Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ophthalmic changes in hydrocephalus

Abstract. Fifty childen shunted for hydrocephalus aged 5–17 years underwent a later ophthalmological examination. Corrected vision of 0.9 or less was found in 45 out of 93 eyes; in 21 patients this was the vision of both eyes. Corrected vision 0.3 or less was found in 7 eyes; in 3 patients this was the vision of both eyes. Hyperopia ≥ +2.0 D was found in 20%, myopia ≥ –0.5 D in 13% and astigmatism ≥ 1.0 D in 25.5% of 98 eyes. Clear nystagmus was present in 18% of patients. Heterophoria was found in 20% and manifest horizontal strabismus in 33%, but no paretic squint. The optic disc was considered normal in 36 out of 100 eyes on ophthalmoscopy and in 35 out of 78 eyes on colour photography. Retinal nerve fibre layer photographs showed normal nerve fibres in 49 out of 71 eyes. The Friedmann field was in the normal rang e in 33 out of 53 eyes, and the Goldmann field was normal in 37 out of 44 eyes. Right homonymous hemianopia was discovered in 2 patients. The Harrington‐Flocks field was normal in 17 out of 24 eyes, and 1 patient had left homonymous hemianopia. The HRR test showed a red‐green disturbance in 22 out of 71 eyes. The Farnsworth panel D‐15 desaturated test was entirely normal in only 4 out of 65 eyes, but the errors were only slight in 48 cases.
Trends in crime and the introduction of a needle exchange program.

OBJECTIVES This study sought to determine whether introduction of a needle exchange program would be associated with increased crime rates. METHODS Trends in arrests were compared in program and nonprogram areas before and after introduction of a needle exchange program in Baltimore. Trends were modeled and compared via Poisson regression. RESULTS No significant differences in arrest trends emerged. Over the study period, increases in category-specific arrests in program and nonprogram areas, respectively, were as follows: drug possession, 17.7% and 13.4%; economically motivated offenses, 0.0% and 20.7%; resistance to police authority, 0.0% and 5.3%; and violent offenses, 7.2% and 8.0%. CONCLUSIONS The lack of association of overall and type-specific arrest data with program implementation argues against the role of needle exchange programs in increasing crime rates.
Temperament, Attentional Processes, and Anxiety: Diverging Links Between Adolescents With and Without Anxiety Disorders?

The present study first examined the links between reactive temperament (negative affectivity), regulative temperament (effortful control [EC]) and internalizing problems in adolescents (12–18 years) with anxiety disorders (ANX; N = 39) and without anxiety disorders (nANX; N = 35). Links differed between ANX and nANX participants. Negative affectivity predicted internalizing problems, with almost no role of EC in nANX, but a protective role of EC was found in ANX youth. Second, we investigated the role of attentional bias as a mediator between temperament and internalizing problems. Strategic threat-related bias was predicted by initial attention and EC, but these relations differed in both groups. In nANX participants, higher initial bias scores were predictive for lower strategic bias scores and higher levels of EC were associated with higher bias scores. In ANX participants, there was almost no effect of initial bias or EC on strategic attention. Internalizing problems were predicted by strategic attention, but again differently in ANX and nANX participants. High strategic bias scores were associated with an increase in anxiety in ANX and a decrease in anxiety in nANX participants.
The origin, migration and fine morphology of human primordial germ cells

Human primordial germ cells (PGCs) were observed ultrastructurally in stages from their endodermal to gonadal locations. Primitive PGCs in the hind‐gut epithelium of the 4‐week embryo, were recognized as well demarcated cells from the neighboring cells. At the time of separation, the basal lamina of the epithelium was broken, then, through the gap so opened, the PGCs started to escape into the outer mesenchyme. In embryos at five weeks, PGCs were in the migration stage, and were found in the dorsal mesentery, at the coelomic angle and in the forming germinal ridge. In embryos at six weeks or later, almost all PGCs were accumulated in the gonad. The PGC was characterized by its large size and the large and round nucleus with conspicuous nucleolus, and by the presence of abundant glycogen particles and a considerable number of lipid droplets in the cytoplasm. Alkaline phosphatase activity was demonstrated selectively on the plasma membrane of the PGC. The shape of PGC was irregular, often had pseudopodia in PGCs in the separation and migration stages, suggesting their amoeboid movement in vivo, but was generally round or elliptic in PGCs in the settlement stage. The PGC was usually surrounded by and in close association with adjacent somatic cells.
Analytical Study of Happiness Inequality in Egypt

