Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of awareness and nociception on heart rate variability during general anaesthesia

During anaesthesia awareness and nociception are serious complications that may further lead to haemodynamic instability. Specific monitoring of depth of hypnosis and depth of analgesia based on heart rate variability (HRV) analysis is eligible to improve patient safety and reduce efforts in post-operative care. Consequently, in this analysis we assess the applicability of HRV parameters during surgical interventions with standardized intravenous propofol-remifentanil-anaesthesia. Peri-operative electrocardiograms were recorded from cardiovascular stable patients (ASA Score I/II, N = 32, age: 36.4 ± 11.23 a, BMI: 25.2 ± 3.16) scheduled for trauma and dentofacial surgery. HRV time- and frequency-domain parameters, measures of complexity and nonlinear dynamics were compared by analysing longitudinally distributed 300 s intervals preceding/following induction of anaesthesia (BL–I1), intubation (I1–I2) and extubation (E1–E2). Mean value (meanNN) and standard deviation (sdNN) of the heart rate are influenced in BL–I1 (p < 0.001), I1–I2 (p < 0.05) and E1–E2 (p < 0.001). The number of forbidden words of symbolic dynamics changes significantly for BL–I1 (p < 0.001) and not for I1–I2 and E1–E2 (p > 0.05). Probability of low-variability POLVAR10 is significantly altered in all comparisons (BL–I1: Δ = 0.032, p < 0.01, I1–I2: Δ = 0.12, p < 0.05, E1–E2: Δ = 0.169, p < 0.01) but especially during nociception. While standard time-domain parameters lacked selectivity, parameters of symbolic dynamics appear to be specifically influenced by changes in depth of hypnosis and nociception, respectively. However, the lack of steady-state ventilation/breathing in this study needs to be considered in future research. To be used for clinical anaesthesia monitoring our results have to be prospectively validated in clinical studies.
Evaluation of Angle Closure as a Risk Factor for Reduced Corneal Endothelial Cell Density

Purpose: Acute angle closure attacks are frequently accompanied by corneal edema. However, little is known about corneal endothelial cell status at different stages of angle closure. Here, we compared endothelial cell density (ECD) in unoperated eyes with that in eyes with open angles (OAs) and various stages of angle closure disease. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted at Aravind Eye Hospitals in India. Masked examiners performed gonioscopy to classify each eye as follows: (1) OA, (2) primary angle closure suspect, or (3) primary angle closure (PAC)/primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG). Specular microscopy was performed and differences in ECD were analyzed using hierarchical models. Results: A total of 407 patients and 814 eyes were studied, including 127 (15.6%), 466 (57.3%), and 221 (27.1%) with PAC/PACG, primary angle closure suspect, and OA, respectively. Participants were predominantly female (69.8%) and the mean age was 49.2 (SD: 8.6) years. Lower ECD was observed with increasing age [&bgr;=−6.3 cells/mm2; 95% confidence interval (CI), −9.3 to −3.3, per year; P<0.001], greater iridotrabecular contact [&bgr;=−15.6 cells/mm2; 95% CI, −28.3 to −2.9, per quadrant of contact; P=0.016), and shallow (<2.5 mm) anterior chamber depth (&bgr;=−40 cells/mm2; compared to deeper AC's (≥2.5 mm), 95% CI, 78.9-1.1; P=0.044). In age-adjusted analyses, angle closure suspects had lower ECD than OA eyes (&bgr;=−54.7 cells/mm2; 95% CI, −47.8 to −85.3; P=0.018), although PAC/PACG eyes were not significantly different from OA eyes (&bgr;=−18.6 cells/mm2; 95% CI, −85.9 to 2.5; P=0.058). Conclusion: In untreated eyes, only mild, clinically insignificant decrement in ECD was noted with angle closure.
The Metabolic Prospective and Redox Regulation of Macrophage Polarization

