Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Targeting smooth emergence: the effect site concentration of remifentanil for preventing cough during emergence during propofol-remifentanil anaesthesia for thyroid surgery.

BACKGROUND The administration of short-acting opioids can be a reliable and safe method to prevent coughing during emergence from anaesthesia but the proper dose or effect site concentration of remifentanil for this purpose has not been reported. We therefore investigated the effect site concentration (Ce) of remifentanil for preventing cough during emergence from anaesthesia with propofol-remifentanil target-controlled infusion. METHODS Twenty-three ASA I-II grade female patients, aged 23-66 yr undergoing elective thyroidectomy were enrolled in this study. EC(50) and EC(95) of remifentanil for preventing cough were determined using Dixon's up-and-down method and probit analysis. Propofol effect site concentration at extubation, mean arterial pressure, and heart rate (HR) were compared in patients with smooth emergence and without smooth emergence. RESULTS Three out of 11 patients with remifentanil Ce of 1.5 ng ml(-1) and all seven patients with Ce of 2.0 ng ml(-1) did not cough during emergence; the EC(50) of remifentanil that suppressed coughing was 1.46 ng ml(-1) by Dixon's up-and-down method, and EC(95) was 2.14 ng ml(-1) by probit analysis. Effect site concentration of propofol at awakening was similar in patients with a smooth emergence and those without smooth emergence, but HR and arterial pressure were higher in those who coughed during emergence. Clinically significant hypoventilation was not seen in any patient. CONCLUSIONS We found that the EC(95) of effect site concentration of remifentanil to suppress coughing at emergence from anaesthesia was 2.14 ng ml(-1). Maintaining an established Ce of remifentanil is a reliable method of abolishing cough and thereby targeting smooth emergence from anaesthesia.
Computer-Based Training for Immigrant Latinos with Limited Formal Education

Mexican immigrants working at a wholesale nursery were involved in developing user instructions for a computer-based instruction system. Sixty-one Latinos with 0 to 16 years of education completed user instructions delivered on the computer, and all but 3 completed training content about the nursery. Based on objective criteria, program use was rated as “somewhat easy” to “easy” for most participants with more than 3 years of education, whereas 50% of those with 0 to 2 years of education completed content with “difficulty” or “struggled. ” Participants who completed the computer-based posttest (n =22) had a mean performance of 96%, which was significantly better than the performance of 87% (n = 18) on an oral pretest (p = .003, d = 1.02). Thus, computer-based instruction can effectively train immigrant Latinos who have very limited formal education.
The Alzheimer Pandemic: Is Paracetamol to Blame?

Historical Background: The clinical recognition of a form of dementia closely resembling Alzheimer's disease dates from around 1800. The role of analgesics derived from coal-tar in the spread of the pandemic is traced in terms of the introduction of phenacetin (PN) in 1887; its nephrotoxicity; the observation of lesions characteristic of the disease by Fischer and Alzheimer; the discovery of paracetamol (PA) as the major metabolite of PN; the linking of kidney injury and dementia with high PN usage; and the failure of PN replacement by PA to halt and reverse the exponential, inexorable rise in the incidence of Alzheimer-type dementia. Fischer observed his first case before Alzheimer; it is proposed to rename the syndrome Fischer-Alzheimer disease (F-AD). Disease development: PA-metabolising enzymes are localised in the synaptic areas of the frontal cortex and hippocampus, where F-AD lesions arise. The initiating chemical lesions in liver poisoning comprise covalent binding of a highly reactive product of PA metabolism to proteins; similar events are believed to occur in brain, where alterations in the antigenic profiles of cerebral proteins activate the microglia. β-Amyloid forms, and, like PA itself, induces nitric oxide synthase. Peroxynitrite modifies cerebral proteins by nitrating tyrosine residues, further challenging the microglia and exacerbating the amyloid cascade. Spontaneous reinnervation, N-acetyl cysteine administration and tyrosine supplementation may attenuate the early stages of F-AD development. Conclusion: F-AD is primarily a man-made condition with PA as its principal risk factor.
Transdermal Permeation of Drugs in Various Animal Species

