Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of levofloxacin versus clarithromycin efficacy in the eradication of Helicobacter pylori infection

Background: Helicobacter pylori (H.pylori) infection causes multiple upper gastrointestinal diseases but optimal therapeutic regimen which can eradicate infection in all the cases has not yet been defined. This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of triple levofloxacin-based versus clarithromycin-based therapy. Methods: In this open-label randomized clinical trial study 120 patients who had esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) with positive rapid urease test (RUT) were enrolled and divided into 2 groups. Case group was treated with levofloxacin (500 mg daily) plus amoxicillin (1 gr twice a day) plus omeprazole (20 mg daily) for 2 weeks. Control group was treated with clarithromycin (500 mg twice a day) plus omeprazole (20 mg daily) for 2 weeks. After the main course of treatment, they received maintenance treatment with omeprazole for 4 weeks. Stool antigen test was performed on them after two weeks of not having any medicine. Results: H.pylori eradication (intention to treat analysis) was successful in 75% of case group and 51.7% of control group showing a significant difference (P=0.008). H.p infection eradication (per-protocol analysis) was successful in 80.4% in case group and 57.4%% in control group showing significant difference (P=0.009). Drugs adverse effects causing discontinuation treatment were seen in 5% of case group and 3.3% of control group which have not shown a significant difference between the two groups (P=0.648). Conclusion: Triple therapy with levofloxacin-based regimen has better efficacy than clarithromycin-based regimen and as safe as it is.
Multiple Human Cytochromes Contribute to Biotransformation of Dextromethorphan In‐vitro: Role of CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6, and CYP3A

Cytochromes mediating the biotransformation of dextromethorphan to dextrorphan and 3‐methoxymorphinan, its principal metabolites in man, have been studied by use of liver microsomes and microsomes containing individual cytochromes expressed by cDNA‐transfected human lymphoblastoid cells.
Early deterioration of iron status among a cohort of Bolivian infants.

Iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) are major contributors to infant and maternal morbidity worldwide. There is limited longitudinal data on iron status in young infants and on methods to adjust iron biomarkers for inflammation. We aimed to quantify the prevalence of inflammation-adjusted ID, anemia, and IDA over the first year in a cohort of Bolivian infants and their mothers. Healthy mother-infant dyads were recruited from two peri-urban hospitals. Infants provided three blood draws (2, 6-8, and 12-18 months; N = 160); mothers provided two blood draws (1 and 6-8 months postpartum [plus third anemia measurement at 12-18 months]; N = 250). Blood was analyzed for hemoglobin, ferritin, soluble transferrin receptor, C-reactive protein (CRP), and alpha(1)-acid glycoprotein (AGP). Iron biomarkers were adjusted for inflammation using CRP and AGP; hemoglobin cutoffs were adjusted for altitude. Inflammation (elevated CRP or AGP) was 17% among toddlers 12-18 months of age. ID (inflammation-adjusted ferritin) increased with age (<1%, 56%, and 79% at each blood draw), as did anemia and IDA (anemia: 70%, 76%, and 81%; IDA: <1%, 46%, and 68%). Maternal ID declined from the first to second assessment (39% vs. 27%). Inflammation-adjusted ID prevalence was up to 15 percentage points higher than unadjusted estimates. The high prevalence of ID, anemia, and IDA in this cohort of Bolivian infants beginning at 6-8 months of age suggests that early interventions may be necessary in vulnerable populations.
Does son preference matter?

Summary The demand for additional children is influenced by the presence of sons within a family. This study is based on cross-sectional data of 9416 currently married women under age 50 from a Pakistan national survey in 1979–80. The analysis suggests that having at least one son in the family influences the demand for additional children. Urban and rural comparisons indicated a higher preference for sons in urban areas. Unless the socioeconomic milieu changes, son preference is likely to remain strong in Pakistan.
Demand, Supply, and Markup Fluctuations

Markup cyclicality has been central for debating policy effectiveness and understanding business-cycle fluctuations. However, measuring the cyclicality of markups is as important as understanding the microeconomic mechanisms underlying that cyclicality. The latter requires measurement of firm-level markups and separating supply from demand shocks. We construct a novel dataset with detailed (multi-)product-level prices for individual firms. By estimating a structural model of supply and demand, we evaluate how companies adjust prices and marginal costs as a response to shocks. We find that price markups respond positively to supply shocks and negatively to demand shocks. The mechanism explaining the observed markup behaviour is the same for both shocks: incomplete pass-through of changes along the marginal-cost curve to price adjustments. These observed price and output responses are consistent with dynamic demand considerations. Finally, we use our estimated shocks to show how aggregate markup fluctuations in the sample period are mostly explained by aggregate demand shocks.
The state of special schools in Ghana: Perceptions of special educators in Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions of Ghana

