Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Phonophoresis of Dexamethasone Sodium Phosphate May Manage Pain and Symptoms of Patients With Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Objectives:This study was designed to compare the efficacy of iontophoresis and phonophoresis of dexamethasone sodium phosphate (Dex-P) treatment for mild to moderate carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Methods:Fifty-two hands in 34 consecutive patients with mild to moderate CTS confirmed by electromyography were allocated randomly into 2 groups. One group received iontophoresis of 0.4% Dex-P and the other group received phonophoresis of 0.4% Dex-P. Phonophoresis (using ultrasound 1 MHz, 5-cm2 probe, 1.0 W/cm2, pulse 1:4, 5 min/session) and iontophoresis (using galvanic current, negative electrode, 2 mA/min, total dose 40 mA for 20 min) was applied over the wrist chin for 10 daily treatment sessions (5 sessions/wk). Measurements were performed before and after treatment and at follow-up 4 weeks later, and included pain assessment by visual analogue scale, electroneurographic measurement (motor and sensory latency, motor and sensory action potential amplitude), and pinch and grip strength. Results:Improvement was significantly more pronounced in the phonophoresis group than in the iontophoresis group for motor latency [mean difference 0.8 m/s; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.5-1.1], motor action potential amplitude (4.1 mV; 95% CI, 3.0-5.2), finger pinch strength (31.6 N; 95% CI, 15.9-47.3), hand grip strength (27.1 N; 95% CI, 13.5-40.5), and pain relief (2.1 points on a 10-point scale; 95% CI, 1.3-2.9). Effects were sustained in the follow-up period. Discussion:Phonophoresis of Dex-P treatment was more effective than iontophoresis of Dex-P for treatment of CTS. Further study is needed to investigate the combination therapy effects of these treatments with other conservative treatments in CTS patients.
Benefits and Risks of Combination Therapy for Hepatitis

In successful antiviral therapy of hepatitis B, drug combinations, particularly combinations without cross-resistance, can delay or prevent the emergence of drug-resistant mutants. Because drug-resistant mutants are archived and may limit future therapeutic options, prevention is important for long-term therapeutic efficacy. Additionally, combining drugs may achieve synergistic or additive antiviral effects compared with single drug therapy. Undesirable aspects of combination therapy include higher treatment costs and possibly lower adherence rates (due to pill number or complexity of regimen). Potentially harmful effects of combination therapy include higher rates of side effects, reduced efficacy due to drug competition, and the risk of multidrug-resistant hepatitis B virus (HBV) if combination therapy is insufficient to prevent resistance. Combination therapy has been shown to reduce the rate of drug resistance in chronic hepatitis B, but only when drugs with a low barrier to resistance are used (lamivudine, adefovir). Combination therapies may achieve greater degrees of HBV DNA suppression, but this has not been associated with higher rates of seroconversion (hepatitis B e antigen or hepatitis B surface antigen) compared to single drug therapy. The benefit of combination therapy has yet to be demonstrated with agents that are associated with a high barrier to resistance (tenofovir, entecavir). The use of combination therapy is recommended in specific patient groups: those with decompensated cirrhosis, those coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus and HBV who are on antiretroviral therapy, those who have undergone liver transplantation, and those with drug-resistant HBV infection. There is insufficient evidence to recommend combination therapy as first-line therapy for all patients with chronic hepatitis B. (HEPATOLOGY 2009;49:S122-S128.)
Screening for Down's syndrome: changes in marker levels and detection rates between first and second trimesters

Objective To monitor changes with gestation in levels of alpha‐fetoprotein (AFP), free beta human chorionic gonadotrophin (FβhCG) and pregnancy associated plasma protein‐A (PAPP‐A) in Down's syndrome pregnancies and to compare risks estimated in the first trimester with those obtained by routine screening in the second trimester for the same pregnancies.
Rationale for Bcl‐XL/Bad peptide complex formation from structure, mutagenesis, and biophysical studies

