Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Therapy response and outcome of overlap syndromes: autoimmune hepatitis and primary biliary cirrhosis compared to autoimmune hepatitis and autoimmune cholangitis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS We have assessed two different overlap syndrome groups in patients with AIH-PBC and AIH-AIC, with respect to therapy response and outcome. METHODOLOGY In this retrospective, non-randomized study, a total of 22 overlap cases were collected, 12 of those had a simultaneous form of AIH-PBC and 10 of those with AIH-AIC. Two groups were compared in terms of clinical, biochemical, immunological, histological features and response to treatment. The mean follow-up time was 31.7 +/- 11.0 mo in AIH-PBC and 41.1 +/- 29.6 mo in AIH-AIC, respectively. RESULTS The clinical and laboratory characteristics at presentation were not significantly different between the two groups, except a higher serum IgM level and lower AIH score in AIH-PBC group compared to AIH-AIC group (p < 0.05). First-line treatment was UDCA alone in 3 of AIH-PBC group and combination of UDCA and immunsuppressives in the remaining AIH-PBC (n = 9) and in all of the AIH-AIC (n = 10). During follow-up, only one of 10 patients in IIH-AIC group, but six of 12 patients in AIH-PBC group progressed to liver failure. So, complete remission was significantly higher in the AIH-AIC than in the AIH-PBC group ( % 90 vs % 50, p = 0.045). CONCLUSION To our results, in cases of AIH-PBC/AIC overlap, patients with high AIH score and negative AMA should be treated with combined therapy of corticosteroids and UDCA. However, patients with low AIH score and positive AMA should use UDCA firstly, if no response, the addition of corticosteroids should be considered with close monitoring. In this cohort, the prognosis of AIH-PBC overlap was much worse than that of AIH-AIC.
Cultural-Existential Psychology: The Role of Culture in Suffering and Threat

Cultural psychology and experimental existential psychology are two of the fastest-growingmovements in social psychology. In this bookDaniel Sullivan combines both perspectives to present a groundbreaking analysis of culture’s role in shaping the psychology of threat experience. The first part of the book presents a new theoretical framework guided by three central principles: that humans are in a unique existential situation because we possess symbolic consciousness and culture; that culture provides psychological protection against threatening experiences, but also helps to create them; and that interdisciplinary methods are vital to understanding the link between culture and threat. In the second part of the book, Sullivan presents a novel program of research guided by these principles. Focusing on a case study of a traditionalist group of Mennonites in the Midwestern United States, Sullivan examines the relationships between religion, community, guilt, anxiety, and the experience of natural disaster.
Risk of tuberculosis after recent exposure. A 10-year follow-up study of contacts in Amsterdam.

RATIONALE The lifetime risk of tuberculosis (TB) for infected contacts is often mentioned to be 5-10%, but these estimates are based on studies conducted decades ago, and thus may not reflect current epidemiologic conditions. OBJECTIVES To estimate the risk of TB among contacts with evidence of infection and to compare this with estimates often stated in the literature. METHODS A retrospective cohort study was performed using records on contacts of pulmonary TB patients at the Public Health Service Amsterdam, 2002-2011. The Public Health Service Amsterdam TB electronic registration system identified TB cases during follow-up until October 2012; these were defined as coprevalent if diagnosed less than or equal to 180 days and incident if diagnosed greater than 180 days after TB diagnosis of index patient. Cumulative TB risk was estimated with Kaplan-Meier curves. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Of 9,332 contacts of pulmonary TB patients, 4,774 were screened for latent TB infection (LTBI) of whom 739 (16%) had evidence of infection. Among these the 5-year Kaplan-Meier TB cumulative risk was 9.5% (95% confidence interval, 7.5-11.9). This varied by age: 33.3% of 36 contacts aged less than 5 years, 19.1% of 84 contacts aged 5-14 years, and 6.7% of 619 contacts aged greater than or equal to 15 years (log rank, P < 0.001). Of 739 contacts with evidence of infection, 57 had coprevalent TB and 14 developed incident TB. Of patients without coprevalent TB but with LTBI diagnosis, 45% received preventive therapy. Five-year risk of incident TB was 2.4% (95% confidence interval, 1.2-4.7) among contacts with LTBI who did not start preventive therapy. CONCLUSIONS Five-year risk of TB among contacts with evidence of infection was higher compared with older estimates, and differed considerably by age. Incidence of TB among contacts with LTBI was low, suggesting limited impact may be expected of expanding preventive therapy.
A Quantitative Immunofluorescent Study of the Endocrine Cell Populations in the Developing Human Pancreas

