Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Differential Effects of Nebivolol and Metoprolol on Central Aortic Pressure and Left Ventricular Wall Thickness

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the vasodilating &bgr;-blocker nebivolol and the cardioselective &bgr;-blocker metoprolol succinate on aortic blood pressure and left ventricular wall thickness. We conducted a randomized, double-blind study on 80 hypertensive patients. The patients received either 5 mg of nebivolol or 50 to 100 mg of metoprolol succinate daily for 1 year. Their heart rate, central and brachial blood pressures, mean arterial pressure, augmentation index, carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, and left ventricular wall thickness were measured at baseline and at the end of the study. Nebivolol and metoprolol significantly reduced heart rate, brachial blood pressure, and mean arterial pressure to the same degree. However, reductions in central systolic and diastolic blood pressures, central pulse pressure, and left ventricular wall thickness were significant only in the nebivolol group. The change in left ventricular septal wall thickness was significantly correlated with central systolic blood pressure change (r=0.41; P=0.001) and with central pulse pressure change (r=0.32; P=0.01). No significant changes in augmentation index or carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity were detected in either treatment group. This proof-of-principle study provides evidence to suggest that &bgr;-blockers with vasodilating properties may offer advantages over conventional &bgr;-blockers in antihypertensive therapy; however, this remains to be tested in a larger trial.
Correction for d'Errico et al., Additional evidence on the use of personal ornaments in the Middle Paleolithic of North Africa

PHARMACOLOGY Correction for ‘‘Selective activation of the M1 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor achieved by allosteric potentiation,’’ by Lei Ma, Matthew Seager, Marion Wittmann, Marlene Jacobson, Denise Bickel, Maryann Burno, Keith Jones, Valerie Kuzmick Graufelds, Guangping Xu, Michelle Pearson, Alexander McCampbell, Renee Gaspar, Paul Shughrue, Andrew Danziger, Christopher Regan, Rose Flick, Danette Pascarella, Susan Garson, Scott Doran, Constantine Kreatsoulas, Lone Veng, Craig W. Lindsley, William Shipe, Scott Kuduk, Cyrille Sur, Gene Kinney, Guy R. Seabrook, and William J. Ray, which appeared in issue 37, September 15, 2009, of Proc Natl Acad Sci USA (106:15950–15955; first published August 26, 2009; 10.1073/ pnas.0900903106). The authors note that the author name Matthew Seager should have appeared as Matthew A. Seager. The online version has been corrected. The corrected author line and related footnotes appear below.
THAOS – The Transthyretin Amyloidosis Outcomes Survey: initial report on clinical manifestations in patients with hereditary and wild-type transthyretin amyloidosis

Abstract Background: Transthyretin (TTR) amyloidosis is a rare, life-threatening, systemic, autosomal dominant condition occurring in adults, with two main forms: hereditary (associated with TTR gene mutations) and wild-type. Studies indicate considerable heterogeneity in disease presentation, with predominantly polyneuropathic, predominantly cardiac, or mixed phenotypes. Methods: THAOS – the Transthyretin Amyloidosis Outcomes Survey – is the first global, multicenter, longitudinal, observational survey that collects data on the natural history of TTR amyloidosis (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00628745). This paper presents data on signs and symptoms, neurological and cardiac assessments, biomarkers and quality of life in the patients enrolled in THAOS from its inception in December 2007 to September 2011. Results: At the time of this analysis, data were available from 611 symptomatic patients with hereditary TTR amyloidosis, 67 symptomatic patients with wild-type TTR amyloidosis, and 274 currently asymptomatic individuals with a TTR mutation. Nineteen countries were participating in the registry. The largest patient groups came from Portugal (n = 453), the USA (n = 129), Italy (n = 70), and Japan (n = 68). Predominant symptom presentation in patients with hereditary TTR amyloidosis differed according to the underlying disease-causing mutation (polyneuropathy for Val30Met, cardiomyopathy for Val122Ile and Leu111Met, and mixed for Glu89Gln). However, each mutation was associated with clear multisystem involvement. Similarly, although cardiomyopathy was predominant in patients with wild-type TTR amyloidosis, many also showed symptoms consistent with neuropathy. Quality of life in patients with hereditary TTR amyloidosis, but not asymptomatic carriers of disease-causing mutations, was severely impaired relative to that of the age-matched general US population. Conclusions: This preliminary analysis highlights the considerable phenotypic heterogeneity for neurological and cardiac manifestations in patients with hereditary and wild-type TTR amyloidosis and the necessity of providing multidisciplinary care. THAOS registry data will help better characterize the diverse presentation and course of TTR amyloidosis worldwide and aid in improving and standardizing diagnosis and treatment. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00628745.
Microstructural analysis of a FeAl/quasicrystal‐based composite prepared using a focused ion beam miller

