Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reducing Provincial Drug Plan Costs Through Regional Pooled-Purchasing Agreements

i Canada’s provincial health ministries are facing rising provincial drug plan costs that can be attributed to rising medication costs and increasing drug plan claims. Provinces currently employ a collection of policy tools that have not proven to be effective in reducing the cost of these essential programs. Current policy tools are generally designed and implemented unilaterally and are not conducive to interprovincial collaboration. The result is that small provinces are hampered in their ability to lower drug costs as manufacturers will first attempt to set price levels in larger provinces. A new policy tool is needed that will enable both large and small provinces to reduce drug costs as drug plan utilization continues to increase. Creating purchasing pools with multiple provincial participants could be a promising model that would enable members to maximize supplementary volume rebates from manufacturers. New Zealand’s national purchasing pool lowered drug prices between 21% and 79% less than prices paid in British Columbia for the same products in 2005. Purchasing pools in the United States designed to reduce the cost of state-funded Medicaid pharmacy programs have delivered supplementary rebate rates to their members between 15% and 25%. Assuming that these rebate rates could be applied to purchasing pools in Canada through regional purchasing pools in Western and Atlantic Canada, approximately $562 million could be saved in Canada every year. Canadian agreements, similar to American purchasing pools, would preserve provincial autonomy over the formulary listing process and drug plan administration. In addition, regional purchasing pools in Canada could be integrated with existing federal and provincial drug regulatory bodies.
GINI Country Report: Growing Inequalities and their Impacts in the United Kingdom

Over the 1980s inequality in the UK increased dramatically. Since the 1990s there have been periods of falling inequality and periods of rising inequality but nothing that matches the change in inequality that occurred in the 1980s. Not only did the increase in inequality in the 1980s lead to a high level of inequality from a UK perspective but the UK became one of the most unequal advanced nation and this has remained the case. Increases in household income inequality were driven by increases in labour market inequalities – earnings and labour force participation – affecting both individual and household inequalities. This is not surprising as the vast majority of household original (market) income is derived from employment income. What has driven these increases in labour market inequality? While there is no consensus, it is generally agreed that globalisation, skill-biased (task-biased) technological change and institutional change all contributed to this increase. Changes to the supply of skills (particularly educational attainment) relative to changes in demand for these skills either exacerbated or ameliorated these pressures. Demographic change also played a part with increases in single-headed households and the extent to which individuals formed households with similarly qualified adults (homogamy).
You can SPIT, but you can't hide: Spammer identification in telephony networks

Spam over Internet Telephony (SPIT) is a new form of spam delivered using the phone network. With the low cost of Internet telephony, SPIT has become an attractive alternative for spammers to carry out unsolicited marketing and phishing. SPIT is more intrusive than email spam as it demands immediate recipient attention. In this paper, we study characteristics of communications in a phone network with the objective of identifying “SPITters”. We collect and analyze the data from one of the largest phone providers in North America. First, we propose a new technique, Loose Tie Detection (LTD), to identify outliers based on social ties. Second, we introduce Enhanced Progressive Multi Grey-Leveling (EPMG), which identifies outliers based on call density and reciprocity. Finally, we propose SymRank, an adaptation of the PageRank algorithm that computes the reputation of subscribers based on both incoming and outgoing calls.We evaluate the three techniques and find that they compute an overlapping set of outliers. Our experiments reveal that LTD and SymRank - although seemingly independent approaches - closely match with regard to outliers, thus showing that our techniques are effective in identifying SPITters.
Consumption of antihistamines in Serbia in the period 2011-2015 and the correlation with adverse drug reaction reports.

