Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
COVID-19 vaccination compliance rate and self-reported post-vaccination adverse effects among the members of dental faculty in Malaysia: A cross-sectional study

Aim: To evaluate the COVID-19 vaccination compliance rate and post-vaccination Adverse Effects (AEs) among the Dental Health Care Workers (DHCW). Materials and Methods: An online, cross-sectional, self-administered, structured questionnaire was distributed to 54 DHCW at the Faculty of Dentistry, SEGI University to evaluate the demographic characteristics, history of infection, type of vaccine received, post-vaccination AEs, duration, and hospitalization. In this pilot study, a convenience sampling method was adopted and descriptive statistics was employed to describe the results. Chi-square test was used to compare the post-vaccination AEs among the CoronaVac® group, Pfizer-BioNTech group and AstraZeneca group and a p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: About 85% participants had completed the vaccination and one participant tested positive for COVID-19 after the first dose. Following the first dose, participants in Pfizer-BioNTech (88.9%) and AstraZeneca group (100%), experienced higher local AEs (pain and tenderness at the site of injection) than the CoronaVac® (33.3%) group which was statistically significant (P < 0.006). Although higher systemic AEs were observed in Pfizer-BioNTech (66.7%) and AstraZeneca vaccine (100%) than the CoronaVac® (30.6%) group, this was not significant. Similarly, after the second dose, higher percentage of participants in the Pfizer-BioNTech group experienced systemic (66.7%) and local AEs (66.7%) than CoronaVac® group. However, this was not significant too. The most common systemic AEs were fatigue and myalgia. One participant reported a mild allergic reaction and the majority of these AEs resolved in 24–48 hours after vaccination, without requiring hospitalization. Conclusions: DHCW exhibited a greater compliance rate to Covid-19 vaccination. Local AEs were more frequently encountered than the systemic ones and the common AEs were pain and tenderness at the injection site, fatigue, and myalgia. Clinical Significance: Recognizing and reporting the AEs of COVID-19 vaccines are imperative to enhance the vaccine uptake among the public.
Commentary: Wavefront aberrometry-based objective refraction – Accuracy versus convenience?

However, recently, wavefront aberrometer‐based objective refraction technology is gaining popularity over the conventional refraction methods due to the ease of performing the evaluation and reproducibility of the clinical data. This novel method is touted to give repeatable results in few seconds of evaluation time. Studies comparing objective autorefractors and conventional objective and subjective refraction indicate that these autorefractors are satisfactory for a preliminary refraction, but are not satisfactory as substitutes for subjective refraction. [1] Many studies have shown strong agreement between autorefraction and subjective refraction and less stronger agreement between wavefront aberrometer‐based refraction and subjective refraction. [2]
Tetrabutyl Ammonium Salts of Keggin-Type Vanadium-Substituted Phosphomolybdates and Phosphotungstates for Selective Aerobic Catalytic Oxidation of Benzyl Alcohol

A series of tetrabutyl ammonium (TBA) salts of V-included Keggin-type polyoxoanions with W (TBA4PW11V1O40 and TBA5PW10V2O40) and Mo (TBA4PMo11V1O40 and TBA5PMo10V2O40) as addenda atoms were prepared using a hydrothermal method. These synthesized materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), UV-Vis diffuse reflectance (DRS UV-Vis), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), CHN elemental analysis (EA), inductively coupled plasma spectrometry (ICP-MS), and N2 physisorption techniques to assess their physicochemical/textural properties and correlate them with their catalytic performances. According to FT-IR and DRS UV-Vis, (PVXW(Mo)12−XO40)(3+X)− anions are the main species present in the TBA salts. Additionally, CHN-EA and ICP-MS revealed that the desired stoichiometry was obtained. Their catalytic activities in the liquid-phase aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde were studied at 5 bar of O2 at 170 °C. Independently of the addenda atom nature, the catalytic activity increased with the number of V in the Keggin anion structure. For both series of catalysts, TBA salts of polyoxometalates with the highest V-substitution degree (TBA5PMo10V2O40 and TBA5PW10V2O40) showed higher activity. The maximum benzyl alcohol conversions obtained were 93% and 97% using (TBA)5PMo10V2O40 and (TBA)5PW10V2O40 as catalysts, respectively. In all the cases, the selectivity toward benzaldehyde was higher than 99%.
Pattern of uveitis from a tertiary eye care center in Himalayan belt of North India

