Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of a short educational planning workshop on attitudes of three groups of medical educators 1

A series of short (3 days) educational planning workshops was held in three African faculties of medicine. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the effect of such a workshop on educational attitudes of teachers from three conservative traditional schools. An attitudes questionnaire given before and after the workshop allowed the participants to express opinions and feelings on a number of statements with a bipolar theme of teacher-orientation vs. student-orientation. The results showed that using experiential learning methods in small groups with little or no didactic presentation, it was possible in a short time to change long-held educational views of diverse groups of medical educator.
Native group‐III metabotropic glutamate receptors are coupled to the mitogen‐activated protein kinase/phosphatidylinositol‐3‐kinase pathways

We used cultured cerebellar granule cells to examine whether native group‐III metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptors are coupled to the mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) and phosphatidylinositol‐3‐kinase (PI‐3‐K) pathways. Cultured granule cells responded to the group‐III mGlu receptor agonist, L‐2‐amino‐4‐phosphonobutanoate (l‐AP4), with an increased phosphorylation and activity of MAPKs (ERK‐1 and ‐2) and an increased phosphorylation of the PI‐3‐K target, protein kinase B (PKB/AKT). These effects were attenuated by the group‐III antagonists, α‐methyl‐serine‐O‐phosphate (MSOP) and (R,S)‐α‐cyclopropyl‐4‐phosphonophenylglycine (CPPG), or by pretreatment of the cultures with pertussis toxin. l‐AP4 also induced the nuclear translocation of β‐catenin, a downstream effector of the PI‐3‐K pathway. To assess the functional relevance of these mechanisms we examined the ability of l‐AP4 to protect granule cells against apoptosis by trophic deprivation, induced by lowering extracellular K+ from 25 to 10 mm. Neuroprotection by l‐AP4 was attenuated by MSOP and abrogated by the compounds PD98059 and UO126, which inhibit the MAPK pathway, or by the compound LY294002, which inhibits the PI‐3‐K pathway. Taken together, these results show for the first time that native group‐III mGlu receptors are coupled to MAPK and PI‐3‐K, and that activation of both pathways is necessary for neuroprotection mediated by this particular class of receptors.
A Highly Efficient Living Donor Kidney Exchange Program for Both Blood Type and Crossmatch Incompatible Donor-Recipient Combinations

Background. Lack of deceased donors for kidney transplant patients in the Netherlands encouraged alternative options to expand the living donor pool for recipients who have a willing donor but cannot donate directly because of a positive crossmatch or ABO blood type incompatibility. A national donor kidney exchange was considered as a possible solution. Methods. From January 2004 until June 2006, 146 couples from seven kidney transplantation centers were enrolled and participated in 10 match procedures. The Dutch Transplant Foundation was responsible for the allocation and the National Reference Laboratory for Histocompatibility in Leiden performed all the serological crossmatches. Results. For 72 out of the 146 (49%) donor-recipient combinations, a match was found. The success rate in the positive crossmatch group was significantly (P=0.0015) higher than in the ABO-incompatible group (44/69 vs. 28/77); median panel reactive antibodies of the matched recipients in the positive crossmatch group was 38% (0–100) and in the ABO-incompatible group 0% (0–27; P<0.001). We were least successful for ABO blood type incompatible pairs with blood type O recipients, but for 9/53 (17%) there were possibilities. These nine blood type incompatible pairs were coupled to nine positive crossmatch pairs, which reflects the efficiency of combining the two categories of donor-recipient combinations into one program. Conclusion. The donor kidney exchange program in the Netherlands, in which all seven kidney transplantation centers participated, proved to be a successful program to expand the number of living donor kidney transplantations.
Mapping the Interacting Domains between the Rabies Virus Polymerase and Phosphoprotein

