Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Ideal Hospital Discharge Summary: A Survey of U.S. Physicians

Supplemental digital content is available in the text. Background Hospital discharge summaries enable communication between inpatient and outpatient physicians. Despite existing guidelines for discharge summaries, they are frequently suboptimal. Objective The aim of this study was to assess physicians’ perspectives about discharge summaries and the differences between summaries’ authors (hospitalists) and readers (primary care physicians [PCPs]). Methods A national survey of 1600 U.S. physicians was undertaken. Primary measures included physicians’ preferences in discharge summary standardization, content, format, and audience. Results A total of 815 physicians responded (response rate = 51%). Eighty-nine percent agreed that discharge summaries “should have a standardized format. ” Most agreed that summaries should “document everything that was done, found, and recommended in the hospital” (64%) yet “only include details that are highly pertinent to the hospitalization” (66%). Although 74% perceived patients as an important audience of discharge summaries, only 43% agreed that summaries “should be written in language that patients…can easily understand,” and 68% agreed that it “should be written solely for provider-to-provider communication. ” Compared with hospitalists, PCPs preferred comprehensive summaries (68% versus 59%, P = 0.002). More PCPs agreed that separate summaries should be created for patients and for provider-to-provider communication than hospitalists (60% versus 47%, P < 0.001). Compared with PCPs, more hospitalists believe that “hospitalists are too busy to prepare a high-quality discharge summary” (44% versus 23%, P < 0.001) and “PCPs have insufficient time to read an entire discharge summary” (60% versus 38%, P < 0.001). Conclusions Physicians believe that discharge summaries should have a standardized format but do not agree on how comprehensive or in what format they should be. Efforts are necessary to build consensus toward the ideal discharge summary.
Measuring Persistence to Oral Hypoglycemic Agents in Type 2 Diabetic Veterans

Background: Medication adherence is essential for diabetes control but difficult to measure. Persistence, the continuous refill of medications, is one measurement that could be integrated into practice, but concordance among definitions of persistence is unclear. Objective: To compare persistence patterns in the use of oral hypoglycemic agents by diabetic veterans in the first year of treatment, using 2 separate refill metrics. Methods: Eligible veterans were 18 years or older and had filled at least one prescription for any nondiabetes drug during the 6 months preceding study entry. Study entry was the date that patients first filled a prescription for oral hypoglycemic agents between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2002. Persistence was defined as (1) total days (days' supply/study period) and (2) continuous fill (days' supply/refill interval). Results: Inclusion criteria were met by 110,554 veterans. They had a median age of 63 years, 97% were male, and most had multiple comorbidities. Most patients received only one oral hypoglycemic agent. When total days was used, median persistence at 1 year was 83%, with 45% of subjects demonstrating poor persistence (<80%). When continuous fill was used, median persistence was 0.99, and 24% had poor persistence. Both metrics decreased over time. Continuous fill produced higher persistence estimates and a substantial proportion of overpersistence (>24% of patients). The 2 measures had a kappa agreement statistic of 0.56 (95% CI 0.55 to 0.57). Conclusions: Although both metrics showed similar trajectories over time, more conservative estimates, ease of calculation, and transparency favor total days over continuous fill. Continuous fill revealed substantial overpersistence, which should be considered separately from good persistence. Explicit definitions of persistence are necessary to enhance comparisons among refill studies and provide context for clinical applications.
Risk factors related to poor outcome after methanol poisoning and the relation between outcome and antidotes – a multicenter study

