Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Understanding the dynamics of sexual transmission of HIV among drug-using populations: An integration of biological, behavioral, and environmental perspectives

In October 2002, the Center on AIDS and Other Medical Consequences of Drug Abuse (CAMCODA) of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) sponsored a science meeting, HIV Acquisition and Transmission Among Drug-Using Populations: Future Research Strategies. The meeting, chaired by Dr. David Vlahov, Director of the Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies at the New York Academy of Medicine, convened experts in HIV/AIDS and drug abuse research to examine the dynamics of HIV disease transmission among drug users and other at-risk populations, and to explore why new infections continue apace despite our best efforts at HIV prevention and control. This special issue of the Journal of Urban Health represents one step in the process of addressing new and emerging research gaps and unanswered questions that challenge our best efforts to prevent the continuing spread of HIV/AIDS. The particular focus of the issue is on identifying and understanding some of the dynamic factors involved in the sexual transmission of HIV among drug-using populations. It is hoped that, as we are challenged by yet another decade of HIV/AIDS, we will develop novel, more effective behavioral and biomedical strategies to reduce and prevent—and possibly even to eliminate—this disease. Since HIV/AIDS was first identified in the early 1980s, knowledge and understanding about the disease have grown exponentially. Today, we know more than we ever imagined possible about the natural history, epidemiology, virology, etiology, pathogenesis, prevention, and treatment of HIV/AIDS. Yet despite these gains, dynamic changes in the epidemic continue as new infections spread among drug users and their sexual partners both in the United States and around the world. In the United States today, the estimated annual rate of 40,000 new HIV infections continues, as it did throughout the 1990s. This persistent rate of new infections reminds us that, while we have made advances in the science of HIV prevention, there is much that we have yet to do to make HIV prevention efforts better, more far-reaching, and sustainable. The HIV/AIDS surveillance data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1 reveal that, since the 1980s, there have been notable shifts in the demo
Possible effect of environmental exposure to asbestos on geographical variation in mesothelioma rates

Background In population-based mesothelioma studies in industrialised countries, the incidence of mesothelioma without any identified asbestos exposure (IAE) is usually higher among women, while male incidence is mainly attributed to IAE. Through a comparison of the spatial distribution of male and female rates, and IAE and no IAE incidence, this study investigated whether mesotheliomas without IAE are in fact induced by non-recognised asbestos exposure, mostly from environmental sources. Methods We calculated mesothelioma mortality (SMR) and incidence (SIR) ratios by district in France, pooling 30 and 10 years of data, respectively. Using correlation coefficients, we compared geographical patterns of male and female mesothelioma ratios, and IAE and no IAE mesothelioma ratios. Results The raw numbers of male and female mesothelioma cases were equivalent. Mesothelioma SMR (0.76) and SIR (0.80) geographical correlations between men and women were strongly positive. SIR correlation between occupationally IAE and no IAE cases was also positive (0.69). Correlation between occupationally IAE and no IAE cases was positive among women but not among men. Conclusions Data analyses of mesothelioma mortality and incidence showed that female cases occur in the same geographical areas as male cases. Female mesotheliomas with no IAE occur in the same geographical areas as exposed cases, suggesting asbestos has a major influence on female mesothelioma, likely through environmental exposure.
Inadequate fluid intakes in dysphagic acute stroke.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS To investigate the fluid intakes of patients with dysphagic acute stroke and to evaluate the effect of disability, the ward speciality and the type of fluid given on oral intake. METHODS Patients were prospectively recruited and randomly assigned to receive powder-thickened fluids or ready prepared pre-thickened fluids. Parenteral, enteral and oral fluid intakes, urine output, clinical sequelae and the frequency of requests for biochemical measures of hydration were recorded for a maximum of fourteen days. RESULTS 24 patients with dysphagic acute stroke requiring thickened fluids were recruited from a large teaching hospital. Mean thickened fluid intake was 455 ml/d (SEM+/-70) resulting in the use of an extra 742 ml/d (+/-132) of supplementary fluids. This did not result in an adequate total intake due to insufficient volumes being given for too short a period. Patients not on specialist stroke units who received pre-thickened fluids drank almost 100% more than those on powder-thickened fluids (P=0.04). CONCLUSIONS Fluid intakes in this patient group are insufficient to achieve requirements. Hospital staff must ensure adequate fluid intakes in patients at risk of dehydration, which should include both an adequate prescription and provision of supplementary fluids. Pre-thickened drinks improve oral fluid intake in patients with dysphagic acute stroke on non-specialist wards.
Coupling between coaxially fed monopoles in a parallel-plate waveguide

