Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of equine-assisted therapy on the postural balance of the elderly.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether equine-assisted therapy (hippotherapy) produces alterations in the balance of the elderly. METHODS The sample included 17 older adults who were divided into experimental (7 subjects) and control (10 subjects) groups. Stabilometry data were acquired with a force platform. The Timed Up and Go test (TUG) was used for clinical analysis of seated balance, transfer from a seated to a standing position, walking stability and changes in gait. Sixteen equine-assisted therapy sessions were carried out. RESULTS Mann-Witney was used to compare the means between groups and no significant differences were found in the analyzed stabilometric parameters. In intragroup comparison with the Wilcoxon test, a significant increase in the variables COPy and Area (p=0.02) was observed. Equine-assisted therapy significantly affected (p=0.04) TUG test means between the experimental and control groups (Mann-Witney). Intragroup TUG test means were also significantly affected (p=0.04) according to the Wilcoxon test. CONCLUSIONS Because senescence tends to normalize stabilometric measures, the number of equine-assisted therapy sessions was insufficient to determine any differences. Nevertheless, the significant improvement in TUG test scores demonstrates that this treatment frequency was a predictor of reduced fall risk in the elderly. Article registered in the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) under number ACTRN12610000534088.
The status of marine biodiversity in the Eastern Central Atlantic (West and Central Africa)

Beth A. Polidoro | Gina M. Ralph | Kyle Strongin | Michael Harvey | Kent E. Carpenter | Rachel Arnold | Jack R. Buchanan | Khairdine Mohamed Abdallahi Camara | Bruce B. Collette | Mia T. Comeros‐Raynal | Godefroy De Bruyne | Ofer Gon | Antony S. Harold | Heather Harwell | Percival A. Hulley | Tomio Iwamoto | Steen W. Knudsen | Jean de Dieu Lewembe | Christi Linardich | Kenyon C. Lindeman | Vanda Monteiro | Thomas Munroe | Francis K.E. Nunoo | Caroline M. Pollock | Stuart Poss | Barry Russell | Catherine Sayer | Aboubacar Sidibe | William Smith‐Vaniz | Emilie Stump | Mor Sylla | Luis Tito De Morais | Jean‐Christophe Vié | Akanbi Williams
Estimation of fetal weight in utero by Dawn's formula and Johnson's formula: a comparative study

Background: Survival of the premature infant has been shown to be related more to fetal weight than to any other consideration. A lot of work has been done to find out accurate methods for estimation of fetal size and weight in utero. Methods: This study consists of total 200 case studies included patient of different parity all delivered in these hospitals either vaginally or by caesarian section. Two methods of estimation of birth weight were assessed and compared. Results: 33.5% of cases were within ±100gms by Johnson's formula, whereas in Dawn's formula 51.5% cases were within +100 gm of actual birth weight.73% of cases by Johnson's formula were within ±250 gms and 88.5% of cases by Dawn's formula were within ±250 gms of actual birth weight.91% of cases by Johnson's formula and 99% of cases by Dawn's formula were within ±500 gms of actual birth weight. Conclusions: Dawn's formula was found to be more accurate (88.5% within ±250 gms) than Johnson's formula (53.5% within ±250 gms) in prediction of antenatal fetal weight.
Stuttering: dysfunction in a complex and dynamic system.

Stuttering is a developmental speech disorder that usually appears between 3 and 8 years of age and often remits before puberty. When it persists past the close of the period of developmental plasticity, around puberty, it becomes a chronic adult speech disorder throughout the life span (Andrews et al ., 1983). The emergence of brain imaging has increased interest in exploring the long-held concept that persons who stutter have greater right hemisphere involvement in speech production than fluent speakers (Travis, 1978). By contrasting fluency-enhancing speaking conditions with those exacerbating stuttering, brain imaging studies have found increased activation in premotor regions bilaterally and greater right hemisphere involvement during stuttering. Comparisons between fluency and stuttering conditions are not clear contrasts, however, because fluent speech occurs in both conditions and stuttering only occurs intermittently during the dysfluent condition. Therefore, Fox and colleagues (Fox et al ., 2000) in this issue and Braun and colleagues previously (Braun et al ., 1997) conducted correlation analyses between stuttering frequency and activation in different brain regions. Braun et al. measured stuttering during a sentence construction task, while Fox et al. used stuttering measures from rest, fluent and dysfluent speech tasks, and therefore had increased statistical power. Both authors attempted to separate brain-performance relationships within the adult speech motor control system as either being associated with either stuttering or …
Prevention of primary islet isograft nonfunction in mice with pravastatin.

