Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nursing Praxis in New Zealand.

The global burden of stroke is increasing. Many stroke survivors live with significant impairment; the care and support they and their families require is complex. Literature indicates some evidence to support the routine provision of information to stroke survivors and their families, but the best way to provide information is unclear. We undertook a mixed methods descriptive survey to ascertain information needs of stroke families through identifying current practice and resources, the appropriateness, accessibility, timeliness and information gaps. The survey, which is embedded in a longitudinal research programme titled ‘Stroke Families Whānau Programme’, was used to gain an understanding of family members’ (n=19) and practitioners’ (n=23) opinions on information provision post-stroke. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected via face-to-face interviews. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse quantitative data; content analysis was used for qualitative data. We found that for families, access to information was variable, both in quality and timeliness. Most described being overwhelmed initially with information they could not absorb; then later floundering as they had to find their own way through the maze. Few could recall information that focused specifically on them as family members. Health professionals described a range of resources and practices used to provide information. They identified barriers to effective provision of information, including language and other communication barriers, time constraints and workload issues. Most did not assess health literacy levels or consider family needs to be separate to or different from the stroke survivor’s. We concluded that access to appropriate information post-stroke was problematic for most families and was compounded by the nature of the experience; shock following the sudden onset and adjusting to changed family dynamics. Health professionals recognised the limitations of resources, time, and funding alongside the need for timely, quality education for families post-stroke, however, a gap was identified between health professionals’ theoretical understanding of best practice in information provision and their actual practice.
The outcome in patients with BRAF‐mutated metastatic melanoma treated with anti‐programmed death receptor‐1 monotherapy or targeted therapy in the real‐world setting

Abstract Background Immunotherapy and targeted therapy are currently two alternative backbones in the therapy of BRAF‐mutated malignant melanoma. However, predictive biomarkers that would help with treatment selection are lacking. Methods This retrospective study investigated outcomes of anti‐programmed death receptor‐1 monotherapy and targeted therapy in the first‐line setting in patients with metastatic BRAF‐mutated melanoma, focusing on clinical and laboratory parameters associated with treatment outcome. Results Data from 174 patients were analysed. The median progression‐free survival (PFS) was 17.0 months (95% CI; 8–39) and 12.5 months (95% CI; 9–14.2) for immunotherapy and targeted therapy, respectively. The 3‐year PFS rate was 39% for immunotherapy and 25% for targeted therapy. The objective response rate was 72% and 51% for targeted therapy and immunotherapy. The median overall (OS) survival for immunotherapy has not been reached and was 23.6 months (95% CI; 16.1–38.2) for targeted therapy, with a 3‐year survival rate of 63% and 40%, respectively. In a univariate analysis, age < 70 years, a higher number of metastatic sites, elevated serum LDH and a neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio above the cut‐off value were associated with inferior PFS regardless of the therapy received, but only serum LDH level and the presence of lung metastases remained significant predictors of PFS in a multivariate analysis. Conclusions Present real‐world data document the high effectiveness of immunotherapy and targeted therapy. Although targeted therapy had higher response rates, immunotherapy improved PFS and OS. While the prognostic value of LDH was confirmed, the potential use of blood cell count‐derived parameters to predict outcomes needs further investigation.
L1-based compression of random forest models

Random forests are effective supervised learning methods applicable to large-scale datasets. However, the space complexity of tree ensembles, in terms of their total number of nodes, is often prohibitive, spe- cially in the context of problems with very high-dimensional input spaces. We propose to study their compressibility by applying a L1-based regu- larization to the set of indicator functions defined by all their nodes. We show experimentally that preserving or even improving the model accuracy while significantly reducing its space complexity is indeed possible.
Depolarizing Effect of Neocortical Chandelier Neurons

