Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Screening for Osteoporosis: An Update for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force

BACKGROUND This review updates evidence since the 2002 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation on osteoporosis screening. PURPOSE To determine the effectiveness and harms of osteoporosis screening in reducing fractures for men and postmenopausal women without known previous fractures; the performance of risk-assessment instruments and bone measurement tests in identifying persons with osteoporosis; optimal screening intervals; and the efficacy and harms of medications to reduce primary fractures. DATA SOURCES Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (through the fourth quarter of 2009), MEDLINE (January 2001 to December 2009), reference lists, and Web of Science. STUDY SELECTION Randomized, controlled trials of screening or medications with fracture outcomes published in English; performance studies of validated risk-assessment instruments; and systematic reviews and population-based studies of bone measurement tests or medication harms. DATA EXTRACTION Data on patient populations, study design, analysis, follow-up, and results were abstracted, and study quality was rated by using established criteria. DATA SYNTHESIS Risk-assessment instruments are modest predictors of low bone density (area under the curve, 0.13 to 0.87; 14 instruments) and fractures (area under the curve, 0.48 to 0.89; 11 instruments); simple and complex instruments perform similarly. Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry predicts fractures similarly for men and women; calcaneal quantitative ultrasonography also predicts fractures, but correlation with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry is low. For postmenopausal women, bisphosphonates, parathyroid hormone, raloxifene, and estrogen reduce primary vertebral fractures. Trials are lacking for men. Bisphosphonates are not consistently associated with serious adverse events; raloxifene and estrogen increase thromboembolic events; and estrogen causes additional adverse events. LIMITATION Trials of screening with fracture outcomes, screening intervals, and medications to reduce primary fractures, particularly those enrolling men, are lacking. CONCLUSION Although methods to identify risk for osteoporotic fractures are available and medications to reduce fractures are effective, no trials directly evaluate screening effectiveness, harms, and intervals. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Local Government Legal Consciousness in the Shadow of Juridification

For almost two decades, British local government has been subject to intensive legal restructuring. Statutes have reallocated municipal powers and duties, judicial decisions declared council practice ultra vires; new subjects have gained grievance rights and scrutinizing powers. Law, commentators argue, has colonized local government, re-forming its practices, procedures, culture, and agendas.2 But what impact have these changes had on legal consciousness? This raises two further questions. First, how do local government actors understand and experience law; second, to what extent is this a product of structural legal change, that is, of juridification? Exploring the relationship between legal consciousness and juridification poses difficulties. If juridification identifies structural shifts, to what extent can these be meaningfully explored through individual perceptions and responses? If legal understandings are varied and contradictory, does this negate the existence of a central determining condition, such as juridification? In this paper, my aim is not to use legal consciousness as a way of proving or disproving juridification. Nor do I aim to establish juridification as the conclusive determinate of current municipal legal understandings. Both ventures, I would suggest, are fraught with methodological and epistemological problems. My objective, in contrast, is more modest: to explore the character of legal consciousness within local government in the 1980s and early 1990s, and, in doing so, to consider its relationship to juridification.
Send Orders of Reprints at Reprints@benthamscience.org Novel Anti-arrhythmic Medications in the Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a prevalent condition particularly amongst the elderly, which contributes to both morbidity and mortality. The burden of disease has lead to significant increases in health care utilization and cost in recent years. Treatment of Atrial fibrillation consists of either a rate or rhythm control strategy. Rhythm control is achieved using medical management and/or catheter ablation. In spite of major strides in catheter ablation, this procedure remains a second line treatment of AF. Anti-arrhythmic medications represent the main treatment modality for the maintenance of sinus rhythm. Amiodarone has been used for decades because of its efficacy and lack of pro-arrhythmia despite numerous extra-cardiac side effects. Novel agents such as Dronedarone were designed to emulate Amiodarone without the extra-cardiac side effects. Unfortunately recent trials have raised concerns for the safety of this medication in certain patients. Other agents such as Vernakalant and Ranolazine are in development that promise to be more atrial selective in their action, thereby potentially avoiding pro-arrhythmia and heart failure side effects. It remains to be seen however if one or more of these agents achieves the required high efficacy and safety threshold. This review summarizes the main anti-arrhythmic clinical trials, early phase trials involving novel agents and examines the conflicting data relating to Dronedarone. NOVEL ANTI-ARRHYTHMIC MEDICATION IN THE TREATMENT OF AF Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia requiring treatment. AF is not benign and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality [1, 2]. The prevalence of this condition increases with age and affects 9% of the population over the age of 80 [3]. The rates for hospitalization have trebled over the last 2 decades resulting in a substantial burden on the health care system [1]. The treatment of AF has evolved over the same period. The Atrial fibrillation Follow-Up Investigation of Rhythm Management (AFFIRM) and Rate Control versus Electrical Cardioversion for Persistent Atrial fibrillation (RACE) trials altered the treatment paradigm in Atrial fibrillation. Rhythm control was shown to offer no survival advantage or reduction in stroke rates over rate control in Atrial fibrillation [4, 5]. Furthermore there was a trend towards increased mortality , with greater rates of hospitalization and adverse drug reactions in the rhythm control group [5]. The Atrial fibrilla-tion and Congestive Heart Failure (AF-CHF) trial demonstrated a similar lack of survival benefit or reduction in the rate of stroke in patients with congestive cardiac failure, poor left ventricular …
Selectivity and destinations of ethnic minorities leaving the main gateway cities of Estonia