A composite consisting of a brittle multiphase matrix containing both an Al‐based quasicrystalline phase (ψ) and an ordered body centred cubic phase (β) and a relatively ductile ordered body centred cubic intermetallic FeAl phase has been developed as an abrasive wear‐resistant coating material. It is applied as a 500 μm thick layer onto stainless steel substrates through plasma spray processing. The microstructure of such materials can be readily examined by optical and scanning electron microscopy, but the inherent difficulty of preparing transmission electron microscope (TEM) samples has inhibited higher resolution studies. However, the relatively recent development of the focused ion beam (FIB) miller as a tool in materials science provides a method ideal for the preparation of TEM specimens of these materials. In this study a coating consisting of a mixture of an Al–Cu–Fe based quasicrystal and FeAl+Cr was deposited on to a 304 stainless steel substrate. TEM specimens were prepared using a FIB and subjected to detailed microstructural characterization. The structure consisted of elongated bands of a FeAl phase about 100 nm in width and several micrometres in length, which enclosed more equiaxed regions about 1 μm in diameter that consisted of fine mixtures of quasicrystal and two Al‐Fe‐Cu phases isostructurally related to FeAl.
The first one thousand liver transplants in Turin: a single‐center experience in Italy

The first Italian liver transplant center to reach the goal of 1000 procedures was Turin. The paper reports this single‐center experience, highlighting the main changes that have occurred over time. From 1990 to 2002, 1000 consecutive liver transplants were performed in 910 patients, mainly cirrhotics. Surgical technique was based on the preservation of the retrohepatic vena cava of the recipient. The veno‐venous bypass was used in 30 cases only and abandoned since 1997. Operating time, warm ischemia time and length of hospital stay significantly decreased over the years, while operating room extubation became routine. Immunosuppression pivoted on cyclosporine A. Management of retransplantations, marginal grafts, and of HCV‐positive, HBV‐positive and hepatocellular carcinoma recipients were optimized. Median follow‐up of the patients was 41 months. Overall survival rates at 1, 5 and 10 years were 87%, 78% and 72% respectively. Survival rates obtained in the second half of the cases (1999–2002 period) were significantly better than those obtained in the first half (1990–1998 period) (90% vs. 83% at 1 year and 81% vs. 76% at 5 years respectively). Increasing experience in liver transplant surgery and postoperative care allowed standardization of the procedure and expansion of the activity, with parallel improvement of the results.
Thrombophilias and Recurrent Miscarriage

