Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adherence to treatment for latent tuberculosis infection: systematic review of studies in the US and Canada.

BACKGROUND There is renewed attention to the critical role of successfully treating latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in reducing the overall impact of tuberculosis (TB). However, levels of treatment adherence are consistently low in industrialized countries such as the United States and Canada. OBJECTIVE A systematic review of studies in the US and Canada was undertaken to analyze measurement of adherence to treatment of LTBI (TLTBI), TLTBI completion rates, predictors of TLTBI adherence and TLTBI adherence interventions. METHODS PUBMED, MEDLINE and PsycINFO electronic databases were searched for quantitative studies published between 1997 and 2007. Full texts of articles were reviewed for data abstraction and studies were critically examined for their methodology and rigor. The present review presents outcomes from 78 studies. RESULTS Adherence and completion rates of TLTBI are suboptimal across high-risk groups, regardless of regimen. Associations between adherence and patient factors, clinic facilities or treatment characteristics were found to be inconsistent across studies. Several adherence interventions have been developed to improve TLTBI adherence in the US and Canada; however, no single intervention has shown consistent effectiveness. CONCLUSION LTBI must be effectively treated if the goal of TB elimination is to be realized. Consistently employing tools for measuring and improving adherence is fundamental. Identifying barriers to adherence and treatment completion will facilitate the development of effective, appropriate interventions. A 'one-size-fits-all' approach to treatment for TLTBI adherence is not likely to succeed across all settings. Innovative approaches can inspire future interventions and suggest solutions for the current problems facing LTBI programs and their patients.
BRAF mutation analysis and sonography as adjuncts to fine-needle aspiration cytology of papillary thyroid carcinoma: their relationships and roles.

OBJECTIVE The objective of our study was to evaluate the relationships between BRAF mutation status, sonography findings, and fine-needle aspiration cytology features in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and to evaluate the diagnostic merits of BRAF mutation status and sonography findings as adjuncts to cytologic diagnoses. MATERIALS AND METHODS From March 2006 through June 2008, clinicopathologic factors, sonography findings, cytology results, and BRAF mutation status were evaluated in 524 patients (437 women and 87 men) with 553 thyroid nodules; of the 170 malignant nodules, 164 were PTCs. Clinicopathologic factors, sonography findings, and cytology results were correlated with BRAF status. The diagnostic sensitivities and specificities of sonography, cytology, and BRAF analysis and their combinations were compared. RESULTS The V600E mutation of BRAF (BRAF(V600E)) was detected in 141 of 170 malignant thyroid nodules (82.9%) (140 PTCs and one follicular variant of PTC). Multiple logistic regression revealed that BRAF status was not associated with sonography features with the exception of a negative relation between BRAF(V600E) and an irregular shape (p = 0.004). An indeterminate cytology result was more frequent for BRAF-negative PTC than BRAF-positive PTC (p = 0.035). By adding BRAF status to cytology, diagnostic sensitivity for PTC was significantly increased (94.1%) as compared with cytology alone (81.8%) (p < 0.001). The triple combination-that is, sonography, cytology, and BRAF analysis-showed higher sensitivity than BRAF plus cytology (98.2% vs 94.1%, respectively) (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION The sonography features of PTC, other than an irregular shape, are not related to BRAF status and the combination of sonography and BRAF testing would increase the diagnostic accuracy of cytologic diagnoses of PTC.
Sexual Orientation, Controversy, and Science

Summary Ongoing political controversies around the world exemplify a long-standing and widespread preoccupation with the acceptability of homosexuality. Nonheterosexual people have seen dramatic surges both in their rights and in positive public opinion in many Western countries. In contrast, in much of Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean, Oceania, and parts of Asia, homosexual behavior remains illegal and severely punishable, with some countries retaining the death penalty for it. Political controversies about sexual orientation have often overlapped with scientific controversies. That is, participants on both sides of the sociopolitical debates have tended to believe that scientific findings—and scientific truths—about sexual orientation matter a great deal in making political decisions. The most contentious scientific issues have concerned the causes of sexual orientation—that is, why are some people heterosexual, others bisexual, and others homosexual? The actual relevance of these issues to social, political, and ethical decisions is often poorly justified, however.
[Effects of response gene to complement 32 as a new biomarker in children with acute kidney injury].

