Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Access to bone marrow transplantation for leukemia and lymphoma: the role of sociodemographic factors.

PURPOSE Use of bone marrow transplantation (BMT), a complex, costly treatment for many forms of cancers, has increased significantly in recent years. The increasingly competitive health care marketplace raises concerns about patient access to costly medical procedures such as BMT. We attempted to evaluate patient access to BMT for the treatment of leukemias and lymphomas. METHODS We analyzed inpatient hospital discharge data from four states (California, Maryland, Massachusetts, and New York) for 2 years (1988 and 1991) to examine whether the use of BMT for patients with either leukemia or lymphoma varies by sociodemographic characteristics and insurance coverage. We developed a sorting algorithm to collapse the discharge data into patient level records. We used logistic regression to analyze the odds of receiving a BMT stratified by disease type (leukemia or lymphoma). RESULTS After controlling for other factors, black patients with leukemia are 51% to 53% as likely as whites, while black patients with lymphoma are 34% to 45% as likely as white patients to undergo a BMT (P < .05). Medicaid, self-pay patients, and Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) enrollees with either leukemia or lymphoma are significantly less likely to undergo a BMT compared with patients with private insurance. Younger patients are significantly more predisposed to undergo a BMT than older patients. The odds of receiving a BMT have increased over time, but the rates of increase vary by state. Consistent with clinical expectations, the relative odds of BMT vary significantly by type of leukemia or lymphoma. CONCLUSION Substantial variation exists in access to BMT for patients with either leukemia or lymphoma. Black patients, those enrolled in HMOs, those covered by Medicaid, and self-pay patients were less likely to receive a BMT when admitted for either leukemia or lymphoma. These findings raise concerns about access to cancer treatments for patients in the current health care system.
The Application of Clinical Genetics Dovepress 22q11 Deletion Syndrome: Current Perspective

Chromosome 22q11 is characterized by the presence of chromosome-specific low-copy repeats or segmental duplications. This region of the chromosome is very unstable and susceptible to mutations. The misalignment of low-copy repeats during nonallelic homologous recombination leads to the deletion of the 22q11.2 region, which results in 22q11 deletion syndrome (22q11DS). The 22q11.2 deletion is associated with a wide variety of phenotypes. The term 22q11DS is an umbrella term that is used to encompass all 22q11.2 deletion-associated phenotypes. The haploinsufficiency of genes located at 22q11.2 affects the early morphogen-esis of the pharyngeal arches, heart, skeleton, and brain. TBX1 is the most important gene for 22q11DS. This syndrome can ultimately affect many organs or systems; therefore, it has a very wide phenotypic spectrum. An increasing amount of information is available related to the pathogenesis, clinical phenotypes, and management of this syndrome in recent years. This review summarizes the current clinical and genetic status related to 22q11DS.
New Facts in Regression Estimation under Conditions of Multicollinearity

This paper considers the approaches and methods for reducing the influence of multi-collinearity. Great attention is paid to the question of using shrinkage estimators for this purpose. Two classes of regression models are investigated, the first of which corresponds to systems with a negative feedback, while the second class presents systems without the feedback. In the first case the use of shrinkage estimators, especially the Principal Component estimator, is inappropriate but is possible in the second case with the right choice of the regularization parameter or of the number of principal components included in the regression model. This fact is substantiated by the study of the distribution of the random variable , where b is the LS estimate and β is the true coefficient, since the form of this distribution is the basic characteristic of the specified classes. For this study, a regression approximation of the distribution of the event based on the Edgeworth series was developed. Also, alternative approaches are examined to resolve the multicollinearity issue, including an application of the known Inequality Constrained Least Squares method and the Dual estimator method proposed by the author. It is shown that with a priori information the Euclidean distance between the estimates and the true coefficients can be significantly reduced.
Using Ketamine and Propofol for Procedural Sedation of Adults in the Emergency Department: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Purpose: Ketamine-propofol combination (ketofol) is being used to provide a safe and effective procedural sedation (PS) in emergency department (ED) and may theoretically have beneficial effects since using lower doses of each drug may result in a reduction of the adverse events of both agents while maintaining optimal conditions for performing procedures. This systematic review was conducted to evaluate the efficacy, advantages and disadvantages of these two drugs for PS. Methods: The PRISMA statement was used for this systematic review. We searched the databases of PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest, Medline (Ovid) from 1990 to August 2017 for randomized clinical trials (RCTs) in which the study population aged ≥18 and was referred to ED. Full-texts of the studies performed in adults that were published in English were reviewed for inclusion. Both authors independently evaluated all studies. Five articles were eligible for the meta-analysis based on their common outcomes. Results: The total number of subjects was 1250, of which 635 were treated with propofol and 615 were treated with ketofol. Although two of the five studies showed a better quality of sedation with ketofol, the other three did not find any significant difference between propofol and ketofol. This systematic review found a lower incidence of respiratory adverse effects in ketofol group than propofol group. Conclusion:Ketamine/propofol mixture (ketofol) has less respiratory adverse effects than propofol alone in ED procedural sedation.
Macroeconomic Uncertainty and Private Investment in Developing Countries: An Empirical Investigation

