Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness of Manual Therapy and Therapeutic Exercise for Temporomandibular Disorders: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background Manual therapy (MT) and exercise have been extensively used to treat people with musculoskeletal conditions such as temporomandibular disorders (TMD). The evidence regarding their effectiveness provided by early systematic reviews is outdated. Purpose The aim of this study was to summarize evidence from and evaluate the methodological quality of randomized controlled trials that examined the effectiveness of MT and therapeutic exercise interventions compared with other active interventions or standard care for treatment of TMD. Data Sources Electronic data searches of 6 databases were performed, in addition to a manual search. Study Selection Randomized controlled trials involving adults with TMD that compared any type of MT intervention (eg, mobilization, manipulation) or exercise therapy with a placebo intervention, controlled comparison intervention, or standard care were included. The main outcomes of this systematic review were pain, range of motion, and oral function. Forty-eight studies met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. Data Extraction Data were extracted in duplicate on specific study characteristics. Data Synthesis The overall evidence for this systematic review was considered low. The trials included in this review had unclear or high risk of bias. Thus, the evidence was generally downgraded based on assessments of risk of bias. Most of the effect sizes were low to moderate, with no clear indication of superiority of exercises versus other conservative treatments for TMD. However, MT alone or in combination with exercises at the jaw or cervical level showed promising effects. Limitations Quality of the evidence and heterogeneity of the studies were limitations of the study. Conclusions No high-quality evidence was found, indicating that there is great uncertainty about the effectiveness of exercise and MT for treatment of TMD.
Total Ankle Arthroplasty With the Agility Prosthesis: Clinical and Radiographic Evaluation

Background: Although ankle arthrodesis remains a standard operative procedure for disabling ankle arthritis, it has potential long-term problems. Total ankle arthroplasty offers preserved joint motion and may be a more favorable option in select patients. The purpose of this study was to report the intermediate-term clinical and radiographic results of total ankle arthroplasty using the Agility prosthesis. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the results of total ankle arthroplasty in 41 consecutive patients (43 ankles). Evaluation included preoperative and postoperative questionnaires, physical examination, and radiographs. Results: At the time of followup, 38 patients (40 ankles) were available for review. The most common preoperative diagnoses included posttraumatic arthritis (24 of 40 ankles, 60%) and rheumatoid arthritis (eight of 40 ankles, 20%). Average age at surgery was 63 (range 32 to 85) years. Average followup was 44.5 (range 26 to 64) months. Preoperative and postoperative American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) Ankle-Hindfoot Scores averaged 33.6 and 83.3, respectively, demonstrating significance (p < 0.001). Postoperative Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF-36) Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS) scores averaged 49.5 and 56.1, respectively. Although 34 of 40 ankles demonstrated radiographic lucency or lysis, the degree of involvement varied. Migration or subsidence of components was noted in 18 ankles. Overall, 37 of 38 patients were satisfied with the outcome of their surgery and would have the same procedure under similar circumstances. Conclusions: Agility total ankle arthroplasty results in a favorable clinical outcome and patient satisfaction in most patients at intermediate-term followup. However, total ankle arthroplasty is associated with potential complications and the need for subsequent operative intervention. Radiographic followup commonly reveals periprosthetic lucency, lysis, and component migration or subsidence, but this does not appear to adversely affect the intermediate-term clinical outcome. The long-term consequences of such radiographic findings are of concern, and surgeons and patients choosing this procedure need to be cautious.
Towards a battery-free wireless smart glove for rehabilitation applications based on RFID

