Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Direct Medical Costs of Breast Cancer in Iran: Analyzing the Patient's Level Data from a Cancer Specific Hospital in Isfahan

Background: Breast cancer is one of the main causes of mortality and morbidity world-wide. The estimation of the direct medical costs of breast cancer can help payers of the cost to understand the burden of breast cancer on their limited financial resources as well as the society. Methods: We used a cross-sectional study to calculate the direct medical costs of breast cancer among women in Isfahan, Iran. The medical records of all patients which were registered in Seyed Al-Shohada Hospital between March 2005 and March 2010 were reviewed. The relevant data from patients’ profiles extracted. The direct medical costs of received services were calculated with both public and private tariffs. Results: The total numbers of 467 patients in various disease stages were included into the study. The average age of patients was 49 years. The average direct cost per patient per month in stages I to IV were 222.17, 224.61, 316.51 and 828.52 US$, respectively. The surgery cost was the main cost driver for stages I and II with private tariffs. However for stages III and IV, the medication cost was the main cost component for managing breast cancer. Conclusions: The direct economic cost of breast cancer in Iran is very high; nonetheless, as the age of breast cancer in Iran is nearly 10 years lower than Western countries, the burden of the disease in Iran is expected to be significantly high. Medication therapy is the main cost component of the breast cancer.
Where have all the fathers gone?

Behavior disorders, learning problems, psychosomatic complaints, and poor adaptation to chronic illness are demanding increasingly more time from today's pediatricians. The incidence and seriousness of these problems suggests serious troubles within the American family. As a pediatric educator, I am troubled by major deficiencies in pediatric training in regard to early identification of these disorders, lack of knowledge as to effective treatment modalities, and poor utilization of supporting resources. Of especial concern, however, is the dearth of attention given to behavior and family counseling in pediatric training. Nowhere is this deficiency more apparent than in the neglect of fathers in pediatric education. Changes in American Family Life The American family as we know it, or at least are accustomed to think of it, appears to be under tremendous social and economic pressure. In 1976, fifty-four percent of mothers with school-age children and 37% with preschool-age children were working outside
Efficacy of Oral Collagen in Joint Pain - Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Introduction: Joint pain is one of the most common types of chronic pain. Osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are the two leading causes of joint pain and there are currently no prophylactic or curative treatments available. Oral collagen has been implicated in providing a potential means to treat arthritis. This review article aims to identify, evaluate and summarize the results of published animal and human clinical trials related to oral collagen in the treatment of joint pain caused by OA and RA. Methodology: Articles were searched using EMBASE and Medline databases. Search terms for keywords and titles included: “osteoarthritis”, “rheumatoid arthritis”, “joint pain”, “oral collagen”. Articles containing the following are included in our search: randomized controlled trials, clinical evidence and animal models containing primary quantitative data, in vitro studies of oral collagen related with joint pain, joint disease, OA or RA. Results: Numerous preclinical and clinical studies have been carried out to investigate the efficacy of oral collagen and both OA and RA. Oral collagen is administered either in an undenatured form or in a partially denatured form for patients with OA, and in general, has been found to be reasonably efficacious, although more trials will be required to confirm and consolidate these findings. In contrast, oral collagen has a more debatable response rate in patients with RA, especially when compared with methotrexate, an existing therapy. Conclusion: There is some evidence that suggests oral collagen is effective for OA and has shown to be tolerable and safe for the patient. The clinical efficacy of oral collagen in RA remains controversial, particularly when compared with conventional therapies such as methotrexate.
Mechanisms, Clinical Presentations, Injuries, and Outcomes From Inflicted Versus Noninflicted Head Trauma During Infancy: Results of a Prospective, Multicentered, Comparative Study