The immunofluorescent cell content of the pancreas of 8–40-wk fetuses and of 1.5–5-mo Caucasian infants was quantitatively evaluated using anti-insulin, anti-glicentin, anti-glucagon, anti-somatostatin, and anti-pancreatic polypeptide antisera. The most significant findings are: (1) the pancreas of 8–10 wk fetuses contains a sizable population of endocrine cells reacting exclusively to anti-glicentin antiserum. This cell population decreases and disappears in later stages and is replaced by the adult type glucagon/glicentin immunoreactive cell; (2) the pancreatic polypeptide-rich region shows a lower relative endocrine cell content as compared with the glucagon-rich region and its islets appear smaller; (3) in the total pancreas, the relative (volume density) and absolute (μl) insulin cell content increases regularly with age, while the relative volume of glucagon cells peaks in fetal life (wk 17–20) to decrease in infants, although remaining at higher levels than in adults; the relative and absolute volumes of somatostatin cells are elevated in fetal and infant stages studied where they represent the second most abundant cell type, while pancreatic polypeptide cells appear to least abundant cells during prenatal and infant life. These data show several differences with the pattern of the respective endocrine cell populations in the adult pancreas.
The appearance of kaposi sarcoma during corticosteroid therapy

Background. Four epidemiologic types of Kaposi sarcoma (KS) are known: classic KS, endemic African KS, epidemic or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome–related KS, and KS associated with immunosuppressive therapy. In most of the latter patients, KS was reported to have developed after organ transplantation, particularly renal transplantation. Thirty‐nine patients who have not had a transplant have been reported to have KS associated with corticosteroid therapy.
Students as Rational Decision-Makers: The Question of Beliefs and Attitudes

Rational choice theorists have analysed rates of participation in post-compulsory education, and, in particular, class differentials in these rates. Various claims have been made about the motivations of student decision-makers, but these claims have not been grounded empirically. This paper will assess the question of whether students’ attitudes to education and beliefs about their own academic abilities vary according to social background and gender. Evidence is presented that students’ attitudes to education do not vary greatly according to gender or social background, but that both the social background and gender of students affect their perception of their own abilities.
From fast to very fast diffusion in the nonlinear heat equation

We study the asymptotic behavior of the sign-changing solution of the equation u t = ∇· (|u| ―α ∇u)+f, when the diffusion becomes very fast, i.e. as α ↑1. We prove that a solution u α (t) converges in L 1 (Ω), uniformly for t in subsets with compact support in (0, T), to a solution of u t = ∇· (|u| ―1 ∇u)+f. In contrast with the case of α 0, the limiting solutions are either positive or negative or identically equal to 0 in all Ω. This causes the limit to be singular, in the sense that a boundary layer appears at t = 0, when one lets α ↑1.
Photothermal Spectroscopic Characterization in CdSe/ZnS and CdSe/CdS Quantum Dots: A Review and New Applications

Nanostructured semiconductors or Quantum Dots (QDs) are materials in continuous development that hold potential for a variety of new applications, including uses in fluorescent labels for biomedical science, photonic devices and sensor materials (Bruchez et al., 1998; Prasad, 2004; Sounderya & Zhang, 2008). In biomedical applications, several nanodiagnostic assays have been developed that use QDs. They have been applied to diagnostics, the treatment of diseases, bioimaging, drug delivery, engineered tissues and biomarkers (Sounderya & Zhang, 2008). For example, CdSe/ZnS dendron nanocrystals have been used as biosensor systems for detection of pathogens such as Escherichia Coli and Hepatitis B (Liu, 2007). CdSe/ZnS core-shell nanocrystals have been shown to be useful for tailoring the fluorescence of dental resin composites (Alves et al., 2010). Core-shell quantum dots (CS) have been used as heteronanocrystals, structures that allow optical amplification because of their stimulated emission of single-exciton states (Klimov et al., 2007), and highquality CdSe/ZnS doped titania and zirconia optical waveguides have been prepared (Jasieniak et al., 2007).
Outcomes for Students with Learning Disabilities in Inclusive and Pullout Programs

