Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Outbreak of Acinetobacter spp. bloodstream infections in a nursery associated with contaminated aerosols and air conditioners.

BACKGROUND Acinetobacter spp. are multidrug-resistant bacteria that grow well in water and cause infections with unexplained, increased summer prevalence. In August, 1996, eight infants acquired Acinetobacter spp. bloodstream infection (A-BSI) while in a nursery in the Bahamas; three infants died and an investigation was initiated. METHODS A case patient was defined as any newborn in the nursery during August 6 to 13, 1996, with A-BSI. To identify risk factors for A-BSI we conducted a retrospective cohort study and performed environmental cultures and air sampling using settle plates. The genetic relatedness of environmental isolates was assessed by pulsed field gel electrophoresis. RESULTS Of 33 patients in the nursery 8 (24%) met the case definition. Patients with peripheral iv catheters were more likely to develop A-BSI (8 of 21 vs. O of 10, P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis among patients with iv catheters indicated that only exposure to one nurse was an independent risk factor for developing A-BSI (P < 0.005). Nursery settle plates were more likely to grow Acinetobacter spp. than were settle plates from other hospital areas (8 of 9 vs. 0 of 5, P < 0.005); cultures from nursery air conditioners also grew Acinetobacter spp. Environmental isolates were genetically diverse. After installation of a new air conditioner in May, 1995, A-BSIs occurred more frequently during months of increased absolute humidity or environmental dew point. CONCLUSIONS Acinetobacter spp. may cause nosocomial BSI and death among infants during periods of polyclonal airborne dissemination; breaks in aseptic technique during i.v. medication administration may facilitate transmission from the environment to the patient. Environmental conditions that increase air conditioner condensate may predispose to airborne dissemination via contaminated aerosols and increase the risk of nosocomial A-BSI.
Electrical stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus in advanced Parkinson's disease.

BACKGROUND In many patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease, treatment with levodopa is complicated by fluctuations between an "off" period, when the medication is not working and the motor symptoms of parkinsonism are present, and an "on" period, when the medication is causing improved mobility, often accompanied by debilitating dyskinesias. In animal models of Parkinson's disease, there is overactivity in the subthalamic nucleus, and electrical stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus improves parkinsonism. We therefore sought to determine the efficacy and safety of electrical stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus in patients with Parkinson's disease. METHODS We studied 24 patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease in whom electrodes were implanted bilaterally in the subthalamic nucleus under stereotactic guidance with imaging and electrophysiologic testing of the location. Twenty were followed for at least 12 months. Clinical evaluations included the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, a dyskinesia scale, and timed tests conducted before and after surgery, when patients were off and on medications. RESULTS After one year of electrical stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus, the patients' scores for activities of daily living and motor examination scores (Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale parts II and III, respectively) off medication improved by 60 percent (P<0.001). The subscores improved for limb akinesia, rigidity, tremor, and gait. In the testing done on medication, the scores on part III improved by 10 percent (P<0.005). The mean dose of dopaminergic drugs was reduced by half. The cognitive-performance scores remained unchanged, but one patient had paralysis and aphasia after an intracerebral hematoma during the implantation procedure. CONCLUSIONS Electrical stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus is an effective treatment for advanced Parkinson's disease. The severity of symptoms off medication decreases, and the dose of levodopa can be reduced with consequent reduction in dyskinesias.
Interpreting accelerated test results for lead free solder joints

Accelerated testing of microelectronics products and/or specially designed test vehicles may be useless or worse unless the results can be counted on to somehow reflect performance in service. This is obviously the case when it comes to the quantitative assessment of life in long term service. However, it is also important for so-called `engineering tests' intended to compare alternative materials, designs or processes or to compare a product to previous `similar' ones. As far as lead free solder joints are concerned this is more often an issue than commonly recognized. In fact current specs requiring assemblies to pass, for example, a certain number of cycles in a particular test are not necessarily meaningful in the many cases where acceleration factors to realistic service conditions cannot be assumed to be similar for the different solder joints. In general, reliability engineers need to know when `best in test' is unlikely to mean `best in service', how large deviations may be, and which comparisons can be counted on to be conservative. This includes cases where acceleration factors vary with solder volume, pad sizes, pad finishes or process parameters. A mechanistically justified model for the fatigue of lead free solder joints does allow for the generalization of observed trends and should be considered when formulating test protocols and guidelines. Another concern is the effects of the ongoing variations in cycling amplitude common under realistic service conditions. These are not appropriately accounted for in accelerated test protocols. A dependence of the effects on the solder alloy suggests that the sensitivity to these will vary with assembly process parameters and subsequent thermal history as well. The behavior is explained by the effects of cycling on the deformation properties of the solder joints, and recommendations can be made with respect to reliability assessment/optimization and Environmental Stress Screening (ESS). This includes guidelines for vibration testing and combinations of vibration and thermal cycling.
Estudio biométrico de Vulpes vulpes L y Alopex lagopus L. Contribución a su diferenciación en los yacimientos paleolíticos cantábricos

