Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The role of minimally invasive spine surgery in the management of pyogenic spinal discitis

Background: Diagnostic yields for spondylodiscitis from CT guided biopsy is low. In the recent years, minimally invasive surgery (MIS) has shown to have a low morbidity and faster recovery. For spinal infections, MIS surgery may offer an opportunity for early pain control while obtaining a higher diagnostic yield than CT-guided biopsies. The aim of this study was to review our patients who underwent MIS surgery for spinal infection and report outcomes. Methods: A retrospective review of seven patients who underwent MIS decompression and/or discectomy in the setting of discitis, osteomyelitis, spondylodiscitis, and/or an epidural abscess was identified. Patient data including symptoms, visual analog score (VAS), surgical approach, antibiotic regimen, and postoperative outcomes were obtained. Results: Of the 7 patients, 5 patients had lumbar infections and two had thoracic infections. All seven patients improved in VAS immediately after surgery and at discharge. The average VAS improved by 4.4 ± 1.9 points. An organism was obtained in 6 of the 7 (85%) patients by the operative cultures. All patients made an excellent clinical recovery without the need for further spine surgery. All patients who received postoperative imaging on follow-up showed complete resolution or dramatically improved magnetic resonance imaging changes. The follow-up ranged from 2 to 9 months. Conclusions: MIS surgery provides an opportunity for early pain relief in patients with discitis, osteomyelitis, spondylodiscitis, and/or epidural abscess by directly addressing the primary cause of pain. MIS surgery for discitis provides a higher diagnostic yield to direct antibiotic treatment. MIS surgery results in good long-term recovery.
Evaluation of Fatigue in U.S. Patients with Primary Biliary Cirrhosis

OBJECTIVES:Fatigue, which may have a significant impact on quality of life, is the most common reported symptom in primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). Multiple instruments to quantify fatigue and quality of life in liver disease have been validated, but have not been broadly applied to U.S. PBC patients. This study examines the extent of fatigue and its effect on quality of life in U.S. PBC patients.METHODS:Seventy patients with PBC were administered two validated questionnaires about quality of life (the Mayo version of the NIDDK-QA) and fatigue (the Fisk Fatigue Impact Score) and a proposed physical measure of fatigue in PBC (the grip strength test) on the day of routine physician visit. Nonparametric methods were employed.RESULTS:The fatigue and quality of life domain scores (physical functioning, liver symptoms, health satisfaction, Karnofsky index) discriminated between patients with and without self-reported fatigue (p < 0.05), as opposed to the grip strength results. Fatigue and quality of life domains correlated strongly with each other (r between 0.33 and 0.74, p ≤ 0.006) and not with the grip strength results. Neither quality of life nor fatigue scores correlated with age.CONCLUSIONS:The correlation between fatigue and quality of life scores suggests fatigue has an impact on quality of life in U.S. primary biliary cirrhosis patients. However, our fatigue scores suggest U.S. PBC patients have less fatigue than non-U.S. PBC patients. The grip strength is an insensitive measure of fatigue in U.S. PBC patients.
A Meta-Analysis of Decision-Making and Attention in Adults With ADHD

Objective: Deficient reward processing has gained attention as an important aspect of ADHD, but little is known about reward-based decision-making (DM) in adults with ADHD. This article summarizes research on DM in adult ADHD and contextualizes DM deficits by comparing them to attention deficits. Method: Meta-analytic methods were used to calculate average effect sizes for different DM domains and continuous performance task (CPT) measures. Results: None of the 59 included studies (DM: 12 studies; CPT: 43; both: 4) had indications of publication bias. DM and CPT measures showed robust, small to medium effects. Large effect sizes were found for a drift diffusion model analysis of the CPT. Conclusion: The results support the existence of DM deficits in adults with ADHD, which are of similar magnitude as attention deficits. These findings warrant further examination of DM in adults with ADHD to improve the understanding of underlying neurocognitive mechanisms.
Alisporivir Inhibition of Hepatocyte Cyclophilins Reduces HBV Replication and Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Production