Based on World value survey (3 waves: 2001, 2008 & 2012) the happiness inequality in Egypt has been enlarged. This paper illustrates the concept of happiness inequality and analysis the status of happiness inequality in Egypt. Also the paper aim to determine the main factors affecting happiness inequality in Egypt. This paper used RIF regression (Recentered influence function) to investigate the impacts of several factors like: age, educational level, employment status, gender, martial status and health status on happiness inequality in Egypt. We found that increase the population share of middle age people and increase unemployment rate can enlarge Egypt’s happiness inequality. While an increase in educational level, improvement in health and having good job has a reducing impact on happiness inequality.
Correcting exaggerated marijuana use norms among college abstainers: a preliminary test of a preventive intervention.

OBJECTIVE College students have high rates of marijuana initiation and use, and they report exaggerated perceptions of peers' use. Computerized norm-correcting intervention programs have been developed, but minimal efficacy research has been conducted, especially with regard to preventing the onset of marijuana use. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the efficacy of the Marijuana eCHECKUP TO GO (e-TOKE) for Universities & Colleges program in (a) correcting descriptive norms, (b) correcting injunctive norms, and (c) preventing initiation of marijuana use in a group of college-age abstainers. METHOD Participants were 245 college students (73% female) recruited from psychology courses for course credit who reported no marijuana use in the past month at baseline. Participants were randomized to receive the e-TOKE program or assessment only. All participants reported on marijuana use, descriptive norms, and injunctive norms 1 month later. RESULTS Participants receiving the e-TOKE program estimated lower descriptive norms than the control group (p < .01), and fewer believed friends disapproved of their choice to abstain (p < .05). However, rates of use/initiation did not differ between the two conditions (p = .18). CONCLUSIONS The current study provides preliminary evidence for the utility of the e-TOKE program in correcting abstainers' misperceptions about others' marijuana use as well as making them perceive less disapproval for their abstention. However, more research with longer follow-ups is necessary to determine if changes in norms affect initiation rates over time.
Strong interaction between human herpesvirus 6 and peripheral blood monocytes/macrophages during acute infection

Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV‐6) encodes a viral chemokine and chemokine receptors that may modify the functions of monocytes/macrophages (MO/Mϕ) during productive HHV‐6 infection. The interactions between HHV‐6 and MO/Mϕ during acute infection, however, remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the tropism of HHV‐6 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) during acute infection. We detected 637 ± 273 copies of viral DNA in 104 MO/Mϕ. in contrast, in 104 CD4+ T cells, which have been reported to be viral carriers during the acute infection of HHV‐6, we found only 115 ± 42 copies of viral DNA. Consistent with these data, virus was isolated from MO/Mϕ an order of magnitude more frequently than from CD4+ T cells. Viral mRNA U79/80, which indicates viral replication, was detectable in the MO/Mϕ. In addition, the mRNAs that encode viral chemokine receptors U12 and U51, which may modify the function of MO/Mϕ, were expressed in the cells. Therefore, productively infected MO/Mϕ may be the dominant cell population that is responsible for HHV‐6 viremia during acute HHV‐6 infection. The strong interaction of HHV‐6 with MO/Mϕ may be partly responsible for the pathogenesis of this virus. J. Med Virol. 67:364–369, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
BDNF contributes to the facilitation of hippocampal synaptic plasticity and learning enabled by environmental enrichment

