Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Determinants of female sexual orgasms

Background The pursuit of sexual pleasure is a key motivating factor in sexual activity. Many things can stand in the way of sexual orgasms and enjoyment, particularly among women. These are essential issues of sexual well-being and gender equality. Objective This study presents long-term trends and determinants of female orgasms in Finland. The aim is to analyze the roles of factors such as the personal importance of orgasms, sexual desire, masturbation, clitoral and vaginal stimulation, sexual self-esteem, communication with partner, and partner’s sexual techniques. Design In Finland, five national sex surveys that are based on random samples from the central population register have been conducted. They are representative of the total population within the age range of 18–54 years in 1971 (N=2,152), 18–74 years in 1992 (N=2,250), 18–81 years in 1999 (N=1,496), 18–74 years in 2007 (N=2,590), and 18–79 years in 2015 (N=2,150). Another dataset of 2,049 women in the age group of 18–70 years was collected in 2015 via a national Internet panel. Results Contrary to expectations, women did not have orgasms that are more frequent by increasing their experience and practice of masturbation, or by experimenting with different partners in their lifetime. The keys to their more frequent orgasms lay in mental and relationship factors. These factors and capacities included orgasm importance, sexual desire, sexual self-esteem, and openness of sexual communication with partners. Women valued their partner’s orgasm more than their own. In addition, positive determinants were the ability to concentrate, mutual sexual initiations, and partner’s good sexual techniques. A relationship that felt good and worked well emotionally, and where sex was approached openly and appreciatively, promoted orgasms. Conclusion The findings indicate that women differ greatly from one another in terms of their tendency and capacity to experience orgasms. The improvements in gender equality and sexual education since the 1970s have not helped women to become more orgasmic. Neither has the major increase in masturbation habits (among women in general). One challenge for future studies is to understand why women value their partner’s orgasms more than their own.
Human papillomavirus 16 and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Evidence suggests that human papillomavirus (HPV)16 seropositivity reflects past HPV16 exposure and is associated with risk for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Our objectives were to test the hypothesis that HPV16 seropositivity is associated with risk for HNSCC, to correlate HPV16 seropositivity with HPV16 tumor DNA, and to correlate HPV16 seropositivity and HPV16 DNA with sexual history and patient survival. In a case–control study of approximately 1,000 individuals, we assessed serology to the HPV16 L1 protein and in cases only, assayed tumors for HPV16 DNA. HPV16 seropositivity was associated with 1.5‐ and 6‐fold risks for tumors of the oral cavity and pharynx, respectively. There was a dose response trend for HPV16 titer and increasing risk of HNSCC (p < 0.0001) and HPV16 tumor DNA (p < 0.0001). In cases, HPV16 DNA and seropositivity were significantly associated with sexual activity; odds ratios (ORs) of 12.8 and 3.7 were observed for more than 10 oral sexual partners and ORs of 4.5 and 3.2 were associated with a high number of lifetime sexual partners, respectively. Finally, HPV16 seropositivity and HPV16 tumor DNA were associated with hazard ratios of 0.4 and 0.5, respectively, indicating better survival for HPV positive individuals. HPV16 seropositivity was associated with risk for HNSCC, with greatest risk for pharyngeal cancer. We observed dose response relationships between serology titer and both risk for HNSCC and HPV16 tumor DNA. In cases, HPV16 tumor DNA and positive serology were associated with sexual history and improved disease free survival. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The effect of monitoring of antibiotic use on decreasing antibiotic resistance in the hospital.