Background & Aims Cyclophilins are host factors required for hepatitis C virus replication. Cyclophilin inhibitors such as alisporivir have shown strong anti–hepatitis C virus activity in vitro and in clinical studies. However, little is known about whether hepatocyte cyclophilins are involved in the hepatitis B virus (HBV) life cycle. We investigated the effects of 2 cyclophilin inhibitors (alisporivir and NIM811) on HBV replication and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) production in cell lines. Methods Liver-derived cell lines producing full-length HBV and HBsAg particles, owing to stable (HepG2215) or transient (HuH-7) transfection, or infected with HBV (HepaRG cells; Invitrogen [Carlsbad, CA]), were incubated with alisporivir or NIM811 alone, or alisporivir in combination with a direct antiviral (telbivudine). The roles of individual cyclophilins in drug response was evaluated by small interfering RNA knockdown of cyclophilin (CYP)A, CYPC, or CYPD in HepG2215 cells, or CYPA knockdown in HuH-7 cells. The kinetics of antiviral activity were assessed based on levels of HBV DNA and HBsAg and Southern blot analysis. Results In HepG2215, HuH-7, and HepaRG cells, alisporivir reduced intracellular and secreted HBV DNA, in a dose-dependent manner. Knockdown of CYPA, CYPC, or CYPD (reduced by 80%) significantly reduced levels of HBV DNA and secreted HBsAg. Knockdown of CYPA significantly reduced secretion of HBsAg, leading to accumulation of intracellular HBsAg; the addition of alisporivir greatly reduced levels of HBsAg in these cells. The combination of alisporivir and telbivudine had greater antiviral effects than those of telbivudine or alisporivir alone. Conclusions Alisporivir inhibition of cyclophilins in hepatocyte cell lines reduces replication of HBV DNA and HBsAg production and secretion. These effects are potentiated in combination with direct antiviral agents that target HBV-DNA polymerase.
Credibility of measurement of fructosamine and hemoglobin A1C in estimating blood glucose level of diabetic patients with thalassemia major

Background and Aim: Patients with thalassemia major are classified in high risk group for diabetes mellitus, and therefore monitoring blood glucose level has a vital importance in these people. As high fetal hemoglobin level in thalassemia patients interferes with measurement of glycosylated hemoglobin (hemoglobin A1C), fructosamine evaluation as an alternative approach is suggested. Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was carried out on 33 diabetes mellitus patients with betathalassemia (21 female and 12 male cases). The following biochemical measurements were done: blood glucose level through biochemical glucose oxidation method, fructosamine by colorimetry, hemoglobin A1c by immunoturbidimetry, serum ferritin by chemiluminescence and fetal hemoglobin by HPLC methods. Using SPSS software v18.0, statistical analysis was done and correlation between fructosamine and hemoglobin A 1c (Pearson’s correlation) and linear regression were investigated. p<0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: In female and male patients, blood glucose levels were 204±103 mg/dL and 224±101 mg/dL (p=0.63), fetal hemoglobin were 9%±7% and 13%±9% (p=0.22); serum ferritin levels were 1744±1534 ng/mL and 3253±1773 ng/mL (p=0.96), respectively. Mean serum fructosamine level was 442±124 mmol/L and glycosylated hemoglobin amount was 8.9%±1.8%. These two parameters showed significant correlation (r=0.69, p<0.01). Blood glucose level with hemoglobin A1c (r=0.75, p<0.01) and fructosamine (r=0.54, p<0/01) showed a significant correlation. Conclusion: In diabetic patients with thalassemia major who have frequent blood transfusion, evaluation of serum fructosamine and glycosylated hemoglobin levels are both reliable approaches for estimating blood glucose levels and the two methods can be used alternatively.
Evaluation of the ambulatory and home care record: Agreement between self-reports and administrative data

