Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Do Gastroenterologists Adhere to Diagnostic and Treatment Guidelines for Celiac Disease?

Aim: Our group hypothesized that significant variation exists between suggested clinical guidelines, the clinical practices of practicing gastroenterologists and academic experts in celiac disease (CD). Method: We designed 4 CD vignettes comparing experts and practicing gastroenterologists. Practicing gastroenterologists (n=169) were surveyed during Digestive Disease Week 2009 and experts (n=22) answered e-mail surveys. Ratings for answers in each vignette was done using a 9-point RAND Appropriateness Scale (RAS) with endorsement defined as RAS score of 7 to 9. We also calculated the RAND “Disagreement Index” (DI) was calculated, with DI>1.0 indicated extreme variation. Results: A total of 169 practicing gastroenterologists and 22 experts were included. Differences in all vignette answers were present. Differences were seen for use of IgA anti-endomysial antibodies (P=0.0241), human leukocyte antigen DQ2/8 testing (P=0.0325), gluten challenge (P<0.0001), and oat consumption (P<0.0001). There were differences in recommendations for biopsy review (P=0.0479) and management of dermatitis herpetiformis (P=0.0025). Experts consistently endorsed CD screening in patients with type 1 diabetes, Down and Turner syndromes, and relatives of CD patients compared with practicing physicians (P=0.0054, 0.0003, <0.0001, 0.0304). Experts endorsed CD screening for atypical presentations (delayed puberty, elevated transaminases, primary biliary cirrhosis, autoimmune hepatitis, and infertility). Conclusion: There is significant disagreement between nonexperts and experts in diagnosis and management of CD. Promotion of existing guidelines and further research is advised.
Letter: third‐line rescue therapy with levofloxacin after failure of two treatments to eradicate Helicobacter pylori infection

SIRS, We read with interest the results of the study conducted by Drs Sinniah and Roche on the effect of glutenfree diet (GFD) on weight change in coeliac disease patients in Australia. Over the last few years there has been growing interest in examining weight changes on GFD, given the expanding obesity epidemic and the morbidity and mortality associated with being overweight. The findings of Drs Sinniah and Roche appear concordant with our own and are interesting, as they suggest an increased risk for weight gain on GFD. This is further supported by the finding that none of the obese patients in the Australian cohort lost significant weight on GFD, which is distinctly different than the proposed protective effect reported in previous studies from New York and Finland. With data suggesting both a beneficial and deleterious effect of GFD on weight status in individuals with coeliac disease, it is difficult to make broad generalisations. Differences in weight change after adoption of a GFD may be due to differences in demographics, socioeconomic status, or resources and education pertaining to GFD. Interestingly, Dr Sinniah’s cohort and the Finland study had more overweight and obese patients compared with the cohort described in our study, and our rate of overweight and obesity was in turn higher than that reported in the study from New York. This suggests that baseline prevalence of obesity is not a major predictor of GFD-related weight gain. Despite discrepant findings of studies to date, counselling newly diagnosed patients about the potential for weight gain after initiating GFD remains reasonable and should be a routine part of dietary follow-up. Studies in other regions and a future meta-analysis are warranted to define the true risk of obesity on the GFD.
Gender bias in the diagnosis of personality disorders: the roles of base rates and social stereotypes.

In all three studies described in this article, novices were trained to associate traits from the DSM-IV Cluster B personality disorder categories with four letters of the alphabet. Novices were also taught various gender associations (i.e., "base rate" information) with the categories (none, stereotype-consistent, or stereotype-inconsistent). Results showed that when no gender associations were taught (Study I), case gender did not affect ratings of case vignettes. When associations were consistent with social stereotypes (Study II), case gender influenced ratings in the expected direction. When associations were the opposite of social stereotypes (Study III), only the ratings for narcissistic and histrionic were affected. Across the three studies, these results suggested that subjects rated cases in accordance with known "base rates," but that the correspondence between base rates and stereotypic associations affected the consistency and magnitude of this base rate effect.
Decoding of linear codes over Galois rings

