Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Meta-Analysis of Chinese Traditional Medicine Bushen Huoxue Prescription for Endometriosis Treatment

Objectives To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Bushen Huoxue prescription (BSHXP) for endometriosis. Methods A meta-analysis was performed, and studies were searched from the seven databases from the date of database establishment to April 30, 2017. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that explored the efficacy and safety of BSHXP for patients with endometriosis were included. Two assessors independently reviewed each trial. The Cochrane Risk of Bias assessment tool was used for quality assessment. Results In the 13 included studies, the total effectiveness rates of BSHXP were higher than those of Western medicine (RR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.03–2.32; P = 0.04), but the dysmenorrhea alleviation rates of the two treatments did not significantly differ (RR, 1.28; 95% CI, 0.70–2.34; P = 0.42). The pregnancy rates of BSHXP were also higher than those of hormone therapy (RR, 1.99; 95% CI, 1.17–3.39; P = 0.01). However, whether BSHXP is more effective than Western medicine in diminishing endometriotic cyst remains unknown. Conclusions Our study provides evidence that BSHXP is effective and safe for endometriosis, but this evidence is inconclusive because of the low methodological quality of the included RCTs. Our findings suggest that BSHXP is an alternative drug for endometriosis, but it should be further examined in future clinical research.
Complex optical low coherence reflectometry (OLCR) with tunable source

It is shown theoretically for the first time that the complex impulse response (IR) of a bandwidth-limited optical device can be measured by having a tunable source for an amplitude-sensitive optical low coherence reflectometry. Systematic errors in the measurement technique are quantified through numerical simulations for fiber gratings and arrayed waveguide gratings. The errors are expected to be as low as 1/spl deg/ for phase, 0.5% for amplitude of the IR.
Identification of Mosquito Biting Deterrent Constituents from the Indian Folk Remedy Plant Jatropha curcas

ABSTRACT An investigation of the Indian folk remedy plant Jatropha curcas L. , was performed to identify the constituents responsible for the mosquito biting deterrent activity of the oil. J. curcas seed oil is burned in oil lamps in India and parts of Africa to repel biting insects, primarily mosquitoes. The seed oil was thoroughly analyzed by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, high-performance liquid chromatographyrefractive index, and gas chromatography-flame ionization detection to identify the constituents in the oil. Identified constituents, both free fatty acids and triglycerides, were evaluated for activity in Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae) biting deterrent assays. Furthermore, an oil condensation trap was used to demonstrate that free fatty acids or triglycerides are partially volatilized during the combustion process. These compounds were found to be responsible for the biting deterrency of the burned oil. Specifically, oleic, palmitic, linoleic, and stearic acids were all active at 25 nmol/cm2 above that of solvent control in Ae. aegypti biting deterrent assays. Oleic, palmitic, and linoleic acids were all more active than stearic acid in the same bioassay. Evaluation of the triglycerides containing each of these fatty acids revealed that tripalmitin, tristearin, trilinolein, and triolein all demonstrated significant activity above a solvent control at 10 µg/cm2, whereas tripalmitin was the most active. Due to literature reports suggesting larvicidal activity of the oil, J. curcas seed oil and its free fatty acid constituents also were evaluated against 1-d-old Ae. aegypti larvae up to 500 ppm. Oleic acid was the only fatty acid having larvicidal activity against 1-d-old Ae. aegypti larvae, with an LD50 of 47.9 ppm.
Auxiliary power supply for LV inverter with 1700 V SiC switch

For an auxiliary power supply (APS) in low-voltage (LV) inverter, a flyback converter with 1500-V Si MOSFET has been used. As the input voltage range gets wider and the required output power increases, however, Si MOSFET-based APS has reached its limitation in terms of efficiency and power density. In order to further improve the performance of the flyback solution, SiC-based APS is investigated in this paper.
Steganographic Wideband Telephony Using Narrowband Speech Codecs

We consider the transmission of wideband speech with a cut-off frequency of fc = 7 kHz over a standardized digital narrowband communication link (fc = 3.4 kHz). At the receiver, wideband speech is produced by artificial bandwidth extension (BWE). The BWE algorithms can be realized with or without some low bit rate side information. In this paper, we propose to communicate the side information to the receiver via a steganographic channel within the bitstream of the narrowband codec. Hence, the bitstream format is not altered and the bit rate is not increased. The following codecs are considered: mu-law PCM, ADPCM, CS-ACELP, GSM FR, and GSM EFR.
Water and Solute Transport through Different Types of Pores in Peritoneal Membrane in Capd Patients with Ultrafiltration Failure

