Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Trends for inpatient treatment of tubal pregnancy in Maryland.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to determine the burden of tubal pregnancy in Maryland in hospitalized patients and to elicit treatment trends. STUDY DESIGN Patients who were admitted with tubal pregnancy from January 1, 1994, through March 31, 1999, were identified with the use of the Maryland Health Service Cost Review Commission discharge database. Combining this with census data, we calculated the incidence. Cases were then stratified by demographics, presentation, and surgeon volume. Outcome measures included type of medical treatment,conservative (salpingostomy or salpingotomy) or extirpative operation (salpingectomy, salpingo-oophorectomy, oophorectomy, hysterectomy), length of stay, charges, and disposition. The treatment groups were compared with the use of t tests and linear regression, and associations between demographics and type of operation were analyzed with logistic regression. RESULTS The database included 3729 cases, which yielded an annual incidence of 5.2 per 10,000 women aged 15 to 45 years. Subjects averaged 29.6 years old and were predominantly African American(52.6%) and white (43.3%). Most of the women (67.8%) were seen in the emergency department and were treated surgically (90.7%). Conservative operation was performed in 18.1% of the women; extirpative operation was performed in 81.9% of the women. Significant predictors for extirpative operation were emergency department admission (odds ratio, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.18-1.75), increasing age (odds ratio, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.06-1.09), African American race (odds ratio, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.51-2.31), higher surgeon volume (odds ratio, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.04-1.57), and market area. Length of stay and total charges were higher for the extirpative group(P <.0001). The study lacked the power to detect differences in outcomes for other nonwhite races (5% power), laparoscopy versus laparotomy (15% power), or operating room charges (14% power). CONCLUSION These data are limited to hospitalized patients and probably underestimate the true incidence of tubal pregnancy. Most patients underwent extirpative operation. Acuity of presentation and increasing age were appropriate predictors of this group. However, physician volume and black race were also predictors. This may be due to differences in the prevalence of disease, unmeasured clinical factors, patient and physician preferences for treatment, barriers that delayed care, or other socioeconomic factors.
Proportional fairness-based user pairing and power allocation for non-orthogonal multiple access

The non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) has been investigated recently as a candidate radio access technology in future mobile networks. It is able to implement power-domain user multiplexing based on successive interference cancellation (SIC). This paper focuses on the user pairing and power allocation problem in the 2-user NOMA system. The optimal solution in closed-form is derived with the proportional fairness objective and is used for the design of the user pair power allocation scheme. The prerequisites for user pairing are also formulated in order to avoid unnecessary comparison of candidate user pairs. The performance of the proposed scheme is evaluated by system-level simulations and results in higher gains than the search-based transmission power allocation. On the other hand, the computational complexity is reduced by the proposed scheme effectively.
Effect of Aggressive Blood Pressure Control on the Recurrence of Atrial Fibrillation After Catheter Ablation: A Randomized, Open-Label Clinical Trial (SMAC-AF [Substrate Modification With Aggressive Blood Pressure Control]).

BACKGROUND Radiofrequency catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation has become an important therapy for AF; however, recurrence rates remain high. We proposed to determine whether aggressive blood pressure (BP) lowering prevents recurrent atrial fibrillation (AF) after catheter ablation in patients with AF and a high symptom burden. METHODS We randomly assigned 184 patients with AF and a BP >130/80 mm Hg to aggressive BP (target <120/80 mm Hg) or standard BP (target <140/90 mm Hg) treatment before their scheduled AF catheter ablation. The primary outcome was symptomatic recurrence of AF/atrial tachycardia/atrial flutter lasting >30 seconds, determined 3 months beyond catheter ablation by a blinded end-point evaluation. RESULTS The median follow-up was 14 months. At 6 months, the mean systolic BP was 123.2±13.2 mm Hg in the aggressive BP treatment group versus 135.4±15.7 mm Hg (P<0.001) in the standard treatment group. The primary outcome occurred in 106 patients, 54 (61.4%) in the aggressive BP treatment group compared with 52 (61.2%) in the standard treatment group (hazard ratio=0.94; 95% confidence interval, 0.65-1.38; P=0.763). In the prespecified subgroup analysis of the influence of age, patients ≥61 years of age had a lower primary outcome event rate with aggressive BP (hazard ratio=0.58; 95% confidence interval, 0.34-0.97; P=0.013). There was a higher rate of hypotension requiring medication adjustment in the aggressive BP group (26% versus 0%). CONCLUSIONS In this study, this duration of aggressive BP treatment did not reduce atrial arrhythmia recurrence after catheter ablation for AF but resulted in more hypotension. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION URL: http://www.clinicaltrials. gov. Unique identifier: NCT00438113.
Gravity Model by Panel Data Approach

