Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Investigation of the Effects of Methylphenidate, an Amphetamine Derivative, on Intervertebral Disc Tissue Cell Cultures and Matrix Structures.

AIM The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of methylphenidate (MPH), which has psychostimulant effects, on intervertebral disc tissue (IVD) cell cultures and extracellular matrix structures. Changes in the expression of some important marker genes involved in anabolic and catabolic mechanisms of IVD extracellular matrix formation were also investigated. MATERIAL AND METHODS Primary cultures of nucleus pulposus cells (NPCs) and annulus fibrosus cells (AFCs) were isolated from tissues obtained from the operated patients. Cell viability and proliferation were tested, and the cell surface morphologies were evaluated by microscopy. The expressions of the chondroadherin (CHAD), cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) -7 and MMP-19 genes were evaluated using the quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). A value of P 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS The viability and proliferation of intervertebral disc tissue cells decreased in response to MPH treatment and the expression of the investigated genes also changed. CONCLUSION The data obtained from in-vitro studies may not directly adaptable to clinical applications. However, the fact that the central nervous system stimulant MPH can suppress proliferation of cells derived from IVD tissue should be considered carefully by clinicians.
Evaluating Six Commercially Available Closed-System Drug-Transfer Devices Against NIOSH’s 2015 Draft Vapor Protocol

Purpose: In 2015, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) published a draft vapor containment protocol to quantitatively evaluate combined liquid, aerosol, and vapor containment performance of commercially available closed-system drug-transfer devices (CSTDs) that claim to be effective for gas/vapor containment within a controlled test environment. Until the release of this proposed protocol, no standard method for evaluating airtightness of CSTDs existed. The aim of this study was to evaluate six commercially available CSTDs utilizing NIOSH draft protocol methodology to evaluate vapor containment under a robust vapor challenge. Methods: In this study, six commercially available CSTDs were tested utilizing draft NIOSH vapor containment protocol methodology to simulate drug compounding and administration using 70% isopropyl alcohol (IPA) as the challenge agent. All device manipulations were carried out in an enclosed test chamber. A Miran sapphIRe gas analyzer was used to detect IPA vapor levels that escaped the device. Study test included the two tasks designated by the NIOSH protocol, with additional steps added to the evaluation. Tasks were repeated 10 times for each device. Results: Only three of the six tested CSTDs (Equashield®, HALO®, and PhaSealTM) had an average IPA vapor release below the quantifiable performance threshold (1.0 ppm) for all tasks performed. This value was selected by NIOSH to represent the performance threshold for successful containment. The remaining three CSTDs had vapor release above 1 ppm at various times during the IPA manipulation process. Conclusion: Equashield®, HALO®, and PhaSealTM devices tested met the 2015 NIOSH protocol quantifiable performance threshold, functioning as a truly closed system. Quantifiable effective data may be useful in product selection.
Effect of non-Unified Interaction Design of in-car Applications on Driving Performance, Situational Awareness and Task Performance

It is common understanding that human-computer interaction (HCI) systems should be designed unified. However, ensuring a unified interaction design (UID) is a cost intensive and time-consuming venture. Especially the automotive industry struggles with exceeding costs and time-to-market pressure as drivers want to stay connected and informed while driving. Therefore, we investigated the effect of non-unified interaction design (NUID). We report on a simulator study with 44 participants in which we studied the effect of a NUID within an automotive HCI system consisting of five in-car pplications. We measured the effect on driving performance, task performance and situational awareness when carrying out tasks. We found no significant effect of UIDs. We offer an explanation based on HCI and cognitive ergonomics literature.
The association between self-reported poor oral health and gastrointestinal cancer risk in the UK Biobank: A large prospective cohort study

Background Controversy remains as to whether poor oral health is independently associated with gastrointestinal cancers, due to potential confounding by smoking, alcohol and poor nutrition. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between oral health conditions and gastrointestinal cancer risk. Methods Data from the large, prospective UK Biobank cohort, which includes n = 475,766 participants, were analysed. Cox proportional hazard models were applied to estimate the relationship between gastrointestinal cancer risk and self-reported poor oral health (defined as painful gums, bleeding gums and/or having loose teeth), adjusting for confounders. Results During an average six years of follow-up, n = 4069 gastrointestinal cancer cases were detected, of which 13% self-reported poor oral health. Overall, there was no association between self-reported poor oral health and risk of gastrointestinal cancer detected (hazard ratio 0.97, 95% confidence interval 0.88–1.07). In site-specific analysis, an increased risk of hepatobiliary cancers was observed in those with self-reported poor oral health (hazard ratio 1.32, 95% confidence interval 0.95–1.80), which was stronger for hepatocellular carcinoma (hazard ratio 1.75, 95% confidence interval 1.04–2.92). Conclusion Overall there was no association between self-reported poor oral health and gastrointestinal cancer risk. However, there was a suggestion of an increased risk of hepatobiliary cancer, specifically hepatocellular carcinoma.
Artifact Facet Ranking and It’s Applications

