Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Postmarket surveillance of 3D-printed implants for sacroiliac joint fusion

Background Government regulations require postmarket surveillance for cleared/approved medical devices. Trend analysis of newly marketed devices may help to confirm device-related safety or uncover other device or procedure-related problems. Methods Complaints related to the use of 3D-printed triangular titanium implants for sacroiliac joint (SIJ) fusion were compared with those of the prior machined version of the device manufactured with a titanium plasma spray (TPS) coating. Event rates were calculated either by dividing event counts by numbers of surgeries or, for late events, using Kaplan–Meier survival analysis. Results Three types of complaints with nontrial frequencies were identified. Issues in instruments occurred at a low and constant rate (1.3%). Using Kaplan–Meier analysis, pain-related complaints occurred at a low and similar rate in both groups (<0.5%). The 1-year cumulative probability of surgical revision was low in both the 3D and machined versions of the device (1.5% for machined and 1% for 3D printed, P=0.0408 for difference). No implant breakages or migrations were identified in either group, and overall rates were similar to a previously published report. Conclusion The 3D-printed version of triangular titanium implant was associated with complaint and adverse event rates similar to those for the prior machined version of the device.
Association Between PM2.5 and Daily Hospital Admissions for Heart Failure: A Time-Series Analysis in Beijing

There is little evidence that acute exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) impacts the rate of hospitalization for congestive heart failure (CHF) in developing countries. The primary purpose of the present retrospective study was to evaluate the short-term association between ambient PM2.5 and hospitalization for CHF in Beijing, China. A total of 15,256 hospital admissions for CHF from January 2010 to June 2012 were identified from Beijing Medical Claim Data for Employees and a time-series design with generalized additive Poisson model was used to assess the obtained data. We found a clear significant exposure response association between PM2.5 and the number of hospitalizations for CHF. Increasing PM2.5 daily concentrations by 10 μg/m3 caused a 0.35% (95% CI, 0.06–0.64%) increase in the number of CHF admissions on the same day. We also found that female and older patients were more susceptible to PM2.5. These associations remained significant in sensitivity analyses involving changing the degrees of freedom of calendar time, temperature, and relative humidity. PM2.5 was associated with significantly increased risk of hospitalization for CHF in this citywide study. These findings may contribute to the limited scientific evidence about the acute impacts of PM2.5 on CHF in China.
Cutting Edge: Quantitative Determination of CD40L Threshold for IL-12 and IL-23 Production from Dendritic Cells

Early secretion of IL-12 by mouse dendritic cells (DCs) instructs T cells to make IFN-γ. However, only activated, but not naive T cells are able to license DCs for IL-12 production. We hypothesized that it might be due to different levels of CD40L expression on the surface of these cells, as CD40 signals are required for IL-12 production. Using quantitative cell-free systems incorporating CD40L in lipid bilayers combined with total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry, we show that as low as ∼200 CD40L molecules/μm2 in combination with IL-4 is sufficient to induce IL-12 production by DCs. Remarkably, CD40L alone is adequate to induce IL-23 secretion by DCs. Thus, although activated T cells have somewhat higher levels of CD40L, it is the combination of CD40L and the cytokines they secrete that licenses DCs and influences the effector class of the immune response.
Return to work after ischemic stroke in young adults

Objective We aimed to investigate the proportion of young patients not returning to work (NRTW) at 1 year after ischemic stroke (IS) and during follow-up, and clinical factors associated with NRTW. Methods Patients from the Helsinki Young Stroke Registry with an IS occurring in the years 1994–2007, who were at paid employment within 1 year before IS, and with NIH Stroke Scale score ≤15 points at hospital discharge, were included. Data on periods of payment came from the Finnish Centre for Pensions, and death data from Statistics Finland. Multivariate logistic regression analyses assessed factors associated with NRTW 1 year after IS, and lasagna plots visualized the proportion of patients returning to work over time. Results We included a total of 769 patients, of whom 289 (37.6%) were not working at 1 year, 323 (42.0%) at 2 years, and 361 (46.9%) at 5 years from IS. When adjusted for age, sex, socioeconomic status, and NIH Stroke Scale score at admission, factors associated with NRTW at 1 year after IS were large anterior strokes, strokes caused by large artery atherosclerosis, high-risk sources of cardioembolism, and rare causes other than dissection compared with undetermined cause, moderate to severe aphasia vs no aphasia, mild and moderate to severe limb paresis vs no paresis, and moderate to severe visual field deficit vs no deficit. Conclusions NRTW is a frequent adverse outcome after IS in young adults with mild to moderate IS. Clinical variables available during acute hospitalization may allow prediction of NRTW.
Non-uniform sampling based on an adaptive level-crossing scheme

