Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of the health belief model following acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in a hospital in China.

Background This study aims to investigate the effects of education with health belief model (HBM) on anxiety and fatigue among patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). Methods Patients with AECOPD admitted into Taizhou People's Hospital, Jiangsu, China between December 2012 and October 2013 were randomly selected for the present study according to random number table. A total of 99 cases with anxiety were included. These patients were divided into two groups: experimental group educated by HBM (n=47), and control group educated by conventional method (n=52). The scores for anxiety and fatigue were evaluated using the self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) and multidimensional fatigue inventory (MFI-20). Results After educational intervention by HBM, patients achieved a significant decrease in anxiety and fatigue scores, when compared to patients in the control group, who were educated by the conventional method at the time of admission, discharge, and 6 weeks after discharge (P<0.05). Conclusions HBM program effectively may alleviate anxiety and fatigue, providing necessary information for symptom management among patients with AECOPD.
Comparison of Ivor Lewis esophagectomy and Sweet esophagectomy for the treatment of middle-lower esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Background For cancer of the middle and/or lower segment of thoracic esophagus, the Ivor Lewis esophagectomy is the mainstream standard surgery, whereas the Sweet procedure is widely used in China. As no consensus has been reached about the choice of different thoracic approaches, we designed this retrospective study to investigate and compare oncological benefits of the two surgical approaches. Methods After propensity score matching, 150 patients who underwent the Sweet or Ivor Lewis esophagectomy from August 2003 to December 2009 in the Beijing Cancer Hospital were reviewed. We compared the postoperative recovery, nutritional parameters, and survival of the two different surgical approaches. Results The 5-year overall survival (OS) rate for the whole group was 48.5%, and the 10-year OS rate was 35.6%. The Ivor Lewis group had a longer operation time, longer duration of chest tube drainage, and a larger volume of total thoracic drainage. No significant differences were found between the two groups in terms of the duration of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), length of postoperative hospital stay, duration of postoperative nasogastric tube use, incidence of major complications, and nutritional status after the esophagectomy. The OS rates were similar in both groups. Conclusions The Sweet and Ivor Lewis esophagectomy are both safe and effective. A change of the surgical incision may not be the best way to increase survival, and the choice of surgical procedure should depend on the preference of the thoracic surgeon to secure the safety of the operation.
An Approach to the Design of Nonlinear State-Space Control Systems

The state-space representation of systems is advantageous because of the manipulability of the matrices involved in state-space models. Accordingly, several methods have been developed to simulate the systems, to analyze their behaviours and to carry out the controller design in order to exhibit desired and/or imposed behaviours. In addition, as shown in [8] for optimal control, [24] for cascade control, [31] for robust control and [33] for minimum variance control, modelling the dynamics of complex systems by state-space models can guarantee high control system performance.
Suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid upregulates histone acetylation and activates endoplasmic reticulum stress to induce apoptosis in HepG2 liver cancer cells

Suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) is a histone deacetylase inhibitor that has demonstrated clinical activity against various solid tumors. The aim of the present study was to explore the effects of SAHA on the apoptosis of HepG2 liver cancer cells, as well as the potential mechanisms involved in histone acetylation and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. HepG2 cells were treated with various doses of SAHA (0, 1, 6 and 12 µM), and apoptosis was measured by flow cytometry. The levels of ER stress-associated molecules, including 78 kDa glucose-regulated protein (GRP78), PRKR-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK), phosphorylated (p)-PERK, activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) and C/EBP-homologous protein (CHOP), were quantitated by western blot analysis and reverse transcription-quantitative PCR assay. The expression levels of acetylated histone H4 (acH4, acH4 lysine (K)5 and acH4K12) were detected by western blot analysis. The effects of SAHA on the acetylation of H4 in the promoter regions of GRP78, ATF4 and CHOP were evaluated by chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. Following treatment with higher doses of SAHA (6 and 12 µM) for 48 h, the proliferation of HepG2 cells was significantly suppressed. SAHA induced dose-dependent apoptosis and increased both protein and mRNA expression levels of GRP78, ATF4 and CHOP in HepG2 cells. The protein expression of PERK was markedly decreased by treatment with SAHA, whereas the p-PERK expression level was notably increased, which resulted in increased p-PERK/PERK ratio. Furthermore, the acetylation levels of H4 in the promoter regions of GRP78, ATF4 and CHOP were significantly increased in HepG2 cells exposed to 6 µM SAHA for 36 h. Thus, SAHA induces apoptosis in HepG2 cells by activating the ER stress-mediated apoptotic signaling pathway, at least partially by enhancing the acetylation of histone H4 on the promoter regions of ER-stress associated genes, including GRP78, ATF4 and CHOP.
Cost of Refractory Crohn’s Disease Before and After Ustekinumab Utilization

