Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Insights into and relative effect of chitosan-krill oil, chitosan-H-aspirin, chitosan-H-krill oil-nystatin and chitosan-H-krill oil-aspirin-nystatin on dentin bond strength and functional drug delivery capacity: In-vitro studies

Background: Restorative materials in the new era aim to be "bio-active" and long-lasting. The purpose of this study was to design and to evaluate a novel chitosan hydrogels containing krill oil (antioxidant containing material), nystatin (antifungal), aspirin (pain relieve medication and free radical scavengers) and combinations thereof (chitosan-H-krill oil, chitosan-H-krill oil-nystatin and chitosan-H-aspirin, chitosan-H-aspirin-nystatin, chitosan-H-krill oil-aspirin and chitosan-H-krill oil-aspirin-nystatin) as functional additive prototypes for further development of "dual function restorative materials," and secondly to determine their effect on the dentin bond strength of a composite. Materials and Methods: The above-mentioned hydrogels were prepared by dispersion the corresponding component in glycerol and acetic acid with the addition of chitosan gelling agent. The surface morphology (scanning electron microscope (SEM)), release behaviors (physiological pH and also in acidic conditions), stability of the therapeutic agent-antioxidant-chitosan and the effect of the hydrogels on the shear bond strength of dentin were also evaluated. Results: The release of nystatin and aspirin confer the added benefit of synergistic action of a functional therapeutic delivery when comparing the newly designed chitosan-based hydrogel restorative materials to the commercially available products alone. Neither the release of nystatin and aspirin nor the antioxidant stability was affected by storage over a 6 month period. The hydrogel formulations have a uniform distribution of drug content, homogenous texture and yellow color (SEM study). All chitosan dentin treated hydrogels gave significantly (P<0.05; non-parametric ANOVA test) higher shear bond values (P<0.05) than dentin treated or not treated with phosphoric acid. Conclusion: The added benefits of the chitosan treated hydrogels involved positive influence on the nystatin and aspirin release as well as increased dentin bond strength.
In-Service Teacher Training in Japan and Turkey: A Comparative Analysis of Institutions and Practices

The purpose of this study is to compare policies and practices relating to teacher in-service training in Japan and Turkey. On the basis of the findings of the study, suggestions are made about in-service training activities in Turkey. The research was carried using qualitative research methods. In-service training activities in the two education systems were investigated through visits to the educational institutions and semi-structured interviews. The study indicates that the most important problems facing in-service training activities in Turkey are a lack of professional staff, no collaborative partnerships between teachers, no provision for feedback and no systematic in-service training model.
Clinical evaluation of patient following stroke: Proposed stroke patient taxonomy based on cluster analysis method

This study describes the use of a cluster analysis method to develop a stroke patient taxonomy. Fifty-five volunteer patients, average age 50.4 ± 14.7 years, who had suffered a cerebrovascular accident (CVA) were included in the study. The average time from CVA to beginning active rehabilitation was 3.0 ± 1.7 months. On arrival at the rehabilitation centre, the patients were evaluated by two physiotherapists with a method based on the Bobath approach. The method uses four variables: tonus, postural reactions, reflex activity, and active movement. Agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis was the statistical method used. Analysis of the dendrogram led to the identification of five taxonomy categories. There are two main categories: one that includes a set of items that describe a stroke patient whose motor performance is relatively good, and another category that includes a set of items which describe patients presenting weaker motor performance. It appears that the proposed taxonomy could guide the development of treatment plans for stroke patients. A multicentre study needs to be conducted in order to replicate these results using larger numbers of subjects.
Emergency Medical Services In Iran: An Overview