The three‐dimensional structure of the anti‐apoptotic protein Bcl‐XL complexed to a 25‐residue peptide from the death promoting region of Bad was determined using NMR spectroscopy. Although the overall structure is similar to Bcl‐XL bound to a 16‐residue peptide from the Bak protein (Sattler et al., 1997), the Bad peptide forms additional interactions with Bcl‐XL. However, based upon site‐directed mutagenesis experiments, these additional contacts do not account for the increased affinity of the Bad 25‐mer for Bcl‐XL compared to the Bad 16‐mer. Rather, the increased helix propensity of the Bad 25‐mer is primarily responsible for its greater affinity for Bcl‐XL. Based on this observation, a pair of 16‐residue peptides were designed and synthesized that were predicted to have a high helix propensity while maintaining the interactions important for complexation with Bcl‐XL. Both peptides showed an increase in helix propensity compared to the wild‐type and exhibited an enhanced affinity for Bcl‐XL.
Measurement of the yy*-n and yy*-n′ transition form factors

We study the reactions e(+)e(-) --> e(+)e(-) eta((')) in the single-tag mode and measure the gamma gamma* --> eta((')) transition form factors in the momentum-transfer range from 4 to 40 GeV(2). The analysis is based on 469 fb(-1) of integrated luminosity collected at PEP-II with the BABAR detector at e(+)e(-) center-of-mass energies near 10.6 GeV.
Social participation: how does it vary with illness, caring and ethnic group?

It has long been accepted that lack of social participation in wider society is one aspect or one definition of poverty. Current concerns with the extent and distribution of social capital as both a measure of a good society and as means to upward mobility also emphasise the importance of social contacts and networks to the well-being of individuals and communities. While research has often focused on â€˜civic participationâ€™ and the measurement of trust, more informal social bonds are also a crucial part of individualsâ€™ social capital. Moreover, informal social capital or social participation might be particularly important for those whose circumstances make them already more vulnerable to marginalisation, exclusion or poverty. For example, social interaction has been argued to be conducive to better outcomes for those with health problems; and there is an extensive literature which aims to chart and explain the role of â€˜ethnic capitalâ€™ in the life chances of minority ethnic groups. I use the British Home Office Citizenship Survey 2001 for England and Wales to explore the impact on four aspects of lack of social engagement of long-term illness, caring for someone with such an illness, and ethnicity. Controlling for a range of characteristics and examining the relationships separately for men and women there is evidence that between them, the four measures reveal an underlying propensity for reduced social contact. Other things being equal, illness has little association with reduced social participation, but caring does seem to affect opportunities for sociability. Members of some ethnic groups are less likely to engage in neighbourly social visiting than others, and these differences are little affected by income level. By contrast differences in â€˜going outâ€™ across groups can largely be explained by differences in income. Overall, social engagement among male Bangladeshis and to a lesser extent Pakistanis is high, whereas Black Africans and Black Caribbeans, especially women, are notable for their lack of opportunities for social engagement compared with their otherwise similar peers. They would appear to be particularly at risk of social isolation, with consequences for their current and future welfare.
Multivalent 4-1 BB binding aptamers costimulate CD 8 + T cells and inhibit tumor growth in mice

4-1BB is a major costimulatory receptor that promotes the survival and expansion of activated T cells. Administration of agonistic anti–4-1BB Abs has been previously shown to enhance tumor immunity in mice. Abs are cell-based products posing significant cost, manufacturing, and regulatory challenges. Aptamers are oligonucleotide-based ligands that exhibit specificity and avidity comparable to, or exceeding, that of Abs. To date, various aptamers have been shown to inhibit the function of their cognate target. Here, we have described the development of an aptamer that binds 4-1BB expressed on the surface of activated mouse T cells and shown that multivalent configurations of the aptamer costimulated T cell activation in vitro and mediated tumor rejection in mice. Because aptamers can be chemically synthesized, manufacturing and the regulatory approval process should be substantially simpler and less costly than for Abs. Agonistic aptamers could therefore represent a superior alternative to Abs for the therapeutic manipulation of the immune system. Research Article Technical Advance Oncology
Linguistic summarization using a weighted N-gram language model based on the similarity of time-series data

