Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An epidemic of pneumococcal disease in an overcrowded, inadequately ventilated jail.

BACKGROUND In the United States many correctional facilities now operate at far over capacity, with the potential for living conditions that permit outbreaks of respiratory infections. We investigated an outbreak that was identified in an overcrowded Houston jail after two inmates died of pneumococcal sepsis on the same day. Outbreaks of pneumococcal disease have been rare in the era of antibiotics. METHODS We assessed risk factors for pneumococcal disease in both a case-control and a cohort study. Ventilation was evaluated by measuring carbon dioxide levels and air flow to the living areas of the jail. The extent of asymptomatic infection was determined by culturing pharyngeal specimens from a random sample of inmates. Type-specific immunity was determined with an enzyme immunoassay. RESULTS Over a four-week period, 46 inmates had either acute pneumonia or invasive pneumococcal disease due to Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 12F. The jail's capacity had been set at 3500 inmates, but it housed 6700 at the time of the outbreak; the inmates had a median living area of only 34 ft2 (3.2 m2) (interquartile range, 28 to 56 ft2 [2.6 to 5.2 m2]) per person. There were significantly fewer cases of disease among inmates with 80 ft2 (7.4 m2) per person or more (P = 0.030). Carbon dioxide levels ranged from 1100 to 2500 ppm (acceptable, < 1000), and the ventilation system delivered a median of only 6.1 ft3 of outside air per minute per person (interquartile range, 4.4 to 8.5 ft3; recommended, > or = 20 ft3). The attack rate was highest among inmates in cells with the highest carbon dioxide levels and the lowest volume of outside air delivered by the ventilation system (relative risk, 1.94; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.08 to 3.48). Of underlying medical conditions, intravenous drug use was most strongly associated with disease (odds ratio, 4.50). The epidemic strain (serotype 12F) was cultured from 7 percent of the asymptomatic inmates. Of 11 case patients tested with the enzyme immunoassay, 9 (82 percent) lacked preexisting immunity to this strain. CONCLUSIONS Severe overcrowding, inadequate ventilation, and altered host susceptibility all contributed to this outbreak of pneumococcal disease in a large urban jail.
Chinese text sentiment orientation identification based on Chinese-characters

Existing sentiment identification technologies for Chinese texts are mostly based on Chinese words/phrases. However, we notice that Chinese characters are ideogram and many of them contain rich sentiment information. Hence, a Chinese text sentiment orientation identification model based on Chinese characters but not words or phrases is proposed in this paper. Contrasting to existent models, our model has many advantages such as no necessary of dictionaries, words segmentation and stop-words removal. Moreover, its dimension of feature vector is lower and its processing efficiency is higher. Experiments show that our model greatly simplifies the identification process and improves the computational efficiency at very little loss of accuracy.
Cathepsin L‐deficient mice exhibit abnormal skin and bone development and show increased resistance to osteoporosis following ovariectomy

The role of cathepsin L in normal physiological processes was assessed using cathepsin L homozygous knockout mice (B6;129‐Ctsltm1Alpk). These mice were generated using gene targeting in embryonic stem cells. Null mice fail to express mRNA and protein to cathepsin L. They developed normally and were fertile. The distinct phenotypic change exhibited was a progressive hair loss, culminating in extensive alopecia by 9 months of age. Histological analysis of the skin from homozygous mice revealed diffuse epithelial hyperplasia, hypotrichosis, hair shaft fragmentation and utricle formation. These findings provide evidence that cathepsin L is involved in the regulation of epithelial cell proliferation and differentiation in the skin. In addition, the role of cathepsin L in bone remodelling was evaluated. Using bone histomorphometric measurements, trabecular, but not cortical, bone volume was found to be significantly decreased in the cathepsin L heterozygote and homozygote mice compared to the wild‐type mice. Following ovariectomy, it was observed that loss of trabecular bone, the most metabolically active component of bone, occurred to a lesser extent in homozygote, and heterozygote mice, than was seen in wild‐type mice. These observations suggest that cathepsin L is likely to have a role in controlling bone turnover during normal development and in pathological states.
Wound Healing Activity of Nanoclay/Spring Water Hydrogels