Purpose: To study the clinical characteristics of uveitis in patients presenting to a tertiary care institute in the northern part of India, predominantly serving the population of Himalayan belt. Methods: In this retrospective descriptive case series, data of 141 eyes of 102 patients diagnosed between January 2019 and January 2021 were analyzed. Patients were diagnosed, named, and meshed as per the Standardization of Uveitis Nomenclature. A panel of investigations (systemic and ocular ancillary investigations) were done, which was individualized according to the clinical picture. Results: The mean age of presentation was 39.1 ± 14.62 years. A male predominance (62.7%) was noted. Unilateral presentation was seen in 61.8% of patients. Specific etiological diagnosis was not reached in 56.7% of cases. The incidence of infectious and noninfectious uveitis was 23.4% and 19.9%, respectively. The frequency of anterior, intermediate, posterior, and panuveitis was 23.4%, 11.3%, 46.8%, and 18.5%, respectively. Posterior uveitis was the most frequent anatomical location (46.8%). Tuberculous uveitis was the most common definitive etiology irrespective of location (18.5%). Anterior, intermediate, and posterior uveitis were more frequently idiopathic in origin. Sympathetic ophthalmitis was the most common cause for panuveitis. Conclusion: Uveitis significantly affected the working age group population. Despite the evolution of diagnostic investigations, etiology remained unknown in many cases of uveitis. Infectious etiology was more common. Posterior uveitis as the most frequent anatomical location in our study may be attributed to the tertiary care referral bias.
Clinical Profile of Addison’s Disease in a Tertiary Care Institute, Southern India – The Changing Landscape

Aims and Objectives: Clinical, biochemical, and radiological profiles of Addison's disease and to assess the various etiological spectrum of primary adrenal insufficiency (PAI) in adults. Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort study was carried out in the Department of Endocrinology, Madurai Medical College, Madurai between January 2014 and January 2021 over a 7-year period. Inclusion Criteria: All the patients with clinical symptoms and or signs of suspected PAI, such as hyperpigmentation, weight loss, persistent nausea or vomiting, fatigue, and hypotension, were recruited. All suspected cases underwent measurement of 8-AM plasma ACTH and cortisol levels. In possible cases and equivocal cortisol levels, patients underwent Co-syntropin/ACTH stimulation test. To know the underlying etiology of PAI, 21-hydroxylase autoantibodies (21OHAb), thyroid function test, Anti TPO, calcium, parathyroid hormone (PTH), LH and FSH, CT of chest and abdomen, and sputum AFB based on the clinical pattern of involvement were performed. Exclusion Criteria: Patients with onset of PAI at infancy and childhood, secondary adrenal insufficiency or exogenous Cushing's syndrome, and central hypocortisolism, including Sheehan's syndrome, were excluded. Results: Thirty-six patients were diagnosed with PAI in this study; 19 (53%) were females and 17 were males (47%). The median age of diagnosis was 35 years. Patients were divided into acute presentation and subacute presentation. Twenty-six patients presented with acute presentation and ten were presented with progressive evolved symptoms. Non-tuberculous etiology was the predominant finding noted in our cohort study (87%, 31 out of 36 patients). The other causes of Addison disease included isolated auto-immune PAI, polyglandular autoimmune syndrome type 1 and II, APLA Syndrome, and adrenal metastasis. Conclusion: Non-tuberculous causes of PAI are the leading etiology in our retrospective study. Autoimmune PAI and Polyglandular autoimmune syndromes are increasingly being recognized as the cause of Addison's disease. PAI individuals require lifelong surveillance for possible development of coexisting autoimmune syndromes and need for glucocorticoid/mineralocorticoid therapy.
Efficient and robust photo-based methods for precise shape and pose modeling of human subjects