OBJECTIVE To investigate the new biomarkers of acute kidney injury, as well as to confirm the values of response gene to complement 32 (RGC-32) for early diagnosis of acute kidney injury by comparing the values of serum creatinine (Scr) and cystatin C (CysC) in children who had undergone cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). METHOD Sixty-seven patients who had accepted CPB were recruited from the cardiac surgery intensive care unit, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University from March to June 2013 and assigned to acute kidney injury group (group AKI) or non-acute kidney injury group (group non-AKI), on the basis of the definition by the pediatric RIFLE (pRIFLE) criteria. Also 30 healthy control children were recruited. Serum samples were taken regularly from each patient after CPB at 30 min, 2 h, 4 h, 24 h, 48 h and 72 h for RGC-32. Serum samples were tested by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) which was employed to determine the levels of serum RGC-32. Scr and CysC were analyzed by HITACHI 7180 automatic biochemical analyzer. All the data were analyzed by receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC) and area under curve (AUC). RESULT The incidence of AKI was 34% (23/67), including 15 cases with risk stage AKI, 4 cases with injury stage AKI, 3 cases with failure stage AKI, 1 cases with loss stage AKI. Three out of four subjects with Failure stage AKI and the one case with Loss stage all accepted renal replacement therapy. CPB group had a higher level of serum RGC-32 than that of pre-operation after CPB 30 minute [(2.88 ± 0.68) µg/L vs. (1.39 ± 0.31) µg/L, P < 0.05]. At the same time, comparing with the non-AKI group, the levels of serum RGC-32 were higher than that of controls 30 min, 2 h, 4 h, 24 h and 48 h after CPB (t = 2.560, 2.180, 2.818, 2.226, 3.017; P < 0.05). The values for the AUC were determined for RGC-32 as 0.770, 0.707, 0.768, 0.728,0.723 and 0.770 after CPB 30 min, 2 h, 4 h, 24 h, 48 h and 72 h. The values for sensitivity of serum RGC-32 30 min, 2 h and 4 h after CPB was 0.914, 0.824, 0.824 and the values for specificity of serum RGC-32 was 0.619, 0.667, 0.810, respectively. But the values for sensitivity of CysC was 0.625, 0.813, 0.813, and specificity 0.571, 0.619, 0.571, respectively. The values for sensitivity of Scr was 0.625, 0.625, 0.813 and specificity was 0.571, 0.571, 0.524, respectively. CONCLUSION The sensitivity of serum RGC-32 for detecting AKI was much higher than that of Scr and serum CysC in children who had accepted CPB, and that RGC-32 may be a new biomarker for early detection of AKI. However, the conclusion needs to be further elucidated.
Human amygdala engagement moderated by early life stress exposure is a biobehavioral target for predicting recovery on antidepressants

Significance Amygdala reactivity and early life stress (ELS) are both strongly implicated in the mechanisms of depression in animal and human models. Despite these mechanistic foundations, amygdala reactivity and ELS have not been investigated as biobehavioral targets for predicting functional remission in depression. We addressed this issue by integrating human imaging and ELS measures within a controlled trial of antidepressant outcomes. We demonstrate that the interaction between ELS and amygdala engagement predicts functional remission on antidepressants with a greater than 80% cross-validated accuracy. In depressed people exposed to high ELS, a greater likelihood of remission was predicted by amygdala hyperreactivity to socially rewarding stimuli, whereas for those with low-ELS exposure, amygdala hyporeactivity to both rewarding and threat-related stimuli predicted remission. Amygdala circuitry and early life stress (ELS) are both strongly and independently implicated in the neurobiology of depression. Importantly, animal models have revealed that the contribution of ELS to the development and maintenance of depression is likely a consequence of structural and physiological changes in amygdala circuitry in response to stress hormones. Despite these mechanistic foundations, amygdala engagement and ELS have not been investigated as biobehavioral targets for predicting functional remission in translational human studies of depression. Addressing this question, we integrated human neuroimaging and measurement of ELS within a controlled trial of antidepressant outcomes. Here we demonstrate that the interaction between amygdala activation engaged by emotional stimuli and ELS predicts functional remission on antidepressants with a greater than 80% cross-validated accuracy. Our model suggests that in depressed people with high ELS, the likelihood of remission is highest with greater amygdala reactivity to socially rewarding stimuli, whereas for those with low-ELS exposure, remission is associated with lower amygdala reactivity to both rewarding and threat-related stimuli. This full model predicted functional remission over and above the contribution of demographics, symptom severity, ELS, and amygdala reactivity alone. These findings identify a human target for elucidating the mechanisms of antidepressant functional remission and offer a target for developing novel therapeutics. The results also offer a proof-of-concept for using neuroimaging as a target for guiding neuroscience-informed intervention decisions at the level of the individual person.
Measurement of Head Related Impulse Responses for psychoacoustic research

