Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Efficacy of Real-world Entecavir Therapy in Treatment-naïve Chronic Hepatitis B Patients

Background: Entecavir (ETV) has been shown to be effective in randomized controlled trials in highly selected patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of ETV in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients in the real-world setting. Methods: A total of 233 treatment-naïve, CHB patients who received at least 12 months of ETV treatment were included in this retrospective study. Rates of virological response (VR), hepatitis B s antigen (HBsAg) loss, hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) clearance/seroconversion, virological breakthrough, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma were evaluated. Results: Of 233 patients, 175 patients were male, with mean age of 43 years old, and 135 patients were HBeAg positive. The mean baseline levels of serum alanine aminotransferase and HBV DNA in all patients were 230 U/L and 6.6 log 10 IU/ml, respectively. The mean follow-up period was 28 months. The cumulative rates of achieving VR increased from 3.4% at 3 months to 94.4% at 60 months. Primary nonresponse occurred in 3 (1.3%) patients. Partial VR (PVR) occurred in 61 (26.2%) patients at 12 months. The baseline serum HBV DNA level (hazard ratio [HR], 2.054; P < 0.001) was an independent risk factor for PVR. HBsAg loss did not occur. The cumulative rates of HBeAg clearance increased from 2.2% at 3 months to 28.2% at 60 months. PVR was the significant determinant of HBeAg clearance (HR, 0.341; P = 0.026). Age (HR, 1.072; P = 0.013) and PVR (HR, 5.131; P = 0.017) were the significant determinants of cirrhosis. Conclusions: ETV treatment was effective for HBV DNA suppression in this study, but HBsAg loss and HBeAg clearance/seroconversion rates were lower compared with previous clinical trials. PVR was associated with HBeAg clearance and cirrhosis.
Induction of B‐cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and hairy cell leukaemia like phenotypes by phorbol ester treatment of normal peripheral blood B‐cells

Summary. To investigate the relationship between normal B‐cells, B‐cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (B‐CLL) cells and hairy cell leukaemia (HCL) cells the three cell types were incubated with phorbol myristic acetate (PMA). The parameters studied were morphology, immunophenotype and tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP). PMA stimulation of B‐cells induced morphological changes as well as CD5, CD11c, B‐ly 7 and TRAP positivity. The cells formed small aggregates, the cell membranes were ruffled and frequently hairy and a small number of cells became plastic adherent and developed dendritic structures. CD5 and CD11c appeared on day 2, imitating a B‐CLL phenotype. On day 3 and 4 a decrease of CD5, an increase of CD11c and the appearance of B‐ly 7 could be seen mimicking an HCL phenotype. The changes in B‐CLL and HCL upon PMA stimulation were mainly morphological; the B‐CLL cells became ruffled and aggregated strongly, while the HCL cells developed dendritic features and became adherent. The immunophenotype of the PMA stimulated HCL cells did not change. The B‐CLL cells remained CD5 positive and did not become B‐ly 7 positive. The findings indicate that although PMA stimulation of normal peripheral blood cells results in CLL‐ as well as HCL‐like phenotypes, similar stimulation of B‐CLL cells does not result in an HCL‐like phenotype.
White Paper: Chemical Sensitivity: History and Phenomenology

Nearly everyone has heard something about chemical sensitivity, either from personal experience with someone who has the condition or from the media. The television series Northern Exposure recently featured a chemically sensitive attorney who lived in a geodesic dome in Alaska, and L.A. Law depicted the struggles of a Persian Gulf veteran with chemical sensitivities who lost his case against the Veterans Administration, but may appeal later in the season. Television news programs and the printed media have showcased patients living spartan existences in remote areas or in aluminum foil-lined rooms. Our views of the illness no doubt are colored by our own personal experiences of it. While some discount or make jokes about chemical sensitivity or these patients, physicians who have seen a number of them are discovering that many appear to be credible individuals with prior good work records who say they became ill following an identifiable exposure to chemicals.
MICROBIOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OFCOMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE DENTURE CLEANSING AGENTS