BACKGROUND Nonspecific inflammatory damage in the early stages of transplantation is the major cause of primary islet graft nonfunction. Using murine isografts, we attempted to prevent this islet graft damage by treating recipients with pravastatin (Pravacol), a 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitor. Nicotinamide was also tested to determine the synergistic effect of both agents. METHODS Unpurified newborn BALB/c islets, ranging in number from 1800 to 2500, were transplanted into the left renal subcapsular space of a syngeneic adult mouse made diabetic with streptozotocin. Recipient mice were divided into the following four groups, based on treatment protocols: treatment with 40 mg/kg pravastatin (group 1), 500 mg/kg nicotinamide (group 2), 40 mg/kg pravastatin and 500 mg/kg nicotinamide (group 3), and vehicle alone (group 4). Pravastatin and nicotinamide were administered orally every day for 14 days, starting on the day of transplantation (day 0). Nonfasting blood glucose levels, urine glucose levels, and the intravenous glucose tolerance test were used to monitor the diabetic state. The reversal of diabetes was defined by normoglycemia and negative urine glucose maintained for more than 7 days. RESULTS After islet transplantation, levels of blood and urine glucose were significantly lower in groups 1 and 3, compared with those in group 4. K-values of an intravenous glucose tolerance test performed on day 14 were significantly higher in groups 1 and 3 than those of group 4. Reversal of diabetes had occurred in 63% of mice in group 1 and 67% in group 3, levels that were higher than those in group 2 (17%) and group 4 (0%) (P<0.02, groups 1 and 3 vs. group 4). Histological examination of grafts, biopsied on day 21, revealed well preserved islets with little sign of inflammation in groups 1 and 3, whereas grafts in groups 2 and 4 contained broken, smaller islets surrounded by severe fibrosis and mononuclear cell infiltration. CONCLUSION Our results in mice have shown the effectiveness of pravastatin for protecting islets from nonspecific inflammatory damage. Nicotinamide did not show a synergistic effect with pravastatin at the dosage used in this study. These results indicate that pravastatin may be a useful agent for clinical islet transplantation.
Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice

EXECUTIVE EDITORS Tom Bramley, Cambridge Assessment, UK Jannette Elwood, Queen’s University Belfast, UK Harvey Goldstein, University of Bristol, UK Therese Hopfenbeck, Oxford University Centre for Educational Assessment, UK Sandra Johnson, University of Bristol, UK Gordon Stobart, Institute of Education, London, UK Sue Swaffield, University of Cambridge, UK Sally Thomas, University of Bristol, UK Guoxing Yu, University of Bristol, UK
Botulinum toxin for burning mouth syndrome

