Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Concern regarding bodyweight and energy balance in a group of female university students from Madrid: differences with respect to body mass index.

OBJECTIVE There are powerful social and psychological motivators that oblige a high proportion of women to restrict their energy intake for purely aesthetic reasons. The purpose of this research was to assess the relationships between concern regarding body weight and energy balance in a group of female university students from Madrid, Spain, with respect to differences in body mass index (BMI). DESIGN 126 subjects completed a questionnaire asking if they were happy with their body weight, if they considered themselves fat, and if they would like to lose some weight. Energy intake was measured by means of a 7-day food record. Food intake was recorded by weight, except for that consumed away from home which was recorded using traditional household quantities. A comparison of energy intake and estimated energy expenditure was performed, using equations proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO), to provide a measure of the under- or overestimation of intake. RESULTS All subjects with BMI > or = 25 kg/m2 (6.2% of the total) described themselves as fat. 71.4% had, at some time, followed a weight-reduction diet. However, even among subjects with BMI < 20 kg/m2 (28.4% of the total), 2.9% thought themselves fat and 17.1% had at some time followed a slimming diet. This shows excessive concern over losing weight in some women. Estimated energy expenditure was similar to energy intake in subjects with BMI < 20 kg/m2. However, as BMI rose (with a corresponding increase in theoretical energy expenditure), the reported energy intake decreased. It is therefore likely that underestimation of energy intake increased with BMI (r = 0.4498). CONCLUSION These results indicate that a large percentage of the women studied would like to lose weight until they reach, or indeed exceed, the lower limit of the acceptable normal range. This could be a danger to their health. Underestimation of energy intake was found to increase with BMI, a phenomenon that should be kept in mind when designing diet studies.
Direct coronary stenting compared with stenting after predilatation is feasible, safe, and more cost-effective in selected patients: evidence to date indicating similar late outcomes

OBJECTIVES: To review the currently available data from studies assessing feasibility, safety, clinical outcome and cost-effectiveness of direct stenting. BACKGROUND: With technical advances of stent designs and their delivery systems a new strategy has become increasingly popular: direct stent implantation without prior balloon dilatation. METHODS: The Medline database was searched from January 1996 to March 2001 for clinical trials investigating direct stenting using the index terms direct stenting, coronary intervention, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), PCI, angioplasty and ischemic heart disease. Studies were chosen based on the number of patients involved and endpoints mentioned. Data not yet published but presented at recent international meetings were also included. A comparison between direct stenting and stenting with predilatation was performed using for the latter results of the randomized trials supplemented with Benestent II data. RESULTS: At least 26 studies have investigated direct stenting, showing high primary and final success rates with few complications. Direct stenting provides a way to reduce costs, shorten procedural and fluoroscopy times and lower material consumption. Immediate and long-term clinical outcomes appear to be similar to stenting with predilatation. Preliminary results of large randomized trials with angiographic follow-up indicate that restenosis rates are similar to those of conventional stenting strategies. CONCLUSIONS: Direct stenting compared with stenting with predilatation is feasible, safe, faster and more cost-effective. The evidence to date shows similar late outcomes. (Int J Cardiovasc Intervent 2003; 5: 143-150)
High‐dose erythropoietin for tissue protection

The discovery of potential anti‐apoptotic and cytoprotective effects of recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) has led to clinical trials investigating the use of high‐dose, short‐term rHuEPO therapy for tissue protection in conditions such as stroke and myocardial infarction. Experimental studies have been favourable, but the clinical efficacy has yet to be validated.
Age Differences in Learning Maintenance Skills: A Field Study

The effects of age and previous relevant experience on learning anxiety, strategies, and performance were studied in 43 workers aged 25 to 49 during a 1-week maintenance vocational training course. The results showed that increased age was associated with higher training-related anxiety as measured at the beginning of the course. However, no age difference could be found in the level of knowledge assessed after 3 days of training. This was confirmed by another problem-solving-type test that took place on the last day. Previous experience had no effect on anxiety, and it did enable us to predict higher scores for the first test but not for the second one. Analysis of behavior strategies revealed that older trainees consulted and annotated the course material more often than the younger ones during the learning process. The results are discussed in relation to those obtained in previous laboratory and field studies on the same subject.
Mild cognitive impairment with subcortical vascular features: clinical characteristics and outcome.

