Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Encouraging posttreatment self-help group involvement to reduce demand for continuing care services: two-year clinical and utilization outcomes.

BACKGROUND Accumulating evidence indicates that addiction and psychiatric treatment programs that actively promote self-help group involvement can reduce their patients' health care costs in the first year after treatment, but such initially impressive effects may wane over time. This paper examines whether the positive clinical outcomes and reduced health care costs evident 1 year after treatment among substance-dependent patients who were strongly encouraged to attend 12-step self-help groups were sustained at 2-year follow-up. METHODS A 2-year quasi-experimental analysis of matched samples of male substance-dependent patients who were treated in either 12-step-based (n=887 patients) or cognitive-behavioral (CB, n=887 patients) treatment programs. The 12-step-based programs placed substantially more emphasis on 12-step concepts, had more staff members "in recovery," had a more spiritually oriented treatment environment, and promoted self-help group involvement much more extensively than did the CB programs. The 2-year follow-up assessed patients' substance use, psychiatric functioning, self-help group affiliation, and mental health care utilization and costs. RESULTS As had been the case in the 1-year follow-up of this sample, the only difference in clinical outcomes was a substantially higher abstinence rate among patients treated in 12-step (49.5%) versus CB (37.0%) programs. Twelve-step treatment patients had 50 to 100% higher scores on indices of 12-step self-help group involvement than did patients from CB programs. In contrast, patients from CB programs relied significantly more on outpatient and inpatient mental health services, leading to 30% lower costs in the 12-step treatment programs. This was smaller than the difference in cost identified at 1 year, but still significant ($2,440 per patient, p=0.01). CONCLUSIONS Promoting self-help group involvement appears to improve posttreatment outcomes while reducing the costs of continuing care. Even cost offsets that somewhat diminish over the long term can yield substantial savings. Actively promoting self-help group involvement may therefore be a useful clinical practice for helping addicted patients recover in a time of constrained fiscal resources.
Modulating cell adhesion to polybutylene succinate biotextile constructs for tissue engineering applications

Textile‐based technologies are powerful routes for the production of three‐dimensional porous architectures for tissue engineering applications because of their feasibility and possibility for scaling‐up. Herein, the use of knitting technology to produce polybutylene succinate fibre‐based porous architectures is described. Furthermore, different treatments have been applied to functionalize the surface of the scaffolds developed: sodium hydroxide etching, ultraviolet radiation exposure in an ozone atmosphere and grafting (acrylic acid, vinyl phosphonic acid and vinyl sulphonic acid) after oxygen plasma activation as a way to tailor cell adhesion. A possible effect of the applied treatments on the bulk properties of the textile scaffolds has been considered and thus tensile tests in dry and hydrated states were also carried out. The microscopy results indicated that the surface morphology and roughness were affected by the applied treatments. The X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and contact angle measurements showed the incorporation of oxygen‐containing groups and higher surface free energy as result of the surface treatments applied. The DNA quantification and scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed that these modifications enhanced cell adhesion and altered cell morphology. Generally, sodium hydroxide treatment altered most significantly the surface properties, which in turn resulted in a high number of cells adherent to these surfaces. Based on the results obtained, the proposed surface treatments are appropriate to modify polybutylene succinate knitting scaffolds, influencing cell adhesion and its potential for use in tissue engineering applications. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Expression of MiR200a, miR93, metastasis-related gene RECK and MMP2/MMP9 in human cervical carcinoma--relationship with prognosis.

