Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Eptifibatide vs abciximab as adjunctive therapy during primary percutaneous coronary intervention for acute myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVE To compare outcomes among patients receiving eptifibatide or abciximab during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for acute myocardial infarction (MI) with ST elevation or new left bundle branch block. PATIENTS AND METHODS From January 1999 through January 2004, 576 patients underwent primary PCI and received adjunctive glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor antagonists. Propensity scores were used to adjust for baseline differences between groups. Logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards were used to model the association between choice of glycoprotein IIlb/IIIa receptor antagonist and adverse events. RESULTS Abciximab was given to 327 patients (57%) and eptifibatide to 249 (43%). Observed rates of in-hospital death or MI did not differ between groups (eptifibatide, 6%; abciximab, 5%; P = .95). This result persisted with adjustment for various patient characteristics (adjusted odds ratio, 1.03; 95% confidence interval, 0.40-2.65; P = .95). Kaplan-Meier estimated rates of death, MI, or target vessel revascularization at 1-year follow-up were 20.9% with eptifibatide and 22.3% with abciximab. The adjusted hazard ratio for the composite end point during a median follow-up of 12 months was 1.36 (95% confidence interval, 0.89-2.07; P = -.16). CONCLUSION In this observational analysis, outcomes were similar with use of either abciximab or eptifibatide among patients undergoing primary PCI for acute MI. Additional comparative research is warranted to confirm these results.
Misspecified poisson regression models for large‐scale registry data: inference for ‘large n and small p’

Poisson regression is an important tool in register‐based epidemiology where it is used to study the association between exposure variables and event rates. In this paper, we will discuss the situation with ‘large n and small p’, where n is the sample size and p is the number of available covariates. Specifically, we are concerned with modeling options when there are time‐varying covariates that can have time‐varying effects. One problem is that tests of the proportional hazards assumption, of no interactions between exposure and other observed variables, or of other modeling assumptions have large power due to the large sample size and will often indicate statistical significance even for numerically small deviations that are unimportant for the subject matter. Another problem is that information on important confounders may be unavailable. In practice, this situation may lead to simple working models that are then likely misspecified. To support and improve conclusions drawn from such models, we discuss methods for sensitivity analysis, for estimation of average exposure effects using aggregated data, and a semi‐parametric bootstrap method to obtain robust standard errors. The methods are illustrated using data from the Danish national registries investigating the diabetes incidence for individuals treated with antipsychotics compared with the general unexposed population. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
HDAC3 overexpression and colon cancer cell proliferation and differentiation

An immunohistochemical analysis of human colorectal adenocarcinomas showed that cancer cells express widely varying levels of HDAC3. The SW480 colon cancer cell line was found to express high levels of HDAC3 compared to other colon cancer cell lines. p21 was poorly induced in SW480 cells relative to the lower HDAC3‐expressing HT‐29 cells. RNAi‐induced reduction of HDAC3 in SW480 cells increased their constitutive, butyrate‐, TSA‐, and TNF‐α‐induced expression of p21, but did not cause all the gene expression changes induced upon general histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition. SW480 cells with lower HDAC3 expression appeared to be poised for gene expression responses with increased histone H4‐K12 acetylation, but not K5, K8, or K16 acetylation. Even though p21 was readily activated in HT29 cells, HDAC3 siRNA nonetheless stimulated p21 expression in these cells to a greater degree than HDAC1 and HDAC2 siRNA. SW480 cells with lower HDAC3 levels displayed an enhanced cell cycle arrest and growth inhibition by butyrate, but without changes in apoptosis or sensitivity to chemotherapeutic agents. As reported for other colon cancer cell lines, butyrate induced the rapid downregulation of the secretory cell differentiation markers mucin 2 and intestinal trefoil factor in SW480 cells. Interestingly, selective HDAC3 inhibition was sufficient to downregulate these genes. Our data support a central role for HDAC3 in regulating the cell proliferation and differentiation of colon cancer cells and suggest a potential mechanism by which colon cancers may become resistant to luminal butyrate. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Relationship between Psychiatric Illness and the Circadian Pattern of Heart Rate