Background: Burning mouth syndrome is characterized by burning pain in the oral mucosa (mainly the tongue and lips) in the absence of medical causes (1). It is also known as oral dysesthesia. It is common; mostly affects women of advanced age; and is often associated with systemic diseases, such as diabetes, nutritional deficiencies, depression, and anxiety (1). The etiopathogenesis of burning mouth syndrome is unclear, although some studies of biopsy specimens suggest an underlying trigeminal small-fiber neuropathy (2). No effective treatment is available for this condition; antidepressants, analgesics, clonazepam, topical capsaicin, and psychotherapy have limited and short-lasting efficacy (3). Objective: To describe a novel therapy for burning mouth syndrome. Methods and Findings: Botulinum neurotoxin type A has been used to treat neuropathic pain because it has a focal analgesic effect independent of its effect on muscle tone, possibly because it acts on neurogenic inflammation (4, 5). We studied the effect of intradermal injection of this agent in 4 patients (3 women and 1 man aged 67 to 76 years, 3 of whom had diabetes) with clinically evident burning mouth syndrome involving the anterior two thirds of the tongue and the lower lip for at least 6 months. All patients gave written informed consent and had symptoms that were refractory to common treatments. The Garibaldi Hospital ethics committee approved the procedure. We measured pain severity using a visual analogue scale of 0 to 100 that indicated substantial pain (scores between 70 and 90) before injection in all patients. We injected each patient with a total dose of 16 units of incobotulinumtoxinA (100 units diluted in 2 mL of saline), 4 units into each side of the lower lip and 4 units into each anterolateral side of the tongue (Figure). In all patients, pain disappeared within 48 hours (visual analogue scale score of 0). The beneficial effects lasted up to 16 weeks after injection in all but 1 patient, in whom they lasted up to 20 weeks. Injections were well-tolerated and caused no adverse effects. Figure. Injection sites for the lower lip (left) and tongue (right). To rule out a placebo effect, we injected 2 additional women, 1 aged 66 years with a visual analogue scale score of 70 and 1 aged 69 years with a score of 60, with only saline solution at the same volume and injection sites. These patients reported no pain improvement for 4 weeks. We then injected them with incobotulinumtoxinA following the same procedures. Pain disappeared within 48 hours, and the effect lasted up to 12 weeks. Discussion: Botulinum neurotoxin type A might be an effective, long-lasting, and safe treatment for burning mouth syndrome, particularly in patients unresponsive to other treatments. We believe that these findings should lead to a randomized trial.
Fluorescence imaging of reepithelialization from skin explant cultures on acellular dermis

Reconstituted skin models are valuable tools in studies of cutaneous biology although they are not generally devised to visualize and quantify the time course of reepithelialization. We describe a skin explant culture technique coupled with vital microscopy allowing sequential imaging of epithelial outgrowth while maintaining the tissue in culture. Radial expansion of neo‐epidermis was initiated from a 2‐mm skin punch biopsy explanted onto acellular human dermis and maintained at the air–liquid interface in serum‐containing keratinocyte medium. Microscopic viewings and surface area measurements of newly formed epidermis were performed repeatedly using fluorescein‐based cell staining and subsequent image analysis. The labeling and visualization procedures did not interfere with neo‐epidermal growth or tissue architecture. In order to appraise the versatility of the model, we studied the effect of epidermal growth factor supplementation on the course of skin resurfacing as related to tissue morphology and proliferative activity over a 10‐day cultivation period. Exogenous epidermal growth factor at 10 ng/ml increased the radial outgrowth rate (mean, + 13.3 percent), papillomatosis index (+ 19.2 percent), epithelial thickness (+ 49.8 percent), and fraction of Ki‐67 positive basal cells (+ 18.4 percent) in neo‐epidermis produced from a biopsy of normal human skin. The contribution of this miniaturized and convenient format for concurrent studies of dynamic and qualitative features of neo‐epidermis should be a useful complement to existing assays of epidermalization.
Chemical oxidation of chlorinated organics by hydrogen peroxide in the presence of sand.

The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) as a chemical oxidant for in-situ treatment of contaminated surface soils. The process has been tested in the presence and absence of ferrous sulfate on sand-packed columns, which contained pentachlorophenol (PCP) and trichloroethylene (TCE) as model compounds. Both column and batch studies have demonstrated that H 2 O 2 decomposed readily by interacting with the natural iron content of sand, and additional ferrous salts further enhanced the extent of H 2 O 2 decomposition. As a result, PCP and TCE adsorbed on the sand surface were oxidized effectively and by stoichiometric release of organic bound chlorine as chloride ion
Plasma chromogranin A levels predict survival and tumor response in patients with advanced gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

