Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hemolytic-uremic syndrome associated with acute Campylobacter upsaliensis gastroenteritis.

Dr. J.E. Carter, Department of Pediatrics, British Columbia’s Children’s Hospital, 4480 Oak Street, Vancouver, BC V6H 3V4 (Canada) Dear Sir, The majority of the patients with gastroenteritis-associated hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) appear to have been infected with verotoxigenic Escherichiα coli. Other uncommonly cited infectious etiologic agents have also been associated with the evolution of HUS, and among these reports, campylobacters have been implicated as the cause of preceding gastroenteritis. We detail the first association of Campylobacter upsa-liensis with HUS and describe our investigations which provide evidence against the possibility of a coinfection with verotoxigenic E. coli. Five days prior to arriving at our hospital, a 14-year-old female suffered from an acute onset of periumbilical crampy abdominal pain. By the next day, she developed profuse watery diarrhea. Because of the severity of the illness, she was investigated and found to have microscopic hematuria, thrombocy-topenia(100 × 109/1), and renal dysfunction (creatinine 120μmol/l, urea 10.2mmol/l). She was transferred the following day because of progressive thrombocytopenia (45 × 109/1). She was initially managed expectantly, but by the 3rd hospital day, progressive illness was evident: hemoglobin 84 g/l, platelets 92 × 109, creatinine 796 μmol/l, and urea 30.5 mmol/l. A renal ultrasound revealed a moderate amount of peritoneal fluid and increased echogenicity of the renal cortex. A stool specimen yielded a Campylobacter species. A peritoneal dialysis catheter was inserted. A renal biopsy specimen demonstrated evidence of thrombotic microan-giopathy in early organization, consistent with HUS. The diarrheal episode resolved within 2 days of admission, and, therefore, antibiotics were not specifically prescribed for the campylobacteriosis. Dialysis was continued for 1 week. The clinical course was uneventful, and the patient was discharged after a total of 3 weeks at which time her laboratory investigations included: white blood cell count 5.7 × 109/1, hemoglobin 78 g/l, platelets 181 × 109/1, creatinine 211 μmol/l. The stool isolate was subsequently identified as C. upsaliensis. Blood cultures were specifically subcultured to assess Campylobacter growth, and none was found. Sorbitolnegative E. coli were not found. A negative microneutralization assay for free fecal verotoxin was obtained on a stool specimen which had been acquired 5 days into the course of illness when symptomatic diarrhea was still evident. In addition, a random screening of stool coliforms was performed for evidence of verotoxin virulence genes. By the polymerase chain
Serial Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Global and Regional Left Ventricular Remodeling during 1 Year after Acute Myocardial Infarction

Biplane long-axis cine MRI was performed in 51 patients 1, 13, 26, and 52 weeks after their first AMI. LV mass index (LVMI) was significantly increased 1 week after AMI (84.3 ± 16.9 vs. 68.1 ± 11.4 g/m2 controls, n = 48, p < 0.001), presumably owing to edema of the infarcted myocardium. Six months after AMI, LVMI decreased to 76.5 ± 16.4 g/m2, but had again augmented after 1 year (81.8 ± 17.3 g/m2, p < 0.05), suggesting late, compensatory left ventricular hypertrophy. In patients treated with primary percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, LVMI decreased 5% over 1 year, while LVMI increased 10% in patients receiving thrombolysis (p < 0.05). In the entire population, the global increase in LVMI 1 year after AMI seemed to reflect global cavity dilatation with unchanged thickness of the vital myocardium. In conclusion, in patients receiving contemporary treatment, LV remodeling only partially complied with the classical patho-anatomical concept.
Cancer Risk in Patients with Intestinal Behçet’s Disease: A Nationwide Population-Based Study