Excised human skin is utilized for in vitro permeation experiments to evaluate the safety and effect of topically-applied drugs by measuring its skin permeation and concentration. However, ethical considerations are the major problem for using human skin to evaluate percutaneous absorption. Moreover, large variations have been found among human skin specimens as a result of differences in age, race, and anatomical donor site. Animal skins are used to predict the in vivo human penetration/permeation of topically-applied chemicals. In the present review, skin characteristics, such as thickness of skin, lipid content, hair follicle density, and enzyme activity in each model are compared to human skin. In addition, intra- and inter-individual variation in animal models, permeation parameter correlation between animal models and human skin, and utilization of cultured human skin models are also descried. Pig, guinea pig, and hairless rat are generally selected for this purpose. Each animal model has advantages and weaknesses for utilization in in vitro skin permeation experiments. Understanding of skin permeation characteristics such as permeability coefficient (P), diffusivity (D), and partition coefficient (K) for each skin model would be necessary to obtain better correlations for animal models to human skin permeation.
Adaptive constructive processes and memory accuracy: Consequences of counterfactual simulations in young and older adults

People frequently engage in counterfactual thinking: mental simulations of alternative outcomes to past events. Like simulations of future events, counterfactual simulations serve adaptive functions. However, future simulation can also result in various kinds of distortions and has thus been characterised as an adaptive constructive process. Here we approach counterfactual thinking as such and examine whether it can distort memory for actual events. In Experiments 1a/b young and older adults imagined themselves experiencing different scenarios. Participants then imagined the same scenario again, engaged in no further simulation of a scenario, or imagined a counterfactual outcome. On a subsequent recognition test participants were more likely to make false alarms to counterfactual lures than novel scenarios. Older adults were more prone to these memory errors than younger adults. In Experiment 2 younger and older participants selected and performed different actions, then recalled performing some of those actions, imagined performing alternative actions to some of the selected actions, and did not imagine others. Participants, especially older adults, were more likely to falsely remember counterfactual actions than novel actions as previously performed. The findings suggest that counterfactual thinking can cause source confusion based on internally generated misinformation, consistent with its characterisation as an adaptive constructive process.
Interleukin‐4 and ‐10 exacerbate candidiasis in mice

Neutralization of endogenous interleukin (IL)‐4 or IL‐10 in mice with Candida albicans infection initiates or accelerates development of a T helper (Th)1‐associated protective response. Here, we report the effect of IL‐4 and IL‐10 administration on the course of systemic or gastrointestinal (GI) candidiasis and on the development of Th immunity using yeast/host combinations that result either in Th1‐associated self‐limiting infection (healer mice) or in Th2‐associated progressive disease (nonhealer mice). Treatment with IL‐4 or IL‐10 greatly exacerbated the course of systemic infection in nonhealer mice and rendered healer mice, inoculated with attenuated yeast cells, susceptible to infection. Under the latter conditions of yeast challenge and IL‐4/IL‐10 administration, the development of a fatal disease was associated with inhibition of IL‐12 production and detection of progressive Th2 cell dominance. In contrast, in healer mice allowed to resolve their infections and to develop long‐lived anti‐candidal resistance, the expression of this acquired resistance was not impaired by IL‐4 and/or IL‐10, as shown by the outcome of reinfection with virulent yeast cells. In the GI model of infection, both IL‐4 and IL‐10 were found to exacerbate the course of infection and to induce the appearance of CD4+ T cells producing high levels of IL‐4 and IL‐10 in Peyer's patches. These findings demonstrate that exogenous IL‐4 and IL‐10 may greatly affect the development of Th responses to C. albicans in vivo, but do not modify the expression of established and predominant Th1 cell reactivity.
Cell cycle analysis of the activity, subcellular localization, and subunit composition of human CAK (CDK-activating kinase)

