Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CoNLL-SIGMORPHON 2017 Shared Task: Universal Morphological Reinflection in 52 Languages

The CoNLL-SIGMORPHON 2017 shared task on supervised morphological generation required systems to be trained and tested in each of 52 typologically diverse languages. In sub-task 1, submitted systems were asked to predict a specific inflected form of a given lemma. In sub-task 2, systems were given a lemma and some of its specific inflected forms, and asked to complete the inflectional paradigm by predicting all of the remaining inflected forms. Both sub-tasks included high, medium, and low-resource conditions. Sub-task 1 received 24 system submissions, while sub-task 2 received 3 system submissions. Following the success of neural sequence-to-sequence models in the SIGMORPHON 2016 shared task, all but one of the submissions included a neural component. The results show that high performance can be achieved with small training datasets, so long as models have appropriate inductive bias or make use of additional unlabeled data or synthetic data. However, different biasing and data augmentation resulted in disjoint sets of inflected forms being predicted correctly, suggesting that there is room for future improvement.
Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Pediatric Chronic Viral Hepatitis

Objective: The objectives of the present study were to assess the prevalence, frequency and type of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) used by children with chronic viral hepatitis infection, and to determine correlates of use and estimates of nondisclosure regarding CAM use. Patients and Methods: In this cross-sectional pilot study, families of 68 children receiving care for chronic viral hepatitis at a tertiary medical center were administered a survey regarding use of CAM. Results: Forty-six percent of these families reported using CAM for their child at least once since diagnosis with chronic viral hepatitis and 31% used CAM monthly or more frequently. Of all of the CAM therapies, biologically based products such as herbals and dietary supplements were used most often. Use of CAM was independently associated with the current or previous use of antiviral medications for viral hepatitis, parent's use of CAM, and child having a nonliver comorbidity. Rates of physician nondisclosure regarding CAM use were >60%. Conclusions: This is the first report of CAM use in children with chronic viral hepatitis. Use of CAM in this population is common, and despite published adult reports, there is infrequent dialogue between patients and pediatric health care providers regarding use of CAM.
Towards outcome-based programme evaluation: Using student comparative self-assessments to determine teaching effectiveness

Background: Programme evaluation of medical education should be multi-dimensional. While structural and organisational aspects of teaching are frequently assessed, programme evaluation tools are rarely matched to specific learning objectives. Aims: This study used one medical school's catalogue of specific learning objectives to implement and critically appraise a novel programme evaluation tool based on comparative student self-assessments. Method: Medical students enrolled in the clinical phase of the undergraduate curriculum in Göttingen were invited to self-rate their knowledge, skills and attitudes before and after each course. A newly developed formula controlling for student performance levels when entering a course was used to compute a percentage gain in knowledge, skills and attitudes. Data derived from a prospective, longitudinal intervention study on the development of electrocardiogram interpretation skills including 636 students from four consecutive cohorts were used to provide validity evidence of the new approach. Results: The novel tool appeared superior to plain mean differences and effect sizes in detecting outstanding teaching as well as shortcomings of the curriculum. In addition, it adequately reflected objectively measured performance levels and was responsive to curriculum change. Conclusions: Comparative student self-assessment is a valid tool to appraise undergraduate medical curricula at the level of specific learning objectives.
Control of astrocyte volume by intracellular and extracellular Ca2+