Background: hydrogels prepared with natural inorganic excipients and spring waters are commonly used in medical hydrology. Design of these clay-based formulations continues to be a field scarcely addressed. Safety and wound healing properties of different fibrous nanoclay/spring water hydrogels were addressed. Methods: in vitro biocompatibility, by means of MTT assay, and wound healing properties were studied. Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy was used to study the morphology of fibroblasts during the wound healing process. Results: all the ingredients demonstrated to be biocompatible towards fibroblasts. Particularly, the formulation of nanoclays as hydrogels improved biocompatibility with respect to powder samples at the same concentration. Spring waters and hydrogels were even able to promote in vitro fibroblasts motility and, therefore, accelerate wound healing with respect to the control. Conclusion: fibrous nanoclay/spring water hydrogels proved to be skin-biocompatible and to possess a high potential as wound healing formulations. Moreover, these results open new prospects for these ingredients to be used in new therapeutic or cosmetic formulations.
Image-Guided Surgery and Intraoperative Imaging in Rhinology: Clinical Update and Current State of the Art

Introduction: Image-guided surgery (IGS) has gained widespread acceptance in otorhinolaryngology for its applications in sinus and skull base surgery. Although the core concepts of IGS have not changed, advances in image guidance technology, including the incorporation of intraoperative imaging, have the potential to enhance surgical education, allow for more rigorous preoperative planning, and aid in more complete surgery with improved outcomes. Objectives: Provide a clinical update regarding the use of image guidance and intraoperative imaging in the field of rhinology and endoscopic skull base surgery with a focus on current state of the art technologies. Methods: English-language studies published in PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase were searched for articles relating to image-guided sinus surgery, skull base surgery, and intraoperative imaging. Relevant studies were reviewed and critical appraisals were included in this clinical update, highlighting current state of the art advances. Conclusions: As image guidance and intraoperative imaging systems have advanced, their applications in sinus and skull base surgery have expanded. Both technologies offer invaluable real-time feedback on the status and progress of surgery, and thus may help to improve the completeness of surgery and overall outcomes. Recent advances such as augmented and virtual reality offer a window into the future of IGS. Future advancements should aim to enhance the surgeon’s operative experience by improving user satisfaction and ultimately lead to better surgical results.
Dynamic events of sister chromosomes in the cell cycle of Escherichia coli

Various events involving partitioning of sister chromosomes were precisely analyzed in asynchronously growing Escherichia coli cells in various conditions. To examine the cohesion between sister chromosomes, we analyzed living cells growing under various conditions for the number of the replication origin (oriC) copies by flow cytometry and the foci of oriC by fluorescence microscopy. The average number of the oriC foci per cell was significantly smaller than the number of oriC copies per cell with few exceptions, suggesting cohesion of oriC sister copies. Cohesion phenomenon of oriC sister copies was also observed in a mukB null mutant cells under some growth conditions. Sister copies of the terminal region (ter) were also found to be cohesive. Immunofluorescence microscopy for nascent DNA pulse‐labeled with 5‐bromo‐2′‐deoxyuridine (BrdU) indicated that paired replication forks acting on bidirectional replication were able to migrate toward opposite directions during ongoing replication in poor medium; however, some of them were closely associated in rich media. Analysis of the foci of MukB–GFP indicates that the number of MukB foci was always larger than the number of replication forks. The number of MukB–GFP foci increased together with cell length. The sequence of these chromosomal events in the growing cells has been depicted.
Transgenic corneal neurofluorescence in mice: a new model for in vivo investigation of nerve structure and regeneration.

