Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reversibility of cardiac abnormalities in adolescents with anorexia nervosa after weight recovery.

OBJECTIVE Anorexia nervosa is a life-threatening condition, with significant risk for death due to cardiac complications. The objective of this study was to analyze the cardiac involvement in anorexia nervosa and to study the reversibility of cardiac abnormalities. METHOD Thirty-one consecutive adolescents (aged 12 to 17 years) with a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa were evaluated from January 1998 to January 1999 at the Hospital Clínic (University of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain). An electrocardiogram, an echocardiogram, a 24-hour Holter recording with heart rate variability, an exercise test, and a tilt test were performed at initial examination and after refeeding (3 to 18 months later). RESULTS The basal body mass index was 15.2 +/- 2 kg/m2. Sinus bradycardia was found in 35% of patients, 93% showed a decreased left ventricular mass, and 70% had a diminished thickness of cardiac walls. The Holter recordings showed nocturnal bradycardia in 60% with an increased heart rate variability. After refeeding, a significant decrease in QT interval (p <.05) and QT dispersion (p <.01) was observed. Echocardiograms showed an increase in cardiac diameters (p <.01), left ventricular mass (p <.001), and cardiac output (p <.001). There was also an improvement in the exercise capacity (p <.05) and a normalization of the heart rate and heart rate variability (p <.05). CONCLUSION Cardiac structural and functional abnormalities provoked by anorexia nervosa are reversible in young adolescents after refeeding.
When diagnostic agreement is high, but reliability is low: some paradoxes occurring in joint independent neuropsychology assessments.

Two paradoxes can occur when neuropsychologists attempt to assess the reliability of a dichotomous diagnostic instrument (e.g., one measuring the presence or absence of Dyslexia or Autism). The first paradox occurs when two pairs of examiners both produce the same high level of agreement (e.g., 85%). Nonetheless, the level of chance-corrected agreement is relatively high for one pair (e.g., 70) and quite low for the other (e.g., .32). To illustrate the second paradox, consider two examiners who are in 80% agreement in their overall diagnosis of Dyslexia. Assume, further, that they are in 100% agreement in the proportion of cases they both diagnose as Dyslexic (20%) and as Non-Dyslexic (80%). Somewhat paradoxically, the level of chance-corrected interexaminer agreement for this pair of examiners calculates to only . 37. In distinct contrast, a second set of examiners also in 80% overall agreement, is in appreciable disagreement with respect to diagnostic assignments. Thus, the first neuropsychologist: (a) classifies 65% of the cases as Non-Dyslexic, as opposed to 45% so diagnosed by the second neuropsychologist; and (b) classifies the remaining 35% as Dyslexic, as compared to the 55% so classified by the second examiner. Despite these phenomena, this second pair of examiners produces a much higher level of chance-corrected agreement than did the first pair, that is, a value of . 61. The underlying reasons for both of these paradoxes, as well as their resolution, are presented.
Simultaneous measurements of the solid particles velocity and concentration profiles in two phase flow by pulsed ultrasonic doppler velocimetry

In this experimental study, the pulsed ultrasonic Doppler velocimetry was used to measure simultaneously the local velocity and the local concentration in a flow of solid-liquid suspension in a horizontal pipe. In order to distinguish between the Doppler signals coming from the continuous phase, water and those of the glass bead particles larger than the Kolmogorov length scale and the wavelength of the ultrasonic wave, a threshold is imposed on the integral of the power spectral density of the Doppler signal. The new approach measurement of the local concentration was used. It consists of counting a number NP of the Doppler signals of the solid particles crossing the measurement volume and a number NPt of the Doppler signals of the solid particles crossing the control volume. The concentration profile is then represented by the ration NP / NPt. The results obtained show that the suspension of fine particles, which represents a tracer, behaves as a homogenous fluid. For large particles, we confirmed the existence of the slip velocity and the effects of both concentration and size particle on the turbulence. The use of two distinct measurement volumes allows the direct determination of the turbulent length scales. The results show that the turbulence characteristics of the carried fluid are modified by the presence of the solid particles.
Newspaper reporting of suicides in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Guangzhou: compliance with WHO media guidelines and epidemiological comparisons