Changes in the spatial distribution of minority populations and factors responsible for such changes form an important research topic in the study of the contemporary immigrant societies of Europe and North America. This paper clarifies both the trends and determinants of the spatial redistribution of mainly Russian-speaking ethnic minorities in Estonia by focusing on out-migration from the gateway cities or the main minority concentration areas. We use individual data from the 2000 census. The main results show that the dominant flow of migration among members of ethnic minorities is out of the main gateway cities in Estonia, and this trend is very different from the situation during the Soviet period. All of the personal characteristics that measure intentional ties with the majority population and the host country, such as proficiency in Estonian, having an Estonian partner, and Estonian citizenship, exert a positive influence on both leaving these areas and settling in non-ethnic destinations, while the mere passage of time (generation replacement) has no straightforward influence on minority spatial redistribution. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Antioxidant Status and Organ Function in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats treated with Aqueous, Methanolic and Petroleum Ether Extracts of Ocimum basilicum leaf.

Article history: Received on: 18/02/2013 Revised on: 20/03/2013 Accepted on: 11/04/2013 Available online: 12/05/2013 The effects of various extracts of Ocimum basilicum leaf on biochemical indices of organ damage and oxidative stress status of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were examined. Oral administration of 200mg/kg of aqueous, methanolic and petroleum ether extracts of the leaf for 35 days resulted in a significant (P<0.05) reduction in thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and an increase in catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats from diabetic levels. The leaf extracts brought about a significant (P>0.05) increase in serum protein and albumin as well as decreases in urea and creatinine levels of STZ – induced diabetic rats compared with diabetic control levels. The Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels increased significantly (P>0.05) in diabetic control group. The extracts caused a significant reduction in levels of AST and ALT in treated diabetic groups and maintained the normal level observed in normal rats. In this study a significant decrease in PCV was observed in diabetic control group and increase in the PCV in rats given extracts. It was concluded that the extracts have in vivo antioxidant, hepatoprotective and nephroprotective effects in STZ – induced diabetic rats. These results support its traditional use in the management of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
MIMO-capacities for COST 259 scenarios

The capacity of multiple input multiple output (MIMO) communication systems depends on the spatial properties of the MIMO channel. This work shows how in particular partial correlation of channel coefficients affects the capacity of the system. For partially correlated channel coefficients the performance of such systems can be further be enhanced by the use of channel knowledge at the transmitter. Resulting capacity gains are presented for complete and only statistical knowledge of the channel at the transmitter.
Trends of selected malformations in relation to folic acid recommendations and fortification: an international assessment.

BACKGROUND Two crucial issues relative to the benefits and impact of folic acid in the prevention of birth defects are whether supplementation recommendations alone, without fortification, are effective in reducing the population-wide rates of neural tube defects (NTDs), and whether such policies can reduce the occurrence of other birth defects. Using data from 15 registries, we assessed rates and trends of 14 major defects, including NTDs, in areas with official recommendations or fortification to assess the effectiveness of recommendations and fortification on a wide range of major birth defects. METHODS We evaluated surveillance data through 2003 on major birth defects from population-based registries from Europe, North America, and Australia. All included ascertainment of pregnancy terminations (where legal). Trends before and after policies or fortification were assessed via Poisson regression and were compared via rate ratios. RESULTS Significant changes in trends were seen for NTDs in areas with fortification but not in areas with supplementation recommendations alone. For other major birth defects, there was an overall lack of major trend changes after recommendations or fortification. However, some significant declines were observed for select birth defects in individual areas. CONCLUSIONS Recommendations alone remain an ineffective approach in translating the known protective effect of folic acid in population-wide decline in NTD rates. Fortification appears to be effective in reducing NTDs. The effect on other birth defects remains unclear.
Uncovering Research Topics of Academic Communities of Scientific Collaboration Network