In recent years, the importance of Head Related Impulse Responses (HRIRs) for psychoacoustic experiments and especially for studies in directional hearing has been growing, mainly caused by the availability of fast computers and the resulting possibility of very realistic dynamic binaural synthesis (cf. Møller [1], Völk et al. [2]). A necessary prerequisite for all these methods is the correct measurement of HRIRs.
Chemoarchitectonics and corticocortical terminations within the superior temporal sulcus of the rhesus monkey: Evidence for subdivisions of superior temporal polysensory cortex

Cortex of the upper bank of the superior temporal sulcus (STS) in macaque monkeys, termed the superior temporal polysensory (STP) region, corresponds largely to architectonic area TPO and is connectionally distinct from adjacent visual areas. To investigate whether or not the STP region contains separate subdivisions, immunostaining for parvalbumin and neurofilament protein (using the SMI‐32 antibody) was compared with patterns of corticocortical terminations in the STS. Chemoarchitectonic results provided evidence for three caudal‐to rostral subdivisions: TPOc, TPOi, and TPOr. Area TPOc was characterized by patchy staining for parvalbumin and SMI‐32 in cortical layers IV/III and III, respectively. Area TPOi had more uniform chemoarchitectonic staining, whereas area TPOr had a thicker layer IV than TPOi. The connectional results showed prefrontal cortex in the location of the frontal eye fields (area8) and dorsal area 46 projected in a columnar pattern to all cortical layers of area TPOc, to layer IV of TPOi, and in a columanr fashion, with a moderate increase in density in layer IV, to TPOr. In TPOc, columns of frontal connections showed a peridicity similar to that of the SMI‐32 staining. The caudal inferior parietal lobule (area 7a) and superior temporal gyrus projected to each subdivision of area TPO, displaying either panlaminar or fourth‐layer terminations. In addition to STP cortex, parvalbumin and SMI‐32 immunostaining allowed identification of caudal visual areas of the STS, including MT, MST, FST, and V4t. These areas received first and sixth‐layer projections from prefrontal cortex and area 7a. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Integrated crop management of the lesser date moth Batrachedra amydraula Meyr. (Lepidoptera: Cosmopteridae) infesting some date-palm varieties in Egypt.

The present study was conducted during the two subsequent seasons of 2001 and 2002 in El-Beheira Governorate, Egypt, to evaluate the efficiency of some agricultural practices on the incidence of the lesser date-moth, Batrachedra amydraula Meyr. (Lepidoptera: Cosmopteridae) on some date-palm varieties, i.e. Sammany, Hayany and Halawy. The studied agricultural practices, were: covering clusters of flowers with paper craft, covering date bunches with porous plastic cloth, thinning of bunches and/or diverging strands of bunches using special metal rings. The infestation percentages of the lesser date moth for each of the evaluated varieties indicated that Sammany had the lowest value (22.68) as compared with Hayany (37.42) and Halawy (53.16), successively. So, Sammany variety was more tolerable to the infestation than the other two varieties. In an attempt to explain such variations in the infestation by Batrachedra amydraula, determination of wax contents as well as the histological studies of the green fruits of each variety were conducted. Results revealed that tolerance of Sammany to the infestation was due to relatively higher wax content (0.420 g/10 fruits) than that of either Hayany (0.220 g/10 fruits) or Halawy (0.320/10 fruits), respectively. Moreover, the lowest infestation percentage in Sammany variety was attributed to the structure of the outer and inner layers of fruits tissues, which could be considered as natural barriers against the insect pest, causing a considerable reduction in its infestation. To know the effect of the studied agricultural practices on the quality of dates, the physical parameters of ripened fruits (length, diameter, thickness and weight), in addition to the chemical properties of the same fruits (P.H, T.S.S, T.S. and E.C.) were also determined. There is a correlation between the studied chemicals, morphological and histological characteristics of the fruits on one hand and the calculated infestation rates on the other one. The tested varieties showed that Sammany variety had the lowest value of T.S. S (20.40) in comparison to Halawy (30.2) and Hayany (35.6). Also, the estimated sugar values were 23.60, 28.10 and 30.40 for the Sammany, Halawy and Hayany, consecutively.
Nasal flow limitation in children

