Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Low-level Vagus Nerve Stimulation on Cardiac Remodeling in a Rapid Atrial Pacing–induced Canine Model of Atrial Fibrillation

Abstract: The aim of this study was to establish a rapid atrial pacing–induced canine model of atrial fibrillation in studying the effects of low-level vagus nerve stimulation (LLVNS) on atrial fibrillation and the underlying mechanisms for those effects. Adult beagle dogs were randomly assigned to 3 groups: a sham operation group (sham group), a fast left atrial appendage 12-hour pacing group (pacing group), and a 12-hour pacing + LLVNS group (LLVNS group). All dogs underwent tests for their left and right atrial effective refractory period at various time points, after which they were killed, and samples of atrial and anterior right ganglionated plexi tissue were removed and microscopically examined. As pacing times increased, the mean effective refractory period in the pacing group became significantly shortened. The pacing group and the LLVNS group did show significant differences (P < 0.001). Three groups showed significant differences in their atrial myocardial periodic acid–Schiff–positive area staining densities. Anterior right ganglionated plexi expressions of nerve growth factor and neurturin (NRTN) in the sham group and the LLVNS group were lower than those in the pacing group (nerve growth factor in 3 groups were (36.35 ± 6.18) × 1000, (86.35 ± 5.63) × 1000, and (40.50 ± 7.24) × 1000 &mgr;m2/mm2, P < 0.001; NRTN in 3 groups were (39.28 ± 7.80) × 1000, (80.24 ± 6.56) × 1000, (40.45 ± 6.97) × 1000 &mgr;m2/mm2, P < 0.001). Therefore, LLVNS not only reverses the effect of fast pacing–induced atrial electrical remodeling in dogs but also exerts structural effects and stimulates remodeling of autonomic nerves.
Overexpression of LOXIN Protects Endothelial Progenitor Cells From Apoptosis Induced by Oxidized Low Density Lipoprotein

Abstract: Human endothelial progenitor cells (hEPC) are adult stem cells located in the bone marrow and peripheral blood. Studies have indicated that hEPC play an important role in the recovery and repair of injured endothelium, however, their quantity and functional capacity is reduced in several diseases including hypercholesterolemia. Recently, it has been demonstrated that hEPC express lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 (LOX-1) and its activation by oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) induces cellular dysfunction and apoptosis. This study aimed to investigate whether overexpression of LOXIN, a truncated isoform of LOX-1 that acts as a dominant negative, plays a protective role against ox-LDL-induced apoptosis in hEPC. Human endothelial progenitor cells exposed to ox-LDL showed a significant increase in LOX-1 expression, and apoptosis began at ox-LDL concentrations above 50 &mgr;g/mL. All hEPC apoptosed at 200 &mgr;g/mL ox-LDL. High LOXIN expression was generated using adenoviral systems in hEPC and SiHa cells transduced with 100 colony-forming units per cell. Transduced LOXIN localized to the plasma membrane and blocked ox-LDL uptake mediated by LOX-1. Overexpression of LOXIN protected hEPC from ox-LDL-induced apoptosis, and therefore maybe a novel way of improving hEPC function and quantity. These results suggest that adenoviral vectors of LOXIN may provide a possible treatment for diseases related to ox-LDL and vascular endothelium dysfunction, including atherosclerosis.
Tolvaptan for Heart Failure, Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Trials