Astrocytes from primary culture were exposed to conditions that affect intracellular and extracellular Ca2+ concentrations. Astrocyte cell volume was increased approximately 16% after a 30 min exposure to isoosmotic phosphate‐buffered saline (PBS) containing the Ca2+ buffer EDTA. Cell volume returned to control values within 30 min of resuspension in normal PBS. Cellular calcium content was not affected by these treatments; however, the recovery of normal cell volume following EDTA exposure was inhibited by 0.1–1.0 mM quinine HCl in a dose‐dependent fashion suggesting that a potassium channel controlled by the intracellular Ca2+ concentration is important in this volume response. Intracellular accumulation of an exogenous Ca2+ buffer, BAPTA, also produced cell swelling that persisted following resuspension in normal PBS. Lowering the extracellular Ca2+ concentration with EDTA enhanced the swelling of BAPTA‐loaded cells. These data suggest that conditions leading to a decrease in free intracellular Ca2+ concentration may influence astrocyte volume by a mechanism similar to that described in other cell types.
Factors associated with adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy among children in two referral hospitals, northwest Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) results in improved survival, clinical, immunological and virological response for children. Adherence to HAART is one of the very important factors which determine treatment success and occurrence of viral resistance. The need for near perfect adherence to lifelong antiretroviral therapy (ART) during childhood is a major challenge in the administration of HAART to HIV infected children. OBJECTIVE the study was aimed to determine the level of adherence and factors associated with adherence to HAART among children in Felege Hiwot and Gondar University referral hospitals. METHODS institution based cross-sectional study was conducted on 204 children in the paediatric ART clinics of Gondar University and Felege Hiwot hospitals. Sample size was determined by single population proportion formula and all children on ART for > or = 1 month and coming to the clinic during the data collection period were studied Ethical clearance was obtained from the Institutional Review Board of the University of Gondar. Data were collected by four nurses from the caregivers and patient charts using a pretested and structured questionnaire after informed consent. Descriptive statistics were calculated to describe study population and medical characteristics of participants while binary and multiple logistic regression analyses were used to determine the effect of factors on the outcome variable. RESULTS The study included 204 children (123 from Flege Hiwot and 81 from Gondar). One hundred and seven (52.4%) were males and 97(47.6%) were females. Majority (82.4%) of caregivers were females. Thirty days optimum (> or = 95%) adherence rate was 80.9% for children. Adherence counseling before initiation (OR=4.37, 95%CI 1.17 - 16.37), caregiver formal education, (OR=4.85, 95%CI 1.89 - 12.39) and caregiver's ability to identify ARV drug correctly (OR = 8.61, 95%CI 2.59-28.68) were positively associated while care giver substance use (OR=0.31, 95%CI 0.10 - 0.93) was negatively associated with adherence as compared to their counter parts. CONCLUSION optimum adherence rate to HAART in the study population was lower than the recommended Adherence counseling, caregiver education, substance use by caregiver, identification of ARVs determined adherence to HAART of children. Adherence assessment and counseling efforts should be continually integrated with ART for children and their caregivers.
Docosahexaenoic acid attenuates microglial activation and delays early retinal degeneration

Microgliosis is a common phenomenon in neurodegenerative disorders including retinal dystrophies. We performed a detailed characterization of activated microglia in the retinoschisin (Rs1h)‐deficient (Rs1h−/Y) mouse model of inherited retinal degeneration. To visualize and isolate microglia, we crossed Rs1h−/Y animals with transgenic MacGreen mice, which express green fluorescent protein under the control of the macrophage‐specific csf1r promoter. Activated microglia were detected in retinal sections and whole‐mounts of early postnatal MacGreen/Rs1h−/Y mice before the onset of overt neuronal cell death. These activated microglia contained prominent lipid droplets and analysis of the retinal lipid composition showed decreased docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) levels in Rs1h−/Y retinas. To establish a link between microglia activation, reduced DHA levels, and neurodegeneration, a dietary intervention study was performed. Female Rs1h−/− mice and their Rs1h−/Y litter were either subjected to a diet enriched with DHA, or a control chow lacking DHA. Supplementation with DHA enhanced photoreceptor survival and converted activated microglia to a quiescent phenotype. Furthermore, DHA, but not docosapentaenoic acid or adrenic acid reduced pro‐inflammatory gene expression, migration, and lipid accumulation of cultured BV‐2 microglia. We conclude that retinal DHA levels control the activity of microglia and thereby may affect the progression and extent of retinal degeneration.
Outage Performance of Dual-Hop Fixed Gain Amplify-and-Forward Relaying over Nakagami-m Fading with kappa-µ and eta-µ Interference

