Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Enterobius vermicularis infection among population of General Mansilla, Argentina.

AIM To evaluate the relationships between the personal, sociocultural, and environmental characteristics, and the presence or absence of symptoms with the detection of Enterobius vermicularis (E. vermicularis) in a population sample in our region (General Mansilla, Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina), by individual and familiar analyses. METHODS E. vermicularis was diagnosed in 309 people from 70 family units residing in the urban area and the rural area of the city of General Mansilla. Each of them was surveyed so as to register personal, environmental and sociocultural data. Questions about the presence or absence of anal itch, abdominal pain and sleeping disorder were also asked. Significant associations were determined by square chi tests. Logistic regression models were adjusted by using a backward conditional stepwise method to determine the presence of this parasite in the individuals and in the families. RESULTS The parasites were found in 29.12% (90/309) of the individuals, with a frequency of 14.28% (20/140) among the heads of the families and of 41.42% (70/169) among the children. The only variables showing a significant association were affiliation, where the risk category was "being the son/daughter of", and the symptoms were abdominal pain, sleeping disorder, and anal itch. Families with a member infected with parasite were considered Positive Families (PF) and they were 40/70 (57.14%), only 5% (2/40) of the PF had 100% of their members infected with the parasite. The logistic regression models applied showed that the risk categories were mainly affiliation (son/daughter) and housing (satisfactory) among others. CONCLUSION The presence of E. vermicularis was proved in one third of the studied population. The frequency of families with all their members infected with the parasite was very low. Most of the studied personal, sociocultural, and environmental variables did not turn out to be significantly associated with the presence of the parasite. An association with the category of "son/daughter" and housing classified as "satisfactory" was determined. The latter may be due to the fact that the people living in that category of housing have hygienic practices at home that favour the distribution of the eggs in the environment. The presence of the analysed symptoms was associated with the presence of the parasite, thus strengthening the need of periodical control of the population showing at least one of these symptoms.
Child Health Care Clinicians' Use of Medications to Help Parents Quit Smoking: A National Parent Survey

Background. Smokers who use cessation medications when they attempt to quit double their likelihood of success. No prior survey has assessed the acceptability to parents of receiving smoking cessation medication prescriptions in the context of their child's primary care visits. Objective. To assess acceptability to parents of receiving smoking cessation medication prescriptions and to compare that with the reported rate of actually receiving smoking cessation medication prescriptions in the context of the child's health care visit. Methods. Data were collected through a national random-digit dial telephone survey of households from July to September 2003. The sample was weighted according to race and gender, on the basis of the 2002 US Census, to be representative of the US population. Results. Of 3990 eligible respondents contacted, 3010 (75%) completed surveys; 1027 (34%) of those were parents. Of those parents, 211 (21%) were self-identified smokers. One half would consider using a smoking cessation medication and, of those, 85% said that it would be acceptable if the child's doctor prescribed or recommended it to them. In contrast, of the 143 smoking parents who accompanied their child to the doctor, only 15% had pharmacotherapy recommended and only 8% received a prescription for a smoking cessation medication. These results did not vary according to parent age, gender, race, or child age. Conclusions. Child health care clinicians have low rates of recommending and prescribing cessation therapies that have proved effective in other settings. The recommendation or provision of cessation medications would be acceptable to the majority of parents in the context of their child's health care visit.
Biochemical and physical properties of the prion protein from two strains of the transmissible mink encephalopathy agent

