Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interventions for preventing post-operative atrial fibrillation in patients undergoing heart surgery.

BACKGROUND Post-operative atrial fibrillation is a common complication of cardiac surgery and has been associated with increased incidence of other complications including post-operative stroke, increased hospital length of stay and increased cost of hospitalisation. Prevention of atrial fibrillation is a reasonable clinical goal and, consequently, many randomised trials have evaluated the effectiveness of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions. We systematically reviewed the literature and prepared meta-analyses to better understand the role and effects of various prophylactic therapies against post-operative atrial fibrillation. OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for preventing post-cardiac surgery atrial fibrillation. SEARCH STRATEGY We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL from earliest achievable date to June 2003. We hand searched references from reports and earlier reviews. We searched abstract books and CD-ROMs from annual scientific meetings of American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology and European Heart Organization between 1997-2003. No language restrictions were applied. SELECTION CRITERIA Randomised controlled trials comparing pharmacological interventions or non-pharmacological interventions with control treatment, placebo or usual care for the prevention of post-operative atrial fibrillation in post-coronary artery bypass grafting or combined CABG and valvular surgery. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two reviewers assessed trial quality and extracted data. Study authors were contacted for additional information. MAIN RESULTS Fifty eight studies were included with a total of 8565 participants. Interventions included were amiodarone, beta blockers, solatol and pacing. Results favoured treatment for post-operative atrial fibrillation. The data for stroke favoured treatment by a non-significant effect size of 0.81, 95% confidence interval 0.51 to 1.28. Similarly, a positive indication for length of stay was derived but it too was not significant with a weighted mean difference of -0.66, 95% confidence interval -0.95 to -0.37. A positive result for cost of hospitalisation in favour of treatment was achieved, but the statistic is not significant due to low power and large standard deviations: a weighted mean difference of -2717, 95% confidence interval 7518 to 2084. Beta-blockers had the greatest magnitude of effect across 28 trials (4074 patients) with an odds ratio (random) of 0.35, 95% confidence interval 0.26 to 0.49. Across all treatment, the odds ratio favoured treatment with a ratio (random) of 0.43, 95% confidence interval 0.37 to 0.51. REVIEWERS' CONCLUSIONS Intervention is favoured across the three pharmacological interventions studied and the one non-pharmacological intervention, pacing. The length of stay data favoured treatment (-0.66, 95% confidence interval -0.95 to -0.37).
Reactive oxygen species derived from impaired quality control of Photosystem II are irrelevant to plasma-membrane NADPH oxidases

Protein quality control plays an important role in the photosynthetic apparatus because its components receive excess light energy and are susceptible to photooxidative damage. In chloroplasts, photodamage is targeted to the D1 protein of Photosystem II (PSII). The coordinated PSII repair cycle (PSII disassembly, D1 degradation and synthesis, and PSII reassembly) is necessary to mitigate photoinhibition. A thylakoid protease FtsH, which is formed predominantly as a heteromeric complex with two isoforms of FtsH2 and FtsH5 in Arabidopsis, is the major protease involved in PSII repair. A mutant lacking FtsH2 (termed var2) shows compromised D1 degradation. Furthermore, var2 accumulates high levels of chloroplastic reactive oxygen species (cpROS), reflecting photooxidative stress without functional PSII repair. To examine if the cpROS produced in var2 are connected to a ROS signaling pathway mediated by plasma membrane NADPH oxidase (encoded by AtRbohD or AtRbohF), we generated mutants in which either Rboh gene was inactivated under var2 background. Lack of NADPH oxidases had little or no impact on cpROS accumulation. It seems unlikely that cpROS in var2 activate plasma membrane NADPH oxidases to enhance ROS production and the signaling pathway. Mutants that are defective in PSII repair might be valuable for investigating cpROS and their physiological roles.
Respiratory Syncytial Virus An Outbreak of Acute Respiratory Illnesses in a Home for Infants