PURPOSE To quantify the level of neuron-specific fluorescence in the corneas of transgenic mice expressing yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) driven by the thy1 promoter and examine the viability of using thy1-YFP mice as a model for studying nerve regeneration in vivo. METHODS The structure of corneal innervation in thy1-YFP mice visible with reporter gene fluorescence was compared with that visible with traditional immunofluorescence techniques. The percentage of corneal nerves with YFP fluorescence in wholemounted corneas and trigeminal neuron cultures was determined. Regeneration of fluorescent corneal neuronal processes after wounding was monitored in vivo. RESULTS In the mouse cornea, neuron-specific immunostaining determined that nerves enter the stroma in several bundles that then extend throughout the entire cornea. These stromal nerve bundles form a subbasal plexus beneath the corneal epithelium. Fine nerves from this plexus travel superficially to the ocular surface. Neuron-specific expression of YFP allowed visualization of nearly all large nerve bundles of the stroma but only some of the many finer nerves of the subbasal plexus and surface. In the subbasal nerve plexus, 46% of total neuronal processes exhibited YFP neurofluorescence. In vitro, 22% of cultured trigeminal neurons exhibited YFP neurofluorescence. After corneal nerve transection, nerve processes distal to the site of injury degenerated, whereas those proximal to the site regenerated in a pattern different from original nerve architecture. CONCLUSIONS Thy1-YFP mice display neurofluorescence and provide a novel model for monitoring the patterning, injury, and growth of corneal nerves in vivo.
Vulvovaginal symptoms prevalence in postmenopausal women and relationship to other menopausal symptoms and pelvic floor disorders

Objective:The primary objective of this study was to use the Vulvovaginal Symptom Questionnaire (VSQ) to estimate the prevalence and examine the emotional, lifestyle, and sexual impact of vulvovaginal symptoms in postmenopausal women. Methods:We administered the VSQ, a previous validated instrument to 358 postmenopausal women recruited from primary care physician offices and local senior centers. The first seven questions of the VSQ comprise the symptom subscale (itching, burning, hurting, irritation, dryness, discharge, and odor). Women who answered “Yes” to any of the first seven symptom questions were considered to have vulvovaginal symptoms. Results:Two hundred seventy-nine women were recruited from primary care offices and 79 women were recruited from senior centers. One hundred eighty-three postmenopausal women (51.1%; 95% CI 45.9%, 56.3%) reported at least one vulvovaginal symptom. The most common symptom was being dry 35.8% (n/N = 128/358). Ten percent of women (n/N = 38/358) reported five or more symptoms and 6% of women reported all seven symptoms in the last week. For women reporting one or more vulvovaginal symptoms, 40.4% (n/N = 74/183) reported emotional impact (Yes to ≥1 out of 4 emotional impact subscale items) and 32.8% (n/N = 60/183) reported lifestyle impact (Yes to ≥1 out of 5 lifestyle impact subscale items) from these symptoms. For sexually active women reporting vulvovaginal symptoms, 75.3% (n/N = 67/89) reported sexual impact (Yes to ≥1 out of 4 sexual impact subscale items). Vulvovaginal symptoms were associated with increased co-occurrence of specific pelvic floor disorders, including pelvic organ prolapse (P = 0.001), anal incontinence to solid stool (P = 0.001), urinary frequency (P = 0.02), urgency urinary incontinence (P = 0.001), and dysuria (P < 0.001). Conclusions:Vulvovaginal symptoms are common and present in over 50% of postmenopausal women. Sizeable proportions of women with vulvovaginal symptoms report emotional, lifestyle, and sexual impact from these symptoms.
Expression of the T‐box family genes, Tbx1–Tbx5, during early mouse development

A novel family of genes, characterized by the presence of a region of homology to the DNA‐binding domain of the Brachyury (T) locus product, has recently been identified. The region of homology has been named the T‐box, and the new mouse genes that contain the T‐box domain have been named T‐box 1–6 (Tbx1 through Tbx6). As the basis for further study of the function and evolution of these genes, we have examined the expression of 5 of these genes, Tbx1–Tbx5, across a wide range of embryonic stages from blastocyst through gastrulation and early organogenesis by in situ hybridization of wholemounts and tissue sections. Tbx3 is expressed earliest, in the inner cell mass of the blastocyst. Four of the genes are expressed in different components of the mesoderm or mesoderm/endoderm during gastrulation (Tbx1 and Tbx3–5). All of these genes have highly specific patterns of expression during later embryogenesis, notably in areas undergoing inductive tissue interactions. In several cases there is complementary expression of different genes in 2 interacting tissues, as in the lung epithelium (Tbx1) and lung mesenchyme (Tbx2–5), and in mammary buds (Tbx3) and mammary stroma (Tbx2). Tbx1 shows very little overlap in the sites of expression with the other 4 genes, in contrast to a striking similarity in expression between members of the 2 cognate gene sets, Tbx2/Tbx3 and Tbx4/Tbx5. This is a clear reflection of the evolutionary relationship between the 5 genes since the divergence of Tbx1 occurred long before the relatively recent divergence of Tbx2 and 3 and Tbx4 and 5 from common ancestral genes. These studies are a good indication that the T‐box family of genes has important roles in inductive interactions in many stages of mammalian embryogenesis. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Validation of an analytical method for the determination of spiramycin, virginiamycin and tylosin in feeding-stuffs by thin-layer chromatography and bio-autography

