Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Systematic review of the biology and medical management of respiratory syncytial virus infection.

Respiratory syncytial virus, the leading cause of serious upper and lower respiratory tract infection in infants and children, accounts for 125,000 hospitalizations and 450 deaths annually in the United States. It also may predispose to development of asthma later in life. Annual epidemics occur from November to April, and virtually all infants are infected by age 2. Immunity is not durable; hence, reinfection occurs throughout life, although subsequent infections are nearly always mild. Certain populations (eg, premature infants, infants with chronic lung disease, and immunocompromised individuals) are at risk for severe morbidity and have higher risk of mortality. Infection is spread to the nose and eyes by large droplets and direct contact with secretions, and fomites may remain infectious for up to 12 hours. Nosocomial infection is common. The virus infects airway ciliated epithelial cells, spreading by the formation of syncytia. Cellular debris and inflammation cause airway obstruction, hyperinflation, localized atelectasis, wheezing, and impaired gas exchange. Both humoral and cellular immune response are critical to ending the acute infection, but wheezing and reactive airways may persist for as long as 5-10 years after acute infection. No cure exists for respiratory syncytial virus infection, but commonly employed palliative treatments include oxygen, inhaled beta(2) agonists, racemic epinephrine, dornase alfa, systemic and inhaled corticosteroids, inhaled ribavirin, and nasopharyngeal suctioning. Infants suffering severe lower airways disease may require mechanical ventilation. Prophylactic measures include rigorous infection control and administration of polyclonal (RSV-IGIV [respiratory syncytial virus - immunoglobulin intravenous]) and monoclonal (palivizumab) antibodies. The cost of the prophylactic antibody treatment is high; it is cost-effective for only the highest risk patients. Development of a vaccine remains far in the future. Application of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines is making both out-patient and in-patient therapy as effective and economical as possible.
The Analgesic Efficacy of Intravenous Tenoxicam as an Adjunct to Patient-Controlled Analgesia in Total Abdominal Hysterectomy

Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs may reduce postoperative opioid consumption. We evaluated the analgesic efficacy of preoperatively administered tenoxicam in patients undergoing total abdominal hysterectomy. Patients were randomly assigned to receive IV either normal saline 4 mL (Group NS), tenoxicam 20 mg (Group T20), or tenoxicam 40 mg (Group T40) before the induction of anesthesia in a double-blinded fashion. Patient-controlled analgesia with fentanyl was used to assess postoperative opioid requirements. Pain was evaluated by visual analog scale at 2, 4, 6, 8, and 24 h postoperatively. Intraoperative bleeding as assessed by the surgeon, incidence of nausea, and gastrointestinal symptoms were recorded. No statistically significant difference was identified between groups in fentanyl consumption or pain scores. The incidence of nausea was similar in all groups. Two patients in Group T20 and two in Group T40 exhibited mild gastrointestinal symptoms. Intraoperative oozing was noted in two patients in Group T40. We conclude that patients undergoing total abdominal hysterectomy and receiving fentanyl via patient-controlled analgesia postoperatively do not benefit from tenoxicam pretreatment. On the contrary, the drug may be associated with an increased incidence of side effects. Implications: The preoperative administration of 20 or 40 mg IV tenoxicam does not reduce fentanyl consumption via Patient-Controlled Analgesia, compared with placebo, after total abdominal hysterectomy. Additionally, tenoxicam may increase intraoperative bleeding and gastrointestinal side effects.
Improving the screening of blood donors with syphilis rapid diagnostic test (RDT) and rapid plasma reagin (RPR) in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMIC)

Syphilis testing conventionally relies on a combination of non‐treponemal and treponemal tests. The primary objective of this study was to describe the positive predictive value (PPV) of a screening algorithm in a combination of a treponemal rapid diagnostic test (RDT) and rapid plasma reagin (RPR) test at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Ghana.
MAFB Determines Human Macrophage Anti-Inflammatory Polarization: Relevance for the Pathogenic Mechanisms Operating in Multicentric Carpotarsal Osteolysis

Macrophage phenotypic and functional heterogeneity derives from tissue-specific transcriptional signatures shaped by the local microenvironment. Most studies addressing the molecular basis for macrophage heterogeneity have focused on murine cells, whereas the factors controlling the functional specialization of human macrophages are less known. M-CSF drives the generation of human monocyte-derived macrophages with a potent anti-inflammatory activity upon stimulation. We now report that knockdown of MAFB impairs the acquisition of the anti-inflammatory profile of human macrophages, identify the MAFB-dependent gene signature in human macrophages and illustrate the coexpression of MAFB and MAFB-target genes in CD163+ tissue-resident and tumor-associated macrophages. The contribution of MAFB to the homeostatic/anti-inflammatory macrophage profile is further supported by the skewed polarization of monocyte-derived macrophages from multicentric carpotarsal osteolysis (Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man #166300), a pathology caused by mutations in the MAFB gene. Our results demonstrate that MAFB critically determines the acquisition of the anti-inflammatory transcriptional and functional profiles of human macrophages.
Residential segregation and educational performance. The case of Athens

