Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Body size and growth: the significance of chronic malnutrition among the Casiguran Agta.

Primary objective: The Agta are a short statured, hunter–gatherer population who have been living under demographic and environmental stress. This article shows the influence of these factors and the resulting nutritional deficiency on the anthropometric measurements and mortality of Agta individuals.Research design: The joint analysis of cross-sectional measurements of Agta children and adults and of the mortality schedules in this population aims to stress the influence of environmental pressures on the ongoing evolution of short stature.Methods and procedures: Recumbent length, height, weight, mid-upper arm circumference, and triceps skinfolds were taken using standard methods from a total of 253 Agta individuals. Exact or nearly exact ages were taken from a long-term demographic database. z-Scores and growth curves were calculated using the NutStat program and 2000 CDC reference. Mortality schedules are from published material, improved through interviews in the field.Main outcomes and results: Agta i.
Comparison of Psychotic States in Patients with Idiopathic Generalized Epilepsy and Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

Summary: We compared the characteristics of psychotic symptoms and pathogeneses of psychotic states in patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) and temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Sixty‐seven patients with IGE and 105 patients with TLE who were treated in our psychiatric clinic between December 1991 and July 1996 were selected. The clinical characteristics of the psychotic states accompanying each type of epilepsy were investigated retrospectively. Psychotic states were ascertained in 19.4% of the patients with IGE and 15.2% of the patients with TLE. The psychotic states of the patients with TLE tended to be more chronic than those of the patients with IGE. The characteristic psychotic symptoms were perplexed behavior and other various psychotic symptoms in the IGE group and hallucinations, delusions, and bad temper in the TLE group. The correlation with seizures was more evident in the TLE group than in the IGE group, because the seizure frequencies before the onset of psychotic states were significantly higher in the TLE group. The relationship between epileptic discharges and psychotic state was significantly more distinct in the IGE group. However, 3 patients with TLE with episodic psychotic states were mentally improved after tem‐prod lobectomy, which suggested that deep midtemporal epileptic discharges might have been the cause of their psychotic states. The psychotic symptoms of the patients with IGE and those with TLE were clearly different, and the incessant epileptic discharges of the different cerebral regions might be a key factor in the psychotic states accompanying both types of epilepsy.
The importance of nomenclature for congenital cardiac disease: implications for research and evaluation

Abstract Background Administrative databases are often used for congenital cardiac disease research and evaluation, with little validation of the accuracy of the diagnostic codes. Methods Metropolitan Atlanta Congenital Defects Program surveillance records were reviewed and classified using a version of the International Pediatric and Congenital Cardiac Code. Using this clinical nomenclature as the referent, we report the sensitivity and false positive fraction (1 – positive predictive value) of the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification diagnosis codes for tetralogy of Fallot, transposition of the great arteries, and hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Results We identified 4918 infants and foetuses with congenital cardiac disease from the surveillance records. Using only the International Classification of Diseases diagnosis codes, there were 280 records with tetralogy, 317 records with transposition, and 192 records with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Based on the International Pediatric and Congenital Cardiac Code, 330 records were classified as tetralogy, 163 records as transposition, and 179 records as hypoplastic left heart syndrome. The sensitivity of International Classification of Diseases diagnosis codes was 83% for tetralogy, 100% for transposition, and 95% for hypoplastic left heart syndrome. The false positive fraction was 2% for tetralogy, 49% for transposition, and 11% for hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Conclusions Analyses based on International Classification of Diseases diagnosis codes may have substantial misclassification of congenital heart disease. Isolating the major defect is difficult, and certain codes do not differentiate between variants that are clinically and developmentally different.
Cognitive decline and depressed level of consciousness in AIDS: Diagnosis

Please refer to page 30 of the March 2011 issue of the SAJR (http://www. sajr.org.za/index.php/sajr/article/view/450/425) for the presentation details and radiographic images. We congratulate Dr Himal Gajjar (Schnetler, Corbett and Partners, Cape Town) for the precise diagnosis, for which he receives an award of R1 000 from the RSSA. Professor Andronikou and Dr Els elaborate below on the condition and its radiological signs.
Placental expression of proBNP/NT-proBNP and plasma levels of NT-proBNP in early- and late-onset preeclampsia.

