Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Risk factors for unsuccessful tuberculosis treatment outcomes in children

Objective Pakistan has a high pediatric burden of tuberculosis, but few studies describe the treatment experience of children with tuberculosis in Pakistan. We sought to identify risk factors for unsuccessful treatment outcomes in children with drug-susceptible tuberculosis identified in eight hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan. Design We conducted a retrospective cohort study among children (<15 years old) treated with first-line anti-tuberculosis drugs for presumed or confirmed drug-susceptible tuberculosis between 2016 and 2017. We assessed risk factors for experiencing an unsuccessful treatment outcome through multivariable logistic regression analysis. Results In total, 1,665 children initiated tuberculosis treatment, including 916 (55.0%) identified through intensified case finding. Unsuccessful treatment outcomes were experienced by 197 (11.8%) children, comprising 27 (1.6%) deaths, 16 (1.0%) treatment failures, and 154 (9.3%) lost to follow-up. An additional 47 (2.8%) children had outcomes not evaluable. In multivariable analysis, children 0–4 years old (OR: 1.80, 95% CI: 1.07–3.04), males (OR: 1.48, 95% CI: 1.04, 2.11), and those with bacteriologic confirmation of disease (OR: 3.39, 95% CI: 1.98, 5.80) had increased odds of experiencing an unsuccessful treatment outcome. Conclusion Our findings suggest a need to deploy strategies to identify children earlier in the disease process and point to the need for interventions tailored for young children once treatment is initiated.
Utilization of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and library operations in state university libraries in south-south Nigeria

This study examined utilization of information and communication technology (ICT) and library job operations in state university libraries in South-South Nigeria. Two hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. Survey research design was used. The population for the study constituted 143 librarians (professionals and paraprofessionals). A sample of 93 librarians was selected using purposive sampling technique. The instrument was validated by experts. The research data was analyzed with descriptive (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (One-Way ANOVA). All hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that there was a significant influence of online databases services on library job operations, (f=4.447*, P<.05, df=2,728, F-critical=3.00) and there was a significant influence of CD-ROM services on library job operations, (f=2.671*, P<.05, df=2,728, Fcritical= 3.00). From the result of the study, it was recommended among others that librarians should utilize more ICT tools to facilitate their job operations in the library. Keywords: Utilization of ICT, Online databases Service, CD-ROM Service, Library job operations, State University, Libraries, South-South Nigeria
Disrupting the neoliberal university in South Africa: The #FeesMustFall movement in 2015

This article analyses the 2015 student mobilizations in South Africa (SA), which arose in opposition to a 10% hike in tuition fees planned for 2016 at the University of Witwatersrand (WITS) and spurred a massive student reaction across all the universities of the country. After only 10 days of mobilization, the protest, also known as #FeesMustFall by virtue of the most popular Twitter hashtag associated with it, succeeded in halting the hike. How and why did the protesters win? To answer this question, this study combined various qualitative methods of analysis. The author carried out in-depth interviews with all the relevant actors involved in the issue, and analysed documents relating to the movement elaborated by the students in the year of the protest (2015), as well as the main policy documents on higher education in post-apartheid South Africa (1994–2016) released by the government. The author argues that massive and disruptive student protests play a crucial role in ‘young’ democracies, as is the case of today’s South Africa, in which higher education is still considered an important societal issue, and university-level students a legitimate political actor. Where students are perceived as a legitimate element of the political system, it is more likely for them to have an impact on society.
Who's Your Hoosier? How External Factors Affect Judgement when Choosing Romantic Partners at Indiana Colleges