Several studies have shown the effectiveness of recent rehabilitation technologies such as games, robots and data gloves to perform rehabilitation of several brain and physical deceases with motor and functional deficits as side effect. Specifically, special gloves equipped with sensors have been used as assessment technology in several stroke rehabilitation over the last two decades, however current commercial data gloves are typically expensive and have several disadvantages for rehabilitation applications, such as cables for computer interface and batteries for wireless communication. Cables generally disturb the movements and batteries increase their weight. Additionally, these data gloves are expensive and as a consequence the same device is shared by several patients. Moreover, they are not washable, thus they are not appropriate for clinical usage. This paper presents a new concept of data glove technology based on UHF RFID that is wireless, lightweight and battery-free. The proposed system can have several sensors and can be used for rehabilitation applications.
Correlations between climate factors and incidence—a contributor to RSV seasonality

Respiratory syncytial virus is the most common respiratory virus infection in early childhood, causing a wide range of illness from mild colds to life‐threatening croup, bronchiolitis and pneumonia that may require intensive care. Exactly which parameters contribute to the seasonality of RSV (and other respiratory viruses, such as influenza) and their comparative significance are the subject of ongoing intensive debate. This review article summarises the specific contributions and correlations between the incidence of RSV and various climate parameters. This systematic review of the literature specifically focuses on these climate associations and have been stratified by study site latitudes: tropical (0–23.5°N or S), subtropical (23.5–40°N or S) and temperate latitudes (>40°N or S). Correlations between RSV incidence and temperature and relative humidity are particularly variable and inconsistent amongst the tropical regions. In subtropical and temperate regions, RSV incidence is more consistently positively correlated with lower temperatures and higher relative humidity. Although there is some variation with the diagnostic methods used in these studies, most used immunofluorescent viral antigen testing to diagnose RSV infection. Statistically, most studies used some form of regression analysis, which assumes no dependence between data taken at different time points. A few used the autoregressive integrated moving average approach, which may be more realistic for an infectious agent as the total number of cases usually evolves in a time‐dependent manner during a typical seasonal epidemic. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Addition of a Small-Dose Ketamine Infusion to Tramadol for Postoperative Analgesia: A Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized Trial After Abdominal Surgery

BACKGROUND:There are few data on combining ketamine with tramadol for postoperative analgesia in humans. We tested the hypothesis that adding ketamine to tramadol would improve analgesia after major abdominal surgery. METHOD:In this double-blind, randomized, controlled trial, adult patients (n = 120) having elective laparotomy were randomly assigned to a ketamine group (intraoperative ketamine 0.3 mg/kg and postoperative infusion at 0.1 mg · kg−1 · h−1) or control group (equivalent volume/rate of normal saline). All patients received intraoperative tramadol 3 mg/kg and a tramadol infusion (0.2 mg · kg−1 · h−1) for 48 h postoperatively and had morphine patient-controlled analgesia available for rescue analgesia. RESULTS:The ketamine group had less pain at rest (P = 0.01) and with movement (P = 0.02) and required less morphine (P = 0.003) throughout the 48-h study period. In the 0–24 h period, ketamine improved subjective analgesic efficacy (P = 0.008), was less sedating (P = 0.03), and required fewer physician interventions to manage severe pain (P = 0.01). Hallucinations were more common in ketamine patients, but other side effects were similar. CONCLUSION:Small-dose ketamine was a useful addition to tramadol and morphine after major abdominal surgery.
The effect of mating system and herd size on reproductive performance of dairy cows in market oriented urban dairy farms in and around Addis Ababa