Macrophage plasticity is an important feature of these innate immune cells. Macrophage phenotypes are divided into two categories, the classically activated macrophages (CAM, M1 phenotype) and the alternatively activated macrophages (AAM, M2 phenotype). M1 macrophages are commonly associated with the generation of proinflammatory cytokines, whereas M2 macrophages are anti-inflammatory and often associated with tumor progression and fibrosis development. Macrophages produce high levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Recent evidence suggests ROS can potentially regulate macrophage phenotype. In addition, macrophages phenotypes are closely related to their metabolic patterns, particularly fatty acid/cholesterol metabolism. In this review, we briefly summarize recent advances in macrophage polarization with special attention to their relevance to specific disease conditions and metabolic regulation of polarization. Understanding these metabolic switches can facilitate the development of targeted therapies for various diseases.
Beyond words: A review of research on adolescents and multimodal composition

This review synthesizes and critically interprets the empirical research on adolescents’ multimodal composition practices across contexts. Along with presenting descriptive statistics characterizing the 76 studies reviewed (e.g., research designs, contexts, and types of multimodal products), qualitative coding revealed six main themes in research focusing on adolescents and multimodal composition. Sequenced according to prevalence, research has found that multimodal composition is: 1) engaging for adolescents, 2) a collaborative, social process, 3) particularly beneficial to “marginalized” adolescents, 4) involves overt instruction, 5) is scaffolded in a variety of ways, and 6) is a complex, recursive process. At a time when notions of composition are expanding—educators are trying to catch up and researchers have just begun to understand and theorize multimodal composition—this review offers a comprehensive look at what has been learned thus far and suggests implications for research and practice.
Comparative Cost-Effectiveness Analysis to Inform Policy in Developing Countries: A General Framework with Applications for Education

In this paper we discuss how comparative cost-effectiveness analyses can help inform policy in developing countries and the underlying methodological assumptions necessary for performing this kind of analysis. This paper does not suggest a single set of “correct” assumptions, because the assumptions adopted in a costeffectiveness analysis should reflect the perspective of the intended user. Rather, we discuss the issues surrounding many of these assumptions, such as what discount rate to use or whether to include cash transfers as program costs, and make recommendations on which assumptions might be reasonable given the perspective of a policymaker allocating resources between different projects. Examples are drawn from the education field to illustrate key issues and focus on specific applications to education. We hope this paper will contribute to the development of a more standard methodology for cost-effectiveness analyses and a better understanding of how these analyses can be created and used. 1 We are grateful to Abhijit Banerjee, Paul Glewwe, Jere Behrman, Miguel Urquiola, and Patrick McEwan for valuable discussion and feedback. We also thank participants at the Minnesota conference on “Education Policy in Developing Countries” for their comments and many colleagues at J-PAL including Mary Ann Bates, Cristobal Marshall, Leah Horgan, Dina Grossman, Anna Yalouris, and Shawn Powers. 2
Pneumococcal bacteremia in two tertiary care hospitals in Winnipeg, Canada. Pneumococcal Bacteremia Study Group.

STUDY OBJECTIVE To review experience with pneumococcal bacteremia at two Canadian tertiary care centers. DESIGN Retrospective record review. SETTING Two tertiary acute care teaching hospitals in Winnipeg, Manitoba. PATIENTS Patients identified with pneumococcal bacteremia during an 8-year period. RESULTS Hospital records were reviewed for 534 of 617 patients with pneumococcal bacteremia. The overall case fatality ratio was 70 (13%), varying from 3.2% in children to 43% in those older than 80 years. Twenty-seven (18%) hospitalized children and 68 (23%) adults required ICU admission. Duration of hospitalization was 14.9 +/- 24.9 and 11.0 +/- 19.1 days for children at the two institutions and 22.5 +/- 37.6 days and 38 +/- 93 days for adults. For the 217 viable pneumococcal strains studied, 89% were serotypes included in the present 23-valent vaccine. Documentation of prior vaccination was present for only 9 (1.7%) patients, although 281 (89%) adults and 99 (45%) children met criteria for vaccination. CONCLUSIONS Mortality in our population is similar to previous reports. More widespread pneumococcal vaccination in eligible populations may not only decrease mortality, but may also provide savings through decreased hospital admission and need for intensive care.
ADULT T‐CELL LEUKEMIA/LYMPHOMA IN PREGNANCY

Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma, a lymphocytic leukemia caused by human T-cell lymphoma virus-I (HTLV-I), is prevalent in southwestern Japan. A Japanese woman with adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma in the third trimester of pregnancy was delivered of an infant by cesarean section. She did not breast-feed the child, who has remained free from HTLV-I infection.
Work and Life Integration: Faculty Balance in the Academy

Faculty work life integration has evolved as an important area of research in the academic workplace. The evolution in thinking about faculty work life integration has progressively shifted focus from the problems of women and parents to research that considers both men and women, married and single, with or without children as participants in the quest to integrate both personal and professional lives. Though many studies still include the challenges faced by parents and this study is no exception, a more recent focus includes the influence of work group norms and social dynamics in shaping the experiences of faculty in the academy. This study which was conducted at a small tuition driven college in the northeastern United States, looked at faculty work life integration through the lens of academic discipline, role identity and cultural norms. The study findings note the increasing influence of marketization for enrollment and the financial pressures that support managerialism and detract from faculty work life integration.
Improving Initial Teacher Education in Australia: Solutions and Recommendations from the Teaching Teachers for the Future Project

Initial teacher education (ITE) programs are subject to agencies which shape and define them through regulatory accreditation processes (Lloyd, 2013a, 2013b). This chapter argues that the design of ITE programs needs to build the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) capabilities (Mishra & Koehler, 2006, 2008) of future teachers. After establishing that there are both accountability and improvement agendas, this chapter outlines the Teaching Teachers for the Future (TTF) Project, which involved all 39 Australian Higher Education Institutions providing ITE programs in Australia. The TTF Project was a 15 month long, $8 million project, funded by the Australian Government’s ICT Innovation Fund which adopted an approach reflecting an improvement agenda. The TTF Project is discussed in terms of the TPACK conceptualisation guiding the project, and the research and evaluation of that project. The TTF Project’s key outcomes are summarised, and these inform the presentation of solutions and recommendations.
The effect of maitake mushrooms on liver and serum lipids.

OBJECTIVE To determine the efficacy of maitake mushrooms in inhibiting the elevation of liver and serum lipids in rats. DESIGN Sprague-Dawley rats with hyperlipidemia were used to measure and compare the values of cholesterol, phospholipids, and triglycerides between cholesterol-fed rats and rats whose diets were fortified with 20% maitake mushroom dried powder. RESULTS The values in maitake-fed rats were consistently less than those in the basic cholesterol-fed rats. The value of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, which usually is decreased by taking high-cholesterol feed, maintained the level that it had at the beginning of the experiment. Weights of extirpated liver and epididymal fat pads were significantly less than those in the basic feed group. CONCLUSION Our data suggest that maitake mushrooms have the ability to alter lipid metabolism by inhibiting both the accumulation of liver lipids and the elevation of serum lipids. Further studies are needed to elucidate the mechanism of activity of maitake mushrooms and to establish whether their action in humans is similar to that in the animal model tested here.
Characterization of the Cytoprotective Action of Peroxynitrite Decomposition Catalysts*

The formation of the powerful oxidant peroxynitrite (PN) from the reaction of superoxide anion with nitric oxide has been shown to be a kinetically favored reaction contributing to cellular injury and death at sites of tissue inflammation. The PN molecule is highly reactive causing lipid peroxidation as well as nitration of both free and protein-bound tyrosine. We present evidence for the pharmacological manipulation of PN with decomposition catalysts capable of converting it to nitrate. In target cells challenged with exogenously added synthetic PN, a series of metalloporphyrin catalysts (5,10,15,20-tetrakis(2,4,6-trimethyl-3,3-disulfonatophenyl)porphyrinato iron (III) (FeTMPS); 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrinato iron (III) (FeTPPS); 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(N-methyl-4′-pyridyl)porphyrinato iron (III) (FeTMPyP)) provided protection against PN-mediated injury with EC50 values for each compound 30–50-fold below the final concentration of PN added. Cytoprotection was correlated with a reduction in the level of measurable nitrotyrosine. In addition, we found our catalysts to be cytoprotective against endogenously generated PN in endotoxin-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells as well as in dissociated cultures of hippocampal neurons and glia that had been exposed to cytokines. Our studies thus provide compelling evidence for the involvement of peroxynitrite in cytokine-mediated cellular injury and suggest the therapeutic potential of PN decomposition catalysts in reducing cellular damage at sites of inflammation.
Antiviral and Interferon-Inducing Activity of a New Glutarimide Antibiotic, 9-Methylstreptimidone