Nasal congestion due to the common cold may be exacerbated in small children because of their small nasal passages. Our aims were 1) to test the hypothesis that smaller children have relatively larger nasal airways compared to the intrathoracic airways, and 2) to examine the effect of stenting and a decongestant on nasal patency and nasal flow. During oral forced vital capacity (FVC) maneuvers, expiratory flow is limited by intrathoracic airways. During nasal FVC, flow at high volumes is limited by the nose. The point where the nasal flow–volume curve becomes superimposable on the oral curve (%Sup) depends on the relative resistance of nasal and intrathoracic airways. Fifty‐four healthy children (28 male), median age 9.5 years (range 5.9–16.0), performed full forced respiratory maneuvers through: 1) the mouth, 2) the nose, 3) the nose after application of an external stent (Breathe Right® (BR) strip), and 4) the nose following instillation of xylometazoline. Peak inspiratory and expiratory flow (PIF and PEF), and mid‐inspiratory and expiratory flow (MIF50 and MEF50) all showed a significant decrease from the oral to the nasal baseline maneuver. Mean (SD) %Sup of the nasal baseline was 35.6 (13.7)% and was unrelated to height. PIF and MIF50 increased with the BR strip (P < 0.05). Xylometazoline also caused a significant increase in all measured flows (P < 0.05). Mean (SD) %Sup of the nasal maneuver after application of xylometazoline increased to 53.3 (14.0)%. We conclude that there is no evidence that relative resistance of nasal and intrathoracic airways change with height. The %Sup is easy to obtain and may prove a useful index of nasal patency. Pediatr Pulmonol. 1999; 27:32–36. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Irritable bowel syndrome in general practice: an overview

Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional gastrointestinal disorder that is frequently seen in gastroenterological practice. Population-based studies have shown that at any point in time IBS symptoms are present in about 3%-22% of the general Western population. In general practice, half of all new patients have functional disorders and IBS is responsible for about five consultations per week. General practitioners (GPs) manage the majority of IBS patients, but most knowledge (and research) is based on the smaller percentage of patients managed in secondary care. There is a paucity of literature on differences or similarities between these two groups with regard to clinical characteristics or diagnostic approach. Methods: The literature published in English about IBS in general practice was reviewed. Conclusions: Irritable bowel syndrome is frequently encountered in primary care. Primary care IBS patients, compared to secondary care patients, are likely to be young, female and to have less severe symptoms. But this is only true for some symptoms; for example, non-abdominal complaints are equally reported in both groups. The disorder can be diagnosed safely using internationally agreed symptom-based criteria, such as the Rome II criteria. Additional diagnostic measures will be necessary to support the diagnosis in only a minority of situations. Many primary care IBS patients can be managed given adequate reassurance and education, frequently without additional pharmacological treatment.
Nanomechanics controls neuronal precursors adhesion and differentiation