This article has examined the determinants of export and import flows of countries in the South Asia through estimations for a country panel data of eight countries during the period 1985–2011 using a gravity model. The estimated result suggests that gross domestic product (GDP) and population among other factors can explain export and import flows. Perhaps the most important finding of the study is that South Asia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) has produced trade creation among its members. Finally, the study found that geographic distance might be impeding trade, and tariff has negative effect on the trade. The study also found that the nature of trade is intra-industry among the member countries of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
Maintenance of long-term efficacy and safety of quetiapine in the open-label treatment of schizophrenia

As schizophrenia is a chronic disorder, it is important that treatment be given over a long period of time to avoid relapse. Quetiapine, an atypical antipsychotic, has established efficacy and good tolerability in the short-term treatment of schizophrenia. This study investigated the long-term efficacy and safety of quetiapine in 674 patients with schizophrenia using combined data from the open-label extension phase of four Phase IIIa trials. The results showed that quetiapine, at a mean daily dose of 472.4 mg, provided progressive improvement and maintenance in the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale total, positive- and negative-symptoms cluster, Clinical Global Impression Severity of Illness, and Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms total scores over 208 weeks and beyond. Furthermore, quetiapine was well tolerated throughout the study period, with a low incidence of extrapyramidal symptom-related adverse events. In conclusion, quetiapine may be a suitable therapy in the long-term treatment of schizophrenia.
Application of T2 relaxometry in lateralization and localization of mesial temporal lobe epilepsy and corresponding comparison with MR volumetry

Background Magnetic resonance (MR) volumetry is insensitive to subtle mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS), while T2 relaxometry is potential useful in detecting MTS, especially MTS in early course. Purpose To explore and compare the feasibility of T2 relaxometry and MR volumetry in evaluation of mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) and lateralization of the epileptogenic zone, so as to optimize and enhance lesion depiction. Material and Methods For the 17 unilateral MTLE patients and 14 normal participants, the hippocampus and amygdala were contoured on axial T2-weighted (T2W) images and then co-registered onto T2 relaxation maps. Abnormal is defined as an elevated asymmetric ratio of larger than 2 SD. Visual and quantitative volumetric assessment were combined as outcomes of MR volumetry to distinguish MR-positive and MR-negative lesions. Operative and pathological findings were used as gold standard. Results T2 values of lesions were significantly elevated. In lateralizing the epileptogenic zones, T2 relaxometry yielded an overall accuracy of 94.1% (sensitivity 92.6%, specificity 100%), and MR volumetry yielded an overall accuracy of 82.4% (sensitivity 88.9%, specificity 57.1%), meaning a better performance of T2 relaxometry (P < 0.001, by chi-square test). For pathologically sclerotic structures, most (25/27) were recognized by T2 relaxometry, while 24 of 27 sclerotic structures were detected via MR volumetry. MR volumetry wrongly discerned three normal regions as MTS, while one MR-negative sclerotic hippocampus was detected by T2 relaxometry. Conclusion T2 relaxometry is feasible in non-invasive lateralization of epileptogenic zone, and more advantaged than MR volumetry in detecting MR-negative lesions, facilitating prompt diagnosis and longitudinal disease monitoring.
From covert to overt: the role of crisis in transforming racism

Over the last few decades community awareness and social pressure have ensured that overt racism and racist actions have become relatively less in number in many countries across the world. The majority of racism that impacts adversely on individuals and communities today, especially in countries like Australia, is far more subtle, every day and covert, making it very difficult to identify or to challenge. However, this can change dramatically in times of crisis. Crisis in society can be caused by a number of social, political, environmental and economic factors including dramatic and immediate ones like 9/11, or longer term ones like the Global Financial Crisis. They all have significant effects in terms of intense distress within individuals and communities and adverse impacts on people's abilities to cope with life. They also bring out the best and the worst in human responses. On the one hand, environmental disasters like the Brisbane Floods of 2011 were followed by widespread scenes of community solidarity and mutual support. On the other hand, crisis situations like 9/11 were followed by a rapid transformation of covert racism into overt racism and expressed in actions that impacted very adversely on minority groups in society. This paper examines the nature and causes of this transformation and excavates some of its impacts on the community. It further looks at implications of this in terms of developing effective responses to racism in crisis situations.
Balancing selection maintains sex determining alleles in multiple‐locus complementary sex determination