Transmissible mink encephalopathy (TME) has been transmitted to Syrian golden hamsters, and two strains of the causative agent, HYPER (HY) and DROWSY (DY), have been identified that have different biological properties. During scrapie, a TME-like disease, an endogenous cellular protein, the prion protein (PrPC), is modified (to PrPSc) and accumulates in the brain. PrPSc is partially resistant to proteases and is claimed to be an essential component of the infectious agent. Purification and analysis of PrP from hamsters infected with the HY and DY TME agent strains revealed differences in properties of PrPTME sedimentation in N-lauroylsarcosine, sensitivity to digestion with proteinase K, and migration in polyacrylamide gels. PrPC and HY PrPTME can be distinguished on the basis of their relative solubilities in detergent and protease sensitivities. PrPTME from DY-infected brain tissue shared solubility characteristics of PrP from both uninfected and HY-infected tissue. Limited protease digestion of PrPTME revealed strain-specific migration patterns upon polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Prolonged proteinase K treatment or N-linked deglycosylation of PrPTME did not eliminate such differences but demonstrated the PrPTME from DY-infected brain was more sensitive to protease digestion than HY PrPTME. Antigenic mapping of PrPTME with antibodies raised against synthetic peptides revealed strain-specific differences in immunoreactivity in a region of the amino-terminal end of PrPTME containing amino acid residues 89 to 103. These findings indicate that PrPTME from the two agent strains, although originating from the same host, differ in composition, conformation, or both. We conclude that PrPTME from the HY and DY strains undergo different posttranslational modifications that could explain differences in the biochemical properties of PrPTME from the two sources. Whether these strain-specific posttranslational events are directly responsible for the distinct biological properties of the HY and DY agent strains remains to be determined.
Biochemical Changes in the Serum of Patients with Chronic Toxigenic Mold Exposures: A Risk Factor for Multiple Renal Dysfunctions

This paper analyzes and presents the biochemical abnormalities in the sera of patients presenting with chronic mycosis in order to investigate the relationship with the risks of multiple renal disorders. The study population (n = 10) consisted of six females and four males (mean age 36.3 years) exposed by toxic molds in their homes and offices for an average of 2.8 years. The control group comprised ten people, five males and five females (mean age 35.9 years) without any known exposures to toxic molds. Blood samples were obtained from both the patients and the controls and were processed using specific biochemical methods that included enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay (ELISA). There were biochemical abnormal concentrations in creatinine, uric acid, phosphorus, alkaline phosphotase, cholesterol, HDH, SGOT/AST, segmented neutrophils, lymphocytes, total T3, IgG and IgA immunoglobulins with significant differences between patients and controls. These abnormalities were consistent with multiple renal disorders. The major complaints of the mycosis patients were headaches, pulmonary symptoms, allergic reactions, memory loss, skin rashes, blurred vision symptoms, fatigue, and runny nose. These findings were depictive of a strong association of chronic mycosis with abnormal renal indicators. It was concluded that, although this research was a pilot investigation, based on the overall results, people exposed to chronic indoor environmental toxic molds were at risk of multiple renal complications.
Serum Sialic Acid, hs-CRP and Oxidative Stress Parameters in Obese Children

BACKGROUND Obesity is a common health problem that is rapidly increasing among children. Obesity is accompanied by a high incidence of atherosclerosis, arterial hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus. We tested the hypothesis that the risk for atherosclerosis may be increased in obese children and measured some risk factors for atherosclerosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS We determined sialic acid levels and investigated correlations with malondialdehyde (MDA), susceptibility to oxidation, total thiol concentrations, glucose and lipid profile in 39 obese (BMI 26.6 +/- 3.9) and 33 sex- and age-matched healthy children (BMI 15.9 +/- 1.7). RESULTS MDA concentrations, susceptibility to oxidation and hs-CRP were significantly higher in obese children than controls. Sialic acid and total thiol concentrations were higher in controls but this did not reach statistical significance. Total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and glucose concentrations were significantly higher in the obese group and there was a positive correlation between BMI and MDA, susceptibility to oxidation, hs-CRP and glucose concentrations, and a negative correlation between BMI and HDL-cholesterol. Although sialic acid levels were not different between the groups, they showed a correlation with hs-CRP. CONCLUSIONS A higher risk was found in obese children in relation to oxidative stress parameters, hs-CRP and lipid profile, and this risk showed a positive correlation with BMI. These results are important because children will encounter this increased risk for a longer time than adults, and taking care of obesity in childhood is especially important.
Prolonged Fever in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Adult Patients in Northern Thailand

*Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand. **Department of Clinical Microbiology, Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand. Received for publication: June 7, 2005. Reprint request: Romanee Chaiwarith, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand. E-mail: rchaiwar@mail.med.cmu.ac. th
Experience-dependent Plasticity of Conceptual Representations in Human Sensory-Motor Areas

Concepts are composed of features related to different sensory and motor modalities such as vision, sound, and action. It is a matter of controversy whether conceptual features are represented in sensory-motor areas reflecting the specific learning experience during acquisition. In order to address this issue, we assessed the plasticity of conceptual representations by training human participants with novel objects under different training conditions. These objects were assigned to categories such that for one class of categories, the overall shape was diagnostic for category membership, whereas for the other class, a detail feature affording a particular action was diagnostic. During training, participants were asked to either make an action pantomime toward the detail feature of the novel object or point to it. In a categorization task at test, we assessed the neural correlates of the acquired conceptual representations by measuring electrical brain activity. Here, we show that the same object is differentially processed depending on the sensory-motor interactions during knowledge acquisition. Only in the pantomime group did we find early activation in frontal motor regions and later activation in occipito-parietal visual-motor regions. In the pointing training group, these effects were absent. These results show that action information contributes to conceptual processing depending on the specific learning experience. In line with modality-specific theories of conceptual memory, our study suggests that conceptual representations are established by the learning-based formation of cell assemblies in sensory-motor areas.
Ambulatory tympanomastoid surgery in children: factors affecting hospital admission.

OBJECTIVE To identify clinical factors associated with postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) and failure to discharge from the hospital on the day of surgery in children undergoing tympanomastoid surgery. DESIGN Records of 144 children undergoing 152 tympanomastoid surgical procedures from July 1, 2001, through June 30, 2002, were retrospectively reviewed and the data analyzed. SETTING A tertiary care university-affiliated hospital. RESULTS The mean +/- SD age of the cases was 11 +/- 3.7 years. Sixty-eight cases (45%) were middle ear procedures, while 84 cases (55%) were mastoid procedures. Forty-three cases (28%) were discharged home from the postanesthesia care unit (PACU), 55 cases (36%) were discharged on the day of surgery, and 142 cases (92%) were discharged home from the day surgery unit (DSU) within 23 hours after surgery. Patients who underwent mastoid procedures were more likely to require intravenous (IV) morphine sulfate in the PACU (75% vs 56%; P = .02) and were less likely to be discharged from PACU (15% vs 44%; P<.001) compared with patients who had middle ear procedures. In patients who underwent mastoid procedures, the presence of cholesteatoma (odds ratio, 1.9; 95% confidence interval, 1.0-3.7; P = .04) was associated with a higher likelihood of PONV. In both groups, the need for IV morphine sulfate to control pain on admission to DSU was associated with a higher occurrence of PONV. Factors that were significantly associated with failure to discharge from the hospital on the day of surgery were a pain score of 5 or greater, the presence of PONV, and the requirement of IV morphine sulfate on admission to DSU. CONCLUSIONS Factors associated with higher risks of PONV and failure to discharge from the hospital on the day of surgery include the presence of cholesteatoma, a pain score of 5 or greater, and the requirement of IV morphine sulfate at the time admission to the DSU.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of the evidence base for add-on treatment for patients with major depressive disorder who have not responded to antidepressant treatment: A European perspective

