Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Elucidating the Origins of Nosocomial Infections with Candida albicans by DNA Fingerprinting with the Complex Probe Ca3

ABSTRACT Computer-assisted DNA fingerprinting with the complex probe Ca3 has been used to analyze the relatedness of isolates collected from individuals with nosocomial bloodstream infections (BSIs) and hospital care workers (HCWs) in the surgical and neonatal intensive care units (ICUs) of four hospitals. The results demonstrate that for the majority of patients (90%), isolates collected from commensal sites before and after collection of a BSI isolate were highly similar or identical to the BSI isolate. In addition, the average similarity coefficient for BSI isolates was similar to that for unrelated control isolates. However, the cluster characteristics of BSI isolates in dendrograms generated for each hospital compared to those of unrelated control isolates in a dendrogram demonstrated a higher degree of clustering of the former. In addition, a higher degree of clustering was observed in mixed dendrograms for HCV isolates and BSI isolates for each of the four test hospitals. In most cases, HCW isolates from an ICU were collected after the related BSI isolate, but in a few cases, the reverse was true. Although the results demonstrate that single, dominant endemic strains are not responsible for nosocomial BSIs in neonatal ICUs and surgical ICUs, they suggest that multiple endemic strains may be responsible for a significant number of cases. The results also suggest that cross-contamination occurs between patients and HCWs and between HCWs in the same ICU and in different ICUs. The temporal sequence of isolation also suggests that in the majority of cases HCWs are contaminated by isolates from colonized patients, but in a significant minority, the reverse is true. The results of this study provide the framework for a strategy for more definitive testing of the origins of Candida albicans strains responsible for nosocomial infections.
Effectiveness of measles vaccination and vitamin A treatment

Background The current strategy utilized by WHO/United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to reach the Global Immunization Vision and Strategy 2010 measles reduction goal includes increasing coverage of measles vaccine, vitamin A treatment and supplementation in addition to offering two doses of vaccine to all children. Methods We conducted a systematic review of published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental (QE) studies in order to determine effect estimates of measles vaccine and vitamin A treatment for the Lives Saved Tool (LiST). We utilized a standardized abstraction and grading format in order to determine effect estimates for measles mortality employing the standard Child Health Epidemiology Research Group Rules for Evidence Review. Results We identified three measles vaccine RCTs and two QE studies with data on prevention of measles disease. A meta-analysis of these studies found that vaccination was 85% [95% confidence interval (CI) 83–87] effective in preventing measles disease, which will be used as a proxy for measles mortality in LiST for countries vaccinating before one year of age. The literature also suggests that a conservative 95% effect estimate is reasonable to employ when vaccinating at 1 year or later and 98% for two doses of vaccine based on serology reviews. We included six high-quality RCTs in the meta-analysis of vitamin A treatment of measles which found no significant reduction in measles morality. However, when stratifying by vitamin A treatment dose, at least two doses were found to reduce measles mortality by 62% (95% CI 19–82). Conclusion Measles vaccine and vitamin A treatment are effective interventions to prevent measles mortality in children.
High Fat, Low Carbohydrate Diet Limit Fear and Aggression in Göttingen Minipigs

High fat, low carbohydrate diets have become popular, as short-term studies show that such diets are effective for reducing body weight, and lowering the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. There is growing evidence from both humans and other animals that diet affects behaviour and intake of fat has been linked, positively and negatively, with traits such as exploration, social interaction, anxiety and fear. Animal models with high translational value can help provide relevant and important information in elucidating potential effects of high fat, low carbohydrate diets on human behaviour. Twenty four young, male Göttingen minipigs were fed either a high fat/cholesterol, low carbohydrate diet or a low fat, high carbohydrate/sucrose diet in contrast to a standard low fat, high carbohydrate minipig diet. Spontaneous behaviour was observed through video recordings of home pens and test-related behaviours were recorded during tests involving animal-human contact and reaction towards a novel object. We showed that the minipigs fed a high fat/cholesterol, low carbohydrate diet were less aggressive, showed more non-agonistic social contact and had fewer and less severe skin lesions and were less fearful of a novel object than minipigs fed low fat, high carbohydrate diets. These results found in a porcine model could have important implications for general health and wellbeing of humans and show the potential for using dietary manipulations to reduce aggression in human society.
Journal of the International Aids Society Open Access Lessons Learned during down Referral of Antiretroviral Treatment in Tete, Mozambique

