Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cost-effectiveness of olanzapine as first-line treatment for schizophrenia: results from a randomized, open-label, 1-year trial.

OBJECTIVES This randomized, open-label trial was designed to help inform antipsychotic treatment policies. It compared the 1-year cost-effectiveness of initial treatment with olanzapine (OLZ) (n = 229) versus a "fail-first" algorithm on conventional antipsychotics (then olanzapine if indicated) (CON) (n = 214); and versus initial treatment with risperidone (RIS) (n = 221). METHODS Individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were recruited from May 1998 to September 2001. Clinical, functioning, and resource utilization data were collected at baseline and five postbaseline visits. Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale scores defined "clinical effectiveness;" Lehman Quality of Life Scale social relations scores defined "social effectiveness. " RESULTS Requiring failure on less expensive antipsychotics before use of olanzapine did not result in total cost savings, despite significantly higher antipsychotic costs with OLZ. Total 1-year mean costs were 21,283 dollars for CON; 20,891 dollars for OLZ; and 21,347 dollars for RIS (pair-wise comparisons nonsignificant). Intent-to-treat effectiveness comparisons (nonsignificant) were augmented by analyses that adjusted for duration on initial antipsychotic treatment, and by comparisons of patients remaining on initial antipsychotic treatment versus those who required switching. When accounting for differential switching rates (OLZ 0.14 vs. CON 0.53, P < 0.0001; vs. RIS 0.31, P < 0.0001), OLZ was significantly more effective than CON on clinical (P = 0.025) and social (P = 0.043) measures, and significantly more effective than RIS on the social (P = 0.002) measure. Further, patients initiated on an antipsychotic from which they needed to switch required additional resources for hospitalization (P = 0.036) and crisis services (P = 0.029). CONCLUSIONS Approaches that integrate costs, effectiveness, and treatment patterns are important for providing optimal information regarding the value of first-line antipsychotic options for schizophrenia.
Random effect model for identifying related factors to virological response in HCV patients

Aim This study aims to employ random effect model to evaluate prognostic factors of hepatitis C. Background In recent years, Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has been a major cause of liver diseases worldwide and represents a major public health problem. Evaluation of risk factors and a community intervention in order to decrease the problem is one of the solutions which help protect people from the infection. Patients and methods The data was collected from a longitudinal study during 2005-2010. The response variable in this study was the viral load of each HCV patient during the treatment, immediately after the treatment and 3 to 4 months after the end of the treatment. The outcome variable of interest is the viral load of HCV patients. For analyzing repeated measure viral load of HCV patients, random effect models were used. Results The results obtained from random effect model showed that treatment protocol and time statistically significant. The variance component was statistically differing with zero. Conclusion According to the results time had a positive effect on rate of viral load of patient. Combination therapy of Peg-interferon plus Ribavirin increased the rate of virological response.
Nonserotonergic projection neurons in the midbrain raphe nuclei contain the vesicular glutamate transporter VGLUT3

The brainstem raphe nuclei are typically assigned a role in serotonergic brain function. However, numerous studies have reported that a large proportion of raphe projection cells are nonserotonergic. The identity of these projection cells is unknown. Recent studies have reported that the vesicular glutamate transporter VGLUT3 is found in both serotonergic and nonserotonergic neurons in both the median raphe (MR) and dorsal raphe (DR) nuclei. We injected the retrograde tracer cholera toxin subunit B into either the dorsal hippocampus or the medial septum (MS) and used triple labeled immunofluorescence to determine if nonserotonergic raphe cells projecting to these structures contained VGLUT3. Consistent with previous studies, only about half of retrogradely labeled MR neurons projecting to the hippocampus contained serotonin, whereas a majority of the retrogradely labeled nonserotonergic cells contained VGLUT3. Similar patterns were observed for MR cells projecting to the MS. About half of retrogradely labeled nonserotonergic neurons in the DR contained VGLUT3. Additionally, a large number of retrogradely labeled cells in the caudal linear and interpeduncular nuclei projecting to the MS were found to contain VGLUT3. These data suggest the enigmatic nonserotonergic projection from the MR to forebrain regions may be glutamatergic. In addition, these results demonstrate a dissociation between glutamatergic and serotonergic MR afferent inputs to the MS and hippocampus suggesting divergent and/or complementary roles of these pathways in modulating cellular activity within the septohippocampal network. Synapse 63: 31–41, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Botulinum toxin A for axillary hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating).