Chandelier (or axo-axonic) cells are one of the most distinctive types of GABAergic interneurons in the cortex. Although they have traditionally been considered inhibitory neurons, data from rat and human neocortical preparations suggest that chandelier cells have a depolarizing effect on pyramidal neurons at resting membrane potential, and could even activate synaptic chains of neurons. At the same time, recent results from rat hippocampal chandeliers indicate a predominantly inhibitory effect on their postsynaptic targets. To better understand the function of chandelier neurons, we generated Nkx2.1Cre MADM mice, a strain of genetically engineered animals that, by expressing GFP in a subset of neocortical interneurons, enable the identification and targeting of chandelier cells in living brain slices. Using these mice, we characterized the basic electrophysiological properties of a homogeneous population of chandelier neurons from upper layers of somatosensory cortical slices. These chandelier cells have characteristic axon cartridges and stereotypical electrophysiological features, distinguishable from basket cells. To investigate the effect of chandelier cells on target neurons, we performed paired recordings from chandeliers and postsynaptic pyramidal cells. In both perforated patch and cell-attached configurations, chandelier PSPs have in every case a reversal potential that is depolarized from rest. Our results support the idea that chandelier cells depolarize pyramidal neurons and could potentially have an excitatory effect on the network at rest.
The impact of urinary incontinence on quality of life of the elderly.

OBJECTIVES To investigate the impact of urinary incontinence (UI) on health-related quality of life (QOL), as measured by the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF-36) and to compare UI and non-UI elderly Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in managed care plans on the prevalence of depression and self-rated health. METHODS After excluding beneficiaries younger than 65 years old, a total of 141 815 completed surveys were used for analysis. The survey included 1 question on difficulty in controlling urination, 3 questions on depression, 3 questions on health, a series of questions regarding comorbid medical conditions, and the SF-36. Self-rated health, prevalence of depression, and scores in each domain of QOL were compared between UI and non-UI groups. RESULTS Overall, the prevalence of UI was 24.7% (20.9% in men, 27.5% in women). The UI group was about twice as likely to feel depressed as the non-UI group. The UI group also rated their health more negatively. Compared with continent respondents, those who were incontinent had lower standardized scores on all 8 subscales of SF-36 as well as 2 summary scores. Results from multiple regressions indicated that UI had a significantly negative impact on all aspects of QOL after adjusting for comorbidities and demographic differences. CONCLUSION Findings indicate that elderly patients with UI are more depressed and have worse perceived health. On certain domains of QOL, the negative impact of UI even surpasses that of other severe comorbidities.
Letter from the Editor-in-Chief

In this issue of the Journal I would like to highlight the article by Dr. Mann and his colleagues entitled ‘‘Cardioversion and Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation Using Novel Oral Anticoagulants’’. This article tackles the very important topic of the role of novel anticoagulants in the daily practice of physicians who treat patients with atrial fibrillation and perform cardioversions and catheter ablations.
Biomedical Implant Capsule Formation: Lessons Learned and the Road Ahead

AbstractClinicians and investigators have been implanting biomedical devices into patients and experimental animals for centuries. There is a characteristic complex inflammatory response to the presence of the biomedical device with diverse cell signaling, followed by migration of fibroblasts to the implant surface and the eventual walling off of the implant in a collagen capsule. If the device is to interact with the surrounding tissues, the collagen envelope will eventually incapacitate the device or myofibroblasts can cause capsular contracture with resulting distortion, migration, or firmness. This review analyzes the various tactics used in the past to modify or control capsule formation with suggestions for future investigative approaches.
Beta blockers, norepinephrine, and cancer: an epidemiological viewpoint