A report is given of an outbreak of acute respiratory illness in a home for infants in Stockholm. Respiratory syncytial (RX) virus was recovered from nasopharyngeal and/or throat swabs from 13 out of 15 infants (1–13 months old). Complement fixation (CF) tests against RS antigen showed at least 4‐fold rises of antibody titre in 7 out of 15 paired sera, including sera from two infants, from whom no virus was isolated. There was no rise in CF antibody titre against adenovirus, influenza A and B, parainfluenza 1, 2 and 3, mumps or herpes simplex antigens. RS virus was recovered 2 days before the onset of illness as well as 9 days afterwards. The incubation period was estimated to be from 3 to 5 days.
Adversarial Multitask Learning of Deep Neural Networks for Robust Speech Recognition

A method of learning deep neural networks (DNNs) for noise robust speech recognition is proposed. It is widely known that representations (activations) of well-trained DNNs are highly invariant to noise, especially in higher layers, and such invariance leads to the noise robustness of DNNs. However, little is known about how to enhance such invariance of representations, which is a key for improving robustness. In this paper, we propose adversarial multi-task learning of DNNs for explicitly enhancing the invariance of representations. Specifically, a primary task of senone classification and a secondary task of domain (noise condition) classification are jointly solved. What is different from the standard multi-task learning is that the representation is learned adversarially to the secondary task, so that representation with low domain-classification accuracy is induced. As a result, senone-discriminative and domain-invariant representation is obtained, which leads to an improved robustness of DNNs. Experimental results on a noise-corrupted Wall Street Journal data set show the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Bone Morphogenetic Protein Excipients: Comparative Observations on Poloxamer

Clinicians await the availability of synthetic bioimplants that will replace the need for autogeneic bone grafts in bone reconstructive surgery. For more than a decade, researchers have evaluated delivery vehicles for the tissue morphogen bone morphogenetic protein. The object of this investigation was to measure induced bone development when bone morphogenetic protein was delivered by human tendon collagen, human demineralized bone matrix, hydroxyapatite, a composite of human tendon collagen and human demineralized bone matrix (tendon collagen + demineralized bone matrix), Poloxamer 407, and a composite of human demineralized bone matrix and Poloxamer 407. Sixty-three adult male Swiss Webster mice (Harlan Sprague-Dawley, Indianapolis, Ind.) received 126 implants. The animals were divided into seven groups of nine animals, depending on carrier (six carriers plus the positive control group) used. Each animal received a bone morphogenetic protein-enhanced carrier in one hindquarter muscle mass, with the contralateral leg being implanted with the carrier alone. Implants were evaluated by quantitative radiomorphometry validated by histologic methods. Radiographically, no significant differences were identified among any of the implants evaluated (p > 0.05). Histomorphometric analysis demonstrated that Poloxamer 407 was significantly (p < 0.05) better at delivering bone morphogenetic protein than the other carriers involved in this investigation. The new bone developed in a tubular or spherical shape. Interaction of endogenous and exogenous delivery systems seems to be essential for optimal transmission of bone morphogenetic protein. The importance of the excipient to deliver bone morphogenetic protein and develop a bone morphogenetic protein concentration gradient has been emphasized by other investigators and confirmed by our research on poloxamer. With further research on the physicochemical mechanisms of localization and transmission of bone morphogenetic protein, it may be possible to avoid hazardous operations with autogeneic bone.
The Swedish Primary Care Cardiovascular Database (SPCCD): 74 751 hypertensive primary care patients

Abstract Objective. To describe the Swedish Primary Care Cardiovascular Database, SPCCD. Design. Longitudinal data from electronic medical records, linked to national registers. Setting. 48 primary healthcare centres in urban (south-western Stockholm) and rural (Skaraborg) regions in Sweden. Subjects. Patients diagnosed with hypertension 2001–2008. Main outcome measures. Blood pressure (BP) and impact of retrieval of data on BP levels, clinical characteristics, co-morbidity and pharmacological treatment. Results. The SPCCD contains 74 751 individuals, 56% women. Completeness of data ranged from > 99% for drug prescriptions to 34% for smoking habits. BP was recorded in 98% of patients during 2001–2008 and in 63% in 2008. Mean BP based on the last recorded value in 2008 was 142 ± 17/80 ± 13 mmHg. Digit preference in BP measurements differed between the two regions, p < 0.001. Antihypertensive drugs were prescribed in primary healthcare to 88% of the patients in 2008; however, when all prescribers were included 96% purchased their drugs. Cardiovascular co-morbidity and diabetes mellitus were present in 28% and 22%, respectively. Conclusion. This large and representative database shows that there is room for improvement of BP control in Sweden. The SPCCD will provide a rich source for further research of hypertension and its complications.
Doing interlanguage analysis in school contexts

