Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of intraurethral dwell time of local anesthetic jelly on pain perception in men undergoing outpatient rigid cystoscopy: a randomized prospective study.

AIM To determine optimum duration of intraurethral 2% lidocaine jelly for pain relief during outpatient rigid cystoscopy. MATERIALS AND METHODS This prospective randomized study was conducted between June 2012 and November 2013. Four hundred consecutive adult males requiring diagnostic rigid cystoscopy were randomized into four groups depending on intraurethral 2% lidocaine jelly dwell time before rigid cystoscopy: jelly was instilled 5, 10, 15, and 20 minutes before start of the procedure in group A, B, C, and D patients, respectively. The patients' age, patient-reported preoperative anxiety score, patient-reported intraoperative pain score, the surgeon-reported patient's pain score, and the duration of rigid cystoscopy were recorded and analyzed. RESULTS The mean age, patient-reported preoperative anxiety score, and duration of rigid cystoscopy were similar between the four groups with no significant difference noted between them. The least and highest mean patient-reported and surgeon-reported intraoperative pain scores were reported in group C (1.49±0.82 and 1.58±0.67) patients and group A (4.86±1.24 and 4.04±1.11) patients, respectively, while no significant difference was found in these scores between group C and D patients. CONCLUSION For male patients undergoing diagnostic rigid cystoscopy, an intraurethral dwell time of 15 minutes (of 20 mL 2% lidocaine jelly) provided optimum pain relief.
High Incidence and Allelic Homogeneity of Wilson Disease in 2 Isolated Populations: A Prerequisite for Efficient Disease Prevention Programs

Objectives: Herein we report the results of mutation-based screening for Wilson disease (WD) in 2 isolated populations of Sardinia and the Greek island of Kalymnos. Patients and Methods: Mutation analysis was performed in 110 and 9 WD families originating respectively from Sardinia and Kalymons using single-strand conformation polymorphism and sequencing methods. In Sardinia, a limited screening was performed for −441/−427del in 5290 newborns, whereas in Kalymnos 397 newborns underwent mutation screening for H1069Q and R969Q using appropriate methods. Results: In Sardinia, mutation analysis showed the presence of 6 mutations accounting for 85% of chromosomes, 1 of which (−441/−427del) is present in 61.7% of alleles. The screening for −441/−427del in 5290 newborns revealed the presence of 122 heterozygotes, which is equal to an allelic frequency of 1.15%. Assuming the same distribution of WD mutations in the general Sardinian population, we also inferred an allelic frequency of 0.77% for mutations other than −441/−427del, which accounts for an overall frequency of any WD mutation of 1.92%. Assuming Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, these data could be translated into a WD incidence of 1 in 2707 live births. In Kalymnos, mutation analysis in 9 WD families revealed the presence of only 2 mutations. The screening of 397 newborns revealed the presence of 18 heterozygotes for H1069Q, 9 for R969Q, and 1 compound heterozygote for these mutations, which is equal to an allele frequency of 3.7%. Assuming Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, the expected carrier rate is 7%. Conclusions: These data indicate the need for health education for WD prevention in these isolated populations.
Enhancing the safety of antibody-based immunomodulatory cancer therapy without compromising therapeutic benefit: Can we have our cake and eat it too?

ABSTRACT Introduction: Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) targeting checkpoint inhibitors have demonstrated clinical benefit in treating patients with cancer and have paved the way for additional immune-modulating mAbs such as those targeting costimulatory receptors. The full clinical utility of these agents, however, is hampered by immune-related adverse events (irAEs) that can occur during therapy. Areas covered: We first provide a general overview of tumor immunity, followed by a review of the two major classes of immunomodulatory mAbs being developed as cancer therapeutics: checkpoint inhibitors and costimulatory receptor agonists. We then discuss therapy-associated adverse events. Finally, we describe in detail the mechanisms driving their therapeutic activity, with an emphasis on interactions between antibody fragment crystallizable (Fc) domains and Fc receptors (FcR). Expert Opinion: Given that Fc-FcR interactions appear critical in facilitating the ability of immunomodulatory mAbs to elicit both therapeutically useful as well as adverse effects, the engineering of mAbs that can effectively engage their targets while limiting interaction with FcRs might represent a promising future avenue for developing the next generation of immune-enhancing tumoricidal agents with increased safety and retention of efficacy.
The evaluation of screening for gastric cancer in miyagi prefecture, Japan: A population‐based case‐control study

