Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The sound of silence: missing the opportunity to save lives at birth.

The adverse impact of syphilis on child health has been known for over 500 years, yet the World Health Organization (WHO) only targeted congenital syphilis for elimination in 2007.1 Syphilis in pregnancy is not rare. Far more pregnant women have syphilis than human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection: 1.9 million (2008) and 1.49 million (2010), respectively.2 The fraction of pregnant women with syphilis that is detected and treated is unknown, but estimates suggest that it is less than 10%. 3 Whereas untreated maternal HIV infection is transmitted to infants in about one third of the cases, untreated maternal syphilis nearly always results in an adverse pregnancy outcome. For these reasons, syphilis is as important an infection during pregnancy as infection with HIV. It therefore makes sense to build on global efforts to prevent and treat HIV infection during pregnancy to strengthen the fight against maternal syphilis.
Using the Short Form 6D, as an overall measure of health, to predict damage accrual and mortality in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: XLVII, results from a multiethnic US cohort.

OBJECTIVE To determine if overall health status as assessed by the Short Form 6D (SF-6D) index, a preference-based generic measure of health, is associated with the occurrence of damage accrual and mortality in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS We studied SLE patients (American College of Rheumatology criteria) from the LUpus in MInorities, NAture versus nurture cohort (LUMINA), a longitudinal multiethnic cohort. The contribution of the SF-6D as assessed at enrollment to damage accrual at the last visit and mortality was examined. All variables previously shown to be determinants of damage accrual and mortality and corroborated by univariable analyses were adjusted for in multivariable models (Poisson and Cox proportional hazards regressions, respectively). Damage accrual and mortality were the dependent variables. Similar analyses were performed examining the associations of the Short Form 36 summary measures (physical component summary [PCS], mental component summary [MCS]) with these outcomes. RESULTS In 552 patients, the SF-6D was negatively associated with damage accrual and mortality in the univariable analyses; the association with damage was confirmed in the multivariable analyses (chi(2) = 9.020, P = 0.002) but the association with mortality was not confirmed (hazard ratio 0.495, 95% confidence interval 0.041-6.038). When the PCS and MCS were evaluated, the PCS, but not the MCS, was found to be associated with damage but not with mortality. CONCLUSION The SF-6D (and the PCS) as measured early in the disease course were found to independently predict damage accrual at the last visit, but not mortality. Although the SF-6D was originally conceived as a utility measure, it may be used to accurately assess overall health status in patients with SLE.
P1 Nonconforming Finite Element Multigrid Method for Radiation Transport

The simulation of radiation transport in the optically thick flux-limited diffusion regime is one of the most time-consuming tasks within large multiphysics simulation codes. Due to multimaterial complex geometry, the radiation transport system must often be solved on unstructured grids. This paper investigates the behavior and the benefits of the unstructured P1 nonconforming finite element multigrid method, which has proven to be flexible and effective on related transport, in solving unsteady implicit nonlinear radiation diffusion problems utilizing Newton and Picard linearization methods. We use the covolume-based intergrid transfer operators to get coarse level approximations of solution, which are used for computing coarse level operators in a multigrid method. We also study the efficiency of inexact Newton methods compared with standard Newton and Picard methods.
Effect of Extractives on Digestibility of Cellulose in Corn Stover with Liquid Hot Water Pretreatment

Many herbaceous lignocelluloses suitable for ethanol production have high extractives contents, such as some straws and corn stover. The high extractives content might affect pretreatment or enzymatic hydrolysis. In this study, extractives were removed from corn stover, and then extractives-free corn stover and ordinary corn stover were respectively pretreated using a liquid hot water (LHW) method and hydrolyzed to evaluate the effect of extractives on cellulose digestibility. Extractives-free corn stover presented higher cellulose digestibility than ordinary corn stover after the same pretreatment conditions. A total of 87.3% of cellulose was digested in extractives-free corn stover, compared to 71.0% in ordinary corn stover, after pretreatment at 200 °C for 20 min. It is speculated that some water-soluble extractives could buffer H+ ions from water and acetic acid during LHW pretreatment process, reducing xylan removal. Another reason for these results might be that some extractives could condense on corn stover after LHW pretreatment, which hinders cellulose hydrolysis.
Self-Awareness as a Therapeutic Tool for Nurse/Client Relationship

