Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Children's psychosocial functioning and parents' quality of life in paediatric short stature: The mediating role of caregiving stress.

OBJECTIVES On the basis of the multidimensional model of the caregiving process, this study aimed (a) to compare the levels of quality of life (QoL) and psychological problems of children with short stature and the levels of caregiving stress and QoL of their parents, between diagnostic, treatment, and current height deviation groups, and (b) to examine the direct and indirect links, via caregiving stress, between children's psychosocial functioning and their parents' QoL. METHOD The sample was collected in 5 European countries and comprised 238 dyads of 8- to 18-year-old children and adolescents with a clinical diagnosis of growth hormone deficiency or idiopathic short stature and one of their parents. The children completed self-report measures of height-related QoL (Quality of Life in Short Stature Youth Core Module) and psychological problems (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire); the parents reported on their own QoL (EUROHIS-QOL-8 Index) and caregiving stress (Quality of Life in Short Stature Youth Effects on Parents subscale). RESULTS Children who were treated and who achieved normal height reported better QoL compared to those untreated and with current short stature. Parents of children with idiopathic short stature and current short stature presented greater caregiving stress than parents of children with growth hormone deficiency and achieved normal height. Children's better psychosocial functioning was indirectly associated with parents' better QoL, via less caregiving stress, and these links were invariant across diagnoses, treatment status, and current height deviation. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that, along with growth hormone treatments, multidisciplinary interventions in paediatric endocrinology should be family-centred, by targeting both the children's psychosocial functioning and the parents' stress, in order to improve individual and family adaptation.
Knowledge, Attitudes, Beliefs and Perceived Risk of Acute Coronary Syndrome among Jordanian Patients

Background: Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS)-associated mortality is considered high and still raising, where outcomes can be improved through immediate treatment initiation. Knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and perceived risk are cognitive factors that can affect patient’s decision to seek care immediately. Therefore, this study aimed to explore knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and perceived risk for future ACS event among Jordanian ACS patients. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional, correlational design was used to conveniently recruit 160 ACS patients from CCUs and medical floors at three Jordanian hospitals using the Modified ACS Response Questionnaire. Results: Almost, 65% of participants had low level of ACS knowledge, specifically regarding untraditional ACS symptoms. Some negative attitudes and beliefs toward ACS were found. There was a moderate positive correlation between knowledge score and all of attitudes, beliefs and perceived risk score (r = 0.549, p < 0.01, r = 0.563, p < 0.01, r = 0.545, p < 0.01). Conclusion: Inadequate ACS knowledge, negative attitudes and beliefs toward ACS were associated with low perceived risk for future ACS event. Therefore, it is a priority to develop strategies that consider improving ACS patients’ knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and perceived risk. This could be effective to enhance patient’s decision to seek care and reduce ominous outcomes.
Decrease in eosinophils infiltrating into the skin of patients with dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 inhibitor‐related bullous pemphigoid

Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is an acquired autoimmune blistering disease in which autoantibodies against epitopes in the basement membrane zone of the skin such as BP180 or BP230 are produced. Dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP)‐4 inhibitors have become commonly used to treat diabetes. As DPP‐4 inhibitors are more commonly prescribed for diabetes, BP related to DPP‐4 inhibitors has been reported and has attracted attention. Therefore, we retrospectively investigated patients who were diagnosed with BP in order to examine characteristics of DPP‐4 inhibitor‐related BP (nine patients; median age, 85 years) in comparison with non‐DPP‐4 inhibitor‐related BP (21; median age, 85 years). There was no significant difference in Bullous Pemphigoid Disease Area Index between DPP‐4 inhibitor‐related BP patients and non‐DPP‐4 inhibitor‐related BP patients, except for erosions/blisters score in mucosa. Laboratory tests revealed no significant differences between DPP‐4 inhibitor‐related BP patients and non‐DPP‐4 inhibitor‐related BP patients in total white blood cell count, eosinophil count, neutrophil count and the titer of anti‐BP180 antibody. The number of eosinophils infiltrating into the skin was significantly lower in patients with DPP4 inhibitor‐related BP than in patients with non‐DPP4 inhibitor‐related BP. Our results showed that DPP‐4 inhibitor‐related BP has some distinct pathological characteristics from BP not associated with DPP‐4 inhibitor.
Age Differences in Decision Making: To Take a Risk or Not?

