Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Relationship between clinical pain complaints and pain sensitivity in patients with depression and panic disorder.

OBJECTIVE There is evidence that depression and panic disorder are both associated with an increased frequency of clinical pain complaints. A change in pain sensitivity is alleged to be involved in this phenomenon. However, few studies have assessed clinical pain complaints and pain sensitivity in the same group of patients. METHODS Thirteen patients with a major depressive disorder, 13 patients with a panic disorder (diagnoses based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition), and 13 healthy control subjects were investigated. None of the subjects were taking medications. Body maps were used to measure the number of painful sites as well as the intensity and unpleasantness of pain complaints in the previous 6 months. Furthermore, pain thresholds for pressure, cold, and heat were assessed at the forearm or hand. RESULTS Patients with depression and panic disorder had significantly more frequent, more intense, and more unpleasant pain complaints than healthy control subjects. Despite this similarity, patients with depression had significantly higher pain thresholds than patients with panic disorder in two (pressure and cold) of three stimulus modalities and significantly higher pressure pain thresholds than the healthy control subjects. There were no differences between the pain thresholds of patients with panic disorder and healthy control subjects. The correlations between clinical pain measures and pain thresholds were generally weak. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that the clinical pain complaints of patients with depression and panic disorder cannot simply be explained by changes in pain sensitivity.
Cholecystitis in situs inversus totalis

A 20-year-old male presented to Nambour General Hospital Emergency Department with a 24-h history of left upper quadrant and epigastric pain, nausea, vomiting and fever. The patient had no significant medical or surgical history other than being known to have situs inversus totalis since childhood. His BMI was 38 kg/m. Clinical examination revealed pyrexia to 37.7 C with no tachycardia or hypotension. There was tenderness and guarding in the left upper quadrant of the abdomen. A mass was not palpable. Investigations included a white cell count of 12.7 × 10/L, minor derangement in liver transaminases (ALT 95, AST 38 U/L) with a normal bilirubin. A CT scan confirmed situs inversus and revealed a distended gallbladder containing dependant calculi and fat stranding suggestive of cholecystitis (Fig. 1). An upper abdominal ultrasound scan also demonstrated a thick walled gallbladder (6 mm) with pericholecystic fluid with no evidence of biliary dilatation or choledocholithiasis. Initial management was intravenous ceftriaxone 1 g daily and fluids and he proceeded to a cholecystectomy within 24 h of admission. Theatre ergonomics were reversed with the monitor on the patient’s left and the right hand dominant surgeon and assistant on the patient’s right. An umbilical Hasson port was inserted and a 30 10 mm laparoscope was used (Fig. 2). A 10 mm epigastric port and 2 × 5 mm ports were inserted under vision in the left midclavicular and anterior axillary lines. Dissection was performed via the left mid clavicular line 5 mm port instead of the usual epigastric port to avoid the surgeon having to dissect left handed. The hepatocystic triangle was dissected using a diathermy hook with clear demonstration of the critical view. Intraoperative cholangiography was performed via cystic duct cannulation and confirmed inverse orientation but no other anatomical variants or choledocholithiasis (Fig. 3). The cystic duct and artery were doubly clipped and the gallbladder dissected from the liver and retrieved via the umbilical port using an Endo Catch (Covidien, Mansfield, MA, USA). Histology revealed acute on chronic cholecystitis with mucosal haemorrhagic necrosis. The post-operative course was uneventful with oral diet introduced that evening and discharge home the following day resulting in a 3-day length of stay. Situs inversus totalis involves complete transposition of the thoracic and abdominal viscera. It is a rare condition affecting approximately 0.01% live births. Situs inversus can be further sub-classified with levocardia (normal cardiac position) or dextrocardia (totalis). Indeterminate situs is described as ambiguous or heterotaxy. Situs inversus totalis involves reverse placement of the abdominal and thoracic structures resulting in left sided liver, IVC and right atria, with right sided stomach, spleen and left atria. This
Holdings Data, Security Returns, and the Selection of Superior Mutual Funds

