Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Serotonin transporter protein gene polymorphism and personality measures in African American and European American subjects.

OBJECTIVE The SLC6A4 locus encodes the serotonin transporter, which in turn mediates the synaptic inactivation of the neurotransmitter serotonin. A polymorphism located in the 5' promoter region of the gene is associated with altered transcriptional activity of SLC6A4; an earlier study reported an association of the polymorphism with anxiety- and depression-related traits, including harm avoidance and neuroticism. The authors attempted to replicate this finding. METHOD They assessed genotype at the SLC6A4 promoter polymorphism, and an additional polymorphism in intron 2, in 322 American subjects of European and African ancestry, some with diagnoses of a personality disorder or substance dependence and some normal comparison subjects. Harm avoidance was measured by the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire in all subjects, and neuroticism was measured by the NEO Five-Factor Inventory in 185 subjects. Allele frequencies in the groups were compared, and hierarchical multiple regression was used to examine the correlation of demographic features, psychiatric diagnostic group, and genotype with harm avoidance and neuroticism scores. RESULTS Although the demographic factors and psychiatric diagnoses had effects on harm avoidance and neuroticism scores, there was no main effect of genotype on these personality measures. In the context of these overall negative findings, interactions were observed between sex and promoter system genotype and between race and promoter system genotype which suggest that the present findings are not wholly inconsistent with those of the earlier study. CONCLUSIONS The authors were unable to replicate the association finding. The specific phenotypic composition of the groups studied with respect to other behaviors could have influenced ability to detect association of SLC6A4 polymorphisms with personality measures; population stratification for this locus is also of potential importance.
Feasibility and Complications of Spinal Anaesthesia in Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy: Our Experience.

INTRODUCTION Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy (PCNL) is the treatment modality used for the extraction of large renal stones, or multiple calculi or stones resistant to shock wave lithotripsy. The General Anaesthesia (GA) is the standard modality for PCNL. However, few studies conclude that Spinal Anaesthesia (SA) can be an alternative method of anaesthesia with similar incidence of complications. AIM In our study we evaluated the feasibility of spinal anaesthesia in terms of intraoperative and postoperative results in patients undergoing PCNL. MATERIALS AND METHODS The total 1298 PCNL operations were done for kidney stone from January 2013 to December 2016, out of which 1160 patients underwent PCNL under SA while remaining 138 operations were carried out under GA in the prone position. We retrospectively collected data from the patient's documents. The intraoperative haemodynamic stability was primary objective, and average fall of haemoglobin, postoperative anaesthetic outcome like total tramadol used in first 24 hours, surgical outcome like total clearance of stone burden, patient satisfaction, surgeon satisfaction, need of blood transfusion, conversion to general anaesthesia and pleural puncture were the secondary objectives. RESULTS The mean age of the patients was 38.0±17.1 years, and the mean operative time was 80.0±25.9 minutes. The mean calculus size was 30.2±11.8 mm. Return of sensory and motor activity in our study was 150.0±29.2 minutes and 111.0±18.8 minutes, respectively. In first 10 minutes of anaesthesia, 148 (12.75%) patients developed hypotension, which was managed by ephedrine 6 mg intravenously (IV). Total seventy two patients (6.2%) needed blood transfusion and 32 (2.75%) complained of headache, dizziness and low back pain for two to four days after the operation, which improved with analgesics and bed rest. Ninety percent of the patients had complete clearance of calculus or there were no significant residual calculi larger than 5 mm on follow up ultrasonography. CONCLUSION It can be concluded from our study that spinal anaesthesia is the safe and effective method of anaesthesia for PCNL in adult patients.
Kinetic mechanism of the dimeric ATP sulfurylase from plants

