Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Epidemiological analysis of the environmental health impact of annual ivermectin mass drug administration on clinical manifestation of onchocerciasis

Epidemiological studies on the impact of onchocerciasis control in some parts of Imo State, Nigeria was undertaken between 2008 and 2012 to determine the impact of annual ivermectin mass drug administration on clinical manifestation of Onchocerciasis. The survey took place in the nine villages of Okigwe local government area, which have base line data at Carter Center Imo/Abia project. Permission to carry out this survey was obtained from Ministry of Health as well as informed consent was obtained from the individual volunteers. Skin snip for microfilaria(mf), community microfilaria load(cmfl), physical examination, visual screening, were carried out among 960 volunteers comprising of 511males and 499 females from age group 5–62+ in the sampled villages in accordance with the epidemiological evaluation of onchocerciasis protocol. The results shows 63.7% reduction against 47.2% nodule prevalence in 1995 to 14.3% nodule prevalence in 2012 (p<0.001). similarly there is 36.3% reduction rate of mf prevalence from 51.8% mf rate to 33.0% in 2012 after 15 years of mass drug administration(p<0.005). CMFL is generally low among the sampled villages 0.90 mf per milligram (p<0.001). An Onchocercal symptom was found among individuals in the sampled villages 47.2%. Also mf prevalence was rare in age group 5–15(17%), subsequently increased with age and highest in age group 56–62+ (26%). However, because microfilaria (mf) was found among the subjects, is suggestive of its potential continued transmission and therefore Onchocerciasis is not yet eliminated.
Dermatophytoses in Crete, Greece, between 1992 and 1996

Pathological specimens from 1361 patients with clinical manifestations of dermatophytosis from the island of Crete, Greece, were examined for dermatophytes during a 5‐year period (1992‐96). Dermatophytes of the genus Trichophyton, Microsporum and Epidermophyton were isolated from 327 (24%) of the patients. Trichophyton rubrum was the most frequently isolated dermatophyte accounting for 44.4% of the strains, followed by M. canis (25%), T. mentagrophytes var. interdigitale (14.4%) and E. floccosum (7.6%). Less frequent isolates included T. mentagrophytes (3.4%), T. violaceum (3.1%), T. verrucosum (1.8%) and M. gypseum (0.3%). An analysis of the distribution and frequency of the dermatophytes according to the cutaneous area affected and the sex of the patients is also reported.
Individual Differences in Race Schematicity as Predictors of African American and White Children's Race-Relevant Memories and Peer Preferences

Abstract Race schematicity, memories for racially stereotyped portrayals, and race-based peer preferences of 70 young children (32 African American, 38 White) were assessed. Consistent with schema-based models of stereotyping, race schematicity was positively and significantly associated with memory distortions of racial stereotype-inconsistent drawings into stereotype-consistent ones. Conversely, race schematicity was negatively and significantly associated with accurate memories for racial stereotype-inconsistent content, and with memory distortions of racial stereotype-consistent portrayals into stereotype-inconsistent ones. As predicted, race schematicity was positively and significantly associated with same-race peer preference bias, as was children's age in months. Results support application of the schematicity construct and relevant social psychological research with adults to the study of young African American and White children's racial stereotyping and processing of race-relevant information.
Some repair-deficient mutants of Dictyostelium discoideum display enhanced susceptibilities to bleomycin

Dictyostelium discoideum, a soil eukaryote, is highly resistant to DNA-damaging agents; repair mutants are more susceptible. Susceptibility to bleomycin, produced by Streptomyces verticillus, is greater for mutants which are susceptible to other agents than for resistant strains. The high potential for DNA repair may result from the need to cope with chemicals produced by other soil microorganisms.
Targeted Editing of Myostatin Gene in Sheep by Transcription Activator-like Effector Nucleases