We present a method for decoding an arbitrary linear code over a Galois ring /spl Rscr/ by a process of lifting decoding algorithms for a family of linear codes over a finite field /spl Kscr/ forming an /spl alpha/-element chain, where /spl Kscr/ is the quotient field of /spl Rscr/ and /spl Rscr/ has characteristic p/sup /spl alpha//. As a new result, this method also works for linear codes over /spl Rscr/ which are nonfree /spl Rscr/-modules.
Esophageal carcinosarcoma with basaloid squamous carcinoma and rhabdomyosarcoma components with TP53 mutation

Carcinosarcoma of the esophagus is a rare tumor with a distinct pathological entity having squamous cell carcinoma as the most described carcinomatous component. This paper reports the first case of carcinosarcoma of the esophagus that showed predominant basaloid squamous carcinoma component in addition to squamous cell carcinoma and poorly differentiated carcinoma and sarcoma component. A 64‐year‐old male patient consulted for dysphasia and chest pain was examined and found to have gastrointestinal fiber‐endoscope and a polypoid growth in the lower third of the esophagus. Partial esophagectomy was performed and the excised tumor showed histological features of carcinosarcoma with heterogeneous carcinomatous components with dominance of basaloid squamous carcinoma and minority of squamous cell carcinoma, poorly differentiated carcinoma, and sarcomatous component, immunohistochemically proven to be rhabdomyosarcoma. Immunohistochemical study and TP53 mutation analysis was carried out to explain the histogenesis of this rare tumor. The distinct immunohistochemical profiles of the carcinomatous and sarcomatous components suggested the possibility of transition from a carcinomatous to a sarcomatous component. The similar TP53 mutation in the carcinomatous and sarcomatous component suggested each of these components had the same origin, that is, the tumor was monoclonal in origin.
The Social Psychology of Mass Imprisonment

The concept of mass imprisonment emerged at the turn of the 21st century in recognition of the intractable nature of the late modern penal explosion, especially in the USA (Lynch, 2011). What had been perceived in the previous two decades to be a dynamic yet alarming phenomenon – the rapid growth and expansion in the use of incarceration – had now taken on a sense of permanence and immutability. Theorists and empirical researchers expanded their inquiries that aimed to understand how and why the explosion happened and what its parameters were, to include assessments of the human impacts of mass incarceration. Thus, a growing body of work over the last decade has grappled with the social and psychological damage done by the imprisonment binge (Haney, 2006a; Western, 2006; Clear, 2007). The USA is generally seen as ‘ground zero’ for contemporary mass incarceration, for several reasons. First is the sheer size and scale of growth in imprisonment use across the USA. Our rates of incarceration, particularly in the southern and western states, are many times higher than our democratic peers; and the steep incline in those rates over a relatively short period of time is globally unprecedented. Second is the relatively sharp and dramatic turn away from the rehabilitative ideal and toward a more punitive model of imprisonment that accompanied this growth. As a nation, the USA was a leading innovator of penal rehabilitation in the early to mid 20th century, and so its relative abandonment beginning in the 1970s was striking. Finally, the influential role that the USA plays in shaping international criminal justice policies and practices has meant that American-style penality has been exported to jurisdictions around the world (Godoy, 2008; Wacquant, 2009). Because the USA offers the paradigmatic case of mass incarceration, this chapter will primarily focus upon the American transformations in punishment and their social psychological consequences. Nonetheless, I will also look to research on contemporary imprisonment in contexts outside of the USA in order to explore whether and to what degree the American case is exceptional. 11
Theoretical investigation of passively mode-locked quantum dot laser