Background/Aims The relationship between intestinal Behçet’s disease (BD) and cancer remains unclear. We conducted a nationwide, population-based study to determine the risk of cancer in patients with intestinal BD. Methods Using the National Health Insurance claims records, we collected data on 365 patients who had been diagnosed with intestinal BD between 2011 and 2014. Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) of overall and site-specific cancers in patients with intestinal BD in comparison with the general population were calculated. Results Among 167 men with intestinal BD, four cases of cancer were observed; among 191 women with BD, eight cases of cancer were observed. The risk of all cancers was significantly higher in women with intestinal BD than in women of the general population (SIR, 4.27; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.84 to 8.41). However, in men with intestinal BD, the risk of all cancers was not significantly higher than that in men of the general population (SIR, 2.08; 95% CI, 0.57 to 5.33). The risk of hematologic cancer was significantly higher in both men and women with intestinal BD than in their counterparts in the general population (SIR, 23.90; 95% CI, 2.89 to 86.32 in men; SIR, 34.47; 95% CI, 4.17 to 124.51 in women). In particular, patients with intestinal BD showed a higher risk of leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome than the general population. Conclusions Patients with intestinal BD demonstrated a higher risk of hematologic cancer, especially leukemia, than the general population. Furthermore, women with intestinal BD showed a higher risk of all cancers.
Impacts of network tariffs on distribution network power flows

In this paper, the impacts of different network tariffs on the consumption pattern of electricity consumers/prosumers and the resultant effects on the distribution network is evaluated. A home energy management system (HEMS) based mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model is developed for 39 customers connected to a low voltage (LV) residential feeder to analyse the impacts of demand and energy-based tariffs on network performance. Results show that tariffs with a peak-demand component perform better in terms of electricity cost reduction for the customer, as well as in reducing peak demand and line loading for networks with high PV-battery penetration levels.
A gate driver approach enabling switching loss reduction for hard-switching applications

A gate driver approach is presented for the reduction of turn-on losses in hard-switching applications. A significant turn-on loss reduction of up to 55 % has been observed for SiC-MOSFETs. The gate driver approach uses a transformer which couples energy from the power path back into the gate path during switching events, providing increased gate driver current and thereby faster switching speed. The gate driver approach was tested on a boost converter running at a switching frequency up to 300 kHz. With an input voltage of 300 V and an output voltage of 600 V, it was possible to reduce the converter losses by 8 % at full load. Moreover, the output power range could be extended by 23 % (from 2.75 kW to 3.4 kW) due to the reduction of the turn-on losses.
Analysis of SPWM VSI fed AC drive using different modulation index

This paper deals with the performance analysis of three phase induction motor drive fed by a SPWM voltage source inverter in terms of modulation index(ma<1) and frequency index (mf<15). The SPWM method, which involves the modulation of conventional sinusoidal reference signal and a triangular carrier, is used here to produce pulse width modulated output only for under different modulation index. The impact of the modulation index on the performance of the inverter has been done in terms of the waveforms for inverter line voltage, stator current, rotor current, rotor speed and electromagnetic torque developed by the motor. This paper work mainly comparison of different modulation index (ma<1) and frequency index (mf<15) of three phase induction motor fed by SPWM voltage source inverter in terms of line Voltage of inverter and rotor and stator current total harmonic distortion. The performance of the VSI fed drive has been carried out by using the different modulation index.
Anti-biofilm mechanisms of 3,5-di-tert-butylphenol against clinically relevant fungal pathogens

Abstract The methanolic extract (PFME) of Pleurotus florida was assessed for anti-biofilm activity against Candida species. 3,5-Di-tert-butylphenol (3,5-DTB) was identified as the major antifungal constituent in PFME. In its pure form 3,5-DTB inhibits, disrupts, and reduces the viability of biofilm cells as seen from scanning electron and confocal microscopy studies. Microscopic studies and propidium iodide uptake assays confirmed that 3,5-DTB damages the cell membrane of Candida cells. In addition, 3,5-DTB induces accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which contribute to its pronounced anti-biofilm activity. The results of the present study show that 3,5-DTB exhibits combined anti-biofilm and conventional fungicidal activity against Candida species and elucidate the underlying mechanisms.
Fluvoxamine influences serotonergic system in the brain: neurochemical evidence.