Background Media guidelines for suicide reporting are available in many countries. However, to what extent the mass media comply with the guidelines is unknown. Few studies are available that investigate systematically whether the mass media reflect the epidemiological reality of suicide deaths in their articles. Methods Based on the WHO media guidelines, this study investigated the characteristics of newspaper articles of suicides in three Chinese communities, namely Hong Kong, Taiwan and Guangzhou. Epidemiological comparisons were conducted to identify the age and gender differences between the suicide victims as reported in the newspapers and the official records of suicide deaths in all three places. Results The results found that one media characteristic complied with the WHO media guidelines (ie, only about 2% of the articles were printed on the front page), but there were a number of instances of non-compliance (ie, only 4–14% provided sources for help-seeking and 27–90% printed with photos). The epidemiological comparisons revealed an over-representation of younger suicides and an under-representation of late-life suicides in the newspapers of all three places. Furthermore, female suicides were found to be under-reported in Taiwan and Guangzhou newspapers, but not in Hong Kong papers. Conclusion Non-compliant suicide articles are prevalent in the newspapers of these three Chinese settings. The observed media misrepresentations may potentially mislead the public and the policy makers about the actual risk for suicide in some demographic groups.
Two's Company: Human Capital Composition and Performance of Entrepreneurial Pairs

We study the effects of diverse team composition on the survival and growth of new ventures using the Danish Linked Employer-Employee database. To get cleaner measures of diverse team composition, we focus on entrepreneurial dyads, and also investigate the asymmetric effects of team composition by distinguishing between the `primary' and the `secondary' founder. We complement existing work by showing that heterogeneity in team composition is affected by the asymmetric hierarchical structure within the team, and that a unidimensional diversity indicator (which is usually applied) fails to capture a number of performance effects of heterogeneous team composition. Ventures with a STEM-educated primary founder and a Business-educated secondary founder have high employment growth, while the opposite combination (Business first, STEM second) has low employment growth. Pairs of younger individuals have lower survival chances but higher employment growth. Family firms have lower employment growth, especially when formed with your mother.
The occurrence of mountain hare mitochondrial DNA in wild brown hares

If interspecific hybrids are fertile and backcross to either parental species, transmission of mitochondrial DNA over the species barrier can occur. To investigate if such transmission has occurred between the brown hare Lepus europeus Pall and the mountain hare L. timidus L. in Scandinavia, an analysis of genetic variation in mitochondrial DNA from 36 hares, collected from 15 localities, was performed. Sequence divergence of mtDNA between species was estimated at 8 ± 1% (SD). Intraspecific mtDNA sequence divergence varied between 0.09 and 0.38% in brown hares and 0.10 and 1.44% in mountain hares. In six out of 18 brown hares examined, two different haplotypes of mountain hare origin were detected, demonstrating a transmission of mtDNA haplotypes from mountain hares to brown hares. The results indicate that interspecific hybridization between the two species occurs in wild populations.
Hyperglycemia in vitro attenuates insulin‐stimulated chemokinesis in normal human neutrophils. Role of protein kinase C activation

This study was performed to test whether the inhibitory effect of elevated D‐glucose concentrations on insulin‐stimulated chemokinesis in normal human neutrophils is mediated by increase in protein kinase C (PKC) activity. Activation of PKC with phorbol 12‐myristate 13‐acetate (PMA) at 0–100 nM dose‐dependently inhibited neutrophil random locomotion in the absence of insulin. Suboptimal concentrations of PMA (0.1–0.5 nM) inhibited the chemokinetic effect of 160 μU/mL insulin in a dose‐dependent way. The specific PKC inhibitor bisindolylmaleimide (GF 109203x) did not affect the insulin‐stimulated chemokinesis at 5 mM glucose but restored the chemokinetic effect of insulin at 15 mM glucose. These results therefore suggest that glucose‐induced PKC activation may mediate the inhibitory effects of high glucose levels on insulin‐stimulated chemokinesis in normal human neutrophils. J. Leukoc. Biol. 65: 635–640; 1999.
Serum sialic acid concentration and smoking: a population based study.

seroprevalence and type of cluster. Behavioural risk factors, such as the proportion of people in each cluster reporting two or more sexual partners, external travel, and injections, were correlated with higher seroprevalence in women but not in men (table I). Thus residence in an agricultural community reduces the risk of HIV infection, but for women the protective effect of rural residence may be countered by factors such as community levels of external travel and multiple sex partners, behaviours which are predominantly reported by men. The data suggest that the introduction of HIV into rural communities may be largely associated with male behaviour, including the infection with HIV during travel outside the cluster and contact with multiple partners on return. Levels of education, socioeconomic status, and knowledge of AIDS were higher in the trading centres and trading villages than in the agricultural villages. The pattern of HIV infection is thus not due to greater availability of information or services in low prevalence rural communities. Further prospective studies will permit estimates of patterns of HIV infection and transmission. For the present, categorising rural Ugandan communities into three strata provides a useful approach to identify high risk commun.ities by their characteristics and potentially to develop targeted interventions permitting more effective use of limited resources. Trading centres and rural trading villages should be considered targets for intensive preventive interventions both for their benefit and potentially to prevent spread of infection from these high prevalence communities to neighbouring lower prevalence rural areas.
The angiographic delineation of sellar and parasellar masses.

