Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
What Proportion of New Tuberculosis Patients Has a History of Household Tuberculosis Exposure? A Cross-Sectional Study from Udupi District, South India

While tuberculosis (TB) preventive therapy among household contacts is effective at an individual level, its population-level impact on reducing TB incidence has been unclear. In this study, we aimed to assess, among the new tuberculosis patients started on treatment between 1 October, 2018 and 30 June, 2019 in the public health facilities of Udupi district (South India): i) the proportion with a ‘history of household TB exposure’ and ii) sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with it. We conducted a cross-sectional study involving record review and patient interviews. Of 565 TB patients, 273(48%) were interviewed. Of them, 71(26%, 95% CI: 21%–32%) patients had a ‘history of household TB exposure (ever)’ with about half exposed in the past five years of diagnosis. Considering a new TB case as a proxy for incident TB, and ‘history of household TB exposure’ a proxy for household transmission, and assuming 100% effectiveness of preventive therapy, we may infer that a maximum of 26% of the incident cases can be prevented by giving preventive therapy to all household contacts of TB patients. In multivariable analysis, females and tobacco users had a significantly higher prevalence of household TB exposure. If there are resource constraints, these subgroups may be prioritized.
Maternal reproductive history and premenopausal risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease: a Danish cohort study

Objectives The metabolic changes of pregnancy resemble a cardiovascular risk profile and may persist postpartum, with body mass index (BMI) as a potential modifier. We examined the association between the number of live-birth pregnancies and maternal premenopausal risks of hypertension and cardiovascular disease (CVD), accounting for pre-pregnancy BMI as well as abortions and stillbirths. Design A prospective cohort study. Setting Mothers from the Danish National Birth Cohort (1996 to 2002). For each of these women, registry data on all pregnancies from 1973 to 2011 were obtained, as were self-reported pre-pregnancy weight and height. Participants A total of 44 552 first-time mothers in the Danish National Birth Cohort. Outcome measures Risks of hypertension and CVD during and between live-birth pregnancies separately and combined as live-birth cycles. Results After adjustment for abortions, stillbirths, pre-pregnancy BMI and other covariates, a higher risk of hypertension was observed in the first (HR 1.53, 95% CI: 1.37 to 1.72) and fourth and subsequent live-birth cycles (HR 1.72, 95% CI: 1.15 to 2.58), compared with the second. However, as number of live-birth pregnancies increased, risk of hypertension decreased during live-birth pregnancies and increased between live-birth pregnancies (tests for trend, p<0.01). For CVD, we found an overall J-shaped but non-significant association with number of live-birth pregnancies. No interaction with pre-pregnancy BMI (<25 versus ≥25 kg/m2) was observed. Conclusions Premenopausal women had the highest risk of hypertension and CVD during their first live-birth pregnancy and after their fourth live-birth pregnancy. All risks were independent of BMI before the first live-birth pregnancy and of number of abortions and stillbirths.
PNS1100322 98..104

CVD still represent the greatest cause of death and disease burden in Europe and there remains uncertainty whether or not diets rich in milk and/or dairy products affect CVD risk. This paper reviews current evidence on this from prospective studies and the role of serum lipids and blood pressure as markers of CVD risk with such diets. Also the potential of animal nutritionbased approaches aimed at reducing CVD risk from consumption of milk and dairy products is outlined. Briefly, the evidence from prospective studies indicates that increased consumption of milk does not result in increased CVD risk and may give some long-term benefits, although few studies relate specifically to cheese and butter and more information on the relationship between milk/dairy product consumption and dementia is needed. Recent data suggest that the SFA in dairy products may be less of a risk factor than previously thought; although this is based on serum cholesterol responses which taken in isolation may be misleading. Milk and some dairy products have counterbalancing effects by reducing blood pressure and possibly BMI control. Despite this, animal nutrition strategies to replace some SFA in milk with cis-MUFA or cis-PUFA are extensive and intuitively beneficial, although this remains largely unproven, especially for milk. There is an urgent need for robust intervention studies to evaluate such milk-fat modifications using holistic markers of CVD risk including central arterial stiffness.
Perceptions of Brazilian small-scale farmers about genetically modified crops