The impact of uncertainty on investment has attracted considerable attention in the analytical and empirical macroeconomic literature. In theory, however, uncertainty can affect investment through different channels, some of which operate in mutually opposing direction. So, the sigh of its overall effect is ambiguous and can be assessed only empirically. To thoroughly assess the impact of macroeconomic uncertainty on private investment, the author uses a large panel data set on developing countries. He draws a distinction between sample variability and uncertainty, constructs alternative measure of the volatility of innovations to five key macroeconomic variables (inflation, growth, the terms of trade, the real exchange rate, and the price of capital goods), and examines their association with aggregate private investment. He then adds these constructed measures to an empirical investment equation that is estimated using alternative panel data econometric methods, allowing for simultaneity, country-specific effects, and parameter heterogeneity across countries. The results underscore the robustness of the link between investment and uncertainty. Virtually all of the volatility measures in the paper show a strong negative association with investment ratios. In addition, the regression estimates indicate that uncertainty has an adverse direct impact on investment, over and above any indirect effect that might also be at work. This finding is particularly robust in the case of real exchange rate volatility, which invariably has a robust negative effect on investment, regardless of econometric specification.
Climacteric and menopause: knowledge and conduct of nurses working in Primary Health Care

Objective: to identify the knowledge and conduct of nurses who work in Primary Health Care about climacteric and menopause. Method: descriptive, exploratory study, of qualitative approach, carried out with 15 nurses from the municipality of Pesqueira, Pernambuco, Brazil. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using the Bardin method. Results: limited knowledge was identified regarding the definition of climacteric, menopause and characteristic signs and symptoms, as well as the vaginal hormone replacement therapy. The recruitment of these women for nurse consultations happened by spontaneous demand and when performing the colpocytopathological examination. Conclusion: knowledge about climacteric is limited in nurses' practices in addressing women who are going through this stage. In order to minimize the gaps related to professional ignorance, it is relevant to continue studies on assistance to this public. la realización de una prueba de Papanicolaou. Conclusión: el conocimiento sobre el climaterio es limitado en las prácticas de enfermería en el abordaje de mujeres que pasan por esta fase. En la búsqueda de minimizar las lagunas relacionadas con el desconocimiento profesional, es importante continuar los estudios sobre la atención a este público.
Journal of Socioeconomics and Development

Small-scale fishermen from Watu Ulo, Jember, Indonesia use very simple fishing gear and small boats use nets. Thus, they receive a low catch and affect their well-being. This study aims to analyze the factors that can affect the income and expenditure of fishers’ households. This study interviewed fishermen in Watu Ulo Hamlet, Ambulu District, using simple random sampling. The analytical method in this study used the Two-stage Least Square (2SLS) method to estimate the parameters of the equation. The results showed that the fishing income was influenced by the selling price of the fish and fishing production. Non-fishing income was influenced by total household income and fishermen's education. Husband's work at sea did not affect non-fishing income. Meanwhile, there were two factors that affected fishermen's household expenditures. Food expenditure was influenced by total household income, number of family members, and rice expenditure. Moreover, non-food expenditure was influenced by total household income, the number of schoolchildren, and customs. This study suggests that fishermen need to diversify their income sources into processed goods so that they can be sold in markets or shops. Such effort can increase the income of fisherman households.
Etiology of community-acquired pneumonia in Western Australian metropolitan hospitals: Missed opportunities for pneumococcal vaccination

