Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Associations between physician financial incentives and the prescribing of anti-asthmatic medications in children in US outpatient settings

This study examined how sociological factors including financial incentives influenced whether asthmatic children received a controller medication, a reliever medication or both. The 2007 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey was used for this analysis. A logistic regression was applied to capture the physician’s decision-making and to analyze anti-asthmatic medication choice. Children with asthma seeing a pediatrician were approximately 69% more likely than children seeing a family doctor to receive a controller medication than reliever medication (p<0.01). Children with asthma enrolled in a capitated plan were 23% more likely to receive controller medications than reliever medications (p<0.01). Children with asthma of Hispanic ethnicity were 28% less likely to receive controller medication compared to non-Hispanic white (p<0.05) children. Compared with physicians with lower financial incentives, physicians who received medium (39%, p<0.05) or higher (42%, p<0.01) financial incentives from payers were more likely to prescribe controller medication than reliever medication for asthmatic children. An important finding of this study is that physicians who had medium or higher financial incentives from payers were about 40% more likely to prescribe a controller medication in asthmatic children. Findings suggest that physician incentives and capitated plans are associated with an increase in physicians prescribing controller medications or preventive care in children with asthma.
Review of computerized physician handoff tools for improving the quality of patient care.

BACKGROUND Computerized physician handoff tools (CHTs) are designed to allow distributed access and synchronous archiving of patient information via Internet protocols. However, their impact on the quality of physician handoff, patient care, and physician work efficiency have not been extensively analyzed. METHODS We searched MEDLINE, PUBMED, EMBASE, CINAHL, the Cochrane database for systematic reviews, and the Cochrane central register for clinical trials, from January 1960 to December 2011. We selected all articles that reported randomized controlled trials, controlled clinical trials, controlled before-after studies, and quasi-experimental studies of the use of CHTs for physician handoff for hospitalized patients. Relevant studies were evaluated independently for their eligibility for inclusion by 2 individuals in a 2-stage process. RESULTS The literature search identified 1026 citations of which 6 satisfied the inclusion criteria. One study was a randomized controlled trial, whereas 5 were controlled before-after studies. Two studies showed that using CHTs reduced adverse events and missing patients. Three studies demonstrated improved overall quality of handoff after CHT implementation. One study suggested that CHTs could potentially enhance work efficiency and continuity of care during physician handoff. Conflicting impacts on consistency of handoff were found in 2 studies. CONCLUSIONS The evidence that CHTs improve physician handoff and quality of hospitalized patient care is limited. CHT may improve the efficiency of physician work, reduce adverse events, and increase the completeness of physician handoffs. However, further evaluation using rigorous study designs is needed.
Oxidative metabolism and release of myeloperoxidase from polymorphonuclear leukocytes obtained from blood sedimentation in a ficoll‐hypaque gradient

Polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) have an important role in the host defence response to infection. These cells produce large amounts of reactive oxygen species (O2·−, H2O2 and ONOO−) with microbicidal activity. PMN are commonly isolated from peripheral blood by sedimentation through a gradient of density (Ficoll‐Hypaque gradient and dextran), yielding a highly homogeneous cellular population. However, some cellular activation due to membrane perturbation is also expected. We studied how the production of reactive oxygen species and release of myeloperoxidase (MPO) from blood PMN are affected by the use of the Ficoll‐Hypaque density gradient. PMN isolated by spontaneous sedimentation and total blood were used for comparisons. Lucigenin‐ and luminol‐enhanced chemiluminescence was used to estimate the production of reactive oxygen from intact cells and shown to be higher for cells isolated by density gradient both in the absence and presence of added stimuli. The release of MPO, estimated by the chemiluminescence of the luminol/H2O2 reaction in the supernatant of PMN incubated in the absence and presence of stimuli and absence and presence of cytochalasin B, was also higher for PMN isolated by a density gradient. In conclusion, it was shown that the PMN isolation procedure affects reactive oxygen species production and MPO release and in some cases may cause a misinterpretation of results. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Increased production of granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating factor in Crohn's disease – a possible target for infliximab treatment

