Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Touching: The Human Significance of the Skin

The personal wit, curiosity, and other literary skills of Ashley Montagu are presented to the reader, while the almost incidental topic is skin. The author, a famous anthropological journalist, shows such great enthusiasm and imagination when he presents information that he can give importance to the most trivial data. He has a thoroughly developed and fascinating opinion on almost everything, especially on matters so complex that experts would not venture any conclusions or on recondite matters about which almost nothing is known. If this skill is accepted as a journalistic technique aimed mostly at entertainment but also at teaching about general social viewpoints and far-reaching hypotheses, then both author and reader can enjoy the book. Knowledge of actual sciences or burdensome tests of truth or evidence should not disturb the spell; good fun is intended. Once the reader is in the proper spirit, he can learn whether men or women
Nasopharyngeal carriage of Streptococcus pneumoniae in Gambian infants: a longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND To prepare for national introduction of a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine of restricted valency, we studied nasopharyngeal carriage of Streptococcus pneumoniae in Gambian infants. METHODS We studied 236 infants in 21 villages. We collected nasopharyngeal swab samples at birth, twice per month for 6 months, and every second month until 1 year of age. We studied time to acquisition and duration of pneumococcal carriage according to serotype. RESULTS All infants carried S. pneumoniae at some point. Sixty-five serotypes were found, and the 5 most common serotypes (6B, 19F, 6A, 14, and 23F) accounted for 51% of isolates. The mean age at first acquisition of carriage was 33 days (95% confidence interval, 29-36 days). There were no significant differences in acquisition rates between the 6 most common serotypes (P = .067) or between vaccine serotypes, vaccine-related serotypes, or nonvaccine serotypes (P = .317). However, the duration of carriage differed significantly between the 6 most common serotypes (P = .004). The rate of reacquisition of carriage and the duration of carriage did not differ significantly between the 6 most common serotypes (P = .229 and P = .669 respectively). However, nonvaccine types were acquired faster (P = .004) and were carried for a shorter duration (P < .001) than were vaccine serotypes. A previous episode of serotype 14 carriage was associated with delayed reacquisition of this serotype (P = .005) and longer duration of carriage (P = .017). CONCLUSIONS The data provided in this study regarding time to acquisition and duration of pneumococcal carriage in Gambian infants provide an important baseline for evaluating the impact of the introduction of a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in The Gambia and elsewhere in Africa.
The Role of Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein-5 in Bone

Previous studies involving the extraction and purification of human skeletal growth factor, now known as insulin-like growth factor-II (IGF-II), under native and dissociative conditions revealed that human IGF-II was present as a large molecular weight form in nondissociative extracts of human bone and that IGF-II could be dissociated from the high molecular weight form and purified as a low molecular weight form under strong dissociative conditions (1, 2). It was also found that the high molecular weight IGF-II complex bound to hydroxyapatite under native conditions and that low molecular weight purified IGF-II did not bind to hydroxyapatite columns. Based on these results, it was postulated that IGF-II was fixed in large amounts in bone by means of an IGF binding protein (IGFBP) which has strong affinity for hydroxyapatite. Our subsequent studies on the purification of this binding protein led to the discovery of IGFBP-5 from human bone extract (3). Simultaneously, Andress and Birnbaum (4) and Shimasaki et al. (5) reported purification of IGFBP-5 from medium conditioned by U2 human osteosarcoma cells and rat serum respectively. Subsequently, Camacho-Hubner et al. (6) and Roghani et al. (7) also purified IGFBP-5 from media conditioned by T98G human glioblastoma cells and human cerebrospinal fluid respectively. The complete primary structure of the IGFBP-5 protein has been deduced from clones isolated from human placenta and osteosarcoma complementary DNA (cDNA) libraries (5, 8). The cDNA for human IGFBP-5 encodes a mature protein of 252 residues with no N-glycosylation sites or arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) sequences. Although IGFBP-5 is expressed by a variety of cell types, the findings that IGFBP-5, the most abundant IGFBP in human bone, exhibits significant biological effects on bone cells in vitro and that the production of IGFBP-5 is regulated by key regulators of osteoblast cell proliferation suggest that IGFBP-5 is an important component of the IGF system in bone.
What is community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus?