Abstract: The vasopressin type 2 receptor antagonist tolvaptan (TLV) is available to treat congestion in patients with heart failure. However, there is paucity of evidence guiding its use, and lack of evidence of its long-term efficacy. Our objectives are to perform a systematic review of studies examining the effects of TLV in patients with heart failure; and a quantitative meta-analysis comparing primary and secondary outcomes between TLV and placebo. Only double-blinded randomized controlled trials, with no restriction on the language or the time of publication, were included. Our main outcome measures were all-cause mortality, change in body weight, change in urine volume, and change in serum sodium. Extracted summary estimates included mean difference and SD for change in body weight, change in urine volume and change in serum sodium levels, and hazard ratio with 95% confidence interval for all-cause mortality. We found 8 double-blinded randomized controlled trials, seven of which were included in this meta-analysis. Assessment of risk of bias was conducted by investigating random sequence generation, allocation concealment, blinding, completeness of outcome data, and potential for selective reporting. We found no evidence of significant bias. TLV showed benefits in reducing body weight, increasing urine volume, and increasing serum sodium. No reduction in mortality was detected. However, the subgroup of patients with hyponatremia might have better mortality outcome with TLV. TLV seemed to be safe, as it did not cause worsening of the renal function or hypotension. In conclusion, a meta-analysis of the published literature suggests short-term benefits of TLV. However, the impact on mortality is inconclusive.
Platelet‐Rich Fibrin in the Treatment of Bilateral Gingival Recessions

Introduction: Subepithelial connective tissue graft (SCTG) + coronally advanced flap (CAF) has been suggested as the most predictable technique for treatment of recession defects. However, the SCTG technique necessitates a second surgical site and increases the risk of morbidity linked with harvesting the autogenous palatal donor mucosa. Platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) has been shown to accelerate soft-tissue healing. The use of PRF in treatment of gingival recessions eliminates the requirement of a donor site. The aim of this case report is to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of the CAF+PRF combined technique and CAF+SCTG in the treatment of bilateral gingival recessions.Case Presentation: The surgical treatment of a 23-year-old female patient with bilateral gingival recessions in maxillary cuspids is discussed in this case report. Sites were randomly assigned to CAF+PRF (test) or CAF+SCTG (control) sites. Clinical periodontal parameters were recorded and clinical photographs were taken at baseline; 1, 3, .
Children's participation in decision-making

Abstract This paper, based on recently completed research, discusses the issues surrounding the involvement of children in decision-taking in child protection work. A distinction is drawn between a duty to consult and ascertaining the feelings and wishes of the child. In doing so we attempt to display what some of the problems are, with particular reference to adultism, awareness and resources. The paper concludes with some ideas on how such problems might be overcome.
Optimal Two‐Stage Design for Case‐Control Association Analysis Incorporating Genotyping Errors

Two‐stage design is a cost effective approach for identifying disease genes in genetic studies and it has received much attention recently. In general, there are two types of two‐stage designs that differ on the methods and samples used to measure allele frequencies in the first stage: (1) Individual genotyping is used in the first stage; (2) DNA pooling is used in the first stage. In this paper, we focus on the latter. Zuo et al. (2006) investigated statistical power of such a design, among other things, but the cost of the study was not taken into account. The purpose of this paper is to study the optimal design under the given overall cost. We investigate how to allocate the resources to the two stages. Note that in addition to the measurement errors associated with DNA pooling, genotyping errors are also unavoidable with individual genotyping. Therefore, we discuss the optimal design combining genotyping errors associated with individual genotyping. The joint statistical distributions of test statistics in the first and second stages are derived. For a fixed cost, our results show that the optimal design requires no additional samples in the second stage but only that the samples in the first stage be re‐used. When the second stage uses an entirely independent sample, however, the optimal design under a given cost depends on the population allele frequency and allele frequency difference between the case and control groups. For the current genotyping costs, we can roughly allocate 1/3 to 1/2 of the total sample size to the first stage for screening.
Relationship between anxiety and temporomandibular disorders in dental students