AIM To correlate the baseline and change of chromogranin A (CgA) levels with patient survival and tumor response in Asian patients with advanced gastro-enteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs). PATIENTS AND METHODS Sixty patients with advanced GEP-NET treated in a medical center between April 2010 and April 2013 were enrolled retrospectively. Plasma CgA level was analyzed for correlation with the patient's clinical outcome and tumor response. RESULTS Multivariate analysis showed that independent favorable prognostic factors for overall survival were: Eastern Cooperative Oncology Groups performance score 0-1, World Health Organization tumor grade 1-2, single organ metastasis and less than twice the upper normal range of baseline CgA levels. Percentage changes in paired CgA tests (ΔCgA) of more than 17% can predict partial response or stable disease from progressive disease with 91.2% sensitivity and 82.9% specificity. CONCLUSION Baseline plasma CgA levels predicted overall survival and ΔCgA predicted treatment response in Asian patients with GEP-NETs.
Locked Plates Combined With Minimally Invasive Insertion Technique for the Treatment of Periprosthetic Supracondylar Femur Fractures Above a Total Knee Arthroplasty

Objective New locked plate devices offer theoretical advantages for the treatment of supracondylar femur fractures associated with a total knee arthroplasty (TKA). These devices also can be inserted with relative ease by using minimally invasive techniques, provide a fixed angle construct, and improve fixation in osteoporotic bone. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the results and complications of treating periprosthetic supracondylar femur fractures above a TKA with a locked plate designed for the distal femur. Design Prospective, consecutive case series. Setting Level I trauma center. Patients/Participants Twenty-two consecutive adult patients with 24 (2 bilateral) supracondylar femur fractures (OTA 33A) above a well-fixed non-stemmed TKA were treated with the Locking Condylar Plate. One patient who died before fracture healing and 1 who was lost to follow-up were excluded from analysis. All remaining patients (5 males, 15 females, average age, 73 (range, 50–95) years) were available for follow-up at an average of 15 (range, 6–45) months. According to the OTA classification, there were three 33A1, eight 33A2, and eleven 33A3 fractures. All fractures were closed. Indirect reduction methods without bone graft were used in all cases. Results Nineteen of 22 fractures healed after the index procedure (86%). All 3 patients with healing complications were insulin-dependent patients with diabetes who also were obese (body mass index >30). Two developed infected nonunions and 1 an aseptic nonunion. Postoperative alignment was satisfactory (within 5°) for 20 of 22 fractures. Fracture of screws in the proximal fragment occurred in 4 patients. In 3 of these cases, there was progressive coronal plane deformity. There was no change in alignment in any other patient. Fifteen of 17 patients who healed returned to their baseline ambulatory status, with 5 requiring additional ambulatory support compared with baseline. Conclusions Fixation of periprosthetic supracondylar femur fractures with a locking plate provided satisfactory results in nondiabetic patients. Diabetic patients seem to be at high risk for healing complications and infection.
Intracranial localisation of ictal urinary urge epileptogenic zone to the non-dominant temporal lobe

Ictal urinary urge is a rare symptom of focal epilepsy usually localising to the non-dominant hemisphere, specifically, the temporal lobe. Lateralisation in previously described cases has been established using scalp video-EEG monitoring or functional imaging. We report the case of a 19-year-old girl with refractory epilepsy and ictal urinary urge arising from the non-dominant temporal lobe, confirmed by invasive, subdural EEG monitoring. Since undergoing a temporal lobectomy two and a half years ago, the patient has not experienced ictal urinary urge. To our knowledge, this is the first report demonstrating localisation of ictal urinary urge epileptogenic zone to the non-dominant temporal lobe by invasive intracranial monitoring.
Vasoconstrictor and vasodilator sites within anteroventral third ventricle region.

Previous studies have shown that electrical stimulation of the rat anteroventral third ventricle (AV3V) region produces a characteristic pattern of hemodynamic effects, i.e., renal and mesenteric vasoconstriction, and hindquarters vasodilation. In the present study, we localized the vasoconstrictor and vasodilator effects to specific subregions of the AV3V. In urethan-anesthetized rats prepared with arterial catheters and pulsed Doppler flow probes, we assessed the effects of electrical stimulation of four nuclei within AV3V on mean arterial pressure and renal, mesenteric, and hindquarters resistance. These nuclei were the organum vasculosum lamina terminalis (OVLT), ventral nucleus medianus (median preoptic nucleus), anterior (precommissural) nucleus medianus (median preoptic nucleus), and periventricular preoptic nuclei. Stimulation was carried out by use of a tungsten microelectrode. Stimulation of the OVLT consistently provoked stimulus-locked increases in arterial pressure coupled with increases in mesenteric and renal vascular resistance. Ganglionic blockade with chlorisondamine prevented these responses, demonstrating that they were mediated neurogenically. Stimulation of the three remaining nuclei produced decreases in arterial pressure, hindquarters vasodilation, and little change in mesenteric and renal vascular resistance. No changes in heart rate were observed with stimulation of any of the four nuclei. These results suggest that the vasoconstrictor and pressor functions of the AV3V region are localized in or near the OVLT region, whereas the remaining nuclei of the AV3V region mediate vasodilator and depressor responses.
Frequency of p53 codon 72 genotypes in human papillomavirus associated squamous intraepithelial lesions and cervical cancer.

