Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessing potential population impact of statin treatment for primary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases in the USA: population-based modelling study

Objective New cholesterol treatment guidelines from American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association recommend statin treatment for more of US population to prevent atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). It is important to assess how new guidelines may affect population-level health. This study assessed the impact of statin use for primary prevention of ASCVD under the new guidelines. Methods We used data from 2010 US Multiple Cause Mortality, Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) Linked Mortality File (1988–2006, n=8941) and NHANES 2005–2010 (n=3178) participants 40–75 years of age for the present study. Results Among 33.0 million adults meeting new guidelines for primary prevention of ASCVD, 8.8 million were taking statins; 24.2 million, including 7.7 million with diabetes, are eligible for statin treatment. If all those with diabetes used a statin, 2514 (95% CI 592 to 4142) predicted ASCVD deaths would be prevented annually with 482 (0 to 2239) predicted annual additional cases of myopathy based on randomised clinical trials (RCTs), and 11 801 (9251 to 14 916) using population-based study. Among 16.5 million without diabetes, 5425 (1276 to 8935) ASCVD deaths would be prevented annually with 16 406 (4922 to 26 250) predicted annual additional cases of diabetes and between 1030 (0 to 4791) and 24 302 (19 363 to 30 292) additional cases of myopathy based on RCTs and population-based study. Assuming 80% eligible population take statins with 80% medication adherence, among those without diabetes, the corresponding numbers were 3472 (817 to 5718) deaths, 10 500 (3150 to 16 800) diabetes, 660 (0 to 3066) myopathy (RCTs), and 15 554 (12 392 to 19 387) myopathy (population-based). The estimated total annual cost of statins use ranged from US$1.65 to US$6.5 billion if 100% of eligible population take statins. Conclusions This population-based modelling study focused on impact of statin use on ASCVD mortality. Under the new guidelines, if all those eligible for primary prevention of ASCVD take statins, up to 12.6% of annual ASCVD deaths might be prevented, though additional cases of diabetes and myopathy likely occur. Disclaimer: The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Identification of inflammatory mediators in patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment associated with choroidal detachment

Purpose To investigate the expression profile of intravitreous cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors in patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment associated with choroidal detachment (RRDCD) in comparison with patients with only rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD). Methods Twenty RRDCD patients and 30 RRD patients were included in this case-control study. A multiplex bead-based immunoassay was performed to determine the expression of a wide range of 29 inflammatory mediators in undiluted vitreous from the patients. Data were analyzed using the Mann–Whitney U-test for nonparametric values and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results Compared with the patients with RRD, intravitreous inflammatory mediators, including migration inhibitor factor (MIF), interleukin-6 (IL-6), CCL4, CCL11, CCL17, CCL19, CCL22, CXCL9, CXCL8, soluble inter-cellular adhesion molecule 1 (sICAM-1), transforming growth factor β3 (TGF-β3), and platelet-derived growth factor AA (PDGF-AA), were upregulated in patients with RRDCD. After calibrating the factors duration of detachment, preoperative proliferative vitreoretinopathy grade, and presence or absence of macular hole, the PDGF-AA concentrations were not significantly different according to the multivariate logistic regression analysis. MIF and sICAM-1 markers were significantly different between the two groups and represented a forward stepwise logistic regression trend. Conclusions This is the first report to use multiplex bead analysis to investigate inflammatory mediators related to RRDCD. We proposed that the upregulated expression of these mediators may be involved in the inflammation process of RRDCD and that regulation of their expression may be potentially therapeutic by altering local inflammation.
Transmission of hepatitis C virus: rates, routes, and cofactors.

The existence of a viral cause of hepatitis other than hepatitis A and hepatitis B was first recognized in the early 1970s following the development of diagnostic blood tests for hepatitis A and hepatitis B. Early studies showed that appreciable proportions of people presenting with acute hepatitis following blood transfusion or community-acquired hepatitis did not have any serologic evidence of hepatitis A or hepatitis B (1-3). While some epidemiologic aspects of a putative etiologic agent, including transmissibility by blood contact, could be inferred from early studies of nonA, nonB hepatitis, it was not until tests for hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody became available in 1989 that it was recognized that nonA, nonB hepatitis was predominantly caused by HCV in developed countries (4-6), and the development of HCV epidemiology began in earnest. Significant advances have been made over the past 5 years in our understanding of the epidemiologic patterns of HCV transmission, prevalence, and natural history, but much remains to be learned in all these areas. Transmission of HCV is recognized as being primarily through blood contact, but this route does not fully explain HCV transmission. There has been less certainty about the role of other routes of transmission and factors which modify the efficiency of transmission. In this presentation, we review the current state of knowledge regarding the transmission of HCV and address the major methodological problems and requirements for future research.
Information Wars and Online Activism During the 2013/2014 Crisis in Ukraine: Examining the Social Structures of Pro- and Anti-Maidan Groups