Se estudia la biometria del esqueleto de una importante poblacion del zorro comun (Vulpes vulpes) del Pais Vasco, comparandola con las medidas existentes, especialmente en la biblografia, para el zorro artico (Alopex lagopus). Como consecuencia se detectan casos de la presencia de esta segunda especie en yacimientos paleoliticos del Pais Vasco meridional, por tanto en la Peninsula Iberica.
The Effect of Macroeconomic Conditions on the Care Decisions of the Employed

Background:Medical care utilization has been found to be affected indirectly by changes in economic conditions through associated changes in employment or insurance status. However, if individuals interpret external macroeconomic conditions as employment risk, they may alter decisions to seek care even if they remain both employed and insured. Objective:To examine the relationship between macroeconomic fluctuations and the medical care usage of Americans who are both employed and insured. Research Design:Restricting the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey from 1995 to 2008 to respondents whose employment status and insurance status did not change, we employed a fixed-effect Poisson model to examine the association between state average annual unemployment rates and the utilization of 12 medical services. Results:The average annual state unemployment rate was found to be a significant factor in hospital outpatient visits (P < 0.01) and emergency room visits (P < 0.01). A one percentage point increase in the unemployment rate was found to produce an additional 0.67 hospital outpatient visits and 0.14 emergency room visits. Conclusions:State unemployment rates were found statistically significantly associated with several of the medical services studied, suggesting macroeconomic conditions are an important factor in the medical decisions of employed and insured individuals. Thus, policy changes that increase access among the unemployed or uninsured may mitigate this employment risk effect and create incentives that potentially alter the utilization decisions among those currently both employed and insured.
Direct Effects of Stress on Adrenocortical Function

The adrenal gland plays a pivotal role in the stress response since this response involves the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA) and the sympatho-adrenomedullary system (SAMS) as its two principal components. An important relation between the immune system and the other stress response systems is also centered on the adrenal gland. It is well known that the cortex secretes glucocorticoids while the medulla secretes epinephrine, two of the major effects of the stress response. Some other aspects, however, also deserve special consideration: The paracrine effects of the cortical secretion on the medullary cells through the special irrigation system of the gland and reciprocally the influence of the medulla upon the cortex, either by direct close contact or by local innervation. The influence of vascular events also needs to be considered as well as the existence of some local hormonal axis such as those resulting from the local production of renin or CRH in adrenal cells. Some other cells such as mast cells, macrophages and endothelial cells seem to play a role in the regulation of the adrenal cortex and hence in the tuning of the stress response. Stressors stimulate the release of CRH from the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus inducing the secretion of ACTH from the pituitary and that of corticosteroids from the adrenal cortex. Through the activation of the sympathetic system the adrenal can be stimulated even before adequate levels of ACTH are reached. In conditions of chronic stress the adrenal cortex undergoes an adaptation that allows the hypersecretion of glucocorticoids to occur even without the increment of ACTH.
Pathogenesis of Cryptococcus neoformans in congenitally immunodeficient beige athymic mice

Mortality after intravenous challenge with 10(4) Cryptococcus neoformans demonstrated that doubly immunodeficient beige athymic (bg/bg nu/nu) mice were more susceptible to systemic cryptococcosis than either bg/bg or nu/nu mice. Infected bg/bg nu/nu mice also had a shortened lifespan compared with their bg/bg nu/+ littermates. Beige athymic (bg/bg nu/nu) but not bg/bg nu/+mice developed cryptococcal lesions in the skin, demonstrating that C. neoformans is dermatotropic in a T-cell-deficient host. Higher numbers of C. neoformans were isolated from the lungs and spleen of infected bg/bg nu/nu than bg/bg nu/+ mice as early as day 3 after challenge, indicating that in lymphoid-rich organs, T cells can alter the course of systemic cryptococcosis early in the infection. Despite extensive abscess formation in the brains of bg/bg nu/+ mice, dissemination and growth rate of C. neoformans in the brain was similar in both genotypes. The primary histopathological feature in tissues from bg/bg nu/nu mice infected with C. neoformans consisted of foci of encapsulated yeast cells with minimal to no inflammatory response. In contrast to bg/bg nu/nu mice, bg/bg nu/+ mice mounted a vigorous inflammatory response to C. neoformans that progressed from acute to chronic inflammation. Beige athymic mice are a new animal model that will be useful in clarifying the innate and acquired immune factors important in resistance to cryptococcosis.
Intimacy Behaviors and Relationship Satisfaction for Cohabitors: Intimate Sacrifices Are Not Always Beneficial