In plants, sulfur must be obtained from the environment and assimilated into usable forms for metabolism. ATP sulfurylase catalyses the thermodynamically unfavourable formation of a mixed phosphosulfate anhydride in APS (adenosine 5′-phosphosulfate) from ATP and sulfate as the first committed step of sulfur assimilation in plants. In contrast to the multi-functional, allosterically regulated ATP sulfurylases from bacteria, fungi and mammals, the plant enzyme functions as a mono-functional, non-allosteric homodimer. Owing to these differences, here we examine the kinetic mechanism of soybean ATP sulfurylase [GmATPS1 (Glycine max (soybean) ATP sulfurylase isoform 1)]. For the forward reaction (APS synthesis), initial velocity methods indicate a single-displacement mechanism. Dead-end inhibition studies with chlorate showed competitive inhibition versus sulfate and non-competitive inhibition versus APS. Initial velocity studies of the reverse reaction (ATP synthesis) demonstrate a sequential mechanism with global fitting analysis suggesting an ordered binding of substrates. ITC (isothermal titration calorimetry) showed tight binding of APS to GmATPS1. In contrast, binding of PPi (pyrophosphate) to GmATPS1 was not detected, although titration of the E•APS complex with PPi in the absence of magnesium displayed ternary complex formation. These results suggest a kinetic mechanism in which ATP and APS are the first substrates bound in the forward and reverse reactions, respectively.
Association of baseline plasma des‐acyl ghrelin level with the response to rikkunshito in patients with functional dyspepsia

We recently conducted a randomized placebo‐controlled trial on the efficacy and safety of rikkunshito, a standardized Japanese herbal medicine, for the treatment of functional dyspepsia (FD). The present post‐hoc study aimed to evaluate the differences in clinical characteristics between responders and non‐responders among FD patients who received rikkunshito for 8 weeks.
Fitzhugh-nagumo Revisited: Types of bifurcations, Periodical Forcing and Stability Regions by a Lyapunov Functional

We study several aspects of FitzHugh–Nagumo's (FH–N) equations without diffusion. Some global stability results as well as the boundedness of solutions are derived by using a suitably defined Lyapunov functional. We show the existence of both supercritical and subcritical Hopf bifurcations. We demonstrate that the number of all bifurcation diagrams is 8 but that the possible sequential occurrences of bifurcation events is much richer. We present a numerical study of an example exhibiting a series of various bifurcations, including subcritical Hopf bifurcations, homoclinic bifurcations and saddle-node bifurcations of equilibria and of periodic solutions. Finally, we study periodically forced FH–N equations. We prove that phase-locking occurs independently of the magnitude of the periodic forcing.
Changes in lumbosacral spinal nerve roots on diffusion tensor imaging in spinal stenosis

Lumbosacral degenerative disc disease is a common cause of lower back and leg pain. Conventional T1-weighted imaging (T1WI) and T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) scans are commonly used to image spinal cord degeneration. However, these modalities are unable to image the entire lumbosacral spinal nerve roots. Thus, in the present study, we assessed the potential of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) for quantitative assessment of compressed lumbosacral spinal nerve roots. Subjects were 20 young healthy volunteers and 31 patients with lumbosacral stenosis. T2WI showed that the residual dural sac area was less than two-thirds that of the corresponding normal area in patients from L 3 to S 1 stenosis. On T1WI and T2WI, 74 lumbosacral spinal nerve roots from 31 patients showed compression changes. DTI showed thinning and distortion in 36 lumbosacral spinal nerve roots (49%) and abruption in 17 lumbosacral spinal nerve roots (23%). Moreover, fractional anisotropy values were reduced in the lumbosacral spinal nerve roots of patients with lumbosacral stenosis. These findings suggest that DTI can objectively and quantitatively evaluate the severity of lumbosacral spinal nerve root compression.
Perceived effects of the Malaysian National Tobacco Control Programme on adolescent smoking cessation: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND The prevalence of teenage smoking has decreased over the past decade following the implementation of the national tobacco control programme. However, the effect of the programme on smoking cessation in teenagers has not been determined. METHODS Twenty-eight participants (12 teenagers, 8 teachers, and 8 doctors) were interviewed using 5 in-depth interviews and 3 group discussions. Social cognitive theory (SCT) was applied as the theoretical framework. Semi-structured interview protocols were used, and thematic analysis and analytic generalisation utilising SCT were performed. RESULTS The current national tobacco control programme was found to be ineffective in promoting smoking cessation among teenagers. The participants attributed the ineffective campaign to the followings: inadequacy of message content, lack of exposure to the programme, and poor presentation and execution. In addition, the participants perceived the developed tobacco control policies to be a failure based on poor law enforcement, failure of retailers to comply with the law, social availability of cigarettes to teenagers, and easy availability of cheap, smuggled cigarettes. This study highlighted that the programme-related problems (environmental factors) were not the only factors contributing to its perceived ineffectiveness. The cunning behaviour of the teenagers (personal factor) and poor self-efficacy to overcome nicotine addiction (behavioural factor) were also found to hinder cessation. CONCLUSION Tobacco control programmes should include strategies beyond educating teenagers about smoking and restricting their access to cigarettes. Strategies to manage the cunning behaviour of teenagers and strategies to improve their self-efficacy should also be implemented. These comprehensive programmes should have a foundation in SCT, as this theory demonstrates the complex interactions among the environmental, personal, and behavioural factors that influence teenage smoking.
Radiographic Findings and Clinical Correlates in Pediatric Periorbital Infections.

