Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Incidence and Prognostic Factors for Legionnaires' Disease in Denmark 1993–2006

Objectives. To describe the incidence of Legionnaires’ disease and factors affecting survival in Denmark from 1993 to 2006. Methods. Retrospective register study using data on episodes of Legionnaires’ disease from notification forms and the National Reference Laboratory, and information on comorbidity from national registers on discharge diagnoses and mortality. Results. The average annual incidence of laboratory confirmed cases was 1.5 per 100000 people. The 30-day case fatality was 19%, ranging from 7% in travellers to 37% in hospital-acquired cases. Patients older than 60 years and patients with underlying disease were more likely-to die, as were patients infected with L. pneumophila serogroup 6. The lowest mortality was seen for L. pneumophila serogroup 1. Conclusion. Increased awareness of the disease, better diagnostics, and appropriate testing and treatment strategies are needed to improve survival. In particular, we focus on the relevance of diagnostic methods, such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR), that detect other serogroups than the urinary antigen tests used that will only reliably detect antigen from L. pneumophila serogroup 1. PCR is faster and more sensitive than culture.
Association of ABO Rh blood group with dengue fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever: A case-control study

Background: Data on frequency distribution of ABO Rh blood group in pediatric dengue patients are not available. Dengue disease an emerging arthropod borne infection of public health concern belongs to Flaviviridae. The studies defining the relationship between blood groups and dengue disease and its severity are limited. Blood group antigens are generally known to act as receptors for various etiological agents. Hence, we hypothesized there will be an association between blood group and dengue disease and its severity and conducted this case-control study. Study Design: Hospital-based case-control study. Materials and Methods: Study was conducted in department of pediatrics, 244 pediatric subjects (age group 1 - 13 years) were enrolled divided into cases who were admitted cases of dengue (119, 65 males, 64 females) and controls who were attending outpatient department for various other ailments. (125, 67 males, 58 females) and demographic data (age, gender, blood group, and dengue infection status) were collected from them. The risk of acquiring dengue disease and severity and its association with factors such as blood group, gender were analyzed statistically. Results: The data of this study showed a possible association between blood groups of the study population with dengue infection. We observed that dengue infections were higher in individuals with O positive blood group 42.8% when compared with controls 32%. (P = 0.043) But blood groups were not associated with severity of infection. These data present further evidence for the association of the blood groups, gender to susceptibility to dengue infection. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings. Conclusion: Dengue disease is more common with blood group O. But severity of the disease is not associated with any blood groups.
Addressing neurodynamic irritability in a patient with adhesive capsulitis: a case report

Background: Patients with adhesive capsulitis are commonly seen by physical therapists. Pain and limited shoulder motion from adhesive capsulitis have at times been linked to neural irritation. The purpose of this case is to describe the examination and intervention of a patient with adhesive capsulitis who appeared to have a coexisting, underlying neural irritation. This paper emphasizes how the neurological component must initially be identified and addressed for a successful outcome. Case description:: A 47-year-old female presented with reduced shoulder motion and function, upper extremity neural irritation, diffuse weakness, altered sensation in the involved extremity, and symptoms reproduced with upper limb neurodynamic testing. Her reduced shoulder range of motion was accompanied by limited glenohumeral glides and a report of local neck stiffness. Symptoms began several months earlier after an apparent electrical shock injury to the arm that caused symptoms and guarding of the shoulder. Intervention initially addressed the underlying neural component with spinal mobilizations while avoiding further irritation. Interventions were progressed to include mobilization and exercise to address shoulder mobility. Outcomes:: The patient’s neurodynamic irritability, distal symptoms, and neck stiffness were normalized within the first weeks of care. Subsequently, interventions were directed at the shoulder. Outcomes over an 12-week time frame included reduced pain from 10/10 to 2/10. Passive range of motion increases included flexion from 121 to 160°, abduction from 71 to 121°, and external rotation from 18 to 60°. Disability scores on Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) dropped from initially 68·3 to 18·3% at discharge. She ultimately regained full upper extremity function. Discussion:: Therapists should be cognizant of possible neural irritation in shoulder disorders, which may contribute to conditions such as adhesive capsulitis. Identifying neural irritation is critical when determining which interventions will achieve optimal outcomes without aggravating the condition.
Spermatogenic arrest associated with focal degenerative orchitis in related dogs

Four dogs with a history of infertility were found on examination to be azoospermic. Three of the dogs were related (a sire and two male offspring) and investigation revealed that some of their male ancestors had been of reduced fertility. There were degenerative changes in 20–40 per cent of the seminiferous tubules, a proportion of which were associated with a focal peritubular orchitis. There was a complete absence of spermatozoa in the rete testis, the vasa efferentia and the epididymis. The possibility that the condition is of an autoimmune nature is discussed. The unrelated dog had a non-inflammatory degeneration of tubules with complete absence of spermatogenesis.
Syndromic (phenotypic) diarrhoea of infancy/tricho-hepato-enteric syndrome

