Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Potential benefits and problems with computerized prescriber order entry: analysis of a voluntary medication error-reporting database.

PURPOSE The potential benefits and problems associated with computerized prescriber-order-entry (CPOE) systems were studied. METHODS A national voluntary medication error-reporting database, Medmarx, was used to compare facilities that had CPOE with those that did not have CPOE. The characteristics of medication errors reportedly caused by CPOE were explored, and the text descriptions of these errors were qualitatively analyzed. RESULTS Facilities with CPOE reported fewer inpatient medication errors and more outpatient medication errors than facilities without CPOE, but the statistical significance of these differences could not be determined. Facilities with CPOE less frequently reported medication errors that reached patients (p < 0.01) or harmed patients (p < 0.01). More than 7000 CPOE-related medication errors were reported over seven months in 2003, and about 0.1% of them resulted in harm or adverse events. The most common CPOE errors were dosing errors (i.e., wrong dose, wrong dosage form, or extra dose). Both quantitative and qualitative analyses indicate that CPOE could lead to medication errors not only because of faulty computer interface, mis-communication with other systems, and lack of adequate decision support but also because of common human errors such as knowledge deficit, distractions, inexperience, and typing errors. CONCLUSION A national, voluntary medication error-reporting database cannot be used to determine the effectiveness of a CPOE system in reducing medication errors because of the variability in the number of reports from different institutions. However, it may provide valuable information on the specific types of errors related to CPOE systems.
Protective effects of cycloheximide against 1-beta-D-arabinosylcytosine-induced intestinal lesions.

Pre- or posttreatment with cycloheximide (CHM) resulted in a number of striking modifications of the intestinal lesions induced by 1-β-d-arabinofuranosylcytosine (ara-C) alone. These alterations can be summarized as follows: ( a ) the increased prominence of lymphocytes noted in the epithelial lining of the crypts of those animals exposed to ara-C was not apparent in rats receiving both ara-C and CHM; ( b ) the pycnosis and karyorrhexis of the nuclei of the intraepithelial lymphocytes observed in ara-C-treated animals were not seen in rats given injections of CHM either prior to or following the administration of the nucleoside and, furthermore, intact lymphocytes were also readily identifiable in the lamina propria; ( c ) only widely scattered, rather than abundant, necrotic cells were present in the lamina propria of rats given the combination of ara-C and CHM; and ( d ) the development of cytolysosomes within the crypt epithelial cells so conspicuous in rats treated with ara-C alone did not occur in those animals pre- or posttreated with CHM.
Catalytic and molecular properties of glyoxalase I.

Biological function of the glyoxalase system The biological role of the glyoxalase system remains to be defined exactly [ 1, 21. It is well established that glyoxalase I is capable of forming S ( 2 hydroxyacy1)glutathione from most 2-oxoaldehydes in the presence of glutathione [Z]. The majority of the glutathione thiolesters formed in reactions catalysed by glyoxalase I are substrates for glyoxalase I1 and are hydrolysed by the latter enzyme to the free 2-hydroxyacids and glutathione. By the coupled reactions catalysed by glyoxalases I and 11, electrophilic and cytotoxic 2-oxoaldehydes are converted to less reactive chemical species. Several known enzymic reactions involving endobiotics as well as xenobiotics lead to the formation of 2-oxoaldehydes. It has been suggested therefore that the glyoxalase system should be considered as part of the ensemble of glutathione-dependent detoxication enzymes [2]. From an evolutionary standpoint, the glyoxalase system may have arisen as a complement to other enzymes involved in detoxifying the products of oxidative metabolism [3, 41. For the inactivation of the electrophilic 2-oxoaldehyde function glyoxalase I is the most important enzyme, since it catalyses the elimination of the reactive chemical group and the intermediate glutathione thiolester may be regarded as essentially non-toxic. Glyoxalase I has been isolated from unicellular as well as from multicellular organisms and in human tissues the enzyme has a widespread distribution [5, 61. It has been suggested also that the glutathione thiolester S-n-lactoylglutathione, produced by the glyoxalase I reaction, may have specific cellular functions in cell proliferation, differentiation and other processes [ l , 71. In this context it is interest-
Antioxidant activity of tartary (Fagopyrum tataricum (L.) Gaertn.) and common (Fagopyrum esculentum moench) buckwheat sprouts.