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between psychiatric status and the circadian pattern of heart rate. Method: Serial 24–hour recordings of minute average heart rate were obtained from 30 normal volunteers and 200 patients representing a range of DSM-III-R diagnoses. Records were compared in terms of their circadian “morphology” and grouped into different pattern types. The distribution of patterns in different diagnoses was analysed statistically. Results: It was found that states such as generalised anxiety and depression are strongly associated with a distinctive circadian pattern, whereas others such as somatoform disorder show more variation in this regard. Serial recordings show that the relationship between psychiatric status and circadian pattern is state-dependent; a change in clinical status leads to a change in the circadian pattern. Conclusions: The presented findings together suggest that there is a systematic relationship between psychiatric status and heart rate in which core physiological differences between certain states are reflected in distinctively different circadian patterns of activity. The state-dependent nature of this relationship suggests obvious practical applications, and examples are given of how these adjunct data can provide objective indices of clinical status and change. At a theoretical level, the physiological dimension revealed by these data may help to define more reliable syndromal distinctions between various clinical manifestations and hence contribute to a more robust nosology.
Metazoan parasites in the head region of the bullet tuna Auxisrochei (Osteichthyes: Scombridae) from the western Mediterranean Sea

Abstract The head region of 72 bullet tuna Auxis rochei from the western Mediterranean Sea (south-east Spain and the Strait of Gibraltar) was examined for parasites. Seven metazoan species were found in the fish from south-east Spain: three monogeneans, two trematodes and two copepods, whereas only three species were isolated in the fish from the Strait of Gibraltar. A comparison of the levels of infection of the parasites according to fish size in south-east Spain showed that the prevalence of Didymozoon auxis and the mean abundance of Allopseudaxine macrova were higher in the larger hosts (range of fork length = 38–44 cm) than in the smaller ones (33–37 cm). A comparison of the parasite infections according to geographical region showed that the mean abundances of Nematobothriinae gen. sp. and Caligus bonito were higher in fish from south-east Spain than in those from the Strait of Gibraltar. A comparison of the parasite fauna of A. rochei from the Mediterranean Sea with the published data on Auxis spp. from the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans revealed the closest similarity between the Mediterranean A. rochei and the Atlantic A. thazard.
Capital Flows, Sterilization, and Macro-Prudential Policy in China

ABSTRACT This article estimates the sterilization coefficients of the subcomponents of reserves in China over time with recursive regressions. The results suggest that People’s Bank of China tended to sterilize the more fluctuating components of capital inflows: FDI inflows received little attention, while non-FDI and current account had been heavily sterilized. After including the subcomponents of non-FDI into the empirical model, the results demonstrate that issuing bonds was successful in sterilization intervention till 2007Q2, while the effectiveness of sterilization policies was limited since then, resulting in an increase in monetary supply. The excessive money did not flow into the circulation and had limited effects on stimulating the real economy.
Myotonic dystrophy: does it affect ovarian follicular status and responsiveness to controlled ovarian stimulation?

BACKGROUND Myotonic dystrophy (MD) is characterized by myotonia, multisystemic lesions and hypogonadism. In women, the relationship between MD and infertility remains controversial. This study investigated the ovarian status and response to controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) in MD women entering our preimplantation genetic diagnosis programme. METHODS We elected to compare MD patients with X-linked disorders (XLD) carriers, given that XLD have not been shown to affect ovarian status. On the one hand, we analysed all the cycles performed and, on the other hand, we conducted a subanalysis based on only first cycles. RESULTS MD and XLD groups were similar with regard to women's ages, day 3 parameters, number of oocytes retrieved, embryos obtained and prevalence of top quality embryos. The day of HCG was significantly delayed and the prevalence of poor quality embryos was higher in the MD group. The subanalysis on first cycles only also showed significantly fewer mature follicles on the day of HCG in MD population. Implantation and pregnancy rates were similar in both groups; however, no pregnancy occurred at the first cycle in MD (0 out of 4), whereas 77% of pregnancies (10/13) occurred at the first attempt in XLD carriers. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that the responsiveness to COS was moderately hindered in MD women as compared to controls. Reassuring data about implantation and pregnancy rates support the feasibility of PGD in selected mildly affected MD women.
Mitochondrial abnormalities in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma.

PURPOSE Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is the second most common cause of blindness. It has been linked to mutations in the myocilin (MYOC) and optineurin (OPTN) genes, although mutations have been found in <5% of patients. The pathologic mechanism(s) of POAG remain unknown but may include retinal ganglion cell apoptosis, which causes progressive damage to axons at the optic nerve head. METHODS In 27 patients with definite POAG, the MYOC and OPTN genes were sequenced, the entire mitochondrial (mt)DNA coding region was sequenced, relative mtDNA content was investigated, and mitochondrial respiratory function was assessed. RESULTS Only three benign polymorphisms were identified in MYOC and OPTN in patients with POAG and in control subjects. Conversely, 27 different novel nonsynonymous mtDNA changes were found, only in patients with POAG (not control subjects), 22 of which (found in 14 patients) were potentially pathogenic. Unlike Leber hereditary optic neuropathy, most mtDNA sequence alterations in patients with POAG were transversions-sequence changes that alter the purine/pyrimidine orientation and imply oxidative stress. mtDNA content was relatively increased in 17 patients with POAG compared with age-matched control subjects, also implying a possible response to oxidative stress. Mean mitochondrial respiratory activity was decreased by 21% in patients with glaucoma compared with control subjects (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS These results reveal a spectrum of mitochondrial abnormalities in patients with POAG, implicating oxidative stress and implying that mitochondria dysfunction may be a risk factor for POAG. This concept may open up new experimental and therapeutic opportunities.
Migrant Networks and Job Search: Evidence from Thailand

