Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Form-induced stress in turbulent flow over riblets

© 2018 Australasian Fluid Mechanics Society. All rights reserved. We carry out direct numerical simulation of minimal open-channel flow over riblets. Several riblet geometries are simulated, namely symmetric triangular, asymmetric triangular, blade and trapezoidal, and with this unprecedented high-fidelity dataset, we are able to obtain broad insights into the flow physics of riblets. We find that the roughness sublayer thickness, above which the flow is statistically homogeneous, is proportional to the square root of the riblet groove cross-sectional area l+g in both the drag-reducing and the drag-increasing regime, consistent with the ability of this parameter to collapse the roughness function corresponding to different groove geometries. Large grooves are associated with mean secondary velocities and they carry additional stress that contributes up to 40% of the total shear stress at the crest, comparable to the contribution from the turbulent fluctuations.
Antiinflammatory effect of the Indian Ayurvedic herbal formulation Triphala on adjuvant‐induced arthritis in mice

In the present study, attempts have been made to evaluate the antiarthritic effect of the Indian Ayurvedic herbal formulation Triphala on adjuvant‐induced arthritis in mice and to compare it with that of the non‐steroidal antiinflammatory drug indomethacin. Arthritis was induced by intradermal injection of complete Freund's adjuvant (0.1 mL) into the right hind paw of Swiss albino mice. Triphala (1 g/kg/b.wt) and indomethacin (3 mg/kg/b.wt) were administered orally for 8 days (from day 11 to 18) after adjuvant injection. The levels of lysosomal enzymes, tissue marker enzymes, glycoproteins and paw thickness were increased in adjuvant‐induced arthritic animals. The body weight was found to be reduced when compared with the control animals. These physical and biochemical changes observed in arthritic animals were altered significantly to near normal conditions after oral administration of Triphala (1 g/kg/b.wt). The results obtained clearly indicate the fact that the Indian Ayurvedic herbal formulation Triphala has promising antiinflammatory activity. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Is "aseptic" loosening of the prosthetic cup after total hip replacement due to nonculturable bacterial pathogens in patients with low-grade infection?

BACKGROUND Loosening of the prosthetic cup is the limiting factor in the service life of total hip prostheses (THPs). Despite effective culture methods, the detection of low-grade infection in patients with loose implants still presents a challenge. It is crucial to distinguish between "aseptic" loosening and loosening due to periprosthetic infection, so that appropriate treatment can be administered. We investigated whether aseptic loosening of the acetabular components of THPs is due to unrecognized infection. METHODS From October through December 2002, a total of 24 patients with acetabular cup loosening were investigated. Only patients without clinical signs of infection and with negative results of bacteriologic culture of synovial fluid (obtained by preoperative aspiration) were included in the study. Intraoperative biopsy samples obtained from the neocapsule and synovia (e.g., the interface membrane) were examined by means of routine culture methods and by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for detection of 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA). Control subjects included 9 patients undergoing primary hip arthroplasty. RESULTS C-reactive protein levels and erythrocyte sedimentation rates were slightly elevated in the group with loosening, compared with the control group, but the difference was not statistically significant. PCR and routine culture showed no microorganisms in either group, with the exception of 1 patient in the loosening group. CONCLUSIONS PCR for detection of 16S rRNA in tissue specimens obtained from hip joints is not superior to routine bacteriologic culture techniques for detection of low-grade infections. However, these results demonstrate that the loosening of cups in THPs do not usually result from nonculturable periprosthetic infection, if the microbiological processing is adequate.
Acute toxic effects of endosulfan sulfate on three life stages of grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio

In this study, the toxicity of endosulfan sulfate, the primary degradation product of the insecticide endosulfan, was determined in three life stages of the grass shrimp (Palaemonetes pugio). After 96 h exposure to endosulfan sulfate, the grass shrimp adult LC50 was 0.86 μ g/L (95% CI 0.56–1.31), the grass shrimp larvae LC50 was 1.64 μ g/L (95% CI 1.09–2.47) and the grass shrimp embryo LC50 was 45.85 μ g/L (95% CI 23.72–88.61 μ g/L). This was compared to the previously published grass shrimp 96-h LC50s for endosulfan. The toxicity of the two compounds was similar for the grass shrimp life stages with adults more sensitive than larvae and embryos. The presence of sediment in 24h endosulfan sulfate–exposures raised LC50s for both adult and larval grass shrimp but not significantly. The USEPA expected environmental concentrations (EEC) for total endosulfan and endosulfan sulfate and the calculations of risk quotients (RQ) based on the more sensitive adult grass shrimp 96-h LC50 clearly show that environmental concentrations equal to acute EECs would prove detrimental to grass shrimp or other similarly sensitive aquatic organisms. These results indicate that given the persistence and toxicity of endosulfan sulfate, future risk assessments should consider the toxicity potential of the parent compound as well as this degradation product.
Ocular Manifestations and Management of Autoimmune Bullous Diseases

Autoimmune bullous diseases with ocular involvement consist of a group of systemic entities that are characterized by formation of autoantibodies against the proteins of the epithelial basement membrane zone of the conjunctiva. Mostly, the elderly are affected by these diseases. The characteristic patterns of mucocutaneous involvement and the specific tissue components targeted by these autoantibodies are differentiating features of these diseases. Ocular pemphigus vulgaris exhibits intraepithelial activity, whereas the autoimmune activity in linear immunoglobulin A disease, mucous membrane pemphigoid, and epidermolysis bullosa acquisita occurs at a subepithelial location. Given the increased risk for blindness with delays in diagnosis and management, early detection of ocular manifestations in these diseases is vital. The precise diagnosis of these autoimmune blistering diseases, which is essential for proper treatment, is based on clinical, histological, and immunological evaluation. Management usually includes anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive medications. Inappropriate treatment results in high morbidity and even potential mortality.
Computed tomography appearance of mandibular para-radicular third molar radiolucencies.

OBJECTIVES Mandibular para-radicular third molar radiolucencies (MPRs) were first described in 2004 by Bohay et al (Bohay RN, Mara TW, Sawula KW, Lapointe HJ. A preliminary radiographic study of mandibular para-radicular third molar radiolucencies. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod 2004; 98: 97-101) as a well-defined oval radiolucency surrounded by a thin sclerotic border located immediately distal to the mandibular third molar roots. Bohay et al's analysis was undertaken using panoramic radiographs. The purpose of this study was to confirm Bohay et al's findings on panoramic radiographs and to identify and document the appearance of MPRs on cross-sectional CT. METHODS Panoramic films and CT images of the lower third molar regions from 143 patients were reviewed. RESULTS MPR was identified on panoramic film in 12 patients with a total of 14 MPRs. A number of factors were recorded from panoramic films and CT. CONCLUSIONS This study confirmed the findings of Bohay et al and concluded that the relative lucent appearance on panoramic radiographs can be explained by the presence of one or a combination of factors: (i) an area of decreased density in trabecular bone, (ii) thinning of the inner surface of the buccal cortex, (iii) thinning of the inner surface of the lingual cortex or (iv) a depression in the external surface of the lingual cortex.
Barriers to Effective use of Palliative Care Services in the Acute Care Setting with Emphasis on Terminal Noncancer Diseases

