Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cross-cultural adaptation of the VISA-P questionnaire for Greek-speaking patients with patellar tendinopathy

Objectives To cross-culturally adapt the VISA-P questionnaire for Greek-speaking patients and evaluate its psychometric properties. Background The VISA-P was developed in the English language to evaluate patients with patellar tendinopathy. The validity and use of self-administered questionnaires in different language and cultural populations require a specific procedure in order to maintain their content validity. Methods The VISA-P questionnaire was translated and cross-culturally adapted according to specific guidelines. The validity and reliability were tested in 61 healthy recreational athletes, 64 athletes at risk from different sports, 32 patellar tendinopathy patients and 30 patients with other knee injuries. Participants completed the questionnaire at baseline and after 15–17 days. Results The questionnaire's face and content validity were judged as good by the expert committee, and the participants. Concurrent validity was almost perfect (ρ=−0.839, p<0.001). Also, factorial validity testing revealed a two-factor solution, which explained 85.6% of the total variance. A one-factor solution explained 80.8% of the variance when the other knee injury group was excluded. Known group validity was demonstrated by significant differences between patients compared with the asymptomatic groups (p<0.001). The VISA-P-GR exhibited very good test–retest reliability (ICC=0.818, p<0.001; 95% CI 0.758 to 0.864) and internal consistency since Cronbach's α analysis ranged from α=0.785 to 0.784 following a 15–17 days interval. Conclusions The translated VISA-P-GR is a valid and reliable questionnaire and its psychometric properties are comparable with the original and adapted versions.
Ovarian stimulation during assisted reproduction treatment: a comparison of recombinant and highly purified urinary human FSH. On behalf of The Feronia and Apis study group.

This randomized, single-blind, multicentre, multinational study compared recombinant human FSH (rhFSH, Gonal-F) with highly purified urinary human FSH (uhFSH, Metrodin HP) in women undergoing ovarian stimulation for IVF/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Following desensitization in a long gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist protocol, patients received s.c. Gonal-F or Metrodin HP, at a fixed dose of 150 IU, until there was adequate follicular development. Of 496 women randomized, 232 and 231 in the Gonal-F and Metrodin HP groups respectively received human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG). The duration of FSH treatment was significantly shorter with Gonal-F than with Metrodin HP (11.6 +/- 1.9 days versus 12. 4 +/- 2.7 days; P < 0.0001) and significantly fewer ampoules were required (mean 22.6 +/- 5.0 versus 24.3 +/- 5.1, P < 0.0002). There were, however, significantly more follicles > or =10 mm in diameter with Gonal-F (15.6 +/- 8.2 versus 13.6 +/- 7.1, P < 0.01) and oocytes retrieved (13.1 +/- 7.7 versus 11.4 +/- 7.6, P < 0.002). Although no statistical difference in pregnancy rate was recorded, patients receiving Gonal-F had a higher pregnancy rate per cycle than patients given Metrodin HP (25.1 versus 20.1%). Moderate to severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome occurred in 2.8 and 1.2% of Gonal-F and Metrodin HP patients respectively (not significant). In conclusion, FSH stimulation in combination with a long GnRH agonist protocol is effective in inducing multiple follicular development and embryos with a high implantation potential. However, Gonal-F is clearly more effective than Metrodin HP in inducing multifollicular development.
The prevalence and incidence of visual impairment in people of age 20–59 years in industrialized countries: A review