In this letter, we investigate the outage performance of a dual-hop fixed-gain amplify-and-forward relaying systems in presence of interference at the relay.We assume the desired signal has Nakagami-m fading and the interfering signals experience independent and identically distributed (i.i.d) κ - μ and η - μ fading. We present exact and closed-form expressions for the outage probability. Then we derive closed-form expression for the outage probability when the interfering signals experience i.i. d Nakagami-m fading as the special case of κ-μ and η-μ fading,respectively. Furthermore, the asymptotic outage performance is investigated in high signal-to-interference-noise ratio (SINR). Finally, Monte-Carlo simulation results are given to verify the analytical results.
Characterization of heterogeneous nuclear RNA-protein complexes in vivo with monoclonal antibodies

Exposure of cells to UV light of sufficient intensity brings about cross-linking of RNA to proteins which are in direct contact with it in vivo. The major [35S]methionine-labeled proteins which become cross-linked to polyadenylated heterogeneous nuclear RNA in HeLa cells have molecular weights of 120,000 (120K), 68K, 53K, 43K, 41K, 38K, and 36K. Purified complexes of polyadenylated RNA with proteins obtained by UV cross-linking in intact cells were used to immunize mice and generate monoclonal antibodies to several of these proteins. Some properties of three of the proteins, 41K, 43K, and 120K, were characterized with these antibodies. The 41K and 43K polypeptides are highly related. They were recognized by the same antibody (2B12) and have identical isoelectric points (pl = 6.0 +/- 0.2) but different partial peptide maps. The 41K and 43K polypeptides were part of the 40S heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein particle and appear to correspond to the previously described C proteins (Beyer et al., Cell II:127-138, 1977). A different monoclonal antibody (3G6) defined a new major heterogeneous ribonucleoprotein of 120K. The 41K, 43K, and 120K polypeptides were associated in vivo with both polyadenylated and non-polyadenylated nuclear RNA, and all three proteins were phosphorylated. The monoclonal antibodies recognized similar proteins in human and monkey cells but not in several other vertebrates. Immunofluorescence microscopy demonstrated that these proteins are segregated to the nucleus, where they are part of a fine particulate nonnucleolar structure. In cells extracted in situ with nonionic detergent, all of the 41K and 43K polypeptides were associated with the nucleus at salt concentrations up to 0.5 M NaCl, whereas the 120K polypeptide was completely extracted at this NaCl concentration. A substantial fraction of the 41K and 43K polypeptides (up to 40%) was retained with a nuclear matrix--a structure which is resistant to digestion with DNase I and to extraction by 2 M NaCl, but the 41K and 43K polypeptides were quantitatively removed at 0.5 M NaCl after digestion with RNase.
Different treatment modalities for refractory vaginismus in western Saudi Arabia.

INTRODUCTION Although vaginismus is a common sexual dysfunction in Saudi Arabia, there are limited data concerning the treatment modalities associated with patients with symptoms of vaginismus. AIM This study is aimed to evaluate the presentation and different modalities of management in patients with severe refractory vaginismus in western Saudi Arabia. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Successful penetrative sexual intercourse suggesting that common elements of the therapies used were successful. METHODS A retrospective study of patients presenting with severe refractory vaginismus treated in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The subjects were 15 women with third to fourth degree vaginismus who presented to King Abdulazziz University Hospital between January 1, 2008 and January 1, 2009. RESULTS The mean age of the participants was 23 years. The mean duration of marriage before seeking medical advice was 12 months. Six patients had undergone conventional therapy successfully. The other six cases, four of which had a previous history of treatment failure, and two who were unresponsive to 4 months of conventional therapy were offered botulinum toxin type A. Five patients who received the Botox therapy had satisfactory intercourse on the same day of the treatment. One patient required a repeat injection after 2 months for recurrent vaginismus. Three of the 15 patients refused the treatment as they were already divorced and had only come in to exclude organic causes for their condition. CONCLUSIONS Vaginismus is an overlooked topic in conservative societies such as Saudi Arabia. For most patients, not knowing who to confide in or where to turn to plays a major role in the under diagnosis of vaginismus. Conventional therapy proved effective in mild and moderate cases, while botulinum toxin has a more rapid effect and was thus more effective in severe cases.
Coagulopathy in pediatric abusive head trauma.

