Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
HSV-1 and HSV-2 Seroprevalence in the United States among Asymptomatic Women Unaware of Any Herpes Simplex Virus Infection (Herpevac Trial for Women)

Objectives Recent evidence suggests that the epidemiology of herpes simplex viruses (HSVs) is changing because fewer HSV-1 infections are acquired in childhood and increased sexual transmission of HSV-1 is reported. The objective of the study was to assess the seroprevalence of type-specific antibodies to HSV-1 and HSV-2 in the United States. Methods We used the Western blot antibody screening data from a large phase III vaccine efficacy trial (Herpevac Trial for Women) to assess the seroprevalence of type-specific antibodies to HSV-1 and HSV-2 in the United States. Results The antibody status of 29,022 women (>31,000 women interviewed and then had their blood drawn for the HSV testing [29,022 women]) between the ages of 18 and 30 years in the United States revealed that increasing age was associated with increasing seroprevalence to HSV. Overall, in asymptomatic women unaware of any HSV infection, HSV-1/-2 status was positive/negative in 45%, negative/positive in 5%, positive/positive in 7%, negative/negative in 38%, and indeterminate in 5%. HSV-1 infections were more common in Hispanic and non-Hispanic black women and in the US northeast and in individuals living in urban areas. HSV-2 was more common in non-Hispanic black women, the US south, and in urban areas. Conclusions Seronegative status for both HSV-1 and HSV-2 was the second most common finding after positive antibody to HSV-1 but negative antibody to HSV-2. Despite recent changes in genital herpes epidemiology, most women acquired HSV-1 but not HSV-2 infections before 18 years of age. Among participants screened for study participation and who were unaware of any HSV infection, progressively higher prevalence of the HSV-1 or HSV-2 antibody was observed in older subjects. Many women who test positive for HSV-1 and/or HSV-2 are unaware of their status.
On the Origins of Deep Hydrocarbons

Deep deposits of hydrocarbons, including varied reservoirs of petroleum and natural gas, represent the most economically important component of the deep carbon cycle. Yet despite their intensive study and exploitation for more than a century, details of the origins of some deep hydrocarbons remain a matter of vocal debate in some scientific circles. This long and continuing history of controversy may surprise some readers, for the biogenic origins of “fossil fuels”—a principle buttressed by a vast primary scientific literature and established as textbook orthodoxy in North America and many other parts of the world—might appear to be settled fact. Nevertheless, conventional wisdom continues to be challenged by some scientists. The principal objectives of this chapter are: (1) to review the overwhelming evidence for the biogenic origins of most known deep hydrocarbon reservoirs; (2) to present equally persuasive experimental, theoretical, and field evidence, which indicates that components of some deep hydrocarbon deposits appear to have an abiotic origin; and (3) to suggest future studies that might help to achieve a more nuanced resolution of this sometimes polarized topic. ### Types of hydrocarbons Deep hydrocarbons include a rich diversity of organic chemical compounds in the form of petroleum deposits, including oil and gas in various reservoirs, bitumen in oil sands, coal and clathrate hydrates. The major gaseous hydrocarbons are the alkanes methane (natural gas, CH4), ethane (C2H6), propane (C3H8), and butane (C4H10). Liquid components of petroleum include a complex mixture primarily of linear and cyclic hydrocarbons from C5 to C17, as well as numerous other molecular species, while solid hydrocarbons include such broad categories as paraffin waxes (typically from C18 to C40). In addition, mature coal deposits sometimes hold a suite of unusual pure crystalline hydrocarbon phases and other organic minerals …
Neutrophil FcγRIIIb allelic polymorphism in anti‐neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)‐positive systemic vasculitis