A controlled laboratory experiment was used to assess the efficacy of the cognitive processes that underlie risk taking decision making in young and elderly people. Thirty-six participants took part in the study; half the subjects were elderly (mean age of 74) and the other half were young adults (mean age of 19). The elderly participants made equivalent decisions to those of the control young adults. Both age-groups of participants systematically and comparably changed their behavior as a function of risk levels. Furthermore, the elderly participants, relative to young adults, did not exhibit any slowing down in the speed of processing the information involved in making risk taking decisions, reflecting that healthy elderly people are cognitively apt to making risk taking decisions. Both age-groups took comparably less time on the easy trials (trials with either low or high levels of risk) and comparably more time on the difficult trials (trials with medium levels of risk).
Passive sampling for monitoring of inorganic pollutants in water

As new environmental management policies for watersheds are implemented, there has been a growing interest for new monitoring alternatives. Traditionally grab sampling has been the method of choice for monitoring purposes, but may not be adequate or economically viable, to meet the requirements of the new policies. Passive samplers for monitoring of aquatic pollutants have been described in the literature for almost three decades, but they are only beginning to gain acceptance outside the scientific research community. The potential advantages of passive samplers over other sampling and measurement strategies include the ability to integrate pollutant levels over extended sampling periods (up to several weeks), as well as inherent speciation capabilities, allowing for critical in situ speciation of metals. Passive samplers are relatively low-cost and do not require secure locations or additional infrastructure, making them ideal devices for certain monitoring tasks. The research presented in this thesis aims at further developing passive sampling for aquatic monitoring. This research includes field trials, the development of a novel application for nutrient monitoring in waste water treatment plant effluents and the identification of scenarios for which passive samplers can be used. An analysis of measurement uncertainties associated with passive samplers is also presented.
Pilot Allocation and Sum-Rate Analysis in Distributed Massive MIMO Systems

In distributed massive multi-input multi-output (DM-MIMO) systems, orthogonal pilot sequences are generally utilized to acquire the channel state information (CSI). However, this highly restricts the number of users simultaneously served. In this paper, a pilot reuse within a single cell DM-MIMO system is proposed to serve more users than the available pilot sequences. The reuse in this strategy is applied so that maximum achievable sum-rate is satisfied with the constraint of predefined pilot resource. On this basis, two users in different subcells separated by a large distance and satisfying a specific signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) level can share the same pilot sequence. An expression for SINR is derived for any pair of users who use the same pilot. Based on this expression, an algorithm is proposed to choose which pairs of users are able to use the same pilot with the constraint of satisfying the minimum SINR required for these users. The simulation results demonstrate that the uplink achievable sum-rate for the proposed strategy is higher than both cases when no pilot reuse or random pilot reuse are considered.
Methotrexate Free Chemotherapy and Limb Salvage Surgery for Paediatric Osteosarcoma in India

Background Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary malignant tumor of bone. The survival of OS patients has steadily improved from <20% in the early 20th century to around 70% with current treatment. There are very few studies in pediatric OS from India analyzing various aspects of the disease. This study focuses on the clinical profile, treatment options, and their complications and survival outcomes in pediatric osteosarcoma (OS) patients. Materials and Methods This was a retrospective observational study which included pediatric patients <14 years of age, with newly diagnosed OS confirmed by histological diagnosis. Medical records of all patients were reviewed for clinical profile, treatment data, surgical management, and treatment complications. Patients alive at the end of treatment were followed up and overall (OAS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were analyzed. Results Sixty-two patients were diagnosed with OS during the study of whom 55 opted for treatment. Cisplatin, adriamycin, and ifosfamide (PAI) was offered as chemotherapy and was completed as planned in the majority of patients. Limb salvage surgery was performed in most patients (87%, n = 40). The local recurrence occurred in 7 patients. The 3 years overall survival for the cohort was 54.6% ± 7.8% and DFS was 43.4% ± 7.9%, with females and those with the localized disease having a significantly better DFS. Conclusions High dose methotrexate free chemotherapy can give good OAS in localized disease and LSS is feasible in most of the pediatric OS patients. However the modest DFS even for localized disease with PAI chemotherapy and extremely poor outcomes in the metastatic OS, demand further research and innovations in systemic therapy to improve outcomes.
Effect of chronic pretreatment with the sigma ligand JO 1784 on CRF-induced changes in behaviour, neurotransmitter and immunological function in the rat.

The effects of the chronic administration of the sigma ligand JO 1784 (igmesine) CRF-induced changes in some behavioural, immune, endocrine and neurotransmitter parameters were studied. In the elevated plus maze, CRF (1.0 microgram i.c.v. daily x 5 days) induced a reduction in the number of entries and time spent on the open arms was significantly attenuated by the sigma ligand JO 1784 (3 mg/kg x 21 days) treatment. In the open field apparatus, the CRF-induced increase in the locomotor activity was also reduced by JO 1784 administration. JO 1784 treatment did not alter the concentration of the biogenic amine transmitters in the hypothalamus, nor reverse the increase in the turnover of serotonin and dopamine caused by CRF. JO 1784 treatment also failed to reverse a CRF-induced increase in the serum corticosterone, but it did reverse the reduction in phytohaemagglutinin and concanavalin A-induced lymphocyte proliferation caused by CRF but not the changes in the lymphocyte and neutrophil numbers caused by the peptide. These results demonstrate that JO 1784 has some antistress properties in CRF-treated rats.
New Insights into the Origin, Structure and Role of CD52: A Major Component of the Mammalian Sperm Glycocalyx