Introduction: This study assessed the views of nurses, resident doctors, and attending physicians of the use of a readily available pain and palliative care specialty at their institution while assessing their ability to recognize terminal noncancer illnesses. Methodology: In community hospital consisting of an in-patient pain and palliative specialty, attending physicians, residents, and nurses participate in a survey highlighting the following: parameters for referral/consultation, definition of noncancer-related terminal illnesses, role of pain and palliative care in acute care, consult/referral delay, barriers to effective referral, recognition and withdrawal of futile care, and opioid prescription. Patterns of responses by each professional group were compared and contrasted. Results: The most common accepted reasons for referral were that of hospice care, terminal cancer, and uncontrolled pain, while reasons related to terminal noncancer illnesses were less accepted. A majority of approved physical and social parameters to define terminal noncancer illnesses were not universally accepted among the groups-especially among attendings and residents. While most participants agreed that the best time to refer to palliative care specialty was at the point of diagnosis of a terminal illness, >25% of participants from each group felt that referrals should be done later in the course of the illness. The most highlighted reasons expressed by attendings and residents for the delay in consult were either that of excessive withdrawal of modalities of care or interference with ongoing management that may benefit the patient. Most residents and nurses agreed that attendings' reluctance to consult is a major barrier to its utilization. Conclusion: Barriers to effective utilization are multifactorial, mostly relating to perceptions of the specialty as well as ineffective communication within specialties.
Phenotypic Differences in Reentrainment Behavior and Sensitivity to Nighttime Light Pulses in Siberian Hamsters

Spontaneous reentrainment to phase shifts of the photocycle is a fundamental property of all circadian systems. Siberian hamsters are, however, unique in this regard because most fail to reentrain when the LD cycle (16-h light/day) is phase delayed by 5 h. In the present study, the authors compared reentrainment responses in hamsters from 2 colonies. One colony descended from animals trapped in the wild more than 30 years ago (designated “nonentrainers”), and the other colony was outbred as recently as 13 years ago (designated “entrainers”). As reported previously, only 10% of hamsters from the nonentrainer colony reentrained to a 5-h phase delay of the LD cycle. By contrast, 75% of animals from the entrainer colony reentrained to the phase shift. Another goal of this study was to test the hypothesis that failure to reentrain was a consequence of light exposure during the middle of the night on the day of the 5-h phase delay. This hypothesis was tested by exposing animals to 2 h of light during the early, middle, or late part of the night and then subjecting them on the next day to a 3-h phase delay of the photocycle, which is a phase shift to which all hamsters normally reentrain. All animals from both colonies reentrained when light pulses occurred early in the night, but more animals from the entrainer colony, compared to the nonentrainer colony, reentrained when the light pulse occurred in the middle or late part of the night. The phenotypic variation in reentrainment responses is similar to the variation in photoperiodic responsiveness previously reported for these 2 colonies. Phenotypic variation in both traits is due to underlying differences in circadian organization and suggests a common genetic basis for reentrainment responses and photoperiodic responsiveness.
Occupancy of serotonin transporters by paroxetine and citalopram during treatment of depression: a [(11)C]DASB PET imaging study.

OBJECTIVE Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are commonly used to treat major depression; however, the percentage of serotonin (5-HT) transporter (5-HTT) sites occupied during clinical dosing is unknown. This study measured the proportion of 5-HTT sites blocked during paroxetine and citalopram treatment of depression and assessed the relationship between serum paroxetine levels and the proportion of 5-HTT sites blocked. METHOD Twelve medication-free depressed patients completed a 6-week trial of either paroxetine (N=8) or citalopram (N=4). Striatal 5-HTT binding potential was measured with [(11)C]DASB and positron emission tomography, before and after 4 weeks of treatment. The binding potential is proportional to receptor density. Striatal 5-HTT binding potential was measured twice in six healthy subjects and once in 11 healthy subjects. RESULTS A significant decrease in striatal 5-HTT binding potential was found after either treatment, compared to changes found over a 4-week period in healthy subjects. For patients treated with 20 mg/day of paroxetine (N=7), the mean proportion of 5-HTT sites occupied was 83%. For patients treated with 20 mg/day of citalopram (N=4), the mean 5-HTT occupancy was 77%. 5-HTT occupancy increased in a nonlinear relationship with serum levels of paroxetine such that a plateau of occupancy around 85% occurred for serum paroxetine levels greater than 28 microg/liter. CONCLUSIONS During treatment with clinical doses of paroxetine or citalopram, approximately 80% of 5-HTT receptors are occupied. This change in 5-HTT binding potential is greater than the known physiological range of changes in 5-HTT binding potential but may be necessary for some therapeutic effects.
An open-label, comparative study of rivastigmine, donepezil and galantamine in a real-world setting

