Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tuberculosis risk among staff of a large public hospital in Kenya.

SETTING In sub-Saharan Africa, high rates of tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection pose a serious threat for occupationally acquired TB among health care workers. OBJECTIVE To identify factors associated with TB disease among staff of an 1800-bed hospital in Kenya. DESIGN We calculated TB incidence among staff and conducted a case-control study where cases (n = 65) were staff diagnosed with TB and controls (n = 316) were randomly selected staff without recent TB. RESULTS The annual incidence of TB from 2001 to 2005 ranged from 645 to 1115 per 100000 population. Factors associated with TB disease were additional daily hours spent in rooms with patients (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.3, 95%CI 1.2-1.5), working in areas where TB patients received care (aOR 2.1, 95%CI 1.1-4.2), HIV infection (aOR 29.1, 95%CI 5.1-167) and living in a slum (aOR 4.7, 95%CI 1.8-12.5) or hospital-provided low-income housing (aOR 2.6, 95%CI 1.2-5.6). CONCLUSION Hospital exposures were associated with TB disease among staff at this hospital regardless of their job designation, even after controlling for living conditions, suggesting transmission from patients. Health care facilities should improve infection control practices, provide quality occupational health services and encourage staff testing for HIV infection to address the TB burden in hospital staff.
[Clinical study on keloid treatment with intralesional injection of low concentration 5-fluorouracil].

OBJECTIVE To explore the effect of intralesional injection of low concentration 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) on inhibition of angiogenesis of keloid. METHODS 35 patients with 51 keloids were treated with intralesional injection of 5-FU (2-5 mg/ml) biweekly. After 3-6 times of injection, the keloids were treated with intralesional injection of corticosteroid. The average period of treatment was 10.29 months. RESULTS The efficacy of inhibiting keloid angiogenesis by low concentration of 5-fluorouracil was 96.77%. For the patients who were treated over 6 months with both 5-FU and corticosteroid, the total efficacy was 97.14%. Among them, 45.71% of keloids achieved complete remission, 48.57% mostly remission, 2.86% partial remission and 2.86% no remission. CONCLUSION Inhibition of keloid angiogenesis with intralesional injection of low concentration of 5-fluorouracil along with corticosteroid injection can achieve satisfactory result.
Earnings quality of Indonesian firms surrounding initial public offerings

This research aims to examine the changes in earnings quality of Indonesian firms transitioning from private to public companies by examining accounting-based attributes of earnings; accrual quality, earnings persistence, and earnings predictability, before and after IPO. Accrual quality is assessed using the abnormal accrual model and Dechow and Dichev (DD) model; earnings persistence and predictability are assessed through net income autoregressive model. Using 103 Indonesian non-finance IPO firms, this research concludes that earnings quality of IPO firms changed along with the alteration of their status from private to public firms. Post-IPO (after becoming public firms), the sample shows a higher quality of earnings in terms of accrual quality and earnings persistence increases after IPO. However, this research could not reject the hypothesis of decreasing post-IPO earnings predictability due to the nature of IPO firms.
Signal Peptide–Length Variation in Human Apolipoprotein B Gene: Molecular Characteristics and Association with Plasma Glucose Levels

