Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Distribution of ABO and Rh Blood Groups among Major Ethnic Groups of Medical Students of Madonna University Teaching Hospital, Elele, Nigeria

s: The ABO and Rh blood groups are the most important blood groups despite the long list of several other blood groups discovered so far. The ABO and Rh blood groups varies worldwide and are not found in equal numbers even among ethnic groups. Therefore, this study was aimed at having information on the distribution of ABO and Rh blood groups among the major ethnic groups of medical students in Madonna University Teaching Hospital, Elele, Nigeria. A total of 193 students were randomly selected among the medical students of the Madonna University Teaching Hospital and tested. The students were divided into 3 major ethnic groups i.e., Igbo, 68 (31 males, 37 females) students, Yoruba, 62 (42 males, 20 females) students and Hausa, 63 (29 males, 34 females) students. Blood samples were collected by cubital venepuncture. A drop of each of the antisera, anti A, anti B and anti D was added and mixed with each blood sample and rocked gently for 60 sec to observe agglutination. There are differences in frequency distribution of the blood group (ABO) among the ethnic groups of the students. Blood group O and Rh-positive has highest frequency while blood group AB and Rh-negative has lowest frequency in the three ethnic groups. However, apart from the importance of ABO and Rh blood groups in blood transfusion practice, it is therefore imperative to have information on the distribution of these blood groups in any population group that comprise different ethnic groups.
Complex Permittivity and Microwave Absorption Properties of OPEFB Fiber–Polycaprolactone Composites Filled with Recycled Hematite (α-Fe2O3) Nanoparticles

Recycled hematite (α-Fe2O3) nanoparticles with enhanced complex permittivity properties have been incorporated as a filler in a polycaprolactone (PCL) matrix reinforced with oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fiber for microwave absorption applications. The complex permittivity values were improved by reducing the particle sizes to the nano scale via high-energy ball milling for 12 h. A total of 5–20 wt. % recycled α-Fe2O3/OPEFB/PCL nanocomposites were examined for their complex permittivity and microwave absorption properties via the open ended coaxial (OEC) technique and the transmission/reflection line measurement using a microstrip connected to a two-port vector network analyzer. The microstructural analysis of the samples included X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). At 1 GHz, the real (ε′) and imaginary (ε″) parts of complex permittivity of recycled α-Fe2O3 particles, respectively, increased from 7.88 to 12.75 and 0.14 to 0.40 when the particle size was reduced from 1.73 μm to 16.2 nm. A minimum reflection loss of −24.2 dB was achieved by the 20 wt. % nanocomposite at 2.4 GHz. Recycled α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles are effective fillers for microwave absorbing polymer-based composites in 1–4 GHz range applications.
Smart Individual Switch Addressing of 5 × 5 and 20 × 20 MEMS Double-Switch Arrays

This paper presents a smart row/column addressing scheme for large MEMS microswitch arrays, utilizing the pull-in / pull-out hysteresis of their electrostatic actuators to efficiently reduce the number of control lines. Single-chip 20 times 20 double-switch switch arrays with individually programmable 400 switch elements have been fabricated and the smart addressing scheme was successfully evaluated. The reproducibility of the actuation voltages within the array is very important for this addressing scheme and therefore the influence of effects such as isolation layer charging on the pull-in voltages has also been investigated.
THE FUTURE OF THERAPEUTIC MYOCARDIAL ANGIOGENESIS