Objectives Syndromic diarrhoea/tricho-hepato-enteric syndrome (SD/THE) is a rare congenital syndrome. The main features are intractable diarrhoea of infancy, hair abnormalities, facial dysmorphism, intrauterine growth restriction and immune system abnormalities. It has been linked to abnormalities in two components of the putative human ski complex: SKIV2L and TTC37. The long-term outcome of this syndrome is still unknown. We aim to describe the long-term outcome, in the French cohort of patients born since 1992. Design Review of the clinical and biological features of the 15 patients with SD/THE, followed in France and born between 1992 and 2010. Results All patients presented typical SD/THE syndrome features, of intractable diarrhoea in infancy requiring parenteral nutrition, a facial dysmorphism with hair abnormalities, and immunological disorders. Half of them also had liver and skin abnormalities. Five children died, among which 3 died due to infections. Probabilities of survival according to the Kaplan-Meier method were 93.3%, 86.7%, 74.3 and 61.9%, respectively at 1 year, 5 years, 10 years and 15 years of age. 3/15 were weaned from parenteral nutrition (PN) with likelihood of weaning being 10% at 5 years and 40% at 10 years. At birth 80% were small for gestational age and the short stature persisted in 60%. Haemophagocytic syndrome was noted in 60% and mild mental retardation was present in 60%. Conclusions SD/THE is a rare disease with high morbidity and mortality. Management should be focused on nutrition and immunological defects.
dumon-novatech Y-stents : a Four-year Experience with 50 Tracheobronchial Tumors Involving the Carina

: We report a 4-year experience using a new silicone Y-stent characterized by highly elastic construction material, optimal inner diameter, and nonstick surface quality. Fifty patients with advanced malignant disease involving the carina were treated by rigid bronchoscopy including dilatation using laser therapy and/or mechanical dilatation followed by Y-stent insertion using a dedicated stent applicator. Mean survival was only 109 days because of the severity of illness, but quality of life was good. Particularly good results with prolonged survival were achieved in 19 patients with esophageal cancer. For the 8 patients with esophageal carcinoma with invasion or compression of the airway without fistula, mean duration of survival was 138 days. In the 11 patients with tracheoesophageal fistulas in the vicinity of the carina, survival was only 71 days. Good life quality was directly related to good tolerance and complete reestablishment of respiratory function.
Bilateral blindness from ocular injury: A 15 year review

Background: Ocular injury remains a significant cause of monocular visual impairment and blindness worldwide; impact on bilateral blindness needs further elucidation. Aims: The aim of this study is to review cases of bilateral blindness from ocular injury: The etiology, risk factors, psychosocial effect as well as suggest preventive measures. Materials and Methods: A 15 year retrospective review of bilateral blindness from ocular injury at the eye clinic of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) From January 1997 through December 2012 was carried out. Results: Sixteen cases of traumatic bilateral blindness were recorded, compared to 2155 total number of bilateral blindness recorded during the study period, giving a proportion of 0.8%. This consisting of 12 males and 6 females. The modal age group was 17-33 years. Blindness resulting from chemical assault was (37.5%), gunshot injury (12.5%), and assault for presumed ritual purposes made up 25%. The major risk factors identified are male sex, younger age group, students, and artisan. Psychosocial burden in the immediate period of loss of vision include anxiety, fear of loss of occupation or basic skills, denial and hope for visual restoration, aggression, poor appetite, and excessive crying. Three patients developed depression and required medical management. Conclusion: Bilateral blindness in our environment is mainly assault-related from chemicals, gunshot, and rituals. Public enlightenment on far reaching consequences of sudden traumatic blindness, health education on preventive measures, legislation and adequate punitive measures are important tools required to reduce this menace. Adequate psychotherapy by behavioral scientist, rehabilitation, and societal reintegration is mandatory to effectively treat cases.
Health Professionals’ Attitudes towards Electronic Psychosocial Assessments in Youth Mental Healthcare

Psychosocial assessments can help mental health professionals establish good therapeutic relationships while simultaneously conducting holistic assessments of their young clients. Using technology to conduct assessments may increase disclosure by young people; however, the uptake of new technologies into current face-to-face practice has been slow. In the current study, we were interested in exploring the attitudes of mental health workers to using an electronic psychosocial assessment tool (e-tool) within face-to-face service delivery with adolescents and young adults. An exploratory design was used to identify and qualitatively describe the views of 46 mental health workers from services across the ACT and Victoria, Australia. Data were coded using an inductive thematic approach. Comments indicated that mental health workers held both positive and negative views about the e-tool. Some participants believed that it would allow disclosure to occur in a stepped process, normalize questions, give youth greater input, and be time efficient. However, the majority believed that the e-tool would infringe on their work because they needed to respond to their clients immediately, it would not provide an accurate representation of the client, young people did not have the necessary capabilities to engage in the process, they would miss non-verbal cues from the young person, and they were more likely to gain information from organic conversations. The results suggest that many mental health professionals may be fearful of incorporating new technologies in current practice. Specific training and supportive implementation guidelines must be developed to support use of these new technologies and change practice.
The effectiveness of a brief eating disorder training programme in medical settings

