Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
B-lymphocyte activating factor in systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis in relation to autoantibody levels, disease measures and time

Overexpression of B-lymphocyte activating factor (BAFF) results in arthritis, glomerulonephritis and autoantibody formation in mice, but its role in human autoimmune disease is less obvious. Serum BAFF levels in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (n = 42) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (n = 60) were related to levels of disease activity, anti-dsDNA Ab, anti-ENA Ab, rheumatoid factor (RF) and anti-CCP Ab. BAFF levels were also followed over time in 19 SLE patients. BAFF levels correlated inversely with age, were higher in SLE than RA (median 2.7 versus 1.4 ng/mL, P < 0.01) and more SLE than RA patients had increased BAFF levels (57% versus 10%, P ≤ 0.01). In SLE, BAFF levels correlated with SLEDAI scores but not with anti-dsDNA Ab levels. SLE patients with increased BAFF levels had higher SLEDAI and CRP levels. In RA, BAFF levels correlated weakly with anti-CCP levels (Rs 0.27, P = 0.07), but not with joint counts, ESR, CRP or RF levels. Longitudinal BAFF levels remained unaltered in two thirds of SLE patients and changes in BAFF levels were unrelated to disease flares. These findings suggest that BAFF stimulation of B-cells may contribute to SLE by other mechanisms than autoantibody production.
Antipsychotic drug prescription for schizophrenia in East Asia: rationale for change

Abstract The purpose of this international collaborative study was to investigate the prescription patterns of antipsychotic drugs for schizophrenia in East Asia and to analyze factors that affect these patterns. Prescription patterns for patients admitted for treatment of schizophrenia were surveyed using a standardized protocol from six East‐Asian region/countries: China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan. Patients’ social and clinical characteristics, psychiatric symptoms, course of illness, and adverse effects of medications were systematically assessed and recorded. Prescriptions of the first‐ and second‐generation antipsychotic drugs were compared. A total of 2399 patients were recruited. The second‐generation drugs comprised 28.1% of all prescribed antipsychotics, and 46% of the antipsychotic prescriptions were in the context of polypharmacy. The mean dosage of antipsychotics for the whole sample was 675.3 + 645.1 mg chlorpromazine equivalents. Japan had a high frequency of prescribing high doses and polypharmacy; Singapore had a high utilization of depot injections while China had a higher prescription of clozapine. Using multiple logistic regression analysis, distinctions in the prescription patterns of antipsychotic drugs were found: first‐generation drugs were mainly for controlling aggressive behavior, while second‐generation drugs were targeted at the alleviation of positive, negative psychotic symptoms as well as disruptive behavior in schizophrenia. The present collaborative study highlighted differences in the prescription patterns, especially the under‐utilization of second‐generation antipsychotic drugs in East Asia. The pattern of antipsychotic medication use varied from country to country and is likely to be influenced by the prevailing health‐care system, the availability and cost of the drugs.
Transmission of herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 in a prospective cohort of HIV-negative gay men: the health in men study.

BACKGROUND Despite increasing reports of herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1 (HSV-1)-associated anogenital herpes, there are very limited data comparing the seroepidemiological profile of and risk factors for HSV-1 and HSV type 2 (HSV-2) infection. METHODS Sexual behaviors were examined as risk factors for prevalent and incident HSV-1 and HSV-2 infections in a community-based cohort of 1,427 HIV-negative gay men in Australia. RESULTS The prevalence of HSV-1 and HSV-2 at baseline was 75% and 23%, respectively. The rate of prevalent infection with HSV-1, as well as the rate of prevalent infection with HSV-2, was much lower in individuals <25 years of age, and each type of infection was associated with a higher number of both male and female sex partners. The median duration of follow-up of the cohort was 2.0 years. Among participants who were susceptible to infection, the incidence rates for HSV-1 and HSV-2 infection were 5.58 and 1.45 cases per 100 person-years, respectively. In multivariate analysis, incident infection with HSV-1 was significantly associated with younger age (P=.027) and reports of frequent insertive oral sex with casual partners (hazard ratio, 3.91 [95% confidence interval, 1.23-12.44]; P=.021). Incident infection with HSV-2 was significantly associated with a variety of anal sex practices with casual partners. CONCLUSIONS Both HSV-1 and HSV-2 were commonly sexually transmitted, and there were more HSV-1 than HSV-2 seroconversions. Public-health strategies targeted against anogenital herpes increasingly need to take into account the importance of HSV-1 infection.
Induction of systemic HIV-1-specific cellular immune responses by oral exposure in the uninfected partner of discordant couples