In Greece, antibiotic over-consumption and high resistance rates run in parallel. In the spring of 1989 surveillance of 12500 Gram-negative strains, derived from 55 hospitals from all over Greece, revealed that resistance rates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter spp. , Klebsiella spp. and Acinetobacter spp. to antimicrobial agents introduced after 1985 exceeded 50%. As a consequence, the application of (1) rules of hospital hygiene, (2) educational small group programs, and (3) an antibiotic policy aiming to restrict antibiotic use, was decided in Laiko General Hospital. Since 1989, imipenem, the newer quinolones, vancomycin, aztreonam and third-generation cephalosporins were only ordered to the hospital pharmacy after completion of a specific request form, which since 1991 has been more detailed and which can be signed only by physicians with interest in infectious diseases. In 1991, in cooperation with the pharmacy, an audit program was added requiring a final inspection of the already approved request forms by an infectious diseases specialist. Any disagreement was discussed with the physicians in charge. Consumption data were analysed monthly and discussed with each department. Newer antibiotic consumption in a selected month (November) of three consecutive years, before (1991) and after the application of the audit program (1992-1995) has been analysed. Results reveal a decrease in consumption of restricted antibiotics, especially in surgical departments and in kidney transplantation units, without simultaneous increase in consumption of the non-restricted compounds. Since 1994, resistance has decreased remarkably. However, the resistance of quinolones is increasing steeply. Consequently, for the last 12 months quinolones have been removed from the hospital formulary. An audit program requires close co-operation of physicians, pharmacists and, particularly, of surgeons, in the application of a correct prophylaxis regimen. It seems to be efficacious in reducing both resistance rates and total antibiotic consumption.
Regional risk of tuberculosis and viral hepatitis with tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitor treatment: A systematic review

Background: TNFα inhibitors are regularly used to treat autoimmune diseases. Tuberculosis (TB) and viral hepatitis B are considered potential infectious complications, and screening and surveillance are therefore recommended. Current guidelines do not take into account regional differences in endemicity of these infections. Methods: A systematic literature review of TB and viral hepatitis in patients receiving TNFα-inhibitors was performed, searching in PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE and Web of Science databases. Studies were selected against predefined eligibility criteria and assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. The number of TB and viral hepatitis cases/1,000 TNFα-inhibitor patients were evaluated, and regional variation compared. Results: 105 observational studies involving over 140,000 patients were included. Overall, 1% of patients developed TB or viral hepatitis B. TB cases/1,000 TNFα-inhibitor patients were 4-fold higher in Asia, Africa, and South America than in Europe, North America, and Australasia where only 0%–0.4% of patients developed TB. Hepatitis B cases/1,000 patients were over 15-fold higher in countries with high prevalence (China, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand) compared with low prevalence (p < 0.00001) where only 0.4% of patients developed hepatitis B. Only three of 143 patients developed viral hepatitis C, and there was insufficient data to allow regional sub-analysis. Conclusion: TB and viral hepatitis B infections in patients treated with TNFα inhibitors are largely confined to countries with high prevalence of these infections. As only 1/2,500 patients in low prevalence countries treated with TNFα inhibitors develop TB or viral hepatitis B, we suggest an individualized, risk-based approach, rather than universal screening for all patients.
Global Security Watch—China

This book presents a comprehensive overview of China's main foreign and defense policies, providing students, policy makers, and general readers with an up-to-date assessment of this most important country. Global Security Watch—China presents a comprehensive overview of the main foreign and defense policies of the People's Republic of China, emphasizing the political-military developments in the modern era since the 1989 Tiananmen Square incident. It provides a historical overview in the first chapter, followed by information on the domestic factors that affect Chinese national security, such as economics, society, and politics; China's external objectives; its global energy strategy; and its defense policies and security objectives. Drawing upon a wide variety of domestic and foreign primary sources, the work details China's policies and its relationships with the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, Asia, and Eurasia. It includes biographical sketches of select individuals of importance to modern Chinese history, such as Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping. Appropriate for audiences ranging from university students to policy makers to general readers, this book is an excellent resource for academic libraries and suitable as a textbook for courses on contemporary Chinese politics and international relations.
Additional record of Batasio merianiensis (Chaudhuri 1913), a catfish (Teleostei: Bagridae) in upper Brahmaputra River drainage in Arunachal Pradesh, India

