Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clinical utility of the four-quadrant model of facilitated learning: perspectives of experienced occupational therapists.

BACKGROUND/AIMS This study explored perspectives of experienced occupational therapists regarding teaching-learning approaches used during intervention. The aim was to ascertain the clinical utility of the Four-Quadrant Model of Facilitated Learning (4QM) (Greber, Ziviani, & Rodger, 2007a) by understanding how it might enhance clinical competency when applying teaching-learning modalities. METHODS Mixed methods were used to ascertain the perspectives of two groups of therapists with seven or more years experience in either adult (n=8) or paediatric (n=7) practice. A pre-discussion questionnaire was used to prime participants for an initial focus group centred on understanding how participants used teaching-learning within occupational therapy intervention. Following a brief description of the 4QM, a further session explored the perspectives of participants regarding the 4QM as a means of conceptualising and planning teaching-learning interventions. RESULTS Irrespective of practice area, therapists considered teaching-learning approaches core to their practice, without necessarily identifying a clear process to guide their implementation. Proficiency in teaching-learning was generally seen to be gained through trial and error. Participants identified potential clinical applications for the 4QM as a useful structure to support the application of teaching-learning interventions, speculating that it would be particularly useful for novice clinicians. CONCLUSIONS Participants endorsed the 4QM as a useful integrating framework to support the development of professional competencies related to planning interventions that use a teaching-learning approach.
Juvenile activity levels affect predisposition to metabolic syndrome induced by maternal hypoxia in male offspring rats

Background: An adverse intrauterine environment can predispose offspring to metabolic disorders. However, fetal programming maybe reversed by postnatal lifestyle especially physical activity levels. The goal of the present study was to determine whether predisposition induced by maternal hypoxia is aggravated or reversed by juvenile activity patterns, and to study the underlying molecular mechanisms. Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats experiencing maternal hypoxia were randomly assigned to juvenile activity patterns (sedentariness, cage activity and exercise). In male offspring, body weight, adiposity index, blood-borne factors, intramuscular oxidative/antioxidative status and the main proteins regulating glycolipid metabolism were evaluated by biochemical assays. Results: Maternal hypoxia offspring rats were born with reduced body weight and hyperlipemia. When full grown, lipid metabolism down-regulated and lipogenesis up-regulated. Juvenile sedentariness aggravated peripheral insulin resistance (Lg HOMA-IR, 1.02 ± 0.1 vs. 0.83 ± 0.0, P<0.05), increased intramuscular triglyceride levels (94.63 ± 7.6 μmol/g vs. 59.08 ± 5.5 μmol/g, P<0.05), and impaired glucose tolerance. The basal expression of fatty acid binding protein 3 and carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1 decreased, while the sterol regulatory element binding transcription factor 1c and fatty acid synthase increased. Following insulin stimulation, changes in membrane glucose transporter 4 and Akt expression regulating glucose metabolism occurred, and juvenile exercise normalized the observed aberrations. Conclusion: Juvenile sedentariness promoted the predisposition for metabolic syndrome in maternal hypoxia offspring, which was normalized by juvenile exercise. Changes in the intramuscular glucose uptake and lipid metabolism were responsible for the metabolic reprogramming.
Effect of Paneer and Cheese Consumption on Salivary Acidogenicity and Calcium Concentration: A Comparative Study.

