Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Correlation of CD4 count with platelet count, prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time among HIV patients in Benin City, Nigeria.

OBJECTIVE To determine the effect of CD4 count on platelet count, prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) among HIV patients. METHOD Blood samples were collected from 100 subjects consisting of 70 HIV treatment naive patients and 30 HIV seronegative individuals. Platelet count, CD4 count, PT and APTT were performed on the blood samples using standard techniques. RESULT HIV-positive patients had significantly (p < 0.001) lower CD4 and platelet counts than HIV-negative subjects. Also, PT and APTT were significantly (p < 0.001) higher in HIV patients compared with their HIV negative counterparts. Among the HIV-infected patients, platelet count did not differ significantly (p > 0.05) between those with CD4 count < 200 cells//L and those with CD4 count 2 200 cells/microL. However PT and APTT were significantly (p < 0.005 and p < 0.001 respectively) higher in HIV patients with CD4 count < 200 cell/microL. Only PT significantly correlated with CD4 count (r = 0.5406, p < 0.001) and this correlation was observed only among HIV patients with CD4 count < 200 cell/pL (r = 0.6227, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION HIV patients with CD4 count < 200 cell/pL have higher PT and APTT values; PT only correlated with CD4 count and endothelial activation is suggested as the possible mechanism for the coagulation defect.
Dystonia in Childhood

Dystonia is a complex movement disorder that is challenging to identify and quantify. The aim of this article is to review the clinical scales, kinematic measures, and functional implications of dystonia. Clinical measures include the Barry-Albright Dystonia Scale, the Burke-Fahn-Marsden Movement Scale, the Unified Dystonia Rating Scale, the Global Dystonia Rating Scale, and the Movement Disorder-Childhood Rating Scale. The evidence, reliability, and validity of each scale will be outlined. The Hypertonia Assessment Tool will be discussed emphasizing the importance of discriminating hypertonia. The role of kinematic measures in analyzing dystonia will be explored, as well as the potential for its future clinical applications.
Prevalence of honorary and ghost authorship in Cochrane reviews.

CONTEXT To determine the prevalence of honorary and ghost authorship in Cochrane reviews, how authorship is assigned, and the ways in which authors and Cochrane editorial teams contribute. METHODS Using a Web-based, self-administered survey, corresponding authors for 577 reviews published in issues 1 and 2 from 1999 of The Cochrane Library were invited to report on the prevalence of honorary and ghost authors, contributions by authors listed in the byline and members of Cochrane editorial teams, and identification of methods of assigning authorship. Responses were received for 362 reviews (63% response rate), which contained 913 authors. RESULTS One hundred forty-one reviews (39%) had evidence of honorary authors, 32 (9%) had evidence of ghost authors (most commonly a member of the Cochrane editorial team), and 9 (2%) had evidence of both honorary and ghost authors. The editorial teams contributed in a wide variety of ways to 301 reviews (83%). Authorship was decided by the group of authors (31%) or lead author (25%) in most reviews. Authorship order was assigned according to contribution in most reviews (76%). The 3 functions contributed to most by those listed in the byline were assessing the quality of included studies (83%), interpreting data (82%), and abstracting data from included studies (77%). CONCLUSIONS A substantial proportion of reviews had evidence of honorary and ghost authorship. The Cochrane editorial teams contributed to most Cochrane reviews.
The Economics of eHealth and mHealth

While mHealth has the potential to overcome traditional obstacles to the delivery of health services to the poor in lower and middle-income countries—issues related to access, quality, time, and resources—there is little evidence as to whether the expected benefits and savings can be actualized on a large scale. As a first step to developing the investment case for mHealth, this article outlines some of the key economic and financial questions that need to be answered in developing in-country eHealth investments. The proposed questions focus on the costs of eHealth infrastructure; regulatory structures that provide incentives at different levels of the health delivery system to encourage investment in, and use of, eHealth; and measuring the outcomes of successful eHealth utilization, including anticipated return on investment.
Coeliac Disease, autoimmune diseases and gluten exposure

Objective Gluten-free diet treatment has been proposed to prevent the development of autoimmune diseases in coeliac subjects. The aim here was to investigate the occurrence of autoimmune disorders in relation to gluten intake in coeliac patients in a well-defined area. Material and methods The frequency of autoimmune disorders was evaluated in 703 adults and children with coeliac disease and in 299 controls with normal duodenal histology. Incidence figures were given per 10,000 person-years. In logistic regression analysis, where the prevalence of autoimmune disorders was a dependent variable, the effect of age at end of follow-up, age at diagnosis of coeliac disease, actual gluten exposure time, gender and diagnostic delay were assessed. Results The prevalence of autoimmune diseases was significantly higher in coeliac subjects than in controls. In logistic regression analysis, age at end of follow-up, age at diagnosis of coeliac disease and female gender increased the risk of autoimmune disorders, whereas actual gluten exposure time reduced the risk; diagnostic delay had no effect. A similar, though not statistically significant, trend was seen in childhood coeliac disease to that in the whole study group. Conclusions Despite that fact that patients with coeliac disease are at increased risk of various autoimmune conditions, the duration of gluten exposure seems not to be of crucial importance in the development of autoimmune diseases.
Adenylate Cyclase and the Cyclic AMP Receptor Protein Modulate Stress Resistance and Virulence Capacity of Uropathogenic Escherichia coli