Inherited and acquired thrombophilias have been associated with recurrent pregnancy loss. Over recent years our ability to detect protein and genetic abnormalities responsible for thrombotic tendency has improved. We are now left with the task of deciphering which of these thrombophilias carries an increased risk for recurrent pregnancy loss. Acquired thrombophilias including lupus anticoagulant and anticardiolipin antibodies have been linked to recurrent pregnancy loss. However the evidence for the role of inherited thrombophilias such as, heterozygosity for the factor V Leiden, prothrombin G20210A mutation, the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (C677T MTHFR) mutation, as well as deficiencies of antithrombin, protein C and protein S is less clear. The methods for diagnosis and the evidence for their associations are discussed in this paper. Treatment modalities independent of those needed to prevent thrombotic events in pregnancy have generally not been studied. Given the present available data, there is insufficient evidence to include inherited thrombophilias in the initial evaluation of RPL. It is important to look for other, more common, causes of recurrent miscarriage in the evaluation of these patients. Target Audience: Obstetricians & Gynecologists, Family Physicians Learning Objectives: After completion of this article, the reader will be able to list the most common causes of recurrent pregnancy loss, outline the acquired and inherited thrombophilias, and compare the various treatment options for a patient with antiphospholipid syndrome.
Graduate Research and Creative Practice 1992 What is the Relationship Between Perceived Job Stress , Job Satisfaction , and Psychological Symptoms of Critical Care Nurses ?

WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PERCEIVED JOB STRESS, JOB SATISFACTION, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS OF CRITICAL CARE NURSES? By Barbara L . Hooper House's Stress Paradigm provided the theoretical framework for this study which examined the relationship between job satisfaction and job stress, and the correlation of job stress with the experience of psychological symptoms in a sample of 32 critical care nurses from an urban midwestern hospital. The Brief Symptom Inventory and Atwood and Hinshaw's Nursing Job Satisfaction and Job Stress Scales were used to measure the variables. A moderately strong correlation (r= -.63, p= .001) was found between job satisfaction and perceived job stress. No significant relationship was found between perceived job stress and psychological symptoms. These findings suggest that job satisfaction may reduce the likelihood of people perceiving their job as stressful. Further study of the relationships between perceived job stress, job satisfaction, and psychological symptoms in critical care nurses is needed.
Reliability and validity of the Francis scale of attitude towards Christianity (adult) among Northern Irish university students

To facilitate the use of the adult form of the Francis scale of attitude towards Christianity in Northern Ireland, the reliability and construct validity of the scale was examined among a sample of239 male and 459 female Northern Irish uni versity students. Respondents completed the Francis scale and also answered questions about the frequency of personal prayer and Church attendance. Support was found for the reliability, unidimensionality and construct validity of the scale among both male and female Northern Irish university students. The Francis scale is commended for research in Northern Ireland.
Efficacy of Human Papillomavirus-16 Vaccine to Prevent Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia: A Randomized Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVE: Human papillomavirus (HPV) virus-like particle (VLP) vaccines have demonstrated effectiveness in preventing persistent HPV infections. Whether protection lasts longer than 18 months and, thus, impacts rates of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 2–3 has not yet been established. We present results from an HPV16 L1 VLP vaccine trial through 48 months. METHODS: A total of 2,391 women, aged 16–23 years, participated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Either 40 &mgr;g HPV16 L1 VLP vaccine or placebo was given intramuscularly at day 1, month 2, and month 6. Genital samples for HPV16 DNA and Pap tests were obtained at day 1, month 7, and then 6-monthly through month 48. Colposcopy and cervical biopsies were performed if clinically indicated and at study exit. Serum HPV16 antibody titer was measured by radioimmunoassay. RESULTS: Among 750 placebo recipients in the per protocol population, 12 women developed HPV16-related CIN2–3 (6 CIN2 and 6 CIN3). Among 755 vaccine recipients, there were no cases (vaccine efficacy 100%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 65–100%). There were 111 cases of persistent HPV16 infection in placebo recipients and 7 cases in vaccine recipients (vaccine efficacy 94%, 95% CI 88–98%). After immunization, HPV16 serum antibody geometric mean titers peaked at month 7 (1,519 milli-Merck units [mMU]/mL), declined through month 18 (202 mMU/mL), and remained relatively stable between month 30 and month 48 (128–150 mMU/mL). CONCLUSION: The vaccine HPV16 L1 VLP provides high-level protection against persistent HPV16 infection and HPV16-related CIN2–3 for at least 3.5 years after immunization. Administration of L1 VLP vaccines targeting HPV16 is likely to reduce risk for cervical cancer. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: I
Acepromazine inhibits hERG potassium ion channels expressed in human embryonic kidney 293 cells

