Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Experiences of daily activity in chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) and their implications for rehabilitation programmes

Abstract Purpose: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, also known as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME), has a significant impact upon daily functioning. Most recommended treatments aim to alter activity patterns based upon assumptions of activity avoidance. However, as there is limited research on the experience of activity and occupational beliefs in people with CFS/ME, this study took a qualitative approach to understand the meaning of activity in people with this disabling condition. Method: This study applied a social constructivist grounded theory methodology. Semi-structured interviews took place with 14 participants attending a Specialist CFS/ME Service in England. Findings: The emergent themes described a premorbid state of constant action with difficulty stopping an activity once it had commenced. When this pattern was interrupted by illness, participants attempted to maintain their previous level of occupational engagement. Negative associations and emotions were described in response to the concept of doing nothing or limited activity. A recurring cycle was reported of increasing activity levels when symptoms improved, followed by post exertional symptoms. Conclusions: Consequently, participants’ beliefs about concepts of both activity and inactivity need to be considered within the application of rehabilitation programmes for CFS/ME that aim to modify activity related behaviours. Implications for Rehabilitation Chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) is commonly treated in the UK using activity modification. In this small qualitative study, patients expressed negative feelings and beliefs towards the concept of doing nothing and therefore sought to push their activity levels when this was available, leading to recurring cycles of symptoms and activity. Rehabilitation programmes need to consider how people with CFS/ME engaged with activity and inactivity before the condition and how this may impact upon engagement with activity-based rehabilitation programmes.
Dopaminergic mutations: Within‐family association and linkage in multiplex alcohol dependence families

Animal and human studies of addiction indicate that the D2 dopamine receptor (DRD2) plays a critical role in the mechanism of drug reward. D2 receptor density in the brains of alcoholics has been shown to be reduced relative to controls. Previous studies of DRD2 in association with alcohol dependence using variation in the TaqI A locus were highly controversial. Recently, a synonymous mutation, C957T, in the coding region of the human DRD2 gene has been identified which appears to have functional effects including alteration in receptor availability. In order to determine if susceptibility to alcohol dependence (AD) within multiplex alcohol dependence families would be altered by the C957T in the coding region of the D2 gene, within‐family association was studied in members of Caucasian multiplex alcohol dependence families. Members of control families with no personal alcohol or substance dependence history were included for case/control comparisons. Analyses performed to detect within‐family association showed evidence favoring an association for the C957T polymorphism (P = 0.038). Linkage analyses of polymorphisms in this region showed that only the C957T locus remained of interest (P = 0.015). Evidence for the C957T T allele having a role in AD susceptibility at the population level using a case/control comparison was statistically marginal (P = 0.062), but was consistent with the family data results. These results support a role for DRD2 as a susceptibility gene for alcohol dependence within multiplex families at high risk for developing alcohol dependence. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Interferon response in chronic myeloid leukaemia correlates with ABL/BCR expression: a preliminary study

α‐Interferon (IFN) has been used to induce cytogenetic remission in chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), but there are few indicators to predict IFN response. The role of the chimaeric BCR/ABL gene in the malignant process is undisputed. There are, however, conflicting views as to whether the breakpoint site within the BCR gene, and the type of mRNA produced determine disease prognosis and progression. The function and clinical significance of the newly discovered ABL/BCR mRNA has not been investigated for a correlation with CML prognosis or response to therapy. We have used a two‐step reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) to detect the transcripts of the chimaeric genes BCR/ABL, ABL/BCR, as well as the normal ABL and BCR genes in 24 CML patients treated with IFN.
First Case of Toxoplasmosis Following Small Bowel Transplantation and Systematic Review of Tissue-Invasive Toxoplasmosis Following Noncardiac Solid Organ Transplantation