Most of the literature on online dating addresses what makes a profile more desirable. However, little research has been done examining why someone can be drawn to an adverse profile (i.e. a profile containing clear ’red-flag’ traits). This study will analyze how two types of external influence, recommendations provided by a computer algorithm and consensus information provided by peers, interact to affect judgement in the context of using a dating application to choose hypothetical romantic partners. The romantic experience level of each participant will also be analyzed to see if lack of experience moderates how much individuals rely on external information when choosing hypothetical romantic partners. It was found that participants who viewed positive comments left by other peer users and who were told they are mathematically a good match via computerized algorithm are more likely to overlook red-flag traits when identifying potential romantic partners. These two external influences were chosen because one is social in nature (i.e., consensus information) and the other is non-social (i.e., computer algorithm). Furthermore, participants with higher levels of romantic experience were less likely to choose profiles containing red-flag traits, but this effect only attenuated slightly the impact of the external influences. The findings of this research may provide critical insights into the processes that drive individuals into making poor decisions in the context of mate selection.
A Qualitative Analysis of Young Sexual Minority Men's Perspectives on Human Papillomavirus Vaccination.

Purpose: Men who have sex with men (MSM) are affected disproportionately by cancers caused by human papillomavirus (HPV). A safe and effective vaccine is available to prevent HPV infection, yet rates of HPV vaccination among young MSM are low. Guided by the Information, Motivation, and Behavioral Skills model, the purpose of this study was to identify young sexual minority men's perspectives on HPV vaccination. Methods: Men (N = 29) 18-26 years of age, who identified as gay, bisexual, or queer, completed a semistructured interview. Vaccinated (n = 9) and unvaccinated men (n = 20) were interviewed. The interview assessed knowledge, motivation, and behavioral skills related to HPV vaccination as well as relevant contextual factors (e.g., provider recommendation). Interviews were coded for recurring themes. Results: Most participants were aware of HPV and the HPV vaccine; however, misconceptions and knowledge gaps were common with many believing that HPV vaccination was only for women. Motivational factors included perceived advantages (e.g., reducing risk of HPV-related disease) and disadvantages (e.g., stigma) of HPV vaccination, perceived threat of HPV-related disease, and subjective norms for HPV vaccination. Relevant behavioral skills included disclosure of sexual orientation and comfort discussing HPV vaccination. Concerns about vaccine cost, access, and convenience were salient barriers to initiating and completing the series. Encouragement from a health care provider was cited as the primary reason for receiving the HPV vaccine. Conclusion: When developing interventions to increase HPV vaccination among young sexual minority men, it is important to address facilitators and barriers that reflect the unique needs of this population.
PRR34‐AS1 overexpression promotes protection of propofol pretreatment against ischemia/reperfusion injury in a mouse model after total knee arthroplasty via blockade of the JAK1‐dependent JAK‐STAT signaling pathway

Long noncoding RNAs have been documented to be protective against ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. However, few research works have focused on the protective effects of PRR34‐AS1 on I/R injury after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The objective of the present study was to investigate the possible effect of PRR34‐AS1 on I/R injury after TKA. A mouse model with I/R injury after TKA was established. The interaction between PRR34‐AS1 and Janus kinase 1 (JAK1) was examined and thoroughly investigated. Next, the effects of PRR34‐AS1 on the expression of apoptosis‐related proteins, JAS‐signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) signaling pathways, and inflammation‐related genes, chondrocyte proliferation, and apoptosis were analyzed after gain‐ and loss‐of‐function experiments. Attenuated symptoms were observed in mice pretreated with propofol, which was evidenced by decreased positive expression rate of JAK1 protein and superoxide dismutase content along with increased malondialdehyde content and IL‐10 levels. PRR34‐AS1 was poorly expressed in mice with I/R injury after TKA. JAK1 was a target of PRR34‐AS1. Upregulated PRR34‐AS1 diminished expression of JAK1, STAT1, JAK2, and STAT3 as well as cell apoptosis, while enhancing cell proliferation in vitro. Furthermore, JAK1 silencing could reverse the suppressed cell proliferation and enhanced cell apoptosis of chondrocytes imposed by silencing PRR34‐AS1. Upregulation of PRR34‐AS1 can potentially relieve I/R injury after TKA in mice pretreated with propofol through inhibition of the JAS‐STAT signaling pathway by targeting JAK1.
Body side-specific changes in sensorimotor processing of movement feedback in a walking insect.

