Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cause-specific mortality in British coal workers and exposure to respirable dust and quartz

Objectives In the 1950s the Pneumoconiosis Field Research (PFR) programme was set up to study the health of British coal workers. Studies included regular health surveys, an intensive characterisation of workers' individual exposures, and entry to a cohort followed up to the present for cause-specific mortality. This study reports on analyses of cause-specific mortality in a cohort of almost 18 000 men from 10 British collieries. Methods External analyses used standardised mortality ratios (SMRs), comparing observed mortality with reference rates from the regions in which the collieries were situated. Causes investigated include lung and stomach cancers, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cardiovascular endpoints. Internal analyses used Cox regression models with time-dependent exposures adjusting for the confounding effects of age, smoking, cohort entry date and regional differences in population mortality rates. Results Several causes showed evidence of a healthy worker effect early in the follow-up, with a deficit in the SMR diminishing over time. For most of the causes there was a significant excess in the latter part of follow-up. Internal analyses found evidence of an association between increased risks of lung cancer and increased quartz exposure, particularly at a lag of 15 years. Risks of mortality from non-malignant respiratory disease showed increases with increased exposure to respirable dust. Conclusions This paper adds to the evidence on the long-term effects of exposure to coalmine dust on mortality from respiratory diseases.
Effect of Ribavirin on Intracellular and Plasma Pharmacokinetics of Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors in Patients with Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Hepatitis C Virus Coinfection: Results of a Randomized Clinical Study

ABSTRACT The intracellular triphosphorylation and plasma pharmacokinetics of lamivudine (3TC), stavudine (d4T), and zidovudine (ZDV) were assessed in a pharmacokinetic substudy, in 56 human immunodeficiency virus-hepatitis C virus (HIV-HCV) coinfected patients receiving peginterferon alfa-2a (40KD) 180 μg/week plus either placebo or ribavirin (RBV) 800 mg/day in the AIDS PEGASYS Ribavirin International Coinfection Trial. There were no significant differences between patients treated with RBV and placebo in plasma pharmacokinetics parameters for the nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) at steady state (weeks 8 to 12): ratios of least squares mean of area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC0-12 h) were 1.17 (95% confidence interval, 0.91 to 1.51) for 3TC, 1.44 (95% confidence interval, 0.58 to 3.60) for d4T and 0.85 (95% confidence interval, 0.50 to 1.45) for ZDV, and ratios of least squares mean plasma Cmax were 1.33 (95% confidence interval, 0.99 to 1.78), 1.06 (95% confidence interval, 0.68 to 1.65), and 0.84 (95% confidence interval, 0.46 to 1.53), respectively. Concentrations of NRTI triphosphate (TP) metabolites in relation to those of the triphosphates of endogenous deoxythymidine-triphosphate (dTTP) and deoxcytidine-triphosphate (dCTP) were similar in the RBV and placebo groups. Differences (RBV to placebo) in least squares mean ratios of AUC0-12 h at steady state were 0.274 (95% confidence interval, −0.37 to 0.91) for 3TC-TP:dCTP, 0.009 (95% confidence interval, −0.06 to 0.08) for d4T-TP:dTTP, and −0.081 (95% confidence interval, −0.40 to 0.24) for ZDV-TP:dTTP. RBV did not adversely affect HIV-1 replication. In summary, RBV 800 mg/day administered in combination with peginterferon alfa-2a (40KD) does not significantly affect the intracellular phosphorylation or plasma pharmacokinetics of 3TC, d4T, and ZDV in HIV-HCV-coinfected patients.
Experimental Investigation of the Role of Four-Wave Mixing in Supercontinuum Generation From a Multimode 975-nm Pumped Fiber Ring Cavity