Sensory, motor, and cognitive stimuli, resulting from interactions with the environment, play a key role in optimizing and modifying the neuronal circuitry required for normal brain function. An experimental animal model for this phenomenon comprises environmental enrichment (EE) in rodents. EE causes profound changes in neuronal and signaling levels of excitation and plasticity throughout the entire central nervous system and the hippocampus is particularly affected. The mechanisms underlying these changes are not yet fully understood. As brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) supports hippocampal long‐term potentiation (LTP), we explored whether it participates in the facilitation of synaptic plasticity and hippocampus‐dependent learning that occurs following EE. In the absence of EE, LTP elicited by high‐frequency stimulation was equivalent in wildtype mice and heterozygous BDNF+/− siblings. LTP elicited by theta‐burst stimulation in BDNF+/− mice was less than in wildtypes. Long‐term depression (LTD) was also impaired. EE for three weeks, beginning after weaning, improved hippocampal LTP in both wildtype and transgenic animals, with LTP in transgenics achieving levels seen in wildtypes in the absence of EE. Object recognition memory was evident in wildtypes 24 h and 7 days after initial object exposure. EE improved memory performance in wildtypes 24 h but not 7 days after initial exposure. BDNF+/− mice in the absence of EE showed impaired memory 7 days after initial object exposure that was restored by EE. Western blotting revealed increased levels of BDNF, but not proBDNF, among both EE cohorts. These data support that BDNF plays an intrinsic role in improvements of synaptic plasticity and cognition that occur in EE. © 2014 The Authors. Hippocampus Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A RANDOMIZED TRIAL COMPARING TRIPLE‐DRUG AND DOUBLE‐DRUG THERAPY IN RENAL TRANSPLANTATION

This is the 7-year update of a randomized trial comparing triple (TT) and double (DT) immunosuppressive therapy in renal transplantation. At 7 years, patient survival rate was 85% in DT vs. 87% in TT (P=NS); graft survival rate was 73% in DT and 68% in TT (P=NS); pure graft survival was 86% in DT vs. 77% in TT (P=0.096). The 7-year graft survival rate was 67% for cadaver graft recipients vs. 92% for living-related graft recipients (P=0.044). No difference in the slopes of plasma creatinine between the two groups was observed. Ten DT and 13 TT patients changed their original therapy: statistical analysis, however, was carried out according to intention to treat. Both CsA levels and doses were significantly higher in DT than in TT group (P<0.001) at any time point up to the 7th year. At univariate analysis, a living-related donor kidney (P=0.044) and immediate recovery of renal function (P<0.001) were the only two parameters associated with graft survival at 7 years. At multivariate analysis, only early graft function recovery was correlated with late graft survival (RR=10.480). Thus, even in the long-term, there is no difference between DT and TT, either in patient or in graft survival: at the doses we used, TT had a lower prevalence of late side effects than DT, however, long-term pure graft survival was better, although not significantly, in DT than in TT. The possibility of a safe shift from one regimen to the other one makes the two treatments complementary rather than alternatives.
Brunei's quest for sustainable development: Diversification and other strategies

Abstract Like many Middle East economies, Brunei is an oil‐rich rentier economy with a high degree of dependence on guest workers, concentration of employment of Bruneians in the public sector and with a high degree of specialization in extractive production. Because its hydrocarbon reserves are diminishing, it faces the problem of how to sustain its income. The potential for it to do this by investing its rental income abroad and by diversifying its economy are discussed, and comparisons are made with oil‐rich Middle East countries and MIRAB economies. Doubts are raised about industrial diversification as a suitable sustainable development strategy for Brunei. Expansion of service industries may offer better prospects. Brunei's entry into APEC could limit its scope for adopting strategic policies to restructure its economy.
Assessment of Large Seed Banks Requirement for Drought Risk Management in South Asia