Hymenopteran species in which sex is determined through a haplo‐diploid mechanism known as complementary sex determination (CSD) are vulnerable to a unique form of inbreeding depression. Diploids heterozygous at one or more CSD loci develop into females but diploids homozygous at all loci develop into diploid males, which are generally sterile or inviable. Species with multiple polymorphic CSD loci (ml‐CSD) may have lower rates of diploid male production than species with a single CSD locus (sl‐CSD), but it is not clear if polymorphism is consistently maintained at all loci. Here, we assess the rate of diploid male production in a population of Cotesia rubecula, a two‐locus CSD parasitoid wasp species, approximately 20 years after the population was introduced for biological control. We show that diploid male production dropped from 8–13% in 2005 and 2006 to 3–4% by 2015. We also show from experimental crosses that the population maintained polymorphism at both CSD loci in 2015. We use theory and simulations to show that balancing selection on all CSD alleles promotes polymorphism at several loci in ml‐CSD populations. Our study supports the hypothesis that ml‐CSD populations have lower diploid male production and are more likely to persist than comparable sl‐CSD populations.
Water institutions and the law of one price

We examine the economics of the water rights and markets in the US West. This is the region of North America where water supplies are most limited in face of rapidly growing demands. The striking feature of water markets is how unlike those for other commodities they appear. In particular, the law-of-one price does not hold. Other agricultural commodities, for instance, empirically do not have systematic price differences that persist over time. This is not the case for water. In water markets, municipal and industrial users typically pay much more than do agricultural agents to acquire and use water. We examine the role of historical property institutions in explaining limited water trading and the lack of the appearance of the law of one price. We explore the efficiency losses of limited trades and the options for adjusting existing rights arrangements.
Further Insights in the Mechanisms of Interleukin‐1β Stimulation of Osteoprotegerin in Osteoblast‐Like Cells

The mechanisms of IL‐1β stimulation of OPG were studied in more detail. Whereas p38 and ERK activation was confirmed to be needed, NF‐κB was not necessary for this regulation. We also found that OPG production after IL‐1β stimulation was not sufficient to block TRAIL‐induced apoptosis in MG‐63 cells.
Students' perceptions of their learning environment at the College of Medicine, University of Ilorin, Southwest, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND Quality of medical school graduates is influenced by cumulative effect of their learning environment. Measurement of such environment at the University of Ilorin, Nigeria was done by evaluating Students' perception using the DREEM questionnaires, with a view to improving the quality of medical education. METHODS DREEM questionnaire was applied to second, third, fourth and fifth year medical students, for assessment of the various aspects of effective educational environment. Responses were analyzed using SPSS software version 19. RESULTS One hundred and eighty students (66.2%) were males and 92 (33.8%) females. The mean age was 21.2 years ± 2.5 with 83 (30.5%) students in second year of study, 68 (25.0%) in third year, 80 (29.4%) in fourth year and 41 (15.1%) in fifth year. Mean global perception score was 108.4 / 200 points (54.2%) and this was not affected by sex, age and year of study. Scores for "Students' Perception of Learning" (SPL) and "Students' Academic Self Perceptions" (SASP) were 28.0/48 (58.8%) and 21.8/32 (68.1%) respectively. Three key areas are in need of attention; "Students' Perception of Course Organizers" (SPCO) (22.0/44, 50.0%), "Students' Perception of Atmosphere" (SPA) (23.8/48, 49.6%) and "Students' Social Self Perceptions" (SSSP) (12.8/28, 45.7%). The SSSP score was significantly higher in males (13.18) than in females (12.06) (p=0.02; p < 0.05), and in second (13.38) and third year (13.55) students compared to fourth year (12.16) and fifth year (11.76) (p=0.003). CONCLUSION Improvement in some aspect of teaching, atmosphere and social factors could be of further benefit to the students.
Influence of long-term treatment with tetracycline and niacinamide on antibody production in dogs with discoid lupus erythematosus.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of long-term treatment with tetracycline and niacinamide on antibody production in dogs by measuring postvaccinal serum concentrations of antibodies against canine parvovirus and canine distemper virus. ANIMALS 10 dogs receiving long-term treatment with tetracycline and niacinamide (treatment group) and 10 healthy dogs (control group). PROCEDURE The treatment group included 9 dogs with discoid lupus erythematosus and 1 dog with pemphigus foliaceus on long-term treatment (> 12 months) with tetracycline and niacinamide. The control group included 10 healthy dogs with no clinical signs of disease and no administered medications for the past 3 months. Blood samples were obtained from all dogs by jugular venipuncture. Serum antibody titers against canine parvovirus and canine distemper virus antigens were measured, using hemaglutination inhibition and serum neutralization, respectively, and compared between groups. RESULTS A significant difference in antibody titers between treatment- and control-group dogs was not found. All dogs had protective antibody titers against canine distemper virus, and 8 of 10 dogs from each group had protective titers against canine parvovirus infection. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE These results provide evidence that long-term treatment with tetracycline and niacinamide does not interfere with routine vaccinations and thus does not seem to influence antibody production in dogs.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis ESAT-6 Exhibits a Unique Membrane-interacting Activity That Is Not Found in Its Ortholog from Non-pathogenic Mycobacterium smegmatis*