Abstract In this paper we show that selecting mutual funds using alpha computed from a fund’s holdings and security betas produces better future alphas than selecting funds using alpha computed from a time-series regression on fund returns. This is true whether future alphas are computed using holdings and security betas or a time-series regression on fund returns. Furthermore, we show that the more frequently the holdings data are available, the greater the benefit. This has major implications for the Securities and Exchange Commission’s recent ruling on the frequency of holdings disclosure and the information plan sponsors should collect from portfolio managers. We also explore the effect of conditioning betas on macroeconomic variables as suggested by Ferson and Schadt (1996) to identify superior-performing mutual funds as well as the alternative way of employing holdings data proposed by Grinblatt and Titman (1993).
Links between rhinitis and asthma

There is compelling evidence of a close relationship between the upper and lower airways in asthma and rhinitis. Rhinitis is present in the majority of patients with asthma, and a significant minority of patients with rhinitis have concomitant asthma. Similarities between the two conditions occur in the nature of the inflammation present in the target tissues. A common initiating step in the inflammatory process of allergic airways disease is the presence of immunoglobulin E providing an adaptor molecule between the offending allergen and inflammatory cell activation and mediator release. Differences in the two conditions arise largely from the structural differences between the nose and the lungs. In an asthmatic, concomitant allergic rhinitis increases healthcare costs and further impairs quality of life. The presence of rhinitis should always be investigated in children and young adults with asthma. Subjects with allergic rhinitis have an increased risk of developing asthma and may form a suitable population for secondary intervention to interrupt the ‘allergic march’.
Optical spotsize converter using narrow laterally tapered waveguide for planar lightwave circuits

We present a full description of the design and fabrication of a compact laterally tapered spotsize converter (SSC) that provides both low-loss coupling and large fabrication tolerances. The SSC is based on a laterally tapered waveguide with a narrow core width that can be fabricated simply by using the usual fabrication process. We discuss the design concept of the SSC in detail and provide a simple design procedure with which to obtain the optimum SSC design parameters. We also investigate the fiber misalignment tolerance and mode field diameter of the SSC and confirm that it is suitable for integration with large-scale optical devices. Furthermore, we examine the performance of the SSC for higher refractive index difference (/spl Delta/) of 2.0% and 2.5% with a smaller bending radius. We fabricated the 2-mm-long SSC using 1.5%-, 2.0%-, and 2.5%-/spl Delta/ silica-based planar lightwave circuits. This enabled us to reduce the single-mode fiber coupling loss to 0.4 dB at a single waveguide junction with a low polarization-dependent loss of 0.05 dB regardless of the /spl Delta/ values, while providing a core width fabrication tolerance of /spl plusmn/0.3 /spl mu/m, and an endface position tolerance of /spl plusmn/0.2 mm.
Psychiatric Interim Regional Secure Unit: Seven Years' Experience

The 140 patients admitted during the seven-year period 1977–84 accounted for 225 discharges. Schizophrenia and personality disorder were the two commonest diagnoses and violence and arson the commonest cause for their admission. Patients were accepted from prisons, Special Hospitals and other hospitals, and were discharged to the community principally and into the care of their orginal catchment-area hospitals. Problems which remain unresolved include responding quickly enough to requests from catchment-area hospitals to accept difficult patients, finding appropriate treatment facilities for behaviourally-disturbed subnormal individuals and providing a service for psychopathic patients. The security within the secure unit has not proved a problem. Maintaining staffing levels has proved difficult both locally and nationally. Staff morale can be sustained by good personnel arrangements.
A Review on Architectures and Communications Technologies for Wearable Health-Monitoring Systems