The aim of this paper is to investigate the perceptions of small-scale farmers in Brazil towards genetically modified (GM) crops based on a sample of 15 focus groups involving 111 individuals. The analysis of the corpus shows heterogeneous perceptions regarding these crops, shaped by diverse factors, including economic prospects and concerns with the impact on health and the environment. There are many misgivings about these effects among the farmers, who are keen to receive unbiased information on the topic. These uncertainties affect them more as consumers, as most would prefer eating GM-free food, than as producers, as they consider other aspects, especially economic feasibility, when deciding what to grow. Although most farmers believe they should have a voice in decision-making on agricultural issues, few have made concerted efforts to be heard.
Reutilización de un dispositivo liberador de progesterona (CIDR-B) para sincronizar el estro en un programa de transferencia de embriones bovinos Reuse of a progesterone releasing device (CIDR-B) for estrus synchronization within an embryo transfer program in bovines

Reuse of a progesterone releasing device (CIDR-B® 1.9 g) within an embryo transfer program in black Brangus cattle was assessed. Comparisons were performed on percentage of estrus per day after CIDR removal (PTE), percentage of total estrus during synchronization period (PTE), percentage of recipient cows with corpora lutea on the day of embryo transfer (CLt), pregnancy rate to embryo transfer (PGE) or to artificial insemination (PGI), pregnancy rate with grade 1 or 2 embryos (EG1, EG2), and serum progesterone concentrations during CIDR treatment (CSP). Control treatment for synchronization (new CIDR = CIDRn), as well as treatment 1 (CIDR first reutilization = CIDR1) and treatment 2 (CIDR second reutilization = CIDR2) were performed in 3 successive periods. No differences (P>0.05) were found when evaluating estrus per day after CIDR removal. PTEs were 90.9, 88.4 and 88.1 % for CIDRn, CIDR1 and CIDR2, respectively (P>0.05). CLts were 95.0, 92.1 and 97.3 % for CIDRn, CIDR1 and CIDR2, respectively (P>0.05). PGT in CIDRn, CIDR1 and CIDR2 were 42.1, 37.1 and 36.1 %, respectively (P>0.05). PGI did not differ between treatments (76.5, 61.0 and 76.5 % for CIDRn, CIDR1 and CIDR2, respectively). Pregnancy rate to embryo transfer was not affected by embryo quality (EG1 vs EG2, P> 0.05). CSP while CIDRs were inserted did not differ between treatments (Treatment and Treatment x Day, P>0.05). Results indicate the possibility of reusing a new CIDR up to two times in succession as an alternative for estrus synchronization of recipient dams in embryo transfer programs in bovines.
STAT3 activation through IL-6/IL-11 in cancer-associated fibroblasts promotes colorectal tumour development and correlates with poor prognosis

Objective Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) influence the tumour microenvironment and tumour growth. However, the role of CAFs in colorectal cancer (CRC) development is incompletely understood. Design We quantified phosphorylation of STAT3 (pSTAT3) expression in CAFs of human colon cancer tissue using a tissue microarray (TMA) of 375 patients, immunofluorescence staining and digital pathology. To investigate the functional role of CAFs in CRC, we took advantage of two murine models of colorectal neoplasia and advanced imaging technologies. In loss-of-function and gain-of-function experiments, using genetically modified mice with collagen type VI (COLVI)-specific signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) targeting, we evaluated STAT3 signalling in fibroblasts during colorectal tumour development. We performed a comparative gene expression profiling by whole genome RNA-sequencing of fibroblast subpopulations (COLVI+ vs COLVI–) on STAT3 activation (IL-6 vs IL-11). Results The analysis of pSTAT3 expression in CAFs of human TMAs revealed a negative correlation of increased stromal pSTAT3 expression with the survival of colon cancer patients. In the loss-of-function and gain-of-function approach, we found a critical role of STAT3 activation in fibroblasts in driving colorectal tumourigenesis in vivo. With different imaging technologies, we detected an expansion of activated fibroblasts in colorectal neoplasias. Comparative gene expression profiling of fibroblast subpopulations on STAT3 activation revealed the regulation of transcriptional patterns associated with angiogenesis. Finally, the blockade of proangiogenic signalling significantly reduced colorectal tumour growth in mice with constitutive STAT3 activation in COLVI+ fibroblasts. Conclusion Altogether our work demonstrates a critical role of STAT3 activation in CAFs in CRC development.
Examining Relationships between Achievement Goals, Study Strategies, and Class Performance in Educational Psychology