: There is growing evidence that the neurotransmitter norepinephrine (NE) and its sister molecule epinephrine (EPI) (adrenaline) affect some types of cancer. Several recent epidemiological studies have shown that chronic use of beta blocking drugs (which antagonize NE/EPI receptors) results in lower recurrence, progression, or mortality of breast cancer and malignant melanoma. Preclinical studies have shown that manipulation of the levels or receptors of NE and EPI with drugs affects experimentally induced cancers. Psychological stress may play an etiological role in some cases of cancer (which has been shown epidemiologically), and this could be partly mediated by NE and EPI released by the sympathetic nervous system as part of the body’s “fight or flight” response. A less well-appreciated phenomenon is that the genetic tone of NE/EPI may play a role in cancer. NE and EPI may affect cancer by interact-ing with molecular pathways already implicated in abnormal cellular replication, such as the P38/MAPK pathway, or via oxidative stress. NE/EPI-based drugs other than beta blockers also may prevent or treat various types of cancer, as may cholinesterase inhibitors that inhibit the sympathetic nervous system, which could be tested epidemiologically. Clinical Epidemiology is an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal focusing on disease and drug epidemiology, identification of risk factors and screening procedures to develop optimal preventative initiatives and programs. Specific topics include: diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, screening, prevention, risk factor modification, systematic reviews, risk & safety of medical interventions, epidemiology & bio- statical methods, evaluation of guidelines, translational medicine, health policies & economic evaluations. The manuscript management system is completely online and includes a very quick and fair peer-review system, which is all easy to use.
The BGP Visibility Toolkit: Detecting Anomalous Internet Routing Behavior

In this paper, we propose the BGP Visibility Toolkit, a system for detecting and analyzing anomalous behavior in the Internet. We show that interdomain prefix visibility can be used to single out cases of erroneous demeanors resulting from misconfiguration or bogus routing policies. The implementation of routing policies with BGP is a complicated process, involving fine-tuning operations and interactions with the policies of the other active ASes. Network operators might end up with faulty configurations or unintended routing policies that prevent the success of their strategies and impact their revenues. As part of the Visibility Toolkit, we propose the BGP Visibility Scanner, a tool which identifies limited visibility prefixes in the Internet. The tool enables operators to provide feedback on the expected visibility status of prefixes. We build a unique set of ground-truth prefixes qualified by their ASes as intended or unintended to have limited visibility. Using a machine learning algorithm, we train on this unique dataset an alarm system that separates with 95% accuracy the prefixes with unintended limited visibility. Hence, we find that visibility features are generally powerful to detect prefixes which are suffering from inadvertent effects of routing policies. Limited visibility could render a whole prefix globally unreachable. This points towards a serious problem, as limited reachability of a non-negligible set of prefixes undermines the global connectivity of the Internet. We thus verify the correlation between global visibility and global connectivity of prefixes.
17-DMAG diminishes hemorrhage-induced small intestine injury by elevating Bcl-2 protein and inhibiting iNOS pathway , TNF-alpha increase , and caspase-3 activation

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Effect of floor type on carcass and meat quality of pen raised growing rabbits

The aim of the experiment was to compare the carcass and meat quality traits of growing rabbits housed on different floor types. At the age of 35 d, rabbits (n=126) were randomly sorted into 3 groups and housed in pens with different floor types: plastic-mesh, deep-litter straw or wire-mesh. Slaughter weight, carcass and its parts’ weight, meat ( Longissimus thoracis et lumborum [LL] muscle and hind leg) pH and colour, oxidative status and fatty acid profile were measured and correlations calculated. The deep-litter straw rabbits showed the lowest pHu and b* values of LL muscle and oxidation of the both muscles. The fatty acid profile of LL muscle of deep-litter straw rabbits showed a higher percentage of monounsaturated fatty acids and long chain n-3 polyunsaturated (PUFA) fatty acids, whereas the content of 18:2n-6 and total PUFA was lower. We concluded that housing the growing rabbits on wire- or plastic-mesh floors showed no substantial differences, while housing rabbits on deep-litter negatively affected certain qualitative traits.
Epidemiology of Foot and Mouth Disease in Ethiopia: a Retrospective Analysis of District Level Outbreaks, 2007-2012.

