Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessment of morbidity pattern, quality of life and awareness of government facilities among elderly population in South India

Background: This study was done to assess the determinants of morbidity pattern, quality of life (QoL) and awareness of elderly about various government schemes and social security legislations. Materials and Methods: Data was collected by house to house survey among participants aged 60 years and above using a structured interview schedule. The QoL was assessed using Kannada version of WHOQOL-BREF instrument following language validation. Results: Mean age of 206 participants was 69.6±6.7 years. Half of them were males and majority were graduates 54 (26.2%). Morbidity was present among 194 (94.2%) participants (95% CI 89.5–98.9%), most common being hypertension 96 (46.6%). Morbid conditions were seen more among less educated (P = 0.007). Only 68 (33%) were under medical insurance coverage, 17 (8.3%) were under old age government pension and 74 (35.9%) were under retirement pension scheme. Social relationships, psychological health and environmental domain scores were associated with socio-economic status. Social relationship domain score was significantly better among well educated participants and those without morbidities. Level of ambulation was significantly associated with QoL scores in all domains (P < 0.001). Majority of the participants 132 (64.1%) had moderate level of awareness about government facilities for senior citizens. Awareness level was significantly better among males (P < 0.001), well educated (P < 0.001), better socio-economic status respondents (P < 0.001) and those currently working (P = 0.026). Conclusion: Health status of elderly needs improvement which would also improve their QoL. Awareness about various government schemes needs to be enhanced to improve its utilization. The results of this study are expected to help policy makers in planning comprehensive services for elderly residing in this area.
Etude des atteintes de la substance blanche liées aux performances motrices et de langage des patients après un accident vasculaire cérébral

L'imagerie par tenseur de diffusion (DTI) est une technique qui permet d'etudier l'organisation et l'etat structurel des faisceaux de substance blanche. L'etude de l'integrite des faisceaux peut aider a comprendre et a determiner la severite du pronostic des patients apres un accident ischemique cerebral (AIC). Dans cette these, je presente deux etudes ; dans la premiere nous avons compare les resultats obtenus a partir d'un template du faisceau Corticospinal (FCS) a ceux obtenus par la tractographie chez des sujets sains et des patients post-AIC. Dans les deux groupes, les valeurs de la fraction d'anisotropie (FA) obtenues avec la tractographie etaient plus elevees que celles du template. Cependant, chez les patients, les deux methodes ont detecte une diminution des valeurs de FA du FCS ipsilesionnel, qui etait correlee aux scores moteurs, mais les valeurs de FA obtenues avec le template etaient mieux correlees avec le signal BOLD genere par la main paretique. La deuxieme etude cherchait a savoir si la severite de l'aphasie post-AIC pouvait etre correlee a l'atteinte de certaines regions de la substance blanche. L'analyse voxel a voxel a permis d'identifier une zone situee a l'intersection des voies dorsale et ventrale du langage, au-dessous de la jonction temporo-parietale (JTP) gauche. La gravite des dommages dans cette region, evaluee par les valeurs de la FA, etait mieux correlee aux deficits phasiques que le volume de l'infarctus. Dans cette these, nous avons trouve que, apres un AIC, l'atteinte du FCS est un bon predicteur de la severite du deficit moteur et celle d'une region localisee au-dessous de la JTP gauche, est un bon predicteur de la severite de l'aphasie.
Effect of Treatment Duration on Pharmacokinetic/Pharmacodynamic Indices Correlating with Therapeutic Efficacy of Ceftazidime in Experimental Klebsiella pneumoniae Lung Infection