This paper investigates the relationship among length of educational training, social origin and residential segregation in Athens using a large sample of 130,000 young individuals 15 to 27 years old, as recorded in the 2011 census. Hypotheses based on high binary correlations between the length of training and a number of variables indicating social origin and the social status of residential areas were tested with a generalised linear mixed model to determine the significance of the influence of these variables on the length of educational training. A separate analysis was conducted for each age group, roughly corresponding to education levels – upper secondary (15–18 years old), undergraduate (19–22 years) and postgraduate (23–27 years). It was assumed that at each level the range and the shape of the socially and spatially unequal access to education would be significantly different. A scenario regarding the city’s important vertical segregation was also explored. It was assumed that living on different floors in the vertically segregated apartment buildings of the city’s densely built central neighbourhoods might be significantly related to the length of educational training, even after controlling for social class/status.
Retrieval boosted computer-aided diagnosis of clustered microcalcifications for breast cancer.

PURPOSE The authors propose an image-retrieval based approach for case-adaptive classifier design in computer-aided diagnosis (CADx). The conventional approach in CADx is to first train a pattern-classifier based on a set of existing training samples and then apply this classifier to subsequent new cases. The purpose of this work is to improve the classification accuracy of a CADx classifier by making use of a set of known cases retrieved from a reference library that are similar to the case under consideration. METHODS In the proposed approach, the authors will first apply image-retrieval to obtain a set of lesion images from a library of known cases that have similar image features to a case being diagnosed (i.e., query). These retrieved cases are then used to optimize a pattern-classifier toward boosting its classification accuracy on the query case. The basic idea is to put more emphasis on those cases that are similar to the query. The proposed approach is demonstrated first using a linear classifier and then extended to a nonlinear classifier induced by kernel principal component analysis. RESULTS The proposed retrieval-driven approach was tested on a library of mammogram images from 1006 cases (646 benign and 360 malignant) obtained from multiple institutions and was demonstrated to yield significant improvement in classification performance. Measured by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), the case-adaptive approach could boost the classification performance of a linear classifier from AUC = 0.7415 to AUC = 0.7807; similar improvement was also obtained for a nonlinear classifier, with AUC boosted from 0.7527 to 0.7838. CONCLUSIONS Use of additional cases from a reference library that have similar image features can improve the classification accuracy of a CADx classifier on a query case. It can even outperform retraining the classifier with all the cases from the entire reference library. This implies that cases with similar image features are more relevant in defining the local decision boundary of the CADx classifier around the query.
The nature of the magnetism in quasi-2D layered α-Ni(OH)2

The two layered hexagonal hydroxides of Ni are β-Ni(OH)2 and α-Ni(OH)2; β-Ni(OH)2 is now known to be an antiferromagnet whereas the nature of the magnetism in α-Ni(OH)2 is not yet well established. Here, the magnetic properties of α-Ni(OH)2 with lattice parameters a = 3.02 Å and c = 8.6 Å, and flower-like morphology with petal thickness of ≃ 50 Å are reported. Temperature (2–300 K) and magnetic field (up to 65 kOe) dependence of the magnetization and ac susceptibility at f = 0.1–1000 Hz were measured. Analysis of the data yields ferromagnetic ordering in the system with TC ≃ 16 K. In addition, a nanosize related blocking temperature TB = 8 K and spin-glass-like ordering of the surface spins near 3.5 K are inferred from the ac frequency and dc magnetic field dependence of these transitions. Fitting to the high temperature series and quasi-2D nature of the system is used to determine J1/kB = 4.38 K (J2/kB = 0.14 K) for the intraplane (interplane) exchange coupling between the Ni2+ ions.
Optimization of hybrid iterative reconstruction level in pediatric body CT.

OBJECTIVE The objective of our study was to attempt to optimize the level of hybrid iterative reconstruction (HIR) in pediatric body CT. MATERIALS AND METHODS One hundred consecutive chest or abdominal CT examinations were selected. For each examination, six series were obtained: one filtered back projection (FBP) and five HIR series (iDose(4)) levels 2-6. Two pediatric radiologists, blinded to noise measurements, independently chose the optimal HIR level and then rated series quality. We measured CT number (mean in Hounsfield units) and noise (SD in Hounsfield units) changes by placing regions of interest in the liver, muscles, subcutaneous fat, and aorta. A mixed-model analysis-of-variance test was used to analyze correlation of noise reduction with the optimal HIR level compared with baseline FBP noise. RESULTS One hundred CT examinations were performed of 88 patients (52 females and 36 males) with a mean age of 8.5 years (range, 19 days-18 years); 12 patients had both chest and abdominal CT studies. Radiologists agreed to within one level of HIR in 92 of 100 studies. The mean quality rating was significantly higher for HIR than FBP (3.6 vs 3.3, respectively; p < 0.01). HIR caused minimal (0-0.2%) change in CT numbers. Noise reduction varied among structures and patients. Liver noise reduction positively correlated with baseline noise when the optimal HIR level was used (p < 0.01). HIR levels were significantly correlated with body weight and effective diameter of the upper abdomen (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION HIR, such as iDose(4), improves the quality of body CT scans of pediatric patients by decreasing noise; HIR level 3 or 4 is optimal for most studies. The optimal HIR level was less effective in reducing liver noise in children with lower baseline noise.
Growth, health and gender imbalance: evidence from India