BACKGROUND A community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) infection has been defined as an MRSA infection in a patient who lacks specific risk factors for healthcare exposure. We sought to determine whether the absence or presence of these risk factors still predicts the phenotypic or genotypic characteristics of MRSA strains. METHODS All clinical MRSA isolates were prospectively collected at the University of Chicago Hospitals from July 2004 through June 2005. Patients were interviewed and/or their medical records were reviewed. Isolates underwent genotyping and susceptibility testing. Data on patients and isolates were stratified in accordance with 8 frequently cited criteria for the identification of CA-MRSA and compared for concordance. RESULTS Among 616 unique patients from whom MRSA isolates were recovered, 404 (65.6%) had risk factors for healthcare exposure. Of the 404 isolates recovered from these patients, 166 (41.1%) were clindamycin susceptible, 190 (47.0%) carried staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) type IV, 145 (35.9%) carried the Panton-Valentine leukocidin genes (PVL+), and 162 (40.1%) were identified as sequence type (ST) 8 by multilocus sequence typing (MLST), all of which are characteristics commonly attributed to CA-MRSA strains. CONCLUSIONS Association with the healthcare environment now has little predictive value for distinguishing patients with infection due to multidrug resistant MRSA isolates from those infected by CA-MRSA isolates, that is, isolates that are clindamycin-susceptible, PVL+, ST8, and/or contain SCCmec type IV. Defining CA-MRSA by the absence of risk factors for healthcare exposure greatly underestimates the burden of epidemic CA-MRSA disease.
Spatial phylodynamics of HIV-1 epidemic emergence in east Africa

Design:We sought to investigate the evolutionary and historical reasons for the different epidemiological patterns of HIV-1 in the early epidemic. In order to characterize the demographic history of HIV-1 subtypes A and D in east Africa, we examined molecular epidemiology, geographical and historical data. Methodology:We employed high-resolution phylodynamics to investigate the introduction of HIV-1A and D into east Africa, the geographic trends of viral spread, and the demographic growth of each subtype. We also used geographic information system data to investigate human migration trends, population growth, and human mobility. Results:HIV-1A and D were introduced into east Africa after 1950 and spread exponentially during the 1970s, concurrent with eastward expansion. Spatiotemporal data failed to explain the establishment and spread of HIV based on urban population growth and migration. The low prevalence of the virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo before and after the emergence of the pandemic was, however, consistent with regional accessibility data, highlighting the difficulty in travel between major population centers in central Africa. In contrast, the strong interconnectivity between population centers across the east African region since colonial times has likely fostered the rapid growth of the epidemic in this locale. Conclusion:This study illustrates how phylodynamic analysis of pathogens informed by geospatial data can provide a more holistic and evidence-based interpretation of past epidemics. We advocate that this ‘landscape phylodynamics’ approach has the potential to provide a framework both to understand epidemics' spread and to design optimal intervention strategies.
Antiretroviral drug resistance among antiretroviral-naive individuals with HIV infection of unknown duration in Thailand.

Age, median years (range) 24 (14–64) Female sex 77 (51) CD4 cell count, median cells/mL (range) 145 (56–456) HIV infection risk factor Heterosexual sex 113 (75) MSM 14 (9) Injection drug use 16 (11) Other/unknown 8 (5) Sex partner receiving ARV therapy NNRTI-based regimen 83 (94) PI-based regimen 5 (6) Baseline ARV drug resistance To NNRTIs, by mutation K103N 5 Y181C/I 1 G190S/A 2 P225H 1 To NRTIs, by mutation M184V 6 M41L 5 T215F/Y 5 L210W 4 K65R 1 To PIs NA
The Role of Exposures to Animals and Other Risk Factors in Sporadic, Non‐Typhoidal Salmonella Infections in Michigan Children