ObjectivesPrevious studies have identified HIV-specific T-cell responses in HIV-exposed uninfected individuals (EUI). However, so far no study has investigated exposure through oral sex. Our aim was to investigate whether oral exposure is enough to induce a systemic HIV-specific T-cell response. DesignPeripheral blood mononuclear cells were collected from 25 EUI living with a HIV-positive partner. Sexual behavior was described by the EUI in self-reported questionnaires. All clinical data of the infected partners were well documented. MethodsPeripheral blood mononuclear cells were stimulated with five different HIV peptide pools and HIV-specific T-cell responses were detected using the interferon-γ enzyme-linked immunospot assay. Multiple cytokine production was studied longitudinally using flow cytometry intracellular cytokine assay. ResultsThe majority of the discordant couples reported having protected anal intercourse but unprotected oral sex. Three of the 23 tested EUI with evaluable results had HIV-Gag or Nef-specific T-cell responses. Two of the responders reported unprotected oral sex as the only route of exposure. The HIV-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the Gag-responder showed production of multiple cytokines. The magnitude of the responses decreased over time when the level of exposure, determined by the viral load in the partner, declined. ConclusionHIV exposure through oral sex is sufficient to induce systemic HIV-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell immune responses in some uninfected individuals. Further investigation is needed to determine whether these responses have any protective role against HIV infection, or are merely evidence of exposure.
Swine HEV infection in south India and phylogenetic analysis (1985–1999)

Hepatitis E is endemic in India. It was recently noted that although all the Indian human hepatitis E virus (HEV) isolates (1976–2001) were placed in genotype I, the swine HEV recovered from western India (2000) belonged to genotype IV. This was in contrast to reports from the United States and Taiwan wherein both human and swine HEV belonged to the same genotype, i.e., genotypes III and IV, respectively. In order to validate these findings further, we retrospectively examined serum samples collected from pigs from southern India. Sequential serum samples from 45 (1985–1987) and 12 (1999) pigs from Karnataka state, south India, were screened for the presence of HEV RNA (nested PCR) and IgG‐anti‐HEV (ELISA). PCR products (Open Reading Frame‐2 region) were sequenced and subjected to phylogenetic analysis. In this study, 42/45 (1985–1987) and 12/12 (1999) pigs showed seroconversion to IgG anti‐HEV antibodies, with a mean age at seroconversion of 4.8 ± 1.6 months. Four samples collected in 1999 and two samples collected during 1985 were HEV RNA positive. All swine HEV sequences clustered with genotype IV, demonstrating that swine HEV was prevalent among south Indian pigs for at least for 16 years and, similar to western India, belonged to genotype IV. Thus, genotype I and IV HEV continue to circulate in humans and pigs, respectively, from India. Whether swine HEV infects humans remains to be determined. J. Med. Virol. 69:391–396, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Genotype 4 hepatitis E virus is a cause of chronic hepatitis in renal transplant recipients in Hong Kong

1Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China 2State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China 3Research Centre of Infection and Immunology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China 4Carol Yu Centre for Infection, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China 5Department of Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
The increase in total knee replacement surgery in Taiwan