Introduction. Thorough prognostic and metabolic studies of methanol poisonings are scarce. Our aims were to evaluate the factors associated with sequelae and death from methanol poisoning, to develop a simple risk-assessment chart to evaluate factors associated with sequelae and death from methanol poisoning, and to compare the antidotes ethanol and fomepizole. Patients and methods. We present a retrospective observational case series of methanol-poisoned patients from Norway (1979 and 2002–2005), Estonia (2001) and Tunisia (2003/2004), and patients from two different centers in Iran (Teheran 2004–2009 and Mashhad 2009–2010) who were identified by a positive serum methanol and had a blood acid-base status drawn on admission. The patients were divided into different groups according to their outcome: Survived, survived with sequelae, and died. Results. A total of 320 patients were identified and 117 were excluded. Of the remaining 203 patients, 48 died, and 34 were discharged with neurological sequelae. A pH < 7.00 was found to be the strongest risk factor for poor outcome, along with coma (Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) < 8) and a pCO2 ≥ 3.1 kPa in spite of a pH < 7.00. More patients died despite hyperventilation (low pCO2) in the ethanol group. Conclusions. Low pH (pH < 7.00), coma (GCS < 8), and inadequate hyperventilation (pCO2 ≥ 3.1 kPa in spite of a pH < 7.00) on admission were the strongest predictors of poor outcome after methanol poisoning. A simple flow-chart may help identify the patients associated with a poor outcome.
In Vivo Assessment of Brain White Matter Inflammation in Multiple Sclerosis with 18F-PBR111 PET

PET radioligand binding to the 18-kD translocator protein (TSPO) in the brains of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) primarily reflects activated microglia and macrophages. We previously developed genetic stratification for accurate quantitative estimation of TSPO using second-generation PET radioligands. In this study, we used 18F-PBR111 PET and MR imaging to measure relative binding in the lesional, perilesional, and surrounding normal-appearing white matter of MS patients, as an index of the innate immune response. Methods: 18F-PBR111 binding was quantified in 11 MS patients and 11 age-matched healthy volunteers, stratified according to the rs6971 TSPO gene polymorphism. Fluid-attenuated inversion recovery and magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) MR imaging were used to segment the white matter in MS patients as lesions, perilesional volumes, nonlesional white matter with reduced MTR, and nonlesional white matter with normal MTR. Results: 18F-PBR111 binding was higher in the white matter lesions and perilesional volumes of MS patients than in white matter of healthy controls (P < 0.05). Although there was substantial heterogeneity in binding between different lesions, a within-subject analysis showed higher 18F-PBR111 binding in MS lesions (P < 0.05) and in perilesional (P < 0.05) and nonlesional white matter with reduced MTR (P < 0.005) than in nonlesional white matter with a normal MTR. A positive correlation was observed between the mean 18F-PBR111 volume of distribution increase in lesions relative to nonlesional white matter with a normal MTR and the MS severity score (Spearman ρ = 0.62, P < 0.05). Conclusion: This study demonstrates that quantitative TSPO PET with a second-generation radioligand can be used to characterize innate immune responses in MS in vivo and provides further evidence supporting an association between the white matter TSPO PET signal in lesions and disease severity. Our approach is practical for extension to studies of the role of the innate immune response in MS for differentiation of antiinflammatory effects of new medicines and their longer term impact on clinical outcome.
A prospective comparison of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and whole-body planar radiographs in the assessment of bone disease in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Bone lesions in multiple myeloma (MM) have been traditionally detected by whole body X-ray (WBXR) survey although magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become the gold standard for detecting MM involvement of the spine and pelvis. The aim of this study was to compare a new technique, positron emission tomography (PET) with 18F fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) integrated with computed tomography (18F-FDG PET-CT), with MRI and WBXR for baseline assessment of bone disease in MM. DESIGN AND METHODS We prospectively compared 18F-FDG PET-CT, MRI of the spine-pelvis and WBXR in a series of 46 patients with newly diagnosed MM. In 23 patients who received up front autologous transplantation, we also compared post-treatment PET-CT scans with MR images of the spine and pelvis. RESULTS Overall, PET-CT was superior to planar radiographs in 46% of patients, including 19% with negative WBXR. In 30% of patients, PET-CT scans of the spine and pelvis failed to show abnormal findings in areas in which MRI revealed an abnormal pattern of bone marrow involvement, more frequently of diffuse type. In contrast, in 35% of patients PET-CT enabled the detection of myelomatous lesions in areas which were out of the field of view of MRI. By combining MRI of the spine- pelvis and 18F-FDG PET-CT, the ability to detect sites of active MM, both medullary and extramedullary, was as high as 92%. Following transplantation, 15 patients had negative PET-CT scans (including 13 with a very good partial response or at least a near complete response), but only 8 had normal MRI. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS MRI of the spine and pelvis still remains the gold standard imaging technique for the detection of bone marrow involvement in MM. 18F-FDG PET-CT provides additional and valuable information for the assessment of myeloma bone disease in areas not covered by MRI.
The Current Status of Quality of Reporting in Acupuncture Treatment Case Reports: An Analysis of the Core Journal in Korea