The anatomic and normal angiographic appearance of small vessels which vascularize the neural and glandular structures in and about the sella turcica is discussed. Findings in a group of abnormal cases illustrate alterations in the local vessels which occur in the presence of sellar and parasellar masses. Some of the changes seen appear to be helpful in differentiating the various types of tumor. Tumors in which characteristic dislocations were seen include pituitary adenoma, “empty” sella, nonmeningiomatous parasellar masses, parasellar meningioma, craniopharyngioma, optic chiasm glioma, and colloid cyst of the third ventricle.
Focused-Ion-Beam Fabrication of Slots in Silicon Waveguides and Ring Resonators

We present the focused-ion-beam fabrication of slots in existing silicon waveguides and racetrack resonators. The etch process was conducted with iodine enhancement and an alumina hard mask. We demonstrate a propagation loss of 100 dB/cm for slot waveguides and a Q value of 850 for slot racetrack resonators with bend radius of 6 mum.
Glucagon-like peptide 1 (7-36 amide) secretion in response to luminal sucrose from the upper and lower gut. A study using alpha-glucosidase inhibition (acarbose).

BACKGROUND After nutrient ingestion there is an early response of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) immunoreactivity, although GLP-1 is mainly produced in endocrine cells from the lower gut (ileum and colon/rectum), suggesting that indirect stimulation is important after the ingestion of carbohydrates that are predominantly absorbed from the upper intestine. METHODS To enable contact of sucrose with lower gut mucosa, sucrose was administered by mouth with and without the simultaneous ingestion of 100 mg of the alpha-glucosidase inhibitor acarbose to six normal healthy volunteers. RESULTS There was an early increment in GLP-1 15 min after sucrose ingestion. With acarbose, sucrose reached the colon approximately 120 min after ingestion, as indicated by an increment in breath hydrogen exhalation (p < 0.0001), and GLP-1 release was prolonged (p < 0.0001). The sucrose-related increments in glucose, insulin, C-peptide, and gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) and the suppression of glucagon were only marginally affected by acarbose administration. CONCLUSIONS GLP-1 release appears to be influenced by indirect mechanisms (early response after sucrose) and by direct luminal contact with lower gut mucosal endocrine cells (late response with acarbose).
Acodazole hydrochloride: phase I trial, pharmacokinetics, and evaluation of cardiotoxicity in dogs.

Acodazole (NSC 305884) was examined in a Phase I trial evaluating a 1-h infusion repeated every 21 days in 37 patients with advanced carcinomas. Cardiac toxicity was dose-limiting at 1370 mg/m2, manifested as multiple premature ventricular contractions, QTc interval prolongation, and decreasing heart rate. Other toxicities included mild to moderate nausea and vomiting and local reaction near the i.v. injection site requiring the use of central venous catheters. Antineoplastic activity was not observed. Acodazole levels assayed by high-performance liquid chromatography disclosed a peak plasma level of 19 +/- 4 (SEM) micrograms/ml for 1370 mg/m2. Acodazole plasma levels decreased in a triphasic manner over a 100-fold range. The volume of distribution at steady state was 238 +/- 18 liter/m2 suggesting extensive tissue binding. The total body clearance was 13.6 +/- 0.9 liter/h/m2; the percentage of urinary excretion was 29 +/- 2% for 48 h. To evaluate cardiac toxicity, acodazole was administered to five dogs at 2262 mg/m2 (1-h infusion) which provided plasma concentrations similar to those achieved at 1370 mg/m2 in humans. Consistent findings in dogs were drug-related prolongation of QTc intervals, and reduction in heart rate, left ventricular dP/dt, and mean blood pressures. Clinical development of acodazole requires studies to further elucidate and alleviate this cardiac toxicity.
Isolated Capitate Shortening Osteotomy for the Early Stage of Kienböck Disease with Neutral Ulnar Variance