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in Iran, named "Emergency 115," was established in 1978 with cooperation from America. In Iran, EMS delivery is financed by the government and is free of charge. Established standards call for a response time of less than eight minutes in cities and less than 15 minutes in suburban areas for 80% of the cases, and this standard has been met everywhere in the country except for Tehran (the capital of Iran). Emergency services coverage for traffic accidents has exceeded 52.3%. In recent years, the Foundation of Medical Emergency Schools has established emergency medicine training programs for both EMS personnel and the general public. Also, personnel of the Iran Medical Emergency and Accidents Management Organization are establishing the standards for hospital emergency procedures and providing oversight of the emergency departments in hospitals. Over all, pre-hospital emergency services have made notable advances, and they are continuing to improve.
Five‐Years Experience with Intravascular Lead Extraction

From December 1988 to April 1994, the extraction of 2,195 intravascular pacing leads from 1.299 patients was attempted at 193 centers. Indications were: infection (54%, including 10% septicemia), pacemaker reoperation with removal of nonfunctional or incompatible leads (40%), and other causes (6%). Extraction was attempted via the implant vein using locking stylets and dilator sheaths, via the femoral vein using snares, retrieval baskets, and sheaths, or via both approaches. Leads had been implanted for 0.2 months to 24 years (mean 56 months). At the conclusion of the intravascular procedure, 86.8% of the leads were completely removed, 7.5% were partially removed, and 5.7% were not removed. For physicians performing their first case, 12% of leads were not removed; for physicians who had performed more than 10 cases, only 2% of leads were not removed. Of the 189 leads where extraction attempts had previously failed, 75.1% were completely removed, 14.8% were partially removed, and 10.1% were not removed. Scar tissue increased in severity with implant duration, was a complicating factor, and was the main cause of failure to remove leads. Use of the femoral approach increased with implant duration (5% of leads implanted 12 months or less, 11% of leads 13 months to 3 years, 20% of leads 4–7 years, and 31 % of leads 8–24 years), primarily because of increasingly abundant scarring and prior lead damage. Fatal and near fatal complications occurred in 2.5%. including 8 (0.6%) deaths (3 hemopericardium/tamponade, 1 hemothorax, 3 pulmonary embolus, 1 stroke). With experienced operators, appropriate precautions, and appropriate patient selection, modern techniques allow the successful extraction of up to nearly 98% of intravascular leads with a relatively low incidence of complications.
Impact of Alcohol Intake and Drinking Patterns on Mortality From All Causes and Major Causes of Death in a Japanese Population

Background We examined the associations of alcohol consumption and liver holidays with all-cause mortality and with mortality due to cancer, heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, respiratory disease, and injury using a large-scale prospective study in Japan. Methods We followed 102,849 Japanese who were aged between 40 and 69 years at baseline for 18.2 years on average, during which 15,203 deaths were reported. Associations between alcohol intake and mortality risk were assessed using a Cox proportional hazards model, with analysis by the number of liver holidays (in which a person abstains from drinking for several days a week). Results A J-shaped association was observed between alcohol intake and total mortality in men (nondrinkers: reference; occasional drinkers: hazard ratio [HR] 0.74; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.68–0.80; 1–149 g/week: HR 0.76; 95% CI, 0.71–0.81; 150–299 g/week: HR 0.75; 95% CI, 0.70–0.80; 300–449 g/week: HR 0.84; 95% CI, 0.78–0.91; 450–599 g/week: HR 0.92; 95% CI, 0.83–1.01; and ≥600 g/week: HR 1.19; 95% CI, 1.07–1.32) and in women (nondrinkers: reference; occasional: HR 0.75; 95% CI, 0.70–0.82; 1–149 g/week: HR 0.80; 95% CI, 0.73–0.88; 150–299 g/week: HR 0.91; 95% CI, 0.74–1.13; 300–449 g/week: HR 1.04; 95% CI, 0.73–1.48; and ≥450 g/week: HR 1.59; 95% CI, 1.07–2.38). In current drinkers, alcohol consumption was associated with a linear, positive increase in mortality risk from all causes, cancer, and cerebrovascular disease in both men and women, but not heart disease in men. Taking of liver holidays was associated with a lower risk of cancer and cerebrovascular disease mortality in men. Conclusions Alcohol intake showed J-shaped associations with the risk of total mortality and three leading causes of death. However, heavy drinking increases the risk of mortality, which highlights the necessity of drinking in moderation coupled with liver holidays.
Combined Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing and 99m TC Sestamibi Myocardial Imaging in Trained vs Untrained Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

