Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Patient-Reported Adverse Drug Reactions and Drug-Drug Interactions: A Cross-Sectional Study on Malaysian HIV/AIDS Patients

Objective: This study aimed to explore the adverse drug reactions (ADRs) reported by patients and to identify drug-drug interactions (DDIs) among human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) patients. Subjects and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Medication Therapy Adherence Clinic, Hospital Sungai Buloh, an HIV/AIDS referral centre. The patients were randomly selected and were encouraged to describe ADRs caused specifically by any of the prescribed antiretroviral drugs (ARDs). Sociodemographic characteristics were recorded from the patients’ medical records. In addition data on antiretroviral treatment (ART), DDIs and other conventional medication were also documented. Results: A total of 325 randomly selected HIV/AIDS patients with a mean age of 22.94 years participated in the study. The most frequently prescribed ARDs were lamivudine (64.6%), zidovudine (40.6%) and efavirenz (42.5%). Commonly reported ADRs were fatigue (54.8%), allergic reactions (41.5%), weight loss (41.5%), dry mouth (35.1%) and memory loss (35.1%). Female (87.8%), non-complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) users (87.3%) and participants below 50 years old (81.1%) were identified as having a higher prevalence of ADRs compared to males (79.6%), CAM users (78.7%) and participants aged 50 years or more (77.5%). Patient age was found to be significantly associated (p = 0.048) with the ADRs. In addition, a total of 44 cases of DDIs belonging to category D were also found in this study. Conclusions: This study enabled us to identify the most common ADRs and DDIs associated with the use of ART. Safe and effective treatment depends on the healthcare providers’ knowledge of the same.
Vitamin–Mineral Treatment of ADHD in Adults

Objective: Despite widespread use, there is little data investigating the long-term impact of micronutrients on psychiatric disorders. This study investigated the naturalistic outcome 1-year post-baseline of a randomized controlled trials (RCT) that compared micronutrients with placebo in 80 adults with ADHD. Method: All participants were contacted and clinician-rated questionnaires completed. Results: A total of 72 (90%) of the sample participated; although there was significant regression in psychiatric functioning from the end-of-trial on all measures, outcomes remained significantly improved from baseline. Dominant treatment from the end-of-treatment to follow-up was investigated as a mediator of outcome; those staying on the micronutrients performed better than those who switched to medications or discontinued micronutrients. Cost was the most substantial reason why people stopped micronutrient treatment. Conclusion: For the small number of participants who stayed on micronutrients, the benefits conferred through the controlled trial were maintained. The results are limited by small sample, lack of blinding, expectation, and reliance on self-report of symptoms.
Modifiable risk factors and survival in women diagnosed with primary breast cancer: results from a prospective cohort study

This study examines the impact of smoking, body mass index, alcohol consumption, hormone replacement therapy, and physical activity on all-cause mortality among 528 Danish women diagnosed with primary breast cancer. Participants were women enrolled in the Copenhagen City Heart Study. Prospective self-reported exposure information was collected from four points of follow-up in 1976–1978, 1981–1983, 1991–1994, and 2001–2003. Kaplan–Meier survival curves and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed adjusting for age, disease stage, adjuvant treatment, menopausal status, parity, alcohol intake, smoking, physical activity, body mass index, and hormone replacement therapy. The study shows that smoking for total mortality [hazard ratio, 1.16; 95% confidence interval, 1.05–1.29] and obesity for both total mortality (1.61; 1.12–2.33) and breast cancer-specific mortality (1.82; 1.11–2.99) were significantly associated with decreased survival after breast cancer diagnosis. A moderate alcohol intake of 1-6 units/week (0.85; 0.64–1.12), 7–14 units/week (0.77; 0.56–1.08), and treatment with hormone replacement therapy (0.79; 0.59–1.05) were less than 1, but not statistically significantly associated with prolonged survival. A moderate physical activity of 2–4 h/week (1.07; 0.77–1.49) and a high physical activity of more than 4 h/week (1.00; 0.69–1.45) showed no association with survival after breast cancer diagnosis.
Incisor and molar overjet, arch contraction, and molar relationship in the mixed dentition in repaired complete unilateral cleft lip and palate: A qualitative and quantitative appraisal.

