Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pediatric health-related quality of life questionnaires in clinical trials

Purpose of review This review summarizes recent studies on the feasibility, reliability and validity of pediatric health-related quality of life questionnaires and gives an overview of recent applications of these measures in pediatrics. Recent findings The often-applied short form of the Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ-PF28) provides reliable physical and psychosocial summary measures, but reliable estimates for each scale require the longer version (CHQ-PF50). In addition to this questionnaire, the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory is another reliable and valid measure. The TNO-AZL Preschool Children Quality of Life questionnaire is a feasible and reliable measure for preschool children. Generally, generic questionnaires are less sensitive to the impact of specific diseases than are disease-specific questionnaires. Parent and self-reports provide different outlooks on quality of life, which complement each other. Summary There are several feasible, reliable and validated pediatric quality of life questionnaires that can be used in clinical trials. These include generic and disease-specific questionnaires and health profile measures, as well as preference-based measures in pediatric settings. Generally, a combination of these types of questionnaires would be the most appropriate approach. Moreover, a combination of parent and self-reports should be applied. Appropriate selection of outcome measures will enhance the quality of pediatric studies and the ability to assess treatment effects in clinical trials.
Clinical implications of viral activity in dual infection with hepatitis B and C in chronic liver disease.

BACKGROUND There is limited information on the clinical and biochemical profile of chronic liver disease due to dual infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. There are variable reports on the severity of liver disease in dual infections. This is important, from clinical and therapeutic point of view. The present study analyzes liver disease in dual infections as compared to HBV and HCV infection present alone. MATERIAL AND METHODS Out of 186 histologically proven non-alcoholic chronic liver disease patients, 30 (16.1%) were serologically diagnosed to be HBV and HCV dual infection (Group A, n=30). The clinical profile of these patients was compared with consecutively seen HBV related (Group B, n=30) and HCV related chronic liver disease (Group C, n=30) patients. Patients with dual infection were further grouped based on predominant HBV or HCV viral activity. RESULTS Patients with dual infection were younger than those with chronic HCV infection (38.4 +/- 14.4 vs. 45.9 +/- 14.7 years, p < 0.05); with male predominance (p=0.06). Patients with chronic HCV infection more often presented with low-grade fever than dual infection group (60% vs. 30%, p < 0.05). Ascites and variceal bleeding were common presentations of HBV related cirrhosis. Patients with dual infection had significantly more deranged liver functions. The duration of illness was shorter in these patients compared with chronic HCV (2.9 +/- 1.6 vs. 7.3 +/- 1.4 year, p < 0.05). When patients with dual infection were subgrouped on HBV DNA and HCV RNA positivity, there was a tendency for increased biochemical derangement with active HBV infectionity. CONCLUSIONS Our results highlight the fact that patients with HBV and HCV dual infection related chronic liver disease have a more aggressive course. There is a tendency for a more severe liver disease when HBV is active in the dual infection group.
ORGAN AND EFFECTIVE DOSE COEFFICIENTS FOR CRANIAL AND CAUDAL IRRADIATION GEOMETRIES: NEUTRONS

Dose coefficients based on the recommendations of International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) Publication 103 were reported in ICRP Publication 116, the revision of ICRP Publication 74 and ICRU Publication 57 for the six reference irradiation geometries: anterior-posterior, posterior-anterior, right and left lateral, rotational and isotropic. In this work, dose coefficients for neutron irradiation of the body with parallel beams directed upward from below the feet (caudal) and downward from above the head (cranial) using the ICRP 103 methodology were computed using the MCNP 6.1 radiation transport code. The dose coefficients were determined for neutrons ranging in energy from 10-9 MeV to 10 GeV. At energies below about 500 MeV, the cranial and caudal dose coefficients are less than those for the six reference geometries reported in ICRP Publication 116.
A 31p nuclear magnetic resonance study in vivo of metabolic abnormalities in rats with acute liver failure

31P NMR spectroscopy was used in conjunction with conventional biochemical techniques to study metabolic abnormalities in normal rats, in rats with CCl4‐induced acute liver failure and in rats with paracetamol‐induced acute liver failure. Studies were carried out before and after a metabolic challenge in the form of a fructose infusion. Prior to fructose infusion the ATP levels in the groups with acute liver failure were significantly lower than in control rats, despite their having a similar ATP/Pi ratio. Following a fructose infusion in control animals, the changes in phosphomonoesters, ATP and inorganic phosphate were consistent with previously reported findings. However, in both test groups the percentage changes in phosphomonoesters and ATP were significantly smaller. Intracellular pH declined in control animals, but did not change significantly in the animals with acute liver failure. Fructose clearance from the blood in control animals was not significantly different from that in animals with CCl4‐induced acute liver failure. Metabolic changes measured using a horizontal magnet were very similar to those obtained with a vertical magnet.
Age at onset and familial risk in Alzheimer's disease.