Although a screening program for gastric cancer, using barium X‐ray examination, has been carried out widely in Japan for the past 3 decades, there is insufficient evidence to confirm its effectiveness in terms of reducing mortality. To evaluate the effectiveness of the screening, a population‐based case‐control study was carried out in Miyagi Prefecture, japan. Case subjects, who had died from gastric cancer (198) and control subjects matched in age, sex and residence (577) were selected from among members of the National Health Insurance. Their screening histories during 5 years before the cases were diagnosed were surveyed on the basis of records of the regional cancer registry and the cancer‐detection center. The odds ratio (OR) of death from gastric cancer for the persons who participated in the screening at least once during 5 years was 0.41. For those who participated only once during 5 years the OR was 0.43, and for those whose last participation was 5 years earlier it was 0.30. Our data suggest that screening for gastric cancer at 5‐year intervals might reduce mortality by 60%, and that the effect might remain for at least 5 years. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Public Clonotypes and Convergent Recombination Characterize the Naïve CD8+ T-Cell Receptor Repertoire of Extremely Preterm Neonates

Respiratory support improvements have aided survival of premature neonates, but infection susceptibility remains a predominant problem. We previously reported that neonatal mice have a rapidly evolving T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire that impairs CD8+ T cell immunity. To understand the impact of prematurity on the human CD8+ TCR repertoire, we performed next-generation sequencing of the complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3) from the rearranged TCR variable beta (Vβ) in sorted, naïve CD8+ T cells from extremely preterm neonates (23–27 weeks gestation), term neonates (37–41 weeks gestation), children (16–56 months), and adults (25–50 years old). Strikingly, preterm neonates had an increased frequency of public clonotypes shared between unrelated individuals. Public clonotypes identified in preterm infants were encoded by germline gene sequences, and some of these clonotypes persisted into adulthood. The preterm neonatal naïve CD8+ TCR repertoire exhibited convergent recombination, characterized by different nucleotide sequences encoding the same amino acid CDR3 sequence. As determined by Pielou’s evenness and iChao1 metrics, extremely preterm neonates have less clonality, and a much lower bound for the number of unique TCR within an individual preterm neonate, which indicates a less rich and diverse repertoire, as compared to term neonates, children, and adults. This suggests that T cell selection in the preterm neonate may be less stringent or different. Our analysis is the first to compare the TCR repertoire of naïve CD8+ T cells between viable preterm neonates and term neonates. We find preterm neonates have a repertoire immaturity which potentially contributes to their increased infection susceptibility. A developmentally regulated, evenly distributed repertoire in preterm neonates may lead to the inclusion of public TCR CDR3β sequences that overlap between unrelated individuals in the preterm repertoire.
Role of NMDA Receptor Subtypes in Governing the Direction of Hippocampal Synaptic Plasticity

Activation of N-methyl-d-aspartate subtype glutamate receptors (NMDARs) is required for long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) of excitatory synaptic transmission at hippocampal CA1 synapses, the proposed cellular substrates of learning and memory. However, little is known about how activation of NMDARs leads to these two opposing forms of synaptic plasticity. Using hippocampal slice preparations, we showed that selectively blocking NMDARs that contain the NR2B subunit abolishes the induction of LTD but not LTP. In contrast, preferential inhibition of NR2A-containing NMDARs prevents the induction of LTP without affecting LTD production. These results demonstrate that distinct NMDAR subunits are critical factors that determine the polarity of synaptic plasticity.
Proton-stimulated Cl-HCO3 antiport by basolateral membrane vesicles of lobster hepatopancreas.

