Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Workplace strength training prevents deterioration of work ability among workers with chronic pain and work disability: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE Imbalance between work demands and individual resources can lead to musculoskeletal disorders and reduced work ability. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of two contrasting interventions on work ability among slaughterhouse workers with chronic pain and work disability. METHODS Sixty-six slaughterhouse workers with upper-limb chronic pain and work disability were randomly allocated to 10 weeks of either strength training for the shoulder, arm, and hand muscles (3 times per week, 10 minutes per session) or ergonomic training (usual care control group) from September to December 2012. The outcome measure was the change from baseline to 10-week follow-up in the work ability index (WAI). RESULTS A priori hypothesis testing showed a group×time interaction for WAI (P<0.05). Compared with the ergonomic training group, WAI increased 2.3 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.9-3.7] in the strength training group corresponding to a moderate effect size (Cohen's d 0.52). Within-group changes indicated that between-group differences were mainly caused by a reduction in WAI in the ergonomic group. Of the 7 items of WAI, item 2 (work ability in relation to the demands of the job) and item 7 (mental resources) increased following strength training compared with ergonomic training (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Implementation of strength training at the workplace prevents deterioration of work ability among manual workers with chronic pain and disability exposed to forceful and repetitive job tasks. Thus, strength training performed at the workplace may in fact be regarded as a complex biopsychosocial intervention modality that reaches further than the specific physiological benefits of training per se.
The Role of Dexamethasone Implant in the Management of Tubercular Uveitis

ABSTRACT Purpose: To study the safety and efficacy of intravitreal injection of dexamethasone implant in the management of posterior segment involvement in tubercular uveitis (TBU). Methods: In this study, retrospective analysis of safety and efficacy of intravitreal injection of dexamethasone implant for various indications such as cystoid macular edema (CME), vitritis, or paradoxical worsening in TB-related intermediate uveitis, retinal vasculitis, and multifocal serpiginoid choroiditis (MSC) was performed. Results: The study included 17 patients (19 eyes; 7 males). IOP increased from 14.88 ± 2.68 mm Hg to 16.4 ± 5.82 mm Hg (p = 0.18) at 3 months. BCVA improved from 0.37 ± 0.35 to 0.27 ± 0.21 at 3 months (p = 0.03). CME resolved at 3 months and two patients with paradoxical worsening showed resolution within 1 month. Conclusion: Intravitreal dexamethasone implant is safe and efficacious as an adjunct to ATT in reducing the central macular thickness, vitritis, and progression of choroiditis lesions in paradoxical worsening of MSC.
ISM- An Intra-Stripe Data Migration Approach for RAID-5 Scaling

Scaling is often carried out in modern RAID systems to meet the ever increasing demand of storage capacity and I/O performance. However, the scaling process of RAID-5 system is not trivial, due to its specific data/parity layout. Previous approaches of RAID-5 scaling require either migrating almost all data blocks in the system, or recalculating all or some of the parity blocks during scaling. This paper proposes a new RAID-5 scaling approach called ISM (Intra-Stripe Migration). With ISM, data migrations only happen within stripes, which means that the coding relationship among blocks remains the same. Therefore, the parity blocks do not need to be recalculated after data migration, which greatly reduces the I/O and computational costs. The properties of ISM approach can be summarized as follows: (1) it requires the minimum amount of data blocks to be migrated, (2) it supports data migration without recalculating parity blocks, and (3) it supports multiple successive scaling operations while keeping the above properties. The simulation results on DiskSim show that: (1) ISM reduces the scaling time from 47.91% to 87.01% and from 88.94% to 96.58% compared with GSR and ALV respectively in offline scaling, (2) under two real-world I/O traces, ISM also outperforms GSR by 64.15% to 87.30%, and ALV by 92.38% to 95.98% in scaling time, and (3) ISM maintains almost the same performance of data access with ALV and GSR after scaling.
Investigations of the effect of the lipid matrix on drug entrapment, in vitro release, and physical stability of olanzapine-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles

The purpose of this research was to study the effect of the lipid matrix on the entrapment of olanzapine (OL). OL-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) were prepared using lipids like glyceryl monostearate (GMS), Precirol ATO 5 (PRE), glyceryl tristearate (GTS), and Witepsol E85 (WE 85)—and poloxamer 407 and hydrogenated soya phosphatidylcholine as stabilizers—using a hot melt emulsification high-pressure homogenization technique, and then characterized by particle size analysis, zeta potential, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and powder X-ray diffraction (pXRD). Homogenization at 10 000 psi for 3 cycles resulted in the formation of SLNs with a mean particle size of ∼190 nm for the 4 lipids investigated. The highest partition coefficient for OL between the melted lipid and pH 7.4 phosphate buffer (pH 7.4 PB) was obtained with GTS. The entrapment efficiency was in the following order: GTS SLNs>PRE SLNs>WE 85 SLNs>GMS SLNs. DSC and pXRD showed that much of the incorporated fraction of OL existed in the amorphous state after incorporation into SLNs. A sharp increase in the flocculation of the SLN dispersions was observed upon addition of 0.6 M aqueous sodium sulfate solution. Nanoparticle surface hydrophobicity was in the following order: GTS SLNs>PRE SLNs>WE 85 SLNs>GMS SLNs. A significant increase in size and zeta potential was observed for GTS SLN and WE 85 SLN dispersions stored at 40°C. Release of OL from the SLNs was sustained up to 48 hours in pH 7.4 PB and obeyed Higuchi’s release kinetics.
Conjugate-Based Targeting of Recombinant Adeno-Associated Virus Type 2 Vectors by Using Avidin-Linked Ligands

ABSTRACT The development of targeted vectors, capable of tissue-specific transduction, remains one of the important aspects of vector modification for gene therapy applications. Recombinant adeno-associated virus type 2 (rAAV-2)-based vectors are nonpathogenic, have relatively low immunogenicity, and are capable of long-term transgene expression. AAV-2 vectors bind primarily to heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG), a receptor that is present in many tissues and cell types. Because of the widespread expression of HSPG on many tissues, targeted transduction in vivo appears to be limited with AAV-2 vectors. Thus, development of strategies to achieve transductional targeting will have a profound benefit in the future application of these vectors. We report here a novel conjugate-based targeting method to enhance tissue-specific transduction of AAV-2-based vectors. The present report utilized a high-affinity biotin-avidin interaction as a molecular bridge to cross-link purified targeting ligands, produced genetically as fusion proteins to core-streptavidin, in a prokaryotic expression system. Conjugation of the bispecific targeting protein to the vector was achieved by biotinylating purified rAAV-2 without abolishing the capsid structure, internalization, and subsequent transgene expression. The tropism-modified vectors, targeted via epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) or fibroblast growth factor 1α receptor (FGFR1α), resulted in a significant increase in transduction efficiency of EGFR-positive SKOV3.ip1 cells and FGFR1α-positive M07e cells, respectively. Further optimization of this method of targeting should enhance the potential of AAV-2 vectors in ex vivo and in vivo gene therapy and may form the basis for developing targeting methods for other AAV serotype capsids.
Accelerometry-based gait analysis predicts falls among patients with a recent fracture who are ambulatory: a 1-year prospective study

The aim of this prospective study was to assess whether accelerometry-based gait analysis is associated with the incidence of falls among individuals who are ambulatory and recently had a fracture, and to compare the ability to discriminate body function and structure and activity measures. A total of 100 patients who fulfilled our inclusion criteria were enrolled. At hospital discharge, the following outcomes were assessed: timed-up-and-go test, five-times-sit-to-stand test, one-leg standing test, 5-m gait test, and gait analysis using a wireless three-axis accelerometer. Root mean square (RMS) and autocorrelation (AC) values were analyzed on the basis of the acceleration waveform. Follow-up assessment of falls and subsequent fractures was performed 12 months after the fracture. Eighty-five percent of the participants completed the follow-up at 12 months. During the 12 months of follow-up, 61 falls were reported by 34 patients (31 women, three men), for a fall rate of 40.0% (34/85). The fall group had significantly poorer body function and structure and activity measures compared with the no-fall group. In accelerometry-based gait analysis, RMS and AC in the vertical axis and RMS in the anteroposterior axis were significantly lower in the fall group compared with the no-fall group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that only AC in the vertical axis was a significant predictor of falls. This finding suggests that trunk acceleration AC in the vertical axis showed good discriminative ability for predicting the incidence of falls among patients who are ambulatory and recently had a fracture.
Price tranmission dynamics between ADR' and their underlying foreign segurity : the case of Banco de Colombia S.A. - BANCOLOMBIA. Primera edición