Nowadays society is demanding more and more smart healthcare services that allow monitoring patient status in a non-invasive way, anywhere and anytime. Thus, healthcare applications are currently facing important challenges guided by the u-health (ubiquitous health) and p-health (pervasive health) paradigms. New emerging technologies can be combined with other widely deployed ones to develop such next-generation healthcare systems. The main objective of this paper is to review and provide more details on the work presented in “LOBIN: E-Textile and Wireless-Sensor-Network-Based Platform for Healthcare Monitoring in Future Hospital Environments”, published in the IEEE Transactions on Information Technology in Biomedicine, as well as to extend and update the comparison with other similar systems. As a result, the paper discusses the main advantages and disadvantages of using different architectures and communications technologies to develop wearable systems for pervasive healthcare applications.
Unraveling uncertainties in hydrologic model calibration: Addressing the problem of compensatory parameters

In a previous paper, Vrugt et al. (2005) presented a combined parameter and state estimation method, entitled SODA, to improve the treatment of input, output, parameter and model structural error during model calibration. The argument for using SODA is that explicit treatment of all sources of uncertainty should result in parameter estimates that closer represent system properties, instead of parameter values that are compensating for input, output and model structural errors. In this study we provide further support for this claim by applying the SODA method to the calibration of a simple 2‐parameter snow model, using data from the Lake Eldora SNOwpack TELemetry (SNOTEL) site in Colorado, USA.
Effect of Aloe vera Extract on Growth Parameters of Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio)

In this study, the effect of ethanolic Aloe vera extract as a natural antibiotic on growth performance of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) was studied. Fish with an average weight of 29.74±1.20 g and the mean length of 11.50±0.28 cm were divided randomly into 4 treatments (a control and other groups treated with the extract of 0.1, 0.5 and 2.5% in the diet with 3 replicates and density of 10 fish per each replicate. After 8 weeks of feeding, growth parameters such as WG, SGR, FCR and FCE were examined. Comparing the results of the final length and weight and growth indicators in treatments fed with the extract were better in higher dose of extract. The results of this study showed that Aloe vera extract as a growth promoter, appetite stimulator, tonic and immunostimulant in the diet can reduce stress, reduce food losses and protect fish in order to better growth of fish.
An Automated GIS Procedure for Delineating River and Lake Boundaries

Digitization of river and lake boundaries is an essential task in several hydrologic studies, which, in most cases, is performed manually by using aerial photographs. This paper presents an automatic geographic information system (GIS) procedure for delineating river and lake boundaries using aerial photographs. The GIS procedure is based on supervised classification of aerial photographs by using the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) for creating training areas. Four study areas – Lake Palestine in Texas, Brazos River in Texas, Neuse River in North Carolina, and Snake River in Idaho – are used to demonstrate the approach. The results from the automatic boundary delineation process are evaluated by comparing them to manually digitized boundaries. The boundaries delineated by the automatic procedure matched the manually digitized boundaries with an overall difference of less than five percent in terms of area measurement. Besides saving about 85 percent of manual labor, the GIS procedure provides a consistent way of delineating water bodies, and provides estimation of river channel widths, which, in conjunction with existing NHD data, can be used to estimate average flow depths. Supplementing the regional scale NHD data with local scale attributes such as channel width and depth may lead to increased use of NHD in local scale studies.
Effects of dietary protein content and 2-hydroxy-4-methylthiobutanoic acid or dl-methionine supplementation on performance and oxidative status of broiler chickens

Besides its typical role as an amino acid in protein synthesis, methionine is an important intermediate in methylation reactions. In addition, it can also be converted to cysteine and hence plays a role in the defence against oxidative stress. The present study was conducted to investigate further the role of dl-methionine (DLM) and its hydroxy analogue, dl-2-hydroxy-4-methylthiobutanoic acid (DL-HMTBA), on zootechnical performance and oxidative status of broiler chickens. Male broiler chickens were reared on two diets differing in crude protein (CP) content (low-protein, 18·3 % v. high-protein, 23·2 % CP) and were supplemented either with 0·25 % DLM or 0·25 % DL-HMTBA. Reducing the dietary protein content resulted in an impaired body weight gain (P < 0·0001). However, supplementation of DL-HMTBA to the low-protein diet partially alleviated these negative effects (P = 0·0003). This latter phenomenon could be explained by the fact that chickens fed DL-HMTBA-supplemented diets displayed a better antioxidant status as reflected in lower lipid peroxidation probably as a consequence of their higher hepatic concentrations of total and reduced glutathione compared with their DLM counterparts. On the other hand, within the high protein levels, uric acid might be an important antioxidant to explain the lower lipid peroxidation of high-protein DL-HMTBA-supplemented chickens. Hepatic methionine sulfoxide reductase-A gene expression was not significantly affected by the dietary treatments. In conclusion, the present study indicates that there are interactions between dietary protein content and supplementation of methionine analogues with respect to broiler performance and antioxidant status, also suggesting a causal link between these traits.
Excess β‐catenin promotes accumulation of transcriptionally active p53

