Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Vitamin C concentration of Aqueous humor in senile Cataract

Background: Oxidative agents like ultraviolet are one of the important cause of cataract and vitamin C is an important water soluble antioxidant agent in the aqueous humor. This study aimed to evaluate the concentration of vitamin C in the aqueous and plasma of patients with senile cataract. Methods: In a descriptive cross- sectional study on 85 patients (41 men and 44 women) admitted for cataract surgery, aqueous (0.2 ml) and blood (5ml) were sampled just before operation under general anesthesia from anterior chamber and vein, respectively. Spectrophotometer measured the concentration of vitamin C in both samples. Results: The mean age was 64.3±11.1 years. Aqueous and plasma concentration of vitamin C was 4.29± 1.11 mg/dl and 0.77±0.0332 mg/dl, respectively. The differences were statistical significant (P≈0). Vitamin C of aqueous were equal in both sexes, but vitamin C of plasma in women were higher than men (P= 0.043). The concentration of vitamin C showed no relation to the type of cataract. Conclusions: Vitamin C of aqueous and plasma in senile cataract are lower than normal. More study is recommended for evaluating preventive effect of high vitamin C diets or supplements.
Medical male circumcision for HIV/AIDS prevention in Uganda – the cost of disposable versus re-usable circumcision kits

We evaluated the cost implications of medical male circumcisions for HIV prevention when performed using re-usable equipment that is sterilized after each use versus using single-use disposal kits. In Uganda, a re-usable circumcision kit results in a net saving of US$7.14–US$12.34 or 46–59%. In resource-limited settings seeking to expand access to medical male circumcision for HIV prevention, substantial cost reductions may be achieved by adopting re-usable circumcision kits.
Preliminary Report on Non-adherence to Antihypertensive Treatment in Essential Hypertensive Patients: A Community Based Survey

A cross-sectional study was conducted on 300 hypertensive patients living in urban and rural community in Rajshahi District of Bangladesh to assess the situation regarding antihypertensive drug non- adherence. Patients aged 35 years or above who are taking anti-hypertensive drug for at least 6 months were included in the study. About 87% of patients were found non-adherent to treatment. The non-adherent patients had missed taking medication for anywhere from one day to the whole month. The reasons for not taking the medication included forgetfulness (54.1%), busy schedule (13.9.0%), boredom, travel, reluctance to take, and reluctance to buy the medication. Almost 80% of the people know that hypertension is an incurable disease and the disease has no definite sign and symptom. Knowing all these factors why these people are non-adherent to treatment needs further exploration. doi: 10.3329/taj.v21i2. 3788 TAJ 2008; 21(2): 112-117
Effectiveness of road safety education in Nigeria using a quasi-experimental trial: Findings from the Road Safety Intervention Project

Road traffic injuries pose a serious public health problem worldwide, especially in low-income countries. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a post-license road safety education intervention programme in terms of increased knowledge and self-reported behaviour among commercial minibus drivers in Lagos, Nigeria. This was a quasi-experimental study conducted in three phases. Participating motor parks (selected by simple random sampling) were assigned to either the intervention or control group. All eligible minibus drivers were included with no matching. Data analysis was done with Epi-info version 3.5. 1. Comparison was done in terms of group driver education versus no education, and pre- versus post-intervention. Out of an estimated 500 male drivers, 407 participated in the study. Most had some form of formal education. For both groups, pre-intervention knowledge scores were poor but improved significantly post-intervention in the intervention group. None of the drivers in the intervention group had good scores but this increased to 66,1% post-intervention. Their mean score
Effect of obesity on median nerve conduction at carpal tunnel level in Indian women