OBJECTIVE. Our goal was to conduct a prospective, multicentered, comparative study that would objectively verify and explain observed differences in short-term neurodevelopmental outcomes after inflicted versus noninflicted head trauma. METHODS. Children <36 months of age who were hospitalized with acute head trauma confirmed by computed tomography imaging were recruited at multiple sites. Extensive clinical data were captured prospectively, subjects were examined, cranial imaging studies were blindly reviewed, and caregivers underwent scripted interviews. Follow-up neurodevelopmental evaluations were completed 6 months after injury. Head-trauma etiology and mechanisms were categorized by using objective a priori criteria. Thereafter, subject groups with inflicted versus noninflicted etiologies were compared. RESULTS. Fifty-four subjects who met the eligibility criteria were enrolled at 9 sites. Of 52 surviving subjects, 27 underwent follow-up assessment 6 months after injury. Etiology was categorized as noninflicted in 30 subjects, inflicted in 11, and undetermined in 13. Compared with subjects with noninflicted head trauma, subjects with inflicted head trauma (1) more frequently experienced noncontact injury mechanisms, (2) sustained greater injury depth, (3) more frequently manifested acute cardiorespiratory compromise, (4) had lower initial Glasgow Coma Scale scores, (5) experienced more frequent and prolonged impairments of consciousness, (6) more frequently demonstrated bilateral, hypoxic-ischemic brain injury, (7) had lower mental developmental index scores 6 months postinjury, and (8) had lower gross motor quotient scores 6 months postinjury. CONCLUSIONS. Compared with infants with noninflicted head trauma, young victims of inflicted head trauma experience more frequent noncontact injury mechanisms that result in deeper brain injuries, cardiorespiratory compromise, diffuse cerebral hypoxia-ischemia, and worse outcomes.
Dual effect of surface plasmons in light transmission through perforated metal films

The light transmission through square and rectangular holes in a metal film has been studied. By taking account of plasma response of real metal on hole walls as well as metal surface, an analytical result for the transmission has been deduced, which agrees well with the experiments. We show that the light transmission involves both the diffraction modes and the surface plasmons. Strong coupling of diffraction modes to surface-plasmon polariton results in the transmission minima, whereas the coupling to cavity surface plasmon leads to the transmission maxima. The results suggest a dual effect of the surface plasmons.
Quantified sensory abnormalities in early genetically verified transthyretin amyloid polyneuropathy

Transthyretin amyloid neuropathy of type 1 (Swedish–Portuguese type) is an autosomally inherited progressive disease with a Val30Met mutation, causing generalized sensory‐motor polyneuropathy. Quantitative sensory testing (QST) quantifies thermal threshold changes in patients with manifest general polyneuropathy, but its applicability at an early clinical stage of a strict biochemically defined disease has not yet been shown. Thermal QST was performed in 23 patients having a positive Val30Met marker and clinical symptoms of peripheral small‐fiber neuropathy but normal electrophysiological findings and compared to a reference group of 43 healthy volunteers, both subdivided into age groups ≤45 and >45 years. Significant differences between patients and controls were found at all test sites in both age groups, except for warm thresholds at the medial lower leg in those >45 years. QST thus demonstrated elevated thermal thresholds before the development of electrophysiological abnormalities, which indicate large‐fiber involvement. These findings confirm that QST is a useful method for documentation of developing polyneuropathy. Muscle Nerve, 2006
SarA Is an Essential Positive Regulator of Staphylococcus epidermidis Biofilm Development

