Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Central sensitization in urogynecological chronic pelvic pain: a systematic literature review.

BACKGROUND Chronic pelvic pain (CPP) is a complex pain syndrome. Since its pathogenesis is still poorly understood and structural alterations in pain related brain regions may be present, there is a greater acceptance that sensitization of the central nervous system (CNS) plays an important role in the development and maintenance of chronicity. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study is to systematically review the scientific evidence regarding central sensitization (CS) in female patients with urogynecological CPP. STUDY DESIGN Systematic review of the literature. METHODS A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed and Web of Science using different keyword combinations related to urogynecological CPP and central sensitization. Full text clinical reports addressing CS in adult women with urogynecological CPP were included and assessed for methodological quality by 2 independent reviewers. RESULTS After screening for the eligibility, a total of 29 full-text articles with low to good methodological quality were retained. All studies were observational, 27 of which were case-control and 2 of which were cohorts. Sensitivity of the CNS was investigated by using a variety of methods. Although different central mechanisms seem to be involved in pain processing, the present evidence suggests hyperexcitability of the CNS in patients with urogynecological CPP. Altered brain morphology and function, generalized hyperalgesia to different type of stimuli, overactive bottom-up nociceptive mechanisms, and autonomic dysregulation were established in patients with urogynecological CPP. Nevertheless, diffuse noxious inhibitory control seemed normal, and therefore the contribution of an impaired endogenous pain inhibition mechanism to CPP requires further study. The same goes for the contribution of psychological factors. LIMITATIONS The level of evidence of retained studies is low due to the observational study designs and a wide range of diagnoses and assessment methods. CONCLUSION Although the majority of the literature provides evidence for the presence of CS in urogynecological CPP with changes in brain morphology/function and sensory function, it is unclear whether these changes in central pain processing are secondary or primary to CPP, especially since evidence regarding the function of endogenous pain inhibition and the role of psychosocial pain facilitation is scarce. Further studies with good methodological quality are needed in order to clarify exact mechanisms.
Age‐Related Three‐Dimensional Morphological Changes in Rat Motoneurons Innervating Diaphragm and Longissimus Muscles

We investigated age‐related morphological changes of rat motoneurons innervating diaphragm muscle (DI‐MN) and lumber longissimus muscle (LL‐MN) in which quite different activation patterns exist. In young (2–4 months) and old (24–26 months) rats, the motoneurons innervating both muscles were labelled retrogradely by intramuscular injection of cholera toxin B subunit. After a 4‐day survival, horizontal slices of the spinal cord were processed with immunohistochemical staining (first antibody to cholera toxin B subunit and second antibody with Cy3) and observed with a confocal microscope. Three‐dimensional reconstruction of labelled motoneurons was performed to examine soma and dendrite morphology. As compared to the soma volume in young rats, significantly smaller values were found in old rats in both motoneurons and the degrees of decline were 16.1% in DI‐MN and 20.3% in LL‐MN. Significant decreases in the thickness of primary dendrites were also found in both motoneurons, and the degrees of decline were 17.5% in DI‐MN and 22.3% in LL‐MN. Smaller changes were found in DI‐MN than in LL‐MN, indicating the possibility that increased activation by central drives can attenuate age‐related morphological changes of the motor system in the spinal cord.
Pathways to Sexual Offense Recidivism Following Treatment

Ward and Hudson (1998, 2000) proposed a self-regulation model of relapse in sexual offenders, which classifies offenders into one of four pathways. This study examined the validity of the model, whether sexual recidivists are characterized by one predominant pathway and offense type, and whether participants would change pathway pre- to posttreatment intervention. Twenty-five sexual offenders who had participated in a comprehensive cognitive-behavioral treatment program during a prison sentence, but committed a further sexual offense on their release from custody, participated in the study. Results supported the content validity of the model. The predominant pathway pre- and posttreatment was approach explicit. The hypothesis that participants would change pathway posttreatment was not supported. These results may have implications for the efficacy of treatment of approach-explicit sexual offenders.
Positive allergological tests may turn negative with no further exposure to the specific allergen: a long-term, prospective, follow-up study in patients allergic to penicillin.