Objectives: Although measuring the utilization of ambulatory and home-based healthcare resources is an essential component of economic analyses, very little methodological attention has been devoted to the development and evaluation of resource costing tools. This study evaluated a newly developed tool, the Ambulatory and Home Care Record (AHCR), which comprehensively evaluates costs incurred by the health system and care recipients and their unpaid caregivers. Methods: The level of agreement between self-reports from 110 cystic fibrosis care recipients and administrative data was assessed for four categories of health services: home-based visits with healthcare professionals, ambulatory visits with healthcare professionals, laboratory and diagnostic tests, and prescription medications. Results: Agreement between care recipients' reports on the AHCR and administrative data ranged from moderate (kappa=0.41; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.16–0.61) for physician specialist visits to perfect (kappa=1.0) for physiotherapy visits. Conclusions: By evaluating and standardizing a resource and costing tool, such as the AHCR, economic evaluations may be improved and comparisons of the resource implications for different services and for diverse populations are possible.
Cloning and molecular characterization of Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase from Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae

Copper-zinc superoxide dismutases (Cu,Zn SODs), until recently considered very unusual in bacteria, are now being found in a wide range of gram-negative bacterial species. Here we report the cloning and characterization of sodC, encoding Cu,Zn SOD in Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, a major pathogen of pigs and the causative organism of porcine pleuropneumonia. sodC was shown to lie on a monocistronic operon, at the chromosomal locus between the genes asd (encoding aspartate semialdehyde dehydrogenase) and recF. The primary gene product was shown to have an N-terminal peptide extension functioning as a leader peptide, so that the mature Actinobacillus enzyme, like other bacterial examples, is directed to the periplasm, where it is appropriately located to dismutate exogenously generated superoxide. While the role of these secreted bacterial SODs is unknown, we speculate that in A. pleuropneumoniae the enzyme may confer survival advantage by accelerating dismutation of superoxide derived from neutrophils, a central host defense response in the course of porcine infection.
Assessment of the Efficacy of Chelate-Assisted Phytoextraction of Lead by Coffeeweed (Sesbania exaltata Raf.)

Lead (Pb), depending upon the reactant surface, pH, redox potential and other factors can bind tightly to the soil with a retention time of many centuries. Soil-metal interactions by sorption, precipitation and complexation processes, and differences between plant species in metal uptake efficiency, transport, and susceptibility make a general prediction of soil metal bioavailability and risks of plant metal toxicity difficult. Moreover, the tight binding characteristic of Pb to soils and plant materials make a significant portion of Pb unavailable for uptake by plants. This experiment was conducted to determine whether the addition of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid (EGTA), or acetic acid (HAc) can enhance the phytoextraction of Pb by making the Pb soluble and more bioavailable for uptake by coffeeweed (Sesbania exaltata Raf.). Also we wanted to assess the efficacy of chelates in facilitating translocation of the metal into the above-ground biomass of this plant. To test the effect of chelates on Pb solubility, 2 g of Pb-spiked soil (1000 mg Pb/kg dry soil) were added to each 15 mL centrifuge tube. Chelates (EDTA, EGTA, HAc) in a 1:1 ratio with the metal, or distilled deionized water were then added. Samples were shaken on a platform shaker then centrifuged at the end of several time periods. Supernatants were filtered with a 0.45 μm filter and quantified by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) to determine soluble Pb concentrations. Results revealed that EDTA was the most effective in bringing Pb into solution, and that maximum solubility was reached 6 days after chelate amendment. Additionally, a greenhouse experiment was conducted by planting Sesbania seeds in plastic tubes containing top soil and peat (2:1, v:v) spiked with various levels (0, 1000, 2000 mg Pb/kg dry soil) of lead nitrate. At six weeks after emergence, aqueous solutions of EDTA and/or HAc (in a 1:1 ratio with the metal) or distilled deionized water were applied to the root zones. Plants were harvested at 6 days after chelate addition to coincide with the duration of maximum metal solubility previously determined in this study. Results of the greenhouse experiment showed that coffeeweed was relatively tolerant to moderate levels of Pb and chelates as shown by very slight reductions in root and no discernable effects on shoot biomass. Root Pb concentrations increased with increasing levels of soil-applied Pb. Further increases in root Pb concentrations were attributed to chelate amendments. In the absence of chelates, translocation of Pb from roots to shoots was minimal. However, translocation dramatically increased in treatments with EDTA alone or in combination with HAc. Overall, the results of this study indicated that depending on the nature and type of Pb-contaminated soil being remediated, the bioavailability and uptake of Pb by coffeeweed can be enhanced by amending the soil with chelates especially after the plants have reached maximum biomass.
Genotypes of Clinical and Environmental Isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii in Korea