ABSTRACT Despite improvements in its medical and surgical management, ischemic coronary disease remains responsible for significant morbidity, mortality, and economic burden in developed nations. Therapeutic myocardial angiogenesis is an attractive treatment option for patients with end-stage coronary disease who have failed percutaneous and surgical methods of revascularization. Over the past decade, our understanding of the biology of new blood vessel formation has improved significantly, and consequently, the use of growth factors to induce myocardial angiogenesis has been attempted in preclinical and clinical trials. Although growth factor therapy had demonstrated tremendous success in animal models, clinical trials have shown limited benefit in patients with coronary disease. Vascular endothelial growth factors and fibroblast growth factors are perhaps the most potent inducers of angiogenesis that have been used in animal models, and the only ones that have been used in clinical trials. This review outlines the biology of new vessel formation and the effects of these growth factors in the context of myocardial angiogenesis with an emphasis on the effects on the endothelium. It also provides a brief overview of delivery strategies and summarizes the preclinical and clinical evidence relating to exogenous growth factor delivery for myocardial angiogenesis. Lastly, we discuss the limitations and future challenges of angiogenic therapy.
Implementation and obstacles of pharmacogenetics in clinical practice: An international survey

Eight years ago, a paper‐based survey was administered during the World Pharma 2010 meeting, asking about the challenges of implementing pharmacogenetics (PGx) in clinical practice. The data collected at the time gave an idea about the progress of this implementation and what still needs to be done. Since then, although there have been major initiatives to push PGx forward, PGx clinical implementation may still be facing different challenges in different parts of the world. Our aim was therefore to distribute a follow‐up international survey in electronic format to elucidate an overview on the current stage of implementation, acceptance and challenges of PGx in academic institutions around the world.
Blood Pressure Control in Aging Predicts Cerebral Atrophy Related to Small-Vessel White Matter Lesions

Cerebral small-vessel damage manifests as white matter hyperintensities and cerebral atrophy on brain MRI and is associated with aging, cognitive decline and dementia. We sought to examine the interrelationship of these imaging biomarkers and the influence of hypertension in older individuals. We used a multivariate spatial covariance neuroimaging technique to localize the effects of white matter lesion load on regional gray matter volume and assessed the role of blood pressure control, age and education on this relationship. Using a case-control design matching for age, gender, and educational attainment we selected 64 participants with normal blood pressure, controlled hypertension or uncontrolled hypertension from the Northern Manhattan Study cohort. We applied gray matter voxel-based morphometry with the scaled subprofile model to (1) identify regional covariance patterns of gray matter volume differences associated with white matter lesion load, (2) compare this relationship across blood pressure groups, and (3) relate it to cognitive performance. In this group of participants aged 60–86 years, we identified a pattern of reduced gray matter volume associated with white matter lesion load in bilateral temporal-parietal regions with relative preservation of volume in the basal forebrain, thalami and cingulate cortex. This pattern was expressed most in the uncontrolled hypertension group and least in the normotensives, but was also more evident in older and more educated individuals. Expression of this pattern was associated with worse performance in executive function and memory. In summary, white matter lesions from small-vessel disease are associated with a regional pattern of gray matter atrophy that is mitigated by blood pressure control, exacerbated by aging, and associated with cognitive performance.
The when and how of the gynaecological examination: a survey among Norwegian general practitioners

Abstract Introduction: Little is known about the indications general practitioners (GPs) perceive as relevant for performing gynaecological examinations (GEs), how GPs master the GE and associated procedures, and how they handle the sensitive nature of GEs. Methods: In 2015, 70 medical students at the University of Bergen distributed a questionnaire to all 175 GPs in the practices they visited. The questions covered practical routines related to GEs, insertion of intrauterine device, frequency of GEs in different clinical settings and use of assisting personnel. Statistical analyses included chi-square tests and multiple logistic regressions adjusting for age, gender, specialization and localization. Results: Ninety male and 61 female GPs (87% of invited GPs) responded to the questionnaire. A minority (8%) usually had other staff present during GEs. Compared with female colleagues, male GPs performed bimanual palpation significantly less often in connection with routine Pap smear (AOR 0.3 (95% CI 0.1-0.6)). Twenty-eight percent of the GPs stated that they often/always omitted the GE if the patient was anxious about GE and 35% when the patient asked for referral to a gynaecologist. Omission was more frequent among male GPs. When the GP decided to refer to a gynaecologist based on the patient’s symptoms, more male than female GPs omitted GE (AOR 2.5 (95% CI 1.1-5.4)). Conclusion: Male gender of the GP may be associated with barriers to medical evaluation of pelvic symptoms in women, potentially leading to substandard care. Possibly, however, male GPs’ reluctance to perform the GE may also limit unnecessary bimanual palpation in asymptomatic women.
Determinants of Parental Satisfaction with Nursing Care in Paediatric Wards—A Preliminary Report