ABSTRACT The pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) indices that define the therapeutic effect of the beta-lactam ceftazidime in a rat model of Klebsiella pneumoniae lung infection were investigated in relation to treatment duration and treatment endpoint. Treatment was started 24 h after infection with dosing regimens of 3.1 up to 1,600 mg/kg of body weight/day and dosing every 6, 12, or 24 h. When animals were treated for a relatively short period of 48 h, the duration of time that unbound plasma ceftazidime levels exceeded the MIC of the antibiotic for the infecting strain was the index that best correlated with therapeutic efficacy in terms of significant bacterial killing in the infected lung (microbiological effect). The maximum effect was reached when plasma ceftazidime levels were above the MIC for 60 to 70% of the dosing interval. However, when the treatment duration was extended to a relatively long period of 18 days instead of 48 h and animal survival rate instead of microbiological efficacy was taken as the endpoint, the fAUC/MIC ratio (where AUC is the area under the concentration-time curve) was the PK/PD index that best correlated with therapeutic efficacy. The PK/PD indices that effect 50% survival of rats for the fAUC/MIC ratios were 18.0 (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 16.3 to 19.9), 20.2 (95% CI, 13.8 to 29.4), and 27.9 (95% CI, 21.3 to 36.5) for the schedules of administration of every 6, 12, and 24 h, respectively. The fAUC/MIC needed for 100% survival was >100. We conclude that the PK/PD index that best correlates with outcome is dependent on the duration of treatment and/or the parameter of outcome. The effect of long-term treatment should be studied more extensively in other models of infection.
Towards a multi-criteria analysis of linguistic summaries of time series via the measure of informativeness

We extend our previous works of deriving linguistic summaries of time series using a fuzzy logic approach. To obtain a more advanced evaluation of summaries, we perform a multi-criteria analysis of summaries by assuming as a unifying quality criterion Yager's measure of informativeness of the classic and temporal protoforms that combines in a natural way the measures of truth, focus and specificity. The use of the measure of informativeness for this purpose seems to be an effective and efficient approach, yet simple enough for practical applications. Results on the summarisation of quotations of an investment (mutual) fund are very encouraging.
Amyloid-β Peptides Are Cytotoxic to Oligodendrocytes

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive dementia. Amyloid-beta peptide (Abeta), a 39-43 amino acid peptide derived from beta-amyloid precursor protein, forms insoluble fibrillar aggregates that have been linked to neuronal and vascular degeneration in AD and cerebral amyloid angiopathy. Here we demonstrate that Abeta 1-40 and a truncated fragment, Abeta 25-35, induced death of oligodendrocytes (OLGs) in vitro in a dose-dependent manner with similar potencies. Abeta-induced OLG death was accompanied by nuclear DNA fragmentation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and cytoskeletal disintegration. Abeta activation of redox-sensitive transcription factors NF-kappaB and AP-1 and antioxidant prevention of Abeta-mediated OLG death suggest that oxidative injury contributes to Abeta cytotoxicity in OLGs. Recent demonstration of Abeta deposition and white matter abnormalities in AD implies a potential pathophysiological role for Abeta-mediated cytotoxicity of OLGs in this neurodegenerative disease.
Protection of red snapper (Lutjanus sanguineus) against Vibrio alginolyticus with a DNA vaccine containing flagellin flaA gene

Aims: The main aims of this study were to construct a DNA vaccine containing flagellin flaA gene from Vibrio alginolyticus strain HY9901 and to explore the potential application of pcDNA‐flaA as a DNA vaccine candidate for red snapper (Lutjanus sanguineus).
Finding a Path through the Health Unit: Practical Experience of Ugandan Patients 1

ABSTRACT Finding one's way through a health facility is not necessarily an easy task for Ugandan patients. Our understanding of how people succeed in doing so, and of the obstacles they encounter on their way, is incomplete if we focus only on the cognitive level of the clinical encounter. Much research in public health and medical anthropology implicitly works with the notion that agency is located in the mind and that cognitive understanding is a precondition for practice. Based on material from eastern Uganda, this article explores the practical experience of Ugandan patients and their relatives and reflects upon the ways in which this notion of agency has often caused us to confuse the spectator's point of view with the actor's point of view. Thus, as Pierre Bourdieu has argued, we are made to look for answers to “questions that practice never asks because it has no need to ask them. ”
Application of psychosocial models to Home-Based Testing and Counseling (HBTC) for increased uptake and household coverage in a large informal urban settlement in Kenya

