Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A two-hour antibiotic susceptibility test by ATP-bioluminescence

The antibiotic susceptibility test (AST) in Clinical Microbiology laboratories is still time-consuming, and most procedures take 24 h to yield results. In this study, a rapid antimicrobial susceptibility test using ATPbioluminescence has been developed. The design of method was performed using five ATCC collection strains of known susceptibility. This procedure was then validated against standard commercial methods on 10 strains of enterococci, 10 staphylococci, 10 non-fermenting gram negative bacilli, and 13 Enterobacteriaceae from patients. The agreement obtained in the sensitivity between the ATP-bioluminescence method and commercial methods (E-test, MicroScan and VITEK2) was 100%. In summary, the preliminary results obtained in this work show that the ATP-bioluminescence method could provide a fast and reliable AST in two hours. © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L. U. and Sociedad Española de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiologı́a Clı́nica. All rights reserved. Antibiograma en dos horas mediante la medición de ATP por bioluminiscencia
The Acceptable Noise Level Benefit From Directionality for Listeners With Severe Hearing Loss

Objectives Directional microphone technology can enhance the speech intelligibility and listening comfort of listeners with hearing impairment. The main aim of this study is to investigate and compare the benefit derived by listeners with severe hearing loss from directional microphone technology with that derived by listeners with moderate hearing loss. Methods The acceptable noise levels (ANLs) of two groups of listeners with moderate or severe hearing impairment (17 subjects in each group) were measured under unaided, omnidirectional-baseline-aided, and directional-aided conditions. Results Although the absolute ANL of the listeners in the severe hearing loss group was significantly higher than that of the listeners in the moderate hearing loss group, their derived benefit was equivalent to that derived by the listeners in the moderate hearing loss group. ANL and hearing loss degree were significantly related. Specifically, the ANL increased with the severity of hearing loss. Conclusion Directional microphone technology can provide the benefits of listening comfort to listeners with severe hearing loss.
Overlapped Multiplexing Principle and an Improved Capacity on Additive White Gaussian Noise Channel

A new overlapped multiplexing principle is revealed that points out the overlapping between consecutive and adjacent data symbols is never an interference but a beneficial coding constraint relation. The heavier the overlapping the higher the coding gain. The destroy facts coming from outside the system is the only interference. Under such a principle an improved channel capacity is obtained, which points out the channel capacity is linear to SNR rather than logarithm to SNR of the channel.
The presence of duck Tembusu virus in Thailand since 2007: A retrospective study

Duck Tembusu virus (DTMUV), a newly emerging virus in ducks, was first reported in China in 2010. However, an unknown severe contagious disease associated with severe neurological signs and egg production losses in ducks, resembling to DTMUV infection, was observed in Thailand since 2007. To determine the presence of DTMUV in 2007, the clinical samples from affected ducks collected in 2007 were tested for DTMUV using pathological and virological analyses. Gross and histopathological lesions of affected ducks were mostly restricted to the ovary, brain and spinal cord, and correlated with the presence of flavivirus antigen in the brain and spinal cord samples. Subsequently, DTMUV was identified by RT-PCR and nucleotide sequencing of the polyprotein gene. Phylogenetic analysis of the polyprotein gene sequence revealed that the 2007 Thai DTMUV was a unique virus, belonged within DTMUV cluster 1, but distinctively separated from the Malaysian DTMUV, which was the most closely related DTMUV. It is interesting to note that the 2007 Thai DTMUV was genetically different from the currently circulating Thai and Chinese DTMUVs, which belonged to cluster 2. Our findings indicated that the 2007 Thai DTMUV emerged earlier from a common ancestor with the recently reported DTMUVs; however, it was genetically distinctive to any of the currently circulating DTMUVs. In conclusion, our data demonstrated the presence of DTMUV in the Thai ducks since 2007, prior to the first report of DTMUV in China in 2010. This study indicates that DTMUV may have circulated in the region long before 2010 and highlights high genetic diversity of DTMUVs in Asia.
Participatory methods for research prioritization in primary care: an analysis of the World Café approach in Ireland and the USA