Background: The quality of medical services for a child and their parents are tantamount to a sense of satisfaction with care. Purpose: The assessment of determinants of parental satisfaction with nursing care in paediatric wards. Methods: The study covered 336 parents of children hospitalised in paediatric departments and was based on the “EMPHATIC” questionnaire, standardized and adapted to Polish conditions. Results: The mean score of the overall parental satisfaction was high, amounting to 4.19 points. The lower level of satisfaction with nursing care was reported in parents of children under the age of 6 years, admitted in an emergency mode with a diagnosed post-trauma condition and those with higher education. The duration of hospitalisation, sex and age of parents did not have an influence on the satisfaction with care. Conclusions: The age of the child, admission mode and education of respondents are determinants of parental satisfaction with nursing care.
Simultaneous comprehensive multiplex autoantibody analysis for rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis

AbstractRapidly progressive glomerulonephritis (RPGN) is mainly caused by anti-glomerular basement membrane (GBM) antibody-mediated glomerulonephritis, immune-complex or anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitides and leads to rapid loss of renal function. Detection of ANCA and autoantibodies (autoAbs) to GBM and dsDNA enables early diagnosis and appropriate treatment of RPGN aiding in preventing end-stage renal disease.Determination of ANCA on neutrophils (ANCA) as well as autoAbs to myeloperoxidase (MPO-ANCA), proteinase 3 (PR3-ANCA), GBM, and dsDNA was performed by the novel multiplex CytoBead technology combining cell- and microbead-based autoAb analyses by automated indirect immunofluorescence (IIF). Forty patients with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), 48 with microscopic polyangiitis (MPA), 2 with eosinophilic GPA, 42 with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 43 with Goodpasture syndrome (GPS), 57 with infectious diseases (INF), and 55 healthy subjects (HS) were analyzed and findings compared with classical single testing.The CytoBead assay revealed for GPA, MPA, GPS, and SLE the following diagnostic sensitivities and for HS and INF the corresponding specificities: PR3-ANCA, 85.0% and 100.0%; MPO-ANCA, 77.1% and 99.1%; anti-GBM autoAb, 88.4% and 96.4%; anti-dsDNA autoAb, 83.3% and 97.3%; ANCA, 91.1% and 99.1%, respectively. Agreement with classical enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and IIF was very good for anti-GBM autoAb, MPO-ANCA, PR3-ANCA, and ANCA, respectively. Anti-dsDNA autoAb comparative analysis demonstrated fair agreement only and a significant difference (P = 0.0001). The CytoBead technology provides a unique multiplex reaction environment for simultaneous RPGN-specific autoAb testing. CytoBead RPGN assay is a promising alternative to time-consuming single parameter analysis and, thus, is well suited for emergency situations.
An Interest-Based Approach for Reducing Network Contentions in Vehicular Transportation Systems

Traffic management systems (TMS) are the key for dealing with mobility issues. Moreover, 5G and vehicular networking are expected to play an important role in supporting TMSs for providing a smarter, safer and faster transportation. In this way, several infrastructure-based TMSs have been proposed to improve vehicular traffic mobility. However, in massively connected and multi-service smart city scenarios, infrastructure-based systems can experience low delivery ratios and high latency due to packet congestion in backhaul links on ultra-dense cells with high data traffic demand. In this sense, we propose I am not interested in it (IAN3I), an interest-based approach for reducing network contention and even avoid infrastructure dependence in TMS. IAN3I enables a fully-distributed traffic management and an opportunistic content sharing approach in which vehicles are responsible for storing and delivering traffic information only to vehicles interested in it. Simulation results under a realistic scenario have shown that, when compared to state-of-the-art approaches, IAN3I decreases the number of transmitted messages, packet collisions and latency in up to 95%, 98% and 55% respectively while dealing with traffic efficiency properly, not affecting traffic management performance at all.
Coping After Involuntary Pregnancy Loss: Perspectives of Spanish European Women

