Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Efficacy of antiretroviral therapy programs in resource-poor settings: a meta-analysis of the published literature.

BACKGROUND Despite the advent of effective combination antiretroviral drug therapy (ART) for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, many doubt the feasibility of ART treatment programs in resource-poor settings. We performed a meta-analysis of the efficacy of ART programs in the developing world. We searched the Medline database with the index terms "HIV," "antiretroviral therapy," "CD4 count," "viral load," "experience," and "outcomes. " A total of 201 abstracts were reviewed, and 25 articles were selected for detailed review. Ten observational studies with details on patient outcomes were ultimately included in the analysis. METHODS Three readers independently extracted data from the articles. The details recorded included patient demographic characteristics, baseline CD4 cell counts, baseline HIV RNA viral loads, ART histories, outcomes, and timing of the outcome measure. RESULTS The proportion of subjects with an undetectable HIV viral load provided the measure of treatment efficacy. A random-effects model weighted the proportion of patients with undetectable viral load at various time points during ART. The proportion was 0.697 (95% CI, 0.582-0.812) at month 6 and 0.573 (95% CI, 0.432-0.715) at month 12 of ART. The provision of medications free of charge to the patient was associated with a 29%-31% higher probability of having an undetectable viral load at months 6 and 12 than was the requirement that patients pay part or all of the cost of therapy. CONCLUSIONS ART treatment programs in resource-poor settings have efficacy rates similar to those reported for developed countries. The provision of medications free of charge to the patient is associated with a significantly increased probability of virologic suppression at months 6 and 12 of ART.
Systemic lupus erythematosus complicated with protein‐losing enteropathy: A case report and review of the published works

A 45‐year‐old man was referred to our hospital with a history of multiple erythematous skin lesions of several months’ duration. Blood examination revealed extreme hypoproteinemia and hypoalbuminemia, as well as the presence of antinuclear antibodies. A skin biopsy specimen showed liquefaction degeneration at the dermoepidermal junction and dense lymphocyte and neutrophil infiltration around the vessels and appendages in the upper and middle dermis. Chest X‐ray and computed tomography showed a pleural effusion and thoracic paracentesis revealed a mononuclear cell‐dominant cell infiltration, suggestive of serositis. Technetium‐99m (99mTc)‐labeled human serum albumin scintigraphy and α1‐antitrypsin clearance revealed protein leakage along the digestive tracts from the stomach to the jejunum. From the above findings, the patient was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) complicated by protein‐losing enteropathy (PLE). Treatment with oral prednisolone significantly improved his clinical symptoms and hypoalbuminemia. This case highlighted the utility of 99mTc‐labeled human serum albumin scintigraphy and α1‐antitrypsin clearance in the diagnosis of PLE. We also present a published work review on PLE associated with connective tissue disease revealing a relatively higher prevalence in patients of Asian ethnicity, including Japanese.
Phasor Measurements in the Western Electric Power System

This paper presents the use of phasor measurement units (PMUs) in the Western Electric Coordinating Council (WECC) has been very successful. Phasor data recorded during the Aug. 10, 1996 blackout showed the phase difference growing as the system weakened well before system separation. It also showed clearly the dynamic system behavior before and during the blackout. WAMS measurements, particularly phasor measurements, filled the need to see system behavior that other measurements did not cover. Phasor measurements are now widely dispersed in the WECC, most of the in real-time systems. More of these are being connected in wide-area networks to support continuing efforts to improve operations
Two yr mycophenolate mofetil plus low‐dose calcineurin inhibitor for renal dysfunction after liver transplant