We studied the molecular characteristics of three naturally occurring variants in the human apolipoprotein B (apoB) signal peptide, their frequencies in non-insulin-dependent diabetic and random populations, and their association with several measures of lipid and carbohydrate metabolism. In a random sample of 197 French whites, there were two common alleles, 5′βSP-24 and 5′βSP-27, with frequencies of 0.35 and 0.65, respectively. In a random sample of 181 Mexican Americans, there was an additional allele, 5′βSP-29, with a frequency of 0.03. DNA sequence analysis indicated that the signal peptide alleles consisted of the following: 5′βSP-29 encoded 29 amino acids in the signal peptide containing two copies of the sequence CTG GCG CTG encoding Leu-Ala-Leu and a consecutive run of eight Leu-encoding codons; 5′βSP-27 encoded 27 amino acids with a run of only six Leu codons; 5′βSP-24 encoded 24 amino acids and contained a single copy of CTG GCG CTG and a run of six Leu codons. In the sample of French whites, average apoAI and glucose levels were significantly different among signal peptide genotypes. 5′βSP-24/24 homozygotes had higher apoAI levels than the two other signal peptide genotypes (1.59 vs. 1.42 g/L, respectively). Heterozygous 5′βSP-24/27 individuals had the highest glucose levels. In the random sample of Mexican Americans, average glucose levels were also significantly different among signal peptide genotypes. However, the rank order of average glucose levels was not the same between the two samples. In the sample of Mexican Americans, glucose levels were significantly elevated (6.14 mM) in the 5′βSP-24/24 homozygotes relative to the other genotypes. Correspondingly, average glycosylated hemoglobin levels were increased and C-peptide levels were decreased in homozygous 5′βSP-24/24 individuals. There were no significant differences in the frequency of the three signal peptide alleles between the random sample of Mexican Americans and a sample of 203 non-insulin-dependent diabetic Mexican Americans. The cause of the association (e.g., chance, linkage-phase disequilibrium, causation) between signal peptide–length variation and plasma glucose levels is not known.
Experimental investigation of the comparison of compound parabolic concentrator and ordinary heat pipe-type solar concentrator

In this research study, we have compared between the two different concentrators with the flat absorber plate receiver of the compound parabolic concentrator heat pipe solar concentrator and ordinary heat pipe flat plate solar concentrator. For the reproduction of solar radiation in the experiment, iodine tungsten lamp was used. Thermal performance comparison of the two types of solar concentrator under different simulating radiation intensity conditions was carried out with including the fluid temperature, instantaneous efficiency, average efficiency, and average heat loss coefficient. The results of the experiment indicate that the compound parabolic concentrator heat pipe-type solar concentrator not only increased the fluid temperature and instantaneous efficiency but also decreased the average heat loss coefficient as compared with the ordinary heat pipe flat plate solar concentrator. It was noticed from the experimental results that the efficiency of compound parabolic heat pipe solar concentrator was higher than ordinary heat pipe solar concentrator up to 6 and 10°C with the light intensity, that is I = 679 W/m2 and I = 892 W/m2, respectively. From the results, it was concluded that the using of compound parabolic heat pipe solar concentrator increased the thermal performance of solar concentrator.
Dipstick dot ELISA for the detection of Taenia coproantigens in humans

Summary A dipstick dot ELISA for detection of Taenia-specific coproantigens was developed. The test was based on a sandwich ELISA using antibodies raised against adult Taenia solium. Antibodies were adsorbed to nitrocellulose paper previously adhered to acetate plastic to form dipsticks. Once blocked with 5% skimmed milk and dried the antibody-coated dipsticks were stable for several weeks at room temperature. Both micro and dot ELISA formats were genus specific although the dot ELISA was less sensitive than the micro ELISA based on the same antiserum. During field studies, in which the majority of samples were tested in rural villages soon after collection, 3728 samples were tested. All samples were also examined by microscopy using formol ether concentration and individuals questioned to determine whether they were aware of being infected. After the initial diagnostic work individuals were treated with taeniacidal drugs for worm recovery. Use of the coproantigen test significantly increased the number of cases diagnosed. Of the 41 cases diagnosed by the three diagnostic techniques combined 31 were detected by the dipstick assay making it the most sensitive technique employed. The specificity of the dipstick assay was 99·9% with a positive predictive value of 88·%. The combined diagnostic approach did not, however, diagnose all cases. The coproantigen test was fast and easy to use. Further improvements may make the dipstick test suitable for wide-scale use in field studies and diagnostic laboratories.
A Resting State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study of Patients With Benign Essential Blepharospasm

