Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Callosal anomalies in patients with spinal dysraphism: Correlation of clinical and neuroimaging features with hemispheric abnormalities

Abstract Dysgenesis of the corpus callosum can occur in association with spinal dysraphic lesions. Clinical and neuroimaging features were reviewed in 23 patients (12 male, 11 female; mean age 11.3 years) with caudal spinal dysraphism (myeloschisis in eight, meningomyelocele in 10, and lumbosacral lipoma in five) to characterize types and degrees of callosal and other cerebral anomalies. T1- and T2-weighted magnetic resonance images were obtained, and the total midsagittal cross-sectional area of the corpus callosum was determined. The corpus callosum appeared normal in nine patients and was abnormal in 14. In five patients the corpus callosum was narrow, with all regions present; the cerebral hemispheres were hypoplastic. Two patients with dysgenesis of frontal, parietal, and occipital lobes had a small, partly agenetic corpus callosum. In the remaining seven patients the posterior third of the corpus callosum was absent or hypoplastic; six of them had ventriculomegaly that selectively affected the occipital horns (colpocephaly). All callosal anomalies were accompanied by hemispheric ones. This supports a disordered developmental relationship between the corpus callosum and the hemispheres as a cause. Spinal dysraphism can no longer be considered a single developmental abnormality, given the frequent association of other defects. [Neurol Res 2002; 24: 463-467]
An evaluation of symptom and chest radiographic screening in tuberculosis prevalence surveys.

SETTING A tuberculosis (TB) prevalence survey was performed in 2002 in two urban communities in Cape Town, South Africa. The population was 36,334 in 2001, and the TB notification rate was 341 per 100,000 population for new smear-positive TB in 2002. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the relative contributions of symptom and chest radiographic (CXR) screening in the detection of subjects with smear- and/or culture-positive TB in prevalence surveys. DESIGN Information on symptoms, CXR abnormalities, sputum smear and culture was gathered from a random cluster sample of 1170 adults (aged > or = 15 years). Smear and/or culture-positive TB was used as the gold standard. RESULTS Of 1170 adults, 29 had bacteriologically positive TB (smear- and/or culture-positive). The presence of any abnormalities on CXR had the highest sensitivity for detecting subjects with bacteriologically positive TB (0.97, 95%CI 0.90-1.00). Specificity for any abnormalities on CXR was 0.67 (95%CI 0.64-0.70). The specificity of any of five TB-related symptoms was 0.68 (95%CI 0.65-0.71). Individual symptoms had low sensitivities, ranging from 0.10 for fever to 0.54 for cough of > or = 2 weeks. CONCLUSION In this TB prevalence survey, CXR screening, but not symptom screening, was a sensitive alternative to sputum examination of all participants.
Biosynthesis of Extracellular Polymeric Substances (EPS) and Its Role in Microbial Biofilm Formation

Microbial biofilm formed on abiotic surfaces is an important area of research because of the wide range of possible affects and the disinfectant resistance of the cells. The colonization of solid surfaces by microorganisms is a very complicated process that depends mostly on extracellular molecule production. The biosynthesis of EPS reflected not only the attachment and aggregation process but also provided an optimal environment for the exchange of genetic material between the cells. The comparative and comprehensive analysis of all documented data concerning EPS production can enable the development and effective con trol strategies for biofilms. In this review some of the basic concepts concerning the biosynthesis of EPS and potential function of these compounds in biofilm development were discussed. In the paper the positive and negative aspects of EPS production in the environment also were described.
History of agricultural injury among farmers in Alabama and Mississippi: prevalence, characteristics, and associated factors.

BACKGROUND There have been no studies of the prevalence, characteristics, and factors associated with the history of prior farm injury among active farmers. No studies have had adequate numbers of black farmers to evaluate farm owner/farm worker and black/white similarities and differences. METHODS Our sample is based upon surveys administered to 1,310 active male farmers in nine rural counties in Alabama (5) and Mississippi (4). The farmers are white owner/operators (53.6%), black owner/operators (26.6%), and black workers (19.8%). RESULTS Overall, 23.4% of the farmers had a prior injury. Prior injury was more frequent among white owner/operators (29.1%), compared with black workers (18.9%), and black owner/operators (15.2%). In multiple logistic regression analyses, post-high school education and tiredness when farming were independently associated with prior injury in black owner/operators. In white owner/operators, age > or = 60 years, post-high school education, full-time farming, tractor use, more pieces of machinery, hurry when farming, and alcohol consumption were associated with prior injury. In black workers, only being very careful was associated with prior injury. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that prevention efforts focusing on alcohol consumption, fatigue, and hurry when farming might reduce injuries; however, only a follow-up study of this sample can determine whether these associations reflect causal factors, recall, or selection bias.
Association between insulin resistance and low relative appendicular skeletal muscle mass: evidence from a cohort study in community-dwelling older men and women participants.