The effects of acepromazine on human ether-à-go-go-related gene (hERG) potassium channels were investigated using whole-cell voltage-clamp technique in human embryonic kidney (HEK293) cells transfected with hERG. The hERG currents were recorded with or without acepromazine, and the steady-state and peak tail currents were analyzed for the evaluating the drug effects. Acepromazine inhibited the hERG currents in a concentration-dependent manner with an IC50 value of 1.5 µM and Hill coefficient of 1.1. Acepromazine blocked hERG currents in a voltage-dependent manner between –40 and +10 mV. Before and after application of acepromazine, the half activation potentials of hERG currents changed to hyperpolarizing direction. Acepromazine blocked both the steady-state hERG currents by depolarizing pulse and the peak tail currents by repolarizing pulse; however, the extent of blocking by acepromazine in the repolarizing pulse was more profound than that in the depolarizing pulse, indicating that acepromazine has a high affinity for the open state of the channels, with a relatively lower affinity for the closed state of hERG channels. A fast application of acepromazine during the tail currents inhibited the open state of hERG channels in a concentration-dependent. The steady-state inactivation of hERG currents shifted to the hyperpolarized direction by acepromazine. These results suggest that acepromazine inhibits the hERG channels probably by an open- and inactivated-channel blocking mechanism. Regarding to the fact that the hERG channels are the potential target of drug-induced long QT syndrome, our results suggest that acepromazine can possibly induce a cardiac arrhythmia through the inhibition of hERG channels.
Expression of the Oligodendrocyte‐Myelin Glycoprotein by Neurons in the Mouse Central Nervous System

Abstract: The oligodendrocyte‐myelin glycoprotein (OMgp) is a 110‐kDa glycosylphosphatidylinositol‐linked protein that was initially identified as a myelin‐specific protein but whose precise function remains unknown. In this study, immunohistochemistry, western blots, in situ hybridization, and northern blots were used to determine the distribution of OMgp in the mouse brain. OMgp is present in a concentration detectable on western blots in the brains of newborn mice, and its concentration gradually increases until day 24 of life. OMgp mRNA is also present in amounts detectable on northern blots in the brains of newborn mice, and its concentration gradually increases until day 21 of life, after which the concentration diminishes a little. Most of the OMgp in the mouse brain appears to be expressed in diverse groups of neurons, but it is particularly prominent in large projection neurons such as the pyramidal cells of the hippocampus, the Purkinje cells of the cerebellum, motoneurons in the brainstem, and anterior horn cells of the spinal cord. However, OMgp is not confined to these cells and is expressed in cells in the white matter as well. The OMgp gene is placed within an intron of the neurofibromatosis type I gene and on the opposite strand. This organization raises the possibility that there may be a relationship between the functions of the products of the two genes. In support of this possibility, we show that within the mouse CNS OMgp and neurofibromin are expressed in the same cell types.
Markers of Increased Cardiovascular Risk in Postmenopausal Women: Focus on Oxidized-LDL and HDL Subpopulations

Objective. To evaluate the effect of gender and menopause in cardiovascular risk (CVR) in a healthy population based on both classical and nontraditional markers. Methods. 56 men and 68 women (48 pre- and 20 postmenopause) were enrolled in the study. The following markers were analyzed: blood pressure (BP), body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), glucose, total cholesterol (total-c), triglycerides (TGs), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), oxidized-LDL (Ox-LDL), HDL-c and subpopulations, paraoxonase-1 activity, hsCRP, uric acid, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), adiponectin, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and intercellular adhesion molecular 1 (ICAM1). Results. Relative to the women, men present significantly increased BMI, WC, BP, glucose, total-c, TGs, LDL-c, Ox-LDL, uric acid, and TNF-α and reduced adiponectin and total and large HDL-c. The protective profile of women is lost after menopause with a significantly increased BMI, WC, BP, glucose, LDL-c, Ox-LDL, hsCRP, and VEGF and decreased total and large HDL-c. Significant correlations were found in women population and in postmenopausal women between Ox-LDL and total, large, and small HDL-c and between TNF-α and total, large, and small HDL-c, LDL-c, and Ox-LDL. Conclusions. Men present higher CVR than women who lost protection after menopause, evidenced by nontraditional markers, including Ox-LDL and HDL subpopulations.
Exogenous Variables and Value-Added Assessments: A Fatal Flaw