Abstract Total knee replacement (TKR) is considered as one of the most success among clinical interventions for patients with who suffering from knee osteoarthritis (OA). We sought to estimate the incidence of TKR using demographics, incidence rates, lengths of hospital stay, and costs from 1996 to 2010 by analyzing Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. A total of 154,553 patients obtained primary TKR surgery between 1996 and 2010. The diagnosis code for knee OA and the procedure code for TKR were selected from the records. To compare the rate of TKR between covariables, we calculated the TKR risk ratios and 95% confidence interval (CI) of these variables (gender, age, age group, and primary diagnoses). A 2-tailed P-value of . 05 was considered statistically significant. The statistical package SPSS version 20.0 (SPSS, Chicago, IL) was used to conduct all the statistical analyzes. We analyzed 154,553 TKRs performed by surgeons in Taiwan from 1996 to 2010. The overall crude incidence increased from 26.4 to 74.55 TKR per 100,000 inhabitants from 1996 to 2010. TKR incidence for the 70 to 79 years age group increased from 227 to 505 per 100,000 people from 1996 to 2010. The age-standardized rate ratios for TKR of women to men ranged from 2.5 to 3.0. The mean average length of stay in hospital was 15 days in 1996 and decreased to 8 days in 2010. During the study period, the adjusted mean cost per patient decreased from US$7485 to US$4827. Health expenditures for TKR were 5% of total National Health Insurance expenditure every year. Over the 15-year period, Taiwan's TKR incidence tripled, which is consistent with population ageing. Arthritis will be a major public health issue in the ageing population in the future.
Study of Peptidyl Arginine Deiminases 4 (PAD 4) Antibodies in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one of the most commonly occurring form of inflammatory polyarthritis. If untreated,20%–30% of RA patients become debilitated within the first three years following initial diagnosis. The clinical examinationoften fail to identify patients with early RA partly due to heterogeneity of disease presentation and course. To meet the needfor improved diagnostic and prognostic tests, various serum biomarkers are being assessed, including a wide range ofautoantibodies. Autoantibodies against peptidyl arginine deiminase type 4 (PAD-4) have recently been described as a specificbiomarker in subjects with clinically apparent RA. In this study, we tested the presence of anti-PAD4 antibodies in 40Egyptian subjects with RA and their first degree relatives in order to determine whether these autoantibodies play a role inearly disease evolution. In addition, we aimed to describe the Anti-PAD4 relation to anti-CCP autoantibodies, and potentialassociations with a more severe RA phenotype. The study was carried out on total of 100 subjects divided into; 40 RApatients, 40 of first degree relatives (sister or brother) of RA patients and 20 matched controls. Results: The resultsindicated that the serum level of Anti-PAD 4 is increased in Egyptian RA patients and their relatives and has a positiveassociation with disease activity. Also its level together with Anti-CCP provides a good diagnostic tool of RA. Conclusion:The serum level of Anti-PAD4 may provide diagnostic information of RA and may be considered as an early marker of thedisease among the first degree relatives of RA patients. [Egypt J Rheumatology & Clinical Immunology, 2016; 4(1): 59-66]
Balanced reading instructions: An action research on elementary cram school students

English language learning as the first and foreign language has always been an important factor in a child’s life as a student. As the usage of the English language becomes ever more apparent, East Asian nation like Taiwan has started to place much focus on its teaching. However, many parents in Taiwan are still unsatisfied with their children’s English abilities at formal school; thus, they send their children to cram school. Most parents’ objective is to improve their child’s reading ability and attitude, by means of exploring any effective teaching strategies. In light of this, the main objective of this study is to determine how balanced reading instructions will enhance English learning effectiveness among English as Foreign Language learners. An action study was done in order to identify teaching effects of a balanced reading instruction. A pilot study was first accomplished, which later served as the backbone of the formal study. Participants were fifteen (15) first graders in an English cram school in Taipei, Taiwan. Data were gained from abecedarian reading assessment, reading attitude questionnaires, observations, interviews and recordings. Results showed that balanced reading instructions worked better for low to intermediate level students’ letter knowledge, phonological awareness, and reading attitude. In addition, balanced reading instruction also help built-up students’ confident and created a healthy learning environment by collaborating the stronger readers to help weaker readers in the classroom.
Mean transport and seasonal cycle of the Kuroshio east of Taiwan with comparison to the Florida Current