Social networks may be important to internal migrants in developing countries where the extent of information asymmetry is sizable. This paper identifies network effects among rural-urban migrants in Thailand by exploiting heterogeneous response to rainfall shocks as exogenous variation affecting network size. While networks substantially reduce the duration of job search, in this case they tend to direct migrants toward agricultural (rather than nonagricultural) jobs because the local average treatment effects estimator identifies what happens to employment outcomes when the agricultural part of the network increases.
Are Outcomes and Care Processes for Preterm Neonates Influenced by Health Insurance Status?

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this work was to compare the processes of care and to evaluate outcomes of premature neonates delivered to women with Medicaid managed care versus private insurance. DESIGN/METHODS: All of the infants born at <37 weeks' gestation between January 2001 and August 2005 in the ParadigmHealth database were included in these analyses (n = 24151). Infants were categorized by maternal health insurance status as private insurance or Medicaid managed care and analyzed for differences in demographic data and length of stay. For survivors, differences in respiratory care, nutritional, and maturational milestones were assessed. In addition, age to wean to open crib, weight gain, home oxygen, and apnea monitor use were compared. Adverse outcomes, including necrotizing enterocolitis, sepsis, severe intraventricular hemorrhage, severe retinopathy of prematurity, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, apnea, and mortality, were compared. Statistical tests used were Students t test, χ2, and Kruskall-Wallis test. Multiple logistic regression was performed after controlling for demographic variables. RESULTS: Of the 24151 infants studied, 19046 (78.9%) had private insurance, and 5105 (21.1%) had Medicaid managed care. There were no differences in gestational age at birth; however, Medicaid managed care infants had lower birth weight, lower Apgar score at 5 minutes, increased incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis and bacterial sepsis, and longer length of stay. Of the surviving infants, more neonates with private insurance went home on oxygen and apnea monitors despite no differences found in the incidences of apnea or bronchopulmonary dysplasia between the groups. There were no differences in processes of care for feeding and respiratory milestones, but infants with Medicaid managed care weaned to an open crib later and had greater overall weight gain compared with infants with private insurance. CONCLUSIONS: We speculate that, in addition to the known impact of insurance status on well-being at birth, Medicaid managed care is independently associated with adverse neonatal outcomes in preterm infants, as well as differences in neonatal intensive care discharge processes.
Anatomical localization of commensal bacteria in immune cell homeostasis and disease

The mammalian gastrointestinal (GI) tract is colonized by trillions of beneficial commensal bacteria that are essential for promoting normal intestinal physiology. While the majority of commensal bacteria are found in the intestinal lumen, many species have also adapted to colonize different anatomical locations in the intestine, including the surface of intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) and the interior of gut‐associated lymphoid tissues. These distinct tissue localization patterns permit unique interactions with the mammalian immune system and collectively influence intestinal immune cell homeostasis. Conversely, dysregulated localization of commensal bacteria can lead to inappropriate activation of the immune system and is associated with numerous chronic infectious, inflammatory, and metabolic diseases. Therefore, regulatory mechanisms that control proper anatomical containment of commensal bacteria are essential to maintain tissue homeostasis and limit pathology. In this review, we propose that commensal bacteria associated with the mammalian GI tract can be anatomically defined as (i) luminal, (ii) epithelial‐associated, or (iii) lymphoid tissue‐resident, and we discuss the role and regulation of these microbial populations in health and disease.
Deconstructing Sociability, An Autism‐Relevant Phenotype, in Mouse Models

Reduced sociability is a core feature of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and is highly disabling, poorly understood, and treatment refractory. To elucidate the biological basis of reduced sociability, multiple laboratories are developing ASD‐relevant mouse models in which sociability is commonly assessed using the Social Choice Test. However, various measurements included in that test sometimes support different conclusions. Specifically, measurements of time the “test” mouse spends near a confined “stimulus” mouse (chamber scores) sometimes support different conclusions from measurements of time the test mouse sniffs the cylinder containing the stimulus mouse (cylinder scores). This raises the question of which type of measurements are best for assessing sociability. We assessed the test‐retest reliability and ecological validity of chamber and cylinder scores. Compared with chamber scores, cylinder scores showed higher correlations between test and retest measurements, and cylinder scores showed higher correlations with time spent in social interaction in a more naturalistic phase of the test. This suggests that cylinder scores are more reliable and valid measures of sociability in mouse models. Cylinder scores are reported less commonly than chamber scores, perhaps because little work has been done to establish automated software systems for measuring the former. In this study, we found that a particular automated software system performed at least as well as human raters at measuring cylinder scores. Our data indicate that cylinder scores are more reliable and valid than chamber scores, and that the former can be measured very accurately using an automated video analysis system in ASD‐relevant models. Anat Rec, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Bilirubin Toxicity to Human Erythrocytes: A More Sanguine View

