Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Multicenter Retrieval Study of the Taper Interfaces of Modular Hip Prostheses

A multicenter retrieval analysis of 231 modular hip implants was done to investigate the effects of material combination, metallurgic condition, flexural rigidity, head and neck moment arm, neck length, and implantation time on corrosion and fretting of modular taper surfaces. Scores for corrosion and fretting were assigned to medial, lateral, anterior, and posterior quadrants of the necks, and proximal and distal regions of the heads. Neck and head corrosion and fretting scores were found to be significantly higher for mixed alloy versus similar alloy couples. Moderate to severe corrosion was observed in 28% of the heads of similar alloy couples and 42% of the heads of mixed alloy couples. Differences in corrosion scores were observed between components made from the same base alloy, but of different metallurgic conditions. Corrosion and fretting scores tended to be higher for heads than necks. Implantation time and flexural rigidity of the neck were predictors of head and neck corrosion and head fretting. The results of this study suggest that in vivo corrosion of modular hip taper interfaces is attributable to a mechanically-assisted crevice corrosion process. Larger diameter necks will increase neck stiffness and may reduce fretting and subsequent corrosion of the taper interface regardless of the alloy used. Increasing neck diameter must be balanced, however, with the resulting loss of range of motion and joint stability.
Pollinator‐mediated selection on floral size and tube color in Linum pubescens: Can differential behavior and preference in different times of the day maintain dimorphism?

Abstract Diversity of flower traits is often proposed as the outcome of selection exerted by pollinators. Positive directional pollinator‐mediated selection on floral size has been widely shown to reduce phenotypic variance. However, the underlying mechanism of maintaining within‐population floral color polymorphism is poorly understood. Divergent selection, mediated by different pollinators or by both mutualists and antagonists, may create and maintain such polymorphism, but it has rarely been shown to result from differential behavior of one pollinator. We tested whether different behaviors of the same pollinators in morning and evening are associated with dimorphic floral trait in Linum pubescens, a Mediterranean annual plant that exhibits variable within‐population frequencies of dark‐ and light‐colored flower tubes. Usia bicolor bee‐flies, the major pollinators of L. pubescens, are mostly feeding in the flower in the morning, while in the evening they are mostly visiting the flowers for mating. In 2 years of studying L. pubescens in a single large population in the Carmel, Israel, we found in one year that dark‐centered flowers received significantly higher fraction of visits in the morning. Fitness was positively affected by number of visits, but no fitness differences were found between tube‐color morphs, suggesting that both morphs have similar pollination success. Using mediation analysis, we found that flower size was under positive directional pollinator‐mediated selection in both years, but pollinator behavior did not explain entirely this selection, which was possibly mediated also by other agents, such as florivores or a‐biotic stresses. While most pollinator‐mediated selection studies show that flower size signals food reward, in L. pubescens, it may also signal for mating place, which may drive positive selection. While flower size found to be under pollinator‐mediated selection in L. pubescens, differential behavior of the pollinators in morning and evening did not seem to explain flower color polymorphism.
Dengue-2 vaccine: virological, immunological, and clinical responses of six yellow fever-immune recipients

Six male volunteers, previously immunized with yellow fever vaccine, were inoculated subcutaneously with a live, attenuated dengue-2 virus (PR-159/S-1) candidate vaccine. Five recipients developed viremia 8 or 9 days after vaccination, which lasted 1 to 10 days. The onset of viremia was followed by fever in three people, transient leukopenia in four, and an erythematous rash in one. One volunteer developed an oral temperature of 38.8 degrees C with headache, myalgia, fatigue, and photophobia suggestive of mild dengue fever. All five viremic volunteers developed fourfold or greater rises in serum neutralizing antibody. The sixth volunteer, who had a low titer of preexisting dengue-2 neutralizing antibody, had no viremia, no symptoms, and a modest rise in hemagglutination inhibiting antibody. Virus isolates obtained from plasma retained the small-plaque and temperature-sensitive growth characteristics of the vaccine virus in vitro. In this study, the vaccine virus genetically stable and immunogenic and seemed sufficiently attenuated for additional testing in humans.
Spatial and temporal changes in chondroitin sulfate distribution in the sclerotome play an essential role in the formation of migration patterns of mouse neural crest cells