Previous comparative reviews of add-on therapies for patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) with an inadequate response to antidepressants have not used meta-analytic techniques to compare different drug classes and have included non-licensed therapies. This meta-analysis reviewed all published peer-reviewed evidence for the efficacy of EU-licensed therapies in patients with MDD and an inadequate response to antidepressant monotherapy. Papers concerning randomized clinical trials (RCTs) were identified using criteria from the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. Add-on therapies reviewed were antidepressants, quetiapine XR, lithium, and S-adenosyl-l-methionine (SAMe). Seven RCTs that reported response and remission in a way that allowed quantitative analysis were included in this meta-analysis. Comparison of the different drug classes indicated that most interventions had similar efficacy. The likelihood of response was significantly greater with SAMe versus placebo and lithium and with quetiapine XR versus placebo. Most add-on interventions demonstrated comparable efficacy in patients with MDD and an inadequate response to initial antidepressants. However, there is currently a paucity of high-quality data regarding the use of add-on treatments in patients with MDD who are inadequate responders to antidepressants, with quetiapine XR presenting the most comprehensive evidence base to date.
A Stable and Efficient Direct Time Integration of the Vector Wave Equation in the Finite-Element Time-Domain Method for Dispersive Media

The finite-element time-domain (FETD) solution of the vector wave equation (VWE) is directly extended to doubly dispersive media using the bilinear transform approach. The proposed formulation is quite general and flexible in the sense of material dispersion model in contrast to limitations of existing convolutional-based approaches. In addition, it can be implemented in a very straightforward and efficient manner. A stability analysis is performed that demonstrates the unconditional stability of the original formulation is preserved in the dispersive case. However, in order to avoid the well-known late-time instabilities that arise in this formulation, an alternative formulation is considered and extended to the dispersive case with the same approach. Several numerical examples are simulated to verify the validity and accuracy of the proposed formulations. The late-time stability of the alternative formulation is tested through a numerical example with 20 million time steps. The solution is completely free from late-time growth.
What Can We Learn from Student Attitudes for International Achievement Tests?

This study looks at whether differences in student attitudes towards mathematics and science between Victorian students and those in selected other countries can explain differences in student achievement between them. We find that they cannot. In general, in the 2011 Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) data used here, Victorian school students have more positive attitudes towards mathematics and science than students in high achievement countries. These results also hold where we remove any language effects from the way people respond to attitudinal questions, or any cultural or social-desirability induced elements of the responses. Further, the most reliable estimates of the relationship between attitudes and achievement point to quite small effects, suggesting any increase in achievement associated with improved student attitudes could only be small.
Establishment of Higher Passage PER.C6 Cells for Adenovirus Manufacture

PER.C6 cells, an industrially relevant cell line for adenovirus manufacture, were extensively passaged in serum‐free suspension cell culture to better adapt them to process conditions. The changes in cell physiology that occurred during this passaging were characterized by investigating cell growth, cell size, metabolism, and cultivation of replication‐deficient adenovirus. The changes in cell physiology occurred gradually as the population doubling level, the number of times the cell population had doubled, increased. Higher passage PER.C6 (HP PER.C6) proliferated at a specific growth rate of 0.043 h‐1, 2‐fold faster than lower passage PER.C6, and were capable of proliferation from lower inoculation cell densities. HP PER.C6 cell volume was 16% greater, and cellular yields on glucose, lactate, oxygen, and amino acids were greater as well. In batch cultures, HP PER.C6 cells volumetrically produced 3‐fold more adenovirus, confirmed with three different constructs. The increase in productivity was also seen on a cell‐specific basis. Although HP PER.C6 were more sensitive to the “cell density effect”, requiring lower infection cell densities for optimal specific productivity, they proliferated more after infection than lower passage PER.C6, increasing the number of cells available for virus production. The extensive passaging established HP PER.C6 cells with several desirable attributes for adenovirus manufacture.
Unsuccessful percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy: a single-center experience of 10,228 cases.