Introduction Home Based Testing and Counselling (HBTC) aims at reaching individuals who have low HIV risk perception and experience barriers which prevent them from seeking HIV testing and counseling (HTC) services. Saturating the community with HTC is needed to achieve the ambitious 90-90-90 targets of knowledge of HIV status, ARV treatment and viral suppression. This paper describes the use of health belief model and community participation principles in HBTC to achieve increased household coverage and HTC uptake. Methods This cross sectional survey was done between August 2009 and April 2011 in Kibera slums, Nairobi city. Using three community participation principles; defining and mobilizing the community, involving the community, overcoming barriers and respect to cultural differences and four constructs of the health belief model; risk perception, perceived severity, perceived benefits of changed behavior and perceived barriers; we offered HTC services to the participants. Descriptive statistics were used to describe socio-demographic characteristics, calculate uptake and HIV prevalence. Results There were 72,577 individuals enumerated at the start of the program; 75,141 residents were found during service delivery. Of those, 71,925 (95.7%) consented to participate, out of which 71,720 (99.7%) took the HIV test. First time testers were (39%). The HIV prevalence was higher (6.4%) among repeat testers than first time testers (4.0%) with more women (7.4%) testing positive than men (3.6%) and an overall 5.5% slum prevalence. Conclusion This methodology demonstrates that the use of community participation principles combined with a psychosocial model achieved high HTC uptake, coverage and diagnosed HIV in individuals who believed they are HIV free. This novel approach provides baseline for measuring HTC coverage in a community.
Characteristics of professional organizations.

Based upon a series of previous studies and ongoing research in three diflerent organizations, this paper argues that bureaucratic theory is of limited value in the analysis of professional organizations. Professionals create their own distinctive social organization within a larger organization. A language of political process-emphasizing negotiation and shifting alliancesis more relevant to understanding such organizations.
To reduce the maximum stress and the stress shielding effect around a dental implant–bone interface using radial functionally graded biomaterials

Abstract In a dental implant system, the value of stress and its distribution plays a pivotal role on the strength, durability and life of the implant–bone system. A typical implant consists of a Titanium core and a thin layer of biocompatible material such as the hydroxyapatite. This coating has a wide range of clinical applications in orthopedics and dentistry due to its biocompatibility and bioactivity characteristics. Low bonding strength and sudden variation of mechanical properties between the coating and the metallic layers are the main disadvantages of such common implants. To overcome these problems, a radial distributed functionally graded biomaterial (FGBM) was proposed in this paper and the effect of material property on the stress distribution around the dental implant–bone interface was studied. A three-dimensional finite element simulation was used to illustrate how the use of radial FGBM dental implant can reduce the maximum von Mises stress and, also the stress shielding effect in both the cortical and cancellous bones. The results, of course, give anybody an idea about optimized behaviors that can be achieved using such materials. The finite element solver was validated by familiar methods and the results were compared to previous works in the literature.
A Novel BIST Scheme Using Test Vectors Applied by Circuit-under-Test Itself

A new built-in-self-test scheme, referred to as Test Vectors Applied by Circuit-under-Test (TVAC), is proposed in this paper. As the point of view of the paper, Circuit-under-Test (CUT) is no longer only regarded as a test object, but also a kind of available resources. By feedback connecting some of the CUTpsilas interior nodes to the input terminals, the method can generate a test set with low area overhead, short test application time, and enable at-speed testing. A ldquofeedback groupingrdquo search algorithm is presented for a given CUT and its test set. The experimental results on ISCAS85 benchmark circuits and MinTest test sets demonstrate that the proposed scheme not only can achieve almost 100% single stuck-at fault coverage, but also has an average 54.1% reduction in test pattern length compared with LFSR reseeding approaches, and an average 6.1% extra area overhead over the area of the largest five CUTs. The percentage of extra area overhead is not sensitive to the size of the CUT.
Usage of quadratic form networks for users' recognition by dynamic biometrie images

