Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Vaginal and Urine Self-sampling Compared to Cervical Sampling for HPV-testing with the Cobas 4800 HPV Test.

BACKGROUND/AIM To compare human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA detection in self-collected vaginal and urine samples with clinician-taken cervical samples in relation to histology. MATERIALS AND METHODS Self-collected vaginal, urine and clinician-taken cervical samples were analyzed from 218 women with the Cobas 4800 HPV test (Roche Molecular Diagnostics). RESULTS The sensitivity for detection of HPV in the vaginal self-sampling test was 96.4% and in urine was 83.9% relative to detection by clinician-taken cervical sample. The vaginal self-sampling and the clinician-taken HPV tests had the same sensitivity of 92.8% (95% confidence interval=86.3-96.8%) and specificity for detection of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) and adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS). Detection in urine samples had a sensitivity of 76.3% (95% confidence interval=67.9-84.2%) for HSIL/AIS. CONCLUSION The Cobas 4800 HPV test detects high-grade pre-cancerous cervical lesions in self-collected vaginal samples with the same high sensitivity as in clinician-taken cervical samples.
Fatigue dimensions in patients with advanced cancer in relation to time of survival and quality of life

To understand the relation between fatigue and patients emotional situation at the end of life, this cross-sectional study aimed to explore the association between multidimensional aspects of fatigue, emotional functioning and quality of life (QoL) in patients with advanced cancer at the end of life. Patients with advanced cancer answered fatigue related measurements (Borg Category Ratio-10 scale, Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory-20, Swedish Occupational Fatigue Inventory and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core-30), when admitted for specialised palliative care. A total of 228 patients with a median length of survival of 63 days were included. In relation to time of survival, fatigue increased closer to death, in both global and multidimensional aspects, as well as the patient’s experience of being sleepy. Marital status was found to affect the experience of fatigue in both global and multidimensional ratings of fatigue. The association between the experience of fatigue and feelings of being tense, worried, irritable or depressed and rated QoL decreased and was not evident closer to death. Fatigue in all dimensions increased, as patients got closer to death. The association between fatigue and both QoL and negative emotions faded away during the last days and weeks of life.
RIX4414 (Rotarix): a live attenuated human rotavirus vaccine.

Rotaviruses are recognized as the single most important cause of severe infantile gastroenteritis worldwide. On a world scale rotaviruses are estimated to be responsible for over 600000 deaths annually. For these reasons rotaviruses have received a high priority as a target for vaccine development. Incorporation of an effective rotavirus vaccine into the infant immunization schedule in developed countries could reduce hospitalizations due to dehydrating diarrhea in young children by 40 to 60%. More important the worldwide use of such vaccine could decrease the total number of deaths caused by diarrhea by approximately 10 to 20%. Transmission of rotaviruses occurs by the fecal-oral route providing a highly efficient mechanism for universal exposure that has circumvented regional and national cultural practice differences. The symptoms associated with rotavirus disease typically are diarrhea and vomiting accompanied by fever nausea anorexia cramping and malaise that can be mild and of shortduration or produce severe dehydration. Severe disease occurs primarily in young children most commonly among those aged 6 to 24 months. Approximately 90% of children in both developed and developing countries experience a rotavirus infection by the time they reach 3 years of age. (excerpt)
Statistical post-editing and quality estimation for machine translation systems

Statistical post-editing (SPE) has been successfully applied to RBMT systems and, to a less successful extent, to some SMT systems. This thesis investigates the impact of SPE on SMT systems. We apply SPE to an SMT system using a new context-modelling approach to preserve some aspects of source information in the second stage translation. This technique yields mixed results, but fails to consistently improve the output over the baseline. Furthermore, we compared the results to those of an RBMT+SPE system and a pure SMT system, using both automatic and human evaluation methods. Results show that while automatic evaluation metrics favour a pure SMT system, manual evaluators prefer the output provided by the combined RBMT+SPE system. We investigate the use machine learning methods to predict which sentences would benefit from post-editing, however, as the oracle score for both SMT and SMT+SPE was not much higher than the two systems alone, we decided to compare two systems that had a higher upper bound. Combining our analysis with machine learning techniques for quality estimation, we are able to improve the overall output by automatically selecting the best sentences from each of the SMT and RBMT+SPE systems.
The association between late-life cognitive test scores and retrospective informant interview data