Background: Benign essential blepharospasm (BEB) is a neurologic disorder characterized by an adult-onset focal dystonia that causes involuntary blinking and eyelid spasms. The pathophysiology of BEB patients remains unclear. This study investigated intrinsic low-frequency fluctuation in BEB patients during resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Methods: The study included 9 patients with BEB (mean age, 61.7 years; range, 52–66 years), in whom the average duration of symptoms was 2.7 ± 1.8 years, and another 9 subjects from an age- and sex-matched control group. Resting state fMRI was performed in both the patients with BEB and the normal controls. Voxel-based analysis was used to characterize the alteration of amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) in both patients with BEB and the normal controls. Results: The whole brain analysis indicated that in comparison with the normal control group, there was a significantly increased ALFF in the left putamen, pallidum, insular lobe, and medial prefrontal cortex and a significantly decreased ALFF in the bilateral somatosensory regions, thalami, cerebellum, and medial and posterior cingulate cortex. Conclusion: The present study suggests that both an abnormal default mode network and corticostriatopallidothalamic loop may play a role in the pathophysiology of BEB.
Substantial Variation in Hospital Rankings after Adjusting for Hospital-Level Predictors of Publicly-Reported Hospital-Associated Clostridium difficile Infection Rates

Across 366 California hospitals, we identified hospital-level characteristics predicting increased hospital-associated Clostridium difficile infection (HA-CDI) rates including more licensed beds, teaching and long-term acute care (LTAC) hospitals, and polymerase chain reaction testing. Adjustment for these characteristics impacted rankings in 24% of teaching hospitals, 13% of community hospitals, and 11% of LTAC hospitals. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2015;00(0): 1–3
The validity of A new practical quality of life measure in patients on renal replacement therapy.

OBJECTIVE A new quality of life measure, apart of the National Health and Welfare 2003 survey, is a promising tool for outcome evaluation of clinical practice due to its brevity, validity, reliability, and providing easy interpretation against general population norm-based scores. The measure consisting of 9-items, and so called 9-item Thai Health status Assessment Instrument (9-THAI) was used to assess its validity and reliability in patients on renal replacement therapy (RRT). MATERIAL AND METHOD Three hundred and two patients on RRT who visited Srinagarind Hospital from March to May 2005 were studied Convergent and divergent validity were assessed using SF-36 as the concurrent measure. Concurrent validity was also assessed using hematocrit level and hospitalization history in the last year as concurrent clinical measures. Test-retest reliability was studied by repeated measure within one 1 month. Responsiveness of 9-THAI was studied in patients who reported health improvement. RESULTS Results of correlations between 9-THAI and SF-36 domains were as hypothesized 9-THAI scores were significantly correlated with hematocrit level and hospitalization history. The results confirmed the validity of 9-THAI for use as a quality of life measure. Intraclass correlation coefficients of 9-THAI scores in stable patients were satisfactory. Among patients on RRT who reported overall health improvement, 9-THAI scores significantly increased, thus adding further evidence of the responsiveness of 9-THAI. CONCLUSION The 9-THAI is a valid and reliable generic health status measure that can be used as an ideal core in a battery of quality of life measures in clinical practice for patients on RRT.
ON CASE STUDY METHOD IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP RESEARCH

The analysis of literature indicates a wide range of the use of case study in management science to describe different areas of organizational realities. Case study is a useful method of solving not only scientific problems in the area of management but also practical problems, which is particularly important for solving problems originating in the economic practice of small companies managed by their owners. The objective of the paper is the presentation of the specificity of case study oriented towards its paradigmatic basis and selected practical aspects in the context of research on entrepreneurship.
Cumulative and acute toxicity of repeated high-dose tobramycin treatment in cystic fibrosis