Moored observations of Kuroshio current structure and transport variability were made across the channel between northeast Taiwan and the Ryukyu Islands at 24 degreesN from September 19, 1994, to May 27, 1996. This was a cooperative, effort between the United States and Taiwan. The moored array was designated PCM-1, for the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) transport resolving array. The dominant current and transport variability occurred on 100-day timescales and is shown by Zhang et al. [2001] to be caused by warm mesoscale eddys merging with the Kuroshio south of the array causing offshore meandering and flow splitting around the Ryukyu Islands. An annual transport cycle could not be resolved from our 20-month moored record because of abasing from the 100-day period events. Sea level difference data were used to extend the transport time series to 7 years giving a variation in the range of the annual transport cycle of 4-10 Sv, with a mean range closer to 4 Sv. The seasonal maximum of 24 Sv occurred in the summer and the seasonal minimum of 20 Sv occurred in the fall. A weaker secondary maximum also occurred in the winter. The cycle of Kuroshio transport appears to result from a combination of local along-channel wind forcing and Sverdrup forcing over the Philippine Sea. Our estimate of the mean transport of the Kuroshio at the entrance to the East China Sea from the moored array is 21.5 +/- 2.5 Sv. The mean transpacific balance of meridional flows forced by winds and thermohaline processes at this latitude requires an additional mean northward flow of 12 Sv with an annual cycle of +/-8 Sv along the eastern boundary of the Ryukyu Islands. The mean transport and annual cycle of the Kuroshio were found to be in reasonable agreement with basin-scale wind-forced models. Remarkable similarities are shown to exist between the mean western boundary currents and their seasonal cycles in the Atlantic (Florida Current and Antilles Current) and Pacific (Kuroshio and boundary current east of Ryukyu Island chain) at the same latitude. However, detailed comparison shows that the mean Kuroshio is weaker and more surface intensified than the mean Florida Current, while the Kuroshio-transport variability is significantly larger.
Source Analysis of Trace Metal Pollution Received at Harbor, Airport and Farmland Locations in Central Taiwan

Measured concentrations of five metallic elements (Cr, Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb) during August 2013 to July 2014 at three sites in central Taiwan were analyzed for identifying source regions and seasonal and site variations. Air mass backward trajectory analysis suggested that pollution sources were mainly from southern Taiwan and Philippine seashore areas during the spring and summer, from Korea, Japan and Hainan during the fall, and from northern China and Hong Kong during the winter. Biomass burning activities in south East Asia in spring were believed to have contributed a significant amount to the measured high elements concentrations. Two-way Analysis of variance was conducted to identify the significance of differences in measured elements concentrations between element species, season and sites. Significant differences between elements were identified at all the three sites with exceptions for Cr and Pb at the Airport site. Season differences were significant at two of the three sites; but site to site differences were found to be insignificant. The elements pollution levels in central Taiwan were in medium to high ranges in East Asia. Keyword: Total suspended particulates; Backward trajectory analysis; Two-way ANOVA; Temporal and spatial variations.
Extradyadic Involvement during Dating

College student men (n = 299) and women (n = 392) reported their experiences with extradyadic (ED) dating and sexual activity. We also investigated the relationships between ED activity and religiosity, sex–love–marriage association beliefs, narcissism, sexual sensation seeking, a ‘ludic’ or game-playing orientation to romantic relationships, and self-perceived ability to deceive one’s dating partner. Despite normative disapproval for ED activity, a majority of respondents reported having had ED involvement while dating. There was no sex difference in the incidence of ED dating or ED kissing; however, men were more likely than women to experience ED fondling, oral sex, or vaginal intercourse. In general, ED dating and ED sexual activity were related to less adherence to sex–love–marriage association beliefs, increased sexual sensation seeking, a ‘ludic’ love style, and a self-perceived ability to deceive one’s dating partner. Findings are discussed with regard to possible implications and directions for future research.
Meteoriopsis undulata Horik. & Nog. (Bryophyta: Meteoriaceae) new to the Australian flora

