Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spectrum of candidal species isolated from neonates admitted in an Intensive Care Unit of teaching hospital of Kashmir, North India

BACKGROUND: Candidal infections are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Neonatal candidiasis is increasing in frequency, mainly because of increase in the survival of babies with low-birth weight, preterm births, advancement in medical field, life support systems, relative immunodeficiency, and extensive use of broad-spectrum antibiotics. Over the past few decades, there has been a progressive shift from the predominance of Candida albicans to nonalbicans Candida species. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The objective of the current study was to know the prevalence of non albicans candidemia in neonates and their antifungal susceptibility pattern. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, a total of 424 samples from clinically diagnosed septicemic neonates were included. Identification of Candida isolates from these samples as well as their antifungal sensitivity testing was performed with Vitek 2 Compact (Biomerieux France) using Vitek 2 cards for identification of yeast and yeast-like organisms (ID-YST cards). RESULTS: A total of 246/424 (58.01%) cases were blood culture positive. Out of these, 80/246 samples tested positive for candidemia (32.5%). Candida tropicalis (13.8%) was the predominant species isolated among the non-albicans Candida followed by Candida krusei (4.8%), Candida parapsilosis (3.2%), Candida guilliermondii (2.8%), and Candida dubliniensis (2.0%). We found an increase in the antifungal drug resistance, especially for the azole group of drugs, both in C. albicans and non-albicans Candida species. All the isolates were uniformly sensitive to micafungin, voriconazole, and caspofungin. CONCLUSION: Candidemia in neonates is an ominous prognostic sign and is an important entity in our region. The present study highlights the mycological shift of Candida species in neonatal candidemia with a preponderance of nonalbicans Candida species.
Laryngeal Mask Airway Protector™ for intubation and extubation in thyroid surgeries: A case report

The laryngeal mask airway (LMA) Protector™ has recently made its way into clinical practice. As little is reported on this novel supraglottic airway device, we describe our experiences through intubation and Bailey manoeuvre using the LMA Protector™, and the assessment of vocal cord mobility using a flexible bronchoscope through it in three patients undergoing hemithyroidectomies.
Efficacy of xenogeneic collagen matrix in the treatment of gingival recessions: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES This review aims to evaluate the efficacy of xenogeneic collagen matrix (XCM) for the treatment of single or multiple gingival recessions in terms of clinical parameters and patient-related outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS Various electronic databases (The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, EMBASE, etc.) from 1966 to April 2018 and hand literatures were searched. Quality of the included studies was assessed through the Cochrane Collaboration's Risk of Bias tool. A meta-analysis was performed to calculate risk ratios and mean differences. RESULTS Nine randomized controlled trials were included. The results revealed a higher percentage of mean root coverage (MRC) and a greater recession reduction (RecRed) for single recessions for the combination of coronally advanced flap (CAF) with XCM compared to CAF alone (n = 3; MD = 10.00%; 95%CI [3.56%; 16.43%]; p = 0.002) (n = 3; MD = 0.35 mm; 95%CI [0.10 mm; 0.60 mm]; p = 0.005). Comparing XCM with connective tissue graft (CTG), no significant differences were detected in MRC or RecRed for single and multiple recessions. CONCLUSIONS The addition of XCM under CAF could improve MRC and RecRed at single tooth recessions. Initial data suggest that XCM shows promising results to improve the clinical efficacy of CAF for multiple recessions. In addition, XCM could be a valid alternative to CTG in terms of MRC and RecRed at both single and multiple recessions. Based on limited evidence, XCM may decrease postoperative morbidity and operation time compared to CTG.
Concept and connotation of oxidative stress in preeclampsia