The activity of cyclin-dependent kinases (cdks) depends on the phosphorylation of a residue corresponding to threonine 161 in human p34cdc2. One enzyme responsible for phosphorylating this critical residue has recently been purified from Xenopus and starfish. It was termed CAK (for cdk-activating kinase), and it was shown to contain p40MO15 as its catalytic subunit. In view of the cardinal role of cdks in cell cycle control, it is important to learn if and how CAK activity is regulated during the somatic cell cycle. Here, we report a molecular characterization of a human p40MO15 homologue and its associated CAK activity. We have cloned and sequenced a cDNA coding for human p40MO15, and raised specific polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies against the corresponding protein expressed in Escherichia coli. These tools were then used to demonstrate that p40MO15 protein expression and CAK activity are constant throughout the somatic cell cycle. Gel filtration suggests that active CAK is a multiprotein complex, and immunoprecipitation experiments identify two polypeptides of 34 and 32 kD as likely complex partners of p40MO15. The association of the three proteins is near stoichiometric and invariant throughout the cell cycle. Immunocytochemistry and biochemical enucleation experiments both demonstrate that p40MO15 is nuclear at all stages of the cell cycle (except for mitosis, when the protein redistributes throughout the cell), although the p34cdc2/cyclin B complex, one of the major purported substrates of CAK, occurs in the cytoplasm until shortly before mitosis. The absence of obvious changes in CAK activity in exponentially growing cells constitutes a surprise. It suggests that the phosphorylation state of threonine 161 in p34cdc2 (and the corresponding residue in other cdks) may be regulated primarily by the availability of the cdk/cyclin substrates, and by phosphatase(s).
Interactive Narratives: Processes and Outcomes in User‐Directed Stories

Interactive narratives are stories that allow readers to determine the direction of the plot, often at key decision points. Unanswered questions remain about the types of psychological processes evoked by these “Choose Your Own Adventure” style narratives, as well as the relative persuasive influence of interactive narratives compared to traditional narratives. The current paper reviews the existing literature and provides a theoretical framework to guide future research on interactive narratives, particularly as a tool for entertainment-education efforts. Specifically, we highlight increased user control and looser narrative structure as key elements of interactive narratives, and discuss possible effects of these differences on engagement variables (e.g., transportation, identification, perceived realism), self-related variables (responsibility), and outcomes (e.g., enjoyment, attitude change, health behaviors).
The implications of assessment for learning in physical education and health

This article deals with the implications of assessment for learning (AfL) in upper secondary physical education and health (PEH). Inspired by the research field that emanates from the concept of governmentality, the study is concerned with how AfL guides teachers’ and students’ actions in certain directions. Based on teachers’ descriptions of how they integrate formative assessment in their teaching practice, the purpose of this article is to investigate the possible consequences of AfL for the teacher, the student and the subject content. The findings highlight different implications of AfL when it is viewed as (i) governance through freedom, (ii) governance through control and (iii) a dialectic form of governance. These concepts constitute certain teacher and student subjects and imply specific conditions for the subject content. In their different roles, for example as coach, deliverer/administrator and moderator, teachers expect different things from their students. In the first instance, students are expected to reach the open goals by self-regulation, in terms of individual choice and personal responsibility. In the second instance, students are subjected to disciplinary normalisation through criteria compliance by means of conformative assessment. In the third instance, students are activated as learning resources for one another using physical activities followed by group reflection. The tension between freedom and control can be described as allowing students to make their own choices but ensuring that they do this in relation to a predetermined idea about what is correct.
Design space exploration for efficient computing in Solid State drives with the Storage Processing Unit

Computer architects face two major challenges in building future exa-scale systems: high energy consumption and the increasing gap between processor and storage speeds. Moving the processing closer to the data, inside the persistent storage, will help mitigate these challenges. This will result in a hierarchical compute structure across the system with a major component of the processing hierarchy inside the Solid State Drive. This new architecture is called the Storage Processing Unit. We perform design space exploration and propose several optimizations to the application space and the architectural space. This research significantly improves the energy use and performance of the system. We observe energy savings from 11 - 423X and performance gains from 4 - 66X for applications including k-means, Sparse BLAS, and others.
Mentalization-based Therapeutic Interventions for Families