BACKGROUND A recent study suggested that the p53Arg (at residue 72) homozygous genotype could be a potential genetic risk factor for cervical cancer among white women. To confirm this result we examined the proportion of p53 genotypes in a larger number of patients with cervical cancer and in patients with squamous intraepithelial lesions (SIL) compared to a control population. MATERIALS AND METHODS We used allele-specific primers to amplify the p53Arg and p53Pro sequences and we examined the proportion of genotypes in the study populations using chi 2-test. RESULTS The distributions of p53Arg homozygous, heterozygous and p53Pro homozygous genotypes were 63%, 27% and 10% in cervical cancer patients, 53%, 36% and 8% in individuals with SIL, and 60%, 36% and 4% in control population. Using chi-square test, no significant difference was found between genotype frequencies in the study groups. CONCLUSION Thus, the p53Arg homozygous genotype does not seem to increase the risk of cervical cancer in Hungarian women.
Irradiation as a method for decontaminating food

Food irradiation is one of a set of processing technologies that can be used to increase the microbiological safety and shelf life of a wide range of foods. Ionizing radiation is used to generate highly active chemical species within the food that react with DNA. Under normal usage conditions, the food receives a pasteurizing treatment that gives a valuable reduction in common food-spoilage organisms and food pathogens. Decontamination of food by ionizing radiation is a safe, efficient, environmentally clean and energy efficient process. Irradiation is particularly valuable as an end product decontamination procedure. Candidates of radiation decontamination are mainly poultry and red meat, egg products, and fishery products. It is a unique feature of radiation decontamination that it can also be performed when the food is in a frozen state. Irradiation in combination with other processes holds a promise for enhancing the safety of many minimally processed foods.
Racial and ethnic disparities in the use of cardiovascular procedures: associations with type of health insurance.

OBJECTIVES This study examined whether disparities in the use of cardiovascular procedures exist among African Americans, Latinos, and Asians relative to White patients, within health insurance categories. METHODS Hospital discharge records (n = 104,952) of Los Angeles Country, California, residents with possible coronary artery disease were analyzed. RESULTS After adjustment for confounders, lower odds of procedure use were found for African American and Latino patients for most types of insurance. Asians and Pacific Islanders had odds of procedure use similar to those of White patients. Disparities were absent among the privately insured. CONCLUSIONS Racial and ethnic disparities in procedure rates were evident in all types of insurance except private insurance.
Isolation of total ribonucleic acid from fresh and frozen-thawed boar semen and its relevance in transcriptome studies (Short communication)

The main objective of this study was to isolate high-quality total ribonucleic acid (RNA) from raw fresh semen and frozen-thawed boar semen, using a protocol comprising the conventional TRIzol assay and a membrane-based technique, the PureLink RNA mini kit. Bioanalyzer profile revealed that the sperm RNA size distributions comprised mainly intact RNA ranging from 1500 to 1800 bp, without any detectable residual genomic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) or 28S ribosomal RNA (rRNA). Spectrophotometric quantifications of the total RNA yielded 1.64 to 2.44 μg/10 6 spermatozoa, irrespective of the sperm source. The TRIzol/PureLink protocol allowed the isolation of high-quality intact RNA from boar spermatozoa, which is required for transcriptome analysis on high-throughput RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) data. Such an approach is relevant to identifying sperm messenger RNA (mRNA transcripts) that are associated with boar semen freezability. Keywords : cryopreservation, RNA-Seq, semen quality