Purpose: The purpose of this study was conducted to compare and evaluate the efficacy of four chemically different immersion types of commercially available denture cleansers on recently fabricated complete dentures in healthy patients, using microbiological quantification method. Materials and Methods: Ten healthy subjects aged 60 – 70 year were selected. Chemical denture cleansers used were divided into four groups; Group I – Sodium hypochlorite solution 0.02% , Group II – Trisodium phosphate , Group III – Sodium perborate and Group IV – Chlorhexidine gluconate 0.2%. Posterior half of the tissue – bearing surface of the denture was swabbed using sterile cotton swabs at four different sites and cultured on blood agar . Net percentage reduction in the colony forming units before and after treatment with each of the above test agents on cultures from above four sites was calculated, tabulated and subjected to statistical analysis Results For all the groups the difference of means were statistically significant. The percentage reduction in streptococcus species count in log units for Groups I, II, III, and IV was found to be 28%, 16%, 10%, and 9% respectively. Conclusion: Cleansing agents were found to be effective in the following order, Sodium hypochlorite solution (0.02%), Trisodium phosphate, Sodium perborate and Chlorhexidine gluconate (0.2%). Clinical Implications: Treatment of dentures with denture cleansers significantly decreases the amount of subsequently formed plaque. The significant reduction in the number of microorganisms observed in this study suggests that the use of chemical cleansers is suitable method for cleaning dentures in geriatric patients.
The electromagnetic properties of amorphous and nanocrystalline powdered Fe-Si-B-Cu-Nb alloy at microwaves

The electric and magnetic properties of the magnetically soft Fe-Si-B-Nb-Cu alloy (Finemet), as a candidate on the absorber at microwaves, have been studied in the frequency range from 0.2 to 10 GHz. Measurements were achieved with the use of the coaxial line technique, where the scattering parameters at broadband frequency range were determined. In this method, using the signal flow graph representation, a method of measuring of the powders inserted in between two plastic walls has been discussed. Based on this attempt, values of relative permittivity (ε', ε”) and permeability (μ', μ”) of the powdered amorphous and nanocrystalline Finemet were shown for four groups of powders with different particle sizes. The measured data refers to pure pulverized Finemet without insulating resin or wax. The obtained results show that the powdered nanocrystalline Finemet containing particles below 25 μm in diameter can have good shielding / absorbing properties (EMC).
SURGICAL ALLEVIATION OF PARKINSONISM: EFFECTS OF OCCLUSION OF THE ANTERIOR CHOROIDAL ARTERY *

Surgical intervention in parkinsonism has not been generally considered to offer much hope for solution of the problem (1). Hitherto it has mainly consisted of damaging the corticospinal (pyramidal) system, either at the motor cortex (1,2) or in the cervical cord (3), and so producing a loss of motor power and some relief of tremor. As late as 1954, Merritt (4) asserted that surgical procedures “appear to have some degree of success only when the corticospinal tracts are injured and a hemiplegia or mild hemiparesis is substituted for the tremor or rigidity. ” In 1952 we observed that Virtually complete relief of tremor and rigidity followed the accidental occlusion of the contralateral anterior choroidal artery in a man with parkinsonism (Case 1, described subsequently). In 1953 we reported (5,6) that deliberate occlusion of this artery alleviated resting tremor and rigidity without compromising motor power and without producing the “syndrome of the anterior choroidal artery” (hemianopsia, hemiplegia and hemianesthesia). We now report the surgical occlusion of the artery 40 times in 34 patients (bilaterally in 6), of whom 6 have been followed for more than one year. Our findings show that the objective signs of far-advanced, disabling parkinsonism can be reversed, without motor loss, by this operation. Rigidity and tremor have not recurred during the year or more that the patients have been followed. Although the number of cases and the duration of the follow-up periods are not yet sufficient for conclusive evaluation, our clinical observations are given here as a progress report. Surgical technique and other matters are presented elsewhere (7).
Heterogeneous gender effects under loss aversion in the economics classroom: A field experiment