This article examines how online groups are formed and sustained during crisis periods, especially when political polarization in society is at its highest level. We focus on the use of Vkontakte (VK), a popular social networking site in Ukraine, to understand how it was used by Pro- and Anti-Maidan groups during the 2013/2014 crisis in Ukraine. In particular, we ask whether and to what extent the ideology (or other factors) of a particular group shapes its network structure. We find some support that online social networks are likely to represent local and potentially preexisting social networks, likely due to the dominance of reciprocal (and often close) relationships on VK and opportunities for group members to meet face-to-face during offline protests. We also identify a number of group-level indicators, such as degree centralization, modularity index and average engagement level, that could help to classify groups based on their network properties. Community researchers can start applying these group-level indicators to online communities outside VK; they can also learn from this article how to identify networks of spam and marketing accounts.
Risk factors for colonization with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in patients admitted to an urban hospital: emergence of community-associated MRSA nasal carriage.

BACKGROUND Surveillance cultures performed at hospital admission have been recommended to identify patients colonized with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) but require substantial resources. We determined the prevalence of and risk factors for MRSA colonization at the time of hospital admission among patients cared for at a public urban hospital. METHODS Anterior nares cultures were obtained within 48 h after admission during a 1-month period. A case-control study and molecular typing studies were performed. RESULTS A total of 53 (7.3%) of 726 patients had a nares culture positive for MRSA, and 119 (16.4%) had a nares culture that was positive for methicillin-susceptible S. aureus. In multivariate analysis, risk factors for MRSA colonization included antibiotic use within 3 months before admission (odds ratio [OR], 2.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.2-5.0), hospitalization during the past 12 months (OR, 4.0; 95% CI, 2.0-8.2), diagnosis of skin or soft-tissue infection at admission (OR, 3.4; 95% CI, 1.5-7.9), and HIV infection. A total of 47 (89%) of 53 case patients colonized with MRSA had at least 1 of these independent risk factors, in contrast to 343 (51%) of 673 control patients (OR, 7.5; 95% CI, 3.2 -17.9). Molecular typing demonstrated that 16 (30%) of 53 MRSA nares isolates (2.2% of the 726 isolates) belonged to the USA300 community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) genotype. CONCLUSION The prevalence of MRSA colonization at the time of patient admission was high (>7%). Limiting surveillance cultures to patients with >or=1 of the identified risk factors may allow for targeted screening. The emergence of CA-MRSA colonization represents a new, unrecognized reservoir of MRSA within hospitals, potentially increasing the risk for horizontal transmission.
An observational study of the feasibility of Airtraq guided intubations with Ring Adair Elvin tubes in pediatric population with cleft lip and palate

Context: The airway management requires refined skills and technical help when associated with cleft lip and palate. Airtraq has improved our airway management skills and has been successfully used for rescue intubation in difficult pediatric airways. Aims: This study was to evaluate the efficacy of Airtraq as the primary intubation device in patients with cleft lip and palate. The study adheres to the STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational Studies Epidemiology Statement. Subjects and Methods: A total of 85 children posted consecutively for lip and palate repair were enrolled. Children were intubated with Ring Adair Elvin (RAE) tube using size 1 and 2 of Airtraq device. The design of Airtraq has an anatomical limitation to hold RAE tubes. The preformed bend of the tube was straightened with a malleable stylet. The intubations were assessed for device manipulations and time taken for glottis visualization and intubation, airway complications such as bleeding, laryngospasm and failed intubations. Statistical Analysis Used: The outcome data were reported as numbers and percentages or range with identified median value, where applicable. Results: The success rate of Airtraq guided intubations was 98.21%. The cumulative insertion times and intubation times were 31.50 ± 12.57 s and 48.04 ± 35.73 s respectively. Airtraq manipulations were applied in 25.45% subjects. Conclusions: The presence of cleft lip or palate did not hamper the insertion of Airtraq. The use of malleable stylet to facilitate the loading of the preformed tube into the guide channel is a simple and efficacious improvisation. Airtraq can be utilized as a primary intubation device in children with orofacial clefts.
The Shape of Digital Engagement: Health Care and Social Media

Health care lags behind other industries in engaging with customers via social networking. In part, this reflects concerns regarding health information privacy concerns, organizational fears regarding employee time mismanagement, and the real challenge that health care providers face with multiple and competing demands on time. Despite these fears and concerns, our patients are spending more and more of their time online seeking health care information, more often in social networks. Our greatest capacity for health care change management at present may well center on our strategic capacity to meet our patients where they spend the majority of their time online.
A DAG Scheduling Scheme on Heterogeneous Computing Systems Using Tuple-Based Chemical Reaction Optimization