Myostatin (MSTN) is a secreted growth factor expressed in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue that negatively regulates skeletal muscle mass. Gene knockout of MSTN can result in increasing muscle mass in sheep. The objectives were to investigate whether myostatin gene can be edited in sheep by transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) in tandem with single-stranded DNA oligonucleotides (ssODNs). We designed a pair of TALENs to target a highly conserved sequence in the coding region of the sheep MSTN gene. The activity of the TALENs was verified by using luciferase single-strand annealing reporter assay in HEK 293T cell line. Co-transfection of TALENs and ssODNs oligonucleotides induced precise gene editing of myostatin gene in sheep primary fibroblasts. MSTN gene-edited cells were successfully used as nuclear donors for generating cloned embryos. TALENs combined with ssDNA oligonucleotides provide a useful approach for precise gene modification in livestock animals.
The relative biological effectiveness of fractionated doses of fast neutrons (42 MeVd----Be) for normal tissues in the pig. I. Effects on the epidermis and dermal vascular/connective tissues.

The effects of fractionated doses of fast neutrons (42 MeVd----Be) on the early epithelial and later dermal response of pig skin have been assessed and compared with those after X irradiation. For the early epithelial reaction, i.e. moist desquamation, the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of the neutron beam increased with the decreasing size of the X-ray dose/fraction. There was an experimentally observed upper RBE value of approximately 2.75 for X-ray doses/fraction of between 2 and 5 Gy. For the late reaction of ischaemic dermal necrosis the RBE was greater than 3.0 for X-ray doses/fraction of less than 3 Gy and, based on the assumptions made in the linearquadratic model of cell survival, an upper limiting RBE of 4.32 +/- 0.39 was calculated for infinitely small doses/fraction. These findings were compared with other radiobiological data and the conclusions drawn from the results of clinical trials. It was concluded that for the sparing of late effects in skin and subcutaneous tissues, relative to acute reactions, a relatively small number of fractions in a short overall treatment time may be optimal for fast neutron therapy.
Contribution of homeopathy to the control of an outbreak of dengue in Macaé, Rio de Janeiro

Homeopathy has contributed throughout history to the control and eradication of epidemic diseases. Facing the challenge of controlling an outbreak of dengue, the Secretary of Health of the county of Macae, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in early 2007 carried out a “Homeopathy Campaign against Dengue”. 156,000 doses of homeopathic remedy were freely distributed in April and May 2007 to asymptomatic patients and 129 doses to symptomatic patients treated in outpatient clinics, according to the notion of “epidemic genus”. The remedy used was a homeopathic complex against dengue containing Phosphorus 30cH, Crotalus horridus 30cH and Eupatorium perfoliatum 30cH. The incidence of the disease in the first three months of 2008 fell 93% by comparison to the corresponding period in 2007, whereas in the rest of the State of Rio de Janeiro there was an increase of 128%. While confounding factors were not controlled for, these results suggest that homeopathy may be an effective adjunct in Dengue outbreak prevention.
The dice are rolling for schizophrenia genetics

Professor Tim Crow’s impassioned review (Crow, In press) addresses the question at the heart of schizophrenia (SCZ) genetics: a decade into the genomic era and after at least 28 genomewide linkage studies (Konneker et al., Submitted), ~1300 association studies of ~700 candidate genes (Allen et al., In press), and three published genomewide association studies (GWAS) (Lencz et al., 2007, Shifman et al., 2008, Sullivan et al., In press), what do we truly know about the genetics of SCZ?
Occurrence of hepatitis B and C infection among hemodialyzed patients with chronic renal failure in Qazvin, Iran: A preliminary study

