Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Does blood flow restriction result in skeletal muscle damage? A critical review of available evidence

Blood flow restriction (BFR) alone or in combination with exercise has been shown to result in muscle hypertrophy and strength gain across a variety of populations. Although there are numerous studies in the literature showing beneficial muscular effects following the application of BFR, questions have been raised over whether BFR may lead to or even increase the incidence of muscle damage. The purpose of this review is to examine the proposed mechanisms behind muscle damage and critically review the available BFR literature. The available evidence does not support the hypothesis that BFR in combination with low‐intensity exercise increases the incidence of muscle damage. Instead, the available literature suggests that minimal to no muscle damage is occurring with this type of exercise. This conclusion is drawn from the following observations: (a) no prolonged decrements in muscle function; (b) no prolonged muscle swelling; (c) muscle soreness ratings similar to a submaximal low load control; and (d) no elevation in blood biomarkers of muscle damage.
The dgt gene of Escherichia coli facilitates thymine utilization in thymine‐requiring strains

The Escherichia coli dGTP triphosphohydrolase (dGTPase) encoded by the dgt gene catalyses the hydrolysis of dGTP to deoxyguanosine and triphosphate. The recent discovery of a mutator effect associated with deletion of dgt indicated participation of the triphosphohydrolase in preventing mutagenesis. Here, we have investigated the possible involvement of dgt in facilitating thymine utilization through its ability to provide intracellular deoxyguanosine, which is readily converted by the DeoD phosphorylase to deoxyribose‐1‐phosphate, the critical intermediate that enables uptake and utilization of thymine. Indeed, we observed that the minimal amount of thymine required for growth of thymine‐requiring (thyA) strains decreased with increased expression level of the dgt gene. As expected, this dgt‐mediated effect was dependent on the DeoD purine nucleoside phosphorylase. We also observed that thyA strains experience growth difficulties upon nutritional shift‐up and that the dgt gene facilitates adaptation to the new growth conditions. Blockage of the alternative yjjG (dUMP phosphatase) pathway for deoxyribose‐1‐phosphate generation greatly exacerbated the severity of thymine starvation in enriched media, and under these conditions the dgt pathway becomes crucial in protecting the cells against thymineless death. Overall, our results suggest that the dgt‐dependent pathway for deoxyribose‐1‐phosphate generation may operate under various cell conditions to provide deoxyribosyl donors.
Patient follow-up in primary care after behavioral health screening in an urban public hospital system: a prospective, observational study of 2686 patients.

OBJECTIVE Patients with psychiatric conditions are known to experience poor and often disparate health outcomes. To investigate one potential mechanism for this phenomenon, we examined whether patients who screen positive for psychiatric comorbidity are lost to follow-up from primary care at higher rates than screen-negative controls. METHOD Patients in a public hospital system were followed prospectively for an 18-month period after an initial routine behavioral health screening in neighborhood health centers. Screening data were linked to electronic medical record visit data, and loss to follow-up was ascertained using Cox proportional hazards modeling. RESULTS A public hospital health program screened 2686 patients from March 1998 to December 2000, and their visits were counted prospectively for 18 months. Nearly one third (N = 772, 29%) screened positive for a psychiatric condition. The screen-positive group had lower rates of censoring and a shorter time-to-event than the controls, indicating a higher continuing visit rate in primary care. This relationship persisted after adjustment for demographic variables, insurance type, substance abuse, and violence exposure. CONCLUSION Patients who screen positive for psychiatric comorbidity are not lost to follow-up at higher rates than screen-negative controls. This finding suggests that disparate outcomes for mentally ill patients in a public hospital system may not be based on reduced access to or lack of contact with primary care providers. Further study of systems or provider-related factors is needed to ascertain the pathways toward poor health for this population.
Binocular summation of contrast remains intact in strabismic amblyopia.