OBJECTIVES To identify non-demented individuals with cognitive impairment due to a cerebrovascular etiology among those coming to observation of a memory clinic and to describe their clinical features and outcome. METHODS Patients were enrolled in a prospective study on early cognitive impairment carried out in a Memory Clinic. Mild cognitive impairment of the vascular type (MCI-V) was defined based on modified criteria for subcortical vascular dementia (SVD) by Erkinjuntti and colleagues. Twenty-nine patients with MCI-V (age 78 +/- 7, Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE) 24 +/- 3) were compared with 14 with mild cognitive impairment of degenerative etiology (MCI) based on the Mayo Clinic criteria (age 72 +/- 9, MMSE 25 +/- 2), and to 21 patients with frank SVD (age 80 +/- 6, MMSE 21 +/- 3). Patients were followed over time for 32 +/- 8 months. RESULTS MCI-V patients had a neuropsychological profile characterized by poor performance on frontal tests (Wisconsin card sorting and word fluency) and neurological features of parkinsonism without tremor (impairment of balance and gait). Of those followed for at least 40 months, 50 % of patients with MCI-V and SVD had died, while all MCI patients were still alive ( P = 0.03). Of those alive, 68 % of the MCI-V, 52 % of the SVD, and 17 % of the MCI patients had reached one of the following outcomes at 40 months: nursing home placement, functional loss, and cognitive deterioration ( P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS Patients with MCI-V have a distinctive clinical picture and can be identified in a clinical setting. Because of the high frequency of adverse outcomes, very early preventive measures need to be devised.
H∞ group consensus for clusters of agents with model uncertainty and external disturbance

In this paper, the problem of H∞ group consensus is addressed for networks of agents modeled by single-integrator with model uncertainty and external disturbance. The first part of the work is to show that the group consensus with desired H∞ performance can be achieved under some sufficient conditions that are established in terms of the structure and strength of the couplings among agents. Then given the observation that the theoretical values of the coupling strengths are usually much larger than expected in practical situations, the second part of the work is concerned with developing an adaptation law to tackle such coupling strength problem.
Clinical Assessment of Various Obturating Techniques for Primary Teeth: A Comparative Study.

INTRODUCTION Lifelong preservation of tooth in a healthy state is the ultimate goal of dentistry. Premature loss of primary teeth is common due to caries, dental trauma or other causes. As the primary teeth are the best space maintainers, teeth with infected pulps should be retained until exfoliation, whenever possible. AIM The purpose of this in vivo study was to evaluate and compare the efficacy of different obturating methods used in primary teeth. MATERIALS AND METHODS Forty one patients aged four to nine years with a total of 60 teeth were selected. Out of the 60 teeth, 32 were primary mandibular first molars and 28 were primary mandibular second molars, the sample was randomly divided into three groups. Disposable syringe, lentulo spiral and past inject were used for obturation. Postoperative evaluation was done for; quality of canal obturation, presence of voids using postoperative radiographs following obturation of teeth. The data were analysed to assess the success rate of the three methods used for obturation using Chi-square test. RESULTS Among the three groups of the study, past inject exhibited the maximum number of optimally filled canals. Maximum number of underfilled canals was found with lentulospiral, and the maximum number of overfilled canals was seen with disposable syringe. Least number of voids was observed in canals filled with the past inject technique and disposable syringe. CONCLUSION The results suggest that the most successful technique for obturation of primary teeth was past inject.
Alcohol content variation of bar and restaurant drinks in Northern California.