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Pre-Operative Selective vs Non-Selective α-Blockade in Pheochromocytoma–Paraganglioma Patients Undergoing Surgery: A Meta-Analysis

The main objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to review, assess and report on the studies that have evaluated selective alpha blockade (SAB) vs. non-selective alpha blockade (NSAB) therapy in patients undergoing surgery for pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGL). We performed a systematic search of electronic databases. A meta-analysis was conducted to examine the effectiveness of the two blockades. RevMan 5.3 was used for the meta-analysis. Of the eight articles that met the inclusion criteria, there was only one randomized control trial. Meta-analysis showed that there was no significant difference between the groups SAB and NSAB with regard to intra-operative systolic blood pressure (SBP) >160 mm Hg (relative risk (RR) 0.95 [95% CI 0.57, 1.56] P = 0·83) and intra-operative vasopressor requirement (RR 1.10 [95% CI 0.96, 1.26] P = 0·16). Meta-analysis revealed that there was a significant difference between the groups (SAB vs NSAB) with respect to post-operative vasopressor requirement (RR 1.66 [95% CI 1.0, 2.74] P = 0·05). There was no significant difference between the groups with respect to post-operative complications (RR 0.84 [95% CI 0.58, 1.22] P = 0·36). In conclusion, as patients blocked selectively may have a higher incidence of vasodilator requirement intra-operatively, NSAB offers some haemodynamic advantage over SAB. However, NSAB's real clinical benefit cannot be ascertained with the current studies as this difference did not result in any significant advantage over SAB with regard to morbidity or mortality.
Commentary: Meibomian gland dysfunction and ocular surface analysis

Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) is characterized by obstruction of the meibomian gland terminal ducts and/or changes in their glandular secretion, resulting in changes in tear film stability, inflammation, and symptoms of irritation. [1] It is one of the most common conditions encountered by ophthalmologists and is a leading cause of evaporative dry eye disease. MGD causes certain morphological changes in the meibomian glands, including dropout, shortening, truncation, distortion, and dilation. Changes to lid morphology are a hallmark of severe MGD; however, the goal is to diagnose these patients before this end‐stage presentation. Meibography is an objective and repeatable examination method. When taken together with subjective symptoms and lid margin findings, it allows highly reliable diagnostic evaluation of MGD.
Commentary: Epidemiological study in uveitis - Does it help?

In this issue, authors have described the pattern of uveitis from a tertiary eye care center in the Himalayan belt in North India. Although the findings were more or less the same as those in regional studies done in different parts of India, several findings provided food for thought. [1] An interesting finding that grabbed my attention was that they did not find any case of Vogt–Koyanagi–Harada disease (VKH). VKH has been reported from almost all other parts of India, including in a recent study from North India. [2] Infectious uveitis was found more commonly than non‐infectious uveitis, with tuberculosis being the most common infectious etiology in this study. In recent years, tubercular uveitis has been recognized as a very common etiology in India as well as in other parts of the world. Bansal et al.[3] described a new tubercular uveitic entity, the multifocal tubercular serpiginoid choroiditis, which is now a well‐accepted phenotypic presentation of ocular tuberculosis. Gupta et al.[4] provided the predictive ocular signs of tubercular uveitis, which has helped ophthalmologists to diagnose this type of uveitis with precision. Similarly, features of sarcoid uveitis have been well elucidated, leading to increased recognition of this entity. [5] The recent revised guidelines for diagnosis of sarcoidosis will increase the detection of this condition with more accuracy. [6] The authors have noted a higher incidence of sympathetic ophthalmia in this series. Sympathetic ophthalmia due to penetrating injury has reduced considerably; however, pars plana vitrectomy is now recognized as an emerging cause for developing sympathetic ophthalmia.
Macrophages Antagonists Inhibit Replication of HIV-1 in Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor

Macrophages infected with HIV-1 produce high levels of M-CSF and macrophage-inﬂammatory protein-1 a (MIP-1 a ). M-CSF facilitates the growth and differentiation of macrophages, while the chemotactic properties of MIP-1 a attract both T lymphocytes and macrophages to the site of HIV infection. Studies described in this work indicate M-CSF may function in an autocrine/ paracrine manner to sustain HIV replication, and data suggest possible therapeutic strategies for decreasing viral load following HIV infection. We show that macrophage infection with measles virus or respiratory syncytial virus, in contrast to HIV-1, results in production of MIP-1 a , but not M-CSF. Thus, M-CSF appears to be speciﬁcally produced upon infection of macrophages with HIV-1. Furthermore, addition of M-CSF antagonists to HIV-1-infected macrophages, including anti-M-CSF monoclonal or polyclonal Abs or soluble M-CSF receptors, dramatically inhibited HIV-1 replication and reduced production of MIP-1 a . Our results suggest that biologic antagonists for M-CSF may represent novel strategies for inhibiting the spread of HIV-1 by 1) blocking virus replication in macrophages, 2) reducing recruitment of HIV-susceptible T cells and macrophages by MIP-1 a , and 3) preventing the establishment and maintenance of infected macrophages as a reservoir for HIV. The Journal of Immunology, 2000, 164: 4955–4960.
Enzymatic Degradation of the Most Common Aliphatic Bio-Polyesters and Evaluation of the Mechanisms Involved: An Extended Study

Commercial hydrolytic enzymes belonging to different subclasses (several lipases, proteinase k, cutinase) were investigated for their ability to degrade different aliphatic polyesters, i.e., poly(butylene succinate) (PBS), poly(butylene succinate-co-adipate) (PBSA), two poly(caprolactone), having two different molecular weights, poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC). The enzyme screening was first carried out by investigating the capacity of fully degrading the target polymers in 24 h, then weight loss measurements of selected polyesters and target enzymes were performed. Solid residues after enzyme degradation were characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetry (TGA). Liquid fractions were studied via GPC, 1H NMR and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). PCL and PBSA were found to be the most biodegradable polyesters, under the conditions used in this study. PBS was fully degraded only by cutinase, whereas none of the tested enzymes were able to completely degrade PLA and PPC, in the conditions assessed here. Cutinase exhibited the highest hydrolytic activity on PBSA, while lipase from Candida sp. (CALB) on low molecular weight PCL. Chemical analyses on residual solids showed that the enzymatic degradation occurred homogeneously from the surface through an erosion mechanism and did not significantly affect the macromolecular structure and thermal stability. Cleaving action mode for each enzyme (endo- and/or exo-type) on the different polyesters were also proposed based on the evaluation of the degradation products in the liquid fraction.
Clostridioides difficile Toxin B PCR Cycle Threshold as a Predictor of Toxin Testing in Stool Specimens from Hospitalized Adults

Rapid, accurate detection of Clostridioides difficile toxin may potentially be predicted by toxin B PCR cycle threshold (tcdB Ct). We investigated the validity of this approach in an inpatient adult population. Patients who tested positive by C. difficile PCR (Cepheid GeneXpert) from December 2016 to October 2020 (n = 368) at a tertiary medical center were included. All stool samples were further tested by rapid glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH)/toxin B EIA and cell cytotoxin neutralization assay (CCNA). Receiver operating characteristic curves were analyzed. The area under the curve for tcdB Ct predicting toxin result by EIA was 0.795 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.747–0.843) and by CCNA was 0.771 (95% CI 0.720–0.822). The Youden Ct cutoff for CCNA was ≤27.8 cycles (sensitivity 65.0%, specificity 77.2%). For specimens with Ct ≤ 25.0 cycles (n = 115), CCNA toxin was positive in >90%. The negative predictive value of tcdB Ct for CCNA was no greater than 80% regardless of cutoff chosen. In summary, very low Ct values (≤25.0) could have limited value as a rapid indicator of positive toxin status by CCNA in our patient population. A broad distribution of Ct values for toxin-negative and toxin-positive specimens precluded more robust prediction. Additional data are needed before broader application of Ct values from qualitatively designed assays to clinical laboratory reporting.
Investigation of ON-State Breakdown Mechanism in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs with AlGaN Back Barrier