PURPOSE Strabismic amblyopia is typically associated with several visual deficits, including loss of contrast sensitivity in the amblyopic eye and abnormal binocular vision. Binocular summation ratios (BSRs) are usually assessed by comparing contrast sensitivity for binocular stimuli (sens(BIN)) with that measured in the good eye alone (sens(GOOD)), giving BSR = sens(BIN)/sens(GOOD). This calculation provides an operational index of clinical binocular function, but does not assess whether neuronal mechanisms for binocular summation of contrast remain intact. This study was conducted to investigate this question. METHODS Horizontal sine-wave gratings were used as stimuli (3 or 9 cyc/deg; 200 ms), and the conventional method of assessment (above) was compared with one in which the contrast in the amblyopic eye was adjusted (normalized) to equate monocular sensitivities. RESULTS In nine strabismic amblyopes (mean age, 32 years), the results confirmed that the BSR was close to unity when the conventional method was used (little or no binocular advantage), but increased to approximately radical2 or higher when the normalization method was used. The results were similar to those for normal control subjects (n = 3; mean age, 38 years) and were consistent with the physiological summation of contrast between the eyes. When the normal observers performed the experiments with a neutral-density (ND) filter in front of one eye, their performance was similar to that of the amblyopes in both methods of assessment. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that strabismic amblyopes have mechanisms for binocular summation of contrast and that the amblyopic deficits of binocularity can be simulated with an ND filter. The implications of these results for best clinical practice are discussed.
Reading with a Simulated 60-Channel Implant

First generation retinal prostheses containing 50–60 electrodes are currently in clinical trials. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the theoretical upper limit (best possible) reading performance attainable with a state-of-the-art 60-channel retinal implant and to find the optimum viewing conditions for the task. Four normal volunteers performed full-page text reading tasks with a low-resolution, 60-pixel viewing window that was stabilized in the central visual field. Two parameters were systematically varied: (1) spatial resolution (image magnification) and (2) the orientation of the rectangular viewing window. Performance was measured in terms of reading accuracy (% of correctly read words) and reading rates (words/min). Maximum reading performances were reached at spatial resolutions between 3.6 and 6 pixels/char. Performance declined outside this range for all subjects. In optimum viewing conditions (4.5 pixels/char), subjects achieved almost perfect reading accuracy and mean reading rates of 26 words/min for the vertical viewing window and of 34 words/min for the horizontal viewing window. These results suggest that, theoretically, some reading abilities can be restored with actual state-of-the-art retinal implant prototypes if “image magnification” is within an “optimum range. ” Future retinal implants providing higher pixel resolutions, thus allowing for a wider visual span might allow faster reading rates.
Regulation of Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase Activity and Phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-Trisphosphate Accumulation by Neutrophil Priming Agents1

Neutrophil priming by agents such as TNF-α and GM-CSF causes a dramatic increase in the response of these cells to secretagogue agonists and affects the capacity of neutrophils to induce tissue injury. In view of the central role of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-kinase) in regulating NADPH oxidase activity we examined the influence of priming agents on agonist-stimulated phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate (PtdIns(3,4,5)P3) accumulation in human neutrophils. Pretreatment of neutrophils with TNF-α or GM-CSF, while not influencing fMLP-stimulated PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 accumulation at 5 s, caused a major increase in PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 at later times (10–60 s), which paralleled the augmented superoxide anion (O2−) response. The intimate relationship between PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 accumulation and O2− release was confirmed using platelet-activating factor, which caused full but transient priming of both responses. Likewise, LY294002, a PI3-kinase inhibitor, and genistein, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, caused parallel inhibition of O2− generation and PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 accumulation; in contrast, radicicol, which inhibits receptor-mediated activation of p85 PI3-kinase, had no effect on either response. Despite major increases in PI3-kinase activity observed in p85 and anti-phosphotyrosine immunoprecipitates in growth factor-stimulated smooth muscle cells, no such increase was observed in primed/stimulated neutrophils. In contrast, both fMLP and TNF-α alone caused a 3-fold increase in PI3-kinase activity in p110γ PI3-kinase immunoprecipitates. p21ras activation (an upstream regulator of PI3-kinase) was unaffected by priming. These data demonstrate that timing and magnitude of PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 accumulation in neutrophils correlate closely with O2− generation, that PI3-kinase-γ is responsible for the enhanced PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 production seen in primed cells, and that factors other than activation of p21ras underlie this response.
Evaluation of a tobacco and alcohol use prevention program for Hispanic migrant adolescents: promoting the protective factor of parent-child communication.