A complex computing problem can be solved efficiently on a system with multiple computing nodes by dividing its implementation code into several parallel processing modules or tasks that can be formulated as directed acyclic graph (DAG) problems. The DAG jobs may be mapped to and scheduled on the computing nodes to minimize the total execution time. Searching an optimal DAG scheduling solution is considered to be NP-complete. This paper proposed a tuple molecular structure-based chemical reaction optimization (TMSCRO) method for DAG scheduling on heterogeneous computing systems, based on a very recently proposed metaheuristic method, chemical reaction optimization (CRO). Comparing with other CRO-based algorithms for DAG scheduling, the design of tuple reaction molecular structure and four elementary reaction operators of TMSCRO is more reasonable. TMSCRO also applies the concept of constrained critical paths (CCPs), constrained-critical-path directed acyclic graph (CCPDAG) and super molecule for accelerating convergence. In this paper, we have also conducted simulation experiments to verify the effectiveness and efficiency of TMSCRO upon a large set of randomly generated graphs and the graphs for real world problems.
Multi-Phenotype Genetic Algorithm for Multi-Constrained QoS Routing

This paper proposes a multi-phenotype genetic algorithm (MPGA), in which a chromosome means not only a solution but a cluster of solutions. A MPGA is used to solve multi-constrained QoS routing problem. Experiments show that, the algorithm is more efficient than classic GA and it can work with a wide class of constraints in multi-constrained QoS routing problem.
[Perceived self-image in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: an integrative review of the literature].

OBJECTIVE To learn about the experiences of adolescents diagnosed with idiopathic scoliosis. METHOD Integrative review of the literature published within a specified time frame. RESULTS For both sexes, the predominant clinical symptom of this condition appears to be the negative effect that the deformity exerts on perceived self-image. Quantitative studies used numerical scores to assess perceptions of body image but did not analyse emotional aspects. Patients treated surgically were found to have a better self-image than patients treated with a brace. Quality of life was improved by a reduction in the magnitude of the curve. CONCLUSION Spinal deformity exerts a psychological effect on adolescent girls.
New foundations of management research : elements of epistemology for the management sciences

Propose de nouvelles fondations theoriques, epistemologiques et methodologiques pour les sciences du management. Les auteurs passent en revue les problemes fondamentaux et apportent des solutions : theorie de l'action collective, institutions du management, validite des concepts, relation a l'action et a la decision, place de l'intervention dans la demarche de recherche.
Window Based Prototype Filter Design for Highly Oversampled Filter Banks in Audio Applications

This paper describes a window based method for designing near perfect-reconstruction prototype filters for highly oversampled, complex modulated filter banks. The design method extends some well-known simple methods for critically sampled filter banks to the over-sampled case and to the case of different length analysis and synthesis filters. This design method is simple and effective for designing a large range of filter bank configurations. The design method is particularly useful in developing audio applications using oversampled filter banks where the target system's requirements are highly variable. The simplicity and flexibility of the design method means that this one method can be used to generate multiple prototype filters as the application requirements change
Evidence connecting old, new and neglected glucose‐lowering drugs to bile acid‐induced GLP‐1 secretion: A review

Bile acids are amphipathic water‐soluble steroid‐based molecules best known for their important lipid‐solubilizing role in the assimilation of fat. Recently, bile acids have emerged as metabolic integrators with glucose‐lowering potential. Among a variety of gluco‐metabolic effects, bile acids have been demonstrated to modulate the secretion of the gut‐derived incretin hormone glucagon‐like peptide‐1 (GLP‐1), possibly via the transmembrane receptor Takeda G‐protein‐coupled receptor 5 and the nuclear farnesoid X receptor, in intestinal L cells. The present article critically reviews current evidence connecting established glucose‐lowering drugs to bile acid‐induced GLP‐1 secretion, and discusses whether bile acid‐induced GLP‐1 secretion may constitute a new basis for understanding how metformin, inhibitors of the apical sodium‐dependent bile acids transporter, and bile acid sequestrants – old, new and neglected glucose‐lowering drugs – improve glucose metabolism.
Venous and cerebrospinal fluid flow in multiple sclerosis: A case‐control study

The prevailing view on multiple sclerosis etiopathogenesis has been challenged by the suggested new entity chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency. To test this hypothesis, we studied 21 relapsing‐remitting multiple sclerosis cases and 20 healthy controls with phase‐contrast magnetic resonance imaging. In addition, in multiple sclerosis cases we performed contrast‐enhanced magnetic resonance angiography. We found no differences regarding internal jugular venous outflow, aqueductal cerebrospinal fluid flow, or the presence of internal jugular blood reflux. Three of 21 cases had internal jugular vein stenoses. In conclusion, we found no evidence confirming the suggested vascular multiple sclerosis hypothesis. ANN NEUROL 2010;68:255–259
An Examination of the Influence of Formative Self-Assessment on College Student Mastery Orientation in College Courses.