BACKGROUND It has been hypothesized that insulin resistance plays a role in the development of the loss of skeletal muscle; however, no cohort studies on insulin resistance and low relative appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) have been published to date. Thus, we examined whether insulin resistance is associated with low relative ASM after a 4.6-year follow-up period among apparently healthy older men and women participants. METHODS This is a combined retrospective-prospective cohort study, which includes 147 community-dwelling older men and women participants. ASM was measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry at baseline and follow-up. Participants with a relative change in ASM below the sex-specific 15th value were classified as the low relative ASM group. Homeostatic model assessment was used to quantify insulin resistance. Logistic regression calculated odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for development of low relative ASM, adjusted for covariates. RESULTS The loss of ASM in the low relative ASM and normal groups was -1.8kg and -0.35kg, respectively (p ≤ .05). The low relative ASM group was older and had higher insulin and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance values at baseline. The risk of developing low relative ASM at 4.6-year follow-up was 2.9 times higher (95% CI, 1.00-7.8; p = .04) among the participants with homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance levels more than 2.3. After adjusting for age, the risk increased to 3.9 times higher (95% CI, 1.3-11.5; p = .03). CONCLUSION Insulin resistance was associated with low relative ASM at 4.6-year follow-up after accounting for several covariates in a cohort of apparently healthy, well-functioning young older men and women.
Do doctors under-provide, over-provide or do both? Exploring the quality of medical treatment in the Philippines.

OBJECTIVE To assess the quality of medical treatment by disaggregating quality into components that distinguish between insufficient and unnecessary care. DESIGN Randomly selected doctors were asked how they would treat a sick child. Their responses were disaggregated into how much of an evidence-based essential treatment plan was completed and the number of additional non-essential treatments that were given. Key variables included the expected cost, the health consequences of insufficient and unnecessary care and comparisons between public and private physicians. Responses to 160 clinical performance vignettes (CPVs) were analysed. SETTING Philippines. PARTICIPANTS One hundred and forty-three public and private physicians in the Philippines, collected in November 2003-December 2004 and September 2006-June 2007. INTERVENTIONS CPVs administered to physicians. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Process quality measures (accounting for the possibility of both over-treatment and under-treatment). RESULTS Based on CPVs, doctors gave both insufficient and unnecessary treatment to under-five children in 69% of cases. Doctors who provided the least sufficient care were also the most likely to give costly or harmful unnecessary care. Insufficient care typically had potentially worse health consequences for the patient than unnecessary care, though unnecessary care remains a concern because of overuse of antibiotics (47%) and unnecessary hospitalization (34%). CONCLUSIONS Quality of care is complex, but over- and under-treatment coexist and, in our analysis physicians that were more likely to under-treat a sick child were also those more likely to over-treat.
Logical Reasoning Ability in Engineering Students: A Case Study

Mathematical logic is one of the scientific foundations of information technology and computer engineering. Therefore, engineering students must be proficient in logical operations. First-year engineering students answered four logical reasoning tasks as part of a larger survey on scientific thinking, producing more incorrect responses than previous studies would have predicted, most notably in international student groups. This paper presents and analyzes these results, and compares and discusses the differences between natural human reasoning and engineering logic. It seeks to explain failures in logical reasoning that occur despite formal training and considers several possible cultural and psychological explanations to this phenomenon. The conclusion highlights the need for stronger emphasis in developing problem-solving and metacognitive skills in engineering education. The importance of fluency in the language of study emerges as a significant factor in learning technical subjects.
Improved sphincter preservation in low rectal cancer with high-dose preoperative radiotherapy: the lyon R96-02 randomized trial.

PURPOSE The potential advantage of high-dose preoperative radiotherapy to increase tumor response and improve the chance of sphincter preservation for low rectal cancer remains controversial. The aim of this trial was to evaluate the role of escalating the dose of preoperative radiation to increase sphincter-saving procedures. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with rectal carcinoma located in the lower rectum, staged T2 or T3, Nx, or M0 with endorectal sonography, and not involving more than two-thirds circumference, were randomly assigned to one of two groups: preoperative external-beam radiotherapy (EBRT; 39 Gy in 13 fractions over 17 days) versus the same EBRT with boost (85 Gy in three fractions) using endocavitary contact x-ray. RESULTS Between 1996 and 2001, 88 patients were enrolled onto the study. A significant improvement was seen in favor of the contact x-ray boost for complete clinical response (24% v 2%) and for a complete or near-complete sterilization of the operative specimen (57% v 34%). A significant increase in sphincter preservation was observed in the boost group (76% v 44%; P =.004). At a median follow-up of 35 months, there was no difference in morbidity, local relapse, and 2-year overall survival. CONCLUSION A dose escalation with endocavitary irradiation provides increased tumor response and sphincter preservation with no detrimental effect on treatment toxicity and early clinical outcome.
Comparison of the play of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder by subtypes.