-As the e-commerce is gaining popularity various customer surveys of objects are currently accessible on the Internet. These surveys are frequently disordered, prompting challenges in knowledge discovery and object assessment. This article proposes an object feature positioning skeleton, which consequently recognizes the critical features of an object from online customer surveys. The critical object features are recognized focused around two perceptions: 1) they are normally commented extensively by customers and 2) customer suppositions on the critical feature significantly impact their general assessments on the object. Specifically, given the customer surveys of an item, we first extract the object feature by a shallow reliance parser and focus customer suppositions on these features through an opinion characterizer. We then create a probabilistic object feature positioning calculation to identify the criticalness of perspectives by at the same time considering feature recurrence and the impact of customer opinion given to every feature over their general opinion. The experimental results on 3 popular products demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach.
Analysis of the terminology used in the field of virtual learning

The broad terminology describing possible learning ways and approaches that use various technologies in the learning process has appeared together with rapid growth of information and communication technologies. This terminology should be ordered and precisely defined. This article presents eight groups of the most widespread terms (such as computer-based learning, distance learning, e-learning, Internetbased learning, online learning, resource-based learning, technology-based learning, Web-based learning) and defines subset relationships among the groups. In addition the meaning of some terms coming from pedagogy (education, instruction, learning, teaching, training, and tutoring) and used as obligatory constituent part of other terms is clarified.
Utilization of Antibiotic Prophylaxis in Three Common Abdominal Surgeries, Adherence to Standard Guidelines and Surgeons' Perception in Teaching Hospitals, Islamabad, Pakistan

Background and objectives: The appropriate use of antibiotics is the main strategy of Antimicrobial stewardship program. This study was planned to evaluate the quality of antibiotic prescriptions, its adherence with standard guidelines and surgeons’ perception regarding antibiotic use in surgeries. Methods: A prospective cross-sectional observational and survey-based study comprised of two sections: Phase 1; to investigate the antibiotic utilization in three most common abdominal surgical procedures during 9 months (January 2017 to September 2017). The appropriateness of antibiotics was compared with evidence-based guidelines. Phase 2; the surgeon’s perspectives were evaluated through a self-administered questionnaire (13 items) during the next three months (October 2017 to December 2017). Descriptive statistics, chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests analysis were used through SPSS Statistical Package 21.0. Results: A total of 866 eligible surgical cases out of 1015 were investigated. An acute appendectomy (n= 418; 48.2%) was most common surgical intervention followed by laparoscopic cholecystectomy (n= 278; 32.1%) and inguinal hernia (n= 170; 19.7%). About 97.5% of patients received antibiotics. Among these, 9.5% adhered according to guidelines with respect to correct choice, 40% for timing, 100% for dose and route (optimal value 100%). The ceftriaxone (J01XD04; n= 503; 59.5%) was most frequently prescribed antibiotic. A 200 participants (response rate 70.6%) filled out a validated questionnaire (internal consistency; α ≥ 0.7). One hundred and thirty-eight (69%) reported the overuse of antibiotics and most of them (97%) preferred broad-spectrum antibiotics instead of narrow-spectrum. The participants reported that non-availability hospital-based guidelines (n=193; 96.5%), prescribing of antibiotics without guidelines (n=186; 93%), underestimation of infection (n=177; 88.5%), lack of consensus (n=135; 67.5%) and poor awareness about guidelines (n=122; 61%) were the main determinants in their health care settings. Conclusions: The compliance of Surgical antibiotic was far below the recommendations of guidelines. The urgent needs of awareness among surgeons and implementation of antimicrobial stewardship program were important recommended interventions for appropriate use antibiotics.
Comparison of the effect of linear and step-wise sodium and ultrafiltration profiling on dialysis adequacy in patients undergoing hemodialysis