As sub-Saharan African countries continue to scale up antiretroviral treatment, there has been an increasing emphasis on moving provision of services from hospital level to the primary health care clinic level. Delivery of antiretroviral treatment at the clinic level increases the number of entry points to care, while the greater proximity of services encourages retention in care. In Tete City, Mozambique, patients on antiretrovirals were rapidly down referred from a provincial hospital to four urban clinics in large numbers without careful planning, resulting in a number of patients being lost to follow-up. We outline some key lessons learned to support down referral, including the need to improve process management, clinic infrastructure, monitoring systems, and patient preparation. Down referral can be avoided by initiating patients' antiretroviral treatment at clinic level from the outset.
The impact on cognition by phenobarbital in epilepsy treatment

Despite the development of successive generations of antiepileptic drugs, phenobarbital has retained a unique position in the therapeutic armamentarium and is still the most widely prescribed treatment for epilepsy worldwide. Although serious systemic side effects of phenobarbital are uncommon, its potential neurotoxicity remains a major concern. This is particularly so in the developed world. These neurotoxic effects include sedation, behavioral problems (in particular, hyperactivity), impaired cognition, depressed mood and affect. We conducted a case control study to evaluate the cognitive effects of phenobarbital treatment in epilepsy patients in rural China. The study patients were treated with phenobarbital monotherapy. Neuropsychological tests including Mini-Mental State Examination, Auditory Verbal Learning Test, Digit Span Test, Verbal Fluency Test, and Digit Cancellation Test were performed at baseline and during follow up. We did not fi nd any signifi cant change in the cognitive function, expect for improvement in verbal fl uency test among patients whose seizures control improved with phenobarbital. We concluded that there was no cognition impairment from treatment with phenobarbital in patients with epilepsy. On the other hand, language function of patients may improve due to the benefi cial effect of seizure control. Phenobarbital remains useful to treat epilepsy particularly in the developing countries.
Asset Returns and the Listing Choice of Firms

We propose a mechanism that relates asset returns to the firm's optimal listing choice. We use a theoretical model to show that a stock will be more liquid when it is listed on a market where "similar" securities are traded. We empirically examine the implications of our model using New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Nasdaq securities. We find that the return patterns of stocks that switch markets become more similar to the return patterns of securities listed on the new market prior to the switch. Stocks that are eligible to switch but stay put are more similar to securities listed on their market than to securities listed on the other market. Our results suggest that managers make listing decisions that enhance the liquidity of their firms' stocks. The Author 2006. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Society for Financial Studies. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org. , Oxford University Press.
Mother, Infant, and Household Factors Associated with the Type of Food Infants Receive in Developing Countries

Objectives: We explore the complex factors associated with infant feeding by analyzing what mother, infant, and household factors are associated with the types of food given to infants. We seek to quantify associations in order to inform public health policy about the importance of target populations for infant feeding programs. Methods: We used data from the Demographic Health Survey in 20 developing countries for multiple years to examine mother, infant, and household factors associated with six types of food given to infants (exclusive breastfeeding, non-exclusive breastfeeding, infant formula, milk liquids, non-milk liquids, and solid foods). We performed a seemingly unrelated regressions analysis with community-year fixed effects to account for correlation between food types and control for confounding factors associated with community resources, culture, time period, and geography in the pooled analysis. Results: We found that several mother, infant, and household characteristics were associated with each of the feeding types. Most notably, mother’s education, working status, and weight are significantly associated with the type of food given to infants. We provide quantified estimates of the association of each of these variables with six types of food given to infants. Conclusion: By identifying maternal characteristics associated with infant feeding and quantifying those associations, we help public health policymakers generate priorities for targeting infant feeding programs to specific populations that are at greatest risk. Higher educated, working mothers are best to target with exclusive breastfeeding programs for young infants. Mothers with lower education are best to target with complementary feeding programs in infants older than 1 year. Finally, while maternal weight is associated with higher levels of exclusive breastfeeding the association is too weak to merit targeting of breastfeeding programs to low-weight mothers.
A data-oriented survey of context models

Context-aware systems are pervading everyday life, therefore context modeling is becoming a relevant issue and an expanding research field. This survey has the goal to provide a comprehensive evaluation framework, allowing application designers to compare context models with respect to a given target application; in particular we stress the analysis of those features which are relevant for the problem of data tailoring. The contribution of this paper is twofold: a general analysis framework for context models and an up-to-date comparison of the most interesting, data-oriented approaches available in the literature.
DRUGS FOR INSOMNIA.