The purpose of this qualitative study was to discover the coping strategies used by Spanish (European) women to cope with a pregnancy loss. Sixteen women with miscarriages and stillbirths were interviewed. All of the women were Spanish European. The mean age of the women was 35 years, and most were university graduates, married, employed, and with living children. Audio-recorded interviews and field notes were transcribed and then subsequently coded and analyzed in individual or team sessions. Construction and confirmation of the categories and related themes derived from the data was a collaborative process. Two themes emerged regarding the coping strategies used by women: talking and avoiding. This study expands the theoretical model “Multicultural Model of Coping after Pregnancy Loss” and guides health providers regarding interventions used in practice.
Heat therapy improves glucose tolerance and adipose tissue insulin signaling in obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is associated with high rates of obesity and metabolic dysfunction. Repeated passive heat exposure (termed 'heat therapy') is a novel lifestyle intervention for improving health in obese women with PCOS. The purpose of this study was to examine changes in metabolic function in obese women with PCOS following heat therapy. Eighteen age- and BMI-matched obese women with PCOS (Age: 27±1y, BMI 41.3±1.1 kg·m2) were assigned to heat therapy (HT) or time control (CON). HT subjects underwent 30 one-hour hot tub sessions over 8-10 weeks, while CON subjects completed all testing but did not undergo heat therapy. Before (Pre), at the mid-point (Mid), and following (Post) 8-10 weeks of heat therapy, metabolic health was assessed using a 2-hr oral glucose tolerance test, a subcutaneous abdominal fat biopsy (Pre-Post only), and other blood markers relating to metabolic function. HT subjects exhibited improved fasting glucose (Pre:105±3, Post:89±5mg/dL; p=0.001), glucose area under the curve (AUC; Pre: 18,698±1045, Post:16,987±1017mg/dL/min; p=0.028) and insulin AUC (Pre:126,924±11,730, Post: 91,233±14,429IU/L/min; p=0.012). Adipocyte insulin signaling (p-AKT at Ser473 with 1.2ng/mL insulin) increased in HT (Pre: 0.29±0.14, Post: 0.93±0.29AU, p=0.021). Additionally, serum testosterone declined in HT subjects (Pre:51±7, Post:34±4ng/d/L; p=0.033). No parameters changed over time in CON, and no change in BMI was observed in either group. HT substantially improved metabolic risk profile in obese women with PCOS. HT also reduced androgen excess and may improve PCOS symptomology.
Prognosis and prognostic factors in patients with advanced biliary tract cancer depending on its anatomical location

Abstract Objective: Previous studies have revealed that biliary tract cancer (BTC) has different clinical characteristics depending on its anatomical location. However, clinical studies about the prognosis of BTC according to its anatomical location are lacking. We aimed to compare the prognosis of BTC according to its anatomical location. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed records of 311 patients with advanced BTC who received gemcitabine based palliative chemotherapy from January 2006 to December 2015 at Samsung medical Center. Results: During median follow-up of 7.67 months, the median overall survival (OS) times for patients with gallbladder (GB) cancer, intrahepatic cholangiocellular carcinoma (ICCC) and extrahepatic cholangiocellular carcinoma (ECCC) were 8.1 months, 7.7 months and 13.4 months, respectively. Median progression free survival (PFS) times for those with GB cancer, ICCC and ECCC were 4.1 months, 5.4 months and 7.2 months respectively. In multivariate analysis, anatomical location of cancer was a statistically significant factor for OS and PFS (p < .001). Prognostic factors associated with OS were also different according to the anatomical location of cancer: CA 19-9 and chemotherapy response for GB cancer; disease status, albumin and chemotherapy response for ICCC; performance status and chemotherapy response for ECCC. Conclusions: Prognosis and prognostic factors of BTC were significantly different depending on its anatomical location.
Expression of cytokine-like genes JE and KC is increased during renal ischemia.

