Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Smoking stage of change and interest in an emergency department-based intervention.

OBJECTIVES To examine factors associated with motivation to quit smoking and interest in an emergency department (ED)-based intervention. METHODS Consecutive ED patients 18 years of age and older were interviewed. Severely ill and cognitively disabled patients were excluded. Smoking history, stage of change, self-efficacy, presence of a smoking-related illness, interest in an ED-based smoking intervention, and screening/counseling by the patient's ED provider were assessed. RESULTS A total of 1,461 of 2,314 patients (64%) were interviewed. A total of 581 (40%) currently smoked, with 21% in precontemplation (no intention to quit), 43% in contemplation (intention to quit but not within the next 30 days), and 36% in preparation (intention to quit within the next 30 days). Approximately 50% indicated a willingness to remain 15 extra minutes in the ED to receive counseling. Only 8% received counseling by their ED provider. A regression analysis showed that greater readiness to change was associated with multiple lifetime quit attempts, presence of a quit attempt in the past 30 days, and higher self-efficacy. Interest in an ED-based intervention was more likely among patients who reported higher self-efficacy. CONCLUSIONS Approximately 50% of smokers reported at least moderate interest in an ED-based intervention and a willingness to stay 15 extra minutes, but only 8% reported receiving counseling during their ED visit. Considering time and resource constraints, counseling/referral may be best suited for patients characterized by a strong desire to quit, multiple previous quit attempts, high self-efficacy, a smoking-related ED visit, and strong interest in ED-based counseling.
Increased endothelin-1 in colorectal cancer and reduction of tumour growth by ET A receptor antagonism

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is a vasoconstrictor peptide which stimulates proliferation in vitro in different cell types, including colorectal cancer cells. Raised ET-1 levels have been detected both on tissue specimens and in the plasma of patients with cancers. To investigate the role of ET-1 in colorectal cancer: (i) ET-1 plasma levels in patients with colorectal cancer were measured by radioimmunoassay: group 1 = controls (n = 22), group 2 = primary colorectal cancer only (n = 39), group 3 = liver metastases only (n = 26); (ii) ET-1 expression in primary colorectal cancer specimens (n=10) was determined immunohistochemically and (iii) the effect of intraportally infused antagonists to the two ET-1 receptors, ETA and ETB, on the growth of liver metastases in a rat model was assessed. ET-1 plasma levels were significantly increased in both patients with primary tumour and patients with metastases, compared to controls (P<0.01, 3.9±1.4, 4.5±1.5, vs. 2.75±1.37pg/ml, respectively). Immunohistochemically, strong expression of ET-1 was found in the cytoplasm, stroma and blood vessels of cancers, unlike the normal colon where only the apical layer of the epithelium, vascular endothelial cells and surrounding stroma were positively stained. In the rat model, there was significant reduction in liver tumour weights compared to controls, following treatment with the ETA antagonist (BQ123) 30min after the intraportal inoculation of tumour cells (P < 0.05). These results suggest ET-1 is produced by colorectal cancers and may play a role in the growth of colorectal cancer acting through ETA receptors. ETA antagonists are indicated as potential anti-cancer agents. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign http://www.bjcancer. com
Cell renewal in human epidermis.

Cell renewal in human epidermis was estimated after intradermal injection of thymidine-H3 in 21 subjects by means of serial biopsies and radioautographs. Results indicated 5% of germinative cells take up thymidine-H3in 40 minutes. By seven days the number of labeled nuclei more than doubled and most were in the prickle layer. The first cell appeared in the granular layer in 10 to 14 days. After that a steady decline in number of labeled nuclei was observed. Epidermal cell renewal generally required 13 to 18 days. Epidermal cell turnover for man is similar to that reported for mouse and rat. The most important results challenge the older concept that epidermal cells divide and move in an orderly sequence. It now seems that mitosis and migration are random events.
Structure and optical properties of nanoparticles obtained by pulsed laser ablation of copper in gases

