Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diabetes Mellitus Treated with Chlorpropamide and Tolbutamide: A Four-year Clinical Study

The findings in 676 patients treated with tolbutamide and chlorpropamide for periods of up to four years are presented. Only small differences between the results obtained with the two drugs were found. In twenty patients treatment was discontinued because of intercurrent disease or because of side effects. There were sixty-seven primary failures (10 per cent). Of the remaining 589, there were sixty-six secondary failures (11 per cent), fifty-eight achieved fair control (10 per cent) and 465 good control (79 per cent). Satisfactory results were obtained most often in patients weighing between 85 per cent and 115 per cent of their standard weight, in those over forty-five years of age, and in those who had not previously required insulin. The mean body weight of the patients increased by 1.3 per cent while they were receiving sulfonylureas. Needle core liver biopsies were obtained from eight patients. Four of these were normal, three showed focal collections of chronic inflammatory cells, and one showed early portal cirrhosis.
Exploring the feasibility and efficacy of a telehealth stroke self-management programme: a pilot study.

PURPOSE Moving On after STroke (MOST) is an established self-management programme for persons with stroke and their care partners. Through 18 sessions over 9 weeks, each including discussion and exercise, participants learn about goal-setting, problem-solving, exercise, and community-reintegration skills. This study was undertaken to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of telehealth delivery of MOST. METHOD Efficacy was evaluated using an experimental non-randomized trial comparing a telehealth MOST intervention group (T-MOST) (n = 10) with a waiting list control group (WLC) (n = 8). Outcome measures included the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), the Reintegration to Normal Living Index, the Stroke-Adapted Sickness Impact Profile, Goal Attainment Scaling, and the Geriatric Depression Scale. The feasibility evaluation included attendance rates, focus groups, and facilitator logs. In MOST Telehealth, one co-facilitator was local and the other was connected by videoconference. RESULTS Attendance rates for persons with stroke (83.9%, SD = 2.6) and care partners (76.7%, SD = 2.9) and participant and facilitator experiences indicated feasibility of this mode of programme delivery. There was a significant difference in BBS scores between the T-MOST group and the WLC group (mean difference -4.27, 95%CI: -6.66 to -1.87). Participants reported additional benefits, including increased motivation and awareness of partners' needs. Videoconferencing was reported to decrease their sense of isolation. CONCLUSION It appears feasible to deliver the MOST programme with two facilitators, one connected by videoconference and one in person. In addition, preliminary evidence suggests that the programme is associated with improved well-being in persons with stroke and their care partners. Practitioners delivering self-management programmes may consider wider dissemination using videoconferencing.
The Effect of Splinted Prosthesis on Posterior Dental Implants on Radiographic Crestal Bone Levels

This project examined the effect of splinting adjacent dental implants of different designs [Sintered porous surface (SPS), Threaded dual acid etched (THR-DAE), Threaded sand-blasted large grit acid etched (THR-SLA)] placed in posterior sites and compared two intraoral radiographic techniques to assess peri-implant crestal bone levels. 799 implants located in 345 patients qualified and were examined retrospectively using an inclusion criteria of a minimum one year in function and having a recent periapical (PA) and vertical bitewing radiograph (vBW). SPS had less bone loss than THR-DAA and THR-SLA. PA views showed approximately 0.10 mm (Range 0.07-0.40 mm) less crestal bone loss than vBW (P<0.01). Splinted implants had more crestal bone loss (0.30 mm; range 0.16-0.38 mm) than non-splinted implants. 49 implants failed with an overall failure rate of 4.9% with a significant difference in the failure rate of SPS and THR-DAA (P<0.0005) and in the time to fail (P<0.0036).
Efficacy of amphotericin B lipid complex in a rabbit model of coccidioidal meningitis.