AIM AND BACKGROUND Cervical cancer remains the third most common cancer in women globally after breast and colorectal cancer. Well-characterized biomarkers are necessary for early diagnosis and to predict metastatic progression and effective therapy. MiRNAs can regulate gene expression, cell growth, differentiation and apoptosis by targeting mRNAs for translational repression or degradation in tumor cells. The present study was conducted to assess expression of miR93, miR200a, RECK, MMP2, MMP9 in invasive cervical carcinoma, and analyze their clinical significance. METHOD A total of 116 patients with invasive cervical carcinoma and 100 patients undergoing hysterectomy for benign lesions were retrospectively examined. Quantitative real-time PCR was performed to determine expression of miR93 and miR200a while RECK, MMP2, MMP9 and MVD were assessed by immunohistochemical staining. RESULTS Cervical carcinoma patients demonstrated up-regulation of miR-93, miR-200a, MMP2 and MMP9, with down-regulation of RECK as compared to benign lesion tissues. RECK was significantly inversely related to invasion and lymphatic metastasis. The 5-year survival rate for patients with strong RECK expression was significantly higher than that with weakly expressing tumors. CONCLUSION MiR-93 and miR-200a are associated with metastasis and invasion of cervical carcinoma. Thus together with RECK they are potential prognostic markers for cervical carcinoma. RECK cooperating with MMP2, MMP9 expression is a significant prognostic factor correlated with long-term survival for patients with invasive cervical carcinoma.
Impact of a silane-coating of hollow glass microspheres on the electrical properties of syntactic foam

Syntactic foam is a solid insulation material, featuring a foam-like structure. It's a composition of hollow microspheres and a polymeric matrix material. In this study it consists of glass microspheres and an epoxy resin matrix. The present paper deals with the influence of modified inner interfaces (achieved by silane-coated glass microspheres in order to improve the adhesion quality between the glass microspheres and the epoxy resin matrix) on the electrical properties of the material. The experiments show that the silane-coating (also known as silanization) has a positive influence on the breakdown field strength under electrical ac and dc short term stress. The experiments are conducted for different degrees of filling of the glass microspheres (10 vol.% . 50 vol.%). It is shown, that the influence of the silanization becomes more significant with higher degree of filling. The life time of the material under electrical ac as well as dc stress can also be improved by a silanization. The dielectric properties (loss factor and relative permittivity) are not influenced by a silanization. Measurements of the viscosity of syntactic foam verify that a silanization reduces the viscosity of the uncured, liquid material during the manufacturing process. Hereby, an improvement of the material's production quality can be achieved at high microspheres' filling degrees.
Impact of Neonatal Sertraline Exposure on the Post–Myocardial Infarction Outcomes of Adult Male Mice

Abstract: Neonatal exposure to a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) leads to decreased left ventricular volumes and sympathetic activation in adult mice. We hypothesized this neonatal SSRI exposure–induced small left heart syndrome would increase post–myocardial infarction (MI) morbidity and mortality. C57BL/6 mice received saline or sertraline (5 mg/kg intraperitoneally) on postnatal days 1–14. At 5 months, male mice underwent coronary artery ligation and were monitored by radiotelemetry until death or 4 weeks after ligation. After ligation, SSRI-exposed mice had increased heart rates (SSRI, 516 ± 13 bpm; control, 470 ± 15 bpm; P < 0.05). SSRI-exposed mice had significant reductions in left ventricular systolic volumes both before and after coronary ligation (SSRI: baseline = 20 ± 3 &mgr;L, post-MI = 37 ± 10 &mgr;L; control: baseline = 30 ± 3 &mgr;L, post-MI = 65 ± 23 &mgr;L). Post-MI echocardiography showed significantly decreased ejection fraction in control mice (baseline = 60% ± 4%, post-MI = 41% ± 2%, P < 0.01) but not the SSRI-exposed mice (baseline = 65% ± 3%, post-MI = 53% ± 7%). Neonatal SSRI exposure did not significantly alter post-MI survival. We conclude that the preexisting SSRI-induced small left heart syndrome may provide protection from post-MI ventricular dilation.
Evaluation of the feasibility and efficacy of autologous stem cell transplantation in elderly patients with multiple myeloma.

