Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tubal surface lidocaine mediates pre-emptive analgesia in awake laparoscopic sterilization: a prospective, randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to determine whether lidocaine that is instilled onto the Fallopian tubes reduces pain scores in awake patients who undergo laparoscopic sterilization with Filshie clips. STUDY DESIGN This was a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, clinical trial study that was approved by our institutional review board. RESULTS Pain scores (visual analogue scales) were lower in the lidocaine group (n = 12 patients) than in the placebo group (n = 12 patients) at clip application (6 vs 71 mm; P <.0001) and after 15 minutes after operation (15.5 vs 44.5 mm; P <.005). No significant differences occurred at 1-hour after operation or discharge, but more rescue analgesia was required in the placebo group ( P <.05), with more side effects ( P <.05). In a separate group of 20 women, serum lidocaine levels were measured (maximum level, 16.0 micromol/L). Holter monitoring of these patients revealed no significant arrhythmias. CONCLUSION One percent lidocaine that is instilled onto the Fallopian tubes reduces pain scores in awake patients who undergo laparoscopic sterilization with Filshie clips.
Eotaxin‐1‐regulated eosinophils have a critical role in innate immunity against experimental Brugia malayi infection

Using two models of filarial infection in which Brugia malayi microfilariae (Mf) are contained in distinct anatomical compartments, in blood or tissue sites, we have demonstrated a critical role for eotaxin‐1 in parasite clearance. In the first model, implantation of adult B. malayi into the peritoneal cavity of eotaxin‐1–/– mice resulted in increased Mf survival associated with a dramatic reduction in peritoneal cavity eosinophilic infiltration. In the second model Mf were injected intravenously into eotaxin‐1–/– mice; Mf clearance from the blood was more rapid than in wild‐type mice and was associated with a pronounced blood eosinophilia, resulting from the inability of eosinophils to migrate to tissue sites in the absence of eotaxin‐1. (Eotaxin‐1 + IL‐5)–/– mice had extended Mf survival in the blood and significantly reduced blood eosinophil levels. Interestingly, rapid clearance of a secondary Mf infection following immunization was unaltered in either eotaxin‐1–/– mice or (eotaxin‐1 + IL‐5)–/– mice. Eosinophil peroxidase levels were high during primary, but not secondary infection, suggesting that eosinophil degranulation is important during primary Mf clearance. Thus, our data show that the presence of eosinophils is critical for innate clearance of B. malayi Mf infection, whereas rapid clearance of secondary infections is independent of both eotaxin‐1 and IL‐5.
Dietary sorbitol and mannitol: food content and distinct absorption patterns between healthy individuals and patients with irritable bowel syndrome.

BACKGROUND Sorbitol and mannitol are naturally-occurring polyol isomers. Although poor absorption and induction of gastrointestinal symptoms by sorbitol are known, the properties of mannitol are poorly described. We aimed to expand data on food composition of these polyols, and to compare their absorptive capacities and symptom induction in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and healthy individuals. METHODS Food samples were analysed for sorbitol and mannitol content. The degree of absorption measured by breath hydrogen production and gastrointestinal symptoms (visual analogue scales) was evaluated in a randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study in 21 healthy and 20 IBS subjects after challenges with 10 g of sorbitol, mannitol or glucose. RESULTS Certain fruits and sugar-free gum contained sorbitol, whereas mannitol content was higher in certain vegetables. Similar proportions of patients with IBS (40%) and healthy subjects (33%) completely absorbed sorbitol, although more so with IBS absorbed mannitol (80% versus 43%; P = 0.02). Breath hydrogen production was similar in both groups after lactulose but was reduced in patients with IBS after both polyols. No difference in mean (SEM) hydrogen production was found in healthy controls after sorbitol [area-under-the-curve: 2766 (591) ppm 4 h(-1) ] or mannitol [2062 (468) ppm 4 h(-1) ] but, in patients with IBS, this was greater after sorbitol [1136 (204) ppm 4 h(-1) ] than mannitol [404 (154) ppm 4 h(-1) ; P = 0.002]. Overall gastrointestinal symptoms increased significantly after both polyols in patients with IBS only, although they were independent of malabsorption of either of the polyols. CONCLUSIONS Increased and discordant absorption of mannitol and sorbitol occurs in patients with IBS compared to that in healthy controls. Polyols induced gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with IBS independently of their absorptive patterns, suggesting that the dietary restriction of polyols may be efficacious.
Independent Reading: The Relationship of Challenge, Non-Fiction and Gender to Achievement.