ABSTRACT The RNA polymerase of rabies virus consists of two subunits, the large (L) protein and the phosphoprotein (P), with 2,127 and 297 amino acids, respectively. When these proteins were coexpressed via the vaccinia virus-T7 RNA polymerase recombinant in mammalian cells, they formed a complex as detected by coimmunoprecipitation. Analysis of P and L deletion mutants was performed to identify the regions of both proteins involved in complex formation. The interaction of P with L was not disrupted by large deletions removing the carboxy-terminal half of the P protein. On the contrary, P proteins containing a deletion in the amino terminus were defective in complex formation with L. Moreover, fusion proteins containing the 19 or the 52 first residues of P in frame with green fluorescent protein (GFP) still bound to L. These results indicate that the major L binding site resides within the 19 first residues of the P protein. We also mapped the region of L involved in the interaction with P. Mutant L proteins consisting of the carboxy-terminal 1,656, 956, 690, and 566 amino acids all bound to the P protein, whereas deletion of 789 residues within the terminal region eliminated binding to P protein. This result demonstrates that the carboxy-terminal domain of L is required for the interaction with P.
Importance of testicular hormones in maintaining the annual pattern of LH secretion in the male horse.

Serum LH was measured by radioimmunoassay in 5 long-term (greater than or equal to 3 years) castrated male horses bled at 30-min intervals for 2 h twice a month from March to February. There was no significant effect of month on LH levels; however, mean levels were significantly lower in spring than autumn (P less than 0.05). By contrast, stallions in the same environment showed a markedly seasonal pattern of LH secretion, with LH rising at the onset of the breeding season to reach levels in late spring 3-4 times those in early winter. Despite differences in seasonal patterns of secretion, annual mean LH levels in geldings (19.6 ng/ml) and stallions (20.4 ng/ml) were similar. In mid-summer, LH was measured in 6 geldings castrated 4-6 weeks previously, 25 geldings castrated 3-25 years previously, and 8 stallions; mean +/- s.e. m. LH values were 62.2 +/- 8.0, 14.0 +/- 1.6, and 13.0 +/- 2.2 ng/ml respectively. In the long-term geldings, LH was not affected by age, indicating that, after the rapid 4-fold post-castration rise, LH falls to within the normal range of pre-castration values and stabilizes. These results show that testicular hormones are necessary to maintain the normal seasonal pattern of LH secretion in the male horse, including the increase in LH at the onset of the breeding season. It is suggested that the effects of testicular hormones on LH secretion include (1) a negative feedback at the hypothalamus/pituitary as observed in other species, and (2) a positive component in the pathway by which LH is increased at the onset of the breeding season.
The Australian Burden of Disease Study: measuring the loss of health from diseases, injuries and risk factors

This is an overview of the first burden of disease and injury studies carried out in Australia. Methods developed for the World Bank and World Health Organization Global Burden of Disease Study were adapted and applied to Australian population health data. Depression was found to be the top‐ranking cause of non‐fatal disease burden in Australia, causing 8% of the total years lost due to disability in 1996. Mental disorders overall were responsible for nearly 30% of the non‐fatal disease burden. The leading causes of total disease burden (disability‐ adjusted life years [DALYs]) were ischaemic heart disease and stroke, together causing nearly 18% of the total disease burden. Depression was the fourth leading cause of disease burden, accounting for 3.7% of the total burden. Of the 10 major risk factors to which the disease burden can be attributed, tobacco smoking causes an estimated 10% of the total disease burden in Australia, followed by physical inactivity (7%).
Impact of systemic blood pressure on the relationship between intraocular pressure and blood flow in the optic nerve head of nonhuman primates.

PURPOSE Studies suggest that reduced ocular perfusion pressure in the optic nerve head (ONH) increases the risk of glaucoma. This study tested a hypothesis that the magnitude of blood flow change in the ONH induced between two same intraocular pressure (IOP) alterations depends on the level of mean systemic blood pressure (BP). METHODS In eight anesthetized rhesus monkeys, systemic BP was maintained at either a high, medium, or low level (n = 6 each, ranging from 51-113 mm Hg); IOP was rapidly altered from 10 to 30 mm Hg and then to 10 mm Hg manometrically. Blood flow in the ONH (BF(ONH)) was repeatedly measured with a laser speckle flow graph for 10 minutes at each IOP level period. The BF(ONH) and relative changes to the baselines at each measured time point were calculated and compared longitudinally among the three BP groups. RESULTS There was no statistically significant difference in mean baseline BF(ONH) across the BP groups. In the high-BP group, BF(ONH) had no significant change during the IOP alterations. However, the same IOP alterations caused a significant BF(ONH) change in the two lower BP groups. The duration of the BF(ONH) changes from baseline to a peak and to a steady state was significantly delayed in the two lower, but not the higher, BP groups. CONCLUSIONS Systemic BP plays an important role in maintaining the normal autoregulation of the ONH, and it became deficient in the lower BP groups. In patients with glaucoma, a normal, sustained BP may be important to prevent worsening glaucoma.
Self-injurious behavior in women with eating disorders.