Background: Nerve conduction study (NCS) is essential in the diagnosis of focal neuropathies and diffuse polyneuropathies. There are many reasons of variations in nerve conduction velocity (NCV). Age, height, and body mass index (BMI) can affect NCVs, as reported by previous studies. It has been documented that obesity affects NCV. Aims & Objective: In this study, we tried to find the effect of obesity on median nerve conduction at carpal tunnel area in healthy Indian women. Materials and Methods: Women with age group between 25 and 64 years with BMI 25 were divided into non-obese and obese groups, respectively. Wrist ratio and wrist/palm ratio were measured. NCS was carried out for median and ulnar nerves on bilateral hands. Ulnar nerve study was carried out to rule out peripheral neuropathy. Results: The differences in distal motor and sensory latencies between obese and non-obese groups were found to be statistically significant (P < 0.05). There was statistically significant difference in wrist ratio between the two groups; however, there was no statistically significant difference in wrist/palm ratio. Conclusion: It can be concluded that obesity causes increase in sensory and motor latency of median nerve at carpal tunnel area in women. Increased wrist ratio is also an independent risk factor in delayed median nerve conduction.
Torticollis and plagiocephaly in infancy: Therapeutic strategies; A review

Background Asymmetry in infancy is a diagnosis with a large spectrum of features, expressing an abnormal shape of parts of the body or unequal postures and movements, which might be structural and/or functional, with localized or generalized expression. Purpose The purpose of the present study is to highlight different therapeutic aspects of the most occurring asymmetries in infancy: congenital muscular torticollis, positional torticollis and plagiocephaly, based on best evidence in current literature. Results A flow chart is presented showing different pathways in therapeutic strategies, such as physical therapy, orthotic devices (helmet treatment and Dynamic Orthotic Cranioplasty) and surgery. Conclusion It is concluded that there are different views towards management on torticollis and plagiocephaly. A systematic therapeutic management to evaluate these asymmetries is indicated. The presented therapeutic flow chart might serve as a basis in order to achieve uniformity in therapeutic thinking and performance.
A Clinico-Pathological Study of Peri-Ocular Tumors and Tumor-Like Lesions at Prince Rashid Bin Al-Hassan Military Hospital in the North of Jordan

Objectives: This study was conducted to analyze the histologically-proven peri-ocular tumors and tumor-like lesions at Prince Rashid Bin Al-Hassan military hospital in the North of Jordan. Methods: This was a hospital based, non-comparative, retrospective review, conducted at Prince Rashid Bin Al-Hassan Military Hospital in the North of Jordan over a period of 4 years between January 2008 and January 2012. Medical records of patients who underwent excisional biopsy of a tumor or tumor-like lesion, or incisional biopsy when complete resection was impossible and proven by histopathology during that period, were reviewed and included in the study. Descriptive statistics like mean, average, frequency, and percentages were used. Results: A total of 105 patients were enrolled in this study. The affected cases were 55.2% male and 44.8% female with a male to female ratio of 1.2: 1. The median age of the patients was 27 years with a range of 10 months to 94 years. The 10-20 years age group was most frequently affected. Histopathological examination revealed that 87 (82.9%) cases were benign, six (5.7%) premalignant, and 12 (11.4%) malignant. The eyelids were the most common site for the lesions and accounted for more than half of the cases. The most frequent benign lesion was nevus and the most common malignant tumor was basal cell carcinoma. The commonest indication for tumor excision was cosmetic followed by suspicion of malignancy. Conclusion: Peri-ocular tumors appear to be frequent although the true prevalence in the North of Jordan is not detected. Males were more frequently affected. The frequency of malignant and premalignant tumors was significant (11.4% and 5.7% respectively), for this reason any suspicious lesion should be biopsied particularly after the fifth decade of life.
Beehive: large-scale log analysis for detecting suspicious activity in enterprise networks