Feedback from load and movement sensors can modify timing and magnitude of the motor output in the stepping stick insect. One source of feedback is stretch reception by the femoral chordotonal organ (fCO), which encodes parameters like the femoro-tibial (FTi) joint angle, the angular velocity, and its acceleration. Stimulation of the fCO causes a postural resistance reflex (RR), during quiescence, and can elicit the opposite, so called active reaction (AR), which assists ongoing flexion during active movements. Here, we investigated the role of fCO feedback for the difference in likelihood of generating ARs on the inside versus the outside during curve stepping. We analyzed the effects of fCO stimulation on the motor output to the FTi-, and the neighboring coxa-trochanter and thorax-coxa (CTr- and ThC, resp.) joints of the middle leg. In inside and outside turns, the probability for ARs increases with increasing starting angle and decreasing stimulus velocity; furthermore, it is independent of the total angular excursion. However, the transition between stance and swing motor activity always occurs after a specific angular excursion, independent of the turning direction. Feedback from the fCO also has an excitatory influence on levator trochanteris (LevTr) MNs during inside and outside turns, while the same feedback affects protractor coxae (ProCx) MNs only during outside steps. Our results suggest joint- and body side-dependent processing of fCO feedback. A shift in gain may be responsible for different AR probabilities between inside and outside turning, while the general control mechanism for ARs is unchanged.
Health Behavior Change and Complementary Medicine Use: National Health Interview Survey 2012

Backgroundandobjectives: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use has been associated with preventive health behaviors. However, the role of CAM use in patients’ health behaviors remains unclear. This study aimed to determine the extent to which patients report that CAM use motivates them to make changes to their health behaviors. Materials and Methods: This secondary analysis of 2012 National Health Interview Survey data involved 10,201 CAM users living in the United States who identified up to three CAM therapies most important to their health. Analyses assessed the extent to which participants reported that their CAM use motivated positive health behavior changes, specifically: eating healthier, eating more organic foods, cutting back/stopping drinking alcohol, cutting back/quitting smoking cigarettes, and/or exercising more regularly. Results: Overall, 45.4% of CAM users reported being motivated by CAM to make positive health behavior changes, including exercising more regularly (34.9%), eating healthier (31.4%), eating more organic foods (17.2%), reducing/stopping smoking (16.6% of smokers), or reducing/stopping drinking alcohol (8.7% of drinkers). Individual CAM therapies motivated positive health behavior changes in 22% (massage) to 81% (special diets) of users. People were more likely to report being motivated to change health behaviors if they were: aged 18–64 compared to those aged over 65 years; of female gender; not in a relationship; of Hispanic or Black ethnicity, compared to White; reporting at least college education, compared to people with less than high school education; without health insurance. Conclusions: A sizeable proportion of respondents were motivated by their CAM use to undertake health behavior changes. CAM practices and practitioners could help improve patients’ health behavior and have potentially significant implications for public health and preventive medicine initiatives; this warrants further research attention.
The link between self-esteem and social relationships: A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies.