Both mitogenic and inflammatory phenomena accompany the renal response to ischemic injury. Previous studies have shown that several nuclear-binding members of the immediate early genes are prominently expressed after renal ischemia and may underlie the mitogenic response to such injury. We now report on the expression of JE and KC, other growth-factor-responsive genes that code for small secreted glycoproteins with cytokine-like properties, which may play a role in inflammation. The expression of the immediate early genes JE and KC was determined in rat kidney tissue at varying time points after release of a 50-min period of bilateral renal hilar clamping. Relative levels of mRNA for JE and KC were analyzed by Northern blot analysis of cortical and outer stripe mRNA. KC mRNA rose rapidly to peak values at 1 h and returned toward low baseline levels by 24 h after release of the hilar clamp. By contrast, JE mRNA reached peak levels later and remained elevated for at least 96 h after ischemia. JE antigen was localized immunocytochemically to the apical regions of the cortical and medullary thick ascending limbs as well as in the lumen of the distal nephron in ischemic kidneys. Cells of the glomerulus and proximal tubules were negative for JE antigen. In contrast to the increase in JE and KC mRNA, steady-state levels of uromodulin (Tamm Horsfall) mRNA, a cytokine binding protein also made by the thick ascending limb, declined to virtually undetectable levels by 24 h after ischemia. Thus the increases in JE and KC are not generalized phenomena. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A New Single-switch, Electrolytic Capacitor-less Step-up DC/DC Converter Topology with Complete Soft-switching Operation for Photovoltaic Application

A new quasi-resonant, soft-switched electrolytic capacitor-less step-up DC/DC converter for photovoltaic applications is presented in this paper. The proposed circuit is a coupled-magnetics based topology that requires only a single switch. The proposed circuit is able to achieve zero voltage switching (ZVS) turn-on and zero current switching (ZCS) turnoff for the switch. Since the input inductor in the proposed circuit operates in continuous conduction mode, the required input capacitance is reduced and hence, this allows small-size film capacitor to be used. The proposed circuit is able to achieve a large step-up gain while minimizing the ratio between the peak switch voltage and the circuit output voltage. In addition, the proposed circuit is able to achieve maximum power operation with PV panels through the use of variable switching frequency control. Results from a simulated 140W, 150 kHz system and a proof-of-concept hardware prototype are provided to highlight the merits of the proposed circuit.
Alpha‐lipoic acid minimises reactive oxygen species‐induced damages during sperm processing

Shearing forces during sperm preparation for assisted reproduction techniques may lead to excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which may have an unpleasant effect on embryonic development. In the current study, we assessed the effect of alpha‐lipoic acid (ALA) on ROS‐induced damages during sperm preparation process. Semen samples were collected from 15 normozoospermic men. Each semen sample was divided into two parts; one part was washed and centrifuged with sperm washing medium plus 0.02 mM ALA. Then, sperm pellet was diluted and incubated for 1 hr at 37°C in sperm washing media in the absence (ALA−) or presence of 0.02 mM ALA (ALA+). The second part was washed and centrifuged with sperm washing media in the absence of ALA, and then, sperm pellet was incubated for 1 hr at 37°C in sperm washing media in the absence (ALA−) or presence of 0.02 mM ALA (ALA+). Sperm viability, motility, intracellular oxidative stress and DNA fragmentation were assessed by eosin‐nigrosin, computer‐assisted sperm analysis system, H2DCFDA staining and acridine orange staining respectively. Our results showed that addition of ALA as a fat‐ and water‐soluble antioxidant to sperm washing media maintains sperm viability and motility by reduction in ROS production and can also protect sperm DNA integrity.