This study compared the differences of two types of buckwheat sprouts, namely, common buckwheat ( Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) and tartary buckwheat ( Fagopyrum tataricum (L.) Gaertn. ), in general composition, functional components, and antioxidant capacity. The ethanol extracts of tartary buckwheat sprouts (TBS) had higher reducing power, free radical scavenging activity, and superoxide anion scavenging activity than those of common buckwheat sprouts (CBS). As for chelating effects on ferrous ions, CBS had higher values than TBS. Rutin was the major flavonoid found in these two types of buckwheat sprouts, and TBS was 5 fold higher in rutin than CBS. The antioxidant effects of buckwheat sprouts on human hepatoma HepG2 cells revealed that both of TBS and CBS could decrease the production of intracellular peroxide and remove the intracellular superoxide anions in HepG2 cells, but TBS reduced the cellular oxidative stress more effectively than CBS, possibly because of its higher rutin (and quercetin) content.
Asymptotic confidence intervals for variograms of stationary time series

Industrial processes are often monitored via data sampled at a high frequency and hence are likely to be autocorrelated time series that may or may not be stationary. To determine if a time series is stationary or not the standard approach is to check whether sample autocorrelation function fades out relatively quickly. An alternative and somewhat sounder approach is to use the variogram. In this article we review the basic properties of the variogram and then derive a general expression for asymptotic confidence intervals for variogram based on the Delta method. We illustrate the computations with an industrial process example. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cognitive–Behavioral Theory and Preparation for Professionals at Risk for Trauma Exposure

Military personnel, emergency first responders, and others whose work environments include exposure to traumatic events are at risk for developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). To help prevent negative sequelae, there is a strong need to identify well-operationalized, empirically supported, theoretically framed models of healthy adaptation to potentially traumatic events. Cognitive–behavioral theories (CBTs) describe etiological factors in trauma, guide research that has identified risk for PTSD, and help develop interventions that can effectively reduce posttrauma symptomatology. In this article, the authors draw on CBT and empirical research on post-traumatic stress to propose possible cognitive–behavioral mechanisms in trauma adaptation. They then suggest directions for future research, including areas for prevention interventions for at-risk professionals.
Ersterfassung jugendlicher Sexualstraftäter. Über die deutschsprachige Version eines aktuellen Screeninginstruments

Übersicht: Verschiedene Studien belegen einen Zusammenhang zwischen der Delinquenz und der Psychopathologie jugendlicher Straffälliger. Es er-scheint darum sinnvoll, besonders diese Tätergruppe medizinisch und psy-chologisch sorgfältig zu begutachten, bevor eine angemessene Schutzmaß-nahme ausgewählt wird. Der Autor empfiehlt, zu diesem Zweck das BARO (Basis Raads Onderzoek) zu verwenden, ein standardisiertes, strukturiertes und einfach anwendbares Screeninginstrument zur Ersterfassung jugend-licher Täter. Speziell für adoleszente Sexualdelinquenten existiert außer-dem das Sexual-BARO oder S-BARO, ein Zusatzmodul zum Hauptfragebo-gen. Die Grundidee ist ein stufenartiges Vorgehen: Mittels BARO und S-BARO wird in einem ersten Schritt eine eventuell vorhandene Psycho-pathologie beim jugendlichen Sexualstraftäter festgestellt. Dann wird standardisiert entschieden, ob eine weitere psychologisch-psychiatrische Begutachtung notwendig ist und welche Schutzmaßnahme zu empfehlen ist.
β-Defensins: Linking Innate and Adaptive Immunity Through Dendritic and T Cell CCR6

Defensins contribute to host defense by disrupting the cytoplasmic membrane of microorganisms. This report shows that human β-defensins are also chemotactic for immature dendritic cells and memory T cells. Human β-defensin was selectively chemotactic for cells stably transfected to express human CCR6, a chemokine receptor preferentially expressed by immature dendritic cells and memory T cells. The β-defensin–induced chemotaxis was sensitive to pertussis toxin and inhibited by antibodies to CCR6. The binding of iodinated LARC, the chemokine ligand for CCR6, to CCR6-transfected cells was competitively displaced by β-defensin. Thus, β-defensins may promote adaptive immune responses by recruiting dendritic and T cells to the site of microbial invasion through interaction with CCR6.
A fuzzy rule-based approach to spatio-temporal hand gesture recognition

