Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Verbalism in Young Blind Children

This article discusses differences in language development between blind and sighted children and adolescents. The first part provides a review of the literature on the subject. The second part describes a study the author conducted at the Institute for the Blind in Milan, Italy. When 10 blind and 10 sighted 13- to 17-year-olds were asked to define 28 words representing objects, movements, animals, and facial expressions, the two groups performed equally well on the words for material objects. The blind group performed better than the sighted group on the other three categories of words.
Nuclear Transfer-Mediated Rescue of the Nuclear Genome of Nonviable Mouse Cells Frozen Without Cryoprotectant

Abstract Nuclear transfer (NT) provides an opportunity for clonal amplification of a nuclear genome of interest. Here, we report NT-mediated reprogramming with frozen mouse cells that were nonviable because they were frozen at −80°C for up to 342 days without a cryoprotectant. We derived eight embryonic stem (ES) cell lines from cloned blastocysts by conventional NT procedure and five ntES (nuclear transfer embryonic stem) cell lines by a modified NT procedure in which a whole cell instead of a nucleus was injected into an enucleated oocyte. Chromosome analysis revealed that 12 of 13 ntES cell lines have normal karyotypes. On injection of ntES cells into tetraploid blastocysts to generate clonal mice that are nearly completely ntES-cell derived, live pups were obtained; four clonal mice survived until adulthood. On injection of ntES cells into diploid blastocysts, chimeric mice with a high somatic ES cell contribution were generated; germ-line transmission was obtained. Our findings indicate that chromosome stability and genomic integrity can be maintained in mouse somatic cells after freezing without cryoprotection and that NT and ES cell techniques can rescue the genome of these cells.
Gender Swapping and Socializing in Cyberspace: An Exploratory Study

Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) are one of the most interesting innovations in the area of online computer gaming. Given the relative lack of research in the area, the main aims of the study were to examine (a) the impact of online gaming (e.g., typical playing behavior) in the lives of online gamers, (b) the effect of online socializing in the lives of gamers, and (c) why people engage in gender swapping. A self-selecting sample of 119 online gamers ranging from 18 to 69 years of age (M = 28.5 years) completed a questionnaire. The results showed that just over one in five gamers (21%) said they preferred socializing online to offline. Significantly more male gamers than female gamers said that they found it easier to converse online than offline. It was also found that 57% of gamers had engaged in gender swapping, and it is suggested that the online female persona has a number of positive social attributes in a male-oriented environment.
Efficiency of three PCR-based markers in assessing genetic variation among cowpea (Vigna unguiculata subsp. unguiculata) landraces.

The main objective of this study was to investigate the efficiency of RAPD, AFLP, and SAMPL marker systems in detecting genetic polymorphism in cowpea landraces (Vigna unguiculata subsp. unguiculata (L.) Walp. ) that probably share a similar genetic pool. A second objective was to determine the level of diversity among landraces from a restricted area, to define the most appropriate strategy of on-farm conservation. Each marker system was able to discriminate among the materials analysed, but a clear distinction between all the local varieties was only obtained with AFLP and SAMPL markers. The average diversity index was quite similar for each marker system, but owing to the differences in the effective multiplex ratio values the marker index was higher for the AFLP and SAMPL systems than for the RAPD system. The AFLP and SAMPL techniques appear to be more useful than the RAPD technique in the analysis of limited genetic diversity among the cowpea landraces tested. The significant correlations of SAMPL similarity and cophenetic matrices with those of the other markers, and the lower number of primer combinations required, indicate that this technique is the most valuable. The low genetic similarity detected among landraces suggests that all the cowpea landraces should be maintained on the respective farms from which they came.
Pterin and Folate Salvage. Plants and Escherichia coli Lack Capacity to Reduce Oxidized Pterins1[OA]