Background. Toxoplasmosis prophylaxis is standard following heart and heart lung transplantation, when an increased risk of allograft transmitted Toxoplasma is well-recognized. In contrast, prophylaxis and routine serologic evaluation of donors and recipients for Toxoplasma in noncardiac solid organ transplantation (SOT) is not recommended. We report the first case of disseminated toxoplasmosis following small bowel transplantation, presumably transmitted via the transplanted intestine and systematically review reported cases of toxoplasmosis in noncardiac SOT recipients to determine if current guidelines should be reconsidered. Methods. Systematic MEDLINE review was performed for tissue invasive toxoplasmosis in noncardiac SOT recipients and analysis of clinical features, serologic status, and treatment regimens with respect to mortality. Results. Fifty-two cases of toxoplasmosis in noncardiac SOT recipients were identified. Eighty-six percent developed disease within 90 days of transplantation. Presentation was nonspecific and consisted of fever (77%), respiratory distress (29%), neurologic manifestations (29%), and bone marrow suppression (26%). Multivariate analyses demonstrated that localized disease (odds ratio [OR]=37.36, 95% CI 1.85–754.85), treatment received (OR=1.814, 95% CI 1.193–3.480) and donor and recipient serostatus (OR=1.39, 95% CI 1.068–1.815) were predictors of survival. High-risk recipients (donor seropositive/recipient seronegative) developed disease earlier (16 days vs. 31 days P=0.002) and were less likely to survive (OR=0.14, 95% CI 0.03–0.69) than standard-risk recipients. Conclusions. Toxoplasmosis is recognized following noncardiac SOT. Reduction of morbidity and mortality necessitates knowledge of donor and recipient Toxoplasma serostatus, prophylaxis, early diagnosis, and treatment. The findings support a reconsideration of pretransplantation evaluation and prophylaxis strategies in SOT recipients.
Comparison of sexual partnership characteristics and associations with inconsistent condom use among a sample of adolescents and adult women diagnosed with Chlamydia trachomatis.

BACKGROUND This analysis compared characteristics of female adolescent and adult sexual partnerships and related these characteristics to inconsistent condom use. METHODS Data are from a study of 126 women with prevalent chlamydia infections who reported information about 172 sexual partnerships in the previous 3 months. Characteristics of sexual partnerships included type of partner (main vs. other), duration of sexual relationship (<3 months vs. > or =3 months), partner age difference (<2 years older vs. > or =2 years older), and two scale measures: overlap of social networks (a measure based on how well the participant knew her partner's friends, for example) and intimacy. RESULTS Compared with adult partnerships, adolescent partnerships were of shorter duration and had less social overlap but were more likely to be classified by the participants as main partnerships. Among adolescents, longer partnership duration was not associated with higher intimacy, yet higher intimacy was significantly correlated with inconsistent condom use. CONCLUSIONS These differences suggest that adolescent females perceive and characterize their sexual relationships differently from adults. This, in turn, may have implications for risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Prevention efforts for adolescents, including interventions and counseling, should consider the nature of their sexual partnerships.
Alveolar gradient of pentane in normal human breath.

Previous studies have raised the question of whether pentane is a normal constituent of human breath, since its concentrations in inspired room air and expired breath are often similar. Using a highly sensitive assay for volatile organic compounds, we studied 37 normal subjects in order to determine the alveolar gradient of pentane in their breath (i.e. concentration in alveolar breath minus concentration in the inspired air). The chemical identity of pentane was confirmed by mass spectroscopy. The alveolar gradient of pentane was zero +/- 0.175 nmol/l in 54.1% of subjects, and distributed in an approximately bell-shaped curve. Determination of the alveolar gradient divided the normal subjects into three groups: the "passive equilibrators" who did not appear to excrete pentane in the breath (the majority), "metabolizers" who actively catabolized inhaled pentane, and "manufacturers" who excreted more pentane than they inhaled.
Radiographic Correlation of Hallux MP Fusion Position and Plate Angle