SUMMARY A retrospective data analysis and a cross sectional survey was conducted to study the effect of mating system and herd size, on reproductive performances of cows in smallholder market oriented urban dairy farms in Addis Ababa milk shed. Thirty three dairy farms comprising 232 cows were visited and data on reproductive performance, cow attributes, type of mating, body condition score and general farm management practices were collected. The mean (±SD) age at first service (AFS), age at first calving (AFC), service per conception (NSC), calving to conception interval (CCI), and duration after last calving (DALC) were 23.1±6.4 months, 33.2±6.7 months, 2.0±1.2, 176.8±79.0 days, and 172.2±159.3 days, respectively. Both AFS and AFC were significantly different (P<0.05) between farms and mating systems. There was a significant difference (P<0.05) in the NSC between farms and between the mating systems (P<0.001). The first service conception rate for pregnant cows (n=77) was 45.5% for all farms, 60.0% for AI (Artificial Insemination) farms, and 40.0% for NS (Natural service) farms with significant difference (P<0.05) between mating methods. DALC was significantly longer (P<0.05) in small farms. Effect of mating system-herd size interaction was not significant on all performance parameters. The prevalence of reproductive health problem was 27.2% and the major reproductive health problems were retained fetal membrane (33.3%) and abortion (22.3%). In conclusion, the present study showed that both the herd size and the method of mating were important risk factors that affect the reproductive performance. To minimize the cost of bull keeping in small farms and mitigate the poor AI delivery system prevailing in Ethiopia, establishing a bull service station for collective use should be considered.
Transient Left Bundle Branch Block: An Unusual Electrocardiogram in Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy

Transient mid-ventricular ballooning syndrome is a variant form of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC). The precipitating factors and clinical course are similar, and the clinical manifestations mimic those of acute coronary syndrome, which are characterized by transient left ventricular dysfunction without significant coronary artery disease. Takotsubo cardiomyopathy with transient left bundle branch block (LBBB) is rare. Herein, we describe the case of a 64-year-old woman who had a transient mid-ventricular apical ballooning syndrome. Electrocardiography (ECG) revealed a transient LBBB.
Online Islamic Da'wah narratives in the UK : the case of iERA

This thesis is an in-depth study into two of the UK charity iERA's da'wah narratives: the Qura'nic embryology 'miracle' and the Kalam Cosmological Argument. While the embryo verses have received scholarly attention, there is little to no research in the da'wah context for both narratives. Berger and Luckmann's social constructionism was applied to both, which were problematic. It was found that iERA constructed its exegesis of the embryo verses by expanding on classical meanings to show harmony with modern science. Additionally, it developed the Cosmological Argument by adapting it to Salafi Islamic beliefs. The construction processes were found to be influenced by an online dialectic between iERA and its Muslim and atheist detractors, causing it to abandon the scientific miracles and modify the Cosmological Argument. Signs point to a weakening of faith among young people, including Muslims, as they have unprecedented access to unfiltered online information on religion and science. By employing the narratives, iERA aims to legitimate the fundamentals of Islam to Muslims and to attract converts by presenting it as a rational and modern faith. While iERA's da'wah template is practical, its errors are relevant to the wider discussions on Qur'anic exegesis and modern challenges to the religion.
A roadmap for the integration of culture into developmental psychopathology

Abstract In this paper, I propose a roadmap for the integration of culture in developmental psychopathology. This integration is pressing because culture continues to be somewhat disconnected from theory, research, training, and interventions in developmental psychopathology, thus limiting our understanding of the epigenesis of mental health. I argue that in order to successfully integrate culture into developmental psychopathology, it is crucial to (a) study cultural development, (b) consider both individual-level and social-level cultural processes, (c) examine the interplay between culture and biology, and (d) promote improved and direct cultural assessment. I provide evidence in support of each of these guidelines, present alternative conceptual frameworks, and suggest new lines of research. Hopefully, that these directions will contribute to the emerging field of cultural development and psychopathology, which focuses on the elucidation of the cultural processes that initiate, maintain, or derail trajectories of normal and abnormal behavior.
Design of an Experimental Setup to Study the Drives of Battery Electric Vehicles

This paper describes the design considerations of an experimental setup for research and exploring the drives of batteryfed electric vehicles. Effective setup composition and its components are discussed. With experimental setup described in this paper, durability and functional tests can be procured to the customers. Multiple experiments are performed in the form of steady-state system exploring, acceleration programs, multi-step tests (speed control, torque control), load collectives or close-to-reality driving tests (driving simulation). Main focus of the functional testing is on the measurements of power and energy efficiency and investigations in driving simulation mode, which are used for application purposes. In order to enable the examination of the drive trains beyond standard modes of operation, different other parameters can be studied also. Keywords—Electric drive, electric vehicle, propulsion, test bench.
Endoglina soluble: mecanismo de generación y función en células endoteliales y su efecto en el remodelado vascular