As more and more Internet-based attacks arise, organizations are responding by deploying an assortment of security products that generate situational intelligence in the form of logs. These logs often contain high volumes of interesting and useful information about activities in the network, and are among the first data sources that information security specialists consult when they suspect that an attack has taken place. However, security products often come from a patchwork of vendors, and are inconsistently installed and administered. They generate logs whose formats differ widely and that are often incomplete, mutually contradictory, and very large in volume. Hence, although this collected information is useful, it is often dirty. We present a novel system, Beehive, that attacks the problem of automatically mining and extracting knowledge from the dirty log data produced by a wide variety of security products in a large enterprise. We improve on signature-based approaches to detecting security incidents and instead identify suspicious host behaviors that Beehive reports as potential security incidents. These incidents can then be further analyzed by incident response teams to determine whether a policy violation or attack has occurred. We have evaluated Beehive on the log data collected in a large enterprise, EMC, over a period of two weeks. We compare the incidents identified by Beehive against enterprise Security Operations Center reports, antivirus software alerts, and feedback from enterprise security specialists. We show that Beehive is able to identify malicious events and policy violations which would otherwise go undetected.
Aripiprazole long-acting injectable formulations for schizophrenia: aripiprazole monohydrate and aripiprazole lauroxil

ABSTRACT Aripiprazole monohydrate (AM) and aripiprazole lauroxil (AL) are two different long-acting injectable formulations of aripiprazole. AM 400 mg administered once monthly demonstrated efficacy in an acute, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial, as well as in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized-withdrawal maintenance study, and in two non-inferiority maintenance studies. AL is a prodrug of aripiprazole and available in 441 mg, 662 mg or 882 mg strengths. AL 441 mg and 882 mg administered once monthly demonstrated efficacy in an acute, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial. The pharmacokinetic profile of AL also led to approval of dosing intervals of every 6 weeks for the 882 mg dose. The overall tolerability profiles of both products are consistent with what is known about oral aripiprazole.
New direct-acting antivirals in hepatitis C therapy: a review of sofosbuvir, ledipasvir, daclatasvir, simeprevir, paritaprevir, ombitasvir and dasabuvir

ABSTRACT Hepatitis C is a chronic infection associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. In recent years, there has been a shift in treatment paradigm with the discovery and approval of agents that target specific proteins vital for hepatitis C replication. The NS3/4A inhibitors simeprevir and paritaprevir, the NS5A inhibitors ombitasvir, ledipasvir, and daclatasvir, and the NS5B inhibitors sofosbuvir and dasabuvir have been newly FDA approved and incorporated as first-line agents into the latest IDSA-AASLD guidelines for Hepatitis C treatment. Used in combination, these agents produce higher rates of sustained virologic response and less adverse effects than historical options, along with limited rates of resistance. Pertinent clinical data, pharmacology, and pharmacokinetics are reviewed for these new direct acting antiviral agents.
Optimizing Antibiotic Dosing Strategies for the Treatment of Gram-negative Infections in the Era of Resistance

SUMMARY Gram-negative organisms are an increasing source of concern within the healthcare setting due to their common presence as a cause of infection and emerging resistance to current therapies. However, current antimicrobial dosing recommendations may be insufficient for the treatment of gram-negative infections. Applying knowledge of an antibiotic’s pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic profile when designing a dosing regimen leads to a greater likelihood of achieving optimal exposure, including against gram-negative pathogens with higher MICs. Additionally, administering antibiotics directly to the site of infection, such as via aerosolization for pneumonia, is another method to achieve optimized drug exposure at the site of infection. Incorporating these treatment strategies into clinical practice will assist antimicrobial stewardship programs in successfully treating gram-negative infections.
Feasibility of the Psychiatric Research Interview for Substance and Mental Disorders (PRISM) in an acute psychiatric ward

Background : The highly prevalent comorbidity of substance use disorders and psychiatric disorders represents challenges concerning diagnosis and treatment in acute psychiatric wards. Aims : To study the feasibility of the first Norwegian version of the Psychiatric Research Interview for Substance and Mental Disorders (PRISM) in an acute psychiatric ward. Methods : 61 consecutively admitted substance abusing patients, presenting with mood symptoms, psychotic symptoms, or both, were interviewed. Assessments included variables concerning the way the interviews were carried out. Results : 51% of eligible patients were interviewed. The main reason for non-inclusion was short stay on the ward. Median interview time was 155 minutes and median number of interview sessions was three. Conclusion : It was possible to use the PRISM in a busy acute psychiatric ward. Patients mainly had positive reactions to this extensive interview.
Pharmacological treatment of HIV-associated pulmonary hypertension

