Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Preventing hospital-acquired urinary tract infection in the United States: a national study.

BACKGROUND Although urinary tract infection (UTI) is the most common hospital-acquired infection in the United States, to our knowledge, no national data exist describing what hospitals in the United States are doing to prevent this patient safety problem. We conducted a national study to examine the current practices used by hospitals to prevent hospital-acquired UTI. METHODS We mailed written surveys to infection control coordinators at a national random sample of nonfederal US hospitals with an intensive care unit and >or=50 hospital beds (n=600) and to all Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals (n=119). The survey asked about practices to prevent hospital-acquired UTI and other device-associated infections. RESULTS The response rate was 72%. Overall, 56% of hospitals did not have a system for monitoring which patients had urinary catheters placed, and 74% did not monitor catheter duration. Thirty percent of hospitals reported regularly using antimicrobial urinary catheters and portable bladder scanners; 14% used condom catheters, and 9% used catheter reminders. VA hospitals were more likely than non-VA hospitals to use portable bladder scanners (49% vs. 29%; P=.001), condom catheters (46% vs. 12%; P=.001), and suprapubic catheters (22% vs. 9%; P=.001); non-VA hospitals were more likely to use antimicrobial urinary catheters (30% vs. 14%; P=.001). CONCLUSIONS Despite the strong link between urinary catheters and subsequent UTI, we found no strategy that appeared to be widely used to prevent hospital-acquired UTI. The most commonly used practices--bladder ultrasound and antimicrobial catheters--were each used in fewer than one-third of hospitals, and urinary catheter reminders, which have proven benefits, were used in <10% of US hospitals.
Androgen Receptor Splice Variant AR3 Promotes Prostate Cancer via Modulating Expression of Autocrine/Paracrine Factors*

Background: AR splice variants may play a critical role in prostate cancer. Results: AR3 modulates expression of tumor-promoting growth factors and promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition, leading to development of prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia. Conclusion: AR3 promotes prostate cancer by modulating multiple tumor-associated autocrine/paracrine factors. Significance: Our findings provide new insights into mechanisms by which AR3 contributes to prostate cancer despite its heterogeneous expression pattern. Deregulation of androgen receptor (AR) splice variants has been implicated to play a role in prostate cancer development and progression. To understand their functions in prostate, we established a transgenic mouse model (AR3Tg) with targeted expression of the constitutively active and androgen-independent AR splice variant AR3 (a.k.a. AR-V7) in prostate epithelium. We found that overexpression of AR3 modulates expression of a number of tumor-promoting autocrine/paracrine growth factors (including Tgfβ2 and Igf1) and expands prostatic progenitor cell population, leading to development of prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia. In addition, we showed that some epithelial-mesenchymal transition-associated genes are up-regulated in AR3Tg prostates, suggesting that AR3 may antagonize AR activity and halt the differentiation process driven by AR and androgen. This notion is supported by our observations that the number of Ck5+/Ck8+ intermediate cells is increased in AR3Tg prostates after castration, and expression of AR3 transgene in these intermediate cells compromises prostate epithelium regeneration upon androgen replacement. Our results demonstrate that AR3 is a driver of prostate cancer, at least in part, through modulating multiple tumor-promoting autocrine/paracrine factors.
Cramér–Rao Bounds for Underdetermined Source Localization

Although Cramér-Rao Bounds (CRB) for direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation have been extensively studied for decades, existing results are mainly applicable when there are fewer sources than sensors. In contrast, this letter considers an underdetermined signal model (more sources than sensors) and investigates conditions under which CRB exist. Necessary and sufficient conditions are derived for the associated Fisher information matrix to be nonsingular, which in turn, leads to closed-form expressions for the CRBs for underdetermined DOA estimation. These conditions highlight crucial roles played by the array geometry, as well as the correlation between source signals. The CRB for different array geometries are numerically compared both in the overdetermined and underdetermined settings.
Implicit Orientation Toward Family and School Among Bilingual Latino College Students