Special education is aimed at providing a wide range of services to enable children who need special assistance, logistics and teaching methods to participate in the educational system. Special schools perform these functions by providing children with disabilities the support they need to participate in teaching and learning. This study investigated the state of special schools in Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions of Ghana. The aim was to assess conditions in the schools, from the perspectives of special educators, to ascertain if the schools were preforming the functions for which they have established. An in-depth interview was conducted with 20 participants, made up of special education officials at the national head office, district special education coordinators, headmasters and teachers of special schools. The results from the study suggest that special schools in the two regions were ill-resourced and were turning out students with low academic and vocational achievements. These findings are discussed in relation to the purpose of special education and the commitment of government to provide quality education for children with disabilities.
Trade Impacts of Agricultural Support in the EU

This paper aims at providing an overview of the most relevant trade issues raised by the current agricultural domestic and trade policies of the European Union (EU) and at drawing policy implications for the future of the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) and for international trade negotiations. The focus of the paper is the period after the 2003 CAP reform which largely decoupled EU direct payments. The paper assesses the trade impacts of the EU policies by: a) analysing the evolution of the policy instruments and of the financial resources under Pillars 1 and 2 of the CAP; b) reviewing the theoretical literature and the empirical tools and evidence on the production and trade impacts of direct payments, market management measures and rural development policies; c) analysing the evolution of the bound, applied and preferential agricultural tariffs and of the tariff rate quotas applied by the EU; d) reviewing the theoretical literature and the empirical tools and evidence on the degree of agricultural protection provided to the EU agricultural sector by the EU multilateral and preferential tariffs, tariff rate quotas and non-tariff measures; and e) discussing the policy implications with a focus on the debate about the future of the CAP.
DNA Ploidy Abnormalities in Basal and Superficial Regions of the Crypts in Barrett's Esophagus and Associated Neoplastic Lesions

The purpose of this study was to define the zonal DNA content distribution in the basal versus the superficial crypt cells in Barrett's esophagus (BE) and related neoplastic lesions. One hundred and five tissue sections of BE patients and 12 gastric tissue section as controls were stained with hematoxylin-eosin and Feulgen and high-fidelity DNA histograms were generated from whole crypts (n=117) and also separately from the basal and superficial portions of the crypts (n=71). Three parameters were analyzed: (1) peak DNA index (DI), classified into diploidy (DI=0.9-1.1) or aneuploidy (DI>1.1), the latter of which was further divided into 3 types: mild (DI=1.1-1.3), moderate (DI=1.3-1.8), and severe (DI>1.8). (2) Heterogeneity index (HI), representing groups of cells with different DNA content. (3) Percentage of cells with DI exceeding 5N rate (5N-ER). In full crypts, compared with gastric controls, the prevalence of DNA aneuploidy increased significantly (P<0.01) from nondysplastic BE to basal crypt dysplasia (BCD), low-grade dysplasia (LGD), high-grade dysplasia (HGD), and adenocarcinoma (AC). Nondysplastic BE, BCD, and LGD had mostly mild aneuploidy, and the majority of HGD and AC had either moderate or severe aneuploidy. In addition, both HI and 5N-ER increased progressively from BCD and LGD to HGD and AC (P<0.01). When analyzed separately, the superficial crypt cells were diploid in nondysplastic BE and BCD, but were aneuploid in 50% of LGD and 100% of HGD cases. In contrast, basal crypt cells were aneuploid in 37% of nondysplastic BE, 50% of BCD, 73% of LGD, and 100% of HGD cases. A similar progressive increase in the HI and 5N-ER values in basal crypt cells was observed with dysplastic progression. The changes in DNA ploidy profiles of basal crypt cells in BCD and LGD were remarkably similar. These results suggest that with neoplastic progression, dysplastic changes in BE begin in the basal crypt cells and then extend further up the crypts, and BCD represents a true early form of dysplasia limited to the crypt bases.
Local expert experiences and perceptions of environmentally induced migration from Bangladesh to India

This study investigates local expert perceptions of the role of environmental factors, especially in terms of contemporary climate change, in population movements from Bangladesh to India. The aim is to delve into locally held understandings of the phenomenon and to gain a better understanding of these migration processes, which are actively intertwined with local experiences. Both Indian and Bangladeshi experts were interviewed using semi-structured, in-depth interviews in order to explore insights from locally held perceptions and understandings of contextual factors. In total, 10 Bangladeshi and 15 Indian experts were interviewed, covering different disciplines, sectors, regions and job types, together providing a more complete and grounded picture of views of environmentally induced migration in Bangladesh and India. The results show that climate change is perceived by local experts as one of the key factors influencing migration in Bangladesh, both internally and externally. The interviewees, however, placed environmentally induced migration in a broader context of labour and economic migration. In particular, migration for environmental reasons in Bangladesh was evident long before the emergence of climate change as an issue. According to the interviewed experts, this does not preclude increased environmentally induced migration within and from Bangladesh in the future, but its analyses ought to be placed in historical and economical contexts.
The Workplace English Needs of Japanese EFL University Students after Graduation