β‐catenin is a multifunctional protein, acting both as a structural component of the cell adhesion machinery and as a transducer of extracellular signals. Deregulated β‐catenin protein expression, due to mutations in the β‐catenin gene itself or in its upstream regulator, the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene, is prevalent in colorectal cancer and in several other tumor types, and attests to the potential oncogenic activity of this protein. Increased expression of β‐catenin is an early event in colorectal carcinogenesis, and is usually followed by a later mutational inactivation of the p53 tumor suppressor. To examine whether these two key steps in carcinogenesis are interrelated, we studied the effect of excess β‐catenin on p53. We report here that overexpression of β‐catenin results in accumulation of p53, apparently through interference with its proteolytic degradation. This effect involves both Mdm2‐dependent and ‐independent p53 degradation pathways, and is accompanied by augmented transcriptional activity of p53 in the affected cells. Increased p53 activity may provide a safeguard against oncogenic deregulation of β‐catenin, and thus impose a pressure for mutational inactivation of p53 during the later stages of tumor progression.
Preventing tobacco use in Norwegian dental practice.

OBJECTIVES To determine dentists' and dental hygienists' intervention activity towards patients who smoke or use snus (oral moist snuff), and to establish which factors impede interventions and cause variations in approach. METHODS A questionnaire was mailed to a sample of 1500 dentists (response rate: 68%) and all dental hygienists in the country (522 in all; response rate: 61%). RESULTS Dental hygienists conversed with patients on smoking habits on average 18 min/week, while the dentists spent 13 min doing the same. The issue of snus-use was discussed, on average, for 3 min. In eight of 10 consultations with patients suffering from tobacco-induced disorders in the oral cavity, the dentists/dental hygienists raised the subject of smoking habits with the patient. In cases without visible tobacco-induced symptoms, inquiries were made concerning smoking habits in three of 10 dentist consultations and four of 10 consultations with dental hygienists. For first-time consultations, six of 10 were queried concerning their smoking habits by their dentist, while dental hygienists enquired in seven of 10 cases. Self-reported skills, perceived barriers and attitudes explained far more of the variance in intervention impact than background variables. There were moderate differences between dentists and dental hygienists. CONCLUSIONS There is room for improvement in smoking and snus-use prevention efforts in the dental sector. If staff is to be rid of their misconceptions regarding the efficacy of intervention, it is important to inform them about the encouraging results at the population level.
MRI biomarkers in mild traumatic brain injury

In this issue of Neurology®, Huang et al.1 describe a higher prevalence of cerebral microbleeds in patients with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) in comparison to healthy controls using susceptibility-weighted MRI. They could also link these observations to neuropsychological deficits as measured by the digit span score, in comparison to patients with mTBI without microbleeds.
Global and Regional Myocardial Function Quantification in Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy in Comparison to Acute Anterior Myocardial Infarction Using Two‐Dimensional (2D) Strain Echocardiography