Agriculture in South Asia is largely dependent on rainfall, where about two-thirds of the cultivable lands lack irrigation facilities. In recent years, increasing frequency and severity of droughts have had a severe impact on rainfed agriculture and livelihood of millions of farmers in the region. There are numerous drought adaptation and mitigation options available for rainfed agriculture. A seed bank is one of those options that can play an important role in minimizing the effect of droughts on crop production. This paper assesses the need for seed banks in rainfed/partially irrigated areas of South Asia for the purpose of drought risk management. The need for additional seeds of the main crops or suitable alternative crops for re-sowing/planting after drought-induced losses of the main crop was assessed by using long-term gridded rainfall data and crop information. Results show that very limited rainfed areas in South Asia require additional seeds of main or alternative crops for drought risk management once in five to seven years’ drought return period. About 90 percent of such areas in South Asia may require additional seeds for drought risk management once in 10 years or more. The timing and severity of droughts during cropping season and cost/benefits of seed bank maintenance play a major role in choosing additional seeds for the main crops and/or alternate crops for maintenance in the large seed banks. This study shows that, despite the large investment requirement, maintenance of large seed banks for drought risks management is economically viable for the limited areas in South Asia.
Essays in international trade

This thesis comprises three independent papers on topics in international trade (Chapters 2-4). Chapter 2 revisits a prominent gravity model-based empirical literature on the effects of free trade agreements by accounting for a potential bias caused by unobservable trade costs that operate through general equilibrium constraints. It embeds state-of-the-art panel estimation techniques in a recently proposed two-step remedy that features a constrained ANOVA-type estimation. Using a dataset on manufacturing trade flows in eight sectors among 40 countries and a rest-of-the-world aggregate for the period 1990-2002, it finds evidence of significant residual trade cost bias. The direction and magnitude of bias vary across sectors, with the standard onestep approach used in the literature overestimating or underestimating the partial effect of free trade agreements by up to 110%. Overall, coefficients on trade costs variables are jointly significantly different between the standard method and the two-step method. The biases in partial effect estimates translate into biases in general equilibrium effects. Chapter 3 examines the role of product relatedness in the extensive margin of trade at the bilateral level, and identifies a possible environment in which the effect operates. A potential new product’s close proximity to an existing bilateral export basket dramatically increases the probability that it will be started to be exported. The implication: it’s not just enough for an exporter to acquire product-specific capabilities to be able to export a product to a destination; it must also acquire product-destination-specific capabilities. The effect is increasing in competition. Chapter 4 analyzes changes in autarky gains from trade during the decade 1995-2006, a period of rapid globalization. First, autarky gains from trade
Introduction of nurse led DC cardioversion service in day surgery unit: prospective audit

Abstract Problem Atrial fibrillation is the most common persistent arrhythmia in adults and carries an increased risk of thromboembolism and stroke. Electrical (DC) cardioversion is an effective treatment, but logistical difficulties in many institutions lead to problems providing a prompt service. This reduces the rate of long term success, delays relief of symptoms, and increases the burden on anticoagulation clinics. Design Prospective audit of introduction of a collaborative, nurse led DC cardioversion service in a day surgery unit. Setting Day surgery unit 5 km from an acute hospital in southeast London. Key measures for improvement Waiting times, success of procedures, and complication rates. Strategies for change Collaborative working across traditional specialty boundaries; empowerment of patients within the process; using a nurse consultant as a single point of reference to coordinate the service. Effects of change Sinus rhythm was restored in 131 (92%) of the first 143 patients treated. Three patients needed hospital admission; all were discharged uneventfully within 24 hours. No important complications occurred. Waiting times were reduced from 27 weeks to eight weeks for patients eligible for the service. Lessons learnt Elective DC cardioversion under general anaesthesia can be safely done by an appropriately trained nurse in a day surgery unit remote from an acute general hospital. This model of care is effective and can reduce waiting times and relieve pressure on acute beds and junior doctors.
Analysis of Drug Interaction between Intrathecal Clonidine and MK‐801 in Peripheral Neuropathic Pain Rat Model