Dihydropterins are intermediates of folate synthesis and products of folate breakdown that are readily oxidized to their aromatic forms. In trypanosomatid parasites, reduction of such oxidized pterins is crucial for pterin and folate salvage. We therefore sought evidence for this reaction in plants. Three lines of evidence indicated its absence. First, when pterin-6-aldehyde or 6-hydroxymethylpterin was supplied to Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), pea (Pisum sativum), or tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) tissues, no reduction of the pterin ring was seen after 15 h, although reduction and oxidation of the side chain of pterin-6-aldehyde were readily detected. Second, no label was incorporated into folates when 6-[3H]hydroxymethylpterin was fed to cultured Arabidopsis plantlets for 7 d, whereas [3H]folate synthesis from p-[3H]aminobenzoate was extensive. Third, no NAD(P)H-dependent pterin ring reduction was found in tissue extracts. Genetic evidence showed a similar situation in Escherichia coli: a GTP cyclohydrolase I (folE) mutant, deficient in pterin synthesis, was rescued by dihydropterins but not by the corresponding oxidized forms. Expression of a trypanosomatid pterin reductase (PTR1) enabled rescue of the mutant by oxidized pterins, establishing that E. coli can take up oxidized pterins but cannot reduce them. Similarly, a GTP cyclohydrolase I (fol2) mutant of yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) was rescued by dihydropterins but not by most oxidized pterins, 6-hydroxymethylpterin being an exception. These results show that the capacity to reduce oxidized pterins is not ubiquitous in folate-synthesizing organisms. If it is lacking, folate precursors or breakdown products that become oxidized will permanently exit the metabolically active pterin pool.
In vivo Effect of Oral Environment on Etched Enamel: A Scanning Electron Microscopic Study

After etching the enamel in teeth of young children with 50% buffered phosphoric acid and allowing the teeth to remain in the oral environment for a few months, an irregular enamel surface similar to the morphology of recently etched enamel was noted by means of scanning electron microscopy. In addition, the enamel surfaces were covered with plaque. Accordingly, observations by other authors, that etched human enamel takes on a normal appearance after short exposure in the oral cavity, could not be confirmed. However, when the surface of the etched enamel was pumiced, the enamel reacquired both the shine and appearance of non-etched enamel.
Evaluation of the effect of silicone residue after different surface treatments on shear bond strength of glass ionomer cement to the dentin surface

Aim: Use of silicone fit-checking material during cementation of fixed restoration has shown to leave residual silicone film after peeling off of fit checker (FC). This residual film reduced bond strength of cement to the inner surface of restoration. Silicone residue effect on tooth surface needs to be studied. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of residual silicone film on shear bond strength (SBS) of glass ionomer cement (GIC) to dentin surface and the efficacy of different surface treatments (STs) on dentin in the removal of silicone residue. Materials and Methods: Fifty freshly extracted human molars were individually mounted on acrylic blocks and occlusal surfaces were ground flat until dentine surface was exposed. Specimens were divided into five groups as follows: Group I: without application of FC (n = 10) as control group; Group II: without any ST after peeling off FC (n = 10); Group III: ST using wet pumice after peeling off FC (n = 10); Group IV: ST with 37% phosphoric acid after peeling off FC (n = 10); and Group V: ST with 10% polyacrylic acid after peeling off FC (n = 10). GIC was placed on the dentinal surface using polyvinyl mold and subjected to SBS test using universal testing machine. The debonded specimens were observed under stereomicroscope for the mode of failure. Selected debonded dentinal surfaces from each group were examined under scanning electron microscope. One-way analysis of variance and Tukey's test. Results: Group II (1.083 MPa) showed significantly lower SBS. Among the STs, Group III (2.047 MPa) was comparable to the control group whereas Group IV (1.376 MPa) and Group V (1.63 MPa) were significantly lower. There was no significant association between failures and groups at P = 0.257. Conclusion: The residue of silicone was demonstrable on dentin surface after peeling off FC and caused a significant reduction in SBS between GIC and dentin. ST with wet pumice is found to be beneficial in removing silicone residue and improving SBS, followed by phosphoric acid and polyacrylic acid.
Is coracoacromial arch angle a predisposing factor for rotator cuff tears?