Electromagnetic coupling between coaxially fed monopoles in a parallel-plate waveguide is investigated. The boundary-value problem of monopoles in a parallel-plate waveguide is solved using the Fourier transform, mode matching, and superposition. Residue calculus is used to represent the solution in a fast convergent series. Our numerical results agree favorably with Computer Simulation Technology Microwave Studio (CST MWS) simulation results.
The adaptive significance of reproductive strategies in ungulates

We examine the relation between litter size, gestation length, neonate mass and growth rate among ungulates. By using a recent method for analysing comparative data, we show that ungulates can be divided along a slow-fast continuum, even after accounting for the effects of maternal body mass and common ancestry. Some species produce many small offspring during a short period, whereas others take a long time to raise a single large offspring. These differences in life-history strategy are associated with diet, i. e. browsers have relatively larger litters and smaller neonates than grazers.
Reduction of ethanol intake by chronic treatment with Hypericum perforatum, alone or combined with naltrexone in rats

Acute treatment with extracts of Hypericum perforatum, the common plant usually called St. John’s Wort, reduces voluntary ethanol intake in Marchigian Sardinian alcohol-preferring (msP) rats and acts synergistically with opioid receptor antagonists to further attenuate ethanol consumption. The present study evaluated the effect of chronic (once a day for 12 days) intragastric administration of a CO2 Hypericum perforatum extract (HPCO2), given alone or combined with naltrexone (NTX), on ethanol intake offered 2h/day in msP rats. Chronic treatment with HPCO2 markedly reduced ethanol intake at the dose of 125, but not at 7mg/kg; the effect of 125mg/kg was observed since the first day of treatment and remained constant across the 12 days. The same dose of HPCO2 slightly reduced the simultaneous intake of food only on day 3 and day 11 of treatment. Treated rats promptly recovered baseline ethanol intake when treatment did not precede access to ethanol (on day 8) or after the end of treatment (day 13 and day 14), suggesting that HPCO2 administrations did not induce conditioned aversion to alcohol. Chronic intraperitoneal treatment with NTX reduced ethanol intake at 3, but not at 0.5mg/kg. The synergistic effect on ethanol intake of HPCO2 and NTX was evident also in conditions of chronic treatment. HPCO2, 7mg/kg, and NTX, 0.5mg/kg, evoked a pronounced and statistically significant reduction of ethanol intake, while being inactive. The effect on ethanol intake of the combined treatment remained stable over the 12 days of treatment; food intake was slightly reduced only on day 3 and on day 7 in response to 125mg/kg of HPCO2 combined with NTX 0.5mg/kg, but no difference in body weight between controls and treated rats was observed at the end of treatment. Following 12-day treatment with 125mg/kg of HPCO2, no difference was observed in the responsivity of msP rats to the effect on ethanol intake of several doses of the extract. In conclusion, the present results provide evidence for a selective and pronounced effect of HPCO2, alone or combined with naltrexone, on ethanol intake in conditions of chronic treatment, without development of tolerance. These findings further support the view that clinical trials for extracts of Hypericum perforatum in the treatment of alcoholism should be considered.
Computerised Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Systematic Review