Background and Objectives: Community-Acquired Pneumonia (CAP) is a leading cause of hospitalization and death worldwide. Knowledge of local pathogens guides antimicrobial treatment, however the etiology of CAP in Western Australia has not been well studied. We hypothesized that Streptococcus pneumonia, Chlamydia pneumonia, Mycoplasma pneumonia and respiratory viruses would be common pathogens detected in patients hospitalized with CAP. We further hypothesized that the pneumococcal vaccination would impact upon rates of Streptococcus pneumonia detection. Methods: A retrospective analysis of two hospital medical record databases identified all patients 18 years or older admitted with CAP in 2015. Patients with recent hospitalization, significant immune suppression, chronic respiratory disease or active cancer were excluded. All investigations ordered during admission were reviewed. Results: 184 patients met the necessary criteria with radiographic evidence and clinical features of CAP. Mean age was 66 years (range, 20-96), 19 patients required admission to intensive care and 3 patients died. There were 75 pathogens detected in 55 patients (30%). The most common pathogens detected were influenza virus (7%), Streptococcus pneumonia (7%) and Haemophilus influenza (7%). Only one of seven ‘high-risk’ patients with isolated Streptococcus pneumonia was appropriately vaccinated. Conclusions: Causative agents were not detected in the majority of patients. Bacteria were most frequently detected, however influenza virus was the most common single pathogen detected. There were missed opportunities in administering pneumococcal vaccinations in the community. We believe a prospective study ensuring consistent and updated diagnostic protocols is overdue. Adam Trytell1*, Kathryn Hird1, Peter Bremner2 and Eli Gabbay1,2 1Department of Respiratory Physician, University of Notre Dame Australia, Australia 2Department of Respiratory Physician, St John of God Health Care, Australia
Resonant mode calculations of contoured doubly-rotated quartz crystals using a variational approach

A technique has been developed using variational calculus for calculating resonant modes in doubly-rotated contoured quartz crystal. Basis functions used are similar to past analytical solutions for the slow-shear, fast-shear, and extensional thickness modes. Flexural motion is included in the analysis to ensure rotational balance. Calculated frequencies and mode shapes are consistent with past analytical results for trapped modes. However the present approach includes coupling between the different mode families. In addition, mode shapes are available for weakly trapped modes that are not predicted by past analytical methods. The present approach offers the future opportunity to analyze the impact of loss of symmetry of the crystal from electrode patterns and imperfect contouring processes.
Extremal, Nodal and Stable Solutions for Nonlinear Elliptic Equations

Abstract We consider Dirichlet p-Laplacian equations which may be resonant with respect to the principal eigenvalue at ±∞. We show the existence of extremal nontrivial constant sign solutions and of nodal solutions. In the semilinear case (p = 2) we produce additional nodal solutions. We show that certain parametric equations (eigenvalue problems) studied in the past, are a special case of our multiplicity theorem. Finally, we establish the stability of the extremal solutions.
Classification Stability for Sparse-Modeled Signals

Despite their impressive performance, deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have been shown to be sensitive to small adversarial perturbations. These nuisances, which one can barely notice, are powerful enough to fool sophisticated and well performing classifiers, leading to ridiculous misclassification results. In this paper we analyze the stability of state-of-the-art classification machines to adversarial perturbations, where we assume that the signals belong to the (possibly multi-layer) sparse representation model. We start with convolutional sparsity and then proceed to its multi-layered version, which is tightly connected to CNNs. Our analysis links between the stability of the classification to noise and the underlying structure of the signal, quantified by the sparsity of its representation under a fixed dictionary. Our claims can be translated to a practical regularization term that provides a new interpretation to the robustness of Parseval Networks. Also, the proposed theory justifies the increased stability of the recently emerging layered basis pursuit architectures, when compared to the classic forward-pass.
Staining ability of herbal tea preparations on a nano-filled composite restorative material – an in-vitro study

Background: Discoloration of tooth-colored restorations due to various factors is one of the principal causes behind the failure of aesthetics. There has been an surge in the consumption of herbal beverages in recent times and the dietary factors play a potential role in the discoloration tooth-coloured restorations. This study was done to juxtapose the staining ability of green tea (GT), moringa tea (MT), and hibiscus tea (HT) on a nano-filled composite restorative material. Methods: The study was conducted in-vitro on composite samples prepared using moulds. 112 discs were prepared from Filtek TM Z350XT composite using a brass mould lined with mylar strips. Samples were divided into GT, MT, HT, and artificial saliva (AS) groups and immersed in freshly prepared beverages for 15 minutes each day for 45 days. Digital reflectance spectrophotometer was utilized to record color at baseline, 30, and 45 days. Repeated-measures ANOVA with a post-hoc Bonferroni test was used to compare groups within each group. ANOVA with a post-hoc Games Howell test was used to compare mean differences in ΔE among the groups. Results: Maximum discoloration was observed in the GT, followed by HT and MT, with the least being in the AS group at the end of 30 and 45 days (P<0.001 and P<0.001) respectively. Conclusions: The universal nano-filled composite material showed clinically detectable discoloration when exposed to Green Tea, Hibiscus Tea, and Moringa Tea which increased with time. Herbal beverages have the potential to cause discoloration of the composite resin which is often the choice of material for anterior aesthetic restorations.
Feasibility, usability and acceptability of a novel digital hybrid-system for reporting of routine health information in Southern Tanzania A mixed-methods study