Background: This study assessed the variability of plate bend in regard to final metatarsophalangeal (MP) fusion angles and toe-to-floor distance. We hypothesized that the final MP angle, the angle of the proximal phalanx to the floor, and the weightbearing toe-to-floor distance would be dictated solely by the magnitude of the bend in the plate. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of 35 sequential patients who underwent MP fusion with a low-contour titanium plate. Postoperative weightbearing radiographs were analyzed for plate angle, MP fusion angle, the angle of the proximal phalanx to the floor, and the weightbearing toe-to-floor distance. Results: We found statistical correlation between plate angle and MP angle and between plate angle and the angle of the proximal phalanx to the floor. However, there was low correlation between plate angle and with toe-to-floor distance. In addition, we noted many outliers, which resulted in higher or lower correlation of the MP angle to the expected plate angle and, thus, a relationship between angles that was far from linear. Conclusion: Care needs to be taken when relying solely on the bend in the plate to determine the final position of the toe in MP fusions. Although the association between plate bend and MP angle and proximal phalanx to floor angle was strong, the association between the bend in the plate and weight bearing toe-to-floor distance was variable. This could result in the toe hitting the shoe or the need to vault over the toe. Therefore, the surgeon must match the plate to each patient's anatomy to ensure proper weight bearing toe-to-floor distance and not rely on plate angle exclusively. Level of Evidence: IV, Retrospective Case Series
Knowing, Caring, and Telehealth Technology

The use of technology in delivery of health care services is rapidly increasing, and more nurses are using telehealth to provide care by distance to persons with complex health challenges. The rapid uptake of telehealth modalities and dynamic evolution of technologies has outpaced the generation of empirical knowledge to support nursing practice in this emerging field, specifically in relation to how nurses come to know the person and engage in holistic care in a virtual environment. Knowing the person and nursing care have historically been associated with physical presence and close proximity in the nurse–client relationship, and the use of telehealth can limit the ways in which a nurse can observe the person, potentiate perceptions of distance, and lead to a reductionist perspective in care. The purpose of this article is to illuminate the dynamic and evolving nature of nursing practice in relation to the use of telehealth and to highlight gaps in nursing knowledge specific to knowing the person in a virtual environment. Such an understanding is necessary to inform future research and generate empirical evidence to support nurses in providing ethical, safe, effective, and holistic care by distance to persons through telehealth technology.
In vitro plant regeneration via indirect organogenesis from different explants of Lathyrus sativus L . and Lathyrus cicera L

Resumen. Lathyrus sativus L. y L. cicera L. son las especies de Lathyrus más importantes económicamente y ampliamente cultivadas. Sin embargo, su utilización es limitada debido a la presencia de su toxina endógena β-N-oxalic-L-α, β-ácido diaminopropiónico (β-ODAP). De esta manera, se debería desarrollar una variedad libre de β-ODAP a través de alguna técnica de mejoramiento vegetal ya sea cruzamiento por mutación o manipulación genética. En este caso, la regeneración de las especies de Lathyrus se convierte en un cuello de botella. En este estudio, se desarrolló un sistema eficiente para la regeneración in vitro de L. sativus con altos niveles de β-ODAP y de L. cicera con bajos niveles de β-ODAP a partir de fuentes diferentes (yemas axilares, hojas y tallos). Primero se indujeron los callos nodulares verdes desde plántulas estériles. El pre-cultivo de plántulas estériles con 15 mg/L de 6-benciladenina (BA) fue necesario para L. cicera, pero no para L. sativus. Todos estos callos se diferenciaron en la formación de tallos adventicios cuando se continuó con su cultivo. Entre aquellos explantes, los segmentos foliares fueron óptimos debido a la facilidad de su obtención y alta eficiencia de regeneración (66,48% en L. sativus y 62,13% en L. cicera). Además, el pre-tratamiento mejoró la eficiencia de inducción de callos nodulares en ambas variedades, aunque fue más fácil en explantos de L. sativus que en aquellos de L. cicerea. Cuando estas plántulas de las dos especies de Lathyrus derivadas de cultivo in vitro se plantaron en medio Murashige y Skoog de media fuerza con ácido α-naftalenacético suplementado, 60% de ellas desarrollaron varias raíces. Después de ser plantadas en suelo, más de 85% de cada especie de Lathyrus creció bien. El protocolo sería útil para seguir expandiendo la propagación y, vía la transformación genética mediada por Agrobacterium, obtener variedades con bajos niveles de β-ODAP.
Do Diagnostic Blocks Have Beneficial Effects on Pain Processing?