This article evaluates the impact of loss aversion as a behavioral motivator on students’ classroom performance. Conducting an experiment with University of Kentucky undergraduate students, the authors framed student grades as a loss and gain. In treatment sections, the students began with full marks and lost points as the semester progressed, whereas in control sections, under a traditional grading scheme, students accumulated points throughout the semester. We find that treated individuals, on average, do not have a statistically different final grade than individuals in the control class. However, we uncover a heterogeneous gender effect. On average, a male in the treatment class scores between 3.17 and 4.05 percentage points higher on the final grade than a male in the control class, ceteris paribus. Conversely, a female in the treatment class scores between 3.61 and 4.36 percentage points lower on the final grade than a comparable female in the control class.
Temporal trends in prevalence of diabetes mellitus in a population-based cohort of incident myocardial infarction and impact of diabetes on survival.

OBJECTIVE To determine the temporal trends in prevalence of confirmed diabetes mellitus (DM), time from the date DM criteria were met to myocardial infarction (MI), and impact of DM on survival. SUBJECTS AND METHODS A retrospective cohort design was used to identify residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota, with incident MI from 1979 to 1998. The MI cases were characterized according to prevalent DM. Cases with and without DM were followed up for vital status until January 1, 2003. RESULTS Of 2171 MI cases, 364 (17%) met criteria for prevalent DM. In the age- and sex-adjusted logistic regression models, the odds of prevalent DM Increased 3% with each Increasing year between 1979 and 1998 (95% confidence Interval [CI], 1%-5%; P=.007). Survival for MI cases with DM was unchanged between 1979-1983 and 1994-1998 (P=.74). For all MI cases, age-, sex-, and DM-adjusted risk of death decreased 3% from 1979 to 1998 (95% CI, 1%-5%) per year for 28-day survival (P=.02) and 2% (95% CI, 1%-3%) per year for 5-year survival (P=.02). There was a significant adverse effect of DM on 5-year survival after MI (age-, sex-, and calendar year-adjusted hazard ratio, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.38-2.09; P<.001). The adverse effect of DM persisted after adjusting for other cardiovascular disease risk factors, MI severity, and reperfusion therapy (hazard ratio, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.34-2.05; P<.001) and was unchanged over time (interaction between DM and calendar year, P=-.63). CONCLUSION These data indicate that the prevalence of DM among patients with MI is increasing and that its adverse impact on survival after MI remains unchanged.
Effect of IL-6 polymorphism on risk of Alzheimer disease: genotype-phenotype association study in Japanese cases.

Interleukin-6 (IL-6), an inflammatory cytokine might be involved in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer disease (AD); several studies have reported that the "C allele of IL-6 variable number of tandem repeat polymorphism" (IL-6vntr) delayed initial onset of AD and also decreased its risk per se. Another polymorphism, G/C allele of IL-6 gene promoter region (IL-6prom), is also a candidate because it has an influence on the regulation of plasma IL-6 concentration. We examined these IL-6 polymorphisms in 128 Japanese AD cases and 83 control cases using a PCR-RFLP method. The results showed the frequency of the IL-6prom G allele was significantly increased in AD, although IL-6vntr polymorphism was not. Plasma IL-6 concentration of the AD cases was also significantly higher than that of the control cases. Moreover, the IL-6prom G allele-positive AD patients showed a tendency to have higher IL-6 concentration in the AD group. These findings suggest that the IL-6prom G allele which may affect plasma IL-6 concentration might be a risk factor for sporadic AD in Japanese.
Effect of an Acid Antimicrobial on Turkey Breast Meat Salmonella and Total Aerobes