To explore whether different balances of fiction/non‐fiction reading and challenge might help explain differences in reading achievement between genders, data on 45,670 pupils who independently read over 3 million books were analysed. Moderate (rather than high or low) levels of challenge were positively associated with achievement gain, but non‐fiction read was generally more challenging than fiction. Non‐fiction reading was negatively correlated with successful comprehension and reading achievement gain. Overall, boys appeared to read less than girls, and proportionately more non‐fiction, but this less carefully—especially in the higher grades—and had lower reading achievement. Differences between classrooms in promoting successful comprehension of non‐fiction were evident, suggesting intervention could improve achievement. Implications for research and practice are explored.
Attitudes towards Women's Work Roles and Women Managers in a Sports Organization: The Case of Turkey

In recent years the need to apply gender equality principles to all sectors of Turkish society has been widely acknowledged and has become an increasingly important issue because of the modernization and recent Europeanization project of Turkey. However, even as this has been acknowledged, attempts to apply gender equality in employment in sports organizations have been mostly ignored. This article reports on the attitudes towards women's work roles and women managers of 83 women and 138 men who work in the General Directorate of Youth and Sport (GDYS) which is the biggest national governing body for sport in Turkey. The findings of this study indicate that both female and male workers in the GDYS scored lower on their attitudes towards women's work roles and held more negative attitudes towards women managers. Although male workers scored higher on attitudes towards women's work roles than female workers they held more negative attitudes towards women managers. In addition, femininity scores were found to be the only predictor of attitudes towards women's career advancement. Finally, we discussed these findings regarding previous studies and the sociocultural context of Turkey.
An EROI-based analysis of renewable energy farms with storage

Large renewable energy (RE) farms, such as wind or solar farms are usually sited in remote areas, far from the transmission grid which typically interconnects population centers. Thus, they need to be connected on expensive access lines (distribution feeders) with limited capacity. The excess of RE generation over line capacity is wasted; this is called curtailment. We study curtailment using the metric of energy return on investment (EROI), defined as the ratio of useful energy extracted from each unit of energy invested in creating the renewable energy generation system. Curtailment reduces EROI. It may appear that we can extract more energy from an RE farm and increase EROI by adding storage to the system, where this storage is charged during generation peaks and discharged during off-peak times. However, manufacturing the storage requires an energy investment, and, after a certain number of cycles of usage, the storage becomes non-functional. Thus, adding storage may actually decrease the EROI. In this work, we study the EROI for RE farms when used with several types of storage technologies. Unlike prior work that makes numerous simplifying assumptions, our work accounts for storage size and storage imperfections and uses actual traces of renewable power generation. We find that lithium-ion batteries increase the EROI of both wind and solar farms, unlike lead-acid batteries which generally decrease their EROI. We also show that increasing access line capacity to achieve a target EROI is much more expensive for solar farms than for wind farms.
Preliminary safety of bevacizumab with first-line Folfox, Capox, Folfiri and capecitabine for mCRC-First B.E.A.Trial.