In second language acquisition (SLA) research it is well-known that interlanguages are autonomous and rule-governed linguistic systems whose grammar cannot be described simply in terms of errors and deviations from L2 norms. However, assessment practices at school, both formative and summative, heavily rely on counting errors and scoring them based on various types of ‘gravity’. Carrying out a systematic interlanguage analysis as it is done in SLA research would be highly time consuming and very impractical in most teaching and testing contexts. The chapter will show some examples of interlanguage analysis in such contexts. Different stages of the research process will be focussed upon, including data collection, transcription, coding, scoring, and quantitative and qualitative analysis. If CEFR scales are to be related to acquisitional sequences in teaching and testing contexts, it is necessary to find ways in which the latter can be assessed in a reasonable amount of time and without specialized skills, while preserving the procedure’s validity with the respect to current SLA theorising and methodology.
Leisure-time physical activity in elementary schools: analysis of contextual conditions.

BACKGROUND Little is known about children's leisure-time physical activity (PA) at school and how it is associated with contextual variables. The purpose of this study was to objectively assess children's voluntary PA during 3 daily periods and examine modifiable contextual factors. METHODS We conducted SOPLAY (System for Observing Play and Leisure Activity in Youth) observations before school, during recess, and at lunchtime in 137 targeted activity areas in 13 elementary schools over 18 months. During observations, each child was coded as Sedentary, Walking, or Vigorous, and simultaneous entries were made for area characteristics (accessibility, usability, presence of supervision, loose equipment, and organized activities). Logistic regression analysis was used to test associations between PA and area characteristics. RESULTS Assessors made 2349 area visits and observed 36,995 children. Boys had more moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA; 66.2 vs 60.0%, p < .001) and more vigorous PA (29.8 vs 24.6%; p < .001) than girls. Areas were typically accessible and usable, but provided organized activities infrequently (16.5%). Odds of engaging in MVPA were greater during lunch and recess than before school and in areas with play equipment (p < .05). CONCLUSIONS Children accrued a substantial amount of voluntary PA during leisure time at school. Their PA would likely be increased if school playground equipment was more readily available and if supervisors were taught to provide active games and promote PA rather than suppress it.
Ungual and Transungual drug delivery

Topical therapy is desirable in treatment of nail diseases like onychomycosis (fungal infection of nail) and psoriasis. The topical treatment avoids the adverse effects associated with systemic therapy, thereby enhancing the patient compliance and reducing the treatment cost. However the effectiveness of the topical therapies has been limited due to the poor permeability of the nail plate to topically applied therapeutic agents. Research over the past one decade has been focused on improving the transungual permeability by means of chemical treatment, penetration enhancers, mechanical and physical methods. The present review is an attempt to discuss the different physical and chemical methods employed to increase the permeability of the nail plate. Minimally invasive electrically mediated techniques such as iontophoresis have gained success in facilitating the transungual delivery of actives. In addition drug transport across the nail plate has been improved by filing the dorsal surface of the nail plate prior to application of topical formulation. But attempts to improve the trans-nail permeation using transdermal chemical enhancers have failed so far. Attempts are on to search suitable physical enhancement techniques and chemical transungual enhancers in view to maximize the drug delivery across the nail plate.
Biological markers of intrauterine exposure to cocaine and cigarette smoking.