ABSTRACT Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilm formation is associated with the production of the polysaccharide intercellular adhesin (PIA)--poly-N-acetylglucosamine polysaccharide (PNAG) by the products of the icaADBC operon. Recent evidence indicates that SarA, a central regulatory element that controls the production of Staphylococcus aureus virulence factors, is essential for the synthesis of PIA/PNAG and the ensuing biofilm development in this species. Based on the presence of a sarA homolog, we hypothesized that SarA could also be involved in the regulation of the biofilm formation process in S. epidermidis. To investigate this, we constructed nonpolar sarA deletions in two genetically unrelated S. epidermidis clinical strains, O-47 and CH845. The SarA mutants were completely defective in biofilm formation, both in the steady-state conditions of a microtiter dish assay and in the flow conditions of microfermentors. Reverse transcription-PCR experiments showed that the mutation in the sarA gene resulted in downregulation of the icaADBC operon transcription in an IcaR-independent manner. Purified SarA protein showed high-affinity binding to the icaA promoter region by electrophoretic mobility shift assays. Consequently, mutation in sarA provoked a significant decrease in the amount of PIA/PNAG on the cell surface. Furthermore, heterologous complementation of S. aureus sarA mutants with the sarA gene of S. epidermidis completely restored biofilm formation. In summary, SarA appeared to be a positive regulator of transcription of the ica locus, and in its absence, PIA/PNAG production and biofilm formation were diminished. Additionally, we present experimental evidence showing that SarA may be an important regulatory element that controls S. epidermidis virulence factors other than biofilm formation.
Patient‐derived dendritic cells transduced with an a‐fetoprotein‐encoding adenovirus and co‐cultured with autologous cytokine‐induced lymphocytes induce a specific and strong immune response against hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Abstract: Background/Aims: Breaking immunologic tolerance towards the hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)‐associated α‐fetoprotein (AFP) antigen is possible. The use of this potential for the treatment of immunocompromised HCC patients is limited. In this study, we analyzed whether dendritic cells (DCs) from HCC patients transduced with a human AFP (hAFP)‐expressing adenovirus and co‐cultured with cytokine‐induced killer (CIK) cells can induce a strong specific immune response against HCC‐cells.
Three-Dimensional (3D) Printing of Polymer-Metal Hybrid Materials by Fused Deposition Modeling

Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is a three-dimensional (3D) printing technology that is usually performed with polymers that are molten in a printer nozzle and placed line by line on the printing bed or the previous layer, respectively. Nowadays, hybrid materials combining polymers with functional materials are also commercially available. Especially combinations of polymers with metal particles result in printed objects with interesting optical and mechanical properties. The mechanical properties of objects printed with two of these metal-polymer blends were compared to common poly (lactide acid) (PLA) printed objects. Tensile tests and bending tests show that hybrid materials mostly containing bronze have significantly reduced mechanical properties. Tensile strengths of the 3D-printed objects were unexpectedly nearly identical with those of the original filaments, indicating sufficient quality of the printing process. Our investigations show that while FDM printing allows for producing objects with mechanical properties similar to the original materials, metal-polymer blends cannot be used for the rapid manufacturing of objects necessitating mechanical strength.
Cerebellar, but not Motor or Parietal, High-Density Anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Facilitates Motor Adaptation

Abstract Objectives: Although motor adaptation is a highly relevant process for both everyday life as well as rehabilitation many details of this process are still unresolved. To evaluate the contribution of primary motor (M1), parietal and cerebellar areas to motor adaptation processes transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been applied. We hypothesized that anodal stimulation of the cerebellum and the M1 improves the learning process in mirror drawing, a task involving fine grained and spatially well-organized hand movements. Methods: High definition tDCS (HD-tDCS) allows a focal stimulation to modulate brain processes. In a single-session double-blind study, we compared the effects of different anodal stimulation procedures. The groups received stimulation either at the cerebellum (CER), at right parietal (PAR), or at left M1, and a SHAM group was included. Participants (n=83) had to complete several mirror drawing tasks before, during, and after stimulation. They were instructed to re-trace a line in the shape of a pentagonal star as fast and accurate as possible. Tracing time (seconds) and accuracy (deviation in mm) have been evaluated. Results: The results indicated that cerebellar HD-tDCS can facilitate motor adaptation in a single session. The stimulation at M1 showed only a tendency to increase motor adaptation and these effects were visible only during the first part of the stimulation. Stimulating the right parietal area, relevant for visuospatial processing did not lead to increased performance. Conclusions: Our results suggest that motor adaptation relies to a great extent on cerebellar functions and HD-tDCS can speed up this process. (JINS, 2016, 22, 928–936)
High-Throughput Screening of Sensory and Nutritional Characteristics for Cultivar Selection in Commercial Hydroponic Greenhouse Crop Production