ABSTRACT In many bacteria, the second messenger cyclic AMP (cAMP) interacts with the transcription factor cAMP receptor protein (CRP), forming active cAMP-CRP complexes that can control a multitude of cellular activities, including expanded carbon source utilization, stress response pathways, and virulence. Here, we assessed the role of cAMP-CRP as a regulator of stress resistance and virulence in uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC), the principal cause of urinary tract infections worldwide. Deletion of genes encoding either CRP or CyaA, the enzyme responsible for cAMP synthesis, attenuates the ability of UPEC to colonize the bladder in a mouse infection model, dependent on intact innate host defenses. UPEC mutants lacking cAMP-CRP grow normally in the presence of glucose but are unable to utilize alternate carbon sources like amino acids, the primary nutrients available to UPEC within the urinary tract. Relative to the wild-type UPEC isolate, the cyaA and crp deletion mutants are sensitive to nitrosative stress and the superoxide generator methyl viologen but remarkably resistant to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and acid stress. In the mutant strains, H2O2 resistance correlates with elevated catalase activity attributable in part to enhanced translation of the alternate sigma factor RpoS. Acid resistance was promoted by both RpoS-independent and RpoS-dependent mechanisms, including expression of the RpoS-regulated DNA-binding ferritin-like protein Dps. We conclude that balanced input from many cAMP-CRP-responsive elements, including RpoS, is critical to the ability of UPEC to handle the nutrient limitations and severe environmental stresses present within the mammalian urinary tract.
Apo E genotypes and risk of dementia in Down syndrome.

The relationship between apo E genotypes and risk of dementia in Down syndrome is not clear. Accordingly, we have analysed this locus in 20 demented and 25 nondemented individuals with Down syndrome and combined these data with other studies in a meta-analysis. The meta-analysis revealed an estimated odds ratio for dementia of 2.74 (95% CI 1.34-5.58) (P =.0004) for apo epsilon4 carriers compared with apo epsilon3/epsilon3, similar to that observed in late-onset Alzheimer's disease. An additional parallel with late-onset Alzheimer's disease was shown by the apo epsilon2 allele, which was associated with decreased dementia risk in Down syndrome (odds ratio for apo epsilon2/epsilon2 + epsilon2/epsilon3 = 0.37 (95% CI 0.14-0. 96)). Thus, apo E genotypes are associated with similar risk effects in Down syndrome dementia and late-onset Alzheimer's disease.
Resort hotel service performance (RESERVE) – an instrument to measure tourists’ perceived service performance of resort hotels

ABSTRACT Based upon a rigorous psychometric process of scale development through preliminary qualitative studies and a subsequent survey in the resort hotel setting, the authors propose the RESERVE scale as a comprehensive instrument for assessing resort hotel service performance. The proposed scale conceptualizes resort hotel service performance as a second-order, three-dimensional construct that assesses tourists' perceptions of setting, audience, and actors. The data supports the dimensional structure of RESERVE, providing empirical evidence for the scale's validity. The paper concludes with a discussion of implications and future research directions.
Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation over Left Dorsolateral pFC on the Attentional Blink Depend on Individual Baseline Performance

Abstract Selection mechanisms that dynamically gate only relevant perceptual information for further processing and sustained representation in working memory are critical for goal-directed behavior. We examined whether this gating process can be modulated by anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over left dorsolateral pFC (DLPFC)—a region known to play a key role in working memory and conscious access. Specifically, we examined the effects of tDCS on the magnitude of the so-called “attentional blink” (AB), a deficit in identifying the second of two targets presented in rapid succession. Thirty-four participants performed a standard AB task before (baseline), during, and after 20 min of 1-mA anodal and cathodal tDCS in two separate sessions. On the basis of previous reports linking individual differences in AB magnitude to individual differences in DLPFC activity and on suggestions that effects of tDCS depend on baseline brain activity levels, we hypothesized that anodal tDCS over left DLPFC would modulate the magnitude of the AB as a function of individual baseline AB magnitude. Indeed, individual differences analyses revealed that anodal tDCS decreased the AB in participants with a large baseline AB but increased the AB in participants with a small baseline AB. This effect was only observed during (but not after) stimulation, was not found for cathodal tDCS, and could not be explained by regression to the mean. Notably, the effects of tDCS were not apparent at the group level, highlighting the importance of taking individual variability in performance into account when evaluating the effectiveness of tDCS. These findings support the idea that left DLPFC plays a critical role in the AB and in conscious access more generally. They are also in line with the notion that there is an optimal level of prefrontal activity for cognitive function, with both too little and too much activity hurting performance.
Highly-selective MOCA lowpass filter designs using glass-based TF-IPD technology