BACKGROUND Percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD) has remarkably evolved with successful results. Although PELD has gained popularity for the treatment of herniated disc (HD), the risk of surgical failure may be a major obstacle to performing PELD. We analyzed unsuccessful cases requiring reoperation. OBJECTIVE To find common causes of surgical failure and elucidate the limitations of the conventional PELD technique. METHODS A retrospective review was performed on all patients who had undergone PELD between January 2001 and December 2012. Unsuccessful PELD was defined as a case requiring reoperation within 6 weeks after primary surgery. Chart review was done, and preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative radiographic reviews were performed. All unsuccessful PELD cases were classified according to the type of HD, location of herniation, extruded disc migration, working channel position, and intraoperative and postoperative findings. RESULTS In 12 years, 10,228 patients had undergone PELD; 436 (4.3%) cases were unsuccessful. The causes were incomplete removal of HDs in 283 patients (2.8%), recurrence in 78 (0.8%), persistent pain even after complete HD removal in 41 (0.4%), and approach-related pain in 21 (0.2%). Incomplete removal of the HD was caused by inappropriate positioning (95 cases; 33.6%) of the working channel and occurred in central HDs (91 cases; 32.2%), migrated HDs (70 cases; 24.7%), and axillary type HDs (63 cases; 22.3%). CONCLUSION Proper surgical indications and good working channel position are important for successful PELD. PELD techniques should be specifically designed to remove the disc fragments in various types of HD.
Impact of Spinal Cord Injury in Affective Relationship : A Qualitative Analysis of the Subjects ' Perception

This article presents and discusses the results obtained from a convenience sample, using the snowball technique, of 35 Portuguese spinal cord injured persons, of any level, both genders and age between 18 and 55. Individual responses to 1 open question: “What is the impact of the injury in your affective relationship? Through the collection of individual data we have elaborated significant categories, thus constituting the group’s discourse: Changes that require the reformulation of the affective relationship; Instability installed in the relationship and Comparing pre-injury. The main results emerged from the Grounded Analysis methodology and allowed the access to relevant issues, such as weakening the self-confidence, partner’s decreased sexual interest, instability, and fear of abandonment. These concerns expressed the influence that the injury had on the construction of the subjects’ perception of their affective relationship.
Fluvoxamine is a more potent inhibitor of lidocaine metabolism than ketoconazole and erythromycin in vitro.

CYP3A4 is generally believed to be the major CYP enzyme involved in the biotransformation of lidocaine in man; however, recent in vivo studies suggest that this may not be the case. We have examined the effects of the CYP3A4 inhibitors erythromycin and ketoconazole and the CYP1A2 inhibitor fluvoxamine on the N-deethylation, i.e. formation of monoethylglycinexylidide (MEGX), and 3-hydroxylation of lidocaine by human liver microsomes. The experiments were carried out at lidocaine concentrations of 5 microM (clinically relevant concentration) and 800 microM. The formation of both MEGX and 3-hydroxylidocaine was best described by a two-enzyme model. At 5 microM of lidocaine, fluvoxamine was a potent inhibitor of the formation of MEGX (IC50 1.2 microM). Ketoconazole and erythromycin also showed an inhibitory effect on MEGX formation, but ketoconazole (IC50 8.5 microM) was a much more potent inhibitor than erythromycin (IC50 200 microM). At 800 microM of lidocaine, fluvoxamine (IC50 20.7 microM) and ketoconazole (IC50 20.4 microM) displayed a modest inhibitory effect on MEGX formation, whereas erythromycin was a weak inhibitor (IC50 >250 microM). The 3-hydroxylation of lidocaine was potently inhibited by fluvoxamine at both lidocaine concentrations (IC50 0.16 microM at 5 microM and 1.8 microM at 800 microM). Erythromycin and ketoconazole showed a clear inhibitory effect on the 3-hydroxylation of lidocaine at 5 microM of lidocaine (IC50 9.9 microM and 13.9 microM, respectively), but did not show a consistent effect at 800 microM of lidocaine (IC50 >250 microM and 75.0 microM, respectively). Although further studies are needed to elucidate the role of distinct CYP enzymes in the biotransformation of lidocaine in humans, the findings of this study suggest that while both CYP1A2 and CYP3A4 are involved in the metabolism of lidocaine by human liver microsomes, CYP1A2 is the more important isoform at clinically relevant lidocaine concentrations.