Abstract Background Crohn’s disease (CD) is associated with major health services utilization and costs. Between 2012 and 2015, ustekinumab was used off-label in Quebec, Canada for treatment of refractory CD. Aims We assessed the direct medical cost of adult CD patients in the 1-year pre- and 1-year postustekinumab initiation. Methods Data were obtained from the provincial administrative databases. CD patients dispensed subcutaneous ustekinumab in 2012 to 2014 were followed for 1 year from the date of initiation (index-date). Kaplan Meier plots were used to display time to ustekinumab discontinuation and factors associated with discontinuation were identified using multivariate Cox regression models. Direct medical costs and 95% confidence interval (CI) of gastrointestinal-related health services were calculated for the 1-year pre- and 1-year post-index-date. Results Thirty-four CD patients (mean age ± standard deviation, 44 ± 14 years, 59% women and 41% with low income) were included. Of these, 14 (41%) discontinued ustekinumab during the postperiod. Discontinuation was less likely among older patients: hazard ratio (95% CI) per 5-year age increase, 0.77 (0.61 to 0.96). The total $CAN direct medical cost (mean, 95% CI) was higher in the post- versus preperiod: $1,681,239 ($49,448; $42,265 to $57,160) versus $880,060 ($25,884; $20,391 to 31,596), while the total costs of GI-related health services were similar: $250,206 ($7359, $3536 to $11,674), versus $213,446 ($6278, $3609 to $9423). Conclusion In patients with severe refractory CD on off-label ustekinumab, approximately 60% remained on treatment beyond 1 year. The cost of gastrointestinal services did not increase during that year as compared to that of the year preceding ustekinumab use.
Effect of progestin-based hormonal contraceptives on genital inflammation and Th17 cell activation in adolescents at high risk for HIV infection

x Chapter 1. Literature review.1 Chapter 2. Characterizing the immune microenvironment in the lower reproductive tract of adolescent girls.35 Chapter 3. Relationship between Th17 cells, BV, and vaginal microbiota.73 Chapter 4. Effect of hormonal contraceptives on Th17 cells in the genital tract.102 Chapter 5. Effect of hormonal contraceptives on genital tract CD8+ T cells.145 Chapter 6. Discussion.164
Big Data and Shipping-managing vessel performance

Shipping business is staggering the trade by a substantial number which portrays the usage of leading technologies to deliver formative and reliable performance to deal with the increasing demand. Technologies like AIS, machine learning, and IoT are making a shift in shipping industry by introducing robots and more sensor equipped devices. The hitch big data originates as a technology which is proficient for assembling and transforming the colossal and divergent figures of data providing organizations with meaningful insights for better decision-making. The size of data is increasing at a higher rate because of the procreation of peripatitic gadgets and sensors attached. Big data is accustomed to delineate technologies and techniques which are used to store, manage, distribute and analyze huge data sheets with a high rate of data occurrence. This gigantic data is allowing to terminate the business by developing meaningful and valuable insights by processing the data. Hadoop is the fundamental basic for composing big data and furnishes with convenient judgments through analysis. It enables the processing of large sets of data by providing a higher degree of fault-tolerance. Parallelism is adapted to process big size of data in the efficient and inexpensive way. Contending massive bulk of data is a determined and vigorous assignment that needs an enormous crunching armature to guaranty affluent data processing and analysis.
Assessment of the Effect of PLGA Co-polymers and PEG on the Formation and Characteristics of PLGA-PEG-PLGA Co-block Polymer Using Statistical Approach

