Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Daily Diary Study of Personality Disorder Traits: Momentary Affect and Cognitive Appraisals in Response to Stressful Events

Difficulties in emotional expression and emotion regulation are core features of many personality disorders (PDs); yet, we know relatively little about how individuals with PDs affectively respond to stressful situations. The present study seeks to fill this gap in the literature by examining how PD traits are associated with emotional responses to subjective daily stressors, while accounting for cognition and type of stressor experienced (interpersonal vs. noninterpersonal). PD features were measured with the Schedule for Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality-2 (SNAP-2) diagnostic scores. Participants (N = 77) completed a 1-week experience sampling procedure that measured affect and cognition related to a current stressor 5 times per day. Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) was used to examine whether and how baseline PD features, momentary cognitions, and type of stressor predicted level of affect. Results demonstrated that paranoid, borderline, and avoidant PD traits predicted negative affect beyond what could be accounted for by cognitions and type of stressor. No PD traits predicted positive affect after accounting for the effects of cognitive appraisals and type of stressor. Findings have implications for validating the role of affect in PDs and understanding how individuals with PDs react in the presence of daily hassles.
Evaluation of Markers and Risk Prediction Models

Background. For the evaluation and comparison of markers and risk prediction models, various novel measures have recently been introduced as alternatives to the commonly used difference in the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (ΔAUC). The net reclassification improvement (NRI) is increasingly popular to compare predictions with 1 or more risk thresholds, but decision-analytic approaches have also been proposed. Objective. We aimed to identify the mathematical relationships between novel performance measures for the situation that a single risk threshold T is used to classify patients as having the outcome or not. Methods. We considered the NRI and 3 utility-based measures that take misclassification costs into account: difference in net benefit (ΔNB), difference in relative utility (ΔRU), and weighted NRI (wNRI). We illustrate the behavior of these measures in 1938 women suspect of having ovarian cancer (prevalence 28%). Results. The 3 utility-based measures appear to be transformations of each other and hence always lead to consistent conclusions. On the other hand, conclusions may differ when using the standard NRI, depending on the adopted risk threshold T, prevalence P, and the obtained differences in sensitivity and specificity of the 2 models that are compared. In the case study, adding the CA-125 tumor marker to a baseline set of covariates yielded a negative NRI yet a positive value for the utility-based measures. Conclusions. The decision-analytic measures are each appropriate to indicate the clinical usefulness of an added marker or compare prediction models since these measures each reflect misclassification costs. This is of practical importance as these measures may thus adjust conclusions based on purely statistical measures. A range of risk thresholds should be considered in applying these measures.
A Note on the Expected Biases in Conventional Iterative Health State Valuation Protocols

Background. Typical health state valuation exercises use tradeoff methods, such as the time tradeoff or the standard gamble, involving a series of iterated questions so that a value for each health state by each individual respondent is elicited. This iterative process is a source of potential biases, but this has not received much attention in the health state valuation literature. The issue has been researched widely in the contingent valuation (CV) literature, which elicits the monetary value of hypothetical outcomes. Methods. The lessons learned in the CV literature are revisited in the context of the design and administration of health state valuations. The article introduces the main known biases in the CV literature and then examines how each might affect conventional iterative health state valuations. Results. Of the 8 main types of biases, starting point bias, range bias, and incentive incompatibility bias are found to be potentially relevant. Furthermore, the magnitude and direction of the bases are unlikely to be uniform and depend on the range of the value (e.g., between 0 and 0.5). Limitation. This is an overview article, and the conclusions drawn need to be tested empirically. Conclusions. Health state valuation studies, like CV studies, are susceptible to a number of possible biases that affect the resulting values. Their magnitude and direction are unlikely to be uniform, and thus empirical studies are needed to diagnose the problem and, if necessary, to address it.
Early-onset Preeclampsia in Lupus Pregnancy.