Background: Health information systems are important for health planning and monitoring of progress. Still, data from health facilities are often of limited quality in Low-and-Middle-Income Countries. Quality deficits are partially rooted in the fact that paper-based documentation is still the norm at facility level, leading to mistakes in summarizing and manual copying. Digitalization of data at facility level would allow automatization of these procedural steps. Here we aimed to evaluate the feasibility, usability and acceptability of a scanning innovation called Smart Paper Technology for digital data processing. Methods: We used a mixed-methods design to understand users' engagement with Smart Paper Technology and to identify potential positive and negative effects of this innovation in three health facilities in Southern Tanzania. Eight focus group discussions and 11 in-depth interviews with users were conducted. We quantified time used by health care providers for documentation and patient care using time-motion methods. Thematic analysis was used to analyze qualitative data. Descriptive statistics and multivariable linear models were generated to compare the difference before and after introduction and adjust for confounders. Results: Health care providers and health care managers appreciated the forms' simple design features and perceived Smart Paper Technology as time-saving and easy to use. The time-motion study with 273.3 and 224.0 hours of observations before and after introduction of Smart Paper Technology, respectively, confirmed that working time spent on documentation did not increase (27.0% at baseline and 26.4% post-introduction; adjusted p=0.763). Time spent on patient care was not negatively impacted (26.9% at baseline and 37.1% at post-intervention; adjusted p=0.001). Health care providers described positive effects on their accountability for data and service provision relating to the fact that individually signed forms were filled. Discussion: Health care providers perceived Smart Paper Technology as feasible, easy to integrate and acceptable in their setting, particularly as it did not add time to documentation.
Hardy inequalities on metric measure spaces, III: The case $q\leq p<0$ and applications

In this paper, we obtain a reverse version of the integral Hardy inequality on metric measure space with two negative exponents. Also, as for applications we show the reverse Hardy-Littlewood-Sobolev and the Stein-Weiss inequalities with two negative exponents on homogeneous Lie groups and with arbitrary quasi-norm, the result which appears to be new already in the Euclidean space. This work further complements the ranges of $p$ and $q$ (namely, $q\leq p<0$) considered in \cite{RV} and \cite{RV21}, where one treated the cases $1q$, respectively.
Synthesis of Hollow Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles by Silica-Etching Chemistry for Biomedical Applications

With the fast development of mesoporous materials for biomedical applications, many requirements on the morphology and structure of materials have been proposed [1−3]. Scientists need to design and fabricate mesoporous nanomaterials with unique functionalities based on the principles of chemical synthesis. Numerous studies have demonstrated that the performance of mesoporous silicabased material systems is strongly related to the composition, morphology, and structure of fabricated materials [4−7]. Therefore, mesoporous silica with diverse morphologies have been designed and synthesized, such as spherical, rod, fiber, tube, sheet, polyhedral shape, etc. [8]. The regulation of the morphologies of mesoporous silica is important in nanomedicine and nanobiotechnology because mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) with different morphologies show significantly different biological behaviors [9–11]. In addition, the particle sizes of MSNs strongly influence their in vivo bio-distributions and excretions [12, 13]. Among MSNs with abundant morphologies and nanostructures, hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (designated as HMSNs) have attracted tremendous attentions due to their unique hollow and mesoporous nanostructure [14−17]. The large hollow interiors of HMSNs leave more room for the loading of guest molecules compared to traditional MSNs. Thus, HMSNs show the high drug-loading capacity. The well-defined mesopores within the shell provide the diffusion path for guest molecules. In addition, the abundant surface chemistry of HMSNs make the surface engineering/modification possible such as PEGylation or targeting modification. On this ground, it is of high significance to design and fabricate HMSNs based on the principle of organic–inorganic nanosynthetic chemistry. Prof. Shi’s group is one of the earliest research teams to prepare MSNs with large hollow interior and ordered mesopores [18, 19]. Their preliminary applications in biomedicine were also conducted. It was found that the large Chapter 2 Synthesis of Hollow Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles by Silica-Etching Chemistry for Biomedical Applications