Correspondence to: Vesela Radonjić, Medicines and Medical Devices Agency of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia. E-mail: vesela.radonjic@yahoo.com Table 1 Consumption of antihistamines (ATC code R06) in Serbia in 2011–2015, expressed as defined daily doses (DDD) per 1,000 inhabitants per day (DID) Antihistamines 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 dimenhydrinate 0.072 0.085 0.146 0.156 0.179 dimetindene 0.000 0.000 chlorfenamine 0.001 0.009 pheniramine 0.537 0.076 chloropyramine 0.057 0.137 0.129 0.125 0.136 cetirizine 0.283 0.171 0.480 0.714 1.285 levocetirizine 0.504 0.834 0.790 0.145 1.225 loratadine 4.295 6.046 3.804 4.861 3.590 ketotifen 0.192 1.842 1.165 1.399 0.309 fexofenadine 0.000 0.083 0.117 desloratadine 1.369 1.575 1.775 2.136 2.034 bilastine 0.113 0.281 Total 7.310 10.697 8.448 9.766 9.039 L E T T E R T O T H E E D I T O R UDC: 615.03:[615.218:615.065 DOI: 10.2298/VSP160909242R
Status of Marek's disease virus in established lymphoma cell lines: herpesvirus integration is common

Six cell lines derived from Marek's disease lymphomas of chickens and turkeys were investigated for the status of Marek's disease virus (MDV) DNA. In the transformed T- and B-cell lines, viral DNA could be detected by conventional Southern blot hybridization, by Gardella gel electrophoresis, and by in situ hybridization of metaphase and interphase chromosomes. Integration of viral DNA into the host cell chromosome was observed in all cell lines. Two to 12 integration sites of viral DNA could be detected in metaphase chromosome spreads. The integration sites were characteristic for the individual cell lines and were preferentially located at the telomers of large- and mid-sized chromosomes or on minichromosomes. In four of six cell lines, a minor population of latently infected cells supported the lytic cycle of MDV, giving rise to linear virion DNAs. In one of these cell lines, a third species of MDV DNA could be detected with properties reminiscent of covalently closed circular DNA. The finding that MDV integrates regularly into the genomes of latently infected cells is crucial to understanding the molecular biology of herpesvirus-induced tumors in the natural host.
Mortality in India: a note on trends and implications.

A review of mortality trends in India over the course of the twentieth century is presented using data taken primarily from the Sample Registration System developed by the Office of the Registrar General. Data are included on death rates 1901-1978; expectation of life at birth 1901-1977; mortality differentials by rural or urban area 1970-1979; age-specific death rates 1976-1978; ratio of female/male death rates by age group and rural or urban area; infant mortality by sex and rural or urban area 1970-1978; infant mortality 1911-1978; and causes of death in rural areas 1974-1978. The author also analyzes mortality differentials by sex and rural or urban area and notes that nearly 47 percent of total deaths are in the age group 0-4 years. Reasons for this high rate of infant and child mortality are considered and policy implications are reviewed.
The effect of low level exposure to dietary cadmium, on cadmium, zinc, copper and iron contents of selected tissues of growing lambs.

Twenty-four, 13–14 week pregnant Cheviot ewes were offered either a basal grass cube diet containing 0.3 mg cadmium (Cd) kg−1, or the same diet supplemented with Cd to give dietary Cd contents of 3.4 or 6.4 mg Cd kg−1. Increasing dietary Cd had no effect on numbers of viable offspring or mean birth weight of lambs. After weaning, some of the lambs were maintained on the same diets as their respective dams for approximately 280 days. Increased dietary Cd had no effect on food intake or carcass weight at slaughter. The liver zinc content of lambs consuming the diet with the highest Cd content declined significantly. Increasing the dietary content of Cd decreased the retention of copper by the liver. At slaughter, Cd could not be detected in blood nor in muscle tissues selected to represent prime cuts of edible carcass meat. In contrast, increased dietary Cd resulted in significantly elevated liver and kidney Cd contents.
Status of Iodine Nutrition among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Clinic of a Secondary Care Hospital: A Cross-sectional Study from Northern India