Free water transport, an estimate of aquaporin function, was evaluated in 7 continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients with permanent ultrafiltration failure. In 3 patients, peritoneal transport was studied also before the onset of ultrafiltration failure. Transcapillary ultrafiltration and fluid absorption rates were assessed using radiolabeled albumin, and free water transport by kinetics of sodium concentration in dialysis fluid. Diffusive and convective transport rates of small solutes were estimated using the modified Babb–Randerson–Farrell model. Increased diffusive transport of small solutes was found in 5 patients and increased peritoneal fluid absorption in 2 patients. The 3-pore model was fitted to these data. Overall, hydraulic conductivity and the fractional contributions of aquaporins to hydraulic conductivity were either decreased or normal. We conclude that the quantitative role of aquaporins in overall fluid transport may vary substantially in normal patients as well in patients with ultrafiltration failure.
Multilevel network management by means of system identification

The paper proposes a new approach to the management of large-scale communication networks. To manage large-scale communication networks effectively, it is essential to get a bird's-eye view of them when they are in their normal conditions. When an indication of faulty state is detected, the focus of the management is narrowed down to the faulty network elements. This management scheme is called multilevel network management. The paper proposes that system identification be used in multilevel network management. The system identification is used to measure transmission delays between two arbitrarily selected nodes in the networks, and multilevel network management is achieved by selecting those two nodes appropriately in accordance with the levels to be managed.
POLÍTICA MONETÁRIA E O CANAL DO EMPRÉSTIMO BANCÁRIO: UMA ANÁLISE PARA O BRASIL, DE 2003 A 2012

O objetivo do presente artigo e apresentar um modelo, com base no trabalho de Bernanke e Blinder (1988), em que o credito, via emprestimos bancarios, possui impacto macroeconomico, como canal de transmissao das politicas monetarias. A metodologia utilizada foi a realizacao de um teste econometrico utilizando a tecnica do Vetor Autorregressivo (VAR). Para isso foram utilizadas seis variaveis, o PIB real, inflacao medida pelo indice IGP-DI, a base monetaria M1, a taxa Selic real, o Spread bancario e o Credito com recursos livres publico e privado. Os resultados corroboram com a perspectiva teorica, de que com assimetria de informacao o credito se torna ativo nos resultados da politica monetaria. Para chegar a essa conclusao foi utilizada uma funcao de impulso resposta, em que um choque positivo na taxa Selic afeta o nivel de credito e o spread bancario, tendo como consequencia impacto sobre o produto. Palavras-chave: Politica monetaria. Credito. Vetor Autorregressivo.
Etudes des mécanismes à l'origine de l'excès de garçons dans la déficience intellectuelle et les troubles du spectre autistique

La deficience intellectuelle (DI) et les troubles du spectre autistique (ASD) sont deux troubles neurodeveloppementaux (NDD) presentant de nombreux chevauchements genetiques et phenotypiques ainsi qu’un biais de sexe important, avec plus de garcons atteints (1,4x plus pour la DI et 4x plus pour l'ASD). Au sein de notre laboratoire, le taux de diagnostic des patients souffrant de DI et/ou d’ASD est significativement plus eleve chez les filles que chez les garcons. De facon surprenante, nous n’avons pas observe de difference significative entre filles et garcons au niveau de la proportion de mutations pathogenes sur le chromosome X (5,3% versus 7,6%), confirmant ainsi que les mutations causales totalement penetrantes sur ce chromosome ne peuvent pas expliquer la totalite de l’exces de garcons atteints de DI ou d'ASD. Nous avons donc choisi d’etudier une autre des hypotheses, plus environnementale, qui pourrait rendre le cerveau masculin plus susceptible au developpement de NDD : le role des androgenes au cours du developpement du cerveau. J'ai etudie l’effet de ces hormones masculines dans des precurseurs neuronaux humains (hNSCs) et observe que les androgenes augmentent la proliferation des hNSCs et les protegent contre la mort cellulaire en conditions stressantes. J'ai egalement mis en evidence que les androgenes, via leur recepteur (le recepteur aux androgenes), regulent une centaine de genes dans les hNSCs avec, parmi eux, un enrichissement en genes connus pour etre differentiellement exprimes chez les individus avec ASD (dont NRCAM et FAM107A). La regulation de ces genes par les androgenes pendant le developpement du cerveau pourrait ainsi participer a la sensibilite accrue du cerveau masculin, expose a d'autres facteurs genetiques et environnementaux, a developper une NDD.
Liens proches dans les réseaux sociaux : la dynamique des commentaires de Flickr