Objectives The present study aimed to evaluate the overall quality of case reports concerning acupuncture treatment in Korea. Methods We selected a representative Korean journal and retrieved eligible case reports on acupuncture treatment published from 2009 to 2015. We assessed the quality of reporting based on CAse REport (CARE) and STandards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA) guideline checklists. Results A total of 93 eligible case reports of acupuncture treatment were identified among the 107 articles screened. Overall quality of reporting in the case reports was generally acceptable (75.4% on CARE, 67.7% on STRICTA), but several crucial items remained substantially underreported. Conclusions Endorsement of the CARE and STRICTA guidelines is needed to improve the completeness of reporting. Our findings will be helpful in developing a more appropriate reporting guideline for case reports in acupuncture treatment.
Aromatic l‐Amino Acid Decarboxylase Activity of the Rat Retina Is Modulated In Vivo by Environmental Light Maria Hadjiconstantinou

Abstract: Aromatic l‐amino acid decarboxylase (AAAD) activity of rat retina is low in animals placed in the dark. When the room lights are turned on, activity rises for almost 3 h and reaches values that are about twice the values found in the dark. A study of the kinetics of the enzyme revealed that the apparent Km values for l‐3,4‐dihydroxyphenylalanine and pyridoxal‐5′‐phosphate were unchanged in light‐ and dark‐exposed animals, whereas the Vmax increased in the light. Treating the animals with cycloheximide before exposure to light prevented the increase of enzyme activity. Immunoti‐tration with antibodies to AAAD suggested that more enzyme molecules are present in the light than in the dark. When the room lights are turned off AAAD activity drops rapidly at first and then more slowly, suggesting that at least two processes are responsible for the fall of enzyme activity. Exposure to short periods of dark followed by light results in a rapid increase of AAAD activity. Mixing homogenates from light‐and dark‐exposed rats results in activity values that are less than expected, suggesting the presence of an endogenous in‐hibitor(s). These studies demonstrate that AAAD activity is modulated in vivo.
Under the Shadow of Sunshine: Characterizing Spam Campaigns Abusing Phone Numbers Across Online Social Networks

Cybercriminals abuse Online Social Networks (OSNs) to lure victims into a variety of spam. Among different spam types, a less explored area is OSN abuse that leverages the telephony channel to defraud users. Phone numbers are advertized via OSNs, and users are tricked into calling these numbers. To expand the reach of such scam / spam campaigns, phone numbers are advertised across multiple platforms like Facebook, Twitter, GooglePlus, Flickr, and YouTube. In this paper, we present the first data-driven characterization of cross-platform campaigns that use multiple OSN platforms to reach their victims and use phone numbers for monetization. We collect ∼ 23M posts containing ∼ 1.8M unique phone numbers from Twitter, Facebook, GooglePlus, Youtube, and Flickr over a period of six months. Clustering these posts helps us identify 202 campaigns operating across the globe with Indonesia, United States, India, and United Arab Emirates being the most prominent originators. We find that even though Indonesian campaigns generate highest volume ( ∼ 3.2M posts), only 1.6% of the accounts propagating Indonesian campaigns have been suspended so far. By examining campaigns running across multiple OSNs, we discover that Twitter detects and suspends ∼ 93% more accounts than Facebook. Therefore, sharing intelligence about abuse-related user accounts across OSNs can aid in spam detection. According to our dataset, around ∼ 35K victims and ∼ $8.8M could have been saved if intelligence was shared across the OSNs. By analyzing phone number based spam campaigns running on OSNs, we highlight the unexplored variety of phone-based attacks surfacing on OSNs.
Has the Long-Term Reversal Reversed? Evidence from Country Equity Indices