We describe hair tests for assessment of fetal exposure to cocaine and cigarette smoking. Cocaine and its major metabolites are incorporated into hair during the growth of the shaft and stay there for the whole life of the hair. Cocaine crosses the placenta and its metabolite benzoylecgonine, has been found in neonatal urine, meconium and hair. In order to utilize hair measurements of cocaine as a biological marker of systemic exposure, we conducted both animal and human investigations on the dose response characteristics of this phenomenon. Our data suggest that both maternal and fetal accumulation of cocaine and its metabolite follow a linear pattern within the regularly used doses. Similarly, a good correlation was observed in animals between maternal dose and fetal hair accumulation. To date, no biological markers have been identified that can predict the extent of fetal exposure to the adverse effects of toxic constituents of cigarette smoke. We measured maternal and fetal hair concentrations of nicotine and cotinine in mother-infant pairs. Smoking mothers had a mean of 21.3 +/- 18 ng/mg hair nicotine and 6 +/- 9.2 ng/mg of cotinine, significantly more than nonsmokers (0.9 +/- 0.8 ng/mg nicotine and 0.3 +/- 0.5 ng/mg cotinine, p < 0.0001). Babies of smokers had a mean nicotine concentration of 6 +/- 9.2 ng/mg (range 0-27.3) and cotinine of 2.1 +/- 3.7 ng/mg (range 0-12.2), significantly more than babies of nonsmokers (nicotine 0.6 +/- 0.7 ng/mg and cotinine 0.2 +/- 0.5 ng/mg; p < 0.01). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
[Geographical and temporal trends in infant mortality in Italy and current limits of the routine data].

OBJECTIVE to compare trends in infant, neonatal and post-neonatal mortality in Italy from 1991 to 2005 both at the national level and among the three Italian large geographical macro-areas (North, Center, South-Islands). DESIGN observational study based on routine data. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS the analysis was performed on the cohort of newborns (up to the first age of life) in Italy from 1991 to 2005. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES infant, neonatal and post-neonatal mortality rate calculated for 3-year and 5-year periods, relative risks, attributable fraction. RESULTS during the study period infant mortality rates significantly decreased from 7.72 to 3.91 per 1,000 births, neonatal mortality rates from 5.87 to 2.84 per 1,000 births, and postneonatal mortality rates from 1.85 to 1.08. Despite these significant reductions, important disparities persist in different geographical areas within Italy. In particular, rates appears to be much higher in the southern regions of the country: during the period 2001-2005 the excess of mortality in the South comparing with the North was 37%. Since 1998, following a change in legislation, individual matching of Certificates of Delivery Care (CedAP) and Death Certificates during the first year of life, at a national level, is not possible. CONCLUSION during the period 1991-2005 Italy experienced significant infant mortality reduction, but important geographical disparities still remain. In order to investigate these disparities and the determinants of infant mortality in Italy, the lack of routine data could represent an important limit to conduct update epidemiologic studies.
Periodic fever syndromes

The term periodic fever syndrome has been used in a restricted sense to denote two diseases in which episodic fevers occur with a regular periodicity: cyclic neutropenia and the periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis, and adenopathy (PFAPA) syndrome. Other authors have used the term in a more general sense to encompass a larger group of disorders characterized by recurrent episodes of fever that do not necessarily follow a strictly periodic pattern. These include familial Mediterranean fever, the autosomal dominant familial fevers (also known as Hibernian fever), and the hyper-immunoglobulin D syndrome. This article follows the latter usage, and reviews recent advances in our understanding of the genetics and molecular pathology of this group of diseases, as well as their clinical characterization and treatment.
Three-state space reformulation and control of MD-included one-link robot system using direct-derivative and zhang-dynamics methods

Tracking control of nonlinear systems is a hot topic in various fields, especially in robotics. In this paper, a nonlinear one-link (1L) robot system with motor dynamics (MD) included is investigated, and a novel method, i.e., Zhang-dynamics (ZD) method, is applied to solve the tracking control problem of this nonlinear system. A ZD controller of the nonlinear MD-included 1L robot system is designed. The simpleness and effectiveness of ZD method are proved through theoretical analysis. Moreover, computer-simulation results substantiate the high performance of the ZD controller. It is worth pointing out that our research provides the feasibility of applying ZD method in more and more practical fields.
Efficiency modeling of wireless power transfer ASICs accounting for layout parasitics