Background: The benefit of exercise training in patients (pts) with coronary artery disease (CAD) is widely conceptual while mentioning several improving systems. Methods: Cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) parameters and simultaneous evaluation of myocardial ischemia were performed in 15 trained and 20 untrained pts with CAD and 9 control subjects without coronary disease. The degree of ischemia was evaluated in all 44 subjects, using a 99m sestamibi myocardial perfusion imaging carried out simultaneously with the CPET. Results: Peak oxygen consumption (peak-V . O 2) was significantly higher (p < 0.001) and the ischemia score was significantly lower (p < 0.001) in the trained pts (1989 ± 422 ml/min and 0.8 ± 0.65, respectively) than in untrained pts (1608 ± 296 ml/min and 1.79 ± 0.95, respectively). The peak oxygen pulse (peak-O2-P) was significantly higher (139 ± 29 % vs 94 ± 11 % of predicted values; p < 0.001) and the decrease in peak heart rate (peak-HR) was also more marked in the trained group (70 ± 11 % vs 84 ± 9 % of predicted values; p < 0.001). Conclusion: The improvement in ischemia score in the trained pts correlates with increased stroke volume (related to the O2-P) together with the concomitant reduction in peak-HR, while allowing even higher cardiac output in these pts. Such an effect is metabolically energy-efficient for the ischemic myocardium and is sufficient to explain the improvement in cardiopulmonary function in CAD. J Clin Basic Cardiol 2009; 12 (online): 2–4.
Micturition disorders in multiple sclerosis patients: neurological, neurourodynamic and magnetic resonance findings

Micturition disorders are frequent in an advanced course of multiple sclerosis. Historical records of multiple sclerosis patients reveal that urinary symptoms occur with high frequence. In the present study we have investigated all patients who were admitted to our Multiple Sclerosis Center in a 1 year period. AH patients underwent a neurological examination corroborated by MRI investigation. Out of 101 patients, 75 who reported urinary symptoms, underwent neurourodynamic investigation. Sixty of them exhibited functional micturition abnormalities, which were strictly correlated to EDSS, pyramidal and cerebellar functional statuses scores. Detrusor hyperreflexia was the commonest abnormality. Neurourodynamic findings were also correlated to the burden of lesion, although MRI seems to fail in localizing specific neural pathways which control micturition phases. Moreover, urodynamic evaluation can select different groups of MS patients with different degrees of neurological impairment.
Influence of physiotherapy on leg blood flow in patients with complete spinal cord injury lesions

Passive leg movement is a procedure to prevent deep vein thrombosis (DVT) of the lower limbs in acute spinal cord injury (SCI) patients. This study addressed the question of whether this mode of treatment increases blood flow in the skin and muscles of the paralysed leg. Six patients (4 males, 2 females) aged 18-71 years with acute complete motor lesions (levels C5-T8) were studied during the first 3-4 weeks post-injury. Arterial blood flow, skin blood flow and skin temperature were registered using venous occlusion plethysmography, laser-Doppler technique and a skin thermometer, respectively, before and after a series of 5 and 30 repetitions of passive leg flexion-extension movements. The increase in blood flow was slight or absent after treatment and there was no difference between the 5- and 30-movement series. The parameters studied did not indicate any useful effects of passive leg movements in the prevention of thrombosis in acute SCI patients.
One Foot in, One Foot out