We demonstrate a broadband supercontinuum (SC) generation that covers an optical spectrum from 1300 to 2000 nm with output power of 1.3 W. The SC generation is realized using a fiber ring cavity that mainly consists of erbium-ytterbium-doped fiber pumped by multimode 975-nm pump lasers, and highly nonlinear fiber (HNLF). Moreover, we investigate the role of four-wave mixing (FWM) in the SC generation by using two different HNLFs, one having normal and the other having anomalous dispersion. It is found that FWM plays a critical role for broadening and flattening of the SC generation in addition to stimulated Raman scattering.
Complementary Psychosocial Interventions in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: Pet Assisted Therapy

Pet assisted therapy (PAT) is a form of complementary psychosocial intervention used in the field of mental health and disability. The form of therapy has the potential to augment the other forms of psychotherapies and pharmacotherapy. This article is an overview of history and clinical origins of PAT, classification and therapy models, scientific basis, the current use in specific disorders, preventive and diagnostic role as well as the potential risks among children and adolescents with mental health needs with a special focus on the Indian needs. A systematic electronic search strategy was undertaken to identify the intervention effectiveness of PAT in MedLine (PubMed), cochrane database of systematic reviews, high-wire press and Google Scholar. We augmented our electronic search with a search of additional articles in reference lists of retrieved articles, as well as a hand search available journals that were not indexed in any electronic database in consultation with colleagues and experts. To qualify for inclusion, studies were required to meet predetermined criteria regarding study design, study population, interventions evaluated and outcome measured to reduce the publication bias.
Clostridium difficile Infection in Hospitalized Cirrhotic Patients with Hepatic Encephalopathy.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Patients with liver cirrhosis are at-risk population for Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). There is a paucity of data on the incidence of CDI in cirrhotics with hepatic encephalopathy (HE). The aim of the study was to evaluate the incidence and risk factors for CDI in cirrhotics hospitalized with HE. METHODS A retrospective analysis of all cirrhotics with HE admitted at a tertiary referral center from January 2012 to December 2014 was made. Patients' medical charts were reviewed, and demographics, laboratory parameters, antibiotics use, etiology of cirrhosis, and therapy of HE, as well as the results of stool samples for toxins A and B (enzyme immunoassay) were carefully searched. The presence of toxin A or B (or both) in stool samples was defined as CDI. Data on cirrhotics with HE and CDI (study group) were compared with those from patients without CDI (control group). RESULTS A total of 231 cirrhotic patients were hospitalized with HE mostly stage 2 and 3, and 17 (7.3%) of them were diagnosed with CDI. The overall CDI incidence rate was 57.2 cases per 10,000 patient-days. As compared with control patients, those with HE and CDI were more likely to have older age, increased serum creatinine level, hepatorenal syndrome (HRS), and more prior hospitalizations. On multivariate analysis, antibiotic therapy, age over 65 years, and HRS remained significantly related with the development of CDI. CONCLUSION Hospitalized cirrhotics with HE are at risk for developing CDI, and clinicians treating such patients should be aware of this infection as rapid detection and prompt treatment may improve outcomes.
Anti-interleukin-5 antibody therapy in asthma and allerges

Purpose of review Interleukin 5 (IL-5) has been shown to play an instrumental role in eosinophilic inflammation in allergic diseases. The purpose of this review is to explore clinical trials of anti-IL-5 antibody therapy that have been conducted in patients with asthma, hypereosinophilic syndromes, eosinophilic esophagitis, atopic dermatitis, Churg-Strauss syndrome, and nasal polyposis. Recent findings Recent trials of anti-IL-5 in patients with severe asthma refractory to existing therapies and prominent sputum eosinophilia experienced significant reductions in asthma exacerbations. Studies in patients with hypereosinopihilic syndromes have shown that IL-5 antagonism allows significant reductions in systemic corticosteroid doses while maintaining or improving blood eosinophil counts and symptoms. In children and adults with eosinophilic esophagitis, anti-IL-5 treatment reduced eosinophil numbers in esophageal tissue; it is uncertain whether these findings are predictive of clinical improvement. Clinical studies of individuals with atopic dermatitis do not support efficacy of anti-IL-5 in either reducing allergen patch test intensity or symptoms of chronic dermatitis. In small trials in both Churg Strauss syndrome and nasal polyposis, anti-IL-5 shows promise but larger numbers of patients with these conditions will need to be studied. Summary Anti-IL-5 is efficacious in treating patients with severe asthma and sputum eosinophilia and hypereosinophilic syndromes. Larger controlled trials with appropriate endpoints will be necessary to assess the role of anti-IL-5 in other eosinophilic disorders.
Physical-Layer Schemes for Wireless Coded Caching