OBJECTIVE To review radiographic studies of pediatric patients presenting with periorbital infections and to evaluate sinonasal anatomical factors and clinical course related to this disease process. METHODS Retrospective study review of computed tomography (CT) scans in 100 patients less than 18 years old, admitted to a tertiary children's hospital with the diagnosis of an orbital infection. CT scans were reviewed for anatomic variants and Lund-Mackay scores were calculated. An independent chart reviews of the treatment course and need for surgical intervention was performed. RESULTS Of 100 patients, 67% were male, 60% had left-sided infections, and 30% of patients were treated with surgical drainage. Adenoid hypertrophy (61%), inferior turbinate hypertrophy (80%) and septal deviation (47%) were common, but did not show statistical correlation with the need for surgical intervention. Dehiscence of the lamina papyracea was identified in 21% of patients treated without surgery and in 76% of those requiring surgery (P 0.0048). The average overall Lund-Mackay score was 11.8 and did not correlate with the need for surgical intervention. CONCLUSIONS To our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate the incidence of sinonasal anatomic abnormalities in children presenting with periorbital infections. This study also demonstrated that lamina papyracea dehiscence is a common finding and is associated with higher rates of surgical intervention. Such findings may have an important role in the diagnosis, surveillance and management of sinus disease in the pediatric population.
Who's Suing Us? Decoding Patent Plaintiffs since 2000 with the Stanford NPE Litigation Dataset

Despite widespread interest in the impact of patent assertion entities (“PAEs”) on the U.S. patent system, there has been no publicly available dataset that categorizes more than a fraction of lawsuits as involving practicing entities, non-practicing entities (“NPEs”), or PAEs. To address this knowledge gap, Stanford Law School student researchers, led by Mark Lemley and Shawn Miller, have created the Stanford NPE Litigation Dataset (“the Dataset”). The Dataset is the first comprehensive patent litigation dataset to categorize patent asserters and will do so for every U.S. patent lawsuit filed since 2000. With over 80% of total cases categorized as including practicing entities or one of eleven types of NPE patent asserters, the Dataset is nearing completion of the 63,000 lawsuits filed between 2000 and 2017. Thereafter, we will continue to update the Dataset with more recently filed lawsuits. The Dataset provides an invaluable tool to help policy makers craft effective rules, and help judges, litigators, and scholars better understand the nature of the entities filing patent suits. This is especially true because the Dataset captures how patent litigation patterns evolve over an era of heightened activity and policy reform. The Dataset will reveal trends before and after passage of the America Invents Act, key Supreme Court patent cases including eBay and Alice, and various executive orders focused on increasing transparency and reducing costs in patent suits. The first half of this paper explains the motivation for creating the Dataset and details the methodology used to create it. At present, we have completed and made public a random sample of 20% of the lawsuits filed from 2000 through 2015 (10,812 lawsuits). We utilize this sample in the second half of the paper to reveal, for the first time ever, trends in the share of patent disputes attributed to different types of patent asserters over a span of sixteen years. These trends show that while practicing entities dominated patent litigation in the first half of the 2000s, NPEs and PAEs now assert patents in most lawsuits. Further, the trends show that the rise of NPEs and PAEs began before—and thus is not attributable to—the 2011 change in joinder rules. We hope this data will be used to further policy discussions and therefore conclude this paper with examples of how the Dataset can be used in future research on the impact of different types of patent asserters on the patent system.
Fine structural peculiarities of the pectoral fin dermoskeleton of two Brachiopterygii, Polypterus senegalus and Calamoichthys calabaricus (Pisces, Osteichthyes)

