Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of nursing interventions on intracranial pressure.

BACKGROUND Intracranial pressure is a frequent target for goal-directed therapy to prevent secondary brain injury. In critical care settings, nurses deliver many interventions to patients having intracranial pressure monitored, yet few data documenting the immediate effect of these interventions on intracranial pressure are available. OBJECTIVE To examine the relationship between intracranial pressure and specific nursing interventions observed during routine care. METHODS Secondary analysis of prospectively collected observational data. RESULTS During 3118 minutes of observation, 11 specific nursing interventions were observed for 28 nurse-patient dyads from 16 hospitals. Family members talking in the room, administering sedatives, and repositioning the patient were associated with a significantly lower intracranial pressure. However, intracranial pressure was sometimes higher, lower, or unchanged after each intervention observed. CONCLUSION Response of intracranial pressure to nursing interventions is inconsistent. Most interventions were associated with inconsistent changes in intracranial pressure at 1 or 5 minutes after the intervention.
Body mass index and pressure ulcers: improved predictability of pressure ulcers in intensive care patients.

BACKGROUND Obesity contributes to immobility and subsequent pressure on skin surfaces. Knowledge of the relationship between obesity and development of pressure ulcers in intensive care patients will provide better understanding of which patients are at high risk for pressure ulcers and allow more efficient prevention. OBJECTIVES To examine the incidence of pressure ulcers in patients who differ in body mass index and to determine whether inclusion of body mass index enhanced use of the Braden scale in the prediction of pressure ulcers. METHODS In this retrospective cohort study, data were collected from the medical records of 4 groups of patients with different body mass index values: underweight, normal weight, obese, and extremely obese. Data included patients' demographics, body weight, score on the Braden scale, and occurrence of pressure ulcers. RESULTS The incidence of pressure ulcers in the underweight, normal weight, obese, and extremely obese groups was 8.6%, 5.5%, 2.8%, and 9.9%, respectively. When both the score on the Braden scale and the body mass index were predictive of pressure ulcers, extremely obese patients were about 2 times more likely to experience an ulcer than were normal weight patients. In the final model, the area under the curve was 0.71. The baseline area under the curve for the Braden scale was 0.68. CONCLUSIONS Body mass index and incidence of pressure ulcers were related in intensive care patients. Addition of body mass index did not appreciably improve the accuracy of the Braden scale for predicting pressure ulcers.
Total and CD4+ T- lymphocyte count correlation in newly diagnosed HIV patients in resource-limited setting

Few clinical settings in resource-limited countries perform CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts required as a baseline test for antiretroviral therapy. We investigated CD4 count in newly diagnosed HIV-infected patients attending our treatment centre and evaluated suitability of total lymphocyte count (TLC) as a surrogate marker for CD4+T-lymphocyte count required as a yardstick for initiating antiretroviral therapy. Usefulness of TLC as a surrogate marker for CD4+T-lymphocyte counts <200, ≤350 and <500cells/µL for HIV-positive patients in our facility was evaluated by 180 pairs of TLC and CD4 counts from 180 newly diagnosed HIV-infected patients and results were compared by linear regression and Spearman’s correlation analytical tools. Approximately 72.8% of our patients were diagnosed late as revealed by CD4 count ≤350cells/µL. An overall good correlation was noted between TLC and CD4+T-cell counts (r=0.65, slope=0.69), mean total lymphocyte count of 1.04 ± 0.81, 1.39 ± 1.06 and 1.57 ± 1.13 x 10⁹/L correspond to CD4 lymphocyte counts of <200, ≤350 and < 500cells/µL respectively. When considering initiating HAART for HIV-infected Nigerian clients, TLC can be considered as an inexpensive and easily accessible surrogate marker for predicting CD4+T-lymphocyte at two clinically important CD4 thresholds of CD4 count of ≤350 cells/µL and <500cells/µL. Key words: CD4, total lymphocyte count, highly active antiretroviral therapy, enzyme immunoassay, HIV, flowcytometry.
Community-based vocational rehabilitation (CBVR) for people with disabilities: experiences from a pilot project in Nigeria