This mixed methods study examined the relationships between students’ learning goals, performance goals, study strategies, and test performances over a 14-week undergraduate course in educational psychology. Sixty undergraduate students provided goals at the beginning of the semester and reflected on their goals, study strategies, and test performances over the semester. Students’ reflections and subsequent performances were observed through four rounds of surveys using open-ended questions and Likert scales. Results show that learning goals remained unchanged over the semester while performance goals changed towards the end of the semester. Students differentiated importance of management, elaboration, and rehearsal strategies and tended to change strategies based on test performances. Relationships were found between goals and test performances, but not between goals and study strategies, nor between study strategies and performances. Both theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed.
The determinants of research and development and intellectual property usage among Australian Companies, 1989 to 2002

This paper traces the innovation pathways of new creations from R & D activity through to intellectual property (IP) applications using enterprise panel data from 1989 to 2002. Our estimation method explicitly addresses the selection issues associated with missing R&D data which is a common problem among this type of data set. We find that R&D activity is a highly path dependent process that relies heavily on firm specific effects. These firm specific effects were subsequently found to be correlated with managerial style Â– more aggressive and intuitive managers have higher R&D ceteris paribus Â– and extensive use of incentive schemes for employees within the firm. In addition, we find that R&D is higher when the previous yearÂ’s enterprise debt ratio is lower, the speed of technological change is faster, the firmÂ’s ability to absorb knowledge spillovers is greater and the product market is less contestable. Furthermore, these firms appear to be using the various methods of appropriation, IP and non-IP, as complementary packages to capture the quasi-rents from previous R&D expenditure rather than as substitutes.
Tele-Rheumatology to Regional Hospital Outpatient Clinics: Patient Perspectives on a New Model of Care.

Background: Telehealth has the potential to improve access to specialist rheumatology services. The timely and appropriate delivery of care to those living with rheumatological diseases is crucial to ensuring excellent long-term outcomes. Introduction: The outcomes of a tele-rheumatology service delivered to regional hospital outpatient clinics were evaluated with patient perspectives and acceptability analyzed. Materials and Methods: A tele-rheumatology clinic was commenced in Australia from a metropolitan hospital to five regional clinics. The model of care included a trained nurse at the spoke site linked to a rheumatologist from the hospital hub site for follow-up consultations of stable review patients using videoconferencing. Surveys assessing perspectives on the tele-rheumatology encounter were completed and a subsample participated in focus groups to further explore acceptability. Results: Forty-eight patients with a diverse range of conditions participated. Patient travel was reduced on average by 95 km and 42% avoided time off work. Eighty-eight to 100% of participants agreed/strongly agreed with statements relating to acceptability, quality of physician-patient interaction, and nurse involvement. Twenty-nine percent expressed the need for a physical examination by a specialist rheumatologist and 25% felt that an in-person consultation would establish better patient-physician rapport. Qualitatively, participants viewed tele-rheumatology as equivalent to in-person care after an initial adjustment period. Discussion: Tele-rheumatology through videoconferencing for follow-up of patients with established disease is acceptable to patients and demonstrates the potential to improve time, travel, and cost burdens placed on patients who live remotely compared with traditional, face-to-face rheumatology care. Conclusions: Implementation of sustainable and patient acceptable models of tele-rheumatology care may allow timely access to all patients living with rheumatological conditions.
Five Layered FCC Ferromagnetic Films as Described by Modified Second Order Perturbed Heisenberg Hamiltonian