Salmonellosis is largely a major foodborne disease. However, contact with animals particularly reptiles, has been increasingly recognized as a risk factor for Salmonella infection among children. The major risk factors for salmonellosis in Michigan children have not been assessed. Therefore, we have evaluated the association between Salmonella infections and contact with animals among Michigan children aged ≤10 years by conducting a population‐based case–control study. A total of 123 children with laboratory‐confirmed Salmonella infections and 139 control children, who had not experienced symptoms of gastrointestinal illness during the month prior to the interviews, were enrolled. A multivariable analysis matched on age group revealed that children with Salmonella infections had reported more commonly than controls contact with reptiles [adjusted matched odds ratio (MOR) = 7.90, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.52–41.01] and cats (MOR = 2.53, 95% CI: 1.14–5.88). Results of this study suggest an association between salmonellosis and contact with cats and reptiles in Michigan children. Additional efforts are needed to educate caretakers of young children about the risk of Salmonella transmission through animal contact.
Polygyny and the spread of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa: a case of benign concurrency

Objectives: Much of our understanding about the effect of concurrent sexual partnerships on the spread of HIV derives from mathematical models, but the empirical evidence is limited. In this contribution, we focus on polygyny, a common and institutionalized form of concurrency for which data are available, and study its relationship with HIV prevalence at the ecological level. Methods: First, we describe country-level variation in the prevalence of polygyny and HIV. Second, we test the relationship between HIV and polygyny at the subnational level using country fixed-effects regression models with data from 19 Demographic and Health Surveys. Results: The ecological association between polygyny and HIV prevalence is negative at the country as well as subnational level, HIV prevalence is lower in countries where the practice of polygyny is common, and within countries, it is lower in areas with higher levels of polygyny. Proposed explanations for the protective effect of polygyny include the distinctive structure of sexual networks produced by polygyny, the disproportionate recruitment of HIV-positive women into marriages with a polygynous husband, and the lower coital frequency in conjugal dyads of polygynous marriages. Conclusion: Existing mathematical models of concurrency are not sufficiently specific to account for the relatively benign effect of polygyny on the spread of HIV and require refinements before they are used to inform HIV prevention policies.
Student mental health: how can psychiatrists better support the work of university medical centres and university counselling services?

Student psychiatric morbidity is rising. Whilst the influence of university counselling services is widely reported, NHS involvement by psychiatrists and general practitioners is not so well described. Counselling and mental health service providers for students at the University of Leeds were approached for numerical data and a university Group on Student Mental Health discussed the findings. The Student Counselling Centre, the University Medical Practice and a dedicated student psychiatric clinic have all seen a rise in referral rates. The University Medical Practice has also seen a rise in the prescribing of psychoactive medication. Collaborative links at the University of Leeds are explored and options for the future discussed. These include self-help over the internet, a research project to assess student mental health needs and the provision of a dedicated NHS psychiatric team for the university.
Serological Survey of Toxoplasma gondii Infection in the Domestic Goose (Anser domestica) in Southern China

In the present study, the antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in 191 farm‐bred and 83 house‐bred geese (Anser domestica) were assessed for the prevalence of T. gondii infection in southern China with the modified agglutination test. Antibodies to T. gondii (MAT ≥ 1 : 5) were found in 27 (14.14%) of farm‐bred geese and 14 (16.87%) of house‐bred geese. Geese infected with T. gondii may be a source of T. gondii infection for humans and cats.
Imaging of the Solitary Pulmonary Nodule

The solitary pulmonary nodule continues to be a common finding on radi ographic studies. In order to determine etiology, diagnostic evaluation begins with com parison with old films in an attempt to demonstrate at least 2-year stability. If this cannot be established, then additional studies including computed tomography or positron emis sion tomography imaging are often performed to distinguish a benign lesion from a malig nant one. If a specific benign diagnosis cannot made, management options for radiographically indeterminate nodules include percutaneous biopsy, surgical resection, or observation. Treatment decisions are often complex and depend on a number of factors, including radiographic appearance, presenting symptoms, clinical status, and past med ical history.
Symbiosis Lost: Imperfect Vertical Transmission of Fungal Endophytes in Grasses