Abstract Multilocus sequence typing analysis was applied to determine the genotypes of 147 (137 clinical and 10 environmental) Cryptococcus neoformans and three clinical Cryptococcus gattii isolates from 1993 to 2014 in Korea. Among the 137 clinical isolates of C. neoformans, the most prevalent genotype was ST5 (n = 131), followed by ST31 (n = 5) and ST127 (n = 1). Three C. gattii strains were identified as ST57, ST7, and ST113. All environmental isolates were identified as C. neoformans with two genotypes, ST5 (n = 7) and ST31 (n = 3). Our results show that C. neoformans isolates in Korea are genetically homogeneous, and represent a close genetic relationship between clinical and environmental isolates.
Histopathological Pattern of Colorectal Tumours in JOS University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), JOS. A 5 Year Retrospective Review from (January 1999 -December 2003)

A retrospective, descriptive, histopathological study of colorectal tumours as seen in JUTH to determine the morphological patterns of various types of colorectal tumours as seen. The study reviewed colorectal biopsies received within the period under review. All records of colorectal biopsies were retrieved and those confirmed as tumours were extracted and grouped as benign or malignant. All relevant information from request forms which included age, sex, and site of lesion were obtained from hospital records. One hundred and ten cases were analyzed representing 33.9% of all colorectal specimens and 2.1% of all the tumours diagnosed in the period. Eighty one were malignant while 29 were benign . The malignant colorectal tumours represented 3.9% of all histological proven malignancies; 59.1% of all gastrointestinal malignancies; 25% of all colorectal specimens and 73.6% of all colorectal tumours. The 29 benign tumours of the colon and rectum represented 9% of colorectal specimens and 26.4% of colorectal tumours. In conclusion colorectal neoplasm’s are not uncommon with majority being malignant.
New Venture Creation Mode: Differences Between Nascent Intrapreneurs and Nascent Entrepreneurs

ii CO-AUTHORSHIP STATEMENT iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v TABLE OF CONTENTS viii LIST OF TABLES, FIGURES, & EQUATIONS xi Chapter 1 : Introduction 1 What motivates my research? 1 Choice of Three-Essay Format 6 Contribution to Literature 9 Thesis Outline 15 References 17 Chapter 2 : Starting inside or outside of corporate Walls? Multiple Perspectives on the Choice of New Venture Creation Mode 2
The Information Content of Regular Dividends and Share Buybacks for Market Value and Future Earnings in the UK

In this paper, we extend previous work on the relationship between corporate distributions and market value. Adopting an information content perspective, we study the relationship between both market value and future earnings and regular dividends and share buybacks, controlling for other accounting variables. Taking insights gained from prior research, we expect that the coefficient of regular dividends will be higher than that for share buybacks in both market value and earnings prediction regression contexts. Our empirical results are consistent with our expectations. The coefficient of regular dividends is significantly higher than that for share buybacks in both market value and earnings prediction regressions on the various samples upon which we estimate the relationships. In additional tests, dividend displacement can be rejected for regular dividends but mainly not for share buybacks. When it can be rejected for share buybacks, it is because share buybacks reduce market value by more than one monetary unit per monetary unit of buyback, not less. Nonetheless, the coefficients of share buybacks in the earnings prediction equations are higher than would be expected given the dividend displacement results in that they are generally positive.
Pathogenesis of acute traumatic coagulopathy

Acute traumatic coagulopathy (ATC) is an early endogenous process, driven by the combination of tissue injury and shock that is associated with increased mortality and worse outcomes in the polytrauma patient. This review summarizes our current understanding of the pathophysiology of ATC and the role of rapid diagnostics in the management of severe trauma hemorrhage. In particular we consider diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for bleeding trauma patients with short versus long prehospital times and the concept of remote damage control resuscitation. Endothelial activation of Protein C is a central mechanism of ATC, which produces rapid anticoagulation and fibrinolysis following severe trauma. Continued blood loss, hypothermia, acidosis, and hemodilution potentiate ATC and lead to a global derangement in all components of hemostasis. The contribution and interplay between platelet activity, fibrinogen utilization, endothelial dysfunction, and neurohormonal pathways remain to be defined in ATC pathogenesis but may offer novel therapeutic targets. Conventional laboratory‐based tests of coagulation have a limited role in the early management of major trauma hemorrhage. TEG and ROTEM provide a rapid evaluation of clot dynamics in whole blood and are of greater value than coagulation screens in diagnosing and managing trauma hemorrhage.
A control theory approach to the stability and transient analysis of the filtered-x LMS adaptive notch filter