Using models based on delay differential equation (DDE) and finite difference traveling wave (FDTW), we have obtained the characteristics of passively quantum dot mode-locked lasers (QD-MLLs). By manipulating DDE, it is shown that by an increase in the saturable absorber's (SA) reverse bias, the pulse width decreases while the stability of the pulse time domain response decreases. Besides, the range of enhancement factor to have a stable pulse decreases as well. Moreover, DDE model shows that by controlling unsaturated gain and loss ratio harmonic mode locking is achievable. Finally, FDTW model is used to investigate the spatio-temporal features of QD-MLLs. Although this method substantially increases the simulation complexity due to the complex rate equations alongside with two dimensional simulation grid, it provides a more comprehensive simulation tool for analysing the device.
Expression of Toll‐like receptors in chronic hepatitis C virus infection

Background: Toll‐like receptors (TLRs) are involved in innate immunity. Certain viruses interact with TLRs and mediate antiviral effects as well as immune responses. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of TLRs on pathogenesis in hepatitis C virus (HCV)‐infected patients.
Paracoccidioidomycosis: a sequential histopathologic study of lesions in experimentally-infected rats.

Female albino rats were used for the sequential histopathological study of experimental paracoccidioidomycosis. The animals were inoculated intraperitoneally with a strain of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis in the yeast-like phase, and sacrificed at given intervals from 1 to 168 days after inoculation; each animal received an inoculum of 4 x 106 cells in 0.8 ml of saline. The control group received saline containing scrapings of the culture medium. Tissue from the inoculation site was examined. The cellular population, the extracellular matrix, and the presence and characteristics of fungi were analysed in the inflammatory granulomatous process by light microscopy. The results allowed to separate the kinetic of the inflammatory response into three stages: 1) neutrophilic or macrophagic-neutrophilic; 2) pre-granulomatous; 3) granulomatous. Synthesis of the extracellular matrix began with the depositing of fibrin-like material, and increased gradually with deposits of collagen, proteoglycans, and glycoproteins. Parasites were present in all of the examined periods. Recurrences of the disease were clearly shown through the concurrence of recently-formed granulomas with older granulomas, implying that this type of granulomatous process does not eliminate the disease, nor is it able to limit fungal dissemination over a prolonged period of time.
Intensive Treatment of Pseudomonas Chest Infection in Cystic Fibrosis: a Comparison of Tobramycin and Ticarcillin, and Netilmicin and Ticarcillin

ABSTRACT. Seventeen cystic fibrosis patients aged 3.1 years to 19.8 years had 30 courses of intensive treatment for relapse of their pseudomonas chest infection. The combination of netilmicin and ticarcillin was compared with tobramycin and ticarcillin in an open study. A significant subjective and objective improvement occurred in all patients. Pseudomonas was cleared temporarily from the sputum in 11 out of the 30 courses of treatment (37 %). There was no significant difference between the netilmicin and tobramycin groups, nor evidence of sustained renal or ototoxicity. Intensive therapy of pseudomonas chest infection in cystic fibrosis patients is described in detail.
Spontaneous and inducible production of leukaemia inhibitory factor by human bone marrow stromal cells.

Leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF) acts on the growth and differentiation of haematopoietic cells. By using a specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for human LIF, we demonstrate that human bone marrow stromal cells produce LIF. LIF synthesis is enhanced in a dose-dependent manner after stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMAS). LIF production in response to PMA is PKC-dependent since the two PKC inhibitors sphingosine and staurosporine markedly diminished it. Interleukin 1alpha (IL-1alpha), IL-1beta, IL-3, IL-6, IL-8, tumour necrosis factor (TNF-alpha) and SCF (both at 10 ng/ml) stimulate LIF production. By contrast macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF), granulocyte (G)-CSF, GM-CSF, basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), platelet-activating factor (PAF), protaglandin E2 (PGE2), leukotriene B4 (LTB4), and leukotriene C4 (LTC4) did not. These results suggest that bone marrow stromal cells might represent a major source for the cytokine-regulated local production of LIF inside human bone marrow.
Diabetes and Glucose Tolerance as Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease: The Framingham Study

