Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adherence to Varenicline and Associated Smoking Cessation in a Community-Based Patient Setting

BACKGROUND: Varenicline, a selective α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor partial agonist, is a pharmacotherapy indicated for smoking cessation treatment. To our knowledge, no studies have described varenicline treatment adherence and efficacy from real-world treatment patterns in a U.S. primary care setting. OBJECTIVES: To estimate adherence to varenicline prescription orders and subsequent quit rates among smokers in a primary care setting. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, eligible patients were enrolled with Geisinger Health Plan, had an initial varenicline prescription written by a Geisinger provider between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2009, and had a follow-up clinic visit within the subsequent 12 months. Adherence was derived from linking electronic prescriptions with adjudicated pharmacy claims. Smoking status was collected at each health care encounter. RESULTS: Of the 1,477 eligible patients, 823 (55.7%) were primary nonadherent, having failed to initiate on the prescribed varenicline therapy. Of the remaining 654 patients, 359 (54.9%) were adherent, having completed a full 12-week course of therapy, and 295 (45.1%) were partially adherent, having initiated but not completed the full course of therapy. A total of 521 patients (35.3%) ceased smoking during the 12-month follow-up period: 182 (50.7%) of the adherent cohort, 82 (27.8%) of the partially adherent population, and 257 (31.2%) of the nonadherent cohort. No significant difference was found in quit rates between the partially adherent and nonadherent patient cohorts (adjusted HR 0.88 [95% CI=0.69-1.13]). However, patients adherent to the varenicline regimen were almost twice as likely to succeed in quitting smoking compared with completely nonadherent patients (HR 1.93 [95% CI=1.59-2.33]). CONCLUSIONS: Smoking cessation occurred more often among individuals adherent to varenicline therapy; however, medication nonadherence was common. After prescribing varenicline, clinicians and payers could consider active patient follow-up to maximize adherence and optimize treatment outcomes.
Mastitis diagnostic tests to estimate mammary gland epithelial cell damage.

Quarter fore-milk samples, blood serum, and mammary gland tissue extracts were tested for N-acetyl-B-D-glucosaminidae, lactate dehydrogenase, glutamate--oxaloacetate transmaninase, arylesterase, bovine serum albumin, sodium, conductivity, and somatic cell count. Bovine serum albumin, arylesterase, and sodium were high in blood serum while the first three listed were high in mammary gland tissue. All of these components in milk increased as somatic cell count increased. Correlation coefficients between somatic cell count and each component in order were . 84, . 53, . 55, . 81, . 74, and . 75. Some of these procedures (e.g., serum albumin, dehydrogenase, and transaminae) for estimating the extent of udder epithelial cell damage were less valuable because of lengthy assay times, tedious sample preparation, and unsatisfactory assay procedures. The most suitable approach for measuring udder tissue epithelial damage was the glucosaminidase test which was simple and rapid with high sample throughput. It should be a useful diagnostic aid in mastitis monitoring programs.
Effects of dietary supplementation of waste date’s vinegar on performance and improvement of digestive tract in broiler chicks

Two hundred 1-day-old commercial broilers (Ross 308) were used to determine the effects of diets supplementation with waste date’s vinegar (WDV) on the growth and performance of digestive tract over a 42-days growing period. Chicks were randomly allocated to one of five experimental diets supplementing as 0 (control), 1, 2, and 3% of WDV and 2% industrial vinegar (IV). Broilers and their feed consumptions were weighed at the trial beginning and days 10, 21, 35 and 42 of experimental period. Moreover, one chick from every replicate was killed at days 21 and 42 to measure development of digestive tissues and morphology and microbiology of small intestine. Although the final body weight was higher following IV and 1% WDV usage, feed conversion ratio was negatively affected by IV usage compared to control (p < 0.05). Relative weight of different parts of small intestine was not affected by experimental diets. Villus height and width were reduced linearly in WDV, IV and control groups (p < 0.05), but crypt depth was not different among experimental diets. Also, ileum microbiota was not affected by treatments. Results indicated that diet supplementation with WDV has positive effects on growth performance and histomorphology of jejunum in broilers.
Evidence supporting the zoonotic and non-zoonotic transmission of Enterocytozoon bieneusi