OBJECTIVES Coagulopathy is a potential complication of head trauma that may be attributable to parenchymal brain damage. The objectives of this study were to assess the frequency of coagulation defects in pediatric abusive head trauma and to analyze their relationship to parenchymal brain damage. METHODS We reviewed the records of 265 pediatric patients hospitalized for head trauma. One hundred forty-seven patients met study inclusion criteria: (1) radiologic evidence of head trauma, (2) multidisciplinary validation that head trauma had been inflicted, and (3) coagulation screening performed within 2 days of presentation. Using nonparametric analysis, initial coagulation test results were compared between study patients without parenchymal brain damage and those with parenchymal brain damage. RESULTS Mild prothrombin time (PT) prolongations (median 13.1) occurred in 54% of study patients with parenchymal brain damage and only 20% of study patients without parenchymal brain damage. Among pediatric abusive head trauma patients with parenchymal brain damage who died, 94% displayed PT prolongations (median 16.3) and 63% manifested evidence of activated coagulation. CONCLUSIONS PT prolongation and activated coagulation are common complications of pediatric abusive head trauma. In the presence of parenchymal brain damage, it is highly unlikely that these coagulation abnormalities reflect a preexisting hemorrhagic diathesis. These conclusions have diagnostic, prognostic, and legal significance.
Prevalence of childhood overweight/obesity in basic school in Accra.

BACKGROUND This study intends to determine the prevalence of obesity among children in the University Primary School, Legon. It also intends to determine relationship between the prevalence of obesity in children and socio-economic status of their parents and the most endemic age group. METHOD The study was conducted using 270 students sampled at random in the basic school. Children's height, weight and skin fold measurement were taken. Children's parent's socio-economic status was assessed using close and open-ended questionnaires administered to parents. Data obtained was then analyzed using SPSS software. RESULTS Prevalence of obesity in the university primary school was found to be 10.9% with higher prevalence in girls (15.0%) than in boys (7.2%) (P-value=0.001). There was higher prevalence among children from high socioeconomic background (21 - 23%) with least prevalence in those from low socio-economic homes (10 - 20%) though this was not significant (p-value=0.23). Girls showed a higher body fat composition between 10 - 12years, whiles boys showed higher body fat stores between 8 - 10 years old. Increasing mother educational level reduced prevalence of child obesity (p-value=0.043) but this was not seen in increasing fathers' educational level (p-value=0.261). CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of obesity in children in University primary school was very high and worrying. The prevalence increased with socio-economic status and it is more common in females than males. It was recommended that similar study should be expanded nationwide.
Hypoxia Increases Activity of the BK-Channel in the Inner Mitochondrial Membrane and Reduces Activity of the Permeability Transition Pore

Hypoxia can cause severe damage to cells by initiating signaling cascades that lead to cell death. A cellular oxygen sensor, other than the respiratory chain, might exist in sensitive components of these signaling cascades. Recently, we found evidence that mitochondrial ion channels are sensitive to low levels of oxygen. We therefore studied the effects of hypoxia on the mitochondrial BK-channel (mtBK), on the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (PTP), and on their possible interaction. Using single-channel patch-clamp techniques we found that hypoxia inhibited the PTP but substantially increased the mtBK activity of mitoplasts from rat liver and astrocytes. Experiments measuring the mitochondrial membrane potential of intact rat brain mitochondria (using the fluorescence dye safranine O) during hypoxia exhibited an increased Ca2+-retention capacity implying an impaired opening of the PTP. We also found a reduced Ca2+-retention capacity with 100 nM iberiotoxin, a selective inhibitor of BK-channels. We therefore conclude that there is interaction between the mtBK and the PTP in a way that an open mtBK keeps the PTP closed. Thus, the response of mitochondrial ion channels to hypoxia could be interpreted as anti-apoptotic.
Thymidylate synthase and dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase mRNA expression levels: predictors for survival in colorectal cancer patients receiving adjuvant 5-fluorouracil.