Background There has been rapid growth in value-added assessment of teachers to meet the widely supported policy goal of identifying the most effective and the most ineffective teachers in a school system. The former group is to be rewarded while the latter group is to be helped or fired for their poor performance. But, value-added approaches to teacher evaluation have many problems. Chief among them is the commonly found class-to-class and year-to-year unreliability in the scores obtained. Teacher value-added scores appear to be highly unstable across two classes of the same subject that they teach in the same semester, or from class to class across two adjacent years. Focus of Study This literature review first focuses on the confusion in the minds of the public and politicians between teachers’ effects on individual students, which may be great and usually positive, and teachers’ effects on classroom mean achievement scores, which may be limited by the huge number of exogenous variables affecting classroom achievement scores. Exogenous variables are unaccounted for influences on the data, such as peer classroom effects, school compositional effects, and characteristics of the neighborhoods in which some students live. Further, even if some of these variables are measured, the interactions among these many variables often go unexamined. But, two-way and three-way interactions are quite likely to be occurring and influencing classroom achievement. This analysis promotes the idea that the ubiquitous and powerful effects on value-added scores of these myriad exogenous variables is the reason that almost all current research finds instability in teachers’ classroom behavior and instability in teachers’ value-added scores. This may pose a fatal flaw in implementing value-added assessments of teaching competency. Research Design This is an analytic essay, including a selective literature review that includes some secondary analyses. Conclusions I conclude that because of the effects of countless exogenous variables on student classroom achievement, value-added assessments do not now and may never be stable enough from class to class or year to year to be used in evaluating teachers. The hope is that with three or more years of value-added data, the identification of extremely good and bad teachers might be possible; but, that goal is not assured, and empirical results suggest that it really is quite hard to reliably identify extremely good and extremely bad groups of teachers. In fact, when picking extremes among teachers, both luck and regression to the mean will combine with the interactions of many variables to produce instability in the value-added scores that are obtained. Examination of the apparently simple policy goal of identifying the best and worst teachers in a school system reveals a morally problematic and psycho-metrically inadequate base for those policies. In fact, the belief that there are thousands of consistently inadequate teachers may be like the search for welfare queens and disability scam artists—more sensationalism than it is reality.
Understanding honor in religious, cultural, and moral experience: Commentary on “Diasporic Virginities: Social Representations of Virginity and Constructions of Identity amongst British Arab Muslim Women” by Howarth, Caroline; Amer, Amena; and Sen, Ragini

An important and timely topic in the study of the connections and divergences between culture and religion is the construction of concepts of honor in moral experience, and how these are expressed symbolically and socially. How can a moral concept such as honor be a sign of distinction and belonging at once, and why does honor remain important in a diasporic community, though not identical in meanings to honor in some other “home” cultures? How does one decide which beliefs, practices, and institutions to call religious? Which ones to call cultural? In this commentary, I pursue these questions from ethnographic and cross-cultural comparative perspectives, inspired by post-structural interpretive anthropology of religion, semiology, and phenomenology. Culture, not solely theological doctrine or dogma, defines religion. It is important to ask how particular definitions emerge and come to objectify their referents. The elaboration of context is a central feature of interpretation; a religion may look very different from one society and culture to another, and it may also look very different within the same culture and society, from one context to another. Yet moral experience remains central. Those among the British Arab Muslim women studied by Howarth et al. who value virginity in their concept of honor are creatively re-enacting their cultural/ethnic identity through their choices in sexual mores. Honor, as expressed in virginity, is in effect performed in the Goffmanesque sense of presentation of self in everyday life.