BACKGROUND Studies have found differences in the nature and severity of social problems experienced by children with different subtypes of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Given that play is often the context for acquiring social skills, there is surprisingly limited research examining whether these differences distinguish the play of children within the groups. METHODS Using the Test of Playfulness (ToP), we examined the similarities and differences in play between children (aged 5-11 years) diagnosed with the three DSM-IV ADHD subtypes: inattentive (I-subtype; n=46), hyperactive-impulsive (HI-subtype; n=28) and combined subtypes (C-subtype; n=31). RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS Bias interaction, an item-by-item analysis, revealed that the hierarchy of ToP items was similar for children with the HI- and C-subtypes, but differed for children with the I-subtype. Specifically, children with the I-subtype found it more difficult to become intensely engaged in play and to take on playful mischief and clowning; however, they found social play items to be easier. Conversely, whereas mischief and clowning were relatively easier for children with the HI- and C-subtypes, many items reflecting social interaction were more difficult. These findings suggest that interventions can be tailored to these differing presentations. However, further research is needed to confirm the findings.
Evaluation of the Use of an Ask-the-Expert e-Consultation Service for Support on Health-Related Requests

E-consultation in health care can be used to respond to an increasing demand for care by offering support on health-related requests. In this study we evaluated the use of an Ask-the-expert e-consultation service in order to assess whether the service is efficient and useful. A content analysis of e-mail exchange between clients and online health professionals was performed to gain insight in the purposes of use of the service. Our findings show that the service was used for e-mails requests on not urgent, minor ailments. Clients asked for health information to increase knowledge on the cause of their injury or disease, its consequences, self-care solutions and treatment options. Decision support on assessing the necessity to visit a doctor for a certain health problem was another important reason to use the service. We believe that web-based triage systems could be used to more easily assess whether certain symptoms need to be investigated.
Part-time physicians. Physician workload and patient-based assessments of primary care performance.

OBJECTIVE To examine the relationship between the number of hours physicians work and patients' assessment of the physician. DESIGN Cross-sectional study with physician and patient surveys. SETTING Primary care practices in Massachusetts. PARTICIPANTS A random sample of 6810 Massachusetts state employees in 15 different health plans. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Eleven summary scales measuring 7 essential elements of primary care. Information was derived from the Primary Care Assessment Survey, a validated patient-completed questionnaire. RESULTS Physicians were classified into 3 groups according to their reported hours of work: "overtime" (> 65 h/wk), "full time" (40-65 h/wk), and "part time" (< 40 h/wk). There was no statistically significant difference between the 3 groups of physicians in 10 of the 11 measures of primary care performance. Physicians who worked more than 65 hours per week were found to score significantly higher in the visit-based continuity of care category than physicians working fewer hours. Physicians working more than 65 hours per week were also found to be significantly less satisfied with the amount of time they had for family and personal life than the other 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS Part-time physicians perform as well as full-time physicians in most aspects of primary care, including all interpersonal aspects of care, as reported by patients. Patients of physicians working more than 65 hours per week experienced higher levels of visit-based continuity of care than patients of physicians working fewer hours, but this appears to carry a cost to those physicians in the area of personal and professional satisfaction. Subsequent research should examine the relationship between physician workload and technical aspects of care.
Influence de l’écoulement atmosphérique du Pacifique nord sur l’oscillation Nord Atlantique