OBJECTIVE To estimate the average of and sources of variation in the alcohol content of drinks served on premise in 10 Northern Californian counties. METHODS Focus groups of bartenders were conducted to evaluate potential sources of drink alcohol content variation. In the main study, 80 establishments were visited by a team of research personnel who purchased and measured the volume of particular beer, wine, and spirit drinks. Brand or analysis of a sample of the drink was used to determine the alcohol concentration by volume. RESULTS The average wine drink was found to contain 43% more alcohol than a standard drink, with no difference between red and white wine. The average draught beer was 22% greater than the standard. Spirit drinks differed by type with the average shot being equal to one standard drink while mixed drinks were 42% greater. Variation in alcohol content was particularly wide for wine and mixed spirit drinks. No significant differences in mean drink alcohol content were observed by county for beer or spirits but one county was lower than two others for wine. CONCLUSIONS On premise drinks typically contained more alcohol than the standard drink with the exception of shots and bottled beers. Wine and mixed spirit drinks were the largest with nearly 1.5 times the alcohol of a standard drink on average. Consumers should be made aware of these substantial differences and key sources of variation in drink alcohol content, and research studies should utilize this information in the interpretation of reported numbers of drinks.
A controlled trial of fluconazole to prevent fungal infections in patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation.

BACKGROUND AND METHODS Superficial and systemic fungal infections are a major problem among severely immunocompromised patients who undergo bone marrow transplantation. We performed a double-blind, randomized, multicenter trial in which patients receiving bone marrow transplants were randomly assigned to receive placebo or fluconazole (400 mg daily). Fluconazole or placebo was administered prophylactically from the start of the conditioning regimen until the neutrophil count returned to 1000 per microliter, toxicity was suspected, or a systemic fungal infection was suspected or proved. RESULTS By the end of the treatment period, 67.2 percent of the 177 patients assigned to placebo had a positive fungal culture of specimens from any site, as compared with 29.6 percent of the 179 patients assigned to fluconazole. Among these, superficial infections were diagnosed in 33.3 percent of the patients receiving placebo and in 8.4 percent of the patients receiving fluconazole (P less than 0.001). Systemic fungal infections occurred in 28 patients who received placebo as compared with 5 who received fluconazole (15.8 percent vs. 2.8 percent, P less than 0.001). Fluconazole prevented infection with all strains of candida except Candida krusei. Fluconazole was well tolerated, although patients who received it had a higher mean increase in alanine aminotransferase levels than patients who received placebo. Although there was no significant difference in overall mortality between the groups, fewer deaths were ascribed to acute systemic fungal infections in the group receiving fluconazole than in the group receiving placebo (1 of 179 vs. 10 of 177, P less than 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Prophylactic administration of fluconazole to recipients of bone marrow transplants reduces the incidence of both systemic and superficial fungal infections.
Reproducibility of a 75G oral glucose tolerance test in pregnant women

Abstract Objective: To determine the reproducibility of the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Design: A retrospective study of 205 women who underwent screening for gestational diabetes. Setting: A university teaching hospital in a South African city. Sample: Women who had an abnormal OGTT had the test repeated during the same pregnancy without any diabetic or dietary advice given in the intervening time period. Methods: Women with two OGTTs in the same pregnancy had a proforma completed at the time. Completed proformas were filed and reviewed for the purpose of this study. Main outcome measure: The κ statistic was used for estimating the agreement between repeated tests using the same nominal or dichotomous scale. Results: The OGTT was repeated during the index pregnancy in 205 women and in a subset of 76 women within 17 days. The κ statistic was 0.269 for 205 women and 0.212 for 76 women for the fasting glucose value (fair strength of agreement). The κ statistic for the 2-h glucose value was 0.157 for 205 patients and 0.174 for 76 patients (slight strength of agreement). The overall OGGT classification produced κ statistics of 0.167 and 0.150 for the whole group and the 76 patients, respectively. Conclusion: The reproducibility was better with the fasting glucose and less with the 2-h result and the overall OGGT classification. Caution needs to be exercised when interpreting the single positive result of an OGTT in pregnant women.
Evaluation of cell survival, DNA double strand breaks, and DNA synthesis during concurrent camptothecin and X‐radiation treatments