Level-crossing (LC) analog-to-digital (A/D) converters can efficiently sample certain classes of signals. An LC A/D converter is a real-time asynchronous system, which encodes the information of an analog signal into a sequence of non-uniformly spaced time instants. In particular, this class of A/D converters uses an asynchronous data conversion approach, which is a power efficient technique. In this study, the authors propose adaptive and multi-level adaptive LC sampling models as alternatives to conventional LC schemes and apply an iterative algorithm to improve the reconstruction quality of LC A/D converters. This simulation results show that multi-level adaptive LC outperforms conventional A/D converters such as sigma-delta A/D converters in terms of performance and computational complexity.
Systematic literature study for dimensional classification of success factors affecting process improvement in global software development: client-vendor perspective

The majority of organisations are globalising their software development activities by following the ideas of global software development (GSD). The motivation behind the adoption of GSD phenomena are the list of benefits gained by the software industry. However, there are different challenges face by the GSD organisations, particularly the issues related to software process improvement (SPI). The aim of this study is the identification and classification into categories of the success factors that can impact SPI initiatives taken in GSD organisations. The systematic literature review (SLR) method has been used to extract the success factors from the literature. SLR phases, ‘planning, conducting, and reporting the review’ have been followed to perform this study. Totally, 15 success factors were identified and classified into the six main categories. The authors have also reported the critical success factors of SPI, i.e. management commitment, staff involvement, roles and responsibilities, communication, and resources allocation. This article also reported the similarities and differences between the success factors classified on the bases of client-vendor organisation and size of the organisation. The identified factors can contribute towards the implementation of SPI programme in both client and vendor GSD organisations because these factors represent key areas of process improvement.
Results from the Canadian Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Program for detection of carbapenemase-producing Acinetobacter spp. in Canadian hospitals, 2010–16

Objectives Globally there is an increased prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter spp. (CRAs) and carbapenemase-producing Acinetobacter spp. (CPAs) in the hospital setting. This increase prompted the Canadian Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Program (CNISP) to conduct surveillance of CRA colonizations and infections identified from patients in CNISP-participating hospitals between 2010 and 2016. Methods Participating acute care facilities across Canada submitted CRAs from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2016. Patient data were collected from medical records using a standardized questionnaire. WGS was conducted on all CRAs and data underwent single nucleotide variant analysis, resistance gene detection and MLST. Results The 7 year incidence rate of CRA was 0.02 per 10 000 patient days and 0.015 per 1000 admissions, with no significant increase observed over the surveillance period (P > 0.73). Ninety-four CRA isolates were collected from 58 hospitals, of which 93 (98.9%) were CPA. Carbapenemase OXA-235 group (48.4%) was the most common due to two separate clusters, followed by the OXA-23 group (41.9%). Patients with a travel history were associated with 38.8% of CRA cases. The all-cause 30 day mortality rate for infected cases was 24.4 per 100 CRA cases. Colistin was the most active antimicrobial agent (95.8% susceptibility). Conclusions CRA remains uncommon in Canadian hospitals and the incidence did not increase from 2010 to 2016. Almost half of the cases were from two clusters harbouring OXA-235-group enzymes. Previous medical treatment during travel outside of Canada was common.
Protect the Protector: Morbidity and Health Behavior among Police Personnel in National Capital Region of India