OBJECTIVE To compare the mixed dentition incisor and molar overjet, severity of contraction of the dental arch, and the sagittal molar relationship on the cleft side vs the noncleft side in children with repaired complete unilateral cleft of the lip and palate (UCLP). MATERIALS AND METHODS Orthodontic records taken prior to orthodontic preparation for alveolar bone grafting were screened to select study casts from patients with nonsyndromic repaired complete UCLP who did not have mandibular skeletal or dental asymmetry. The study sample comprised dental casts from 74 children aged 8.9 ± 1 years. Standardized digital photographs were acquired at 1:1 magnification. A coordinate system was developed using digital image-processing software (Photoshop CS4 and Adobe Illustrator). Incisor and molar overjet, Angle's classification, and arch contraction were recorded. Descriptive statistics, paired t-tests, and kappa statistics were used to compare the cleft and noncleft sides. RESULTS A negative overjet of -1 to -5 mm was often present at the incisors, with greater frequency and magnitude on the cleft side. Class II molar relation was more frequent on the cleft side (61.1%) than on the noncleft side (47.2%). Significantly greater contraction of the cleft side deciduous canine and deciduous first molar was noted, while the difference was very minor at the first permanent molar. CONCLUSIONS Cleft side maxillary arch contraction was most severe in the deciduous canine and first deciduous molar region and progressively less severe in the posterior region of the arch. A greater frequency and severity of negative overjet and Class II molar relationship was seen on the cleft side.
International R&D Spillovers: the Role of Free Trade Agreements and Institutions

Using a sample of 15 OECD countries, this paper investigates whether free trade agreements (FTAs) enhance R&D spillovers across national borders and if institutions play some role in affecting this knowledge diffusion process. Dynamic panel regressions employing advanced estimation technique lend strong support to these hypotheses. The paper finds that a country’s total factor productivity significantly benefits from trade weighted foreign R&D as trade strengthens the country’s access to foreign knowledge pool. By creating more trade with partner countries, FTAs further improve the country’s productivity. With regards to institutional factors, countries where the form of government is mainly parliamentary tend to benefit less from their own innovative efforts but more from international R&D spillovers. In addition, countries having both plural and proportional rules of election are generally associated with higher returns to domestic R&D but lower international R&D spillovers as compared to those having a mono rule system.
Pengaruh Pertumbuhan Penjualan, Leverage Operasi, dan Profitabilitas terhadap Struktur Keuangan

The objective of this research is to know the influence of sales growth , degree of operating leverage, and profitability on the financial structure both simultaneously and partially. Purposive sampling is used as sanpling technique. The sample is taken from LQ45 index constituent company for the year of 2006 until 2008. The data are analyzed using Multiple Regression Analysis. The result on this research shows that sales growth, degree of operating leverage, and profitability have significant influence on the financial structure. Sales growh and profitability have significant influence on the financial structure but degree of operating leverage have no significant influence on the financial structure partially. Keywords : sales growth, degree of operating leverage, profitability, financial structure.
Cost-effectiveness of immediate MR imaging versus traditional follow-up for revealing radiographically occult scaphoid fractures.

OBJECTIVE For suspected scaphoid fractures with no radiographic evidence of fracture, treating symptoms with immobilization and radiographic follow-up has long been the standard of care. Modified MR imaging of the wrist is offered at our institution in screening for radiographically occult scaphoid fractures at the time of initial presentation to the emergency department. We show the advantages and comparative costs of this modified protocol versus a traditional protocol. MATERIALS AND METHODS Our modified protocol consists of coronal thin-section T1-weighted and fast spin-echo T2-weighted MR images with fat saturation. A review of the literature was performed to assess the accuracy of clinical examination, radiography, and other modalities in the evaluation of scaphoid fractures of the wrist. Charges for this procedure are compared with charges for traditional follow-up. RESULTS Three of four patients with positive results at clinical examination and negative findings on initial radiographs will be needlessly immobilized and monitored. The charges to the patient at our institution for screening MR imaging of the wrist are $770. The total charges to the patient with the traditional protocol, which would not be necessary with screening MR imaging, are $677 or more if a diagnosis is not made at this time. Bone scanning or routine MR imaging is often eventually used. CONCLUSION Cost analysis at our institution suggests the two protocols are nearly equivalent from a financial standpoint. The loss of productivity for patients who are unnecessarily in casts or splints may be substantial. Screening MR imaging of the wrist in this setting is becoming accepted at our institution in a manner similar to screening MR imaging of the hip.
Spatial and age-related changes in the microstructure of dystrophic and healthy diaphragms

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a progressive degenerative disease that results in fibrosis and atrophy of muscles. The main cause of death associated with DMD is failure of the diaphragm. The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle with a fiber microstructure that differs across regions of the muscle. However, no studies to our knowledge have examined spatial variations of muscle fibers in dystrophic diaphragm or how aging affects those variations in DMD. In this study, diaphragms were obtained from mdx and healthy mice at ages three, seven, and ten months in the dorsal, midcostal, and ventral regions. Through immunostaining and confocal imaging, we quantified sarcomere length, interstitial space between fibers, fiber branching, fiber cross sectional area (CSA), and fiber regeneration measured by centrally located nuclei. Because DMD is associated with chronic inflammation, we also investigated the number of macrophages in diaphragm muscle cross-sections. We saw regional differences in the number of regenerating fibers and macrophages during the progression of DMD in the mdx diaphragm. Additionally, the number of regenerating fibers increased with age, while CSA and the number of branching fibers decreased. Dystrophic diaphragms had shorter sarcomere lengths than age-matched controls. Our results suggest that the dystrophic diaphragm in the mdx mouse is structurally heterogeneous and remodels non-uniformly over time. Understanding regional changes in dystrophic diaphragms over time will facilitate the development of targeted therapies to prevent or minimize respiratory failure in DMD patients.
Improvement of gastrointestinal quality of life scores in cases of Helicobacter pylori‐positive functional dyspepsia after successful eradication therapy