PURPOSE The aim of the present study was to investigate whether coracoacromial arch angle is a predisposing factor for rotator cuff tears. METHODS Shoulder magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations of 40 patients having shoulder arthroscopy due to rotator cuff tears and 28 patients with normal MRI findings were evaluated retrospectively. Acromio-humeral distance, coraco-humeral distance, the angle between the longitudinal axis of the coracoacromial ligament and longitudinal axis of the acromion (coracoacromial arch angle), and thickness of the coracoacromial ligament were measured. RESULTS In patients with rotator cuff pathology the mean coraco-humeral distance was 7.88±2.37 mm, the mean acromio-humeral distance was 7.89±2.09 mm, and the mean coracoacromial arch angle was 132.38°±6.52° compared to 11.67±1.86 mm, 11.15±1.84 mm, and 116.95°±7.66° in the control group, respectively (P < 0.001, for all). In regression analysis, all three parameters were found to be significant predictors of rotator cuff tears. The mean thickness of the coracoacromial ligament was not significantly different between the patient and control groups (0.95±0.30 mm vs. 1.00±0.33 mm, P > 0.05). CONCLUSION Acromio-humeral and coraco-humeral distances are narrower than normal limits in patients with rotator cuff tears. In addition, coracoacromial arch angle may be a predisposing factor for rotator cuff tears.
Robust Inferences from a Before-and-After Study with Multiple Unaffected Control Groups

Abstract The before-and-after study with multiple unaffected control groups is widely applied to study treatment effects. The current methods usually assume that the control groups’ differences between the before and after periods, i.e. the group time effects, follow a normal distribution. However, there is usually no strong a priori evidence for the normality assumption, and there are not enough control groups to check the assumption. We propose to use a flexible skew-t distribution family to model group time effects, and consider a range of plausible skew-t distributions. Based on the skew-t distribution assumption, we propose a robust-t method to guarantee nominal significance level under a wide range of skew-t distributions, and hence make the inference robust to misspecification of the distribution of group time effects. We also propose a two-stage approach, which has lower power compared to the robust-t method, but provides an opportunity to conduct sensitivity analysis. Hence, the overall method of analysis is to use the robust-t method to test for the overall hypothesized range of shapes of group variation; if the test fails to reject, use the two-stage method to conduct a sensitivity analysis to see if there is a subset of group variation parameters for which we can be confident that there is a treatment effect. We apply the proposed methods to two datasets. One dataset is from the Current Population Survey (CPS) to study the impact of the Mariel Boatlift on Miami unemployment rates between 1979 and 1982.The other dataset contains the student enrollment and grade repeating data in West Germany in the 1960s with which we study the impact of the short school year in 1966–1967 on grade repeating rates.
Phagocytosis-induced injury of normal and activated alveolar macrophages

The present study tested the hypothesis that BCG-activated macrophages become injured when they phagocytose certain particulates. The data indicate that alveolar macrophages obtained from Mycobacterium bovis BCG-sensitized animals were more susceptible to cell death after in vitro incubation with BCG or zymosan than were macrophages from normal animals. Increased susceptibility was dependent on phagocytosis, since incubation with cytochalasin B, a phagocytosis inhibitor, abrogated the effect. Catalase, cytochrome c, and ascorbic acid offered partial protection to the macrophage, suggesting the involvement of free radicals in the generation of cytotoxicity. Not all of the cells from the alveolar populations were equally susceptible to cell death, thus suggesting either heterogeneity in the cell population or a requirement of more than one cell type in the induction of necrosis or both.
Snapshot head imaging at 0.5 T using the echo planar technique