The antiviral effect of 9-methylstreptimidone (9-MS) was examined in mice infected with mouse-adapted influenza A2 (H2N2) virus. Both a single and continuous prophylactic administration of 9-MS protected mice from virus infection, and comparison between the minimal effective and the 50% lethal dose gave a therapeutic index of 60. When the treatment was started after infection, however, no antiviral effect was demonstrated. After a single intraperitoneal administration of 9-MS, a highly potent virus-inhibitory factor was detected in the lungs (10 h later) and the sera (16 h later) of uninfected mice, which was assumed to be an interferon on the basis of the biological characteristics. These results suggest that the protective activity of the antibiotic is due to interferon induction in mice.
Muscle insulin resistance amended with exercise training: role of GLUT4 expression.

PURPOSE Muscle insulin resistance is characterized by the inability of a normal insulin concentration to produce a favorable rate of glucose uptake. The muscle of the obese Zucker rat is highly insulin resistant. The purpose of this review is to discuss the cellular defects associated with the muscle insulin resistance of the obese Zucker rat, as well as the mechanisms by which exercise training alleviates or compensates for these defects. Emphasis will be given to the importance of an increased GLUT4 expression on alleviating muscle insulin resistance. METHODS A review of the relative research from my laboratory and the scientific literature was performed to obtain information on the muscle insulin resistance of the obese Zucker rat and its response to exercise training. RESULTS The insulin resistance of the obese Zucker rat results from defects in the insulin signaling cascade, which limits translocation of the glucose transporter GLUT4 to the plasma membrane upon insulin binding to its receptor. Exercise training improves the muscle insulin resistance of obese Zucker rat but does not correct the defects in insulin signaling or GLUT4 translocation. The improvement in insulin resistance, i.e., glucose transport, is correlated with an increased expression of GLUT4 protein. Preventing GLUT4 overexpression during exercise training will inhibit the improvement in insulin-stimulated glucose transport. CONCLUSION Exercise training does not correct but compensates for the defects in muscle insulin resistance by increasing expression of GLUT4. This increase in GLUT4 protein is essential for the improvement in muscle insulin resistance.
Reduced blood flow to peripheral and core body tissues in sheep and cattle induced by endophyte-infected tall fescue.

Four wethers and 14 steers (environmentally heat stressed, 32 degrees C, 60% relative humidity) were evaluated for changes in blood flow induced by endophyte-infected tall fescue. Concentration of the ergopeptide ergovaline was used as an indicator of diet toxicity due to the endophytic fungus Acremonium coenophialum. Blood flow to specific tissues was measured using radiolabeled microspheres. Wethers received one of two dietary treatments for 30 d before determination of tissue blood flow: 1) a low-endophyte diet (less than .05 ppm ergovaline) or 2) a high-endophyte (1.18 ppm ergovaline) diet. Blood flows to the adrenal glands and skin covering the inner hind leg were less (P less than .10) in wethers consuming the high-endophyte diet than in those consuming the low-endophyte diet. Tissue blood flows in steers were determined on two occasions: 1) after steers had received a low- (less than .01 ppm ergovaline) or high-endophyte (.52 ppm ergovaline) fescue diet for 14 d and 2) 8 d after steers had been switched to a common, fescue-free diet. Blood flows to skin covering the ribs, cerebellum of the brain, duodenum, and colon were less (P less than .10) in steers consuming the high-endophyte diet. However, 8 d after consuming fescue-free diets, steers that had previously consumed the high-endophyte diet had greater (P = .08) blood flow to the coronary bands of the front hooves than steers that had consumed the low-endophyte diet. Blood flows to all other tissues were similar between treatments. We inferred from these experiments that the toxin(s) associated with endophyte-infected tall fescue caused decreased blood flow to peripheral and core body tissues and that this effect was abated within 8 d of removing the toxin(s).
Assessing missed opportunities for HIV testing in medical settings