Abstract Background. There are increasing imperatives for patients and members of the public to engage as partners in identifying health research priorities. The use of participatory methods to engage stakeholders in health care in research prioritization is not commonly reported. Objective. This article analyses the use of World Cafés as a participatory method for research prioritization with marginalized communities in Ireland and the USA. Methods. The principles of purposeful and snowball sampling were followed in both settings and a diverse range of community and health care stakeholders participated (n = 63 Ireland and n = 55 USA). The principles for a classic World Café were employed but there were novel features in each setting as well. Stewart et al.’s (Patients’ and clinicians’ research priorities. Health Expect 2011; 14: 439–48, conceptual framework for patient engagement was adapted and used to comparatively analyse the strengths and weaknesses of the World Cafés, focusing on agenda setting, engagement with research processes, interactional features and outputs. Results. Design principles for World Cafés were found to align with high-quality patient engagement for research prioritization in both settings. They served to facilitate meaningful collaboration among stakeholder groups in research prioritization (research agenda setting) and explored research priorities (engagement with research). The café ambience, emphasis on hospitality and self-facilitation created an environment for dialogues within and across participating groups (interactional features). There was a commitment to follow-up actions with reference to possible subsequent research (outputs). Conclusions. The World Café is a valuable, participatory, flexible method that can be used with community and health care stakeholders for research prioritization with marginalized communities.
Study for every other day administration of vonoprazan in maintenance treatment of erosive GERD: study protocol for a multicentre randomised cross-over study

Introduction The first drug selected for treatment of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and prevention of the recurrence is a proton pump inhibitor (PPI), but recently, a potassium-competitive acid blocker (P-CAB) was put on the market in Japan. Its onset of effect is faster than PPI, and it takes more than 2 days to recover acid secretion after the withdrawal period. Therefore, unlike PPI, the usefulness of every other day administration or discontinuous administration is expected. Methods and analysis This study is a prospective, multicentre, open-label, two-period randomised cross-over study to compare the efficacy and safety of PPI every other day administration and P-CAB every other day administration in 120 patients who receive erosive GERD maintenance therapy with PPI. Patients will be randomly allocated to receive 4 weeks P-CAB or PPI followed by 4 weeks cross over, where those on P-CAB will receive PPI and vice versa. The primary endpoint is proportion of asymptomatic patients. Secondary endpoints are suppressive effect of GERD symptoms, proportion of asymptomatic patients at each time point, safety and cost-saving effect of P-CAB every other day administration, compliance with every other day administration, and proportion of asymptomatic patients at the first month of study drug administration. Ethics and dissemination This study was approved by the National Hospital Organization Central Review Board for Clinical Trials (5 December 2017). Discussion If P-CAB every other day administration is established as one of GERD maintenance therapies, there is merit in both medical cost reduction and the safety to alleviate elevation in serum gastrin. Trial registration number UMIN000034701.
PARAMETERS INFLUENCING BOND STRENGTH OF REBARS IN REINFORCED CONCRETE

This paper discusses experimental investigations on bond stress–slip response in concrete in end anchorages of steel reinforcement. The influence of embedment length, bar diameter and lateral confinement on the end anchorage bond strength, and bond stress-slip response has been studied. Twenty four anchorage pull-out specimens provided with two embedment lengths 50mm and 150mm and two different bar diameters 16mm and 20mm with three types of lateral confinements. The compressive strength of concrete used in this study was 50 MPa. The bond strength of reinforcing bars in concrete decreases with increasing the embedment length. Relatively brittle failures have been observed in members with large embedment length. Further, the bond strength of larger diameter bars decreases as compared with smaller diameter bars. The plain concrete pullout specimens exhibited concrete splitting failures, while the presence of lateral confinement altered the failure from concrete splitting to pullout of rebars. The lateral confinement increases the bond strength and the length of post-peak stress-slip response, thus showing the improvement of ductility.
Communication Inequalities, Social Determinants, and Intermittent Smoking in the 2003 Health Information National Trends Survey