Introduction: At the time of selection, police personnel undergo various health and fitness tests but subsequently health assessments are not done regularly. Unhealthy lifestyle and challenging work environment predispose them to various somatic sequelae, including cardiovascular diseases, musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, and psychological disorders, etc., There is limited epidemiological data on the morbidity profile among police personnel in India. Aim: To study the morbidity profile and the treatment-seeking behavior among police personnel in National Capital Region (NCR), India. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between May and November, 2014 on 300 police personnel working in the NCR, India. We administered a predesigned, pretested questionnaire (α = 0.63) to the study participants based on World Health Organization-STEPS tool for assessing morbidity profile, lifestyle risk factors, and treatment-seeking behavior after obtaining informed consent from the study participants. Results: Health complaints were reported by around half (n = 149, 49.6%) of the participants with the morbidity risk of 0.71 per person. The most common complaints were related to the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal system. Only around half of the affected participants took any treatment. Hospitalization rate reflected from past 1-year hospital admissions among participants was (n = 23, 7.7%). Data analysis suggested morbidity status of police personnel to be significantly associated with lifestyle risk factors such as abdominal obesity (n = 129, 86.5%), obstructive sleep apnea (n = 54, 36.2%), and distress (n = 48, 32.2%). Conclusion: Busy and challenging work life and poor control of health lead to high morbidity among police personnel. Regular health checks and lifestyle promotional activities are highly recommended to maintain a healthy police force.
Expression of resistance gene and prognosis of chemotherapy in primary epithelial ovarian cancer

Abstract The sensitivity of tumor cells to chemotherapy drugs may become attenuated accounts for various reasons. Reduced drug sensitivity may cause the failure of chemotherapy and affect the prognosis of patients with cancer. This study investigates the relationship between the expression levels of lung resistance protein (LRP) and placental glutathione S-transferase-P1 (GSTP1), the resistance of primary epithelial ovarian cancer (PEOC) to chemotherapy, and the prognosis of patients with platinum drug-resistant PEOC. Quantitative PCR (QT-PCR) was used to detect the mRNA level of the resistance genes LRP, GSTP1 in all tissue and cell lines. The expression levels of resistance gene (LRP, GSTP1) in PEOC were the highest, followed by borderline adenoma tissues, and the lowest levels found in benign tumor tissues, the difference of genes expression between different tissues was statistically significant; the difference between the expression rates and relative expression level of drug resistance genes was statistically significant in platinum sensitive group compare with the platinum resistant group. The difference between resistant gene negative-expression and positive-expression of chemotherapy efficiency, disease free survival time, and recurrence time were statistically significant. The resistant genes expression in the PEOC patients of the negative-group survival curves was higher than that in the positive group. With ascites non-cellular component (ANCC) stimulated SKOV3 cells, the cell proliferation inhibition rate (CPIR) increased, and with ANCC stimulated SKOV3/DDP, the expression of LRP and GSTP1 also increased. ANCC may promote the expression of drug resistance genes, and the expression of genes may predict the poorly prognosis of epithelial ovarian cancer.
Getting the best out of data for open access monograph presses: A case study of UCL Press

This study of UCL Press sought to identify the extent to which data available to open access (OA) monograph presses can be combined with low‐cost analysis tools to provide insight into development and strategy. An additional goal was identifying practical steps that monograph publishers can take to ensure that they make the most of the data they have access to. The project team carried out an analysis of downloaded figures from platforms providing access to UCL Press monograph titles, social media activity, and sales patterns. Patterns of engagement with the books were cross‐referenced against key marketing and dissemination events in order to identify relationships between marketing approaches and awareness or use of a title. This study shows that it is possible to gain valuable insights into the uses of OA books by collating and analysing usage and social media data. It also identifies a series of relatively straightforward steps that can be taken by presses to maximize the richness of the data captured. These include proactively gathering and storing data; providing best practice advice to those engaging in promotion, particularly when promotion is via social media; and making it easier to track specific efforts to publicize books by using tagged links.
Visual performance of myopia control soft contact lenses in non-presbyopic myopes