Background and Objectives: Diagnostic blocks of cervical zygapophysial joints have been used as part of the management strategy for patients with chronic neck pain. Little information is available regarding the sensory processing changes that occur after these common procedures. In a hypothesis-generating prospective study, the pressure-pain thresholds, electrical pain thresholds, and descending inhibitory modulation response using the conditioned pain modulation paradigm are described for 9 patients with cervical zygapophysial joint pain that underwent successful comparative diagnostic blocks. Methods: The study was designed as a prospective cross-sectional study in 9 patients with cervical zygapophysial joint pain with positive comparative diagnostic blocks using lidocaine and bupivacaine. Each patient underwent baseline Quantitative Sensory Testing (QST) measurement (QST 1) after inclusion. Subsequent QST measurements (QST 2 and 3) were performed only after comparative blocks proved positive and only after the neck pain returned after each diagnostic block. Results: Despite the return of their neck pain after the local anesthetic agents wore off, the patients exhibited (1) less focal pressure hyperalgesia, (2) generalized electrical hypoalgesia, and (3) significantly reduced conditioned pain modulation responses. Conclusions: Our preliminary evidence suggests that the perturbations to the sensory processing system from effective diagnostic blocks affect the tonic inhibitory system in a positive manner. Conditioned pain modulation, however, needs to be interpreted in the context of altered pain thresholds, and future studies should aim to investigate the shift in the nociceptive balance between facilitatory and inhibitory control after therapeutic interventions.
Chemical reactivity of some isothiazolone biocides.

Chemical reactions between the isothiazolone biocides, N-methylisothiazol-3-one (MIT), benzisothiazol-3-one (BIT) and 5-chloro-N-methylisothiazol-3-one (CMIT) with cysteine have been investigated by u.v. and NMR spectroscopy. At physiological pH all three agents interacted oxidatively with thiols to form disulphides. Further interaction with thiols caused the release of cystine and formation of a reduced, ring-opened form of the biocide (mercaptoacrylamide). In an analogous fashion to the initial reaction the mercaptoacrylamide reacted with another molecule of biocide to give biocide dimers. NMR spectral studies indicated that for CMIT the mercaptoacrylamide form is capable of tautomerization to a highly reactive thio-acyl chloride. Formation of mercaptoacrylamide was in all cases highly pH-dependent. Alcohol dehydrogenase was insensitive to all three agents but was highly sensitive to CMIT when co-administered with dithiothreitol. Capacity to form a thioacyl chloride from the mercaptoacrylamide is suggested to account for much of this enhanced activity. Stopped-flow spectroscopic studies showed rates of reaction with glutathione (GSH) to directly parallel antimicrobial activity. Additionally, CMIT was able to react directly with both ionization states of GSH (pH 7-10) whilst BIT and MIT appeared only to interact when the glutamyl-nitrogen of GSH was charged (pH 8.5).
Education and Attachment: Guidelines to Prevent School Failure

Portuguese schools have high student failure and early school leaving rates (Pordata, 2017) giving rise to a number of initiatives aimed at their reduction. The “Alternative Curricular Course” (ACC) promotes the learning of basic skills, specifically in Portuguese language and Mathematics, to support logical reasoning and artistic, vocational, and professional development. Its main goal is the fulfilment of compulsory schooling and the reduction of academic failure. Research based on attachment theory (Bowlby, 1969) suggests that different internal working models of attachment are associated with different characteristics of social, academic, emotional, and behavioural competencies that may interfere in the quality of relationships that young people establish in school, especially with teachers, and also influence their academic performance. This study evaluates the relationship between internal working models of students, their perceptions of the quality of their relationships with teachers, and their academic performance using three measures: (i) the “Inventory of Attachment in Childhood and Adolescence” (IACA) measure, (ii) the “Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment” (IPPA) measure—concerning the attachment to teacher”, and (iii) a socio-demographic questionnaire on a sample of 305 students from the 8th grade of regular education (RE) and the ACC. The results reveal that students on the ACC exhibit a less secure internal working model than students in RE, and that the perception of the quality of the student-teacher relationship, regarding the dimension of acceptance and understanding by the teachers, is associated with a better academic performance. These results align with those of other recent studies in support of the conclusion that the process of attachment has a significant influence on educational contexts, consistent with attachment and related theories.
Lipopolyamine‐Mediated Transfection Allows Gene Expression Studies in Primary Neuronal Cells