Nano-powders of different composition and structure were obtained by nanosecond pulsed laser ablation (Nd:YAG laser, 7 ns, 1064 nm, 20 Hz, 200 mJ) of a metallic copper target in a simple flow reactor at atmospheric pressure. The crystal structure, nanoparticles’ shape, and surface morphology were shown to depend on the gaseous media used (Ar, N2, CO2). CuO nanopowders with a specific surface area 50 m2/g were synthesized by pulsed laser ablation in carbon dioxide and after annealing in air. The optical properties of the obtained powders were also investigated.
Molecular Mechanisms in Exercise-Induced Cardioprotection

Physical inactivity is increasingly recognized as modifiable behavioral risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. A partial list of proposed mechanisms for exercise-induced cardioprotection include induction of heat shock proteins, increase in cardiac antioxidant capacity, expression of endoplasmic reticulum stress proteins, anatomical and physiological changes in the coronary arteries, changes in nitric oxide production, adaptational changes in cardiac mitochondria, increased autophagy, and improved function of sarcolemmal and/or mitochondrial ATP-sensitive potassium channels. It is currently unclear which of these protective mechanisms are essential for exercise-induced cardioprotection. However, most investigations focus on sarcolemmal KATP channels, NO production, and mitochondrial changes although it is very likely that other mechanisms may also exist. This paper discusses current information about these aforementioned topics and does not consider potentially important adaptations within blood or the autonomic nervous system. A better understanding of the molecular basis of exercise-induced cardioprotection will help to develop better therapeutic strategies.
Laboratory diagnosis of human papillomavirus virus infection in female genital tract

More than 30 to 40 types of HPV are typically transmitted through sexual contact and infect the anogenital region. [1] Some sexually transmitted HPV types may cause genital warts. Persistent infection with "high-risk" HPV types different from the ones that cause skin warts, may progress to precancerous lesions and invasive cancer. [2] HPV infection is a cause of nearly all cases of cervical cancer;[3] however, most infections with these types do not cause disease.
Estimation and control of the 3D position of a quadrotor in indoor environments

This paper presents a method for the estimation and control of the 3D position of a quadrotor in indoor environments, which can stabilize the aircraft hovering over a reference as well as follow a moving reference. The proposed approach adopts the Extended Kalman Filter - EKF - as framework to fuse the information provided by the sensors available onboard the quadrotor, and a PD controller to regulate the flight. Experimental results are also presented, aiming at demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Con icts of Interest and Reputational Cheap Talk

We develop a model to analyze the impact of conicts of interest on the incentives of experts to reveal their information to receivers. We show that reputational concerns lead experts to adopt conservative behaviour by conforming to public information and disregarding their own. In particular, initial reputation has a non monotonic e¤ect on the degree of information revelation, with truthful revelation being more likely to occur when there is more uncertainty on expert ability. Our results shed light on the relationship between institutional features of the reporting environment and informational e¢ ciency, suggesting a set of empirical implications relative to sell-side nancial analysts. The framework developed applies to issues of information transmission that involve conicting short term and long term objectives.
A multi-institutional study of hemostatic gauze and tourniquets in rural civilian trauma

BACKGROUND Life-threatening hemorrhage is a leading cause of preventable mortality in trauma patients. Since publication of the Hartford Consensus statement, there has been intense interest in civilian use of commercial hemostatic gauze and tourniquets. Although the military has studied their use on soldiers with wartime injuries, there are limited data on patient outcomes following civilian prehospital use and no data on the use in rural trauma. METHODS We performed a multi-institutional retrospective analysis of clinical outcomes following prehospital use of QuikClot combat gauze (QC) and combat application tourniquets (CATs) from 2009 to 2014. The primary outcome measured was effectiveness. Secondary outcomes included morbidity, mortality, patients' demographics, injury characteristics, and hospital outcomes. RESULTS Between 2009 and 2014, 95 patients were managed by prehospital personnel with QC and/or CAT. Forty received QC, 61 received CAT, and 6 received both products. The median age was 40 years (6–91 years), 29% were female, and the median injury severity score was 7 (1–25). QuikClot combat gauze was 89% effective. Minimal morbidity was associated with QC use. Combat application tourniquet was 98% effective. Median tourniquet time was 21 minutes (6–142 minutes), the median injury severity score was 9 (1–50), and mortality was 9.8%. Morbidities observed with tourniquet use included amputation, fasciotomy, rhabdomyolysis, and acute kidney injury. Risk of amputation was associated with higher injury severity (p = 0.04) but not with elderly age, obesity, or the presence of medical comorbidities. No amputations resulted solely from the use of tourniquets. CONCLUSIONS QuikClot combat gauze and CAT are safe and effective adjuncts for hemorrhage control in the rural civilian trauma across a wide range of injury patterns. In a rural civilian population including women, children, and elderly patients with medical comorbidities, these devices are associated with minimal morbidity beyond that of the original injury. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Therapeutic study, level V.
Maximum‐weight‐basis preconditioners