Preliminary literature reports suggest the possibility that, in an allergic patient, a previously positive allergological test may turn negative after a long period of time with no further exposure to the specific allergen. The aim of this study was to evaluate the rate by which a previously positive skin test or RAST may turn negative in a group of patients allergic to penicillin if no further exposure to the specific allergen occurs. Sixty-three patients allergic to penicillin (48 with type I allergy and 15 with type IV allergy) were enrolled in a long-term, prospective, follow-up study, undergoing a successive complete allergological testing within 6 years of the first positive examination. During the follow-up period, skin tests progressively became negative in 28 (58.3%) type I allergic patients and in only one (6.7%) subject with type IV allergy. Similarly, the positive RAST turned negative in as many as 13 subjects (43.3% of cases). The cumulative skin test positivity (type I allergy) was significantly lower than that of patch tests (type IV allergy) (chi 2 = 10.4; d.f. = 1; p < 0.005, Logrank test). No significant difference in the progressive rate of decrease in skin test and RAST cumulative positivity was observed in the 30 patients showing both RAST and skin test positivity on entering the follow-up study. Our results provide strong evidence that a positive allergological test performed in a drug-allergic patient may become negative with time, in the absence of further exposure to the specific antigen. A negative allergological test cannot, therefore, rule out the immunological basis of a drug sensitivity. This is why we always suggest advising patients with a personal history of drug hypersensitivity against any further administration of the responsible drug, even in the presence of a completely negative allergological examination.
Capital Heterogeneity, Volatility Shock, and the Value Premium

I propose an investment-based asset pricing model augmented with intangible capital and transient volatility shock. Already-acquired intangible capital and new R&D investment are complementary inputs in knowledge production. The distinctive evolutionary dynamics of intangible capital as opposed to that of physical capital mitigate the negative impact of temporary volatility shock on output. Physical-capital-intensive value firms are thus more exposed to volatility shock and require more premium. Moreover, the expected return of value firms surges conditionally upon a temporary volatility shock. As a result, the value premium is unconditionally positive ex ante and the realized return of value-minus-growth portfolio plummets to negative after major transient second-moment shocks such as the Loma Prieta Earthquake or the 9/11 terrorist attack.
Mapping Common Aphasia Assessments to Underlying Cognitive Processes and Their Neural Substrates

Background. Understanding the relationships between clinical tests, the processes they measure, and the brain networks underlying them, is critical in order for clinicians to move beyond aphasia syndrome classification toward specification of individual language process impairments. Objective. To understand the cognitive, language, and neuroanatomical factors underlying scores of commonly used aphasia tests. Methods. Twenty-five behavioral tests were administered to a group of 38 chronic left hemisphere stroke survivors and a high-resolution magnetic resonance image was obtained. Test scores were entered into a principal components analysis to extract the latent variables (factors) measured by the tests. Multivariate lesion-symptom mapping was used to localize lesions associated with the factor scores. Results. The principal components analysis yielded 4 dissociable factors, which we labeled Word Finding/Fluency, Comprehension, Phonology/Working Memory Capacity, and Executive Function. While many tests loaded onto the factors in predictable ways, some relied heavily on factors not commonly associated with the tests. Lesion symptom mapping demonstrated discrete brain structures associated with each factor, including frontal, temporal, and parietal areas extending beyond the classical language network. Specific functions mapped onto brain anatomy largely in correspondence with modern neural models of language processing. Conclusions. An extensive clinical aphasia assessment identifies 4 independent language functions, relying on discrete parts of the left middle cerebral artery territory. A better understanding of the processes underlying cognitive tests and the link between lesion and behavior may lead to improved aphasia diagnosis, and may yield treatments better targeted to an individual’s specific pattern of deficits and preserved abilities.
Chronic hepatitis B virus infection and rubella susceptibility in pregnant women

