Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Class of nerve fiber involvement in sensory neuropathies: Clinical characterization and utility of the plantar nerve action potential

Precise classification of distal sensory polyneuropathies (SN) according to fiber type involvement is desirable for clinical and research purposes. The sural sensory response has served as an electrophysiologic gold standard for the assessment of large‐fiber sensory dysfunction. However, patients labeled as having small‐fiber sensory neuropathies on the basis of a normal sural response frequently have clinical evidence of large‐fiber dysfunction. The surface‐recorded medial plantar potential has shown promise as a more sensitive indicator of large‐fiber sensory dysfunction, but is not widely accepted because of concerns about age effects and a lack of large well‐controlled studies in SN. We have thus correlated clinical type of SN: large‐fiber sensory neuropathies (LFSN), small‐fiber sensory neuropathies (SFSN), and mixed (large‐ and small‐fiber) sensory neuropathies (MFSN) with sural and medial plantar nerve conduction studies in 133 consecutive patients with distal SN and 108 control subjects. A combination of stringent clinical characterization and electrophysiologic features, especially the surface‐recorded medial plantar rather than sural potential, was complementary, and permitted a more clear separation of LFSN, MFSN, and SFSN than with either approach used alone. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Muscle Nerve 26: 212–217, 2002
Scolicidal effects of Myrtle methanolic extract on hydatid cyst protoscoleces.

This investigation aims to evaluate the protoscolicidal effects of Myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) extract on the protoscoleces of hydatid cysts on an in vitro model. Protoscoleces were aseptically aspirated from the livers of naturally infected sheep. Various concentrations of extract were used for 10-60 minutes. Eosin exclusion test was used to determine the viability of protoscoleces. Findings showed that extract at the concentrations of 500 and 25 mg/mL killed 100% protoscoleces after 10 and 20 minutes of exposure, respectively. Obtained results in this investigation for the first time demonstrated that Myrtle might be a natural source for the production of new scolicidal agents.
Palliative care reimagined: a needed shift

Palliative care, since its inception over 60 years ago, has set the standard of how to care for people who are dying. Key features among these standards have been the professional development of clinical specialisms such as palliative medicine and palliative nursing; the essential addition of the multidisciplinary team to these two new specialisms that included social, spiritual and allied health workers—an outgrowth of the recognition that routine work with the dying, their carers, and the bereaved required more than solely clinical skills; and the unique partnership with communities that yielded the volunteer movement within palliative care. Professional, evidence-based symptom management and the importance of supportive care in its widest possible sense were and remain the cornerstones of the modern palliative care approach. However, the majority of people with terminal illnesses do not have access to palliative care teams, whose main focus of care remains patients with cancer. In the context outlined above this paper therefore poses two key questions: how can we provide an equitable level of care for all people irrespective of diagnosis and how can we increase the range and quality of non-medical/nursing supportive care in a context of diminishing resources? We argue that an important opportunity and solution can be found by adopting the principles of a public health approach to end-of-life care.
Women in medicine: historical perspectives and recent trends.

INTRODUCTION Women now outnumber men in British medical schools. This paper charts the history of women in medicine and provides current demographic trends. SOURCES OF DATA A historical literature review and routinely collected data from Department of Health and the Health and Social Care Information Centre. AREAS OF AGREEMENT Clear gender differences are apparent in working practices, including greater likelihood of working part time and specializing in certain areas of medicine. AREAS OF CONTROVERSY The increasing need to increase activity among the existing medical workforce is timely amidst a changing workforce demographic. GROWING POINTS Workforce planners, policymakers and Royal Colleges should continue to develop interventions that may reduce disparities in career choices, as well as considering ways to increase participation and activity. AREAS TIMELY FOR DEVELOPING RESEARCH Further research is needed to explore the cost-effectiveness of existing and future interventions in this field.
Screening of Donor and Recipient in Solid Organ Transplantation