Background Spinally delivered alpha2 ‐adrenoceptor agonists and N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate antagonists each have been shown to have actions attenuating the hyperesthesia in rat models of nerve injury pain. Using a fixed‐dose analysis and an isobolographic paradigm, the spinal interaction between the alpha2 ‐adrenoceptor agonist clonidine and the N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate antagonist MK‐801 is characterized in a rat model of nerve injury‐induced tactile hyperesthesia. Methods Male Sprague Dawley rats were anesthetized with halothane, and the left L5 and L6 spinal nerves were ligated (Chung model). After 7–10 days' recovery, a Polyethylene tubing catheter was implanted into the lumbar intrathecal space. After recovery from catheter implantations (5–7 days), intrathecal dose‐response curves were established for the antihyperesthesia effects of clonidine (3, 6, 10, and 20 micro gram) and MK‐801 (1, 3, 10, and 20 micro gram) alone to obtain the ED50 for each agent. In separate studies, three doses of clonidine (l, 3, and 10 micro gram) were injected mixed with one dose of MK‐801 (1 micro gram) for fixed‐dose analysis, and three doses of the two agents (2, 6, and 20 micro gram) were injected jointly in a fraction of the dose ratio 1:1 for isobolographic analysis. Thresholds for left hind paw withdrawal to von Frey hair application were assessed. Results Rats with nerve ligation showed a reliable tactile hyperesthesia (mechanical threshold 1–3 g vs. normal > 15 g). Intrathecal clonidine and MK‐801 alone produced dose‐dependent reductions of tactile hyperesthesia: ED50 9 micro gram and 10 micro gram, respectively. With the fixed‐dose analysis, the log dose‐response curves showed a left shift that considerably exceeds the theoretical curve made by a simple sum of the effects of clonidine alone and with MK‐801 (1 micro gram). With the isobolographic analysis, the combination ED50 was found to be statistically less than the theoretical additive dose combination. lntrathecal atipamezole, an alpha2 antagonist, reversed the effects of clonidine and the clonidine/MK‐801 mixture but not MK‐801 alone. The side effect of clonidine was sedation and urination and that of MK‐801 was motor weakness at doses above 10 micro gram. These effects were considerably less severe in rats after equiactive doses in the combination group. Conclusions The neuropathic pain is mediated by low‐threshold mechanoreceptors, sympathetically dependent, and sensitive to both alpha sub 2 agonists and N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate antagonists. Intrathecal clonidine may act to diminish sympathetic outflow, whereas MK‐801 blocks the N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate receptor that is associated with other spinal systems related to pain transmission mechanism. The two separate mechanisms may account for the powerful synergy observed in this study. Such combinations might be useful in neuropathic pain states to potentiate the antihyperpathic effects and to reduce the side effects of each agents.
Diagnosis of deep-vein thrombosis: Adherence to guidelines and outcomes in real-world health care

Summary Current guidelines recommend optimised algorithms for diagnosis of suspected deep-vein thrombosis (DVT). There is little data to determine to what extent real-world health care adheres to guidelines, and which outcome in terms of diagnostic efficiency and safety is achieved. This registry involved patients with clinically suspected DVT of the leg recruited in German ambulatory care between October and December 2005. Registry items were: diagnostic methods applied; diagnostic categories at day 1; and venous thromboembolic events up to 90 days in patients without firmly established DVT. A total of 4,976 patients were recruited in 326 centres. Venous ultrasonography was performed in 4,770 patients (96%), D-dimer assay in 1,773 patients (36%) and venography in 288 patients (6%). At day 1, DVT was confirmed in 1,388 patients (28%), and ruled out in 3,389 patients (68%), and work-up was inconclusive in 199 patients (4%). The rate of venous thromboembolism at 90 days was 0.34% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.09 to 0.88) in patients in whom the diagnosis of DVT had been ruled out, and 2.50% (95% CI: 0.69 to 6.28) in patients with inconclusive diagnostic workup. This nationwide evaluation in German ambulatory care revealed that the diagnostic work-up for suspected DVT did not adhere to current guidelines. However, the overall diagnostic safety was excellent, although there is potential for improvement in a well defined minority of patients. The TULIPA registry was funded by GlaxoSmithKline GmbH und Co KG, Munich.