Este documento analiza la dinamica de los Recibos de Deposito Americanos (ADR) de un banco colombiano (Bancolombia) en relacion con los factores que inciden en su precio (precio de las acciones (preferenciales) subyacentes, la tasa de cambio y el indice del mercado accionario de Estados Unidos). El objetivo es probar si existe una relacion de largo plazo entre estas variables que pueda implicar predictibilidad. Se halla una relacion de cointegracion que permite utilizar un modelo vectorial de correccion de errores para examinar la transmision de choques a los precios del activo subyacente, la tasa de cambio y el indice de mercado de Estados Unidos. El principal resultado de este documento es que, en el corto plazo, los precios de las acciones subyacentes parecen ajustarse ante cambios en el precio de los ADR, senalando el hecho de que el NYSE (donde se tranzan los ADR) lidera el mercado colombiano. Sin embargo, en el largo plazo, tanto el precio de la accion subyacente como el precio del ADR, se ajustan a los cambios que ocurran en cualquiera de ellos.
[Regulative mechanism of budesonide on endogenous hydrogen sulfide, cystathionine-gamma-lyase and cystathionine-beta-synthase system in asthmatic rats].

OBJECTIVE To investigate plasma hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) levels and cystathionine-gamma- lyase (CSE) and cystathionine-beta-synthase (CBS) mRNA expression in the lung tissues in asthmatic rats and to explore the roles of endogenous H₂S, CSE and CBS system in the pathogenesis of asthma. METHODS Thirty male Sprague-Dawley rats (age 5 to 7 weeks) were randomly divided into three groups: control, asthma and budesonide treatment (n = 10 each). The asthma model was established by ovalbumin (OVA) sensitization and challenge. The budesonide treatment group received inhaled budesonide before challenge. The contents of plasma H₂S were measured by spectrophotometry. The levels of CSE and CBS mRNA in the lung tissues were examined by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS The contents of plasma H₂S in the asthma group (61 ± 16 μmol/L) were significantly lower than those in the control group (84 ± 15 μmol/L) (P<0.01). The contents of plasma H₂S in the budesonide treatment group (71 ± 14 μmol/L) were not statistically different from those in the control and asthma groups. CSE mRNA and CBE mRNA expression in the asthma group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < 0.01). The budesonide treatment group had a decreased CSE mRNA expression and CBE mRNA expression compared with the control group, but had significantly increased CSE and CBE mRNA expression compared with the asthma group (P < 0.01). There was a significantly negative correlation between H₂S contents in plasma and total inflammatory cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (n = 30, r = -0.549, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS Plasma H₂S levels and CSE and CBS expression in the lung decrease in asthmatic rats, which possibly promotes inflammatory cell aggregation to the airway. Budesonide may alleviate airway inflammation in asthmatic rats possibly through the system of endogenous H₂S, CSE and CBS.
Proteomic identification of differentially expressed plasma membrane proteins in renal cell carcinoma by stable isotope labelling of a von Hippel‐Lindau transfectant cell line model

