Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Somatotype, blood pressure and physical activity among 10- to 15- year old South African boys: the THUSA BANA study

Awareness of blood pressure issues in the pediatric population has increased, leading to conceptual changes in the diagnosis and treatment of childhood hypertension. Physical activity may be utilized in the prevention and treatment of an unhealthy body composition due to the increase in resting metabolic rate, and the energy use it facilitates. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of physical activity on the prevalence of specific somatotypes and blood pressure levels among 10 to 15 year old boys. Anthropometric data were collected according to the methods of Norton & Olds (1996) and blood pressure was measured with the Finapres (“Finger Arterial Pressure”). The Previous Day Physical Activity Recall Questionnaire (PDPAR) was used to access the different activity levels among the subjects. A total of 603 boys from four different ethnic backgrounds were measured. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and two-way multiple analysis of variance (MANOVA) procedures were used for all comparisons. Although there were no statistically significant differences (p Key words: Physical activity, adolescent boys, anthropometry, body composition, somatotype, blood pressure, hypertension. (Af. J. Physical, Health Education, Recreation and Dance: 2003 Special Edition: 184-195)
Clinical and Radiologic Follow‐up Study for Biopsy Diagnosis of Radial Scar/Radial Sclerosing Lesion without Other Atypia

To determine the incidence of malignancy for radial scars (RS)/radial sclerosing lesions (RSL) without associated atypia or malignancy identified at needle biopsy. Retrospective review of the pathology data base from January 2004 to July 2013 yielded 100 needle biopsies diagnosed as RS/RSL without associated atypia/malignancy. The RS/RSL was considered “incidental” if the target was calcifications and “targeted” if imaging revealed a mass, architectural distortion, or suspicious magnetic resonance imaging enhancement. The electronic medical record was used to identify surgical pathology, follow‐up imaging, and clinical course; all pathology slides and imaging were reviewed by a board‐certified pathologist and radiologist, respectively. Patient age, laterality, RS/RSL size, microcalcifications, and associated benign lesions were recorded. Among 100 cases, 54 were “incidental” and 46 were “targeted. ” In the incidental group, 14 underwent excision, 30 had imaging follow‐up, and 10 were lost to follow‐up. In the targeted group, 27 underwent excision, 11 had imaging follow‐up, and 8 were lost to follow‐up. Atypia was identified in four excisions: three from the incidental group and one from the targeted group. Among these, three had negative imaging follow‐up (mean 45 months; range 15–60 months); the fourth patient (one of the incidental group) underwent excision alone. One of the 27 “targeted” patients who underwent excision developed ductal carcinoma in situ of the contralateral breast at 96 months. There have been no ipsilateral malignancies. We found no evidence of associated malignancy at excision for either incidental or targeted biopsies of RS/RSL without atypia. Our study suggests that close imaging follow‐up is adequate for patients with RS/RSL without associated atypia/malignancy on needle biopsy.
Decreased Fronto-Limbic Activation and Disrupted Semantic-Cued List Learning in Major Depressive Disorder

Abstract Objectives: Individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) demonstrate poorer learning and memory skills relative to never-depressed comparisons (NDC). Previous studies report decreased volume and disrupted function of frontal lobes and hippocampi in MDD during memory challenge. However, it has been difficult to dissociate contributions of short-term memory and executive functioning to memory difficulties from those that might be attributable to long-term memory deficits. Methods: Adult males (MDD, n=19; NDC, n=22) and females (MDD, n=23; NDC, n=19) performed the Semantic List Learning Task (SLLT) during functional magnetic resonance imaging. The SLLT Encoding condition consists of 15 lists, each containing 14 words. After each list, a Distractor condition occurs, followed by cued Silent Rehearsal instructions. Post-scan recall and recognition were collected. Groups were compared using block (Encoding-Silent Rehearsal) and event-related (Words Recalled) models. Results: MDD displayed lower recall relative to NDC. NDC displayed greater activation in several temporal, frontal, and parietal regions, for both Encoding-Silent Rehearsal and the Words Recalled analyses. Groups also differed in activation patterns in regions of the Papez circuit in planned analyses. The majority of activation differences were not related to performance, presence of medications, presence of comorbid anxiety disorder, or decreased gray matter volume in MDD. Conclusions: Adults with MDD exhibit memory difficulties during a task designed to reduce the contribution of individual variability from short-term memory and executive functioning processes, parallel with decreased activation in memory and executive functioning circuits. Ecologically valid long-term memory tasks are imperative for uncovering neural correlates of memory performance deficits in adults with MDD. (JINS, 2016, 22, 412–425)
Not Just Language: Persisting Lateralized Visuospatial Impairment after Left Hemisphere Stroke