BACKGROUND: Preeclampsia (PE) is a systemic pregnancy-related disorder characterized by hypertension, proteinuria, and edema. Free radicals seem to play an important role in the induction of endothelial dysfunction in PE. AIM: The aim of the present study was to investigate serum levels of nitric oxide (NO), peroxynitrite (ONOO−), paraoxonase (PON-1), malondialdehyde (MDA), and lipid profile in preeclamptic patients compared to the women with normal pregnancy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 68 pregnant women were recruited. They were divided into two groups - Group A, 40 women were a newly diagnosed with PE and Group B, 28 women with normal pregnancy. Anthropometric measurements including body mass index and blood pressure in accordance with biochemical measurements including NO, ONOO−, PON-1, MDA, and lipid profile were done for preeclamptic pregnant women compared to the controls. RESULTS: Pregnant women with pre-eclampsia illustrated insignificant differences in the age (31.22±2.87) compared to the age of control P > 0.05. There were significant changes in the body mass index (BMI) , type of delivery and smoking status of pregnant women with pre-eclampsia compared to the control P < 0.05. Both systolic and diastolic blood pressures were high in pregnant women with pre-eclampsia compared to the control P < 0.01. PON-1 and NO serum levels were significantly decreased (P < 0.01) while ONOO− and MDA serum levels were significantly increased in PE compared to the women with normal pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS: This study concluded that PE is associated with the augmentation of oxidative stress and reduction of endogenous antioxidant capacity regarding PON-1.
Solitary-wave solutions for few-cycle optical pulses

Propagation of short optical pulses in a one-dimensional nonlinear medium is considered without the use of the slow envelope and unidirectional propagation approximations. The existence of uniformly moving solitary solutions is predicted for a Sellmeier-type dispersion function in the anomalous dispersion domain. A four-parametric family of such solutions is found that contains the classical envelope soliton in the limit of large pulse durations. In the opposite limit we get another family member, which, in contrast to the envelope soliton, strongly depends on the nonlinearity model and represents the shortest and the most intense pulse that can propagate in a stationary manner.
Functional relationships between gaze behavior and movement kinematics when performing high bar dismounts - An exploratory study

Purpose. The aims of this study were, first, to investigate visual spotting and, second, to explore the functional relationships between movement structure and gaze behavior in gymnasts as they perform preparatory giant swings (traditional and scooped technique) and dismounts (single straight and double tucked salto) with increasing difficulty on the high bar. It was predicted that visual spotting would occur in all experimental tasks. Methods. relationships between gaze behavior and movement kinematics were explored to provide a clearer picture of how gaze is interconnected with the kinematics of dismounts on the high bar. For this purpose, kinematic parameters were measured with an optical movement-analysis system while gaze behavior was measured by using a portable and wireless eye-tracking system. Results. The measurement of gaze behavior revealed that gymnasts use visual spotting in all three tasks showing fixations throughout the whole movement. Each task was furthermore characterized by a sequence of visual fixations that was thought to serve specific movement goals. In particular, fixations during the downswing phase of the preparatory giant swings were significantly correlated with the movement phases when beginning the hip extension and flexion in the “kick through” as well as with the athlete’s distance of flight during the dismounts. Conclusions. The findings suggest that gymnasts can use visual spotting during preparatory giant swings and dismounts on the high bar and that there are functional relationships between different fixations and specific movement goals.
Advances InInterdisciplinary Researches to Construct a Theory of Consciousness

The interdisciplinary researches for a scientific explanation of consciousness constitute one of the most exciting challenges of contemporary science. However, although considerable progress has been made in the neurophysiology of states of consciousness such as sleep/waking cycles, investigation of subjective and objective nature of consciousness contents raises still serious difficulties. Based on a wide range of analysis and experimental studies, approaches to modeling consciousness actually focus on both philosophical, non-neural and neural approaches. Philosophical and non-neural approaches include the naturalistic dualism model of Chalmers, the multiple draft cognitive model of Dennett, the phenomenological theory of Varela and Maturana, and the physics-based hypothesis of Hameroff and Penrose. The neurobiological approaches include the neurodynamical model of Freeman, the visual system-based theories of Lamme, Zeki, Milner and Goodale, the phenomenal/access hypothesis of Block, the emotive somatosensory theory of Damasio, the synchronized cortical model of Llinas and of Crick and Koch, and the global neurophysiological brain model of Changeux and Edelman. There have been also many efforts in recent years to study the artificial intelligence systems such as neurorobots and some supercomputer programs, based on laws of computational machines and on laws of processing capabilities of biological systems. This approach has proven to be a fertile physical enterprise to check some hypothesis about the functioning of brain architecture. Until now, however, no machine has been capable of reproducing an artificial consciousness.
Capability development and the geographic destination of outbound FDI by developing country firms