PURPOSE To assess and compare the salivary pH reversal phenomenon and calcium concentration in subjects consuming paneer and cheese after an acidogenic challenge and also to compare the salivary pH measurements using pH strips and a portable pen-type pH meter. MATERIAL AND METHODS Sixty caries free undergraduate students were randomly selected and divided into two group: 1. paneer; 2. cheese. After determining the resting salivary pH using pH strips and a pen-type pH meter, participants were subjected to an acidogenic challenge (10% sucrose). Following consumption of test foods (10-gram cubes), salivary pH was measured at intervals of 5, 10, 15, 30 and 60 min to record the time taken for the salivary pH to return to baseline. Colorimetric salivary calcium concentration was estimated (Biochemical Analyzer) at baseline and after 60 min of test food consumption. The statistical tests used were Shapiro-Wilk's test for normality, repeated measures ANOVA, and the independent t-test. RESULTS Test meals reversed the fall in pH after acidogenic challenge starting at 5 min and returning to baseline values after 30 min in both groups (p = 1.000). Colorimetric estimates showed higher salivary calcium concentrations with paneer (p < 0.001). The pen-type pH meter showed superior efficiency in terms of time (p < 0.001) compared to pH strips. CONCLUSION The salivary pH reversal phenomenon was evident after consumption of both paneer and cheese following the acidogenic challenge. Consumption of paneer significantly increased salivary calcium concentration. The pen-type pH meter proved to be more efficient.
Effectiveness of implant surface debridement using particle beams at differing air pressures

Because implant surface decontamination is challenging, air powder abrasive systems have been suggested as an alternative debridement method. This in vitro study investigated the effectiveness of different powder formulations and air pressures in cleaning implant surfaces and the extent of surface damage. A validated ink model of implant biofilm was used. Sterile 4.1 × 10 mm Grade 4 titanium implants were coated in a blue indelible ink to form a uniform, visually detectable biofilm‐like layer over the implant threads and mounted into a bone replica material with bony defects to approximate peri‐implantitis. Air powder abrasive treatments were undertaken using glycine, sodium bicarbonate, or calcium carbonate powder at air pressures of 25, 35, 45, and 55 psi. Digital macro photographs of the threads were stitched to give composite images of the threads, so the amount of ink remaining could be quantified as the residual area and expressed as a percentage. Implant surfaces were also examined with scanning electron microscopy to grade the surface changes. No treatment cleaned all the surface of the threads. The powders were ranked in order of decreasing effectiveness and decreasing surface change into the same sequence of calcium carbonate followed by sodium bicarbonate followed by glycine. Higher air pressure improved cleaning and increased surface change, with a plateau effect evident. All powders caused some level of surface alteration, with rounding of surface projections most evident. With air powder abrasive systems, there is a trade‐off between cleaning efficacy and surface damage. Using this laboratory model, sodium bicarbonate and calcium carbonate powders were the most effective for surface cleaning when used at air pressures as low as 25 psi.
Safety of Intravenous Immunoglobulin (Tegeline®), Administered at Home in Patients with Autoimmune Disease: Results of a French Study

The efficacy of intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIg) in patients with autoimmune diseases (AID) has been known for several decades. Majority of these patients received IVIg in hospital. A retrospective study was conducted in 22 centers in France to evaluate the feasibility of the administration of Tegeline, an IVIg from LFB Biomedicaments, and assess its safety at home, compared to in hospital, in patients with AID. The included patients were at least 18 years old, suffering from AID, and treated with at least 1 cycle of Tegeline at home after receiving 3 consecutive cycles of hospital-based treatment with Tegeline at a dose between 1 and 2 g/kg/cycle. Forty-six patients with AID, in most cases immune-mediated neuropathies, received a total of 138 cycles of Tegeline in hospital and then 323 at home. Forty-five drug-related adverse events occurred in 17 patients who received their cycles at home compared to 24 adverse events in hospital in 15 patients. Serious adverse events occurred in 3 patients during home treatment, but they were not life-threatening and did not lead to discontinuation of Tegeline. Forty-five patients continued their treatment with Tegeline at home or in hospital; 39 (84.8%) were still receiving home treatment at the end of the study. In conclusion, the study demonstrates the good safety profile of Tegeline administered at home at high doses in patients with AID who are eligible for home administration of Tegeline.
High Cholesterol Levels And Chronic Exposure To Toxigenic Molds In Damp Buildings: A High Risk For Cardiovascular Diseases And Stroke