BACKGROUND Reviews on the prevalence of blindness and low vision in persons of age 20 to 59 years are lacking. We have therefore carried out a review based on a Medline search. METHODS The review was confined to epidemiological studies performed in Western Europe, North America and Australia covering the age group 20 to 59 years where there were comparable definitions of blindness and low vision according to the IAPB and WHO classification of blindness and low vision. RESULTS Three surveys, four register studies and two studies based on multiple sources matched our selection criteria. Blindness and low vision are described separately. Blindness Only one study, based on multiple sources, covered the whole age group 20 to 59 years. In this study the overall prevalence of blindness was 0.08%. The prevalence of blindness was 0.04% among those 20–39 years old, whereas in the age group 40–59 years it was 0.1% in two surveys and one study on multiple sources. However, the prevalence was higher, 0.5% among whites and 0.7% among colored, in The Baltimore Eye Study. The definition of blindness was similar in all three studies. Low vision Three studies provided data on the prevalence of low vision in the age group 20–59 years, although the number of cases was very small. In one study the prevalence of a visual acuity =6/24 to 6/48 was 0.07% and in another the prevalence was 0.17% using <6/18 to 0.5/60. No person with low vision was found in the third study. CONCLUSIONS The existing epidemiological data on blindness and low vision among adults aged 20 to 59 years are insufficient. Epidemiological studies based on multiple sources are needed for the study of rare conditions such as blindness and low vision.
RHD(T201R, F223V) cluster analysis in five different ethnic groups and serologic characterization of a new Ethiopian variant DARE, the DIII type 6, and the RHD(F223V)

BACKGROUND: The RHD phylogeny in humans shows four main clusters of which three are predominantly observed in (African) black persons. Each of the African clusters is characterized by specific amino acid substitutions relative to the Eurasian RHD allele. RH phylogeny defines the framework for identification of clinically relevant aberrant alleles. This study focuses on the weak D type 4 cluster (characterized by RHD(T201R, F223V) (602C>G 667T>G)) in five ethnic groups.
Fine‐needle aspiration of renal masses in adults: Analysis of results and diagnostic problems in 108 cases

Fine‐needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy of the kidney has a traditionally well‐defined role in the diagnosis and treatment of renal lesions. Recent improvements in renal imaging techniques have also brought renal FNA to the forefront, since small and asymptomatic renal masses are increasingly being detected. Before the physician institutes a treatment plan, such lesions usually require a definitive diagnosis that is best provided by FNA. To assess various aspects of renal FNA, including specimen adequacy, questionable cytologic patterns, and diagnostic pitfalls, we retrospectively evaluate our experience with 108 FNA biopsies performed for the evaluation of renal masses in adults. For each case, the smears were reviewed and correlated with tissue sections from cell blocks, surgical specimens, or autopsy material, when available. The cytologic diagnoses were confirmed by cell block (59 cases), nephrectomy or autopsy (35 cases), or clinical follow‐up. Of the 108 FNA biopsy samples, 17 showed evidence of blood, soft tissue, necrotic material, glomeruli, or tubular cells and were classified as unsatisfactory. The following diagnostic categories were noted in the 91 satisfactory aspirates: renal abscess (four cases), benign cyst (30 cases), suspicious lesions (11 cases), and malignant lesions (46 cases). In four cases of renal abscess, FNA found abundant clusters of neutrophils. For the 30 cases interpreted on cytologic evidence as benign cysts, the diagnosis was confirmed in 28 cases; the two remaining cases were acquired cystic kidney and cystic renal‐cell carcinoma, respectively. Among the 11 suspicious lesions, the final diagnoses were one benign simple cyst, one angiomyolipoma, two multilocular cystic nephromas, two adult polycystic kidneys, one acquired cystic kidney, three cystic papillary renal‐cell carcinomas, and one solid renal‐cell carcinoma. Cases classified as suspicious shared characteristic cytologic patterns that distinguished them from simple benign cysts and from classic renal‐cell carcinoma. Among the 46 malignant lesions, as evidenced on cytologic examination, 27 were renal‐cell carcinomas, five were transitional‐cell carcinomas, four were lymphomas, one was a small‐cell undifferentiated carcinoma, and nine were metastatic carcinomas. False‐positive or false‐negative cases were not encountered in this category. In conclusion, FNA is an excellent method to diagnose space‐occupying lesions of the kidney. For cystic lesions, cytologic‐radiographic correlation is needed to avoid misinterpretation. Our study defines a spectrum of suspicious patterns characteristic of a group of renal lesions that are distinct from both benign simple cyst and straightforward renal malignancy. Diagn. Cytopathol. 1999;20:339–349. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Impact of the Government Funding Reforms on the Teaching and Learning of Malaysian Public Universities