We investigate the potentials of applying the coded caching paradigm in wireless networks. In order to do this, we investigate physical layer schemes for downlink transmission from a multiantenna transmitter to several cache-enabled users. As the baseline scheme, we consider employing coded caching on the top of max–min fair multicasting, which is shown to be far from optimal at high-SNR values. Our first proposed scheme, which is near-optimal in terms of DoF, is the natural extension of multiserver coded caching to Gaussian channels. As we demonstrate, its finite SNR performance is not satisfactory, and thus we propose a new scheme in which the linear combination of messages is implemented in the finite field domain, and the one-shot precoding for the MISO downlink is implemented in the complex field. While this modification results in the same near-optimal DoF performance, we show that this leads to significant performance improvement at finite SNR. Finally, we extend our scheme to the previously considered cache-enabled interference channels, and moreover we provide an ergodic rate analysis of our scheme. Our results convey the important message that although directly translating schemes from the network coding ideas to wireless networks may work well at high-SNR values, careful modifications need to be considered for acceptable finite SNR performance.
IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL DETECTION OF FIBRONECTIN IN HUMAN THYMUS-COMPARISON BETWEEN GROUPS OF DIFFERENT AGES

Objective: To compare distribution of fibronectin content in various parts of human thymus between groups of different ages using immunohistochemistry. Design: Comparative study. Place and duration of study: The study was carried out in Anatomy Department, Army Medical College Rawalpindi from Oct 2007 to Dec 2007. Material and methods: Forty specimens from tissue sections of human thymus were separated into two groups with 20 specimens in each group: Group A consisted of specimens from the patients of 1-25 years and Group B of specimens from patients beyond 40 years. These specimens were fixed in 10% formalin solution and processed for paraffin embedding. Five micron thick sections were made. Immunohistochemical staining was utilized to localize fibronectin in various regions of human thymus (capsule, connective tissue between lobules, cortex, medulla and areas around blood vessels). Results: Statistically highly significant difference was found between two groups with a marked increase in the distribution of fibronectin content of the thymic capsule, the connective tissue between the lobules, areas around the blood vessels, and the medulla and cortex of the thymus in Group B compared to Group A. Conclusion: The fibronectin content in human thymus in its various regions shows a marked increase in aged people as compared to younger ones.
Optimization of bone tissue engineering in goats: a peroperative seeding method using cryopreserved cells and localized bone formation in calcium phosphate scaffolds1

Background. Bone tissue engineering by combining cultured bone marrow stromal cells with a porous scaffold is a promising alternative for the autologous bone graft. Drawbacks of the technique include the delay necessary for cell culture and the complicated logistics. We investigated methods to bypass these drawbacks. Furthermore, we investigated the localization of bone formation inside the scaffold. Methods. Bone marrow stromal cells from seven goats were culture expanded and cryopreserved. One week before surgery, some of the cells were thawed, cultured, and seeded on porous calcium phosphate scaffolds. The constructs were cultured for another week until implantation. The remaining cryopreserved cells were thawed just before implantation and peroperatively resuspended in plasma before combining with the scaffold. Scaffolds impregnated with fresh bone marrow, devitalized cultured constructs, and empty scaffolds served as controls. All samples were implanted in the back muscles of the goats for 9 weeks. Results. Histologic examination showed minimal (<1%) bone in the empty and devitalized scaffolds, 4.2±5.1 bone area percent in the bone marrow samples, and significantly more bone in both the cultured and peroperatively seeded constructs (11.7±2.5 and 14.0±2.0%). The peripheral 350 &mgr;m of the implants contained significantly less bone. Conclusion. Peroperative preparation of osteogenic constructs with cryopreserved cells is feasible. These constructs yield substantially more bone than the scaffolds alone or scaffolds impregnated with fresh bone marrow. Bone deposition is much less on the scaffold periphery.
Chronic Low‐Level Lead Exposure Impairs Embryonic to Adult Conversion of the Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule

The neural cell adhesion molecule (N‐CAM) is a complex of surface glycoproteins that are developmentally regulated and believed to be intimately involved in the orderly structuring of the CNS. Here the effect of chronic low‐level lead exposure on their expression in the postnatally developing cerebellum is described. Rat pups were chronically exposed to lead via their dam's drinking water which contained either 200 or 400 mg PbCl2/L from time of birth. Pup postnatal blood lead levels ranged between 10 and 20 μg/dl until day 16 after which they became elevated to 40 μg/dl on day 20. During this period the developmental sialylation state of N‐CAM, which is believed to regulate cell‐cell interaction, fibre outgrowth, and synapse formation, was monitored by rocket immunoelectrophoresis. In control animals the expected desialylation of N‐CAM was found to occur at times coincident with postnatal synapto‐genesis. In contrast, desialylation in animals chronically exposed to lead was found to be significantly impaired when blood lead levels exceeded 20 μg/dl. This could not be attributed to lead‐induced undernutrition or alterations in immu‐noprecipitate formation. These observations could account for the neurobehavioural deficits that are known to be induced at similar blood lead levels, and the potential contribution of impaired N‐CAM desialylation to synaptic elaboration is discussed.
Intensive Insulin Therapy in Critical Illness

The AASM, ATS, and ACCP agree that there is an enormous need for research to improve the understanding and treatment of sleep disorders. Thus, the three societies strongly advocate for increased research support in this critical area. In addition, the societies support initiatives to enhance the number of wellqualified researchers in the broad area of sleep medicine. The societies have agreed to sponsor a workshop in the coming year, which will include representatives from all concerned specialties, to explore means to foster research and identify potential areas for cooperative research. The field of sleep medicine is in a time of rapid growth and maturation. The ACCP, the ATS, and the AASM will continue to collaborate on initiatives that further the growth of the field, help our members, and above all, help our patients. The societies have agreed to explore ways to enhance quality of care and access, and to mount efforts to ensure adequate numbers of well-trained sleep technologists. We will also continue to discuss relevant issues in sleep medicine, and explore opportunities to enhance physician education and patient care. We urge all concerned with the future of sleep medicine to participate actively and collaboratively as we move forward together.
Voltage‐sensitive outward currents in cat motoneurones.

1. The soma membrane of cat motoneurones was voltage‐clamped in vivo using intracellular current and voltage electrodes whose tips were separated by at least 5 micrometer. 2. Depolarization activates two separate, non‐interacting K conductance systems whose rates of activation and decay differ by a factor of about 10. These conductances have a similar reversal potential, in the range of ‐6 to ‐21 mV (these and all subsequent voltages are expressed relative to the resting potential). Both conductances show linear ‘instantaneous’ current‐voltage relationships. The steady‐state magnitudes of both conductances increase with increasing depolarization. Neither conductance inactivates substantially during prolonged depolarizations. 3. The faster K conductance is similar to that described for squid axons and frog node. Activation begins at about +30 mV and is more than 90% complete within 5 msec of a depolarizing voltage step to +50 mV. Activation kinetics appear to be nonlinear. This fast K conductance contributes to the fast falling phase of the action potential. Following repolarization, this conductance decays with a time constant of 2‐4 msec. 4. The slower K conductance activates during depolarizations of 10 mV or greater. The activation and decay of this conductance can be described by first‐order exponential functions with time constants ranging from 20 to 50 msec. The slow K conductance underlies the prolonged hyperpolarization that follows motoneurone action potentials. Evidence from other studies suggests that this slow K conductance is regulated by intracellular Ca ions. 5. In addition to the two K conductance systems activated by depolarization, motoneurones exhibit another distinct conductance system that is activated by hyperpolarization. This third system has a reversal potential near the resting potential. Activation of this conductance during a hyperpolarizing voltage step can be fitted by a single exponential function with a time constant of 50‐60 msec over the range ‐20 to ‐50 mV. This hyperpolarization‐activated conductance accounts for some aspects of the anomalous rectification reported in cat motoneurones. 6. When the clamp circuit was turned off and the motoneurones were stimulated to discharge repetitively by depolarizing current steps, the apparent soma threshold voltage increased as the applied current (and discharge frequency) increased. 7. The basic features of the motoneurone action potential were reconstructed by simulations based on voltage clamp measurements of the voltage dependent conductance systems and previous measurements of passive membrane properties. These simulations assumed that the kinetics of the fast Na and K conductance systems in motoneurones can be described by equations of the same form as the Hodgkin‐Huxley equations. These action potential reconstructions indicated that a major portion of the delayed depolarization following the action potential is attributable to capacitative currents from the dendrites.
Flirtation reduces males’ fecundity but not longevity

