Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Musculoskeletal function assessment: Reference values for patient and non‐patient samples

Although researchers and clinicians are encouraged to use health‐status questionnaires to evaluate, monitor, and modify care, their use is hindered by the lack of reference values. Without reference values, it is difficult to interpret or evaluate questionnaire scores. In this paper, we present reference values for the Musculoskeletal Function Assessment, a 101‐item health‐status questionnaire designed and validated for patients with a broad range of musculoskeletal disorders. We describe reference values for two samples: non‐patients (n = 123) and patients with isolated extremity injuries (n = 274). For the non‐patient sample, descriptive statistics are presented by age and gender, measured at one point in time. For the patient sample, descriptive statistics are provided for seven Orthopaedic Trauma Association/AO diagnostic groups, measured at two points in time. Reference values for changes in the Musculoskeletal Function Assessment total score are described for patients 3 and 9 months and 6 and 12 months after injury. The total scores by post‐injury interval, across the diagnostic groups, are significantly better at follow‐up than at baseline (p = 0.00). Reference values for changes in total scores are also described in terms of these diagnostic groups across post‐injury intervals. Musculoskeletal Function Assessment total scores for Orthopaedic Trauma Association/AO diagnostic groups are significantly better at follow‐up than at baseline (p < 0.03). Changes in the total score are also tested for responsiveness with use of standardized response means. Large effects are demonstrated for patients completing the Musculoskeletal Function Assessment at 3 and 9 months (1.03), and small effects are demonstrated for those completing it at 6 and 12 months (0.49). Moderate and large effects are demonstrated for Orthopaedic Trauma Association/AO diagnostic groups across post‐injury intervals.
Contrast sensitivity in humans with abnormal visual experience.

1. Grating contrast sensitivities have been determined over a range of spatial frequencies for a normal subject and for subjects who are visually biased in that they have a lower resolution capacity for targets of specific orientations. The bias si only found in astigmatic subjects and the grating orientation yielding poorest acuity coincides with the most defocused astigmatic meridian. However this resolution anisotropy remains when optical factors are accounted for. 2. For the normal subject, high and low frequency attenuation is found and a typical reduction in contrast sensitivity is exhibited for oblique target orientations. 3. The biased subjects, called meridional amblyopes because they have reduced acuity for a given grating orientation, show markedly abnormal contrast sensitivity functions. Their cut‐off spatial frequencies are different for various target orientations and this difference applies also to contrast sensitivity over nearly the entire spatial frequency range tested (0‐5‐16 cycles/deg). The differences are of about the same magnitude for most frequencies and they are found in all types of meridional amblyopes. 4. Optical explanations of these differences are ruled out by laser‐interference fringe tests and by varying effective pupil size. 5. Theoretical effects of defocus have been calculated to compare predicted visual deprivation with performance. Results indicate that reduced contrast sensitivity functions can be equivalent to a small defocus effect. 6. To examine the results in the spatial domain, inverse Fourier transforms of representative contrast sensitivity functions have been computed. The optical portion of the resulting spatial weighting functions has been parcelled out to obtain neural spatial weighting functions.
High Risk of Sensitization After Failed Islet Transplantation

Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) antibodies posttransplant have been associated with an increased risk of early graft failure in kidney transplants. Whether this also applies to islet transplantation is not clear. To achieve insulin independence after islet transplants multiple donor infusions may be required. Hence, islet transplant recipients are at risk of sensitization after transplantation. Islet transplant recipients were screened for HLA antibodies posttransplant by flow‐based methods. A total of 98 patients were studied. Twenty‐nine patients (31%) developed de novo donor specific antibodies (DSA) posttransplant. Twenty‐three patients developed DSA while on immunosuppression (IS). Among recipients who have discontinued IS, 10/14 (71%) are broadly sensitized with panel reactive antibody (PRA) ≥50%. The risk of becoming broadly sensitized after transplant was 11/69 (16%) if the recipient was unsensitized prior to transplant. The majority of these antibodies have persisted over time. Appearance of HLA antibodies posttransplant is concerning, and the incidence rises abruptly in subjects weaned completely from IS. This may negatively impact the ability of these individuals to undergo further islet, pancreas or kidney transplantation and should be discussed upfront during evaluation of candidates for islet transplantation.
Safety and efficacy of intravitreal bevacizumab followed by pegaptanib maintenance as a treatment regimen for age-related macular degeneration.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A, both necessary and sufficient in promoting ocular neovascularization, is an attractive therapeutic target. Combining nonselective and selective VEGF blockade may provide clinical benefit with minimal risks in the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD). PATIENTS AND METHODS Twenty patients with all subtypes of neovascular AMD and a broad range of baseline vision were treated with intravitreal bevacizumab followed by pegaptanib sodium for 54 weeks. Visual acuity measurements, biomicroscopy, funduscopy, fluorescein angiography, optical coherence tomography, and adverse event assessments were performed. RESULTS Mean visual acuity improved from approximately 20/200 at baseline to 20/80. All patients experienced an improvement in retinal thickness, ranging from -47 to -297 microns. Adverse events were limited to transient irritation or redness. No significant elevation in intraocular pressure occurred following either bevacizumab or pegaptanib injections. CONCLUSIONS Nonselective VEGF blockade with bevacizumab induction and selective VEGF165 blockade with pegaptanib as maintenance therapies may offer clinically meaningful outcomes with acceptable safety profiles in patients with AMD.
Sole Pathogen in Acute Bronchiolitis: Is There a Role for Other Organisms Apart From Respiratory Syncytial Virus?