This paper analyses a novel method for constructing preconditioners for diagonally dominant symmetric positive‐definite matrices. The method discussed here is based on a simple idea: we construct M by simply dropping offdiagonal non‐zeros from A and modifying the diagonal elements to maintain a certain row‐sum property. The preconditioners are extensions of Vaidya's augmented maximum‐spanning‐tree preconditioners. The preconditioners presented here were also mentioned by Vaidya in an unpublished manuscript, but without a complete analysis.
Strong Ability of Nef-Specific CD4+ Cytotoxic T Cells To Suppress Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1) Replication in HIV-1-Infected CD4+ T Cells and Macrophages

ABSTRACT A restricted number of studies have shown that human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-specific cytotoxic CD4+ T cells are present in HIV-1-infected individuals. However, the roles of this type of CD4+ T cell in the immune responses against an HIV-1 infection remain unclear. In this study, we identified novel Nef epitope-specific HLA-DRB1*0803-restricted cytotoxic CD4+ T cells. The CD4+ T-cell clones specific for Nef187-203 showed strong gamma interferon production after having been stimulated with autologous B-lymphoblastoid cells infected with recombinant vaccinia virus expressing Nef or pulsed with heat-inactivated virus particles, indicating the presentation of the epitope antigen through both exogenous and endogenous major histocompatibility complex class II processing pathways. Nef187-203-specific CD4+ T-cell clones exhibited strong cytotoxic activity against both HIV-1-infected macrophages and CD4+ T cells from an HLA-DRB1*0803+ donor. In addition, these Nef-specific cytotoxic CD4+ T-cell clones exhibited strong ability to suppress HIV-1 replication in both macrophages and CD4+ T cells in vitro. Nef187-203-specific cytotoxic CD4+ T cells were detected in cultures of peptide-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and in ex vivo PBMCs from 40% and 20% of DRB1*0803+ donors, respectively. These results suggest that HIV-1-specific CD4+ T cells may directly control HIV-1 infection in vivo by suppressing virus replication in HIV-1 natural host cells.
Rapid voltage-dependent dissociation of scorpion alpha-toxins coupled to Na channel inactivation in amphibian myelinated nerves

The voltage-dependent action of several scorpion alpha-toxins on Na channels was studied in toad myelinated nerve under voltage clamp. These toxins slow the declining phase of macroscopic Na current, apparently by inhibiting an irreversible channel inactivation step and thus permitting channels to reopen from a closed state in depolarized membranes. In this article, we describe the rapid reversal of alpha- toxin action by membrane depolarizations more positive than +20 mV, an effect not achieved by extensive washing. Depolarizations that were increasingly positive and of longer duration caused the toxin to dissociate faster and more completely, but only up to a limiting extent. Repetitive pulses had a cumulative effect equal to that of a single pulse lasting as long as their combined duration. When the membrane of a nonperfused fiber was repolarized, the effects of the toxin returned completely, but if the fiber was perfused during the conditioning procedure, recovery was incomplete and occurred more slowly, as it did at lower applied toxin concentrations. Other alpha- type toxins, from the scorpion Centruroides sculpturatus (IVa) and the sea anemone Anemonia sulcata (ATXII), exhibited similar voltage- dependent binding, though each had its own voltage range and dissociation rate. We suggest that the dissociation of the toxin molecule from the Na channel is coupled to the inactivation process. An equivalent valence for inactivation gating, of less than 1 e per channel, is calculated from the voltage-dependent change in toxin affinity.
Correlation of histologic findings on preimplant biopsy with kidney graft survival