BACKGROUND Treatment of primary focal hyperhidrosis is often unsatisfactory. Botulinum toxin A can stop excessive sweating by blocking the release of acetylcholine, which mediates sympathetic neurotransmission in the sweat glands. METHODS We conducted a multicenter trial of botulinum toxin A in 145 patients with axillary hyperhidrosis. The patients had rates of sweat production greater than 50 mg per minute and had had primary axillary hyperhidrosis that was unresponsive to topical therapy with aluminum chloride for more than one year. In each patient, botulinum toxin A (200 U) was injected into one axilla, and placebo was injected into the other in a randomized, double-blind manner. (The units of the botulinum toxin A preparation used in this study are not identical to those of other preparations.) Two weeks later, after the treatments were revealed, the axilla that had received placebo was injected with 100 U of botulinum toxin A. Changes in the rates of sweat production were measured by gravimetry. RESULTS At base line, the mean (+/-SD) rate of sweat production was 192+/-136 mg per minute. Two weeks after the first injections the mean rate of sweat production in the axilla that received botulinum toxin A was 24+/-27 mg per minute, as compared with 144+/-113 mg per minute in the axilla that received placebo (P< 0.001). Injection of 100 U into the axilla that had been treated with placebo reduced the mean rate of sweat production in that axilla to 32+/-39 mg per minute (P<0.001). Twenty-four weeks after the injection of 100 U, the rates of sweat production (in the 136 patients in whom the rates were measured at that time) were still lower than base-line values, at 67+/-66 mg per minute in the axilla that received 200 U and 65+/-64 mg per minute in the axilla that received placebo and 100 U of the toxin. Treatment was well tolerated; 98 percent of the patients said they would recommend this therapy to others. CONCLUSIONS Intradermal injection of botulinum toxin A is an effective and safe therapy for severe axillary hyperhidrosis.
Economic Development and Transition: Thought, Strategy, and Viability

List of figures List of tables 1. Development, transition and divergence 2. The search for a fundamental and changeable cause of prosperity 3. Aspiration and social thought of modernization 4. Development strategy, viability and performance 5. Viability and strategies of transition 6. Development strategy and development and transition performances: empirical analysis 7. Why are East Asian economies so special? Are there any general lessons to be learned from East Asian development and transition experiences? 8. Toward a right development and transition strategy Appendix I. Development strategy and economic institutions in developing countries Appendix II. Data description References Index.
Glucose transporter expression in skeletal muscle of endurance-trained individuals.

UNLABELLED Two recently identified glucose transporters, GLUT8 and GLUT12, are expressed in human skeletal muscle and may be involved in insulin-mediated sugar transport. PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to measure GLUT8 and GLUT12 mRNA levels in endurance-trained versus sedentary individuals in an effort to determine the effect of repeated days of contractile activity on gene expression. METHODS GLUT 4, 8, and 12 mRNA were measured in biopsies from the vastus lateralis using quantitative real-time PCR in endurance-trained (N=16, age=22.0+/-0.9 yr, VO(2 max) (L.min(-1))=4.13+/-0.25) and sedentary (N=15, age=21.3+/-0.8 yr, VO(2 max) (L.min(-1))=3.21+/-0.24) subjects. RESULTS GLUT12 mRNA was lower (40+/-14%, P<0.05) in the exercise-trained compared with the sedentary subjects. There was no difference between groups in GLUT8 mRNA content. mRNA of the insulin-sensitive glucose transporter (GLUT4) was 78+/-27% (P<0.05) higher in skeletal muscle from endurance-trained compared with sedentary individuals. CONCLUSION These findings suggest an isoform-specific effect on the mRNA of the glucose transporters in human skeletal muscle with repeated days of contractile activity.
Tissue pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of AmBisome® (L-AmBis) in uninfected and infected animals and their effects on dosing regimens