Background: Acute bronchiolitis (AB) is a common disease of young children with peak incidence during the winter season. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major causative organism, yet recent relatively small sized studies have suggested an increased role of other organisms as sole or codetected organisms. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of sole- and mixed-organisms infections in hospitalized children with AB, using combined antigen-based and polymerase chain reaction assays (PCR). Methods: Sputum or nasal wash specimens obtained from 490 previously healthy children ≤2 years of age hospitalized with AB between December 1, 2005 and March 31, 2006 were tested: (1) For RSV, by rapid antigen detection test; (2) For RSV, influenza A, B, Parainfluenza 1 to 3, and adenovirus antigens by direct fluorescent assay; (3) For influenza A and B, RSV, Parainfluenza 1 to 3 viruses RNA by reverse transcription (RT) PCR assay; (4) For human metapneumovirus and rhinovirus RNA by RT real-time PCR assay; (5) For adenovirus, and Bordetella pertussis DNA by conventional PCR assays; (6) For human bocavirus DNA by real-tine PCR assays. Results: At least 1 organism was detected in 465 (91%) children. In 283 (61%), 117 (25%), and 23 (5%) children, 1, 2, and 3/4 organisms were detected, respectively. The most commonly detected organism was RSV, detected in 76%, and as a sole organism in 49%. Rhinovirus, human metapneumovirus, influenza virus A, bocavirus, Bordetella pertussis, and adenovirus were detected as a sole organism in 7%, 2.1%, 1%, 0.6%, 0.6%, and 0.2% of the children, respectively. Conclusions: Respiratory organisms were detected in the majority of the children, of whom about one third suffered from mixed organism infection. RSV was the most prevalent sole detected organism. The relevance of all other organisms may be much less than previously suggested.
Participation of disabled children: how should it be characterised and measured?

Purpose. The aim of the paper is to explore the issues involved in measuring children's participation. Method. The concept of participation as encapsulated in the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) is discussed as it applies to children. The essential components of any measure of children's participation are outlined, including participation essential for normal development and survival, leisure activities, and educational participation. Some existing instruments are briefly reviewed in terms of their coverage of the essential components and the adequacy of their approach to measurement. Results. Key issues regarding the content of an adequate measure of participation include the need to consider the child's dependency on the family, and their changing abilities and autonomy as they grow older. Instruments may be most appropriate where they ask the child directly, implying use of visual as well as verbal presentation. Their focus should be on ‘performance’ such as whether and how often an activity is taken part in, and not incorporate degree of assistance within the measurement scaling. Conclusions. Currently available measures of children's participation all have some limitations in terms of their applicability across impairment groupings, whether the child can directly respond, and in the ICF components covered. The feasibility of developing measurement instruments of children's participation at different ages is discussed.
Price transparency for MRIs increased use of less costly providers and triggered provider competition.

To encourage patients to select high-value providers, an insurer-initiated price transparency program that focused on elective advanced imaging procedures was implemented. Patients having at least one outpatient magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan in 2010 or 2012 were divided according to their membership in commercial health plans participating in the program (the intervention group) or in nonparticipating commercial health plans (the reference group) in similar US geographic regions. Patients in the intervention group were informed of price differences among available MRI facilities and given the option of selecting different providers. For those patients, the program resulted in a $220 cost reduction (18.7 percent) per test and a decrease in use of hospital-based facilities from 53 percent in 2010 to 45 percent in 2012. Price variation between hospital and nonhospital facilities for the intervention group was reduced by 30 percent after implementation. Nonparticipating members residing in intervention areas also observed price reductions, which indicates increased price competition among providers. The program significantly reduced imaging costs. This suggests that patients select lower-price facilities when informed about available alternatives.
Single Intradiscal Administration of the Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha Inhibitor, Etanercept, for Patients with Discogenic Low Back Pain.