We have examined the roles of pertinent extracellular matrix molecules in the formation of the neural crest cell migration patterns in the sclerotome of the mouse embryo. The present data indicate that permissiveness for migration is inversely correlated with chondroitin sulfate content. Experimental removal of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans in the embryo causes neural crest cells to migrate even within the posterior half of the somite, which they do not invade ordinarily. Moreover, three different sclerotomal regions defined by the presence or absence of the ventromedial and/or ventrolateral pathways are present along the anteroposterior axis and undergo systematic temporal changes that affect migration patterns. The most anterior portion of the sclerotome is conducive to both ventromedial and ventrolateral migration (Anterior Region). The intermediate portion is conducive to ventromedial migration only (Intermediate Region). No neural crest cells are seen within the posterior portion of the sclerotome (Posterior Region). At this level, they are observed exclusively in the dorsolateral space adjacent to the roof of the neural tube. With advancing embryonic development, the rostrocaudal length of the Anterior Region decreases and is accompanied by a corresponding enlargement of the Intermediate Region. These results suggest that temporal and regional differences in the sclerotome contribute to the neural crest cell migration patterns in the mouse. To refine our understanding of the underlying mechanisms, regional differences and temporal changes in the distribution of extracellular matrix molecules have been examined during migration. In the sclerotome, chondroitin sulfate displays distinct distribution patterns that are closely correlated with the migration patterns of mouse neural crest cells. Furthermore, their migration patterns are altered in embryos treated with the inhibitors of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan biosynthesis, sodium chlorate, and β‐d‐xyloside. In inhibitor‐treated embryos, neural crest cell migration occurs even in the posterior portion of the sclerotome. The metameric organization of dorsal root ganglia is disturbed in these embryos. Our observations provide novel evidence for the importance of sclerotomal chondroitin sulfate distribution patterns in mouse crest cell migration patterns. We conclude that systematic spatiotemporal changes in the distribution of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans are a key requisite for the formation of migration patterns of mouse neural crest cells in the sclerotome. Dev Dyn 1999;214:55–65. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Simultaneous exposure to dietary acrylamide and corn oil developed carcinogenesis through cell proliferation and inhibition of apoptosis by regulating p53-mediated mitochondria-dependent signaling pathway

To investigate whether simultaneous exposure to acrylamide (ACR) and long-term dietary corn oil induces colon cancer by inhibiting the tumor suppressor gene p53-mediated mitochondria-dependent apoptosis in rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were given intraperitoneal injections of ACR at dose of 10 mg/kgbw and diets supplemented with 10% corn oil for 8 wks; and then rats were still fed with diets supplemented with 10% oil for other 48 wks. Colonic aberrant crypt foci (ACF) and tumors, including adenomas and carcinomas, were examined at 12, 24, 36, 48 week post ACR-exposure. Colonic apoptosis and cell proliferation, expression of Wild type (wt) p53, Bcl-2, Bax and caspase-3, were detected at 48 week post ACR-exposure. ACF was found at 12 week and colon cancer invasion was found at 48 week in ACR rats on long-term dietary corn oil. Apoptosis was decreased and cell proliferation was increased in colonic mucosa in ACR-treated rats on dietary corn oil compared to vehicle rats on basal diet (P < 0.05). In ACR rats on dietary corn oil, mitochondrial wt p53 was significantly inhibited through decreased mitochondrial localization of wt p53 and increased cytosolic p53, resulting in the up-regulation of Bcl-2 and the down-regulation of Bax in the mitochondria, also inhibition of the release of cytochrome-c from the mitochondria into the cytosol and protein level of caspase-3 (P < 0.05). Results suggest that simultaneous exposure to ACR and long-term dietary corn oil induces development of colon cancer partly by inhibiting the tumor suppressor gene p53-mediated mitochondria-dependent apoptosis.
The Contribution of Offshoring to the Convexification of the U.S. Wage Distribution

Hourly wage data from 1990 to 2011 show a narrowing gap between the median wage and the 10th percentile wage, but an increasing gap between the median and 90th percentile wages. In this paper, I investigate the impact of offshoring on the employment and wage distributions to determine whether it has contributed to this convexification. I use a task-based framework of the labor market with three inputs and model what happens when the world price for the middle task input declines. The model predicts both a decline in domestic employment and a reduction in the wage paid to workers in this task, resulting in a rise in upper tail unemployment. However, I demonstrate that observed wages within an industry can rise due to selection. I construct a proxy measure of offshoring for both service and material inputs, and use industry level production and trade data from the US Census Bureau’s Census of Manufactures, and individual level wage data from the US Census and the American Community Survey to test the implications of the model. Offshoring has the anticipated effects on employment and convexification. I find a negative effect of offshoring on employment and a positive effect of offshoring on upper tail wage inequality. Moreover, current levels of industry offshoring are significantly correlated with an industry’s lagged occupational composition. In particular, both forms of offshoring decrease with the share of manual occupations and service offshoring increases with the share of routine occupations.
Gender comparisons of young physicians' perceptions of their medical education, professional life, and practice: a follow‐up study of Jefferson Medical College graduates

