Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
“A peculiar time in my life”: making sense of illness and recovery with gynaecological cancer

ABSTRACT Purpose: Worldwide there are nearly 1.1 million new cases of gynaecological cancer annually. In England, uterine, ovarian and cervical cancers comprize the third most common type of new cancer in women. Research with gynaecological cancer patients within 6 months of diagnosis is rare, as is data collection that is roughly contemporaneous with treatment. Our aim was to explore the experiences of women who were, at study entry, within 6 weeks of surgery or were undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Methods: An interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) of data from 16 women in five focus groups was conducted in the UK, exploring women’s experiences of being diagnosed with and treated for gynaecological cancer. Results: Participants conceptualized their experiences temporally, from the shock of diagnosis, through their cancer treatment, to thinking about recovery. They tried to make sense of diagnosis, even with treatment being complete. In the context of the Self-Regulation Model, these women were struggling to interpret a changing and multi-faceted illness identity, and attempting to return to pre-illness levels of health. Conclusions: This study adds to this under-studied time period in cancer survivorship. The results suggest that survivors’ goals may change from returning to pre-illness status to reformulating goals as survival time increases.
Contribution to the improvement of a porridge made with fermented maize: effect of selected foods and lemon on energy density, pH, viscosity and nutritional quality

The objective of the present study was to use lemon and selected foods to improve the nutritional characteristics, quality and the nutrient content of a traditional complementary porridge made of lactic acid fermented yellow maize. Boiled egg yolk, roasted peanut paste, dry crayfish flour, roasted soybean flour and lemon juice were used as food additions. Amounts of food added were calculated on the basis of World Health Organization estimated energy needs from complementary foods of well-nourished children in developing countries, aged 9–11 months, at four servings per day and a low amount of breast milk energy. The pH and viscosity increased in porridges with food addition, but lemon juice contributed to lowering them. Energy and nutrient densities/100 g porridge improved with food addition regardless of the use of lemon juice. An increase in iron, zinc and calcium in vitro availability was observed (P < 0.05) with the addition of lemon juice.
Motor events during healthy sleep: a quantitative polysomnographic study.

STUDY OBJECTIVES Many sleep disorders are characterized by increased motor activity during sleep. In contrast, studies on motor activity during physiological sleep are largely lacking. We quantitatively investigated a large range of motor phenomena during polysomnography in physiological sleep. DESIGN Prospective polysomnographic investigation. SETTING Academic referral sleep laboratory. PARTICIPANTS One hundred healthy sleepers age 19-77 y were strictly selected from a representative population sample by a two-step screening procedure. INTERVENTIONS N/A. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS Polysomnography according to American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) standards was performed, and quantitative normative values were established for periodic limb movements in sleep (PLMS), high frequency leg movements (HFLM), fragmentary myoclonus (FM), neck myoclonus (NM), and rapid eye movement (REM)-related electromyographic (EMG) activity. Thirty-six subjects had a PLMS index > 5/h, 18 had a PLMS index > 15/h (90th percentile: 24.8/h). Thirty-three subjects had HFLM (90th percentile: four sequences/night). All subjects had FM (90th percentile 143.7/h sleep). Nine subjects fulfilled AASM criteria for excessive FM. Thirty-five subjects had NM (90th percentile: 8.8/h REM sleep). For REM sleep, different EMG activity measures for the mentalis and flexor digitorum superficialis muscles were calculated: the 90th percentile for phasic mentalis EMG activity for 30-sec epochs according to AASM recommendation was 15.6%, and for tonic mentalis EMG activity 2.6%. Twenty-five subjects exceeded the recently proposed phasic mentalis cutoff of 11%. None of the subjects exceeded the tonic mentalis cutoff of 9.6%. CONCLUSION Quantification of motor phenomena is a basic prerequisite to develop normative values, and is a first step toward a more precise description of the various motor phenomena present during sleep. Because rates of motor events were unexpectedly high even in physiological sleep, the future use of normative values for both research and clinical routine is essential.
Modulation of slow inactivation in human cardiac Kv1.5 channels by extra‐ and intracellular permeant cations

