Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
IL6 −174G>C polymorphism is associated with an increased risk of psoriasis but not response to treatment

Interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) is implicated in the pathogenesis of psoriasis as well as in its treatment efficacy. The aim of this study of 406 patients with psoriasis and 203 healthy controls was to evaluate the association between the IL6 −174G>C (rs1800795) polymorphism and psoriasis susceptibility, as well as treatment efficacy. The frequency of genotype GG (33.7% vs 20.7%; P = 0.00022; OR = 0.51, 95% confidence interval 0.34–0.76) and of allele G (56.2% vs 46.8%; P = 0.0023) was significantly higher in the psoriasis group compared with controls. No polymorphism variants were associated with better response to topical or combined topical/narrow‐band ultraviolet B (NB‐UVB) treatment. We conclude that the IL6 −174G>C polymorphism can be a marker of susceptibility to psoriasis, with an almost twofold increased risk of the disease in individuals carrying the GG genotype; however, it was not associated with treatment response to topical and/or NB‐UVB therapy.
Surface Association of Pht Proteins of Streptococcus pneumoniae

ABSTRACT Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major human pathogen responsible for massive global morbidity and mortality. The pneumococcus attaches a variety of proteins to its cell surface, many of which contribute to virulence; one such family are the polyhistidine triad (Pht) proteins PhtA, PhtB, PhtD, and PhtE. In this study, we have examined the mechanism of Pht surface attachment using PhtD as a model. Analysis of deletion and point mutants identified a three-amino-acid region of PhtD (Q27-H28-R29) that is critical for the process. The analogous region in PhtE was also necessary for its attachment to the cell surface. Furthermore, we show that a large proportion of the total amount of each Pht protein is released into bacterial culture supernatants. Other surface proteins were also released, albeit to lesser extents, and this was not due to pneumococcal autolysis. The extent of release of surface proteins was strain dependent and was not affected by the capsule. Lastly, we compared the fitness of wild-type and ΔphtABDE pneumococci in vivo in a mouse coinfection model. Release of Pht proteins by the wild type did not complement the mutant strain, consistent with surface-attached rather than soluble forms of the Pht proteins playing the major role in virulence. The significant degree of release of Pht proteins from intact bacteria may have implications for the use of these proteins in novel vaccines.
A Proactive Strategy for Attracting Women into Engineering.

En 1991, le Women in Engineering Committee [Comite des ingenieures] de la Ryerson Polytechnic University a cree un camp d'ete en vue de favoriser la decouverte de l'ingenierie (Discover Engineering Summer Camp). Ce programme visait particulierement a informer les jeunes etudiantes des defis et des avantages associes a une carriere dans l'ingenierie. Le camp avait egalement pour but de leur montrer qu'etre ingenieur etait une profession d'avenir et ainsi de les motiver a s'engager dans cette voie . 83 % des participantes au camp de l'ete 1996 ont repondu que leur sejour avait ete tres utile et 76 % ont declare avoir ete sensibilisees a l'ingenierie. Des enquetes de suivi portant sur des camps anterieurs ont conclu qu'approximativement 60 % des jeunes participantes avaient fait des etudes universitaires d'ingenierie et que le camp avait influence fortement leur decision.
Physeal sparing reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament in skeletally immature prepubescent children and adolescents.