Background: Computer-guided therapy is an innovative treatment strategy that could have an important role in the future of psychological treatment. This paper summarises the available published evidence that assesses the effectiveness of a computerised cognitive behaviour therapy (CCBT) for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Methods: Fifteen electronic bibliographic databases including Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Cinahl, PsycINFO, Biological Abstracts, HMIC and NHS CRD databases were comprehensively searched in March 2004: [‘obsessive compulsive disorder’ (text and indexed terms)] AND [‘cognitive therapy’ (text and indexed terms)] AND [‘computer’ (text and indexed terms)]. Reference lists of included studies, guidelines, generic research, trials registers and specialist mental health sites were hand-searched. Results: The search produced 149 citations from which we identified two RCTs and two single-arm studies with relevant data. All four studies used one software programme – BTSteps.In the large RCT, YBOCS effect sizes for BTSteps, therapist-led cognitive behaviour therapy (TCBT) and relaxation (RLX) were 0.84, 1.22, and 0.35, respectively. The smaller RCT found significantly better outcomes with brief scheduled support compared to brief on-demand phone support. Conclusions: BTSteps was as good as TCBT for reducing time spent in rituals and obsessions and for improving the Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSA), and was superior to RLX treatment. The available evidence also showed that improvement of OCD persisted beyond the end of CCBT. TCBT was more effective than CCBT for all patients overall though not in those who went on to start self-exposure. Such a system has the potential to widen the access to CBT in general and considerably shorten clinician-guided care.
Assessing Procedural Competence: Validity Considerations

Summary Statement Simulation-based medical education (SBME) offers opportunities for trainees to learn how to perform procedures and to be assessed in a safe environment. However, SBME research studies often lack robust evidence to support the validity of the interpretation of the results obtained from tools used to assess trainees’ skills. The purpose of this paper is to describe how a validity framework can be applied when reporting and interpreting the results of a simulation-based assessment of skills related to performing procedures. The authors discuss various sources of validity evidence because they relate to SBME. A case study is presented.
The effects of prolonged low-flow sevoflurane anesthesia on renal and hepatic function.

UNLABELLED We assessed the effects of prolonged low-flow sevoflurane anesthesia on renal and hepatic functions by comparing high-flow sevoflurane with low-flow isoflurane anesthesia. Thirty patients scheduled for surgery of > or =10 h in duration randomly received either low-flow (1 L/min) sevoflurane anesthesia (n = 10), high-flow (6-10 L/min) sevoflurane anesthesia (n = 10), or low-flow (1 L/min) isoflurane anesthesia (n = 10). We measured the circuit concentrations of Compound A and serum fluoride. Renal function was assessed by blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, creatinine clearance, and urinary excretion of glucose, albumin, protein, and N:-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase. The hepatic function was assessed by serum aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase, and total bilirubin. Compound A exposure was 277 +/- 120 (135-478) ppm-h (mean +/- SD [range]) in the low-flow sevoflurane anesthesia. The maximum concentration of serum fluoride was 53.6 +/- 5.3 (43.4-59.3) micromol/L for the low-flow sevoflurane anesthesia, 47.1 +/- 21.2 (21.4-82.3) micromol/L for the high-flow sevoflurane anesthesia, and 7.4 +/- 3.2 (3.2-14.0) micromol/L for the low-flow isoflurane anesthesia. Blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine were within the normal range, and creatinine clearance did not decrease throughout the study period in any group. Urinary excretion of glucose, albumin, protein, and N:-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase increased after anesthesia in all groups, but no significant differences were seen among the three groups at any time point after anesthesia. Lactate dehydrogenase and alkaline phosphatase on postanesthesia Day 1 were higher in the high-flow sevoflurane group than in the low-flow sevoflurane group. However, there were no significant differences in any other hepatic function tests among the groups. We conclude that prolonged low-flow sevoflurane anesthesia has the same effect on renal and hepatic functions as high-flow sevoflurane and low-flow isoflurane anesthesia. IMPLICATIONS During low-flow sevoflurane anesthesia, intake of Compound A reached 277 +/- 120 ppm-h, but the effect on the kidney and the liver was the same in high-flow sevoflurane and low-flow isoflurane anesthesia.
Adrenergic reactivity in hyperthyroidism.