An inter-laboratory validation was carried out to determine the performance characteristics of an analytical method based on thin-layer chromatography (TLC) coupled to microbiological detection (bio-autography) for screening feed samples for the presence of spiramycin, tylosin and virginiamycin. Twenty-four samples including blank samples and samples with concentrations of the target analytes ranging between 1 and 5 mg kg−1 (expressed in microbiological activity) were analysed by seven laboratories participating in the study. The required detection limit was 1 mg kg−1 (expressed in microbiological activity). For spiramycin, acceptable values for the sensitivity (at least 95%) indicating the rate of correct positive results were obtained for samples containing this substance at or above 2 mg kg−1, whereas at 1 mg kg−1, the sensitivity rate dropped to about 70%. Therefore, it was concluded that the detection limit was 2 mg kg−1. For tylosin and virginiamycin, acceptable values of the sensitivity were obtained for all concentrations including 1 mg kg−1. Therefore, the method fulfils the criterion regarding the required sensitivity at the target detection limit for tylosin and virginiamycin.
SELF-MANAGEMENT PROGRAM ON BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL IN THAI HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS AT RISK FOR STROKE : A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

To determine the effects of self-management program on blood pressure control in hypertensive patients at risk for stroke, a randomized controlled trial design was conducted at the outpatient medicine clinic at Police General Hospital during July 2011 to February 2012 to evaluate the effectiveness of a self management program based on the Kanfer and Goelick-Buy (1991) self management model compared with usual care in improving blood pressure control. The participants were enrolled on criteria basis and computerized simple randomization into two groups and sealed envelope technique to divide equally to the experimental or the comparison groups (50/group). The intervention group attended four phases; problem assessment, need identification, preparation for self-management, practice for self-management, and evaluation self-management phases. The outcome of this study was blood pressure control which was measured at baseline and monthly over three months. Data were analyzed by Chi-square test. At three months the percentage of participants maintaining blood pressure control was significantly ( p = .001) greater in the intervention group (36%, 95%CI = 0.22 to 0.50) compared with the control group (8%, 95%CI = 0.00 to 0.16). An effort to establish in large scale, long duration and sustainable self-management program is recommended.
γ‐Tocopherol‐enriched mixed tocopherol diet inhibits prostate carcinogenesis in TRAMP mice

γ‐tocopherol (γ‐T) alone or in combination with α‐tocopherol has been shown to suppress biomarkers of oxidative stress in asthamatics and human subjects with metabolic syndrome. Oxidative stress has been implicated as a key event in prostate carcinogenesis. Hence, the purpose of this study was to examine the effects of γ‐tocopherol‐enriched mixed tocopherol diet on prostate carcinogenesis in a murine prostate cancer model (TRAMP). 8 week old TRAMP males were fed 0.1% γ‐T‐enriched mixed tocopherol diet that contained 20‐fold higher levels of γ‐tocopherol, and roughly 3‐fold higher levels of α‐tocopherol. The effect of such diet on tumor and PIN development was observed. The expression of phase II detoxifying, antioxidant enzymes and Nrf2 mRNA and protein were determined by RT‐PCR, immunohistochemistry and western blotting techniques. Treatment with γ‐T‐enriched mixed tocopherols significantly suppressed the incidence of palpable tumor and Prostate Intraepithelial Neoplasia (PIN) development without affecting the expression of the transgene (SV‐40). Tumor progression occurred with a significant suppression of antioxidant enzymes such as catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, heme‐oxygenase‐1 and phase II detoxifying enzymes. Treatment with γ‐T‐enriched mixed tocopherol diet upregulated the expression of most detoxifying and antioxidant enzymes. Nrf2—a redox sensitive transcription factor known to mediate the expression of phase II detoxifying enzymes, was also significantly upregulated following treatment with γ‐T‐enriched mixed tocopherol diet. γ‐T‐enriched mixed tocopherols significantly up‐regulated the expression of Nrf2 and its related detoxifying and antioxidant enzymes thereby suppressing PIN and tumor development. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Lysozyme-immobilized electrospun PAMA/PVA and PSSA-MA/PVA ion-exchange nanofiber for wound healing