In 1962 Watson1 observed that a small fraction of the bilirubin in blood from jaundiced newborns is associated with red cells. A few years later, Cheung et al2 showed that red cells undergo time- and concentration-dependent changes in morphology and metabolism, with eventual hemolysis, when incubated with bilirubin in buffer, particularly at concentrations of >340 μM (20 mg/dL). (In retrospect, it seems highly likely that the bilirubin solutions to which the cells were exposed were supersaturated and may have contained aggregated forms of bilirubin.3–7) The bilirubin-induced morphologic changes were illustrated by striking photographs similar to those published some 30 years later, without reference to the earlier work, by others.8,9 These changes were reversible by addition of serum albumin to the incubation medium and did not occur when albumin was present in the medium from the start. Subsequently, Brito et al10 have confirmed and extended these observations and recently reviewed the toxicity of bilirubin to red cells (again without alluding to the seminal earlier work). For the neonatologist, an important question is whether bilirubin-induced hemolysis is clinically significant in neonatal jaundice or in other unconjugated hyperbilirubinemias. The review implies that it is.10 There is, however, much evidence that it is not: 1. Gunn rats and patients with severe Crigler-Najjar syndrome have lifelong unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia yet no abnormal hemolysis. In fact, the human disorder was originally described as a “nonhemolytic jaundice,”11 and patients have been described who showed no abnormal erythrocyte morphology, reticulocytosis, or other evidence of hemolysis despite prolonged exposure to high plasma bilirubin concentrations.12–14 Comparisons between nonjaundiced and jaundiced rats with congenital unconjugated bilirubinemia (Gunn rats) showed no difference in hematocrit values in male rats and only slightly lowered values in jaundiced female rats.15 No difference … Address correspondence to Antony F. McDonagh, PhD, Division of Gastroenterology and the Liver Center, Room S-357, Box 0538, University of California, 513 Parnassus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94143-0538. E-mail: tony.mcdonagh{at}ucsf.edu
A usability evaluation of four commercial dental computer-based patient record systems.

BACKGROUND The usability of dental computer-based patient record (CPR) systems has not been studied, despite early evidence that poor usability is a problem for dental CPR system users at multiple levels. METHODS The authors conducted formal usability tests of four dental CPR systems by using a purposive sample of four groups of five novice users. The authors measured task outcomes (correctly completed, incorrectly completed and incomplete) in each CPR system while the participants performed nine clinical documentation tasks, as well as the number of usability problems identified in each CPR system and their potential relationship to task outcomes. The authors reviewed the software application design aspects responsible for these usability problems. RESULTS The range for correctly completed tasks was 16 to 64 percent, for incorrectly completed tasks 18 to 38 percent and for incomplete tasks 9 to 47 percent. The authors identified 286 usability problems. The main types were three unsuccessful attempts, negative affect and task incorrectly completed. They also identified six problematic interface and interaction designs that led to usability problems. CONCLUSION The four dental CPR systems studied have significant usability problems for novice users, resulting in a steep learning curve and potentially reduced system adoption. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS The significant number of data entry errors raises concerns about the quality of documentation in clinical practice.
[Quality of life assessment of type 2 diabetic patients in general medicine].

OBJECTIVE The QUODIEM study assessed the quality of life of type II diabetic patients and the factors that influenced it, according to recent medical recommendations. Method The quality of life (QOL) of 437 type II diabetic patients in the Rhone-Alps area, monitored in general medicine, was assessed using two QOL questionaires, the SF 36, a generic, and the DQOL, a specific questionnaire that we adapted to type II diabetics. A third questionnaire assessed the wishes of the patients concerning the management of their disease. RESULTS The QOL of type II diabetics is negatively influenced by age (>75 Years), female gender, loneliness, and the absence of professional or physical activity. A poorly balanced diabetes, its management by a specialist, the presence of two complications or more related to the disease, and treatment with insulin were all factors reducing QOL. Self-management of glycaema was associated with improved QOL. Few patients wished enhanced management of their diabetes. CONCLUSION The QUODIEM study underlined the fact that the QOL of type II diabetics must be taken into account and tools for its assessment are available in France.