Gesture based applications widely range from replacing the traditional mouse as a position device to virtual reality and communication with the deaf. The article presents a fuzzy rule based approach to spatio-temporal hand gesture recognition. This approach employs a powerful method based on hyperrectangutar composite neural networks (HRCNNs) for selecting templates. Templates for each hand shape are represented in the form of crisp IF-THEN rules that are extracted from the values of synaptic weights of the corresponding trained HRCNNs. Each crisp IF-THEN rule is then fuzzified by employing a special membership function in order to represent the degree to which a pattern is similar to the corresponding antecedent part. When an unknown gesture is to be classified, each sample of the unknown gesture is tested by each fuzzy rule. The accumulated similarity associated with all samples of the input is computed for each hand gesture in the vocabulary, and the unknown gesture is classified as the gesture yielding the highest accumulative similarity. Based on the method we can implement a small-sized dynamic hand gesture recognition system. Two databases which consisted of 90 spatio-temporal hand gestures are utilized for verifying its performance. An encouraging experimental result confirms the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Cardiac Arrhythmias and Atrioventricular Block in a Cohort of Asymptomatic Individuals without Heart Disease

Aims: To evaluate cardiac arrhythmias and rhythm disturbances on 24 h ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring in a cohort of asymptomatic healthy individuals with normal clinical examination. Methods and Results: 625 asymptomatic healthy individuals, in the age range 15–83 (mean 42, SD 11.9) years; 276 (44.2%) men and 349 (55.8%) women were submitted to 24-hour ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring. Statistical analysis was performed with likelihood ratio test and automatic backward logistic regression. The frequency of atrial arrhythmias (p < 0.0001; OR 1.059; 95% CI 1.050–1068) and of ventricular arrhythmias (p < 0.0001; OR 1.023; 95% CI 1.017–1.029) increased for each age increase of 1 year; neither atrial nor ventricular arrhythmias demonstrated a statistically significant difference relative to gender. Transient second-degree atrioventricular block (Mobitz I) was observed in 14 (2.2%) individuals and was more frequent in individuals with resting heart rate <60 bpm (p = 0.006; OR 6.7, 95% CI 1.7–25.5). Conclusion: The frequency of atrial and ventricular arrhythmias increased with age and did not demonstrate a significant difference relative to gender. Transient atrioventricular block was more frequent in individuals with lower resting heart rate.
Pseudoalteromonas spp. Serve as Initial Bacterial Attractants in Mesocosms of Coastal Waters but Have Subsequent Antifouling Capacity in Mesocosms and when Embedded in Paint

ABSTRACT The purpose of the present study was to determine if the monoculture antifouling effect of several pigmented pseudoalteromonads was retained in in vitro mesocosm systems using natural coastal seawater and when the bacteria were embedded in paint used on surfaces submerged in coastal waters. Pseudoalteromonas piscicida survived on a steel surface and retained antifouling activity for at least 53 days in sterile seawater, whereas P. tunicata survived and had antifouling activity for only 1 week. However, during the first week, all Pseudoalteromonas strains facilitated rather than prevented bacterial attachment when used to coat stainless steel surfaces and submerged in mesocosms with natural seawater. The bacterial density on surfaces coated with sterile growth medium was 105 cells/cm2 after 7 days, whereas counts on surfaces precoated with Pseudoalteromonas were significantly higher, at 106 to 108 cells/cm2. However, after 53 days, seven of eight Pseudoalteromonas strains had reduced total bacterial adhesion compared to the control. P. piscicida, P. antarctica, and P. ulvae remained on the surface, at levels similar to those in the initial coating, whereas P. tunicata could not be detected. Larger fouling organisms were observed on all plates precoated with Pseudoalteromonas; however, plates coated only with sterile growth medium were dominated by a bacterial biofilm. Suspensions of a P. piscicida strain and a P. tunicata strain were incorporated into ship paints (Hempasil x3 87500 and Hempasil 77500) used on plates that were placed at the Hempel A/S test site in Jyllinge Harbor. For the first 4 months, no differences were observed between control plates and treated plates, but after 5 to 6 months, the control plates were more fouled than the plates with pseudoalteromonad-based paint. Our study demonstrates that no single laboratory assay can predict antifouling effects and that a combination of laboratory and real-life methods must be used to determine the potential antifouling capability of new agents or organisms.
Cloning of the novel gene intelectin, which is expressed in intestinal paneth cells in mice.

