Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Predicting response to short-acting bronchodilator medication using Bayesian networks.

AIMS Bronchodilator response tests measure the effect of beta(2)-agonists, the most commonly used short-acting reliever drugs for asthma. We sought to relate candidate gene SNP data with bronchodilator response and measure the predictive accuracy of a model constructed with genetic variants. MATERIALS & METHODS Bayesian networks, multivariate models that are able to account for simultaneous associations and interactions among variables, were used to create a predictive model of bronchodilator response using candidate gene SNP data from 308 Childhood Asthma Management Program Caucasian subjects. RESULTS The model found that 15 SNPs in 15 genes predict bronchodilator response with fair accuracy, as established by a fivefold cross-validation area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve of 0.75 (standard error: 0.03). CONCLUSION Bayesian networks are an attractive approach to analyze large-scale pharmacogenetic SNP data because of their ability to automatically learn complex models that can be used for the prediction and discovery of novel biological hypotheses.
Experimental vitrification of human compacted morulae and early blastocysts using fine diameter plastic micropipettes.

BACKGROUND Vitrification of human blastocysts has been successfully applied using grids, straws and cryoloops. We assessed the survival rate of human compacted morulae and early blastocysts vitrified in pipette tips with a smaller inner diameter and solution volume than the previously described open pulled straw (OPS) method. METHODS Excess day 5 human embryos (n = 63) were experimentally vitrified in vessels. Embryos were incubated at 37 degrees C with sperm preparation medium (SPM) for 1 min, SPM + 7.5% ethylene glycol (EG)/dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO) for 3 min, and SPM + 16.5% EG + 16.5% DMSO + 0.67 mol/l sucrose for 25 s. They were then aspirated (0.5 microl) into a plastic micropipette tip (0.36 mm inner diameter), exposed to liquid nitrogen (LN(2)) vapour for 2 min before being placed into a pre-cooled cryotube, which was then closed and plunged into LN(2). Embryos were warmed and diluted using 0.33 mol/l and 0.2 mol/l sucrose. RESULTS The survival rate for compacted morulae was 73% (22/30) and 82% (27/33) for early blastocysts. CONCLUSIONS The survival rates of human compacted morulae and early blastocysts after vitrification with this simple technique are similar to those reported in the literature achieved by slow cooling and other vitrification protocols.
Using Religious Services to Improve Health

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the use of religious services to improve health among middle-aged and older adults with multiple sclerosis (MS). Method: Data from the study “Aging With MS: Unmet Needs in the Great Lakes Region” were used to investigate religious service use among 1,275 adults with MS. Results: The findings indicate that nearly two thirds of the sample currently use religious services to improve their health or well-being. Individuals whose MS is stable and those who have had the disease longer are significantly more likely to use religious services to improve their health. Conclusions: Religious organizations should continue providing out-reach and increasing accessibility for individuals with disabling conditions. In addition, health care professionals should be aware of the importance of religious services to individuals with MS and do their part to facilitate participation for those who desire it.
Preferential support of Ca2+ uptake in smooth muscle plasma membrane vesicles by an endogenous glycolytic cascade

Studies of intact smooth muscle have suggested that its anomalous aerobic lactate production may reflect an intracellular compartmentation of glycolytic enzyme cascades designed to support specific exergonic processes. In particular, we have postulated a membrane‐associated glycolytic cascade that preferentially supports the ATP requirements of membrane functions. We tested this hypothesis by using a smooth muscle plasma membrane fraction (PMV) purified for calcium pump activity. We show that glycolytic enzymes are endogenous in PMV and can produce NADH, ATP, and lactate from fructose 1,6‐diphosphate in the presence of glycolytic cofactors. This glycolytic cascade can fuel the calcium pump despite the presence of an ATP trap that eliminated calcium uptake fueled by exogenously added ATP. This plasma membrane glycolytic cascade is coupled to calcium pump function in a tissue with both oxidative and glycolytic metabolism. Thus coupling of metabolic cascades with the specific processes they subserve may be a more general feature of cellular organization than was previously thought. —Paul, R. J.; Hardin, C. D. ; Raeymaekers, L. ; Wuytack, F. ; Casteels, R. Preferential support of Ca2+ uptake in smooth muscle plasma membrane vesicles by an endogenous glycolytic cascade. FASEB J. 3: 2298‐2301; 1989.
Cost-Effectiveness of Pegfilgrastim versus Six Days of Filgrastim for Preventing Febrile Neutropenia in Breast Cancer Patients