ABSTRACT In an examination of the relationships between imbalanced gender ratios and the growth–health–poverty nexus, a simultaneous equation model (based on panel data) identifies an adverse impact of poor health conditions on the gender ratio. Better health services and health outcomes can raise the survival rate of girl children and women, while a higher gender ratio (a greater presence of women) is associated with an increased survival rate of girl children. Economic growth alone is not sufficient to curb gender inequality, but the female labour force participation rate does have favourable effects on the gender ratio, indicating the wide social and economic implications of women’s access to resources.
Natural history of experimental intestinal atresia: morphologic and ultrastructural study.

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to evaluate a natural history of congenital intestinal atresia (IA) in the chick embryo and to assess the type and nature of changes in the intestine at various developmental stages. METHODS Chick embryos underwent operative induction of IA on the 12th day of incubation. The procedure consisted of electrocoagulation of the mesenteric vessels supplying a 7- to 8-mm intestinal segment. The embryos were subjected to macroscopic examination, histologic and ultrastructural studies of the preatretic and postatretic bowel using the light microscope, scanning, and transmission electron microscopes. All investigations were performed in an experimental group (operated embryos), in a control group, and in a sham-operated group on the 15th, 17th, 19th, and 21st day of incubation. RESULTS The original technique of an iatrogenic "vascular event" proved to be effective because IA developed in 96% of embryos surviving the procedure. The affected portion of the bowel underwent progressive necrosis, and signs of bowel obstruction could be observed 48 hours after operation. Cord atresia (type II) developed in 81% of embryos. Histologic investigations showed progressive thinning of mucosa, flattening of mucosal folds, and epithelial detachment within the intestine proximal to atresia. There was only mild hypertrophy of the muscular layers. All these pathomorphologic changes were of rapidly progressive nature until the 17th day of incubation. Later, the rate of distension of preatretic bowel and histologic changes were less. Ultrastructural investigation of the proximal bowel showed progressive flattening of the enterocytes associated with their apical bulging, widening of the intercellular spaces, and microvilli atrophy. Surprisingly, at days 19 and 21 of incubation, signs of induction of adaptive mechanisms with partial restoration of near-normal microvilli pattern were observed. CONCLUSIONS Study of natural history of experimental IA indicates that histologic and ultrastructural lesions of the bowel are of dynamic nature and are not only the effect of pathologic intraluminal pressure.
Sex steroids modulate α1‐adrenoceptor‐stimulated Ca2+ elevation in human cultured prostatic stromal cells

Benign prostatic hyperplasia is an age‐ and androgen‐dependent condition of urethral compression caused by prostatic contractility and glandular enlargement. In this study we investigate whether testosterone, dihydrotestosterone and estradiol modulate the ability of human cultured prostatic stromal cells (HCPSCs) to respond to the adrenoceptor agonists, noradrenaline (30 µM) and phenylephrine (100 µM), the protein kinase C activating phorbol ester, phorbol diacetate (PDA, 10 µM), and the L‐type Ca2+ channel activator, (−)‐Bay K8644 (Bay K, 10 µM) with elevations of intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i).
The legacy of Faster-Better-Cheaper: Too much risk or over-reaction to perceived failure?

From 1992 until 1999, NASA adopted the mission paradigm of Faster-Better-Cheaper (FBC)-i.e., a large number of relatively small, low-cost spacecraft-for its unmanned spacecraft. As many of the early FBC missions met their objectives (at much lower cost than traditional missions), the FBC approach appeared to be viable. However, after two Mars mission failures in 1999, the FBC paradigm was discontinued and came to be viewed by many to be a failed experiment. We reflect on the legacy of this program. In particular, we focus on the organizational learning literature to explore whether FBC, a stretch goal, was a good step for NASA, where a stretch goal is an extreme goal meant to intentionally generate internal crises to spark energy and to spur change. Previous examinations of the achievements of the FBC paradigm have focused on mission failure rates rather than on cost effectiveness, perhaps a more meaningful measure of performance for unmanned space missions. Therefore, we revisit the question of whether the Faster-Better-Cheaper paradigm was a success or a failure by examining all unmanned NASA missions launched between 1974 to 2007. In the analysis, we define mission performance in terms of the science output per dollar of mission cost, finding that FBC missions resulted in more scientific publications (and citation-weighted publications) per dollar of mission cost than did missions developed under other paradigms. In conclusion, we perceive many lasting benefits to current projects today from the adoption of the stretch goal of completing projects “Faster-Better-Cheaper” in the 1990's and perceive that NASA suffers from a bias against learning from the FBC era because of the stigma of the failed projects.
Loss of cell cycle controls in apoptotic lymphoblasts of the bursa of Fabricius.