We evaluated cell survival, DNA double strand breaks (dsbs), and DNA synthesis following camptothecin (CPT) alone or concurrent CPT and X‐radiation treatments in exponential‐phase cultures of a radioresistant human melanoma cell line. Cell survival was measured by a clonogenic assay. DNA dsbs were measured by pulsed‐field gel electrophoresis. DNA synthesis was measured by incorporation of 3H‐thymidine. We found that (i) concurrent CPT and X‐radiation interacted additively, unlike previous results with plateau‐phase cultures of these cells, which showed synergistic interaction; (ii) there were strong negative correlations (correlation coefficients of at least 0.82) between clonogenic surviving fractions and DNA dsbs following CPT alone or concurrent CPT and radiation treatments; and (iii) concurrent CPT and radiation (10 Gy) treatment did not completely inhibit DNA synthesis, even though addition of radiation to CPT did further decrease DNA synthesis (relative to CPT alone) at CPT concentrations below 20 μM. Our results suggest that during concurrent CPT and radiation treatment residual DNA dsb levels were good indicators of cell killing and that the absence of complete inhibition of DNA synthesis could at least in part explain the additive interaction between CPT and radiation. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Age‐related prevalence of dermoscopy patterns in acquired melanocytic naevi

Background Based on the dermoscopic classification of acquired melanocytic naevi, six different dermoscopic types can be distinguished by morphology (globular, globular‐reticular, globular‐homogeneous, reticular, reticular‐homogeneous, homogeneous) and by pigment distribution (uniform, central hyperpigmentation, central hypopigmentation, peripheral hyperpigmentation, peripheral hypopigmentation, multifocal hyper/hypopigmentation). It has been suggested that most individuals harbour one predominant dermoscopic type among their naevi.
Polymorphisms of methionine synthase and methionine synthase reductase and risk of lung cancer: a case–control analysis

Although tobacco is the major lung cancer risk factor, folate deficiency has also been implicated as a risk. Methionine synthase (MS; gene symbol, MTR) and methionine synthase reductase (MSR; gene symbol, MTRR) play important roles in the folate metabolism pathway. It was hypothesized that polymorphisms of MTR and MTRR are associated with lung cancer risk and interact with dietary intake of folate-related nutrients in lung cancer etiology. In a hospital-based, case–control study of 1035 lung cancer cases and 1148 controls of non-Hispanic whites, frequency matched by age, sex, ethnicity and smoking status, the MTR 2756A>G and MTRR 66A>G polymorphisms were genotyped. It was found that the MTRRG allele was associated with a significantly increased lung cancer risk [adjusted odd ratio (OR)=1.34, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.06–1.70 for the AG genotype and OR=1.39, 95% CI=1.08–1.78 for the GG genotype compared to the AA genotype]. Further analysis suggested some evidence of gene–diet interactions between the MTRR 66A>G polymorphism and dietary intake of total folate and vitamin B12. When the two polymorphisms were evaluated together by the number of the variant alleles (i.e. the MTR2756G and MTRR66A), lung cancer risk was significantly increased in a dose-dependent manner (Ptrend=0.045). The risk of lung cancer was 1.29 (0.98–1.69) for one variant allele, and 1.36 (1.04–1.77) for two or more variant alleles compared to the wild-type (0 variant allele) genotype. In conclusion, our data provide evidence supporting the association between the MTR 2756A>G and MTRR 66A>G polymorphisms and lung cancer risk, which may be modulated by dietary nutrient intake.
UNTERSUCHUNG DER LEISTUNGSFAEHIGKEIT UND VERKEHRSSICHERHEIT AN DEUTSCHEN KREISVERKEHRSPLAETZEN