Aims and background Febrile neutropenia (FN) is a major complication of chemotherapy and is associated with substantial morbidity, mortality and costs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of primary prophylaxis with pegfilgrastim versus six-day filgrastim in preventing FN in Italian patients with early-stage breast cancer receiving adjuvant chemotherapy associated with a ≥20% FN risk. Methods The pharmacoeconomic evaluation was based on a decision-analytic model taking into account the possible consequences of FN (e.g., death and reduction/delay of chemotherapy dose). Parameters included in the model were relative risk of FN with pegfilgrastim versus six-day filgrastim; direct costs (drug purchase and FN-related hospitalizations); relative risk of relative dose intensity <85% with pegfilgrastim versus filgrastim; impact on long-term survival due to relative dose intensity <85%; and impact of age on FN and relative dose intensity <85%. Results Under base-case assumptions, pegfilgrastim was cost-effective compared to six-day filgrastim in Italy. The estimated cost, life expectancy and quality-adjusted life years per person for pegfilgrastim were € 3078, 16.47 years, and 15.32; the corresponding figures for six-day filgrastim were € 3033, 16.35 years, and 15.22. The corresponding incremental cost-effectiveness ratio with pegfilgrastim was € 409 per life-year gained and € 429 per quality-adjusted life year gained. One-way sensitivity analyses showed that the results were most sensitive to the relative risk of FN for 6-day filgrastim versus pegfilgrastim. The results were moderately sensitive to the cost of pegfilgrastim and filgrastim, cost of drug administration, cost of FN hospitalization, and number of chemotherapy cycles. Pegfilgrastim remained cost-effective, with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio well below the accepted limit of € 50,000 per life year gained in all one-way sensitivity analyses. A two-way sensitivity analysis on cost of drugs showed a range of pegfilgrastim dominance over six-day filgrastim. Conclusions At the current official price in Italy, primary prophylaxis with pegfilgrastim improved health outcomes with a very limited cost increase for the National Health Service payer. Even when very low prices of filgrastim and high prices of pegfilgrastim were considered in the model, the resulting incremental cost-effectiveness ratio remained well within the acceptable cost-effectiveness limit of € 50,000/quality-adjusted life year.
Integrating Design Science Theory and Methods to Improve the Development and Evaluation of Health Communication Programs

Traditional communication theory and research methods provide valuable guidance about designing and evaluating health communication programs. However, efforts to use health communication programs to educate, motivate, and support people to adopt healthy behaviors often fail to meet the desired goals. One reason for this failure is that health promotion issues are complex, changeable, and highly related to the specific needs and contexts of the intended audiences. It is a daunting challenge to effectively influence health behaviors, particularly culturally learned and reinforced behaviors concerning lifestyle factors related to diet, exercise, and substance (such as alcohol and tobacco) use. Too often, program development and evaluation are not adequately linked to provide rapid feedback to health communication program developers so that important revisions can be made to design the most relevant and personally motivating health communication programs for specific audiences. Design science theory and methods commonly used in engineering, computer science, and other fields can address such program and evaluation weaknesses. Design science researchers study human-created programs using tightly connected build-and-evaluate loops in which they use intensive participatory methods to understand problems and develop solutions concurrently and throughout the duration of the program. Such thinking and strategies are especially relevant to address complex health communication issues. In this article, the authors explore the history, scientific foundation, methods, and applications of design science and its potential to enhance health communication programs and their evaluation.
Visual discrimination after lesion of the posterior corpus callosum