Pretransplant screening of potential organ donors and recipients is essential to the success of solid organ transplantation (1–4). The goals of pretransplant infectious disease screening are to identify conditions which may disqualify either donor or recipient; identify and treat active infection pretransplant; recognize and (if possible) define the risk of infection and develop strategies for preventing and mitigating posttransplant infection; and implement preventative measures, including immunizations (5). While there is general agreement on the major infections for which routine screening is performed, centers vary in the extent of infectious diseases investigation and the actions taken as a result.
The entorhinal cortex of the monkey: III. Subcortical afferents

The subcortical afferent connections of the entorhinal cortex of the Macaca fascicularis monkey were investigated by the placement of small injections of the retrograde tracer wheat germ agglutinin conjugated to horseradish peroxidase into each of its subdivisions. Retrogradely labeled cells were observed in several subcortical regions including the amygdaloid complex, claustrum, basal forebrain, thalamus, hypothalamus, and brainstem. In the amygdala, labeled cells were observed principally in the lateral nucleus, the accessory basal nucleus, the deep or paralaminar portion of the basal nucleus, and the periamygdaloid cortex. Additional retrogradely labeled cells were found in the endopiriform nucleus, the anterior amygdaloid area, and the cortical nuclei. Retrogradely labeled cells were observed throughout much of the rostrocaudal extent of the claustrum and tended to be located in its ventral half. In the basal forebrain, retrogradely labeled cells were observed in the medial septal nucleus, the nucleus of the diagonal band, and to a lesser extent within the substantia innominata. Several of the cells in the latter region were large and located within the densely packed neuronal clusters of the basal nucleus of Meynert. Most of the labeled cells in the thalamus were located in the midline nuclei. Many were found in nucleus reuniens, but even greater numbers were located in the centralis complex. Additional labeled cells were located in the paraventricular and parataenial nuclei. In all cases, numerous retrogradely labeled cells were observed in the medial pulvinar. In the hypothalamus, most of the retrogradely labeled cells were located in the supramamillary area, though scattered cells were also observed in the perifornical region and in the lateral hypothalamic area. Caudal to the mamillary nuclei there were labeled cells in the ventral tegmental area. There were relatively few labeled cells in the brainstem and these were invariably located either in the raphe nuclei or locus coeruleus.
Lighting programs for male and female meat quails (Coturnix coturnix) raised in equatorial region

ABSTRACT The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of lighting programs for male and female meat quails raised in an equatorial region on performance and carcass traits. A total of 1,500 sexed quails (Coturnix coturnix) was distributed in a completely randomized design in a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement, with 2 sexes (male and female) and 3 lighting programs (natural, intermittent, and continuous) with 5 replicates of 50 birds. The lighting programs were applied in the period from 7 to 49 d of age, being natural (12 h and 30 min of natural light and 11 h and 30 min of dark), intermittent (12 h and 30 min of natural light and 5 h and 30 min of artificial light, alternating lighting periods with one h and 06 min and periods of darkness with one h and 12 min), and continuous (23 h of natural + artificial light and one h of dark). Regardless of lighting program, female quails were heavier than males, and birds subjected to natural light weighed less than those exposed to continuous and intermittent lighting programs. Quails exposed to intermittent and continuous light presented higher weight gain and feed intake, and worse feed conversion ratio compared to birds under a natural light regimen. It is concluded that in an equatorial region, it is possible to use a lighting program with only natural light for raising male and female meat quails from 7 to 49 d of age.
Contextual Policy Search for Generalizing a Parameterized Biped Walking Controller

We investigate learning of flexible Robot locomotion controller, i.e., the controllers should be applicable for multiple contexts, for example different walking speeds, various slopes of the terrain or other physical properties of the robot. In our experiments, contexts are desired walking linear speed and the direction of the gait. Current approaches for learning control parameters of biped locomotion controllers are typically only applicable for a single context. They can be used for a particular context, for example to learn a gait with highest speed, lowest energy consumption or a combination of both. The question of our research is, how can we obtain a flexible walking controller that controls the robot (near) optimally for many different contexts? We achieve the desired flexibility of the controller by applying the recently developed contextual relative entropy policy search(REPS) method. With such a contextual policy search algorithm, we can generalize the robot walking controller for different contexts, where a context is described by a real valued vector. In this paper we also extend the contextual REPS algorithm to learn a non-linear policy instead of a linear one over the contexts. In order to validate our method, we perform a simulation experiment using a simulated NAO humanoid robot. The robot now learns a policy to choose the controller parameters for a continuous set of walking speeds and directions.
Association of COMT Val108/158Met genotype with smoking cessation