PURPOSE. To obtain information from a group of young physicians and compare men and women on their evaluations of selected areas of the medical school curriculum, their perceptions of issues related to medical practice and professional life, and their specialty choices, professional activities, and research productivity. METHOD. In 1992, a questionnaire was mailed to 1,076 physicians who had graduated from Jefferson Medical College between 1982 and 1986. The responses of men and women were compared using multivariate and univariate analyses of variance, t-tests, chi-square, and median test. RESULTS. Completed questionnaires were returned by 667 graduates (530 men and 137 women). The curriculum areas of interpersonal skills, disease prevention, medical ethics, and economics of health care were rated by both men and women as being the most important in medical training. Conversely, research methodology and statistics received the lowest ratings. Women, in general, valued psychosocial aspects of medical care higher than did men. Among the areas of perceived problems related to practice, lack of leisure time received the highest ratings (as being the greatest problem) and interpersonal interactions received the lowest ratings (as being the least problem) from both men and women. The men were more concerned than the women about the areas of patient chart and documentation, malpractice litigation, physician oversupply, peer review, and interaction with patients. These differences remained when specialties and numbers of hours worked per week were held constant. Generally, the physicians reported satisfaction with their professional lives, but the men tended to be more satisfied than the women about their decisions to become physicians and in their perceptions of medicine as a rewarding career. The proportion of men employed full-time (99.4%) was significantly higher than that for women (84%). Women were more likely to practice general pediatrics, while men were more likely to practice surgery and surgical subspecialties. Full-time–employed women worked fewer hours per week (57) than men (63), and men reported more research productivity than women. CONCLUSION. The implications of the findings of numerous gender differences are discussed regarding the issues of physician workforce, types of care rendered by men and women, and possible changes in the national health care system.
Analysis of posttraumatic stress disorder in children with road traffic injury in Wenzhou, China

ABSTRACT Objective: Road traffic accidents are the leading health threat to children and cause significant long-term mental health problems. This study aimed to characterize posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children suffering from road traffic injuries (RTIs) in Wenzhou, China. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of 537 children (aged 1 to 13 years old) with RTIs. The epidemiological features, PTSD incidence, clinical manifestation, and risk factors were analyzed based on a customized PTSD risk factor questionnaire. The outcome factors were also evaluated by means of the logistic regression method. Results: The PTSD incidence was 24.77% in children with RTIs. The incidence of PTSD was related to the personality, family environment, and family care of the children. It was found that early psychological intervention and reasonable family care from the family might promote physical and mental welfare as well as contribute to the development of more effective treatments to prevent PTSD. Conclusion: For susceptible children, in addition to dealing with the somatic injury, psychological intervention and family care should be carried out as early as possible.
Impact of Changes in Medicare Home Health Care Reimbursement on Month-to-Month Home Health Utilization Between 1996 and 2001 for a National Sample of Patients Undergoing Orthopedic Procedures

Background:Beginning October 1, 1997, Medicare implemented a series of major changes to the Home Health (HH) reimbursement system. Reimbursements were first significantly reduced under the Interim Payment System (IPS) and then relaxed slightly until implementation of the HH Prospective Payment System (PPS) on October 1, 2000. Objective:The objective of this study was to examine the impact of reimbursement policy on HH care utilization. Research Design:We postulated that in response to the initial changes, there would be reductions in both the probability of any HH use and the number of HH visits per HH user. Under PPS, we postulated there would be further reduction in number of HH visits. We tested whether the policy response differed by HH agency structure and whether subgroups of patients were differentially affected. An interrupted time-series analysis was conducted to examine month-to-month probability of HH selection and the number of HH visits among users. Subjects:A 100% sample of all Medicare recipients undergoing either elective joint replacement (1.6 million hospital discharges) or surgical management of hip fracture (1.2 million hospital discharges) between January 1996 and December 2001 was selected. Results:Under the IPS, the probability of any HH use and number of visits per episode of HH care fell until the IPS was refined in October 1998. With implementation of the PPS, HH visits fell commensurately. Differentially larger reductions in care were noted at for-profit HH agencies, for the elderly, women, patients receiving state assistance, and patients first discharged to skilled nursing facility or rehabilitation hospitals. Conclusions:Changes in month-to-month utilization of HH services were sharp and well correlated with policy implementation dates, strengthening the evidence for a causal association between policy and patient care in the midst of a sea of concurrent policy changes. Greater reductions in HH visits were noted for vulnerable groups.
Bone mineral density in postmenopausal Caucasian, Filipina, and Hispanic women.