For the first time, the 2 nd order perturbed Heisenberg Hamiltonian with all the seven magnetic energy parameters was solved for fcc structured ferromagnetic films with five layers. Previously, the 2 nd order perturbed Heisenberg Hamiltonian was solved for four layered ferromagnetic films under some special assumptions by us. However, the exact solution of 2 nd order perturbed Heisenberg Hamiltonian without any special assumption is formulated in this manuscript. The magnetic easy and hard directions were determined using the angles corresponding to the energy minimum and maximum in the 3-D and 2-D plots. The shape of the 3-D plots doesn’t change with the number of layers except the position of spikes. However, the magnetic easy direction varies with the number of layers. Most of the theoretical data obtained by our model agree with the experimental data of ferromagnetic thin films.
Prospective Analysis of Food Consumption and Nutritional Status and the Impact on the Dietary Inflammatory Index in Women with Breast Cancer during Chemotherapy

Considering the implications of adverse effects of chemotherapy (CT) and the potential impact of diet on patients’ recovery, this study aimed to prospectively evaluate the association between the consumption of food groups, patients’ Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII®) scores, and their nutritional status. Anthropometric and dietary assessments of 55 women with breast cancer (BC) were performed at three time points. T0 is the time point after the first CT cycle, T1 is the time point after the intermediate CT cycle, and T2 is the time point after the last CT cycle. We identified a significant increase in weight, body mass index, and waist circumference during CT. Consumption of poultry and eggs was higher in T1 when compared to T2, while consumption of total fruit and total vegetables was higher at T0 compared to T1 and T2. The diet became more pro-inflammatory over the course of treatment (X2(2) = 61.127), and was related to higher abdominal adiposity. Total fruit (T0: R2 = 0.208, T1: R2 = 0.095, T2: R2 = 0.120) and total vegetable consumption (T0: R2 = 0.284, T1: R2 = 0.365, T2: R2 = 0.580) predicted DII® change at the three-time points. Meanwhile, consumption of total grains was significantly associated only with T1 (R2 = 0.084) and T2 (R2 = 0.118), and consumption of simple sugars was significantly associated only with T0 (R2 = 0.137) and T1 (R2 = 0.126). Changes in food consumption led to an increase in the inflammatory profile of the diet, suggesting the necessity to improve the guidelines during and after CT. These results reinforce the need to promote healthier eating practices in concert with maintaining a healthy nutritional status in women with BC treated with CT.
Phosphodiesterase 10A Inhibitor Monotherapy Is Not an Effective Treatment of Acute Schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND Current treatments for psychotic symptoms associated with schizophrenia often provide inadequate efficacy with unacceptable adverse effects. Improved therapeutics have long been a goal of research. Preclinical testing suggests that phosphodiesterase 10A (PDE10A) inhibitors may provide a novel approach to treating psychosis associated with schizophrenia. METHODS The efficacy and safety of a highly selective PDE10A inhibitor, PF-02545920, was evaluated in a phase 2 multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study. Eligible patients (18-65 years) with an acute exacerbation of schizophrenia were randomized 2:2:1:2 to PF-02545920 (5 or 15 mg every 12 hours [Q12H] titrated), risperidone (3 mg Q12H), or placebo for 28 days (n = 74:74:37:74). The primary objectives were to evaluate the efficacy of PF-02545920 using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANNS) and safety/tolerability. RESULTS At day 28, PF-02545920 (either dose) was not significantly different from placebo for mean change from baseline in the PANNS total score (primary end point) or most other end points. Pharmacokinetics exposures seemed adequate for binding/inhibiting PDE10A enzyme. Risperidone was statistically different from placebo for the PANNS total score, demonstrating study sensitivity. Incidence rates for adverse events were similar among the groups. Both doses of PF-02545920 were generally well tolerated. Dystonia occurred in 1, 6, 0, and 3 patients in the PF-02545920 5 mg Q12H, PF-02545920 15 mg Q12H, risperidone, and placebo groups, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Neither dose of PF-02545920 was superior to placebo for the primary and most secondary end points. This indicates that PDE10A inhibition does not produce an antipsychotic effect in patients with acute exacerbation of schizophrenia.
Severe Drug-Induced Liver Injury from Combination Encorafenib/Binimetinib