Background: Daily requirement of iodine increases during pregnancy making pregnant women a high-risk group for iodine deficiency disorders. The limited available literature shows that even in iodine sufficient population, pregnant women are iodine deficient. Objective: The objective of this study is to assess the current iodine nutrition status among pregnant women in Ballabgarh, district Faridabad, Haryana. Materials and Methods: Pregnant women were recruited from antenatal clinic (ANC) of subdistrict hospital (SDH), Ballabgarh, Haryana. Consecutive sampling strategy was followed to recruit pregnant women, and women of all trimesters were included in the study. Urinary iodine estimation was done using simple microplate method, and salt iodine was estimated using iodometric titration. The study was approved by Institute Ethics Committee, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. Results: Out of the total 1031 pregnant women, 90.9% were using adequately iodized salt. Median (interquartile range [IQR]) salt consumption by the pregnant women was 8.3 (6.7, 11.1) g/day. Median (IQR) urinary iodine concentration (UIC) for the pregnant women was 260 (199, 323) μg/L. Only 13.5% of pregnant women had insufficient iodine intake (UIC <150 μg/L). There was no significant difference in median UIC values by household salt iodine content and across three trimesters of pregnancy. Conclusion: Iodine nutrition status of the pregnant women attending ANC clinic of SDH Ballabgarh was adequate with attainment of universal salt iodization goal of >90% adequately iodized salt coverage in the study population.
RADIOGRAPHIC RESTORATION OF LUMBAR ALIGNMENT AFTER TRANSFORAMINAL LUMBAR INTERBODY FUSION

OBJECTIVERestoration of lumbar lordosis is a critical factor in long-term success after lumbar fusions. Transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) is a popular surgical technique in the lumbar spine, but few data exist on change in spinal alignment after the procedure. METHODSEighty patients who underwent TLIF surgery were retrospectively reviewed (minimum follow-up period, 2 years). Standing x-rays were assessed for changes in focal and segmental kyphosis, and restoration of lumbar lordosis. Improvement in spondylolisthesis, sagittal balance, and scoliosis were also assessed. Fusion was assessed as well. RESULTSEighty operations were performed at 107 levels. Mean presenting lumbar Cobb angle measurement (L1–S1) was 36.3 ± 4.5 degrees (range, 12–77 degrees). Forty patients (50%) had sagittal imbalance. Mean postoperative Cobb angle (L1–S1) was 55.1 ± 6.6. Thirty-three of 36 patients with segmental kyphosis (92%) had restoration of lordosis. Improvement in alignment was most prominent at the surgical level (mean increase in lordosis, 20.2 ± 4.2 degrees). The improvement in lumbar lordosis among patients undergoing multilevel TLIFs (27.3 ± 3.4 degrees) was significantly higher compared with patients undergoing single-level operations (17.4 ± 4.4) (Student's t test, P = 0.0004). Thirty of the 40 patients with sagittal imbalance (75%) achieved immediate restoration of normal sagittal balance. The ability to restore normal sagittal balance was correlated with a sagittal imbalance of less than 10 cm (P = 0.0001). Spondylolisthesis was completely corrected at the TLIF site in 90 of 99 levels (91%). Three patients (4%) required reoperation, 2 for implant disengagement and 1 for worsening kyphoscoliosis above the original surgical levels. Two of the 80 patients had pseudoarthrosis; hence, the rate of pseudoarthrosis was 2.5%. CONCLUSIONThe TLIF operation is highly effective in improving spinal alignment in patients with degenerative spinal disorders when the appropriate surgical technique is implemented.
Control of bacterial chemotaxis

Bacterial chemotaxis, which has been extensively studied for three decades, is the most prominent model system for signal transduction in bacteria. Chemotaxis is achieved by regulating the direction of flagellar rotation. The regulation is carried out by the chemotaxis protein, CheY. This protein is activated by a stimulus‐dependent phosphorylation mediated by an autophosphorylatable kinase (CheA) whose activity is controlled by chemoreceptors. Upon phosphorylation, CheY dissociates from its kinase, binds to the switch at the base of the flagellar motor, and changes the motor rotation from the default direction (counter‐clockwise) to clockwise. Phosphorylation may also be involved in terminating the response. Phosphorylated CheY binds to the phosphatase CheZ and modulates its oligomeric state and thereby its dephosphorylating activity. Thus CheY phosphorylation appears to be involved in controlling both the excitation and adaptation mechanisms of bacterial chemotaxis. Additional control sites might be involved in bacterial chemotaxis, e.g. lateral control at the receptor level, control at the motor level, or control by metabolites that link central metabolism with chemotaxis.
Complete Genome Sequences of Novel Rat Noroviruses in Hong Kong