In order to improve the quality of applications, such as recommendation or retrieval in knowledge-based service system, it is very helpful to uncover research topics of academic communities in scientific collaboration network (SCN). Previous research mainly focuses on network characteristics measurement and community evolution, but it remains largely understudied on how to uncover research topics of each community. This paper proposes a nonjoint approach, consisting of three simple steps: (1) to detect overlapping academic communities in SCN with the clique percolation method, (2) to discover underlying topics and research interests of each researcher with author-topic (AT) model, and (3) to label research topics of each community with top N most frequent collaborative topics between members belonging to the community. Extensive experimental results on NIPS (neural information processing systems) dataset show that our simple procedure is feasible and efficient.
[Effect of tourniquet use on blood loss in total knee arthroplasty].

AIM To reduce blood loss in total knee arthroplasty various physical measures including the use of a tourniquet are recommended. The question of an early tourniquet release is still unsettled. PATIENTS AND METHOD To confirm our theory that blood loss and need of blood transfusions might be reduced while removing the tourniquet for meticulous hemostasis before wound closure we analysed 70 (41 male, 29 female) consecutive patients with total knee arthroplasty for osteoarthritis performed by a single surgeon in a prospective-randomized study between 1/1996 to 6/1998. In group I the tourniquet was released before, in group II after wound closure. RESULTS We couldn't find any significant differences in the estimated blood loss, the decrease of hemoglobin and hematocrit level, and the transfusion need. In Group II we observed two cases of deep vein thrombosis. This difference was not significant. CONCLUSION We conclude that tourniquet release for hemostasis is not an effective tool in reducing blood loss or transfusion need in total knee arthroplasty.
Tracking of facial features using deformable triangles

In this paper we present a novel algorithm to track the facial features using a deformable triangle model. The face is modeled as an isosceles triangle connecting the eyes and lips which are called as features of interest (FoI). A maximum likelihood estimator is used to estimate the position of such a triangle in the image sequences by maximizing the correlation value of the feature template in the image and also the probability that the resulting structure represents a face structure. A method is proposed to remove the noise in the obtained structure by projecting it into a shape subspace of isosceles triangles. Burst error in tracking is removed by using a Kalman filter. The algorithm can successfully locate and track the facial features on two sets of video sequences obtained in the laboratory under normal lighting condition with a cluttered background.
Effect of monocrotophos, an organophosphorus insecticide, on the striatal dopaminergic system in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease

Our earlier study had shown that low concentrations of monocrotophos (MCP) elicited dopaminergic features of Parkinson’s disease (PD) in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. In the present study, the effect of low doses of MCP on the striatal dopaminergic neurons was investigated using the mouse model system. MCP was initially screened for its ability to cause any neurobehavioral deficits and alterations in the dopaminergic system in Swiss albino mice, aged 8 weeks and weighing 25–30 g, with repeated doses at 0.3 and 0.6 mg/kg body weight (b.w.)/day for 7 days and 30 days. Mice were treated with four intraperitoneal injections for every 2 h with 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) at the dosage of 14 mg/kg b.w. MCP was administered to these mice at the above-mentioned doses for 7 days. Mice administered with MCP alone revealed a significant (p < 0.05) reduction in the dopamine (DA) content at both 7 and 30 days and showed a significant (p < 0.05) increase in neurobehavioral deficits. Interestingly, when MCP was administered for 7 days to MPTP-treated mice, further significant decrease in both DA content and increase in neurobehavioral deficits were apparent. The extent of reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation were markedly increased, while the ratio of reduced to oxidized glutathione levels were significantly decreased (p < 0.05) in the treated mice as compared to the control. Significant histopathological alterations and a marked reduction in the number of tyrosine hydroxylase positive cells were evident in striatum of mice treated with higher doses of MCP. These changes were comparable to that seen in mice treated with MPTP and post-administered lower doses of MCP. Our findings suggest that MCP per se has the propensity to induce pathological changes in the dopaminergic neurons as well as augment the degeneration in a compromised nigrostriatal system such as that in PD.
Extensive Mothering