Abstract: We assessed the efficacy and outcome of low through level of calcineurin inhibitors (CNI) and introducing mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) in liver transplant (LT) patients with CNI‐related renal dysfunction. Thirty LT patients were converted to combined therapy and compared with 30 patients used as a contemporary control group receiving CNI only. The two groups were matched for sex, age, months after LT, immunosuppressive treatment, creatinine level, presence of diabetes and calculated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) via Cockroft‐Gault method. After two years, in the MMF serum creatinine decreased from 1.65 mg/dL (range 1.33–3.5) to 1.4 mg/dL (range 0.9–4.7) (p = 0.002) and GFR increased from 51 mL/min (range 18.9–72.2) to 57.6 mL/min (range 16–92.2) (p < 0.001), whereas the controls not showed any improvement. The logistic regression models employing improvement of creatinine and GFR of at least 10% with respect to baseline as dependent variables showed the use of MMF (p = 0.004 and p = 0.019, respectively) as the only statistically significant parameter. Multiple linear regression analysis identified only MMF as independent predictor of Δcreatinine and ΔGFR (p = 0.002 and p < 0.001, respectively). No rejection episode was observed (three in controls). This study demonstrates the medium‐term efficacy and safety of MMF plus low dose CNI in reducing nephrotoxicity in LT recipients.
Life expectancy of patients with newly-diagnosed HIV infection in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy.

BACKGROUND Limited data are available on the life expectancy of patients with newly-diagnosed HIV infection in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). AIM To provide such an estimate using a semi-parametric projection. DESIGN Statistical analysis. METHODS Follow-up data for patients newly diagnosed with HIV infection in Taiwan (HIV/AIDS Cohort) from 1 May 1997 to 30 April 2003 (n = 3351, only 1% are injecting drug users) were analysed using the Kaplan-Meier method. The survival function for an age- and gender-matched reference population was generated by the Monte Carlo method from the life-table of the general population. A constant excess hazard model was used to project long-term survival of HIV-infected patients, with linear extrapolation of a logit-transformed curve of survival ratio between HIV-infected patients and the reference population. RESULTS The 5-year survival rate was 58% in patients who had already developed AIDS at diagnosis (AIDS group), and 89% in those who had not (non-AIDS group). Extrapolation yielded an expected mean survival time of 10.6 years after diagnosis for the AIDS group, and 21.5 years after diagnosis for the non-AIDS group. DISCUSSION Our results support the expansion of HIV screening programs to minimize delay in diagnosis. With continuing advances in HAART, this estimate of survival in initially asymptomatic patients may be conservative. Their long life expectancy raises questions about what kind of preventive heath services should be offered. These should be addressed through further analysis of overall benefit and cost-effectiveness.
Dynamics of artificially immobilized Nitrosomonas europaea: Effect of biomass decay.

The dynamics of growth and death of immobilized Nitrosomonas europaea were studied. For this, the death rate of suspended cells was determined in the absence of ammonium or oxygen by following the loss of respiration activity and by fluorescein-diacetate (FDA)/lissamine-green staining techniques. The death rates obtained (1.06 x 10(-6) s(-1) or 4.97 x 10(-6) s(-1) in the absence of oxygen or ammonium, respectively) were incorporated in a dynamic growth model and the effects on the performance of the immobilized-cell process illustrated by model simulations.These model simulations and experimental validation show that if decay of biomass occurs the biomass concentration in the center of the bead decreases. As a result, the systems react slower to changes in substrate concentrations than if all cells remain viable.To show that cells in the center of the bead died, the FDA and lissamine-green staining techniques were adapted for immobilized cells. It was shown that biomass decay occurred, especially in the center of the bead; the amount of cells decreased there, and the remaining cells were all stained with lissamine green indicating cell death. After the substrate availability was decreased, also cells near the surface of the bead lost their viability. The number of viable cells increased again after increasing the substrate concentration as the result of cell multiplication. At low substrate concentrations and low hydraulic retention times, as for example in the treatment of domestic wastewater, the death rate of cells is thus an important parameter for the performance of the immobilized-cell system. (c) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 55: 630-641, 1997.
GOLD B-C-D groups or GOLD II-III-IV grades

The aim of this article is to investigate which global initiative for chronic obstructive lung disease (GOLD) classification (B-C-D or II-III-IV) better reflects the functionality of patients with moderate to very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Ninety patients with COPD were classified according to the GOLD B-C-D and II-III-IV classifications. Functionality was assessed by different outcomes: 6-min walk test (6MWT), activities of daily living (ADL) (London Chest ADL Scale), and daily life activity/inactivity variables assessed by activity monitoring (SenseWear armband, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA). The 6MWT was the only outcome significantly associated with both the GOLD classifications. Good functionality as assessed by the 6MWT was observed in 80%, 69%, and 43.5% (GOLD B, C, and D, respectively) and 81%, 59%, and 29% (GOLD II, III, and IV, respectively) of the patients. Association (V Cramer’s) and correlation (Spearman) coefficients of 6MWT with GOLD B-C-D and II-III-IV were V = 0.30, r = −0.35, and V = 0.37, r = −0.25, respectively. Neither GOLD classification showed V or r ≥ 0.30 with any other functionality outcome. Both the GOLD B-C-D and II-III-IV classifications do not reflect well COPD patients’ functionality. Despite low association and correlation coefficients in general, both GOLD classifications were better associated with functional exercise capacity (6MWT) than with subjectively assessed ADL and objectively assessed outcomes of physical activity/inactivity.
Chronic Exposure to a TLR Ligand Injures Hematopoietic Stem Cells