OBJECTIVE To examine the analgesic effect of intradiscal administration of a tumor necrosis factor-αα (TNF-α) inhibitor in patients with discogenic low back pain (LBP). DESIGN Prospective, randomized study. SETTING Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Chiba (Japan) University Hospital. SUBJECTS Seventy-seven patients diagnosed with discogenic LBP. METHODS Discogenic LBP patients were randomly assigned to the etanercept (n = 38; bupivacaine [2 mL] with etanercept [10 mg]) or control (n = 39; bupivacaine [2 mL]) groups. Patients received a single intradiscal injection. Numerical rating scale (NRS) scores for LBP at baseline, 1 day, and 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks after the injection were recorded. The Oswestry disability index (ODI) scores at baseline and at 4 and 8 weeks after injection were evaluated. Postinjection complications were recorded and evaluated. RESULTS In the etanercept group, the NRS scores were significantly lower than in the control group at every time point after the injection for 8 weeks (P < 0.05). Similarly, 4 weeks after the injection, the ODI score was lower in the etanercept group than in the control group (P < 0.05). However, the ODI scores were not significantly different at 8 weeks. Complications were not observed. CONCLUSIONS Single intradiscal administration of a TNF-α inhibitor can alleviate intractable discogenic LBP for up to 8 weeks. TNF-α may be involved in discogenic pain pathogenesis. This procedure is a novel potential treatment; longer-term effectiveness trials are required in the future.
Chikungunya Disease Outbreak, Reunion Island

During 2005, the monthly CDR remained within expected range of statistical variation. From January through April 2006, respectively, monthly CDRs were 7.1%, 34.4%, 25.2%, and 8.3% higher than expected rates (p 75 years of age.
[Ethics in psychotherapy].

After introducing the terms "morality" and "ethics" as defined by Patzig, the discussion focuses on applying to the practicing of psychotherapy the guidelines for ethics in medicine formulated by Beauchamp and Childress, i.e. respect of the autonomy of the patient, the doctor's duty to prevent injury, the obligation to give assistance and the principle of fairness. In particular, it is pointed out that to hale respect for the autonomy of the patient, a thorough and patient inquiry concerning diagnosis, indication and therapy is necessary in order for the patient to develop intrinsic motivation based on insight into his condition and evaluation of the prognosis. In connection with the discussion of the nil nocere, reference is made to the therapist's duty to take a patient's various limits of tolerance into account. Emphasis is also placed on the psychotherapist's duty to "service" his own psychic apparatus with the help of continued education and in-service training, supervision and self-analysis. Applied to psychotherapy, the obligation to give assistance means encouraging the patient to go in the direction of greater autonomy which means the reduction of helplessness. In psychotherapy, problems of distributing resources fairly may be manifested in unjustifiably long waiting lists or in the form of patient selection carried out in a way that is not justifiable on medical grounds but based rather on a tendency to eliminate certain groups of disorders by using contra-indications that are basically rationalizations of countertransference reactions and which are not in keeping with the professional and personal identity of therapists.
Concomitant Processing of Choice and Outcome in Frontal Corticostriatal Ensembles Correlates with Performance of Rats

The frontal cortex-basal ganglia network plays a pivotal role in adaptive goal-directed behaviors. Medial frontal cortex (MFC) encodes information about choices and outcomes into sequential activation of neural population, or neural trajectory. While MFC projects to the dorsal striatum (DS), whether DS also displays temporally coordinated activity remains unknown. We studied this question by simultaneously recording neural ensembles in the MFC and DS of rodents performing an outcome-based alternative choice task. We found that the two regions exhibited highly parallel evolution of neural trajectories, transforming choice information into outcome-related information. When the two trajectories were highly correlated, spike synchrony was task-dependently modulated in some MFC-DS neuron pairs. Our results suggest that neural trajectories concomitantly process decision-relevant information in MFC and DS with increased spike synchrony between these regions.
Suitability of public-private-partnership procurement method for road projects in Sri Lanka

Purpose Governments of many developing countries that are unable to develop their infrastructure in order to obtain financial resources prefer to establish public–private partnerships (PPPs) for providing the much-required infrastructure. Time is thus opportune for Sri Lanka, which is also a developing country, to make use of PPPs to develop its road network. The purpose of this paper is, therefore, to identify the PPP models that suit road construction in Sri Lanka. Design/methodology/approach The study used a mixed approach. The characteristics of road construction, procurement selection factors to be considered in road construction, and the different PPP models that can be used for such procurements were identified through a comprehensive literature synthesis. The findings were validated using expert interviews. A questionnaire survey identified the PPP models that suit road construction in Sri Lanka. The most suitable model among them was identified by ranking the PPP models using procurement selection factors. Findings Build–Own–Operate–Transfer was identified as the PPP model that best suits road construction in Sri Lanka. However, investors may not find it attractive because of its high payback period, a result of the low traffic volume in Sri Lanka. Therefore, a PPP model that involves road construction alone will not be feasible in Sri Lanka. It will have to include the construction of other infrastructure as well. Originality/value The study identifies a PPP model that best suits the road construction projects in Sri Lanka.
Tumour selection advantage of non-dominant negative P53 mutations in homozygotic MDM2-SNP309 colorectal cancer cells