Abstract: A simple and efficient transfection technique based on lipopolyamine‐coated DNA that can be used for gene transfer in cerebellar granular neurons is described. Gene transfer is achieved by exposure of cells to a DNA/lipid complex obtained by simple mixing of lipopolyamine and plasmid DNA. This procedure may represent a general tool of physiological investigations in primary cells. We show that the promoters of the introduced chimera genes are regulated by their respective trans‐acting factors and may be modulated via membrane receptors and second messengers. This procedure has no noticeable toxic effects, nor does it seem to interfere with complex physiological behavior like neuronal differentiation.
Gene encoding human Ro-associated autoantigen Y5 RNA.

Ro ribonucleoproteins are composed of Y RNAs and the Ro 60 kDa protein. While the Ro 60 kDa protein is implicated in an RNA discard pathway that recognizes 3'-extended 5S rRNAs, the function of Y RNAs remains unknown [O'Brien,C.A. and Wolin,S.L. (1995) Genes Dev. 8,2891-2903]. Y5 RNA occupies a large fraction of Ro 60 kDa protein in human Ro RNPs, contains an atypical 3'-extension not found on other Y RNAs, and constitutes an RNA antigen in certain autoimmune patients [Boulanger et al. (1995) Clin. Exp. Immunol. 99, 29-36]. An overabundance of Y RNA retroposed pseudogenes has previously complicated the isolation of mammalian Y RNA genes. The source gene for Y5 RNA was isolated from human DNA as well as from Galago senegalis DNA. Authenticity of the hY5 RNA gene was demonstrated in vivo and its activity was compared with the hY4 RNA gene that also uses a type 3 promoter for RNA polymerase III. The hY5 RNA gene was subsequently found to reside within a few hundred thousand base pairs of other Y RNA genes and the linear order of the four human Y RNA genes on chromosome 7q36 was determined. Phylogenetic comparative analyses of promoter and RNA structure indicate that the Y5 RNA gene has been subjected to positive selection during primate evolution. Consistent with the proposal of O'Brien and Harley [O'Brian,C.A. and Wolin,S.L. (1992) Gene 116, 285-289], analysis of flanking sequences suggest that the hY5 RNA gene may have originated as a retroposon.
Geometry of Curves in R from the Local Singular Value Decomposition

We establish a connection between the local singular value decomposition and the geometry of n-dimensional curves. In particular, we link the left singular vectors to the Frenet-Serret frame, and the generalized curvatures to the singular values. Specifically, let γ : I → R be a parametric curve of class C, regular of order n. The Frenet-Serret apparatus of γ at γ(t) consists of a frame e1(t), . , en(t) and generalized curvature values κ1(t), . , κn−1(t). Associated with each point of γ there are also local singular vectors u1(t), . , un(t) and local singular values σ1(t), . , σn(t). This local information is obtained by considering a limit, as goes to zero, of covariance matrices defined along γ within an -ball centered at γ(t). We prove that for each t ∈ I, the Frenet-Serret frame and the local singular vectors agree at γ(t) and that the values of the curvature functions at t can be expressed as a fixed multiple of a ratio of local singular values at t. To establish this result we prove a general formula for the recursion relation of a certain class of sequences of Hankel determinants using the theory of monic orthogonal polynomials and moment sequences.