Introduction Intermittent smokers account for a large proportion of all smokers, and this trend is increasing. Social and communication inequalities may account for disparities in intermittent smoking status. Methods Data for this study came from 2,641 ever-smokers from a 2003 nationally representative cross-sectional survey. Independent variables of interest included race/ethnicity, sex, household income, education, health media attention, and cancer-related beliefs. The outcome of interest was smoking status categorized as daily smoker, intermittent smoker, or former smoker. Analyses used 2 sets of multivariable logistic regressions to investigate the associations of covariates with intermittent smokers compared with former smokers and with daily smokers. Results People with high education and high income, Spanish-speaking Hispanics, and women were the most likely to be intermittent rather than daily smokers. Women and Spanish-speaking Hispanics were the most likely to be intermittent rather than former smokers. Attention to health media sources increased the likelihood that a person would be an intermittent smoker instead of a former or daily smoker. Believing that damage from smoking is avoidable and irreversible was associated with lower odds of being an intermittent smoker rather than a former smoker but did not differentiate intermittent smoking from daily smoking. Conclusion The results indicate that tailoring smoking-cessation campaigns toward intermittent smokers from specific demographic groups by using health media may improve the effect of these campaigns and reduce social health disparities.
No improvements in long-term outcome after coronary artery bypass grafting with arterial grafts as a second conduit: a Swedish nationwide registry study

OBJECTIVES Coronary artery bypass grafting using saphenous vein grafts (SVGs) in addition to the left internal mammary artery (IMA) graft is vitiated by poor long-term patency of the vein grafts. Hypothetically, the increased use of arterial grafts could confer even better outcomes. Our goal was to evaluate results after coronary artery bypass grafting in Sweden, where arterial grafts were used as a second conduit. METHODS Within the Swedish Web System for Enhancement and Development of Evidence-Based Care in Heart Disease Evaluated According to Recommended Therapies (SWEDEHEART) registry, we identified patients who had coronary artery bypass grafting from 2001 to 2015 using the IMA and the SVG, the radial artery (RA) or the additional IMA [bilateral IMA (BIMA)] as a second conduit. Deaths, postoperative incidence of coronary angiography and need for reintervention were recorded, and multivariable adjusted hazard ratios were calculated for different types of grafts. RESULTS The study population comprised 46 343 cases of IMA + SVG, 1036 cases of IMA + RA and 862 cases of BIMA. The mean follow-up time (SD) was 9.3 (4.2) years for IMA + SVG, 10.7 (4.1) years for IMA + RA grafts and 5.5 (5.0) years for the BIMA graft. The adjusted hazard ratio for death was (95% confidence interval) 1.01 (0.89-1.14) for IMA + RA and 0.87 (0.72-1.06) for BIMA grafts compared with IMA + SVG. The adjusted hazard ratio for the first angiographic examination was (95% confidence interval) 0.96 (0.84-1.10) for IMA + RA and 1.13 (0.95-1.35) for BIMA grafts. The adjusted hazard ratio for the need for reintervention was (95% confidence interval) 0.91 (0.75-1.09) for IMA + RA and 1.26 (1.00-1.58) for BIMA grafts. CONCLUSIONS Patients who had arterial grafts as second conduits did not demonstrate a better outcome in any of the studied end-points. Radial artery grafts seem to be preferable to BIMA grafts as an alternative to an SVG.
Efficacy and safety of icotinib in treating non-small cell lung cancer: a systematic evaluation and meta-analysis based on 15 studies