OBJECTIVE The authors investigated the relationship between probands' age at onset of Alzheimer's disease with the risk of primary progressive dementia in the probands' first-degree relatives. METHOD Two hundred probands with clinically diagnosed Alzheimer's disease and 179 nondemented elderly probands were recruited from the Mount Sinai Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, located at Mount Sinai Hospital and the Bronx Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Demographic and diagnostic data were collected on 1,398 of the first-degree relatives of the probands with Alzheimer's disease and 955 first-degree relatives of the nondemented probands. RESULTS Cox proportional hazards regression analysis showed a significant inverse relationship between age at onset of Alzheimer's disease in probands and greater familial risk in their relatives. Follow-up analyses indicated that the most commonly used age at onset cutoff point--65 years--was one of the points where an association with familial aggregation is least likely to be revealed; other onset cutoff ages (e.g., 55, 70, and 75) better identified Alzheimer's disease groups with differing familial/genetic risks. CONCLUSIONS The authors conclude that patients with an earlier age at onset of Alzheimer's disease are more likely to have relatives with Alzheimer's disease than are patients with a later age at onset of the disease. An onset age of 70 best differentiated probands whose relatives were at higher risk from those whose relatives were at lower risk.
Time-Space Sampling and Mobile Device Calibration for WiFi Indoor Location Systems

Indoor location systems based on IEEE 802.11b (WiFi) mobile devices often rely on the received signal strength indicator to estimate the user position. Two key characteristics of these systems have not yet been fully analyzed, namely, the temporal and spatial sampling process required to adequately describe the distribution of the electromagnetic field in indoor scenarios; and the device calibration, necessary for supporting different mobile devices within the same system. By using a previously proposed nonparametric methodology for system comparison, we first analyzed the time-space sampling requirements for WiFi indoor location systems in terms of conventional sampling theory and system performance. We also proposed and benchmarked three new algorithms for device calibration, with increasing levels of complexity and performance. We conclude that feasible time and space sampling rates can be used, and that calibration algorithms make possible the handling of previously unknown mobile devices in the system.
Self-Reported and Measured Sleep Duration: How Similar Are They?

Background: Recent epidemiologic studies have found that self-reported duration of sleep is associated with obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and mortality. The extent to which self reports of sleep duration are similar to objective measures and whether individual characteristics influence the degree of similarity are not known. Methods: Eligible participants at the Chicago site of the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study were invited to participate in a 2003–2005 ancillary sleep study; 82% (n = 669) agreed. Sleep measurements collected in 2 waves included 3 days each of wrist actigraphy, a sleep log, and questions about usual sleep duration. We estimate the average difference and correlation between subjectively and objectively measured sleep by using errors-in-variables regression models. Results: Average measured sleep was 6 hours, whereas the average from subjective reports was 6.8 hours. Subjective reports increased on average by 34 minutes for each additional hour of measured sleep. Overall, the correlation between reported and measured sleep duration was 0.47. Our model suggests that persons sleeping 5 hours over-reported their sleep duration by 1.2 hours, and those sleeping 7 hours over-reported by 0.4 hours. The correlations and average differences between self-reports and measured sleep varied by health, sociodemographic, and sleep characteristics. Conclusion: In a population-based sample of middle-aged adults, subjective reports of habitual sleep are moderately correlated with actigraph-measured sleep, but are biased by systematic over-reporting. The true associations between sleep duration and health may differ from previously reported associations between self-reported sleep and health.
Perspectiva Masculina

After receiving a cancer diagnosis, couples commonly face significant difficulties such as adjusting to new family roles, diminishing cohesion and communication, and increases in marital conflict. Latina breast cancer survivors report feeling less emotional support from their partners and an intimate partners’ level of distress can have a deleterious influence on the cancer survivor. The current study explores the influence of breast cancer on Latino male partners. Analysis of the data resulted in nine domains that provide significant insight into participant experiences. Results of this study also suggest several implications for counselors.
The application of ground force explains the energetic cost of running backward and forward.