ABSTRACT We report two genome sequences of novel noroviruses isolated from fecal swab specimens of brown rats in Hong Kong. The complete genome is approximately 7.5 kb in length and consists of 3 overlapping open reading frames encoding ORF1 polyprotein, VP1, and VP2, respectively. Sequence analysis suggested that these noroviruses should be classified in genogroup V, but they are distinct from other known rodent noroviruses and represent a novel cluster within the genogroup.
Oxidized LDL Induces Transcription Factor Activator Protein–1 but Inhibits Activation of Nuclear Factor–κB in Human Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

Abstract Oxidized LDL (Ox-LDL) has been implicated in the development of atherosclerotic lesions, mainly due to its enhanced uptake by macrophages and its ability to alter gene expression in arterial cells. In the present study we demonstrated that Ox-LDL activates activator protein–1 (AP-1), a transcription factor generally induced by mitogenic substances. Lysophosphatidylcholine, which is generated during oxidation of LDL, stimulated AP-1 in a dose-dependent manner. In contrast, the radical-dependent transcription factor nuclear factor–κB (NF-κB) was not activated by Ox-LDL, and at a concentration of 50 μg/mL, Ox-LDL inhibited lipopolysaccharide-induced activation of NF-κB. Oxysterols but not lysophosphatidylcholine inhibited lipopolysaccharide-induced NF-κB activation, suggesting that they may be responsible for the inhibitory effect of Ox-LDL. In conclusion, Ox-LDL has opposing effects on the activities of NF-κB and AP-1, suggesting involvement of mechanisms for transcriptional regulation that are strongly affected by lipid oxidation products.
New information on the braincase and inner ear of Euparkeria capensis Broom: implications for diapsid and archosaur evolution

Since its discovery, Euparkeria capensis has been a key taxon for understanding the early evolution of archosaurs. The braincase of Euparkeria was described based on a single specimen, but much uncertainty remained. For the first time, all available braincase material of Euparkeria is re-examined using micro-computed tomography scanning. Contrary to previous work, the parabasisphenoid does not form the posterior border of the fenestra ovalis in lateral view, but it does bear a dorsal projection that forms the anteroventral half of the fenestra. No bone pneumatization was found, but the lateral depression of the parabasisphenoid may have been pneumatic. We propose that the lateral depression likely corresponds to the anterior tympanic recess present in crown archosaurs. The presence of a laterosphenoid is confirmed for Euparkeria. It largely conforms to the crocodilian condition, but shows some features which make it more similar to the avemetatarsalian laterosphenoid. The cochlea of Euparkeria is elongated, forming a deep cochlear recess. In comparison with other basal archosauromorphs, the metotic foramen is much enlarged and regionalized into vagus and recessus scalae tympani areas, indicating an increase in its pressure-relief mechanism. The anterior semicircular canal is extended and corresponds to an enlarged floccular fossa. These aspects of the braincase morphology may be related to the development of a more upright posture and active lifestyle. They also indicate further adaptations of the hearing system of Euparkeria to terrestriality.
Re-epithelialization of cutaneous wounds in adult zebrafish combines mechanisms of wound closure in embryonic and adult mammals

Re-epithelialization of cutaneous wounds in adult mammals takes days to complete and relies on numerous signalling cues and multiple overlapping cellular processes that take place both within the epidermis and in other participating tissues. Re-epithelialization of partial- or full-thickness skin wounds of adult zebrafish, however, is extremely rapid and largely independent of the other processes of wound healing. Live imaging after treatment with transgene-encoded or chemical inhibitors reveals that re-epithelializing keratinocytes repopulate wounds by TGF-β- and integrin-dependent lamellipodial crawling at the leading edges of the epidermal tongue. In addition, re-epithelialization requires long-range epithelial rearrangements, involving radial intercalations, flattening and directed elongation of cells – processes that are dependent on Rho kinase, JNK and, to some extent, planar cell polarity within the epidermis. These rearrangements lead to a massive recruitment of keratinocytes from the adjacent epidermis and make re-epithelialization independent of keratinocyte proliferation and the mitogenic effect of FGF signalling, which are only required after wound closure, allowing the epidermis outside the wound to re-establish its normal thickness. Together, these results demonstrate that the adult zebrafish is a valuable in vivo model for studying and visualizing the processes involved in cutaneous wound closure, facilitating the dissection of direct from indirect and motogenic from mitogenic effects of genes and molecules affecting wound re-epithelialization. Summary: Chemical treatments combined with live imaging reveal that re-epithelialization of zebrafish wounds utilizes TGFβ/integrin-dependent active keratinocyte crawling as well as epidermal rearrangements.
An efficient deep convolutional neural networks model for compressed image deblocking

Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have been widely used in image processing community. Image deblocking is a post-processing strategy, which aims to reduce the visually annoying blocking artifacts that are caused by block-based transform coding at low bit rates. In recent years, CNNs based methods have been proposed to solve this classic image processing problem. In this paper, we present an efficient deep C-NNs model for image deblocking. Our model can well alleviate the conflict between bit reduction and quality preservation by taking local small patches into consideration. Our trained model can be used to deblock lossy compressed images with different quality factors. The proposed model can be easily integrated into the existing codecs as a post-processing procedure without changing the codec. Experimental results verify that our proposed model outperforms the state-of-the-art methods in both the objective quality and the perceptual quality.
Role of organic solvents on Pa-hydroxynitrile lyase interfacial activity and stability.

Catalytic activity and adsorption of Pa-hydroxynitrile lyase (Pa-Hnl) was investigated at various organic solvent/water interfaces. We focused on the role of solvent polarity in promoting activity and stability in two-phase systems, specifically for the solvents heptane, dibutyl ether (DBE), diisopropyl ether (DIPE), butylmethyl ether (BME), and methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE). Enzyme activity towards mandelonitrile cleavage was determined in a recycle reactor with a well-defined interfacial area as described by Hickel, et al. 1999. Here the recycle reactor was modified to permit exchange of the aqueous phase. With this modification, irreversibility of enzyme adsorption was determined as a function of the adsorption time at the interface. Irreversibility of enzyme adsorption was also investigated by measuring the surface pressure of a sessile-drop upon washout. We find that Pa-Hnl exhibits the highest stability but the lowest initial catalytic activity at the aqueous/organic solvent interface with the most polar organic solvents. Thus, DIPE and MTBE display no loss in enzyme activity over a period of several hours. However, the more apolar the solvent is the higher the initial Pa-Hnl activity, but the faster the loss of activity. Dynamic tensiometry reveals that Pa-Hnl adsorbs more strongly at the interface of the more apolar solvents. Surprisingly, Pa-Hnl develops some irreversible adsorption after 30 min at the DIPE/water interface, but does not lose catalytic activity.
Ciprofloxacin-induced acute interstitial pneumonitis

The current authors present the case of a 68‐yr-old female patient who developed severe respiratory failure after medication with ciprofloxacin for acute urinary tract infection. A chronic subdural haematoma was surgical evacuated. Postoperatively, an acute urinary tract infection was treated with ciprofloxacin. Six days later, C‐reactive protein was rising and the patient was suffering from intermittent high fever, dyspnoea and severe hypoxaemia. The high-resolution-computed tomography (HRCT) showed an interstitial lung disease in the anterior upper lobe on the left side as well as in the lingula. Assuming a bacterial infection amoxyl/clavulanic acid was started which did not improve the clinical symptoms. Bronchoalveolar lavage revealed a marked lymphocytosis (87%). Analysis for typical bacterial infections, Tuberculosis, Mycoplasma, Chlamydia and Legionella spp. were all negative. Another HRCT scan was made because of worsening of symptoms and this showed rapidly progressive infiltrates in most lobes. An open lingular biopsy showed an interstitial lymphoplasmocytotic infiltrate with some eosinophilic granulocytes and a few scattered giant cell granulomas, consistent with hypersensitivity pneumonitis. The patient's symptoms rapidly improved with systemic corticosteroid therapy and another HRCT scan revealed complete remission of pulmonary infiltrates. Ciprofloxacin can induce interstitial pneumonitis with acute respiratory failure. This is an important fact considering that ciprofloxacin is a widely used antibiotic agent in treatment of urinary tract infection.