OBJECTIVES We compared the efficacy of treatments in a rabbit model of coccidioidal meningitis (CM). METHODS Rabbits were infected intracisternally with Coccidioides immitis and treated with intravenous amphotericin B lipid complex (ABLC), deoxycholate amphotericin B (dAMB), oral fluconazole or diluent [sterile 5% dextrose in water (D5W)]. Survival and cfu in brain, spinal cord and CSF were determined and histology studied. Amphotericin B (AMB) concentrations in serum, CSF and tissue were determined by bioassay. RESULTS Fluconazole-treated rabbits and controls lost weight and had decreased mobility. All treatments prolonged survival (P = 0.005) and reduced cfu in brain and spinal cord (P <or= 0.008); ABLC or dAMB significantly reduced cfu in CNS tissues compared with fluconazole (all P <or= 0.02). ABLC cleared cfu from CSF faster than dAMB or fluconazole. Histologically, 9/9, 7/8 and 0/24 of the D5W, fluconazole and amphotericin groups, respectively, had severe meningitis. Serum AMB was higher after ABLC at 15 mg/kg than after dAMB (P <or= 0.02). CONCLUSIONS Intravenous ABLC was efficacious and could be a treatment option for CM.
Consensus recommendations for the diagnostic investigation of dogs with suspected glomerular disease.

BACKGROUND The International Renal Interest Society (IRIS) offers guidelines for chronic kidney disease and acute kidney injury. As dogs with glomerular disease may present differently and require different treatment than those with whole nephron or tubular disease, the IRIS Canine Glomerulonephritis (GN) Study Group was convened to formulate guidelines for these cases. The Diagnosis Subgroup was asked to make recommendations for diagnostic evaluation of such cases. OBJECTIVE To seek consensus among renal specialists for the evaluation of dogs with proteinuria because of suspected glomerular disease. METHODS After reviewing the literature, subgroup members discussed and wrote the draft paper and recommendations, which members of the IRIS Canine GN Study Group voted upon by electronic secret ballot, with comments noted. Consensus was declared if votes showed strong or general agreement from 85% of the respondents. RESULTS Diagnostic tests were categorized as essential, recommended, or potentially helpful, with prioritization dependent on case characteristics, eg, for cases with uncomplicated proteinuria versus complicated with hypoalbuminemia, azotemia, or both. Consensus was reached with 86-100% agreement on all questions posed. All cases should have basic examinations including blood pressure measurement, blood, and urine testing, and a search for infectious diseases relevant to their environs. The majority ranked imaging (chest radiographs, abdominal ultrasonogram) and renal biopsy procured and interpreted by experienced personnel as essential evaluations in complicated cases, but a few respondents deemed these to be essential in uncomplicated cases as well. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE Strong consensus about recommendations for diagnostic evaluation of dogs with suspected glomerular protein loss was attained. These guidelines help clinicians characterize disease processes for more informed therapeutic decision-making.
The Life Project: The Extraordinary Story of Our Ordinary Lives

distinction between history, concerned primarily with explanations of particular events, and sociology concerned with regularities in events. Despite the emergence of behavioural economics and the individualistic paradigm advanced in this book, he is sceptical of closer relationships between sociology and economics. In his view mainstream economists remain largely uninterested in how everyday decisions are actually made and unwilling to subject strongly held theories to empirical tests. Goldthorpe is well aware that this book will offend many sociologists because his vision implies a marked shrinking of the current diverse sociological domain. But if sociology is to be accepted and advance as a science, it should abandon much of its plurality. He quotes Mies van der Rohe in concluding that ‘less would be more’ (p. 127). This is an engaging and thought-provoking book that, in conjunction with similar arguments advanced by demographers (e.g., Billari 2015) and alternative approaches to causation in population studies (e.g., Ni Bhrolchain and Dyson 2007), will be useful to social demographers in providing a clearer conceptual and methodological foundation for their research.
A software testing and reliability early warning (strew) metric suite

The demand for quality in software applications has grown, and awareness of software testing-related issues plays an important role towards that. Unfortunately in industrial practice, information on software field quality of a product tends to become available too late in the software lifecycle to affordably guide corrective actions. An important step towards remediation of this problem lies in the ability to provide an early estimation of post-release field quality. This dissertation presents a suite of nine in-process metrics, the Software Testing and Reliability Early Warning (STREW) metric suite, that leverages the software testing effort to provide (1) an estimate of post-release field quality early in software development phases, and (2) a color-coded, feedback to the developers on the quality of their testing effort to identify areas that could benefit from more testing. We built and validated our model via a three-phase case study approach which progressively involved 22 small-scale academic projects, 27 medium-sized open source projects, and five large-scale industrial projects. The ability of the STREW metric suite to estimate post-release field quality was evaluated using statistical regression models in the three different environments. The error in estimation and the sensitivity of the predictions indicate the STREW metric suite can effectively be used to predict post-release software field quality. Further, the test quality feedback was found to be statistically significant with the post-release software quality, indicating the ability of the STREW metrics to provide meaningful feedback on the quality of the testing effort.
Developing an Early-Alert System to Promote Student Visits to Tutor Center