Purified epithelial basolateral membrane vesicles were prepared from lobster hepatopancreas by sorbitol gradient centrifugation. Na+-K+-adenosinetriphosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, and cytochrome-c oxidase enzyme activities in the final membrane preparation were enriched 9.6-, 1.4-, and 0.4-fold, respectively, compared with their activities in the original tissue homogenate. Vesicle osmotic reactivity was demonstrated using 60-min equilibrium 36Cl uptake experiments at a variety of transmembrane osmotic gradients. 36Cl uptake into vesicles preloaded with HCO3 was significantly greater than into vesicles lacking HCO3. This exchange process was stimulated by a transmembrane proton gradient (internal pH greater than external pH). Proton-gradient-dependent Cl-HCO3 exchange was potential sensitive and stimulated by an electrically negative vesicle interior. 36Cl influx (4-s exposures) into HCO3-loaded vesicles occurred by the combination of 4-acetamido-4'-isothiocyanatostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid sensitive, carrier-mediated transfer and "apparent diffusion. " 36Cl influx was a hyperbolic function of both internal [HCO3] and internal [Cl]. The two internal anions displayed a 100-fold difference in apparent affinity constants with HCO3 being strongly preferred. 36Cl influx was stimulated more by preloaded monovalent than by divalent anions. Na was an inhibitor of proton-dependent anion antiport, whereas K had no effect. A model for HCl-HCO3 antiport is suggested that employs combined transmembrane concentration gradients of Cl and HCO3 to power anion exchange and transfer protons against a concentration gradient.
The Long Terminal Repeat-Containing Retrotransposon Tf1 Possesses Amino Acids in Gag That Regulate Nuclear Localization and Particle Formation

ABSTRACT Tf1 is a long terminal repeat-containing retrotransposon of Schizosaccharomyces pombe that is studied to further our understanding of retrovirus propagation. One important application is to examine Tf1 as a model for how human immunodeficiency virus type 1 proteins enter the nucleus. The accumulation of Tf1 Gag in the nucleus requires an N-terminal nuclear localization signal (NLS) and the nuclear pore factor Nup124p. Here, we report that NLS activity is regulated by adjacent residues. Five mutant transposons were made, each with sequential tracts of four amino acids in Gag replaced by alanines. All five versions of Tf1 transposed with frequencies that were significantly lower than that of the wild type. Although all five made normal amounts of Gag, two of the mutations did not make cDNA, indicating that Gag contributed to reverse transcription. The localization of the Gag in the nucleus was significantly reduced by mutations A1, A2, and A3. These results identified residues in Gag that contribute to the function of the NLS. The Gags of A4 and A5 localized within the nucleus but exhibited severe defects in the formation of virus-like particles. Of particular interest was that the mutations in Gag-A4 and Gag-A5 caused their nuclear localization to become independent of Nup124p. These results suggested that Nup124p was only required for import of Tf1 Gag because of its extensive multimerization.
A bio-inspired electrocommunication system for small underwater robots

Weakly electric fishes (Gymnotid and Mormyrid) use an electric field to communicate efficiently (termed electrocommunication) in the turbid waters of confined spaces where other communication modalities fail. Inspired by this biological phenomenon, we design an artificial electrocommunication system for small underwater robots and explore the capabilities of such an underwater robotic communication system. An analytical model for electrocommunication is derived to predict the effect of the key parameters such as electrode distance and emitter current of the system on the communication performance. According to this model, a low-dissipation, and small-sized electrocommunication system is proposed and integrated into a small robotic fish. We characterize the communication performance of the robot in still water, flowing water, water with obstacles and natural water conditions. The results show that underwater robots are able to communicate electrically at a speed of around 1 k baud within about 3 m with a low power consumption (less than 1 W). In addition, we demonstrate that two leader-follower robots successfully achieve motion synchronization through electrocommunication in the three-dimensional underwater space, indicating that this bio-inspired electrocommunication system is a promising setup for the interaction of small underwater robots.
Single-Trial Evoked Potential Estimation Using Iterative Principal Component Analysis