Patients with chronic renal failure undergoing hemodialysis (HD) need to receive adequate dialysis. Dialysis inadequacy leads to an increase in the side effects and even frequent hospitalizations as well as increased therapeutic costs. Considering the fact that improving the adequacy of dialysis is one of the goals of nursing care in these patients, this study aimed to compare the effect of linear and step-wise sodium-ultrafiltration (UF) profiling on HD adequacy. This study is a clinical trial; a total of 32 patients from two dialysis centers in East Azerbaijan province were selected and randomly divided into two groups. Each patient underwent HD for three sessions by routine method, three sessions by linear sodium profile and UF, and three sessions by the step-wise sodium profile and UF. At the end of each HD method, Kt/V was calculated to determine the adequacy of dialysis. Data analysis was performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software version 13 with generalized estimating equation statistical test. According to the results of this study, there was a statistically significant difference between the mean of adequacy of dialysis (Kt/V) in the three treatment methods (P <0.05), in which the mean score of dialysis adequacy in step-wise method was 0.14 more than the routine method, and in the linear method, it was 0.21 more than the routine method. The mean Kt/V scores were 1.24, 1.31, and 1.10 in the step-wise method, linear method, and routine method, respectively(P <0.05). The results of this study indicate that simultaneous application of sodium and UF profiles is effective in the hemodynamic stability of patients, which reduces uncomfortable complications during dialysis. Therefore, in order to improve dialysis adequacy and prevent the complications, usage of sodium and UF profiles is recommended.
Localization of a magnetic marker for GI motility studies: an in vitro feasibility study

A method for localizing a single magnetic dipole has been implemented in vitro using a magnetic marker. Eight fluxgate magnetometer sensors measure the magnetic field of the marker and the localization algorithm calculates its position and orientation. The results suggest that this localization method can be used for measuring the position and orientation parameters of the marker. The obtained parameters can be reliably used to measure the frequency of motion of the marker. The preliminary results of this study suggest that the method can be used for gastroenterological studies of motility and transit.
Self-reported disability in rural Malawi: prevalence, incidence, and relationship to chronic conditions

Background: Disability is a complex concept involving physical impairment, activity limitation, and participation restriction. The Washington Group developed a set of questions on six functional domains (seeing, hearing, walking, remembering, self-care, and communicating) to allow collection of comparable data on disability. We aimed to improve understanding of prevalence and correlates of disability in this low-income setting in Malawi. Methods: This study is nested in the Karonga Health and Demographic Surveillance Site in Malawi; the Washington Group questions were added to the annual survey in 2014. We used cross-sectional data from the 2014 survey to estimate the current prevalence of disability and examine associations of disability with certain chronic conditions. We then reviewed the incidence and resolution of disability over time using panel data from the 2015 survey. Results: Of 10,863 participants, 9.6% (95% CI 9.0-10.1%) reported disability in at least one domain. Prevalence was higher among women and increased with age. Diabetes and obesity were associated with disability among women, and diabetes was also associated with disability among men. Neither hypertension nor HIV were associated with disability. Participants reporting “no difficulty” or “can’t do at all” for any domain were likely to report the same status one year later, whereas there was considerable movement between people describing “some difficulty” and “a lot of difficulty”. Conclusions: Disability prevalence is high and likely to increase over time. Further research into the situation of this population is crucial to ensure inclusive policies are created and sustainable development goals are met.
ST6GAL1: A key player in cancer

Aberrant glycosylation is a universal feature of cancer cells and there is now overwhelming evidence that glycans can modulate pathways intrinsic to tumour cell biology. Glycans are important in all of the cancer hallmarks and there is a renewed interest in the glycomic profiling of tumours to improve early diagnosis, determine patient prognosis and identify targets for therapeutic intervention. One of the most widely occurring cancer associated changes in glycosylation is abnormal sialylation which is often accompanied by changes in sialyltransferase activity. Several sialyltransferases are implicated in cancer, but in recent years ST6 β-galactoside α-2,6-sialyltransferase 1 (ST6GAL1) has become increasingly dominant in the literature. ST6GAL1 catalyses the addition of α2,6-linked sialic acids to terminal N-glycans and can modify glycoproteins and/or glycolipids. ST6GAL1 is upregulated in numerous types of cancer (including pancreatic, prostate, breast and ovarian cancer) and can promote growth, survival and metastasis. The present review discusses ST6GAL in relation to the hallmarks of cancer, and highlights its key role in multiple mechanisms intrinsic to tumour cell biology.
Lessons from animal studies on recurrent laryngeal nerve monitoring

Recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injury is a significant morbidity associated with thyroid surgery. Surgeons have increasingly used intraoperative neural monitoring (IONM) as an adjunct technique for identifying the RLNand predicting the outcome of vocal cord function. Many animal studies have investigated limits, adjournments and new applications of IONM. The advent of animal studies has substantially improved understanding of IONM technology and the electrophysiology of RLN. Lessons learned from animal studies have clinical applications in establishing proper strategies for preventing nerve injury.
The Effectiveness of Music Therapy on Insomnia Using Persian Traditional Music