ABSTRACT Guided by interdependence theory, the authors examined how relationship satisfaction is explained by intimate behavior sacrifices in a sample of cohabitors (N = 200). Specifically, it was predicted that characteristics of intimate behavior sacrifices, such as ease and partner appreciation should alter the association of sacrifice frequency and relationship satisfaction. The pattern that emerged demonstrates lower satisfaction for cohabitors when they frequently made intimate sacrifices and their partners were less appreciative of the sacrifices. When making frequent, but less appreciated, intimacy sacrifices for their partner, cohabitors may struggle with intimacy behaviors that are partner oriented.
Applying Contextual Interference to Snowboarding Skills

This investigation was designed to apply contextual interference to acquisition of snowboarding skills. 20 participants completed several acquisition stages lasting about 2 hours while either alternating the direction of the turn within each stage or completing the whole stage while attempting turns in one direction, then repeating the stage for the other direction of turn. Following acquisition, all participants returned 1 wk. later for a retention test. Alternating practice yielded better performance during acquisition and retention as measured by the arc and form attained within the turns. Because this differs from typical contextual interference effects, it is suggested that the relation between the skills may have affected the results. Negative transfer operating within blocked practice and increased between-task comparisons within alternating practice may be related to the similarity between the tasks.
Magnesium sulfate micro air pump suction for bronchiolitis treatment in infants under two years old.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the efficiency, clinical effects and nursing methods related to the use of magnesium sulfate micro air pump suction for treating infants under two years old suffering from bronchiolitis. PATIENTS AND METHODS From January 2014 to September 2014, ninety-six infants with capillary bronchitis were enrolled. Patients were randomly divided into two groups: experimental group (n=49) and control group (n=47). All patients went through conventional anti-inflammatory therapy. Based on this, infants in the control group were additionally treated with intravenous drip of magnesium sulfate while patients in the experimental group were treated with magnesium sulfate micro air pump suction. We recorded all changes in blood gas and clinical scores, the residence time of symptoms and signs of bronchiolitis, and hospitalization time. Results obtained on clinical effects and adverse reactions were compared and analyzed. RESULTS The Variations of PaO2, PaCO2, SaO2 before treatment in both groups did not show any statistically significant differences (p>0.05); while after treatment analyses demonstrated that in both groups we had an increase in PaO2 and SaO2 and a decrease in PaCO2. The increase in PaO2 and SaO2 values were more pronounced while the decrease observed in PaCO2 was more significant in our experimental group. The total effective rate was significantly higher while the total adverse reaction rate, the resolution time of clinical symptoms and hospitalization time were significantly lower in our experimental group. CONCLUSIONS Magnesium sulfate micro air pump suction was safe and effective in treating with bronchiolitis of infants below 2 years old, and its adverse reaction rate was low, nursing procedure was simple, and nursing difficulty level was low.
Oral ciprofloxacin treatment for Salmonella typhimurium infection of normal and immunocompromised mice

Oral treatment of Salmonella typhimurium infection with ciprofloxacin was compared with conventional chemotherapy with ampicillin or chloramphenicol in normal (CFW1) and immunocompromised (C57BL/6) mice. Administration of the antibiotics for 12 days reduced the number of bacteria in livers and the mortality of C57BL/6 mice significantly. Ciprofloxacin was considerably more effective than ampicillin in prolongation of the mean survival time of these mice. Similar to conventional chemotherapeutic agents, ciprofloxacin did not prevent fatal disease in most C57BL/6 mice when the treatment lasted 12 days only. On the other hand, ciprofloxacin cured lethal S. typhimurium illness in immunocompromised mice after long-term oral chemotherapy for 26 days at a dosage of 100 mg/kg twice a day. This was not achieved by either ampicillin or chloramphenicol. In normal mice, 12 days of therapy with ciprofloxacin was sufficient for a significant decrease in both the number of viable bacteria in livers and the mortality of lethally infected mice. The results provide a basis for an alternative antibiotic treatment by the oral route in immunocompromised hosts with systemic infections.
Diagnostic agropédoclimatique du risque de sécheresse au Burkina Faso : étude de quelques techniques agronomiques améliorant la résistance pour les cultures de sorgho, de mil et de mai͏̈s