Purpose: To assess the effect of the lactic acid (LA)-to-glycolic acid (GA) molar ratio and polyethylene glycol (PEG) concentration on the formation of poly-lactide co-glycolide acid (PLGA)-PEG-PLGA co-block polymers simultaneously using statistical approach. Methods: A 22 full factorial design with the addition of a point in the center of the design, namely curvature, was applied. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) were performed to confirm the formation of the co-block polymer. Simvastatin (SMV), a drug model was incorporated into the nano-polymeric micellar (NpM) of PLGA-PEG-PLGA followed by solubility phase, particle size, zeta potential, and entrapment efficiency characterizations. Results: FTIR, DSC, and NMR successfully confirmed the formation of co-block polymers. Solubility of SMV increased from 2 to 44-folds depending on co-block concentration with entrapment efficiency of 59%-80%. The NpM had size in the range of 206 to 402 nm with negative zeta potential. LA to GA ratio had greater effect on particle size reduction and increasing of co-polymer length. In addition, it had higher contributions on increasing of solubility and entrapment efficiency of SMV than PEG. Conclusion: According to these findings, the LA to GA ratio and PEG concentration gained a great consideration in order to prepare the PLGA-PEG-PLGA co-block which fulfilled the quality target product profile of NpM delivery system.
Association between cell growth and vancomycin resistance in clinical community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Objectives We investigated the association between the rate of cell growth and vancomycin (VAN) resistance by comparing the genomic and phenotypic characteristics of different sized colonies isolated from a single origin. Methods Vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (VISA) strain TMUS2136 was isolated from the pus of a patient with a brain abscess and a chronic subdural abscess. This strain grew slowly and formed colonies poorly on agar plates within 24 h of incubation. However, variously sized colonies were observed after 48 h of incubation. We isolated five strains from different sized colonies and compared their VAN susceptibility and genomic sequences using next-generation sequencing. Results The five strains showed different rates of growth and susceptibilities to VAN (range of MIC after 48 h of incubation; 3–5 mg/L), and slower growing strains tended to be more VAN resistant. Deletion of the spdC gene and SNPs in the sarA gene was confirmed in all five strains and six SNPs in other genes (including mreC, hssS, prs, SA2339, sun, and SA1132) were confirmed when comparing the five strains. Conclusions Deletion of the spdC gene, a novel virulence factor of S. aureus, and SNPs in the sarA gene may be associated with VAN resistance. It was hypothesized that any of the six genes in which SNPs were detected could affect cell growth rate and VAN resistance in slow-VISA strains.
Learning LaTeX

From the Publisher: Here is a short, well-written book that covers the material essential for learning LATEX without any unnecessary detail. It includes incisive examples that teach LATEX in a powerful yet abbreviated fashion. This is the handbook to have if you don't want to wade through extraneous material. This manual includes the following crucial features: numerous examples of widely used mathematical expressions; complete documents illustrating the creation of articles, reports, and overhead projector slides; troubleshooting tips to help you pinpoint an error; details of how to set up a bibliography and an index; information about LATEX resources available on the Internet. Why do you need to learn LATEX ? LATEX has become an extremely popular typesetting system and is widely used throughout the sciences. As a student you may need to typeset reports and theses in LATEX (particularly if you are a graduate student in any mathematics or computer science discipline). Or you may be someone who had planned to "eventually" get around to learning LATEX , but you are still using older systems and methods of typesetting. Procrastinate no more! The authors have elected to cover LATEX 2e, the latest standard version at the time of publication. The old and new versions are very similar and it is clear that the LATEX 2e version will soon dominate. An appendix discusses the differences between 2e and the older version, 2.09. Audience Readers must know how to produce ASCII files with an editor and have LATEX 2e available. The material is accessible for beginners, and the book covers enough material to be of use to the majority of potential LATEX users. About the Authors David F. Griffiths is a Reader in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Dundee. Desmond J. Higham is a Reader in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Strathclyde.
Detection of the Severity of Brain Injury in Head Trauma Patients Using Biochemical Blood Markers and Its Correlation with Glasgow Coma Scale