Hydroponic greenhouse-grown and store-bought cultivars of tomato (cherry and beefsteak), cucumbers, bibb lettuce, and arugula were investigated to see if they could be distinguished based on sensory qualities and phytonutrient composition. Only the more dominant sensory criteria were sufficiently robust to distinguish between cultivars and could form the core of a consolidated number of criteria in a more discriminating sensory evaluation test. Strong determinants for cultivar selection within each crop included the following: mineral analysis (particularly Cu, Fe, K, Mg, and P); total carotenoids (particularly β-carotene, lycopene, and lutein); total carbohydrate (except in arugula); organic acids; total phenolics and total anthocyanins (except in cucumber). Hydroponically grown and store-bought produce were of similar quality although individual cultivars varied in quality. Storage at 4°C for up to 6 days did not affect phytonutrient status. From this, we conclude that “freshness,” while important, has a longer duration than the 6 days used in our study. Overall, the effect of cultivar was more important than the effect of growing method or short-term storage at 4°C under ideal storage conditions.
A Comparative Analysis of the Resource Consumption in Message Oriented Middleware with XML and Binary Encoded Messages

The XML coded information is notorious for its verbosity over the actual effective payload. The solution for reducing the verbosity and the performance cost of XML has been the use of the alternative encoding schemes, other than pure text. The processing of the XML using computing resources sparingly is even more important in embedded, and otherwise restricted environments, when the services of the enterprise domain are extended to the mobile wireless domain. This paper presents and studies the empirical results of computational resource consumption by benchmarking of an implementation of the Message Oriented Middleware, MOM. This MOM solution defines and implements a service and application level messaging protocol and appropriate middleware. The benchmarked MOM implementation provides XML and two alternative binary encoding presentations for the messages, a proprietary binary encoding and an XBIS encoding. The message encoding schemes are compared by considering message compression, protocol overhead and measured computing resource usage. The measured computing resource usage includes CPU processing load and memory consumption. The results show the advantage of the binary encoding over the traditional XML, in most cases. However, the study also showed how XML is preferred for the lengthy messages that have a higher share of payload data.
The Influence of Incremental Increases in Token Cash Incentives on Mail Survey Response Is There an Optimal Amount

The research reported is fr om a large-scale, national, mixed-mode survey (N = 49,675 addresses), in which token incremental, noncontingent incentives used in the second (mail) stage of the survey were tested in an experimental design. The levels of the incentives tested ranged from $0 to $10, in one-dollar increments, with the excep- tion that there was no $9 condition. Furthermore, the experiment was conducted using three types of household addresses that originally were sampled in the first stage of the mixed-mode survey via a random digit dial (RDD) frame: (1) households that agreed to participate in the mail stage of the survey; (2) households that were never contacted in the RDD stage despite numerous contact attempts; and (3) households that had refused to participate when co ntacted in the RDD stage. It was determined that among those households that had previously agreed to participate, even those that receive d no cash incentive ($0) were more likely to return completed surveys than the groups of previously non- contacted and previously refusing households that received $10. It was also found that the nature of the outcome of the prior contact with the household mediated (that is, interact ed with) the proportional effects of the incremental incentives, in ways only partially consistent with Dillman's social exchange theory. The findings, which are consistent with leverage-salience theory, suggest that if there is an optimal amount for an incentive to use in a mail survey , then it is a variable amount best targeted to the individual household.
The effects of hypobaric hypoxia on specific B cell responses following immunization in mice and humans.