The Malaysian Government intention to implement the higher education reforms is observable in the implementation of National Higher Education Strategic Plan beyond 2020 in 2007. This plan emphasises on improving the research and teaching in higher education in accordance with the government objectives. Parallel to the introduction of this plan, the government has also initiated the funding reforms which are currently implemented on the public universities. Therefore, this paper will discuss the impact of Malaysian higher education reforms with emphasis on teaching and learning in Malaysian public universities.
Management of ADHD in children and adolescents: clinical audit in a South African setting

Objectives: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is common, yet under-recognised and undertreated, particularly in low socio-economic settings. Little is known about compliance to evidence- based guidelines in low- and middle-income countries, and no clinical audits have been published in Africa. We undertook to measure compliance in a South African setting using the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines for ADHD as the gold standard to compare compliance and socio-demographic characteristics between two treatment locations in Cape Town and to generate an audit checklist for standardising care. Methods: The study used a sample of 100 randomly selected cases of school-age patients diagnosed with ADHD, at the Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital and University of Cape Town, South Africa. Fifty cases each from a central and a peripheral clinic location were reviewed retrospectively using audit tools, including 17 audit standards derived from NICE guidelines. We defined compliance as “good” with ≥80%, “fair” with 50–79%, and “poor” with <50% adherence. Results: Compliance was low, with only four audit standards rated as “good”. Physical monitoring was especially poor. The central group received more treatment options and relatively safer monitoring. Conclusions: We recommend introducing structured protocols followed by re-auditing to improve service delivery, and present a checklist for use in future audit cycles.
The Oxford handbook of the economics of religion

List of Contributors PART I: INTRODUCTION 1. The Economics of Religion as a Field of Inquiry - Rachel M. McCleary, Harvard University PART II: RELIGION AND HUMAN CAPITAL 2. Religion, Human Capital Investments, and the Family in the United States - Evelyn L. Lehrer, University of ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO 3. Religious Norms, Human Capital, and Money Lending in Jewish European history - Maristella Botticini, Universita Bocconi, and Zvi Eckstein, Tel Aviv University 4. Islam and Human Capital Formation: Evidence from Pre-Modern Science - Eric Chaney, Harvard University 5. The Effects of the Protestant Reformation on Human Capital - Sascha O. Becker University of Stirling and Ludger Woessman, University of Munich 6. Religion and the Spread of Human Capital and Political Institutions: Christian Missions as a Quasi-Natural Experiment - Robert D. Woodberry, University of Texas at Austin PART III: THE NATURE OF RELIGIOUS ECONOMIES 7. Towards Better Measures of Supply and Demand for Testing Theories of Religious Participation - Dan Olson, Purdue University 8. Immigrants, Migration, and Religious Economies - Darren E. Sherkat, University of Southern Illinois 9. On the (Lack of) Stability of Communes: An Economic Perspective - Ran Abramitzky, Stanford University 10. The Economics of Sainthood (A Preliminary Investigation) - Robert J. Barro, Harvard University, Rachel M. McCleary, Harvard University, and Alexander McQuoid, Columbia University 11. On the Socioeconomic Consequences of Religious Strife and Coexistence - Murat Iyigun, University of Colorado PART IV: REGULATION OF THE RELIGION MARKET 12. Religion under Communism: State Regulation, Atheist Competition, and the Dynamics of Supply and Demand - Steven Pfaff, University of Washington 13. Rethinking the Study of Religious Markets - Daniel M. Hungerman, Notre Dame 14. Religion and Civil Liberties in the United States - Anthony Gill, University of Washington 15. Secularization and Economic Models of Religious Behavior - Steve Bruce, University of Aberdeen PART V: ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF RELIGION 16. The Political Economy of the Medieval Church - Robert B. Ekelund, Robert F. Hebert, Auburn University, and ROBERT D. TOLLISON, CLEMSON UNIVERSITY 17. Funding the Faiths: Toward a Theory of Religious Finance - Laurence R. Iannaccone, Chapman University, and FELER BOSE, ALMA COLLEGE PART VI: DATA SETS ON RELIGION 18. Data and Directions for Research in the Economics of Religion - Roger Finke, Pennsylvania State University, AND CHRISTOPHER D. BADER, BAYLOR UNIVERSITY 19. International Religious Demography: An Overview of Sources and Methodology - Todd M. Johnson, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and Brian Grim, Pew Forum Index
Decentralisation, performance of health providers and health outcomes in Indonesia