English for Occupational Purposes (EOP) is a subcategory of a larger field of linguistics research and instruction referred to as English for Specific Purposes (ESP). EOP grew in relevance once English started to become a needed tool in order to obtain employment, receive promotion, and interact effectively in a rapidly globalizing working world that is dominated by English as the medium of communication. The direction taken to address English in the workplace training through the use of EOP seems to fly in the face of conventional holistic objectives of second language (L2) learning and teaching until one realizes that EOP has rapidly developed as a recent reaction to workplace demands made by companies that are dealing with reallife language requirements. Employees who use English as a second language for communicative purposes are not usually expected to be as competent in the entire range of English productive and receptive skills as a native speaker of the language would be, rather L2 English employees are expected to be competent in certain specialized skills or aspects of English. In order to determine which of these aspects are needed by employers’ linguistics researchers should direct their investigative efforts towards listening to what employers have to say in this regard, which surprisingly is not being done to a great extent in Japan.
Fecundability according to male serum inhibin B--a prospective study among first pregnancy planners.

BACKGROUND New biological markers of male fecundity are needed for use in large-scale epidemiological studies. We studied the association between male inhibin B and fecundability. METHODS Four hundred and thirty Danish couples without previous reproductive experience were followed from termination of contraception until pregnancy or for a maximum of six menstrual cycles. At enrolment we obtained semen samples (n = 418) and blood samples to measure reproductive hormones, including inhibin B (n = 343). RESULTS The fecundability odds ratio for an increment of male inhibin B by 1 log pg/ml was 1.428 (95% confidence interval 1.022-1.994), adjusted for factors influencing the crude estimate. Only inhibin B values below 100 pg/ml were strongly related to fecundability. We designed a receiver operating characteristic curve based on the 29 males with serum inhibin B #100 pg/ml. The area under the curve (AUC) for inhibin B was 0.787 and the corresponding AUCs for sperm density and FSH were 0.913 and 0.800, respectively. CONCLUSION Serum inhibin B may be a reliable marker of male fecundity for epidemiological research and may have some advantages over sperm density. Our findings do not support the replacement of sperm density by male inhibin B when obtaining sperm data is an option.
Preclincial testing of Sorafenib and RAD001 in the Nfflox/flox;DhhCre mouse model of plexiform neurofibroma using magnetic resonance imaging

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is an inherited disease predisposing affected patients to variable numbers of benign neurofibromas. To date there are no effective chemotherapeutic drugs available for this slow growing tumor. Molecularly targeted agents that aim to slow neurofibroma growth are being tested in clinical trials. So preclinical models for testing potential therapies are urgently needed to prioritize drugs for clinical trials of neurofibromas.
Electronic Algorithmic Prediction of Central Vascular Catheter Use

Objective. To develop prediction algorithms for the presence of a central vascular catheter in hospitalized patients with use of data present in an electronic health record. Such algorithms could be used for measurement of device utilization rates and for clinical decision support rules. Design. Criterion standard. Setting. John H. Stroger, Jr, Hospital of Cook County, a 464-bed public hospital in Chicago, Illinois. Participants. Patients admitted to the medical intensive care unit from May 31, 2005 through June 26, 2006 (derivation data set, May 31, 2005-September 28, 2005; validation data set, September 29, 2005-June 28, 2006). Methods. Covariates were collected from the electronic medical record for each patient; the outcome variable was presence of a central vascular device. Multivariate models were developed using the derivation set and the generalized estimating equation. Three models, each with increasing database requirements, were validated using the validation set. Device utilization ratios and performance characteristics were calculated. Results. Although Charlson score and duration of intensive care unit stay were significant predictors in all models, factors that indicated use or presence of a central line were also important. Device utilization rates derived from the algorithmic models were as accurate as those obtained using manual sampling. Conclusions. Automated calculation of central vascular catheter use is both feasible and accurate, providing estimates statistically similar to those obtained using manual surveillance. Prediction modeling of central vascular catheter use may enable automated surveillance of bloodstream infections and enhance important prevention interventions, such as timely removal of unnecessary central lines.
Napping, nighttime sleep, and cardiovascular risk factors in mid-life adults.