The ability to control the differentiation of stem cells into specific neuronal types has a tremendous potential for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. In vitro neuronal differentiation can be guided by the interplay of biochemical and biophysical cues. Different strategies to increase the differentiation yield have been proposed, focusing everything on substrate topography, or, alternatively on substrate stiffness. Both strategies demonstrated an improvement of the cellular response. However it was often impossible to separate the topographical and the mechanical contributions. Here we investigate the role of the mechanical properties of nanostructured substrates, aiming at understanding the ultimate parameters which govern the stem cell differentiation. To this purpose a set of different substrates with controlled stiffness and with or without nanopatterning are used for stem cell differentiation. Our results show that the neuronal differentiation yield depends mainly on the substrate mechanical properties while the geometry plays a minor role. In particular nanostructured and flat polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates with comparable stiffness show the same neuronal yield. The improvement in the differentiation yield obtained through surface nanopatterning in the submicrometer scale could be explained as a consequence of a substrate softening effect. Finally we investigate by single cell force spectroscopy the neuronal precursor adhesion on the substrate immediately after seeding, as a possible critical step governing the neuronal differentiation efficiency. We observed that neuronal precursor adhesion depends on substrate stiffness but not on surface structure, and in particular it is higher on softer substrates. Our results suggest that cell–substrate adhesion forces and mechanical response are the key parameters to be considered for substrate design in neuronal regenerative medicine. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2013; 110: 2301–2310. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
State disparities in teenage birth rates in the United States.

KEY FINDINGS In 2008, state-specific teenage birth rates varied widely, from less than 25.0 per 1,000 15-19 year olds to more than 60.0. Rates for non-Hispanic white and Hispanic teenagers were uniformly higher in the Southeast and lower in the Northeast and California. The highest rates for non-Hispanic black teenagers were reported in the upper Midwest and in the Southeast. The race and Hispanic origin-specific birth rates by state as well as the population composition of states by race and Hispanic origin contribute to state variations in overall teenage birth rates.
Nerve Globins in Invertebrates

The expression of nerve hemoglobins in invertebrates is a well‐established fact, but this occurrence is uncommon. In the species where nerve globins occur, they probably function as an oxygen store for sustaining activity of the nerves during anoxic conditions. Although invertebrate nerve globins are functionally similar with respect to O2 affinity, they are by no means uniform in structure and can differ in size, cellular localization and heme‐coordination. The best‐studied nerve globin is the mini‐globin of Cerebratulus lacteus, which belongs to a class of globins containing the polar TyrB10/GlnE7 pair in the distal pocket. The amide and phenol side chains normally cause low rates of O2 dissociation and ultra‐high O2 affinity by forming strong hydrogen bonds with bound ligands. Cerebratulus hemoglobin, however, has a moderate O2 affinity, due to the presence of a third polar amino‐acid in its active site, ThrE11, which inhibits hydrogen bonding to bound oxygen by the B10 tyrosine side chain. IUBMB Life, 56: 653‐656, 2004
Soy protein based supplementation supports metabolic effects of resistance training in previously untrained middle aged males

Abstract Objective. To determine changes in body composition, physical performance, metabolic and hormonal parameters induced by lifestyle counselling, resistance training and resistance training with soy protein based supplemention in middle aged males. Design. Randomised controlled study consisting of resistance training without (RT-G) or with (RTS-G) a soy protein based supplement and a control group with lifestyle education only (LE-G). Subjects. Forty healthy middle aged men (50–65 years, BMI 25–29.9 kg/m2). Measurements. Changes in body weight (BW) and waist circumference (WC) were measured and body composition (BC), fat mass (FM), lean body mass (LBM) were measured by skin fold anthropometry at baseline and after 12 weeks of intervention. In addition, changes in physical fitness, metabolic and hormonal parameters (lipids, glucose, fructosamines, insulin, insulin-like growth factor-1, Leptin, human growth hormone, dehydroepiandrosterone, testosterone, hs-CRP, Il-6) were evaluated. Results. Thirty-five participants completed the 12 week study. No significant changes in BW were noted although RM and WC dropped and LBM increased after training, particularly in the RTS group (FM 22.6 ± 5.5 kg to 21.2 ± 4.7 kg; LBM 68.5 ± 7.2 kg to 70.1 ± 7.4; p < 0.01). Subjects in the RTS group experienced more pronounced improvements in the strength measurements than the RT group. After the training intervention there were significant changes in hormonal and metabolic parameters as well as in glycemic control, particularly in the RTS group. Conclusions. Our data suggest that resistance training, particularly in combination with a soy protein based supplement improves body composition and metabolic function in middle aged untrained and moderately overweight males.