The echo planar imaging (EPI) method and related variants of this technique can produce complete two‐dimensional images from the data collected in a single experiment lasting a fraction of a second. EPI methods are used at 0.5 T to produce snapshot images of the human head with a suatial resolution of less than 2 mm. © 1988 Academic Press, Inc.
Unmet needs in major depression

Unmet needs in Major depression reflect the properties of a complex and multidimensional disease, where long-term outcome appears unsatisfying. The relapse rate within 12 months is about 35%; about 20% of depressed patients is affected by chronic depression and only 25-30% of patients achieve complete remission. Despite second generation antidepressants were found to be effective, the latency to therapeutic effect, the adverse effects, the management of treatment resistant depression, the poor efficacy on cognitive deficits and somatic symptoms, are critical points in depression treatment. Agomelatine represents an innovative approach to depression treatment, that involves a non-monoaminergic system. The synergism between melatoninergic agonism and 5HT2c antagonism results in a faster onset of therapeutic effect, a specific action on several symptoms (circadian rhythm alterations), a good tolerability, which define the best compliance to treatment, less relapse rates, therefore a better course of disease.
Impact of routine intensive care unit surveillance cultures and resultant barrier precautions on hospital-wide methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia.

BACKGROUND Serial interventions are often used to reduce the risk of health care-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections. To our knowledge, the relative impact of these interventions has not previously been ascertained. METHODS We conducted a retrospective study of 4 major infection control interventions using an interrupted time series design to evaluate their impact on MRSA bacteremia in an 800-bed hospital with 8 intensive care units (ICUs). Interventions were introduced 1 at a time during a 9-year period and involved the promotion of compliance with maximal sterile barrier precautions during central venous catheter placement, the institution of alcohol-based hand rubs for hand disinfection, the introduction of a hand hygiene campaign, and the institution of routine nares surveillance cultures for MRSA in all ICUs for patients on ICU admission and weekly thereafter while in the ICU. Positive cultures resulted in the initiation of contact isolation precautions. Using segmented regression analyses, we evaluated changes in monthly incidence and prevalence of MRSA bacteremia from their predicted values. Methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia was monitored as a control. RESULTS Routine surveillance cultures and subsequent contact isolation precautions resulted in substantial reductions in MRSA bacteremia in both ICUs and non-ICUs. In 16 months, the incidence density of MRSA bacteremia decreased by 75% in ICUs (P=.007) and by 40% in non-ICUs (P=.008), leading to a 67% hospital-wide reduction in the incidence density of MRSA bacteremia (P=.002). Methicillin-susceptible S. aureus bacteremia rates remained stable during this time. The other interventions were not associated with a statistically significant change in MRSA bacteremia. CONCLUSIONS Routine surveillance for MRSA in ICUs allowed earlier initiation of contact isolation precautions and was associated with large and statistically significant reductions in the incidence of MRSA bacteremia in the ICUs and hospital wide. In contrast, no similar decrease was attributable to the other infection control interventions.
Unintentional Childhood Injuries in Sub-Saharan Africa: An Overview of Risk and Protective Factors

The rate of unintentional injuries for children in sub-Saharan Africa has reached 53.1 per 100,000, the highest for regions across all income levels. This paper reviews the relevant literature on the epidemiology of unintentional childhood injuries in the region, with an emphasis on the risk factors associated with it. Several demographic, socioeconomic, and environmental factors contributing to injuries in children have been documented for the main causes of injury. Despite the high burden, child injury prevention and control programs and policies are limited or non-existent in many countries in the region. Accurate data regarding these injuries across and within countries is incomplete. Population-based estimates and investigations into context-specific risk factors, safety attitudes, and behaviours are needed to inform the development of effective interventions.
Today’s Approach to the Critically Ill Patient with Acute Kidney Injury