Social scientists have provided rich descriptions of the ascendant cultural ideologies surrounding motherhood and paid work. In this article, I use in-depth interviews with a diverse sample of 40 employed mothers to explore how they navigate the “intensive mother” and “ideal worker” ideologies and construct their own accounts of good mothering. Married mothers in this sample construct scripts of “extensive mothering,” in which they delegate substantial amounts of the day-to-day child care to others, and reframe good mothering as being “in charge” of and ultimately responsible for their children’s well-being. Single mothers describe extensive mothering in different ways, and their narratives suggest less accountability to the “intensive mothering” model. Mothers in this sample also justify employment in novel ways: They emphasize the benefits of employment for themselves—not only their children—and they reject the long work hours imposed by an ideal worker model. The article ends with the implications of extensive mothering for the motherhood and employment literatures and for gender equality.
SNR Estimation for Multilevel Constellations Using Higher-Order Moments

The performance of existing moments-based non-data-aided (NDA) estimators of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in digital communication systems substantially degrades with multilevel constellations. We propose a novel moments-based approach that is amenable to practical implementation and significantly improves on previous estimators of this class. This approach is based on a linear combination of ratios of certain even-order moments, which allow the derivation of NDA SNR estimators without requiring memory-costly lookup tables. The weights of the linear combination can be tuned according to the constellation and the SNR operation range. As particular case we develop an eighth-order statistics (EOS)-based estimator, showing in detail the statistical analysis that leads to the weight optimization procedure. The EOS-based estimators yield improved performance for multilevel constellations, especially for those with two and three amplitude levels. Monte Carlo simulations validate the new approach in a wide SNR range.
An institutional survey for knowledge-based and self-awareness assessment in temporomandibular joint disorders among dental students

Context: Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMDs) have been recognized as one of the most common causes of nondental orofacial pain. Various studies have been reported in literature regarding the relationship between prevalence of signs and symptoms of TMDs and gender, suggestive of female predilection; however, none of the studies have yet been reported to suggest the relationship between knowledge about temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and TMDs and self-awareness of its signs and symptoms. Aim: To find a relationship between the level of knowledge about TMJ and TMDs and self-awareness of its signs and symptoms. Settings and Design: This study was designed as an institutional survey. The study sample comprised 491 undergraduate and postgraduate (PG) students, consisting of 90 males and 401 females with age ranging between 18 and 32 years. Subjects and Methods: Two sets of questionnaire were distributed among the students. Statistical Analysis Used: Statistical analysis was performed with the help of Epi Info (TM) 3.5. 3, descriptive statistical analysis, test of proportion, Chi-square test, one-way analysis of variance, Tukey's test, and knowledge index. Results: It was observed that there was a gradual increase in the level of knowledge about TMJ and TMDs and self-awareness of its signs and symptoms from the 1st year to PG students. Conclusions: A direct relationship exists between the level of knowledge about TMJ and TMDs and self-awareness of its signs and symptoms.
Overactive endocannabinoid signaling impairs apolipoprotein E-mediated clearance of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins

The endocannabinoid (EC) system regulates food intake and energy metabolism. Cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1) antagonists show promise in the treatment of obesity and its metabolic consequences. Although the reduction in adiposity resulting from therapy with CB1 antagonists may not account fully for the concomitant improvements in dyslipidemia, direct effects of overactive EC signaling on plasma lipoprotein metabolism have not been documented. The present study used a chemical approach to evaluate the direct effects of increased EC signaling in mice by inducing acute elevations of endogenously produced cannabinoids through pharmacological inhibition of their enzymatic hydrolysis by isopropyl dodecylfluorophosphonate (IDFP). Acute IDFP treatment increased plasma levels of triglyceride (TG) (2.0- to 3.1-fold) and cholesterol (1.3- to 1.4-fold) in conjunction with an accumulation in plasma of apolipoprotein (apo)E-depleted TG-rich lipoproteins. These changes did not occur in either CB1-null or apoE-null mice, were prevented by pretreatment with CB1 antagonists, and were not associated with reduced hepatic apoE gene expression. Although IDFP treatment increased hepatic mRNA levels of lipogenic genes (Srebp1 and Fas), there was no effect on TG secretion into plasma. Instead, IDFP treatment impaired clearance of an intravenously administered TG emulsion, despite increased postheparin lipoprotein lipase activity. Therefore, overactive EC signaling elicits an increase in plasma triglyceride levels associated with reduced plasma TG clearance and an accumulation in plasma of apoE-depleted TG-rich lipoproteins. These findings suggest a role of CB1 activation in the pathogenesis of obesity-related hypertriglyceridemia and underscore the potential efficacy of CB1 antagonists in treating metabolic disease.