Head trauma is one of common injury related mortality and morbidity. Blood biomarkers are valuable tools for the identification and characterization of initial injury and secondary pathological processes for traumatic brain injury (TBI). This study evaluated the performance of a recently developed visfatin and its correlation with other blood circulating biomarkers that reflect specific pathological mechanisms including neuro inflammatory, neuron injury and oxidative damage in moderate to severe TBI patients. Peripheral blood was taken from TBI patients (n = 78) at hospital admission, maximum 6 hours post-injury. Severity and neurological outcome were assessed using the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and blood level of: visfatin, neuron specific enolase (NSE), malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH). Concentrations of visfatin (28 ± 1.68 μg/L, 25 ± 2.09 μg/L) was significantly higher (p < 0.0001) in sever and moderate groups of TBI patients respectively compared to control group (7.62 ± 0.87 μg/L), NSE concentrations also were significantly higher (p < 0.0001) in both groups of TBI patients (20.47 ± 3 ng/ml, 13.49 ± 2.66 ng/ml) compared to control group (4.3 ± 0.52 ng/ml), MDA was significantly elevated (p < 0.001) in sever TBI patients group (6.88 ± 0.58 μmol/L) compared to control group (5.12 ± 0.76 μmol/L), while SOD (245.12 ± 24.2 U/L, 276.097 ± 30.8 U/L) and GSH (112.07 ± 2.09 μmol/L, 119.26 ± 2.7 μmol/L) were highly significantly decreased (p < 0.0001) in TBI patients compared to control group (304.17 ± 27.17 U/L and 151.64 ± 9.9 μmol/L) respectively. Visfatin was positively correlated with NSE and MDA, while there was negative correlation with SOD and GSH. In conclusion blood level of visfatin in correlation with other blood biomarkers can be used for prediction of severity of TBI cases.
A significant increase in expression of FOXP3 and IL-17 genes in patients with allergic rhinitis underwent accelerated rush immunotherapy

Objective(s): Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common hypersensitivity disease worldwide. Immunotherapy has been performed as the best treatment for years. This study aimed to study the gene expression pattern of immune system cells following an accelerated rush immunotherapy protocol (ARIT) in patients with AR. Materials and Methods: Fifteen patients with AR (15–55 years old) resident in Mashhad, Iran, with positive prick test to regional aeroallergens (weed mix, grass mix, tree mix, and Salsola) enrolled in this study. All patients were treated for three months with 3-day ARIT protocol between July 2015 and August 2016. Clinical symptoms and quality of life were recorded by two questioners. The expression levels of FOXP3, TGF-β, IL-10, IL-17, IL-4, and IFN-γ genes in patient’s peripheral blood mononuclear cells were evaluated by SYBR Green real-time RT-PCR technique. Results: The severity of disease and quality of life showed significant improvement following ARIT (P-value<0.05). Gene expression of IFN-γ and IL-10 was increased whereas TGF-β and IL-4 down-regulated, following ARIT, but these changes were not significant. However, gene expression of FOXP3 and IL-17 was significantly increased after intervention when compared with the baseline (P-value< 0.002). Conclusion: Significant up-regulation of FOXP3 and IL-17 genes, additionally, a significant improvement in the clinical signs following ARIT might be related to increases in HLA-DR- and FOXP3+ Treg population at the initiation phase of ARIT. Employing the flow cytometry technique to study the phenotype of these cells is suggested for future studies.
Do we know how scabies outbreaks in residential and nursing care homes for the elderly should be managed? A systematic review of interventions using a novel approach to assess evidence quality