Introduction: Self-awareness is a process of objective examination of oneself and is one of the important components in nurse-client relationship. Self-awareness is considered as an important tool to develop a therapeutic relationship with patients for therapeutic healing. Objectives: The purpose of this paper was to review the literature to explore an in-depth understanding of the concept self-awareness and how it influences nurse client relationship. The paper further emphasized on the importance and how self-awareness can be developed. Method: A comprehensive literature search was performed using specific keywords. Main focus of the literature search was about self-awareness and its relation with nursing care and therapeutic relationship in nursing. Literature mostly published in past 10 years was included, with exception to few landmark literatures in the field. In addition Johari Window was integrated as framework to understand the concept in a practical way. Results: The review literature showed that self-awareness is an ongoing process and needs conscious efforts. It is important for nurses to know themselves well and it ultimately helps them to build a therapeutic environment of caring and healing. The paper further emphasized on the importance of self-awareness in professional life and also developed an in-depth analysis on how self-awareness can be developed. Many practical strategies were highlighted in the paper to develop self-awareness at individual and professional level. Conclusion: In conclusion, self-awareness is considered as the therapeutic tool for nurse client relationship. The more the nurse will be self-aware the more a therapeutic environment for caring will be enhanced. Therefore, it is recommended that nursing curricula should include some aspects on development of self-awareness. There should also be some opportunity for professional nurses whereby they can get help and guidance to learn about self as a continuous learning process.
Clinical usefulness of magnetic resonance imaging in multiple system atrophy

OBJECTIVES To determine the sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive values of a selection of abnormal findings in the putamen and infratentorial structures on routine magnetic resonance imaging for distinguishing between multiple system atrophy, idiopathic Parkinson’s disease, and age matched controls. PATIENTS AND METHODS Two neuroradiologists blindly and independently rated axial T2 weighted and proton density MRI of 44 patients with multiple system atrophy, 47 patients with idiopathic Parkinson’s disease, and 45 controls. High field (1.5 T) scans were available in 16 patients with multiple system atrophy, 15 patients with idiopathic Parkinson’s disease, and 16 controls. All other patients had 0.5 T scans. RESULTS On both 0.5 and 1.5 T scans the following items had high specificity but low sensitivity: putaminal atrophy, a hyperintense putaminal rim, and infratentorial signal change. Finding any infratentorial abnormality gave higher sensitivity but lower specificity. Putaminal isointensity or hypointensity relative to globus pallidus, absolute putaminal hypointensity, and altered size of the olives were not useful discriminators. The overall sensitivity was 73% on 0.5 T and 88% on 1.5 T scans. The specificities of these findings for multiple system atrophy in comparison to idiopathic Parkinson’s disease and controls on 0.5 T were 95% and 100% respectively, and on 1.5 T were 93% and 91% respectively. Finding any of the described abnormalities on MRI gave a positive predictive value of 93% on the 0.5 T machine, and 85% on the 1.5 T scanner.
17‐Hydroxycorticosteroid and Vanillylmandelic Acid Excretion in a Rapidly Cycling Manic‐Depressive

&NA; Twenty‐four‐hour urine specimens were collected daily from a rapidly cycling manic‐depressive patient throughout a 3‐month hospitalization, and were analyzed for volume, osmolality, creatinine, 17‐OHCS, and VMA. Mean 17‐OHCS excretion was significantly greater during depression than during hypomania, but only in the latter half of hospitalization, after the patient had become acclimatized to the hospital. Mean VMA excretion was significantly increased only during the period of hypomania when the patient was physically active. The 17‐OHCS data suggest that interaction between stressful environmental stimuli and intrapsychic ego‐defense strength determines the adrenal‐cortical activity level during any given phase of the manic‐depressive cycle. The VMA data are in accord with previous studies of catecholamine excretion in cyclic affect disorders.
Mice lacking the gamma interferon receptor have an impaired granulomatous reaction to Schistosoma mansoni infection