Microsporidia are obligate intracellular organisms that infect a broad range of vertebrates and invertebrates. The most widely distributed species found in humans is Enterocytozoon bieneusi which causes diarrhoea and weight loss in immunocompromised patients especially in HIV-infected patients (Didier 2005). In Thailand the prevalence of microsporidiosis in AIDS patients with diarrhoea has been found to range from 11%-33.3% (Wanachiwanawin et al. 1998; Waywa et al. 2001). Between November 1999 and October 2002 following a protocol approved by the Ethics Review Subcommittee of the national Ministry of Public Health samples of E. bieneusi were recovered from 33 HIV-infected Thai patients at Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok Thailand. The 12 females and 22 males providing these samples had a median age of 32.5 years (range=24-49). Only five of the patients were currently on antiretroviral treatment. The median value of the CD4 lymphocyte counts (available for 17 of the patients) was 23 cells/ml (range=5-164). The mean frequency of diarrhoea was 4.1 episodes/day (range=0-11) and the median period that the patients had suffered from diarrhoea was 60 days (range=2-730). Twenty-two (66.7%) of the patients has concurrent infections of which tuberculosis was the most common (22.7%). (excerpt)
Developing and Validating a Theory-Based Model of Crowdfunding Investment Intention—Perspectives from Social Exchange Theory and Customer Value Perspective

In order to improve public financing sustainability in China, the Chinese government has announced several administrative policies on crowdfunding, concerning platform construction and operation, in recent years. However, the existing policy scope rarely mentions the importance of social psychology, which also plays a decisive role in determining the participation and success rates of crowdfunding. Therefore, this study uses the knowledge from social exchange theory (SET) and customer value perspective (CVP) to develop and validate a conceptual model of the key determinants of the public’s intention in investing in crowdfunded projects in China. Based on the primary survey data, the SEM (structural equation modeling) estimations suggest that: (1) communication, shared values, investors’ perceived benefits, and perceived risk have significant effects on crowdfunding investors’ trust in fundraisers of a particular crowdfunding project, which in turn act on their commitment and intentions to invest in the project; (2) trust strengthens funding intentions through fulfilling commitments, whereas its direct effect on funding intentions is insignificant; (3) commitment has a direct and significant positive effect on the enhancement of funding intentions. These findings propose a new perspective of improving public policies to support small and micro enterprises (SMEs) and individual innovative projects in China.
Different responses of articular cartilage to strenuous running and joint immobilization

ABSTRACT Objective: To compare the pathological changes in cartilage derived from rats that developed osteoarthritis either by joint immobilization or by strenuous treadmill running in order to better understand their respective pathomechanism. Method: A total of 24 male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to three groups: sedentary control (CON), immobilization (IM), and strenuous running (SR). For rats in the IM group, unilateral knee joint was immobilized in flexion. Rats in the SR group underwent treadmill running with high intensity. Eight weeks later, all animals were sacrificed. Femoral condyles were collected to take histological observation for cartilage characteristic and immunohistochemistry for collagen type II. In addition, cartilage samples were obtained to assess gene expression of aggrecan, collagen type II, biglycan, and fibromodulin by quantitative RT-PCR. Results: Gross and histological observation showed osteoarthritic changes in groups SR and IM; however, more severe cartilage degradation was revealed in the latter. Proteoglycan and collagen II content decreased in groups SR and IM in comparison to group CON, with more loss in group IM. In group SR, mRNA levels in femoral cartilage were found to be unaltered for all the molecules measured. On the contrary, these molecules were significantly downregulated in group IM. Conclusion: Differences in gross observation, histological characteristics, and gene expression of proteoglycans and collagen II suggest that both knee immobilization and strenuous running would lead to degenerative change of cartilage, but at different stages of the degenerative process.
Diurnal variation in the response of plasma adrenocorticotropin and cortisol to intravenous ovine corticotropin-releasing hormone.

To determine whether the plasma immunoreactive ACTH (IR-ACTH) and IR-cortisol responses to ovine corticotropin-releasing hormone (oCRH) depend on the time of day, we administered 1 microgram/kg BW synthetic oCRH as an iv bolus dose to five normal men at their usual time of awakening between 0530-0740 h, at 1600 h, and at 2300 h. Mean basal plasma IR-ACTH and IR-cortisol levels were highest upon awakening, intermediate at 1600 h, and lowest at 2300 h, reflecting the diurnal rhythm of ACTH secretion. There was no significant difference in the plasma IR-ACTH response to oCRH at different times of the day. In contrast, the mean maximum plasma IR-cortisol increment and mean integrated response were 2- and 2.6-fold greater (P less than 0.05), respectively, at 2300 h than upon awakening. In another study, oCRH was given in the morning (0700-0900 h) to 22 normal men and in the late afternoon (1600-1800 h) to 24 normal men. Mean basal plasma IR-ACTH and IR-cortisol levels were significantly higher (P less than 0.001) in the morning [24 +/- 3 pg/ml (mean +/- SEM) and 10.6 +/- 0.8 micrograms/dl, respectively] than in the afternoon (13 +/- 2 pg/ml and 5.6 +/- 0.6 micrograms/dl, respectively). Mean peak plasma IR-ACTH was slightly greater in the morning (60 +/- 5.5 pg/ml) than in the afternoon (47 +/- 5.5 pg/ml), the mean maximum plasma IR-ACTH increments were the same (35 +/- 4 and 34 +/- 5 pg/ml, respectively), and the mean integrated IR-ACTH response was slightly less in the morning (2036 +/- 414 vs. 2365 +/- 358 pg . min/ml), but none of these differences was statistically significant. Mean peak plasma IR-cortisol concentrations in the morning and afternoon were similar (18.7 +/- 0.7 and 17.3 +/- 0.9 micrograms/dl, respectively), but the mean maximum plasma IR-cortisol increments (8.1 +/- 0.8 and 11.7 +/- 0.9 micrograms/dl, respectively; P less than 0.005), and the mean integrated IR-cortisol responses (588 +/- 115 and 976 +/- 95 micrograms . min/dl, respectively; P less than 0.01) were greater in the afternoon. There was an inverse correlation between basal plasma IR-cortisol concentration and the integrated IR-ACTH response (P less than 0.05), the maximum IR-cortisol increment (P less than 0.001), and the integrated IR-cortisol response (P less than 0.001). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Leadership in neurology: A social network analysis