The authors examined the associations that underlie the orientations of bilingual Latino college students toward family and school. Participants completed, in English or Spanish, 3 implicit association tests assessing their attitude toward family vs. school, identifications with these concepts, and self-esteem. Results revealed a more positive attitude toward, and stronger identification with, family than school. Identification with family was stronger among participants who completed the study in English, suggesting self-definition in terms of distinctions from the context. Last, the more participants valued family over school and identified with family rather than school, the higher was their selfesteem. These findings shed light on the subtle, yet crucial, mechanisms by which cultural knowledge is incorporated in the self-concept of bilingual Latino college students.
Altered Activation of Endothelial Anti- and Proapoptotic Pathways by High-Density Lipoprotein from Patients with Coronary Artery Disease: Role of High-Density Lipoprotein–Proteome Remodeling

Background— Endothelial dysfunction and injury are thought to play an important role in the progression of coronary artery disease (CAD). High-density lipoprotein from healthy subjects (HDLHealthy) has been proposed to exert endothelial antiapoptotic effects that may represent an important antiatherogenic property of the lipoprotein. The present study therefore aimed to compare effects of HDLCAD and HDLHealthy on the activation of endothelial anti- and proapoptotic pathways and to determine which changes of the lipoprotein are relevant for these processes. Methods and Results— HDL was isolated from patients with stable CAD (HDLsCAD), an acute coronary syndrome (HDLACS), and healthy subjects. HDLHealthy induced expression of the endothelial antiapoptotic Bcl-2 protein Bcl-xL and reduced endothelial cell apoptosis in vitro and in apolipoprotein E–deficient mice in vivo. In contrast, HDLsCAD and HDLACS did not inhibit endothelial apoptosis, failed to activate endothelial Bcl-xL, and stimulated endothelial proapoptotic pathways, in particular, p38-mitogen-activated protein kinase–mediated activation of the proapoptotic Bcl-2 protein tBid. Endothelial antiapoptotic effects of HDLHealthy were observed after inhibition of endothelial nitric oxide synthase and after delipidation, but not completely mimicked by apolipoprotein A-I or reconstituted HDL, suggesting an important role of the HDL proteome. HDL proteomics analyses and subsequent validations and functional characterizations suggested a reduced clusterin and increased apolipoprotein C-III content of HDLsCAD and HDLACS as mechanisms leading to altered effects on endothelial apoptosis. Conclusions— The present study demonstrates for the first time that HDLCAD does not activate endothelial antiapoptotic pathways, but rather stimulates potential endothelial proapoptotic pathways. HDL-proteome remodeling plays an important role for these altered functional properties of HDL. These findings provide novel insights into mechanisms leading to altered vascular effects of HDL in coronary disease.
tPA and proteolysis in the neurovascular unit.

One of the major recommendations emerging from the NINDS Stroke Progress Review Group was to shift the emphasis from a purely neurocentric view of cell death toward a more integrative approach whereby responses in all brain cells and matrix are considered during cerebral ischemia (see Figure). The concept of the neurovascular unit (fundamentally comprising endothelium, astrocyte, and neuron) provides a modular framework where cell-cell signaling and cell-matrix interactions mediate the overall tissue response to stroke and its treatments.1 There is no doubt that reperfusing blood vessels mechanically or pharmacologically prevents cell death and rescues brain when performed in a timely manner, as it does in ischemic myocardium. However, under some circumstances, thrombolysis and reperfusion lead to cerebral hemorrhage and edema. Here, we examine the hypothesis that beneficial versus potentially deleterious outcomes after tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) stroke therapy may relate in part to matrix proteolysis within the neurovascular unit, and review recent advances in this area. Schematic of the basic neurovascular unit showing functional interactions between neuron, astrocyte, and cerebral endothelium. This conceptual construct provides a framework for investigating the integrative response of brain to stroke and therapy. Note: ultimately, all cell types should be considered including smooth muscle cells, pericytes, as well as oligodendrocytes and axons in white matter. More than 7 years after the major ECASS and NINDS trials,2,3 use of tPA therapy remains limited.4 In part, this may be due to narrow time-to-treatment windows and apparent complications …
Optimal Switching with Constraints and Utility Maximization of an Indivisible Market