ABSTRACT Background: Cognitive assessment of older persons, particularly those with impairment, is hampered by measurement error and the ethical issues of testing people with dementia. A potential source of valuable information about end-of-life cognitive status can be gained from those who knew the respondent well – mostly relatives or friends. This study tested the association between last cognitive assessment before death and a retrospective informant assessment of cognition. Methods: Data were analyzed from 248 participants from the Medical Research Council Cognitive Function and Ageing Study who were aged 71 to 102 years at death. Late-life cognition was assessed 0 to 8 years before death using the Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) and the informant measure was taken 0 to 7 years after death using a Retrospective Informant Interview (RInI). Results: Zero-inflated Poisson regression showed a strong association between MMSE scores and RInI scores – those scoring 29–30 on the MMSE had a RInI score four times lower than those who scored <18 (p < 0.001). The time between MMSE and death was also a significant predictor with each additional year increasing RInI scores by 12.4% (p < 0.001). The time between death and RInI was only a significant predictor when including measures that were taken four years or more after death. Conclusions: Cognitive scores from retrospective informant interviews are strongly associated with late-life MMSE scores taken close to death. This suggests that the RInI can be used as a proxy measure of cognition in the period leading up to death.
Inductor Current Ripple Comparison Between ZSVM4 and ZSVM2 for Z-Source Inverters

Yushan et al., and Siwakoti et al., proposed that “the ZSVM4 resulted in the lower current ripples when compared to ZSVM2. ” However, some different opinions were presented in this paper. With the space vector modulations (SVMs) strategy, the ZSVM4 results in the lower current ripples when compared to ZSVM2 in parts angle intervals. While in other intervals, the conclusion will be opposite. The maximum current ripple of ZSVM2 is lower than that of ZSVM4. Both simulations and experimental results have verified these theoretical findings.
Enterovirus 70 Receptor Utilization Is Controlled by Capsid Residues That Also Regulate Host Range and Cytopathogenicity

ABSTRACT Enterovirus type 70, an etiologic agent of acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis, may bind different cellular receptors depending on cell type. To understand how EV70-receptor interaction is controlled, we studied two variants of the virus with distinct receptor utilization. EV70-Rmk, derived by passage in rhesus monkey kidney cells, replicates poorly in HeLa cells and does not cause cytopathic effects. Decay accelerating factor (DAF) is not a cell receptor for EV70-Rmk. Passage of EV70-Rmk in HeLa cells lead to isolation of EV70-Dne, which does not replicate in rhesus monkey kidney cells but grows to high titers in HeLa cells and causes cytopathic effects. DAF is sufficient for cell entry of EV70-Dne. EV70-Rmk replicates in human eye and brain-derived cell lines, whereas the Dne strain replicates only in HeLa cells and in conjunctiva-derived 15C4 cells. The two EV70 strains differ by five amino acid changes in the viral capsid. Single substitution of four of the five EV70-Rmk amino acids with the residue from EV70-Dne leads to lytic replication in HeLa cells. Conversely, substitution of any of the five EV70-Dne amino acids with the EV70-Rmk amino acid does not alter replication in HeLa cells. Three of these capsid amino acids are predicted to be located in the canyon encircling the fivefold axis of symmetry, one amino acid is found at the fivefold axis of symmetry, and one is located the interior of the capsid. The five EV70 residues define a region of the capsid that controls viral host range, DAF utilization, and cytopathogenicity.
Cancer follow-up care. Patients' perspectives.