Abstract Currently no national guidelines exist for the management of scabies outbreaks in residential or nursing care homes for the elderly in the United Kingdom. In this setting, diagnosis and treatment of scabies outbreaks is often delayed and optimal drug treatment, environmental control measures and even outcome measures are unclear. We undertook a systematic review to establish the efficacy of outbreak management interventions and determine evidence-based recommendations. Four electronic databases were searched for relevant studies, which were assessed using a quality assessment tool drawing on STROBE guidelines to describe the quality of observational data. Nineteen outbreak reports were identified, describing both drug treatment and environmental management measures. The quality of data was poor; none reported all outcome measures and only four described symptom relief measures. We were unable to make definitive evidence-based recommendations. We draw on the results to propose a framework for data collection in future observational studies of scabies outbreaks. While high-quality randomised controlled trials are needed to determine optimal drug treatment, evidence on environmental measures will need augmentation through other literature studies. The quality assessment tool designed is a useful resource for reporting of outcome measures including patient-reported measures in future outbreaks.
Demographic and clinical profile of chronic rhinosinusitis patients in a rural based tertiary hospital

<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is one of the most common health problems which incurs significant medical costs and has severe impact on lower airway diseases and general health of the patient. The aim of this study was to describe the demographic and clinical profile of chronic rhinosinusitis patients. </p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> In this study 94 patients were included. After taking a brief history, their clinical symptoms were assessed using SNSG test (sino nasal symptom grading test). The findings were further confirmed by diagnostic nasal endoscopy. </p><p class="abstract"><strong>Results:</strong> We found that maximum number of patients were in the age group of 18-27 years with a slight male preponderance. Also rural population had more cases of CRS with nasal discharge being the commonest complaint at the time of presentation. After diagnostic nasal endoscopy (DNE) it was found that ethmoidal polyps are more common in CRS patients however more number of CRS patients presented without polyps. </p><p class="abstract"><strong>Conclusions:</strong> We conclude that chronic rhinosinusitis manifests more in male and rural population with nasal discharge and ethomoidal polyps being the most common presentation. The subjective assessment of clinical symptoms could be done by SNSG test; however it further requires detailed studies. </p><p class="abstract"> </p>
Effects of Different Modes of Delivery and Feeding on Intestinal Flora of Newborns and Infants with Different Ages

Background: The influence of delivery mode on the intestinal flora of newborns and infants with the same age and feeding mode remains elusive. Objectives: To evaluate the effects of different delivery and feeding modes on the intestinal flora of newborns and infants with different ages. Methods: The fecal samples of 108 newborns and infants with different delivery modes, feeding modes and ages were collected from Obstetrics and Pediatrics Departments of our hospital. The compositions and abundances of intestinal flora were analyzed by high-throughput sequencing. Results: The relative abundances of Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria in MV1 group (0 - 6 months, natural labor and breastfeeding) were 43.73%, 25.78%, 17.93%, and 9.71%, respectively, those of MF1 group (0 - 6 months, cesarean section and breastfeeding) were 40.83%, 44.31%, 3.81%, and 11.01%, respectively, those of YV2 group (6 - 12 months, natural labor and goat milk formula) were 41.44%, 43.84%, 8.38% and 6.27% respectively, those of YF2 group (6 - 12 months, cesarean section and goat milk formula) were 60.76%, 24.85%, 8.66%, and 5.70% respectively, those of YV3 group (12 - 36 months, natural labor and goat milk formula) were 26.58%, 47.73%, 24.07%, and 1.58%, respectively, and those of YF3 group (12 - 36 months, cesarean section and goat milk formula) were 34.77%, 51.94%, 11.10%, and 2.16%, respectively. The cases with the same delivery mode and age and fed with goat milk formula had more diverse intestinal flora and higher abundances of dominant bacteria. Actinobacteria accounted for 62.98% and 43.73% of the bacteria of YV1 group (0 - 6 months, natural labor and goat milk) and MV1 group respectively. Bacteroidetes accounted for 43.84% and 35.71% of the bacteria of YV2 group and NV2 group (6 - 12 months, natural labor and cow milk formula), respectively. For the cases with identical delivery and feeding modes, the composition of intestinal flora significantly changed with increasing age (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The intestinal flora of newborns and infants, especially probiotics, was affected by delivery mode, feeding mode and age. The results provide valuable evidence for improving their health, metabolism and disease prevention.