Theorists have long assumed that people's self-esteem and social relationships influence each other. However, the empirical evidence has been inconsistent, creating substantial uncertainty about whether relationships are in fact an influential factor in self-esteem development and vice versa. This meta-analysis synthesizes the available longitudinal data on the prospective effect of social relationships on self-esteem (48 samples including 46,231 participants) and the prospective effect of self-esteem on social relationships (35 samples including 21,995 participants). All effects controlled for prior levels of the outcomes. Results showed that relationships and self-esteem reciprocally predict each other over time with similar effect sizes (β = .08 in both directions). Moderator analyses suggested that the effects held across sample characteristics such as mean age, gender, ethnicity, and time lag between assessments, except for the self-esteem effect on relationships, which was moderated by type of relationship partner (stronger for general relationships than for specific partners) and relationship reporter (stronger for self-reported than for informant-reported relationship characteristics). The findings support assumptions of classic and contemporary theories on the influence of social relationships on self-esteem and on the consequences of self-esteem for the relationship domain. In sum, the findings suggest that the link between people's social relationships and their level of self-esteem is truly reciprocal in all developmental stages across the life span, reflecting a positive feedback loop between the constructs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
Why is contemporary China still courting concubines? Exploring the reasons for Chinese audiences’ fascination with concubines’ infighting in television dramas

ABSTRACT This note reports the results of a systematic exploration and evaluation of the reasons underlying the very high popularity among Chinese audiences of a particular television genre featuring infighting between concubines in ancient imperial courts. Self-report questionnaires were completed by 263 respondents to assess the value they perceived to earn from watching this type of drama. Factor analysis identified five categories of experiential value yielded from watching this genre, covering dimensions related to its exquisite visual and audio effects, intriguing plots, and aroused contemplations. Linear regression showed that experiential value positively predicted audience satisfaction with this type of drama and audience satisfaction affected their choice to make it a future leisure activity, despite the potential ban of this genre by the Chinese authorities. The findings suggest that Chinese audiences’ infatuation with dramas featuring concubine infighting expresses a dichotomy of both reflection and inflection of the realities of contemporary social and cultural dynamics, thereby articulating the unique functions of leisure in facilitating this social process.
Clinical relevance of a CD4+ T cell immune function assay in the diagnosis of infection in pediatric living-donor liver transplantation

The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential of the Immuknow immune cell function assay for the diagnosis of infection after pediatric living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT). Based on clinical data obtained following liver transplantation, 66 patients were divided into infection (n=28) and non-infection (n=38) groups. The following factors were considered in the present analysis: Primary disease, lymphocyte count, tacrolimus plasma concentration/dose (C0/D) ratio, CD4+ T lymphocyte ATP levels, at pre-transplant stage and at weeks 1–4, and 2 and 3 months post-transplant. The CD4+ T lymphocyte ATP values were plotted in a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The CD4+ T lymphocyte ATP value of the infection group was significantly lower compared with that of the non-infection group (188.6±93.5 vs. 424.4±198.1 ng/ml, respectively; P<0.05). No correlation was observed between the ATP value and tacrolimus plasma C0/D ratio (R2=0.0001484); however, a correlation was reported between the ATP value and lymphocyte count (R2=0.2149). Analysis of the ROC curve indicated that the ATP levels of CD4+ T cells were significantly associated with the diagnostic value of infection (area under the curve=0.866). These findings suggest that low CD4+ T lymphocyte ATP levels may be an independent risk factor for infection following pediatric LDLT, and that the Immuknow assay may be used as a tool to evaluate T lymphocyte function in such patients to predict the risk of infection.
Targeting connexin hemichannels to control the inflammasome: the correlation between connexin43 and NLRP3 expression in chronic eye disease

ABSTRACT Introduction: Chronic inflammatory diseases, including retinal diseases that are a major cause of vision loss, are associated with activation of the nucleotide-binding domain and leucine-rich repeat containing (NLR) protein-3 (NLRP3) inflammasome pathway. In chronic disease, the inflammasome becomes self-perpetuating, indicating a common pathway in such diseases irrespective of underlying etiology, and implying a shared solution is feasible. Connexin43 hemichannels correlate directly with NLRP3 inflammasome complex assembly (shown here in models of retinal disease). Connexin43 hemichannel-mediated ATP release is proposed to be the principal activator signal for inflammasome complex assembly in primary signal-sensitized cells. Connexin hemichannel block on its own is sufficient to inhibit the inflammasome pathway. Areas covered: We introduce chronic retinal disease, discuss available preclinical models and examine findings from these models regarding the targeting of connexin43 hemichannels and its effects on the inflammasome. Expert opinion: In over 25 animal disease models, connexin hemichannel regulation has shown therapeutic benefit, and one oral connexin hemichannel blocker, tonabersat (Xiflam), is Phase II ready with safety evidence in over 1000 patients. Regulating the connexin hemichannel provides a means to move quickly into clinical trials designed to ameliorate the progression of devastating chronic diseases of the eye, but also elsewhere in the body.
Relationship Between HBsAb Response, Expression of TLR 2, 3 and 4, and Birth Season in 3 - 5-Year-Old Children