This article attempts to bridge two seemingly different and yet related worlds, the intra-psychic and the interpersonal, by viewing systemic practice(s) through a mentalization-based lens. It is argued that in therapy there needs to be a deliberate, conscious and consistent focus on mentalizing. The emerging mentalization-based therapy for families is an innovative approach and a distinctive model which is systemic in essence, deriving its ideas and practices from a variety of diverse systemic approaches, yet enriching family work by adding mentalizing ingredients.
Interaction of Pleuromutilin Derivatives with the Ribosomal Peptidyl Transferase Center

ABSTRACT Tiamulin is a pleuromutilin antibiotic that is used in veterinary medicine. The recently published crystal structure of a tiamulin-50S ribosomal subunit complex provides detailed information about how this drug targets the peptidyl transferase center of the ribosome. To promote rational design of pleuromutilin-based drugs, the binding of the antibiotic pleuromutilin and three semisynthetic derivatives with different side chain extensions has been investigated using chemical footprinting. The nucleotides A2058, A2059, G2505, and U2506 are affected in all of the footprints, suggesting that the drugs are similarly anchored in the binding pocket by the common tricyclic mutilin core. However, varying effects are observed at U2584 and U2585, indicating that the side chain extensions adopt distinct conformations within the cavity and thereby affect the rRNA conformation differently. An Escherichia coli L3 mutant strain is resistant to tiamulin and pleuromutilin, but not valnemulin, implying that valnemulin is better able to withstand an altered rRNA binding surface around the mutilin core. This is likely due to additional interactions made between the valnemulin side chain extension and the rRNA binding site. The data suggest that pleuromutilin drugs with enhanced antimicrobial activity may be obtained by maximizing the number of interactions between the side chain moiety and the peptidyl transferase cavity.
Risperidone in the Treatment of Acute Schizophrenia

Introduction: Atypical antipsychotics have proven efficacy and tolerability in the treatment of schizophrenia. While a lot is known about maintenance treatment with atypical antipsychotics, less is known about their role in the management of acute psychotic decompensations. To evaluate the efficacy of the atypical antipsychotic risperidone, we conducted an open-label observational study among admissions to a secure unit. Method: Treatment with risperidone was offered to acutely psychotic schizophrenic patients with the requirement of a minimum score of ≥4 on 2 items of the PANSS positive symptoms subscale. Subjects were treated with 4 to 8 mg risperidone in divided doses (mean dose 5.7 ± 1.5 mg/d). Benzodiazepines and anticholinergics were allowed as comedications. Clinical Global Impression ratings and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale ratings were obtained weekly for 4 weeks. Results: Forty-eight subjects (25 males, 23 females; mean age 36.9 ± 13.4 years, range 18 to 68 years) participated in this study. The mean duration of treatment was 13.4 ± 9.7 days (range 1 to 31 days). Risperidone was well tolerated, and 26 (54%) patients completed the study. Reasons for discontinuation were need of intramuscular antipsychotic medication (8 subjects), switch to a different antipsychotic (11 subjects), side effects (1 subject), and noncompliance (2 subjects). Treatment with risperidone reduced the mean CGI score from 5.9 to 4.8 (P < 0.001). Likewise, the total PANSS score improved from 110.9 to 86.0 (P < 0.001) with similar reductions in all subscales. Discussion: Our results demonstrate that risperidone is an effective and well-tolerated medication for the pharmacologic management of acutely psychotic schizophrenic subjects.
L’expérimentation du Programme partenaires de soins en psychiatrie : le modèle de Montréal