SUMMARY Objective:We analysed the effects of donepezil, rivastigmine and galantamine, prescribed for the treatment of Alzheimer disease in a real-world setting in Italy. Methods: Outcome measures included the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Alzheimer Disease Assessment Scale cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog), Instrumental Activity of Daily Living (IADL) and ADL scales. Results: Seventy patients were treated with donepezil, 121 with rivastigmine and 51 with galantamine. At 6 months, rivastigmine-treated patients improved by 1.29 points from baseline on the ADAS-cog, while donepezil- and galantamine-treated patients showed 'no change' (changes of < 0.2 points). On the IADL, patients treated with rivastigmine, donepezil and galantamine showed decreases of 0.42,0.58 and 0.75 points, respectively. On the ADL, donepezil- and galantamine-treated patients showed decreases of 0.44 and 0.86 points, respectively, while there was 'no change' with rivastigmine. On the MMSE, donepezil- and rivastigmine-treated patients showed 'no change' and galantamine-treated patients showed a mean decrease of 1.19 points. A subgroup analysis of 'pseudo-randomised' patients (rivastigmine, n = 63; donepezil, n = 55; galantamine, n = 51) supported the main findings. Side effects were similar (in type and frequency) in the three treatment groups. Conclusions: This is the first study to compare the effects of the three most commonly-used cholinesterase inhibitors on the MMSE, ADAS-cog, IADL and ADL. Limitations included its small population size, its open-label design, and the fact that patients were randomised only after the introduction of galantamine. There were no statistically significant differences between the three drugs at 3 months. While numerical trends were observed suggesting the effect of rivastigmine > donepezil > galantamine, larger, longer-term prospective studies are needed to confirm whether there are important differences in the long-term efficacy of the three drugs.
A Survey of Medical Professionals in an Apex Tertiary Care Hospital to Assess Awareness, Interest, Practices, and Knowledge in Palliative Care: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

Background: Medical discipline in India focuses on cure rather than comfort care. Palliative care is concerned with improving quality of life and relieving sufferings in patients with advanced incurable terminal diseases. Palliative care in India is still in infancy stage due to lack of knowledge, attitude and skills among health care providers. The reason being lack of training in under graduate as well as postgraduate teaching curriculum and lack of sensitization among policy makers. Aims and Objectives: To assess the awareness, interest, practices and knowledge in palliative care among medical professionals working in a tertiary care hospital. Materials and Methods: All participants were mailed proforma to be filled in a fixed format including details of their qualification, demographic data, their field of work, their training in palliative care and multiple choice questions regarding awareness interest, practices and knowledge of palliative care. Results: Out of 186 respondents, 56% had not received any basic training in palliative care. 81% wanted palliative care education to be included in undergraduate curriculum. Poor program was identified as the most common barrier in learning palliative care. 77% respondents had no idea about home based palliative care services. 50.8% patients dies in hospital in their terminal stage. 88% were interested in learning safe opioid practices. Although 89.8% were aware of the need of palliative care in metastatic cancer but less than 50% were aware of the fact that palliative care is also required in MDR-TB and mental illness. Conclusion: This study reflects data of an apex cancer institute of the country. The result of awareness is not very encouraging despite a dedicated palliative care department. So, we can assume what will be the palliative care status in other parts of India where there is no palliative care at all. Recommendation: We strongly recommends that palliative care teaching should be incorporated in undergraduate curriculum to sensitize the students from the beginning. Budding residents in their learning phase can play an important role by learning and providing palliative care as the first person to come into contact with the patients are residents. There is a strong need of spreading palliative care awareness all over the country.
Use of Simulation Learning Experiences in Physical Therapy Entry-to-Practice Curricula: A Systematic Review.