Background: A critical problem for hemodialysis patients are hepatitis infections. Some of the risk factors associated with HBV infection include blood transfusion, frequency, and duration of hemodialysis, and equipment contamination of infected patients. In fact, HCV infection through dialysis units has increased worldwide. Aims & Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) in hemodialysis patients in Qazvin province, Iran. Methods & Materials: The data were obtained from a total of 195 patients who have been receiving hemodialysis for years, and who were screened for the presence of the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and HCV antibodies. Results: Results showed that six patients (3.1%) had the hepatitis B antigen and 13 patients (6.7%) had hepatitis C. Of the total sample, 195 patients participated in this study. Five patients (3.2%) were found to have seropositive hepatitis markers. Two patients (1.3%) were HBsAg seropositive and three patients (1.9%) were anti-HCV seropositive. Conclusion: Considering the outcome of this study, education for dangerous behaviors along with screening, vaccination, and appropriate treatment for hepatitis is strongly recommended to control this persistent infectious source of hepatitis B and C in the community. Taking the medical history without a screening blood test for HBV and HCV might lead to treating infected patients as non-infected ones.
Force extension relaxation of medium force orthodontic latex elastics.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the force extension relaxation of different manufacturers and diameters of latex elastics subjected to static tensile testing under dry and wet conditions. MATERIALS AND METHODS Sample sizes of 15 elastics from American Orthodontics (AO) (Sheboygan, Wis), TP (La Porte, Ind), and Morelli Orthodontics (Sorocaba SP, Brazil) were used. Equivalent medium force products were tested--3/16, 1/4, and 5/16 inch lumen size from each manufacturer--making a total of 1080 specimens. An apparatus was designed to simulate oral environments during elastics stretching. Forces were read after 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 hour periods using the Emic Testing Machine (Emic Co., Sao Paulo, Brazil) with 30 mm/min cross-head speed and load cell of 20 N (Emic Co). Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn's tests were used to identify statistical significance. RESULTS Statistical differences between AO and the other brands were noted for all testing times. Significant variation in mechanical properties was observed in latex elastics from Morelli. Relationships among loads at the 0 hour time period were as follows: Morelli>AO>TP for 3/16 elastics (P = .0016), 1/4 elastics (P = .0016), and 5/16 elastics (P = .0087). CONCLUSION Significant differences in force extension relaxation were noted for elastics from these manufacturers. Force relaxation over the 24 hour time period was AO>Morelli>TP for 3/16 elastics, AO>TP>Morelli for 1/4 elastics, and TP>AO>Morelli for 5/16 elastics. The force decay pattern showed a notable drop-off of forces during 0 to 3 hours, a slight increase in force values from 3 to 6 hours, and a progressive force reduction over 6 to 24 hours.
State of the art of 2D DIGE

Difference gel electrophoresis enables the accurate quantification of changes in the proteome including combinations of PTMs and protein isoform expression. Here, we review recent advances in study design, image acquisition, and statistical analysis. We also compare DIGE to established and emerging mass spectrometric analysis technologies. Despite these recent advances in MS and the still unsolved limitations of 2DE to map hydrophobic, high molecular weight proteins with extreme pIs, DIGE remains the most comprehensive top‐down method to study changes in abundance of intact proteins.
A case of systemic lupus erythematosus: continued association of circulating prolactin levels with disease activity over a 4-year follow-up period

Circulating prolactin levels in a woman with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were measured over a period of 4 years, and her hyperprolactinemia remained associated with disease activity throughout. Circulating prolactin could thus be a better practical marker than standard parameters such as anti-double-stranded DNA antibodies and serum complement in some patients with SLE.
Immune Reactions of Human Blood Platelets

Summary The effects on washed human blood platelets of heterologous antiplatelet antiserum, antigen-antibody complexes, and aggregated human gammaglobulin have been compared with those of thrombin. The following results were obtained: 1. Heat-aggregated gammaglobulin and antigen-antibody complexes affected platelets in much the same way as does thrombin; they caused release of adenine nucleotides, aggregation, and contraction of the formed aggregates. Their effect is not inhibited by the presence of hirudin. 2. Anti-platelet antisera (rabbit) gave rise to similar reactions of the platelets, whereby quantitative differences between individual antisera were evident. 3. Release of nucleotides by all types of agents tested is a fast process; at 37° C the major part is released during the first minute. 4. Whereas Ca++-ions are essential for aggregation and concentration of the aggregates, their presence is not necessary for the release-reaction induced by immune agents or thrombin. 5. Calculated on a protein basis, thrombin is twice as efficient as a nucleotide releaser as heat-aggregated gammaglobulin; on a molecular basis, therefore, the gammaglobulin-preparation is more effective. 6. Only immune agents capable of activating the complement system exert an influence on platelets; but neither is the addition of complement necessary, nor was it possible to detect complement on or in the platelets. The possibility is discussed that platelets might possess receptors capable of reacting with C’-activating immune agents, and that this represents a type of cellular reaction which is independent of the activation of plasmatic complement.
Esophageal Visible Vessel as a Cause of Massive Upper Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage

Besides peptic ulcers, erosions, esophageal varices, tumors and non-variceal esophageal lesions, vascular abnormalities lead to an upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage in 1-5% of cases. Among 581 emergency esophagogastro-duodenoscopies for acute gastrointestinal bleeding performed in our institution between 1987 and 1989, an esophageal visible vessel was found to be the source of massive hemorrhage in five patients. All patients were males with ages ranging from 37 to 84 years. Esophageal visible vessel was localized in one patient in the middle third and in four patients in the distal portion of the esophagus. Using the Forrest classification, endoscopy revealed an oozing hemorrhage (Ib) in two patients and a protruding vessel (IIa) in three patients. Definitive hemostasis could be achieved in all patients by local injection of adrenaline combined with heater probe thermocoagulation. In some patients with recurrent upper gastrointestinal bleeding, visible esophageal vessel is a rare source of bleeding that has not yet been described.
Characteristics and Comorbidities of Rural Older Adults with Hearing Impairment

earing impairment is the third most prevalent chronic H condition among noninstitutionalized older adults. ACcording to the 1977 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS),' it affects 24% of those aged 65 and older and 39% of those aged 75 and older. Hearing loss, measured objectively by pure tone audiometry, affects 29% of those older than age 65 according to the Framingham study.2 In the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), pure tone audiometry revealed the majority of hearing impairment was the result of high frequency loss and that males have a greater prevalence of high frequency loss than female^. ^ Central processing disorders are hearing impairments that affect comprehension of what is heard. Some studies have found associations between hearing impairment, cognitive impairment, and d e p r e ~ s i o n . ~ ~ Gennis et al. reviewed the existing literature on hearing and cognition and found a possible relationship between hearing and cognitive status in demented individuals, but not in cognitively normal subjects.I2 These associations remain controversial. Further, hearing impairment has a variety of etiologies. " Causes include noise exposure"; medical illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, and thyroid disease; medications such as aspirin, antibiotics, diuretics, and chemotherapeutic agents; trauma; tumors (acoustic neuromas); and viral and bacterial infections, among others. The multifactorial origins of hearing impairment in older adults complicate attempts to identify primary causes and subsequent treatments for this condition. The Rural Health Promotion Project (RHPP) was a Medicare-funded demonstration project under which beneficiaries were offered health screenings and disease risk factor interventions at no cost. The demonstration was designed to examine the use of preventive services to determine whether such services lead to decreased use of other health care services and to assess their impact on long-term health outcomes. For this analysis, we examine the self-reported prevalence of hearing impairment among the older rural cohort from the RHPP, and we identify relationships between hear-
Mutual Capacitive Flexible Tactile Sensor for 3-D Image Control

This study develops a novel mutual capacitive tactile sensor for a touch panel with shifted finger-type electrodes with high sensitivity and other benefits. This tactile sensor detects normal, shear, and pulling forces with good simultaneous visible transmittance and flexibility for the next generation of 3-D flexible portable displays. The tactile sensor is composed of polyethylene terephthalate, gold, indium tin oxide, and polydimethylsiloxane. It exhibits 75% transmittance on average in the visible region, 0.04-N force resolution, and 1.5-pF/N responsiveness. The finger-type electrode design improves sensitivity by 112%-4100%, depending on the number of fingers and shifted direction. This study conducts theoretical calculations, simulations, fabrication, and measurements.
Environmental Dysfunctions, Childhood Maltreatment and Women’s Intimate Partner Violence Victimization