This study reexamines the long-term reversal anomaly across international stock market indices. We investigate a comprehensive and up-to-date sample of 74 countries for the years 1995-2015. By controlling for country-level value, size and momentum effects, we provide convincing evidence that the long-run reversal effect has reversed in the examined period, so that past winners outperform losers. The outcomes are robust to impact of country-specific tax rates on dividends, different portfolio weighting schemes or alternative sorting periods. The “reverse reversal anomaly” is strongest for large markets, nonetheless it is observable in a broad range of subsets, independently of market liquidity, level of development, country financial openness, pricing or short term past performance.
A Hydrogen-Bonded Polar Network in the Core of the Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Is a Fulcrum for Biased Agonism: Lessons from Class B Crystal Structures

The glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor is a class B G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that is a key target for treatments for type II diabetes and obesity. This receptor, like other class B GPCRs, displays biased agonism, though the physiologic significance of this is yet to be elucidated. Previous work has implicated R2.60190, N3.43240, Q7.49394, and H6.52363 as key residues involved in peptide-mediated biased agonism, with R2.60190, N3.43240, and Q7.49394 predicted to form a polar interaction network. In this study, we used novel insight gained from recent crystal structures of the transmembrane domains of the glucagon and corticotropin releasing factor 1 (CRF1) receptors to develop improved models of the GLP-1 receptor that predict additional key molecular interactions with these amino acids. We have introduced E6.53364A, N3.43240Q, Q7.49394N, and N3.43240Q/Q7.49394N mutations to probe the role of predicted H-bonding and charge-charge interactions in driving cAMP, calcium, or extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling. A polar interaction between E6.53364 and R2.60190 was predicted to be important for GLP-1- and exendin-4-, but not oxyntomodulin-mediated cAMP formation and also ERK1/2 phosphorylation. In contrast, Q7.49394, but not R2.60190/E6.53364 was critical for calcium mobilization for all three peptides. Mutation of N3.43240 and Q7.49394 had differential effects on individual peptides, providing evidence for molecular differences in activation transition. Collectively, this work expands our understanding of peptide-mediated signaling from the GLP-1 receptor and the key role that the central polar network plays in these events.
The balance of payments constrained growth model with sustainable debt accumulation, interest payments and the terms of trade: evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa

The relevance of a demand-led growth model for long run economic growth is tested for the sub-Saharan African region using an augmented balance of payments constrained growth model which allows for sustainable debt accumulation, interest rate payments and the terms of trade movements. An autoregressive distributive lag (ARDL) model is used to estimate the model for 22 sub-Saharan African economies. Different specifications of the balance of payments constrained growth model are estimated and compared. The results indicate that the region was balance of payments constrained between the 1960 to 2014 period. In addition, the model which allows for sustainable debt accumulation and interest rate payments abroad best explained the growth experience of the region.
Customized exposure strategies for manufacturing hybrid parts by combining laser beam melting and sheet metal forming

Subjects of this work are the mechanical, geometrical, and microstructural properties of hybrid parts from Ti6Al4V sheet metal bending and laser beam melting (LBM) in dependence of the extended LBM process parameters. In this context, the effects of different laser exposure strategies for the interface area to increase the reproducibility of the joint strength are investigated. Also, the effect of varying scan patterns and two different laser beam sources (Gaussian beam profile, spot size: 120 μm, maximum laser power: 400 W and irregular beam profile, spot size: 680 μm, maximum laser power: 1000 W) on the LBM process and the resulting distortion of the parts are examined. Furthermore, three heat-treatment temperatures at 450, 850, and 1050 °C were applied to the hybrid samples, resulting in variable microstructures and different mechanical properties for the sheet metal body and the LBM structure.Subjects of this work are the mechanical, geometrical, and microstructural properties of hybrid parts from Ti6Al4V sheet metal bending and laser beam melting (LBM) in dependence of the extended LBM process parameters. In this context, the effects of different laser exposure strategies for the interface area to increase the reproducibility of the joint strength are investigated. Also, the effect of varying scan patterns and two different laser beam sources (Gaussian beam profile, spot size: 120 μm, maximum laser power: 400 W and irregular beam profile, spot size: 680 μm, maximum laser power: 1000 W) on the LBM process and the resulting distortion of the parts are examined. Furthermore, three heat-treatment temperatures at 450, 850, and 1050 °C were applied to the hybrid samples, resulting in variable microstructures and different mechanical properties for the sheet metal body and the LBM structure.
Software Artefacts Consistency Management towards Continuous Integration: A Roadmap