BACKGROUND The management of anterior cruciate ligament injuries in skeletally immature patients is controversial. Conventional adult reconstruction techniques risk potential iatrogenic growth disturbance due to physeal damage. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the results of a physeal sparing, combined intra-articular and extra-articular reconstruction technique in prepubescent skeletally immature children. METHODS Between 1980 and 2002, forty-four skeletally immature prepubescent children and adolescents who were in Tanner stage 1 or 2 (with a mean chronological age of 10.3 years) underwent physeal sparing, combined intraarticular and extra-articular reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament with use of an autogenous iliotibial band graft. Twenty-seven patients had additional meniscal surgery. Functional outcome, graft survival, radiographic outcome, and growth disturbance were evaluated at a mean of 5.3 years after surgery. RESULTS Two patients underwent a revision reconstruction for graft failure at 4.7 and 8.3 years postoperatively. In the remaining forty-two patients, the mean International Knee Documentation subjective knee score (and standard deviation) was 96.7 +/- 6.0 points, and the mean Lysholm knee score was 95.7 +/- 6.7 points. The results of the Lachman examination for anterior cruciate ligament integrity was normal for twenty-three patients, nearly normal for eighteen patients, and abnormal for one patient. The results of the pivot-shift examination were normal for thirty-one patients and nearly normal for eleven patients. Four of the twenty-three patients who underwent concurrent meniscal repair had a repeat arthroscopic meniscal repair or partial meniscectomy. The mean growth in total height from the time of surgery to the final follow-up evaluation was 21.5 cm. No patient had an angular deformity measured radiographically or a discrepancy in the length of the lower extremities measured clinically. CONCLUSIONS Physeal sparing, combined intra-articular and extra-articular reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament with use of an autogenous iliotibial band graft in skeletally immature prepubescent children and adolescents provides excellent functional outcome with a low revision rate and a minimal risk of growth disturbance.
Annular Elastolytic Giant Cell Granuloma Successfully Treated with Minocycline Hydrochloride.

Annular elastolytic giant cell granuloma (AEGCG) is a rare granulomatous skin disease characterised by small papules that evolve into annular/polycyclic plaques. Plaques typically have a slightly raised border; the centre may be hypopigmented and/or atrophic. Lesions are usually located on sun-exposed areas such as the face and the neck (1, 2). Histologically, AEGCG is associated with multinucleated giant cell infiltrate, elastolysis, and elastophagocytosis, localised mainly in the mid-dermis. Elastophagocytosis is considered to be brought on by one or more triggers, which leads to the loss of elastic fibres (3); in AEGCG, the possible triggers include ultraviolet radiation, heat, or other unknown factors that induce a cellular immune response (4). AEGCG is often refractory to any treatment, and no standard therapy has been established (5). Here, we report a case of AEGCG that improved after 11 weeks of treatment with oral minocycline hydrochloride.
Safety of tacrolimus in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: long-term experience.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the long-term safety of tacrolimus 3 mg/day in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS Patients with active RA who had discontinued all DMARDs for at least 2 weeks and had at least five tender/painful joints and three swollen joints, and required DMARD treatment in the opinion of the investigator, were enrolled into this open-label long-term safety trial. In addition, patients who had completed at least 3 months of treatment with tacrolimus 2 mg/day, tacrolimus 3 mg/day or placebo in a Phase III double-blind efficacy trial were allowed to roll over into this study. This latter group of patients did not have to fulfil any joint count requirements prior to entry into the long-term safety study, provided that no more than 14 days had elapsed between the end of their participation in the double-blind study and screening for the long-term safety study. All patients enrolled received tacrolimus 3 mg/day in addition to their current regimen of NSAIDs and corticosteroids. RESULTS 896 patients received at least one dose of tacrolimus 3 mg. The median duration of treatment was 359 days. 145 patients (16.2%) withdrew from the study for adverse events possibly or probably related to tacrolimus, 33 patients (3.7%) withdrew from the study for adverse events unrelated to tacrolimus and 112 (12.5%) withdrew for lack of efficacy. No adverse event with an incidence >0.7% appeared for the first time after the first 3 months of treatment with 3 mg tacrolimus. 529 patients (59%) experienced an adverse event that was possibly or probably related to tacrolimus; the most common were diarrhoea (14.6%), nausea (10.3%), tremor (9.0%), headache (8.7%), abdominal pain (7.9%), dyspepsia (7.6%), increased creatinine (6.8%) and hypertension (5.4%). Twenty-four patients (2.7%) experienced serious adverse events possibly or probably related to study drug; the most common were pneumonia (0.6%), hyperglycaemia (0.3%), gastroenteritis (0.2%), pancreatitis (0.2%) and diabetes mellitus (0.2%). The mean creatinine level increased from 67+/-19 micromol/l (0.76+/-0.22 mg/dl) at baseline to 75+/-26 micromol/l (0.85+/-0.30 mg/dl) (P<0.0001) at end of treatment. 351 (40.3%) of the 872 patients for whom creatinine levels were available at both baseline and during treatment had > or =30% increase from baseline in serum creatinine during the study, either related or unrelated to tacrolimus, with 73 patients (8.4%) having creatinine levels exceeding the normal range. At end of treatment, 177 patients (20.3%) had a > or =30% increase from baseline in creatinine. Serum creatinine remained within the normal range throughout the trial in approximately 90% of patients. At the end of treatment, the ACR20, ACR50 and ACR70 response rates were 38.4%, 18.6% and 9.0% respectively. Over 26% of patients had at least a 70% improvement in both swollen and painful/tender joints. CONCLUSION This study demonstrates that tacrolimus was safe and well-tolerated and provided clinical benefit over a period of at least 12 months.
Increasing Deception Detection Accuracy with Strategic Questioning