BACKGROUND: Many HIV-infected persons learn about their diagnosis years after initial infection. The extent to which missed opportunities for HIV testing occur in medical evaluations prior to one’s HIV diagnosis is not known.DESIGN: We performed a 10-year retrospective chart review of patients seen at an HIV intake clinic between January 1994 and June 2001 who 1) tested positive for HIV during the 12 months prior to their presentation at the intake clinic and 2) had at least one encounter recorded in the medical record prior to their HIV-positive status. Data collection included demographics, clinical presentation, and whether HIV testing was recommended to the patient or addressed in any way in the clinical note. Prespecified triggers for physicians to recommend HIV testing, such as specific patient characteristics, symptoms, and physical findings, were recorded for each visit. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with missed opportunities for discussion of HIV testing. Generalized estimating equations were used to account for multiple visits per subject.RESULTS: Among the 221 patients meeting eligibility criteria, all had triggers for HIV testing found in an encounter note. Triggers were found in 50% (1,702/3,424) of these 221 patients’ medical visits. The median number of visits per patient prior to HIV diagnosis to this single institution was 5; 40% of these visits were to either the emergency department or urgent care clinic. HIV was addressed in 27% of visits in which triggers were identified. The multivariable regression model indicated that patients were more likely to have testing addressed in urgent care clinic (39%), sexually transmitted disease clinic (78%), primary care clinics (32%), and during hospitalization (47%), compared to the emergency department (11%), obstetrics/gynecology (9%), and other specialty clinics (10%) (P<.0001). More recent clinical visits (1997–2001) were more likely to have HIV addressed than earlier visits (P<.0001). Women were offered testing less often than men (P=.07). CONCLUSIONS: Missed opportunities for addressing HIV testing remain unacceptably high when patients seek medical care in the period before their HIV diagnosis. Despite improvement in recent years, variation by site of care remained important. In particular, the emergency department merits consideration for increased resource commitment to facilitate HIV testing. In order to detect HIV infection prior to advanced immunosuppression, clinicians must become more aware of clinical triggers that suggest a patient’s increased risk for this infection and lower the threshold at which HIV testing is recommended.
God and politics in Filipino America : a mixed-methods case study

Religion as an influence has been identified as diminishing, if its role has been considered at all. The secularization thesis claimed that religion’s influence would continue to decline as societies became more developed and industrialized. That claim has yet to be proven. This study examines the importance of religion in a particular community to see if that secularization thesis reflects reality on a localized level. Specifically, this study investigates the role religiosity plays in electoral and non-electoral political engagement within the Filipino American community in Vallejo, California, through two religious institutions, one being Protestant Methodist Christian, and the other, Roman Catholic Christian. The motivation to select these groups as objects for study emerged because of the theoretical, empirical, and methodological gaps in the research relating to Filipino Americans and their religious and political experiences. My mixed-methods design includes three ways of knowing: 1) knowing through survey research, 2) knowing through interview research, and 3) knowing through my own personal experience. The results of this study reveal that the secularization thesis does not appear to apply to the two religious institutions within the Filipino American community in Vallejo. More specifically, this mixed-methods case study essentially argues that Filipino Americans’ religiosity plays an important role in their political engagement. Additionally, the data reveals that there are both similarities and differences that the two church communities share with regards to their religious and political experiences. All of these findings indicate that religion remains an important part of Filipino Americans’ lives in Vallejo, California, in one of the most developed and industrialized nations in the entire world thereby contradicting the secularization thesis.