As radical health professionals, we have the triple identity of workers, of activists, and of intellectuals that creates the cauldron in which we live contradictory lives. We share the concerns of other workers for salaries, job security, health and safety at work, and work load. But like teachers and unlike most other workers we are not completely alienated from our work and have a stake in the outcomes of our labors that we are not always free to express or act on. As professionals, we share with our colleagues the intellectual curiosity about the origins of new infectious diseases, how racism exhausts the adrenals, or the egg-laying behavior of mosquitoes in polluted environments but may be in conflict with them around the need for universal free health care, or distorted priority given to molecular approaches to disease. We are partisans in institutions that feign neutrality. As activists, we are unwilling to accept the boundaries of “professionalism” and both learn from and offer our understanding to our communities of struggle. These three moments of our lives sometimes conflict but are also mutually enriching. There is no single formula for navigating this turbulent habitat but there is an array of options for avoiding burn-out and enjoying a life that is politically productive, intellectually challenging, and with lovely people.
Benign breast diseases: experience at a teaching hospital in rural India

Background: Though benign breast diseases are very common with nearly 1/3 of women suffering some time during their life time, not many studies have focused on this entity, especially in rural areas. Our teaching hospital situated amongst the villages in rural part of India provided the right background for the study. Objective: To determine the frequency of benign breast diseases in a teaching hospital situated in the rural setting and to analyze the role of triple assessment in assessing benign breast diseases. Study design: Prospective, descriptive study. Setting: MVJ Medical College and Research Hospital, Hoskote, Bangalore Rural district, Karnataka, India. Method of study: Data including age, complaints, clinical examination, radiological investigations and histopathological diagnosis was collected from patients presenting to the department of surgery with breast complaints. Patients with carcinoma of the breast were excluded from the study. Results: A total of 110 patients were studied between November 2009 to March 2011. Mean age of patients was 28.6 years. Fibroadenoma was the most common diagnosis in 56.4% followed by fibroadenosis in 20.9%. There was one case each of lipoma, tuberculosis and duct ectasia and two cases of atypical ductal hyperplasia. The sensitivity of clinical diagnosis in our study was 91.1% and FNAC was 100% accurate in all patients with fibroadenoma but had a sensitivity of only 78% in the diagnosis of fibroadenosis. Only 3.3% of cases of fibroadenoma were treated conservatively.
Probabilistic Thinking and Death Anxiety: A Terror Management based Study

Terror Management Theory has been utilized to understand how death can change behavioral outcomes and social dynamics. One area that is not well researched is why individuals willingly engage in risky behavior that could accelerate their mortality. One method of distancing a potential life threatening outcome when engaging in risky behaviors is through stacking probability in favor of the event not occurring, termed probabilistic thinking. The present study examines the creation and psychometric properties of the Probabilistic Thinking scale in a sample of young, middle aged, and older adults (n = 472). The scale demonstrated adequate internal consistency reliability for each of the four subscales, excellent overall internal consistency, and good construct validity regarding relationships with measures of death anxiety. Reliable age and gender effects in probabilistic thinking were also observed. The relationship of probabilistic thinking as part of a cultural buffer against death anxiety is discussed, as well as its implications for Terror Management research.
Transitions: Exploring the Frontier

End-of-life experiences go by various terms, including near-death experiences (NDEs), deathbed visions, deathbed phenomena, deathbed coincidences, and nearing death awareness. Deathbed escorts is the term applied to the vision of deceased family members or friends who inform the dying person that they will be accompanied in the transition from life. In this article, I examine the subject of NDEs and deathbed escorts, starting with the rich body of work provided by Robert and Beatrice Kastenbaum. A subject of some interest to Robert Kastenbaum, he explored this frontier in his many writings on dying, death, and bereavement. Ever the pioneer and having made the ultimate transition, he may yet be exploring new frontiers.
THE ANALYSIS OF EDIBLE PLATE WASTE RESULTS IN 11 HOSPITALS IN THE UK

The edible plate waste of patients were examined at 11 hospitals in the UK during a period of three consecutive days including breakfast, lunch and evening meal. The mean plate waste left by patients was 14% of the weight of the food served. Mean breakfast plate waste was significantly lower than those of lunch and dinner. The survey showed that 55.8% of all patients surveyed left some of their food. At the same time, a questionnaire survey was used to determine the view of patients of key aspects of the hospital foodservice system. The majority of female patients surveyed indicated that they left a proportion of their food because the portion size was too large, whereas male patients indicated that low appetite was the primary reason.
Anagrelide hydrochloride for essential thrombocythemia