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of temporomandibular disorder (TMD) in dental students and its correlation with anxiety. Methods: After probability sampling, 105 students were selected. The diagnosis of TMD was carried out using the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD) – Axis I; the anxiety level was obtained by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Data from TMD and anxiety were calculated through frequency and Chi-square test to assess the association between TMD and anxiety, considering a significance level of 5%. Results: TMD was present in 36.2% of the students; disc displacement (42.1%), and arthralgia (42.1%) were the most prevalent subtypes. The majority of students presented both traits (57.1%) and state (65.7%) anxiety in mild levels, followed by moderate levels. No statistical association between TMD and anxiety was found (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Joint TMD was the most prevalent subtype of TMD in dental students and was not associated with anxiety levels.
Clinical Toxicology of Citalopram After Acute Intoxication With the Sole Drug or in Combination With Other Drugs: Overview of 26 Cases

There is discussion concerning the cardiac safety of citalopram in an overdose. The aim of this study was to investigate the toxic effects and toxicokinetic parameters of citalopram in an overdose as a single drug and in combination with other drugs. Cases observed between 1997 and 2006 were evaluated. Patient demographics, ingested doses, serum concentrations of citalopram, coingested drugs, and clinical parameters were acquired. Outcomes were observed symptoms of the gastrointestinal tract, respiratory tract, central nervous system, and cardiovascular system. Poisoning Severity Score was used to evaluate severity of every intoxicated patient. Individual toxicokinetic parameter values were calculated. Twenty-nine cases of citalopram overdose were observed; three cases had incomplete data so that 26 cases were evaluable. The ingested amount ranged from 200 to 4960 mg. Blood concentrations ranged from 0.21 to 7.5 mg/L with 20 minutes to 8 hours between suggested time of ingestion and blood sampling. Most frequently reported symptoms were drowsiness (seven cases), tachycardia (15 cases), QTc prolongation (eight cases), decrease of consciousness (eight cases), and seizures (four cases). Median length of hospital stay was 3 days (range, 1-8 days). Of the 26 evaluated cases, two fatalities occurred, one because of a cardiac arrest and one as a result of a respiratory arrest. According to Poisoning Severity Score, severity of intoxication was minor in three patients (11%), moderate in nine patients (35%), and severe in 14 patients (54%). Severity was mainly caused by neurologic and respiratory effects. Elimination half-life was prolonged but did not correlate with the amount of ingestion. Citalopram intoxications seem to proceed more severely than is known for other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor intoxications, causing drowsiness, coma, and seizures in overdose. Cardiac toxicity is generally mild. Therefore, we recommend seizure precautions and intensive care unit admission with cardiac monitoring for citalopram-intoxicated patients. Because elimination half-life is prolonged, normal pharmacokinetics do not apply.
Effect of Perindopril on Renal Medullary Blood Flow: Comparison With Other Antihypertensive Treatments

Early and chronic angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition in Lyon hypertensive (LH) rats improves their blunted vasodilator response of renal medullary blood flow (MBF) to angiotensin II (AngII). This study examined the specificity of this effect and the possible involvement of nitric oxide (NO). The renal response to AngII (from 7.5 to 480 ng/kg, IV) and acetylcholine (Ach, from 3 to 192 μg/kg, IV) were examined in 12-week-old anesthetized LH rats treated orally from 3 weeks of age with perindopril (1.5 mg/kg/d), nifedipine (50 mg/kg/d), or a triple therapy with hydralazine, hydrochlorothiazide, and reserpine (75, 15, and 0.75 mg/kg/d, respectively). After 9 weeks of therapy, perindopril lowered systolic blood pressure to 113 ± 3 mm Hg, nifedipine to 144 ± 4 mm Hg, and triple therapy to 133 ± 2 mm Hg compared with 160 ± 3 mm Hg in untreated LH rats. Despite a significant reduction in blood pressure, only the treatment with perindopril significantly increased the vasodilator response of MBF to AngII. However, the vasodilator response of MBF to Ach was similar among the groups. In conclusion, a renal medullary protection is conferred in LH rats by ACE inhibition, an effect that is not obtained with other antihypertensive treatments and is not explained by Ach-induced NO release.
Using a Reasoned Action Approach to examine US college women’s intention to get the HPV vaccine