Objectives: Although some studies have shown the effectiveness of music therapy on insomnia (secondary insomnia), no study has so far investigated the effectiveness of music therapy with Persian traditional music on the treatment of primary insomnia. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of music therapy with Persian traditional music on the treatment of primary insomnia. Methods: This study was a controlled clinical trial with 30 participants with primary insomnia. Participants were randomly assigned to intervention (N = 15) and control (N = 15) groups. Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), insomnia severity index (ISI), and depression, anxiety and stress scales (DASS-21) were used to evaluate the intervention results. Anxiety, stress, depression, insomnia and sleep quality were measured before and six weeks after the intervention. Results: One-way ANCOVA results showed that music therapy with Persian traditional music significantly improved insomnia, sleep quality and depression in the intervention group. There was however no significant difference between the two groups in terms of
Performance Analysis of New Cooperative Spectrum Sensing Schemes

Abstract In cognitive radio (CR) technology, most of the proposed cooperative spectrum sensing solutions require infinite bits or several bits exchanging per each CR to make the final decision to indicate the absence or presence of a primary user. It is well known that if some CRs employ energy-detectors with the same threshold and then send individual decision bits to a fusion centre, the OR-rule will be optimal under Neyman-Pearson criterion. To decrease the average number of exchanging bits, we propose novel schemes. Our analytical and simulation results show that the average number of reported bits is inversely proportional to the number of cooperating CRs. Furtheremore, the proposed schemes are very robust against the errors of imperfect control channels and the average number of reporting bits do not change considerably under the imperfect control channels.
Seroprevalence of brucellosis and risk factors associated with its seropositivity in cattle, goats and humans in Iganga District, Uganda

Introduction The burden of brucellosis among smallholder farmers is poorly-documented in Uganda. The disease burden is likely to be high, given the high levels of endemicity, lots of exposures and due to lack of control measures. In order to designate appropriate control measures, the magnitude and risk factors for brucellosis need to be known. We established the burden of and risk factors for Brucella seropositivity in cattle, goats, and humans in Iganga district, eastern Uganda. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in in Kigulamo Parish, Iganga District. We enrolled 226 households and administered a structured questionnaire to heads of households to capture data on socio-demographic characteristics, human brucellosis-related risk factors, and livestock farming practices. Human, cattle, and goat blood samples were collected and tested serologically using commercial indirect-ELISA kits manufactured by USDA, USA. Results Of 451 human blood samples, 20 (4.4%) were positive. Among 345 cattle blood samples, 4 (1.2%) were positive and among 351 goat blood samples, one (0.3%) was positive. Persons who reported consuming locally-made dairy products had 4 times higher odds of Brucella seropositivity (OR = 4.0, CI = 1.14-14.03, p = 0.031) than those who did not. None of the risk factors we asked about were significantly associated with seropositivity in cattle and goats. Conclusion The seroprevalence of brucellosis in humans in smallholder households in Kigulamo was relatively low and associated with consumption of locally made dairy products. No risk factors were significantly associated with seropositivity in livestock, likely due to the small number of seropositive animals. We recommend a One Health approach to control brucellosis simultaneously in animals and humans needed to sustainably reduce the burden of brucellosis in Uganda and beyond.
Determination of Prevalence of isolated bacteria from urinary tracts and antibiotic resistant pattern of them in Tohid hospital of Sanandaj (2013-2014(

Background and Aim: Increasing resistance of bacteria to antimicrobial agents is a major problem around the world. The aim of this study was to indentify the bacterial agents in urinary tract infections and their antibiotic resistance determination in hospitalized and referred individuals to Sanandaj`s Tohid Hospital city during 2013-2014. Materials and Methods: In this study 2406 urine samples were collected with midstream clean catch method and cultured in blood agar and Eosin-methylene blue medium using standard loop. Then incubated for 24 hsr in 37 oC. Identification of bacterial isolates by laboratory method and antibiotic susceptibility test were performed by disk diffusion method according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). For data analysis software Excel 2013 and SPSS V22 software and Fisher Exact test were used (p<0.05). Results: Of 2406 urine samples positive culture, 65.5% belongs to females and 34.5% belongs to males and with taking p<0.004, this difference was significant. The most common isolated pathogen was Escherichia coli and cause of 63.09% positive cultures. Most of urinary pathogens resistant were to ampicillin (64.15%), trimetoprim -sulfamethoxazole (62.67%). The least rate of resistance was to imipenem (0.7%) and amikacin (1.01%). E. coli as most common pathogen of urinary tract infections showed the most resistance to ampicillin (43.87%) and the least resistance to nitrofurantoin (3.62%) indicated. Conclusion: When the urine culture is not available or it is not possible to wait for the antibiotic susceptibility test, antibiotics imipenem and amikacin may be the best choice to begin the treatment in the Sanandaj city.