Abstract By selecting a unique combination of lipids and amphotericin B, the liposome composition for AmBisome® (L-AmBis) has been optimized resulting in a formulation that is minimally toxic, targets to fungal cell walls, and distributes into and remains for days to weeks in various host tissues at drug levels above the MIC for many fungi. Procedures have been standardized to ensure that large scale production of the drug retains the drug’s low toxicity profile, favorable pharmacokinetics and antifungal efficacy. Tissue accumulation and clearance with single or multiple intravenous administration is similar in uninfected and infected animal species, with tissue accumulation being dose-dependent and the liver and spleen retaining the most drug. The efficacy in animals appears to be correlated with drug tissue levels although the amount needed in a given organ varies depending upon the type of infection. The long-term tissue retention of bioactive L-AmBis in different organs suggests that for some indications, prophylactic and intermittent drug dosing would be efficacious reducing the cost and possible toxic side-effects. In addition, preliminary preclinical studies using non-intravenous routes of delivery, such as aerosolized L-AmBis, catheter lock therapy, and intravitreal administration, suggest that alternative routes could possibly provide additional therapeutic applications for this antifungal drug.
Essays on sluggishness in macroeconomics

My dissertation studies sluggishness in macroeconomics. It consists of three essays. The first essay (Chapter 1) develops a model which can explain the hump-shaped impulse response of inflation to a monetary shock. A standard New Keynesian (NK) model is augmented to include a dynamic externality as well as sticky wages and variable capital utilization. In simulations, I assume purely forward-looking nominal rigidities in nominal prices and wages à la Calvo. Nevertheless, we can show that inflation is hump-shaped under a reasonable range of parameters. It will be also shown that, in order for inflation to be hump-shaped, sticky wages and variable capital utilization are important as well as a dynamic externality. The second essay (Chapter 2) studies the role of the information updating scheme in the sticky information model. I compare the predictions of the sticky information model under two different information updating schemes: Mankiw and Reis’ original updating scheme and an updating scheme where all firms do so deterministically. On the surface, both models are reasonable a priori. However, the sticky information model under our alternative scheme suffers from diminished persistence and a reduced hump-shape in its impulse response function for inflation. The attractive results in Mankiw and Reis critically depend on their information updating scheme.
Gender adjustment or stratification in discerning upper extremity musculoskeletal disorder risk?

OBJECTIVES The aim was to explore whether "adjustment" for gender masks important exposure differences between men and women in a study of rotator cuff syndrome (RCS) and carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and work exposures. METHODS This cross-sectional study of 733 subjects in 12 health care and manufacturing workplaces used detailed individual health and work exposure assessment methods. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to compare gender stratified and adjusted models. RESULTS Prevalence of RCS and CTS among women was 7.1% and 11.3% respectively, and among men 7.8% and 6.4%. In adjusted (gender, age, body mass index) multivariate analyses of RCS and CTS, gender was not statistically significantly different. For RCS, upper arm flexion >/=45 degrees and forceful pinch increased the odds in the gender-adjusted model (OR 2.66, 95% CI 1.26-5.59) but primarily among women in the stratified analysis (OR 6.68, 95% CI 1.81-24.66 versus OR 1.45, 95% CI 0.53-4.00). For CTS, wrist radial/ulnar deviation >/=4% time and lifting >/=4.5kg >3% time, the adjusted OR was higher for women (OR 4.85, 95% CI 2.12-11.11) and in the gender stratified analyses, the odds were increased for both genders (women OR 5.18, 95% CI 1.70-15.81 and men OR 3.63, 95% CI 1.08-12.18). CONCLUSIONS Gender differences in response to physical work exposures may reflect gender segregation in work and potential differences in pinch and lifting capacity. Reduction in these exposures may reduce prevalence of upper extremity disorders for all workers.
MR characterization of suspicious breast lesions with a gadolinium-enhanced TurboFLASH subtraction technique.