Static biometrie images are not private and may be copied to make a physical and digital stimulant without an owner being aware of it, therefore the search for efficient solutions of personal authentication via dynamic biometric characteristics is still in process. A series of computational experiments based on biometric data obtained through a handwritten signature and keystroke dynamics is carried out. In the experiment the perceptron, quadratic form networks and Chi-module functionals were used. The paper proposes to adapt the algorithm of training the perceptron according to the Russian State Standard GOST R 52633.5–2011 to set quadratic form networks. A number of errors while verifying a person by handwriting dynamics is 1%, and while authenticating a person in a two-factor mode (a handwritten signature and keystroke dynamics) is 0.31%.
Retracted: Rutin protects against cognitive deficits and brain damage in rats with chronic cerebral hypoperfusion

Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion is a critical causative factor for the development of cognitive decline and dementia in the elderly, which involves many pathophysiological processes. Consequently, inhibition of several pathophysiological pathways is an attractive therapeutic strategy for this disorder. Rutin, a biologically active flavonoid, protects the brain against several insults through its antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory properties, but its effect on cognitive deficits and brain damage caused by chronic cerebral hypoperfusion remains unknown. Here, we investigated the neuroprotective effect of rutin on cognitive impairments and the potential mechanisms underlying its action in rats with chronic cerebral hypoperfusion.
Characteristics and outcomes of breast cancer in women with and without a history of radiation for Hodgkin's lymphoma: a multi-institutional, matched cohort study.

PURPOSE To compare characteristics and outcomes of breast cancer in women with and without a history of radiation therapy (RT) for Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL). PATIENTS AND METHODS Women with breast cancer diagnosed from 1980 to 2006 after RT for HL were identified from eight North American hospitals and were matched three-to-one with patients with sporadic breast cancer by age, race, and year of breast cancer diagnosis. Information on patient, tumor and treatment characteristics, and clinical outcomes was abstracted from medical records. RESULTS A total of 253 patients with breast cancer with a history of RT for HL were matched with 741 patients with sporadic breast cancer. Median time from HL to breast cancer diagnosis was 18 years. Median age at breast cancer diagnosis was 42 years. Breast cancer after RT for HL was more likely to be detected by screening, was more likely to be diagnosed at an earlier stage, and was more likely to be bilateral at diagnosis. HL survivors had an increased risk of metachronous contralateral breast cancer (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 4.3; 95% CI, 1.7 to 11.0) and death as a result of any cause (adjusted HR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.1 to 3.3). Breast cancer-specific mortality was also elevated, but this difference was not statistically significant (adjusted HR, 1.6; 95% CI, 0.7 to 3.4). CONCLUSION In women with a history of RT for HL, breast cancer is diagnosed at an earlier stage, but these women are at greater risk for bilateral disease and are more likely to die as a result of causes other than breast cancer. Our findings support close follow-up for contralateral tumors in these patients and ongoing primary care to manage comorbid conditions.
DNA synthesis in rat liver during early stages of azo dye-induced hepatocarcinogenesis.

Summary DNA synthesis of various cell types of liver tissue from rats fed 3′-methyl-4-dimethylaminoazobenzene was studied by autoradiography after the injection of thymidine-methyl- 3 H. Livers of identical animals were used by Sneider, Bushnell, and Potter for a biochemical study involving the separation of nuclei into two classes, and the results obtained by these 2 independent methods are compared. In agreement with biochemical results, the numerical proportions of various liver cell types were altered prior to changes in DNA synthesis. DNA synthesis of bile duct cells began to increase 10 days after the start of azo dye feeding, reaching a peak on Day 14. Hepatocytes and mesenchymal cells started DNA synthesis with a lag and showed maximum proliferation on Day 17. Hemopoietic cells, showing a high labeling index, were demonstrable in the liver from Day 14 until the end of the experiment on Day 42. Prolongation of the interval between injection of tritiated thymidine and sacrifice resulted in a drop in the labeling index. Hemopoietic and bile duct cells exhibited a steep decrease, while hepatocytes and mesenchymal cells showed less reduction of the labeling index. These autoradiographic results confirm the value of the biochemical method of separating “hepatocytic” and “nonhepatocytic” nuclei from liver tissue, provided that these experiments are mainly concerned with hepatocytes. Proliferation dynamics of various subpopulations of nonhepatocytic cells during early stages of liver carcinogenesis are highly heterogeneous and require, in addition to biochemical investigation, a detailed morphological and autoradiographic analysis.
Stimulation of glutathione synthesis of in vitro matured bovine oocytes and its effect on embryo development and freezability