A method is presented for analyzing the stability and transient response of the filtered-x LMS adaptive notch filter by formulating the problem in the complex weight domain and applying standard control theory. Examples are given for pure delay and second-order low-pass cancellation path transfer functions. The method is also extended to the multichannel case, where the eigenvalues of the equivalent open-loop transfer function matrix characterize the behavior. >
Morbidity and mortality associated with obstetric hysterectomy.

BACKGROUND Obstetric hysterectomy still complicates a substantial number of pregnancies in third world countries and is a significant cause of obstetric morbidity and mortality. This study was carried out to evaluate in our setup the frequency of obstetric hysterectomy, its indication, risk factors, complication, morbidity, mortality and avoidable factors. METHODS A descriptive study of all patients who under went obstetric hysterectomy was conducted from 1st May, 2004 to 31st October, 2005 at Gynaecology and Obstetric Unit-II, III of Liaquat University of Medical and Health Science Hospital, Hyderabad. After collecting the data on pre-designed proforma the data was fed to SPSS in the form of frequency distribution tables and percentages were calculated. Statistical analysis of data was performed by using Chi-square test. The level of significance was taken as p<0.05. RESULTS During the study time period there were total 6495 deliveries and 41 cases of obstetric hysterectomy were identified, giving a frequency of 0.63% or 1 in 158 deliveries. Most of patients were from rural areas (82.92%), un-booked 73.17%), uneducated (95%), lower socioeconomical class (92.69%), 25-29 years age (48.78%) multiparae (56.10%), have to travel a distance of <100 km to reach hospital and referred late (51%) by healthcare providers (doctors). Majority of hysterectomies were performed due to ruptured uteri (51.21%). There were 5 maternal and 26 perinatal deaths; all were due to severity of conditions necessitating hysterectomy. CONCLUSION Incidence of obstetric hysterectomy in our woman is very high. The reason being many avoidable factors such as high parity, inadequate maternity and family planning services, lack of proper referral system, un-booked status, mismanaged labour, illiteracy on the part of woman herself, family and health care providers are not taken care of during pregnancy, labour and puerperium.
Using Remote Sensing to Track Variation in Phosphorus and Its Interaction With Chlorophyll-a and Suspended Sediment

Treatment of eutrophication and algal blooms in large shallow lakes has been constrained by the endogenetic release of nutrients from sediment resuspension despite the wellcontrolled input of nutrients from surrounding land in Taihu Lake, China. In this study, we propose a method to simplify regionally empirical algorithms for total suspended matter (CTSM), chlorophyll-a (CChl-a), and phosphorus concentration (Cp) for the Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI) for Taihu Lake. The results show that the GOCI-derived CTSM, CChl-a, and Cp match well with the in situ measured data. Based on the validated synchronous and timely observation data (CTSM, CChl-a and Cp) from GOCI level-1b data, the interaction of phosphorus with algae and suspended sediment were analyzed from August 6 to August 9, 2013. The results indicate that phosphorus released from sediment resuspension is significant in Taihu Lake, with a high spatial-temporal variation. The effect of the restriction of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) on algal growth varied temporally and spatially with the hydrodynamic characteristics of the lake. In most cases, restricted phosphorus in the lake is the primary reason for the algal growth, especially in open regions such as Center Lake (CL), Northwestern Lake (NWL), and Southwestern Lake (SWL). Both nitrogen and phosphorus are the restrictive factors to algal growth in Meiliang and Gonghu Bays. More attention should thus be focused on the endogenetic release of phosphorus in Taihu Lake when treating eutrophication and algal blooms in addition to controlling the input of nitrogen and phosphorus from surrounding land.