This paper presents a power-loss model for Lateral- Diffused MOSFETs (LDMOSs) in application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) in the field of wireless power-transfer system applications. Both the transmitter and receiver power-stages integrated in their respective ASIC units were considered, and the total system efficiency was subsequently estimated. Layout parasitics pertaining to the primary and secondary integrated circuits (ICs) have been considered due to their impact on the total system efficiency, and a charge-sheet control model for the LDMOSs of the three power stages has been developed. Thermal effects induced by heating within the two ASICs were also included, as they exert a significant influence on the amount of both conduction and switching losses. Model results and experimental data are compared and show a satisfactory agreement.
Deletion of Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products Exacerbates Lymphoproliferative Syndrome and Lupus Nephritis in B6-MRL Fas lpr/j Mice

The receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) is a pattern recognition receptor that interacts with advanced glycation end products, but also with C3a, CpG DNA oligonucleotides, and alarmin molecules such as HMGB1 to initiate a proinflammatory reaction. Systemic lupus erythematosus is an autoimmune disorder associated with the accumulation of RAGE ligands. We generated mice invalidated for RAGE in the lupus-prone B6-MRL Fas lpr/j background to determine the role of RAGE in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus. We compared the phenotype of these mice with that of their wild-type and B6-MRL Fas lpr/j littermates. Lymphoproliferative syndrome, production of anti-dsDNA Abs, lupus nephritis, and accumulation of CD3+B220+CD4−CD8− autoreactive T cells (in the peripheral blood and the spleen) were significantly increased in B6-MRL Fas lpr/j RAGE−/− mice compared with B6-MRL Fas lpr/j mice (respectively p < 0.005, p < 0.05, p < 0.001, and p < 0.001). A large proportion of autoreactive T cells from B6-MRL Fas lpr/j mice expressed RAGE at their surface. Time course studies of annexin V expression revealed that autoreactive T cells in the spleen of B6-MRL Fas lpr/j-RAGE−/− mice exhibited a delay in apoptosis and expressed significantly less activated caspase 3 (39.5 ± 4.3%) than T cells in B6-MRL Fas lpr/j mice (65.5 ± 5.2%) or wild-type mice (75.3 ± 2.64%) (p = 0.02). We conclude that the deletion of RAGE in B6-MRL Fas lpr/j mice promotes the accumulation of autoreactive CD3+B220+CD4−CD8− T cells, therefore exacerbating lymphoproliferative syndrome, autoimmunity, and organ injury. This suggests that RAGE rescues the apoptosis of T lymphocytes when the death receptor Fas/CD95 is dysfunctional.
Effects of Iodinated Glycerol on Thyroid Function Studies in Elderly Nursing Home Residents

Iodinated glycerol is used as a mucolytic expectorant in the treatment of respiratory disorders. Iodine can inhibit the biosynthesis of thyroid hormone and induce hypothyroidism, particularly in patients with a history of thyroid disease. Such effects have not been reported in individuals without known thyroid disease who are being treated with organically bound iodine in the form of iodinated glycerol. In the course of a thyroid screening program for nursing home residents, eight subjects were identified who were being treated with iodinated glycerol.
Implementation of a data management program in a pediatric cancer unit in a low income country

Pediatric cancer units in low‐income countries lack data on which to base quality improvement initiatives. We implemented a data management program in the oncology unit of the children's hospital of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and then we assessed training and supervision of data managers, data accuracy, and completeness as well as obstacles encountered.
Metabolic response of prostate cancer to nicotinamide phophoribosyltransferase inhibition in a hyperpolarized MR/PET compatible bioreactor

Metabolic shifts in disease are of great interest for the development of novel therapeutics. In cancer treatment, these therapies exploit the metabolic phenotype associated with oncogenesis and cancer progression. One recent strategy involves the depletion of the cofactors needed to maintain the high rate of glycolysis seen with the Warburg effect. Specifically, blocking nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) biosynthesis via nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) inhibition depletes cancer cells of the NAD needed for glycolysis. To characterize this metabolic phenotype in vivo and describe changes in flux with treatment, non‐invasive biomarkers are necessary. One such biomarker is hyperpolarized (HP) [1‐13C] pyruvate, a clinically translatable probe that allows real‐time assessment of metabolism.