BACKGROUND Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease that occurs during childbearing years and has been associated with preeclampsia. However, little is known about preeclampsia of early onset, which is associated with severe adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes. METHODS Using national population-based Swedish registers we identified women with SLE (≥2 visits with corresponding ICD codes) and a sample without SLE who gave birth to singleton infants 2001-12. Risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for early-onset preeclampsia (defined by ICD codes corresponding to preeclampsia registered at <34 weeks) in SLE women were calculated based on adjusted modified Poisson models for first, subsequent, and all pregnancies. RESULT Among 742 births to women with SLE and 10 484 births to non-SLE women, there were 32 (4.3%) and 55 (0.5%) diagnoses of early-onset preeclampsia respectively. SLE was associated with an increased risk of early-onset preeclampsia (RR 7.8, 95% CI 4.8, 12.9, all pregnancies). The association remained similar upon restriction to women without pregestational hypertension. Adjustment for antiphospholipid syndrome (APS)-proxy attenuated the association. RRs for early-onset preeclampsia were smaller for subsequent pregnancies (RR 4.7, 95% CI 2.0, 11.2) compared to first and all (see above). CONCLUSION Women with SLE are at increased risk of early-onset preeclampsia and this increased risk may be independent of the traditional risk factors such as pregestational hypertension, APS, BMI, or smoking. Women with SLE during pregnancy should be closely monitored for early-onset preeclampsia and future research needs to identify the non-traditional preeclampsia factors that might cause this serious outcome.
FXN Promoter Silencing in the Humanized Mouse Model of Friedreich Ataxia

Background Friedreich ataxia is caused by an expanded GAA triplet-repeat sequence in intron 1 of the FXN gene that results in epigenetic silencing of the FXN promoter. This silencing mechanism is seen in patient-derived lymphoblastoid cells but it remains unknown if it is a widespread phenomenon affecting multiple cell types and tissues. Methodology / Principal Findings The humanized mouse model of Friedreich ataxia (YG8sR), which carries a single transgenic insert of the human FXN gene with an expanded GAA triplet-repeat in intron 1, is deficient for FXN transcript when compared to an isogenic transgenic mouse lacking the expanded repeat (Y47R). We found that in YG8sR the deficiency of FXN transcript extended both upstream and downstream of the expanded GAA triplet-repeat, suggestive of deficient transcriptional initiation. This pattern of deficiency was seen in all tissues tested, irrespective of whether they are known to be affected or spared in disease pathogenesis, in both neuronal and non-neuronal tissues, and in cultured primary fibroblasts. FXN promoter function was directly measured via metabolic labeling of newly synthesized transcripts in fibroblasts, which revealed that the YG8sR mouse was significantly deficient in transcriptional initiation compared to the Y47R mouse. Conclusions / Significance Deficient transcriptional initiation accounts for FXN transcriptional deficiency in the humanized mouse model of Friedreich ataxia, similar to patient-derived cells, and the mechanism underlying promoter silencing in Friedreich ataxia is widespread across multiple cell types and tissues.
Small indigenous fish species in bangladesh: contribution to vitamin A, calcium and iron intakes.

Fish play an important role in the Bangladeshi diet, constituting the main and often irreplaceable animal source food in poor rural households. Fish consumption is dominated by wild small (length <25 cm) indigenous fish species (SIS). The vitamin A content in SIS varies, from <100 microg of retinol equivalents (RE)/100 g raw edible parts, to >2,500 microg RE/100 g raw edible parts in mola (Amblypharyngodon mola). The study addressed the dietary contribution of fish to vitamin A, calcium and iron intakes and the potential of integrating SIS, including mola, into existing carp polyculture ponds. Fish consumption (wild and cultured fish) was surveyed by 5-d recall interviews in 84 poor rural households in Kishoreganj district in 1997-1998. Fifty-nine of the households cultured carp and SIS in small (mean size 400 m2) domestic ponds. Total household fish consumption was unaffected by the domestic aquaculture production. SIS from wild sources contributed 84% of the total fish consumption. In the peak season (October), SIS contributed 40% (median 23%) of the recommended vitamin A intake at the household level (n = 84). Thirty-four households cultured mola along with carp. Cultured mola used for household consumption contributed 20% (median 18%) of the recommended intake of vitamin A at the household level. Wild SIS is an important source of vitamin A and calcium in Bangladesh. Mola can be integrated in existing carp culture without negative effects and can contribute to increased vitamin A intake in rural households.
Factors Associated with Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo: A Chinese Case-Control Study