BACKGROUND Interventions designed to prevent tobacco and alcohol use targeting high-risk adolescents are limited. In addition, few studies have attempted to improve parent-child communication skills as a way of improving and maintaining healthy youth decision-making. METHODS A total of 660 Hispanic migrant families participated in a randomized pre-post control group study that was utilized to determine the impact of the intervention on parent-child communication. Both treatment and attention-control groups of youth were exposed to an eight-session culturally sensitive program presented by bilingual/bicultural college students. Parents jointly attended three of the eight sessions and participated in helping their child complete homework assignments supporting the content of each session. The content of the treatment intervention included (1) information about tobacco and alcohol effects, (2) social skills training (i.e., refusal skills), and (3) the specific development of parent-child communication skills to support healthy youth decisions. RESULTS Significant intervention by household size interactions for both parent and youth perceptions of communication were found indicating that the treatment was effective in increasing communication in families with fewer children. Based on the effect size and the previously established relationship between communication and susceptibility to tobacco and alcohol use, it was determined that the intervention effect could be translated into a future 5 to 10% decrease in susceptibility for these smaller families. CONCLUSIONS A culturally sensitive family-based intervention for migrant Hispanic youth was found to be effective in increasing perceived parent-child communication in families with fewer children. It is expected that increases in this important protective factor will lead to later observed decreases in tobacco and alcohol use.
Robust Levitation Control for Linear Maglev Rail System Using Fuzzy Neural Network

The levitation control in a linear magnetic-levitation (Maglev) rail system is a subject of considerable scientific interest because of highly nonlinear and unstable behaviors. This study mainly designs a robust fuzzy-neural-network control (RFNNC) scheme for the levitated positioning of the linear Maglev rail system with nonnegative inputs. In the model-free RFNNC system, an online learning ability is designed to cope with the problem of chattering phenomena caused by the sign action in backstepping control (BSC) design and to ensure the stability of the controlled system without the requirement of auxiliary compensated controllers despite the existence of uncertainties. Moreover, the nonnegative outputs of the RFNNC system can be directly supplied to electromagnets in the Maglev system without complicated control transformations for relaxing strict constrains in conventional model-based control methodologies. The effectiveness of the proposed control schemes for the levitation control of a Maglev system is verified by numerical simulations and experimental results, and the superiority of the RFNNC system is indicated in comparison with the BSC system.
Frequent occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhotic livers after surgical resection of atypical adenomatous hyperplasia (borderline hepatocellular lesion): a follow-up study.

OBJECTIVES Adenomatous hyperplasia (AH) of the liver occurs in chronic advanced liver diseases, and has been suspected to be a precancerous lesions in human hepatocarcinogenesis. METHODS In this study, the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after surgical resection of AH was evaluated in 24 patients with cirrhosis and AH in the absence of HCC (mean follow-up period, 31.4 months; range, 12-77 months). AH were classified as ordinary AH lacking hepatocellular atypia (OAH), atypical AH with structural and cellular atypia insufficient for carcinoma (AAH), and atypical AH with focal malignancy containing areas of HCC (FM). RESULTS HCC was noted in a few years (follow-up period range, 12-77 months; mean, 31.4 months) in all 3 patients whose resected nodules were classified as FM, in 4 (36%) of 11 with AAH resected nodules, and none of 10 with OAH resected nodules. The incidence of HCC in the patients with FM or AAH nodules was significantly higher than that in those with OAH nodules. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that our classification of AH is useful in the assessment of the risk of HCC in patients with cirrhosis and AH, and that those with AAH or FM resected nodules must be followed up more frequently than those with OAH nodules, because of their higher risk of HCC. The frequent occurrence of HCC after resection of FM or AAH nodules may imply that HCC is of multicentric origin.
What is healthcare-associated pneumonia and how is it managed?