BACKGROUND Levels of plasma N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) are elevated in preeclampsia. In this study, the possibility that the placenta produces and releases proBNP/NT-proBNP was explored. Plasma levels of NT-proBNP in early- and late-onset preeclampsia were also measured. METHODS Placental proBNP mRNA in early-onset preeclampsia (n = 7), late-onset preeclampsia (n = 8), and controls of similar gestational age (n = 10) was assessed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. ProBNP/NT-proBNP protein was studied in placental samples with immunohistochemistry (n = 8) and tissue culture (n = 2). Plasma levels of NT-proBNP were measured in early-onset preeclampsia (n = 18), late-onset preeclampsia (n = 20), and relevant controls (n = 36). RESULTS Transcripts of proBNP mRNA were found in 20 out of 25 samples, there were no differences in expression between the groups. ProBNP/NT-proBNP protein was observed in maternal spiral arteries and in syncytiotrophoblasts in all placental samples. After placental tissue culture, there were measurable amounts of NT-proBNP in the culture media. Women with both early- (365 [14-9815] pg/ml) and late-onset preeclampsia (176 [33-2547] pg/ml) had higher levels of NT-proBNP than their controls (P < 0.001). There was a tendency toward higher levels of NT-proBNP in women with early-onset preeclampsia than in women with late-onset preeclampsia (P = 0.057). CONCLUSION The results indicate possible placental production and release of proBNP/NT-proBNP into the maternal circulation.
Agreement between simple catheter method and 3D transperineal ultrasound for assessing urethral length measurement before stress urinary incontinence treatment

Optimal placement of periurethral material has an important role in treatment efficacy with stress urinary incontinence (SUI). The validity of methods for determining urethral length and the precise location of the mid‐urethral complex for SUI treatment have been sparsely studied. The aim of this study was to investigate the agreement between urethral lengths measured with a catheter and by transperineal ultrasound.
Enhanced sensitivity with fast three‐dimensional blood‐oxygen‐level‐dependent functional MRI: comparison of SENSE–PRESTO and 2D‐EPI at 3 T

A major impetus in functional MRI development is to enhance sensitivity to changes in neural activity. One way to improve sensitivity is to enhance contrast to noise ratio, for instance by increasing field strength or the number of receiving coils. If these parameters are fixed, there is still the possibility to optimize scans by altering speed or signal strength [signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR)]. We here demonstrate a very fast whole‐brain scan, by combining a three‐dimensional (3D)‐PRESTO (principle of echo shifting with a train of observations) pulse sequence with a commercial eight‐channel head coil and sensitivity encoding (SENSE). 3D‐PRESTO uses time optimally by means of echo shifting. Moreover, 3D scans can accommodate SENSE in two directions, reducing scan time proportionally. The present PRESTO–SENSE sequence achieves full brain coverage within 500 ms. We compared this with a two‐dimensional (2D) echo planar imaging (EPI) scan with identical brain coverage on 10 volunteers. Resting‐state temporal SNR in the blood‐oxygen‐level‐dependent (BOLD) frequency range and T‐statistics for thumb movement and visual checkerboard activations were compared. Results show improved temporal SNR across the brain for PRESTO–SENSE compared with EPI. The percentage signal change and relative standard deviation of the noise were smaller for PRESTO–SENSE. Sensitivity for brain activation, as reflected by T‐values, was consistently higher for PRESTO, and this seemed to be mainly due to the increased number of observations within a fixed time period. We conclude that PRESTO accelerated with SENSE in two directions can be more sensitive to BOLD signal changes than the widely used 2D‐EPI, when a fixed amount of time is available for functional MRI scanning. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Iranian nurses' attitudes toward research utilisation

Research utilisation poses significant challenges for the nursing profession in Iran. Nurses' attitudes toward research and their motivation to engage in research utilisation have repeatedly been identified as potential barriers. Yet little is known about the attitudes of Iranian nurses' regarding research. Therefore, there is a need for a study that focuses particularly on Iranian nurses' attitudes toward research utilisation. The objective was to assess the attitude of Iranian clinical nurses and nurse educators towards nursing research. A self-administered questionnaire based on a cross-sectional survey conducted on 410 respondents from 15 educational hospitals and nursing schools affiliated to Tehran Medical Sciences University, Iran. According to the self-report, nurses generally held positive attitudes toward research. Education, professional role and research activities had a statistically significant relationship with their research attitudes. Although the attitudes towards research were positive, they do not perceive that research is relevant to the day-to-day work of nursing and research is not applicable to nursing as well. The majority of nurses are still not convinced of the importance of research to nursing practice and to the nursing profession. This, in turn, means that nurses do not implement research findings in clinical practice. There is an immediate need to improve research training in our teaching hospital to facilitate the development of the local literature both in terms of research utilisation and production.
Suicidal Intent and Method of Self-Harm: A Large-scale Study of Self-Harm Patients Presenting to a General Hospital.

