Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pharmacogenetics of naltrexone and disulfiram in alcohol dependent, dually diagnosed veterans.

BACKGROUND Disulfiram and naltrexone were evaluated in treatment of individuals with co-occurring alcohol dependence and other Axis I disorders (e.g., Major Depression). We explored pharmacogenetic interactions in genotyped subjects. METHODS Alcohol dependent (AD) subjects received naltrexone alone, placebo alone, disulfiram with placebo or disulfiram with naltrexone. They were genotyped for OPRM1 rs1799971 (Asn40Asp), and DBH rs1611115 (C-1021T). N = 107 male European-American subjects were included. RESULTS There were no significant interactions with OPRM1. DBH interacted with naltrexone on the primary outcome of abstinence from heavy drinking (χ(2) (1) = 5.23, p = . 02). "T" allele carriers on naltrexone had more abstinence compared to "CC" subjects on naltrexone (FET, p = .01). "T" allele carriers on naltrexone had the highest overall rates of abstinence from heavy drinking (>90%). Also, DBH genotype interacted with disulfram (F(1,17) = 7.52, p = . 01) on drinks per drinking day with less drinking for subjects with the "CC" genotype than for T allele carriers on disulfiram. CONCLUSIONS DBH*rs1611115*T associated with better response to naltrexone, while for those on disulfiram that drank, "CC" subjects drank less than T carriers. For rs1799971*G, we did not replicate findings from previous studies showing a more favorable response to NTX, possibly due to the small available sample. SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE Genotyping rs1611115 may be useful in understanding inter-individual differences in AD treatment response. FUTURE DIRECTIONS Further study of rs1611115 pharmacogenetics is warranted.
The relationship between self-monitoring of blood glucose and glycaemic control among patients attending an urban diabetes clinic in Nigeria.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE Self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) is a component of modern diabetes mellitus (DM) self-management. Its value is discussed controversially, and its impact in resource poor settings has been infrequently studied. The aim of this report is to determine the pattern of SMBG and its relationship with glycemic control amongst type 2 DM (T2DM) patients attending an urban DM clinic in Lagos, Nigeria. METHODS Data were collected from patients with T2DM in a cross-sectional study, using systematic random sampling, with an interviewer-administered questionnaire investigating demographic data, DM history and SMBG practice. Weight, height, fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were measured. RESULTS One hundred patients were studied consisted of 62 (62%) females and 38 (38%) males. The mean age, body mass index and HbA1c of the study population were 59.9 (9.5) years, 26.2 (5.6) kg/m2 and 7.9 (2.2%). The median (interquartile range [IQR]) FPG and duration of DM were 107.0 (82.0-142.0) and 8.5 (5.0-15.0) years respectively. SMBG was practiced by 40 (40.0%) patients with a median (IQR) of 6 (4-15) times/month. SMBG was performed more frequently by persons with tertiary level of education (P = 0.04) and DM duration ≥ 8.5 years (P = 0.04). The mean HbA1c in the group who practiced SMBG was lower though not statistically significant compared to the group that did not (7.8% vs. 8.0%, P = 0.61) practiced. The Spearman's rank correlation coefficient between the frequency of SMBG and HbA1c was -0.025, and P = 0.81 among the entire T2DM patients. CONCLUSION There was no statistically significant relationship between SMBG and glycemic control. There is a need for larger studies to be carried out in order to justify the value of SMBG in resource poor settings.
Acute Cerebral Revascularization Following Cerebral Embolism

From the of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the Veterans Administration Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and from the Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, California. Supported in part by a grant from the Alcoa Foundation and by a grant-in-aid from the Western Pennsylvania Heart Association. The disability and loss of life resulting from stroke continue to be significant. It has been estimated that thromboembolic cerebral infarcts will cause
Cascaded fourth-order mixed-coupled bandpass filter with good frequency selectivity

A compact fourth-order bandpass filter with good frequency selectivity is presented. The proposed BPF consists of four cascaded stepped impedance resonators (SIRs). Mixed electric/magnetic (E/M) coupling are introduced in the proposed filter to generate transmission zeros (TZs) near the passband for sharp frequency selectivity. The method on the generation of transmission zeros caused by mixed coupling introduced in the filter is analyzed. A new filter with 15.4% fractional bandwidth (FBW) has been designed and fabricated to verify the validity of the proposed method. Three TZs are introduced near the passband, which is at 1.21GHz, 1.72GHz, 3.03GHz. Measured results are in good agreement with the electromagnetic simulation.
HIV Positive Hispanic/Latinos Who Delay HIV Care: Analysis of Multilevel Care Engagement Barriers