Neutrophils constitutively express FcγRIIa and FcγRIIIb receptors. Both receptors exhibit allelic variants which have different quantitative functional capacities: the biallelic FcγRIIa‐R131 and ‐H131 alleles, and the neutrophil antigen (NA) NA1/NA2 alleles. ANCA activation of neutrophils requires ligation of FcγRIIa receptor, but recent data have shown that ANCA can also bind FcγRIIIb receptor. The aim of this study was to determine whether the FcγRIIIb polymorphism was a risk factor for the development of ANCA‐associated systemic vasculitis, or the associated nephritis. FcγRIIIb receptor genotyping was determined by allele‐specific polymerase chain reaction. Genomic DNA was extracted from 101 Caucasian patients with ANCA+ vasculitis (of whom 84 had renal disease) and 100 ethnically matched controls. Of the patients with ANCA+ systemic vasculitis, 71 had ANCA with specificity for proteinase 3 and 30 with specificity for myeloperoxidase (MPO). Overall no significant difference in genotype distribution or allele frequencies was found between patients and controls, or between patients with renal disease and controls. However, there was a trend for an increase in homozygosity for the NA1 allele in patients with a vasculitis and this was significant in patients who had anti‐MPO antibodies. The FcγRIIIb receptor polymorphism is not a major factor predisposing to the development of ANCA+ systemic vasculitis or the associated nephritis. The over‐representation of the FcγRIIIb homozygous NA1 allele in patients with anti‐MPO antibodies may have implications for disease susceptibility.
Comparison of patient and staff surveys of consumer satisfaction.

The preliminary findings suggest that involving consumers as surveyors in satisfactions studies produces findings that differ from those in studies by staff surveyors. Consumer involvement may help improve research validity and needs to be explored further. These initial attempts are encouraging and provide a basis for identifying consumers' concerns in order to help them become more effectively involved in their own care. Development of methods to validly assess consumer satisfaction can also have wide-ranging beneficial effects on the psychiatric community's ability to provide more appropriate services. Consumer involvement in satisfaction surveys can help us provide better services. To achieve optimal outcomes, treatment of mental illness must be a cooperative venture.
Multispecialty Synchronous Telehealth Utilization and Patient Satisfaction Within Regional Health Command Europe: A Readiness and Recapture System for Health.

BACKGROUND Telehealth implementation within the Military Healthcare System continues to advance toward the goal of a mature regional health platform; however, specialty-specific usage or patient satisfaction regarding synchronous or "real-time" telehealth at the regional military hospital level has not been described. METHODS A retrospective review of synchronous telehealth encounters and patient satisfaction surveys from Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC) specialty clinics engaging in synchronous telehealth to regional Army Health Clinics (AHCs) during 2015 was conducted. RESULTS 2,354 synchronous telehealth encounters were conducted for 1,886 unique patients. The majority of patients were adults (88.4%), male (71.1%), and active duty (75%). Twelve distinct distant locations were engaged in synchronous telehealth with 31 distinct specialties. 1,552 (62.5%) patients had a single telehealth visit with a median (range) of 1 (1-7) visit. Median (range) visits per specialty was 25 (1-582) with sleep medicine (24.7%), general surgery (13.1%), nutrition (9.7%), orthopedics (9.0%), and ENT (6.0%) representing 62.5% of all encounters. Median (range) number of encounters per location was 146 (13-685). Surgical specialties preferentially evaluated patients at locations with a specialty-trained presenter (p < 0.001), whereas nonsurgical specialties did not (p > 0.05). Fifteen percent (372/2,354) of patients completed an anonymous survey at the time of their telehealth visit. Mean responses on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from "strongly disagree" (1) to "strongly agree" (5) was 4.8 ± 0.5 for both recommending and being satisfied with their telehealth visit. The 2,354 telehealth visits represented 2.4% (2,354/100,094) of all visits to LRMC during 2015 for 25 of 31 specialties whose total outpatient visits could be determined. CONCLUSION Clinic utilization varied between specialties as well as whether a specialty-trained patient presenter was preferred. This robust multispecialty synchronous telehealth experience provides insight into both specialty-specific utilization and patient satisfaction which may aid regional medical centers recognizing avenues for specialty-specific telehealth initiatives.
Peptide Mapping of Bacterial Fimbrial Epitopes Interacting with Pattern Recognition Receptors*