OBJECTIVE The authors assessed lifetime and 6-month occurrence and phenomenology of self-injurious behavior in patients with eating disorders. METHOD Women (N=376) in inpatient treatment for an eating disorder (anorexia: N=119, bulimia: N=137, eating disorder not otherwise specified: N=120) were assessed for self-injurious behavior and completed the Traumatic Life Events Questionnaire, the Dissociative Experience Scale, the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, and the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale. RESULTS The lifetime rate of self-injurious behavior occurrence was 34.6%, with the highest rates found in subjects with eating disorder not otherwise specified (35.8%) and bulimia (34.3%); the 6-month rate of self-injurious behavior occurrence was 21.3%. Multivariate comparisons were computed for the factors of self-injurious behavior and diagnostic subgroup: self-injuring patients reported a significantly higher number of traumatic events, showed significantly higher dissociation scores, and exhibited significantly more obsessive-compulsive thoughts and behaviors. Bulimic patients showed significantly higher impulsivity scores. CONCLUSIONS This study strongly supports the assumption that patients with eating disorders are at risk for self-injurious behavior and points to the necessity of a routine screening for self-injurious behavior as well as the development of a standardized questionnaire. Group comparisons point to the relevance of traumatic experiences and comorbid dissociative phenomenology.
Étude d'une savane graminéenne et forestière en vue de son aménagement à partir du cas de Koumpentoum (Sénégal)

L'amenagement integre d'une savane forestiere et gramineenne en zone seche recourt a des enquetes et etudes prealables couvrant de nombreux domaines, notamment la sociologie, l'agronomie, la foresterie et l'economie. Les resultats de celles-ci sont presentes dans le but de cerner les problemes poses par les populations riveraines et leur betail. Les caracteristiques et particularites de ces forets constamment soumises au droit d'usage et â la vaine pâture sont evaluees grâce â des inventaires. Au Centre Est du Senegal avec une pluviosite annuelle d'environ 600 mm, la potentialite de charge du pâturage est d'une D. B. T. Pour 8 hectares durant les 8 mois de la saison seche. Les inventaires forestiers nous ont permis de caracteriser la vegetation ligneuse, de determiner le cycle optimum d1exploitation du taillis (pour le bois de feu) a 8 annees, de preconiser un taux de sondage d'inventaire voisin de 1% et de situer les sols les meilleurs. La methodologie d'inventaire forestier a ete realisee dans une foret domaniale de 9 650 hectares au Senegal. Celle-ci aboutit â des propositions de protocoles simplifies utilisant des normes et des types de mesures qui ont ete determines conjointement avec des equipes travaillant dans d'autres pays du Sahel. Ces propositions sont adaptees au contexte d'un amenagement associant les populations dans la protection et la conservation de leur milieu.
Enterovirus concentration on cellulose membranes.

Cellulose nitrate membranes were used as one of the adsorbents in concentrating viruses from water. For adsorption to occur, salts were required. With increase in valency of salt, less salt was necessary for enhanced virus adsorption to membranes. Trivalent salts were more effective because they could be used at only 1% the concentration required for divalent salts. Thus, 0.5 mM AlCl(3) was as effective as 50 mM MgCl(2). For testing 500 gal of water, only 0.24 kg of AlCl(3) was required in contrast to 20 kg of MgCl(2). Virus could then be eluted from such membranes, having an area of 486 cm(2), with 250 ml of pH 11.5 buffer. Lowering the pH of the eluate and adding AlCl(3) permitted the virus to be quickly readsorbed on a smaller cellulose membrane, i.e., 4 cm(2). Virus for assay was eluted from the small membrane in 1 ml. This procedure has provided the basis for concentrating minute amounts of virus from large volumes of water.
Effects of Selection for the Timing of Vegetative Phase Transition on Corn Borer (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae and Crambidae) Damage