The features of the dermal skeleton of the pectoral fins of two Brachiopterygii, Polyterus senegalus and Calamoichthys calabaricus, have been studied by light and electrom microscopy. The components studied are the ganoine covered lepidotrichia segments and the distally located actinotrichia, the features of which are similar to those in teleosts. An irregular patch of ganoine susceptible to erosion by vascular canals lies on top of the cellular bone of the upper surface of the segment. It is separated from the stratified epidermis by an organic intermediate layer in place of the dermoepidermal interface. This layer is interpretated as “antislip pad” or elastic glue anchoring the epidermis on the hypermineralized ganoine. Such components are also observed in ganoid scales, although embryological data fail to support that lepidotrichial segments are modified scales. The lack of dentin in lepidotrichia emphasizes the tendency during evolution toward the reduction of some dermoskeletal components and exemplifies ganoine deposition directly on top of the bones as in holostei scale. The participation of neural crest cells in development of the dermal skeleton is discussed by way of the repartition of the odontods within the pectoral fin.
Bidirectional relationships between sleep duration and screen time in early childhood.

IMPORTANCE Sleep duration and media use (ie, computer use and television viewing) have important implications for the health and well-being of children. Population data suggest that shorter sleep duration and excessive screen time are growing problems among children and could be interacting issues. OBJECTIVE To examine whether bidirectional relationships exist between sleep duration and media use among children, and whether these associations are moderated by child- and household-related factors. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Cohort study of a representative sample of 3427 Australian children (4-5 years of age at baseline [51.2%male children]), obtained from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. Data were available from 3 waves (2004, 2006, and 2008) when children were 4, 6, and 8 years of age, respectively. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Sleep duration and media use. RESULTS Bidirectional relationships were observed between sleep duration and media use; for instance, total media use at 4 years of age was significantly associated with sleep duration at 6 years of age (â = .0.06 [95%CI, .0.10 to .0.02]), with media use at 6 years of age predicting sleep duration at 8 years of age (â = .0.06 [95%CI, .0.11 to .0.02]). Sleep duration at 4 years of age was associated with media use at 6 years of age (â = .0.10 [95%CI, .0.14 to .0.05]), with sleep duration at 6 years of age predicting media use at 8 years of age (â = .0.08 [95%CI, .0.13 to .0.03]). Several of these bidirectional relationships varied by socioeconomic status. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE The results supported the hypotheses that bidirectional relationships exist between sleep duration and media use among children. These findings are important given recent population trends for increased media use and shorter sleep durations among children.
A randomised controlled clinical trial of repositioning, using the 30° tilt, for the prevention of pressure ulcers.