This article discusses the community-based vocational rehabilitation (CBVR) of persons with disabilities. In 1991, a pilot project was instituted by the International Labour Organisation and the United Nations Development Programme in conjunction with Oyo State Government in Nigeria. The aim was to facilitate the reintegration of persons with disabilities into their communities after a vocational rehabilitation programme. This project has resulted in the successful training of about 155 individuals with disabilities since its inception and a number of the trainees have benefited from a revolving loan scheme. The initial seven areas of vocational training have, over the years, expanded to 24. Recently, the project has been introduced to six other states in Nigeria. Various problem-solving strategies have been employed in the course of the project as the need arose and the community-based vocational rehabilitation programme has proved to be a success in Nigeria so far. In this paper, Eunice Alade, associate professor in the Department of Special Education, Kenyatta University, Kenya, provides an evaluation of an innovative alternative approach to vocational rehabilitation for people with disabilities. She discusses some of the problems experienced in Nigeria and offers suggestions about how to sustain the work. Her ideas will be of direct interest to those seeking to promote social inclusion in developing countries and elsewhere around the world.
Glaucoma: A Color Manual of Diagnosis and Treatment, 3rd Ed.

What do you do to start reading glaucoma a color manual of diagnosis and treatment? Searching the book that you love to read first or find an interesting book that will make you want to read? Everybody has difference with their reason of reading a book. Actuary, reading habit must be from earlier. Many people may be love to read, but not a book. It's not fault. Someone will be bored to open the thick book with small words to read. In more, this is the real condition. So do happen probably with this glaucoma a color manual of diagnosis and treatment.
THE POTENTIAL IMPACT OF UNDIAGNOSED HEARING LOSS ON THE DIAGNOSIS OF DEMENTIA

Hearing loss and dementia are conditions that impact similar populations. Many adults do not seek audiologic care for their hearing loss and thus are seen in the primary care physician’s office with an undiagnosed hearing loss. This study sought to determine the impact of undiagnosed hearing loss and thus decreased audibility on the items of the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) commonly used to diagnose dementia. Many physicians use the MMSE along with self-report of cognitive decline to diagnose dementia. Previous studies have suggested that self-report of cognitive decline is impacted by hearing loss. This study suggests that a decrease in audibility that would be associated with an undiagnosed hearing loss significantly impacts performance on the MMSE. Physicians should be cautious when using the MMSE and self-report of cognitive impairment to diagnose dementia without accounting for hearing loss as both may be significantly impacted by undiagnosed hearing loss.
Basel III and the Net Stable Funding Ratio

We validate the new Basel liquidity standards as encapsulated by the net stable funding ratio in a quantitative manner. In this regard, we consider the dynamics of inverse net stable funding ratio as a measure to quantify the bank’s prospects for a stable funding over a period of a year. In essence, this justifies how Basel III liquidity standards can be effectively implemented in mitigating liquidity problems. We also discuss various classes of available stable funding and required stable funding. Furthermore, we discuss an optimal control problem for a continuous-time inverse net stable funding ratio. In particular, we make optimal choices for the inverse net stable funding targets in order to formulate its cost. This is normally done by obtaining analytic solution of the value function. Finally, we provide a numerical example for the dynamics of the inverse net stable funding ratio to identify trends in which banks behavior convey forward looking information on long-term market liquidity developments.
The Role of Health and Health Promotion in Labour Force Participation