OBJECTIVE The feasibility and efficacy of high-dose melphalan (HD-MEL) followed by autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (auto-SCT) in elderly patients with multiple myeloma (MM) are discussed. METHODS We retrospectively analyzed and compared the results of 25 elderly patients (aged 65-76 years, elderly group) and 63 control patients (aged 51-64 years, control group). Many patients received a vincristine and doxorubicin combined with dexamethasone (VAD) regimen (elderly group: 92%, control group: 78%) with autologous peripheral blood stem cells being harvested after the administration of chemotherapy with high-dose cyclophosphamide (elderly group: 72%, control group: 87%). Ten elderly patients received MEL at a dose of 100-120 mg/m(2), while 15 patients received MEL at a dose of 180-200 mg/m(2). RESULTS Treatment-related deaths occurred in one elderly patient and two younger patients due to infections. The rate of achieving complete response (CR) or very good partial response (VGPR) was 60% in the elderly group and 83% in the control group. Progression-free survival from auto-SCT in the elderly group was similar to that observed in the control group (median 17.1 vs. 20.8 months, p=0.26), with the median overall survival (OS) from auto-SCT being 40.8 months in the former and 72.5 months in the latter group (p=0.07). When calculated from the beginning of induction treatment, the median OS of the elderly group was 47.0 months and the 3-year OS rate was 81%. CONCLUSION The current study provides evidence for the efficacy of auto-SCT in elderly MM patients. A prospective study of auto-SCT in elderly patients using strict eligibility criteria is required to evaluate the prolongation of survival in the era of novel agents.
Treatment refractory psychosis remitted upon treatment with continuous positive airway pressure: a case report.

INTRODUCTION Patients refractory, or responding only partially, to antipsychotic drugs are common in clinical practise. Medical diseases can present with psychotic symptoms or add to a psychotic picture and should not be missed. We report on a patient with schizophrenia whose treatment refractory psychosis remitted upon treatment of her obesity-hypoventilation syndrome (OHS). CASE REPORT A 63-year-old women previously diagnosed with hebephrenic schizophrenia developed treatment resistant auditory hallucinations along with extreme daytime fatigue and obesity. She was eventually diagnosed with Pickwickian syndrome or OHS and received treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). Restoring the patient's alveolar hypoventilation with nocturnal CPAP led to the complete remission of hallucinations. DISCUSSION We suggest that this case highlights an issue that might become more common in the future with increasing prevalence of overweight. Indeed, some atypical neuroleptics might even counteract their own therapeutic effect by inducing excessive weight gain that increases the risk for OHS. We recommend taking a careful sleep history in schizophrenic patients with obesity and to perform a polysomnography in suspect cases.
A study of 124 Indian patients with lichen planus pigmentosus

Summary Lichen planus pigmentosus is a fairly common disorder of pigmentation in Indians, but reports comprising a sizeable number of patients are lacking in the literature. We now describe the clinical and epidemiological features and histopathological findings for 124 lichen planus pigmentosus patients. A retrospective analysis of medical records of patients attending our centre during the past 12 years was undertaken. Of the 124 patients (56 male, 68 female), the majority (48.4%) had the disease for 6 months to 3 years. The face and neck were the commonest sites affected with pigmentation varying from slate grey to brownish‐black. The pattern of pigmentation was mostly diffuse (77.4%), followed by reticular (9.7%), blotchy (7.3%) and perifollicular (5.6%). Lichen planus was noted in 19 patients with typical histopathological changes of the disorder. Lichen planus pigmentosus, a distinct clinical entity commonly encountered in the Indian population, should be considered in the spectrum of lichenoid disorders as a variant of lichen planus.
Sexual Risk Behavior and STI Contraction Among Young Women With Prior Juvenile Justice Involvement

Girls in the juvenile justice system are at increased risk for contracting HIV/AIDS. Sexual risk behavior was examined in 166 females with juvenile justice involvement who were followed from adolescence to young adulthood. Results indicated that childhood sexual abuse increased the incidence of unsafe sex during young adulthood, which was subsequently associated with contraction of a sexually transmitted infection (STI). Further, girls’ comfort in talking with their partners about safer sex practices during adolescence moderated the association between childhood sexual abuse and unsafe sex, such that girls who had been sexually abused and were uncomfortable talking to their partners about safer sex during adolescence had an 8.5-fold increase in unsafe sex in young adulthood. The identification of behaviors amenable to intervention in the prevention of HIV/AIDS risk in this high-risk population is discussed.
Automated seizure abatement in humans using electrical stimulation