STUDY OBJECTIVES To evaluate the relations between sleep characteristics and cardiovascular risk factors and napping behavior, and to assess whether daytime napping leads to subsequent better or worse sleep. METHODS The sample consisted of 224 (African American, Caucasian, and Asian) middle-aged men and women. Sleep measures included nine nights of actigraphy and sleep diaries, sleep questionnaires, and one night of polysomnography to measure sleep disordered breathing. RESULTS More frequent napping was associated with shorter nighttime sleep duration averaged across the nine nights of actigraphy (especially among African Americans), more daytime sleepiness, more pain and fatigue by diary, and increased body mass index and waist circumference. Shorter nighttime sleep duration was associated with taking a nap during the next day and taking a nap was associated with less efficient sleep the next night. CONCLUSIONS Napping in middle-aged men and women is associated with overall less nighttime sleep in African Americans and lower sleep efficiency as measured by actigraphy, and increased BMI and central adiposity. These findings point to the importance of measuring of napping in understanding associations of sleep with cardiovascular risk.
Mechanisms underlying attenuation of apoptosis of cortical neurons in the hypoxic brain by flavonoids from the stems and leaves of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi

Flavonoids from the stems and leaves of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, an antioxidant, markedly improve memory impairments and neuronal injuries. In the present study, primary cortical neurons of rats were exposed to potassium cyanide to establish a model of in vitro neural cell apoptosis. Inhibition of apoptosis by flavonoids from the stems and leaves of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi at concentrations of 18.98, 37.36, and 75.92 μg/mL was detected using this model. These flavonoids dramatically increased cell survival, inhibited cell apoptosis and excessive production of malondialdehyde, and increased the activities of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and Na+-K+-ATPase in primary cortical neurons exposed to potassium cyanide. The flavonoids from the stems and leaves of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi were originally found to have a polyhydric structure and to protect against cerebral hypoxia in in vitro and in vivo models, including hypoxia induced by potassium cyanide or cerebral ischemia. The present study suggests that flavonoids from the stems and leaves of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi exert neuroprotective effects via modulation of oxidative stress, such as malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and Na+-K+-ATPase disorders induced by potassium cyanide.
Dispersion of the neurons expressing layer specific markers in the reeler brain

Neurons with similar functions including neuronal connectivity and gene expression form discrete condensed structures within the vertebrate brain. This is exemplified within the circuitry formed by the cortical layers and the neuronal nuclei. It is well known that the Reelin protein is required for development of these neuronal structures in rodents and human, but the function of Reelin remains controversial. In this report, we used “layer‐specific markers” of the cerebral cortex to carry out detailed observations of spatial distribution of the neuronal subpopulations in the brain of the Reelin deficient mouse, reeler. We observed a spatially dispersed expression of the markers in the reeler cerebral cortex. These markers are expressed also in other laminated and non‐laminated structures of brain, in which we observed similar abnormal gene expression. Our observations suggest that neurons within the brain structures (such as the layers and the nuclei), which normally exhibit condensed distribution of marker expressions, loosen their segregation or scatter by a lack of Reelin.
Antibodies to K‐α 1 Tubulin and Collagen V Are Associated With Chronic Rejection After Lung Transplantation

Bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS), the clinical correlate of chronic rejection after lung transplantation, is the leading obstacle to better long‐term outcomes. We previously instituted a clinical protocol to screen for donor‐specific human leukocyte antigen (HLA) antibodies (DSA) and a preemptive antibody‐directed therapy protocol consisting of rituximab and/or intravenous immune globulin. In this study, we retrospectively analyzed serum samples from lung transplant recipients (n = 108) for antibodies to self‐antigens (K‐α 1 tubulin and collagen V) before and after antibody‐directed therapy and correlated the results with the subsequent development of BOS. Seventy‐two of the 108 recipients developed antibodies to self‐antigens. There was a correlation between the development of antibodies to self‐antigens and DSA. Sixteen of the 54 patients who had antibodies to self‐antigens and were treated with antibody‐directed therapy cleared the antibodies, and they were significantly less likely to develop BOS than those who had persistent antibodies. Furthermore, those who cleared DSA after treatment but had persistent antibodies to self‐antigens were significantly more likely to develop BOS than those who cleared these antibodies. We conclude that antibodies to self‐antigens are an important risk factor for the development of BOS.
Resistance management strategies in malaria vector mosquito control. Baseline data for a large‐scale field trial against Anopheles albimanus in Mexico

Abstract.A high level of DDT resistance and low levels of resistance to organophosphorus, carbamate and pyrethroid insecticides were detected by discriminating dose assays in field populations of Anopheles albimanus in Chiapas, southern Mexico, prior to a large‐scale resistance management project described by Hemingway et al. (1997) . Biochemical assays showed that the DDT resistance was caused by elevated levels of glutathione S‐transferase (GST) activity leading to increased rates of metabolism of DDT to DDE. The numbers of individuals with elevated GST and DDT resistance were well correlated, suggesting that this is the only major DDT resistance mechanism in this population.