Abstract Objectives: Imbalances in spatial attention are most often associated with right hemisphere brain injury. This report assessed 25 chronic left hemisphere stroke patients for attentional bias. Methods: Participants were evaluated with a computerized visual search task and a standardized neuropsychological assessment known as the Behavioral Inattention Test (BITC). Twenty age-matched controls were also tested. Results: Although little to no attentional impairment was observed on the BITC, the computerized visual search task revealed statistically significant contralesional attentional impairment in the left hemisphere stroke group. Specifically, these participants required 208 ms more viewing time, on average, to reliably detect visual targets on the right side of the display compared to detection on the left side, while controls showed a difference of only 8 ms between the two sides. Conclusions: The observation of significant leftward visuospatial bias in this chronic stroke group provides further evidence that the left hemisphere also plays a role in the balance of visual attention across space. These results have implications for left hemisphere patients who are often not screened for visuospatial problems, as well as for theories of visual attention which have primarily emphasized the role of the right hemisphere. (JINS, 2016, 22, 695–704)
Associations of Organizational Justice and Job Characteristics with Work Engagement Among Nurses in Hospitals in China

Work engagement of nurses has a great effect on their productivity, patient outcomes, and organizational performance. It is important to explore what can be done to facilitate nurse engagement. In this study, we surveyed a total of 1,065 nurses chosen from seven hospitals in China by random cluster sampling to explore the state of nurse engagement and its associations with organizational justice and job characteristics. The mean score for nurse engagement was 3.5 (SD = 1.5) on a 0-6 scale, and in hierarchical multiple regression analyses we found that nurse engagement had statistically significant relationships with the two organizational justice dimensions of distributive justice (β = 0.13, p < .01) and informational justice (β = 0.17, p < .05); and the three job characteristic dimensions of task significance (β = 0.15, p < .01), job feedback (β = 0.10, p < .01), and skill variety (β = .08, p < .05). Hence, work engagement of nurses was not at a high level, and nursing leaders should consider enhancing their engagement through creating motivational job characteristics and improving nurses' perception of organizational justice.
Expressive Suppression Depletes Executive Functioning in Older Adulthood

Abstract Objectives: Accurate detection of executive dysfunction in neuropsychological assessments is complicated by the fact that executive functioning (EF) is vulnerable to temporary disruption (i.e., lapses), with more frequent lapses in older adulthood. Effortful regulation of affect (i.e., expressive suppression) is a well-known source of executive lapses in younger adults, but the generalizability of this depleting effect to older adults is unknown. The purpose of this study was to (1) determine whether EF is subject to depletion via expressive suppression and (2) to examine whether this effect is unique to EF, or whether it also applies to lower-order component processes in older adults. Methods: Ninety-seven non-demented, community-dwelling older adults were randomly assigned to either an expressive suppression group or control group. We compared performance of the groups on a battery of tests measuring EF and component processes both before and after exposure to emotionally evocative stimuli. Results: Consistent with the hypothesized depletion effect, suppressing participants showed an attenuated practice effect on post-manipulation EF relative to controls, while performance on lower-order component processes was unaffected by suppression. Conclusions: These results suggest that depletion contributes to executive lapses in older adulthood. (JINS, 2017, 23, 341–351)
Organizational Learning Strategies and Verbal Memory Deficits in Bipolar Disorder