This study investigated the relationship between placement in inclusive and pullout special education programs and academic and behavior outcomes for students with learning disabilities (LD). Demographic data such as age, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and IQ established comparabililty of two groups. Qualitative and quantitative methods described two schools and their special education models, one inclusive and the other pullout. Individualized Education Plan (IEP) goals and objectives, classroom accommodations, and teacher collaboration were examined to provide functional definitions. Results indicated that the two programs differed significantly. Further, students served in inclusive classrooms earned higher grades, achieved higher or comparable scores on standardized tests, committed no more behavioral infractions, and attended more days of school than students served in the pullout program.
Dynamics and Morphology of Holes in Dewetting of Thin Films.

The formation and growth of holes in apolar nonslipping Newtonian thin films subjected to long-range Lifshitz-van der Waals forces are investigated based directly on numerical solutions of the thin-film equation. The nonphysical divergences of the hydrodynamic model and of the van der Waals force at the three-phase contact line are removed by inclusion of the short-range Born repulsion. Three distinct regimes of the hole growth after its appearance are identified: (1) a short, unsteady phase in which the dynamic contact angle and velocity change rapidly, followed by (2) a long, quasi-steady phase with slow logarithmic changes, and finally (3) a hindered phase in which rims of the neighboring holes overlap and lead to formation of equilibrium drops. The cross section of the rim surrounding a growing hole is noncircular and asymmetric, with higher slopes near the contact line. A slight depression is created ahead of the moving rim, but the regions of the film away from the rim remain undisturbed. For very viscous (e.g., polymeric) liquids displaying small contact angles, a nonlinear regime of hole growth (radius ~ timeq, with the exponent q approximately 0.7-0.9) is obtained for realistic time scales. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.
Evaluation of SEBS-estimated evapotranspiration using a large aperture scintillometer data for a complex underlying surface

This study firstly analyses the spatial representation of LAS (Large Aperture Scintillometer)-observed heat fluxes for a complex surface; and then evaluates the performance of SEBS model applied to a complex surface in comparison with in situ measurements. The results showed that LAS observation is indeed more stable than EC measurements even for complex surfaces, and the sensible heat flux from LAS is less than that from EC observations because of some land types with more evapotranspiration included into LAS footprint. SEBS overestimated latent heat flux at QYZ station in southern China because of the underestimation of H, but SEBS-estimated turbulent fluxes are more consistent with the LAS measurement.
Assessing the Demand for Psychological Care in Chronic Diseases: Development and Validation of a Questionnaire Based on the Example of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Background:This study was designed to develop and validate the ADAPT (Assessment of the Demand for Additional Psychological Treatment), a questionnaire assessing the demand for disease-oriented counseling (DOC), integrated psychosomatic care (IPC), and psychotherapy (PT) in chronically ill patients on the example of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs). Methods:After its development, the ADAPT was distributed to 39 IBD patients along with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HAD), the Rating Form of IBD Patient Concerns (RFIPC), and a questionnaire on social support (SOZU-K22). For construct validity, 19 hypotheses were made on how DOC, IPC, and PT should correlate with HAD, RFIPC, SOZU-K22, and disease-related variables. To analyze interindividual responsiveness, patients were classified according to their bio-psycho-social state, and DOC, IPC, and PT scores were compared between these classes. The test-retest method with a 4-week time lapse was used to analyze reliability and intraindividual responsiveness. DOC, IPC, and PT scores between baseline and follow-up were compared separately for patients classified as “stable” or “changed” according to changes in HAD and disease activity. Results:Observed correlations were largely in agreement with the 19 hypotheses. DOC, IPC, and PT achieved significantly different scores between different patients. After 4 weeks, DOC, IPC, and PT revealed stable scores in patients with “stable” HAD and revealed significantly different scores in patients with “changed” HAD. Changed disease activity was not associated with significant changes of the ADAPT. Conclusions:The ADAPT is the first questionnaire to assess subjective demand for additional psychological care in chronically ill patients. The first application of the ADAPT to 39 IBD patients suggests its validity, reliability, and responsiveness.
Livedo Reticularis: A Side Effect of Interferon Therapy in a Pediatric Patient with Melanoma