In this work, a thin-film integrated passive device (TF-IPD) technology has been developed to meet the requirements of smaller form factor, lower cost, and faster design cycling time in modern RF front-end application. Two very compact and highly-selective TF-IPD lowpass filter designs for the Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) application are demonstrated. They are required to pass the CATV-band from 50 to 750MHz, and exhibit very good rejection for frequency higher than 975MHz. Specifically, the Design 1 has an in-band insertion loss of 1.8dB with more than 40dB rejection from 975MHz to 5.8GHz. On the other hand, the Design 2 with a different layout method and thus different coupling effect has an excellent in-band insertion loss of 1.4dB and a flat 30 dB stop-band from 1.4 to 4 GHz. It is thus possible to adjust the coupling within the circuit layout to meet different filter specifications. Both designs have chip sizes around 6 mm, which are much smaller than the conventional designs based on discrete components. The proposed highly-selective lowpass filter designs can also be applied to mobile communication devices due to their compact size and good performance.
Factors controlling liver blood flow in the rat

In a previous investigation Grayson & Johnson (1953), using the technique of 'internal calorimetry', showed that an increase in blood pressure, whether produced mechanically or by the administration of adrenaline, caused a transient increase in liver blood flow. It was shown that part, at least, of this blood-flow increment was brought about by the stimulation of the receptors of the aortic arch and carotid sinuses. Johnson (1953) showed, further, that lowering the blood pressure produced a short-lived vasoconstrictor response in the liver. Although the afferent pathway of these reflex effects was demonstrated, the efferent pathways were not determined. One object of the present work was, therefore, to investigate fully the nervous pathways involved. In any species the importance of nervous control in the maintenance of vasomotor tone varies greatly from organ to organ. In some tissues such as the skin (Barcroft & Swan, 1953) and bowel (Grayson, 1949, 1952), nervous control through the autonomic nervous system is of first importance. In other structures such as the kidney, nervous factors may effect circulatory adjustments, but they appear to play no part in the maintenance of the resting blood flow (Smith, 1951). The previous work of Grayson & Johnson (1953) on liver blood flow suggested that neurogenic vasomotor tone was of less importance in the liver than in the bowel. A further object of this work was, therefore, to determine the importance of autonomic control of the hepatic circulation in animals with the liver blood supply intact, and further to study the autonomic control of the separate hepatic arterial and portal venous contributions to liver blood flow.
MEASURING THE FINANCIAL SHOCKS OF NATURAL DISASTERS

This paper employs panel vector autoregression to examine the dynamic fiscal response to natural disasters. With 50-state, 1970–2013 panel data on state government finance and disaster damage, we estimate disaster impacts on revenue, expenditure, debt issuance, and federal-state transfers. We find that following a disaster, states increase program expenditure and receive more federal transfers. Disasters have limited impact on total tax revenues but amplify fluctuations in sales, income, and property tax revenues. Our findings suggest that disaster-induced additional spending is largely financed through federal transfers, which include not only disaster relief funds but also non-disaster-related public welfare assistance.
Discrepancy of neural response between exogenous and endogenous task switching: an event-related potentials study

Task switching is a well-known cognitive paradigm to explore task-set reconfiguration processes such as rule shifting. In particular, endogenous task switching is thought to differ qualitatively from stimulus-triggered exogenous task switching. However, no previous study has examined the neural substrate of endogenous task switching. The purpose of the present study is to explore the differences between event-related potential responses to exogenous and endogenous rule switching at cue stimulus. We modified two patterns of cued switching tasks: exogenous (bottom-up) rule switching and endogenous (top-down) rule switching. In each task cue stimulus was configured to induce switching or maintaining rule. In exogenous switching tasks, late positive deflection was larger in the switch rule condition than in the maintain rule condition. However, in endogenous switching tasks late positive deflection was unexpectedly larger in the maintain-rule condition than in the switch-rule condition. These results indicate that exogenous rule switching is explicit stimulus-driven processes, whereas endogenous rule switching is implicitly parallel processes independent of external stimulus.
Markers of Inflammation in Patients With Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Carotid Artery Stenosis: A Case-Control Study