Objective: To investigate the longitudinal effectiveness of a brief eating disorder training on primary care providers’ self-perceived knowledge, skills and attitudes regarding eating disorder screening and intervention. Method: We trained 45 primary care providers (including nurses, nurse practitioners and physicians) practicing in 10 medical sites and measured their self-perceived knowledge, skills and attitudes on eating disorder screening and intervention using a 23-item questionnaire prior to, 1 week and 6 months after the training. Results: The eating disorder knowledge score and eating disorder skill level score showed pretest to posttest gains that were associated with large effect sizes (d = 1.25 and 1.31, respectively). The significance and magnitude of effects carried over through the 6-month follow-up evaluation. Unlike the eating disorder knowledge and skill scores, there was no significant improvement in eating disorder attitudes from pretest to posttest or from pretest to the 6-month follow-up. Discussion: Findings show support for the effectiveness of a brief eating disorder training on primary care providers’ reported knowledge and skills for addressing eating disorders in their practice. These results underscore the importance of providing information to primary care providers on how they can more adequately screen and intervene with eating disorders, as part of primary care to their patients.
Bacteriology of pressure ulcers in individuals with spinal cord injury: What we know and what we should know

Abstract Individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) are at increased risk for the development of pressure ulcers. These chronic wounds are debilitating and contribute to prolonged hospitalization and worse medical outcome. However, the species of bacteria and the role that specific species may play in delaying the healing of chronic pressure ulcers in the SCI population has not been well characterized. This study will review the literature regarding what is known currently about the bacteriology of pressure ulcers in individuals with SCI. An electronic literature search of MEDLINE (1966 to February 2014) was performed. Eleven studies detailing bacterial cultures of pressure ulcers in the SCI population met inclusion criteria and were selected for review. Among these studies, bacterial cultures were often polymicrobial with both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria identified with culture techniques that varied significantly. The most common organisms identified in pressure ulcers were Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterococcus faecalis. In general, wounds were poorly characterized with minimal to no physical description and/or location provided. Our present understanding of factors that may alter the microbiome of pressure ulcers in individuals with SCI is quite rudimentary, at best. Well-designed studies are needed to assess appropriate wound culture technique, the impact of bacterial composition on wound healing, development of infection, and the optimum medical and surgical approaches to wound care.
Food preferences in daily life: Cognitive, affective and social predictors

Based on prior research showing that a food cognition model employing the evaluative dimensions of pleasure/taste, health and convenience could significantly predict preferences for a representative list of hypothetical meals, the present study demonstrates that the model can effectively predict preferences for recent meals actually consumed. A total of 269 males (N = 122) and females (N = 147), ranging in age from 14 to 83 years, each evaluated three of their recent meals. Regression analysis yielded significant results very similar to those obtained for the hypothetical meals. Substantial differences were also found between the evaluations of morning, midday and evening meals: the health and convenience criteria are most heavily weighted for morning meals, whereas general “liking” is most heavily weighted for midday and evening meals. Additional results showed that the predictive ability of the model can be marginally improved by including a cost factor. Newly designed measures of the idiosyncratic mean.
‘Rushing behind the wheel’: Investigating the prevalence of ‘drug driving’ among club and rave patrons in Melbourne, Australia

The paper reports the findings of survey research recently completed in Melbourne, Australia, among a sample of 455 club and rave festival patrons. This research aims to provide a clearer account of the prevalence of drug driving within such settings in Melbourne, as well as identifying relevant ‘predictors’ of this drug driving. Just under half of the sample (48%) indicated that they had driven a motor vehicle within four hours of consuming an illicit substance at least once in the past year; 22% of respondents reported driving while ‘knowingly intoxicated’ in the previous year. Fifteen percent reported such behaviour ‘several times’ or more in this time. Relatively permissive attitudes towards drug driving, coupled with higher than average prevalence of drug driving in one's peer group, were found to be significant predictors of drug driving. So too was the reported frequency of the use of cannabis and ecstasy, and the propensity to use these substances in ‘rave’ and ‘party’ settings. Given the levels of drug driving revealed in this study, the paper closes with a series of recommendations regarding the design and delivery of more effective anti-drug-driving strategies within rave and club settings.
Binding of Pseudomonas aeruginosa apobacterioferritin-associated ferredoxin to bacterioferritin B promotes heme mediation of electron delivery and mobilization of core mineral iron.