This report examines prospectively, in the Framingham cohort, the relation of diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance to each of the cardiovascular sequelae, taking into account age, sex, and associated cardiovascular risk factors. The incidence of cardiovascular disease, as well as the levels of cardiovascular risk factors, were found to be higher in diabetic than in nondiabetic men and women. The relative impact of diabetes on coronary heart disease, peripheral vascular disease, or stroke incidence was the same in men and women, but for cardiovascular mortality and cardiac failure the impact is greater for women. Present evidence suggests that alleviation of associated cardiovascular risk factors is the most promising course in reducing cardiovascular sequelae in diabetic patients.
Artificial Ageing of Bottom Ashes

Artificial ageing of incineration bottom ashes with saturated air was investigated in this paper. The process could reduce the pH of bottom ashes below 10 within one month. This result can be used to design bottom ashes heap to accelerate the curing process of bottom ashes and reduce the storage time of bottom ash in incinerators. Artificial ageing might improve the technical quality of bottom ashes by reducing the leaching of trace elements within the landfill standard limits, although the leaching of alkaline-earth metals increased. The quality upgrade of bottom ashes might promote the utilization of bottom ashes.
Impact of Pretest on Posttest Knowledge Scores With a Solomon Four Research Design

There is a paucity of research on the effects of pretest measurement with prostate cancer screening. What effect does a pretest measurement have on posttest outcomes? This research reports knowledge of prostate cancer screening among men randomized to an Enhanced decision aid versus an Usual Care decision aid. Using a Solomon Four research design, there were a total of 198 men in 4 groups. Most of the sample was African American (78%), with a mean age of 52 years. The greatest posttest knowledge occurred with the Enhanced decision aid in contrast to the Usual Care. The Enhanced/Usual Care groups that had both a pretest and posttest and had received a previous digital rectal examination had the highest means (P = .015), with means of 9.1 and 7.0, respectively. Among men who had a previous digital rectal examination, the greatest increase in score occurred among men randomized to the Enhanced decision aid in contrast to the Usual Care decision aid, 2.9 versus 0.4 (P = .008). The outcome varied based on the status of (1) random group assignment of the Solomon Four design and (2) status of previous digital rectal examination. Implications for nurses include consideration 1 of a pretest to increase posttest knowledge scores.
Using CVS Historical Information to Understand How Students Develop Software

Software engineering courses are expected to teach students a wide range of knowledge and skills, e.g. software-development methodologies, tools, work habits, collaboration skills, a good sense of scheduling, etc. In this paper, we present a method to track the progress of students developing a term project, using the historical information stored in their CVS repository. This information is analyzed and presented to the instructor in a variety of forms. The goal of this analysis is, first, to understand how students interact, and second, to find out if there is any correlation between their grades and the nature of their collaboration. Understanding these factors will enable instructors to detect potential problems early in the course of the students’ projects, so they can concentrate their help on those teams who need it the most.
Asymmetry in corpus-derived and human word associations

Abstract We investigate asymmetry in corpus-derived and human word associations. Most prior work has studied paradigmatic relations, either derived from free association norms or from large corpora using measures of statistical association and semantic relatedness. By contrast, we investigate the syntagmatic relation between words in adjective-noun and noun-noun combinations and present a new experimental design for measuring the strength of human associations. Of particular importance for syntagmatic relations are asymmetric associations, whose associational strength is much larger in one direction (e.g., from Pyrrhic to victory) than in the other (e.g., from victory to Pyrrhic). We develop a number of corpus-derived measures of asymmetric association and show that they predict the directedness of human associations with high accuracy.
Toxicological evaluation of silver nanoparticles and silver nitrate in rats following 28 days of repeated oral exposure