Purpose To compare the visual performance of soft contact lenses reported to reduce myopia progression. Methods In a double-blind, randomized, crossover trial, 30 non-presbyopic myopes wore MiSight™, center-distance Proclear® Multifocal (+2.00 D add), and two prototype lenses for 1 week each. High- and low-contrast visual acuities at 6 m, and 70 and 40 cm; stereopsis at 40 cm; accommodative facility at 33 cm; and horizontal phoria at 3 m and 33 cm were measured after 1 week. Subjective performance was assessed on a numeric rating scale for vision clarity, lack of ghosting, vision stability, haloes, overall vision satisfaction, and ocular comfort. Frequency of eye-strain symptoms and willingness to purchase lenses were also reported with categorical responses. Participants reported wearing times (total and visually acceptable). Linear mixed models and chi-square tests were employed in analysis with level of significance set at 5%. Theoretical optical performance of all lenses was assessed with schematic myopic model eyes (−1.00, −3.00, and −6.00 D) by comparing the slope of the edge spread function (ESF), an indicator for optical performance/resolution and the blur patch size of the line spread function, an indicator for contrast, between the lenses. Results Proclear Multifocal and MiSight provided the best distance acuities. However, the prototype lenses were rated significantly higher for many subjective variables, and there were no subjective variables where commercial lenses were rated significantly higher than the prototypes. Theoretical optical performance showed steeper slopes of the ESF and greater blur patch sizes of the LSP with commercial lenses, supporting the clinical findings of better visual acuities but reduced subjective performance. Participants wore prototypes longer and reported their vision acceptable for longer each day compared to MiSight. Both prototypes had the highest willingness-to-purchase rate. Conclusions The prototypes were better tolerated by myopes compared to the commercial soft contact lenses currently used for slowing myopia progression.
Genetic characterization of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex isolates circulating in Abuja, Nigeria

Objective Nigeria ranks fourth among the high tuberculosis (TB) burden countries. This study describes the prevalence of drug resistance and the genetic diversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Abuja’s Federal Capital Territory. Materials and methods Two hundred and seventy-eight consecutive sputum samples were collected from adults with presumptive TB during 2013–2014. DNA was extracted from Löwenstein–Jensen cultures and analyzed for the identification of nontuberculous mycobacteria species, detection of drug resistance with line probe assays, and high-throughput spacer oligonucleotide typing (spoligotyping) using microbead-based hybridization. Results Two hundred and two cultures were positive for M. tuberculosis complex, 24 negative, 38 contaminated, and 15 positive for nontuberculous mycobacteria. Five (2.5%) M. tuberculosis complex isolates were resistant to rifampicin (RIF) and isoniazid (multidrug resistant), nine (4.5%) to RIF alone, and 15 (7.4%) to isoniazid alone; two RIF-resistant isolates were also resistant to fluoroquinolones and ethambutol, and one multidrug resistant isolate was also resistant to ethambutol. Among the 180 isolates with spoligotyping results, 164 (91.1%) were classified as lineage 4 (Euro-American), 13 (7.2%) as lineage 5 (West African 1), two (1.1%) as lineage 2 (East Asia), and one (0.6%) as lineage 6 (West African 2). One hundred and fifty-six (86.7%) isolates were grouped in 17 clusters (2–108 isolates/cluster), of which 108 (60.0%) were grouped as L4.6. 2/Cameroon (spoligotype international type 61). Conclusion The description of drug resistance prevalence and genetic diversity of M. tuberculosis in this study may be useful for improving TB control in Nigeria.
Preoperative beta blockade and severe intraoperative bradycardia in liver transplantation