This study aimed at determining the incidence, distribution, risk factors, and causal serotypes of foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks in Ethiopia based on 5 years of retrospective outbreak data (September 2007 until August 2012). District level outbreak data were collected from 115 randomly selected districts using a questionnaire administered to district animal health officers. The national incidence of FMD outbreaks during the study period was 1.45 outbreaks per five district years. Outbreaks were geographically widespread affecting all major regional states in the country and were more frequent in the central, southern, and southeastern parts of the country. Neither long-term nor seasonal trends were observed in the incidence of outbreaks. A mixed effects logistic regression analysis revealed that the type of production system (market oriented system versus subsistence systems), presence of a major livestock market and/or route, and adjacency to a national parks or wildlife sanctuary were found to be associated with increased risk of outbreaks in the districts. FMD virus serotypes O, A, SAT 2, and SAT 1 were identified as the causal serotypes of the outbreaks during the study period. Whereas O was the dominant serotype, SAT 2 was the serotype that showed increase in relative frequency of occurrence. The estimated incidence of outbreaks is useful in assessing the economic impacts of the disease, and the identified risk factors provide important knowledge to target a progressive FMD control policy for Ethiopia.
A Simulation Tool for Dynamic Contrast Enhanced MRI

The quantification of bolus-tracking MRI techniques remains challenging. The acquisition usually relies on one contrast and the analysis on a simplified model of the various phenomena that arise within a voxel, leading to inaccurate perfusion estimates. To evaluate how simplifications in the interstitial model impact perfusion estimates, we propose a numerical tool to simulate the MR signal provided by a dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) MRI experiment. Our model encompasses the intrinsic and relaxations, the magnetic field perturbations induced by susceptibility interfaces (vessels and cells), the diffusion of the water protons, the blood flow, the permeability of the vessel wall to the the contrast agent (CA) and the constrained diffusion of the CA within the voxel. The blood compartment is modeled as a uniform compartment. The different blocks of the simulation are validated and compared to classical models. The impact of the CA diffusivity on the permeability and blood volume estimates is evaluated. Simulations demonstrate that the CA diffusivity slightly impacts the permeability estimates ( for classical blood flow and CA diffusion). The effect of long echo times is investigated. Simulations show that DCE-MRI performed with an echo time may already lead to significant underestimation of the blood volume (up to 30% lower for brain tumor permeability values). The potential and the versatility of the proposed implementation are evaluated by running the simulation with realistic vascular geometry obtained from two photons microscopy and with impermeable cells in the extravascular environment. In conclusion, the proposed simulation tool describes DCE-MRI experiments and may be used to evaluate and optimize acquisition and processing strategies.
Microscopic Analysis of the Uplink Interference in FDMA Small Cell Networks

In this paper, we analytically derive an upper bound on the error in approximating the uplink (UL) single-cell interference by a lognormal distribution in frequency division multiple access (FDMA) small cell networks (SCNs). Such an upper bound is measured by the Kolmogorov-Smirnov (KS) distance between the actual cumulative density function (CDF) and the approximate CDF. The lognormal approximation is important because it allows tractable network performance analysis. Our results are more general than the existing works in the sense that we do not pose any requirement on 1) the shape and/or size of cell coverage areas; 2) the uniformity of user equipment (UE) distribution; and 3) the type of multipath fading. Based on our results, we propose a new framework to directly and analytically investigate a complex network with practical deployment of multiple BSs placed at irregular locations, using a power lognormal approximation of the aggregate UL interference. The proposed interference analysis is particularly useful for the 5th generation (5G) systems with more general cell deployment and UE distribution beyond the widely used Poisson distribution.
Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli diarrhoea in rural and urban populations in Yugoslavia