Summary. Increased rubella susceptibility has been shown in subjects from the Asian‐Pacific region where chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is endemic. This study was performed to explore the relationship between chronic HBV infection and rubella susceptibility in the obstetric population. We conducted a retrospective cohort study on 50556 pregnant women delivered in a university obstetric unit from January 1998 to June 2008. The incidence of rubella susceptibility according to maternal HBV carrier status was examined. HBV infection and rubella susceptibility were found in 5105 (10.1%) and 6102 (12.1%) women, respectively. Rubella susceptibility was more common in women with HBV (13.1%vs 12.0%, P = 0.017), even after adjusting for other confounding factors (odds ratio 1.11, 95% confidence interval 1.01–1.21). Advancing age was associated with progressively decreasing odds of rubella susceptibility, from 0.48 at age 20–24 years to 0.34 at age ≥40 years in women without HBV infection, but had no effect in women with hepatitis B. In conclusion, our study is the first to demonstrate an association between chronic HBV infection with rubella susceptibility. Further studies are warranted to confirm whether chronic HBV infection, especially that acquired by vertical transmission, may impair the immune response to rubella vaccine or natural infection throughout the reproductive age.
[Morphological conditions of dysphonia in patients with vocal folds edema].

UNLABELLED Disorders of voice quality are mostly influenced by organic changes in larynx. In the assessment of ultrastructure of vocal fold mucosa the most useful is the technique of transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The organic dysphonia is diagnosed by the perceptual, endoscopic (VLS) and stroboscopic (VLSS) assessment of larynx and acoustic assessment. The aim of the study was to determine morphological changes and voice quality disorders in patients with edema of larynx. MATERIAL AND METHODS 40 patients with vocal folds edema (I group) and 10 patients with no pathological changes of larynx (II group) were included in the study. The morphological assessment of vocal folds mucosa was carried out with the usage of transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The voice quality was examined by the subjective and objective methods. The endoscopic and stroboscopic (VLS and VLSS) examination of larynx and acoustic analysis of voice were carried out. RESULTS Morphological changes of vocal folds mucosa were observed. Epithelial cells showed features of vacuolar degeneration. Moreover enlargement of intercellular spaces, small rugosity of basal membrane and inflammatory infiltration of stroma, a large number of blood vessels and a cumulation of elastic and collagenous fibers were observed. CONCLUSIONS Stillness of vocal folds influenced disorders of voice quality with features of dysphonia. The endoscopic and stroboscopic examination of larynx clinically shows the morphological changes of vocal folds mucosa. Simple and non-invasive acoustic examination of voice in patients with edema of larynx objectively confirms the subjectively registered dysphonia.
Organizational Antecedents of Social Media Adoption in Public Administration : Considering the Mediating Role of Entrepreneurial Orientation

Research increasingly explores the opportunities social media provide to public sector organizations. Yet, only few empirical studies have addressed the organizational antecedents of social media adoption in this particular context. Based on innovation diffusion literature, we propose a number of organizational antecedents of social media adoption in public administration. At the same time, we find that - due to high levels of formalization and centralization - formal organizational characteristics may exhibit little variability in the public administration context. We therefore suggest that the explanatory power of the proposed model could be increased by considering an intermediate construct capturing the organization's predisposition to explore new media. From current innovation literature, we derive Entrepreneurial Orientation as a potential mediator of social media adoption. Based on a survey among 2'092 employees of a German state-level administration, we test both an unmediated and a partially mediated model of organizational antecedents of social media adoption. We find that Leadership support, Employee autonomy, Bureaucratization, and Social Influence affect social media adoption. Taking the mediating effect of Entrepreneurial Orientation into consideration increases the explanatory power of the proposed model.
In Midst of Reform: Wisconsin in 1997