An early-alert system (MavCLASS) was developed and piloted in a large gateway math class with 611 freshman students to identify academically at-risk students and provide alert messages. It was found that there was significant association between the alert messages students received and their visits to the university’s tutor center. Further, the achievement of students who visited the tutor center was improving over the semester. Evidence from the study suggests that an early-alert system focused on personalized feedback from instructional staff correlates with the help-seeking behaviors of at-risk students in large gateway classes.
Clinical Evaluation of Topical Application of Doxycycline 3% + Ketoprofen 2.5% Gel in Chronic Periodontitis Patients

Objectives: 1. To evaluate the clinical effects of localized doxycycline 3% + ketoprofen 2.5% (Dox+Keto) gel as an adjunct to scaling and root planing (SRP) in the treatment of periodontitis. 2. To encourage the use of subgingival (Dox+Keto) gel as an adjunct to conventional periodontal therapy. Materials and Methods: A total of twenty patients were enrolled. A split-mouth design was carried out; the patients were categorized into two discussion groups: group A: SRP plus (Dox+Keto); group B: SRP plus keto respectively. Clinical parameters such as a plaque index (PI), bleeding index (BI), probing pocket depth (PPD), clinical attachment level (CAL) were assessed at baseline, 1 month and 3 months. The results were subjected to statistical analysis, which was expressed as mean ± SD and proportions as percentages. Intragroup comparisons were made by paired t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) for inter-group comparisons. Results: The intragroup analysis showed a significant reduction (P<0.05) of clinical periodontal parameters in all two treatment groups. Moreover, the inter-group analysis manifested, that intra-pocket (Dox+Keto) gel application in combination with SRP showed a significant reduction while no statistically significant difference was observed in the second group (SRP with intra-pocket Keto gel alone). Conclusion: In this study, SRP with (Dox+Keto) gel exhibited clinical results with statistically significant differences. As it appears, (Dox+Keto) gel in this study may have a potential additive effect.
c‐KIT is frequently mutated in bilateral germ cell tumours and down‐regulated during progression from intratubular germ cell neoplasia to seminoma

Testicular germ cell tumours (TGCTs) are the most frequent cancer type in young men; 5% of these patients develop a second TGCT in the contralateral testis. The pathogenesis of TGCT is closely linked to primordial germ cells (PGCs) or gonocytes. The receptor tyrosine kinase (c‐KIT) is necessary for migration and survival of PGCs and is expressed in intratubular neoplastic germ cells (IGCNUs) and seminomas. We studied the frequency of c‐KIT exon 11 and 17 mutations in 155 unilateral (108 seminomas and 47 non‐seminomas) and 22 bilateral (18 seminomas, two embryonal carcinomas, two IGCNU) cases. While no mutations were detected in exon 11, the mutation frequency in exon 17 was significantly higher in bilateral (14/22, 63.6%) compared to unilateral TGCT (10/155, 6.4%) (p < 0.001). Different activating mutations (Y823D, D816V, D816H and N822K) were detected in bilateral TGCT. Y823D mutation was identical in both testes in three cases and quantitative pyrosequencing showed that up to 76% of the cells analysed in tumour samples carried this mutation. One bilateral synchronous seminoma revealed a S821F mutation in one testis and a Y823D mutation contralaterally. To study the role of c‐KIT in TGCT progression, we compared its expression in 41 seminomas and adjacent IGCNUs. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that c‐KIT expression was significantly reduced in seminomas compared to IGCNUs (p < 0.006) and that there were no significant changes in c‐KIT mRNA copy numbers in progressed compared to low‐stage seminomas. In summary, our study shows that patients with c‐KIT mutations are more prone to develop a bilateral TGCT and suggests that in a portion of bilateral TGCTs, c‐KIT mutations occur early during embryonal development, prior to the arrival of PGCs at the genital ridge. Furthermore, our findings show that c‐KIT down‐regulation occurs during the progression of IGCNU to seminoma. Copyright © 2007 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Nutritional factors and hair loss