Objectives We attempted to extend a previous finding of an association of COMT genotype with response to nicotine-replacement therapy (NRT), in a larger cohort of treatment-seeking smokers, with greater statistical power to detect possible moderating effects of sex. We also investigated the association of the COMT genotype with withdrawal and mood symptoms, to identify possible mediating mechanisms by which the COMT genotype might influence response to NRT. Methods Participants were eligible if they were aged 18 years or older, and if they smoked 10 cigarettes per day or more; they were recruited from 26 general practice clinics in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire in the United Kingdom. All participants received 8 weeks of 15-mg NRT transdermal patch. Confirmation of abstinence was defined as an exhaled CO of less than 10 parts per million (ppm), or salivary cotinine concentration of less than 15 ng/ml. Results Cox regression analysis indicated a significant effect of the COMT genotype on relapse into smoking (P=0.001), with shorter times to relapse being observed among the AG (Val/Met) and GG (Val/Val) genotype groups. These effects were observed both during active treatment and as soon as active treatment had ended. The effect, however, was greater, once active treatment had ended, in the subgroup of smokers who had abstained up to this point. We did not observe any evidence of a sex difference in the effect of the COMT genotype. These effects did not seem to be mediated by self-reported withdrawal or mood symptoms. Conclusions Our results indicate that the COMT genotype is associated with the likelihood of smoking cessation in smokers treated with the NRT transdermal patch. Future large-scale studies will be required to afford sufficient power to simultaneously investigate the role of multiple genetic variants in treatment responses, and the effects of potential moderating variables on these associations.
In Vitro Release Studies of Piroxicam from Oil-in-Water Creams and Hydroalcoholic Gel Topical Formulations

The importance of piroxicam, a therapeutic anti-inflammatory drug, is well known. Because of gastrointestinal disorders, dermatological dosage forms are recommended most. In our first studies, oil-in-water (O/W) creams of piroxicam (1% concentration) were prepared using glyceryl monostearate (GMS), stearic acid, and triethanolamine as additive ingredients. In our second studies, hydroalcoholic transparent gel formulations of this drug in a 0.5% concentration were prepared using hydroxypropylcellulose (HPC) as the gelling agent. The release of piroxicam from all formulations via dialysis through a cellulose membrane into phosphate buffer pH 6.8 at 37°C was studied. The effects of additives such as propylene glycol and 2-propanol on the drug release were also investigated. The release profiles from the standpoint of diffusion-controlled processes, as well as zero-order and first-order kinetics, were evaluated, and relevant parameters, such as diffusion coefficient, permeability coefficient, and partition coefficient, were calculated. The release obeys both the diffusion mechanism and first-order kinetics. The drug release from gel formulations containing 10%, 20%, and 30% propylene glycol was decreased due to the enhancement of viscosity. However, the limpidity of these formulations was improved. Moreover, the release of drug from gel formulations containing 15% and 20% of 2-propanol was increased. These results show that a hydroalcoholic gel formulation with HPC is a more suitable preparation of piroxicam when compared with an O/W cream formulation.
Estimating the time period between infection and diagnosis based on CD4+ counts at first diagnosis among HIV-1 antiretroviral naïve patients in Nigeria.