The bfrB gene from Pseudomonas aeruginosa was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The resultant protein (BfrB), which assembles into a 445.3 kDa complex from 24 identical subunits, binds 12 molecules of heme axially coordinated by two Met residues. BfrB, isolated with 5-10 iron atoms per protein molecule, was reconstituted with ferrous ions to prepare samples with a core mineral containing 600 +/- 40 ferric ions per BfrB molecule and approximately one phosphate molecule per iron atom. In the presence of sodium dithionite or in the presence of P. aeruginosa ferredoxin NADP reductase (FPR) and NADPH, the heme in BfrB remains oxidized, and the core iron mineral is mobilized sluggishly. In stark contrast, addition of NADPH to a solution containing BfrB, FPR, and the apo form of P. aeruginosa bacterioferritin-associated ferredoxin (apo-Bfd) results in rapid reduction of the heme in BfrB and in the efficient mobilization of the core iron mineral. Results from additional experimentation indicate that Bfd must bind to BfrB to promote heme mediation of electrons from the surface to the core to support the efficient mobilization of ferrous ions from BfrB. In this context, the thus far mysterious role of heme in bacterioferritins has been brought to the front by reconstituting BfrB with its physiological partner, apo-Bfd. These findings are discussed in the context of a model for the utilization of stored iron in which the significant upregulation of the bfd gene under low-iron conditions [Ochsner, U. A. , Wilderman, P. J., Vasil, A. I. , and Vasil, M. L. (2002) Mol. Microbiol. 45, 1277-1287] ensures sufficient concentrations of apo-Bfd to bind BfrB and unlock the iron stored in its core. Although these findings are in contrast to previous speculations suggesting redox mediation of electron transfer by holo-Bfd, the ability of apo-Bfd to promote iron mobilization is an economical strategy used by the cell because it obviates the need to further deplete cellular iron levels to assemble iron-sulfur clusters in Bfd before the iron stored in BfrB can be mobilized and utilized.
O gênero masculino e os cuidados de saúde: a experiência de homens de um centro de saúde

Compreender como os homens de um Centro de Saude se comportam quanto aos cuidados com a saude. Estudo qualitativo, realizado em um Centro de Saude Escola que selecionou por conveniencia e entrevistou 15 individuos do genero masculino, adultos e organizou os dados conforme o Discurso do Sujeito Coletivo. Emergiram quatro ideias centrais que retratam os motivos para procurar o servico, problemas de saude, atitudes diante desses problemas e participacao nas atividades da unidade. Esses individuos sao assiduos, se preocupam em seguir as recomendacoes recebidas e utilizam o atendimento individual, preferencialmente, por falta de tempo, mas demonstram interesse em participar de atividades em grupo. Isto deve ser utilizado pelo servico como oportunidade de intensificar a participacao deles em grupo especifico ja existente para homens, que oferece um espaco de acolhimento e escuta de problemas diversos, sendo uma forma de reintegracao desses individuos junto ao servico de saude.
Effects of aqueous leaf extract of azadirachta indica on some haematological parameters and blood glucose level in female rats

Background: Azadirachta indica A. juss (AI; Family: Meliaceae) is one of the most useful medicinal plants containing different alkaloids that includes nimbitin, azadirachtin and salanin whose individual effects contribute to the general medicinal properties of the plant. In Nigeria, pregnant and lactating women have been observed consuming aqueous extract of AI and anecdotal reports from them suggest that they consume the extract because of the folkloric belief that it is potentially harmless, it is hematopoietic and protects them from malaria. Aim: This study was designed to investigate the effects of consumption of AI during pregnancy and lactation on some hematological parameters and blood glucose level. Materials and Methods: Sixty female rats weighing 150-200 g were used for this study. The rats were divided into three groups (non pregnant, pregnant and lactating groups) of 20 rats each. Each group was subdivided into four subgroups based on the dose of AI administered. Subgroup I served as control and received distilled water throughout the experiment while subgroups II-IV received 200 mg/kg, 400 mg/kg and 600 mg/kg body weight of the extract respectively for 21 days. On day 20 of extract administration, blood samples were withdrawn from each rat in each group after an overnight fast for the estimation of some hematological parameters and blood glucose level. Results: There were significant increases (P < 0.05 for each) in the packed cell volume (PCV), hemoglobin concentration (Hb), red blood cell (RBC), white blood cell (WBC), and platelet (PLT) and a significant dose-dependent decrease (P < 0.05) in blood glucose level in all groups. Conclusion: It is concluded that the results of the present study seem to justify the folkloric use of AI as a hematopoietic agent with the potential of ameliorating the burden of anemia and hyperglycemia in women especially during pregnancy.