Abstract Background: Verbal memory (VM) impairment is prominent in bipolar disorder (BD) and is linked to functional outcomes. However, the intricacies of VM impairment have not yet been studied in a large sample of BD patients. Moreover, some have proposed VM deficits that may be mediated by organizational strategies, such as semantic or serial clustering. Thus, the exact nature of VM break-down in BD patients is not well understood, limiting remediation efforts. We investigated the intricacies of VM deficits in BD patients versus healthy controls (HCs) and examined whether verbal learning differences were mediated by use of clustering strategies. Methods: The California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) was administered to 113 affectively stable BD patients and 106 HCs. We compared diagnostic groups on all CVLT indices and investigated whether group differences in verbal learning were mediated by clustering strategies. Results: Although BD patients showed significantly poorer attention, learning, and memory, these indices were only mildly impaired. However, BD patients evidenced poorer use of effective learning strategies and lower recall consistency, with these indices falling in the moderately impaired range. Moreover, relative reliance on semantic clustering fully mediated the relationship between diagnostic category and verbal learning, while reliance on serial clustering partially mediated this relationship. Conclusions: VM deficits in affectively stable bipolar patients were widespread but were generally mildly impaired. However, patients displayed inadequate use of organizational strategies with clear separation from HCs on semantic and serial clustering. Remediation efforts may benefit from education about mnemonic devices or “chunking” techniques to attenuate VM deficits in BD. (JINS, 2017, 23, 358–366)
Effects of taspoglutide on glycemic control and body weight in obese patients with type 2 diabetes (T‐emerge 7 study)

Therapies that lower blood glucose and provide weight loss may provide meaningful benefits for obese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study assessed the efficacy of taspoglutide compared with placebo on glycemic control and weight in obese patients with T2DM inadequately controlled with metformin monotherapy.
Preliminary Evidence for an Association Between the Composition of the Gut Microbiome and Cognitive Function in Neurologically Healthy Older Adults

Abstract Objectives: Dysbiosis of the gut microbiome is implicated in numerous human health conditions. Animal studies have linked microbiome disruption to changes in cognitive functioning, although no study has examined this possibility in neurologically healthy older adults. Methods: Participants were 43 community-dwelling older adults (50–85 years) that completed a brief cognitive test battery and provided stool samples for gut microbiome sequencing. Participants performing≥1 SD below normative performance on two or more tests were compared to persons with one or fewer impaired scores. Results: Mann Whitney U tests revealed different distributions of Bacteroidetes (p=.01), Firmicutes (p=.02), Proteobacteria (p=.04), and Verrucomicrobia (p=.003) between Intact and Impaired groups. These phyla were significantly correlated with cognitive test performances, particularly Verrucomicrobia and attention/executive function measures. Conclusions: The current findings suggest that composition of the gut microbiome is associated with cognitive test performance in neurologically healthy older adults. Future studies are needed to confirm these findings and explore possible mechanisms. (JINS, 2017, 23, 700–705)
Cross-Disorder Cognitive Impairments in Youth Referred for Neuropsychiatric Evaluation