: The temperature-dependent ON-state breakdown BV ON loci of AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) with an AlGaN back barrier were investigated using the gate current extraction technique. The impact ionization of acceptor-like traps was revealed to be responsible for the ON-state breakdown in HEMTs as a 2D electron gas (2DEG) channel is marginally turned on. The characteristic electric ﬁeld E i of impact ionization was extracted, exhibiting a U-shaped temperature dependence from 40 to − 30 ◦ C, with minimum E i occurring at − 10 ◦ C. The impurity scattering effect of acceptor-like traps in AlGaN/GaN heterostructures is suggested to be responsible for the negative temperature dependence of BV ON and E i below − 10 ◦ C.
Numerical Investigation into a New Method of Non-Axisymmetric End Wall Contouring for Axial Compressors

To deal with corner separation in high-load axial compressors, this paper proposes a new end wall contouring method aimed at controlling the end wall secondary flow in more than one local area, generating a geometry with fewer control variables that is applicable for multiple working conditions. The new method defines more than one surface unit function, with different effects on end wall secondary flow. Then, the geometry of these surface unit functions will be superposed to generate the end wall contouring, to combine their flow control effects. After applying the new method to a bi-objective optimization design process, with 15 design variables aimed at minimizing the loss of cascade at 0° and 4° incidence, the optimal design reduces the total pressure loss of the high-load cascade by 5% under the former incidence and by 3% under the latter. The most effective design rule is constructing an end wall surface with the rising suction side and sinking pressure side in the blade channel, while locally raising the SS corner with a gentle upstream slope. According to the analysis, the design variables of the new method show an intuitive influence on the variation of end wall geometry and the movement of secondary flow. The corner separation has been effectively suppressed, with fewer control variables than before. It, thus, indicates the advantage of the newly developed end wall contouring method compared with previous studies.
Quality of Work Life – A Study

The main objective or the purpose of this research is to investigate and identify the significance of work environment towards the performance and also to study the effectiveness of the QWL in the organization. Methods/Analysis:In order to meet the stated objectives a structured questionnaire was framed and data was collected using convenience sampling from 123 employees of the steel manufacturing organization in Chennai, and to study the significant association chi-square was used by the researcher. Findings:QWL of the employees of this steel company can be improved by conducting some more training classes for the employees who are falling in the category of more than 3 to 4 years of experience and >4 years of experience which would boost their self confidence and help them attain their level of satisfaction. Similarly the organization can give some more security to the employees falling in the category of 41 and above so that they feel quite secure in the hand of organization and they can give their paramount performance. Novelty/Improvement:This empirical article on Quality of Work life – A Study’s structured questionnairecan be applied as an Employee opinion Survey taken in once in 6 months on knowing the quality of work life. By doing this survey organizations can get to know the quality of work life of the employees and take necessary steps to improve the QWL among all the Employees. It also helps the employers to know that their employees who are working in their organization are happily working leading to good QWL which will boost up their performance to come happily daily to their work place.
The Influence of Liquidity and Deposit Insurance on Market Discipline at Regional Development Bank in Indonesia

: The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of liquidity on the influence of overhead, short term debt, inflation and regional growth of gross domestic product on deposit growth and interest rates as market discipline variables. In the research also use dummy variable in the form of policy of deposit insurance either implicitly or explicitly by Government of Indonesia as variable which moderate influence of liquidity to growth of deposit and interest rate. This study used 19 regional development banks in the region during the period of 2002-2014. In testing the influence of independent variable to dependent variable, this researchuse multiple linear regression fixed effect model. While the data in this research is secondary data sourced from annual report published by Bank Indonesia. The results show that liquidity is a variable that can mediate the influence of short term debt and regional growth of gross domestic product on the growth of deposits and also can mediate the influence of overhead, short term debt, inflation and regional growth of gross domestic product against interest rate. The results also show that the implementation of the deposit insurance policy explicitly is a variable that strengthens the effect of liquidity on deposit growth and interest rate.