Visual discrimination was studied in each visual field of a patient with surgical section of the posterior corpus callosum. Light-detection thresholds were increased nearly equally in right and left visual fields, suggesting that normal thresholds require the cooperative activity of both posterior cerebral hemispheres, mediated by the corpus callosum. In contrast, there was superiority in the right visual field in naming, copying, and matching letters, numbers, and colors, but not unfamiliar shapes. The results are attributed to a differential effect of experience on perception in each visual field. The right-visual-field superiority in learning to perceive arrays of letters, numbers, and colors may result directly from the superiority of the left hemisphere in speech.
Stochastic geometry model to analyze 5G energy efficiency based on a novel dynamic spectrum access scheme

The communication network has to undergo a significant change to be able to keep up with the exponential demand for mobile data. The next 5G mobile generation, based essentially on the heterogeneous network architecture—a macro tier overlayed with unplanned small cell tiers—is defined as a promising solution to meet those needs. Despite the considerable increase in data rates through the small cell concept and the shared spectrum access, the most crucial challenge is the interference management issue. To overcome this limitation and establish an economical and ecological design, the need for new spectrum management concepts is triggered. Unlike the classical cell association scheme, which requires cell tier cooperations, the contribution of this paper is to conceive an efficient cell association scheme in a non coordination 5G heterogeneous network architecture, based on a novel dynamic spectrum access (DSA) approach. The suggested DSA is based on the dynamic common cognitive monitor channel—with a cognitive monitor strategy using the maximum holding time distribution—and the highest signal‐to‐interference‐plus‐noise ratio–based cell association. The coverage probability and the throughput for a typical user in a two‐tier heterogeneous network (macro and small cell tiers) as well as the analytical expression of the energy efficiency are derived and analyzed using a stochastic geometry system model. The performance of the suggested DSA scheme is quantified and highlighted through detailed simulations and numerical results.
Cholesterol screening in asymptomatic adults, revisited. Part 2.

OBJECTIVE To assess the role of serum lipid levels as screening tests in adults. DESIGN Pooled analysis of clinical trials, supplemented by analysis of data from the Framingham Heart Study, to estimate the effect of cholesterol reduction in patient groups stratified by cardiac risk. STUDY SELECTION Published randomized controlled trials of cholesterol reduction, meta-analyses of such trials, prospective cohort studies of the association between cholesterol levels and morbidity and death related to coronary heart disease, and cost-effectiveness analyses of cholesterol reduction. DATA ANALYSIS Two-stage logistic regression on cardiac risk factors and outcomes in the Framingham Heart Study. The first stage predicted the risk for death from coronary heart disease using standard risk factors but not cholesterol; the second stage predicted the risk for death from coronary heart disease and all causes as functions of age and cholesterol level, stratified by the risk predicted from the first stage. RESULTS Randomized clinical trials show that cholesterol reduction confers survival benefits in patients with symptomatic coronary disease. In asymptomatic middle-aged men, who are at lower risk for death from coronary disease, cholesterol reduction prevents coronary disease but has not been shown to prolong life. The risk model based on analysis of the data from the Framingham Heart Study is consistent with the randomized trial data and shows that in the demographic groups excluded from trials, the hypothetical benefits of cholesterol reduction are greatest when the underlying risk for coronary disease is greatest. CONCLUSIONS Screening with total cholesterol levels is most likely to be useful when done in populations at high short-term risk for dying of coronary heart disease, such as survivors of myocardial infarction and middle-aged men with multiple cardiac risk factors. In these populations, cholesterol reduction appears to be both effective and cost-effective. In other populations, the benefits of reduction are much smaller or are uncertain.
Race and the Misrepresentation of Victimization on Local Television News