OBJECTIVE To assess family physicians' and specialists' involvement in cancer follow-up care and how this involvement is perceived by cancer patients. DESIGN Self-administered survey. SETTING A health region in New Brunswick. PARTICIPANTS A nonprobability cluster sample of 183 participants. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Patients' perceptions of cancer follow-up care. RESULTS More than a third of participants (36%) were not sure which physician was in charge of their cancer follow-up care. As part of follow-up care, 80% of participants wanted counseling from their family physicians, but only 20% received it. About a third of participants (32%) were not satisfied with the follow-up care provided by their family physicians. In contrast, only 18% of participants were dissatisfied with the follow-up care provided by specialists. Older participants were more satisfied with cancer follow-up care than younger participants. CONCLUSION Cancer follow-up care is increasingly becoming part of family physicians' practices. Family physicians need to develop an approach that addresses patients' needs, particularly in the area of emotional support.
A Review of Robotics Kits for Tertiary Education

The purpose of this paper is to present a survey of the currently available kits for tertiary education in robotics. Our selection criteria are (i) modularity (ii) re-usability (iii) versatility and (iv) affordability. We focus on toolkits that allow ease of re-use to teach in different curricula (such as electronics, programming, or human-robot interaction). We also considered the interoperability with libraries and open-source frameworks. Finally, we present an overview of our contribution in the form of a robotic manipulator built with LEGO Mindstorm NXT and its integration with Matlab and the ROS robotic framework.
Effects of Beta‐Adrenoreceptor Antagonists on Cerebral Blood Flow of Cirrhotic Patients with Portal Hypertension

The current study evaluated the effect of two beta adrenergic—blocking agents, propranolol (PRP) and atenolol (ATN), versus placebo on cerebral blood flow (CBF) of three homogeneous groups of cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension. CBF was measured by the noninvasive 133‐Xenon inhalation method at rest and 1 hour after a single oral dose of PRP (40 mg), or ATN (100 mg), or placebo. Blood pressure and heart rate (HR) were measured at the beginning of each examination, and end‐tidal pCO2 (PeCO2) was monitored. The HR decreased significantly in both the PRP and ATN groups (P < .01), whereas no changes were recorded for both PeCO2 and mean arterial blood pressure (MABP). The comparisons of the CBF differences among groups (ANOVA with the significance levels adjusted by the Bonferroni's correction) showed a significant increase in CBF after ATN as compared with both placebo (P < .02) and PRP (P < .01), whereas no significant differences were seen after PRP as compared with placebo. Our results confirm that PRP does not significantly affect CBF, whereas ATN induces an increase in CBF, although the underlying mechanism is difficult to explain.
Myofibers Express IL-6 after Eccentric Exercise

Background Interleukin (IL)-6 is locally produced in skeletal muscles and shows a remarkable increase in plasma after eccentric exercises. Objective To elucidate the cell types in the muscles responsible for IL-6 production after eccentric exercises. Study Design Controlled laboratory study. Methods An eccentric contraction model was made using electrical stimulation. The authors investigated the muscle damage and regeneration processes after eccentric exercises histologically, and the cell types expressing IL-6 and its subcellular compartimentalization with time immunohistochemically after eccentric exercises. Results Swollen myofibers were detected from 8 hours to 3 days after exercises. Disrupted myofibers were detected from 24 hours to 7 days, with a peak of 3 days. IL-6 was detected only in the cytoplasm of myofibers until 12 hours; thereafter, it was found in the inflammatory cells and proliferating satellite cells as well. The swollen myofibers were negatively stained for IL-6. The positive ratios of IL-6 in myofibers immediately increased after exercises, peaked in 12 hours, and then decreased. Conclusions After eccentric exercises, IL-6 expression increased in myofibers preceding the disruption of myofibers. IL-6 might be closely related to muscle damage caused by strenuous exercises.
Atypical antipsychotic-induced mania/hypomania: a review of recent case reports and clinical studies

Abstract Objective. Numerous case reports (53 between 1994 and 2003) caused concern with manic/hypomanic symptoms induced by atypical antipsychotic (AA) drugs. Its clinical relevance and causal link with AA antidepressant properties are largely unknown. Method. We reviewed newly reported cases and clinical studies of AA-induced mania/hypomania between 2004 and 2010 in order to assess its prevalence and relation with mood disorders. Published studies were found through systematic database search (PubMed, Scirus, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Science Direct). Results. Our search disclosed 28 new cases of AA-induced manic or hypomanic symptoms, following treatment with olanzapine (seven cases), quetiapine (five cases), ziprasidone (five cases), aripiprazole (four cases), amisulpride (two cases), zotepine (two cases), perospirone (two cases) and paliperidone (one case). Twenty-four patients suffered from schizophrenia; only four had schizoaffective disorder. Only one of the five cases of mania/hypomania with ziprasidone was a patient with mood disorder. Four well-designed clinical trials in bipolar depression included AA-induced mania/hypomania as a secondary outcome (three with quetiapine and one with olanzapine) and showed non-superiority relative to placebo. Conclusions. Thus, well-designed clinical trials suggest that AA-induced mania/hypomania is a marginal phenomenon. Moreover, in most of the 28 new reported cases, AAs do not seem to induce mania/hypomania via their antidepressant properties.
Polymorphisms at the Microseminoprotein-β Locus Associated with Physiologic Variation in β-Microseminoprotein and Prostate-Specific Antigen Levels