Acid solutions have been used as antimicrobials on meat and poultry. FreshFx is a commerciallyavailable surface treatment for the reduction of pathogens and extension of shelf life of raw poultry. Two replicate trials were conducted to determine the effect of FreshFx on numbers of total aerobes and inoculated Salmonella on raw turkey breast meat during 14 d of refrigerated storage. In each trial, three turkey breast meat cutlets, obtained at retail, were inoculated with nalidixic acid-resistant Salmonella and cut in half. One half was dipped in FreshFx for 30 s and the other half dipped in water for 30 s as a control, then all cutlet halves were refrigerated at 4°C and sampled at 0, 1, 2, 7, 10 and 14 d for total aerobic bacteria and Salmonella. No reduction (P>0.05) in numbers of total aerobes or Salmonella was observed due to FreshFx. Mean log cfu for total aerobes was 7.1 on d 0 and 7.8 on d 14. Mean pooled Salmonella log cfu were 6.9 on d 0 and 5.1 on d 14. Total aerobe counts were artificially high on d 0 to 10 due to the large numbers of Salmonella initially inoculated onto the samples. The persistence of Salmonella on samples during refrigerated storage reinforces the concept of reducing or eliminating pathogens prior to packaging and cold storage. In this experiment FreshFx did not improve shelf life as measured by reduction of total aerobes during refrigerated storage, nor reduce numbers of inoculated Salmonella on raw turkey breast meat.
The Influence of Situational Learning Orientation, Autonomy, and Voice on Error Making: The Case of Resident Physicians

Every organization is confronted by employee errors. Situational learning orientation may mitigate an employee's tendency to err. A situational learning orientation refers to the extent to which employees share the perception that there is an emphasis on improvement and on actively searching for additional knowledge and feedback in their department. The present study suggests that situational learning orientation interacts with two other organizational factors---autonomy and voice---as it influences employee errors, using the example of resident physicians' medical treatment errors. Senior nurses tallied the number of errors made by 123 residents from 25 departments over a three-month period. Results demonstrated that encouraging employee autonomy and voice fosters the benefits of learning by decreasing the number of treatment errors. Specifically, when the situational learning orientation was high, the number of errors decreased at an increasing rate as the perceived autonomy increased. When the learning orientation was low, there was a u-shaped relationship between autonomy and number of errors. In addition, only when the situational learning orientation was high did a higher employee voice lead to fewer treatment errors.
The effectiveness of fluoroscopic cervical interlaminar epidural injections in managing chronic cervical disc herniation and radiculitis: preliminary results of a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial.

BACKGROUND Chronic neck pain is a common problem in the adult population with a typical 12-month prevalence of 30% to 50%. Cervical disc herniation and radiculitis is one of the common conditions described responsible for chronic neck and upper extremity pain. Cervical epidural injections for managing chronic neck pain with disc herniation are one of the commonly performed non-surgical interventions in the United States. However, the literature supporting cervical interlaminar epidural steroids in managing chronic neck pain is scant. STUDY DESIGN A randomized, double-blind, controlled trial. SETTING A private interventional pain management practice and specialty referral center in the United States. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the effectiveness of cervical interlaminar epidural injections of local anesthetic with or without steroids in providing effective and long-lasting relief in the management of chronic neck pain and upper extremity pain in patients with disc herniation and radiculitis, and to evaluate the differences between local anesthetic with or without steroids. METHODS Patients were randomly assigned to one of 2 groups: Group I patients received cervical interlaminar epidural injections of local anesthetic (lidocaine 0.5%, 5 mL); Group II patients received cervical interlaminar epidural injections with 0.5% lidocaine, 4 mL, mixed with 1 mL of non-particulate betamethasone. OUTCOMES ASSESSMENT Multiple outcome measures were utilized. They included the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), the Neck Disability Index (NDI), employment status, and opioid intake. Assessments were done at baseline and 3, 6, and 12 months post-treatment. Significant pain relief was defined as 50% or more; significant improvement in disability score was defined as a reduction of 50% or more. RESULTS Significant pain relief (> or = 50%) was demonstrated in 77% of patients in both groups. Functional status improvement was demonstrated by a reduction (> or = 50%) in the NDI scores in 74% of Group I and 71% of Group II at 12 months. The overall average procedures per year were 3.7 +/- 1.1 in Group I and 4.0 +/- 0.91 in Group II; the average total relief per year was 39.45 +/- 11.59 weeks in Group I and 41.06 +/- 11.56 weeks in Group II over the 52 week study period in the patients defined as successful. The initial therapy was considered to be successful if a patient obtained consistent relief with 2 initial injections lasting at least 4 weeks. All others were considered failures. LIMITATIONS The study results are limited by the lack of a placebo group and a preliminary report of 70 patients, 35 in each group. CONCLUSION Cervical interlaminar epidural injections with local anesthetic with or without steroids might be effective in 77% of patients with chronic function-limiting neck pain and upper extremity pain secondary to cervical disc herniation and radiculitis.
Mismatch negativity (MMN) is altered by directing attention