textabstractDuring the last century, the combined effects of improvements in living and working conditions and advances in medicine and health care have led to a consistently increasing life expectancy in the European Union. In 2007 in the EU, the life expectancy of a newborn boy at birth was 76.1 years and of a newborn girl 82.2 years. Life expectancy is, however, not equally distributed in society. Persons with a lower level of education, a lower occupational class, or a lower level of income tend to die at younger age, and to have, within their shorter lives, a higher prevalence of all kinds of health problems. This leads to tremendous differences between socioeconomic groups in the number of years that persons can expect to live in good health. In Europe, differences in healthy life expectancy typically amount to 10 years or more, counted from birth. According to many, such differences in health are unacceptable, and represent one of Europe’s greatest challenges for public health. Unemployed persons are a specific socioeconomically disadvantaged group. The relationship between unemployment and poor health has been well established, as demonstrated by a higher prevalence of illness and disability and a higher mortality among unemployed persons. Selection and causation may contribute to these inequalities in health among employed and unemployed persons. Selection may act through two different pathways: workers with a poor health may be more likely to leave the labour force, and unemployed persons with a poor health may be less likely to enter the workforce. Causation may also act in two different ways. Leaving the workforce may have a negative influence on health of the ex-workers. The other way around, gaining paid employment may have a positive influence on health. Paragraph 1.2 (Health and Work) gives an overview of the current state of knowledge concerning the influence of health on entering or leaving the workforce. Paragraph 1.3 (Work and Health) is focused on the effect of gaining paid employment on health. Paragraph 1.4 (Health promotion among the unemployed) describes the current evidence on the effectiveness of health promotion interventions among unemployed persons for re-employment.
Update on EBV monitoring, detection and therapy in PTLD after solid organ transplant

EBV remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality in solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients. Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder is the most severe complication of EBV infection in SOT patients. While EBV viral load monitoring can be used to predict SOT patients at high risk of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (most effectively for patients who are EBV seronegative prior to transplant), interpretation and management of these results may be confusing and can be complex. Monitoring to guide preemptive reduced immunosuppression has contributed to the decreased incidence of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder in SOT recipients. For the treatment of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder, increasing evidence supports the use of the anti-CD20 antibody rituximab. However, experience to date suggests that use of this agent may not prevent recurrence of tumor or improve cell-mediated immune responses to EBV. Future investigation of EBV-specific T-cell responses as an ad.
Performance on the Clock Drawing Task Correlates with fMRI Response to a Visuospatial Task in Alzheimer's Disease

ABSTRACT The clock drawing (CD) task involves visual integration skills associated with parietal lobe function. Seven mild Alzheimer's Disease (AD) patients and 11 healthy elderly controls (EC) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning while viewing a radial motion (RM) task. This RM task in EC activated the bilateral secondary visual cortex and parietal regions, whereas AD patients activated only the right-sided secondary visual cortex. The magnitude of the fMRI signal in the left superior parietal lobe was positively correlated with performance on the CD task in AD patients. These findings suggest that complex visuospatial processing impairments reflect the underlying AD neuropathology in parietal regions.
Is Rhinorrhea an Under-Recognized Intrinsic Symptom of Parkinson Disease? A Prospective Pilot Study

ABSTRACT Purpose: The purpose of this study is to compare the prevalence of idiopathic rhinorrhea in PD patients versus controls, to determine the correlation between rhinorrhea and anosmia, and the factors associated with rhinorrhea. Scope: A cohort of 61 PD patients and 51 age-matched controls completed a survey about rhinorrhea and underwent the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT). We compared the prevalence of idiopathic rhinorrhea in the PD patients versus controls, the correlation between rhinorrhea and anosmia in PD patients, and the factors associated with rhinorrhea in the PD patients. The results of the study are that 6% of controls versus 24% of PD patients had rhinorrhea (p = .03); moreover, only 2% of controls versus 15% of PD patients had severe rhinorrhea. Conclusion: Rhinorrhea is more prevalent in PD patients compared to controls and it does not significantly impact performance on a smell test.
Non-linear controller design based on the input-output linearisation method for a self-energising electro-hydraulic brake

The self-energising-electro-hydraulic brake is a new energy saving electro-hydraulic brake which offers the unique possibility of direct brake torque control. Its open loop characteristics are unstable, demanding a feedback control in normal operation. This paper describes the analytical design of a non-linear input-output-linearising controller for the brake and discusses the robustness of that control. The control task of the brake is stated as tracking the reference signal and reaching an aperiodic time response of the brake torque of the brake system. In order to design the control a simplified model of 4th order is used. The coordinate’s transformation and input-output linearisation are applied to the simplified model. The control signal for the model is constructed via the pole placement method. The non-linear controller shows good performance in non-linear system simulation.
Maternal Stress and Anxiety in the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit

Background Mothers whose infants are born with complex congenital heart disease (CCHD) experience stress during their infant's hospitalization in a pediatric cardiac intensive care unit (PCICU). Objectives This study addressed 2 research questions: (1) What are the parental stressors for mothers whose infants with CCHD are in the PCICU? And (2) What are the relationships of trait anxiety and 3 parental stressors to the parental stress response of state anxiety in mothers whose infants with CCHD are in the PCICU? Methods This descriptive correlational study included 62 biological mothers of infants admitted to a PCICU within 1 month of birth who had undergone cardiac surgery for CCHD. Maternal and infant demographics and responses to the Parental Stressor Scale: Infant Hospitalization and the State‐Trait Anxiety Inventory were collected at 3 major PCICUs across the United States. Results Mothers’ scores revealed that infant appearance and behavior was the greatest stressor, followed by parental role alteration, then sights and sounds. The combination of trait anxiety and parental role alteration explained 26% of the variance in maternal state anxiety. Mothers with other children at home had significantly higher state anxiety than did mothers with only the hospitalized infant. Conclusions Results from this study revealed factors that contribute to the stress of mothers whose infants are born with CCHD and are hospitalized in a PCICU. Nurses are in a critical position to provide education and influence care to reduce maternal stressors in the PCICU, enhance mothers’ parental role, and mitigate maternal state anxiety.
Mothers as smoking guns: Fetal overnutrition and the reproduction of obesity

Mothers are expected to monitor their children’s dietary intakes and physical activities and are blamed for over feeding their children if they are obese. Women are also urged to manage their own weight in preparation for conception and during pregnancy in order to reduce complications associated with maternal obesity at childbirth. Through a theoretical lens of maternal blame, we argue that Australian media representations of scientific studies of the fetal overnutrition hypothesis extend behavioural maternal blame to the interiority of women’s bodies. Women’s intrauterine environments are positioned in the media as central to the intergenerational transmission of obesity, with women portrayed as responsible for passing obesity on to their children (and grandchildren) via biology and ill-informed ‘lifestyle choices’. Linking in with historical and contemporary discourses of maternal bodies and individual responsibility, the implications of the ‘double damage’ caused by women entails a concerning return to essentialism in which women’s bodies are being largely blamed for producing and reproducing obesity across generations.
Pressure ulcer prevention in high-risk postoperative cardiovascular patients.

BACKGROUND Little has been published about how to prevent pressure ulcers in severely debilitated, immobile patients in intensive care units. OBJECTIVE To present a possible prevention strategy for postoperative cardiovascular surgery patients at high risk for development of pressure ulcers. METHODS Staff chose to implement air fluidized therapy beds, which provide maximal immersion and envelopment as a measure for preventing pressure ulcers in patients who (1) required vasopressors for at least 24 hours and (2) required mechanical ventilation for at least 24 hours postoperatively. RESULTS Only 1 of 27 patients had a pressure ulcer develop while on the air fluidized therapy bed (February 2008 through August 2008), and that ulcer was only a stage I ulcer, compared with 40 ulcers in 25 patients before the intervention. CONCLUSIONS Patients spent a mean of 7.9 days on the mattress, and the cost of bed rental was approximately $18000, which was similar to the cost of treatment of 1 pressure ulcer in stage III or IV (about $40000) and was considered cost-effective.
Within- and Between-Session Reliability of the Maximal Voluntary Knee Extension Torque and Activation