ABSTRACT Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare but severe disease that results from chronic obstruction of small pulmonary arteries, leading to right ventricular failure and, ultimately, death. One established risk factor for the development of PAH is HIV infection. The presence of PAH is an independent risk factor for mortality in HIV-infected patients. This article will focus on HIV-associated PAH (HIV-PAH) with special considerations to the available treatments. With the approval of the soluble guanylate cyclase stimulator riociguat, a new drug class has become available in addition to the already existing prostanoids, endothelin receptor antagonists, and phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors. Guidelines for the treatment of idiopathic PAH and guidelines for antiretroviral therapy should be followed for the treatment of HIV-PAH.
Effect of Simvastatin Versus Placebo on Treadmill Exercise Time Until the Onset of Intermittent Claudication in Older Patients With Peripheral Arterial Disease at Six Months and at One Year After Treatment

The authors conducted a study to investigate the effect of simvastatin after 6 months and 1 year on the time to onset of intermittent claudication during treadmill exercise in patients with peripheral arterial disease. Thirty-four patients were randomized to simvastatin, 35 were randomized to placebo. Simvastatin therapy resulted in a 24% increased treadmill exercise time until onset of intermittent claudication from baseline at 6 months and by 42% at 1 year.
Febuxostat for the chronic management of hyperuricemia in patients with gout

ABSTRACT Febuxostat is a non-purine, selective inhibitor of both isoforms of xanthine oxido-reductase (XOR), and a major alternative to the scarce number of urate-lowering medications available in the last decades. Its inhibition of XOR is more potent than allopurinol in a mg to mg comparison, what is associated to achievement of serum urate target more frequently than allopurinol at doses tested in clinical trials, especially in patients with the highest baseline serum urate levels. Its pharmacokinetics is not greatly dependent on renal clearance, contrary to allopurinol, what may be an advantage in patients with chronic kidney disease. Several trials are further evaluating both the cardiovascular safety of febuxostat and its possible beneficial effect on renal function preservation. Still scarce, but clinically interesting, evidence on its use in transplant patients has been recently released.
Location recommendation in location-based social networks using user check-in data

This paper studies the problem of recommending new venues to users who participate in location-based social networks (LBSNs). As an increasingly larger number of users partake in LBSNs, the recommendation problem in this setting has attracted significant attention in research and in practical applications. The detailed information about past user behavior that is traced by the LBSN differentiates the problem significantly from its traditional settings. The spatial nature in the past user behavior and also the information about the user social interaction with other users, provide a richer background to build a more accurate and expressive recommendation model. Although there have been extensive studies on recommender systems working with user-item ratings, GPS trajectories, and other types of data, there are very few approaches that exploit the unique properties of the LBSN user check-in data. In this paper, we propose algorithms that create recommendations based on four factors: a) past user behavior (visited places), b) the location of each venue, c) the social relationships among the users, and d) the similarity between users. The proposed algorithms outperform traditional recommendation algorithms and other approaches that try to exploit LBSN information. To design our recommendation algorithms we study the properties of two real LBSNs, Brightkite and Gowalla, and analyze the relation between users and visited locations. An experimental evaluation using data from these LBSNs shows that the exploitation of the additional geographical and social information allows our proposed techniques to outperform the current state of the art.
Differentiation of benign from malignant thyroid nodules with acoustic radiation force impulse technique.