Vertically transmitted symbionts associate with some of the most ecologically dominant species on Earth, and their fixation has led to major evolutionary transitions (e.g., the development of mitochondria). Theory predicts that exclusive vertical transmission should favor mutualism and generate high frequencies of symbiosis in host populations. However, host populations often support lower‐than‐expected symbiont frequencies. Imperfect transmission (i.e., symbiont is not transmitted to all offspring) can reduce symbiont frequency, but for most beneficial symbionts it is unknown whether vertical transmission can be imperfect or during which life‐history stage the symbiont is lost. Using quantitative natural history surveys of fungal endophytes in grasses, we show that transmission was imperfect in at least one stage for all seven host species examined. Endophytes were lost at all possible stages: within adult plants, from adult tillers to seeds, and from seeds to seedlings. Despite this loss, uninfected seeds failed to germinate in some species, resulting in perfect transmission to seedlings. The type and degree of loss differed among host populations and species and between endophyte genera. Populations with lower endophyte frequencies had higher rates of loss. Our results indicate new directions for understanding cooperation and conflict in symbioses and suggest mechanisms for host sanctions against costly symbionts.
Latitudinal Trends in Digestive Flexibility: Testing the Climatic Variability Hypothesis with Data on the Intestinal Length of Rodents

Flexibility of digestive features can be understood considering the benefits of digestion, which links animal foraging to metabolizable energy and nutrient gain, and its costs, which are partly indexed by digestive tract tissue mass, one of the most expensive to maintain in terms of energy and protein metabolism. In this article, we applied a meta‐analytical approach to current data on rodents’ small intestine length flexibility to evaluate the climatic variability hypothesis (CVH). This hypothesis states the following: (1) as the range of climatic fluctuation experienced by terrestrial animals increases with latitude, individuals at higher latitudes should be more flexible to persist at a site; (2) the greater phenotypic flexibility allows species to occupy more habitats and to become more widely distributed. We compiled data from 25 articles, which provided a total of 86 estimations of flexibility involving 20 rodent species. Consistent with CVH predictions, we found a positive correlation between small intestine length flexibility and latitude and between small intestine length flexibility and the number of habitats occupied by different species. When seen from the perspective of digestive physiology, our analysis is an important piece of evidence on the adaptive value of digestive flexibility in small mammals.
Predictions of cancer incidence in Poland in 2019

IntroductionThe future burden of cancer can be quantify from two different perspectives: the number of new cancer cases and age-standardized rates.GoalMaking prognosis of number of cancer cases in Poland in 2019.MethodologyThese predictions of number of cancer cases in 2019 has been based on the historical trends of cancer incidence in Poland in 2000–2009 and the demographical prognosis made by Central Statistical Office using the method of Hakulinen and Dyba.ResultsThere will be 76 629 new cancer cases in men and 75 815 cases in women in 2019. Compare to the period 2005–2009 the number of cancer cases in Poland will increase by 25.1% for men and by 26.1% for women. In 2019 the increase in number of colorectal cancer cases for both sexes, lung, breast and endometrial cancer for women and prostate cancer for men will be observed. For stomach cancer for both sexes, cervical cancer in women and lung cancer in men the predicted number of cases will decrease.ConclusionsThe predicted increase in cancer incidence for Poland in 2019 will be the results of: the demographical changes, the influence of the cancer risk factors and the participation in the screening programs.
Antimicrobial-Resistant Pathogens Associated With Healthcare-Associated Infections: Annual Summary of Data Reported to the National Healthcare Safety Network at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2006–2007