Abstract Objectives: Studies suggest that impairments in some of the same domains of cognition occur in different neuropsychiatric conditions, including those known to share genetic liability. Yet, direct, multi-disorder cognitive comparisons are limited, and it remains unclear whether overlapping deficits are due to comorbidity. We aimed to extend the literature by examining cognition across different neuropsychiatric conditions and addressing comorbidity. Methods: Subjects were 486 youth consecutively referred for neuropsychiatric evaluation and enrolled in the Longitudinal Study of Genetic Influences on Cognition. First, we assessed general ability, reaction time variability (RTV), and aspects of executive functions (EFs) in youth with non-comorbid forms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), mood disorders and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as well as in youth with psychosis. Second, we determined the impact of comorbid ADHD on cognition in youth with ASD and mood disorders. Results: For EFs (working memory, inhibition, and shifting/ flexibility), we observed weaknesses in all diagnostic groups when participants’ own ability was the referent. Decrements were subtle in relation to published normative data. For RTV, weaknesses emerged in youth with ADHD and mood disorders, but trend-level results could not rule out decrements in other conditions. Comorbidity with ADHD did not impact the pattern of weaknesses for youth with ASD or mood disorders but increased the magnitude of the decrement in those with mood disorders. Conclusions: Youth with ADHD, mood disorders, ASD, and psychosis show EF weaknesses that are not due to comorbidity. Whether such cognitive difficulties reflect genetic liability shared among these conditions requires further study. (JINS, 2018, 24, 91–103)
The CERAD Neuropsychological Assessment Battery Is Sensitive to Alcohol-Related Cognitive Deficiencies in Elderly Patients: A Retrospective Matched Case-Control Study

Abstract Objectives: Adverse effects of heavy drinking on cognition have frequently been reported. In the present study, we systematically examined for the first time whether clinical neuropsychological assessments may be sensitive to alcohol abuse in elderly patients with suspected minor neurocognitive disorder. Methods: A total of 144 elderly with and without alcohol abuse (each group n=72; mean age 66.7 years) were selected from a patient pool of n=738 by applying propensity score matching (a statistical method allowing to match participants in experimental and control group by balancing various covariates to reduce selection bias). Accordingly, study groups were almost perfectly matched regarding age, education, gender, and Mini Mental State Examination score. Neuropsychological performance was measured using the CERAD (Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease). Classification analyses (i.e., decision tree and boosted trees models) were conducted to examine whether CERAD variables or total score contributed to group classification. Results: Decision tree models disclosed that groups could be reliably classified based on the CERAD variables “Word List Discriminability” (tapping verbal recognition memory, 64% classification accuracy) and “Trail Making Test A” (measuring visuo-motor speed, 59% classification accuracy). Boosted tree analyses further indicated the sensitivity of “Word List Recall” (measuring free verbal recall) for discriminating elderly with versus without a history of alcohol abuse. Conclusions: This indicates that specific CERAD variables seem to be sensitive to alcohol-related cognitive dysfunctions in elderly patients with suspected minor neurocognitive disorder. (JINS, 2018, 24, 360–371)
Improved diabetes control after prolonged fasting — the Ramadan model

We studied the effect of one large evening meal (gorging-type diet) on patients with diabetes mellitus, during the month of Ramadan. Observant Muslims refrain from food and drink during the day and eat a large meal after sundown. It was an observational study carried out under field conditions in the Bedouin town of Rahat, in the northern Negev area of Israel. Fasting diabetic subjects were studied before, at the end of, and one month after Ramadan. Body weight, changes in medication, frequency of acute complications, plasma glucose and hemoglobin A1c were determined. Sixty-seven fasting Muslim diabetic patients were studied. A significant decrease in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c; p<0.001) was observed at the end of the month of fasting. There was no significant change in the total daily dose of antidiabetic agents, or in the incidence of acute diabetic complications. The gorging-type diet, followed for one month, was well tolerated and safe. A statistically significant decrease in HbA1c suggests a beneficial effect of the Ramadan fast in these patients. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
HIV-infected women's experiences of pregnancy and motherhood in Cape Town, South Africa