Data from the Oxford Monitoring System for Attempted Suicide (2004-2011) were used to study hospital presentations for self-harm in which Suicidal Intent Scale (SIS) scores were obtained (N = 4,840). Regression of medians was used to control for the confounding effect of age and gender. Higher estimated median SIS scores were associated with increasing age, male gender, self-poisoning versus self-injury, multiple methods of self-harm versus self-injury alone, use of gas (mainly carbon monoxide), dangerous methods of self-injury (including hanging, gunshot), and use of alcohol as part of the act. For self-poisoning patients, there was a correlation between the number of tablets taken and the total SIS score. Compared with self-poisoning with paracetamol and paracetamol-containing compounds, self-poisoning with antipsychotics was associated with a lower median SIS score while antidepressants had the same estimated median as paracetamol. Use of alcohol within 6 hours of self-harm was associated with lower SIS scores. In conclusion, certain methods of self-harm, particularly dangerous methods of self-injury and self-poisoning with gas, were associated with high intent and should alert clinicians to potential higher risk of suicide. However, apart from use of gas, suicidal intent cannot be inferred from type of drugs used for self-poisoning.
Assessing optic nerve pathology with diffusion MRI: from mouse to human

The optic nerve is often affected in patients with glaucoma and multiple sclerosis. Conventional MRI can detect nerve damage, but it does not accurately assess the underlying pathologies. Mean diffusivity and diffusion anisotropy indices derived from diffusion tensor imaging have been shown to be sensitive to a variety of central nervous system white matter pathologies. Despite being sensitive, the lack of specificity limits the ability of these measures to differentiate the underlying pathology. Directional (axial and radial) diffusivities, measuring water diffusion parallel and perpendicular to the axonal tracts, have been shown to be specific to axonal and myelin damage in mouse models of optic nerve injury, including retinal ischemia and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. The progression of Wallerian degeneration has also been detected using directional diffusivities after retinal ischemia. However, translating these findings to human optic nerve is technically challenging. The current status of diffusion MRI of human optic nerve, including imaging sequences and protocols, is summarized herein. Despite the lack of a consensus among different groups on the optimal sequence or protocol, increased mean diffusivity and decreased diffusion anisotropy have been observed in injured optic nerve from patients with chronic optic neuritis. From different mouse models of optic nerve injuries to the emerging studies on patients with optic neuritis, directional diffusivities show great potential to be specific biomarkers for axonal and myelin injury. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Hypertension risk in Dutch women with symptomatic uterine fibroids.

BACKGROUND Female-specific risk factors for cardiovascular disease are understudied. We assessed whether women with uterine fibroids have a greater hypertension risk, independent of the shared risk factors for both conditions. METHODS Blood pressure was measured in women scheduled for fibroid surgery compared to women scheduled for nonfibroid gynecological surgery and women randomly sampled from the general population. We used multivariable binary logistic regression to assess whether hypertension was more common with surgically treated fibroids, independent of age, body mass index, and African ancestry. RESULTS We included 1,342 women (542 of African ancestry), of which 272 scheduled for fibroid surgery, 385 controls scheduled for nonfibroid gynecological surgery, and 685 random population controls, with a mean age (SD) of, respectively, 43.4 (6.6), 41.3 (10.2), and 45.1 (6.6) years; and a mean body mass index (SD) of, respectively, 27.4 (5.3), 25.7 (5.7), and 28.2 (5.6) kg/m(2). Hypertension was found more frequently with surgically treated fibroids, with an occurrence of 41.9% in women with fibroids vs. 27.5% in surgical controls, and 28.3% in population controls (P < 0.001 for fibroids vs. controls). The association with hypertension was independent of age, body mass index, and African ancestry (odds ratio, 2.4; 95% confidence interval, 1.7-3.4). CONCLUSIONS Hypertension risk is higher in Dutch women with surgically treated fibroids than in surgery or population controls, independent of age, body mass index, and African ancestry. Our data add to the body of evidence indicating that women with uterine fibroids are eligible for hypertension screening.
Tin-Vacancy Quantum Emitters in Diamond.

Tin-vacancy (Sn-V) color centers were created in diamond via ion implantation and subsequent high-temperature annealing up to 2100 °C at 7.7 GPa. The first-principles calculation suggested that a large atom of tin can be incorporated into a diamond lattice with a split-vacancy configuration, in which a tin atom sits on an interstitial site with two neighboring vacancies. The Sn-V center showed a sharp zero phonon line at 619 nm at room temperature. This line split into four peaks at cryogenic temperatures, with a larger ground state splitting (∼850 GHz) than that of color centers based on other group-IV elements, i.e., silicon-vacancy (Si-V) and germanium-vacancy (Ge-V) centers. The excited state lifetime was estimated, via Hanbury Brown-Twiss interferometry measurements on single Sn-V quantum emitters, to be ∼5 ns. The order of the experimentally obtained optical transition energies, compared with those of Si-V and Ge-V centers, was in good agreement with the theoretical calculations.
[Preventive medical checkups and consultations in people with schizophrenia and a comparison group of similar social status].