In this paper, we have presented an iterative principal component analysis (PCA) method to obtain single trial evoked potential. The performance of the iterative PCA has been compared with the performance of other iterative component analysis methods, such as independent component analysis, canonical correlation analysis (CCA), and the second-order blind identification, using simulated data at different signal-to-noise ratios as well as actual recordings of visual evoked potentials. In both the simulated and real cases, iterative PCA and CCA perform better than the other methods to estimate the amplitudes. In the estimated trials of the proposed method, the latency of the evoked potentials lies between ±4 ms range of true latency in about 90% of the case; but for other methods, this percentage is around 60%.
New frontier for intracardiac devices: Endobronchial occlusion of bronchopleural fistula with CERA device

We report on a 57‐year‐old patient suffering from advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the left lung, ultimately submitted to intrapericardial left pneumonectomy with hilar and mediastinal lymphadenectomy. Imaging examination showed a left bronchopleural fistula that needed to be occluded. Due to the patient's high surgical risk, endobronchial closure with intracardiac device was performed. The ASD CERA™ device (Lifetech Schenzhen, China) was chosen. The procedure was successful and the patient was discharge from the hospital 5 days thereafter. Endobronchial closure of bronchopleural fistulas with intracardiac devices is feasible and may become an excellent option for those very ill patients. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Safety Culture and Senior Leadership Behavior: Using Negative Safety Ratings to Align Clinical Staff and Senior Leadership

OBJECTIVE: This report describes how staff-designed behavior changes among senior leaders can have a positive impact on clinical nursing staff and enhance the culture of safety in a community hospital. BACKGROUND: A positive culture of safety in a hospital improves outcomes for patients and staff. Senior leaders are accountable for developing an environment that supports a culture of safety. At 1 community hospital, surveys demonstrated that staff members did not view senior leaders as supportive of or competent in creating a culture of safety. METHODS: After approval from the hospital’s institutional review board was obtained, clinical nurses generated and selected ideas for senior leader behavior change. The new behaviors were assessed by a convenience sample survey of clinical nurses. In addition, culture of safety survey results were compared. Risk reports and harm events were also measured before and after behavior changes. RESULTS: The volume of risk and near-miss reports increased, showing that clinical staff were more inclined to report events after senior leader communication, access, and visibility increased. Harm events went down. The culture of safety survey demonstrated an improvement in the senior leadership domain in 4 of 6 units. The anonymous convenience survey demonstrated that staff members recognized changes that senior leaders had made and felt that these changes positively impacted the culture of safety. CONCLUSIONS: By developing skills in communication, advocacy, visibility, and access, senior leaders can enhance a hospital’s culture of safety and create stronger ties with clinical staff.
A Compact CSRR-Enabled UWB Diversity Antenna