OBJECTIVE The aim of our study was to assess the performance of acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) imaging to differentiate benign from malignant thyroid nodules. METHODS 182 patients who needed thyroid surgery were examined. All patients and 50 healthy volunteers underwent ARFI sonoelastography, which quantitatively analysed the elasticity and hardness of the nodule's centre and periphery. RESULTS ARFI values showed a statistical significance between malignant nodules and benign nodules and common thyroid parenchyma, in both the centre and periphery of nodules (p < 0.01). There was no significant difference between benign nodules and common thyroid parenchyma in either the nodule's centre or periphery (p > 0.05). There was no significant difference between the nodule's centre and periphery of the elastic parameters in both the benign and malignant nodules. There was a statistically significant difference among the two areas (the central group and the peripheral group) under the receiver operating characteristic curve, and the optimal model was the peripheral group. For differentiation of malignant from benign nodules, the sensitivity and specificity were 96.3% and 96.2%, respectively, when 2.545 m s(-1) was chosen as a cut-off value in the peripheral group. CONCLUSION ARFI imaging may be helpful to differentiate benign nodules from malignant thyroid nodules. The selecting measurement position is important in ARFI imaging, and it has good diagnostic value in clinical applications. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE This study shows the diagnostic contribution of ARFI imaging in thyroid lesions.
An fMRI Investigation on Brain Activity in Response to Unilateral Acupuncture, Electroacupuncture and Electromyostimulation on ST36 and ST39

It is known that unilateral resistance exercise training may result in an increased muscular strength not only in the exercised muscle, but also in the unexercised homologous muscle in the contralateral limb. This phenomenon is termed cross education. Cross-education effect has been shown in hand, arm and leg muscles after various types of resistance training (Farthing, 2009; Hortobagyi, 2005; Lee & Carroll, 2007; Lee et al., 2010; Munn et al., 2004; Zhou, 2000). Furthermore, it has been reported that repeated unilateral transcutaneous electrical stimulation on a limb muscle or a nerve trunk may also cause cross-education effect (Bezerra et al., 2009; Cabric & Appell, 1987; Hortobagyi et al., 1999; Singer, 1986; Tachino et al., 1989; Zhou et al., 2002). Although the magnitude of strength gain in the contralateral limb is generally less than that in the exercised limb, this cross-over effect might have clinical values in neuromuscular rehabilitation (Farthing et al., 2009; Singer, 1986; Woo et al., 2006). More interestingly, unilateral therapy for treatment of conditions on the contralateral side of the body has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries (Kim et al., 2010; Woo et al., 2006). One particular type of treatment, juci, involves acupuncture on one side of the body to affect the function of the other side (Lin & Pan, 2004). This appears to be similar to the concept of cross education. A recent investigation in our laboratory has demonstrated that four weeks of electroacupuncture on tibialis anterior muscle (TA) of one limb can significantly increase dorsiflexion muscle strength in both the stimulated limb and the contralateral limb (Huang et al., 2007). The exact mechanism of cross education is not clear. In principle, muscle strength can improve in adaptation to voluntary exercise training due to either or both an improved neural control and/or muscle hypertrophy. Because there has been little evidence of a significant muscle hypertrophy associated with improved strength in the contralateral limb,
A national dosimetry audit of intraoperative radiotherapy.

OBJECTIVE National dosimetry audits are a fundamental part of quality assurance in radiotherapy, especially for new techniques. Intraoperative radiotherapy with a compact mobile kilovoltage X-ray source is a novel approach for the treatment of breast and other cancers. All seven current clinical sites in the UK were audited by a single visiting group and set of measurement equipment. METHODS Measurements of output, isotropy and depth doses were performed using an ion chamber in solid water, thermoluminescent dosemeters and radiochromic film, respectively. RESULTS The mean difference between measured and planned dose across all centres was -3.2±2.7%. Measured isotropy was within ±3% around the lateral plane of the X-ray source and +11±4% in the forward direction compared with the lateral plane. Measured depth doses were agreed within 5±2% of manufacturer-provided calibration values or a mean gamma index of 97% at a tolerance of 7%/0.5 mm. CONCLUSION Agreement within measurement uncertainties was found for all three parameters except forward anisotropy, which is unlikely to be clinically significant. Steep dose gradients increase the sensitivity to small variations in positioning, but these tests are practical for use in interdepartmental audits and local baseline comparison. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE The first UK interdepartmental audit of intraoperative radiotherapy builds confidence in the delivery of this treatment.