The von Hippel‐Lindau (VHL) tumour suppressor gene plays a central role in development of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Using a cell line pair generated from the VHL‐defective RCC cell line UMRC2 by transfection with vector control or VHL (−/+VHL) and stable isotope labelling with amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) followed by enrichment of plasma membrane proteins by cell surface biotinylation/avidin‐affinity chromatography and analysis by GeLC‐MS/MS, VHL‐associated changes in plasma membrane proteins were analysed. Comparative analysis of ‐/+VHL cells identified 19 differentially expressed proteins which were confirmed by reciprocal SILAC labelling. These included several proteins previously reported to be VHL targets, such as transferrin receptor 1 and the α3 and β1 integrin subunits and novel findings including upregulation of CD166 and CD147 in VHL‐defective cells. Western blotting confirmed these changes and also revealed VHL‐dependent alterations in protein form for CD147 and CD166, which in the case of CD166 was shown to be due to differential glycosylation. Analysis of patient‐matched normal and malignant renal tissues confirmed these differences were also present in vivo in a subset of clear cell RCCs. These results illustrate the potential of this approach for identifying VHL‐dependent proteins that may be important in tumorigenesis.
Strategies of Teachers in Managing Students Disciplinary Problems

The purpose of this case study is to uncover teachers’ strategies in classroom control and personal involvement in decision-making. Contextually, the main problem existed in a private school because teachers were frequently transferring discipline cases to the Head of Discipline (HOD) for matters that could be solved at the personal level. In addition, the HOD’s time and personal space to manage serious discipline cases were interrupted by minor matters that deserved lesser attention. Qualitative methods were used in data collection that included purposive sampling, questionnaires and voiced-recorded interviews. Analyses from data revealed that respondents’ portrayed four different orientations in classroom control: (a) self-directed; (b) student-directed; (c) organizational-directed; and (d) situation-directed. However, their strategies for personal involvement in decision-making were reported to be hampered by a list of unfavorable conditions and obstacles that are contextual to the organization. For recommendations, the HOD could consider managing these conditions and obstacles to further encourage teachers’ participation in the vital areas of discipline management.
Autophagy promotes ferroptosis by degradation of ferritin

ABSTRACT Macroautophagy/autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved degradation pathway that maintains homeostasis. Ferroptosis, a novel form of regulated cell death, is characterized by a production of reactive oxygen species from accumulated iron and lipid peroxidation. However, the relationship between autophagy and ferroptosis at the genetic level remains unclear. Here, we demonstrated that autophagy contributes to ferroptosis by degradation of ferritin in fibroblasts and cancer cells. Knockout or knockdown of Atg5 (autophagy-related 5) and Atg7 limited erastin-induced ferroptosis with decreased intracellular ferrous iron levels, and lipid peroxidation. Remarkably, NCOA4 (nuclear receptor coactivator 4) was a selective cargo receptor for the selective autophagic turnover of ferritin (namely ferritinophagy) in ferroptosis. Consistently, genetic inhibition of NCOA4 inhibited ferritin degradation and suppressed ferroptosis. In contrast, overexpression of NCOA4 increased ferritin degradation and promoted ferroptosis. These findings provide novel insight into the interplay between autophagy and regulated cell death.
On critical point avoidance among mobile terminals in healthcare monitoring applications: Saving lives through reliable communication software

The advances in Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), battery life, low powered communication standards, more capable processing units, and hybrid communication have cemented the use of mobile Wireless Body Area Networks (WBAN) in medical informatics. Although the MEMS were used in medical informatics solutions but they were highly localized, rigged, non-cooperative, and particularly non extendable. The interconnectivity of various network interfaces is the main driving force on the modern technology boom. The morphological features of mobile devices and their use in our daily lives create an opportunity to connect medical informatics systems with the main stream. It promise unobtrusive ambulatory health monitoring for a long period of time and provide real-time updates of the patient's status to the physician. When integrated with the WBAN, the mobile devices play the role of localized data diffusion, classification, and broadcast center. In this paper, the criticality of this `single point of failure' is discussed. Often the untapped flow of data to the mobile device can lead to crashing of the network. A computational model is devised in order to pre estimate the device resource availability matrix and data flow management without creating the denial of service. The speed mismatch due to resource binding violation on the part of the hand held device can be reported and capped before the data loss heeds un noticed. The techniques proposed are analyzed and tested on a test bed, specifically designed for monitoring remote patient vitals. The results obtained show marked improvement from the methods proposed in the contemporary systems.
The Safety of Ranitidine in Elderly Versus Non‐Elderly Patients