Using a large-scale in situ hybridization screening method, we isolated the cDNA gene intelectin, whose mRNA is expressed in small intestinal paneth cells in mice. Northern blot analysis revealed that the mRNA corresponding to the cDNA was 1.2 kp in length, and expression was specific to the tissue in the small intestine. We termed this gene intelectin because the deduced amino acid sequence is similar to the previously cloned oocyte lectin gene of Xenopus laevis. The function of intelectin may be involved in the defence of microorganisms.
The Otolaryngologic Manifestations of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD): A Clinical Investigation of 225 Patients Using Ambulatory 24‐Hour pH Monitoring and an Experimental Investigation of the Role of Acid and Pepsin in the Development of Laryngeal Injury

Occult (silent) gastroesophageal reflux disease (GER, GERD) is believed to be an important etiologic factor in the development of many inflammatory and neoplastic disorders of the upper aerodigestive tract. In order to test this hypothesis, a human study and an animal study were performed. The human study consisted primarily of applying a new diagnostic technique (double‐probe pH monitoring) to a population of otolaryngology patients with GERD to determine the incidence of overt and occult GERD. The animal study consisted of experiments to evaluate the potential damaging effects of intermittent GER on the larynx.
The effect of primary graft dysfunction on survival after lung transplantation.

RATIONALE Primary graft dysfunction is a severe acute lung injury syndrome after lung transplantation. Long-term outcomes of subjects with primary graft dysfunction have not been studied. OBJECTIVES We sought to test the relationship of primary graft dysfunction with both short- and long-term mortality using a large registry. METHODS We used data collected on 5,262 patients in the United Network for Organ Sharing/International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation registry between 1994 and 2000. We assessed outcomes in all subjects; to assess potential bias from the effects of early mortality, we also evaluated subjects who survived at least 1 year, using Cox proportional hazards models with time-varying covariates. MAIN RESULTS The overall incidence of primary graft dysfunction was 10.2% (95% confidence intervals [CI], 9.2, 10.9). The incidence did not vary by year over the period of observation (p = 0.22). All-cause mortality at 30 days was 42.1% for primary graft dysfunction versus 6.1% in patients without graft dysfunction (relative risk = 6.95; 95% CI, 5.98, 8.08; p < 0.001); among subjects who died by 30 days, 43.6% had primary graft dysfunction. Among patients surviving at least 1 year, those who had primary graft dysfunction had significantly worse survival over ensuing years (hazard ratio, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.07, 1.70; p = 0.011). Adjustment for clinical variables including bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome did not change this relationship. CONCLUSION Primary graft dysfunction contributes to nearly half of the short-term mortality after lung transplantation. Survivors of primary graft dysfunction have increased risk of death extending beyond the first post-transplant year.
Eye Movements during Intentional Car following

Does intentional car following capture visual attention to the extent that driving may be impaired? We tested fifteen participants on a rudimentary driving simulator. Participants were either instructed to follow a vehicle ahead through a simulated version of London, or were given verbal instructions on where to turn during the route. The presence or absence of pedestrians, and the simulated time of the drive (day or night) were varied across the trials. Eye movements were recorded along with behavioural measures including give-way violations, give-way accidents, and kerb impacts. The results revealed that intentional car following reduced the spread of search and increased fixation durations, with a dramatic increase in the time spent processing the vehicle ahead (controlled for exposure). The effects were most pronounced during nighttime drives. During the car-following trials participants were also less aware of pedestrians, produced more give-way violations, and were involved in more give-way accidents. The results draw attention to the problems encountered during car following, and we relate this to the cognitive demands placed on drivers, especially police drivers who often engage in intentional car following and pursuits.
Evolution of large-vessel arteriopathy in paediatric patients with chronic kidney disease.