Background The presence of neutrophils among epithelial cells is one of the major features of the inflammation in Crohn's disease, and has been used to indicate disease activity. The survival of neutrophils outside the blood vessels is limited and their longevity is influenced by granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), which probably reduces neutrophil apoptosis. Objective To study GM-CSF production in intestinal cell cultures from Crohn's disease patients before and after infliximab treatment. Patients Colonic mucosal biopsies were obtained from 29 Crohn's disease patients before and after three infliximab infusions (5 mg/ml) and from ten healthy subjects. Methods Biopsies were cultured in RPMI at high concentrations of interleukin-2 (IL-2) (2000 U/ml) and IL-4 (500 U/ml), but without antigen addition. GM-CSF content was analysed after 5 days culture and related to the Crohn's disease activity index (CDAI) and compared with the GM-CSF production from healthy subjects. Peripheral leucocyte count, C-reactive protein and the degree of mucosal inflammation, evaluated histologically, were determined. In-vitro T cell GM-CSF production was studied with/without addition of infliximab and after stimulation. Results GM-CSF production was increased in Crohn's disease patients compared with healthy controls (P = 0.02) and correlated with the CDAI (Spearman rho = 0.65, P = 0.001). GM-CSF levels and mucosal histology score decreased (P = 0.007 and P = 0.01 respectively) after three infliximab infusions, as did the peripheral blood leucocyte count (P < 0.001). Infliximab inhibited in-vitro T cell GM-CSF production. Conclusion In-vitro cell culture production of GM-CSF was increased in Crohn's disease and related to inflammation, but decreased after infliximab treatment, probably because intestinal T cell GM-CSF production was reduced.
Effect of Climate Change on the Concentration and Associated Risks of Vibrio Spp. in Dutch Recreational Waters

Currently, the number of reported cases of recreational‐ water‐related Vibrio illness in the Netherlands is low. However, a notable higher incidence of Vibrio infections has been observed in warm summers. In the future, such warm summers are expected to occur more often, resulting in enhanced water temperatures favoring Vibrio growth. Quantitative information on the increase in concentration of Vibrio spp. in recreational water under climate change scenarios is lacking. In this study, data on occurrence of Vibrio spp. at six different bathing sites in the Netherlands (2009–2012) were used to derive an empirical formula to predict the Vibrio concentration as a function of temperature, salinity, and pH. This formula was used to predict the effects of increased temperatures in climate change scenarios on Vibrio concentrations. For Vibrio parahaemolyticus, changes in illness risks associated with the changed concentrations were calculated as well. For an average temperature increase of 3.7 °C, these illness risks were calculated to be two to three times higher than in the current situation. Current illness risks were, varying per location, on average between 10−4 and 10−2 per person for an entire summer. In situations where water temperatures reached maximum values, illness risks are estimated to be up to 10−2 and 10−1. If such extreme situations occur more often during future summers, increased numbers of ill bathers or bathing‐water‐related illness outbreaks may be expected.
Phenytoin accelerates tendon healing in a rat model of Achilles tendon rupture.

INTRODUCTION Tendons are vulnerable to various types of acute or chronic injures. Different methods have been investigated to achieve better healing. Phenytoin is a drug which could stimulate fibroblasts to produce collagen. This experimental study was performed to assess the effect of phenytoin on tendon healing in a rat model of tendon rupture. METHODS Thirty healthy rats were divided into 3 groups, 1) Sham group; 2) Tendon rupture; 3) Tendon rupture+phenytoin (100 mg/kg intraperitoneally) for 21 days. On 21st day after tendon injury, the rats were anesthetized and tendon tissue was sampled for studying by light and electron microscopy. RESULTS Qualitative and quantitative microscopic comparisons of the repair tissues of both groups were made on the 21st day. The results obtained from light and electron microscopy studies showed that tendon tissue healing was significantly better in phenytoin group compared to the control group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Systemic administration of phenytoin may have a positive effect on tendon healing by increasing fibroblast quantity, fibrillar collagen synthesis, vascularity, and suppressing inflammation (Tab. 2, Ref. 25).
Using the resurrection approach to understand contemporary evolution in changing environments

The resurrection approach of reviving ancestors from stored propagules and comparing them with descendants under common conditions has emerged as a powerful method of detecting and characterizing contemporary evolution. As climatic and other environmental conditions continue to change at a rapid pace, this approach is becoming particularly useful for predicting and monitoring evolutionary responses. We evaluate this approach, explain the advantages and limitations, suggest best practices for implementation, review studies in which this approach has been used, and explore how it can be incorporated into conservation and management efforts. We find that although the approach has thus far been used in a limited number of cases, these studies have provided strong evidence for rapid contemporary adaptive evolution in a variety of systems, particularly in response to anthropogenic environmental change, although it is far from clear that evolution will be able to rescue many populations from extinction given current rates of global changes. We also highlight one effort, known as Project Baseline, to create a collection of stored seeds that can take advantage of the resurrection approach to examine evolutionary responses to environmental change over the coming decades. We conclude that the resurrection approach is a useful tool that could be more widely employed to examine basic questions about evolution in natural populations and to assist in the conservation and management of these populations as they face continued environmental change.
Inverse problem of a buried metallic object

In this paper we address an inverse scattering problem whose aim is to discuss the CPU time for recovering a perfectly conducting cylindrical object buried in a half-space. First, we use Fourier-series or cubic-spline methods to describe the shape and reformulate the inverse problem into an optimization one. Then we solved it by the improved steady state genetic algorithm (SSGA) and simple genetic algorithm (SGA) respectively and compare the cost time in finding out the global extreme solution of the objective function. It is found the searching ability of SSGA is much powerful than that of the SGA. Even when the initial guess is far away from the exact one, the cost time for converging to a global extreme solution using by SSGA is much less than that by SGA. Numerical results are given to show that the inverse problem by using SSGA is much better than SGA in time costing.
Correlation of intergenerational family sizes suggests a genetic component of reproductive fitness.