The authors conducted a retrospective review of 21 United States trials of ranitidine in acid peptic diseases and compared the adverse events in elderly (≥65 years) and nonelderly (<65 years) patients. Ranitidine dosages ranged from 150 mg/day to 300 mg twice daily for treatment periods of 4 to 52 weeks. Of the 4041 patients included in this review, 402 elderly and 2188 nonelderly patients received ranitidine and 245 elderly and 1206 nonelderly patients received placebo; 29%, 29%, 32%, and 26% of these patients, respectively, reported some type of adverse event. When only drug‐related adverse events (as judged by the investigators under blinded conditions) were evaluated, these percentages dropped to 2%, 2%, and 1% and 2%, respectively. Gastrointestinal adverse events (e.g., nausea and diarrhea) and central nervous system adverse events (e.g., headache and dizziness) were the most common (0.7% and 0.8%, respectively), with comparable incidence rates in the elderly and nonelderly patients. The authors conclude that ranitidine is as safe in elderly patients as it is in nonelderly patients. No difference in the incidence of adverse events was found between older and younger patients who received ranitidine or placebo.
Assessing the Awareness of Egyptian Medical Students about Responsible Conduct of Research and Research Ethics: Impact of an Educational Campaign

ABSTRACT This is a quasi-experimental pre-post assessment study utilizing an anonymous self-administered questionnaire to assess Egyptian medical students’ awareness about responsible conduct of research (RCR) and research ethics. Students’ were assessed before and after an RCR awareness campaign. Our results showed that most of the pre-campaign respondents were not familiar with the basic principles and terms of RCR. An increase in the awareness about RCR across all discussed topics was noted following the campaign. We concluded that an educational awareness campaign is effective in increasing medical students’ awareness about RCR and should be incorporated into current medical school curricula in Egypt.
Preliminary Result of Arthroscopic Keyhole Biceps Tenodesis: A Novel Technique

There is increased interest of the orthopedic surgeons in treating the pathology of long head of biceps. Although there is some clarity in the result of biceps tenotomy, it is not so clear concerning tenodesis. An open keyhole tenodesis of biceps is shrouded with concerns of primary stability, use of deltopectoral incision, operative pain, technical difficulty to access biceps tendon in case of intact or small cuff tear, and cosmesis. The purpose of the study is to describe an arthroscopic proximal biceps keyhole tenodesis and evaluate the outcome of the procedure.
Mechanisms of electroacupuncture effects on acute cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury: possible association with upregulation of transforming growth factor beta 1

Electroacupuncture at the head acupoints Baihui (GV20) and Shuigou (GV26) improves recovery of neurological function following ischemic cerebrovascular events, but its mechanism remains incompletely understood. We hypothesized that the action of electroacupuncture at these acupoints is associated with elevated serum levels of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1). To test this, we established a rat model of cerebral ischemia by middle cerebral artery occlusion. Electroacupuncture was performed at Baihui and Shuigou with a “disperse-dense” wave at an alternating frequency of 2 and 150 Hz, and at a constant intensity of 3 mA. Each electroacupuncture session lasted 30 minutes and was performed every 12 hours for 3 days. Neurological severity scores were lower in injured rats after acupuncture than in those not subjected to treatment. Furthermore, serum level of TGF-β1 was greater after electroacupuncture than after no treatment. Our results indicate that electroacupuncture at Baihui and Shuigou increases the serum level of TGF-β1 in rats with acute cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury, and exerts neuroprotective effects.
Excitation of untilted narrow-wall slot in groove gap waveguide by using a parasitic dipole

This paper describes a new way to excite untilted slots in the narrow wall of a rectangular waveguide. The mechanism basically relies on an inclined parasitic dipole located within the waveguide, close to the slot and parallel to waveguide's narrow wall. The proposal is completed with a discussion of the convenience of using a groove gap waveguide in connection with this radiating element to significantly simplify fabrication process of slotted waveguide arrays.