This article overviews a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) study with a sample population consisting of 470 Hispanic/Latino persons living with HIV/AIDS who received primary HIV/AIDS medical services from one of five HRSA Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS) Border Health demonstration projects. The study purpose was to identify multilevel barriers that affect delayed entry into HIV/AIDS medical care among Hispanic/Latino persons living along the U.S.–Mexico border. Multilevel variables along individual, community/cultural, and structural/systems were assessed relative to delayed care entry. The results of this examination indicate that individual and structural/system-level variables affect delayed care entry, whereas support was not found for community/cultural-level barriers. Study findings inform treatment engagement strategies aimed to decrease HIV disease progression by bringing Hispanic/Latinos into care sooner.
Being metropolitan: The effects of individual and contextual factors on shaping metropolitan identity

ABSTRACT While the single institution of the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona (MAB) is a recent creation, some form of institutional cooperation among most of the metropolitan municipalities has been functioning over the past 40 years. However, despite the ample evidence about municipal and national patterns of identification in Catalonia, no data about political orientations or patterns of identity toward the metropolitan area among the metropolitan population have been gathered so far. Using new survey data we explore two main features of metropolitan identification among the Barcelona metropolitan population. First, we analyze the relationship between place of residence and metropolitan identification. Second, we explore the shaping of the orientations of citizens regarding the governance structure of the MAB, with particular interest in the central role of the city of Barcelona. Results underscore the role of the core city and the effects of residential mobility in shaping both metropolitan identity and governance orientations.
Irrglaube Mindestlöhne: Trügerische Hoffnung, zerstörte Beschäftigungschancen

Angesichts von nach wie vor bestehender Massenarbeitslosigkeit im Umfang von rund 4 Millionen offiziell ausgewiesenen Arbeitslosen grenzt dieses Vorhaben an arbeitsmarktpolitischen Wahnsinn. Dass uberzogene Lohnerhohungen im Allgemeinen und Mindestlohne im Speziellen letzten Endes eine betrachtliche Zahl derjenigen schadigen, die sie zu begunstigenvorgeben, gehort jedoch zu den unbequemen Wahrheiten der Marktwirtschaft. Daher will die vorliegende Publikation etwas Licht ins Dunkel bringen und auf die okonomischen Langfristgefahren hinweisen, die die Einfuhrung von Mindestlohnen in Deutschland mit sich brachte.
Active rule processing in the BioCompose database

BioCompose is an object-relational database query tool that runs on top of any relational database and provides an intelligent and complete object-relational interface to the user. Unlike the traditional approach, which is completely table driven, queries in BioCompose are structured along the lines of natural language and sentences. In BioCompose, the database server continuously monitors the triggers and integrity constraints which are expressed as logical rules and are evaluated based on incoming events which include real time events, value events, transaction events, abstract events, and message events. The paper presents a novel approach that compiles triggers and integrity constraints into an asynchronous network to minimize the rule evaluation effort under different kinds of events.
The Effect of Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics on Growing Cartilage in the Lamb Model

Background: The fluoroquinolones are a relatively new class of antimicrobials with an appealing spectrum of activity. Their use in pediatric medicine is limited because of the concern over possible growth inhibition, as published reports have documented articular cartilage damage in animal models after their administration. These data, extrapolated to include the epiphyseal cartilage, suggest that these agents may reduce growth rates, but limited human data are at the least equivocal, if not strictly contradictory to such claims. Specific investigations into the effects of fluoroquinolones on epiphyseal plate cartilage and growth velocity have not been performed. Methods: Gatifloxacin and ciprofloxacin were used as representative agents of the fluoroquinolone class. Each drug was administered to experimental lambs over a 14-day interval at a dose designed to reflect those used in pediatric medicine. Recumbent versus standing intervals were used to monitor for arthropathy. Upon completion of fluoroquinolone administration, lambs underwent double fluorochrome labeling for determination of growth velocity. Gross and microscopic analysis of articular cartilage was performed to assess for pathologic changes. Age- and sex-matched lambs served as controls. Results: Neither gatifloxacin nor ciprofloxacin negatively affected growth velocity of the proximal tibial growth plate as measured by double fluorochrome labeling. In addition, no difference between experimental and control lambs in regard to recumbent versus standing intervals was noted. Examination of the articular cartilage failed to suggest chondrotoxicity. Conclusion: Fluoroquinolone antimicrobials do not affect growth velocity in the ovine model when administered along a dosing regimen that closely models that seen in pediatric medicine. Clinical Relevance: Fluoroquinolones may be acceptable for use in the pediatric population, as concerns over chondrotoxicity and growth inhibition may not be valid. These data suggest that expanded studies in lambs and other species, including humans, with differences in dosing and duration are justified to ultimately demonstrate clinical safety.
Genetic and phenotypic characterization of dnaC mutations