This paper describes a method to verbalize the trends of time-series data. As an example of time-series data, we use the price of Nikkei stock average and develop a method to generate natural language sentences which describe how the stock price goes in the market. As the basic idea for making linguistic descriptions of the stock price trends, we firstly classify all the time-series data including a newly observed time-series data, i.e., the target to be verbalized, by means of spectral clustering employing Dynamic Time Warping distance as its similarity metric. Secondly, a bi-gram language model for the newly observed data is built based on the weighted bi-gram language models of the other time-series data classified in the same cluster. The weights for the bi-gram model of the target data from other time-series data are decided based on the similarity between the target data and the other data in the same cluster. Lastly, linguistic summarization for the target data is generated by finding the most likely combination of words by means of dynamic programming, employing the weighted bi-gram model. Through the experiments under the conditions of various cluster numbers in spectral clustering, we have confirmed that natural language sentences, which properly describe the trends of the stock price, are generated by our method.
The Liver Flukes Fasciola gigantica and Fasciola hepatica Express the Leucocyte Cluster of Differentiation Marker CD77 (Globotriaosylceramide) in Their Tegument

Abstract Glycosphingolipids from the parasitic liver flukes F a sciola gigantica and Fasciola hepatica w e re isolated and their carbohydrate moieties were structurally analysed by methylation analysis, exoglycosidase t reatment, ontarget exoglycosidase cleavage and matrixassisted laser desorption/ionisation timeofflight mass spectrometry. For both liver fluke species, the ceramide monohexosides Gal1-ceramide and Glc1-ceramide were found in relative amounts of 1.0 to 0.1, respectively. From F. gigantica, the ceramide dihexoside was isolated in sufficient amounts to be structurally determined as lactosylceramide, Gal? 4- Glc1-ceramide, while for both liver fluke species the ceramide trihexoside was shown to be Gal? 4 G a lb4- Glc1-ceramide, which is designated as either globotriaosylceramide, Pblood group antigen or CD77 leucocyte cluster of diff e rentiation antigen. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the expression of globoseries glycosphingolipids in nonmammalian species. Ceramide analysis of ceramide monohexosides yielded as major components octadecanoic and 2 h y d roxyoctadecanoic fatty acids together with C18- and C20-phytosphingosines. By the use of an anti CD77 monoclonal antibody and the Escherichia coli Shiga toxin B1 subunit, globotriaosylceramide could be immunolocalised to the tegument of F. hepatica cryosections. The sharing of CD77 between liver flukes and their mammalian hosts fits in with the concept of molecular mimicry, which is closely parallel to the established imitation of host CD15 (Lewis X) displayed by the blood fluke Schistosoma mansoni.
Factors associated with vocal fry among college students

Abstract Purpose: Vocal fry is increasingly used in everyday speech. The purpose of this study was to identify associated factors of vocal fry among young US college-age students. Methods: Forty college students participated in a cross-sectional study. Participants produced speech under nine different room acoustic conditions (simulated). The recorded speech was perceptually evaluated by three speech-language pathologists. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify variables (individual, environmental) associated with the perceptual assessment of vocal fry. Results: A high occurrence of perceptually identified vocal fry was identified among college students. Two factors were significantly associated with lower occurrence of perceptually identified vocal fry: one individual (sporadic consumption of caffeinated beverages) and one environmental factor (speaking in an environment with background noise). Conclusions: Similar to modal phonation, fry-like phonation seems to be influenced by individual and environmental factors. Therefore, clinicians interested in including this technique as part of their intervention programs may take into account the caffeine consumption and the background noise conditions of the room where the therapy will take place in order to facilitate the production of fry-like phonation.
Study of Nurse Workarounds in a Hospital Using Bar Code Medication Administration System