Antenatal services provide a valuable opportunity for the uptake of prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV interventions and antiretroviral treatment (ART) for maternal health. While knowledge of HIV status during pregnancy is beneficial to both mother and child, PMTCT programmes may focus more on prevention and the physical aspects of health than the psychosocial impact of HIV on pregnancy and motherhood. The objective of this study was to examine South African women's perceptions of HIV infection in pregnancy and how they related to motherhood in the context of HIV infection. In-depth interviews were conducted with 17 HIV-positive pregnant and 11 ≤ 6-month postpartum women to elicit perspectives on HIV-positive pregnancy and motherhood. For most women who tested in pregnancy, the primary rationale for testing stemmed from a concern for their children; and anxiety around the risk of vertical transmission was highly prevalent. Women did not perceive any superficial differences between themselves and non-infected pregnant women and they compared HIV to any other chronic condition. However, they voiced anxiety about being infected and were preoccupied with keeping their children safe, both in pregnancy and postpartum. They described a diminished sense of pride about motherhood and an additional burden of guilt associated with carrying a vulnerable child, which made pregnancy different for them in comparison to uninfected women. Feeding posed a particularly difficult issue because by choosing formula feeding, women were protecting their children, yet this seemed to diminish their status as a mother, while at the same time publicising messages about being infected with HIV. While women identified externally with the social value of motherhood, the burden of HIV infection was seen as a destabilising threat to their identity as mothers.
Serum hemorphin‐7 levels are decreased in obesity

Hemorphin peptides exhibit biological activities that interfere with the endorphin system, the inflammatory response, and blood‐pressure control. VV‐hemorphin‐7 and LVV‐hemorphin‐7 peptides exert a hypotensive effect, in particular, by inhibiting the renin–angiotensin system. Furthermore, levels of circulating hemorphin‐7 peptides have been found to be decreased in diseases such as type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Longitudinal study of behaviour disorders in low birthweight infants.

A cohort study of a geographically defined population of survivors of < 1500 g birthweight born in 1980 and 1981 and age-, sex-, and school-matched controls. The aim was to compare the prevalence of childhood and adolescent behavioural problems. Rutter and Conners questionnaires, completed by parents and teachers at age 8 and 14 years were assessed. From an initial 40 321 births, there were 399 of birthweight < 1500 g, of whom 219 survived to age 8 years. Forty-two were excluded because of clinical disability. 167 cases were compared with matched controls. At age 14, both parent and teacher questionnaires showed an increased prevalence of behavioural problems in cases compared with controls. Pervasive behavioural problems (parents’ and teachers’ responses concordant) were present in 9% of cases and 3% of controls.
Near‐peer teaching in clinical neuroanatomy

Background: Near‐peer teaching involves students being taught by more senior students and draws on their similar knowledge base and shared experiences. It has been used previously for teaching gross anatomy, but has not yet been reported specifically for neuroanatomy. At the University of Southampton there is no formal neuroanatomy teaching during the clinical years, and so a near‐peer teaching programme was developed to support students, learning in between attending their clinical attachments.
Riscos dos exames radiográficos em recém-nascidos internados em um hospital público de Belo Horizonte, MG*

OBJECTIVE: The present study was aimed at: a) evaluating radiographic procedures and estimating entrance surface air kerma in preterm neonates submitted to chest and abdominal radiography at the unit of neonatology in a public hospital of Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil; b) estimating the dose to organs and respective risks for cancer as a result from radiation exposure. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Records of patients admitted to the unit of neonatology of this hospital in the period between May and September 2004 were reviewed. Anthropometric data, admission/discharge dates and radiographic studies performed were recorded for each of the patients. The calculation of the entrance surface air kerma was based on the x-ray tube output and irradiation parameters adopted for examinations. Dose to organs was calculated with the aid of the software PCXMC, and the lifetime risk for cancer, with the software IREP. RESULTS: Mean entrance surface air kerma per examination was below the diagnostic reference levels recommended by the European Community. In the most severely irradiated patients, liver, breast and stomach were the organs at highest risk for cancer, with maximum excess relative risk of respectively 3.4%, 2.3%, and 1.7%. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated the need for optimization of radiographic procedures in order to reduce the risks for neonates that, in spite of being considered to be low as compared with the benefits, should be reduced to values as low as reasonably achievable.
Can new doctors be prepared for practice? A review

The transition from medical student to junior doctor is an important period of change. Research shows junior doctors often experience high levels of stress, and consequently burnout. Understanding how to prepare for the transition may allow individuals who are likely to struggle to be identified and assisted. The aim of this paper is to systematically review the literature on preparedness for practice in newly qualified junior doctors.