1 The properties and regulation of slow inactivation by intracellular and extracellular cations in the human heart K+ channel hKv1.5 have been investigated. Extensive NH2‐ and COOH‐terminal deletions outside the central core of transmembrane domains did not affect the degree of inactivation. 2 The voltage dependence of steady‐state inactivation curves of hKv1.5 channels was unchanged in Rb+ and Cs+, compared with K+, but biexponential inactivation over 10 s was reduced from ∼100% of peak current in Na+ to ∼65% in K+, ∼50% in Rb+ and ∼30% in Cs+. This occurred as a result of a decrease in both fast and slow components of inactivation, with little change in inactivation time constants. 3 Changes in extracellular cation species and concentration (5‐300 mM) had only small effects on the rates of inactivation and recovery from inactivation (τrecovery∼1 s). Mutation of residues at a putative regulatory site at R487 in the outer pore mouth did not affect slow inactivation or recovery from inactivation of hKv1.5, although sensitivity to extracellular TEA was conferred. 4 Symmetrical reduction of both intra‐ and extracellular cation concentrations accelerated and augmented both components of inactivation of K+ (Kd= 34.7 mM) and Cs+ (Kd= 20.5 mM) currents. These effects could be quantitatively accounted for by unilateral reduction of intracellular K+ (K+1) (Kd= 43.4 mM) or Cs+1 with constant 135 mM external ion concentrations. 5 We conclude that inactivation and recovery from inactivation in hKv1.5 were not typically C‐type in nature. However, the ion species dependence of inactivation was still closely coupled to ion permeation through the pore. Intracellular ion modulatory actions were more potent than extracellular actions, although still of relatively low affinity. These results suggest the presence of ion binding sites capable of regulating inactivation located on both intracellular and extracellular sides of the pore selectivity filter.
Quantitative study of spin noise spectroscopy in a classical gas of {sup 41}K atoms

We present a general derivation of the electron spin noise power spectrum in alkali gases as measured by optical Faraday rotation, which applies to both classical gases at high temperatures as well as ultracold quantum gases. We show that the spin-noise power spectrum is determined by an electron spin-spin correlation function, and we find that measurements of the spin-noise power spectra for a classical gas of {sup 41}K atoms are in good agreement with the predicted values. Experimental and theoretical spin noise spectra are directly and quantitatively compared in both longitudinal and transverse magnetic fields up to the high magnetic-field regime (where Zeeman energies exceed the intrinsic hyperfine energy splitting of the {sup 41}K ground state)
Cardioprotective effects of curcumin-loaded magnetic hydrogel nanocomposite (nanocurcumin) against doxorubicin-induced cardiac toxicity in rat cardiomyocyte cell lines

Abstract Curcumin, is a yellow substance extracted from Curcuma longa rhizomes, it is a crystalline compound that has been traditionally applied in culinary practices and medicines in India. The aim of our study is to demonstrate the efficacy of curcumin-loaded magnetic hydrogel nanocomposite in the treatment of heart hypertrophy. 10 rats weighing 150–200 g each were induced with heart failure using 2.5 mg/kg doxorubicin for 2 weeks. The test groups were treated with curcumin-loaded magnetic hydrogel nanocomposite while the control was treated with curcumin alone. malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) enzymes activities were monitored after two weeks of last the dose. In addition, the expression of three heart failure markers; atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), B type natriuretic peptide (BNP), and beta major histocompatibility complex (β-MHC) were observed, it was found that the expression of these markers decreases with an increase in the concentration of curcumin (P < 0.05). Curcumin elevated the decreased level of GPX and SOD, and reduced the elevated level of MDA in cardiac tissue. We suggest this combination to be a potent therapy for heart failure and hypertension in the nearest future.
Comparison of Basic Notch Filters for Semiconductor Optical Amplifier Pattern Effect Mitigation