MMN is a negative component resulting from the difference in event‐related potential (ERP) waveforms elicited by a standard and a deviant stimulus. It is usually studied in the absence of attentional requirements. We compared this measure of perceptual comparison in a non‐task situation (three tones presented) with that obtained in a task requiring focused attention and response to the third tone. MMN (comparison of standard and deviant irrelevant tones) increased with focused attention to the third (target) tone and frontal maxima shifted slightly posteriorly. The succeeding P3 in the difference waveform increased more posteriorly than frontally confirming continued differential processing of irrelevant stimuli under active conditions. This demonstrates that not only attending to stimuli, but the active processing of irrelevant stimuli (vs passive perception) involves small changes in the amount and distribution of neural activity.
Molecular cloning and characterization of two differentially expressed Cellulose synthase gene isoforms in Leucaena leucocephala: A pulp yielding tree species

Leucaena leucocephala is fast growing leguminous tree species, acclimatized to variety of soil and climatic conditions. It is widely used for pulp production in India. Pulp mainly consists of cellulose, which is a simple polymer of unbranched β-1, 4-linked glucan chains. The polymerization of glucose residues into a β-1, 4-linked backbone is catalysed by the enzyme cellulose synthase (CesA). Here, cDNAs encoding CesA genes from Leucaena were isolated and characterized. The two complete cDNAs of 3.228 kb and 3.222 kb encoding CesA gene from L. leucocephala were designated as Ll-7CesA (FJ871987) and Ll-8CesA (GQ267555) respectively. In-silico studies showed that Ll-7CesA has 95.2% identities and Ll- 8CesA has 95.8% identities with Acacia mangium CesA2. Phylogenetic analysis revealed significant similarity with known dicot CesA genes. The deduced amino acid sequence of both CesA genes contained the conserved D, D, D, QxxRW motif, eight membrane spanning regions and a putative zinc binding domain, which are characteristic of glycosyltransferases. DNA blot analysis suggested, CesA gene to be in multiple copies in Leucaena genome. Semi quantitative and quantitative real-time PCR expression analysis of Ll-7CesA gene showed more expression in stem than leaf and not detected in root where as Ll-8CesA gene was expressed more in stem than leaf and root. Overall Ll-8CesA was expressed in all tested tissues and could be involved in active cellulose biosynthesis.
Examining Individual Differences in the Internalization of Political Values: Validation of the Self-Determination Scale of Political Motivation

Abstract Three studies were conducted to further examine the psychometric credentials of the Self-Determination Scale of Political Motivation (SDSPM). This scale is based on Self-Determination Theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 1985, 1991, 2000) and measures intrinsic, identified, introjected, and amotivated reasons for following politics. In Study 1, results from Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) supported the four-factor structure of the scale. In Study 2, test–retest results indicated that the four subscales show moderately high temporal reliability. The results from Study 3 provided further evidence for the predictive validity of the SDSPM as well as preliminary support for its discriminant validity. Parenting factors were also distinctively associated with the regulatory styles of the instrument. In the three studies, Cronbach's alphas indicated high internal consistency for each of the SDSPM's subcales. Overall, the results suggest that this scale can be used successfully to examine individual differences in the regulation of active involvement in political decision making.
Ectopic fat accumulation and metabolic syndrome

The recent escalation of obesity from an individual health problem to a major public health issue reaching epidemic proportions has drawn attention to a constellation of abnormalities (abdominal obesity, hypertension and dyslipidaemia) collectively referred to as metabolic syndrome. As an indicator of insulin resistance and a harbinger of diabetes, this syndrome has been associated with major cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. Yet, the exact pathophysiological events leading to the development of metabolic syndrome remain unknown. We review some of the current literature on the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome with an emphasis on the role of ectopic lipid accumulation.