Aims: This study sought to compare global and regional myocardial function in Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TC) to that in acute anterior myocardial infarction (AMI) using 2D strain imaging. Methods: Twelve consecutive patients with TC (ten women, two men) and 12 patients with AMI (four women, eight men) underwent 2D echocardiography at initial presentation. 2D strain images were analyzed to measure longitudinal and radial strain. Global strain was calculated as the average longitudinal strain of the segments of two‐, three‐, and four‐chamber views. Biplane ejection fraction was assessed using Simpson's biplane method. Results: Significant differences in radial strain (TC vs. AMI) were found in lateral (13.5 ± 10.1% vs. 25.1 ± 11.2%, P = 0.035), posterior (15.2 ± 14.5% vs. 51.4 ± 14.2%, P < 0.001), and inferior (17.9 ± 15.5% vs. 49.4 ± 16.9%, P = 0.002) segments. Longitudinal strain was significantly lower in TC in basal‐inferior (−15.8 ± 9.2% vs. −22.7 ± 3.8%, P = 0.037), midinferior (−8.3 ± 9.2% vs. −16.8 ± 3.0%, P = 0.004), basal‐posterior (−12.2 ± 9.4% vs. −21.6 ± 4.4%, P = 0.016), midposterior (−4.4 ± 8.0% vs. −15.4 ± 3.5%, P = 0.002), apical‐posterior (2.3 ± 6.7% vs. −6.4 ± 10.1%, P = 0.023), and midlateral (−3.4 ± 6.9% vs. −9.5 ± 5.8%, P = 0.028) segments. Global strain and ejection fraction were significantly higher in patients with AMI (−3.5 ± 8.2% vs. −10.3 ± 8.4%, P < 0.001 and 37 ± 11% vs. 46 ± 11%, P = 0.045). Conclusion: In TC, strain was reduced around the entire mid left‐ventricular circumference, whereas in AMI it was predominantly reduced in the anterior and anteroseptal wall. These observed differences confirm the notion that TC affects myocardium beyond the territory of a single coronary artery. They may allow noninvasive distinction between both entities. (Echocardiography 2011;28:715‐719)
Geographic Variation in Ultraviolet Reflectance of the Wings of the Female Cabbage Butterfly, Pieris rapae

Abstract The British and Japanese subspecies of the cabbage butterfly, Pieris rapae, differ in terms of the UV reflectance of their wings (Obara and Majerus, 2000). We studied the biogeographical distribution of the female cabbage butterfly having wings with UV reflectance around the Eurasian continent, and between Britain and Japan. For the study, we collected specimens from various locations. A gradient in the UV reflectance of the wings appears to exist along the west-east axis; reflectance was higher toward the east and reached a peak in butterflies in Japan. The UV-reflecting Japanese subspecies Pieris rapae crucivora was found exclusively along the east coast of the Eurasian continent. This suggests that the Japanese subspecies has evolved from a continental ancestor, with females having UV-absorbing wings. We discuss the results of our study with regard to the evolution and adaptive significance of UV coloration in the Japanese subspecies.
Janus kinase 3 inhibition with CP‐690,550 prevents allograft vasculopathy

Janus kinase 3 (JAK3) mediates signal transduction from cytokine receptors using the common γ chain. The rationally designed inhibitor of JAK3, CP‐690,550, prevents acute allograft rejection in rodents and in nonhuman primates. Here we investigated the ability of CP‐690,550, to prevent allograft vasculopathy in a rodent model of aorta transplantation. Aortas from AxC Irish (RT1a) or Lewis (RT1l) rats were heterotopically transplanted into the infra‐renal aorta of Lewis recipients and harvested at 28 or 56 days. Treated recipients received CP‐690,550 by osmotic pumps (mean drug exposure of 110 ± 38 ng/ml). Significant intimal hyperplasia was demonstrated in untreated allografts when compared with isografts at 28 days (2.08 ± 0.85% vs. 0.43 ± 0.2% luminal obliteration, respectively, P = 0.001) and 56 days (5.3 ± 2.4% vs. 0.38 ± 0.3%, P = 0.002). Treatment caused a 51% reduction in intimal hyperplasia at day 56. CP‐690,550‐treated animals also had a significant reduction of donor‐specific IgG production and of the gene expression for suppressor of cytokine signaling‐3 and with unchanged levels of expression of RANTES, IP‐10 and transforming growth factor‐β1. These results are the first to show that JAK3 blockade by CP‐690,550 effectively prevents allograft vasculopathy in this rat model of aorta transplantation.