Epidemiological evidence suggests a possible association between chronic exposures to toxigenic molds in damp waterdamaged buildings and high levels of cholesterol abnormalities that may represent a high risk for cardiovascular diseases. Although, cholesterol has many useful functions in the body, including its role in membrane structure, brain tissue, fetal development and the biosynthesis of other steroidal hormones, its harmful effects in the body have been widely publicized. Although, the physiological status of cholesterol in animals exposed to toxigenic molds have been reported, there is not enough experimental evidence to support similar occurrence in humans. The purpose of this review is to provide a basis for discussion in the light of on-going research on the topic.The effects of chronic toxigenic mold exposures on individuals in damp buildings are reviewed to provide the background for better understanding of their associations with the observed cholesterol abnormalities. The structure, and the regulatory mechanisms of cholesterol biosynthesis are assessed to identify the important enzymes interact with the toxigenic molds and mycotoxins to which abnormalities are enhanced. It was for this purpose that the effects of mycotoxins on metabolism, cellular supply and utilization of cholesterol and bile acid synthesis and related cardiovascular disease symptomology are evaluated. The outcomes of the reviews showed that, persons exposed to chronic toxigenic molds in damp buildings might be at risk of cardiovascular diseases and other related disorders. This assumption was based on the structural and functional activities highlighted by the evidence from animal models of cholesterolemia: cholesterol LDL-cholesterol/depression, atherosclerosis, premature coronary artery disease (CAD) and neurogenetic aspects of hypercholesterolemia. Given the fact that toxigenic molds release mycotoxins that affect human health, and given the possibility that structurally, and mechanistically, mycotoxins could adversely affect cholesterol metabolism through interactions with the related enzymes and disruption of cellular supply and utilization of cholesterol, and bile acid synthesis, it is most likely that individuals exposed to chronic toxigenic molds might be at risk of neurological disorders including cardiovascular diseases and stroke.
On the Use of Classroom Response Systems as an Integral Part of the Classroom

Classroom response systems are a great technology for enhancing the student classroom experience, and in recent years they have been shown to improve student engagement, aid in knowledge retention, and provide crucial formative feedback for students and educators alike. Unfortunately, it has been suggested that the use of a classroom response system may introduce learning obstructions as well, specifically by confusing participants or distracting students from the material. The authors advocate for a full integration approach of classroom response systems in post-secondary classrooms as a way to preserve the well established benefits while removing the perceived dangers. Such a full integration make use of such systems, not merely as an “accessory” to lectures, but as part of the lecture flow. This full integration allows educators to use classroom response systems throughout the stages of a lecture, but it requires educators to design their lectures utilizing and exploiting the full potential of a classroom response system. The authors’ experience with such an approach shows that students highly appreciate it, fully recognize its value, and believe that it enhances their learning experience, all without the perceived threats of distraction or confusion.
SoftMC: Practical DRAM Characterization Using an FPGA-Based Infrastructure