The fimbriae of the oral pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis induce Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2)-dependent macrophage activation upon their recognition by CD14 and the β2 integrin CD11b/CD18. To map functional epitopes of fimbriae that interact with these pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), we examined 20 synthetic peptides covering the entire length of the 41-kDa fimbrillin subunit. Using direct or competitive inhibition assays for receptor binding or cell activation, the CD14 binding activity of fimbriae was localized to residues 69–90 and was essential for TLR2-dependent cytokine induction. The CD11b/CD18 binding activity of fimbriae was localized to two neighboring epitopes defined by residues 166–185 and 206–225. Unlike epitope 69–90 that constitutively bound CD14, the CD11b/CD18 binding activity of epitopes 166–185 and 206–225 was inducible by integrin activators. The CD11b/CD18 binding activity played a contributory role to TLR2-dependent induction of tumor necrosis factor-α by fimbriae but was involved in specific down-regulation of interleukin-12. Cell activation by a combination of fimbrillin peptides corresponding to the CD14 and CD11b/CD18 binding activities resulted in higher tumor necrosis factor-α responses than would be expected from a simply additive effect, attributable to CD14-dependent inside-out signaling leading to enhanced binding interactions with CD11b/CD18. These data suggest that P. gingivalis fimbriae display a modular structure that interacts through discrete epitopes and in a regulated mode with distinct PRRs, which in turn differentially modulate the state of cell activation. Elucidation of pathogen interactions with PRRs at the molecular level may glean insight into host defense mechanisms as well as into microbial strategies that subvert innate immunity.
Prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its risk factors in Canadian children and adolescents: Canadian Health Measures Survey Cycle 1 (2007-2009) and Cycle 2 (2009-2011).

INTRODUCTION We investigated the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its risk factors, and the influence of socioeconomic status, in Canadian children and adolescents. METHODS Canadian Health Measures Survey cycle 1 (2007-2009) and cycle 2 (2009-2011) respondents aged 10 to 18 years who provided fasting blood samples were included (n = 1228). The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) consensus definition for children and adolescents (10-15 years) and worldwide adult definition (≥ 16 years) were used to diagnose MetS. Prevalence of MetS and its risk factors were calculated and differences by socioeconomic status were examined using χ2 tests. RESULTS The prevalence of MetS was 2.1%. One-third (37.7%) of participants had at least one risk factor, with the most prevalent being abdominal obesity (21.6%), low HDL-C (19.1%) and elevated triglyceride levels (7.9%). This combination of abdominal obesity, low HDL-C and elevated triglyceride levels accounted for 61.5% of MetS cases. Participants from households with the highest income adequacy and educational attainment levels had the lowest prevalence of one or more MetS risk factors, abdominal obesity and low HDL-C. CONCLUSION The prevalence of MetS (2.1%) was lower than previously reported in Canada (3.5%) and the USA (4.2%¬-9.2%), potentially due to the strict application of the IDF criteria for studying MetS. One-third of Canadian children and adolescents have at least one risk factor for MetS. Given that the risk for MetS increases with age, these prevalence estimates, coupled with a national obesity prevalence of almost 10% among youth, point to a growing risk of MetS and other chronic diseases for Canadian youth.
How good is Sullivan's method for monitoring changes in population health expectancies?

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To compare health expectancies calculated by Sullivan's method and the multistate life table method in order to identify the magnitude of the bias in Sullivan's method and assess how seriously this limits its use for monitoring population health expectancies. DESIGN: A simulation model was used to compare health expectancies calculated using Sullivan's method and the multistate life table method under various scenarios for the evolution of disability over time in populations. The simulation model was based on abridged cohort life tables using data on French mortality from 1825-90 and disability prevalence data from the 1982 French health survey. MAIN RESULTS: The Sullivan method could not detect a sudden change in disability transition rates, but the simulations suggested that it provides a good estimate of the true multistate value if there are smooth and relatively regular changes in disability prevalence over the longer term. When disability incidence rates are increasing or decreasing smoothly over time, the absolute bias in the Sullivan estimate of disability free life expectancy is relatively constant with age. The relative bias thus increases at older ages as disability free life expectancy decreases. CONCLUSIONS: The difference between the estimates produced by the two methods was small for realistic scenarios for the evolution of population health and Sullivan's method is thus generally acceptable for monitoring relatively smooth long term trends in health expectancies for populations.
Quetiapine in acute mania: a case report (with a six-month follow-up)