This work focuses on optimal switching with constraints. Our motivation stems from utility maximization of an indivisible market. The dynamic programming approach is used; the value function is characterized as the unique viscosity solution of a quasi-variational inequality. The unbounded domain introduces new challenges. By studying the sample paths of the diffusion at the boundary, a sufficient condition for the continuity of the value function is provided, yielding the desired characterization. Not only are the results of this work applicable to the utility maximization problem, but also they can be used for general optimal switching problems with finite regimes.
Apraxia: another view

A previous exposition of apraxia in Practical Neurology 1 offered an account of underlying impairment and accompanying clinical assessment based on a distinction between ideational, ideomotor and limb-kinetic apraxia. This conceptualisation stems from 19th-century models of higher cortical motor, language and visual function, revived by Geschwind2 3 in the 1960s. Liepmann in 19004 had posited a hierarchical model of action control over three discrete levels. At the top, movement formulae (‘visual engrams’ of the action) provided overall targets, which activate innervatory patterns to stimulate the appropriate muscles, coordinated contraction of muscles then led to execution of the action. (1) Ideational apraxia arose when movement formulae were either impaired or disconnected from the innervatory patterns. (2) Ideomotor apraxia resulted from disruption to innervatory patterns. (3) Limb-kinetic apraxia , assumed to be a disruption to the smooth neural transmission of the motor commands, was, even for Liepmann, not a full apraxia. It existed between apraxia and paresis only within a broader view of dysfunction. Liepmann’s model proved valuable in studying apraxia. However, despite surviving in several neurology textbooks, the ideational–ideomotor dichotomy has now been replaced as a way of understanding and classifying apraxias,5–8 similar to the disbandment of Broca’s versus Wernicke’s aphasia, or the dichotomy of associative versus apperceptive agnosia9 (although these distinctions, too, still persist in some areas of clinical practice). A radical rethink was needed, owing to issues with the underlying theoretical model of apraxia and difficulties in distinguishing between ideational and ideomotor clinically. Goldenberg7 made the plea to ‘relegate the dichotomy of ideational …
A 16-Channel Nonparametric Spike Detection ASIC Based on EC-PC Decomposition

In extracellular neural recording experiments, detecting neural spikes is an important step for reliable information decoding. A successful implementation in integrated circuits can achieve substantial data volume reduction, potentially enabling a wireless operation and closed-loop system. In this paper, we report a 16-channel neural spike detection chip based on a customized spike detection method named as exponential component-polynomial component (EC-PC) algorithm. This algorithm features a reliable prediction of spikes by applying a probability threshold. The chip takes raw data as input and outputs three data streams simultaneously: field potentials, band-pass filtered neural data, and spiking probability maps. The algorithm parameters are on-chip configured automatically based on input data, which avoids manual parameter tuning. The chip has been tested with both in vivo experiments for functional verification and bench-top experiments for quantitative performance assessment. The system has a total power consumption of 1.36 mW and occupies an area of 6.71 mm 2 for 16 channels. When tested on synthesized datasets with spikes and noise segments extracted from in vivo preparations and scaled according to required precisions, the chip outperforms other detectors. A credit card sized prototype board is developed to provide power and data management through a USB port.
Mind matters in cancer survival.