Meteoriopsis undulata Horik. & Nog. (Bryophyta: Meteoriaceae), previously known only from Japan, Taiwan and China, is reported as new to Australia from two collections in the Wet Tropics of north-eastern Queensland. A revision of the current Australian moss key is suggested to accommodate this species.
Classification of Mangrove Species Using Combined WordView-3 and LiDAR Data in Mai Po Nature Reserve, Hong Kong

Mangroves have significant social, economic, environmental, and ecological values but they are under threat due to human activities. An accurate map of mangrove species distribution is required to effectively conserve mangrove ecosystem. This study evaluates the synergy of WorldView-3 (WV-3) spectral bands and high return density LiDAR-derived elevation metrics for classifying seven species in mangrove habitat in Mai Po Nature Reserve in Hong Kong, China. A recursive feature elimination algorithm was carried out to identify important spectral bands and LiDAR (Airborne Light Detection and Ranging) metrics whilst appropriate spatial resolution for pixel-based classification was investigated for discriminating different mangrove species. Two classifiers, support vector machine (SVM) and random forest (RF) were compared. The results indicated that the combination of 2 m resolution WV-3 and LiDAR data yielded the best overall accuracy of 0.88 by SVM classifier comparing with WV-3 (0.72) and LiDAR (0.79). Important features were identified as green (510–581 nm), red edge (705–745 nm), red (630–690 nm), yellow (585–625 nm), NIR (770–895 nm) bands of WV-3, and LiDAR metrics relevant to canopy height (e.g., canopy height model), canopy shape (e.g., canopy relief ratio), and the variation of height (e.g., variation and standard deviation of height). LiDAR features contributed more information than spectral features. The significance of this study is that a mangrove species distribution map with satisfactory accuracy can be acquired by the proposed classification scheme. Meanwhile, with LiDAR data, vertical stratification of mangrove forests in Mai Po was firstly mapped, which is significant to bio-parameter estimation and ecosystem service evaluation in future studies.
Perceived gender inequality, sexual communication self-efficacy, and sexual behaviour among female undergraduate students in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam.

BACKGROUND Worldwide, the literature on sexual behaviour has documented associations between gender-based relationship inequality and sexual communication ability and the actual use of condoms or other contraceptives among young women. This study aimed to examine these associations among undergraduate female students in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. METHODS A cross-sectional survey of 1181 female third-year students from two universities in the Mekong Delta was conducted. Latent variable modelling and logistic regression were employed to examine the hypothesised associations. RESULTS Among the 72.4% of students who had ever had boyfriends, 44.8% indicated that their boyfriends had asked for sex, 13% had had penile-vaginal sex and 10.3% had had oral sex. For those who had had penile-vaginal sex, 33% did not use any contraceptive method, including condoms, during their first sexual intercourse. The greater a student's perception that women were subordinate to men, the lower her self-efficacy for sexual communication and the lower her actual frequency of discussing safer sex matters and asking her partner to use a condom. Sexual communication self-efficacy was associated with actual contraceptive use (P=0.039) but only marginally with condom use (P=0.092) at first sexual intercourse. CONCLUSION Sexual health promotion strategies should address the influence of gender relations on young women's sexual communication self-efficacy and the subsequent impact on actual contraceptive and condom use.
Molecular diagnostic algorithm for epidermal growth factor receptor mutation detection in Asian lung adenocarcinomas: Comprehensive analyses of 445 Taiwanese patients with immunohistochemistry, PCR‐direct sequencing and Scorpion/ARMS methods

Therapeutic responses of lung adenocarcinoma patients to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) are closely associated with activating mutations within the EGFR tyrosine kinase domain. Screening activating EGFR mutations prior to selection for therapeutic strategy has been considered extremely valuable for clinical management of lung adenocarcinoma patients in Asian countries including Taiwan, where the EGFR mutation rate is higher than in the rest of the world. Currently there is no consensus on the method of choice to assess EGFR mutations in tumour tissue.