Purpose of reviewPneumonia developing before hospital admission in patients in close contact with the health system was recently termed ‘healthcare-associated pneumonia’ and proposed as a new category of respiratory infection. We focus on the recent literature concerning the epidemiology, causative organisms, antibiotic susceptibilities, and outcomes of and empirical antibiotic therapy for this condition. Recent findingsThe reported incidence of healthcare-associated pneumonia among patients requiring hospitalization for pneumonia ranges from 17% to 67%. Hospitalization within 90 days before pneumonia, attending a dialysis clinic and residing in a nursing home were the most common criteria for healthcare-associated pneumonia. Compared with patients with community-acquired pneumonia, those with healthcare-associated pneumonia are older, have greater co-morbidity, and are more likely to have aspiration pneumonia and pneumonia caused by antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Patients with healthcare-associated pneumonia also more frequently initially receive an inappropriate antibiotic therapy, have higher case fatality rates and have longer hospital stay. SummaryMany patients hospitalized with pneumonia via the emergency department have healthcare-associated pneumonia. There are significant differences in the spectrum of causative organisms and antibiotic susceptibilities between healthcare-associated and community-acquired pneumonia. Physicians should differentiate patients with healthcare-associated pneumonia from those with community-acquired pneumonia to promote a targeted approach when selecting initial antibiotic therapy.
Evaluation of the Effect of Perceived Social Support on Promoting Self-Care Behaviors of Heart Failure Patients Referred to The Cardiovascular Research Center of Isfahan

Background: Self-care is one of the most important aspects of treatment in patients with heart failure and ranks among the most important coping strategies against the events and stresses of life. Perceived social support plays an important role in performing self-care behaviors in these patients. Objectives: This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of perceived social support on promoting self-care behaviors among heart failure patients. Patients and Methods: This educational intervention with a randomized control group was performed on 64 heart failure patients referred to The Cardiovascular Research Center of Isfahan. The study population was divided randomly into two groups of intervention and control. The indicators of self-care behavior and perceived social support (before, immediately after, and 2 months after the intervention) were completed by the two groups. The intervention group received educational interventions in 120-minute sessions once a week for 4 weeks. SPSS software (version 20) was used for data analysis in addition to methods of descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: Based on the obtained results, educational intervention was effective in the improvement of perceived social support among our heart failure patients. The results also showed that an increase in perceived social support significantly promoted self-care behaviors in the case group after the intervention compared with the control group (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Perceived social support played an important role in improving the performance of self-care behaviors in our heart failure patients. Given the strengths of the present study, these findings can be considered in future research in this domain.
Potentially Suboptimal Prescribing for Older Veteran Nursing Home Patients With Dementia