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) can be harmed by disease, chemotherapy, radiation, and normal aging. We show in this study that damage also occurs in mice repeatedly treated with very low doses of LPS. Overall health of the animals was good, and there were relatively minor changes in marrow hematopoietic progenitors. However, HSC were unable to maintain quiescence, and transplantation revealed them to be myeloid skewed. Moreover, HSC from treated mice were not sustained in serial transplants and produced lymphoid progenitors with low levels of the E47 transcription factor. This phenomenon was previously seen in normal aging. Screening identified mAbs that resolve HSC subsets, and relative proportions of these HSC changed with age and/or chronic LPS treatment. For example, minor CD150HiCD48− populations lacking CD86 or CD18 expanded. Simultaneous loss of CD150Lo/−CD48− HSC and gain of the normally rare subsets, in parallel with diminished transplantation potential, would be consistent with age- or TLR-related injury. In contrast, HSC in old mice differed from those in LPS-treated animals with respect to VCAM-1 or CD41 expression and lacked proliferation abnormalities. HSC can be exposed to endogenous and pathogen-derived TLR ligands during persistent low-grade infections. This stimulation might contribute in part to HSC senescence and ultimately compromise immunity.
Comparison between capillary and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis for identification of Lolium species and cultivars

In recent years variety discrimination has been achieved in a range of agricultural crops by means of sodium dodecyl sulfate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS‐PAGE). Previous works on genus Lolium have shown the effectiveness of this technique for the topic of cultivar identification. In the present research the potential of capillary gel electrophoresis (CGE) for identification of Italian (Lolium multiflorum Lam.), annual (Lolium rigidum Gaud.) and perennial (Lolium perenne L.) ryegrass cultivars in comparison with SDS‐PAGE was investigated. Separation conditions of SDS‐CGE were chosen in order to obtain electrophoretic data comparable with those of SDS‐PAGE, at the expense of analysis speed. Both peak area and migration time of SDS‐CGE electropherograms were reproducible. In the examined cultivars, a total of 27 (16.8—96.8 kDa) and 28 (13.2—111.5 kDa) protein subunits were detected by SDS‐PAGE and SDS‐CGE, respectively. The variability in seed storage protein composition was processed by numerical taxonomy. All cultivars were clearly identified by both electrophoresis systems. The orthogonality between SDS‐PAGE and SDS‐CGE was suggested by the lack of correlation among protein profiles obtained with the two separation systems. The nonredundant information from these analytical systems should provide a relevant benefit for identification of Lolium cultivars and wild biotypes that are extremely uniform phenotypically.
Metric-based Generative Adversarial Network

Existing methods of generative adversarial network (GAN) use different criteria to distinguish between real and fake samples, such as probability [9],energy [44] energy or other losses [30]. In this paper, by employing the merits of deep metric learning, we propose a novel metric-based generative adversarial network (MBGAN), which uses the distance-criteria to distinguish between real and fake samples. Specifically, the discriminator of MBGAN adopts a triplet structure and learns a deep nonlinear transformation, which maps input samples into a new feature space. In the transformed space, the distance between real samples is minimized, while the distance between real sample and fake sample is maximized. Similar to the adversarial procedure of existing GANs, a generator is trained to produce synthesized examples, which are close to real examples, while a discriminator is trained to maximize the distance between real and fake samples to a large margin. Meanwhile, instead of using a fixed margin, we adopt a data-dependent margin [30], so that the generator could focus on improving the synthesized samples with poor quality, instead of wasting energy on well-produce samples. Our proposed method is verified on various benchmarks, such as CIFAR-10, SVHN and CelebA, and generates high-quality samples.
Examination of Possible Predictors of Complications After Free Tissue Transfer to the Head and Neck for Oncologic Defects