The author challenges the practice of using caseload decline as a barometer of welfare reform success. He uses the National Survey of America? s Families to take a closer look at families at risk of poverty in Wisconsin. Among the conclusions: Wisconsin Works (W2) has produced a dramatic drop in cash assistance. Poverty persists, but near-elimination of child poverty seems within reach. The health issue goes beyond insurance to include access to quality services. Milwaukee remains the challenge; the city does worse than the state on virtually all measures.
Testing the Relationship between Free Cash Flow and Company Performance in Borsa Istanbul

This study tests whether free cash flow affects the performance of firms in the context of the free cash flow hypothesis. The study applies a panel regression method to a data set consisting of 2,175 observations belonging to 370 companies listed in Borsa Istanbul during the period 2009-2015. A significant, negative relationship is found between free cash flow and firm performance measured by Tobin’s Q ratio. Greater free cash flow in the hands of managers leads to the lower performance and, conversely, less free cash flow in the hands of managers leads to higher performance. The results also confirm that leverage and dividend payments have a positive effect on performance. Thus, the results support the free cash flow hypothesis for Turkey.
Benzyladenine-induced Movement of C-Labeled Photosynthate into Roots of Vitis vinifera.

Roots of Vitis vinifera L. , were treated with benzyladenine when the plant shoots were 38 cm long. Seventy-two hours after benzyladenine treatment, apical or basal leaves on separate shoots were exposed to (14)CO(2). Control shoots received (14)CO(2) but no benzyladenine. Application of benzyladenine directed (14)C-photosynthate to roots, but a small amount of radioactivity was detected in the shoot tip when (14)CO(2) was administered to an apical leaf. Distribution of radioactivity among the sugar, organic acid, and amino acid fractions was altered by benzyladenine treatment. In all parts of plants with roots treated with benzyladenine and apical leaf fed (14)CO(2), the percentage of the total label in the sugar fraction comprised of fructose was generally more than twice that in control plants.
The Swiss Market for Construction Wood: Estimating Elasticities With Time Series Simultaneous Equations

We use a rich yearly time series dataset to estimate demand and supply price- and cross-elasticities on the market for construction round wood in Switzerland, on the period 1949-2013. We consider both short term and long term relationships, thanks to the Error Correction Model and correct for the price endogeneity using a supply-demand equations system estimated with the 3 Stages Least Squares approach. Given the importance of wood products in CO2 sequestration, an increase in the use of local wood for construction purposes may help reducing the CO2 net emissions. Yet, the Swiss forest industry suffers from the low price of wood and is unwilling to produce more timber, despite the important potential of wood mobilization in Switzerland. Financial incentives may help meeting the goals of both environmental and economic sustainability, if actors respond to price changes. We find that both demand and supply are sensitive to price changes in the long and short run but that the simultaneous increasing demand for energy wood may have counterproductive impacts on the construction wood production.
Ovsiankina’s Great Relief: How Supplemental Work during the Weekend May Contribute to Recovery in the Face of Unfinished Tasks

Unfinished tasks have been identified as a significant job stressor that impairs employee recovery after work. Classic experimental research by Ovsiankina has shown that people tend to resume yet unfinished tasks to satisfy their need for closure. We apply this notion to current working life and examine supplemental work after hours as a means to achieve peace of mind. We investigate how progress towards goal accomplishment through supplemental work may facilitate recovery in terms of psychological detachment, relaxation, autonomy, and mastery experiences. We conducted a week-level diary study among 83 employees over a period of 14 consecutive weeks, which yielded 575 observations in total and 214 matched observations of unfinished tasks, supplemental work during the weekend, progress, and recovery experiences. Unfinished tasks were assessed on Friday. Supplemental work and recovery experiences were assessed on Monday. Multilevel modeling analyses provide evidence that unfinished tasks at the end of the work week are associated with lower levels of detachment at the intraindividual level, tend to relate to lower relaxation, but are unrelated to autonomy and mastery. Progress towards finishing tasks during the weekend alleviates the detrimental effects of unfinished tasks on both kinds of recovery experiences. Supplemental work is negatively linked to detachment, but largely unrelated to the other recovery experiences.
Inequality and Growth in the United States: Why Physical and Human Capital Matter