The need for novel, efficacious, antiseizure therapies is widely acknowledged. This study investigates in humans the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of high‐frequency electrical stimulation (HFES; 100–500Hz) triggered by automated seizure detections. Eight patients were enrolled in this study, which consisted of a control and an experimental phase. HFES was delivered directly to the epileptogenic zone (local closed‐loop) in four patients and indirectly, through anterior thalami (remote closed‐loop), to the other four patients for every other automated seizure detection made by a validated algorithm. Interphase (control vs experimental phase) and intraphase (stimulated vs nonstimulated) comparisons of clinical seizure rate and relative severity (clinical and electrographic) were performed, and differences were assessed using effect size. Patients were deemed “responders” if seizure rate was reduced by at least 50%; the remaining patients were deemed “nonresponders. ” All patients completed the study; rescue medications were not required. There were 1,491 HFESs (0.2% triggered after‐discharges). Mean change in seizure rate in the local closed‐loop group was −55.5% (−100 to +36.8%); three of four responders had a mean change of −86% (−100 to −58.8%). In the remote closed‐loop, the mean change of seizure rate was −40.8% (−72.9 to +1.4%); two of four responders had a mean change of −74.3% (−75.6 to −72.9%). Mean effect size was zero in the local closed‐loop (responders: beneficial and medium to large in magnitude) and negligible in the remote closed‐loop group (responders: beneficial and medium to large). HFES effects on epileptogenic tissue were immediate and also outlasted the stimulation period. This study demonstrates the feasibility and short‐term safety of automated HFES for seizure blockage, and also raises the possibility that it may be beneficial in pharmaco‐resistant epilepsies. Ann Neurol 2005;57:258–268
Are You Hooked on Paid Music Streaming?: An Investigation into the Millennial Generation

The﻿ proliferation﻿ of﻿ free﻿ on-demand﻿ music﻿ streaming﻿ services﻿ (e.g.,﻿ Spotify)﻿ is﻿ offsetting﻿ the﻿ traditional﻿revenue﻿sources﻿(e.g.,﻿purchases﻿of﻿downloads﻿or﻿CDs)﻿of﻿the﻿music﻿industry. ﻿In﻿order﻿to﻿ increase﻿revenue﻿and﻿sustain﻿business,﻿the﻿music﻿industry﻿is﻿directing﻿its﻿efforts﻿toward﻿increasing﻿ paid﻿subscriptions﻿by﻿converting﻿free﻿listeners﻿into﻿paying﻿subscribers. ﻿However,﻿most﻿companies﻿are﻿ struggling﻿with﻿these﻿attempts﻿because﻿they﻿lack﻿a﻿clear﻿understanding﻿of﻿the﻿psychological﻿and﻿social﻿ purchase﻿motivations﻿of﻿consumers. ﻿This﻿study﻿compares﻿and﻿contrasts﻿the﻿two﻿different﻿phases﻿of﻿ Millennial﻿generation﻿consumer﻿behaviors:﻿the﻿alluring﻿phase﻿and﻿the﻿hooking﻿phase. ﻿A﻿survey﻿was﻿ conducted﻿with﻿73﻿paying﻿users﻿and﻿163﻿non-paying﻿users﻿of﻿on-demand﻿music﻿streaming﻿services. ﻿ The﻿authors’﻿data﻿analysis﻿shows﻿two﻿separate﻿behavioral﻿dynamics﻿seen﻿between﻿these﻿groups﻿of﻿users. ﻿ While﻿social﻿influence﻿and﻿attitude﻿are﻿primary﻿drivers﻿for﻿the﻿non-paying﻿users﻿in﻿the﻿alluring﻿phase,﻿ facilitating﻿conditions﻿and﻿communication﻿control﻿capacity﻿play﻿critical﻿roles﻿for﻿the﻿paying﻿users﻿in﻿ the﻿hooking﻿phase. ﻿These﻿results﻿imply﻿that﻿the﻿music﻿industry﻿should﻿apply﻿different﻿approaches﻿to﻿ prospective﻿and﻿current﻿customers﻿of﻿music﻿streaming﻿services. KEYwoRdS Alluring Phase, Hooking Phase, Millennial, Music Streaming Service, Online Consumer Behaviors, Subscription Business Model
Adaptive mobile spot diffusing angle diversity MC-CDMA optical wireless system in a real indoor environment