Background: Vaccination is known as one of the effective methods for the prevention of infectious diseases. Birth season as an environmental factor can play an important role in the immune response to vaccines. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the association between hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antibody (HBsAb), the expression of TLR2, 3 and 4 genes in response to the hepatitis B vaccine, and the birth season of children aged 3 - 5 years. Methods: In this study, 72 children aged 3 - 5 years born in winter and summer (36 in each group) were enrolled for blood sample collection. Then, the HBsAb titer and TLR2, 3, and 4 were determined by the ELISA method and real-time PCR, respectively. Results: The results indicated that the expression of TLR2, 3, and 4 genes was higher in the winter-born group than in the summer-born group. However, this difference was not statistically significant (TLR2 P value = 0.5; TLR3 P value = 0.06; TLR4 P value = 0.16). The overall efficacy of HBsAb was 72.2%. The average level of antibody was greater in the summer-born group than in the winter-born group but this difference was not statistically significant (P value = 0.3). Conclusions: Although TLR2, 3, and 4 expression levels were higher in the winter-born group than in the summer-born group and the antibody titer was higher in summer than in winter, these differences were not statistically significant. However, more research is needed to prove these relationships.
Game perspective-taking effects on willingness to help immigrants: A replication study with a Spanish sample

This study replicated an experiment examining video game character perspective-taking effects on socio-political opinions with a sample of Spanish participants. Random assignment to play a game as an immigration inspector decreased intention and attitudes toward helping immigrants relative to baseline scores. These effects were observed while controlling for social dominance orientation or preference for inequality among social groups. The intention and attitudes of participants randomly assigned to play a control group game featuring the role of a newspaper editor remained unchanged. Overall, this study expanded perspective-taking research by replicating theoretical predictions with a different sample. We discuss future directions and findings that deviated from the original study.
Antitumor Activity of a Novel Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor AIU2001 Due to Abrogation of the DNA Damage Repair in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells

Class III receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) inhibitors targeting mainly FLT3 or c-KIT have not been well studied in lung cancer. To identify a small molecule potentially targeting class III RTK, we synthesized novel small molecule compounds and identified 5-(4-bromophenyl)-N-(naphthalen-1-yl) oxazol-2-amine (AIU2001) as a novel class III RKT inhibitor. In an in vitro kinase profiling assay, AIU2001 inhibited the activities of FLT3, mutated FLT3, FLT4, and c-KIT of class III RTK, and the proliferation of NSCLC cells in vitro and in vivo. AIU2001 induced DNA damage, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase. Furthermore, AIU2001 suppressed the DNA damage repair genes, resulting in the ‘BRCAness’/‘DNA-PKness’ phenotype. The mRNA expression level of STAT5 was downregulated by AIU2001 treatment and knockdown of STAT5 inhibited the DNA repair genes. Our results show that compared to either drug alone, the combination of AIU2001 with a poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor olaparib or irradiation showed synergistic efficacy in H1299 and A549 cells. Hence, our findings demonstrate that AIU2001 is a candidate therapeutic agent for NSCLC and combination therapies with AIU2001 and a PARP inhibitor or radiotherapy may be used to increase the therapeutic efficacy of AIU2001 due to inhibition of DNA damage repair.