We conduct a thorough comparison of two basic notch filters employed to mitigate the pattern effect that manifests when semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) serve linear amplification purposes. The filters are implemented using as the building architecture the optical delay interferometer (ODI) and the microring resonator (MRR). We formulate and follow a rational procedure, which involves identifying and applying the appropriate conditions for the filters’ spectral response slope related to the SOA pattern effect suppression mechanism. We thus extract the values of the free spectral range and detuning of each filter, which allow one to equivocally realize the pursued comparison. We define suitable performance metrics and obtain simulation results for each filter. The quantitative comparison reveals that most employed metrics are better with the MRR than with the ODI. Although the difference in performance is small, it is sufficient to justify considering also using the MRR for the intended purpose. Finally, we concisely discuss practical implementation issues of these notch filters and further make a qualitative comparison between them in terms of their inherent advantages and disadvantages. This discussion reveals that each scheme has distinct features that render it appropriate for supporting SOA direct signal amplification applications with a suppressed pattern effect.
Validation of the Written Administration of the Short Literacy Survey

Most health literacy assessments are time consuming and administered verbally. Written self-administration of measures may facilitate more widespread assessment of health literacy. This study aimed to determine the intermethod reliability and concurrent validity of the written administration of the 3 subjective health literacy questions of the Short Literacy Survey (SLS). The Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM) and the shortened test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (S-TOFHLA) were the reference measures of health literacy. Two hundred ninety-nine participants completed the written and verbal administrations of the SLS from June to December 2012. Intermethod reliability was demonstrated when (a) the written and verbal SLS score did not differ and (b) written and verbal scores were highly correlated. The written items were internally consistent (Cronbach's α = .733). The written total score successfully identified persons with sixth-grade equivalency or less for literacy on the REALM (AUROC = 0.753) and inadequate literacy on the S-TOFHLA (AUROC = 0. 869). The written administration of the SLS is reliable, valid, and is effective in identifying persons with limited health literacy.
Living Arrangements of the Elderly in India : Who lives alone and what are the patterns of familial support ? Session 301 : Living arrangement and its effect on older people in ageing societies IUSSP 2013 Busan , Korea

The UNFPA in collaboration with partners ISEC and IEG has created a comprehensive survey on aging in India: The Building a Knowledge Base on Population Aging in India (BKBPAI) includes 9,852 men and women aged 60 and above spread throughout seven states with the highest proportion of elderly in the country: Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, West Bengal, Orissa, Maharashtra, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. Background
The Natural History of Primary Herpes Simplex Type 1 Gingivostomatitis in Children

Abstract: Herpetic gingivostomatitis is the most common specific clinical manifestation of primary herpes simplex infection in childhood. The aim of the present study was to describe the clinical signs, symptoms, viral shedding, serologic findings, and complications in communityacquired gingivostomatitis. We prospectively followed children with herpes simplex type 1 gingivostomatitis lasting less than 72 hours. Clinical examination and viral culture were repeated every 2 to 3 days as long as symptoms or signs persisted. Thirty‐six children (ages 12–77 months) were included in the study. Mean duration of oral lesions was 12.0 ± 3.4 days; extraoral lesions (in 26 children), 12.0 ± 3.9 days; fever, 4.4 ± 2.4 days; and eating/drinking difficulties, 9.1 ± 3.0 and 7.1 ± 3.1 days, respectively. In all children, viral cultures of the oral lesions were positive for herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1; viral shedding persisted for a mean of 7.1 ± 2.5 days (range 2–12 days). The main complications were dehydration, with three children hospitalized for intravenous rehydration, and one case of secondary bacteremia. Herpetic gingivostomatitis is a relatively severe manifestation of primary HSV type 1 infection in young children.
Influenza virus vaccination of patients with chronic lung disease.