Background: Nursing home patients with dementia may be more likely to suffer adverse drug events from suboptimal prescribing. Previous studies have not used national samples, nor have they examined multiple types of suboptimal prescribing by dementia severity. Objective: To examine the prevalence of and factors associated with potentially suboptimal prescribing in older veteran nursing home patients with dementia. Methods: This is a retrospective descriptive study of 1303 veterans 65 years or older admitted between January 1, 2004, and June 30, 2005, with dementia for long stays (90+ days) to 133 Veterans Affairs Community Living Centers. Dementia severity was determined by the Cognitive Performance Scale and functional status dependences. Results: Overall, 70.2% with mild-moderate dementia (n = 1076) had underuse because they did not receive an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor (AChEI), and 27.2% had evidence of inappropriate use because of a drug-disease or drug-drug-disease interaction. Of the 227 with severe dementia, 36.1% had overuse by receiving an AChEI or lipid-lowering or other agents, and 25.1% had evidence of inappropriate use as a result of a drug-disease or drug-drug interaction. Multinomial logistic regression analyses among those with mild to moderate dementia identified that living in the South versus other regions was the single factor associated with all 3 types of suboptimal prescribing. In those with severe dementia, antipsychotic use was associated with all 3 suboptimal prescribing types. Conclusions: Potentially suboptimal prescribing was common in older veteran nursing home patients with dementia. Clinicians should develop a heightened awareness of these problems. Future studies should examine associations between potentially suboptimal prescribing and health outcomes in patients with dementia.
Acceptance Sampling Plans from Truncated Life Tests Based on the Generalized Birnbaum–Saunders Distribution

In this article, we develop acceptance sampling plans when the life test is truncated at a pre-fixed time. The minimum sample size necessary to ensure the specified median life is obtained by assuming that the lifetimes of the test units follow a generalized Birnbaum–Saunders distribution. The operating characteristic values of the sampling plans as well as producer's risk are presented. Two examples are also given to illustrate the procedure developed here, with one of them being based on a real data from software reliability.
Time-course of potential spread along a skeletal muscle fiber under voltage clamp

The equations describing the time-course of potential spread into a terminated segment of muscle fiber are given for the condition that a step of voltage is applied at x - 2l. Measurements of V(2l) - V(l) were made at 16.7-19.5 degrees C, using a three-microelectrode voltage clamp, to compare with the theory. Best least squares fits of calculated curves to data obtained in Ringer's solution (5 mM K) gave GL = 10 mumho/cm and Cm' = 1.6 muF/cm2. Similar measurements in 100 mM K solution, with the inward rectifier shut off by a positive prepulse, gave GL = 20 mumho/cm and Cm' = 2.0 muF/cm2. The time-course of V(2l) - V(l), measured when the inward rectifier was fully activated by a negative prepulse, was in good agreement with the curve calculated assuming no change in GL and Cm' and that the only effect of the negative prepulse was to increase the conductance of surface and tubular membranes.
Effects of Hormone Therapy on Brain Volumes Changes of Postmenopausal Women Revealed by Optimally-Discriminative Voxel-Based Morphometry

Backgrounds The Women's Health Initiative Memory Study Magnetic Resonance Imaging (WHIMS-MRI) provides an opportunity to evaluate how menopausal hormone therapy (HT) affects the structure of older women’s brains. Our earlier work based on region of interest (ROI) analysis demonstrated potential structural changes underlying adverse effects of HT on cognition. However, the ROI-based analysis is limited in statistical power and precision, and cannot provide fine-grained mapping of whole-brain changes. Methods We aimed to identify local structural differences between HT and placebo groups from WHIMS-MRI in a whole-brain refined level, by using a novel method, named Optimally-Discriminative Voxel-Based Analysis (ODVBA). ODVBA is a recently proposed imaging pattern analysis approach for group comparisons utilizing a spatially adaptive analysis scheme to accurately locate areas of group differences, thereby providing superior sensitivity and specificity to detect the structural brain changes over conventional methods. Results Women assigned to HT treatments had significant Gray Matter (GM) losses compared to the placebo groups in the anterior cingulate and the adjacent medial frontal gyrus, and the orbitofrontal cortex, which persisted after multiple comparison corrections. There were no regions where HT was significantly associated with larger volumes compared to placebo, although a trend of marginal significance was found in the posterior cingulate cortical area. The CEE-Alone and CEE+MPA groups, although compared with different placebo controls, demonstrated similar effects according to the spatial patterns of structural changes. Conclusions HT had adverse effects on GM volumes and risk for cognitive impairment and dementia in older women. These findings advanced our understanding of the neurobiological underpinnings of HT effects.