Objective. To describe the frequency of selected antimicrobial resistance patterns among pathogens causing device-associated and procedure-associated healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) reported by hospitals in the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). Methods. Data are included on HAIs (ie, central line-associated bloodstream infections, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, ventilator-associated pneumonia, and surgical site infections) reported to the Patient Safety Component of the NHSN between January 2006 and October 2007. The results of antimicrobial susceptibility testing of up to 3 pathogenic isolates per HAI by a hospital were evaluated to define antimicrobial-resistance in the pathogenic isolates. The pooled mean proportions of pathogenic isolates interpreted as resistant to selected antimicrobial agents were calculated by type of HAI and overall. The incidence rates of specific device-associated infections were calculated for selected antimicrobial-resistant pathogens according to type of patient care area; the variability in the reported rates is described. Results. Overall, 463 hospitals reported 1 or more HAIs: 412 (89%) were general acute care hospitals, and 309 (67%) had 200-1,000 beds. There were 28,502 HAIs reported among 25,384 patients. The 10 most common pathogens (accounting for 84% of any HAIs) were coagulase-negative staphylococci (15%), Staphylococcus aureus (15%), Enterococcus species (12%), Candida species (11%), Escherichia coli (10%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (8%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (6%), Enterobacter species (5%), Acinetobacter baumannii (3%), and Klebsiella oxytoca (2%). The pooled mean proportion of pathogenic isolates resistant to antimicrobial agents varied significantly across types of HAI for some pathogen-antimicrobial combinations. As many as 16% of all HAIs were associated with the following multidrug-resistant pathogens: methicillin-resistant S. aureus (8% of HAIs), vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (4%), carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa (2%), extended-spectrum cephalosporin-resistant K. pneumoniae (1%), extended-spectrum cephalosporin-resistant E. coli (0.5%), and carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii, K. pneumoniae, K. oxytoca, and E. coli (0.5%). Nationwide, the majority of units reported no HAIs due to these antimicrobial-resistant pathogens.
Emergence of Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes 19A, 6C, and 22F and serogroup 15 in Cleveland, Ohio, in relation to introduction of the protein-conjugated pneumococcal vaccine.

BACKGROUND A 7-valent conjugate pneumococcal vaccine (PCV7) was introduced in 2000. METHODS We determined serotypes and assessed antimicrobial susceptibility of 1235 invasive and noninvasive isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae recovered from children and adults at University Hospitals Case Medical Center (Cleveland, OH) during the period 1999-2007. RESULTS The annual number of cases of S. pneumoniae infection decreased from 218 in 2000 to 86-130 during the period 2002-2007, with the number of cases involving invasive strains decreasing from 96 to 18-35. For 1999 versus 2005-2007, the annual incidence of vaccine serotypes decreased by 92% (95% confidence interval [CI], -96.3% to -87.0%), whereas that of vaccine-related and nonvaccine serotypes increased 207.4% (95% CI, 135.0%-297.7%) and 18.4% (95% CI, -10.0% to 52.3%), respectively. Serotypes 19A, 6C, and 22F and serogroup 15 accounted for most of these increases. For the period 2005-2007, antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed that ceftriaxone was the most active parenteral beta-lactam for both meningeal and nonmeningeal infections (72% and 88% of isolates, respectively, were susceptible to this agent); only 52% were susceptible to penicillin G at the meningeal breakpoint, whereas 77% were susceptible at the new nonmeningeal breakpoint of 2 microg/mL. Amoxicillin was the most active oral beta-lactam (72% of isolates were susceptible), whereas 53% of isolates were susceptible to azithromycin, 69% to clindamycin, 63% to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and 100% to levofloxacin. CONCLUSIONS This study documents decreases in the incidence of infections involving vaccine serotypes, increases in infections involving other serotypes, and decreases in the activity of macrolides and clindamycin after conjugate vaccine introduction.
Recent status of drug‐induced liver injury

Drug‐induced liver injury is an major cause of acute liver injury and the incidence of drug‐induced liver injury seems to be increasing with an increase in the number of new drugs available. The diagnostic scale of drug‐induced liver injury was been modified by the International Consensus Meeting during Digestive Disease Week, Japan 2004, which includes the score of the drug‐lymphocyte stimulation test and eosinophilia. Although the modified diagnostic scale is useful, and widely used in Japan, there will be many issues to be investigated in the future. According to a recent survey of drug‐induced liver injury cases in Japan, drug‐induced liver injury from dietary supplements are increasing, as has been observed in foreign countries. More research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms of drug metabolism and the pathophysiology of liver injury by various drugs to prevent drug‐induced liver injury.