We investigate the relationship between economic growth and top income inequality under the influence of human and physical capital accumulation, using an annual panel of U.S. state‐level data. Our analysis is based upon the “unified” framework offered by Galor and Moav (2004) while the empirics account for cross‐section dependence, parameter heterogeneity, and endogeneity, in nonstationary series. We conclude that changes in inequality do not influence growth, neither in the short run nor in the long run in the United States as a whole in the 1929–2013 period. Our findings are robust to the inclusion of overall income inequality measures. These findings provide support for the theoretical prediction of the unified theory of inequality and growth, according to which the growth effect of inequality becomes insignificant in the latest stages of economic development that the United States experiences during our period of investigation. Therefore, future policies aiming at moderating the concentration at the upper end of income distribution are not likely to have adverse growth consequences in developed countries such as the United States. (JEL I21, O47, C23)
Myelin Sheath Development in the Maxillary Nerve of the Newborn Pig

Myelination, the ensheathing of neuronal axons by myelin, is important for the proper function of both central and peripheral nervous systems. Various studies have investigated the quantitative parameters of myelination in certain species. Pigs are among the species of which their use as laboratory animals in neuroscience research increased the past few decades. However, there is limited data regarding the myelination process in the pig. Moreover, the maxillary nerve is crucial for Pseudorabies Virus (PrV) neuropathogenesis. In this context, a quantitative analysis of various myelination parameters of the maxillary nerve was performed, during the first 5 weeks of porcine post‐natal development, the time period, which exhibits the highest interest for PrV neuropathogenesis. The evaluation was conducted in four groups of uninfected pigs, at the time of birth (group 0w), at the age of 1 week (group 1w), 3 weeks (group 3w) and 5 weeks (group 5w), using toluidine blue staining, immunofluorescence and electron microscopy. Axon and fibre diameter, perimeter and surface, myelin sheath thickness and g‐ratio were measured on histological sections transverse to the longitudinal axis of the maxillary nerve. The thickness of myelin sheath was 0.76 μm for group 0w, 0.94 μm for group 1w, 0.98 μm for group 3w and 1.03 μm for group 5w. The g‐ratio was 0.529, 0.540, 0.542 and 0.531 for the respective animal groups. The results of this study contribute to the understanding of the myelination process in the pig will be used for the study of PrV effects on the myelination development of newborn piglets' maxillary nerve and may shed new light to their vulnerability to the virus.
Postpartum hypocalcaemia in Maiduguri, North-eastern Nigeria: A 10-year review

The aim of maternal calcium homeostasis is to provide adequate calcium flux across the placenta during pregnancy and into breast milk during lactation, to ensure normal fetal and neonatal skeletal mineralisation. The objective of this study was to document the characteristics and outcome of patients who had postpartum hypocalcaemia. Cases of symptomatic postpartum hypocalcaemia managed over a 10-year period (1 January 1998 to 31 December 2007) at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, were retrospectively reviewed. A total of 34 cases were identified. The sociodemographic characteristics, corrected calcium level, duration of treatment, mode of delivery and the packed cell volume (PCV) were analysed using the EPI-INFO Version 3.4. 3 statistical package. The mean age and parity were 24.29 ± 5.88 and 3.39 ± 2.32, respectively. All the patients presented with carpopedal spasm with or without associated symptoms. There was a direct relationship (R2 linear = 0.292, p = 0.001) between PCV and serum calcium. Multiparous women were significantly more affected than primiparae (χ2 = 15.08; p = 0.0005). Half of the patients presented within 1 week of onset of symptoms. In conclusion, the association between anaemia and postpartum hypocalcaemia needs further study to determine the cause and effect relationship.