PURPOSE Despite adjuvant 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) therapy, approximately 30% of patients with International Union against Cancer stage II and III colorectal cancer develop recurrence. In this study, we determined the prognostic value of thymidylate synthase (TS) and dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) expression in colorectal cancer patients treated with adjuvant 5-FU. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN A real-time reverse transcription-PCR technique for quantitation of relative gene expression from paraffin-embedded specimen was established first. In a second step, archival paraffin-embedded primary tumor tissue of 309 patients who participated in adjuvant colorectal cancer trials was analyzed for TS and DPD mRNA expression. RESULTS TS mRNA expression determined by real-time reverse transcription-PCR correlated with TS protein levels determined by TS immunoblot and immunohistochemistry in cultured colon cancer cell lines and paraffin-embedded primary tumor tissue. TS mRNA levels in fresh-frozen tissues also correlated with TS mRNA levels in corresponding paraffin sections. Among the patients receiving adjuvant 5-FU therapy, those with high TS survived longer than those with low TS, and in each TS subgroup, the ones with low DPD survived longer than the ones with high DPD levels. Multiple Cox regression analysis showed that besides tumor stage (P = 0.010), only the combination of TS and DPD expression turned out to be an independent prognostic factor for survival (P = 0.030). CONCLUSIONS This suggests that TS and DPD quantitation may be helpful to evaluate prognosis of patients receiving adjuvant 5-FU and that patients with high TS and low DPD may benefit from adjuvant 5-FU chemotherapy.
Symptom attribution and frontal cortical thickness in first‐episode schizophrenia

Misattribution of symptoms is a common feature of schizophrenia, and likely involves impairment of metacognitive function that may be mediated by the frontal cortex. We aimed to compare frontal cortical thickness in first‐episode schizophrenia (FES) patients with matched controls, and investigate its relationship with the symptom attribution dimension of insight in FES patients.
Antigen-presenting cells in experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis.

The present study attempts to identify the antigen-presenting cells in the retina, utilizing bone marrow-transplanted chimeric rats. Two types of chimeras were used: one produced by transplanting bone marrow cells from F1 hybrids of Lewis and Brown Norway (BN) into sublethally irradiated Brown Norway rats (LBN/F1-->BN), followed by adoptive transfer of S-antigen-specific T cells obtained from Lewis rats; the second produced by transplanting bone marrow cells from BN rats into sublethally irradiated F1 hybrids (BN-->LBN/F1), followed by adoptive transfer of S-antigen-specific T cells obtained from F1 hybrids. As controls, Lewis, F1 hybrids and BN rats also received adoptive transfer of syngeneic uveitogenic T cell lines. All animals were killed on the seventh day after adoptive transfer and their eyes and pineal glands were analysed immunohistochemically, utilizing antibody directed against Lewis specific MHC class II molecules(OX-3). The analyses revealed the development of uveoretinitis and pinealitis in both types of chimeras and in the Lewis and F1 hybrid rats. BN rats did not develop uveoretinitis. OX-3-positive cells were found in the retina and the pineal glands of both types of chimeras, and in the Lewis and F1 hybrid rats but not in the BN rats. These cells in the retina expressed dendritic morphology and perivascular distribution. Retinal pigment epithelia, Müller cells and the vascular endothelia of both chimeras, the two strains, and the F1 hybrid rats did not demonstrate OX-3-positive staining. These results suggest that the bone marrow-derived cells in the retina and pineal gland may present S-antigen to T cells, initiating the cascade of uveoretinitis and pinealitis.