L'objectif de cette these est de mieux comprendre le lien entre la variabilite atmospherique dans le Pacifique nord et l'Oscillation Nord Atlantique (NAO). En effet, des etudes precedentes ont montre que l'ecoulement atmospherique dans le Pacifique nord influence les differentes phases de la NAO. Cependant, les ingredients clefs de cet ecoulement influencant la NAO n'ont pas encore ete clairement identifies. Dans cette these nous avons donc cherche a identifier ces ingredients a l'aide des donnees de la reanalyse ERA40 et de simulations avec un modele global quasi-geostrophique. Une anomalie de geopotentiel basse frequence d'echelle planetaire situee dans la zone Pacifique nord-est/Amerique du Nord s'avere etre un ingredient clef qui influence la NAO. Cette anomalie basse frequence modifie la propagation des ondes de Rossby synoptiques sur l'Amerique du Nord, ce qui influence fortement leur deferlement sur l'Atlantique nord. Lorsqu'elle est positive, elle devie le courant-jet pacifique, et donc la propagation des ondes de Rossby synoptiques, vers l'equateur sur son bord est. Ceci favorise les deferlements d'ondes de Rossby synoptiques anticycloniques sur l'Atlantique Nord et la phase positive de la NAO. Au contraire, lorsque cette anomalie basse frequence est negative, elle maintient le courant-jet pacifique plus zonal, ce qui induit une propagation zonale des ondes de Rossby synoptiques. Ceci favorise plus de deferlements cycloniques sur l'Atlantique nord que dans le cas precedent et tend a forcer la phase negative de la NAO. Il faut noter que ce n'est pas l'amplitude des ondes de Rossby synoptiques venant du Pacifique nord qui influence le plus la NAO, mais plutot leur direction de propagation. Le mecanisme presente explique en partie le lien entre les modes de variabilite basse frequence sur le Pacifique, comme l'oscillation Pacifique-Nord Americaine (PNA) et l'El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), et la NAO. En effet, ces deux modes sont associes a une anomalie basse frequence de grande echelle sur le Pacifique nord-est qui modifie la propagation des ondes de Rossby synoptiques de la meme maniere que montre precedemment. Ainsi, cette these apporte un nouveau point de vue sur le lien entre les modes de variabilite basse frequence dans le Pacifique nord et la NAO. Enfin, les cas ou la PNA et la NAO sont anticorrelees et les cas ou elles sont correlees ressemblent fortement au premier et au deuxieme modes de variabilite dans l'hemisphere nord : le Mode Annulaire dans l'hemisphere Nord (NAM) et le mode Ocean Froid-Continent Chaud (COWL). Le mecanisme propose dans cette these apporte une interpretation dynamique a l'existence de ces deux modes de variabilite.
Étude de la dispersion atmosphérique du pollen de maïs : contribution à la maîtrise des risques de pollinisation croisée

Le mais est l'une des plantes les plus utilisees dans le monde. Le mais cultive aujourd'hui resulte de cinq siecles d'amelioration par l'homme. Les techniques d'hybridation ainsi que l'utilisation des biotechnologies ont abouti a une grande diversite de varietes de mais, face auxquelles les croisements intervarietaux necessitent d'etre maitrises. En particulier, la coexistence entre mais transgenique et non transgenique est actuellement au cœur du debat scientifique. Pour repondre a cette question, l'approche actuelle est de mesurer directement la fecondation croisee. Cependant, elle ne permet pas de fournir un outil predictif car elle ne fait pas le lien avec les conditions de l'environnement physique, et plus particulierement les conditions meteorologiques. L'objet de ce travail est de mieux comprendre les processus de dispersion atmospherique du pollen de mais a l''aide d''une approche mecaniste a l'echelle de la parcelle. Dans un premier temps, un modele mecaniste initialement developpe pour etudier la dispersion atmospherique de l'ammoniac a ete adapte a la dispersion du pollen de mais. Ensuite, pour valider le modele, des mesures dispersion de pollen ont ete effectuees.
Identification of an inhibitory Zn2+ binding site on the human glycine receptor α1 subunit

1 Whole‐cell glycine‐activated currents were recorded from human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells expressing wild‐type and mutant recombinant homomeric glycine receptors (GlyRs) to locate the inhibitory binding site for Zn2+ ions on the human α1 subunit. 2 Glycine‐activated currents were potentiated by low concentrations of Zn2+ (<10 μm) and inhibited by higher concentrations (>100 μm) on wild‐type α1 subunit GlyRs. 3 Lowering the external pH from 7.4 to 5.4 inhibited the glycine responses in a competitive manner. The inhibition caused by Zn2+ was abolished leaving an overt potentiating effect at 10 μm Zn2+ that was exacerbated at 100 μm Zn2+. 4 The identification of residues involved in the formation of the inhibitory binding site was also assessed using diethylpyrocarbonate (DEPC), which modifies histidines. DEPC (1 mm) abolished Zn2+‐induced inhibition and also the potentiation of glycine‐activated currents by Zn2+. 5 The reduction in glycine‐induced whole‐cell currents in the presence of high (100 μm) concentrations of Zn2+ did not increase the rate of glycine receptor desensitisation. 6 Systematic mutation of extracellular histidine residues in the GlyR α1 subunit revealed that mutations H107A or H109A completely abolished inhibition of glycine‐gated currents by Zn2+. However, mutation of other external histidines, H210, H215 and H419, failed to prevent inhibition by Zn2+ of glycine‐gated currents. Thus, H107 and H109 in the extracellular domain of the human GlyR α1 subunit are major determinants of the inhibitory Zn2+ binding site. 7 An examination of Zn2+ co‐ordination in metalloenzymes revealed that the histidine‐ hydrophobic residue‐histidine motif found to be responsible for binding Zn2+ in the human GlyR α1 subunit is also shared by some of these enzymes. Further comparison of the structure and location of this motif with a generic model of the GlyR α1 subunit suggests that H107 and H109 participate in the formation of the inhibitory Zn2+ binding site at the apex of a β sheet in the N‐terminal extracellular domain.