Quetiapine is an effective and well-tolerated antipsychotic. To date, experience with quetiapine in bipolar disorders is very limited and information on the use in acute patients is lacking. A patient with a DSMIV diagnosis of acute mania intolerant to lithium and to neuroleptics was treated with quetiapine. The daily dosage of quetiapine was gradually titrated up to 600 mg t.i. d. Quetiapine was effective, as evidenced by rating scale scores of the BPRS, YMRS and CGI, which dropped by 91% and 94% respectively from baseline (devoid of relevant side-effects). Quetiapine seems to be a promising agent for the treatment of manic episodes in bipolar disorders, although controlled trials are needed.
Effect of LKB1 deficiency on mitochondrial content, fibre type and muscle performance in the mouse diaphragm

Aim: The liver kinase B1 (LKB1)/AMP‐activated protein kinase (AMPK) signalling pathway is a major regulator of skeletal muscle metabolic processes. During exercise, LKB1‐mediated phosphorylation of AMPK leads to its activation, promoting mitochondrial biogenesis and glucose transport, among other effects. The roles of LKB1 and AMPK have not been fully characterized in the diaphragm.
Optimization methods for solving the low autocorrelation sidelobes problem

In this paper, a discussion is made on the optimization methods that can solve the low autocorrelation sidelobes problem for polyphase sequences. This paper starts with a description and a comparison of two algorithms that are commonly used in the literature: a stochastic method and a deterministic one (a gradient descent). Then, an alternative method based on the Random Walk Metropolis-Hastings algorithm is proposed, that takes the gradient as a search direction. It provides better results than a steepest descent alone. Finally, this autocorrelation question is handled differently, considering a mismatched filter. We will see that a mismatched filter performs impressively well on optimized sequences.
White Matter Proteins in Multiple Sclerosis

Abstract: The SDS‐soluble membrane proteins of plaques and of macroscopically normal white matter from multiple sclerosis brain were investigated by gradient polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). Eleven protein bands were analyzed in detail. The extensive loss of myelin proteins in plaque samples was accompanied by changes in at least three other non‐myelin proteins, besides glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), which probably reflect gliosis. Densitometric analysis of the PAGE patterns of membrane fractions from MS and control white matter revealed significant quantitative differences in a number of protein bands. A reduction in myelin basic protein (BP) was associated with an equally significant increase in a high‐molecular‐weight peptide fragment which may prove to be a breakdown product of BP. Small but highly significant differences in the Wolfgram protein and in one non‐myelin protein were also a consistent feature of the normal‐appearing white matter samples. The problem of defining normal white matter in multiple sclerosis brain is discussed in relation to the results of the present study, which suggest that one of the early events in the pathogenesis of the disease prior to frank demyelination is an alteration in the protein components of the myelin sheath and possibly of glial cells.
Why Should Children Adapt, and When?