The present review describes recent evidence on all aspects relating to acute kidney injury (AKI): epidemiology, definition, diagnosis, medical and extracorporeal therapy. AKI is often underrecognized, but its outcome still remains unfavorable. In this light, definition, classification and diagnosis of AKI are fundamental today and may be reliably based on recently proposed RIFLE (risk, injury, failure, loss of function, end-stage kidney disease) classification. Pharmacological therapy of AKI is still scarcely effective, but renal replacement therapy has progressed to a more accurate and safe treatment and new interesting high-level trials and observational studies have been performed and are reviewed and commented. In the near future, however, only increased awareness of AKI incidence and early treatment or prevention of kidney injury progression will hopefully improve outcome of critically ill patients with renal failure.
A Cross-Sectional Study of Prevalence of Depression, Anxiety and Stress among Professional Cab Drivers in New Delhi

Background: The profession of drivers is one of the occupational groups exposed to very poor working conditions. This study aimed to establish the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress among cab drivers. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 134 cab drivers. Their mental health status was assessed with the help of a screening tool – Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21). Their demographic details, working conditions, lifestyle factors and use of habit-forming substances were also assessed with the help of a semi-structured questionnaire. Results: It was revealed that all cab drivers were male and between 20 to 64 years of age. Eighty two (62%) drivers said they are sometimes irritated at work, 29 (21.5%) said they feel irritated daily and rest 23 (17.2%) said that they were never irritated at work. When screened for depression, anxiety and stress, it was found out that 81 (60.5%) were suffering from depression, 63 (47%) from anxiety and 49 (36.5%) had variable degree of stress. Conclusion: Cab drivers are at high risk of acquiring mental health diseases, yet the mental health of this large workforce is ignored.
Analysis of factors influencing length of stay in the emergency department.

OBJECTIVES Length of stay (LOS) is a key measure of emergency department (ED) throughput and a marker of overcrowding. Time studies that assess key ED processes will help clarify the causes of patient care delays and prolonged LOS. The objectives of this study were to identify and quantify the principal ED patient care time intervals, and to measure the impact of important service processes (laboratory testing, imaging and consultation) on LOS for patients in different triage levels. METHODS In this retrospective review, conducted at a large urban tertiary care teaching hospital and trauma centre, investigators reviewed the records of 1047 consecutive patients treated during a continuous 7-day period in January 1999. Key data were recorded, including patient characteristics, ED process times, tests performed, consultations and overall ED LOS. Of the 1047 patient records, 153 (14.6%) were excluded from detailed analysis because of incomplete documentation. Process times were determined and stratified by triage level, using the Canadian Emergency Department Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS). Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to determine which factors were most strongly associated with prolonged LOS. RESULTS Patients in intermediate triage Levels III and IV generally had the longest waiting times to nurse and physician assessment, and the longest ED lengths of stay. CTAS triage levels predicted laboratory and imaging utilization as well as consultation rate. The use of diagnostic imaging and laboratory tests was associated with longer LOS, varying with the specific tests ordered. Specialty consultation was also associated with prolonged LOS, and this effect was highly variable depending on the service consulted. CONCLUSIONS Triage level, investigations and consultations are important independent variables that influence ED LOS. Future research is necessary to determine how these and other factors can be incorporated into a model for predicting LOS. Improved information systems will facilitate similar ED time studies to assess key processes, lengths of stay and clinical efficiency.
A Stochastic Fire-Diffuse-Fire Model of Ca^2+ Release

Calcium ions are an important second messenger in living cells transmitting signals in the form of waves. It is now well established that these waves are composed of elementary stochastic release events (calcium puffs) from spatially localised calcium stores. Here we develop a mathematical model of calcium release based upon a stochastic generalisation of the fire-diffuse-fire (FDF) threshold model for calcium release. Our model retains the discrete characteristic of the FDF model (spatially localised stores) but also incorporates a notion of release probability, via the introduction of threshold noise. It is possible to identify a critical level of noise defining a non-equilibrium phase- transition between abortive and propagating waves. This transition is shown to belong to the directed percolation universality class.