Background: rs10993994, a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at the genetic locus encoding β-microseminoprotein (β-MSP), is associated with both prostate cancer risk and levels of blood prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a biomarker used in prostate cancer screening. Therefore, we wished to determine the association between SNPs at MSMB, the gene encoding β-MSP, and the levels of prostate-produced biomarkers β-MSP, PSA, and human kallikrein 2 (hK2) in blood and semen. Methods: Blood and semen from 304 healthy young Swedish men (ages 18-21) were assayed for β-MSP, PSA, and hK2. SNPs around MSMB were genotyped from matched DNA and analyzed for quantitative association with biomarker levels. Empirical P values were multiple test–corrected and the independence of each SNP's effect was determined. Results: rs10993994 was significantly associated with the blood and semen levels of β-MSP (both P < 1.0 × 10−7) and PSA (P = 0.00014 and P = 0.0019), and semen levels of hK2 (P = 0.00027). Additional copies of the prostate cancer risk allele resulted in lower β-MSP but higher PSA levels, and singly explained 23% and 5% of the variation seen in semen β-MSP and PSA, respectively. Additional SNPs at MSMB are associated with β-MSP and PSA independently of rs10993994. Conclusions: SNPs at MSMB correlate with physiologic variation in β-MSP and PSA levels in the blood and semen of healthy young Swedish men. In particular, rs10993994 has a strong effect on β-MSP levels. Impact: Our results suggest a mechanism by which rs10993994 might predispose to prostate cancer and raise the possibility that genetic variation might need to be considered in interpreting the levels of these biomarkers. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 19(8); 2035–42. ©2010 AACR.
Analytical and clinical sensitivity of the Procleix Ultrio HIV‐1/HCV/HBV assay in samples with a low viral load

Background and Objectives The Procleix Ultrio human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV‐1)/hepatitis C virus (HCV)/hepatitis B virus (HBV) (Ultrio) assay simultaneously detects HIV‐1 RNA, HCV RNA and HBV DNA in individual blood donations. The main objective of the study was to assess the analytical and clinical sensitivity of the multiplex and discriminatory probe assays in samples with a low viral load.
Comparison of Automated Intermittent Low Volume Bolus with Continuous Infusion for Labour Epidural Analgesia

Delivery of local anaesthetics via automated intermittent bolus has been shown to improve epidural analgesia compared to delivery via continuous epidural infusion. However, the optimal bolus volume has not been investigated. This randomised, double-blind study compared the analgesic efficacy of automated intermittent bolus (volume 2.5 ml every 15 minutes) with that of a continuous epidural infusion (10 ml/hour) for the maintenance of labour epidural analgesia, to determine whether the advantages previously demonstrated for automated intermittent bolus over continuous epidural infusion are retained at this low bolus volume. With the approval of the Hospital Ethics Committee, we recruited 50 parturients who received combined spinal epidural analgesia with intrathecal ropivacaine 2 mg and fentanyl 15 μg. For epidural maintenance, participants were randomised to either the automated intermittent bolus group (2.5 ml automated intermittent epidural boluses of ropivacaine 0.1% plus fentanyl 2 μg/ml delivered over a two-minute period every 15 minutes) or the continuous epidural infusion group (continuous epidural infusion of ropivacaine 0.1% plus fentanyl 2 μg/ml at 10 ml/hour). The primary study outcome was the incidence of pain during labour that required management with supplemental epidural analgesia. There were no significant differences between the two regimens in terms of breakthrough pain (automated intermittent bolus 36% [9/25] vs continuous epidural infusion 32% [8/25], P=0.77). At the doses used in this study, maintenance of labour analgesia using automated intermittent bolus at a bolus volume of 2.5 ml every 15 minutes does not decrease the incidence of breakthrough pain or improve analgesic efficacy compared to continuous epidural infusion.
Modeling Potential Impacts of Planting Palms or Tree in Small Holder Fruit Plantations on Ecohydrological Processes in the Central Amazon