This paper summarizes the SoftMC DRAM characterization infrastructure, which was published in HPCA 2017, and examines the work's significance and future potential. SoftMC (Soft Memory Controller) is the first publicly-available DRAM testing infrastructure that can flexibly and efficiently test DRAM chips in a manner accessible to both software and hardware developers. SoftMC is an FPGA-based testing platform that can control and test memory modules designed for the commonly-used DDR (Double Data Rate) interface. SoftMC has two key properties: (i) it provides flexibility to thoroughly control memory behavior or to implement a wide range of mechanisms using DDR commands; and (ii) it is easy to use as it provides a simple and intuitive high-level programming interface for users, completely hiding the low-level details of the FPGA. We demonstrate the capability, flexibility, and programming ease of SoftMC with two example use cases. First, we implement a test that characterizes the retention time of DRAM cells. Second, we show that the expected latency reduction of two recently-proposed mechanisms, which rely on accessing recently-refreshed or recently-accessed DRAM cells faster than other DRAM cells, is not observable in existing DRAM chips. Various versions of the SoftMC platform have enabled many of our other DRAM characterization studies. We discuss several other use cases of SoftMC, including the ability to characterize emerging non-volatile memory modules that obey the DDR standard. We hope that our open-source release of SoftMC fills a gap in the space of publicly-available experimental memory testing infrastructures and inspires new studies, ideas, and methodologies in memory system design.
Blood Ammonia as a Possible Etiological Agent for Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), characterized by cognitive decline and devastating neurodegeneration, is the most common age-related dementia. Since AD is a typical example of a complex disease that is affected by various genetic and environmental factors, various factors could be involved in preventing and/or treating AD. Extracellular accumulation of beta-amyloid peptide (Aβ) and intracellular accumulation of tau undeniably play essential roles in the etiology of AD. However, interestingly enough, medications targeting Aβ or tau all failed and the only clinically efficient medications for AD are drugs targeting the cholinergic pathway. Also, a very intriguing discovery in AD is that the Mediterranean diet (MeDi), containing an unusually large quantity of Lactobacilli, is very effective in preventing AD. Based on recently emerging findings, it is our opinion that the reduction of blood ammonia levels by Lactobacilli in MeDi is the therapeutic agent of MeDi for AD. The recent evidence of Lactobacilli lowering blood ammonia level not only provides a link between AD and MeDi but also provides a foundation of pharmabiotics for hyperammonemia as well as various neurological diseases.
The Dorsal Wave of Neocortical Oligodendrogenesis Begins Embryonically and Requires Multiple Sources of Sonic Hedgehog

Neural progenitor cells in the developing dorsal forebrain give rise to excitatory neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes for the neocortex. While we are starting to gain a better understanding about the mechanisms that direct the formation of neocortical neurons and astrocytes, far less is known about the molecular mechanisms that instruct dorsal forebrain progenitors to make oligodendrocytes. In this study, we show that Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling is required in dorsal progenitors for their late embryonic transition to oligodendrogenesis. Using genetic lineage-tracing in mice of both sexes, we demonstrate that most oligodendrocytes in the embryonic neocortex derive from Emx1+ dorsal forebrain progenitors. Deletion of the Shh signaling effector Smo specifically in Emx1+ progenitors led to significantly decreased oligodendrocyte numbers in the embryonic neocortex. Conversely, knock-out of the Shh antagonist Sufu was sufficient to increase neocortical oligodendrogenesis. Using conditional knock-out strategies, we found that Shh ligand is supplied to dorsal progenitors through multiple sources. Loss of Shh from Dlx5/6+ interneurons caused a significant reduction in oligodendrocytes in the embryonic neocortex. This phenotype was identical to that observed upon Shh deletion from the entire CNS using Nestin-Cre, indicating that interneurons migrating into the neocortex from the subpallium are the primary neural source of Shh for dorsal oligodendrogenesis. Additionally, deletion of Shh from migrating interneurons together with the choroid plexus epithelium led to a more severe loss of oligodendrocytes, suggesting that the choroid plexus is an important non-neural source of Shh ligand. Together, our studies demonstrate that the dorsal wave of neocortical oligodendrogenesis occurs earlier than previously appreciated and requires highly regulated Shh signaling from multiple embryonic sources. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Most neocortical oligodendrocytes are made by neural progenitors in the dorsal forebrain, but the mechanisms that specify this fate are poorly understood. This study identifies Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling as a critical pathway in the transition from neurogenesis to oligodendrogenesis in dorsal forebrain progenitors during late embryonic development. The timing of this neuron-to-glia “switch” coincides with the arrival of migrating interneurons into the dorsal germinal zone, which we identify as a critical source of Shh ligand, which drives oligodendrogenesis. Our data provide evidence for a new model in which Shh signaling increases in the dorsal forebrain late in embryonic development to provide a temporally regulated mechanism that initiates the third wave of neocortical oligodendrogenesis.
Early detection of mild cognitive impairment in elderly through IoT: Preliminary findings

Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) results in the gradual decline in a person's cognitive abilities, and subsequently an increased risk of developing dementia. Although there is no cure for dementia, timely medical and clinical interventions can be administered to elderly who have been diagnosed with MCI, to decelerate the process of further cognitive decline and prolong the duration that they enjoy quality of life. In this paper, we present our preliminary findings of early detection of MCI in elderly who are living in the community, through the use of Internet of Things (IoT) devices for continuous, unobtrusive sensing. Multi-modal sensors are placed in the residences of elderly, to monitor their Activities of Daily Living (ADL), as well as to detect signs of forgetfulness, which are considered symptoms of MCI. Early results indicate that IoT is a promising technology that can potentially pick up signs of early cognitive decline in the elderly.
Search Activity in Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa in the Acute Stage of the Illness and Following Symptomatic Stabilization.

BACKGROUND We examined problem-solving strategies in anorexia nervosa-restricting (AN-R) type and in normal weight binge/purge (B/P) eating disorders (EDs). METHOD Twenty-four inpatients with AN-R and 22 with B/P EDs were assessed within two weeks of admission and two weeks from discharge for problem-solving, ineffectiveness, ED symptomatology, depression and anxiety; 32 controls were similarly assessed once. RESULTS While we found less adaptive problem-solving strategies in patients with B/P EDs vs. controls at baseline, no such difference emerged for patients with AN-R. An improvement from admission to discharge in problem solving, depression and trait-anxiety was found for the B/P but not the AN-R group. CONCLUSIONS Patients with AN-R and B/P EDs show different profiles of problem-solving strategies both in the acute stage of their illness and following symptomatic stabilization.
Nuclear PTEN deficiency causes microcephaly with decreased neuronal soma size and increased seizure susceptibility

Defects in phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) are associated with neurological disorders and tumors. PTEN functions at two primary intracellular locations: the plasma membrane and the nucleus. At the membrane, PTEN functions as a phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-trisphosphate phosphatase and suppresses PI 3-kinase signaling that drives cell growth and tumorigenesis. However, the in vivo function of nuclear PTEN is unclear. Here, using CRISPR/Cas9, we generated a mouse model in which PTEN levels in the nucleus are decreased. Nuclear PTEN-deficient mice were born with microcephaly and maintained a small brain during adulthood. The size of neuronal soma was significantly smaller in the cerebellum, cerebral cortex, and hippocampus. Also, these mice were prone to seizure. No changes in PI 3-kinase signaling were observed. By contrast, the size of other organs was unaffected. Therefore, nuclear PTEN is essential for the health of the brain by promoting the growth of neuronal soma size during development.
Retinoblastoma for Pediatric Ophthalmologists

Abstract: Retinoblastoma can present in 1 or both eyes and is the most common intraocular malignancy in childhood. It is typically initiated by biallelic mutation of the RB1 tumor suppressor gene, leading to malignant transformation of primitive retinal cells. The most common presentation is leukocoria, followed by strabismus. Heritable retinoblastoma accounts for 45% of all cases, with 80% being bilateral. Treatment and prognosis of retinoblastoma is dictated by the disease stage at initial presentation. The 8th Edition American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) TNMH (tumor, node, metastasis, heritable trait) staging system defines evidence‐based clinical and pathological staging for overall prognosis for eye(s) and child. Multiple treatment options are available in 2018 for retinoblastoma management with a multidisciplinary team, including pediatric ocular oncology, medical oncology, radiation oncology, genetics, nursing, and social work. Survival exceeds 95% when disease is diagnosed early and treated in centers specializing in retinoblastoma. However, survival rates are less than 50% with extraocular tumor dissemination. We summarize the epidemiology, genetics, prenatal screening, diagnosis, classification, investigations, and current therapeutic options in the management of retinoblastoma.