The egg-induced granulomatous reaction in Schistosoma mansoni-infected individuals develops within the portal system of the liver and is the major pathological finding in schistosomiasis. We have infected mice lacking the gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) receptor with S. mansoni larvae and studied the development of hepatic granulomas in these mutant mice in comparison to that in control wild-type mice. In the absence of IFN-gamma activity, a dramatic reduction in the size and architecture of the granuloma was observed. Granulomas from mutant mice were smaller than those from the control group and showed a significant reduction in the number of infiltrating inflammatory cells. Moreover, they appear to prematurely progress to the chronic phase of the reaction at a time when the control group still has acute inflammation. Our data suggests a pivotal role for IFN-gamma in the early events of the granulomatous reaction in vivo.
Triple-Mode Cavity Bandpass Filter on Doublet With Controllable Transmission Zeros

On the basis of doublet and its properties, a class of multiple-mode narrow band bandpasss filter is designed and fabricated by simultaneously exploiting the three resonant modes in a single rectangular cavity: TE101, TE011, and TM110 modes. The input/output ports of the proposed filter are fed by coupling a microstrip line to a slot on the side wall of a rectangular cavity. Different modes are excited by changing the position and shape of the two slots at input and output of the rectangular cavity without any intra-cavity coupling. Besides three poles within the passband, a pair of transmission zeros (TZs) is achieved, which can be controlled independently by setting the positions of the two TZs at the lower and/or upper stopband. High stopband attenuation and high filtering selectivity are achieved by considerably allocating three transmission poles and two zeros. In order to verify the proposed theory, two filter prototypes are fabricated and measured.
Culture and Campaign Communication: Toward a Normative Theory

This paper is an attempt toward a normative theory of culture and campaign communication, which (1) explicates the functional interdependence between culture and campaign communication; (2) analyzes the relationship between culture and campaign communication within the framework of collectivist and individualist cultures (Triandis, 1988, 1995); and (3) discusses the implications of a normative approach toward culture and campaign communication. Explication of the functional interdependence between culture and campaign communication reveals that while cultures influence campaign practices in campaign ideologies, strategies, and implementation procedures, campaigns in turn contribute to changing cultures over time. The differences and similarities of campaign communication in individualist and collectivist cultures are then succinctly stated in ten theoretical propositions.
DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale) Local Coverage Tests Using the 26 MHz Broadcasting Band

The digital sound broadcasting DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale) standard has established worldwide, and the number of transmissions on air has increased significantly since the approval of the standard. This paper presents the results of the one of the first DRM field trials using the 26 MHz band for local broadcasting that were carried out in Mexico. The main objective of these trials was to test the usage of the 26 MHz frequency broadcasting band to cover a local area in a similar way to FM broadcasting. This band has been usually used to broadcast long distance transmissions mainly under high sun-spot activity. When the 26 MHz band is used for local broadcasting, the tropospheric propagation is the main mechanism instead of the ionospheric refraction used in HF. At these frequencies the first Fresnel ellipsoid is usually obstructed, and multipath at urban environments is strong. In this article, practical minimum signal-to-noise ratio and field strength levels are calculated for this novel usage of the 26 MHz frequency band
Effects of secretome obtained from normoxia-preconditioned human mesenchymal stem cells in traumatic brain injury rats