This study analyzed registered nurse workarounds in an academic medical center using bar code medication administration technology. Nurse focus groups and a survey were used to determine the frequency and potential causes of workarounds. More than half of the nurses surveyed indicated that they administered medications without scanning the patient or medications during the last shift worked. Benefits of this study include considerations when implementing bar code medication administration technology that may minimize the development of these workarounds in practice.
Early and Intermediate Term Results for Surgical Correction of Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Connection

Abstract Background: This retrospective study evaluated factors associated with mortality and morbidity in patients having functionally biventricular heart (FBH) and functionally univentricular heart (FUH) undergoing total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC) repair. Methods: We reviewed medical records retrospectively and identified 72 patients undergoing TAPVC repair between July 2002 and December 2010; and 62 patients had FBH and 10 patients had FUH. The median age and weight at repair was 9.1 months (range, 8 days–16 years) and 6.7 kg (range, 2.5–57 kg). The TAPVC anatomy was supracardiac in 41 (56.9%), cardiac in 18 (25%), infracardiac in eight (11.1%), and mixed in five patients (6.9%). Results: There were seven early deaths (2 FBH [25%] and 5 FUH [62.5%]) and one late death (FUH). Presence of FUH (p < 0.01), heterotaxy syndrome (p = 0.03), young age (p < 0.01), low weight (p < 0.01) and long CPB time (p = 0.04) at the time of surgery were statistically significant risk factors for mortality. Morbidity was related to long duration of postoperative mechanical ventilation, intensive care unit and hospital stay. Presence of FUH was the only significant risk factor for morbidity (p < 0.01). After a mean follow‐up of 52.1 months (range, 3–74 months), 59 (92%) of 64 survivors were asymptomatic without any medication, and five have mild symptoms with regular physical activity. Conclusion: Operative results of TAPVC have dramatically improved in recent years. However, patients having FUH (especially with concomitant palliative surgery), heterotaxy syndrome, low weight, early age, and long CPB time still have an increased operative mortality. (J Card Surg 2012;27:376‐380)
ViQID: A No-Reference bit stream-based visual quality impairment detector

In order to ensure adequate quality towards the end users at all time, video service providers are getting more interested in monitoring their video streams. Objective video quality metrics provide a means of measuring (audio)visual quality in an automated manner. Unfortunately, most of the current existing metrics cannot be used for real-time monitoring due to their dependencies on the original video sequence. In this paper we present a new objective video quality metric which classifies packet loss as visible or invisible based on information extracted solely from the captured encoded H.264/AVC video bit stream. Our results show that the visibility of packet loss can be predicted with a high accuracy, without the need for deep packet inspection. This enables service providers to monitor quality in real-time.
A Second-generation Protein–Protein Interaction Network of Helicobacter pylori*

Helicobacter pylori infections cause gastric ulcers and play a major role in the development of gastric cancer. In 2001, the first protein interactome was published for this species, revealing over 1500 binary protein interactions resulting from 261 yeast two-hybrid screens. Here we roughly double the number of previously published interactions using an ORFeome-based, proteome-wide yeast two-hybrid screening strategy. We identified a total of 1515 protein–protein interactions, of which 1461 are new. The integration of all the interactions reported in H. pylori results in 3004 unique interactions that connect about 70% of its proteome. Excluding interactions of promiscuous proteins we derived from our new data a core network consisting of 908 interactions. We compared our data set to several other bacterial interactomes and experimentally benchmarked the conservation of interactions using 365 protein pairs (interologs) of E. coli of which one third turned out to be conserved in both species.
Dishevelled limits Notch signalling through inhibition of CSL