Forty-six patients with cystic fibrosis and chronic bronchopulmonary Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection entered a study of tobramycin-related chronic and acute nephro- and acousticovestibular toxicity. The patients (mean age, 15.7 years) had previously received 2-week courses of tobramycin therapy, for a mean cumulative total of 279 days each. The cumulative tobramycin dose ranged from 632 to 7,644 mg/kg. The patients were studied before and at the end of a 2-week course of treatment with tobramycin (10 to 20 mg/kg per day) to discriminate between acute and chronic toxicity. In patients studied at the beginning of the present course of treatment, the glomerular filtration rate, measured as 24-h creatinine clearance, did not correlate with the cumulative dose of tobramycin received during previous courses. Eighteen patients (39%) had a reduced glomerular filtration rate compared with normal values (mean, 12.5% reduction) but normal serum creatinine values. Two patients (5%) had a high-frequency hearing deficit (above 8 kHz), but only one deficit was possibly related to tobramycin. No chronic vestibular toxicity was observed. During the course of treatment, no patients developed acute nephrotoxicity. After 2 weeks of treatment 32% had a slightly reduced hearing threshold (15 to 30 dB) in two or more high frequencies, and 28% had a fall in vestibular response greater than 25% of the initial value but remained within normal limits. Thus, the acute and chronic toxicity of repeated high-dose tobramycin treatment in cystic fibrosis patients seems to be very mild.
Oral susceptibility of South African Culicoides species to live‐attenuated serotype‐specific vaccine strains of African horse sickness virus (AHSV)

Abstract. The oral susceptibility of livestock‐associated South African Culicoides midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) to infection with the tissue culture‐attenuated vaccine strains of African horse sickness virus (AHSV) currently in use is reported. Field‐collected Culicoides were fed on horse blood‐virus mixtures each containing one of the seven serotype‐specific vaccine strains of AHSV, namely serotypes 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8. The mean titres of virus in the bloodmeals for the seven vaccine strains were between 6.8 and 7.6 log10TCID50/mL. All females (n = 3262) that survived 10 days extrinsic incubation (10 dEI) at 23.5°C were individually assayed in microplate BHK‐21 cell cultures. In midges tested immediately after feeding, AHSV was detected in 96.1% individuals; mean virus titre was 2.0 log10TCID50/midge. After 10 dEI virus recovery rates varied in Culicoides (Avaritia) imicola Kieffer from 1% (AHSV‐2) to 11% (AHSV‐7) and in Culicoides (A.) bolitinos Meiswinkel from 0% (AHSV‐3) to 14.6% (AHSV‐2). Although our results indicate that two major field vectors C. imicola and C. bolitinos are susceptible to oral infection with vaccine strains of AHSV, the level of viral replication for most of the vaccine strains tested was below the postulated threshold (=2.5 log10TCID50/midge) for fully disseminated orbivirus infection. In this study, for the first time AHSV has been recovered after 10 dEI from six non‐Avaritia livestock‐associated Old World species: C. engubandei de Meillon (AHSV‐4), C. magnus Colaço (AHSV‐3, ‐4), C. zuluensis de Meillon (AHSV‐2, ‐4), C. pycnostictus Ingram & Macfie (AHSV‐2), C. bedfordi Ingram & Macfie (AHSV‐7), and C. dutoiti de Meillon (AHSV‐7). As little is known about the virogenesis of AHSV in the southern African species of Culicoides, the epidemiological significance of our findings in relation to the potential for transmission of current AHSV vaccine strains by Culicoides requires further assessment.
Internal variability in European summer temperatures at 1.5 °C and 2 °C of global warming