Functional dyspepsia (FD) refers to a broad range of chronic upper abdominal symptoms associated with food intake. A definitive treatment for FD has not yet been established, and the effect of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication still remains under debate. The Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) is a specific questionnaire for patients with gastrointestinal symptoms. The present study examined the quality of life (QOL) of patients with H. pylori‐positive FD following H. pylori eradication.
Informative visual words construction to improve bag of words image representation

Bag of visual words model has recently attracted much attention from computer vision society because of its notable success in analysing images and exploring their content. This study improves this model by utilising the adjacency information between words. To explore this information, a binary tree structure is constructed from the visual words in order to model the is ? a relationships in the vocabulary. Informative nodes of this tree are extracted by using the X 2 criterion and are used to capture the adjacency information of visual words. This approach is a simple and computationally effective way for modelling the spatial relations of visual words, which improves the image classification performance. The authors evaluated our method for visual classification of three known datasets: 15 natural scenes, Caltech-101 and Graz-01.
An analysis of audit committee responsibilities and disclosure practices at large listed companies in South Africa

Audit committees traditionally focused on oversight of the financial reporting process with the aim of ensuring that accurate, credible and reliable financial reporting is provided to the shareholders. The role and responsibilities of the audit committee have evolved, however, and today’s audit committees are required to deal with diverse emerging issues, such as integrated sustainability reporting and fostering an ethical culture in doing business. The main objective of the paper is to investigate the responsibilities performed and disclosure practices of audit committees at large listed companies in South Africa. The data was collected through inspection of annual reports and questionnaires sent to the audit committee chairs in the population. The main findings of the study are that the audit committees at these companies are performing their traditional responsibilities of overseeing external audit, internal audit, financial reporting, internal control and risk management reasonably well, while to a lesser extent dealing with emerging issues such as sustainability reporting and ethics compliance. It was also found that the reporting in the annual report on the responsibilities performed by audit committees was of a poor standard and does not reflect the true state of affairs.
The relationship between sarcopenia,undernutrition, physical mobility and basic activities of daily living in a group of elderly women of Mexico City.

BACKGROUND Sarcopenia is a geriatric syndrome, which affects the functional status and mobility of individuals. OBJECTIVE To identify the prevalence of sarcopenia and undernutrition, and to assess the association between sarcopenia and mobility, and sarcopenia and basic activities of daily living (ADL) in a group of elderly women. SUBJECTS AND METHODS A cross-sectional study was performed in patients attending a geriatric service at a government hospital in Mexico City. Sarcopenia was identified applying Baumgartner's equation by obtaining skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) and undernutrition was diagnosed using mini-nutritional assessment instrument (MNA). The SENECA questionnaire and Katz index were used to evaluate mobility and ADL, respectively. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS lineal regression models were constructed fitting SMI as a dependent variable and SENECA, and ADL scores as independent variables, adjusted for age. RESULTS 90 women with a mean age of 78.2 (± 6.8) were studied. Undernutrition was identified in 15.5% of the patients. The prevalence of sarcopenia was 41.1%. Patients with sarcopenia presented a high prevalence of undernutrition (p < 0.001). Sarcopenia was associated with difficulty in climbing stairs (OR = 2.63, p = 0.03), adjusted for age. The mobility score was associated with sarcopenia, in the group without sarcopenia the mean score was 16.3, and with sarcopenia it was 18.3, (p = 0.04). Regarding ADL, 64.9% of the patients with intermediate independence and dependence had sarcopenia, while 35.1% with total independence presented sarcopenia (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS The elder women with sarcopenia had a higher prevalence of undernutrition. Sarcopenia was associated with difficulties in mobility, particularly difficulties in climbing stairs.
Recent Evolutions in Costing Systems: A Literature Review of Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing

This article provides a comprehensive literature review of Time-Driven Activity Based Costing (TDABC), a relatively new tool to improve the cost allocation to products and services. After a brief overview of traditional costing and activity based costing systems (ABC), a detailed description of the TDABC model is given and a comparison made between this methodology and its predecessor ABC. Thirty-six empirical contributions using TDABC over the period 2004â€“2012 were reviewed. The results and conclusions of these studies are grouped according to the main areas of application of the method such as logistics, manufacturing, services, health, hospitality and nonprofit services. Potential benefits, and challenges are identified.
Major immunoglobulin classes of the Echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus).