Abstract In maize, Zea mays L. , the timing of vegetative phase transition from juvenile to adult vegetative phases can be modified through selection. A reduction in the juvenile vegetative phase has been associated with resistance to diseases and pests. The major maize pest in temperate areas is Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner) and in Europe Sesamia nonagrioides Lefebvre. The objective of our study was to determine the effects of divergent selection for the timing of vegetative phase transition in maize on resistance to corn borers. Three cycles of divergent selection for early and late phase transition in a field corn synthetic and in a sweet corn population were evaluated separately under S. nonagrioides and O. nubilalis artificial infestation. For the field corn experiment, yield and moisture improved with selection for phase transition in both directions, but improvement was due to artifacts of selection, rather than to the change in phase transition. There were no correlated responses for corn borer damage, yield, or grain moisture due to selection for the timing of vegetative phase transition. In the sweet corn experiment, selection for the timing of vegetative phase transition had no significant effects on corn borer damage in sweet corn harvested at the fresh stage. Our results do not support the use of phase transition as an indirect criterion for improving resistance to corn borers in maize. The relationship between phase transition and pest resistance reported by other studies could depend on the genotypes or could be too weak to be detected in a selection program with wild-type maize.
Measurement of free shrinkage at the tissue level using an optical microscope with an immersion objective: results obtained for Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and spruce (Picea abies)

Shrinkage at the tissue level has been evaluated satisfactorily using relatively simple equipment, comprising an optical microscope equipped with reflected light, a standard objective, a water immersion objective of same magnification and a digital camera connected to a computer. Shrinkage is calculated from pairs of images taken at the same magnification, one collected during immersion in water and the other in air-dry state. A novel software program has been developed to determine shrinkage based on a closed chain of reference points chosen from the anatomical markers at the external part of the zone of interest. Measurements were performed on earlywood, latewood and compression wood zones from two softwood species (Douglas fir and spruce), isolated from the rest of the annual ring with the aid of a diamond wire saw. As main results, reference should be made to the low degree of shrinkage and high anisotropy factor of earlywood, the marked and practically isotropic shrinkage in latewood and the low shrinkage (with respect to cell wall thickness) and inverse anisotropy ratio in compression wood. RésuméLe retrait a été évalué de façon satisfaisante à l’échelle tissulaire en utilisant un équipement relativement simple : un microscope optique, un objectif standard, un objectif à immersion de même grossissement et une caméra digitale reliée à un ordinateur personnel. Le retrait est déterminé par comparaison de deux images : l’une obtenue en immersion dans l’eau et l’autre à l’état sec à l’air. Un logiciel nouveau a été développé pour extraire le retrait à partir d’une chaîne fermée de points situés à la périphérie de la zone d’intérêt. Les mesures ont été effectuées sur des zones de bois initial, de bois de compression et de bois final de deux espèces (Douglas et sapin). Ces zones sont isolées du reste de l’accroissement initial à l’aide d’une scie à fil diamanté. Les principaux résultats montrent le faible niveau de retrait et la forte anisotropie du bois initial, le fort retrait, presque isotrope, du bois final et la faible valeur, en rapport à sa densité, avec une anisotropie inversée, du bois de compression.
Aircraft Recognition in High-Resolution Satellite Images Using Coarse-to-Fine Shape Prior

Automatic aircraft recognition in high-resolution satellite images has many important applications. Due to the diversity and complexity of fore-/background, recognition using pixel-based methods usually does not perform well. In this letter, we propose a new method integrating the high-level information of a shape prior, which is considered as a coarse-to-fine process. In the coarse stage, the pose of an aircraft is roughly estimated by a single template matching with a defined score criterion. In the fine stage, we derive a parametric shape model by applying principal component analysis and kernel density function, which have good effects on both dimension reduction and sample space description; then, a new variational formulation combining region information and a shape prior is proposed to segment the object using a level set method. Finally, the parameters of the segmentation result are directly applied to verify aircraft type with two k-nearest neighbor steps. Experiments on QuickBird images demonstrate the robustness and accuracy of the proposed method.
Normal values for high‐resolution anorectal manometry/topography in a healthy Korean population and the effects of gender and body mass index