We use the 100-member Grand Ensemble with the climate model MPI-ESM to evaluate the controllability of mean and extreme European summer temperatures with the global mean temperature targets in the Paris Agreement. We find that European summer temperatures at 2 °C of global warming are on average 1 °C higher than at 1.5 °C of global warming with respect to pre-industrial levels. In a 2 °C warmer world, one out of every two European summer months would be warmer than ever observed in our current climate. Daily maximum temperature anomalies for extreme events with return periods of up to 500 years reach return levels of 7 °C at 2 °C of global warming and 5.5 °C at 1.5 °C of global warming. The largest differences in return levels for shorter return periods of 20 years are over southern Europe, where we find the highest mean temperature increase. In contrast, for events with return periods of over 100 years these differences are largest over central Europe, where we find the largest changes in temperature variability. However, due to the large effect of internal variability, only four out of every ten summer months in a 2 °C warmer world present mean temperatures that could be distinguishable from those in a 1.5 °C world. The distinguishability between the two climates is largest over southern Europe, while decreasing to around 10% distinguishable months over eastern Europe. Furthermore, we find that 10% of the most extreme and severe summer maximum temperatures in a 2 °C world could be avoided by limiting global warming to 1.5 °C.
A Quantitative and Qualitative Study of Rat Testis Following Administration of Methadone and Buprenorphine

Background: Opiate abuse is a matter of serious concern in adolescent men. The primary drugs used in the treatment of opiate addiction are methadone and buprenorphine. Objectives: This study was undertaken to determine the quantitative and qualitative changes in rat testes after methadone and buprenorphine administration. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 15 male Wistar rats, each weighing 250 15 g, were selected and randomly divided into 3 groups (n = 5). The first group received an intraperitoneal dose of 0.5 mg/kg/day methadone and the second group received an intraperitoneal dose of 30 mg/kg/day buprenorphine for 15 days each. The third group (control) received normal saline injections. After the last injection dose, the rats were sacrificed and their testes were removed, weighed, and fixed in modified Lillies solution, and embedded in 3.5% agar, after which 1-mm slices perpendicular to the long axis of the testes were prepared using a tissue slicer. Then, on the basis of Cavaleris principle, the testis volume was calculated by point-counting method. For histological analysis, systematic random samples of each testis were selected, processed, and stained by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and periodic acid schiff (PAS) methods. The results obtained for the 3 groups were compared using nonparametric KruskalWallis test. P 0.05). However, microscopic studies of rat tissues in the methadone-administered group showed atrophic seminiferous tubules, reduction of sperm stem cells, destruction of Sertoli cells, irregularities in the basement membrane of seminiferous tubules, cellular degeneration of spermatogonia and primary spermatocytes, and significantly fewer spermatozoids than in the control group. Furthermore, in the methadone-administered group, the germinal cells of seminiferous tubules were damaged and extensively detached from the basement membrane and the vessels of the interstitial tissue were congested. Microscopic studies of the buprenorphine-administered group showed no significant changes in the basement membrane, seminiferous tubules, Sertoli cells, interstitial tissue, and sperms. Conclusions: Buprenorphine is more suitable for treating opiate addiction in males since it does not affect normal testicular structure and function.
The Retention Factor p11 Confers an Endoplasmic Reticulum‐Localization Signal to the Potassium Channel TASK‐1

The interaction of the adaptor protein p11, also denoted S100A10, with the C‐terminus of the two‐pore‐domain K+ channel TASK‐1 was studied using yeast two‐hybrid analysis, glutathione S‐transferase pulldown, and co‐immunoprecipitation. We found that p11 interacts with a 40 amino‐acid region in the proximal C‐terminus of the channel. In heterologous expression systems, deletion of the p11‐interacting domain enhanced surface expression of TASK‐1. Attachment of the p11‐interacting domain to the cytosolic tail of the reporter protein CD8 caused retention/retrieval of the construct in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Attachment of the last 36 amino acids of p11 to CD8 also caused ER localization, which was abolished by removal or mutation of a putative retention motif (H/K)xKxxx, at the C‐terminal end of p11. Imaging of EGFP‐tagged TASK‐1 channels in COS cells suggested that wild‐type TASK‐1 was largely retained in the ER. Knockdown of p11 with siRNA enhanced trafficking of TASK‐1 to the surface membrane. Our results suggest that binding of p11 to TASK‐1 retards the surface expression of the channel, most likely by virtue of a di‐lysine retention signal at the C‐terminus of p11. Thus, the cytosolic protein p11 may represent a ‘retention factor’ that causes localization of the channel to the ER.