Abstract: Livedo reticularis is a lacy mottling of the skin that can have many etiologies. We report a case of an 8‐year‐old boy with a diagnosis of melanoma who developed persistent livedo reticularis during treatment with interferon alpha‐2B. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of livedo reticularis occurring as a side effect of interferon treatment for pediatric melanoma. Given the increasing incidence of pediatric melanoma, it is important that dermatologists be aware of potential side effects of interferon therapy to optimize care and education for these patients.
Aortic diameter, true lumen, and false lumen growth rates in chronic type B aortic dissection.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to evaluate growth rates of the aorta, true lumen, and false lumen in chronic type B aortic dissections. MATERIALS AND METHODS Nineteen consecutive patients with acute type B aortic dissection treated medically between 2000 and 2006 were followed with serial MDCT angiography and MR angiography scans during the chronic phase (mean, 5.3 scans per patient; mean follow-up, 17.9 months). Aortic diameter, true lumen diameter, true lumen area, false lumen diameter, and false lumen area were measured at baseline and at each subsequent follow-up study using 3D workstations. Growth rates were assessed with linear regression analyses. RESULTS One hundred scans were analyzed. The maximum aortic diameter increased significantly over time at a mean rate of 7.1 mm/y (p = 0.004). False lumen diameter (mean, 6.5 mm/y; p = 0.011), false lumen area (5.35 cm(2)/y, p = 0.013), true lumen diameter (0.79 mm/y, p = 0.01), and logarithm true lumen area (0.13 cm(2)/y, p = 0.02) all increased significantly over time, with greater increases in the size of the false lumen than the true lumen. The overall aortic diameter growth rate was significantly higher in patients who ultimately underwent aortic repair or died (15.4 mm/y) than in patients who did not undergo an intervention (1.8 mm/y, p = 0.008). CONCLUSION Maximum aortic diameter in type B dissections increases significantly over time, primarily because of the increasing size of the false lumen. Patients with high aortic diameter growth rates are more likely to require endovascular or open surgical aortic repair during the chronic phase.
National survey of hospital pharmaceutical services--1985.

The results of a 1985 national mail survey of pharmaceutical services in short-term hospitals are reported and compared with similar surveys conducted in 1975, 1978, and 1982. A sample of 809 hospitals was selected randomly from among the estimated 5480 U.S. short-term hospitals that employ a pharmacist on at least a part-time basis. The survey had an 84.6% response. Fewer than 10% of respondents did not have and were not planning for unit dose systems. The percentage of hospitals with complete or partial pharmacy-based i.v. admixture services increased since 1982 from 67.4% to 80.6%. More than half the respondents said floor-stock i.v. solutions were distributed by a department other than pharmacy. Only about half the respondents had both unit dose drug distribution and i.v. admixture services. Prime vendors were used by 87% of small hospitals, 75% of medium hospitals, and 51% of large hospitals. The percentage of pharmacies involved in patient monitoring increased from 27% in 1982 to 44% in 1985. The survey also collected data on other clinical services, computerization, inventory turnover, use of prime vendors, and selection of therapeutic alternates. Drug distribution services are improving, but the distribution of injectable drugs often is not under pharmacy control. Only 10% of respondents had comprehensive pharmaceutical services, defined as complete unit dose drug distribution and i.v. admixture services plus three or more clinical services.
Hemochromatosis, multiorgan hemosiderosis, and coronary artery disease.