ODERN MEDICINE HAS FOCUSED SO INTENTLY ON fighting disease that it has overlooked a natural ally in the battle—the patient’s personal mental management of the stresses associated with cancer. Even at the end of life, helping patients face death, make informed decisions, mobilize social support, and control pain is not only humane but also may be medically more effective than simply continuing aggressiveanticancertreatment.Forexample,inarandomizedclinical trial of palliative care for non–small cell lung cancer, 1 patients who received an average of 4 visits that focused on choices about resuscitation preferences, pain control, and quality of life lived longer than those who received standardanticancercare(mediansurvival,11.65vs8.9months; P=.02). This apparently counterintuitive finding suggests that emotional support is not only psychologically beneficial but also medically efficacious. Moreover, the palliative care intervention also improved the quality of life by reducing depression. 1 Howcould confronting death at the end of life lead to living longer? There is increasing evidence that social support affects survival. 2,3 Social isolation is associated with in
Price and consumption of tobacco

Background: It is thought that price increase in tobacco products leads to reduced consumption. Though many studies have substantiated this concept, it has not been well studied in India. Recently, price of tobacco products was increased due to ban on plastic sachets of chewing tobacco and increased tax in Rajasthan. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of price rise on overall consumption of tobacco in Jaipur city, Rajasthan. Materials and Methods: This study was carried out in Jaipur city. Two-staged stratified sampling was used. In the first phase of study, cost and consumption of various tobacco products in the months of February and April were enquired from 25 retail tobacco shops. In the second phase, tobacco consumption was enquired from 20 consecutive consumers purchasing any tobacco product from all the above retail tobacco shops. The data were statistically analyzed using descriptive statistics and paired “t” test. Results: The comparison of prices of tobacco products between February and April revealed that the price of cigarette, bidi, and chewing tobacco has increased by 19%, 21%, and 68%, respectively. Average decrease in sales of cigarettes, bidi, and chewing tobacco at shops included in the study were 14%, 23%, and 38%, respectively. The consumers purchasing tobacco also reported decreased consumption. Chewing tobacco showed the maximum reduction (21%). Consumption of cigarette and bidi has also reduced by 15% and 13%, respectively. Conclusion: It may be concluded that reduction in consumption is associated with increased price of tobacco products. Reduced consumption is comparative to the magnitude of price increase.
On the test of microprocessor IP cores

Testing is a crucial issue in SOC development and production process. A popular solution for SOCs that include microprocessor cores is based on making them execute a test program. Thus, implementing a very attractive BIST solution. This paper describes a method for the generation of effective programs for the self-test of a processor. The method can be partially automated and combines ideas from traditional functional approaches and from the ATPG field. We assess the feasibility and effectiveness of the method by applying it to a 8051 core.
Review: Biological relevance of disseminated tumor cells in cancer patients

The prognosis of cancer patients is largely determined by the occurrence of distant metastases. In patients with primary tumors, this relapse is mainly due to clinically occult micrometastasis present in secondary organs at primary diagnosis but not detectable even with high resolution imaging procedures. Sensitive and specific immunocytochemical and molecular assays enable the detection and characterization of disseminated tumor cells (DTC) at the single cell level in bone marrow (BM) as the common homing site of DTC and circulating tumor cells (CTC) in peripheral blood. Because of the high variability of results in DTC and CTC detection, there is an urgent need for standardized methods. In this review, we will focus on BM and present currently available methods for the detection and characterization of DTC. Furthermore, we will discuss data on the biology of DTC and the clinical relevance of DTC detection. While the prognostic impact of DTC in BM has clearly been shown for primary breast cancer patients, less is known about the clinical relevance of DTC in patients with other carcinomas. Current findings suggest that DTC are capable to survive chemotherapy and persist in a dormant nonproliferating state over years. To what extent these DTC have stem cell properties is subject of ongoing investigations. Further characterization is required to understand the biology of DTC and to identify new targets for improved risk prevention and tailoring of therapy. Our review will focus on breast, colon, lung, and prostate cancer as the main tumor entities in Europe and the United States. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Dendritic BC1 RNA: Functional Role in Regulation of Translation Initiation