Background: Mdm2 is a natural inhibitor of p53 function and its overexpression impairs p53 transcriptional activity. T→G single-nucleotide polymorphism at position 309 (SNP309) of mdm2 induces overexpression of mdm2, but inhibits p53. Objectives: To determine whether SNP309 is a risk-modifier polymorphism in colorectal cancer (CRC) and whether tumour selection of P53 mutations are influenced by SNP309. Methods: Single-stranded conformation polymorphism and automatic sequencing were performed. Results: SNP309 is not associated with the risk of CRC or recurrence of tumours. These data do not over-ride the tumour-selection capabilities of P53 mutations in CRC. However, a significant association with non-dominant-negative P53 mutations (p = 0.02) was found. Conclusions:MDM2-SNP309 favours tumour selection of non-dominant negative P53 mutations in CRC, which also show an earlier age of tumour onset.
Alteration of epigenetic landscape by lamin A mutations: Hallmark of Dilated Cardiomyopathy

Mutations in lamin A have been reported to be associated with over 16 human diseases including dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). We have focused on three such DCM causing mutants of lamin A which have to address the contribution of lamins in the pathogenesis of DCM at molecular level. We have elucidated the effect of these mutants for the first time on the epigenetic landscape of a myogenic fibroblast cell line C2C12. C2C12 cells expressing these mutant proteins exhibited alterations in some histone modification marks like H3K4me3, H3K9me3, H3K27me3, H3K36me3 and RNA Polymerase II activity compared to its wild type variants. This report paves the way for further studies involving epigenetic regulation in laminopathies which would be an important step in explaining the molecular mechanism and pathophysiology of the diseases like dilated cardiomyopathy. High Lights lamin A K97E mutation predominantly alters H3K9me3 histone modifications landscape lamin A K97E aggregates within nucleus also sequester the HP1γ lamin A K97E mutation affects RNA polymerase II distribution pattern
Morphological Characteristics of the Interpubic Joint (Symphysis pubica) of Rats, Guinea Pigs and Mice in Different Physiological Situations

The pubic joint of male and female rats, guinea pigs and mice was studied using the Picrosirius polarization method which selectively discloses the fibers of the collagenous system. Besides that, considerations were made regarding joint classification. In adult rats (both males and females, including intrapartum specimens), our results confirm those of earlier studies showing that the interpubic joint contains a central core of hyaline cartilage surrounded by fibrocartilaginous areas. Thus, in rats, the pubic joint should more properly be classified as a true synchondrosis. In virgin female guinea pigs and mice, the interpubic joint is formed of fibrocartilage (a true symphysis); whereas at term the bones are joined by a connective ligament, constituting a syndesmosis. Male mice have a similar (fibrocartilaginous) joint structure to virgin female mice, whereas male guinea pigs (like rats) have a hyaline cartilage joint. The foregoing observations indicate that the classification of the pubic joint depends upon the species, age, sex, and physiological reproductive stage studied. Species that are very similar in most other aspects (such as rats and mice) displayed different morphological features of the pubic joint to support the same reproductive processes. Together, the data reported here suggest that interspecies differences are likely to be found in other parameters and should be considered when choosing an appropriate animal model for research or teaching purposes.
[Usefulness of AgNOR technique in the interpretation of serous effusions].

BACKGROUND AgNOR technique detects, using silver salts, argyrophylic proteins of the nucleolar organizer region (NOR). The number and size of NOR reflect cell activity, proliferation and transformation and may help to differentiate benign from malignant cells. AIM To assess the value of AgNOR assay to differentiate reactive mesothelial cells from malignant cells in serous effusions. MATERIAL AND METHODS Thirty one fluids obtained from 16 pleural, 14 peritoneal and one pericardial effusion, were studied. The fluids were processed with Giemsa and Papanicolau stains and with the AgNOR technique. The number of AgNOR dots were counted (only when it was possible to distinguish each individual dot) and the mean value per nucleus was calculated for each smear. RESULTS Mesothelial cells had a mean of 4.88 +/- 1.5 dots compared with 13.78 +/- 3.88 dots in the malignant cells (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS AgNOR assay can be useful for the differentiation of benign and malignant cells in serous effusions.