BACKGROUND The aim of the present study was to investigate whether secretome obtained from normoxia-preconditioned human mesenchymal stem cells causes attenuation of traumatic brain injury (TBI), induced by fluid percussion injury. METHODS Anaesthetized male Sprague-Dawley rats, immediately after the onset of fluid percussion TBI, were divided into two major groups and given the vehicle solution (1 mL) or secretome (500 µg) intravenously. Another group of rats was used as sham-operated controls. The functional outcome such as motor (maximum grasp angle) was evaluated by an inclined plane test. Cellular infarction volume was calculated by triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining. Neuronal loss, apoptosis, and neurotrophic factor such as vascular epithelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in the cortex were measured by immunofluorescence staining. All the parameters were assessed on Day 3 after injury. RESULTS Compared with those of the sham-operated controls, the motor deficits and cerebral infarction of rats after TBI were significantly attenuated by secretome therapy. The TBI-induced neuronal loss and apoptosis were also significantly reduced by secretome therapy. Furthermore, VEGF-positive cells in the ischemic cortex after TBI were further significantly increased by secretome therapy. CONCLUSION Our results demonstrate that intravenous injection of secretome from normoxia-preconditioned human mesenchymal stem cells may ameliorate TBI-induced rats by reducing neuronal cell loss and apoptosis and promoting VEGF production, resulting in functional outcome improvement. We also recommend that secretome from normoxia-preconditioned human mesenchymal stem cells could be a promising treatment strategy for traumatic brain injury.
Signet Ring Cell Histology is Associated with Unique Clinical Features but Does Not Affect Gastric Cancer Survival

Signet ring cell histology is found in 3 to 39 per cent of gastric cancer cases and has been reported to be a feature of poor prognosis, although this issue has not been rigorously examined. The objective of this study was to determine those demographic and clinical variables associated with signet ring cell histology and to determine the effect of signet ring cell histology on survival using multivariate analyses. We studied a historical cohort of consecutive cases of gastric cancer reported to the population-based California Cancer Registries of Orange, San Diego, and Imperial Counties from 1984 through 1994. Factors associated with signet ring cell histology were assessed using χ2 and logistic regression. Life tables were constructed to assess unadjusted survival and survival differences in patient subgroups. Multivariate survival was determined using a Cox proportional hazards model. Of 3020 patients, 464 (15%) had signet ring cell histology. Patients with signet ring cell histology were more likely to be younger than 50 years (odds ratio (OR) = 2.4; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.6–3.5), less likely to be male (OR = 0.49; 95% CI = 0.37–0.66), and more likely to have tumors of the distal stomach (OR = 2.0; 95% CI = 1.4–3.0). Signet ring cell histology did not adversely affect unadjusted overall survival, race-stratified survival, or stage-stratified survival. Multivariate analysis indicated that patients with signet ring cell histology had an insignificant increased risk of dying (relative risk = 1.027; P > 0.10) in comparison with patients without signet ring cell histology. Patients with signet ring cell histology were more likely to be young women and to have tumors of the distal stomach. Signet ring cell histology did not impact survival in our group of largely advanced gastric cancer cases.
Pharmacokinetics of CS‐866, a New Angiotensin II Receptor Blocker, in Healthy Subjects

CS‐866, a novel angiotensin IIreceptor blocker, is rapidly and completely metabolized to RNH‐6270, its active metabolite. The pharmacokinetics of RNH‐6270 following oral CS‐866 or intravenous RNH‐6270 administration was determined in 104 healthy male volunteers. The pharmacokinetics of RNH‐6270 was linear over dose ranges of 1 to 32 mg (intravenous RNH‐6270 administration) and 10 to 160 mg (oral CS‐866 administration). The time to maximum plasma concentration of RNH‐6270 after oral CS‐866 administration ranged from 1.4 to 2.8 hours, and the terminal elimination half‐life ranged from 12 to 18 hours. Absolute bioavailability of RNH‐6270 after oral administration of CS‐866 was 26%. Administration of CS‐866 once daily for 10 days did not result in drug accumulation. When administered intravenously, RNH‐6270 has a volume of distribution of 15 to 25 L. Approximately 35% to 50% of RNH‐6270 is excreted unchanged in the urine. CS‐866 was safe and well tolerated at doses of up to 160 mg/day.
Lessons from diversity of directed evolution experiments by an analysis of 3,000 mutations