We compared backward with forward running to test the idea that the application of ground force to support the weight of the body determines the energetic cost of running. We hypothesized that higher metabolic rates during backward versus forward running would be directly related to greater rates of ground force application and the volume of muscle activated to apply support forces to the ground. Four trained males ran backward and forward under steady-state conditions at eight treadmill speeds from 1.75 to 3.50 m x s(-1). Rates of oxygen uptake were measured to determine metabolic rates, and inverse periods of foot-ground contact (1/tc) were measured to estimate rates of ground force application. As expected, at all eight speeds, both metabolic rates and estimated rates of ground force application were greater for backward than for forward running. At the five slowest speeds, the differences in rates of ground force application were directly proportional to the differences in metabolic rates between modes (paired t-test, P<0.05), but at the three highest speeds, small but significant differences in proportionality were present in this relationship. At one of these three higher speeds (3.0 m x s(-1)), additional measurements to estimate muscle volumes were made using a non-invasive force plate/video technique. These measurements indicated that the volume of muscle active per unit of force applied to the ground was 10+/-3% greater when running backward than forward at this speed. The product of rates of ground force application and estimated muscle volumes predicted a difference in metabolic rate that was indistinguishable from the difference we measured (34+/-6% versus 35+/-6%; means +/- s.e.m., N=4). We conclude that metabolic rates during running are determined by rates of ground force application and the volume of muscle activated to apply support forces to the ground.
Aerobic high-intensity intervals improve VO2max more than moderate training.

PURPOSE The present study compared the effects of aerobic endurance training at different intensities and with different methods matched for total work and frequency. Responses in maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), stroke volume of the heart (SV), blood volume, lactate threshold (LT), and running economy (CR) were examined. METHODS Forty healthy, nonsmoking, moderately trained male subjects were randomly assigned to one of four groups:1) long slow distance (70% maximal heart rate; HRmax); 2)lactate threshold (85% HRmax); 3) 15/15 interval running (15 s of running at 90-95% HRmax followed by 15 s of active resting at 70% HRmax); and 4) 4 x 4 min of interval running (4 min of running at 90-95% HRmax followed by 3 min of active resting at 70%HRmax). All four training protocols resulted in similar total oxygen consumption and were performed 3 d.wk for 8 wk. RESULTS High-intensity aerobic interval training resulted in significantly increased VO2max compared with long slow distance and lactate-threshold training intensities (P<0.01). The percentage increases for the 15/15 and 4 x 4 min groups were 5.5 and 7.2%, respectively, reflecting increases in V O2max from 60.5 to 64.4 mL x kg(-1) x min(-1) and 55.5 to 60.4 mL x kg(-1) x min(-1). SV increased significantly by approximately 10% after interval training (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS : High-aerobic intensity endurance interval training is significantly more effective than performing the same total work at either lactate threshold or at 70% HRmax, in improving VO2max. The changes in VO2max correspond with changes in SV, indicating a close link between the two.
An Overview on Resource Allocation Techniques for Multi-User MIMO Systems

Remarkable research activities and major advances have been occurred over the past decade in multiuser multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) systems. Several transmission technologies and precoding techniques have been developed in order to exploit the spatial dimension so that simultaneous transmission of independent data streams reuse the same radio resources. The achievable performance of such techniques heavily depends on the channel characteristics of the selected users, the amount of channel knowledge, and how efficiently interference is mitigated. In systems where the total number of receivers is larger than the number of total transmit antennas, user selection becomes a key approach to benefit from multiuser diversity and achieve full multiplexing gain. The overall performance of MU-MIMO systems is a complex joint multi-objective optimization problem since many variables and parameters have to be optimized, including the number of users, the number of antennas, spatial signaling, rate and power allocation, and transmission technique. The objective of this literature survey is to provide a comprehensive overview of the various methodologies used to approach the aforementioned joint optimization task in the downlink of MU-MIMO communication systems.
miR-22 Inhibits Estrogen Signaling by Directly Targeting the Estrogen Receptor α mRNA

ABSTRACT Estrogen receptor α (ERα) is a ligand-regulated transcription factor with a broad range of physiological functions and one of the most important classifiers in breast cancer. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that have emerged as important regulators of gene expression in a plethora of physiological and pathological processes. Upon binding the 3′ untranslated region (UTR) of target mRNAs, miRNAs typically reduce their stability and/or translation. The ERα mRNA has a long 3′ UTR of about 4.3 kb which has been reported to reduce mRNA stability and which bears evolutionarily conserved miRNA target sites, suggesting that it might be regulated by miRNAs. We have performed a comprehensive and systematic assessment of the regulatory role of all miRNAs that are predicted to target the 3′ UTR of the ERα mRNA. We found that miR-22 represses ERα expression most strongly and by directly targeting the ERα mRNA 3′ UTR. Of the three predicted miR-22 target sites in the 3′ UTR, the evolutionarily conserved one is the primary target. miR-22 overexpression leads to a reduction of ERα levels, at least in part by inducing mRNA degradation, and compromises estrogen signaling, as exemplified by its inhibitory impact on the ERα-dependent proliferation of breast cancer cells.
Development of a Competitive Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay for Detection of Antibodies against the 3B Protein of Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus

ABSTRACT Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is one of the most highly contagious and economically devastating diseases, and it severely constrains the international trade of animals. Vaccination against FMD is a key element in the control of FMD. However, vaccination of susceptible animals raises critical issues, such as the differentiation of infected animals from vaccinated animals. The current study developed a reliable and rapid test to detect antibodies against the conserved, nonstructural proteins (NSPs) of the FMD virus (FMDV) to distinguish infected animals from vaccinated animals. A monoclonal antibody (MAb) against the FMDV NSP 3B was produced. A competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA) for FMDV/NSP antibody detection was developed using a recombinant 3ABC protein as the antigen and the 3B-specific MAb. Sera collected from naive, FMDV experimentally infected, vaccinated carrier, and noncarrier animals were tested using the 3B cELISA. The diagnostic specificity was 99.4% for naive animals (cattle, pigs, and sheep) and 99.7% for vaccinated noncarrier animals. The diagnostic sensitivity was 100% for experimentally inoculated animals and 64% for vaccinated carrier animals. The performance of this 3B cELISA was compared to that of four commercial ELISA kits using a panel of serum samples established by the World Reference Laboratory for FMD at The Pirbright Institute, Pirbright, United Kingdom. The diagnostic sensitivity of the 3B cELISA for the panel of FMDV/NSP-positive bovine serum samples was 94%, which was comparable to or better than that of the commercially available NSP antibody detection kits. This 3B cELISA is a simple, reliable test to detect antibodies against FMDV nonstructural proteins.
The relationship between job strain and coronary heart disease: evidence from an English sample of the working male population

Background. Many, but not all, studies have reported that job strain is related to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. To date, this relationship has not been tested on an English full population sample. This study examines whether the demand–control model of job strain contributes to our understanding of the determinants of coronary heart disease. Methods. The analysis uses data from 4350 working men aged 20–64 in the 1993 Health Survey for England. Job demand and control characteristics were determined by questionnaire. Several health outcomes were examined: self-rated health; psychiatric health; angina and possible myocardial infarction, measured by the Rose questionnaire; doctor-diagnosed heart disease; any heart disease. The relationship between job strain and the health outcomes was determined by logistic regression analyses after controlling for known confounders. Results. Those in high strain jobs consistently reported poorer health on all measures than men with lower strain. Similarly, men reporting low job strain were least likely to report poor health in 5/6 health outcomes. Those with intermediate levels of strain tended to have intermediate prevalence rates for poor health. The pattern of association between job strain and the CHD was independent of coronary risk factors. Conclusions. The analyses broadly support Karasek's demand–control model of job strain. Health selection into low strain jobs may account for the lack of an association between job strain and doctor diagnosed heart disease while independent associations between job strain and all CHD measures considered together indicate that job strain may have aetiological significance for heart disease.
Cross‐sectional study of the case–fatality rate among patients with visceral leishmaniasis infections during pregnancy in Sudan

Among patients who were pregnant and had visceral leishmaniasis infections at Gadarif Hospital, Sudan, a case–fatality rate of 18% was recorded. Visceral leishmaniasis is an endemic disease in tropical and subtropical regions [1–3]. The aim of the present cross-sectional, hospital-based study was to calculate the case–fatality rate of visceral leishmaniasis (the number of maternal deaths due to visceral leishmaniasis per 100 patients with visceral leishmaniasis) and to investigate factors associated with visceral leishmaniasis-related maternal death at Gadarif Hospital, Sudan. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Multiple measures of socio-economic position and psychosocial health: proximal and distal measures.

BACKGROUND The aim of this paper is to compare three models for exploring the links between different measures of adult socioeconomic position (SEP)-education, occupation, income-and psychosocial health. Model I is a basic univariate regression model with psychosocial health as the outcome and a measure of SEP as the predictor. Model II is a multiple regression model with psychosocial health as the outcome with all three measures of SEP allocated the same temporal position as predictors. Model III treats education, a distal measure of SEP, as antecedent to the proximal measures of SEP in the prediction equations linking SEP to health. METHODS Participants were drawn from the Whitehall II study, a prospective cohort study of British civil servants. Data analysed here are from Phase 5 (1997-1999) of data collection, 7830 individuals in all. The measures of SEP and psychosocial health were assessed via a self-administered questionnaire. RESULTS The three models can lead to completely different conclusions. Model III, our preferred model, shows education to have a stronger indirect effect on psychosocial health when compared to its direct effect. The indirect effect is due to the effect of education on proximal measures of social position, occupation, and income in this case. CONCLUSIONS Results reported here support the hypothesis that a comparison of the relative importance of the different measures of social position in predicting health is meaningless if the causal relationships among these measures are not accounted for.