High‐resolution manometry (HRM) based on spatiotemporal plots is increasingly being used. The aim this study was to evaluate, for the first time, the influence of gender, with adjustment for age, body mass index (BMI), and vaginal delivery, on anorectal functions in asymptomatic adults.
Impact of Adherence and Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy on Survival in HIV‐Infected Patients

Objectives: To assess the effect of antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence on survival in HIV‐infected patients. Design: Cohort study at a single hospital in Barcelona, Spain. Methods: Data on HIV‐infected patients older than 18 years of age who began ART during the period 1990 to 1999 were analyzed. Patients were considered nonadherent if the total dose of antiretroviral drug was less than 90% of that prescribed. Adherence was assessed through self‐report and hospital pharmacy appointments. Cox regression with time‐dependent variables was used. Results: A total of 1219 patients were included. The first ART was with monotherapy in 23.7% of cases, with two drugs in 30.5%, and with triple therapy in 45.8%. In multivariate analysis, the variables that presented significant differences with respect to mortality were clinical stage at the beginning of treatment (AIDS: relative hazard (RH) = 2.97; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.14‐4.13), CD4 cell count (<200 cells/&mgr;L: RH = 5.89; CI: 3.44‐10.10), type of treatment (monotherapy: RH = 9.76; CI: 4.56‐20.90; bi‐therapy: RH = 9.12; CI: 4.23‐19.64), and adherence (nonadherence: RH = 3.87; CI: 1.77‐8.46). Conclusions: The modifiable factors most strongly associated with survival were type of treatment and adherence. It would be desirable to accompany therapy with intervention strategies intended to improve adherence.
CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE Original Studies Four French Catheters for Diagnostic Coronary Angiography

A randomized study was conducted to assess the feasibility of 4 Fr catheters for diagnostic coronary angiograms. A total of 1,114 consecutive patients were randomized to 4 or 5 Fr catheters. Ease of use of catheters was subjectively assessed by the primary operator and the picture quality was assessed by two independent observers with a good interobserver variability (r 0.94; P < 0.001). Predischarge local complications were recorded by the attending physician. No statistically significant difference was observed in the picture quality for the left coronary artery, right coronary artery, aorta, left ventricle, venous grafts, or renal arteries between the two groups. Fluoroscopy time (7.1 5.6 for 4 Fr vs. 6.7 5.7 min for 5 Fr) and contrast quantity (140 58 vs. 144 57 ml) were comparable between the two groups. There was a statistically significant difference in favor of the 5 Fr group as regards maneuverability of catheters (93% vs. 79%; P < 0.001), and 5 Fr pigtail catheters crossed the aortic valve easier than the 4 Fr pigtail catheters (91% vs. 81%; P < 0.001). Crossover to the other catheter size or a larger sheath was more frequent with 4 Fr catheters (33/522 vs. 3/592; P < 0.001). Median time to hemostasis was 9 min for 4 Fr and 14 min for 5 Fr (P < 0.001). Of the 4 Fr patients, 84% could be mobilized at 1 hr and 86% of 5 Fr patients at 2 hr. Significant hematomas were observed in 2% with 4 Fr or 5 Fr and small hematomas in 10% and 16%, respectively (P NS). Time to discharge was comparable in both groups (4.0 3.2 with 4 Fr vs. 4.3 3.7 hr with 5 Fr). The 4 Fr catheters are a good alternative for diagnostic coronary angiograms. The increased difficulty in maneuverability and a need for catheter changes in 70% are compensated for in part by easier hemostasis. With increasing use and finesse of these catheters, the difficulty in maneuverability are likely to be overcome. Cathet Cardiovasc Intervent 2003;58:275–280. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Quality of life is less impaired in adults with congenital adrenal hyperplasia because of 21‐hydroxylase deficiency than in patients with primary adrenal insufficiency

Objective Current replacement regimens fail to restore well‐being in patients with primary adrenal insufficiency (PAI). Data on health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) are scarce, inconsistent and largely restricted to women. The objective of the study therefore was to study HRQoL in CAH because of 21‐hydroxylase deficiency in comparison with PAI and healthy controls.