Native fruiting plants are widely cultivated in the Amazon, but little information on their water use characteristics can be found in the literature. To explore the potential impacts of plantations on local to regional water balance, we studied plant water use characteristics of two native fruit plants commonly occurring in the Amazon region. The study was conducted in a mixed fruit plantation containing a dicot tree species (Cupuacu, Theobroma grandiflorum) and a monocot palm species (Acai, Euterpe oleracea) close to the city of Manaus, in the Central Amazon. Scaling from sap flux measurements, palms had a 3.5-fold higher water consumption compared to trees with a similar diameter. Despite the high transpiration rates of the palms, our plantation had only one third of the potential water recycling capacity of natural forests in the area. Converting natural forest into such plantations will thus result in significantly higher runoff rates.
Fibroblast cells from term human decidua closely resemble endometrial stromal cells: induction of prolactin and insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 expression.

Term decidual tissue consists of terminally differentiated decidual cells, bone marrow-derived cells, and fibroblast cells. Since undifferentiated decidual cells are fibroblast-like cells of the endometrial stroma, the possibility exists that the fibroblast cells in term decidua are undifferentiated decidual cells. To test this hypothesis, a purified population of fibroblast cells was isolated from term decidua and treated under conditions that are known to induce differentiation of endometrial stromal cells. By flow cytometry and immunocytochemistry, the fibroblast cells from term decidua were shown to be free of cells expressing bone marrow-derived cell-surface antigens and the epithelial cell marker cytokeratin. In addition, they tested positive for the cytoskeletal protein vimentin, thus establishing that they were mesenchymal cells. As with endometrial stromal cells, continuous treatment of the decidual fibroblast cells with the progesterone analog medroxyprogesterone acetate and estradiol in combination with either dibutyryl-cAMP or prostaglandin E2 induced cell aggregation and the expression of prolactin (PRL) and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1). When cells were plated at an initial cell density of 0.25 x 10(6) cells/well in a 24-well culture dish with medium changes every three days, PRL was first detected on Days 4-6, and the peak of averaged 24 h-PRL release (30 ng/well) occurred on Days 26-28. The mRNA for decidual fibroblast PRL followed a temporal pattern corresponding to that of the released hormone. The size of the PRL mRNA was 1.15 kb, corresponding to the alternately spliced PRL mRNA reported for decidualized endometrial stromal cells and other extrapituitary sources of PRL. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Economic Value of Prosthetic Services among Medicare Beneficiaries: A Claims-Based Retrospective Cohort Study

Context There are few studies of the economic impact or value of lower extremity prosthetic services. Results from this study can inform the value proposition concerning prosthetic services within military health, where over 40,000 Veterans with limb-loss receive care for their amputations through the Veterans Administration health care system. Purpose To determine the extent to which Medicare patients who received selected prosthetic services had less health care utilization, lower Medicare payments, and/or fewer negative outcomes compared to matched patients not receiving these services. Methods This retrospective cohort analysis using Medicare claims data (2007–2010) and propensity score matching techniques to control for observable selection bias based on etiological diagnosis, comorbidities, patient characteristics, and historical health care utilization one year before the etiological diagnosis. Findings: Patients who received lower extremity prostheses had comparable Medicare episode payments ($6,099 per-member-per-month for study group, $6,015 per-member-per-month for comparison group) and better outcomes than patients who did not receive prostheses. Study group patients were more likely to receive extensive outpatient therapy than comparison group patients ( P < 0.05). Receiving physical therapy is associated with fewer hospitalizations and emergency room visits, and less facility-based care ( P < 0.05), essentially offsetting the cost of the prosthetic over a 12-month time frame.