OBJECTIVE To examine the prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) in autopsies of patients with iron-overload syndromes. DESIGN Retrospective autopsy study of CAD in cases of hemochromatosis and multiorgan hemosiderosis. SETTING Registry of nearly 48,000 autopsies performed at The Johns Hopkins Hospital between 1889 and 1992. SUBJECTS One hundred twenty-three subjects were studied. In a 2:1 control-case ratio, 82 controls matched by age, race, and sex were compared with 41 cases with iron overload. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Severity of CAD. RESULTS Pathological description of the coronary arteries were recorded as advanced or severe in 12% of iron-overload cases (n = 41) (mean age, 57.6 +/- 13.2 years) compared with 38% of controls (n = 82) (mean age, 57.0 +/- 13.8 years) (P = .01). The prevalence of three-vessel disease assessed by postmortem coronary arteriography was 11.1% in iron-overload cases (n = 18) (mean age, 61.7 +/- 12.2 years) compared with 33.3% in controls (n = 36) (mean age, 61.1 +/- 12.5 years) (P = .04). The odds ratio of CAD with iron overload was 0.18 (95% confidence interval, 0.04 to 0.73). CONCLUSIONS Iron overload resulting from hemochromatosis or multiorgan hemosiderosis is not associated with an increased prevalence of CAD.
Rapid recovery from link failures in software-defined networks

Carrier-grade networks (CGNs) can leverage the network programmability of software-defined networking (SDN) to ensure fast recovery and high availability. However, for the successful adoption of SDN, the failure recovery requirement must be addressed. Local detouring is a popular approach for faster recovery rather than path-based end-to-end recovery. For fast local recovery, alternate paths must be preinstalled for each individual flow on the link, which in some cases results in storing thousands of alternate path flow rules. Furthermore, the dependence on the controller for dynamic per-flow detouring may delay the recovery. In this paper, we propose local immediate (LIm) and immediate controller dependent (ICoD) recovery mechanisms to address the limitations of OpenFlow-based link recovery approaches. Our proposed mechanisms considerably reduce the alternate path flow rules by aggregating the disrupted flows using virtual local area network (VLAN) tagging. The proposed algorithms achieve recovery within 3 ms and 20 ms, respectively and satisfy the strict 50 ms recovery requirement of CGNs. LIm and ICoD also reduce the alternate path flow storage requirement by up to 99%. Simulation results reveal that the flow-aggregation also reduces the effort of the controller and minimizes the alternate path installation traffic.
Heart Rate in Anticipation of Shocks Which Have Different Probabilities of Occurrences

Subjects waited for 30-sec. countdown periods for shocks of varying probability of occurrence, 0%, 50%, or 100%, while heart rate, eye blink activity, and gross movement were recorded. If shock was anticipated at all, heart rate and blink activity were significantly higher than when it was not, but there was no difference associated with uncertainty, i.e., between 50% and 100%. Gross movement did not covary with the other measures. Heart rate was uniquely elevated on the first trial.
Titanium alloy surface oxide modulates the conformation of adsorbed fibronectin to enhance its binding to α(5) β(1) integrins in osteoblasts.

Our laboratory has previously demonstrated that heat (600°C) or radiofrequency plasma glow discharge (RFGD) pretreatment of a titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V) increased the net negative charge of the alloy's surface oxide and the attachment of osteoblastic cells to adsorbed fibronectin. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the biological mechanism by which these surface pretreatments enhance the capacity of fibronectin to stimulate osteoblastic cell attachment. Each pretreatment was found to increase the binding (measured by ELISA) of a monoclonal anti-fibronectin Ig to the central integrin-binding domain of adsorbed fibronectin, and to increase the antibody's inhibition of osteogenic cell attachment (measured by hexosaminidase assay). Pretreatments also increased the binding (measured by ELISA) of anti-integrin IgG's to the α(5) and β(1) integrin subunits that became attached to fibronectin during cell incubation. These findings suggest that negatively charged surface oxides of Ti6Al4V cause conformational changes in fibronectin that increase the availability of its integrin-binding domain to α(5) β(1) integrins.