The effects of a relatively new antidepressant drug, fluvoxamine, were compared with those produced by chlorimipramine on the 5-hydroxytryptamine system in rat brain. Daily treatment with fluvoxamine (25 mg/kg, i.p.) and an equivalent dose of chlorimipramine (28 mg/kg, i.p.) for 7 days reduced (3H)5-hydroxytryptamine uptake by crude synaptosomes (P2 pellet) of brain to 56 and 45%, respectively, but produced no change in midbrain monoamine oxidase activity. Repeated administration of these drugs significantly decreased tryptophan hydroxylase activity as well as tryptophan level in the midbrain region. The concentration of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid also was lowered in several discrete areas of the brain, but no change was seen in the endogenous levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine. Our data suggest that fluvoxamine, like chlorimipramine, is a potent inhibitor of 5-hydroxytryptamine uptake. Unlike tricyclic antidepressants, fluvoxamine does not seem to produce any sedation in animals, which was evidenced by no significant change in spontaneous locomotor activity.
Prediction of Waitlist Mortality in Adult Heart Transplant Candidates: The Candidate Risk Score

Background The cardiac allocation system in France is currently based on urgency and geography. Medical urgency is defined by therapies without considering objective patient mortality risk factors. This study aimed to develop a waitlist mortality risk score from commonly available candidate variables. Methods The study included all patients, aged 16 years or older, registered on the national registry CRISTAL for first single-organ heart transplantation between January 2010 and December 2014. This population was randomly divided in a 2:1 ratio into derivation and validation cohorts. The association of variables at listing with 1-year waitlist death or delisting for worsening medical condition was assessed within the derivation cohort. The predictors were used to generate a candidate risk score (CRS). Validation of the CRS was performed in the validation cohort. Concordance probability estimation (CPE) was used to evaluate the discriminative capacity of the models. Results During the study period, 2333 patients were newly listed. The derivation (n =1 555) and the validation cohorts (n = 778) were similar. Short-term mechanical circulatory support, natriuretic peptide decile, glomerular filtration rate, and total bilirubin level were included in a simplified model and incorporated into the score. The Concordance probability estimation of the CRS was 0.73 in the derivation cohort and 0.71 in the validation cohort. The correlation between observed and expected 1-year waitlist mortality in the validation cohort was 0.87. Conclusions The candidate risk score provides an accurate objective prediction of waitlist mortality. It is currently being used to develop a modified cardiac allocation system in France.
The relationship between myocardial and hepatic T2 and T2* at 1.5T and 3T MRI in normal and iron-overloaded patients

Background Cardiac and liver iron assessment using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is non-invasive and used as a preclinical “endpoint” in asymptomatic patients and for serial iron measurements in iron-overloaded patients. Purpose To compare iron measurements between hepatic and myocardial T2* and T2 at 1.5T and 3T MRI in normal and iron-overloaded patients. Material and Methods The T2 and T2* values from the regions of interest (ROIs) at mid-left ventricle and mid-hepatic slices were evaluated by 1.5T and 3T MRI scans for healthy and iron-overloaded patients. Results For iron-overloaded patients, the myocardial T2 (1.5T) and myocardial T2 (3T) values were 60.3 ms (range = 56.2–64.8 ms) and 55 ms (range = 51.6–60.1 ms) (ρ = 0.3679) while the myocardial T2* (3T) 20.5 ms (range = 18.4–25.9 ms) was shorter than the myocardial T2* (1.5T) 35.9 ms (range = 31.4–39.5 ms) (ρ = 0.6454). The hepatic T2 at 1.5T and 3T were 19.1 ms (range = 14.8–27.9 ms) and 15.5 ms (14.6–20.4 ms) (ρ = 0.9444) and the hepatic T2* at 1.5T and 3T were 2.7 ms (range = 1.8–5.6 ms) and 1.8 ms (range = 1.1–2.9 ms) (ρ = 0.9826). The line of best fit exhibiting the linearity of the hepatic T2* (1.5T) and hepatic T2* (3T) had a slope of 2 and an intercept of –0.387 ms (R = 0.984). Conclusion Our study found myocardial T2 (1.5T) nearly equal to T2 (3T) with myocardial T2* (3T) 1.75 shorter than myocardial T2* (1.5T). The relationship of hepatic T2* (1.5T) and hepatic T2* (3T) was linear with T2* (1.5T) approximately double to T2* (3T) in iron-overloaded patients. This linear relationship between hepatic T2* (1.5T) and hepatic T2 (3T) could be an alternative method for estimating liver iron concentration (LIC) from 3T.
Preliminary Investigation of A Videogame Prototype for Cigarette and Marijuana Prevention in Adolescents