One explanation for the finding of slightly above-chance accuracy in detecting deception experiments is limited variance in sender transparency. The current study sought to increase accuracy by increasing variance in sender transparency with strategic interrogative questioning. Participants (total N = 128) observed cheaters and noncheaters who were questionedwith eitherindirectbackground questions or strategicquestioning. Accuracywas significantly below chance (44%) in the background questions condition and substantially above chance (68%) in the strategic interrogative questioning condition. The results suggest that transparency can be increased by strategic question asking and that accuracy rates well above chance are possible even for untrained judges exposed to only brief communications. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2958.2010. 01374.x It is both commonly accepted and well documented that people are only slightly better than chance at distinguishing truths from lies in deception detection experiments. Bond and DePaulo’s (2006) meta-analysis found that average accuracy in deception detection experiments is only 54%, where 50% could be obtained by chance. This finding is remarkably stable, with 90% of published studies reporting
Atomically Flat Silicon Surface and Silicon/Insulator Interface Formation Technologies for (100) Surface Orientation Large-Diameter Wafers Introducing High Performance and Low-Noise Metal–Insulator–Silicon FETs

Technology to atomically flatten the silicon surface on (100) orientation large-diameter wafer and the formation technology of an atomically flat insulator film/silicon interface are developed in this paper. Atomically flat silicon surfaces composed of atomic terraces and steps are obtained on (100) orientation 200-mm-diameter wafers by annealing in pure argon ambience at 1200degC for 30 min. Atomically flat surfaces with various terrace widths and step structures are observed by atomic force microscopy. It is found that the atomic terrace width changes widely with an off angle of the wafer surface from the (100) lattice plane. It is also found that the direction of the off angle significantly affects the atomically flat surface morphology, i.e., when the directions of the off angles are parallel to the <110> directions, the step structure is composed of alternating pairs of straight and triangular steps. When the directions of the off angles are parallel to the <100> directions, the step structure is composed of only straight steps. By precise control of the off angle and the direction toward the <100> directions for a 200-mm-diameter silicon wafer, we have succeeded in fabricating an atomically flat surface with straight atomic steps and a very uniform terrace width of 140-150 nm on the entire surface of a large-diameter silicon wafer. Furthermore, it is found that only radical-reaction-based insulator film formation technology, such as oxidation utilizing oxygen radicals carried out at a low temperature (400degC ), preserves the atomic flatness of the insulator film/silicon interface. Finally, when MOSFETs are fabricated with an atomically flat interface, they exhibit near ideal subthreshold swing factors, with much smaller fluctuation, extremely lower 1/f noise, and higher MOS dielectric breakdown field intensity compared with MOSFETs fabricated with conventional technologies.
Prevalence of visual impairment and blindness in a Nairobi urban population.

OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence and causes of visual impairment and blindness among Kibera slum dwellers. DESIGN Population based Survey. SETTING Kibera Slums, Kibera Division, Nairobi, Kenya. SUBJECTS One thousand four hundred and thirty eight randomly selected slum dwellers. RESULTS The prevalence of blindness and visual impairment was 0.6% (95% CI: 0.21 to 1.0), and 6.2% (95% CI: 4.95 to 7.15) respectively. 37.5% of those found blind were due to cataract followed by refractive errors 25.0%. 58.1% of those with visual impairment had refractive errors while 35.5% had cataracts. Females had a higher prevalence of visual impairment compared to males but the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.104). CONCLUSIONS Prevalence of blindness in Kibera slums is slightly lower than the estimated national average (0.7%) while that of visual impairment is almost three times higher. The leading causes of blindness are cataract followed by refractive errors. For visual impairment, refractive error was the leading cause followed by cataract. RECOMMENDATION Kibera slum dwellers are in need of comprehensive eye care services offering cataract surgery and low cost spectacles.
Selective Transcatheter Ablation of the Fast and Slow Pathways Using Radiofrequency Energy in Patients With Atrioventricular Nodal Reentrant Tachycardia