Icotinib is a new epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) that developed and used in China; this work was to evaluate its efficacy and safety in treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Clinical studies evaluating the efficacy and safety of icotinib in treating NSCLC were identified from the databases of Medline, Web of Science, Embase and Cochrance Library. Pooled efficacy and safety of icotinib were calculated through a series of predefined search strategies. A total of 15 studies with 2,304 patients were involved in this study. The overall response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) of icotinib were 40.99% (95% CI: 33.77% to 48.22%) and 77.16% (95% CI: 51.43% to 82.31%). The pooled progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 7.34 months (95% CI: 5.60 to 9.07) and 14.98 months (95% CI: 9.78 to 20.18). Patients with EGFR mutations exhibited better ORR (OR = 3.67, p < 0.001), DCR (OR = 1.39, p = 0.001) and PFS (11.0 ± 0.76 vs. 1.97 ± 0.82 months). Moreover, patients with rash had a higher ORR (OR = 2.14, p = 0.001) than those without rash. The common adverse effects (AEs) included skin rash (31.4%), diarrhea (14.2%), pruritus (6.7%) and hepatic toxicity (3.8%) and most of them were well tolerated. In conclusion, Icotinib is an effective and well tolerated regimen for Chinese patients with advanced NSCLC. Further randomized trials with large population are required to provide stronger evidence for icotinib in treating NSCLC.
Current‐mode dual‐output ICCII‐based tunable universal biquadratic filter with low‐input and high‐output impedances

A new tunable current‐mode (CM) biquadratic filter with three inputs and three outputs using three dual‐output inverting second‐generation current conveyors, three grounded resistors and two grounded capacitors is proposed. The proposed circuit exhibits low‐input impedance and high‐output impedance which is important for easy cascading in the CM operations. It can realize lowpass, bandpass, highpass, bandreject and allpass biquadratic filtering responses from the same topology. The circuit permits orthogonal controllability of the quality factor Q and resonance angular frequency ωo, and no component matching conditions or inverting‐type input current signals are imposed. All the passive and active sensitivities are low. Hspice simulation results are based on using TSMC 0.18 µm 1P6M process complementary metal oxide semiconductor technology and supply voltages ±0.9 V to verify the theoretical analysis. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
TIAM1 variants improve clinical outcome in neuroblastoma

Identification of tumor driver mutations is crucial for improving clinical outcome using a personalized approach to the treatment of cancer. Neuroblastoma is a tumor of the peripheral sympathetic nervous system for which only a few driver alterations have been described including MYCN amplification and ALK mutations. We assessed 106 primary neuroblastoma tumors by next generation sequencing using a customized amplicon-based gene panel. Our results reveal that genetic variants in TIAM1 gene associate with better clinical outcome, suggesting a role for these TIAM1 variants in preventing progression of this disease. The detected variants are located within the different domains of TIAM1 that signal to the upstream regulator RAS and downstream effector molecules MYC and RAC, which are all implicated in neuroblastoma etiology and progression. Clinical outcome was improved in tumors where a TIAM1 variant was present concomitantly with either ALK mutation or MYCN amplification. Given the function of these signaling molecules in cell survival, proliferation, differentiation and neurite outgrowth, our data suggest that the TIAM1-mediated network is essential to neuroblastoma and thus, inhibiting TIAM1 reflects a rational strategy for improving therapy efficacy in neuroblastoma.
Topical nepafenac for prevention of post-cataract surgery macular edema in diabetic patients: patient selection and perspectives