Nous analysons les dynamiques du reseau des commentaires du site Flickr a travers l'evolution de la structure globale du reseau, mais aussi celle des voisinages locaux et la maniere dont ils se constituent. Nous montrons que l'essentiel de l'activite concerne des « liens proches », et nous analysons les configurations locales pour montrer les repercussions de ces liens sur la constitution du voisinage : les individus qui ont le plus de voisins choisissent essentiellement ceux-ci parmi les voisins de leurs voisins (dans une proportion bien plus grande que dans le cas d'un choix aleatoire).
General or Disease Specific Questionnaire? A Comparative Study in Hemodialysis Patients

Objective. Today questionnaires developed to assess important outcome measures such as health-related quality of life are widely used. In this study we evaluated the construct validity of the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) and the reliability of its Turkish version in hemodialysis patients. Methods. In a sample of patients on renal dialysis (n = 94) the quality of life is measured by the NHP. The validity of this questionnaire is evaluated by using the Kidney Disease Questionnaire (KDQ) in the same patient group. The NHP is administered twice to each patient, at dialysis intervals two weeks apart. Results. NHP scores at both administrations are similar in both assessments. Pearson's correlation coefficients range from 0.61 to 0.84. Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the NHP sections range between 0.64 and 0.79. The alpha coefficients for three of the NHP scales (energy, sleep and social isolation) are well below 0.7. In the KDQ the mean values obtained for the five dimensions are: 4.2 ± 1.5 for physical symptoms, 4.8 ± 1.7 for fatigue, 4.9 ± 1.9 for depression, 4.2 ± 1.2 for relationship with others, and 4.8 ± 1.5 for frustration. In general the correlation between the dimensions of the NHP and KDQ is good and the correlation coefficients varies from 0.18 to 0.73. Clinical validity is assessed by examining the correlation between the results obtained for the two questionnaires (components of the NHP and KDQ) and hemoglobin level, number of the co-morbid conditions and educational level. Conclusions. The NHP is shown to have construct validity when used in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in Turkey. The application of the NHP in patients with ESRD is easy, fast and the questions are not difficult to understand. The multiple-degree scoring in the KDQ causes a complexity in answering. The correlation between the dimensions of the NHP and KDQ is good. Our results show better correlations between disease specific questionnaires and clinical parameters.
Expression of Murine APOBEC3 Alleles in Different Mouse Strains and Their Effect on Mouse Mammary Tumor Virus Infection

ABSTRACT Recent work has shown that mouse APOBEC3 restricts infection by mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) and murine leukemia virus (MLV) and that there are polymorphic APOBEC3 alleles found in different inbred mouse strains. For example, C57BL/6 mice, which are resistant to Friend MLV (F-MLV), encode a APOBEC3 gene different from that encoded by F-MLV-susceptible BALB/c mice; the predominant RNA produced in C57BL/6 mice lacks exon 5 (mA3−5) and encodes a protein with 15 polymorphic amino acids. It has also been reported that BALB/c mice produce only a variant RNA that lacks exon 2 (mA3−2). In this study, we examined the effect of these polymorphic APOBEC3 proteins on MMTV infection. We found that the major RNA made in C57BL/6 and B10.BR mice lacks exon 5 but that BALB/c and C3H/HeN mice predominantly express an RNA that contains all nine exons. In addition to producing the splice variant, C57BL/6 and B10.BR cells and tissues had levels of mA3 RNA fivefold higher than those from BALB/c and C3H/HeN mice. A cloned C57BL/6-derived mA3 protein lacking exon 5 inhibited MMTV infection better than a cloned full-length protein derived from 129/Ola RNA when packaged into MMTV virions. We also tested dendritic cells derived from different inbred mouse strains for their abilities to be infected by MMTV and showed that susceptibility to infection correlated with the presence of the exon 5-encoding allele. In vivo susceptibility to infection cosegregated with the inherited mA3 allele in a C57BL/6 × BALB/c backcross analysis. Moreover, virus produced in vivo in the mammary tissue of mA3 knockout and BALB/c mice was more infectious than that produced in the tissue of C57BL/6 mice. These data indicate that mA3 plays a role in the genetics of susceptibility and resistance to MMTV infection.
Distributions cohérentes de primitives pour le rendu expressif de scènes animées et le rendu en demi-tons. (Coherent distribution of primitives for animations' stylisation and halftoning)