STUDY OBJECTIVES To evaluate the safety of, and mucosal and systemic immune responses induced by two influenza virus vaccine regimens in subjects with COPD. DESIGN Single-center, blinded, randomized, prospective clinical trial evaluating two vaccine regimens. SETTING Outpatient clinics of St. Louis Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. PARTICIPANTS Volunteers (age range, 42 to 88 years) had preexisting COPD with severe obstruction to airflow on average, were male, and were not receiving immunosuppressive medication. INTERVENTIONS Twenty-nine volunteers were randomly assigned to receive either bivalent live attenuated influenza A virus vaccine (CAV) or saline solution placebo intranasally. All subjects also received an i.m. injection of trivalent inactivated influenza virus vaccine (TVV) simultaneously. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS Clinical status and pulmonary function measured by spirometry did not change significantly after vaccination. Using hemagglutinins (H1 and H3 HA) which more closely resembled those in CAV, mean levels of anti-HA immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibodies in nasal washings increased significantly after vaccination with CAV and TVV compared to prevaccination, but they did not increase significantly after TVV and intranasal placebo. Mean levels of influenza A virus-stimulated interleukin-2 and -4 produced by peripheral blood mononuclear cells in vitro increased significantly after administration of the combination vaccine regimen and to a lesser extent after TVV and intranasal placebo compared to respective prevaccination levels. The timing of the cytokine response appeared different following CAV and TVV compared to TVV and intranasal placebo. CONCLUSIONS Intranasally administered CAV was safe when given with i.m. administered TVV and there may be an immunologic advantage to administration of the combination vaccine regimen compared to TVV with intranasal placebo.
The Functional and Usable Appeal of Facebook SNS Games

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to explore the appeal of social networking services (SNS) games from the perspectives of game usability and the functionality that is facilitated by the internet. Why players prefer SNS games to other types of games and what specific characteristics causes them to be addicted to continuous game play are the two critical issues to be probed.Design/methodology/approach – The authors interviewed 11 experts and surveyed 321 gamers using a questionnaire to gather the data about their preferences. The authors believe that a preference‐based study can reveal the underlying reasons for the appeal of SNS games. The collected data were analysed using Quantification Theory Type I.Findings – The semantic structure of appeal, determined from the interviews of experts, shows the hierarchy of the relationship between the types of appeal or appeal factors, the reasons for gamers’ preferences, and the specific characteristics of SNS games. According to the statistical analysis, the t.
Comparison of toxicity of intravenously given local anesthetic agents in man.

Twelve unanesthetized volunteers received intravenous infusions of procaine, chloroprocaine, tetracaine, and lidocaine to permit comparison of the systemic toxic effects of the drugs. Administration by vein assured equivalent plasma level of the agents and permitted a controlled dosage simulating one ordinarily used for regional anesthesia. The resulting functional disturbances were relatively minor, yet electrocardiographic tracings indicative of deteriorating cardiac activity were frequently encountered. The electroencephalographic tracings simulated the pattern of those of a person when normally asleep. The spikes typically seen in EEG tracings just before epileptic seizures were absent on the records of two subjects who had convulsions. Lidocaine was most poorly tolerated. Chloroprocaine was tolerated the best, and its low toxicity is considered to be due to its more rapid hydrolysis by plasma cholinesterase.
Frequent Use of Emergency Departments in Saudi Public Hospitals

This study aims to determine the prevalence, factors and reasons associated with the frequent use of public emergency departments (EDs) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The study employed a self-administered questionnaire to collect data from adult patients on aspects such as demographic characteristics, accessibility, and health-related factors. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to explore the issue. The results indicated that about 30% of respondents were considered as “frequent users” of the EDs. Males, older patients, those living closer to EDs, and patients who had chronic illnesses or were hospitalized in the past year were more likely to use EDs frequently. Moreover, the study found that patients who were labeled as “frequent users” of the EDs were also frequent users of “other” health care facilities. Health decision makers should facilitate primary health centers with necessary resources that fulfill the patients’ health needs and reduce the burden on EDs.
Fluorescent Antibody Staining of Street and Fixed Rabies Virus Antigens