IntroductionThe advent of vascularized free tissue transfer marked an incredible addition to the breadth of options available to the reconstructive surgeon when treating head and neck defects. The goal of this study is to determine if readily available laboratory tests may be used to stratify the risk for developing complications after free tissue transfer in specific patients. MethodsInstitutional review board approval was obtained for a retrospective chart review of all patients who underwent free tissue transfer for reconstruction of oncologic head and neck defects between 2001 and 2010 by the senior author (R.O.D.). ResultsThere were 107 free tissue transfers to the head and neck for oncologic defects during this period. A significant relationship was found between a preoperative hemoglobin less than 10 mg/dL and a postoperative albumin less than 2.5 mg/dL and complications. ConclusionsPreoperative hemoglobin less than 10 mg/dL and postoperative albumin less than 2.5 mg/dL seem to be useful as indicators of an increased likelihood of developing postoperative complications. Correction of these values preoperatively and postoperatively may lead to improved surgical outcomes.
A Novel Online Technique to Detect Power Transformer Winding Faults

Frequency-response analysis (FRA) has been growing in popularity in recent times as a tool to detect mechanical deformation within power transformers. To conduct the test, the transformer has to be taken out of service which may cause interruption to the electricity grid. Moreover, because FRA relies on graphical analysis, it calls for an expert to analyze the results. As so far, there is no standard code for FRA interpretation worldwide. In this paper, a novel online technique is introduced to detect the internal faults within a power transformer by constructing the voltage-current (V - I) locus diagram to provide a current state of the transformer. The technique does not call for any special equipment as it uses the existing metering devices attached to any power transformer to monitor the input voltage, output voltage, and the input current at the power frequency and, hence, online monitoring can be realized. Various types of faults have been simulated to assess its impact on the proposed locus. A Matlab code based on digital image processing is developed to calculate any deviation of the V - I locus with respect to the reference one and to identify the type of fault. The proposed technique is easy to be implemented and automated so that the requirement for expert personnel can be eliminated.
Local regulation of the threshold for calcium sparks in rat ventricular myocytes: role of sodium‐calcium exchange

1 To determine whether Na+‐Ca2+ exchange modulates Ca2+ sparks, we studied enzymatically isolated patch clamped rat ventricular myocytes loaded with the Ca2+‐sensitive indicator fluo‐3, using confocal microscopy at 20–22 °C. Two‐dimensional images of Ca2+ sparks were recorded at 240 Hz using a laser scanning confocal microscope, allowing observation of a large area of the cell (820 μm2) at one time. 2 At a holding potential of −75 mV, spontaneous sparks were infrequent. Removal of extracellular Na+ for 520 ms, which in the absence of pipette Na+ should block Na+‐Ca2+ exchange bidirectionally, was associated with a fourfold increase in spark frequency, without a significant change in cytoplasmic [Ca2+], sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ content, or spark intensity, size or time course. 3 These findings are consistent with a model of excitation‐contraction coupling in which Na+‐Ca2+ exchange locally regulates the resting Ca2+ concentration in the diadic cleft (T‐tubule‐SR junction), thereby modulating the threshold for triggering Ca2+ sparks.
Indirect Immunohistochemistry and Immunoelectron Microscopy Distribution of Eight Epidermal-Dermal Junction Epitopes in the Pig and in Isolated Perfused Skin Treated with Bis (2-Chloroethyl) Sulfide