Introduction: Essential thrombocytemia (ET) is a myeloproliferative neoplasm characterized by an elevated platelet count and an increased risk of thrombohemorrhagic events. Anagrelide hydrochloride (AG) is an imidazolequinazoline derivative that inhibits bone marrow megakaryocytopoiesis, and this activity underlies the use of the drug in reducing the high platelet count in ET. In Europe, AG was licensed by the European Medicines Agency in 2004. Areas covered: An overview of the unmet medical needs of currently available therapies for ET and the rationale of AG in the management of this condition is presented. Salient features of the mechanism of action of AG, data on clinical efficacy including Phase I – III studies and randomized controlled clinical trials are reported. Safety and tolerability issues are also reviewed. Expert opinion: AG is being used in Europe as a second- or further-line treatment in high-risk ET patients that do not tolerate or are refractory to their current therapies; but in real life, there is some off-label use of AG as a first-line drug. There are still uncertainties in the treatment of ET, such as the definition of the response criteria and the end points of clinical relevance for future studies.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Theory and Treatment Update

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the few mental disorders in which the cause is readily identifiable. In this article, we review the new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) diagnostic criteria, prevalence, and presentation of patients with PTSD in primary care. The purpose of this article is to review current literature regarding theory, etiology, and treatment effectiveness. Key findings in terms of neurobiological underpinnings with implications for future treatment are discussed. Recommendations regarding effective psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy, emerging treatment, and management issues in primary care settings are offered.
Early Treatment Withdrawal from Evidence-Based Psychotherapy for PTSD: Telemedicine and in-Person Parameters

Objective: To determine differences in reported barriers to treatment completion associated with telemedicine vs. in-person delivery of evidence-based treatment for PTSD in combat veterans. Method: The present study was derived from two ongoing randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing in-person vs. telemedicine delivery of exposure therapy for PTSD. A onetime telephone assessment of participants who dropped out from the treatment phase of these two studies was conducted, with measures focusing on reported reasons for dropout, and perceived comfort and efficacy of the treatment modality. Dichotomous data were analyzed via chi-square and logistic regression; continuous data via ANOVA. Results: Forty-seven of 69 total dropouts participated. There was no difference in rate of dropout between modalities. A greater proportion of participants receiving in-person exposure therapy reported difficulties with logistical aspects of care (e.g., parking), whereas a greater proportion of participants receiving telemedicine therapy reported difficulty tolerating certain stressful aspects of treatment; however, those receiving telemedicine delivered treatment completed more sessions before dropping out. Participants in both conditions reported that they liked and were confident in their therapist Conclusions: Dropout reasons varied according to type of treatment delivery. Recommendations for future research are given in terms of modification of treatment protocol according to delivery modality.
Preventing Tractor-Related Injuries and Deaths in Rural Populations: Using a Persuasive Health Message Framework in Formative Evaluation Research

Though agriculture is the most dangerous occupation in the United States, two key issues impede the effectiveness of farm safety interventions. First, little is known about what farmers think about farm equipment accidents and safety procedures. Second, current safety interventions are typically atheoretical and focus on information exchange, instead of persuasion. Formative evaluation is desperately needed, but rarely used in farm safety campaigns. The study reported here represents a formative evaluation based on a theoretically-grounded persuasive health message framework. The goal of this formative evaluation was to discover farmers' safety practices, as well as their beliefs about farm equipment accidents and safety. Methodological triangulation was achieved by assessing farmers' beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors via face-to-face interviews (N = 46), telephone interviews (N = 48), and mailed surveys (N = 177). The formative evaluation revealed that farmers believe farm equipment accidents to be severe and dangerous, yet believe themselves to be invulnerable to these accidents. East Texas Farmer, Fall 1992 [My neighbor's wife] was running the big old tractor to shredding. And she hit a stump and it throwed her off and it run over her. Them big old tires run right over her and that shredder still running just chopped her all to pieces. Killed her just real quick.