Encorafenib/binimetinib is a new combination BRAF/MEK inhibitor used in the treatment of advanced or metastatic BRAFV600-mutant melanoma. Though generally tolerated well, mild to moderate aminotransferase elevations are common. However, significant liver injury has not been demonstrated in the literature. Here, we report the first case of severe hepatic injury associated with encorafenib/binimetinib in a 58-year-old gentleman requiring admission and extensive workup. He was successfully treated by withdrawing the combination therapy, and liver function returned to normal range.
Sex differences in the circadian misalignment effects on energy regulation

Significance Shift workers frequently experience circadian misalignment and are at increased risks of obesity. It is established that some characteristics of the circadian system and body weight regulation differ between males and females. However, whether there are sex differences in the effects of circadian misalignment on energy regulation remains unknown. Here we show that circadian misalignment disrupts energy balance in females and males through different pathways. Females had more disturbances in the energy homeostasis process, including a decrease in the satiety hormone and an increase in hunger hormone. Males had elevated cravings for energy-dense and savory foods. These data have potential implications for sex-specific weight gain prevention in shift work populations and other groups experiencing circadian rhythm disturbances. Shift work causes circadian misalignment and is a risk factor for obesity. While some characteristics of the human circadian system and energy metabolism differ between males and females, little is known about whether sex modulates circadian misalignment effects on energy homeostasis. Here we show—using a randomized cross-over design with two 8-d laboratory protocols in 14 young healthy adults (6 females)—that circadian misalignment has sex-specific influences on energy homeostasis independent of behavioral/environmental factors. First, circadian misalignment affected 24-h average levels of the satiety hormone leptin sex-dependently (P < 0.0001), with a ∼7% decrease in females (P < 0.05) and an ∼11% increase in males (P < 0.0001). Consistently, circadian misalignment also increased the hunger hormone ghrelin by ∼8% during wake periods in females (P < 0.05) without significant effect in males. Females reported reduced fullness, consistent with their appetite hormone changes. However, males reported a rise in cravings for energy-dense and savory foods not consistent with their homeostatic hormonal changes, suggesting involvement of hedonic appetite pathways in males. Moreover, there were significant sex-dependent effects of circadian misalignment on respiratory quotient (P < 0.01), with significantly reduced values (P < 0.01) in females when misaligned, and again no significant effects in males, without sex-dependent effects on energy expenditure. Changes in sleep, thermoregulation, behavioral activity, lipids, and catecholamine levels were also assessed. These findings demonstrate that sex modulates the effects of circadian misalignment on energy metabolism, indicating possible sex-specific mechanisms and countermeasures for obesity in male and female shift workers.
Influence of low‐level wind speed on droplet spectra near cloud base in trade wind cumulus

Data collected during the Rain In Cumulus over the Ocean (RICO) campaign demonstrate a relationship between the low‐level wind speed, droplet concentrations and the presence of large cloud droplets near cloud base in trade wind clouds in a clean marine background atmosphere. Weak winds were associated with fewer activated cloud droplets, larger mean droplet sizes, and more large cloud droplets, even though the concentration of giant/ultragiant sea‐salt aerosol increased with increasing near‐surface wind speed. The data suggest that in unpolluted trade wind cumuli: (1) the production of large cloud droplets near cloud base is controlled primarily by the intensity of the cloud base updraft rather than the concentration of giant/ultragiant sea‐salt particles; (2) higher droplet concentrations are more likely under conditions of stronger low‐level wind speeds, primarily because stronger low‐level wind speeds are associated with more intense cloud base updrafts.