Objectives There is evidence that inflammation plays a role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. We compared levels of inflammatory markers between patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and controls, and between patients with symptomatic and asymptomatic internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis. Materials and Methods A total of 180 patients with ICA stenosis were compared with 180 age-matched and sex-matched controls. The biomarkers evaluated were high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1, soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (sVCAM-1), and interleukin-6 (IL-6). Results The levels of hs-CRP, sVCAM-1, and IL-6 in the CEA group were significantly higher than in the control group (1.87 mg/mL vs 1.44 mg/mL, P = .011; 1408 ng/dL vs 672 ng/dL, P < .001; 11.9 pg/mL vs 6.3 pg/mL, P < .001). Multivariate linear regression analysis, adjusted for all clinical and physiologic parameters, showed a significant association between ICA stenosis and hs-CRP, sVCAM-1, and IL-6 concentrations. Analysis of symptomatic (n = 101) and asymptomatic (n = 79) ICA stenosis did not detect a difference in levels of these markers. Conclusions Our study suggests that inflammatory markers could serve as markers for ICA atherosclerosis but are not useful to identify carotid plaque at risk for symptomatic conversion.
Thrombophilic Gene Mutations and Recurrent Spontaneous Abortion: Prothrombin Mutation Increases the Risk in the First Trimester

PROBLEM: Thrombophilic predisposition may be one of the underlying causes of recurrent spontaneous abortions (RSA). We studied the prevalence of five thrombophilic gene mutations in patients with RSA. METHOD OF STUDY: 102 patients with two or more consecutive abortions and 128 women without miscarriage were analyzed for factor V Leiden mutation (FVL), prothrombin G20210A mutation (PTM), C677T mutation in the 5,10‐methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene, glycoprotein IIIa (GPIIIa) C1565T polymorphism, and β‐fibrinogen G‐455A polymorphism by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques. RESULTS: No differences in the prevalence of FVL, MTHFR T/T, GPIIIa and β‐fibrinogen polymorphism were detected. Heterozygous PTM occurred more often in patients with RSA. This effect was significant in a subgroup with abortions exclusively in the first trimester (6.7% vs. 0.8%, P=0.027, OR 8.5). CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to the other mutations and polymorphisms, heterozygous PTM is more common in patients with abortions in the first trimester. This might reflect an influence of PTM on pathogenesis of early pregnancy loss.
FMRI correlates of the WAIS–III Symbol Search subtest

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) experiments frequently administer substantially adapted cognitive tests. This study was designed to identify FMRI correlates of a well-standardized clinical measure presented with minor adaptations. We administered the WAIS–III Symbol Search (SS) and a visuospatial control task to fifteen adults during FMRI. SS-related brain activity was identified, followed by analyses of activity related to performance level. Compared to the control task, SS was associated with greater activity in bilateral medial occipital, occipitoparietal, occipitotemporal, parietal, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices (DLPFC). Across both tasks, slower processing speed was also related to greater activity in these areas, except right DLPFC. Greater activity in left DLPFC was specifically related to slower processing speed during SS. Performance was consistent with education levels. Findings suggest that SS performance involves regions associated with executive and visual processing. Furthermore, slower SS performance was related to greater recruitment of left hemisphere regions associated with executive function in other studies. (JINS, 2005, 11, 471–476.)
A Prospective Study of Patient Assaults on Nursing Staff in a Psychogeriatric Unit

A 27 month prospective study concerned with aspects of patient-nurse assaults on the geriatric unit (three wards) of a Canadian provincial mental hospital was conducted. The findings were compared with those for the other wards. The incidence of assaults was approximately the same in both areas (0.24–0.25 assaults/occupied bed/year respectively). In the former, the commonest diagnoses associated with assaultiveness were dementia followed by schizophrenia and in the rest of the hospital, schizophrenia. However, when base rates of assaultiveness were calculated allowing for the disproportionate number of patients with these conditions, mental retardation, and dementia were approximately twice as likely to be related to assaultiveness as schizophrenia; regardless of where the patients were located. In the geriatric unit attacks were more likely when patients were being physically guided or led and during the administration of drugs; elsewhere whilst physical restraints were being applied. In both hospital areas a comparatively small number of patients accounted for a disproportionate number of assaults and a few nurses were attacked repeatedly. The majority of episodes were trivial but in isolated cases personnel were off work for several months. The discussion focuses on the possibility of generalizing results.
Job preferences as revealed by employee-initiated job changes

Many previous studies try to discover job preferences by directly asking individuals. Since it is not sure whether answers to these surveys are relevant for actual behaviour, this empirical examination offers a new approach based on representative German data. Employees who quit their job and find a new one compare the two jobs with respect to eight job characteristics: type of work, pay, chances of promotion, work load, commuting time, work hour regulations, fringe benefits and security against loss of job. It is argued that the observation of many improvements (and few declines) for a certain attribute indicates a particular relevance and high preference for this attribute. It turns out that pay and type of work are most important for employees in this sense. Differences across subgroups of employees with respect to individual characteristics, such as sex and age, are explored. Those between East and West Germany diminish over time.