Background Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is one of the most common and most successfully treated vestibular disorders. However, there is a lack of predictive factors for BPPV in clinical practice. We aimed to explore several possible predictive factors for BPPV in the Chinese population. Material/Methods We enrolled 240 patients with BPPV from Beijing Chaoyang Hospital between July 2013 and July 2016. Biochemical and hematological markers were obtained along with the history of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Results Serum uric acid (SUA) [279.0±84.7 vs. 331.0±82.7], hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) [5.75±1.17 vs. 6.61±1.00], albumin [38.1±3.71 vs. 40.9±4.1], and creatinine [68.4±19.3 vs. 81.5±24.1] were significantly lower in patients with BPPV compared with controls (P<0.05). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that lower levels of HbA1c and albumin were independently associated with BPPV (P<0.05), with odds ratio (OR) 0.680 (95% CI 0.551–0.839) and 0.338 (95% CI 0.190–0.603), respectively. However, the level of SUA was not independently related with BPPV [OR=0.999 (95% CI 0.991–1.006), P=0.713]. There were no significant differences between the parameters of systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, blood routine examination, lipid profiles, homocysteine, pre-albumin, and blood urea nitrogen in patients with BPPV vs. controls (P>0.05). Conclusions Lower levels of HbA1c and albumin were independently associated with BPPV. Although the level of SUA was lower in BPPV patients, SUA was not an independent risk factor for BPPV.
Association Mapping of Total Carotenoids in Diverse Soybean Genotypes Based on Leaf Extracts and High-Throughput Canopy Spectral Reflectance Measurements

Carotenoids are organic pigments that are produced predominantly by photosynthetic organisms and provide antioxidant activity to a wide variety of plants, animals, bacteria, and fungi. The carotenoid biosynthetic pathway is highly conserved in plants and occurs mostly in chromoplasts and chloroplasts. Leaf carotenoids play important photoprotective roles and targeted selection for leaf carotenoids may offer avenues to improve abiotic stress tolerance. A collection of 332 soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr. ] genotypes was grown in two years and total leaf carotenoid content was determined using three different methods. The first method was based on extraction and spectrophotometric determination of carotenoid content (eCaro) in leaf tissue, whereas the other two methods were derived from high-throughput canopy spectral reflectance measurements using wavelet transformed reflectance spectra (tCaro) and a spectral reflectance index (iCaro). An association mapping approach was employed using 31,253 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to identify SNPs associated with total carotenoid content using a mixed linear model based on data from two growing seasons. A total of 28 SNPs showed a significant association with total carotenoid content in at least one of the three approaches. These 28 SNPs likely tagged 14 putative loci for carotenoid content. Six putative loci were identified using eCaro, five loci with tCaro, and nine loci with iCaro. Three of these putative loci were detected by all three carotenoid determination methods. All but four putative loci were located near a known carotenoid-related gene. These results showed that carotenoid markers can be identified in soybean using extract-based as well as by high-throughput canopy spectral reflectance-based approaches, demonstrating the utility of field-based canopy spectral reflectance phenotypes for association mapping.
The complete mitochondrial genome of Numenius phaeopus (Charadriiformes, Scolopacidae)

Abstract The complete sequence of the mitochondrial DNA genome of Numenius phaeopus was determined using the polymerase chain reaction method. The whole genome (17,091 bp in length) contained 37 genes (13 protein-coding genes [PCGs], 2 rRNA genes and 22 tRNA genes) and a control region (D-loop), which was similar to the typical mtDNA of vertebrates. Almost all the PCGs in N. phaeopus were distributed on the H-strand, except for the ND6 subunit gene and eight tRNA genes, which were encoded on the L-strand.
Parent and Adolescent Agreement for Reports of Life Stressors