Abstract This research was aimed to develop the lysozyme immobilized ion-exchange nanofiber mats for wound healing. To promote the healing process, the PSSA-MA/PVA and PAMA ion-exchange nanofiber mats were fabricated to mimic the extracellular matrix structure using electrospinning process followed by thermally crosslinked. Lysozyme was immobilized on the ion-exchane nanofibers by an adsorption method. The ion-exchange nanofibers were investigated using SEM, FTIR and XRPD. Moreover, the lysozyme-immobilized ion-exchange nanofibers were further investigated for lysozyme content and activity, lysozyme release and wound healing activity. The fiber diameters of the mats were in the nanometer range. Lysozyme was gradually absorbed into the PSSA-MA/PVA nanofiber with higher extend than that is absorbed on the PAMA/PVA nanofiber and exhibited higher activity than lysozyme-immobilized PAMA/PVA nanofiber. The total contents of lysozyme on the PSSA-MA/PVA and PAMA/PVA nanofiber were 648 and 166 µg/g, respectively. FTIR and lysozyme activity results confirmed the presence of lysozyme on the nanofiber mats. The lysozyme was released from the PSSA-MA/PVA and PAMA/PVA nanofiber in the same manner. The lysozyme-immobilized PSSA-MA/PVA nanofiber mats and lysozyme-immobilized PAMA/PVA nanofiber mats exhibited significantly faster healing rate than gauze and similar to the commercial antibacterial gauze dressing. These results suggest that these nanofiber mats could provide the promising candidate for wound healing application.
Analysis of Web Access Logs for Surveillance of Influenza

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the level of influenza in a population correlates with the number of times that internet users access information about influenza on health-related Web sites. We obtained Web access logs from the Healthlink Web site. Web access logs contain information about the user and the information the user accessed, and are maintained electronically by most Web sites, including Healthlink. We developed weekly counts of the number of accesses of selected influenza-related articles on the Healthlink Web site and measured their correlation with traditional influenza surveillance data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) using the cross-correlation function (CCF). We defined timeliness as the time lag at which the correlation was a maximum. There was a moderately strong correlation between the frequency of influenza-related article accesses and the CDC's traditional surveillance data, but the results on timeliness were inconclusive. With improvements in methods for performing spatial analysis of the data and the continuing increase in Web searching behavior among Americans, Web article access has the potential to become a useful data source for public health early warning systems.
[Epidural anesthesia with ropivacaine vs. bupivacaine in continuous perfusion for the treatment of labor pains].

OBJECTIVE To compare the analgesic efficacy and extent of motor block when 0.125% ropivacaine or 0.125% bupivacaine were given in continuous perfusion through an epidural catheter during labor. PATIENTS AND METHODS We studied 60 ASA I-II women, each carrying a single fetus at full term and in spontaneous labor. The patients were distributed in 2 groups. Women in the ropivacaine group (R) (n = 30) received 8 mL of 0.2% ropivacaine for analgesic induction, followed by a continuous perfusion of 10 mL/h at 0.125%. The bupivacaine group (B) (n = 30) received bupivacaine at the same concentration and infusion rate. The objective of analgesia was to achieve a score less than 3 on a visual analog pain scale. If analgesia was inadequate, a 5 mL bolus of 0.2% ropivacaine or bupivacaine, depending on group, was administered. The motor block was evaluated on an abbreviated Bromage scale and we recorded hemodynamic stability, fetal status, type of delivery and the total dose of local anesthetic. RESULTS Analgesia and hemodynamics were similar in both groups. Group R required a larger number of additional boluses, although the difference was not statistically significant. A motor block was observed in 8 patients in group B and 1 in group R (p < 0.05). Fetal status was similar in both groups. CONCLUSION Both drugs were equally effective for controlling the pain accompanying labor, such that ropivacaine offered no advantage over bupivacaine in that regard. Ropivacaine's reduced motor block effect at the doses administered may offer an advantage in some situations, such as when a walking epidural is provided.