Background: Kienböck disease is an aseptic necrosis of the lunate for which the treatment is still debated, particularly in the rare cases with neutral ulnar variance. One option is to perform a capitate shortening osteotomy associated with a capitate-hamatum arthrodesis. The aim of this study was to evaluate a simple capitate osteotomy without arthrodesis. Methods: This is a retrospective study of 11 cases. All patients had a mild form of Kienböck disease (stage I to IIIA according to the classification of Lichtman). A shortening capitate osteotomy was performed through a dorsal medial approach and fixed with staples. Results: At the final follow-up evaluation (mean, 67.4 months), the mean visual analogue scale score was 1.7 (range, 0 to 7). Based on the Nakamura score, the authors obtained six good, two fair, and three poor results. Mean strength improvement was 25 percent compared with the healthy side, and the authors observed no change in range of motion. The radiologic follow-up showed no difference in either the Stahl or the Youm index between preoperative and postoperative measurements. No complication was observed; however, in two cases, the result was evaluated as poor and a revision procedure was performed. Conclusion: This technique is a simple and reliable method with which to manage the early stages of Kienböck disease with neutral ulnar variance.
Clinical Experience with femtosecond laser cataract surgery

Objective: To describe and analyze the prevalence of visual impairment and its causes in public school students in Belo Horizonte/MG. Methods: Cross-sectional study of 1.452 public school children from 5 to 19 years old, in Belo Horizonte/MG, screened and evaluated between 2011 and 2014. Results: Of the total sample, 150 patients (10,33%) had low visual acuity at the screening, and were referred to an ophthalmologist to further examination. Forty (26%) of the referred patients presented at the ambulatory, where 29 (72,5%) of these showed indication of visual correction. Simple and compound myopic astigmatism were the most frequent diagnoses associated with prescription glasses. Conclusion: The study showed that the prevalence of visual impairment in this population were consistent with other similar programs. By contrast, the abstention rate was much higher than the expectation, showing the importance of preventive and informative actions about the eye health care.
Psychological factors and use of antiepileptic drugs: Pilot work using an objective measure of adherence

Abstract Given the current emphasis on the “concordance” prescribing model, a study was designed to determine the influence of patients' beliefs about epilepsy, beliefs about medication and a range of neuroepilepsy variables on drug adherence among a sample of epilepsy patients. A special feature of the study was the use of a credible objective measure of drug adherence. Psychological health was also assessed. Thirty-seven patients were recruited from a local epilepsy clinic. Beliefs about epilepsy (illness representations), beliefs about epilepsy medication, anxiety, depression, neuroepilepsy status and adherence were all measured. Data were collected via clinical interview and questionnaire methods. Adherence with drug treatment was determined by an objective measure using low-dose phenobarbital as an indicator of adherence and, or, measurement of antiepileptic drug levels. Neither illness representations nor beliefs about epilepsy drugs were related to adherence. With the exception of time since last seizure, which was positively related to adherence, neuroepilepsy variables were unrelated to adherence. A number of significant associations between cognitive representations of epilepsy and mood were found.
Ablative Z-Pinch Pulsed Plasma Thruster

The design, performance, and basic features of ablative pulsed plasma thrusters based on the z-pinch configuration are discussed through a series of experiments and numerical simulations. The motivation stems from the promise of the z-pinch configuration for increasing the thrust-to-power ratio and mass utilization efficiency above those of ablative thrusters with a conventional rectangular geometry. The performance of a series of ablative z-pinch pulsed plasma thrusters is characterized using a swinging-gate thrust stand and mass ablation measurements. The performance measurements are complemented by additional experimental diagnostics (current monitoring and high-speed photography) and numerical modeling in order to gain an understanding of the acceleration mechanism and provide direction for future design iterations. Three iterations in the design of the thruster result in thrust-topower ratios ranging from 12‐45 µN/W, with specific impulse and thrust efficiency values spanning 240‐760 s and 2‐9%, respectively. Numerical simulations show reasonable quantitative agreement with the experimental data and predict the existence of an optimal thrust chamber aspect ratio, which maximizes the thrust-to-power ratio.
Modulations of emotional attention and spatial attention on human visual cortical activities

Background: Spatial attention could enhance the neural activities of attended locations in human visual cortex. As a salient stimulus, emotional image could enhance the responses in amygdala and visual areas. However, few studies examined the interaction of the attentional effects induced by emotional stimuli and spatial cues on the neural responses in visual areas. Methods: In the present study, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine the combined and separated effects of emotional image and spatial cue on the activities in human visual areas. A revised Posner cueing paradigm was utilized. Each participant viewed a fearful image and a peaceful image simultaneously in left and right visual fields. A spatial cue of two dots was then presented in one of the image positions. In this manner, the attentional effects for emotional image and spatial cue could be isolated and combined. Results: The results showed that spatial cue enhanced the responses in V4, intraparietal sulcus (IPS) and lateral occipital area (LO), while emotional image could enhance the responses in V3, V4 and LO. Importantly, no significant interactions were found in any of the visual areas. Conclusion: Our results indicate that the two kinds of attentional modulation might not be affected by each other. These findings shed light on the neural mechanism of the emotional attention.