BACKGROUND Previous bone mineral density (BMD) studies have suggested Asian women have lower BMD and Hispanic women have similar or higher BMD compared with Caucasian women, partially explained by ethnic differences in body size. This study compared the effect of different variables representing body size on BMD in postmenopausal women aged 50-69 years from three ethnic groups in San Diego County, CA: 354 Caucasians, 285 Filipinas, and 164 Hispanics. METHODS In all three groups, BMD was measured by DXA (Hologic 2000) at the hip, lumbar spine, and total body. Lifestyle variables and anthropometric measures were assessed by standard methodology; medication and supplement use were validated by a nurse. RESULTS Regardless of the variables used to represent body size in the regression modelling, either body mass index or lean and fat tissue mass, ethnic differences were minimal across the three groups. The only significant differences observed using the two fully adjusted models (age, height, body mass index or lean and fat tissue mass, smoking, alcohol, exercise, current oestrogen and calcium supplement use, and osteoarthritis) were at the total body BMD site where Filipinas had significantly higher BMD than the Caucasians or Hispanics, whose total body BMD was similar to one another. The independent variables in the fully adjusted models explained approximately 20-40% of the variation in BMD at each of the four sites. Income or occupation did not help explain BMD differences, but a pattern of increased BMD among those with some college education in all three groups was observed. CONCLUSIONS Accounting for body size using either body mass index or fat and lean tissue mass along with height and other lifestyle variables minimizes ethnic differences and explains a considerable amount of variation in mean BMD among older ethnic minority and Caucasian women.
Depressive Symptoms among Kuwaiti Population Attending Primary Healthcare Setting: Prevalence and Influence of Sociodemographic Factors

Objectives: The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of depressive disorders and the influence of sociodemographic characteristics on primary healthcare (PHC) setting in Kuwait. Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in PHC setting in Kuwait using the Beck Depression Inventory second edition questionnaire (BDI II) as a screening instrument, together with a sociodemographic questionnaire. A representative sample drawn from the target population consisted of 2,320 subjects of Kuwaiti nationality randomly selected from 18 PHC centers covering all Kuwait governorates during the period from April 2003 to January 2004. The target age group was 21–64 years. Participants were asked to complete the BDI II questionnaire consisting of 21 items reflecting the depressive disorder independently. Sociodemographic data such as sex, age, marital status, children, occupation, educational status, chronic diseases and social problems were included in the questionnaire. The optimum cutoff score for BDI II was estimated. Results: A total of 2,320 participants completed the questionnaire, 1,082 (46.8%) male and 1,237 (53.2%) female; 860 (37.1%) screened positive for depressive symptoms, among whom 352 (15.3%) were male and 508 (21.7%) female. Of all participants, 163 (7.0%) were severely depressed, 314 (13.5%) moderately depressed and 383 (16.5%) mildly depressed. Depressive disorder was more prevalent among women than men, young than old, more among highly educated individuals, working participants, married individuals, and parents with 3 or more children. Conclusion: Depressive disorder is a highly prevalent condition among Kuwaiti patients attending PHC setting. Chronic diseases and social problems are risk factors for depressive disorder.
Kearns‐Sayre Syndrome with hypoparathyroidism

The history, clinical findings, and postmortem exainination of a patient with Kearns‐Sayre syndrome are presented. In addition to the usual symptoms, the patient also had hypoparathyroidism. There is increasing evidence that the syndrome is frequently associated with involvement of the endocrine system. Central nervous system involvement consists of a spongy encephalopathy.
Phase I clinical and pharmacokinetic study of a 14-day infusion of etoposide in patients with lung cancer.

PURPOSE A phase I study was conducted to determine the maximum-tolerated dose (MTD) of a 14-day continuous infusion of etoposide, and to evaluate the pharmacokinetics in patients with lung cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS Etoposide was administered continuously through a central venous catheter using a pump. The starting dose level was 300 mg/m2 over 14 days, with dose escalations of 100 mg/m2 over 14 days until unacceptable toxicities occurred. Pharmacokinetic studies were performed in all patients. RESULTS Twenty-one patients, 20 with non-small-cell lung cancer and one with refractory small-cell lung cancer, received 37 courses. No World Health Organization (WHO) grade III or greater toxicity occurred at doses up to 400 mg/m2 over 14 days. At 700 mg/m2 over 14 days, all four patients experienced grade III or IV leukocytopenia, and two developed grade III stomatitis. No cumulative toxicity was observed. A steady concentration of etoposide was achieved 24 hours after the start of chemotherapy, and it was significantly correlated with surviving fractions of leukocytes (r = -.64, P = .001) and platelets (r = -.68, P < .001). The leukocyte count at the termination of chemotherapy predicted the nadir count (r = .93, P < .001). CONCLUSION Steady blood levels of etoposide were maintained for prolonged periods, during 14-day continuous infusions. Leukocytopenia and stomatitis were dose-limiting. Nadir counts and surviving fractions of leukocytes were predicted by the leukocyte count at the end of chemotherapy and the concentration of etoposide, respectively. The recommended dose for phase II trials is 600 mg/m2 over 14 days.