Kidney biopsies are being used to evaluate marginal deceased donor organs, but, the literature on the utility of this practice remains conflicting. We re‐examined this issue by performing a multivariate analysis of 597 kidney transplant recipients. The presence of moderate arteriosclerosis and/or moderate arteriolosclerosis (MA), defined as ≥25% luminal compromise, was a significant predictor of graft outcome in standard criteria donors (multivariate, P = 0.01) and in expanded criteria donors (ECD) as defined by UNOS criteria (univariate P = 0.02). One‐, 3‐, and 5‐year overall allograft survival with MA was 71%, 58%, and 40%, respectively. Increasing degrees of glomerulosclerosis (GS) were associated with earlier graft failure on univariate (P = 0.03) but not multivariate analysis (P = 0.36). GS > 20% and interstitial fibrosis >25% had a low frequency in the material reviewed, likely reflecting our organ utilization practices, and did not have a demonstrable effect on graft outcome. Clinical parameters independently associated with worse graft function were ECD status (P < 0.05), retransplantation (P = 0.004), recipient age (P < 0.05), and delayed graft function (P < 0.0001). Donor vascular disease is an independent risk factor for suboptimal graft survival. Great caution should be exercised in the decision to transplant kidneys with moderate arterial and/or arteriolar luminal narrowing.
An Overflow Problem in Network Coding for Secure Cloud Storage

In this paper, we present the overflow problem of a network coding storage system (NCSS) when the encoding parameters and the storage parameters are mismatched. The overflow problem of the NCSS occurs because the network-coded encryption yields extended coded data, resulting in high storage and processing overhead. To avoid the overflow problem, we propose an overflow-avoidance NCSS scheme that takes account of security and storage requirements in both encoding and storage procedures. We provide the analytical results of the maximum allowable stored encoded data under the perfect secrecy criterion. The design guidelines to achieve high coding efficiency with the lowest storage cost are also presented.
Functional adaptation of cortical interneurons to attenuated activity is subtype-specific

Functional neuronal homeostasis has been studied in a variety of model systems and contexts. Many studies have shown that there are a number of changes that can be activated within individual cells or networks in order to compensate for perturbations or changes in levels of activity. Dissociating the cell autonomous from the network-mediated events has been complicated due to the difficulty of sparsely targeting specific populations of neurons in vivo. Here, we make use of a recent in vivo approach we developed that allows for the sparse labeling and manipulation of activity within superficial caudal ganglionic eminence (CGE)-derived GABAergic interneurons. Expression of the inward rectifying potassium channel Kir2.1 cell-autonomously reduced neuronal activity and lead to specific developmental changes in their intrinsic electrophysiological properties and the synaptic input they received. In contrast to previous studies on homeostatic scaling of pyramidal cells, we did not detect any of the typically observed compensatory mechanisms in these interneurons. Rather, we instead saw a specific alteration of the kinetics of excitatory synaptic events within the reelin-expressing subpopulation of interneurons. These results provide the first in vivo observations for the capacity of interneurons to cell-autonomously regulate their excitability.
Patterns of widowhood mortality.