Diversity generation by random mutagenesis is often the first key step in directed evolution experiments and screening of 1,000–2,000 clones is in most directed evolution campaigns sufficient to identify improved variants. For experimentalists important questions such as how many positions are mutated in the targeted gene and what amino acid substitutions can be expected after screening of 1,000–2,000 clones are surprisingly not answered by a statistical analysis of mutant libraries. Therefore three random mutagenesis experiments (epPCR with a low‐ and a high‐mutation frequency and a transversion‐enriched sequence saturation mutagenesis method named SeSaM‐Tv P/P) were performed on the lipase BSLA and in total 3,000 mutations were analyzed to determine the diversity in random mutagenesis libraries employed in directed evolution experiments. The active fraction of the population ranged from 15% (epPCR‐high), to 52% (SeSaM‐Tv P/P), and 55% (epPCR‐low) which correlates well with the average number of amino acid substitutions per protein (4.1, 1.6 and 1.1). In the epPCR libraries transitions were the predominant mutations (>72%), and >82% of all mutations occurred at A‐ or T‐nts. Consecutive nucleotide (nt) mutations were obtained only with a low fraction (2.8%) under highly error‐prone conditions. SeSaM‐Tv P/P was enriched in transversions (43%; >1.7‐fold more than epPCR libraries), and consecutive nt mutations (30.5%; 11‐fold more than epPCR‐high). A high fraction of wild‐type BSLA protein (33%) was found in the epPCR‐low mutant library compared to 2% in epPCR‐high and 13% in SeSaM‐Tv P/P. An average of 1.8–1.9 amino acid substitutions per residue was obtained with epPCR‐low and ‐high compared to 2.1 via SeSaM‐Tv P/P. The chemical composition of the amino acid substitutions differed, however, significantly from the two epPCR methods to SeSaM‐Tv P/P. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2014;111: 2380–2389. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Human CD25+ Regulatory T Cells Maintain Immune Tolerance to Nickel in Healthy, Nonallergic Individuals 1

We investigated the capacity of CD25+ T regulatory cells (Treg) to modulate T cell responses to nickel, a common cause of allergic contact dermatitis. CD4+ T cells isolated from the peripheral blood of six healthy, nonallergic individuals showed a limited capacity to proliferate in response to nickel in vitro, but responsiveness was strongly augmented (mean increment ± SD, 240 ± 60%) when cells were depleted of CD25+ Treg. Although CD25+ Treg were anergic to nickel, a small percentage up-regulated membrane CTLA-4 upon nickel exposure. CD25+ Treg strongly and dose-dependently inhibited nickel-specific activation of CD25− T lymphocytes in coculture experiments in a cytokine-independent, but cell-to-cell contact-dependent, manner. Approximately 30% of circulating CD25+ Treg expressed the cutaneous lymphocyte-associated Ag (CLA), and CLA+CD25+ Treg were more efficient than CLA−CD25+ cells in suppressing nickel responsiveness of CD25− T cells. The site of a negative patch test in response to nickel showed an infiltrate of CD4+CLA+ cells and CD25+ cells, which accounted for ∼20% of the total T cells isolated from the tissue. Skin-derived T cells suppressed nickel-specific responses of peripheral blood CD25− T cells. In addition, 60 ± 14% of peripheral blood CD25+ Treg expressed the chemokine receptor CCR7 and strongly inhibited naive T cell activation in response to nickel. Finally, CD25+ T cells isolated from peripheral blood of nickel-allergic patients showed a limited or absent capacity to suppress metal-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses. The results indicates that in healthy individuals CD25+ Treg can control the activation of both naive and effector nickel-specific T cells.
Role of urinary cations in the aetiology of bladder symptoms and interstitial cystitis

To identify and characterise urinary cationic metabolites, defined as toxic factors, in patients with interstitial cystitis (IC) and in control subjects. To evaluate the cytotoxicity of the urinary cationic metabolite fraction of patients with IC vs control subjects and of individual metabolites in cultured urothelial cells.