Reproductive fitness is a complex phenotype that is a direct measure of Darwinian selection. Estimation of the genetic contribution to this phenotype in human populations is confounded by within-family correlations of sociocultural, economic, and other nongenetic factors that influence family sizes. Here, we report an intergenerational correlation in reproductive success in the Hutterites, a human population that is relatively homogeneous with respect to sociocultural factors that influence fertility. We introduce an estimator of this correlation that takes into account the presence of multiple parent-offspring pairs from the same nuclear family. Statistical significance of the estimated correlation is assessed by a permutation test that maintains the overall structure of the pedigree. Further, temporal trends in fertility within this population are accounted for. Applying these methods to the S-Leut Hutterites yields a correlation in effective family size of 0.29 between couples and their sons and 0.18 between couples and their daughters, with empirical P<1x10-6 and P=. 0041, respectively. Similar results were obtained for completed families (0.31 between couples and their sons and 0.23 between couples and their daughters; empirical P<1x10-6 and P=.00059, respectively). We interpret these results as indicating a significant genetic component to reproductive fitness in the Hutterites.
Winning on Social Media: Candidate Social-Mediated Communication and Voting During the 2016 US Presidential Election

The 2016 US Presidential Election provided an opportunity to examine how political candidates’ use of social media can affect voting intentions. This study considers how political candidates can use social media to increase potential supporters’ perceptions that they will win the election, providing them extra motivation to go out and vote. Results from a two-wave survey provide evidence that following the in-group candidate (Trump or Clinton) relates to voting intentions through the increased belief that the candidate would win. However, this mediation effect occurs for only supporters of Trump or Clinton, but not for partisans of the opposing party.
Circularity of the Caulobacter crescentus chromosome determined by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis

Previous genetic analyses of the Caulobacter crescentus chromosome have resulted in the construction of a linear genetic map. To establish the circularity of the C. crescentus chromosome, restriction fragments generated by digestion with AseI and SpeI were analyzed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and Southern hybridization. The size of each fragment was calculated and used to demonstrate that C. crescentus has a genome size of approximately 4,000 kilobases. In addition, both enzymes gave rise to large DNA fragments which contained genes from both ends of the genetic map. Thus, there is physical linkage between the genes at the ends of the genetic map and the chromosome is circular. Since this region of the chromosome appears to contain the replication terminus, we propose that recombination occurs at a high frequency in the vicinity of the terminus. This high frequency of recombination would prevent genetic linkage from being observed between genes on opposite sides of the terminus. Additional experiments using insertions which introduced new AseI and DraI restriction sites into the genome allowed us to calculate the physical distance between genes located in the vicinity of the replication terminus.
Induction of heat shock protein in interdental cells by hyperthermia

The effect of hyperthermia on Induction of the 72 kllodalton (kDa) heat shock protein (HSP72) was examined In interdental cells of the guinea pig cochlea. After being Immersed in a water bath of either normal body temperature (37° C, control condition) or 43° C (hyperthermic condition), animals were killed either 0, 1, 2, 6, or 18 hours later. Cochlear sections were incubated with a monoclonal antibody raised against HSP72 and relative staining densities were quantified with a light microscopic image analysis system. Optical densities of the interdental cell region of animals receiving hyperthermia treatment were significantly greater than those of animals in the control group. Further analysis revealed that levels of HSP72 Immunoreactlvlty began increasing by 1 hour after hyperthermia and continued to increase thereafter, to reach maximal levels at 6 hours. The maximal levels were maintained for the rest of the experiment—18 hours. The results indicate that hyperthermia leads to an increase in the synthesis of HSP72 in guinea pig Interdental cells.
A hyperspectral fluorescence system for 3D in vivo optical imaging