Summary The literature reveals what little is known about nutritional factors and hair loss. What we do know emanates from studies in protein‐energy malnutrition, starvation, and eating disorders. In otherwise healthy individuals, nutritional factors appear to play a role in subjects with persistent increased hair shedding. Hård, 40 years ago, demonstrated the importance of iron supplements in nonanaemic, iron‐deficient women with hair loss. Serum ferritin concentrations provide a good assessment of an individual's iron status. Rushton et al. first published data showing that serum ferritin concentrations were a factor in female hair loss and, 10 years later, Kantor et al. confirmed this association. What level of serum ferritin to employ in subjects with increased hair shedding is yet to be definitively established but 70 µg/L, with a normal erythrocyte sedimentation rate (< 10 mm/h), is recommended. The role of the essential amino acid, l‐lysine in hair loss also appears to be important. Double‐blind data confirmed the findings of an open study in women with increased hair shedding, where a significant proportion responded to l‐lysine and iron therapy. There is no evidence to support the popular view that low serum zinc concentrations cause hair loss. Excessive intakes of nutritional supplements may actually cause hair loss and are not recommended in the absence of a proven deficiency. While nutritional factors affect the hair directly, one should not forget that they also affect the skin. In the management of subjects with hair loss, eliminating scaling problems is important as is good hair care advice and the need to explain fully the hair cycle. Many individuals reduced their shampooing frequency due to fear of losing more hair but this increases the amount seen in subsequent shampoos fuelling their fear of going bald and adversely affecting their quality of life.
Effects of male accessory sex gland secretions on early embryonic development in the golden hamster.

The ventral prostates, dorsolateral prostates, coagulating glands, seminal vesicles and/or ampullary glands were bilaterally removed from adult male hamsters. Removal of these glands did not affect the fertilization rate and cleavage of the embryos at 48 h post coitum (p.c.). Air-dried preparations of the embryos showed a delay in cleavage at 72 h p.c. and a significant number of degenerated embryos was also found in females mated with males from which all the male accessory sex glands had been removed. A significant implantation loss was also observed at 122 h p.c. The results suggest that, in the golden hamster, removal of the male accessory sex gland causes a slower cleavage rate in embryonic development and a significant embryonic loss during pregnancy.
The European Concerted Action on Anticoagulation (ECAA) Evaluation of a Set of Lyophilized Normal Plasmas to Establish the Normal Prothrombin Time for Coagulometer Systems

Summary Establishing the mean normal prothrombin time (MNPT) from fresh samples for prothrombin ratios and INR often presents difficulty in selection and collection of donors. A set of seven lyophilized normal plasmas has therefore been prepared at the ECAA Central Facility and studied at 143 laboratories in sixteen European states using coagulometers in serial field exercises. All centres tested either the high ISI ECAA rabbit or low ISI ECAA human reference thromboplastin. The MNPT of fresh plasmas and means of the lyophilized samples were closely comparable with most routine rabbit thromboplastins. Using human thromboplastins means with the lyophilized normals were marginally but significantly longer and with the bovine Thrombotest significantly shorter than the MNPT of fresh plasmas causing alterations in INR. There was no appreciable effect on INR of 2.5 and 3.5 when lyophilized normals were substituted for fresh normals with the rabbit reagents.
Deletions of Structural Glycoprotein E2 of Classical Swine Fever Virus Strain Alfort/187 Resolve a Linear Epitope of Monoclonal Antibody WH303 and the Minimal N-Terminal Domain Essential for Binding Immunoglobulin G Antibodies of a Pig Hyperimmune Serum