INTRODUCTION CD4+ T-cell levels are an important criterion for categorizing HIV-related clinical conditions. Late diagnosis of infection contributes to poor medical outcomes and the continuation of viral transmission. This population-based cohort study in north central Nigeria reports the initial CD4+ lymphocyte counts at the time of first HIV diagnosis and determines the approximate time interval when HIV infection was acquired. METHODOLOGY Confirmed HIV-1 infected individuals (n = 588) for whom the dates of first HIV diagnosis were known were enrolled in this study. CD4+ lymphocyte counts were measured using a Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorter (FACS) platform that automatically quantifies CD4+ lymphocytes as absolute numbers of lymphocytes per µL of blood. The estimated time interval between HIV infection and time of first HIV diagnosis was determined as a function of the CD4+ lymphocytes' decay rate per calendar year. RESULTS The results showed that 22.1% and 49.7% of HIV-infected individuals present late with advanced (CD4+: 200-349 cells/mL) and severe (CD4+: < 200 cells/mL) immunosuppression respectively, while only 12.1% present with CD4+ ≥ 500 cells/mL and 16.2%with CD4+ between 350-499 cells/mL. Mean CD4+ counts for females were higher when compared to those of males (p > 0.05), The time interval between HIV infection and first diagnosis was approximately 6.1 years for males and 7.3 years for females. CONCLUSION The majority of HIV-infected individuals in this study accessed health care at late stages of infection, suggesting many HIV-infected individuals in Nigeria are unaware of their HIV status. More efficient programs for early diagnosis of HIV to prevent transmission are urgently required.
Gripe A na Imprensa Portuguesa: uma doença em notícia através de uma organizada estratégia de comunicação

Ao longo de 2009, uma doenca teve amplo destaque nos media: a Gripe A. De modo a contribuir para a compreensao da cobertura mediatica daquela que a Organizacao Mundial de Saude decretou ser uma pandemia, desenvolvemos um estudo centrado nas fontes de informacao citadas nos textos noticiosos sobre este tema. Tendo como referencia os artigos publicados no caderno principal de tres jornais nacionais que escolhemos pela periodicidade e politica editorial diferenciadas (Expresso, Publico e Jornal de Noticias), procuramos conhecer, nos 655 artigos que constituiram a nossa amostra, quem foram as fontes ouvidas pelos jornalistas. Deste estudo salienta-se uma “pandemia” que aconteceu, sobretudo, nos media. Nem o numero de mortes previstas a nivel internacional se confirmou, nem o ambiente de apelo a calma feito a nivel nacional se concretizou. Ao longo dos artigos estudados, sobressai um discurso declinado por fontes oficiais que, dentro e fora do pais, foram organizando uma comunicacao de risco que usou o discurso jornalistico para veicular “pseudoacontecimentos”. Houve uma pandemia mediatica que, quando transposta para fora dos media, teve dificuldade em sobreviver, mas que, durante um ano, se manteve em noticia gracas a accao de sofisticadas fontes de informacao.
Comparison of NxTAG Respiratory Pathogen Panel and Anyplex II RV16 Tests for Multiplex Detection of Respiratory Pathogens in Hospitalized Children

ABSTRACT Multiplex molecular techniques can detect a diversity of respiratory viruses and bacteria that cause childhood acute respiratory infection rapidly and conveniently. However, currently available techniques show high variation in performance. We sought to compare the diagnostic accuracy of the novel multiplex NxTAG respiratory pathogen panel (RPP) RUO test versus a routine multiplex Anyplex II RV16 assay in respiratory specimens collected from children <18 years of age hospitalized with nonspecific symptoms of acute lower respiratory infection. Parallel testing was performed on nasopharyngeal aspirates prospectively collected at referral Children's Hospital Sant Joan de Déu (Barcelona, Spain) between June and November 2015. Agreement values between the two tests and kappa coefficients were assessed. Bidirectional sequencing was performed for the resolution of discordant results. A total of 319 samples were analyzed by both techniques. A total of 268 (84.0%) of them yielded concordant results. Positive percent agreement values ranged from 83.3 to 100%, while the negative percent agreement was more than 99% for all targets except for enterovirus/rhinovirus (EV/RV; 94.4%). Kappa coefficients ranged from 0.83 to 1.00. Discrepancy analysis confirmed 66.0% of NxTAG RPP RUO results. A total of 260 viruses were detected, with EV/RV (n = 105, 40.4%) being the most prevalent target. Viral coinfections were found in 44 (14.2%) samples. In addition, NxTAG RPP RUO detected single bacterial and mixed viral-bacterial infections in seven samples. NxTAG RPP RUO showed high positive and negative agreement with Anyplex II RV16 for main viruses that cause acute respiratory infections in children, coupled with an additional capability to detect some respiratory bacteria.
Scanning electron microscopy studies of antennal sensilla of Ooencyrtus phongi (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae)