This paper uses UNCTAD data to relate the destination of FDI from developing countries to their capability development. It expands the Investment Development Path (IDP) and the flying geese model to include the destination of outward FDI. Investments from developing into developed countries are predominantly in low and medium research-intensive (often considered 'sunset') industries where investors have established strengths in their home base. Developing countries play an active role in knowledge-intensive services in especially the developing world. Even though the developing-country knowledge-intensive firms are not global leaders, their intra-regional FDI enables capability development in emerging industries.
Stokes flow in a drop evaporating from a liquid subphase

The evaporation of a drop from a liquid subphase is investigated. The two liquids are immiscible, and the contact angles between them are given by the Neumann construction. The evaporation of the drop gives rise to flows in both liquids, which are coupled by the continuity of velocity and shear-stress conditions. We derive self-similar solutions to the velocity fields in both liquids close to the three-phase contact line, where the drop geometry can be approximated by a wedge. We focus on the case where Marangoni stresses are negligible, for which the flow field consists of three contributions: flow driven by the evaporative flux from the drop surface, flow induced by the receding motion of the contact line, and an eigenmode flow that is due to the stirring of the fluid in the corner by the large-scale flow in the drop. The eigenmode flow is asymptotically subdominant for all contact angles. The moving contact-line flow dominates when the angle between the liquid drop and the horizontal surface of the liquid subphase is smaller than 90°, while the evaporative-flux driven flow dominates for larger angles. A parametric study is performed to show how the velocity fields in the two liquids depend on the contact angles between the liquids and their viscosity ratio
Host-Directed Antivirals: A Realistic Alternative to Fight Zika Virus

Zika virus (ZIKV), a mosquito-borne flavivirus, was an almost neglected pathogen until its introduction in the Americas in 2015, where it has been responsible for a threat to global health, causing a great social and sanitary alarm due to its increased virulence, rapid spread, and an association with severe neurological and ophthalmological complications. Currently, no specific antiviral therapy against ZIKV is available, and treatments are palliative and mainly directed toward the relief of symptoms, such as fever and rash, by administering antipyretics, anti-histamines, and fluids for dehydration. Nevertheless, lately, search for antivirals has been a major aim in ZIKV investigations. To do so, screening of libraries from different sources, testing of natural compounds, and repurposing of drugs with known antiviral activity have allowed the identification of several antiviral candidates directed to both viral (structural proteins and enzymes) and cellular elements. Here, we present an updated review of current knowledge about anti-ZIKV strategies, focusing on host-directed antivirals as a realistic alternative to combat ZIKV infection.
Alteración de los analitos medibles del síndrome metabólico en el laboratorio clínico en pacientes de consulta externa del cantón de Guápiles en el año 2015

Justification: Knowing the degree of alteration in the metabolic syndrome’s components within the target population allows us to evaluate the risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases. Objective: To compare the blood values of three analytes of the metabolic syndrome (triglycerides, glucose, and HDL cholesterol) taken from adult outpatients from Hospital de Guápiles, from both sexes, during the year 2015, in accordance to the reference values of NCEP ATP III. Methods: Glucose, triglycerides, and HDL cholesterol values were taken from Hospital de Guápiles’ Laboratory, belonging to the year 2015. The absolute and percentage alteration of each analyte was determined according to sex, age group, as well as in a joint manner (both men and women), following the reference values of NCEP ATP III. The alteration profile (absolute frequency and percentage) was also determined according to sex, age group, and in a joint manner. Results: HDL-C in women is the most altered parameter, with a 73% of the patients exhibiting it diminished. The same occurs when analyzing it by age group. In men the most altered parameter is also HDL-C (60.1%), followed by triglycerides (53.8%). The most common situation for women is the exclusive alteration of HDCL-C (3.1%), followed by the joint alteration of TRG-HDL-C (22.6%). For men it is rather the opposite: TRG-HDL-C is the most frequent (25.4), being followed by HDL-C (13-8%). Discussion: The most altered parameters were lipids. Also, as the age increased, so did the percentage of altered values, as well as the percentage of patients who had the three analytes altered. The age-related increase of a sedentary lifestyle, and overweight condition and obesity helps to explain this phenomenon.
Möglichkeiten und Hindernisse von E-Learning in der Allgemeinmedizin ( ELA ) Expectations and limitations of E-learning in General Practice ( ELGP ) •