Software development in DevOps practices has become popular with the collaborative intersection between development and operations teams. The notion of DevOps practices drives the software artefacts changes towards continuous integration and continuous delivery pipeline. Subsequently, traceability management is essential to handle frequent changes with rapid software evolution. This study explores the process and approaches to manage traceability ensuring the artefact consistency towards CICD in DevOps practice. We address the key notions in traceability management process including artefact change detection, change impact analysis, consistency management, change propagation and visualization. Consequently, we assess the applicability of existing change impact analysis models in DevOps practice. This study identifies the conceptualization of the traceability management process, explores the state-of-art solutions and suggests possible research directions. This study shows that the lack of support in heterogeneous artefact consistency management with well-defined techniques. Most of the related models are limited with the industry-level applicability in DevOps practice. Accordingly, there is inadequate tool support to manage traceability between heterogeneous artefacts. This study identifies the challenges in managing software artefact consistency and suggests possible research directions that can be applied to manage the traceability in the process of software development in DevOps practice.
Evaluation of Structural and Mechanical Properties of Porous Artificial Bone Scaffolds Fabricated via Advanced TBA-Based Freeze-Gel Casting Technique

Porous hydroxyapatite (HA) artificial bone scaffolds were prepared via the freeze-gel casting process in order to improve their mechanical strengths. As a porogen, various volumes of poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) powders were added to obtain high porosity, such as in cancellous bone. After fabrication, the porous and mechanical properties of the scaffolds were examined. The HA60 scaffold, with a porosity over 80%, had proper compressive strength and modulus and satisfied the range of properties of cancellous bone. Moreover, it was found that the investigated mechanical properties were affected by the scaffolds’ porosity. However, a section was found where the compressive strength was high despite the increase in the porosity. Specifically, HA30 had a porosity of 62.9% and a compressive strength of 1.73 MPa, whereas the values for HA60 were 81.9% and 3.23 MPa, respectively. The results indicate that there are factors that can preserve the mechanical properties even if the porosity of the scaffold increases. Therefore, in this study, various parameters affecting the porous and mechanical properties of the scaffolds during the manufacturing process were analyzed. It is expected that the improvement in the mechanical properties of the artificial bone scaffold having a high porosity can be applied to tissue engineering.
The problem is obvious, the solution is not: numbers do matter in cardiac cell therapy!

This editorial refers to an article by Z. Pasha et al. [7][1] published in Cardiovascular Research in 2008. It is accompanied by a retrospective editorial by two of the authors of that original article, Z. Pasha and M. Ashraf (doi:10.1093/cvr/cvs209), as part of this Spotlight on Landmark Papers in Cardiovascular Research . Cardiac cell therapy was first proposed in 1992 to be a valuable treatment option for myocardial infarction and heart failure.1 Meanwhile, many cell types and many routes of application have been studied, and many clinical studies have also been performed. The original approach of cardiac cell therapy was aimed at replacing lost cells by newly seeded cardiomyocytes or precursors thereof, which ideally actively contribute to cardiac contractility.2 This approach is hampered by the lack of sufficient cardiomyocyte resources and by the inability of bone marrow cells to transdifferentiate into heart muscle cells, by environmental influence only. A second approach of cardiac cell therapy appears easier to conduct, in which progenitor cells (e.g. bone marrow cells) are used as carriers of cytokines or other anti-scar formation agents that beneficially influence cardiac structure and function after myocardial infarction. This latter approach has already been studied extensively in … [1]: #ref-7