Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clinical Comparison of Alclometasone Dipropionate Cream 0·05% with Hydrocortisone Butyrate Cream 0·1% in the Treatment of Atopic Dermatitis in Children

Alclometasone dipropionate cream 0·05% was compared to hydrocortisone butyrate cream 0·1% in the treatment of atopic dermatitis in forty children, 5 to 11 years old. In this double-blind, parallel-group trial, the experimental creams were applied twice daily for 2 weeks, without occlusion, to the study areas. Efficacy was evaluated 1 and 2 weeks after the start of treatment. Both creams were effective treatments for atopic dermatitis; however, alclometasone dipropionate was judged slightly more efficacious. Improvement in erythema, induration, and pruritus averaged 76% for alclometasone dipropionate-treatedpatients and 70% for hydrocortisone butyrate-treated patients. At the end of treatment, the physician's global evaluation indicated nineteen of twenty patients in the alclometasone dipropionate group had between 51% and 100% improvement in disease signs and symptoms, compared with sixteen of twenty patients treated with hydrocortisone butyrate. Two patients in the alclometasone dipropionate-treated group and one in the hydrocortisone butyrate-treated group reported mild stinging.
REDUCTION OF DEFORMATION IN A SPRING-MASS REALISATION OF HUMAN CHEST OCCURRED AFTER ACTION OF IMPACT

This paper takes into consideration active control of a mechanical construction modelling a human ches t subject to impulsive elastic loading coming from a fast mov ing light mass. The effect of impact causes some es sential deformation in the form of distance decreasing betw een the front and back side of the chest resulting from compression of internal organs. One can attenuate sa destructive process by introduction of fast-r esponse active control elements attached to the front or back side of the chest i.e., from the direction of impacting mass or between back and support of the body. The problem of one- or two-dimensional control is n ot easy to perform because of the consideration of the very short time of system’s reaction. At this stage ther e has been used an effective numerical procedure fo r both solution and LQR control method application in a dynamical s ystem of three separated elastically (rheologically as well) linked masses. Direction-dependent coefficients of the rheological link (extending our system to the sstatespace dimension) govern different properties of int ernal organs during their stretching and compressio n. It puts into the control scheme’s matrices a time-dependent coef ficients of damping influencing the optimal linear quadratic regulator used in control.
Postoperative Confusion after Anesthesia in Elderly Patients with Femoral Neck Fractures

Fifty-seven patients, all over the age of 64, with femoral neck fracture were randomized to receive epidural or halothane anesthesia to see if the anesthetic technique influenced the incidence of postoperative confusion. All patients were lucid on admission. Using the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III) as criteria for confusion, we found that 44% of the patients developed confusion that correlated closely to a history of mental depression (P < 0.01) and to the use of drugs with anticholinergic effect (P < 0.005). There was no difference in the incidence of confusion between the two anesthetic groups. In patients given halothane, however, early postoperative hypoxemia was associated with confusion (P < 0.05). Patients with confusion had significantly more postoperative complications and almost four times longer hospitalization times. It is concluded that anticholinergic medication and a history of mental depression are predominant risk factors for development of postoperative confusion and in this respect are more important than the anesthetic technique.
Analysis of Nitrogen Dioxide in Environment

As a severe environmental pollutant, detection and quantitation of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) have been studied for centuries. In this review, recent progress of NO2 analysis in the atmosphere will be summarized. Four major types of detection technologies, including traditional chemical detection, optical detection, solid-state field effect transistor detection, and other detection technology are covered. The standard method employed by the US EPA, which is based on luminol, is the most reliable and robust method that is used for fully validated monitoring. In the past two decades, accompanying the fast development of electrical engineering and integrated circuit, micro to nanoscale gas sensors have been gaining more and more attention. Application of novel materials including nano wires and graphene also leads to a new era of research and development of sensors.
Influence of FCGR3A-V212F and TNFRSF1B-M196R genotypes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with infliximab therapy.

OBJECTIVE Anti-TNF-alpha therapies are widely used in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Despite their clearly proven efficacy, some discrepancies were observed in the treatment response with 40% of non-responder patients. The aim of this study is to determine whether two functional single-nucleotide polymorphisms, V212F in the FCGR3A, and M196R in the TNFRSF1B genes correlate with rheumatoid arthritis susceptibility and response to anti-TNF-alpha therapy. METHODS The population study was composed of a French cohort of 78 RA patients and 70 healthy controls. Allele and genotype frequencies were compared between patients and controls, according to their response to infliximab therapy, using the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) response criteria. RESULTS No association was found between these two SNPs and RA susceptibility. A significant correlation was found between 196R allele carriers and low response to infliximab therapy. CONCLUSION This is the first report of a statistically significant association between the TNFRSF1B-M196R SNP and response to infliximab in a French cohort. Larger studies are needed to confirm the relevance of this association.
Group psychotherapy and people with dementia