The increasing application of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) has been raising concerns about their potential adverse effects to human and the environment. However, the knowledge on the systemic toxicity of AgNPs in mammalian systems is still limited. The present study investigated the toxicity of PVP‐coated AgNPs in rats treated with repeated oral administration, and compared that with equivalent dose of AgNO3. Specifically, one hundred male and female rats were orally administrated with particulate or ionic forms of silver (Ag) separately at doses of 0.5 and 1 mg kg−1 body weight daily for 28 days. The results reveal no significant toxic effects of AgNPs and AgNO3 up to 1 mg kg−1 body weight, with respect to the body weight, organ weight, food intake, and histopathological examination. Ag distribution pattern in organs of rats treated with AgNPs was similar to that of AgNO3 treated rats, showing liver and kidneys are the main target organs followed by testis and spleen. The total Ag contents in organs were significantly lower in the AgNPs treated rats than those in the AgNO3 treated rats. However, the comparisons between AgNPs and AgNO3 treatments further indicated more potent of AgNPs in biochemical and hematological parameters in rats, including red blood cell count (RBC), platelet count (PLT), white blood cell count (WBC) and aspartate transaminase (AST). Results of this study suggested that particulate Ag at least partially contributed to the observed toxicity of AgNPs, and both ionic and particulate Ag should be taken into consideration in toxicological evaluation of AgNPs. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 32: 609–618, 2017.
Review Article: Progressive Neuronal Degeneration of Childhood With Liver Disease (Alpers-Huttenlocher Syndrome): A Personal Review

Thirty-two autopsied cases of progressive neuronal degeneration of childhood with liver disease are reviewed. The typical clinical course is intractable seizures and liver failure following a period of developmental delay and failure to thrive in early infancy, but some children first present with seizures. Characteristic changes on the electroencephalogram, loss of visual-evoked potentials, occipital atrophy on computed tomographic scan, and particular changes on liver biopsy may assist diagnosis. Most patients succumb in less than 3 years, but some have a protracted survival into their teens, and very rarely they may present in early adulthood. Liver pathology comprises fatty change, hepatocyte loss, bile duct proliferation, fibrosis, and often cirrhosis. Gradual progression can be followed in sequential biopsies. Macroscopically, the cerebral cortex is variably involved, but usually there is patchy thinning and discoloration, with a striking predilection for the striate cortex. Microscopic changes include spongiosis, neuronal loss, and astrocytosis, which progresses down through the cortical layers. All areas may be affected but the calcarine cortex is usually most affected. Etiology is still obscure, though mitochondrial and slow viral disorders have been postulated. (J Child Neurol 1990;5:273-287).
Improving Power Converter Reliability: Online Monitoring of High-Power IGBT Modules

The real-time junction temperature monitoring of a high-power insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) module is important to increase the overall reliability of power converters for industrial applications. This article proposes a new method to measure the on-state collector-emitter voltage of a high-power IGBT module during converter operation, which may play a vital role in improving the reliability of the power converters. The measured voltage is used to estimate the module average junction temperature of the high and low-voltage side of a half-bridge IGBT separately in every fundamental cycle of the current by calibrating them at load current. The measurement is very accurate and also measures the voltage at the middle of a pulse-width modulation (PWM) switching. A major objective is that this method is designed to be implemented in real applications. The performance of this technique is measured in a wind power converter at a low fundamental frequency. To illustrate more, the test method as well as the performance of the measurement circuit are also presented. This measurement is also useful to indicate failure mechanisms such as bond wire lift-off and solder layer degradation. The measurements of and rise in the junction temperature after five million cycles of normal operation of the converter are also presented.
Refractive index and dispersion of butterfly chitin and bird keratin measured by polarizing interference microscopy

: Using Jamin-Lebedeff interference microscopy, we measured the wavelength dependence of the refractive index of butterfly wing scales and bird feathers. The refractive index values of the glass scales of the butterfly Graphium sarpedon are, at wavelengths 400, 500 and 600 nm, 1.572, 1.552 and 1.541, and those of the feather barbules of the white goose Anas anas domestica are 1.569, 1.556 and 1.548, respectively. The dispersion spectra of the chitin in the butterfly scales and the keratin in the bird barbules are well described by the Cauchy equation n ( λ ) = A + B/ λ 2 , with A = 1.517 and B = 8.80·10 3 nm 2 for the butterfly chitin and A = 1.532 and B = 5.89·10 3 nm 2 for the bird keratin.