SUMMARY During a 4-month period during the summer of 1985, campylobacters were isolated from 338 (16·3%) of 2080 patients with acute diarrhoea attending the University Hospital of Infectious Diseases in Zagreb. Of these isolates 220 (64·1%) were Campylobacter jejuni and 118 (34·9%) were C. coli. The patients were drawn from three residential zones in and around Zagreb: inner city, peripheral city and rural. Incidences of campylobacter diarrhoea ranged from 71 per 100 000 per year in inner city residents to 99 per 100 000 per year in the rural residents. Most infections were in young children; the incidence in infants ranged from 800 to 2500 per 100 000 per year in the inner city and rural zones respectively. The isolation rate from faecal specimens of infants from the rural zone was 61%. The ratio of isolation rates in males and females (all ages) was 1·1:1, but in infants it was 0·7:1 and in patients over the age of 65 years it was 0·4:1. The incidence of C. coli in the rural zone was four times that in the inner city and twice that in the peripheral zone. This survey shows that campylobacter infection in Zagreb has distinctive epidemiological features. The transmission of infection appears to be midway between that found in industrialized and developing countries, and there is an unexplained excess of C. coli infection.
The Presence of Ankylosaur Tracks in the Guará Formation (Brazil) and Remarks on the Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Late Jurassic Dinosaurs

ABSTRACT The Guará Formation (Paraná Basin, southern Brazil) is an Upper Jurassic unit that yielded a dinosaur ichnoassemblage composed of theropod, ornithopod, and sauropod tracks. A new set of footprints is described herein and its major features are heteropody, paraxony, and both manual and pedal tetradactyly, among others. Using ichnological, osteological, and stratigraphic approaches, we interpret these tracks as produced by an ankylosaur dinosaur. The record of these armored dinosaurs in South America is scarce and restricted to the Cretaceous units of Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil. Therefore, the presence of these tracks in the Guará Formation provides the oldest evidence of ankylosaurs in western Gondwana and the first uncontroversial record of this group in Brazil. In addition, a comparison between the Guará Formation fossil record and other Kimmeridgian–Tithonian dinosaur-bearing units worldwide indicates that more efforts are needed to better understand the geographical distribution of Late Jurassic dinosaurs.
5-Fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin (mFOLFOX6) plus sunitinib or bevacizumab as first-line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer: a randomized Phase IIb study

Background Sunitinib is an oral inhibitor of tyrosine kinase receptors implicated in tumor proliferation, angiogenesis, and metastasis. In this randomized, multicenter, open-label Phase IIb study, sunitinib plus mFOLFOX6 (oxaliplatin plus leucovorin plus 5-fluorouracil) was compared with bevacizumab plus mFOLFOX6 as first-line therapy in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. Methods Patients were stratified by performance status, baseline lactate dehydrogenase level, and prior adjuvant treatment, and randomized 1:1 to receive sunitinib 37.5 mg/day for 4 weeks on and 2 weeks off plus mFOLFOX6 every 2 weeks or bevacizumab 5 mg/kg every 2 weeks plus mFOLFOX6 every 2 weeks. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival. Secondary endpoints included objective response rate, overall survival, safety, and quality of life. Results Enrollment was closed early following accrual of 191 patients, based on an interim analysis showing an inferior trend in the primary progression-free survival efficacy endpoint for sunitinib. Ninety-six patients were randomized to sunitinib plus mFOLFOX6 and 95 to bevacizumab plus mFOLFOX6. Median progression-free survival was 9.3 months and 15.4 months, respectively, but the objective response rate was similar between the study arms. Median overall survival was 23.7 months and 34.1 months, respectively. Dose reductions and interruptions were more common with sunitinib. Hematologic toxicity was more common in the sunitinib arm. Conclusion While the results of the sunitinib arm are comparable with those of previously reported FOLFOX combinations, the sunitinib-based combination was associated with more toxicity than that observed with bevacizumab and mFOLFOX6. The bevacizumab arm had an unexpectedly good outcome, and was much better than that seen in the Phase III trials. Combination therapy with sunitinib plus mFOLFOX6 is not recommended for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.