The Australian echidna responds to the antigen Salmonella adelaide flagella by producing antibodies characterized by mol. wt of 900,000 and 150,000. After cleavage of interchain disulphide bonds, both the high and low mol. wt immunoglobulins can be resolved into light and heavy polypeptide chains. In both cases, the light chains resemble those of other vertebrate immunoglobulins in size (22,500 Daltons) and electrophoretic mobility. The 900,000 Dalton immunoglobulin contains heavy chains similar to human μ chains in size (70,000 Daltons) and electrophoretic mobility. The 150,000 Dalton immunoglobulin contains a different class of heavy chain, similar in size (50,000 Daltons) and electrophoretic mobility to human γ chains. Proportional mass contributions of the light and heavy chains to the intact molecule suggest the structure of the intact molecules could be represented by (L2, μ2)5 and (L2, γ2) for the high and low mol. wt immunoglobulins respectively. These configurations are similar to those described for human γM and γG immunoglobulins. The results are relevant to theories of the evolution of the different classes of immunoglobulins. While the echidna is distinctly more primitive than eutherian mammals and still retains structural features characteristic of reptiles, its major immunoglobulin classes are very similar to human IgM and IgG. The striking similarities between the γ-like heavy chain of the echnidna and human IgG heavy chains suggest that the echidna may be the first species in which a γ chain gene directly homologous to mammalian γ chain genes is expressed.
Systematic Reviews of Topical Fluorides for Dental Caries: A Review of Reporting Practice

This paper aims to assess systematic reviews on the caries-preventive effect of topical fluorides, identifying key content and reporting quality issues to be considered by researchers planning a review in this area. Published systematic reviews and meta-analyses of any topical fluoride intervention for caries control were included. Relevant databases were searched (December 2009), along with reference lists of included publications. Thirty-eight reports were identified and assessed. A majority of these focused on the child/adolescent population, fluoride toothpastes, no treatment/placebo comparisons, and had caries increment as the main outcome. Complete reporting of eligibility criteria (PICOS) was uncommon, except in Cochrane reviews. Less than half reported searching multiple sources and only one third reported a search strategy. Duplicate study selection and data extraction was reported in 27 (71%) and 16 (42%) reviews, respectively; quality assessment of included studies was not reported in one third of the reviews. Meta-analysis was reported in 20 (52%) reviews, with six not reporting the methods of synthesis used, 17 formally assessing heterogeneity, and 12 reporting analyses for its exploration. This study shows that some content features have been covered more often than others in existing fluoride reviews, while some relevant features are yet to be addressed. Also, reporting of several methodological aspects are below an acceptable level, except for Cochrane reviews. Current reporting guidelines for systematic reviews of interventions (e.g. PRISMA) and sources of high-quality existing reviews (e.g. The Cochrane Library) should be closely followed to enhance the validity and relevance of future topical fluoride reviews.
Effect of corneal arcus on central corneal thickness, intraocular pressure, and primary open-angle glaucoma: the Singapore Malay Eye Study.

OBJECTIVES To examine the association of corneal arcus with central corneal thickness (CCT), intraocular pressure (IOP), and the prevalence of primary open-angle glaucoma. METHODS This was a population-based cross-sectional study of Malay participants aged 40 to 80 years living in Singapore. Participants underwent a standardized interview and systemic and ocular examinations, including CCT, IOP, and corneal curvature radius measurements. Corneal arcus, assessed using a slitlamp, was defined as gray-white or yellow opacity located near the periphery of the cornea but separated from the limbus by a clear zone. RESULTS Corneal arcus was found in right eyes among 1747 (57.9%) of 3015 participants. After adjusting for age, sex, and systemic factors, IOP was higher (15.87 vs 14.86 mm Hg, P < .001) and CCT was thinner (540.6 vs 543.4 μm, P = .03) in eyes with vs without corneal arcus. In multiple linear regression models, eyes with corneal arcus had on average 1.14 mm Hg higher IOP than eyes without corneal arcus. In the presence of corneal arcus, the linear correlations of CCT × IOP and of corneal curvature radius × IOP were altered. The prevalence of ocular hypertension, but not primary open-angle glaucoma, was significantly higher among participants with corneal arcus than among participants without corneal arcus (P = .02). CONCLUSIONS Corneal arcus was associated with higher IOP and lower CCT independent of age, sex, and systemic and ocular factors. Further research is required to investigate the clinical implications of these findings for IOP assessment in eyes with corneal arcus.