Endoglina es una glicoproteina homodimerica transmembrana que cumple un papel fundamental en la angiogenesis y remodelado vascular, actuando como co-receptor en la senalizacion de TGF-β de la celula endotelial y modulando la via de senalizacion a traves de ALK-1/ALK5. Mutaciones en heterocigosis del gen de endoglina causan una enfermedad rara conocida como Telangiectasia Hemorragica Hereditaria (HHT), caracterizada por sangrados recurrentes y malformaciones arteriovenosas. En HHT, el dano endotelial se ha postulado como uno de los posibles “segundos eventos” necesarios para que se produzcan estas malformaciones arteriovenosas. Bajo un dano endotelial el factor de transcripcion Kruppel-like-factor 6 (KLF6) se transloca al nucleo para regular diferentes genes diana involucrados en reparacion endotelial, incluyendo entre ellos componentes de la familia de TGF-β como endoglina y ALK1. Mientras que la mayoria de los estudios sobre endoglina se han focalizado en sus isoformas de membrana, poco se conoce de la regulacion y el papel que puede jugar la endoglina soluble. Se sabe que es liberada al medio como consecuencia del corte de endoglina de membrana por la metaloproteinasa MMP14 en las celulas endoteliales; que esta aumentada en diversas patologias cardiovasculares, inflamatorias y tumorales; y que tiene, principalmente, una funcion antiangiogenica. El hecho de que algunos de los medicamentos usados en el tratamiento para HHT tengan propiedades antiangiogenicas, plantea la cuestion de si endoglina soluble puede tener tambien una accion beneficiosa en la prevencion y tratamiento de las malformaciones arteriovenosas.
Protective Role of Passively Transferred Maternal Cytokines against Bordetella pertussis Infection in Newborn Piglets

ABSTRACT Maternal vaccination represents a potential strategy to protect both the mother and the offspring against life-threatening infections. This protective role has mainly been associated with antibodies, but the role of cell-mediated immunity, in particular passively transferred cytokines, is not well understood. Here, using a pertussis model, we have demonstrated that immunization of pregnant sows with heat-inactivated bacteria leads to induction of a wide range of cytokines (e.g., tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNF-α], gamma interferon [IFN-γ], interleukin-6 [IL-6], IL-8, and IL-12/IL-23p40) in addition to pertussis-specific antibodies. These cytokines can be detected in the sera and colostrum/milk of vaccinated sows and subsequently were detected at significant levels in the serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of piglets born to vaccinated sows together with pertussis-specific antibodies. In contrast, active vaccination of newborn piglets with heat-inactivated bacteria induced high levels of specific IgG and IgA but no cytokines. Although the levels of antibodies in vaccinated piglets were comparable to those of passively transferred antibodies, no protection against Bordetella pertussis infection was observed. Thus, our results demonstrate that a combination of passively transferred cytokines and antibodies is crucial for disease protection. The presence of passively transferred cytokines/antibodies influences the cytokine secretion ability of splenocytes in the neonate, which provides novel evidence that maternal immunization can influence the newborn's cytokine milieu and may impact immune cell differentiation (e.g., Th1/Th2 phenotype). Therefore, these maternally derived cytokines may play an essential role both as mediators of early defense against infections and possibly as modulators of the immune repertoire of the offspring.
Clinical and Molecular Characterization of a Rare Syndrome of Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia Associated With Translocation