Sulfur mustard (bis [2-chloroethyl] sulfide, HD) is a potent cutaneous vesicant that causes gross blisters by separation of the epidermal-dermal junction (EDJ). The EDJ of the skin is a highly specialized and complex structure composed of several components and plays a major role in the integrity of the skin. The isolated perfused porcine skin flap (IPPSF) was dosed with 0.2 mg/ml (n = 4), 5.0 mg/ml (n = 4), and 10.0 mg/ml (n = 5) HD or ethanol (n = 4) for 8 hr (dose-response study) and 10.0 mg/ml HD or ethanol for 1, 3, 5, and 8 hr (n = 4/treatment) (time-response study). Successful EDJ mapping was carried out in normal pig skin (NPS), ethanol-treated IPPSFs, and HD-treated IPPSFs using the following antibodies: laminin, type IV collagen, fibronectin, GB3 (Nicein), bullous pemphigoid (BP), and epidermolysis bullosa acquisita (EBA). Two mouse anti-human monoclonal antibodies, L3d and 19-DEJ-l (Uncein), did not cross-react with the EDJ of the pig. Antibody staining in NPS, ranging from very intense for laminin and type IV collagen to weak for fibronectin, was generally more discrete than in the IPPSF. No differences in staining were noted between the ethanol and nonblistered areas of the HD-treated IPPSFs. In HD-blistered areas, BP stained only the epidermal hemidesmosomes, and laminin, fibronectin, and GB3 stained primarily the dermis with fragments attached to the basal pole of the stratum basale cells, while type IV collagen and EBA stained only the dermis. Mapping of these epitopes determined that the precise plane of EDJ separation in the HD-treated skin occurred beneath the hemidesmosomes within the upper portion of the lamina lucida. The conservation of human epitopes in the EDJ of the pig further emphasizes the similarities between human skin and pig skin. Therefore, pig skin and the IPPSF may be used to study HD-induced vesication and blistering diseases.
Physicians' religiosity and end-of-life care attitudes and behaviors.

BACKGROUND Physicians play the central role in decisions to initiate, withhold and withdraw life-sustaining medical care. Prior studies show that physicians= religiosity is related to end-of-life care attitudes and practices, which if not in concert with the patient or family may be a source of conflict. We surveyed physicians of one religion to describe the relationship between religiosity and end-of-life care. METHODS Cross-sectional survey of 443 Jewish physicians at four Israeli hospitals, which characterized religiosity and asked about attitudes and communication with patients about end-of-life issues and care practices. RESULTS Very religious physicians, compared to moderately religious and secular physicians, were much less likely to believe that life-sustaining treatment should be withdrawn (11% vs. 36% v. 51%, p<0.001), to approve of prescribing needed pain medication if it will hasten death (69% vs. 80% vs. 85%, p<0.01), or to agree with euthanasia (5% vs. 42% vs. 70%, p<0.001). Religiosity was not related to withholding most life-sustaining treatments, but even after adjustment for physician and practice characteristics, very religious physicians were much less likely to "ever stop life-sustaining treatment provided to a suffering terminally ill patient" (p<0.0003). Religiosity was unrelated to physician-patient communication or to desire for support concerning end-of-life care. Desire for support was universally high. CONCLUSIONS Physicians' religiosity can have a major effect on the way their patients die, including whether patients receive adequate analgesia near death. Patients may need to query physicians' religious perspectives to ensure that they are consistent with patients' end-of-life care preferences. Evaluation of religiosity-related clinical behavior in other cultures is needed.
The hydrogenation of some cis- and trans-octadecenoic acids to stearic acid by a rumen Fusocillus sp.

1. The hydrogenation of a range of double-bond positional and configurational octadecenoic acid isomers (cis (δ2 and δ4 to δ13) and trans (δ2 and δ5 to δ13)) to stearic acid by a rumen Fusocillus sp. were examined. 2. The cis and trans δS to δ13 isomers were all hydrogenated to some extent by late-log-phase cultures added to suspensions of individual isomers and incubated for a further 3 h. Of the cis-isomers, δ5 to δll (79–73% conversion to stearic acid) were the preferred substrates. δ24s- (30%) and δ13-cis-isomers ( 5 % ) were poorly hydrogenated. Of the trans-isomers, δ8, δ9 and δ10 were 45% converted to stearic acid, the other isomers were poorly hydrogenated. These results are in agreement with less extensive studies using sheep rumen micro-organisms. 3. When cultures were grown from small inocula in media containing individual isomers more extensive hydrogenation was found than with late-log-phase cultures. At 24 h, cis δ2, δ4 and δ5 gave the highest conversions to stearic acid (90%) followed by the cis δ6 to δ12 and trans δ8 to δ10 isomers (approximately 75%), although at 6 and 12 h δ9-trans gave higher yields of stearic acid than δ9-cis, probably because the growth of the cis cultures showed a longer log-phase.