L’approche du partenariat de soins et de services developpee par la Direction collaboration et partenariat patient (DCPP) de la Faculte de medecine de l’Universite de Montreal considere le patient comme un acteur de soins a part entiere, au meme titre que les professionnels de sante ; ses savoirs experientiels sont reconnus et il developpe progressivement son auto-determination. Depuis l’automne 2010, afin de permettre le changement de culture qu’implique cette approche, le « Programme partenaires de soins » (PPS) a facilite l’integration des patients ressources a des comites d’amelioration continue (CAC) du partenariat de soins et de services, au sein de 29 equipes de soins generaux et specialises de 19 etablissements de sante et de services sociaux du Quebec, dont quatre equipes de services specialises en sante mentale. Le but de l’article est de decrire brievement cette demarche, de demontrer qu’elle est applicable avec succes aux clienteles de sante mentale, en respectant certaines conditions. Methode : L’evaluation de cette demarche est issue de donnees quantitatives de questionnaires autoadministres aupres des participants aux cycles d’amelioration continue, ainsi que d’une approche reflexive des participants et des membres de la DCPP pour comprendre les processus et services mis en oeuvre. Les resultats revelent que les objectifs de transformation selectionnes par les CAC des services specialises de sante mentale referent a l’accueil au service, aux periodes de transition d’un service a l’autre, a la participation active des patients a leur plan d’intervention interdisciplinaire (PII). Parmi les facteurs qui facilitent la participation des patients a ces CAC, citons : la capacite d’adaptation des intervenants et des gestionnaires a s’ajuster aux disponibilites et au rythme des patients ; l’identification des meilleurs mecanismes de communication pour les rejoindre ; le travail en plus petits groupes afin de faciliter les echanges ; une relation de confiance prealable avec les membres du CAC ; le soutien des patients ressources entre eux ainsi que l’accompagnement par un patient coach de la DCPP. Les membres des CAC developpent un sentiment de fierte, une energie, une motivation nouvelle et une cohesion de groupe. Les patients developpent un sentiment d’appartenance a l’equipe, ils voient augmenter leur estime d’eux-memes et leur sentiment d’utilite, en contribuant a l’amelioration des services specialises de sante mentale. Redonner ce qu’ils ont recu et participer a des services de meilleure qualite au benefice d’autres patients a beaucoup de sens pour eux, ce processus fait meme parfois partie integrante de leur plein retablissement. En conclusion, le constat revele l’applicabilite de cette demarche dans le domaine de la sante mentale. Elle est d’autant plus atteignable lorsque les conditions gagnantes comme la proximite des gestionnaires specialises dans le domaine, le choix de cibles d’amelioration continue significatives pour les patients sont pris en compte.
Relationship in Hypoplasia Between the Masticatory Muscles and the Craniofacial Skeleton in Hemifacial Microsomia, as Determined by 3-D CT Imaging

The purpose of this study, based on three-dimensional (3-D) computed tomographic (CT) reconstructions, was to evaluate the relation between underdevelopment of masticatory muscles and hypoplasia of the craniofacial skeleton in hemifacial microsomia (HFM). In 25 patients with HFM and 19 control patients the volumes of the masseter, the temporal, and the medial-pterygoid and lateral-pterygoid muscles were measured on the basis of CT scans, using three-dimensional segmentation and voxel addition. The size and shape of the craniofacial structures were classified, using three-dimensional imaging based on CT scans. Contiguous 1.5-mm computed tomography scans were made with a Philips Tomoscan 350 and processed by a Cemax 1500X 3-D workstation. Using the Pearson product moment correlation coefficient, the Pruzansky/Kaban classification system, the new Craniofacial Deformity Scoring System, Cranial Deformity Scoring System, and Mandibular Deformity Scoring System (MDS) demonstrated correlation coefficients with the “masseter muscle percentage” varying from 0.71 to 0.81 (P < 0.05), with the medial pterygoid muscle percentage correlation coefficient varying from 0.43 to 0.56 (P < 0.05), with the lateral pterygoid muscle percentage correlation coefficient varying from 0.55 to 0.61 (P < 0.05), and with the temporal muscle percentage correlation coefficient varying from 0.67 to 0.84 (P < 0.05). The normal right/left difference in volume of the masticatory muscles of the control patients, calculated as a percentage of the total, demonstrated small differences of 3.4% to 4.8%. Bony malformations are associated with underdevelopment of the masseter and the temporal muscles, and demonstrate a tendency toward a clear relationship. The degree of muscular underdevelopment of the different muscles of mastication in one patient could vary widely. The normal right/left difference of the masticatory muscles of the control patients is minimal. The volume of the masticatory muscles of the nonaffected side does not demonstrate a compensatory effect in patients with HFM.