In order to get some insight on the physiology of the immune system during prolonged exposure to hypobaric hypoxia we evaluated the effects of high altitude on the in vivo immune response to a T-independent antigen. A group of 18 men who participated in a scientific project EV-K2-CNR to Mount Poumori, Nepal for 20 d at 4,930 m (16,174 ft) were immunized with a single subcutaneous dose of antimeningococcal vaccine Menpovax A + C (Sclavo) containing 50 micrograms of polysaccharide A (PsA) and 50 micrograms of polysaccharide C (PsC) of N. meningitidis. A group of 18 men of comparable age were vaccinated at sea level. Antibody titers against both polysaccharides were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) before and 18 d after vaccination. All subjects examined developed a good antibody response and no statistically significant differences were observed between the two groups. Spectrotypic analysis of antibody response to PsC was also performed by isoelectric focusing. No qualitative differences in the antibody response to PsC were found in the hypoxia-exposed group with respect to the control group. A group of 10 BALB/c inbred mice were kept in a hypobaric chamber at 5,500 m (18,000 ft) for 30 d. After 10 d, the mice were vaccinated with 1 micrograms of Menpovax A + C. Anti-PsA and anti-PsC antibodies were quantified by ELISA in sera collected at day 0 and 30. A control group of 10 mice of the same strain underwent the same study protocol but at sea level. Both groups developed a good antibody response to both polysaccharides and no significant differences were observed. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS): prenatal and autopsy findings

Cornelia de Lange Syndrome (CdLS) is a multisystem disorder characterized by somatic defects and mental retardation. Prenatal diagnosis of this severe condition is difficult in view of the non‐specific ultrasound abnormalities. We report three cases with prenatally suspected CdLS based on the ultrasound findings as well as low PAPP‐A detected on first trimester screening in one case, and the results of the autopsy and the NIPBL gene mutation analysis. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Substrate mapping vs. tachycardia mapping using CARTO in patients with coronary artery disease and ventricular tachycardia: impact on outcome of catheter ablation.

AIMS For ablation of ventricular tachycardia (VT) in patients after myocardial infarction, a three-dimensional mapping system is often used. We report on our overall success rate of VT ablation using CARTO in 47 patients, with a subgroup analysis comparing VT mapping with the results of mapping that had to be performed during sinus rhythm or pacing (substrate mapping). METHODS AND RESULTS A CARTO map was performed and VT ablation attempted using two strategies: Patients in the VT-mapping group had incessant VT (four patients) or inducible stable VT (18 patients) such that the circuit of the clinical VT could be reconstructed using CARTO. During VT, the critical area of slow conduction was identified using diastolic potentials and conventional concealed entrainment pacing. In contrast, patients in the substrate-mapping group had initially inducible VT. However, a complete VT map was not possible because of catheter-induced mechanical block (six patients) or because haemodynamics deteriorated during the ongoing VT (19 patients). Therefore, pathological myocardium was identified by fragmented, late- and/or low-amplitude (<1.5 mV) bipolar potentials during sinus rhythm or pacing, and the ablation site was primarily determined by pace mapping inside or at the border of this pathological myocardium. Acute ablation success in all patients with regard to non-inducibility of the clinical VT or any slower VT was 79% after a single ablation procedure, but increased to 95% after a mean of 1.2 ablation procedures. However, chronic success was 75%, when it was defined as freedom from any ventricular tachyarrhythmia (VT or VF) during a follow-up of 25+/-13 months. In the subgroup analysis, patients in the VT-mapping group were not significantly different from patients in the substrate-mapping group with regard to age (65+/-7 vs. 65+/-9 years), ejection fraction (30+/-7 vs. 30+/-8%), VT cycle length (448+/-81 vs. 429+/-82 ms), number of radiofrequency applications (17+/-9 vs. 14+/-6 applications), use of an irrigated tip catheter (23 vs. 32%), and ablation results. CONCLUSION When using a CARTO-guided approach for VT ablation in patients with coronary artery disease, the freedom from any ventricular arrhythmia is high (75%), but leaves the patient at a 23% risk of developing fast VT/VF during follow-up. Mapping during sinus rhythm or pacing is as successful as mapping during VT.
Serum interleukin-8, CA-125 levels, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratios, and combined markers in the diagnosis of endometriosis

Results: The overall sensitivity and specificity of the combined markers for the detection of endometriosis were 80.0% and 86.0%, respectively, when using a cut-off value of 43.1. The mean NLR, IL-8, and combined marker in patients with minimal to mild endometriosis were significantly higher than in patients without endometriosis, but the mean CA-125 was not. Conclusion: Measurements of NLR and the combined marker may be used as simple and easily obtained diagnostic markers for endometriosis.