In vivo optical instruments designed for small animal imaging generally measure the integrated light intensity across a broad band of wavelengths, or make measurements at a small number of selected wavelengths, and primarily use any spectral information to characterize and remove autofluorescence. We have developed a flexible hyperspectral imaging instrument to explore the use of spectral information to determine the 3D source location for in vivo fluorescence imaging applications. We hypothesize that the spectral distribution of the emitted fluorescence signal can be used to provide additional information to 3D reconstruction algorithms being developed for optical tomography. To test this hypothesis, we have designed and built an in vivo hyperspectral imaging system, which can acquire data from 400 to 1000 nm with 3 nm spectral resolution and which is flexible enough to allow the testing of a wide range of illumination and detection geometries. It also has the capability to generate a surface contour map of the animal for input into the reconstruction process. In this paper, we present the design of the system, demonstrate the depth dependence of the spectral signal in phantoms and show the ability to reconstruct 3D source locations using the spectral data in a simple phantom. We also characterize the basic performance of the imaging system.
Proliferation and differentiation of intestinal stem cells during metamorphosis of the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum

The insect midgut epithelium is remodeled during larval‐pupal metamorphosis when larval polyploid cells (LPCs) are replaced by the daughters of intestinal stem cells (ISCs). We characterized the proliferation of ISCs during midgut remodeling in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum. Midgut remodeling is initiated at 96 hr after ecdysis into the final instar larval stage. Immunocytochemistry with bromodeoxyuridine and phospho‐histone H3 antibodies showed that the ISCs are the progenitors of the pupal/adult midgut epithelium and they undergo proliferation and differentiation to form new midgut epithelium. In vitro midgut culture experiments revealed that 20‐hydroxyecdysone (20E) in the absence of juvenile hormone induces proliferation of ISCs. RNA interference (RNAi) mediated silencing of ecdysone receptors (EcRA and EcRB) and ultraspiracle (USP) identified EcRA and USP but not EcRB as the proteins involved in 20E regulation of ISCs proliferation. These data show that the proliferation of ISCs is under both developmental and endocrine regulation. Developmental Dynamics 237:893–908, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Purine quantification in digesta from ruminants by spectrophotometric and HPLC methods

The method of Zinn & Owens (1986; Canadian Journal of Animal Science66, 157–166), based on release of purine bases by HClO4 followed by their precipitation with AgNO3, was used to study recovery of purines from lyophilized rumen microbial or Escherichia coli preparations added to matrices such as cellulose, starch and neutral-detergent fibre. The recovery of purines was poor (approximately 50 %). Under the hydrolysis conditions (12 M-HClO4, 90–95° for 1 h) used in the method of Zinn & Owens (1986), the recovery of purines from the rumen microbial preparations added to matrices measured using an HPLC method was 95–102 %, suggesting that the lower recovery of purines in the method of Zinn & Owens (1986) was not due to incomplete hydrolysis of nucleic acids. Using the HPLC method, adenine and allopurinol (an internal standard) were found to be heat-labile as substantial destruction was observed on heating at 121°. On the other hand, another commonly used internal standard, caffeine, was stable at 121°. A complete hydrolysis of nucleic acids from the rumen microbial preparation was observed with 2·5 ml 0·6 M-HClO4 in a total volume of 3 ml (0·5 M-HClO4 during hydrolysis) at 90–95° for 1 h, and under these conditions adenine, guanine, allopurinol and caffeine were stable. Moreover, under these milder hydrolysis conditions, the recovery of purine bases from the rumen microbial or E. coli preparations added to matrices ranged from 92 to 108 % using the method of Zinn & Owens (1986). Based on the results, changes in hydrolysis conditions have been proposed for accurate determination of purine bases using spectrophotometric or HPLC methods.
Simultaneous determination of corosolic acid and euscaphic acid in the plasma of normal and diabetic rat after oral administration of extract of Potentilla discolor Bunge by high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

Potentilla discolor Bunge has been used for diabetes in China for a long time. Corosolic acid (CA) and euscaphic acid (EA), with significant anti-diabetic activity, are two major triterpenoids in P. discolor. In this study, a specific, sensitive and convenient LC-MS method has been developed for simultaneous determination of CA and EA in the plasma of normal and diabetic rats after oral administration of the extract of P. discolor. The chromatographic separation was achieved using an Alltima C18 column (53 × 7.0 mm, i.d., 3 µm) with a mobile phase composed of 0.1% formic acid water and 0.1% formic acid acetonitrile at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The detection was performed by MS with electrospray ionization interface in negative selected ion monitoring mode. All the validation data, such as specificity, linearity (r(2) > 0.9991 within 0.025-10.0 µg/mL), lower limit of quantitation (2.5 ng/mL), precision (intra- and inter-day <14.7%), accuracy (<15.0%), recovery (85.7-110.8%) and stability were determined and all of them were within the required limits. This method was successfully applied for the evaluation of the pharmacokinetic behaviors of these two compounds in the plasma of normal and diabetic rats.