This paper communicates the extension of the distribution range of Batasio merianiensis in Sille River in the upper Brahmaputra drainage, East Siang District, Arunachal Pradesh. Detailed examinations of the specimens revealed existence of few morphological variations against those reported by Heok Hee Ng in 2009 on the following characteristics: by having a longer preanal (70.4-73.4 vs. 66.3-68.2% SL); a longer prepectoral (25.1-29.3 vs. 21.4-25.7% SL); a longer adipose-fin base (22.0-27.6 vs. 16.9-22.2% SL); a shorter post-adipose distance (11.6-13.4 vs.13.4-15.5% SL); a deeper body at anus (depth 18.3-20.8 vs.15.2-18.4% SL) and broader head (width 17.6-20.0 vs.13.5-16.2 % HL). Few additional characters of the fish are included along with brief information on its habitat. The LIPUM, the semi-traditional method of fishing in the river is identified as a major threat to this species.
Assessment of eco-diversity status of Homalomena aromatica (Spreng.) Schott and its habitat in tropical forest of Indian Eastern Himalaya

Homalomena aromatica (Spreng.) Schott is one of the economically important plant species occurring in the North east and Eastern Himalayan region of India which received least attention in its ecological and conservation studies. The current study has been undertaken in the north eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh. The population, phytosociological status of its habitat, regeneration and species association of H. aromatica were worked out using standard ecological methods. Out of the 15 selected forest sites for survey, H. aromatica was found only in 9 sites. A total of 288 species representing 99 families are documented from the selected sites where Euphorbiaceae, Meliaceae, Araceae, Dipterocarpaceae and Poaceae are found dominant in all the 9 sites. Species diversity index (H? ) of all the three habits i.e. the tree, shrub, and herb were found highest in Happy Valley site followed by Ganga Lake. A total of 219 individuals of H. aromatica recorded which were found confined within the altitudinal ranges of 350m-450m asl. The IVI (1.95 to 9.64) and Frequency % (5 to 12.5) range of H. aromatica found significantly low at all the survey sites. Pearson’s correlation analysis reveals that there is a positive relationship between the population size and the species diversity index, where shrub showed the strongest relationship (r(7)=0.900, P=0.001) followed by tree r(7)=0.736, P=0.024 and the herbs with weakest relationship (r(7)=0.39, P=0.269). The Chi-square test of association indicated significant association of 10 species with H. aromatica in the various sites where Alocasia acuminate (Aracaceae), Amomum sp. (Zingiberaceae) and Pteris sp. (Pteridaceae) showed highest association with higher Chi square value. The poor population status with average density of 3041.67/hectare and 8.89 frequency percentage as well the existing anthropogenic threats to the species recorded in the present study has warrants for its immediate conservation.
Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Urolithiasis Effects of Polyphenolic Compounds from Quercus gilva Blume

Quercus gilva Bume (QGB, family Fagaceae) is a tall evergreen oak species tree that grows in warm temperate regions in Korea, Japan, China and Taiwan. Quercus plants have long been the basis of traditional medicines. Their clinical benefits according to traditional medicine include relief of urolithiasis, tremors and inflammation. In the present study, the anti-urolithiasis activity including anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative activities, of some phenolic compounds isolated from QGB were described. Seven compounds were isolated and identified as picraquassioside D (1), quercussioside (2), (+)-lyoniresinol-9′α-O-β-d-xylopyranoside (3), (+)-catechin (4), (−)-epicatechin (5), procyanidin B-3 (6), and procyanidin B-4 (7). Compounds 5–7 showed potent anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activities. These compounds were further tested for their inhibition of the gene expression of the inflammatory cytokines. The three compounds 5–7 showed dose-dependent inhibitory activities on gene expression of COX-2 and IL-1β. In vivo, urolithiasis was induced more effectively in an animal model of acute urolithiasis by the administration of QGB extract. These results indicate the potential of compounds from QGB in the treatment of urolithiasis.
Brain anomalies in children exposed prenatally to a common organophosphate pesticide