ABSTRACT A ratio between the torque generated by maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) and exogenous electrical stimulus, central activation ratio (CAR), has been widely used to assess quadriceps function. To date, no data exist regarding between-session reliability of this measurement. Thirteen neurologically sound volunteers underwent three testing sessions (three trials per session) with 48 hours between-session. Subjects performed MVICs of the quadriceps with the knee locked at 90° flexion and the hip at 85°. Once the MVIC reached a plateau, an electrical stimulation from superimposed burst technique (SIB: 125 V with peak output current 450 mA) was manually delivered and transmitted directly to the quadriceps via stimulating electrodes. CAR was calculated by using the following equation: CAR = MVIC torque/MVIC + SIB torque. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were calculated within- (ICC(2,1)) and between-session (ICC(2,k)) for MVIC torques and CAR values. Our data show that quadriceps MVIC and CAR are very reliable both within- (ICC(2,1) = 0.99 for MVIC; 0.94 for CAR) and between-measurement sessions (ICC(2,k) = 0.92 for MVIC; 0.86 for CAR) in healthy young adults. For clinical research, more data of the patients with pathological conditions are required to ensure reproducibility of calculation of CAR.
Procalcitonin to initiate or discontinue antibiotics in acute respiratory tract infections.

Study Description and Results This summary is based on a Cochrane systematic review that included individual patient data from 14 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with a total of 4211 participants. Inclusion criteria were adult patients with a clinical diagnosis of ARI, as well as patients with sepsis and suspected ARIs. The systematic review and individual patient data metaanalysis of RCTs was undertaken to compare the effects of using procalcitonin to guide initiation and duration of antibiotic treatment in patients with ARIs to patients without procalcitonin measurements. The aim of the analysis was to assess the safety and efficacy of a procalitonin-guided approach to treatment over a large range of patients with varying severity of ARIs. Trials were excluded if they exclusively focused on pediatric participants or if they used procalcitonin to escalate antibiotic therapy. No Review Question What is the safety and efficacy of using procalcitonin for starting or stopping antibiotics using individual patient data with varying severity of acute respiratory infections (ARIs) and from different clinical settings?
General anaesthesia induction using general anaesthetic agents and opioid analgesics increases Perfusion Index (PI) and decreases Pleth Variability Index (PVI): Observational clinical study

Background: General anaesthesia induction using general anaesthetic agents and opioid analgesics induces significant changes in peripheral vascular physiology and sympathetic/parasympathetic tone, thereby affecting peripheral perfusion, as observed by changes in the pulse oximetry plethysmographic waveform. Pulse CO-Oximetry® continuously and non-invasively computes Perfusion Index (PI), a measure of peripheral perfusion, and Pleth Variability Index (PVI), a measure of dynamic changes in PI during a complete respiratory cycle. In this observational clinical study, we investigated the changes in PI and PVI using Pulse COOximetry ® during general anaesthesia induction. Methods: We prospectively recorded PI and PVI from the time before oxygen administration to that before tracheal tube or laryngeal mask insertion in 21 adult patients undergoing general anaesthesia with general anaesthetic agents and opioid analgesics for elective surgeries. Results: General anaesthesia induction significantly increased PI from 2.1 ± 1.7 to 3.8 ± 2.3 (p DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/slja.v20i1.3664 Sri Lankan Journal of Anaesthesiology 20(1): 7-12 (2012)
Applications, impacts and trends of mobile technology-enhanced learning: a review of 2008-2012 publications in selected SSCI journals

The use of mobile technologies in learning has attracted much attention from researchers and educators in the past decade. However, the impacts of mobile learning on students' learning performance are still unclear. In particular, some schoolteachers still doubt the effectiveness of using such new technologies in school settings. In this study, a survey has been conducted by reviewing the 2008-2012 publications in seven well-recognised Social Science Citation Index SSCI journals of technology-enhanced learning to investigate the applications and impacts of mobile technology-enhanced learning. It is found that mobile learning is promising in improving students' learning achievements, motivations and interests. In addition, from the survey, it is found that smartphones and tablet PCs have gradually become widely adopted mobile learning devices in recent years, which could affect the adoption of sensing technologies in the future. Accordingly, several open issues of mobile learning are addressed.