Objective: Although at high risk of contracting the human papillomavirus (HPV), less than one-half of US college women have been vaccinated. The purpose of this study was to identify underlying factors influencing college women’s intention to get the HPV vaccine via developing an instrument using the Reasoned Action Approach (RAA). Setting: Data were collected from college women at a large, public university in the Midwest USA via paper–pencil surveys. Design: The survey instrument was based on the RAA’s major constructs (attitude towards the act, perceived norms, perceived behavioural control) and was administered to a sample of 279 female college students. Results: Results indicated that attitude towards the act (β = .360, b = .694, standard error [SE] = .092, t = 7.53) and perceived norms (β = .396, b = .544, SE = .068, t = 8.031) were the major predictors of intention to get vaccinated. Specifically, perceived consequences of getting the vaccine, such as protection against HPV and cervical cancer, were primary determinants influencing intention, and participants indicated that salient referents influenced their intention to get vaccinated. Conclusion: Using theory-based approaches to study a particular health behaviour such as HPV vaccination can aid the design of interventions as they help specify the underlying determinants influencing behaviour. Our findings suggest that such interventions should focus on attitudes and perceived norms, as these constructs were the strongest predictors of intention to get the vaccine. Our findings also add to the current body of literature supporting the relationship between the RAA constructs.
Attachment style as a piedictor of sexual attitudes and behavior in late Adolescence

Abstract This research applied attachment theory to the study of sexual attitudes and behaviors in a sample of late adolescents. Four hundred and seventy heterosexual undergraduate students completed questionnaires assessing attachment (discomfort with closeness; anxiety over relationships). relationship history, communication about sex. sexual self-efficacy and locus of control, and attitudes to condoms. Eight weeks later, participants reported on sexual behaviors occurring during the eight-week interval. and perceived risk of these activities. Both discomfort with closeness and anxiety over relationships were associated with external locus of control for sexual outcomes, and with use of drugs before sexual contact. Anxiety over relationships was linked to unsafe sex and to negative attitudes to condoms, but discomfort with closeness was associated with a more cautious approach to sexual risk-taking. Some results were qualified by gender differences. and by differences between the full sample and those who were sexually active. The findings arc discussed in terms of attachment style and its links with communication and affect regulation. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS This study indicates that attachment dimensions are reliably related to many aspects of sexual attitudes and behaviors among late adolescents. Insecure attachment was linked to increased drug use before sexual contact. Anxiety over relationships was also linked to less safe sexual practice, but discomfort with closeness was associated with a tendency for males to be cautious about sexual risk-taking. The results support the utility of the attachment perspective on adolescent sexuality, but also highlight the complex relations between attachment dimensions and sexual outcomes. Future research would benefit from more detailed investigations of the attitudes, emotions, and cognitions which may mediate the link between attachment style and sexual behavior. For example, those who are highly anxious about their relationships may engage in more risky sexual practices because they fear that non-compliance with partners' wishes will jeopardize their relationship; the tendency to engage in drug use before sexual cpntact may reflect their attempts to boost self-confidence or to manage negative mood states. Research into these issues has the potential to explain how attachment insecurity is played out in patterns of sexual activity.
The role of motives in exercise participation

The aim was to better understand the role of motives in exercise participation. It was hypothesised that motives influence exercise participation by influencing behavioural regulation, and that motives are themselves influenced by personality traits. Data were from a cross-sectional questionnaire survey of 252 office workers, mean age 40 years. Analysis was by structural equation modelling. According to the final model, appearance/weight motive increased external regulation, thereby reducing participation, and also increased introjected regulation. Health/fitness motive increased identified regulation, thereby increasing participation. Social engagement motive increased intrinsic regulation. Neuroticism increased appearance/weight motive, openness increased health/fitness motive, and conscientiousness, without affecting motives, reduced external and introjected regulation. It is inferred that exercise promotion programmes, without denigrating appearance/weight motive, should encourage other motives more conducive to autonomous motivation. †A presentation based on this data set was made at the Annual Conference of the European Health Psychology Society, Galway, September, 2005.
Fidelity of delivery of a physical activity intervention: Predictors and consequences