Traditionally, most career development articles, such as those in the NeuroGenesis feature in this journal, are aimed at junior faculty members who are just starting out in the field. Of course, career development is not a process that stops once one has been promoted beyond the junior ranks, but is rather a continual effort to refine the characteristics of one's academic position until it approximates more and more closely one's ideal job description, even at the most senior levels. This research article by Amar Dhand and colleagues analyzes the origins of occupants of two positions that represent in their own distinct ways the pinnacle of American neurology – the presidencies of the American Academy of Neurology and the American Neurological Association – and should be of interest to readers at all stages of their careers. – NeuroGenesis Editor.
Consensus on Insulin Dose and Titration Algorithms in Ambulatory Care of Type 2 Diabetes in India.

INSTRUCTION Insulin is the oldest of the currently available treatment options in Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and is considered as the most effective glucose lowering agent. Despite this, decision on starting insulin therapy is often delayed in India as well as worldwide due to various barriers at both patient and physician levels. Appropriate insulin dosing and titration is also critical to the successful achievement of tight glycaemic control. OBJECTIVE To provide simple and easily implementable guidelines to primary care physicians on appropriate insulin dosing and titration of various insulin regimens for both initiation and intensification. METHODOLOGY Each insulin regimen (once daily [OD] basal, OD, twice daily and thrice daily premixed, basal-plus and basal-bolus) was presented and evaluated for dosing and titration based on established guidelines, data from approved pack inserts, and published scientific literature. These evaluations were then factored into the national context based on the expert committee representatives patient-physician experience in their clinical practice and common therapeutic practices followed in India. RESULTS Recommendations for dosing and titration of basal, basal-plus, premixed and basal-bolus insulins were developed. The key recommendations are that insulin doses can be adjusted once or twice weekly; adjustment can be based on lowest/mean of three recent self-monitoring of plasma glucose pre-meal/fasting plasma glucose (FPG) values. The titration should be based on FPG or pre-meal value of 80-130 mg/dL and the dose should be reduced by 10-20% for patients reporting hypoglycaemia(<70mg/dL). CONCLUSIONS The consensus based recommendations mentioned in this paper will be a useful reference tool for health care practitioners, to initiate, optimise and intensify insulin therapy and to successfully achieve optimal glucose control.
Net Working Capital and the Profitability: Empirical Evidence form Amman Stock Exchange

The current study investigates empirically the relationship between the net working capital and the profitability of the industrial companies for the period of 9 years from 2009-2017. To fulfill this aim, the researcher used the analytical descriptive method on a sample consisted of 26 industrial companies listed in Amman Stock Exchange (ASE). The empirical result shows that net operating income and return on asset have positive relationship with net working capital. However, there is no relationship between net working capital and profit margin. The study recommends that to more attention for investing the net working capital by determining investment opportunities that reflect positively on profitability. Additionally, managers should raise the awareness of their employees regarding the importance of internal and external investment to increase the market share.
Dispersion in Analysts' Earnings Forecasts and the Cross Section of Stock Returns: What is the Driving Factor?

Recent studies have documented that stocks with lower dispersion in analysts' earnings forecasts earn higher future returns. The economic interpretation of this observation is that dispersion in earnings forecasts represents differences of opinion among analysts. That is, under short-sale constraints, stocks prices reflect the valuation of optimistic investors and such optimism tends to be stronger when investors observe dispersed opinions about a stock's valuation. This interpretation is based on the economic meaning of the standard deviation of earnings forecasts in the numerator of the dispersion measure, while treating the absolute value of the mean earnings forecast in the denominator of the dispersion measure as just a scalar. However, contrary to the differences-of-opinion explanation, our results show that the predictability of dispersion in analysts' earnings forecasts on future stock returns mainly comes from the denominator effect rather than from the numerator effect of the dispersion measure. We also find that dispersion in analysts' earnings forecasts has the strongest predictive power among the most undervalued stocks. Our results appear to cast doubt on the differences-of-opinion explanation for the negative relationship between dispersion in analysts' earnings forecasts and future stock returns.
Observation of Social Behavior in Frontotemporal Dementia