THAT the clinical manifestations of hyperthyroidism depend upon the autonomic nervous system has been widely accepted since the experimental studies of Brewster et al 1 in thyroid-fed dogs. Clinical studies in primary hyperthyroidism on the effects of reserpine, 2 the effects of guanethidine, 3 and on the response of the thyroid-treated subject to guanethidine 4 have raised the question as to whether the effects of hypersecretion of thyroid hormone are due to a heightened sensitivity of effector organs to adrenergic stimuli or whether there is increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system as well. The recent studies of Horn-brook et al 5 on the regulation of myocardial glycogen metabolism by thyroid hormone in rats suggest that thyroid administration produces a potentiation of catecholamine effects by causing an increased sensitivity of the myocardial catecholamine receptor site. This information plus that of DeGroot et al 6 on the hyperkinetic circulation of resting
Proton-Beam vs Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy

June 01, 2008 External-beam radiation is a highly effective curative treatment option for men with localized prostate cancer. [1,2] Over the past several decades, efforts have been made to improve the “therapeutic ratio” of radiation by increasing dose to improve cure rates without causing a substantial increase in side effects. Due to its potential to create superior dose distributions, proton therapy is considered by many to be the best available form of external radiation therapy. Here we will critically examine the evidence supporting the use of protons in the treatment of prostate cancer.
Parallel Hole and Rotating Slat Collimators: Comparative Study Using Digital Contrast Phantoms

The parallel hole (PH) collimator is the most commonly used collimator in single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging. A well-known limitation of the PH collimator is its low geometric efficiency. For better geometric efficiency without compromising the resolution, a rotating slat (RS) collimator is a potential alternative. In our previous work, a linear relation between the image resolution and the optimal collimator aperture was derived for both the PH and the RS collimator systems, and the two collimator systems were compared with the optimized geometries using different uniform phantoms. In this study, the PH and the RS collimator system were further compared using digital contrast phantoms. Three figures of merit (FOMs) were calculated for comparison, i.e., the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) in a pixel of interest, the CNR in a region of interest, and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of a channelized Hotelling observer (CHO). All the FOMs were calculated analytically using an efficient approximation method. The comparison was done in both planar imaging and volume imaging. The size of the digitized phantom was varied, resulting in a detector area coverage from 2.5% to 40%. The main results are: (1) With the optimal collimator apertures, the gains (RS over PH) in all FOMs show the same trends in the system comparison. (2) The performance of the two collimators is similar for cold spot imaging with the largest phantom given in this study, while RS outperforms PH for all the other cases. (3) For system optimization, the optimal collimator apertures depend on the FOM to be optimized, however the ratio of the apertures (PH/RS) is always around √2, a value that we derived analytically in our previous work.
The Effect of Hypothermia on Myogenic Motor-Evoked Potentials to Electrical Stimulation with a Single Pulse and a Train of Pulses Under Propofol/Ketamine/Fentanyl Anesthesia in Rabbits

In the present study, we investigated the effect of hypothermia on myogenic motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) in rabbits. The influence of stimulation paradigms to induce MEPs was evaluated. Twelve rabbits anesthetized with ketamine, fentanyl, and propofol were used for the study. Myogenic MEPs in response to electrical stimulation of the motor cortex with a single pulse and a train of three and five pulses were recorded from the soleus muscle. After the control recording of MEPs at 38°C of esophageal temperature, the rabbits were cooled by surface cooling. Esophageal temperature was maintained at 35°C, 32°C, 30°C, and 28°C, and MEPs were recorded at each point. MEP amplitude to single- pulse stimulation was significantly reduced with a re-duction of core temperature to 28°C compared with the control value at 38°C (0.8 ± 0.4 mV versus 2.3 ± 0.3 mV; P < 0.05), whereas MEP amplitude to train-pulse stimulation did not change significantly during the cooling. MEP latency was increased linearly with a reduction of core temperature regardless of stimulation paradigms. In conclusion, these results indicate that a reduction of core temperature to 28°C did not influence MEP amplitudes as long as a train of pulses, but not a single pulse, was used for stimulation in rabbits under propofol/ketamine/fentanyl anesthesia. IMPLICATIONS: Intraoperative monitoring of myogenic motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) may be required under hypothermic conditions because of its neuroprotective efficacy. However, data on the influence of hypothermia on myogenic MEPs are limited. The results indicate that multipulse stimulation may be better than single-pulse stimulation when monitoring MEPs during hypothermia.
EXTRA: An Exact First-Order Algorithm for Decentralized Consensus Optimization