Analysis of a variant translocation t(l1; 17) in a case of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APLI led to discovery of a novel tine finger gene, PLZF, fused to the retinoic acid receptor-cu (RARa) gene. We reviewed the clinical and molecular features of five additional patients with t(ll;l7)-associated APL. The clinical course of three patients was characterized by early death and three experienced disseminated intravascular coagulation. Morphologically all of the patients fell in a unusual morphologic spectrum of APL, with features intermediate between M 2 and M 3 AML. All six patients had PLZF-RARa gene fusion as detected by reverse transcription/polymerase chain reaction assay, Southern blotting, or
PROSTAGLANDINSLEUKOTRIENES ANDESSENTLALFATTYACIDS The Influence of Indomethacin on the Hatching of Mouse Blastocysts

In order to investigate the effect of indomethacin for inhibition of the cyclooxygenase pathway on the hatching process of mouse blastocysts, 508 mouse blastocysts were cultured in modified HAM FlO medium containing 0,8, 79 or 788 PM indomethacin, added after 24 h of incubation. Hatching was scored after 72 h of incubation. In another series of experiments, indomethacin was added only after blastulation had occurred. Indomethacin in doses of 8 FM and 79 PM, added after 24 h of incubation or after blastulation had occurred, did not influence successful hatching. A dose of 788 FM indomethacin interfered with hatching, but this dose appeared to be toxic for the embryo. INTRODUCTION
Tissue-specific isoenzyme variations in Arabian camel, Camelus dromedaries

Malate dehydrogenase, α-esterase and β-esterase isoenzymes have been analyzed by native polyacryla-mide gel electrophoresis in different tissues (liver, kidney, muscle and hump) of the Arabian Camel, Camelus dromedaries in order to study the tissue specificity of these isoenzymes. Malate dehy-drogenase recorded three fractions while both este-rases recorded two fractions in different studied tissues. Malate dehydrogenase was considered as a key isoenzyme in discriminating among the different studied tissues. The percentage amount of both Mdh-1 and Mdh-2 showed significant difference among the different tissues while Mdh-3 recorded significant variation between muscle and hump tissues. The significant variation in the amount of Mdh isoenzyme (on the level of either total or fractions) among the different studied tissues may reflect the role of this enzyme for energy production in this desert animal. With respect to esterases, the percentage amount for both fractions and the total enzyme did not show significant difference among different tissues except β-Est-2 which was significantly higher in hump than in muscle. This enzyme showed higher thickness and intensity in both liver and kidney than in the muscle and hump indicating its greater activity in both liver and kidney.
Human endogenous retrovirus (HERV)-W ENV and GAG proteins: Physiological expression in human brain and pathophysiological modulation in multiple sclerosis lesions

Antigen expression of a human endogenous retrovirus family, HERV-W, in normal human brain and multiple sclerosis lesions was studied by immunohistochemistry by three independent groups. The HERV-W multicopy family was identified in human DNA from the previously characterized multiple sclerosis-associated retroviral element (MSRV). A panel of antibodies against envelope (ENV) and capsid (GAG) antigens was tested. A physiological expression of GAG proteins in neuronal cells was observed in normal brain, whereas there was a striking accumulation of GAG antigen in axonal structures in demyelinated white matter from patients with MS. Prominent HERV-W GAG expression was also detected in endothelial cells of MS lesions from acute or actively demyelinating cases, a pattern not found in any control. A physiological expression of ENV proteins was detected in microglia in normal brain; however, a specific expression in macrophages was apparently restricted to early MS lesions. Thus, converging results from three groups confirm that GAG and ENV proteins encoded by the HERV-W multicopy gene family are expressed in cells of the central nervous system under normal conditions. Similar to HERV-W7q ENV (Syncitin), which is expressed in placenta and has been shown to have a physiological function in syncytio-trophoblast fusion, HERV-W GAG may thus also have a physiological function in human brain. This expression differs in MS lesions, which may either reflect differential regulation of inherited HERV-W copies, or expression of “infectious” MSRV copies. This is compatible with a pathophysiological role in MS, but also illustrates the ambivalence of such HERV antigens, which can be expressed in cell-specific patterns, under physiological or pathological conditions.