Psychotherapy and counselling approaches are being used increasingly with people with dementia, but there has been little structured research into the effectiveness of such work. This research reports findings from the evaluation of six, ten-week long psychotherapy groups for people with dementia in the south of England. Measures of depression and anxiety were taken independently of the clinical work at four time points: six weeks before the group began, at the start of the group, at the end of the group and at follow-up after a gap of ten-weeks. Forty-two participants entered the project at different points, of whom 19 completed the baseline, intervention and follow-up phases of the project. Analysis of the data for depression and anxiety levels using a repeated measures ANOVA showed a statistically significant treatment effect for Cornell depression scores which was maintained at follow-up and a similar reduction in anxiety as measured by the rating for anxiety in dementia (RAID) which was borderline for significance. Although not all people with dementia would be suitable for group psychotherapy, nevertheless this research provides some of the first clear evidence that group psychotherapy may have a role to play in reducing levels of depression and anxiety of people with mild and moderate levels of dementia.
Efficacy of initial methotrexate monotherapy versus combination therapy with a biological agent in early rheumatoid arthritis: a meta-analysis of clinical and radiographic remission

Objective The target outcome in early rheumatoid arthritis (ERA) is now remission. This meta-analysis compared the efficacy of initial methotrexate monotherapy versus combination therapy (methotrexate plus biological agent) for clinical remission and radiographic non-progression among ERA patients with minimal or no previous methotrexate exposure. Methods A systematic search was performed for randomised controlled trials of ERA using predefined criteria. A random effects model was used to pool the risk ratio (RR) for clinical and radiographic remission at 52–56 weeks of follow-up. Results Seven trials of combination therapy with infliximab, adalimumab, etanercept or abatacept were included. The majority of studies defined clinical remission as a 28-joint disease activity score (DAS28) of 2.6 or less. Radiographic non-progression was primarily defined as a modified total Sharp score change of less than 0.5 units. All trials demonstrated risk estimates in favour of combination therapy: the pooled RR for achieving clinical remission was 1.74 (95% CI 1.54 to 1.98) and for radiographic non-progression was 1.30 (95% CI 1.01 to 1.68). Significant heterogeneity among studies for the latter outcome was detected (p<0.001). Conclusions The efficacy of combination therapy with a biological agent is superior to methotrexate monotherapy for remission. Combination therapy has a greater initial effect on clinical remission than radiographic non-progression. Uniform definitions of remission are needed and the proportion of subjects who achieve the combined endpoint of clinical and radiographic remission should be considered as a meaningful outcome in future studies of ERA.
Open-Winding Power Conversion Systems Fed by Half-Controlled Converters

An open-winding power conversion system with two conventional six-switch voltage-source converters (VSC) affords operation with a lower volt-ampere (VA) rating of each device for a given power rating, as well as a degree of fault tolerance. The disadvantages of such a configuration include a higher total device VA rating and increased conduction loss as compared to a single Y/Δ-connected VSC. In certain ac-dc applications, such as telecommunications, wind, and aerospace generator drives, it is desired to have regulated input currents and output voltage, but regenerative operation is either not required or prohibited. For such applications, an alternative open-winding power converter is proposed in this paper where half-controlled converter (HCC) is employed at each end of an open-winding structure. The resultant total switch count and total VA rating are reduced by half, compared to using full bridges. Besides, the basic advantages of an open-winding configuration, use of HCCs also guarantees immunity to dc-bus shootthrough and simplifies the gate drive circuit. The total VA rating of the proposed topology is found to be 42% less than a six-switch VSC. The operating principle, control method, and analysis with simulation and experimental results of the proposed topology in both a grid-tied rectifier application and a PM generator application are illustrated in this paper.
Time Use During Recessions

We use data from the American Time Use Survey (ATUS), covering both the recent recession and the pre-recessionary period, to explore how foregone market work hours are allocated to other activities over the business cycle. Given the short time series, it is hard to distinguish business cycle effects from low frequency trends by simply comparing time spent on a given category prior to the recession with time spent on that category during the recession. Instead, we identify the business cycle effects on time use using cross state variation with respect to the severity of the recessions. We find that roughly 30% to 40% of the foregone market work hours are allocated to increased home production. Additionally, 30% of the foregone hours are allocated to increased sleep time and increased television watching. Other leisure activities absorb 20% of the foregone market work hours. We use our evidence from the ATUS to calibrate and test the predictions of workhorse macroeconomic models with home production. We show that the quantitative implications of these models regarding the allocation of time over the business cycle matches reasonably well the actual behavior of households.
Fiber optic sensors and their applications