Summary Methods of fixing and staining of rabies-infected mouse brain smears with fluorescent antibody are described. Evidence is presented that Negri bodies are of viral origin. The possible usefulness of this method for diagnosis of rabies in Negri negative animals and for serological determinations following immunization against rabies is indicated. Preliminary studies indicate that this technic may be useful in the detection of virus in salivary glands.
Comparing coronal discoloration between AH 26 and

INTRODUCTION: Intrinsic tooth discolorations after endodontic treatment are principally attributed to the composition of necrotic pulp tissue, hemorrhage within the pulp cavity, endodontic medicaments and/or filling materials. Residual sealer left in pulp chamber after obturation can cause discoloration. The objective of this in vitro study was to evaluate coronal discoloration created by AH26 and ZOE sealers after four months. MATERIALS & METHODS: Fifty intact human extracted maxillary central incisors were employed. Access cavities were prepared in all samples and root canals were instrumented; coronal orifices were then sealed using self-cure glass ionomer. The teeth were divided into two experimental groups (n=20) according to utilized sealer in pulp chambers including AH26 and Dorifill (ZOE). The remaining 10 teeth served as negative and positive controls (n=5). The access cavities were sealed with self-cure glass ionomer. Teeth were kept in incubator for four month. Preliminary digital images of the teeth were taken and then compared with those related to 4month follow-up. The images were assessed using Photoshop software. Data was analyzed using paired t-test and independent samples t-test. RESULTS: The teeth which were filled with AH26 sealer showed significantly greater discoloration than those filled with ZOE sealer (Dorifill) (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: AH26 sealer causes greater discoloration of the crown compared to ZOE sealer. Despite the other disadvantage of AH26 sealer, it seems that Dorifill is more esthetically considerate.
Monocyte activation by necrotic cells is promoted by mitochondrial proteins and formyl peptide receptors

Objective:Necrotic cells evoke potent innate immune responses through unclear mechanisms. The mitochondrial fraction of the cell retains constituents of its bacterial ancestors, including N-formyl peptides, which are potentially immunogenic. Thus, we hypothesized that the mitochondrial fraction of the cell, particularly N-formyl peptides, contributes significantly to the activation of monocytes by necrotic cells. Design:Human peripheral blood monocytes were incubated with necrotic cell fractions and mitochondrial proteins to investigate their potential for immune cell activation. Setting:University Medical Center Research Laboratory. Subjects:Healthy human adults served as blood donors. Measurements and Main Results:Human blood monocyte activation was measured after treatment with cytosolic, nuclear and mitochondrial fractions of necrotic HepG2 cells or necrotic HepG2 cells depleted of N-formyl peptides [Rho(0) cells]. The specific role of the high affinity formyl peptide receptor (FPR) was then tested using specific pharmacologic inhibitors and RNA silencing. The capacity of mitochondrial N-formyl peptides to activate monocytes was confirmed using a synthetic peptide conforming to the N-terminus of mitochondrial nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide subunit 6. The results demonstrated that mitochondrial cell fractions most potently activated monocytes, and interleukin (IL)-8 was selectively released at low-protein concentrations. Mitochondria from Rho(0) cells induced minimal monocyte IL-8 release, and specific pharmacologic inhibitors and RNA-silencing confirmed that FPR contributes significantly to monocyte IL-8 responses to both necrotic cells and mitochondrial proteins. N-formyl peptides alone did not induce monocyte IL-8 release; whereas, the combination of mitochondrial N-formyl peptides and mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) dramatically increased IL-8 release from monocytes. Likewise, high mobility group box 1, the nuclear homolog of TFAM, did not induce monocyte IL-8 release unless combined with mitochondrial N-formyl peptides. Conclusions:Interactions between mitochondrial N-formyl peptides and FPR in the presence of other mitochondrial antigens (e.g., TFAM) contributes significantly to the activation of monocytes by necrotic cells.