E-Learning und insbesondere netzbasiertes Lernen kann einen wichtigen Beitrag leisten, um die Lehrenden und Lernenden in der Allgemeinmedizin mit neuemWissen zu versorgen. Im Rahmen der ersten Konferenz für E-Learning in der Allgemeinmedizin (ELA) wurde im Juli 2005 eine zweistufige Delphi-Studie initiiert, um die Erwartungen und Barrieren gegenüber ELA zu identifizieren. Fragebögen wurden an 60 Kongressteilnehmer zur Einschätzung von ELA verteilt. Die eingegangenen Fragebögen wurden von zwei Autoren (HCV, JG) unabhängig analysiert und zu 32 ClusterThesen kategorisiert. Diese Thesen wurden den Teilnehmern in der 2. Runde zurückgespiegelt. Der Grad der Zustimmung oder Ablehnung wurde quantitativ erfasst. Die Rücklaufquote lag in der 1. Runde bei 67 Prozent (n=40) und bei 60 Prozent (n=36) in der 2. Runde. Der Grad des Einverständnisses mit den in der ersten Runde gebildeten Thesen schwankte in der 2. Runde zwischen 8 Prozent („E-Learning verdrängt praktische Lehrund Lernangebote“) und 97 Prozent („Notwendigkeit für überzeugende didaktische Konzepte"). Mit 28 Prozent ebenfalls niedrig war das Einverständnis mit der These „E-Learning kann durch pharmazeutische Unternehmen finanziert werden“. Mit jeweils 94 Prozent erzielten die Items „ELA setzt wichtige Impulse für Fortbildung“, „ELA erhält neue Akzente durch Blended-Learning Konzeptionen“, „Notwendigkeit für eine starke Anwenderorientierung“ und „höhere Medienkompetenz der Anwender in fünf Jahren“ eine hohe Zustimmung. Chancen und Impulse durch ELA wurden hoch eingeschätzt. Optimierungsbedarf liegt in der Anwenderorientierung und in innovativen didaktischen Konzepten, z.B. Blended-Learning. Auch eine industrieunabhängige Finanzierung von ELA wird eine wichtige Rolle für die Implementierung spielen. Deutlich zeigte sich bei den befragten Experten, dass ELA einen wichtigen Beitrag für die allgemeinmedizinische Aus-, Fortund Weiterbildung leisten kann und in systematischen Studien untersucht werden sollte.
Dynamics of a flexible helical filament rotating in a viscous fluid near a rigid boundary

We study the effect of a no-slip rigid boundary on the dynamics of a flexible helical filament rotating in a viscous fluid, at low Reynolds number conditions (Stokes limit). This system is taken as a reduced model for the propulsion of uniflagellar bacteria, whose locomotion is known to be modified near solid boundaries. Specifically, we focus on how the propulsive force generated by the filament, as well as its buckling onset, are modified by the presence of a wall. We tackle this problem through numerical simulations that couple the elasticity of the filament, the hydrodynamic loading, and the wall effect. Each of these three ingredients is respectively modeled by the discrete elastic rods method (for a geometrically nonlinear description of the filament), Lighthill's slender body theory (for a nonlocal fluid force model), and the method of images (to emulate the boundary). The simulations are systematically validated by precision experiments on a rescaled macroscopic apparatus. We find that the propulsive force increases near the wall, while the critical rotation frequency for the onset of buckling usually decreases. A systematic parametric study is performed to quantify the dependence of the wall effects on the geometric parameters of the helical filament.
Diet Composition and Dry Matter Intake of Beef Steers Grazing Tall Fescue and Alfalfa