Notch and Wnt are highly conserved signalling pathways that are used repeatedly throughout animal development to generate a diverse array of cell types. However, they often have opposing effects on cell-fate decisions with each pathway promoting an alternate outcome. Commonly, a cell receiving both signals exhibits only Wnt pathway activity. This suggests that Wnt inhibits Notch activity to promote a Wnt-ON/Notch-OFF output; but what might underpin this Notch regulation is not understood. Here, we show that Wnt acts via Dishevelled to inhibit Notch signalling, and that this crosstalk regulates cell-fate specification in vivo during Xenopus development. Mechanistically, Dishevelled binds and directly inhibits CSL transcription factors downstream of Notch receptors, reducing their activity. Furthermore, our data suggest that this crosstalk mechanism is conserved between vertebrate and invertebrate homologues. Thus, we identify a dual function for Dishevelled as an inhibitor of Notch signalling and an activator of the Wnt pathway that sharpens the distinction between opposing Wnt and Notch responses, allowing for robust cell-fate decisions.
Exploring the prosociality domains of trust and cooperation, through single and cooperative digital gameplay in Path of Trust

Amidst an ongoing debate surrounding the traditional dichotomy of whether video games are good or bad for children, in this paper we present Path of Trust, a novel, prosocial game that aims at helping children understand the importance of teamwork and learn how and when to express trustworthiness. We have created a colorful, non-violent digital game, in which children aged 7-10 can be exposed to prosocial content and develop specific prosocial attitudes, such as cooperation and trustworthiness, driven by the fact that video games with prosocial content can be used to improve social interactions. The game was designed to maintain an attractive and engaging nature, which is usually associated with games that are often vilified within social circles in terms of being packed with tons of action and violence. We conducted two separate studies to test our game’s modeling of prosocial behavior, which demonstrate the potential of the game as a tool for teaching important prosocial behavior to children.
Anthocyanin Profile and Antioxidant Activity of Various Berries Cultivated in Korea

This study examined the anthocyanin composition and antioxidant activity of various berries cultivated in Korea: blueberry, crowberry, Korean black raspberry, mulberry, and strawberry. The anthocyanins in berries were identified by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis, and each component was quantitatively analyzed. Furthermore, the antioxidant activity of berries was evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical-scavenging, 2,2′-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical cation decolorization, oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), and ferric ion reducing antioxidant (FRAP) assays. The results revealed that the total content of anthocyanins in crowberry was 35.1 mg/g of extract, which was higher than that in the other four major berry species (1.9-27.7 mg/g of extract). Nineteen anthocyanins were identified in the various berries. The major anthocyanins of crowberry were cyanidin-3-galactoside and delphinidin-3-galactoside, and those from Korean black raspberry were cyanidin-3-rutinoside and cyanidin-3-sambubioside-5-rhamnoside. These two berries also had relatively strong antioxidant activity accompanied by high total polyphenol contents. Thus, consumption of crowberry and Korean black raspberry may be beneficial in reducing the risk of developing lifestyle-related chronic diseases because of their strong antioxidant activity.
Wealth, Health, and Child Development: Evidence from Administrative Data on Swedish Lottery Players

We use administrative data on Swedish lottery players to estimate the causal impact of substantial wealth shocks on players' own health and their children's health and developmental outcomes. Our estimation sample is large, virtually free of attrition, and allows us to control for the factors conditional on which the prizes were randomly assigned. In adults, we find no evidence that wealth impacts mortality or health care utilization, with the possible exception of a small reduction in the consumption of mental health drugs. Our estimates allow us to rule out effects on 10-year mortality one sixth as large as the cross-sectional wealth-mortality gradient. In our intergenerational analyses, we find that wealth increases children's health care utilization in the years following the lottery and may also reduce obesity risk. The effects on most other child outcomes, which include drug consumption, scholastic performance, and skills, can usually be bounded to a tight interval around zero. Overall, our findings suggest that in affluent countries with extensive social safety nets, causal effects of wealth are not a major source of the wealth-mortality gradients, nor of the observed relationships between child-developmental outcomes and household income.