PURPOSE To review the literature on simulation-based learning experiences and to examine their potential to have a positive impact on physiotherapy (PT) learners' knowledge, skills, and attitudes in entry-to-practice curricula. METHOD A systematic literature search was conducted in the MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase Classic+Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science databases, using keywords such as physical therapy, simulation, education, and students. RESULTS A total of 820 abstracts were screened, and 23 articles were included in the systematic review. While there were few randomized controlled trials with validated outcome measures, some discoveries about simulation can positively affect the design of the PT entry-to-practice curricula. Using simulators to provide specific output feedback can help students learn specific skills. Computer simulations can also augment students' learning experience. Human simulation experiences in managing the acute patient in the ICU are well received by students, positively influence their confidence, and decrease their anxiety. There is evidence that simulated learning environments can replace a portion of a full-time 4-week clinical rotation without impairing learning. CONCLUSIONS Simulation-based learning activities are being effectively incorporated into PT curricula. More rigorously designed experimental studies that include a cost-benefit analysis are necessary to help curriculum developers make informed choices in curriculum design.
Correlating tauonic 
B
 decays with the neutron electric dipole moment via a scalar leptoquark

In this article we investigate the correlations between tauonic $B$ meson decays (e.g. $B\to \tau\nu$, $B\to D^{(*)}\tau\nu$, $B\to \pi\tau\nu$) and electric dipole moments (EDMs), in particular the one of the neutron, in the context of the $S_1$ scalar leptoquark (LQ). This LQ naturally arises in the R-parity violating MSSM as the right-handed down-squark. We perform the matching of this model on the effective field theory taking into account the leading renormalization group effect for the relevant observables. We find that one can explain the hints for new physics in $b\to c\tau\nu$ transitions without violating bounds from other observables. Even more interesting, it can also give sizable effects in $B\to\tau\nu$, to be tested at BELLE II, which are correlated to (chromo) electric dipole operators receiving $m_\tau/m_u$ enhanced contributions. Therefore, given a deviation from the Standard Model (SM) expectations in $B\to\tau\nu$, this model predicts a sizable neutron EDM. In fact, even if new physics has CP conserving real couplings, the CKM matrix induces a complex phase and already a 10\% change of the $B\to\tau\nu$ branching ratio (with respect to the SM) will lead to an effect observable with the n2EDM experiment at PSI.
Hepatitis B immunoglobulin and/or nucleos(t)ide analogues for prophylaxis against hepatitis b virus recurrence after liver transplantation: A systematic review

A combination of hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) and nucleos(t)ide analogues (NUCs) is currently recommended as prophylaxis against the recurrence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) after liver transplantation (LT), but the optimal protocol is a matter of controversy. The aim of this study was the identification of factors associated with post‐LT HBV recurrence in patients receiving HBIG and NUCs. We searched MEDLINE and PubMed for studies in English about the effectiveness of HBIG and NUCs [lamivudine (LAM) and/or adefovir dipivoxil (ADV)] against post‐LT HBV recurrence (January 1998 to June 2010). Forty‐six studies, which included 2162 HBV LT recipients, met the selection criteria. Patients receiving HBIG and LAM experienced HBV recurrence more frequently than patients receiving HBIG and ADV with or without LAM [6.1% (115/1889) versus 2.0% (3/152), P = 0.024], although they also were more frequently treated with indefinite HBIG prophylaxis (90% versus 57%, P < 0.001). For patients receiving HBIG and LAM, a lower frequency of HBV recurrence was associated with a high HBIG dosage (≥10,000 IU/day) versus a low HBIG dosage (<10,000 IU/day) during the first week after LT [3.2% (14/440) versus 6.5% (80/1233), P = 0.016], but the HBIG protocol had no impact on HBV recurrence in patients receiving HBIG and ADV. In conclusion, in comparison with the combination of HBIG and LAM, the combination of HBIG and ADV is associated with a lower rate of HBV recurrence after LT. Patients receiving HBIG and LAM should be given a high dosage of HBIG during the first week after LT, but a lower dosage can be used safely in patients receiving HBIG and ADV. Further studies with newer and more potent anti‐HBV agents are definitely required. Liver Transpl 17:1176–1190, 2011. © 2011 AASLD.