Glutathione (GSH) has been shown to play an important role in embryo development. In a previous study, we demonstrated that cysteamine supplementation of in vitro maturation (IVM) medium increased the intracellular GSH content in bovine oocytes and improved subsequent embryo development to the blastocyst stage. The present study was carried out to evaluate the effect of inhibition by buthionine sulfoximide (BSO) of GSH synthesis during IVM in the presence of cysteamine, on subsequent embryo development, and the effect of cysteamine during IVM on the survival of blastocysts following freezing. The effect of β‐mercaptoethanol and cysteine added to the maturation medium on GSH levels in bovine oocytes, as well as the effect of these compounds on de novo GSH synthesis by oocytes during in vitro maturation, was also studied. The inhibitory effect of BSO during in vitro maturation on GSH synthesis was also evaluated. Evidence was found confirming that GSH synthesis occurs intracellularly during IVM of oocytes and is stimulated by cysteamine, β‐mercaptoethanol and cysteine. Moreover, the present results suggest that the increase in the rate of embryo development exerted by cysteamine, when present during IVM, was due to its stimulatory effect on GSH synthesis. This increase in GSH levels during IVM improves embryo development and quality, producing more embryos reaching the blastocyst stage on day 6, those most suitable for freezing. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
C5a-dependent up-regulation in vivo of lung vascular P-selectin.

Acute lung injury in rats following systemic activation of complement by i.v. infusion of cobra venom factor (CVF) is known to be P-selectin dependent. In the current studies, infusion of CVF caused the appearance in plasma of C5a (as revealed by ELISA analysis) together with neutrophil chemotactic activity, which was totally blocked by addition in vitro of anti-rat C5a. Using a detector 125I-labeled antibody to rat P-selectin, we have demonstrated quantitative up-regulation in vivo of lung vascular P-selectin in a time-dependent manner after infusion of CVF. This up-regulation was almost completely blocked by prior complement depletion or by the infusion of anti-rat C5a. Platelet depletion did not affect CVF-induced up-regulation of lung vascular P-selectin, indicating that platelets were not the source of P-selectin. These results demonstrate that complement and, specifically, C5a are necessary for up-regulation of lung vascular P-selectin after systemic activation of complement.
Control Cell Behavior on Physical Topographical Surface

We studied the influence of the substrate topography substrate on the cell respondence. Topographical cues, independent of biochemistry, generated by the polydimethylsiloxanes (PDMS) substrate may have significant effects on cellular behavior. Mouse bone marrow stromal fibroblasts were examined on grooved substrata of equal groove and ridge width (100 µm, 30 µm depth). The phase contrast light microscopy revealed the attachment and orientation of cells on the materials used and indicated that the fibroblasts prefer to grow to confluent on the top of the ridges. This showed that the topographical surface had a profound effect on cell alignment and migration.
Antiviral activity of Aloe vera against herpes simplex virus type 2: An in vitro study

In this study we tested the antiviral activity of a crude hot glycerine extract of Aloe vera gel which was grown in Bushehr (Southwest of Iran) against HSV-2 replication in Vero cell line. The extract showed antiviral activity against HSV-2 not only before attachment and entry of virus to the Vero cells but also on post attachment stages of virus replication. The IC50 before attachment and entry of virus to the cells is 428 µg/ml and the CC50 value which is the cytotoxicity of the extract for Vero cells is 3238 µg/ml, while the calculated selectivity index (SI) is 7.56. Also, IC50 of extract on post attachment stages of replication is 536 µg/ml and the SI value for inhibition of the post attachment stages of HSV-2 replication is 6.04. Therefore, compounds of Aloe vera from Bushehr could be a good candidate as a natural source for antiviral drug development against HSV-2.