Prenatal exposure to chlorpyrifos (CPF), an organophosphate insecticide, is associated with neurobehavioral deficits in humans and animal models. We investigated associations between CPF exposure and brain morphology using magnetic resonance imaging in 40 children, 5.9–11.2 y, selected from a nonclinical, representative community-based cohort. Twenty high-exposure children (upper tertile of CPF concentrations in umbilical cord blood) were compared with 20 low-exposure children on cortical surface features; all participants had minimal prenatal exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. High CPF exposure was associated with enlargement of superior temporal, posterior middle temporal, and inferior postcentral gyri bilaterally, and enlarged superior frontal gyrus, gyrus rectus, cuneus, and precuneus along the mesial wall of the right hemisphere. Group differences were derived from exposure effects on underlying white matter. A significant exposure × IQ interaction was derived from CPF disruption of normal IQ associations with surface measures in low-exposure children. In preliminary analyses, high-exposure children did not show expected sex differences in the right inferior parietal lobule and superior marginal gyrus, and displayed reversal of sex differences in the right mesial superior frontal gyrus, consistent with disruption by CPF of normal behavioral sexual dimorphisms reported in animal models. High-exposure children also showed frontal and parietal cortical thinning, and an inverse dose–response relationship between CPF and cortical thickness. This study reports significant associations of prenatal exposure to a widely used environmental neurotoxicant, at standard use levels, with structural changes in the developing human brain.
Longitudinal trends in use and costs of targeted therapies for common cancers in Taiwan: a retrospective observational study

Objectives Some targeted therapies have improved survival and overall quality of cancer care generally, but these increasingly expensive medicines have led to increases in pharmaceutical expenditure. This study examined trends in use and expenditures of antineoplastic agents in Taiwan, and estimated market shares by prescription volume and costs of targeted therapies over time. We also determined which cancer types accounted for the highest use of targeted therapies. Design This is a retrospective observational study focusing on the utilisation of targeted therapies for treatment of cancer. Setting The monthly claims data for antineoplastic agents were retrieved from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database (2009–2012). Main outcome measures We calculated market shares by prescription volume and costs for each class of antineoplastic agent by cancer type. Using a time series design with Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) models, we estimated trends in use and costs of targeted therapies. Results Among all antineoplastic agents, use of targeted therapies grew from 6.24% in 2009 to 12.29% in 2012, but their costs rose from 26.16% to 41.57% in that time. Monoclonal antibodies and protein kinase inhibitors contributed the most (respectively, 23.84% and 16.12% of costs for antineoplastic agents in 2012). During 2009–2012, lung (44.64% of use; 28.26% of costs), female breast (16.49% of use; 27.18% of costs) and colorectal (12.11% of use; 13.16% of costs) cancers accounted for the highest use of targeted therapies. Conclusions In Taiwan, targeted therapies are increasingly used for different cancers, representing a substantial economic burden. It is important to establish mechanisms to monitor their use and outcomes.
Productivity, Output, and Failure: A Comparison of Taiwanese and Korean Manufacturers