Assessing fidelity of behavioural interventions is important, but demanding and rarely done. This study assessed adherence to behaviour change techniques used in an intervention to increase physical activity among sedentary adults ( ProActive ; N = 365). Transcripts of 108 sessions with a sub-sample of 27 participants were assessed. An independent assessor coded adherence of four ‘facilitators’ who delivered the intervention to 208 protocol-specified facilitator behaviours (e.g. ‘elicit perceived advantages of becoming more active’) in four key sessions. Four raters classified the 208 behaviours under 14 techniques (e.g., goal setting, use of rewards) to enable calculation of adherence to techniques. Observed adherence to techniques across participants was modest (median 44%, IQR 35–62%), and lower than that reported by facilitators. Adherence differed between facilitators (range: 26–63%) and decreased across the four sessions (mean drop 9% per session, 95% confidence interval 7–11%). In this small sample facilitator adherence was unrelated to (change in) participants’ physical activity or its cognitive predictors: Attitudes, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control and intention. Future research should investigate causal pathways between fidelity indicators and outcomes in larger samples and develop and test less intensive measures of fidelity.
Reply: The Importance of Testing Anti‐IL‐17 Antibodies from Different Suppliers

We thank Yapici et al. (1) for their interest in our study (2). We agree with them that the choice of the antibody is of paramount importance in a study based on immunohistochemistry results. Our choice of the Santa Cruz antibody for the present study was based on the existing literature (3–5) and on our previous work (6). In a recent study performed on graft biopsies of transplant recipients with delayed graft function, we used the same antibody and we did not observe either any epithelial expression or colocalization with CD4 within the interstitial infiltrate (6). Indeed, in this particular set of patients, IL-17 production was mainly localized in infiltrating monocytes and neutrophils (6).
Public awareness of aphasia in New Zealand

Background: Awareness and knowledge of aphasia is limited among the public and in the healthcare sector despite considerable efforts being made internationally to address this. Advances in medical interventions have improved life expectancy following stroke so it is assumed that there are more people living with aphasia now than at any time in the past. Given this increase and the attempts to provide information in an accessible and timely manner we predicted that awareness and knowledge of aphasia would be improved compared to when it was last examined 10 years ago. Aims: This study sought to investigate whether public awareness of aphasia has improved since the original international study by Simmons-Mackie et al. in 2002. A second aim was to compare health professionals' awareness and knowledge of aphasia specifically with that of the general public. Methods & Procedures: A brief face-to-face survey was administered to ascertain awareness and knowledge of Parkinson's disease (PD), stroke, and aphasia, as well as the causes and symptoms of aphasia. A total of 300 people were surveyed (200 were members of the general public and a further 100 were health sector workers). Information was collected on age (ranging from 21–85 years), sex (125 males and 175 females), employment status, and ethnicity. The data were analysed to determine the number of individuals who had awareness and knowledge of the three conditions. A binary logistic regression was calculated to predict the factors most likely to influence awareness of aphasia. Outcomes & Results: Aphasia awareness was 30% for the whole sample and aphasia knowledge was 8%. When we separate out the general public from those in the health sector the results are quite different: 11% of the general public had awareness of aphasia and only 1.5% had knowledge, whereas 68% of those in the health sector had awareness and 21% met the criteria for basic knowledge of aphasia. When compared to knowledge and awareness of stroke and PD, these figures are very poor. Conclusions: Ten years after the first surveys, awareness and knowledge of aphasia remain disappointingly low. We suggest that, whatever the efforts to date, we need to substantially increase them to improve public and health sector awareness and knowledge of aphasia. Future initiatives must be directed towards providing adequate knowledge in order to increase the health outcomes for people with aphasia and their families.