Ooencyrtus phongi (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) is an important egg parasitoid of the litchi stink bug, Tessaratoma papillosa (Drury) (Hemiptera: Tessaratomidae). Antennae of parasitic Hymenoptera are important sensory organs and play an important role in host location, host discrimination, courtship, and mating behavior. In this article, we examined the external morphology of the antennal sensilla of female and male of O. phongi using scanning electron microscopy. Twelve morphological sensillar types were recognized in both sexes, including the placoid sensilla, basiconic sensilla, two types of sensilla trichodea, and eight types of sensilla chaetica. Major differences were found between the sexes, in number, distribution, shape, structure, and size of the identified sensilla. These results are discussed in relation to the possible role of these sensilla in the host location behavior of O. phongi. Microsc. Res. Tech. 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Reference Prices, Costs, and Nominal Rigidities

We assess the importance of nominal rigidities using a new weekly scanner dataset. We find that nominal rigidities take the form of inertia in reference prices and costs, defined as the most common prices and costs within a given quarter. Reference prices are particularly inertial and have an average duration of roughly one year, even though weekly prices change roughly once every two weeks. We document the relation between prices and costs and find sharp evidence of state dependence in prices. We use a simple model to argue that reference prices and costs are useful statistics for macroeconomic analysis. (JEL L11, L25, L81)
Reflections on the Ebola Public Health Emergency of International Concern, Part 2: The Unseen Epidemic of Posttraumatic Stress among Health-care Personnel and Survivors of the 2014–2016 Ebola Outbreak

intRoduction Neither dramatic footage nor horrifying statistics from the most recent Ebola virus (EBOV) outbreak come close to reflecting the true impact of the EBOV disease (EVD) on affected countries, communities, patients, health-care workers, or their friends and families. [1,2] With focus squarely on containing the outbreak and dealing with the immensity of the task at hand, many fail to notice the associated emotional and psychological toll. [3,4] Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is defined by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition as a specified constellation of emotional and behavioral responses to traumatic events. [5] The affected person frequently reports an exposure to death, threatened death, actual or threatened serious injury, or actual or threatened sexual violence. Within this context, one or more of the following are required to meet the diagnosis of PTSD: (a) direct exposure to trauma; (b) witnessing the traumatic act or event in person; (c) indirect involvement, by learning that a close relative or close friend was exposed to trauma; (d) if the event involved actual or threatened death, it must have been violent or accidental; and (e) repeated or extreme indirect exposure to aversive details of the event(s) has occurred, usually in the course of professional duties (e.g., first responders, collecting body parts, social workers repeatedly exposed to details of child abuse). [5] This does not include indirect nonprofessional exposure to above-mentioned events through electronic media, television, movies, or pictures. In this Editorial, we will discuss the very real and well-documented phenomenon of PTSD among EVD survivors, caretakers, and their immediate contacts.
Microwave land emissivity calculations using AMSU measurements

Atmospheric parameter retrievals over land from Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU) measurements, such as atmospheric temperature and moisture profiles, could be possible using a reliable estimate of the land emissivity. The land surface emissivities have been calculated using six months of data, for 30 beam positions (observation zenith angles from -58/spl deg/ to +58/spl deg/) and the 23.8-, 31.4-, 50.3-, 89-, and 150-GHz channels. The emissivity calculation covers a large area including Africa, Eurasia, and Eastern South America. The day-to-day variability of the emissivity is less than 2% in these channels. The angular and spectral dependence of the emissivity is studied. The obtained AMSU emissivities are in good agreement with the previously derived SSMI ones. The scan asymmetry problem has been evidenced for AMSU-A channels. And possible extrapolation of the emissivity from window channels to sounding ones has been successfully tested.