The dna-1, dna-2, dna-7, and dna-28 mutations, all of which are located near min 89.5 on the E. coli linkage map, have been characterized further. As previously demonstrated for dna-2 and dna-28, neither the dna-1 nor dna-7 mutation affects the ability of a strain to produce bacteriophage lambda at temperatures non-permissive for the continued replication of the bacterial chromosome. The reported temperature-sensitive inhibition of lambda production in a strain carrying dna-7 is shown to be a consequence of a thermosensitive host specificity mutation in the hsm gene and not of the dna-7 mutation. The four dna mutations are recessive to the wild type and define a single dnaC cistron according to standard complementation criteria. Unlike other characterized dnaC mutants, however, strains carrying the dnaC1 or dnaC7 alleles exhibit an abrupt cessation of deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis at 42 C that appears to be more compatible with a defect in deoxyribonucleic acid chain elongation rather than in initiation. The possibility that the apparent elongation defect is actually a composite effect of residual synthesis and deoxyribonucleic acid degradation is raised by the net deoxyribonucleic acid degradation observed in the dnaC1 strain at 42 C. Several alternative possibilities for the function of the dnaC gene product are suggested.
Free Protein S Deficiency Is a Risk Factor for Venous Thrombosis

Summary A recent study suggests that protein S deficiency is not a risk factor for venous thrombosis. Since this unexpected finding would have important clinical implications if confirmed, we performed a case-control study with the aim to determine the prevalence of protein S deficiency in patients with thrombosis and in healthy individuals taken from the general population and the relative risk of thrombosis in protein S-deficient patients. Free protein S concentration was measured in 327 consecutive patients with at least one venous thrombotic episode and in 317 age- and sex-matched control individuals. Different normal reference ranges were obtained and adopted for men and women. Protein S deficiency was found in 3.1% (95% Cl: 1.5-5.2) of patients and in 1.3% of controls (95% Cl: 0.3-2.8). Ten patients and 4 control subjects had protein S deficiency, which determined a relative risk of thrombosis (sex- and age-adjusted odds ratio) of 2.4 (95% Cl: 0.8-7.9). When men and women were analyzed separately, the risk was 5.0 (95% CI: 0.6-43.6) and 1.6 (95% Cl: 0.4-6.7) respectively. PS-deficient men had more thrombotic episodes than women and later in life. Multivariate analysis established that sex was an independent determinant of the number of episodes, as was age, while PS deficiency was not. However sex and PS deficiency status were both determinants of age at first thrombotic episode.
Tumour control according to pathological variables in patients treated by radical prostatectomy for clinically localized carcinoma of the prostate.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the diagnosis, outcome and final pathology of radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer performed by urologists in a clinic where six urologists perform a total of 50 radical prostatectomies a year, using radical prostatectomy specimens processed routinely. PATIENTS AND METHODS Radical prostatectomy was performed in 273 patients who were followed prospectively. The radical prostatectomy specimens were evaluated for pathological stage, histological grade, capsular perforation, positive and apical margins of resection, seminal vesicle invasion, perineural invasion and vascular invasion; the lymph node status was also determined. The relationship between these variables and clinical progression, local recurrence, distant metastases, biochemical progression, overall survival and cancer-specific survival was assessed. RESULTS All evaluated variables were significantly predictive for clinical and biochemical progression in the univariate analyses, and all but perineural invasion and lymph node status for cancer-specific survival. Multivariate analysis showed vascular invasion to be the most important prognostic variable, followed by capsular perforation, positive margins of resection and poorly differentiated carcinoma. The overall results for the evaluated variables were comparable to the results from centres with greater experience. CONCLUSIONS The outcome of treatment in this small clinic was similar to that from larger clinics with more experience. The routine evaluation of the radical prostatectomy specimens identified pathological variables which were important prognostic factors, with vascular invasion, capsular perforation, positive margins of resection and poorly differentiated carcinoma being the most significant. The extent of vascular invasion should be part of the routine evaluation of radical prostatectomy specimens.
Face recognition based on multi-level histogram sequence center-symmetric local binary pattern and fisherface

The high dimension and large computational complexity are shortcomings of feature extraction in multi-level histogram sequence local binary pattern (M-HSLBP). In order to overcome those problems, a face recognition algorithm based on the combination of multi-level histogram sequence center-symmetric local binary pattern (M-HCSLBP) and Fisherface is proposed in this paper. First, CS-LBP algorithm is employed on face images, then utilizing multi-level feature extraction, the corresponding histogram features are obtained. Next, feature reduction was conducted by Fisherface algorithm. Finally, the nearest neighbor classifier was used for classification and recognition. Experiments are implemented on ORL, Yale and GT face databases to compare the recognition rate of ten algorithms, which show that the proposed algorithm has the highest recognition rate and the best robustness.
It-Enabled Idea Crowdsourcing - a mean to Promote Gender equity in IT Research Institutions