THERE is probably a larger selection of drugs available for sedation than for any other purpose. Although only some are effective in insomnia, the choice is still large and is often governed by no more than the physician's personal preference. We avoid the use of newer drugs and those that we use are well known to us; their effects are predictable and all their disadvantages are recognized. We prescribe these drugs sparingly but without stinting; that is, they are not ordered as a routine when a patient enters hospital, but, on the other hand, we never prescribe them in a dose too small to fulfil the need. Rapidly acting hypnotics for oral use. -Secobarbital sodium (Seconal), amobarbital sodium (Amytal), a combination of the two (Tuinal), and chioral hydrate are the drugs used to induce sleep rapidly when taken by mouth. The three barbiturate preparations are indicated when nervousness or restlessness inhibits the onset of sleep, and they are taken at bedtime. They do not promote sleep in the presence of pain but, then, may be given with an analgesic. Secobarbital alone may have too brief an effect, and amobarbital too mild an initial effect, but they may be given together as Tuinal, which will combine the benefits of both. Chloral hydrate is used as an alternative to the barbiturates, mainly in hospital practice where patients resistant to and tolerant of barbiturates are most commonly met. Its 'action is similar to but a little stronger than that of amobarbital. Occasionally we use diphenhydramine (Benadryl) for the same purpose.
Common Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in TCF7L2 Are Reproducibly Associated With Type 2 Diabetes and Reduce the Insulin Response to Glucose in Nondiabetic Individuals

Recently, common noncoding variants in the TCF7L2 gene were strongly associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes in samples from Iceland, Denmark, and the U.S. We genotyped 13 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across TCF7L2 in 8,310 individuals in family-based and case-control designs from Scandinavia, Poland, and the U.S. We convincingly confirmed the previous association of TCF7L2 SNPs with the risk of type 2 diabetes (rs7903146T odds ratio 1.40 [95% CI 1.30–1.50], P = 6.74 × 10−20). In nondiabetic individuals, the risk genotypes were associated with a substantial reduction in the insulinogenic index derived from an oral glucose tolerance test (risk allele homozygotes have half the insulin response to glucose of noncarriers, P = 0.003) but not with increased insulin resistance. These results suggest that TCF7L2 variants may act through insulin secretion to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Mobile robot SLAM methods improved for adapting to search and rescue environments

Robotic simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) confronts extreme challenge in collapsed, cluttered, GPS-signal unreliable environments of search and rescue (SAR). Our improved SLAM methods aim to mobile robot performing SAR requirements which comprise the significant objects identification, loop closure perceiving, exploration area coverage, and the other performances. We developed efficient SLAM methods adapting to SAR cluttered environments, which are listed as follows: the 3-D mapping reconstruction extracts the features of significant object; the hierarchical perception-driven approach dramatically improves the loops closure performance; the local wireless Ad hoc network deployment addressed the signal absence and unreliable of harsh environment; robot arm perceived and identified the objects of interest. The fusion of these efficient strategies forms the SAR SLAM methods that adapt to the cluttered and harsh condition. In this paper, we evaluate the improved SAR SLAM qualitatively on available data measurements. The simulations and experimental results demonstrate that the improved SLAM performances methods are obviously adapted to SAR environment.
Accuracy of Electronic Digital Calipers Compared With Quantitative Angiography in Measuring Coronary Arterial Diameter

BackgroundQuantitative angiography is the accepted method for measuring coronary luminal diameter. Electronic digital calipers have been used to assess arterial diameters in vasomotor function studies and after interventional procedures. However, careful validation of calipers against quantitative angiography has not been described. Methods and ResultsWe used digital calipers and quantitative angiography to measure 517 arterial diameters (88 nonstenotic segments) in 24 transplant patients undergoing vasomotor function studies with acetylcholine and nitroglycerin, 20 stenoses in 14 patients with coronary artery disease, and 15 stenoses in 15 patients before and after excimer laser-facilitated coronary angioplasty and at 6 months' follow-up. In nonstenotic arterial segments ranging in size from 0.6 to 3.5 mm, calipers overestimated diameters measured by quantitative angiography by 0.29±0.21 mm (mean±SD) (limits of agreement, -0.13 to 0.71 mm). However, when the vasomotor responses were expressed as percent diameter change, the two methods did not differ significantly (-1±10%Y; limits of agreement, -21% to 19%o). In the 35 stenoses measured before intervention and 30 stenoses measured after intervention, calipers and quantitative angiography differed by 3±91% (limits of agreement, -15% to 21%) across a range of stenosis severity (11% to 80%o). Repeat caliper measurements by the same observer of the percent diameter change in the transplant patients and the percent stenosis in the coronary artery disease patients led to standard deviations of the differences of 9.3% and 7.6%, respectively. Two different observers recorded percent diameter change and percent stenosis that differed with standard deviations of 9.6% and 7.8%, respectively. ConclusionsQuantitative angiography and electronic digital calipers produce similar relative changes in arterial diameters and percent stenosis in a broad range of severities. Digital calipers thus are a rapid and convenient alternative to computerized quantitative angiography in certain research studies and clinical practice of assessing stenosis severity.
Differential Response of Delayed Healing and Persistent Inflammation at Sites of Overlapping Sirolimus- or Paclitaxel-Eluting Stents