3534 Background: In a phase III pivotal trial in patients (pts) with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), bevacizumab (BEV) increased overall survival by 30% when added to first-line IFL chemotherapy (CT). Safety data from controlled BEV trials have been described, and indicate that certain serious adverse events (SAE), primarily gastrointestinal (GI) perforations and arterial thromboembolic events (TE) occurred more often in pts who received CT with BEV than those who received CT alone. First BEAT was opened to evaluate safety events of BEV in a broader pt population using a variety of CT regimens. METHODS First BEAT started in June 2004 and aims to enrol up to 2000 mCRC pts in 41 countries. Eligible pts starting with first-line CT (physician's choice) are treated until progression with BEV (5mg/kg q2w [5FU based CT] or 7.5mg/kg q3w [capecitabine based CT]). SAEs include deaths, new and prolonged hospitalizations, life-threatening as well as medically significant events and are reported within 24 hours. There BEV-relatedness is assessed by investigators. RESULTS By Dec 20, 2005, 1915 pts had been enrolled in 40 countries. 1603/1915 pts (male 58%; median age 59 years [29% were > 65 years]; PS 0-1 99%) had baseline data available for analyses. Median follow-up was 6.7 months (mean 7.3); 1509 pts had been followed-up for >60 days. The most common first-line CT regimens used with BEV were FOLFOX (28%), CAPOX (17%), FOLFIRI (25%) and capecitabine (8%). Among the 1603 pts that had started treatment with BEV, 638 SAEs were reported in 394 pts (25%). 60-day mortality was 2.4%. The most common SAE were diarrhoea 2.7% and pyrexia 2.2% and were usually not attributed as related to BEV. Related SAEs were reported in 132 (8%) pts. venous TE 1.7%, pulmonary embolism 1.1%, bleeding 1.0%, GI perforation 0.9%, arterial TE 0.8%, hypertension 0.5% wound healing complications 0.3% were usually classified as related SAEs. CONCLUSIONS In this ongoing, large community-based study, the safety profile of BEV in first line mCRC pts receiving a variety of CT regimens, namely FOLFOX, CAPOX, FOLFIRI and capecitabine, appears consistent with that observed in large phase III randomised studies. Updated safety data, including grade 3/4 CTC toxicities, will be presented. [Table: see text].
Following the Preclinical Data: Leveraging the Abscopal Effect More Efficaciously

Radiotherapy is employed in the treatment of over 50% of cancer patients. However, this therapy approach is limited to mainly treating localized disease. In 1953, Mole described the remarkable abscopal effect, whereby, localized radiotherapy of a patient’s primary tumor might engender regression of cancer at distant sites, which were not irradiated. Current consensus is that if the abscopal effect can be efficaciously leveraged, it would transform the field of radiation oncology, extending the use of radiotherapy to treatment of both localized and metastatic disease. A close examination of the literature on the abscopal effect proffers a disruptive new hypothesis for consideration in future clinical trials. This hypothesis is that generating a subcutaneous human tumor autograft as the primary tumor may be a more efficacious approach to prime the abscopal effect. Following the preclinical data, the merits and demerits of such an approach are examined in this article.
Control of epileptic seizures by the basal ganglia: clinical and experimental approaches

As about one third of epileptic patients are resistant to antiepileptic drugs, and only 30% of them are candidates for resective surgery, it exists a great demand for the development of alternative surgical therapies. It has been shown in animal studies, that the basal ganglia and especially the substantia nigra (SN) are involved in the control of epilepsy. Clinical evidence, using either electrophysiological or imaging approaches, also supports the involvement of the basal ganglia in some epileptic syndromes. The influence of seizure spread into the basal ganglia in patients with focal epilepsies was investigated on the rate of secondary generalization. We showed that activation of the basal ganglia was associated with an inhibitory effect on seizure propagation, when seizures spread into the frontal lobe. The elucidation of inhibitory mechanisms in epilepsy may open a new approach for therapeutic strategies such as electrical deep brain stimulation. First open case series, investigating deep brain stimulation of the basal ganglia to suppress epileptic seizures, showed encouraging results in some patients. However, more preclinical studies are mandatory to investigate the optimal stimulation parameters. The aim of our experimental approach was to determine the optimal stimulation parameters to control spontaneous seizures in a genetic model of absence epilepsy in the rat. In this model, the optimal parameters of single substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr) stimulation were determined as bilateral, bipolar, monophasic, 60 Hz frequency and 60 µs pulse width. When these parameters were used for repeated stimulations, no long-term suppression and even increase of the number of seizures was observed. A delay of at least 60 sec was necessary between stimulations to be fully effective. Although single high-frequency stimulation of the SNr can be used to suppress ongoing seizures, repeated stimulation are ineffective and could even aggravate seizures, thus supporting the need of closed-loop stimulation procedures to chronically suppress seizures in therapeutical applications. Such an adaptative device would be effective only when detectable changes heralds the seizure onset. In a genetic model of absence epilepsy such changes in the EEG-coherence between the left and right SNr could be identified. Such changes might be used as an hallmark for adaptative procedures like triggered single stimulation to avoid the occurrence of the presumed seizures. To date it remains unknown, if such changes in coherence between left and right SNr, are specific to the model of GAERS and if such changes occur also in other animal models or humans with different epileptic syndromes. Accumulating evidences support that epilepsy is not a pathology restricted to the cortex as a seizure generator, but that subcortical structures are also involved, which might open new therapeutic options for patients who are pharmacoresistant and no candidates for a resective surgical treatment.
Repression in retrospect: constructing history in the `memory debate'