The paper is aimed at enhancing understanding of how under-representation of women in IT (Information Technology) research institutions, as well as other challenges related to gender equity, can be addressed with the help of IT-enabled idea crowdsourcing. A systematic literature review was conducted to understand how the topic of gender equity promotion via collaboratively used IT artefacts has been addressed in extant research. Insights from the literature review, overview of existing related IT artefacts, and iterative discussions with scholars in the IT field have resulted in a set of requirements to the idea crowdsourcing platform aimed at the promotion of gender equity in IT research institutions. These requirements were analysed further and could be categorised into those specific for the target platform and those relevant also for other idea crowdsourcing platforms (with or without further adaptation). This study addresses a novel and important research topic and might be of value for practitioners.
Assessing change through audit

EDITOR, - In his commentary1 on the multicentre criterion based audit of the management of induced abortion in Scotland2 Ken MacRae makes a telling point about the risk of double standards in the assessment of audit rather than research papers. He is right to challenge the view expressed in “Editor's choice” that without such double standards “the BMJ would rarely have published any papers on audit. ” The methodology of research needs to fit its purpose, and the current accepted gold …
Extracellular Loops of Lipid A 3-O-Deacylase PagL Are Involved in Recognition of Aminoarabinose-Based Membrane Modifications in Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium

ABSTRACT Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium modifies its lipopolysaccharide (LPS), including the lipid A portion, in response to changes in its environment including host tissues. The lipid A 3-O-deacylase PagL, the expression of which is promoted under a host-mimetic environment, exhibits latency in S. enterica; deacylation of lipid A is not usually observed in vivo, despite the expression of the outer membrane protein PagL. In contrast, PagL does not exhibit latency in S. enterica pmrA and pmrE mutants, both of which are deficient in the aminoarabinose-based modification of lipid A, indicating that aminoarabinose-modified LPS species were involved in the latency. In order to analyze the machinery for PagL's repression, we generated PagL mutants in which an amino acid residue located at four extracellular loops was replaced with alanine. Apparent lipid A 3-O deacylation was observed in S. enterica expressing the recombinant mutants PagL(R43A), PagL(R44A), PagL(C85A), and PagL(R135A), but not in S. enterica expressing wild-type PagL, suggesting that the point mutations released PagL from the latency. In addition, mutations at Arg-43, Arg-44, Cys-85, and Arg-135 did not affect lipid A 3-O-deacylase activity in an S. enterica pmrA mutant or in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3). These results, taken together, indicate that specific amino acid residues located at extracellular loops of PagL are involved in the recognition of aminoarabinose-modified LPS. Furthermore, S. enterica expressing the recombinant PagL(R43A) or PagL(R135A) mutant showed apparent growth arrest at 43°C compared with S. enterica expressing wild-type PagL, indicating that the latency of PagL is important for bacterial growth.
Apolipoprotein B‐associated cholesterol is a determinant of treatment outcome in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection receiving anti‐viral agents interferon‐alpha and ribavirin

Background Hepatitis C virus (HCV) co‐opts very‐low‐density lipoprotein (VLDL) pathways for replication, secretion and entry into hepatocytes and associates with apolipoprotein B (apoB) in plasma. Each VLDL contains apoB‐100 and variable amounts of apolipoproteins E and C, cholesterol and triglycerides.
Tissue‐Engineered Fibrin‐Based Heart Valve with Bio‐Inspired Textile Reinforcement

The mechanical properties of tissue‐engineered heart valves still need to be improved to enable their implantation in the systemic circulation. The aim of this study is to develop a tissue‐engineered valve for the aortic position – the BioTexValve – by exploiting a bio‐inspired composite textile scaffold to confer native‐like mechanical strength and anisotropy to the leaflets. This is achieved by multifilament fibers arranged similarly to the collagen bundles in the native aortic leaflet, fixed by a thin electrospun layer directly deposited on the pattern. The textile‐based leaflets are positioned into a 3D mould where the components to form a fibrin gel containing human vascular smooth muscle cells are introduced. Upon fibrin polymerization, a complete valve is obtained. After 21 d of maturation by static and dynamic stimulation in a custom‐made bioreactor, the valve shows excellent functionality under aortic pressure and flow conditions, as demonstrated by hydrodynamic tests performed according to ISO standards in a mock circulation system. The leaflets possess remarkable burst strength (1086 mmHg) while remaining pliable; pronounced extracellular matrix production is revealed by immunohistochemistry and biochemical assay. This study demonstrates the potential of bio‐inspired textile‐reinforcement for the fabrication of functional tissue‐engineered heart valves for the aortic position.
Integral Sliding Mode Direct Torque Control of the induction motor drives

The purpose of this paper is to present simple and robust Sliding Mode Direct Torque Control method of induction motor. This control method ensures perfect torque response as well as stabilizing amplitude of stator or rotor flux. Chattering of the torque and flux is reduced using a simple sign function continuous approximation form. The switching function is extended with an integral part to eliminate the steady-state error.