In this article, we investigated the extent and nature of informant discrepancies on parent- and adolescent self-report versions of a checklist measuring youth exposure to life stressors. Specifically, we examined (a) mean-level differences, relative consistency, and consensus for family-level and youth-specific stressors and (b) the utility of parent–youth discrepancies in accounting for variance in youth temperament and psychopathology. Participants were 106 parent–child dyads (47 male, 59 female; 90.6% mothers) aged 13 to 18 years old (M = 16.01, SD = 1.29). The results revealed evidence for both congruence and divergence in parent and youth reports, particularly with respect to respondents’ accounts of youth-specific stressors. Discrepancies for youth-specific stressors were associated with adolescents’ negative affectivity, surgency, effortful control, and internalizing problems. Discrepancies for youth stressors may therefore reveal individual differences in emotionality and self-regulation, thus reflecting meaningful variance in adolescents’ functioning.
Survival narratives : a means of protecting the self from the threats of psychosis

Survival Narratives: A Means of Protecting the Self from the Threats of Psychosis by Linda Walley A grounded theory methodology is used to investigate people with psychotic experiences’ constructions of their mental health problems. In-depth interviews were conducted on a sample of 9 people who had been given a diagnosis of schizophrenia. The focus of these interviews was on participants’ understanding of the difficulties which had brought them into contact with psychiatric services, and their beliefs about mental illness and schizophrenia in general. The methodological approach taken in this research contrasts with the traditional research in this area (on insight) which assumed that deviations from the expert view of a psychosis were either deficiencies or distortions of knowledge and were in fact a symptom of an underlying pathology. Furthermore, this research challenges the notion that the discourse of people experiencing psychosis is meaningless and unintelligible, and that it should be ignored, discouraged or modified. This research suggests that people with psychosis may develop narratives to account for their subjective experiences of psychotic phenomena in the context of meanings which are available in their culture and in the context of relationships with important others both past and present. The survival narratives evident in this research embodied the struggle that people with psychosis have in maintaining a positive identity, when the core areas of that identity are challenged both by their actual mental health problems as well as the stereotypes and prejudices of mental illness and schizophrenia found in society and in the psychiatric system. Professionals working with people with psychosis must be alert to the negative impact that these social constructions potentially have on people’s self-concept and identities, and begin to address this secondary disability both in their individual work and on a systemic level.
Preliminary support for a brief psychological intervention to improve first‐time hearing aid use among adults

Objectives Suboptimal hearing aid use extorts significant social, health, and economic costs. The aims of this study were to (1) test the novel hypothesis that the threat associated with being diagnosed with hearing loss could be ameliorated with a self‐affirmation manipulation and (2) gauge the feasibility of deploying the manipulation in routine clinical practice. Design Parallel groups randomized controlled trial with 10‐week follow‐up. Method Fifty people, newly prescribed with a hearing aid, completed either a questionnaire that included a brief self‐affirming exercise or an identical questionnaire with no self‐affirming exercise. The main outcome measure was derived from data logging automatically stored by the hearing aid. Perceived threat (‘anxiety about ageing’), behavioural intention, and self‐efficacy were measured as potential mediators. Results Objectively measured hours of daily hearing aid use were marginally higher in the intervention group compared with the control group (between‐group difference = 1.94 hr, 95%CI = −1.24, 5.12, d = 0.43). At follow‐up, participants in the intervention group were significantly less anxious about ageing and more accepting of older people than were participants in the control group (between‐group difference = 0.75, 95%CI = 0.26, 1.22, d = 0.87). There was no statistically significant effect of the intervention on behavioural intention or self‐efficacy. Conclusions Although not statistically significant, the magnitude of the effect of the intervention on hearing aid use (d = 0.43) suggests that it would be worthwhile working towards a fully powered randomized controlled trial. The ability to reduce anxieties about ageing with this brief intervention could have far‐reaching benefits for multiple patient and general population groups. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Hearing impairment is more disabling than diabetes, yet hearing aid use is suboptimal. Anxieties about ageing may undermine hearing aid use. What does this study add? The study tests a brief theory‐based psychological intervention to reduce anxiety about ageing and promote hearing aid use. Results show that the brief psychological intervention reduced anxiety and marginally increased objective hearing aid use. Further work is required to identify other situations in which anxieties about ageing undermine behaviour change efforts. The very brief, flexible nature of the intervention means it could be adapted and deployed in numerous other health care settings.
Retinal detachment and glaucoma in the Boston Terrier and Shih Tzu following phacoemulsification (135 patients): 2000–2014