Cette these s'interesse a la distribution de primitives graphiques dans les domaines du rendu expressif et des systemes d'impressions. Une distribution est le placement d'objets dans un espace, dans notre cas un espace a deux dimensions. Cette distribution suit une fonction d'importance decrivant la densite de primitives souhaitee en chacun des points de l'espace. La qualite de la distribution se mesure par l'observation de la position des objets places, notamment au moyen d'analyses spectrales. Dans le domaine du rendu expressif, nous nous interessons a la distribution de points dans le cadre du rendu anime a base de marques. Le rendu a base de marques permet d'obtenir des images mimant des medias traditionnels tels que la peinture. L'animation est obtenue en deplacant les marques d'une image a l'autre. Pour obtenir un rendu visuellement satisfaisant, les marques doivent suivre un mouvement en entree et remplir l'image suivant une fonction d'importance pour correctement representer le style vise. De plus, les changements brutaux sont a eviter. Nous appelons coherence temporelle le compromis entre ces trois contraintes. Nous developpons une approche complete pour le rendu anime a base de marques proposant plusieurs methodes de distribution de marques ainsi qu'un mecanisme de controle du style. Dans le cadre des systemes d'impressions, nous proposons une methode de distribution de points d'encre avec de bonnes qualites d'un point de vue perceptif, supprimant les repetitions presentes dans les travaux precedents. Cette methode est suffisamment peu couteuse en temps de calcul pour etre utilisee par les imprimantes actuelles.
Letter to the editor

Dear Editor, We are writing to bring serious concerns about the validity of the article “Hematologic toxicity assessment in solid tumor patients treated with cetuximab: A pooled analysis of 18 randomized controlled trials” authored by Ran Cui et al. and recently published by the International Journal of Cancer to your attention. After careful reading, we firmly believe that the review uses inappropriate methods and incorrect data, and therefore that the conclusions are misleading. We should be clear that the reason that we have been able to consider the data so carefully is that our group is conducting a systematic review on serious thromboembolic adverse events which has a very similar design (PROSPERO registration number CRD42014009165), although our systematic review also includes randomized controlled trials (RCTs), in which panitumumab (another approved anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody) is tested as an add-on to standard regimens. We detail the many shortcomings of the research reported by Cui et al. below.
Thioredoxin may exert a protective effect against tissue damage caused by oxidative stress in salivary glands of patients with Sjögren's syndrome.

OBJECTIVE To demonstrate the existence of oxidative stress and the role of the antioxidant thioredoxin (TRX) in Sjögren's syndrome (SS). METHODS Labial biopsy specimens from patients with SS were analyzed immunohistochemically to detect 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (4-HNE), nitrotyrosine, and TRX. Levels of TRX in saliva and plasma were quantified by ELISA. To analyze the effect of TRX on human salivary gland (HSG) cells, recombinant TRX (rTRX)-treated HSG cells were stimulated by interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) for detecting interleukin 6 (IL-6) with ELISA and RT-PCR, or stimulated with IFN-gamma and anti-Fas antibody for analyzing Fas-induced apoptosis with PI/annexin V staining. RESULTS Large amounts of 8-OHdG, 4-HNE, nitrotyrosine, and TRX were produced in salivary duct cells of SS patients, whether there was periductal lymphocytic infiltration or not. Strong TRX expression was detected in acinar cells from 13 of 19 SS specimens. Levels of salivary TRX were significantly higher in SS patients than in controls (p < 0.05), and were inversely related to the salivary flow rates in SS patients. Patients who showed acinar TRX expression had higher salivary TRX levels than those who did not (p < 0.05). Interferon-gamma-induced expression of IL-6 and Fas-mediated apoptosis in HSG cells were significantly suppressed by pretreating cells with rTRX. CONCLUSION Parallel production of oxidative stress markers together with massive secretion of TRX suggests that oxidative stress induces TRX in the salivary gland. Moreover, suppression of IL-6 production and apoptosis by rTRX in HSG cells suggests TRX acts to protect the salivary glands of SS patients from tissue damage.
Life-Threatening Constipation Induced by Intrathecal Baclofen Therapy