Psychologists have often been criticized for their reluctance to engage with history, so it is interesting to find that historical accounts play an important role in the recovered memory/false memory syndrome debate. Using techniques of rhetorical and discursive analysis, we examined accounts of the historical origins of repression and of battlefield trauma in popular texts. The flexible and selective nature of these accounts was highlighted, and was discussed in terms of the rhetorical practice of ontological gerrymandering. Also, the employment of discursive practices similar to Gilbert and Mulkay's (1984) `empiricist' and `contingent' repertoires was noted. We also comment upon how different understandings of the nature of history (as linear, cyclical, or geographical) were rhetorically employed by participants, and suggest that historical contexts are constructed for rhetorical effect.
Silent cerebral infarct definitions and full-scale IQ loss in children with sickle cell anemia

Objective To evaluate whether application of the adult definition of silent cerebral infarct (SCI) (T2-weighted hyperintensity ≥5 mm with corresponding T1-weighted hypointensity on MRI) is associated with full-scale IQ (FSIQ) loss in children with sickle cell anemia (SCA), and if so, whether this loss is greater than that of the reference pediatric definition of SCI (T2-weighted hyperintensity ≥3 mm in children on MRI; change in FSIQ −5.2 points; p = 0.017; 95% confidence interval [CI] −9.48 to −0.93). Methods Among children with SCA screened for SCI in the Silent Cerebral Infarct Transfusion trial, ages 5–14 years, a total of 150 participants (107 with SCIs and 43 without SCIs) were administered the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence. A multivariable linear regression was used to model FSIQ in this population, with varying definitions of SCI independently substituted for the SCI covariate. Results The adult definition of SCI applied to 27% of the pediatric participants with SCIs and was not associated with a statistically significant change in FSIQ (unstandardized coefficient −3.9 points; p = 0.114; 95% CI −8.75 to 0.95), with predicted mean FSIQ of 92.1 and 96.0, respectively, for those with and without the adult definition of SCI. Conclusions The adult definition of SCI may be too restrictive and was not associated with significant FSIQ decline in children with SCA. Based on these findings, we find no utility in applying the adult definition of SCI to children with SCA and recommend maintaining the current pediatric definition of SCI in this population.
Evaluating two group programmes of cognitive training in mild-to-moderate AD: Is there any difference between a ‘global’ stimulation and a ‘cognitive-specific’ one?