Childhood maltreatment is considered a crucial explanatory variable for intimate partner violence (IPV) in adulthood. However, a developmental multifactorial model for the etiology of IPV is not shared by researchers yet. This study has investigated the role of a wide range of childhood maltreatments and family and social dysfunctions in predicting IPV; furthermore, it tests a model where childhood maltreatment mediates the relationship between environmental dysfunctions and IPV. The sample included 78 women: IPV (38) and non-IPV (40). The Italian version of the Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse (CECA) Interview was used to assess the presence of adverse childhood experiences. The Revised Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS-2) and the IPV History Interview were used to assess IPV in the last year and lifetime, respectively. The results of a multivariate logistic regression model have indicated that only sexual (odds ratio [OR] = 4.24) and psychological (OR = 3.45) abuse significantly predicted IPV; with regard to association between IPV and environmental dysfunctions, only poor social support (OR = 8.91) significantly predicted IPV. The results of a mediation model have shown that childhood psychological and sexual abuse, in association with each other, partially mediate the relationship between poor social support and IPV. The findings from this study pinpoint poor social support as an important predictor of IPV so far neglected in the literature on the developmental antecedents of IPV. They also support the theoretical assumption according to which dysfunctional environmental variables and types of childhood maltreatment interacting with each other may influence development outcomes.
Patterns of Failure and Prognostic Factor Analyses in Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer Patients Staged by Positron Emission Tomography and Treated With Curative Intent

Purpose: The aim of this retrospective analysis was to assess whether parameters derived from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) provide incremental prognostic value compared with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage in cervix cancer patients treated with curative intent using concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study of patients with locoregionally advanced cervical cancer staged by examination under anesthesia and pretreatment MRI and PET. Potential prognostic factors examined were derived from either clinical evaluation (age, FIGO stage, clinical diameter, histology), MRI (corpus invasion, tumor volume), or PET (lymph node metastasis). Outcome measures examined were overall survival, relapse-free survival, time to failure, local failure, nodal failure, and distant failure. Results: There were 206 eligible patients. The mean potential follow-up was 4.4 years. At 5 years, for all patients, overall survival rate was 59%. For all outcome measures apart from local failure, for which adenocarcinoma histology was the most powerful adverse prognostic factor (HR, 4.29; P < 0.0001), lymph node status on PET was the dominant unifactor and multifactor prognostic factor. Corpus involvement on MRI was significantly associated with nodal involvement on PET but of MRI-derived parameters only tumor volume has prognostic value, limited to time to failure and nodal failure. Conclusions: Nodal status on PET was the major predictor of outcome in locally advanced cervix cancer treated with chemoradiation and was superior to FIGO staging. Tumor volume measured from MRI appears to be an important predictor of loco-regional relapse.
A Fast Sequential Algorithm for Approximate Inference of Large-Scale Phylogenies Korbinian Strimmer

1 Structured Abstract Motivation Evolutionary trees provide a natural way for hierarchical classification of DNA sequences. It is now being recognised that incorporating phylogenetic information is important in sequence search and in assessing the function of newly determined proteins. Unfortunately, the computational burden of exact tree reconstruction methods is too preventive to allow application to large-scale data sets. On the other hand, conventional clustering methods are not suitable for this task as they do not properly deal with tree-like data. Results This paper presents a simple strategy, repeated routed insertion (RRI), to infer phy-logenetic relationships specifically designed for very large data sets. The algorithm inserts sequences sequentially into a tree and uses routing information provided by reconstructed ancestral sequences to determine their location in the tree. Using this procedure, a first approximative tree relating sequences is build up in average time of order removing and reinserting sequences, applying the same routed insertion procedure as before. The algorithm can therefore be stopped at any time desired, and optimising is entirely in control of the amount of work the user is willing to spent. To illustrate the power of the method it is applied to infer an approximation of the evolutionary history of all 1968 human and chimpanzee concatenated mtDNA HVRI/II sequences available in a HVR database.