Photonic sensors, signal processors and communication technologies have emerged as viable alternatives to electronics. Fiber optic sensors have advanced to an extent that they can be readily made use of in many applications. The different types of fiber optic sensors, components used in optical fiber sensing, sensor design and analysis, distributed\ multiplexed sensor schemes and the role of integrated optics are highlighted.
A Language for the Composition of Privacy-Enforcement Techniques

Today's large-scale computations, for instance, in the cloud, are subject to a multitude of risks concerning the divulging and ownership of private data. Privacy risks are mainly addressed using encryption-based techniques. These make data private, but costly to operate. Furthermore, today's computations have to ensure privacy properties in the context of complex software compositions, however, no general support for the declarative definition and implementation of privacy-preserving applications has been put forward. This article presents an approach to the correct composition of privacy-preserving applications in the cloud. Our approach provides language support for the composition of encryption-and fragmentation-based privacy-preserving algorithms. This language comes with a set of laws that allows us to verify privacy properties. Finally, we introduce implementation support in Scala that ensures privacy properties by construction using advanced features of Scala's type system.
Clinical Utility of Anti- Granulocyte Macrophage-Colony Stimulating Factor Antibodies in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Recently, anti-Granulocyte Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor (GM-CSF) antibodies have been identified in IBD. These antibodies are directed against GM-CSF which is a cytokine that is necessary for anti-microbial functions of myeloid cells and that have an important role in the regulation of intestinal mucosal damage, in intestinal immunity and inflammatory responses [10–14]. Mice deficient in GM-CSF had defects in mucosal barrier function with more severe intestinal and systemic infection after enteric infection, more severe colitis after enteric exposure to dextran sodium sulphate or developed transmural ileitis following non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) exposure [10–14]. GM-CSF therapy improved mucosal repair and could have a role in clinical improvement in CD [10–13, 15]. Jurickova et al found that anti-GM-CSF Ab were produced by lamina propria mononuclear cells isolated from CD ileal resection specimens and that peripheral blood contains GM-CSF neutralizing capacity [16]. High levels of anti-GM-CSF Ab are associated with a reduced bioactivity of GM-CSF, of neutrophil bacterial killing, and an increase in intestinal permeability [14, 16]. Furthermore, these antibodies are used in the diagnosis of autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) [17]. To date, there are still few studies on their clinical interestand especially on their prognostic value in IBD. The main purpose of our study was to evaluate the clinical impact of anti-GM-CSF Abs in a cohort of IBD patients. Abstract
Partial path column generation for the elementary shortest path problem with resource constraints

This paper introduces a decomposition of the Elementary Shortest Path Prob-lem with Resource Constraints(ESPPRC), where the path is combined by smaller sub paths. We show computationals result by comparing different approaches for the decomposition and compare the best of these with existing algorithms. We show that the algorithm for many instances outperforms a bidirectional labeling algorithm.
Pharmacokinetics of nicotine in healthy elderly people

Mortality hazards of smoking extend well into later life; this suggests that smoking cessation will continue to improve life expectancy in older people. The pharmacology and pharmacokinetics of nicotine have not been studied in elderly subjects. Drug disposition and pharmacodynamic responsiveness to nicotine may change with age, and conclusions founded on data from studies of younger populations may not apply to elderly populations. Our aim was to assess the pharmacokinetics of nicotine in healthy elderly subjects compared with healthy adults.
Dietary protein, endurance exercise, and human skeletal-muscle protein turnover

Purpose of reviewWhereas diet and exercise have been shown to influence whole-body protein utilization, little is known about the impact of these factors on skeletal-muscle protein turnover. We highlight the role of dietary protein in modulating skeletal-muscle protein turnover in response to endurance exercise. Effects of endurance exercise on skeletal-muscle protein metabolism are presented and the influence of habitual protein intake on exercise-related protein responses is discussed. Recent findingsSkeletal-muscle protein turnover increases in response to endurance exercise training and following a single endurance exercise bout. Nutritional supplementation postexercise favorably affects skeletal-muscle protein synthesis and demonstrates amino acid availability as pivotal to the skeletal-muscle synthetic response following exercise. The level of habitual protein intake influences postexercise skeletal-muscle protein turnover. SummaryDietary protein and exercise are powerful stimuli affecting protein turnover. Since variation in habitual protein intake influences skeletal-muscle protein turnover postexercise, investigations are needed to determine what role protein intake has in regulating skeletal-muscle protein metabolism. Long-term, well controlled diet and exercise intervention studies are essential for clarification of the relation between protein intake, endurance exercise, and skeletal-muscle protein turnover. Studies designed to characterize this relationship should be attentive to habitual macronutrient and energy intakes.
Variability in Surface Infrared Reflectance of Thirteen Nitrile Rubber Gloves at Key Wavelengths for Analysis of Captan