A content analysis of a random sample of television news aired in Los Angeles and Orange Counties was undertaken to assess representations of Whites, Blacks, and Latinos as crime victims. Intergroup comparisons (Black vs. White and Latino vs. White) revealed that Whites are more likely than African Americans and Latinos to be portrayed as victims of crime on television news. Interrole comparisons (perpetrator vs. victim) revealed that Blacks and Latinos are more likely to be portrayed as lawbreakers than as crime victims, whereas the reverse is true of Whites. Interreality comparisons (television news vs. crime reports) revealed that Whites are overrepresented, Latinos are underrepresented, and Blacks are neither overrepresented nor underrepresented as homicide victims on television news compared to crime reports. Conversely, African Americans are overrepresented, Latinos are underrepresented, and Caucasians are neither overrepresented nor underrepresented as perpetrators on television news. Whites appear to be overrepresented as victims, whereas Blacks are relegated to roles as perpetrators and Latinos are largely absent on television news. The theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.
Understanding the Role of Managerial Textual Content in the Price Formation Process

August 2013 Elizabeth Demers Darden Graduate School of Business University of Virginia Charlottesville, VA 22903 demerse@darden.virginia. edu Clara Vega Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System Washington, DC 20551 clara.vega@frb.gov Abstract Using automated textual analysis algorithms to quantify the content of more than 20,000 managerial press releases from 1998 to 2006, this study presents large sample evidence of the role of difficult-to-verify information in the equity price formation process. We extract two textual content measures, labeled textual net optimism and textual uncertainty, and we show that each measure is associated with numerous alternative proxies for the firm’s valuation fundamentals, that the text of managerial press releases conveys “first-moment” and “secondmoment” information that is excluded from the GAAP earnings summary figure, managers’ earnings forecasts and pro-forma earnings news, and that the market relies upon this information in the price discovery process. We choose and validate an array of proxies for the informativeness of textual content and GAAP earnings, respectively, and use these conditioning variables to study how the price impact of the two signals varies with their expected informativeness about valuation fundamentals. We find that the price impact of textual content increases in settings where the text is more informative about fundamentals and decreases when GAAP earnings are noisy predictors, consistent with the tenets of a Bayesian learning model. However, our analysis also suggests that the relationship between these two sources of information is likely more complex than that of simple substitutes. We find that some firms seem to provide more informative text to complement what they understand to be informationally deficient GAAP earnings. In other words, in some cases, the informativeness of managerial text appears to be endogenously related to the informativeness of GAAP earnings.
Tardive dyskinesia and drug therapy in geriatric patients.

The main objective of this paper was to relate tardive dyskinesia to the total intake of neuroleptics. The data were based on a selected sample of geriatric patients, on accurate and complete information on chemotherapy, and on three neurological examinations. A 7-point rating scale was used to distinguish drug-induced from spurious motor abnormalities. Two statistical approaches demonstrated that the risk of oral dyskinesia increases with the exposure to neuroleptics.
Chemoarchitectonic subdivisions of the visual pulvinar in monkeys and their connectional relations with the middle temporal and rostral dorsolateral visual areas, MT and DLr

The organization of the inferior pulvinar complex (PI) in squirrel monkeys was studied with histochemical localization of the calcium binding proteins calbindin‐D28k and parvalbumin, and of cytochrome oxidase. With each of these markers, the inferior pulvinar complex can be subdivided into four distinct regions. Calbindin‐D28k immunoreactivity is densely distributed in cells and neuropil within PI, except for a distinct centromedially located gap. This calbindin‐poor zone, termed the medial division of the inferior pulvinar (PIM), corresponds precisely to a region that contains elevated cytochrome oxidase activity and parvalbumin immunostaining. The PIM extends slightly above and behind the classically defined limit of the inferior pulvinar, the corticotectal tract. Regions of inferior pulvinar with intense immunostaining for calbindin‐D28k were the posterior division of the inferior pulvinar (PIP, medial to PIM) and the central division (PIC, lateral to PIM). A newly recognized lateral region, PIL, adjoins the lateral geniculate nucleus and stains more lightly for calbindin and parvalbumin immunoreactivity and for cytochrome oxidase. Staining patterns for calbindin, parvalbumin, and cytochrome oxidase in the pulvinar of rhesus monkeys closely resemble those shown in squirrel monkey inferior pulvinar, suggesting that a common organization exists in all primates.
Effects of Various Field Coccidiosis Control Programs on Host Innate and Adaptive Immunity in Commercial Broiler Chickens