This study evaluated the efficacy of two different group procedures of non-pharmacological treatment in mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD). Thirty-two patients entered the study and were divided in groups of four subjects. We compared recreational activities (‘global’ stimulation) with a combination of procedural memory training on activities of daily living and neuropsychological rehabilitation of ‘residual’ functions (‘cognitive-specific’). All patients and caregivers were ensured psychological support. Both group treatments were delivered for six weeks. Multidimensional efficacy assessment of functional, behavioural and neuropsychological aspects was performed. Patients receiving ‘global’ stimulation showed a substantial reduction in behavioural disturbances (Neuropsychiatric Inventory [NPI]: frequency p = 0.034; severity p = 0.012); Revised Memory Behaviour Problems Checklist (frequency p = 0.008; reaction p = 0.027), and better performance in the Functional Living Skills Assessment (FLSA), a standardized direct measure of performance in everyday life (p = 0.021) and Verbal Fluency for Letters (p = 0.000). Patients receiving ‘cognitive-specific’ treatment improved only on the scale evaluating functional competence in daily living (Nurses’ Observation Scale for Geriatric Patients [NOSGER] p = 0.018). At follow-up (six months later), compared with baseline, patients following the ‘global’ stimulation treatment showed an improvement at caregiver distress on NPI (p = 0.04). No other significant difference was detected. Our results support the contention that a ‘global’ treatment can lead to a significant improvement in AD patients, both for behavioural and functional aspects. The ‘cognitive-specific’ treatment we used in this research did not show better efficacy.
Adverse Drug Reactions Causing Admission to a Paediatric Hospital

Objective(s) To obtain reliable information about the incidence of adverse drug reactions, and identify potential areas where intervention may reduce the burden of ill-health. Design Prospective observational study. Setting A large tertiary children’s hospital providing general and specialty care in the UK. Participants All acute paediatric admissions over a one year period. Main Exposure Any medication taken in the two weeks prior to admission. Outcome Measures Occurrence of adverse drug reaction. Results 240/8345 admissions in 178/6821 patients admitted acutely to a paediatric hospital were thought to be related to an adverse drug reaction, giving an estimated incidence of 2.9% (95% CI 2.5, 3.3), with the reaction directly causing, or contributing to the cause, of admission in 97.1% of cases. No deaths were attributable to an adverse drug reaction. 22.1% (95% CI 17%, 28%) of the reactions were either definitely or possibly avoidable. Prescriptions originating in the community accounted for 44/249 (17.7%) of adverse drug reactions, the remainder originating from hospital. 120/249 (48.2%) reactions resulted from treatment for malignancies. The drugs most commonly implicated in causing admissions were cytotoxic agents, corticosteroids, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, vaccines and immunosuppressants. The most common reactions were neutropenia, immunosuppression and thrombocytopenia. Conclusions Adverse drug reactions in children are an important public health problem. Most of those serious enough to require hospital admission are due to hospital-based prescribing, of which just over a fifth may be avoidable. Strategies to reduce the burden of ill-health from adverse drug reactions causing admission are needed.
When Liars Fool Themselves: Motive to Impress Alters Memory for One's Own Past Evaluative Actions

Previous research has shown that what we tell other people can impair accurate memory for what actually happened, and that tailoring descriptions of an event or person to an audience's known preferences can alter subsequent memory for ambiguous information—an effect that is more pronounced when people are more rather than less motivated to create a shared reality with the audience. The present studies investigated whether motives to impress an opposite-sex other might moderate memory for one's own past evaluative actions. In two studies, participants were more likely to misrepresent and misremember their previous survey responses when they expected to meet an attractive rather than unattractive member of the opposite sex who was known to have responded differently from them, even when they were offered a meaningful reward for memory accuracy. The results have relevance for theories of story retelling, audience tuning, and motivation to establish a shared reality.
Collective Political Action as Civic Voluntarism: Analysing Ethnic Associations as Political Participants by Translating Individual-level Theory to the Organizational Level

ABSTRACT This article presents and empirically evaluates an analytical experiment in which we seek to translate individual-level explanations of differences in political participation to an organizational level. Utilizing the Civic Voluntarism Model, we analyse the consequences of voluntary associations’ politically valuable ‘resources’, ‘motivation’, and ‘recruitment networks’. Using data from a survey of ethnic associations in Stockholm, Sweden, results suggest that the overall logic of how associational-level political participation is encouraged resembles corresponding mechanisms on the individual level. We conclude that both our theoretical argument and empirical findings merit further analyses of civil society actors’ political participation with the approach taken in this study.