Ziel der Arbeit ist es zu untersuchen, ob die ueberwiegend positiven Erfahrungen aus dem Ausland insbesondere hinsichtlich der Verkehrssicherheit auch fuer deutsche Verhaeltnisse bestaetigt werden koennen. Vorher-Nachher-Untersuchungen ergaben Verbesserungen der Unfalldaten nach dem Umbau der Kreuzungen zu Kreisverkehrsplaetzen. Zur Beurteilung der Verkehrssicherheit sollte man jedoch nach grossen, mehrspurigen Kreisen und kleinen, einspurigen Kreisverkehren differenzieren. Darueber hinaus werden Berechnungsgrundlagen zur Ermittlung der Leistungsfaehigkeit von Kreisverkehren aufgestellt. Mit Hilfe der Regressionsanalysen ergaben sich als wichtigste Einflussparameter die Verkehrsstaerke im Kreis, die Anzahl der Spuren in den Zufahrten und in der Kreisfahrbahn. Weiterhin wurden die Einfluesse der Fussgaenger, der Radfahrer und der ausfahrenden Fahrzeuge auf die Leistungsfaehigkeit untersucht. Es zeigte sich aber auch, dass es moeglich ist, die Leistungsfaehigkeit der Kreisverkehrsplaetze mit den Grundlagen der Zeitlueckentheorie zu ermitteln.
Phosphate Availability Alters Architecture and Causes Changes in Hormone Sensitivity in the Arabidopsis Root System1

The postembryonic developmental program of the plant root system is plastic and allows changes in root architecture to adapt to environmental conditions such as water and nutrient availability. Among essential nutrients, phosphorus (P) often limits plant productivity because of its low mobility in soil. Therefore, the architecture of the root system may determine the capacity of the plant to acquire this nutrient. We studied the effect of P availability on the development of the root system in Arabidopsis. We found that at P-limiting conditions (<50 μm), the Arabidopsis root system undergoes major architectural changes in terms of lateral root number, lateral root density, and primary root length. Treatment with auxins and auxin antagonists indicate that these changes are related to an increase in auxin sensitivity in the roots of P-deprived Arabidopsis seedlings. It was also found that the axr1-3, axr2-1, and axr4-1 Arabidopsis mutants have normal responses to low P availability conditions, whereas the iaa28-1mutant shows resistance to the stimulatory effects of low P on root hair and lateral root formation. Analysis of ethylene signaling mutants and treatments with 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid showed that ethylene does not promote lateral root formation under P deprivation. These results suggest that in Arabidopsis, auxin sensitivity may play a fundamental role in the modifications of root architecture by P availability.
Urinary incontinence after surgery for pelvic organ prolapse

This study focused on the changes in urinary incontinence (UI) rates pre‐ and postoperatively and identified risk factors which predict the presence of symptoms of urgency urinary incontinence (UUI) or stress urinary incontinence (SUI) after surgery for pelvic organ prolapse (POP) without concomitant or previous anti‐incontinence surgery.
Phosphorylation of the hepatitis delta virus antigens

We used two-dimensional electrophoresis (nonequilibrium pH gradient electrophoresis followed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-10% polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis) coupled with 32P labeling and immunoblotting detection with 125I-protein A to detect and quantitate phosphorylation of the large and small forms of the delta antigen (deltaAg-L and deltaAg-S, respectively). Analysis of deltaAg species from the serum and liver of an infected woodchuck as well as deltaAg species expressed in and secreted from transfected Huh7 cells revealed the following. (i) No detectable phosphorylation of deltaAg-S occurred. (ii) In virions from the serum of an infected animal and in the particles secreted from cotransfected cells, none of the deltaAg-L was phosphorylated. (iii) Only in the infected liver and in transfected cells was any phosphorylation detected; it corresponded to a monophosphorylated form of deltaAg-L. Given these results, we carried out serine-to-alanine mutagenesis of the deltaAg-L to determine whether the monophosphorylation was predominantly at a specific site on the unique 19-amino-acid (aa) extension. We mutated each of the two serines, aa 207 and 210, on this extension and also the serine at aa 177. These three mutations had no significant effect on phosphorylation. In contrast, mutagenesis to alanine of the cysteine at aa 211, which normally acts as the acceptor for farnesylation, completely inhibited phosphorylation. Our interpretation is that the site(s) of phosphorylation is probably not in the 19-aa extension unique to deltaAg-L and that phosphorylation of deltaAg-L may depend upon prior farnesylation. The possible significance of the intracellular phosphorylated forms of deltaAg-L is discussed.