Background: Mycobacterium tuberculosis ESAT-6 (MtbESAT-6) is required for phagosomal rupture and bacterial cytosolic translocation. Results: MtbESAT-6 underwent a pH-dependent conformational change and induced leakage of membrane vesicles, while its ortholog from non-pathogenic Mycobacterium smegmatis, MsESAT-6, did not. Conclusion: MtbESAT-6 possesses a unique membrane-interacting activity that is not found in MsESAT-6. Significance: This study links membrane-interacting activity of ESAT-6 to virulence of M. tuberculosis. Mycobacterium tuberculosis ESAT-6 (MtbESAT-6) reportedly shows membrane/cell-lysis activity, and recently its biological roles in pathogenesis have been implicated in rupture of the phagosomes for bacterial cytosolic translocation. However, molecular mechanism of MtbESAT-6-mediated membrane interaction, particularly in relation with its biological functions in pathogenesis, is poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the pH-dependent membrane interaction of MtbESAT-6, MtbCFP-10, and the MtbESAT-6/CFP-10 heterodimer, by using liposomal model membranes that mimic phagosomal compartments. MtbESAT-6, but neither MtbCFP-10 nor the heterodimer, interacted with the liposomal membranes at acidic conditions, which was evidenced by release of K+ ions from the liposomes. Most importantly, the orthologous ESAT-6 from non-pathogenic Mycobacterium smegmatis (MsESAT-6) was essentially inactive in release of K+. The differential membrane interactions between MtbESAT-6 and MsESAT-6 were further confirmed in an independent membrane leakage assay using the dye/quencher pair, 8-aminonapthalene-1,3,6 trisulfonic acid (ANTS)/p-xylene-bis-pyridinium bromide (DPX). Finally, using intrinsic and extrinsic fluorescence approaches, we probed the pH-dependent conformational changes of MtbESAT-6 and MsESAT-6. At acidic pH conditions, MtbESAT-6 underwent a significant conformational change, which was featured by an increased solvent-exposed hydrophobicity, while MsESAT-6 showed little conformational change in response to acidification. In conclusion, we have demonstrated that MtbESAT-6 possesses a unique membrane-interacting activity that is not found in MsESAT-6 and established the utility of rigorous biochemical approaches in dissecting the virulence of M. tuberculosis.
Borrelia burgdorferiSpirochetes Induce Mast Cell Activation and Cytokine Release

ABSTRACT The Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, is introduced into human hosts via tick bites. Among the cell types present in the skin which may initially contact spirochetes are mast cells. Since spirochetes are known to activate a variety of cell types in vitro, we tested whether B. burgdorferi spirochetes could activate mast cells. We report here that freshly isolated rat peritoneal mast cells or mouse MC/9 mast cells cultured in vitro with live or freeze-thawed B. burgdorferi spirochetes undergo low but detectable degranulation, as measured by [5-3H] hydroxytryptamine release, and they synthesize and secrete the proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). In contrast to findings in previous studies, where B. burgdorferi-associated activity was shown to be dependent upon protein lipidation, mast cell TNF-α release was not induced by either lipidated or unlipidated recombinant OspA. This activity was additionally shown to be protease sensitive and surface expressed. Finally, comparisons of TNF-α-inducing activity in known low-, intermediate-, and high-passage B. burgdorferi B31 isolates demonstrated passage-dependent loss of activity, indicating that the activity is probably plasmid encoded. These findings document the presence in low-passage B. burgdorferi spirochetes of a novel lipidation-independent activity capable of inducing cytokine release from host cells.
Towards Sustainable Marketing: Strategy in Slovak Companies

Despite the growing attention that is being paid to sustainability in the literature, little empirical research has been conducted on developing the link between sustainability and marketing strategy and moreover, only a few empirical studies have investigated this issue in Central and Eastern Europe. The conducted empirical survey examines the relationship between marketing strategy and sustainability from the perspective of enterprises in Slovakia. The authors have used binary logistic regression as an evaluation method. The empirical findings are based on 896 responses from different forms of companies in Slovak Republic. The results show that the legal form of a business organization is a relevant determinant of philosophy of sustainability when organization defines a marketing strategy and implements it into corporate strategy. Based on the results it can also be concluded that the environmental aspect of sustainability is determined by the size of organization and the sector of national economy where a company operates, while the social aspect is mainly determined by the share of foreign capital in the ownership structure of an organisation. This study contributes to the European research that studies the relation between sustainability and the marketing strategy by means of an empirical investigation in business organisations in a transition economy such as Slovakia.