Background: Videogames are becoming increasingly popular to deliver health interventions; however, their role in the primary prevention of cigarette and marijuana use has not yet been evaluated. The purpose of this study was to conduct a preliminary test of the efficacy of a role-playing videogame prototype, smokeSCREEN, aimed at developing knowledge and behavioral skills associated with primary prevention of cigarette and marijuana use. The authors also explored participants’ gameplay experience. Methods: This study employed a 1-group pretest-posttest design with 25 adolescent boys and girls aged 11 to 14 years (Mage = 11.56, SD = 0.77) who had never tried cigarettes or marijuana. Participants played four 1-hour gameplay sessions over a 2-week period. Assessments of knowledge, self-efficacy, attitudes, perceived norms, and intentions related to cigarette and marijuana prevention were collected at baseline and 2-week and 12-week follow-ups. Ratings of gameplay experience were collected after the 2 weeks of gameplay. One-way repeated-measures analyses of variance (ANOVAs) were conducted. Results: Findings are (1) improvements in knowledge for both cigarette (Wilks’ λ = 0.62, F(2, 23) = 7.21, P = . 004) and marijuana (Wilks’ λ = 0.67, F(2, 23) = 5.75, P = . 009) use from pre- to post-gameplay that were characterized by large effects; and (2) nonsignificant trends in the expected direction emerged for changes in self-efficacy and perceived norms related to both cigarettes and marijuana that were characterized by medium-large effects. Overall, the players provided positive reports of their experience with the smokeSCREEN videogame prototype. Conclusions: These findings provide preliminary evidence that a videogame has the potential to influence key cognitive and motivational variables and can be an engaging means to deliver a cigarette and marijuana prevention intervention.
Protective effects of adenosine A2A receptor agonist in ventilator-induced lung injury in rats

Objectives: Mechanical ventilation is associated with overwhelming inflammatory responses that are associated with ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. The activation of adenosine A2A receptors has been reported to attenuate inflammatory cascades. Hypothesis: The administration of A2A receptors agonist ameliorates VILI. Methods: Rats were subjected to hemorrhagic shock and resuscitation as a first hit to induce systemic inflammation. The animals randomly received the selective A2A receptor agonist CGS-21680 or a vehicle control in a blinded fashion at the onset of resuscitation phase. They were then randomized to receive mechanical ventilation as a second hit with a high tidal volume of 20 mL/kg and zero positive end-expiratory pressure, or a low tidal volume of 6 mL/kg with positive end-expiratory pressure of 5 cm H2O. Results: The administration of CGS-21680 attenuated lung injury as evidenced by a decrease in respiratory elastance, lung edema, lung injury scores, neutrophil recruitment in the lung, and production of inflammatory cytokines, compared with the vehicle-treated animals. Conclusions: The selective A2A receptor agonist may have a place as a novel therapeutic approach in reducing VILI.
The Minimum Clinically Important Improvement and Patient-acceptable Symptom State in the BASDAI and BASFI for Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis

Objective. To establish cutoffs for the minimum clinically important improvement (MCII) and the patient-acceptable symptom state (PASS) for the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) and the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI) in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Methods. Patients with AS who started nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs were included. After 4 weeks, the PASS and the MCII were defined using external anchor questions (for the PASS, patients considering their condition of AS over the prior 48 h as “acceptable” forever; and for the MCII, those reporting moderate or slightly important improvement). Consistency of the MCII and PASS were tested according to HLA-B27 status, presence/absence of SpA extraarticular manifestations, age, sex, disease duration, and baseline BASDAI/BASFI score. The 75th percentile of the cumulative distribution was used to determine the MCII and PASS. Results. In total, 283 patients from a multinational cohort were included. Overall cutoffs for the PASS were 4.1 in the BASDAI and 3.8 in the BASFI. Cutoffs for the MCII were 0.7 and 0.4 for the BASDAI and BASFI, respectively. Subgroup analyses revealed that disease duration and baseline BASDAI/BASFI were significantly associated with the PASS and MCII. In a subanalysis limited to patients with active disease (baseline BASDAI ≥ 4), the MCII was 1.1 for the BASDAI and 0.6 for the BASFI. Conclusion. The conceptual viability of the PASS for the BASDAI is questionable because levels approach those required for the start of biological therapy. Because the MCII is less variable than the PASS, we propose its exclusive use, with cutoffs of 1.1/0.6 for the BASDAI/BASFI in patients with active disease. Because these values are based on a subset of the study population, we recommend confirmation in larger studies focused on patients with baseline BASDAI ≥ 4.
Risk Factor Analysis for Long-Term Tunneled Dialysis Catheter-Related Bacteremias