PURPOSE To assess the utility of gadolinium-enhanced dynamic magnetic resonance (MR) imaging with turbo fast low-angle shot (TurboFLASH) technique in the differentiation of benign from malignant lesions of the breast. MATERIALS AND METHODS Contrast material-enhanced MR images were obtained at intervals of 2.3 seconds for 2 minutes. After the first four images were obtained, contrast medium was intravenously injected within 10 seconds. Lesions that enhanced within 11.5 seconds after the aorta opacified were regarded as malignant. Lesions that enhanced more than 11.5 seconds after the aorta were regarded as benign. A centrifugal pattern of enhancement was regarded as a sign that a lesion was benign. RESULTS Eighty-seven lesions were evaluated. Histologic examination showed 65 lesions were malignant and 22 were benign. Gadolinium-enhanced TurboFLASH imaging had a sensitivity of 95%, a specificity of 86%, and an overall accuracy of 93% in differentiating benign from malignant lesions. CONCLUSION Gadolinium-enhanced TurboFLASH imaging is a valuable method in the examination of breast lesions suspected of being malignant.
Clinician-Assisted Internet-Based Treatment is Effective for Depression: Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective: The aim of the present study was to determine the efficacy of an Internet-based clinician-assisted computerized cognitive behavioural treatment (CaCCBT) programme for depression. Method: Forty-five individuals meeting diagnostic criteria for depression were randomly assigned to the Sadness programme or to a waitlist control group. In the clinician-assisted Sadness programme, participants complete six online lessons, weekly homework assignments, receive weekly email contact from a clinical psychologist, and contribute to a moderated online discussion forum with other participants. An intention-to-treat model was used for data analyses. Results: A total of 20 (74%) treatment group participants completed all lessons within the 8 week programme, and post-treatment data were collected from 18/27 treatment group and 17/18 waitlist group participants. Treatment group participants reported significantly reduced symptoms of depression as measured by the Beck Depression Inventory–second edition and the Patient Health Questionnaire–Nine Item. Treatment group participants each received an average of eight email contacts (111 min of therapist time]. Mean within- and between-group effect sizes (Cohen's d) across the two measures of depressive symptoms were 0.98 and 0.75, respectively. Participants found the treatment programme acceptable and satisfactory. Conclusions: These results replicate those from the pilot trial reported by Perini et al. and are consistent with literature indicating that Internet-based programmes for depression and other mental disorders combined with clinical guidance can result in clinically significant improvements. These data provide further support for the development of Internet-based treatment for common mental disorders.
"Where do we go from here?" Health system frustrations expressed by patients with multimorbidity, their caregivers and family physicians.

OBJECTIVES This study explored the care challenges experienced by older patients with multimorbidity, their informal caregivers and family physicians. APPROACH Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 27 patients, their informal caregivers and family physicians. Qualitative description was used to identify key themes in the interview transcripts. RESULTS Participants experienced many common challenges when managing multimorbidity, including a lack of decision-making support, poor communication and uncoordinated health services. Within these themes, unique perspectives specific to the role of being a patient, caregiver or family physician emerged. CONCLUSION The study adds to a limited evidence base on the experience of patients with multimorbidity. By including the perspectives of their family caregivers and physicians, we provide important insight into the management of multimorbidity and recommend the uptake of specific strategies to address them.
Impact of Perceived Security on Trust, Perceived Risk, and Acceptance of Online Banking in Iran