OBJECTIVE To examine whether the utilisation of preventive medical checkups and contacts to doctors differs between people with schizophrenia and a comparison group of comparable social status in Germany. METHOD 120 patients, each 40 from a hospital, an out-patient clinic and a residential home, were interviewed as well as 118 attendants of a social welfare office as a comparison group. RESULTS Cancer screenings were realised less frequently than in the general population both among the patients and the controls. Contacts with doctors of somatic disciplines were more frequent among patients than among controls and the general population. CONCLUSION The health behaviour of patients with schizophrenia was not significantly different from a comparison group with similar social status.
Electrical dyssynchrony and endocardial fibroelastosis resection in the rehabilitation of hypoplastic left cardiac syndrome

Abstract Background Staged left ventricular rehabilitation is a novel surgical approach in patients undergoing single ventricle palliation for borderline hypoplastic left cardiac disease, in an attempt to salvage the left ventricle. The procedure includes resection of endocardial fibroelastosis from the left ventricular free wall and apex. We hypothesised that endocardial fibroelastosis removal may significantly affect ventricular conduction and myocardial electrical characteristics. Methods This study included 27 patients with borderline hypoplastic left cardiac syndrome who underwent staged left ventricle rehabilitation with endocardial fibroelastosis resection following single ventricle palliation. The effect on electrical synchrony was measured by ventricular depolarisation timing (QRS duration) on electrocardiogram. Patients were evaluated for a change in QRS duration before and after fibroelastosis removal and at most recent follow-up. Results The QRS change in the immediate period after endocardial fibroelastosis resection ranged from −16 to 36 milliseconds with a median of 0 (p = 0.09). However, long-term conduction delay was common in 44% (12/27) of patients having a QRS duration greater than 98th percentile for the age at the most recent electrocardiogram. Only one patient had QRS duration greater than 98th percentile before any surgical procedure. Two patients developed left bundle branch block and one developed right bundle branch block with left, but anterior-fascicular block. Overall, the QRS duration correlated with left ventricular size (R = 0.54, p = 0.006) at the most recent electrocardiogram. Conclusions Electrical dyssynchrony is a common finding in patients undergoing staged left ventricular rehabilitation after single ventricle palliation; however, it is not acutely related to surgical endocardial resection. Left ventricular size is correlated with QRS duration. Diligent follow-up is required to evaluate the effects of left ventricular growth and consideration of resynchronisation in this population.
Characterizing human adipose tissue lipids by long echo time 1H‐MRS in vivo at 1.5 Tesla: validation by gas chromatography

The aim of this study was to investigate the use of 1H‐MRS with various echo times to characterize subcutaneous human adipose tissue (SAT) triglyceride composition and to validate the findings with fatty acid (FA) analysis of SAT biopsies by gas chromatography (GC). 1H‐MRS spectra were acquired with a 1.5 Tesla clinical imager from the SAT of 17 healthy volunteers, with 10 undergoing SAT biopsy. Spectra were localized with PRESS and a series of echo times; 30,50,80,135,200,300 and 540 ms were acquired with TR = 3000 ms. Prior knowledge from phantom measurements was used to construct AMARES fitting models for the lipid spectra. SAT FA composition were compared with serum lipid levels and subject characteristics in 17 subjects.
Propofol as a bridge to extubation for high-risk children with congenital cardiac disease

Abstract Background Children with congenital cardiac defects may have associated chromosomal anomalies, airway compromise, and/or pulmonary hypertension, which can pose challenges to adequate sedation, weaning from mechanical ventilation, and successful extubation. Propofol, with its unique properties, may be used as a bridge to extubation in certain cardiac populations. Materials and methods We retrospectively reviewed 0–17-year-old patients admitted to the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit between January, 2007 and September, 2008, who required mechanical ventilation and received a continuous infusion of propofol as a bridge to extubation. Medical charts were reviewed for demographics, associated comorbidities, as well as additional sedation medications and haemodynamic trends including vital signs and vasopressor support during the peri-infusion period. Successful extubation was defined as no re-intubation required for respiratory failure within 48 hours. Outcomes measured were successful extubation, evidence for propofol infusion syndrome, haemodynamic stability, and fluid and inotropic requirements. Results We included 11 patients for a total of 12 episodes. Propofol dose ranged from 0.4 to 5.6 milligram per kilogram per hour with an average infusion duration of 7 hours. All patients were successfully extubated, and none demonstrated worsening metabolic acidosis suggestive of the propofol infusion syndrome. All patients remained haemodynamically stable during the infusion with average heart rates and blood pressures remaining within age-appropriate ranges. One patient received additional fluid but no increase in vasopressors was needed. Conclusions This study suggests that propofol infusions may allow for successful extubation in a certain population of children with congenital cardiac disease. Further studies are required to confirm whether propofol is an efficient and safe alternative in this setting.