Alkanes are a noninvasive method to estimate dry matter intake (DMI) of grazing herbivores. Other cuticular wax components such as long chain fatty alcohols (LCOH) have been used for estimation of diet composition of ruminants eating mixed diets. This study estimated diet composition using n-alkanes and LCOH and estimated DMI using naturally occurring and dosed n-alkanes. Beef steers (Bos taurus) (16 mo. old, 358 ± 9 kg) grazing vegetative adjacent monocultures of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) and alfalfa (Medicago sativa L. subsp. sativa) were used in this study, which also evaluated diet preference. The LCOH (C 26 , C 28 , and C 30 ) added additional characterization of the forages, but diet composition estimates were not different (P ≥ 0.22) than when estimated using four n-alkanes (C 27 , C 29 , C 31 , and C 33 ). Diet composition estimation indicated that steers consumed similar (P = 0.13) diets of 79 and 70% alfalfa in Year 1 and Year 2, respectively, corresponding to previous work showing a partial preference for legumes. Dry matter intake in Year 2 was lower (P = 0.0002, 4.7 kg d –1 ) than Year 1 (9.2 kg d –1 ), likely due to hot weather in Year 2. This study suggests that if n-alkane profi les of the forages being grazed are distinct, the additional analysis needed to determine LCOH concentrations may not be necessary. Analyzing preliminary forage and fecal samples for n-alkanes to estimate diet composition could reduce labor and expenses by eliminating additional laboratory analyses.
1 The Problem of Microbial Drug Resistance

Microbial colonization, where it is not wanted, can lead to disease, disability, and death. Therefore, control and/or destruction of pathogenic microorganisms is crucial for the prevention and treatment of disease. Modern medicine is dependent on antimicrobial/chemotherapeutic agents such as antibiotics (Greek anti, against, bios life). Antibiotics can either destroy pathogens or inhibit their growth and avoid damage to the host. In the nineteenth century, infections such as diarrhea, pneumonia, or post-surgical infections were the main causes of death. Therefore, the discovery of antibiotics was of great importance to society and impacted on the prevention and treatment of disease. Antibiotics can be defined as compounds produced by microorganisms that are effective against other microorganisms but nowadays also include microbial compounds that have been synthetically altered. The classification of antibiotics is based not only on the cellular components or systems they affect but also on whether they inhibit cell growth (bacteriostatic drug) or kill the cells (bactericidal drug) [1]. Other chemotherapeutic synthetic drugs, not originating from microbes, such as sulfonamides, are also sometimes called antibiotics [2].
Detoxification of Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas fed on diets of Skeletonema costatum with and without silt, following PSP contamination by Alexandrium minutum

Contamination of shellfish by paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins poses an economic threat to shell- fish farmers. As contaminated shellfish cannot be harvested for long periods of time, it would be very useful to develop processes to optimise and shorten their detoxification. In this study, Pacific oysters Crassostrea gigas were first ex- perimentally contaminated over a period of 13 days with a continuous flow of toxic Alexandrium minutum cultures at concentrations ranging from 150 to 200 cell ml −1 (toxin content after 13 days of contamination 438 μg STX equiv. 100 g −1 wet weight). Then, two different detoxification treatments were tested and showed detoxification rates greater than those observed in coastal environments. The first treatment consisted of feeding oysters on Skeletonema costatum, at a concentration of 2000 cell ml −1 to speed up detoxification rates. The second detoxification method used the same Skeletonema costatum diet, supplemented with silt particles at a concentration of 20 mg L −1 . A control was also set up by placing contaminated oysters in seawater with no additional algal food. The detoxification experiment lasted 8 days. Toxin contents were analysed by liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (LC-FD). The S. costatum diet significantly reduced the time needed for oysters to reach the sanitary threshold (80 μg STX equiv. 100 g −1 wet weight), but no effect of the silt supplement could be demonstrated conclusively. These different detoxification methods did not influence toxin biotransformations as observed in oyster tissues, i.e. epimerisation and decarbamoylation of gonyautoxins 2 and 3.