Health reformers, especially in developing countries, have applied decentralisation to enhance the performance of health systems which in turn improve health outcomes. Proponents of decentralisation argue that increasing the authority of local government promotes resource allocation according to local needs. Yet critics point out that decentralisation is harmful as resources are more likely to be redistributed in favour of poorer areas in countries with centralised governments. Shedding light on those endless debates, this study aims to examine the association between decentralisation, performance of health providers and health outcomes in Indonesia. In 2001 Indonesia embarked on decentralisation in the form of devolution and fiscal decentralisation. Devolution transfers the responsibilities of providing health services from central government to local government, while fiscal decentralisation allows local government to manage its local economies. Following those reforms, Indonesia raised the authority of public hospitals? managers through corporatisation in 2004. Those reforms aim to provide better health services for the population. Evaluating whether all three forms of decentralisation in Indonesia have achieved their aim or not, this study uses both primary and secondary data. The primary data was collected in 54 public hospitals in East Java province during summer 2013. The secondary data combined individual and household level data and local government data. The Indonesia socio-economic survey (Susenas) 2004-2013 and Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS) 2007 are the sources of individual and household data, while the national village census (Podes) 2003-2010 provides district-level data. I supplement these with local government fiscal data from the Ministry of Finance and the consumer price index 2004-2013. The assembled data possesses a multilevel structure in which individuals or households are nested within districts. The main findings show that health outcomes among Indonesians continue to vary across districts after decentralisation. Passing authority down from central government to lower-level institutions does not automatically bring about better performance of health providers and health outcomes regardless of the type of authority devolved and the characteristics of the delegated institutions. However, further analysis on multiyear data suggests that there is an important learning curve throughout the process of decentralisation implementation. Both local governments and hospital managers need time to learn how to utilise the authority they are given after decentralisation. These findings suggest that improving capacity and accountability of local authorities and an understanding of why some local authorities are better than others at learning during the process of decentralisation are vital to improve performance of health providers and health outcomes in decentralised Indonesia.
Echocardiographic evaluation of patients cured of childhood cancer: a single center study of 117 subjects who received anthracyclines.

BACKGROUND The risk of cardiomyopathy following exposure to anthracycline in asymptomatic long-term survivors of childhood cancer is still hard to predict and precisely quantify. To identify the impact of different cumulative doses, even within a non-high dose range, and the echocardiographic parameters suitable for evaluating cardiac function, we studied diastolic and systolic echocardiographic parameters in a cohort of patients followed in a single center. PROCEDURE A total of 117 subjects were studied at a median time of 7 years after treatment completion. A complete M-mode, two-dimensional and Doppler echocardiographic study was obtained at rest in all patients according to the standard recommendations of the American Society of Echocardiography. RESULTS Ninety-nine patients (85%) had completely normal cardiac function, while 18 had abnormal echocardiographic findings: 12 had one abnormal value, 5 had two, and 1 had three abnormal values. All the changes were in left ventricular dimensions, wall thickness or indices of systolic function; no alterations in left ventricular diastolic function parameters were found. None of the echocardiographic parameters correlated significantly with the cumulative dose of anthracyclines administered either at univariate analysis or after adjusting for sex, body surface area or considered risk factors. CONCLUSIONS Subjects exposed to a median cumulative dose of 214 mg/m(2) had no echographic abnormalities a median of 7 years later. We did not find any correlation between cumulative anthracycline dose and the echocardiographic parameters tested. We now offer echocardiographic follow-up to patients with mildly reduced fractional shortening and/or ejection fraction to rule out late onset dysfunction.
Treatment of Punched‐Out Atrophic and Rolling Acne Scars in Skin Phototypes III, IV, and V with Variable Square Pulse Erbium: Yttrium‐Aluminum‐Garnet Laser Resurfacing