This paper is a contribution to the debate on children‚s perspective taking skills, addressing the question which kinds of adaptation are related to different functions of children‚s utterances in their everyday life. A longitudinal home-based study of the contents of a child‚s speech focuses on the child‚s growing ability to present new information to his interaction partner. The functions of the child‚s talk are analysed using Halliday‚s (1975, 1994) framework. The results show that the earliest functions of the child‚s talk are predominantly representational, expressing reflections on (shared) experience that do not necessitate perspective taking. Later on, interpersonal functions emerge, involving emotional sharing with the interlocutor, but not necessarily any understanding of the listener‚s mind. Finally, starting with explanations and elaborations of situations observable by both interlocutors, the child becomes increasingly able to convey information which is new to the listener. Talk which serves the predominant function of conveying information is most effective when the child takes into account the listener‚s informational status. In contrast, the interlocutors‚ knowledge and beliefs are irrelevant for the other speech functions developed earlier. Thus, at an earlier age children do not need to take into account others‚ conceptual perspectives in talking, which may be one reason why they do not exhibit sophisticated perspective taking skills, a fact well-established in the literature. The option of dealing with, and affecting, their interaction partners‚ informational status simply does not exist before children have learned how to use language as a substitution for experience, i.e., to present experiential meaning to others who have no access to the experience itself.
American Economic Association Macroeconomics of Unbalanced Growth : The Anatomy of Urban Crisis

There are some economic forces so powerful that they constantly break through all barriers erected for their suppression. Such, for example, are the forces of supply and demand which have resisted alike medieval efforts to abolish usury and contemporary attempts to control prices. In this paper I discuss what I believe to be another such mechanism which has colored the past and seems likely to stamp its character on the future. It helps us to understand the prospective roles of a wide variety of economic services: municipal government, education, the performing arts, restaurants, and leisure time activity. I will argue that inherent in the technological structure of each of these activities are forces working almost unavoidably for progressive and cumulative increases in the real costs incurred in supplying them. As a consequence, efforts to offset these cost increases, while they may succeed temporarily, in the long run are merely palliatives which can have no significant effect on the underlying trends. The justification of a macroeconomic model should reside primarily in its ability to provide insights into the workings of observed phenomena. Its aggregation of diverse variables usually deny it the elegance and the rigor that are provided by microeconomic analysis at its best. Yet macro models have succeeded in explaining the structure of practical problems and in offering guidance for policy to a degree that has so far eluded the more painstaking modes of economic analysis. This article hopes to follow in the tradition-the structure of its basic model is rudimentary. Yet it can perhaps shed some light on a variety of economic problems of our generation.
Roux-en-Y or Billroth II Reconstruction After Radical Distal Gastrectomy for Gastric Cancer: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective: The aim of the study was to compare the clinical symptoms between Billroth II (B-II) and Roux-en-Y (R-Y) reconstruction after distal subtotal gastrectomy (DG) for gastric cancer. Background: Surgery is the mainstay of curative treatment for gastric cancer. The technique for reconstruction after DG remains controversial. Both B-II and R-Y are popular methods. Methods: This is a prospective multicenter randomized controlled trial. From October 2008 to October 2014, 162 patients who underwent DG were randomly allocated to B-II (n = 81) and R-Y (n = 81) groups. The primary endpoint is Gastrointestinal (GI) Symptoms Score 1 year after surgery. We also compared the nutritional status, extent of gastritis on endoscopy, and quality of life after surgery between the 2 procedures at 1 year. Results: Operative time was significantly shorter for B-II than for R-Y [mean difference 21.5 minutes, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 3.8–39.3, P = 0.019]. The B-II and R-Y groups had a peri-operative morbidity of 28.4% and 33.8%, respectively (P = 0.500) and a 30-day mortality of 2.5% and 1.2%, respectively (P = 0.500). GI symptoms score did not differ between R-Y versus B-II reconstruction (mean difference -0.45, 95% CI -1.21 to 0.31, P = 0.232). R-Y resulted in a lower median endoscopic grade for gastritis versus B-II (mean difference -1.32, 95% CI -1.67 to -0.98, P < 0.001). We noted no difference in nutritional status (R-Y versus B-II mean difference -0.31, 95% CI -3.27 to 2.65, P = 0.837) and quality of life at 1 year between the 2 groups too. Conclusion: Although BII is associated with a higher incidence of heartburn symptom and higher median endoscopic grade for gastritis, BII and RY are similar in terms of overall GI symptom score and nutritional status at 1 year after distal gastrectomy.