dameshek investigated homologous disease in the adult mouse as a model for autoimmune disease. They pointed out the similarity of the hematologic changes, particularly, to those seen in human disease. In the present report, observations dealing with changes in the joints, heart and skin of adult rats with homologous disease are presented.
An overview of Renyi Entropy and some potential applications

We introduce Renyi Entropy in this paper and review the basic associated properties that differentiate Renyi Entropy from Shannon Entropy. Theoretic and simulation examples are used to illustrate the differences between the two entropies. We suggest several potential applications of Renyi Entropy to such areas as spectral estimation and pattern recognition.
Ultrastructural localization of silver in rat testis and organ distribution of radioactive silver in the rat

The deposition of silver after a single intravenous injection (2 μg Ag g−1 body weight) was studied in the testes of Wistar rats 24 h and 1 and 2 weeks after dosing with radiolabelled 110AgNo3 (2 μg Ag and 1.2 kBq g−1 body weight). Also, the temporal accumulation of silver during the experimental period was monitored in the blood, testes, epididymides, kidney, liver and brain.
COILING OF THE UMBILICAL CORD AROUND THE FOETAL NECK

IN teaching medical students and nurses, as well as for other purposes, it is sometimes helpful to know with some degree of accuracy and documentation certain elementary facts about coiling of the umbilical cord around the foetal neck. Such facts are: the frequency with which one coil, two coils and three or more coils, are encountered; the bearing, if any, of cord length on coiling, and more important, the bearing, if any, of coiling on foetal prognosis. A survey of a number of British and American textbooks has yielded scant information on this subject. Based on clinical impressions, the estimates given of the incidence of the phenomenon in general vary from once in three cases to once in six; but no details are mentioned and no references to the literature cited. The only other pertinent statement found, made in many textbooks, is that coiling of the cord around the neck may cause “strangulation” of the foetus. This explanation of foetal loss, when no other cause of death is evident, appears to be widely accepted, especially when the cord is both coiled and short. In order to investigate these several aspects of coiling of umbilical cord, a study was made of 1,OOO consecutive deliveries at the Tsan Yuk Hospital, Hong Kong. Since 7 twin pregnancies occurred in the series, the total number of infants and cords was 1,007. Although routine measurements of cord length are made in many obstetrical laboratories, such data are of little
B Cell Activation

We consider that 2 'signals’are essential for B cell activation. 'Signal 1’is a consequence of appropriate latticing of surface immunoglobulin receptors. 'Signal 2’can be mediated by a variety of agents. Signal 1 alone (i.e. surface Ig aggregation) leads to a state of B cell tolerance. Appropriate levels of signal 1 and signal 2 lead to immune induction. Inappropriate combinations of either signal such that one is in‘excess’can direct B cells towards a state of tolerance.
Fast Active Constellation Extension for MIMO-OFDM PAR Reduction

Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexed (OFDM) communication systems have become extremely popular in the last decade, and OFDM is often selected as the physical layer interface for emerging standards. A major drawback to OFDM is its inherently high peak-to-average power ratio (PAR),which can significantly reduce powerefficiency and performance in multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) as well as single-input-single-output (SISO) systems. Active constellation extension (ACE) is a powerful technique for peak reduction in SISO systems. A MIMO extension was recently proposed, but lacked the computational efficiency for practical system implementation. This paper extends the efficient smart gradient project (SGP) technique for ACE to MIMO OFDM systems, and shows that it obtains sizeable PAR reduction with only two iterations.