Theory predicts that due to limited resources males should strategically adjust their investment in reproduction and survival. Based on different conceptual framework, experimental designs, and study species, many studies support while others contradict this general prediction. Using a moth Ephestia kuehniella whose adults do not feed and thus have fixed resources for their lifetime fitness, we investigated whether males adjusted their investment in various life activities under dynamic socio‐sexual environment. We allowed focal males to perceive rivals or additional females without physical contact. We show that males do not adjust the number of sperm they transfer to mates in a given copulation at different immediate or both immediate and mean sperm competition levels. Contradictory to general predictions, our results demonstrate that cues from additional females increase males’ investment in courtship and reduce their lifetime number of copulations and sperm ejaculated, whereas cues from rivals have no effect on these parameters. Males have similar longevity in all treatments. We suggest that the sex pheromone produced by multiple females overstimulate males, increasing males’ costly flirtations, and reducing their lifetime copulation frequency and fecundity. This finding offers a novel explanation for the success of mating disruption strategy using sex pheromones in pest management.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Auditory Hallucinations: Effectiveness and Predictors of Outcome in a Specialist Clinic

Background: Cognitive behavioural therapy has been established as an effective treatment for residual psychotic symptoms but a substantial proportion of people do not benefit from this treatment. There has been little direct study of predictors of outcome, particularly in treatment targeting auditory hallucinations. Method: The Psychotic Symptom Rating Scales (PSYRATS) and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) were administered pre- and post-therapy to 33 people with schizophrenia-related disorders receiving CBT for auditory hallucinations in a specialist clinic. Outcome was compared with pre-therapy measures of insight, beliefs about the origin of hallucinations, negative symptoms and cognitive disorganization. Results: There were significant improvements post-treatment on the PSYRATS and PANSS Positive and General Scales. Improvement on the PSYRATS was associated with lower levels of negative symptoms, but was unrelated to overall insight, delusional conviction regarding the origins of hallucinations, or levels of cognitive disorganization. Conclusions: Lack of insight and presence of formal thought disorder do not preclude effective cognitive-behavioural treatment of auditory hallucinations. There is a need to further understand why negative symptoms may present a barrier to therapy.
Is default risk a systematic risk of Chinese stock markets?

Standard asset pricing models suggest that only systematic risk factors affect the expected returns of stocks. Using the data of Chinese stock markets from 2000 to 2006, this paper estimates the default risks implied in stock prices by structure model, tests whether the expected returns of stocks are related with implied default risks, and examines whether the default risk is a systematic risk factor in China. The estimation results show that the implied default risk increases between 2000 and 2005 and then decreases since 2005. Both the portfolio analysis and regression analysis suggest that the expected returns of stocks are not related with their implied default risk levels. This show evidences that default risk is not a systematic risk factor in China. This finding has useful implications for the understanding of behaviors of Chinese investors and the development of Chinese asset pricing models.