Background The safety and efficacy of selective fast versus slow pathway ablation using radiofrequency energy and a transcatheter technique in patients with atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT) were evaluated. Methods and Results Forty-nine consecutive patients with symptomatic AVNRT were included. There were 37 women and 12 men (mean age, 43±20 years). The first 16 patients underwent a fast pathway ablation with radiofrequency current applied in the anterior/superior aspect of the tricuspid annulus. The remaining 33 patients initially had their slow pathway targeted at the posterior/inferior aspect of the right interatrial septum. The fast pathway was successfully ablated in the initial 16 patients and in three additional patients after an unsuccessful slow pathway ablation. A mean of 10±8 radiofrequency pulses were delivered; the last (successful) pulse was at a power of24±7W for a duration of22±15 seconds. Four of these 19 patients developed complete atrioventricular (AV) block. In the remaining 15 patients, the post-ablation atrio-His intervals prolonged from 89±30 to 138±43 msec (p < 0.001), whereas the shortest 1:1 AV conduction and effective refractory period of the AV node remained unchanged. Ten patients lost their ventriculoatrial (VA) conduction, and the other five had a significant prolongation of the shortest cycle length of 1:1 VA conduction (280±35 versus 468±30 msec, p < 0.0001). Slow pathway ablation was attempted initially in 33 patients and in another two who developed uncommon AVNRT after successful fast pathway ablation. Of these 35 patients, 32 had no AVNRT inducible after 6 4 radiofrequency pulses with the last (successful) pulse given at a power of 36±12 W for a duration of 35±15 seconds. After successful slow pathway ablation, the shortest cycle length of 1:1 AV conduction prolonged from 295±44 to 332±66 msec (p < 0.0005), the AV nodal effective refractory penrod increased from 232±36 to 281±61 msec (p < 0.0001), and the atrio-His interval as well as the shortest cycle length of 1:1 VA conduction remained unchanged. No patients developed AV block. Among the last 33 patients who underwent a slow pathway ablation as the initial attempt and a fast pathway ablation only when the former failed, 32 (97%) had successful AVNRT abolition with intact AV conduction. During a mean follow-up of 6.5±3.0 months, none of the 49 patients had recurrent tachycardia. Forty patients had repeat electrophysiological studies 4–8 weeks after their successful ablation, and AVNRT could not be induced in 39 patients Conclusions These data suggest that both fast and slow pathways can be selectively ablated for control of AVNRT. Slow pathway ablation, however, by obviating the risk of AV block, appears to be safer and should be considered as the first approach.
Cause of Preterm Birth as a Prognostic Factor for Mortality

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of the cause of preterm birth on in-hospital mortality of preterm neonates born from 24 to 34 weeks of gestation. METHODS: L'Etude épidémiologique sur les petits âges gestationnels (EPIPAGE)-2 is a prospective, nationwide, population-based cohort of very preterm births. After dividing causes of preterm birth into six mutually exclusive groups, we analyzed the association of each cause with in-hospital deaths of preterm neonates born alive with adjustment for organizational, maternal, and obstetric factors. RESULTS: The analysis included 3,138 singleton live births from 24 to 34 weeks of gestation with a newborn in-hospital mortality rate of 5.0% (95% confidence interval 4.5–5.7). Preterm labor was the most frequent cause of preterm birth (n=1,293 [43.5%]) followed by preterm premature rupture of membranes (n=765 [23.9%]), hypertensive disorders without suspected fetal growth restriction (n=397 [12.7%]), hypertensive disorders with suspected fetal growth restriction (n=408 [10.9%]), placental abruption after an uncomplicated pregnancy (n=92 [3.0%]), and suspected fetal growth restriction without hypertensive disorders (n=183 [5.9%]). Neonates born because of suspected fetal growth restriction with or without hypertensive disorders (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.0 [1.9–4.7] and adjusted OR 2.3 [1.1–4.6], respectively) had higher adjusted risks of in-hospital death than those born after preterm labor. Risks of in-hospital mortality for preterm births caused by preterm premature rupture of membranes (adjusted OR 1.3 [0.9–1.9]), hypertensive disorders without fetal growth restriction (adjusted OR 0.7 [0.4–1.4]), or placental abruption (adjusted OR 1.6 [0.7–3.7]) were similar to those born after preterm labor. CONCLUSION: Among neonates born alive before 34 weeks of gestation, only those born because of suspected fetal growth restriction have a higher mortality risk than those born after preterm labor.
An Empirical Study of Some Critical Adoption Factors of ERP Software