ABSTRACT The major structural glycoprotein E2 of classical swine fever virus (CSFV) is responsible for eliciting neutralizing antibodies and conferring protective immunity. The current structural model of this protein predicts its surface-exposed region at the N terminus with a short stretch of the C-terminal residues spanning the membrane envelope. In this study, the N-terminal region of 221 amino acids (aa) covering aa 690 to 910 of the CSFV strain Alfort/187 E2, expressed as a fusion product in Escherichia coli, was shown to contain the epitope recognized by a monoclonal antibody (WH303) with affinity for various CSFV strains but not for the other members of thePestivirus genus, bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) and border disease virus (BDV). This region also contains the sites recognized by polyclonal immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies of a pig hyperimmune serum. Serial deletions of this region precisely defined the epitope recognized by WH303 to be TAVSPTTLR (aa 829 to 837) of E2. Comparison of the sequences around the WH303-binding site among the E2 proteins of pestiviruses indicated that the sequence TAVSPTTLR is strongly conserved in CSFV strains but highly divergent among BVDV and BDV strains. These results provided a structural basis for the reactivity patterns of WH303 and also useful information for the design of a peptide containing this epitope for potential use in the detection and identification of CSFV. By deletion analysis, an antigenic domain capable of reacting with pig polyclonal IgG was found 17 aa from the WH303 epitope within the N-terminal 123 residues (aa 690 to 812). Small N- or C-terminal deletions introduced into the domain disrupt its reactivity with pig polyclonal IgG, suggesting that this is the minimal antigenic domain required for binding to pig antibodies. This domain could have eliminated or reduced the cross-reactivity with other pestiviruses and may thus have an application for the serological detection of CSFV infection; evaluation of this is now possible, since the domain has been expressed in E. coli in large amounts and purified to homogeneity by chromatographic methods.
DNA Vaccination against Tuberculosis: Expression of a Ubiquitin-Conjugated Tuberculosis Protein Enhances Antimycobacterial Immunity

ABSTRACT Genetic immunization is a promising new technology for developing vaccines against tuberculosis that are more effective. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of intracellular turnover of antigens expressed by DNA vaccines on the immune response induced by these vaccines in a mouse model of pulmonary tuberculosis. The mycobacterial culture filtrate protein MPT64 was expressed as a chimeric protein fused to one of three variants of the ubiquitin protein (UbG, UbA, and UbGR) known to differentially affect the intracellular processing of the coexpressed antigens. Immunoblot analysis of cell lysates of in vitro-transfected cells showed substantial differences in the degradation rate of ubiquinated MPT64 (i.e., UbG64 < UbA64 < UbGR64). The specific immune response generated in mice correlated with the stability of the ubiquitin-conjugated antigen. The UbA64 DNA vaccine induced a weak humoral response compared to UbG64, and a mixed population of interleukin-4 (IL-4)- and gamma interferon (IFN-γ)-secreting cells. Vaccination with the UbGR64 plasmid generated a strong Th1 cell response (high IFN-γ, low IL-4) in the absence of a detectable humoral response. Aerogenic challenge of vaccinated mice with Mycobacterium tuberculosis indicated that immunization with both the UbA64- and UbGR64-expressing plasmids evoked an enhanced protective response compared to the vector control. The expression of mycobacterial antigens from DNA vaccines as fusion proteins with a destabilizing ubiquitin molecule (UbA or UbGR) shifted the host response toward a stronger Th1-type immunity which was characterized by low specific antibody levels, high numbers of IFN-γ-secreting cells, and significant resistance to a tuberculous challenge.
Double-blind comparison of cetirizine and placebo in the treatment of seasonal rhinitis.

The efficacy and safety of cetirizine were evaluated in 419 patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis. Using a 4-way, double-blind randomization schedule, patients were given a 1-week course of once daily cetirizine (5, 10, or 20 mg) or placebo. Patient and physician efficacy ratings corresponded, indicating superiority of cetirizine to placebo (P less than .05) in reducing symptom severity scores for sneezing, rhinorrhea, ocular pruritus, nasal pruritus, watering of the eyes, and redness of the eyes. All cetirizine doses achieved higher efficacy ratings (72.7%, 79.2%, and 75.7%, respectively) than placebo (52.9%; P less than .05) by the physician's global assessment. Cetirizine was well tolerated, with sedation being the most common adverse experience, increasing in frequency at higher doses. A dose-response relationship was evident for selected symptoms, and the once daily 5-mg dose was found to be an effective minimum dose.