OBJECTIVES To report the cumulative incidence of retinal detachment (RD) and glaucoma following phacoemulsification in Boston Terriers and Shih Tzu in the southeastern United States over a 14-year period and investigate the potential predisposing risk factors. METHODS Medical records of 83 Shih Tzu and 52 Boston Terriers that underwent phacoemulsification between 2000 and 2014, with or without intraocular lens placement, were reviewed. For a comparison population, phacoemulsification data from 45 Labrador Retrievers, 73 Schnauzers, and 159 Bichon Frises were evaluated. Information collected included signalment, concurrent systemic diseases, preoperative findings, surgical details, postoperative complications, and duration of follow-up. Percentages of patients to develop RD and glaucoma were assessed, as well as potential risk factors. Minimum of 3 months of follow-up after surgery was required for inclusion. RESULTS Retinal detachment occurred in 7.7% (7/91 eyes) and 8.9% (11/123 eyes) and glaucoma occurred in 38.0% (35/91 eyes) and 29.3% (36/123 eyes) of Boston Terriers and Shih Tzu, respectively. Mean follow-up time was 804 days. Neither Boston Terriers nor Shih Tzu were at increased risk for RD or glaucoma when compared to the other breeds, and no significant risk factors for either breed were identified in the final multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS The cumulative incidence of RD in Boston Terrier and Shih Tzu reported here was in agreement with previously reported nonbreed specific percentages (2.7-8.4%). The cumulative incidence of glaucoma in this population of Boston Terriers and Shih Tzu was higher than previously reported nonbreed specific percentages (5.1-18.8%).
Optogenetic Inhibition of Dorsal Medial Prefrontal Cortex Attenuates Stress-Induced Reinstatement of Palatable Food Seeking in Female Rats

Relapse to maladaptive eating habits during dieting is often provoked by stress. Recently, we identified a role of dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) neurons in stress-induced reinstatement of palatable food seeking in male rats. It is unknown whether endogenous neural activity in dorsal mPFC drives stress-induced reinstatement in female rats. Here, we used an optogenetic approach, in which female rats received bilateral dorsal mPFC microinjections of viral constructs coding light-sensitive eNpHR3.0–eYFP or control eYFP protein and intracranial fiber optic implants. Rats were food restricted and trained to lever press for palatable food pellets. Subsequently, pellets were removed, and lever pressing was extinguished; then the effect of bilateral dorsal mPFC light delivery on reinstatement of food seeking was assessed after injections of the pharmacological stressor yohimbine (an α-2 andrenoceptor antagonist) or pellet priming, a manipulation known to provoke food seeking in hungry rats. Dorsal mPFC light delivery attenuated yohimbine-induced reinstatement of food seeking in eNpHR3.0-injected but not eYFP-injected rats. This optical manipulation had no effect on pellet-priming-induced reinstatement or ongoing food-reinforced responding. Dorsal mPFC light delivery attenuated yohimbine-induced Fos immunoreactivity and disrupted neural activity during in vivo electrophysiological recording in awake rats. Optical stimulation caused significant outward currents and blocked electrically evoked action potentials in eNpHR3.0-injected but not eYFP-injected mPFC hemispheres. Light delivery alone caused no significant inflammatory response in mPFC. These findings indicate that intracranial light delivery in eNpHR3.0 rats disrupts endogenous dorsal mPFC neural activity that plays a role in stress-induced relapse to food seeking in female rats.