Nonselective Beta blockade (NSBB) is commonly prescribed for liver transplantation (LT) candidates, but its impact on intraoperative hemodynamics is not well understood. In this study, we investigated if preoperative NSBB was associated with severe bradycardia during LT and if severe intraoperative bradycardia was associated with 30‐day mortality. Adult patients undergoing LT between 2005 and 2014 were included. Propensity matching was used to control selection bias. Intraoperative hemodynamics were compared between patients with and without preoperative NSBB. Univariate and multivariate methods were used in statistical analysis. Of 1452 patients, 370 who received preoperative NSBB were matched in a 1:1 ratio with those who did not. Propensity matching eliminated all significant differences between the two groups. Patients who received preoperative NSBB had a significantly higher incidence of severe intraoperative bradycardia compared with the non‐BB group (9.6% vs 3.2%, P = 0.001, OR 2.95, 95% CI 1.42‐6.12, P = 0.004). Intraoperative hypotension and postreperfusion syndrome were not significantly different between the two groups. Severe intraoperative bradycardia was associated with increased 30‐day mortality. In conclusion, preoperative NSBB was associated with severe intraoperative bradycardia in LT. In patients who receive preoperative NSBB, severe intraoperative bradycardia should be closely monitored in LT. Further studies assessing safety of preoperative NSBB and intraoperative bradycardia in LT are warranted.
Determinants of Significant Out-Of-Hospital Bleeding in Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Abstract Background Although several variables have been identified as bleeding determinants (BDs), their occurrence and predictive value in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in the real world remain unclear. We aimed to characterize the rate of BDs in patients undergoing PCI with stent implantation in a large volume tertiary centre. Methods We included patients undergoing coronary stenting at our institution from January 2012 to December 2016, and defined post-discharge bleeding (PDB) as bleeding requiring hospitalization or transfusion. Several BDs, identified by the PARIS bleeding and PRECISE-DAPT scores and inclusion criteria of the LEADERS FREE trial, were analysed. Results In a population of 10,406 subjects who underwent PCI, 2,938 patients (28.2%) had 1, 2,367 (22.8%) had 2 and 2,913 (28.0%) had ≥3 pre-specified BD. Compared with patients without PDB, subjects who experienced PDB were older (70.43 ± 11.94 vs. 65.90 ± 11.54 years, p < 0.0001) with a higher prevalence of common cardiovascular risk factors. One-year PDB occurred in 177 patients (2.4%), and consistently increased according to the number of BDs involved (1.12, 2.11 and 4.35%, respectively; p < 0.0001). Analogously, 1-year rates of post-discharge myocardial infarction or stent thrombosis increased according to the number of BDs (2.44, 3.38 and 4.87%, respectively; p < 0.0001). Only 7 BDs remained independently associated with PDB at 1 year, with anaemia, oral anticoagulant at discharge and malignancy representing the strongest predictors of such risk. Conclusion Many risk factors predispose to PDB; they were often clustered together and conferred additive PDB risk at 1-year of follow-up.
Morning vs. bedtime levothyroxine administration: what is the ideal choice for children?

Abstract Background The present study compared the administration of levothyroxine (LT4) before breakfast and bedtime in school children diagnosed with hypothyroidism and analyzed the effects of timing on thyroid functioning and patient satisfaction. Methods A total of 163 children with acquired hypothyroidism (125 females and 38 males) between 8 and 18 years of age and taking LT4 for at least 3 months were enrolled in the study. The timing of administration of the drug of all subjects was shifted to bedtime. The levels of thyroid hormone and blood lipid, anthropometric measurements, Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory, Morisky Medication Adherence Scale and hypothyroidism symptoms scores were analyzed and compared at the beginning of the study and 3 months later after the shift in the timing of drug administration. Results There was no difference between the bedtime and morning regimens of LT4 with respect to thyroid hormone levels, quality of life, drug adherence and symptoms of hypothyroidism. At the end of the study, 45 of 70 new-onset treated subjects preferred the bedtime regimen. Also, drug adherence was found to be better in these patients. Conclusions We found no difference between the bedtime and morning regimens in both new-onset and long-standing treated patients. In naive patients, consideration of patient’s preference for timing of drug administration may increase their adherence to medication. Therefore, we suggest that choice of drug administration timing should be based on the preference of patients.