Background: The most characteristic manifestations of behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) are abnormalities in social behavior. However, distinguishing bvFTD based on social behavior can be difficult in structured clinical settings. Methods: Using a Social Observation Inventory, 10 patients with bvFTD and 10 patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) were compared to their caregiver interlocutors on 1-hour mealtime, in-home videotaped segments. Results: Compared to caregivers and patients with AD, patients with bvFTD were significantly disturbed in social behavior. In contrast, patients with AD were indistinguishable from their caregivers. The lack of “you” comments and decreased tact and manners distinguished 92.6% of the patients with bvFTD from patients with AD and caregivers. The Social Observation Inventory scores correlated with scores on frontal-executive tests and socioemotional scales. Conclusions: The systematic observation of social behavior during routine activities may be one of the best ways to distinguish patients with bvFTD from normal individuals and from patients with other dementias.
Is valvular calcification a part of the missing link between residual kidney function and cardiac hypertrophy in peritoneal dialysis patients?

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Residual renal function (RRF) predicts survival and shows an important inverse relation with cardiac hypertrophy in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. We hypothesized that valvular calcification and the calcification milieu may be part of the process linking loss of RRF and cardiac hypertrophy. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS A cross-sectional study was conducted by performing two-dimensional echocardiography on 230 PD patients to assess valvular calcification and left ventricular (LV) mass and collecting 24-h urine for estimation of RRF. RESULTS Patients having valvular calcification had lower RRF than those without. Patients with no RRF showed higher calcium-phosphorus product (Ca x P) and C-reactive protein (CRP). Using multiple logistic regression analysis, every 1-ml/min per 1.73 m(2) increase in residual GFR was associated with a 28% reduction in the risk for valvular calcification. The association was lost after additional adjustment for Ca x P and CRP. Using multiple linear regression analysis, loss of RRF showed significant association with increased LV mass index, but this association was lost after additional adjustment for CRP, Ca x P, and valvular calcification. Patients with all three calcification risk factors, namely inflammation, high CaxP, and no RRF, showed the highest prevalence of valvular calcification and had the most severe cardiac hypertrophy. CONCLUSIONS The association among loss of RRF, valvular calcification, and cardiac hypertrophy was closely linked to increased inflammation and high Ca x P in PD patients. These data suggest that valvular calcification and the calcification milieu are part of the processes linking loss of RRF and worsening cardiac hypertrophy in PD.
Evaluation of criteria for distinguishing atypical endometrial hyperplasia from well‐differentiated carcinoma

Endometrial curettings from 204 patients containing severe forms of atypical hyperplasia, carcinoma in situ, and well‐differentiated carcinoma were compared with subsequent hysterectomy specimens to evaluate and identify the most useful histologic criteria for predicting the presence of invasive carcinoma. Endometrial stromal invasion, increased degrees of nuclear atypism, mitotic activity, cellular stratification, and epithelial necrosis in curettings were associated with a greater likelihood of carcinoma in the uterus. Of these, stromal invasion was the most significant feature. When stromal invasion was absent, carcinoma was present in the uterus in only 17%, and the carcinomas were well differentiated and confined to the endometrium or only superficially invasive. When stromal invasion was present in curettings, residual carcinoma was present in the uterus in half, and of these, one third were moderately or poorly differentiated and a quarter invaded deeply into the myometrium. The criteria for invasion are 1) an irregular infiltration of glands associated with an altered fibroblastic stroma or desmoplastic response; 2) a confluent glandular pattern in which individual glands are uninterrupted by stroma and merge to form a cribriform pattern of stromal replacement; 3) an extensive papillary pattern; and 4) replacement of stroma by masses of squamous epithelium. To qualify as invasion, items 2, 3, and 4 must occupy at least one half (2.1 mm) a low power field 4.2 mm in diameter. Because of the important role of stromal invasion in predicting prognosis, future classifications of endometrial neoplasia should utilize this feature in distinguishing atypical hyperplasia from well differentiated adenocarcinoma.
Is Partnership Intensity or Density More Effective?

Abstract Current scholarship identifies benefits to both quality of partnerships and extensiveness of networks when managing shared policy goals. However, with limited collaborative capacity, many public service organizations are faced with a decision of whether to pursue intense connections with specific organizations or dense ties with an array of organizations. From using survey data from 72 local air agencies, findings indicate that intense partnerships are better predictors of improved air quality than dense ties. Conclusions suggest that building strong partnerships is more important than building many partnerships when pursuing shared policy goals in a multidimensional environment.