UNLABELLED This observational study was designed to verify the hypothesis that the treatment modality significantly affects the evolution of CKD-associated arteriopathy. PATIENTS Paediatric patients (mean age 13.8 +/- 4.2 years) with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages 3-5, including 24 patients with mean GFR 54 +/- 21 ml/min/1.73 m(2) (CKD group) and 32 patients in end-stage renal disease, of whom 19 received a renal allograft (D-Rtx) and 13 remained on dialysis (D-D). METHODS Sonography of the common carotid artery was performed at baseline and after 12 months. Intima-media thickness (IMT) and the cross-sectional areas of the vessel wall (WCSA) and lumen (LCSA) were measured and normalized to age (SDS). RESULTS At baseline IMT-SDS and WCSA-SDS were increased above normal, and were significantly higher in D than in CKD patients (P < 0.001). IMT-SDS increased over time in CKD and D-D patients (1.4 +/- 1.7 to 2.1 +/- 1.2, P = 0.05). In contrast, IMT-SDS (2.8 +/- 0.6 to 2.0 +/- 0.6, P < 0.005) decreased in those D-Rtx patients who had elevated values prior to transplantation. The total number of patients with elevated cIMT-SDS changed from 7 to 13 in the 24 CKD, from 8 to 11 in the 13 D-D and from 11 to 12 in the 19 D-Rtx patients. While IMT-SDS was independently correlated with blood pressure and serum phosphate in the CKD and D patients, only total dialysis vintage (r = 0.50; P < 0.05) and the IMT-SDS attained at the time of grafting (r = 0.46, P < 0.05) correlated with IMT-SDS 1 year post-Rtx. CONCLUSION While vascular lesions rapidly progress in CKD and D patients, abolition of the uraemic state by Rtx leads to stabilization or partial regression of CKD-associated arteriopathy. Cumulative dialysis duration and the degree of arterial damage prevalent at the time of grafting are the main determinants of persistent arteriopathy 1 year after Rtx.
Diagnostic accuracy of free and total metanephrines in plasma and fractionated metanephrines in urine of patients with pheochromocytoma.

BACKGROUND Plasma free and urinary metanephrines are recognized biomarkers for the assessment of pheochromocytoma. Plasma total metanephrines with a long half-life may represent another useful biomarker. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic performances of plasma total metanephrines alone or combined with free metanephrines and fractionated 24-h urinary metanephrines. METHODS A retrospective, case-control diagnostic test study was conducted between 1999 and 2007 in two university hospitals in Switzerland and two institutions in France. The patients included 46 cases with histologically proven pheochromocytoma, and 181 controls suspected of tumor with negative investigations and 3-year follow-up. None had renal dysfunction. Sensitivity and specificity were compared after expressing each measurement result as a ratio over its upper reference limit, adding the ratios of normetanephrine and metanephrine, and defining cut-off values of 1 or 2 for this sum. RESULTS Applying a cut-off value of 1, plasma free and total metanephrines and urinary fractionated metanephrines had similar sensitivities of 96% (95% confidence interval, 86-99%), 95% (85-99%), and 95% (84-99%) along with similar specificities of 89% (83-94%), 91% (84-95%), and 86% (80-91%). A cut-off of 2 for the sum of ratios over reference limit improves the specificity, and it can be used for a confirmation test based on another biomarker taken among the three biomarkers. CONCLUSION All three metanephrine-based tests perform equivalently for diagnosing pheochromocytoma in the absence of renal insufficiency, and can be conveniently associated two by two for confirming/excluding tumor.
Ethics of a paired-kidney-exchange program.

Although transplantation is the best treatment for many people with end-stage renal disease, the gap between the number of organ donors and the number of potential recipients continues to widen.1 Patients are often treated with dialysis for years while awaiting transplants, and many die.1 At the University of Chicago, between 10 and 20 percent of patients with available living donors cannot receive transplants from them because of ABO incompatibility. We propose to increase the supply of organs by using kidneys from living donors who are ABO-incompatible with the intended recipients but are ABO-compatible with other recipients. Through an exchange arrangement .