ABSTRACT This article complements and/or extends inquiries on information systems (IS) adoption; it develops an eight-factor framework within the T-O-E taxonomy and empirically tests it to explain the adoption of the enterprise resource planning (ERP) software amongst small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Survey data were collected from executives of service SMEs in Nigeria. Purposive and snow ball sampling techniques were used and analysis involved partial least square (PLS). The T-O-E factors had a statistically significant effect on ERP adoption; factors within technology and organization had positive coefficients, and those within an environment had negative coefficients. On the average, unit increase(s) in the complexity of the pressures results in less likelihood to adopt ERP or vice versa. Thus, the observed T-O-E antecedent factors critically explain ERP adoption. Managers will make informed investment decisions on how integrated systems systematically improve competitive advantage.
Synergistic antimicrobial effect of cefotaxime and minocycline on proinflammatory cytokine levels in a murine model of Vibrio vulnificus infection.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Vibrio vulnificus causes primary bacteremia and necrotizing wound infection, leading to high morbidity and mortality in humans. This study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial effect of cefotaxime and minocycline on proinflammatory cytokine levels in a murine model of V. vulnificus infection. METHODS We investigated the dynamics of proinflammatory cytokines and their modulation by antimicrobial agents using a murine model of V. vulnificus infection. The change in cytokine levels was followed over a time course to identify the antimicrobial activity of the drugs against V. vulnificus. BALB/c female mice were challenged with an intraperitoneal infection using a clinical invasive isolate of Vv05191, and their cytokine levels were assayed over various time points. RESULTS Serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin (IL)-1 beta, and IL-6 post-infection were found to be inoculum dose-dependent and positively correlated to the subsequent fatality rate in the infected mice. With an inoculum of 6.6 x 10(6) colony-forming units and intraperitoneal administration of cefotaxime, minocycline, or both, the serum and peritoneal fluid cytokine levels increased and then declined gradually. Comparison of the 3 antimicrobial regimens revealed that the magnitude of reduction in cytokine levels was greatest in mice treated with cefotaxime-minocycline combination. Moreover, the peritoneal fluid cytokine level in the combination group was significantly lower than that in the groups treated with minocycline or cefotaxime alone. CONCLUSIONS The current results support the superiority of the combination therapy in treating invasive V. vulnificus infections.
Pulsed electromagnetic field during cast immobilization in postmenopausal women with Colles' fracture.

INTRODUCTION Although Colles' fracture i.e. a dorsally displaced distal radius fracture (DRF) is one of the most common fractures, there is no enough evidence to determine the best form of rehabilitation. OBJECTIVE To assess whether the use of pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy during cast immobilization of DRF provides beneficial effects on pain, edema, wrist range of motion and function, as well as on the frequency of complications immediately after cast removal. METHODS The prospective randomized controlled study included 60 women over the age of 55 years with extra-articular displaced DRF treated with reduction and cast immobilization. The patients were alternately allocated to either a PEMF group (n = 30, received 10 days of PEMF therapy during immobilization), or a control group (n = 30, without PEMF therapy). Pain, function, hand circumference, wrist and forearm range of motion and frequency of complications for each patient was evaluated within two to three days of cast removal. RESULTS Better mean values for the majority of examined parameters were recorded in the PEMF group than in the control group, but the difference was statistically significant just for edema (p < 0.001), flexion, extension and supination range (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION During immobilization PEMF therapy in DRF patients gave better results immediately after cast removal in terms of edema and wrist range of motion (ROM).