Dans la premiere partie, l'etude par simulation a porte sur des series chronologiques de donnees climatiques. Elle a permis de cerner les degradations recentes des potentialites agropedoclimatique qui traduisent la secheresse persistante au burkina faso. Le risque d'apparition des phases de secheresse y est frequent, comme du reste, dans toute la zone soudano-sahelienne de l'afrique. Mais a elle seule, la secheresse n'explique pas completement les faibles rendements des cultures actuellement observes chez les paysans: les ecarts de productivite, des cereales entre les potentialites et le milieu reel en attestent. Dans la deuxieme partie, apres avoir effectue des simulations des conditions actuelles d'adaptation de plusieurs durees de cycle de culture pour les sorghos, des mils et des mais sur l'ensemble du pays, on a presente une cartographie des indices de leurs rendements a la frequence d'occurence de 8 ans sur 10. L'interpretation des rerultats agronomiques, a porte successivement sur des essais puriannuels et multilocaux concernant des techniques de travail du sol "en humide avec introduction de la traction bovine; des essais plus localises de travail du sol en sec, conduits avec motorisation ainsi que des essais comportant des irrigations de complement destinees a reduire les risques pendant des phases sans pluie en periode humide. Labour, billonnage, cloisonnement et scarifiage du sol ont ete compares isolement ou en association. Ces techniques ont pour but de controler le ruissellement et l'erosion provoques par certains types de pluie de forte intensite tombant sur des sols generalement a faible permeabilite. Dans la troisieme partie, on a mis en evidence le role de ces techniques sur l'amelioration du bilan hydrique des cultures. Pour les trois cereales etudiees, la valeur etr/etm doit etre la plus elevee possible a partir de la phase epaiaison-floraison pour garantir une meilleure effi
The Impact of ISO 27001 Certification on Firm Performance

The extensive organizational dependence on information technology (IT), along with worsening impact of information security incidents, has made information security one of the top management concerns. The ISO 27001 standard provides guidance to a sound information security management system (ISMS). However, implementation and accreditation costs can also be considerable. In this study, we explored whether the certification can benefit organizations by signaling the management's attitude toward security management and the appropriateness of ISMS implementation. We investigated firm performance after the ISO 27001 certification with samples from the United States and selected European countries. Different from our expectation, we found no evidence that ISO 27001 certification brought benefits to the certified firm in terms of return-on-assets and stock market performance. We attributed the results to the nature of ISO 27001 that a good information security management would be seen as an obligation, instead of a competitive advantage.
Resveratrol has no effect on lipoprotein profile and does not prevent peroxidation of serum lipids in normal rats.

Trans-resveratrol, one of the antioxidants found in red wine, has been the subject of controversial reports regarding its protective role against cardiovascular diseases. In this study we synthesized trans-resveratrol and injected it to rats (20 and 40 mg/kg body weight, once a day for 21 days, i.p.) to determine its effect on the serum lipid profile. Synthetic trans-resveratrol was an effective antioxidant in vitro against hydroxyl radical (I50 = 33 microM). Resveratrol treatment, however, did not have any effect on either the lipid profile or on Cu+2-dependent formation of thiobarbituric-acid-reactive substances (TBARS) from protein-associated lipids. Since the amount of resveratrol used in these experiments was orders of magnitude higher than the amounts found in wine, these results suggest that if resveratrol has any effect against coronary heart diseases, it is not related to its antioxidant role on lipids or to changes in lipoprotein profile.
Career intentions of UNITRA medical students and their perceptions about the future.

CONTEXT The University of Transkei (UNITRA) medical programme follows a problem-based learning and community-based education curriculum. OBJECTIVE To gauge the views of UNITRA medical students about their future, and their career intentions. DESIGN A semi-structured questionnaire on intentions to specialize or not, preferred place of work, overall view of the future, and careers guidance. FINDINGS The questionnaire was completed by 364 students (87.7% response rate). The sector preferences are 82.3% public, 6.8% university and 10.9% private. Place of work preferences are urban (37%), rural (27%), city (12%) and abroad (8%), while 16% have no preference. Rural preference varies from 48.5% among 1st year students to 5.9% among 6th year students, while urban preference are 26.2% for Year I and 64.7% for Year VI students. 89.8% of respondents intended to specialize, mainly in clinical fields, with the most influential factors in the choice of specialty being interest and challenge. Most students (78%) view the future positively, 13% say it is uncertain, 8% have no idea about the future; and 1% think the future is negative. Frequent reasons cited for a bright future are job-related, personal attitude, sense of achievement, and the type of training. Most students have received little or no career guidance and would like such topics in the curriculum. CONCLUSION UNITRA medical students are optimistic about the future. The majority intend to stay in South Africa and work in the public sector, and most of them wish to pursue clinical specialties.