OBJECTIVES Becoming widowed is a known risk factor for mortality. This article examines the magnitude of, explanations for, and variation in the association between widowhood and mortality. Previous research on widowhood mortality has revealed variation by socioeconomic status (SES), in that SES is not protective in widowhood, and by gender, such that men's mortality increases more than women's mortality after the death of spouse. METHOD Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, we estimated Cox proportional hazard models to estimate the association between widowhood and mortality. RESULTS Becoming widowed is associated with a 48% increase in risk of mortality. Approximately one third of the increase can be attributed to selection, in that those who become widows are socioeconomically disadvantaged. In contrast to previous studies, SES is protective for widows. Widowhood mortality risk increases for men if their wives' deaths were unexpected rather than expected; for women, the extent to which their husbands' death was expected matters less. DISCUSSION Widowhood's harmful association with mortality show how strongly social support and individual's health and mortality are related. These findings support the larger literature on the importance of social support for health and longevity.
Design of low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes for high order constellations

In this paper, we propose a simple design of LDPC codes which combines the good properties of multilevel coding (MLC) and bit-interleaved coded modulation (BICM) schemes with Gray-mapped PAM constellations and one-shot demodulation. Through simulations, we show that it performs better than MLC/parallel independent decoding for short-medium lengths, which is required for most applications, on AWGN and block-fading channels. Since 2/sup m/-PAM represents one quadrature component of 2/sup 2m/-QAM, the optimization holds true for QAM too. In general, this idea can be extended to other modulation schemes like 2/sup m/-PSK very easily.
Endodontic management of contralateral mandibular first molars with six root canals

The knowledge of variations in root canal morphology is essential for a successful endodontic outcome. Contralateral mandibular molar with six root canals is a rare entity. Root canal treatment of mandibular molars with aberrant canal configuration can be diagnostically and technically challenging. While dealing with variant mandibular molars, mishaps may happen. This case report describes variations in contralateral mandibular molars and also an endodontic mishap while managing them.
Fumarate-loaded electrospun nanofibers with anti-inflammatory activity for fast recovery of mild skin burns

In the biomedical sector the availability of engineered scaffolds and dressings that control and reduce inflammatory states is highly desired, particularly for the management of burn wounds. In this work, we demonstrate for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, that electrospun fibrous dressings of poly(octyl cyanoacrylate) (POCA) combined with polypropylene fumarate (PPF) possess anti-inflammatory activity and promote the fast and effective healing of mild skin burns in an animal model. The fibers produced had an average diameter of (0.8 ± 0.1) µm and they were able to provide a conformal coverage of the injured tissue. The application of the fibrous mats on the burned tissue effectively reduced around 80% of the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the first 48 h in comparison with un-treated animals, and enhanced skin epithelialization. From histological analysis, the skin thickness of the animals treated with POCA : PPF dressings appeared similar to that of one of the naïve animals: (13.7 ± 1.4) µm and (14.3 ± 2.5) µm for naïve and treated animals, respectively. The density of dermal cells was comparable as well: (1100 ± 112) cells mm−2 and (1358 ± 255) cells mm−2 for naïve and treated mice, respectively. The results demonstrate the suitability of the electrospun dressings in accelerating and effectively promoting the burn healing process.
Immunogenicity and reactogenicity of 1 versus 2 doses of trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine in vaccine-naive 5-8-year-old children.

BACKGROUND Two doses of trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (TIV) are recommended for children <9 years old receiving vaccine for the first time, but compliance is suboptimal. This study assessed the need for a second dose of TIV in this age group. METHODS In this prospective, open-label study, 232 influenza vaccine-naive 5-8-year-olds enrolled in a health maintenance organization received 2 doses of TIV in fall 2004. Serum for antibody titer measurement was obtained at 3 time points (n = 222). Parents completed diaries for 5 days. RESULTS Both doses of vaccine were well tolerated. The strongest predictor of a protective antibody response (> or =1 : 40) after 1 dose of TIV was baseline seropositive status. In multivariate analysis adjusting for age, sex, and baseline serostatus, the proportion of children with protective antibody responses was significantly higher after 2 doses than after 1 dose of TIV for each antigen (P < .001, for A/H1N1; P = .01, for A/H3N2; P < .001, for B). Age and sex were not independently predictive of a protective antibody response. Over one-third of children had antibody responses <1:40 for the type B vaccine component, even after 2 doses. CONCLUSIONS The present study supports the need for 2 doses of TIV in 5-8-year-olds receiving TIV for the first time. Efforts to increase compliance with the 2-dose recommendation are warranted.