drugs (4 azathioprine, 2 methotrexate, 1 interferon beta-1b, 8 gabapentin, 2 pregabalin, 2 phenobarbital, 2 paroxetine, 1 citalopram, 1 venlafaxine, 7 furosemide, 4 heparin, 1 risperidone and 1 olanzapine). Fifteen patients did not receive any concomitant medication. ITB was administered with a mean effective daily dose of 251.3 8 11 g (range 90–580 g). Adverse events of ITB were monitored by evaluating patients’ monthly records and constipation was defined as Dear Sir, Intrathecal baclofen (ITB) delivery is a therapeutic option for patients with severe spasticity not responding to common oral medications, such as baclofen, dantrolene or tizanidine. At common doses, ITB is usually tolerated by patients [1] . Unfortunately, higher doses could be necessary to treat many cases of spasticity, thus enhancing the frequency of side effects [2–4] . Concerning gastrointestinal function, ITB could affect peristalsis, which could be severely slowed down to paralytic ileus. Nevertheless, constipation has previously been reported as an infrequent ITB-induced adverse effect, ranging from 3 to 10% of treated patients [2–4] . Here we report that, in our series of patients treated with ITB, constipation was a frequent and serious side effect, leading to death in 1 case. Thirty-eight patients (26 men and 12 women; age 48.7 8 15.4 years, mean 8 SD) were implanted for continuous ITB infusion from August 2002 to July 2006. They had severe spasticity due to different neurological diseases. Thirty-six patients out of 38 (95%) were affected by spinal cord diseases (myelitis, n = 19; multiple sclerosis, n = 13; traumatic injury, n = 4). The remaining 2 patients suffered from spasticity due to anoxic encephalopathy. All patients had previously been treated with oral baclofen, dantrolene, or tizanidine at their optimal doses, without relevant clinical benefit. Twenty-three out of 38 patients (61%) were on treatment with other Received: June 27, 2007 Accepted: October 9, 2007 Published online: June 14, 2008
A critical role for autophagy in pancreatic cancer

Autophagy is a regulated catabolic process that leads to the lysosomal degradation of damaged proteins, organelles and other macromolecules, with subsequent recycling of bioenergetic intermediates. The role of autophagy in cancer is undoubtedly complex and likely dependent on tumor type and on the cellular and developmental context. While it has been well demonstrated that autophagy may function as a tumor suppressor, there is mounting evidence that autophagy may have pro-tumorigenic roles, e.g., promoting therapeutic resistance as well as survival under stresses such as hypoxia and nutrient deprivation. These two, seemingly disparate functions can be reconciled by a possible temporal role of autophagy during tumor development, initially suppressing tumor initiation yet supporting tumor growth at later stages.
The Association between Motivation and Sanction on Hand Hygiene Compliance among Nurses at Dr. Pirngadi Hospital, Medan, North Sumatera

Background: Hand hygiene is an effective behavior to prevent infection among health workers. This study aimed to determine the associations of motivation and sanction on hand hygiene compliance among health workers at Dr. Pirngadi Hospital. Subjects and Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Dr. Pirngadi Hospital, Medan, North Sumatera, Indonesia. A sample of 33 health workers was selected for this study by total sampling. The dependent variable was hand hygiene obedience. The independent variables were sanction and motivation. The data were collected by questionnaire and analyzed by multiple logistic regression. Results: Hand hygiene compliance was associated with the presence of sanction (OR= 3.44; 95% CI= 1.22 to 4.95; p= 0.041) and motivation (OR= 4.77; 95% CI= 2.52 to 6.30; p= 0.029). Conclusion: Hand hygiene compliance is associated with sanction and motivation. Keywords: hand hygiene, compliance, sanction, motivation Correspondence : Sondang Simanjuntak. Masters Program in Public Health, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Jl. Universitas 21, Medan 20155, North Sumatera, Indonesia. Email: sondangstarlyn@gmail.com Journal of Health Policy and Management (2019), 4(2): 91-95 https://doi.org/10.26911/thejhpm.2019. 04.02. 03
A tale of two Germanys: Health problems in eastern Germany are clearly related to transition

EDITOR—The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 marked the beginning of the end of communism in eastern Europe and in eastern Germany. As McKee and Fister point out,1 certain constellations of epidemiological and demographic variables characterise the resultant process of political and economic transition: low or even decreasing life expectancy (especially for men) and higher …