In this paper, we introduce a mobile optical wireless (OW) multicarrier-code division multiple access (MC-CDMA) system that employs a new adaptive line strip multibeam system (ALSMS) with diversity detection. Our results indicate that a significant improvement in the bit error rate (BER) can be obtained in the presence of very directive noise, multipath propagation and shadowing typical in a real indoor environment. With transmitter and/or receiver mobility, ALSMS can improve the BER performance by almost 10-5 with 2 active users, and increase the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) by more than 13 dB compared to the unadaptive LSMS.
Using a Collagen Matrix Implant (Ologen) Versus Mitomycin-C as a Wound Healing Modulator in Trabeculectomy With the Ex-PRESS Mini Glaucoma Device: A 12-Month Retrospective Review

Purpose:To compare outcomes between patients undergoing trabeculectomy with an Ex-PRESS mini glaucoma device using mitomycin-C (MMC) to those undergoing the same procedure using a subconjunctival collagen matrix implant (Ologen). Materials and Methods:All patients underwent a trabeculectomy using an Ex-PRESS shunt. A total of 49 eyes of 37 patients received Ologen, and 50 eyes of 48 patients received MMC. Postoperative data were reviewed over 12 months. Outcomes included mean intraocular pressure (IOP), rate of success in achieving a target IOP (with and without antiglaucoma medications), number of medications used, and rates of complications/reoperations. Results:The mean preoperative IOP was 24.98 mm Hg for the MMC group, and 23.24 mm Hg for the Ologen group (P=0.3). At 12 months postoperatively, the mean IOP was 12.1 mm Hg for the MMC group, and 13.12 mm Hg for the Ologen group (P=0.34). At 12 months, the rate of achieving an IOP⩽21 mm Hg off medications (unqualified success) was 84% for the MMC group, and 86% for the Ologen group. There was no statistically significant difference between either group for the rates of achieving a specified postoperative IOP either with (qualified success) or without medications. There was no statistically significant difference between the 2 groups in the mean number of postoperative medications required. Both groups had similar rates of complications, and 1 patient in the MMC group lost light perception after a suprachoroidal hemorrhage. Conclusions:Our results suggest that ologen provides similar rates of surgical success as MMC for patients undergoing a filtering procedure using an Ex-PRESS mini glaucoma device.
Cooperative Party Factions in American Politics

What are the primary factions within the Democratic and Republican parties, and to what extent do rival factions cooperate? We address these questions using a unique data set of information sharing between party organizations, media outlets, 527s, and interest groups. Using social network methods, we identify two major information-sharing clusters, or expanded party networks; these networks correspond to a liberal/Democratic grouping and a conservative/Republican grouping. We further identify factions within each party network, but we find a high degree of cooperation between party factions. That is, our data suggest that beneath the intraparty disagreements we observe in primary elections and policy debates there is a subterranean pattern of organizational cooperation.
Hospital Suicides: Are There Preventable Factors?

The coroner's and hospital records of 57 consecutive in-patient or day-patient suicides were examined. There was a preponderance of males, but no difference between the sexes in violent deaths. The patients were generally chronically ill, and risk of suicide continued indefinitely after diagnosis. Risk was recorded in the medical notes for 16 patients and in the nursing notes for 12, but only six were under special observation. Half the patients were thought to be improving at the time of death. Psychiatrists and coroners should pay attention to aspects such as nursing and environmental factors in suicides in order to identify those at risk.
Transmission of the color information using quad-trees and segmentation-based approaches for the compression of color images with limited palette

The compression of color images is usually performed independently along each of the 3 axis of a luminance-chrominance color space. When applied to images using a limited color palette, it generates images which take on more values than those found in the original color palette. These images must be color quantized before they can be displayed with a limited palette. In this paper, we present two new approaches for the lossy compression of color quantized images that does not require color quantization of the decoded images. The algorithms restrict the pixels of the decoded image to take values only in the original color palette. The first algorithm does so by using lists of colors taken by pixels in variable block sizes. The second one uses a color segmentation of the image. These two approaches improve the performance of previously proposed algorithms. For comparable quality and similar bit rate, the proposed approaches have lower decoding complexity than standard DCT-based coding algorithms. <<ETX>>
PCNA and p53 in Urinary Bladder Cancer: Correlation with Histological Findings and Prognosis

Background This study aimed to immunohistochemically examine the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigens (PCNA) and pS3 protein in transitional cell carcinomas (TCC) of the urinary bladder, and to investigate possible correlations of this expression with the tumor grade or stage, tumor recurrence, and prognosis of the disease.