Since its first description, the prevention of pseudophakic cystoid macular edema (PCME) continues to pose challenges for ophthalmologists. Recent evidence suggests that prophylaxis is unnecessary in patients without risk factors. Diabetes mellitus is generally considered as a risk factor for the development of PCME after cataract surgery since it causes breakdown of the blood–retinal barrier. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) increases the risk even further. Therefore, prophylactic nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) should be considered in diabetic patients, especially if they have DR. NSAIDs block the cyclooxygenase enzymes responsible for prostaglandin production and reduce the incidence of PCME after cataract surgery. Nepafenac seems superior to other NSAIDs in terms of ocular penetration allowing higher and sustained therapeutic levels in retina and choroid. Topical steroids are less effective and may cause intraocular pressure increase limiting their long-term use. Nepafenac is cost effective, when the burden of PCME prevention is compared with the burden of treatment. Prevention is much cheaper and less harmful than invasive treatments like periocular or intravitreal injections. Overall, both nepafenac 0.1% and nepafenac 0.3% are well tolerated. They should be used carefully in patients with compromised corneas such as those with severe dry eye or penetrating grafts. If otherwise healthy cataract patients have ≥2 risk factors, like PCME in the other eye or posterior capsule rupture during surgery, treatment should be considered. Once-daily nepafenac 0.3% dosing may improve postoperative outcomes through increased patient compliance and may reduce treatment burden further. Every patient should be assessed in terms of risks/benefits of the treatment, in individual basis, before cataract surgery.
National trends and variability in blood utilization in paediatric cardiac surgery.

OBJECTIVES Red blood cell transfusion is a common practice in paediatric cardiac surgery. Transfusion of red blood cells has been shown to be associated with an increase in morbidity in paediatric patients undergoing cardiac surgery. There is a huge variability in the practice of blood utilization within and across different practices. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the current variability and the trends over the past decade in blood usage among children's hospitals performing paediatric cardiac surgery. METHODS We performed a retrospective observational cohort study using the Paediatric Health Information System database from 43 participating paediatric hospitals in the USA. All discharge billing information for patients younger than 19 years of age who underwent cardiac surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass between 2005 and 2015 was investigated. Ten index diagnoses and procedures were investigated and analysed, based on age differences and on the Society of Thoracic Surgeon & European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery mortality scores. Our main outcome variable was the unit(s) of homologous red blood cells charged for the first 24 h of admission for cardiac surgery. RESULTS There was significant variability in red blood cell usage for a given diagnosis and procedural code across all the centres despite varied age ranges and complexity scores for the current and the last decade of paediatric cardiac surgical patients. CONCLUSIONS We found a discernible variability in the current practice of blood utilization for a given procedure despite variability in the age and complexity of patients, with no changes in practice patterns for the last decade of paediatric cardiac surgery.
Life and Death of an Influential Passenger: Wolbachia and the Evolution of CI-Modifiers by Their Hosts

Background Wolbachia are intracellular bacteria widely distributed among arthropods and nematodes. In many insect species these bacteria induce a cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) between sperm of infected males and eggs of uninfected females. From an evolutionary point of view, CI is puzzling: In order to induce this modification-rescue system, Wolbachia affect sperm of infected males even though Wolbachia are only transmitted maternally. Phylogenetic studies of Wolbachia and hosts show that the bacteria rarely cospeciate with their hosts, indicating that infections are lost in host species. However, the mechanisms leading to Wolbachia loss are not well understood. Results Using a population genetic model, we investigate the spread of host mutants that enhance or repress Wolbachia action by affecting either bacterial transmission or the level of CI. We show that host mutants that decrease CI-levels in males (e.g. by reducing Wolbachia-density during spermatogenesis) spread, even at cost to mutant males. Increase of these mutants can lead to loss of Wolbachia infections, either as a direct consequence of their increase or in a step-wise manner, and we derive analytically a threshold penetrance above which a mutation's spread leads to extinction of Wolbachia. Selection on host modifiers is sexually antagonistic in that, conversely, host mutants that enhance Wolbachia in females are favoured whereas suppressors are not. Conclusions Our results indicate that Wolbachia is likely to be lost from host populations on long evolutionary time scales due to reduction of CI levels in males. This can occur either by evolution of single host modifiers with large effects or through accumulation of several modifier alleles with small effects on Wolbachia action, even at cost to mutant males and even if infected hosts do not incur fecundity costs. This possibility is consistent with recent findings and may help to explain the apparent short evolutionary persistence times of Wolbachia in many host systems.