Recently, there have been growing interests in solving consensus optimization problems in a multi-agent network. In this paper, we develop a decentralized algorithm for the consensus optimization problem $$\min\limits_{x\in\mathbb{R}^p}~\bar{f}(x)=\frac{1}{n}\sum\limits_{i=1}^n f_i(x),$$ which is defined over a connected network of $n$ agents, where each function $f_i$ is held privately by agent $i$ and encodes the agent's data and objective. All the agents shall collaboratively find the minimizer while each agent can only communicate with its neighbors. Such a computation scheme avoids a data fusion center or long-distance communication and offers better load balance to the network. This paper proposes a novel decentralized EXact firsT-ordeR Algorithm (abbreviated as EXTRA) to solve the consensus optimization problem. "exact"means that it can converge to the exact solution. EXTRA can use a fixed large step size, {which is independent of the network size}, and has synchronized iterations. The local variable of every agent $i$ converges uniformly and consensually to an exact minimizer of $\bar{f}$. In contrast, the well-known decentralized gradient descent (DGD) method must use diminishing step sizes in order to converge to an exact minimizer. EXTRA and DGD have the same choice of mixing matrices and similar per-iteration complexity. EXTRA, however, uses the gradients of last two iterates, unlike DGD which uses just that of last iterate. EXTRA has the best known convergence rates among the existing first-order decentralized algorithms. Specifically, if $f_i$'s are convex and have Lipschitz continuous gradients, EXTRA has an ergodic convergence rate $O(\frac{1}{k})$ in terms of the first-order optimality residual. If $\bar{f}$ is also restricted strongly convex, EXTRA converges to an optimal solution at a linear rate $O(C^{-k})$ for some constant $C>1$.
Aqueous synthesis and characterization of Ag and Ag–Au nanoparticles: addressing challenges in size, monodispersity and structure

In this paper, we demonstrate the synthesis of monodispersed silver nanoparticles (NPs) of controlled size (20.5 ± 3.3 nm) in aqueous phase from a silver hydroxide precursor with sodium acrylate as dual reducing–capping agent. We then coat these NPs in a layer of gold with controllable thickness through a reduction–deposition process. The materials are characterized using several techniques including high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results show that we were able to synthesize not only monodispersed Ag NPs but also core–shell Ag–Au NPs with a discrete structure, which is significant because of the challenges associated with the creation of such materials, namely the propensity of metallic Ag to be oxidized by the presence of ionic Au. The NPs are of interest for use in a wide range of potential applications, including biomedical diagnostics and biomolecular detection as well as many others.
EFFECTS OF NG-NITRO-L-ARGININE ON THE BLOOD PRESSURE OF SPONTANEOUSLY HYPERTENSIVE RATS WITH DIFFERENT DEGREES OF HYPERTENSION

The effects of NG-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA) on blood pressure of various strains of spontaneously hypertensive rats were studied. Blood pressure of the rats was higher in the order of WKY, SHR, SHRSP, M-SHRSP. L-NNA caused an elevation of the blood pressure, which was greatest in SHR and smallest in WKY and M-SHRSP. Endothelium-dependent relaxation of aortae by acetylcholine was greatest in preparations from WKY and it decreased as the blood pressure of rats increased. Phenylephrine (higher than 10−6mg/kg) caused an elevation of the blood pressure, which was greatest in SHR and smallest in M-SHRSP. It was suggested that L-NNA elevated blood pressure by inhibiting the basal or flow-induced release of nitric oxide from the endothelium that is causing a reduction in vascular smooth muscle tone. The smaller effect of L-NNA in WKY was due to weak smooth muscle tone, while the smaller effect in SHRSP and M-SHRSP is due to impaired function of endothelium.
Metabolic changes associated with the cessation of cigarette smoking.

The person who slops smoking frequently gains weight in the succeeding weeks. To study this phenomenon, subjects were observed before and one month after the cessation of smoking. Statistically significant increases were found in the body weight and body surface area while there were statistically significant decreases in the protein-bound iodine level (PBI), oxygen consumption, heart rate, 30-minute postprandial blood glucose level, and the serum calcium level. These metabolic changes following the cessation of smoking may be one of the reasons for the weight gain observed.