BACKGROUND Treatment of acne scars remains a challenge, especially in dark‐skinned individuals. Treatment parameters may be optimized by selecting appropriate pulse width and laser energy that enhance tissue thermal response with limited morbidity. OBJECTIVE To determine the efficacy and side effects of variable square pulse (VSP) erbium:yttrium‐aluminum‐garnet (Er:YAG) laser resurfacing for treatment of punched‐out atrophic and rolling acne scars. METHODS Twenty‐four subjects with acne scars were treated monthly for 2 months with four passes of VSP Er:YAG laser resurfacing using a 7‐mm spot size and a fluence of 0.4 J/cm2. Subjects were divided into two groups and treated with two different pulse widths: 300 μs (short pulse, SP) and 1,500 μs (extra‐long pulse, XLP). Objective and subjective assessments were obtained at baseline and 1, 2, and 4 months after treatment. RESULTS In the SP group, skin smoothness improved significantly (p<.01); in the XLP group, skin smoothness (p<.05) and scar volume (p<.05) improved significantly from baseline. Adverse effects consisted of transient postinflammatory hyperpigmentation (18%) and acneiform eruption (9%). CONCLUSIONS Low‐fluence VSP Er:YAG laser resurfacing is a promising treatment option for acne scars, with minimal risk of side effects. Laser pulse width and energy determine the efficacy and the risk of side effects.
Inhibition of human interleukin‐13‐induced respiratory and oesophageal inflammation by anti‐human‐interleukin‐13 antibody (CAT‐354)

Background Allergic asthma is a complex disorder characterized by local and systemic T helper type 2 ‐cell responses such as the production of IL‐13, a cytokine associated with the induction of airway hyper‐responsiveness (AHR), chronic pulmonary eosinophilia, airway mucus overproduction and eosinophilic oesophagitis.
Development of “Pinceaux” formations and dendritic translocation of climbing fibers during the acquisition of the balance between glutamatergic and γ‐aminobutyric acidergic inputs in developing Purkinje cells

The acquisition of the dynamic balance between excitation and inhibition in developing Purkinje cells, necessary for their proper function, is analyzed. Newborn (P0) mouse cerebellum contains glutamatergic (VGLUT2‐IR) and γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA)‐ergic (VIAAT‐IR) axons. The former prevail and belong to climbing fibers, whereas the latter neither colabel with calbindin‐expressing fibers nor belong to axons of the cortical GABAergic interneurons. During the first postnatal week, VIAAT‐IR axons in the Purkinje cell neighborhood remains very low, and the first synapses with basket fibers are formed at P7, when climbing fibers have already established dense pericellular nets. The descending basket fibers reach the Purkinje cell axon initial segment by P9, immediately establishing axoaxonic synapses. The pinceaux appear as primitive vortex‐like arrangements by P12, and by P20 interbasket fiber septate‐like junctions, typical of fully mature pinceaux, are still missing. The climbing fiber's somatodendritic translocation occurs later than expected, after the regression of the multiple innervation, and follows the ascending collaterals of the basket axons, which are apparently the optimal substrate for the proper subcellular targeting of the climbing fibers. These results emphasize that chemical transmission in the axon initial segment precedes the electrical inhibition generated by field effects. In addition, GABAergic Purkinje cells, as opposed to glutamatergic projection neurons in other cortical structures, do not begin to receive their excitation to inhibition balance until the end of the first postnatal week, despite the early presence of potentially functional GABAergic axons that possess the required vesicular transport system. J. Comp. Neurol. 506:240–262, 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.