ABSTRACT This study examines the relationship between perceived security and acceptance of online banking with the mediating effect of perceived risk and trust in Internet banking in Iranian customers. Researchers used structural equations model (SEM) to examine their hypotheses and conceptual model. Statistical data were gathered via a questionnaire from 395 randomly selected customers of Bank Saderat Iran in Semnan. Cronbach’s alpha and internal compatibility were used to check the reliability of the questionnaire. The justifiability of the research variables was checked and confirmed using the first- and second-order confirmatory factor analysis. According to the SEM results, the variables of perceived security and trust in Internet banking had a significantly positive impact on the acceptance of online banking. Although perceived risk had no significant impact on the acceptance of online banking, the results showed that perceived risk had a significantly negative impact on trust in Internet banking.
Prevalence and determinants of hepatitis A virus exposure among prison entrants in Queensland, Australia: implications for public health control

In September 1997, a multicentre outbreak of hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection occurred in the Queensland prison system following a prolonged community‐based HAV epidemic among illicit drug users. As part of the public health response, a cross‐sectional survey was undertaken to estimate the seroprevalence of, and identify the determinants for, recent and past HAV infection among the incoming male prisoner population. Exposure data were collected through face‐to‐face interviews with 214 consenting inmates, whose sera were screened for immunoglobulin G (IgG) and immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies to HAV. Overall, 81 (37.9%) inmates were HAV‐IgG seropositive, and four inmates were HAV‐IgM seropositive, HAV‐IgG seropositivity was strongly associated with year of birth (age) (Ptrend<0.0001), being born outside Australia (relative risk (RR) 1.9, 95% CI 1.4–2.7) and being of a non‐English speaking background (RR 2.5, 95% CI 1.7–3.7). Lifestyle exposures (such as occupation, overseas travel and illict drug use) were not associated with an increased risk of HAV‐IgG seropositivity. In contrast, all four HAV‐IgM seropositive inmates were English‐speaking, Australian‐born males who used illicit drugs. These findings suggest that the risk factors for recent and past HAV infections among prisoners differ, with implications for HAV control in correctional settings. Strategies for HAV prevention, including routine screening of inmates and vaccination of susceptibles, are considered in the context of current models of disease transmission.
Pregabalin Vs. Opioids for the Treatment of Neuropathic Cancer Pain: A Prospective, Head‐to‐Head, Randomized, Open‐Label Study

Neuropathic cancer pain (NCP) is a common manifestation of cancer and/or its treatment. Treatment following the WHO analgesic ladder provides relief for the majority of cancer pain patients; however, concern remains that opioids may be less efficacious for neuropathic pain (NP) compared with nociceptive pain, often necessitating the use of higher doses. Adjuvants, such as pregabalin, have shown to be efficacious for the treatment of NP, although data come mostly from noncancer studies. The comparative efficacy and safety of opioids versus adjuvants has not been studied for NCP. The aim of this study was to directly compare pregabalin versus a strong opioid for the treatment of NCP.
Berberine Modulates Gut Microbiota and Reduces Insulin Resistance via the TLR4 Signaling Pathway.

Berberine, a natural compound extracted from several Chinese herbs including Coptis chinensis, has been shown to have anti-obesity effects and prevents insulin resistance in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed obese rats by modulating the gut microbiota; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying these activities remain unknown. We investigated the effects of berberine on obesity and insulin resistance by examining the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)/toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α signaling pathway in livers of HFD-fed obese rats. Our results showed that 8-week berberine (200 mg/kg) treatment significantly reduced fasting blood glucose, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and insulin resistance in HFD-fed obese rats. However, berberine had no significant effects on body weight, visceral fat mass or the visceral fat to body weight ratio. Berberine also attenuated HFD-induced hepatic steatosis. A prolonged HFD altered the gut microbiota composition by reducing protective bacteria like Bifidobacterium and increasing gram negative bacteria like Escherichia coli, which resulted in increased LPS release into plasma. Berberine reversed these effects and inhibited LPS-induced TLR4/TNF-α activation, resulting in increased insulin receptor and insulin receptor substrate-1 expression in the liver. These findings suggested that berberine may reduce insulin resistance, at least in part by modulating the gut microbiota along with inhibiting LPS/TLR4/TNF-α signaling in the liver.