We use micro panel data for producers in seven two-digit manufacturing industries in South Korea and Taiwan and identify a number of systematic differences in industry structure between the countries. Our empirical findings indicate Taiwanese industries are characterised by less concentrated market structure, more producer turnover, smaller within-industry productivity dispersion across producers, a smaller percentage of plants operating at low productivity levels, and smaller productivity differentials between surviving and failing producers. These patterns are consistent with strong competitive pressures in Taiwan that lead to market selection based on productivity differences. The patterns in Korea are consistent with the presence of some impediments to exit or entry that insulate inefficient producers from market pressures.
Increased Frequency of Circulating Follicular Helper T Cells in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Follicular helper T (Tfh) cells are recognized as a distinct CD4+ helper T-cell subset, which provides for B-cell activation and production of specific antibody responses, and play a critical role in the development of autoimmune disease. So far, only one study investigated the circulating Tfh cells increased in a subset of SLE patients. Since relatively little is known about the Tfh cells in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, in this study, Tfh-cell frequency, related cytokine IL-21, and transcription factor Bcl-6 were investigated in 53 patients with RA and 31 health controls. Firstly, we found that the frequency of CD4+CXCR5+ICOShigh Tfh cells was increased significantly in the peripheral blood of RA patients, compared with that in healthy controls. It is known that Tfh cells are critical for directing the development of an antibody response by germinal centers B cells; secondly, we observed that the Tfh-cell frequency is accompanied by the level of anti-CCP antibody in RA patients. Furthermore, expression of Bcl-6 mRNA and plasma IL-21 concentrations in RA patients was increased. Taken together, these findings have shown that the increased frequency of circulating Tfh cells is correlated with elevated levels of anti-CCP antibody, indicating the possible involvement of Tfh cells in the disease progression of RA.
Evidence of a previously undocumented epidemic of HIV infection among men who have sex with men in Bangkok, Thailand

Background:The HIV prevalence and associated risk behaviours in Thai men who have sex with men (MSM) are unknown. This information is crucial to inform and implement targeted preventive interventions for this population. Methods:A cross-sectional assessment, using venue–day–time sampling, was conducted. Participants were 1121 Thai men who were 18 years or older, were residents of Bangkok, and reported anal or oral sex with a man during the past 6 months. Oral fluid specimens were tested for HIV antibody. Demographic and behavioural data were collected using an interviewer-administered Palm based automated questionnaire. Results:HIV prevalence was 17.3% (194 of 1121). Mean age was 26.9 years (median 25 years), and university education was completed by 42.5%. Sex with men and women during the past 6 months was reported by 22.3%; sex with a woman ever, 36%; and unprotected sexual intercourse during the past 3 months, 36.0%. Alcohol use during the past 3 months was common (73.7%); drug use was rare (2.5%). Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed lower education, recruitment from a park, self-identification as homosexual, receptive and insertive anal intercourse, more years since first anal intercourse, and more male sex partners to be significantly and independently associated with HIV prevalence. Conclusions:HIV infection is common among MSM in Bangkok. HIV prevention programs are urgently needed to prevent further spread of HIV in this young and sexually active population.
Evaluation of oseltamivir prophylaxis regimens for reducing influenza virus infection, transmission and disease severity in a ferret model of household contact

Objectives The emergence of the pandemic influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus in 2009 saw a significant increase in the therapeutic and prophylactic use of neuraminidase inhibitors (NAIs) to mitigate the impact of this highly transmissible virus. Prior to the pandemic, many countries stockpiled NAIs and developed pandemic plans for the use of antiviral drugs, based on either treatment of high-risk individuals and/or prophylaxis of contacts. However, to date there has been a lack of in vivo models to test the efficacy of treatment or prophylaxis with NAIs, for influenza-infected individuals or exposed contacts, in a household setting. Methods A ferret model of household contact was developed to study the efficacy of different prophylaxis regimens in preventing infection in contact ferrets exposed to influenza A(H1N1)pdm09-infected index ferrets. Results Among the different prophylactic regimens, contact ferrets receiving oseltamivir prophylaxis twice daily showed better outcomes than those receiving oseltamivir once daily. Benefits included a significant delay in the time to secondary infection, lower weight loss and higher activity levels. The treatment of index ferrets at 36 h post-infection did not influence either secondary infection rates or clinical symptoms in exposed contact ferrets. Neither prophylaxis nor treatment prevented infection or reduced the duration of viral shedding, although clinical symptoms did improve in infected animals receiving prophylaxis. Conclusions Different oseltamivir prophylaxis regimens did not prevent infections, but consistently resulted in a reduction in symptoms in infected ferrets. However, oseltamivir prophylaxis failed to reduce viral titres, which warrants further investigation in humans.