Background—Although effective coverage of challenging coronary lesions has warranted the use of overlapping drug-eluting stents, the histopathological response to stent overlap is unknown. Methods and Results—The arterial reaction to overlapping Cypher or Taxus drug-eluting stents was examined in rabbits with bare metal stents, BxVelocity or Express, serving as controls. Single iliac artery balloon injury was followed by placement of 2 overlapping 3.0-mm-diameter drug-eluting stents or bare metal stents in 60 animals (mean length of overlap, 9.8±3.6 mm). Stented arteries were harvested at 28 and 90 days for histology. Overlapped segments exhibited delayed healing compared with proximal and distal nonoverlapping sites at 28 days. Overlapped segments in Taxus stents induced significantly more luminal heterophils/eosinophils and fibrin deposition than Cypher; peristrut giant cell infiltration, however, was more frequent in the latter. Overlapping bare metal stents also showed mild delayed healing compared with nonoverlapped segments, but not to the same extent as drug-eluting stents. Although neointimal thickness within the overlap was similar in 28- and 90-day Cypher stents, there was a significant increase with Taxus (P=0.03). Conclusions—Compared with bare metal stents, drug-eluting stents further delay arterial healing and promote inflammation at sites of overlap. Taxus stents induced greater fibrin deposition, medial cell loss, heterophils/eosinophils, and late neointimal hyperplasia. Patients receiving overlapping drug-eluting stents need more frequent follow-up than patients with nonoverlapping stents.
Scavenger Receptor MARCO Orchestrates Early Defenses and Contributes to Fungal Containment during Cryptococcal Infection

The scavenger receptor macrophage receptor with collagenous structure (MARCO) promotes protective innate immunity against bacterial and parasitic infections; however, its role in host immunity against fungal pathogens, including the major human opportunistic fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans, remains unknown. Using a mouse model of C. neoformans infection, we demonstrated that MARCO deficiency leads to impaired fungal control during the afferent phase of cryptococcal infection. Diminished fungal containment in MARCO−/− mice was accompanied by impaired recruitment of Ly6Chigh monocytes and monocyte-derived dendritic cells (moDC) and lower moDC costimulatory maturation. The reduced recruitment and activation of mononuclear phagocytes in MARCO−/− mice was linked to diminished early expression of IFN-γ along with profound suppression of CCL2 and CCL7 chemokines, providing evidence for roles of MARCO in activation of the CCR2 axis during C. neoformans infection. Lastly, we found that MARCO was involved in C. neoformans phagocytosis by resident pulmonary macrophages and DC. We conclude that MARCO facilitates early interactions between C. neoformans and lung-resident cells and promotes the production of CCR2 ligands. In turn, this contributes to a more robust recruitment and activation of moDC that opposes rapid fungal expansion during the afferent phase of cryptococcal infection.
Estimating the Spinning Reserve Requirements in Systems With Significant Wind Power Generation Penetration

Spinning reserve (SR) allows system operators to compensate for unpredictable imbalances between load and generation caused by sudden outages of generating units, errors in load forecasting or unexpected deviations by generating units from their production schedules. As the proportion of power produced by wind farms increases, it becomes more difficult to predict accurately the total amount of power injected by all generators into the power system. This added uncertainty must be taken into account when setting the requirement for SR. This paper proposes a technique to calculate the optimal amount of SR that the system operator should provide to be able to respond not only to generation outages but also to errors in the forecasts for load and wind power production. Using a Monte Carlo simulation, the proposed technique for setting the SR requirements is then compared with the traditional deterministic criterion (i.e., the capacity of the largest online infeed), an approach to cope with wind imbalances and an approach that combines the traditional criterion with the approach to cope with wind imbalances. The results show that, contrary to what is commonly believed, an increased wind power penetration does not necessarily require larger amounts of SR.
The Treatment Initiation Program: an intervention to improve depression outcomes in older adults.

OBJECTIVE This pilot study tests the usefulness of the Treatment Initiation Program (TIP) to improve depression in older adults. The TIP is an individualized, early intervention to address older adults' attitudes (e.g., perceived need for care and stigma) about depression and treatment. METHOD Older adults with major depression seeking mental health treatment were randomly assigned to either pharmacotherapy alone or with the TIP. Severity was assessed with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale at admission and at 6, 12, and 24 weeks. Mixed-effects models were calculated to evaluate the effects of the TIP. RESULTS In mixed-effects models, TIP patients had a greater decrease in depression severity and reported less hopelessness than the patients receiving usual care. TIP patients were more likely to remain in treatment 12 and 24 weeks after seeking care. CONCLUSIONS These data support the usefulness of the TIP to improve depression outcomes and treatment participation among older adults.