Lymphoblasts of the normal embryonic follicles of the chicken bursa of Fabricius undergo rapid apoptosis when exposed to gamma-radiation or when cell-cell contacts are disrupted by mechanical dispersion in short term culture. We have observed previously that overexpression of v-myc sensitizes preneoplastic bursal lymphoblasts to induction of cell death, whereas resistance to induced cell death is acquired during progression to neoplasia. In this study we observed extensive DNA degradation in the large majority of the lymphoblast population within the first hour after dispersion-induced apoptosis. Paradoxically these cells continued to progress into S-phase with the bulk of DNA cleavage and death occurring in S-phase cells (i.e., in cells with more than 2C and less than 4C DNA content). We confirmed the S phase status of apoptotic cells by determining that detection of nuclear cyclin A in individual cells also corresponded with detection of DNA breakage. Levels of cyclin E, cyclin E-dependent H1 histone kinase, and p53 proteins were maintained during dispersion-induced DNA cleavage. gamma-radiation failed either to inhibit cell cycle progression or to raise p53 levels in dispersed bursal lymphoblasts. In intact bursal follicles low doses of gamma-radiation induced p53 whereas higher, apoptosis-inducing doses failed to induce p53 or prevent G1 to S-phase progression. These results suggest that normal DNA damage-induced cell cycle checkpoint controls are lost or overridden when apoptosis is induced in bursal lymphoblasts.
Can the T-peak to T-end interval be a predictor of mortality in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction?

BackgroundThe interval between the peak and the end of the T wave (Tp–e interval) on 12-lead ECG is a measure of transmural dispersion of repolarization and may be related to malignant ventricular arrhythmias. The objective of this study was to investigate whether the Tp–e interval predicts in-hospital and long-term mortality in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing a primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI). MethodsThis study included 488 consecutive patients with STEMI treated with pPCI. Electrocardiograms were obtained after pPCI and the Tp–e interval was measured in leads without ST-segment elevation. ResultsThere were 46 (9.4%) deaths in the population, with a mean follow-up time of 21.1±10.2 months. The Tp–e interval was associated with not only in-hospital ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation, target vessel revascularization, and death but also long-term target vessel revascularization and death. Furthermore, the Tp–e interval measured using the tail method was found to be a significant predictor of long-term mortality in multivariable Cox analyses [odds ratio 1.018, 95% confidence interval (1.004–1.033)]. Findings were similar in the Tp–e interval and the heart rate-corrected Tp–e interval (cTp–e). ConclusionTp–e and cTp–e measured using the tail method were found to be predictors of both in-hospital and long-term mortality.
Acute effect of cyclosporin on renal function following the initial changeover to a microemulsion formulation in stable kidney transplant patients

Potential differences in the acute effect of cyclosporin on renal function when dosed orally as the current market formulation or following a milligram-to-milligram conversion to a new microemulsion formulation were investigated in 14 stable kidney transplant patients. The study consisted of three sequential periods of 2 weeks duration each. Patients entered (period I) and completed (period III) the investigation with the market formulation and received the microemulsion formulation in period II; individualized cyclosporin doses remained unchanged throughout the study. Over one steady-state dosing interval at the end of each study period, whole blood cyclosprin pharmacokinetic profiles were assessed in parallel with endogenous creatinine clearances over sequential 1-to 2-h intervals. The rate and extent of cyclosporin absorption were significantly greater (P<0.01) from the microemulsion formulation with average increases of 73% in peak concentration and 44% in area under the curve compared to the market formulation. Sequential creatinine clearances exhibited a transient decrease with the nadir occurring on average between 4 and 6h post dose followed by a rapid return to baseline. Specifically in period I on the market formulation, clearances decreased from a baseline of 71.7±20.6 to a minimum of 51.1±17.9 ml/min per 1.73 m2 (similar values in period III) and from 76.8±24.8 to 53.5±17.5 ml/min per 1.73 m2 in period II on the microemulsion. Neither the baseline nor minimum clearances were significantly different among the study periods. Hence, the pharmacokinetic differences between the formulations did not acutely influence the pattern of glomerular filtration rate following the initial milligramto-milligram changeover in stable renal transplant patients.