The purpose of this letter is to introduce a compact ultrawideband (UWB) diversity antenna with a very low envelope correlation coefficient (ECC). The design employs a hybrid isolation enhancing and miniaturization technique. The antenna consists of two counter facing monopoles, and is miniaturized by using not only inverted-L stubs but also a complementary split-ring resonator (CSRR) on the ground plane. The added components enhance isolation and enable tighter packing of the antennas. The result is a very compact multiple-input–multiple-output (MIMO) array with an overall size of 23 $\times$ 29 mm2 , which covers the entire UWB spectrum from 3 to 12 GHz, with mutual coupling lower than –15 dB. Moreover, the CSRR unit that acts as a resonator is applied for the first time to suppress the interference of RF currents flowing through the ground plane of this UWB-MIMO/diversity antenna. The performance of the fabricated prototype in terms of scattering parameters, broadside (peak) gain, radiation patterns, efficiency, and ECC is presented and discussed.
Use of a Barbed Knotless Suture for Laparoscopic Ablation of the Nephrosplenic Space in 8 Horses.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate use of a knotless suture for laparoscopic closure of the equine nephrosplenic space. STUDY DESIGN Experimental in vivo study. ANIMALS Normal horses without previous history of abdominal surgery (n=8). METHODS The nephrosplenic space was closed under laparoscopic visualization using a unidirectional, barbed 0 metric absorbable suture (copolymer of glycolic acid and trimethylene carbonate). Intracorporeal suturing of the nephrosplenic space was performed in a cranial-to-caudal direction in a simple continuous fashion. Repeat evaluation was performed laparoscopically in 2 horses and by necropsy in 6 horses. The length of closure was measured and nature of the healed tissue was evaluate grossly. RESULTS Total surgery time was 65-167 minutes (mean ± SD, 89.6 ± 22.6). Suturing time was 30-65 minutes (40.4 ± 16.3). Second laparoscopy in 2 horses was performed at days 198 and 227. Necropsy was performed at day 69-229 postoperatively (132.7 ± 63.0) in 6 horses. The closure measured 12-14 cm in length (13 ± 1) and consisted of mature fibrous tissue bridging the splenic capsule and the nephrosplenic ligament. No residual suture material was identified grossly in any horses. The procedure was easily performed; extracorporeal suture management to hold it taut was unnecessary since the barbs had excellent purchase in the apposed tissues, and intracorporeal knot tying was not required. CONCLUSION The barbed knotless suture appears to be a valid alternative to facilitate laparoscopic closure of the nephrosplenic space in normal horses; however, further work is necessary to investigate its suitability in clinically affected horses.
Pay now or pay later: Danish Evidence on Owed Taxes and the Impact of Small Penalties

This paper studies the effectiveness of a policy designed to influence the timing decision for payments of owed taxes. Owed taxes arise when the sum of the foregoing tax year's preliminary tax payments falls short of the total tax liability. In 2009 the Danish tax authority (SKAT) introduced a small interest penalty amounting to a daily price of approximately DKK0.5 (US$0.1) for the median amount of owed taxes. Using administrative tax data I show that the penalty introduction led to a 50-day advancement in payment timing. The evidence further indicates liquidity access as an important factor behind the taxpayer response. � � �
Comparing the effects of eccentric training with eccentric training and static stretching exercises in the treatment of patellar tendinopathy. A controlled clinical trial

Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of eccentric training and eccentric training with static stretching exercises in the management of patellar tendinopathy. Design: Controlled clinical trial. Setting: Rheumatology and rehabilitation centre. Subjects: Forty-three patients who had patellar tendinopathy for at least three months. They were allocated to two groups by alternative allocation. Interventions: Group A (n = 22) was treated with eccentric training of patellar tendon and static stretching exercises of quadriceps and hamstrings and Group B (n = 21) received eccentric training of patellar tendon. All patients received five treatments per week for four weeks. Outcomes: Pain and function were evaluated using the VISA-P score at baseline, at the end of treatment (week 4), and six months (week 24) after the end of treatment. Results: At the end of treatment, there was a rise in VISA-P score in both groups compared with baseline (P<0.0005, paired t test). There were significant differences in the VISA-P score between the groups at the end of treatment (+14; 10 to 18) and at the six-month follow-up (+19; 13 to 24); eccentric training and static stretching exercises produced the largest effect (P<0.0005, one-way ANOVA). Conclusions: Eccentric training and static stretching exercises is superior to eccentric training alone to reduce pain and improve function in patients with patellar tendinopathy at the end of the treatment and at follow-up.
Factor-Graph-Based Soft-Input Soft-Output Detection for Frequency-Selective MIMO Channels

In this letter we consider a MIMO communication system with iterative detection over a frequency-selective MIMO channel. We present a soft-input soft-output MIMO detector based on a cyclic factor graph representation and the sum-product algorithm with two different message schedules (serial and parallel). Computer simulations show that both schedules provide near-optimum performance in terms of bit error rate, while achieving a remarkable reduction in complexity compared to the optimal MAP detector.