Coccidiosis control programs such as vaccines or in-feed anticoccidials are commonly practiced in the poultry industry to improve growth performance and health of commercial broiler chickens. In this study, we assessed the effects of various coccidiosis control programs (e.g., in ovo vaccination, synthetic chemicals, and antibiotic ionophores) on immune status of broiler chickens vaccinated against infectious bronchitis virus and Newcastle disease virus (ND) and raised on an Eimeriacontaminated used litter. In general, the levels of α-1-acid glycoprotein, an acute phase protein, were altered by the treatments when measured at 34 days of age. Splenocyte subpopulations and serum antibody titers against ND were altered by various coccidiosis control programs. In-ovo-vaccinated chickens exhibited highest mitogenic response when their spleen cells were stimulated with concanavalin A (Con A) at 7 days of age. It is clear from this study that the type of coccidiosis control program influenced various aspects of innate and adaptive immune parameters of broiler chickens. Further studies will be necessary to delineate the underlying relationship between the type of coccidiosis control program and host immune system and to understand the role of other external environmental factors such as gut microbiota on host-pathogen interaction in various disease control programs.
Depression and pain in night time and daytime functioning of individuals with lupus

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of pain and depression in night time and daytime functioning of individuals with lupus. A cross-sectional research design was used. Participants were recruited via a mail-out to members of the Lupus Australia Foundation and the Lupus Association of New South Wales. One hundred and fifty-four participants completed a questionnaire package consisting of a Lupus Medical and Symptoms Questionnaire designed by the researchers, the Cardiac Depression Scale and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that pain principally predicted levels of sleep disturbance, whilst depression and pain (to a lesser extent) together predicted daytime dysfunction. The present results suggested the need for more adequate pain management, particularly at night and psychological interventions to decrease levels of depression that interfere with daily functioning in individuals with lupus.
Effects of perineural administration of dexmedetomidine in combination with bupivacaine in a femoral-sciatic nerve block

Background and Aim: Perineural administration of dexmedetomidine, a α2-adrenoceptor agonist, prolongs the duration of analgesia. We hypothesized that adding dexmedetomidine to bupivacaine would prolong postoperative analgesia after below knee surgery. Materials and Methods: After ethical approval, 60 patients scheduled for below knee surgery under combined femoral-sciatic nerve block were randomly allocated into two groups to have their block performed using bupivacaine 0.5% alone (group B) or bupivacaine 0.5% combined with 100 μg bupivacaine-dexmedetomidine (group BD). Motor and sensory block onset times; durations of blockades and analgesia were recorded. Results: Sensory and motor block onset times were shorter by 20% in group BD than in group B (P < 0.01). Sensory and motor blockade durations were longer in group BD (+45% and +40%, respectively) than in group B (P < 0.01). Duration of analgesia was longer in group BD by 75% than in group B (P < 0.01). Systolic, diastolic arterial blood pressure levels, and heart rate were significantly less in group BD, six patients in group BD, and no patients in group B developed bradycardia (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The addition of dexmedetomidine 100 μg to bupivacaine 0.5% during ultrasound-guided combined femoral and sciatic block for below knee surgery was associated with a prolonged duration of analgesia. However, this may be associated with significant bradycardia requiring treatment.
The role of chemotherapy in cholangiocarcinoma.

Chemotherapy has been used in an attempt to control disease, and improve survival and quality of life in patients with irresectable, recurrent and metastastic cholangiocarcinoma. Various chemotherapeutic agents, either alone or in combination, have been tested. Most of these studies incorporated both intra- and extra-hepatic cholangiocarcinoma, gallbladder cancer and pancreatic cancer. Although one of these studies demonstrated an improvement in quality of life for patients treated with chemotherapy compared with best supportive care, the median survival remained low (6 versus 2.5 months) [5].