Infection, mainly related to vascular access, is one of the main causes of morbidity and a preventable cause of death in hemodialysis patients. From January 1994 to April 1998 we conducted a prospective study to assess the incidence and risk factors of catheter-related bacteremia. One hundred and twenty-nine tunneled dual-lumen hemodialysis catheters were inserted percutaneously into the internal jugular vein in 89 patients. Bacteremia (n = 56) occurred at least once with 37 (29%) of the catheters (an incidence of 1.1/1,000 catheter-days); local infection (n = 45, 1/1,000 catheter-days) was associated with bacteremia in 18 cases. Death in 1 case was directly related to Staphylococcus aureus (SA) septic shock, and septicemia contributed to deaths in 2 additional cases. Catheters were removed in 48% of the bacteremic episodes. Treatment comprised intravenous double antimicrobial therapy for 15–20 days. Bacteriological data of bacteremia showed 55% involvement of SA. Nasal carriage of SA was observed in 35% of the patients with catheters. Bacteremic catheters were more frequently observed in patients with diabetes mellitus (p = 0.03), peripheral atherosclerosis (p = 0.001), a previous history of bacteremia (p = 0.05), nasal carriage of SA (p = 0.0001), longer catheter survival time (p = 0.001), higher total intravenous iron dose (p = 0.001), more frequent urokinase catheter infusion (p < 0.01), and local infection (p < 0.001) compared with non-bacteremic catheters. Monovariate survival analysis showed that significant initial risk factors for bacteremia were nasal carriage of SA (p = 0.00001), previous bacteremia (p = 0.0001), peripheral atherosclerosis (p = 0.005), and diabetes (p = 0.04). This study confirms the relatively high incidence of bacteremia with tunneled double-lumen silicone catheters and its potential complications. Possible preventive actions are discussed according to the risk factors.
Phase I/II dose-finding design for molecularly targeted agent: Plateau determination using adaptive randomization

Conventionally, phase I dose-finding trials aim to determine the maximum tolerated dose of a new drug under the assumption that both toxicity and efficacy monotonically increase with the dose. This paradigm, however, is not suitable for some molecularly targeted agents, such as monoclonal antibodies, for which efficacy often increases initially with the dose and then plateaus. For molecularly targeted agents, the goal is to find the optimal dose, defined as the lowest safe dose that achieves the highest efficacy. We develop a Bayesian phase I/II dose-finding design to find the optimal dose. We employ a logistic model with a plateau parameter to capture the increasing-then-plateau feature of the dose–efficacy relationship. We take the weighted likelihood approach to accommodate for the case where efficacy is possibly late-onset. Based on observed data, we continuously update the posterior estimates of toxicity and efficacy probabilities and adaptively assign patients to the optimal dose. The simulation studies show that the proposed design has good operating characteristics. This method is going to be applied in more than two phase I clinical trials as no other method is available for this specific setting. We also provide an R package dfmta that can be downloaded from CRAN website.
Teachers' mental health: Perceived social justice and life satisfaction

Teachers play an important role in the development and progress of technology and knowledge. However, in today's China, primary and secondary school teachers are living a hard life with high pressure but low payment, which results in a sense of unfair and less satisfaction of life. This study was aimed to explore the effect of teachers' perception of social justice on life satisfaction. 450 primary and secondary school teachers from China were measured with life satisfaction scales, social justice scales, income satisfaction scale, job satisfaction scale, pressure condition scale, and major life event scale. Results showed that demographic variables and individual attitudes had important effects on life satisfaction. More importantly, after controlling them, perceived social justice still had a positive effect on life satisfaction, among which distributive justice played a more important role than procedural justice. The suggestions on teachers' condition and the implications on education reform to improve teachers' mental health are discussed.