In neurons, local protein synthesis in synaptodendritic microdomains has been implicated in the growth and plasticity of synapses. Prerequisites for local translation are the targeted transport of RNAs to distal sites of synthesis in dendrites and translational control mechanisms to limit synthesis to times of demand. Here we identify dendritic BC1 RNA as a specific repressor of translation. Experimental use of internal ribosome entry mechanisms and sucrose density gradient centrifugation showed that BC1-mediated repression targets translation at the level of initiation. Specifically, BC1 RNA inhibited formation of the 48S preinitiation complex, i.e., recruitment of the small ribosomal subunit to the messenger RNA (mRNA). However, 48S complex formation that is independent of the eukaryotic initiation factor 4 (eIF4) family of initiation factors was found to be refractory to inhibition by BC1 RNA, a result that implicates at least one of these factors in the BC1 repression pathway. Biochemical experiments indicated a specific interaction of BC1 RNA with eIF4A, an RNA unwinding factor, and with poly(A)-binding protein. Both proteins were found enriched in synaptodendritic microdomains. Significantly, BC1-mediated repression was shown to be effective not only in cap-dependent translation initiation but also in eIF4-dependent internal initiation. The results suggest a functional role of BC1 RNA as a mediator of translational control in local protein synthesis in nerve cells.
Athletes at High Altitude

Context: Athletes at different skill levels perform strenuous physical activity at high altitude for a variety of reasons. Multiple team and endurance events are held at high altitude and may place athletes at increased risk for developing acute high altitude illness (AHAI). Training at high altitude has been a routine part of preparation for some of the high level athletes for a long time. There is a general belief that altitude training improves athletic performance for competitive and recreational athletes. Evidence Acquisition: A review of relevant publications between 1980 and 2015 was completed using PubMed and Google Scholar. Study Design: Clinical review. Level of Evidence: Level 3. Results: AHAI is a relatively uncommon and potentially serious condition among travelers to altitudes above 2500 m. The broad term AHAI includes several syndromes such as acute mountain sickness (AMS), high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE), and high altitude cerebral edema (HACE). Athletes may be at higher risk for developing AHAI due to faster ascent and more vigorous exertion compared with nonathletes. Evidence regarding the effects of altitude training on athletic performance is weak. The natural live high, train low altitude training strategy may provide the best protocol for enhancing endurance performance in elite and subelite athletes. High altitude sports are generally safe for recreational athletes, but they should be aware of their individual risks. Conclusion: Individualized and appropriate acclimatization is an essential component of injury and illness prevention.
Relation between early life socioeconomic position and all cause mortality in two generations. A longitudinal study of Danish men born in 1953 and their parents

Objective: To examine (1) the relation between parental socioeconomic position and all cause mortality in two generations, (2) the relative importance of mother’s educational status and father’s occupational status on offspring mortality, and (3) the effect of factors in the family environment on these relations. Design: A longitudinal study with record linkage to the Civil Registration System. The data were analysed using Cox regression models. Setting: Copenhagen, Denmark. Subjects: 2890 men born in 1953, whose mothers were interviewed regarding family social background in 1968. The vital status of this population and their parents was ascertained from April 1968 to January 2002. Main outcome measures: All cause mortality in study participants, their mothers, and fathers. Results: A similar pattern of relations was found between parental social position and all cause mortality in adult life in the three triads of father, mother, and offspring constituted of the cohort of men born in 1953, their parents, and grandparents. The educational status of mothers showed no independent effect on total mortality when father’s occupational social class was included in the model in either of the triads. Low material wealth was the indicator that remained significantly associated with adult all cause mortality in a model also including parental social position and the intellectual climate of the family in 1968. In the men born in 1953 the influence of material wealth was strongest for deaths later in adult life. Conclusion: Father’s occupational social class is associated with adult mortality in all members of the mother-father-offspring triad. Material wealth seems to be an explanatory factor for this association.