This study examined the hypothesis that mastery orientation would increase for college students enrolled in courses that incorporated self-assessment. Early in the spring 2013 semester, 216 community college students enrolled in 16 different general education and developmental courses volunteered to participate and completed a demographic/goal orientation questionnaire. During the semester, 10 of the courses implemented self-assessment and 6 did not. At the conclusion of the semester, 143 of the original sample completed the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) which provided post-test goal orientation scores along with measures of additional motivational and self-regulatory variables. Results indicated a trend in the direction hypothesized only for students enrolled in general education, not developmental courses. Further, retention was significantly higher for students enrolled in self-assessment courses. Additional motivational and self-regulatory variables were correlated with achievement outcomes such as final grades. Copyright 2013 by Jamie Lynn Mahlberg
Functional tissue engineering: the role of biomechanics.

"Tissue engineering" uses implanted cells, scaffolds, DNA, protein, and/or protein fragments to replace or repair injured or diseased tissues and organs. Despite its early success, tissue engineers have faced challenges in repairing or replacing tissues that serve a predominantly biomechanical function. An evolving discipline called "functional tissue engineering" (FTE) seeks to address these challenges. In this paper, the authors present principles of functional tissue engineering that should be addressed when engineering repairs and replacements for load-bearing structures. First, in vivo stress/strain histories need to be measured for a variety of activities. These in vivo data provide mechanical thresholds that tissue repairs/replacements will likely encounter after surgery. Second, the mechanical properties of the native tissues must be established for subfailure and failure conditions. These "baseline data" provide parameters within the expected thresholds for different in vivo activities and beyond these levels if safety factors are to be incorporated. Third, a subset of these mechanical properties must be selected and prioritized. This subset is important, given that the mechanical properties of the designs are not expected to completely duplicate the properties of the native tissues. Fourth, standards must be set when evaluating the repairs/replacements after surgery so as to determine, "how good is good enough? " Some aspects of the repair outcome may be inferior, but other mechanical characteristics of the repairs and replacements might be suitable. New and improved methods must also be developed for assessing the function of engineered tissues. Fifth, the effects of physical factors on cellular activity must be determined in engineered tissues. Knowing these signals may shorten the iterations required to replace a tissue successfully and direct cellular activity and phenotype toward a desired end goal. Finally, to effect a better repair outcome, cell-matrix implants may benefit from being mechanically stimulated using in vitro "bioreactors" prior to implantation. Increasing evidence suggests that mechanical stress, as well as other physical factors, may significantly increase the biosynthetic activity of cells in bioartificial matrices. Incorporating each of these principles of functional tissue engineering should result in safer and more efficacious repairs and replacements for the surgeon and patient.
Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization Does Mother Tongue Make for Women's Work? Linguistics, Household Labor, and Gender Identity

This paper studies the formation and persistence of gender identity in a sample of U.S. immigrants. We show that gender roles are acquired early in life, and once established, persist regardless of how long an individual has lived in the U.S. We use a novel approach relying on linguistic variation and document that households with individuals whose native language emphasizes gender in its grammatical structure are significantly more likely to allocate household tasks on the basis of sex and to do so more intensively. We present evidence of two mechanisms for our observed associations – that languages serve as cultural markers for origin country norms or that features of language directly influence cognition and behavior. Our findings do not appear to be driven by plausible alternatives such as selection in migration and marriage markets, as gender norms of behavior are evident even in the behavior of single person households.
Baudrillard and Gadamer are dead : exploring play and the virtual through hermeneutic conversation

The work of Jean Baudrillard propounds a dilemma for social theory and research concerning digital games. On the one hand, the influence of what Baudrillard terms the Virtual threatens traditional social forms and modes of understanding. It insinuates its systematic logic into everyday life through the ubiquity of digital technology. On the other hand, playfulness and game-playing are held forth as a critical alternative comportment against this totalizing system of the Virtual . Research into digital games must address the paradox of virtual play in order to answer Baudrillard's challenge. Seeking an alternative reading of the situation surrounding digital games, this investigation employs the work of Hans-Georg Gadamer on hermeneutics, play and understanding. Against the horizon of massive online digital games as a novel social circumstance in which character-play is expressly possible, players of the World of Warcraft were enjoined in conversation. Through the situated hermeneutic interpretation of these conversations, play emerges as a dynamic negotiation of circumstance, society, mechanical resolution and tradition. The situation of playing a character in a digital game is revealed as containing the possibility of a critical alternative consciousness.