The aim of this study was to investigate the surface variability of 13 powder-free, unlined, and unsupported nitrile rubber gloves using attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FT-IR) spectrophotometry at key wavelengths for analysis of captan contamination. The within-glove, within-lot, and between-lot variability was measured at 740, 1124, 1252, and 1735 cm−1, the characteristic captan reflectance minima wavelengths. Three glove brands were assessed after conditioning overnight at relative humidity (RH) values ranging from 2 ± 1 to 87 ± 4% and temperatures ranging from −8.6 ± 0.7 to 59.2 ± 0.9 °C. For all gloves, 1735 cm−1 provided the lowest background absorbance and greatest potential sensitivity for captan analysis on the outer glove surface: absorbances ranged from 0.0074 ± 0.0005 (Microflex) to 0.0195 ± 0.0024 (SafeSkin); average within-glove coefficients of variation (CV) ranged from 2.7% (Best, range 0.9–5.3%) to 10% (SafeSkin, 1.2–17%); within-glove CVs greater than 10% were for one brand (SafeSkin); within-lot CVs ranged from 2.8% (Best N-Dex) to 28% (SafeSkin Blue); and between-lot variation was statistically significant (p ≤ 0.05) for all but two SafeSkin lots. The RH had variable effects dependent on wavelength, being minimal at 1735, 1252, and 1124 cm−1 and highest at 3430 cm−1 (O–H stretch region). There was no significant effect of temperature conditioning. Substantial within-glove, within-lot, and between-lot variability was observed. Thus, surface analysis using ATR-FT-IR must treat glove brands and lots as different. ATR-FT-IR proved to be a useful realtime analytical tool for measuring glove variability, detecting surface humidity effects, and choosing selective and sensitive wavelengths for analysis of nonvolatile surface contaminants.
Mechanisms of Acquired Resistance to Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors gefitinib and erlotinib are effective therapies for non–small cell lung cancer patients whose tumors harbor somatic mutations in EGFR. All patients, however, ultimately develop resistance to these agents. Thus, there is a great need to understand how patients become resistant to develop effective therapies for these cancers. Studies over the last few years have identified two different EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance mechanisms, a secondary mutation in EGFR, EGFR 790M, and amplification of the MET oncogene. These findings have led to clinical trials using newly designed targeted therapies that can overcome these resistance mechanisms and have shown promise in laboratory studies. Ongoing research efforts will likely continue to identify additional resistance mechanisms, and these findings will hopefully translate into effective therapies for non–small cell lung cancer patients.
THE VALUE OF COLPOSCOPY, HIGH RISK HPV-DNA AND HISTOPATHOLOGIC EXAMINATION IN THE MANAGEMENT OF ABNORMAL PAP SMEAR RESULTS

SUMMARY Objective: Pap smear test is a major screening test for early diagnosis and treatment of cervix cancer. The aim of our study was to assess the value of HPV-DNA, colposcopy and histopathologic examination in the management of patients with abnormal cervical cytology. Materials and methods: This prospective cohort study was conducted in Ankara University Cebeci Hospital gynecology outpatient clinic. The study compromised 86 patients with smear results of ASCUS, AGC, L-SIL and H-SIL. Age, gravity, parity, age at first coitus, smoking status, number of partners, high risk HPV-DNA status and pathologic colposcopy findings were investigated. Results: Mean age of the patients was 35 years and the most common abnormal smear result was ASCUS, with 55 patients (63%). There was no significant difference between the groups regarding demographic characteristics except age at first coitus and pathologic colposcopy findings. Among patients diagnosed as ASCUS 34.5% had been upgraded with histopathologic examination. Among patients diagnosed as L-SIL 73.6% had been down-graded with histopathologic examination. However, after the histopathologic exam of 9 H-SIL patients two (22.2%) were diagnosed as CIN II, two (22.2%) were diagnosed as CIN III and one (11.1%) was diagnosed as cervical cancer. In the groups of ASCUS, L-SIL and H-SIL the presence of high risk HPV-DNA were 11%, 5% and 33%, respectively. Conclusion: If we are sure that the patient will attend the follow-up visits, then for the ones with ASCUS and L-SIL a repeat smear test would be the appropriate. However, in the management of patients with H-SIL colposcopic biopsy would be the best approach.