UNLABELLED BACKGROUNDL: Pressure ulcers are common, costly and impact negatively on individuals. Pressure is the prime cause, and immobility is the factor that exposes individuals to pressure. International guidelines advocate repositioning; however, there is confusion surrounding the best method and frequency required. DESIGN A pragmatic, multi-centre, open label, prospective, cluster-randomised controlled trial was conducted to compare the incidence of pressure ulcers among older persons nursed using two different repositioning regimens. METHOD Ethical approval was received. Study sites (n=12) were allocated to study arm using cluster randomisation. The experimental group (n=99) were repositioned three hourly at night, using the 30° tilt; the control group (n=114) received routine prevention (six-hourly repositioning, using 90° lateral rotation). Data analysis was by intention to treat; follow-up was for four weeks. RESULTS All participants (n=213) were Irish and white, among them 77% were women and 65% aged 80 years or older. Three patients (3%) in the experimental group and 13 patients (11%) in the control group developed a pressure ulcer (p=0·035; 95% CI 0·031-0·038; ICC=0·001). All pressure ulcers were grade 1 (44%) or grade 2 (56%). Mobility and activity were the highest predictors of pressure ulcer development (β=-0·246, 95% CI=-0·319 to -0·066; p=0·003); (β=0·227, 95% CI=0·041-0·246; p = 0·006). CONCLUSION Repositioning older persons at risk of pressure ulcers every three hours at night, using the 30° tilt, reduces the incidence of pressure ulcers compared with usual care. The study supports the recommendations of the 2009 international pressure ulcer prevention guidelines. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE An effective method of pressure ulcer prevention has been identified; in the light of the problem of pressures ulcers, current prevention strategies should be reviewed. It is important to implement appropriate prevention strategies, of which repositioning is one.
Psychometric Properties of the Hooper Visual Organization Test

The psychometric properties of the Hooper Visual Organization Test (VOT) have not been well investigated. Here the authors present internal consistency and interrater reliability coefficients, and an item analysis, using data from a sample (N = 281) of "cognitively impaired" and "cognitively intact" patients, and patients with undetermined cognitive status. Coefficient alpha for the VOT total sample was . 882. An item analysis found that 26 of the 30 items were good at discriminating among patients. Also, the interrater reliabilities for three raters (.992), two raters (.988), and one rater (.977) were excellent. Therefore, the judgmental scoring of the VOT does not interfere significantly with its clinical utility. The authors conclude that the VOT is a psychometrically sound test.
Zone Model Predictive Control: A Strategy to Minimize Hyper- and Hypoglycemic Events

Background: Development of an artificial pancreas based on an automatic closed-loop algorithm that uses a subcutaneous insulin pump and continuous glucose sensor is a goal for biomedical engineering research. However, closing the loop for the artificial pancreas still presents many challenges, including model identification and design of a control algorithm that will keep the type 1 diabetes mellitus subject in normoglycemia for the longest duration and under maximal safety considerations. Method: An artificial pancreatic β-cell based on zone model predictive control (zone-MPC) that is tuned automatically has been evaluated on the University of Virginia/University of Padova Food and Drug Administration-accepted metabolic simulator. Zone-MPC is applied when a fixed set point is not defined and the control variable objective can be expressed as a zone. Because euglycemia is usually defined as a range, zone-MPC is a natural control strategy for the artificial pancreatic β-cell. Clinical data usually include discrete information about insulin delivery and meals, which can be used to generate personalized models. It is argued that mapping clinical insulin administration and meal history through two different second-order transfer functions improves the identification accuracy of these models. Moreover, using mapped insulin as an additional state in zone-MPC enriches information about past control moves, thereby reducing the probability of overdosing. In this study, zone-MPC is tested in three different modes using unannounced and announced meals at their nominal value and with 40% uncertainty. Ten adult in silico subjects were evaluated following a scenario of mixed meals with 75, 75, and 50 grams of carbohydrates (CHOs) consumed at 7 am, 1 pm, and 8 pm, respectively. Zone-MPC results are compared to those of the “optimal” open-loop preadjusted treatment. Results: Zone-MPC succeeds in maintaining glycemic responses closer to euglycemia compared to the “optimal” open-loop treatment in te three different modes with and without meal announcement. In the face of meal uncertainty, announced zone-MPC presented only marginally improved results over unannounced zone-MPC. When considering user error in CHO estimation and the need to interact with the system, unannounced zone-MPC is an appealing alternative. Conclusions: Zone-MPC reduces the variability of control moves over fixed set point control without the need to detune the controller. This strategy gives zone-MPC the ability to act quickly when needed and reduce unnecessary control moves in the euglycemic range.