The sperm glycocalyx represents the primary interface between the male gamete and its environment, and gamete interaction inevitably involves interaction with this structure. Thus, it has potential significance as a target for antibodies that inhibit sperm function. Still, little is known about the components and biological role of the sperm glycocalyx. Despite the apparent complexity of the sperm membrane, surface carbohydrate labelling experiments show a high selectivity suggesting that carbohydrate side chains of CD52, an unusually short, bipolar glycopeptide of epididymal origin, form major components of the sperm glycocalyx in all mammalian species investigated. Acquisition of the highly sialylated, lipid-anchored CD52 antigen is one of the few well-defined modifications that occur to the sperm membrane during epididymal passage. It would explain changes in lectin-binding patterns and also the remarkable surface charge differences occurring during epididymal transit, most probably attributable to its terminal sialic acid residues. CD52 seems to be immunodominant on human spermatozoa, and antibodies directed against it can agglutinate and completely immobilize human sperm in the presence of complement. Expression of the same peptide backbone in lymphocytes had largely discounted its consideration as a candidate for contraceptive development. However, the recent proof of male-specific modifications indicates the feasibility of this approach.
Design framework for general purpose object recognition on a robotic platform

The advancement in the broader field of Computer Vision is consequential, through past few decades. Therefore, a considerable improvement in object detection and tagging using convolutional neural networks has given way to accurate yet complex methods, which can identify objects in real-time. However, the growth in the area of implementing the algorithms on low powered portable devices has been relatively slow. This paper aims to converge the fields of computer vision and robotics, focusing on implementation of image description applications on an embedded system platform. We aim to integrate Neural Network powered object recognition system ‘YOLO v2’ with a robotic platform to explore the potential applications in the advancing domain of service and personal robotics.
“We Are All Gonna Get Diabetic These Days”

Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate how an intergenerational legacy of type 2 diabetes affected the knowledge, attitudes, and treatment strategies of Hispanic young adults with diabetes. Methods Eight Hispanic young adults (ages 18-30 years) participated in a series of in-home longitudinal qualitative interviews, and 11 of their family members completed single in-home interviews, regarding their diabetes management practices. Interview transcripts were analyzed thematically by a team of researchers. Results Five themes emerged that characterized the influence of an intergenerational legacy of diabetes on young adults: food and family (how meal preparation and eating are shared within families), doing together (activity participation is contingent on others’ participation), knowledge and expectations (expectations for the future and understandings of diabetes are shaped by family members), miscarried helping (well-intentioned actions have negative consequences), and reciprocal support (children and parents support each other’s diabetes care). Conclusions Hispanic young adults’ knowledge, attitudes, and self-care practices related to diabetes are strongly influenced by the diabetes management practices of family members with diabetes, which often depart from current standards of diabetes care. Care providers should consider family members as a potentially significant influence, either positive or negative, on the diabetes self-care practices of this population.
Cten mRNA Expression Is Correlated with Tumor Progression in Thymoma

Cten is a recently isolated gene which has homology with tensin, suggesting that it is a focal adhesion molecule. Tensin family proteins play an important role in cell motility. We attempted to determine the influence of cten expression on clinicopathological features in patients with thymoma who had undergone surgery. Expression of cten messenger RNA was evaluated by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction in 45 thymoma samples using a LightCycler. There was no relationship between cten/glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) mRNA expression and age, gender or pathological subtypes. However, cten/GAPDH expression was significantly higher in stage IV thymoma (5.463 ± 7.730) when compared to stage I thymoma (0.905 ± 0.811; p = 0.0187). Cten/GAPDH mRNA expression was correlated with evidence of tumor progression in thymoma. Consequently, cell motility or migration might play a role in progression of thymoma.
The Social Ecology of Health Promotion: Implications for Research and Practice

Recent studies have documented the substantial health benefits and financial savings associated with many disease prevention and health promotion programs. ~5 Examples of effective strategies include employee health risk appraisal, counseling, and lifestyle change programs,6,r cultural change strategies within organizational settings, 8,9 and the provision of clinical preventive services to enhance maternal and child health? °,11 A mid-decade appraisal of progress toward meeting the Healthy People 2000 goals in the United States found substantial reductions in adult use of tobacco products and in alcohol-related automobile deaths and moderate gains in the proportion of adults exercising regularly and eating less fatty diets. Also noted was an increase in the proportion of workplaces providing health promotion programs for their employees. 12.13 Despite these encouraging trends, not all health promotion efforts have been met with unqualified success. Even the best-designed worksite health promotion programs reach only a small proportion of the total worktbrce. Participants in these programs tend to be healthier, better paid, more educated, and more motivated to change their health habits than nonparticipants. ~. 2Also, lifestyle-change programs that proceed in a "linear" fashion to modify specific health behaviors often neglect the contextual circumstances that lead to high relapse and attrition rates once the interventions have ended.14,15 And certain health risks--such as exposure to community violence, obesity, teen pregnancy, substance abuse, financial barriers to medical and preventive services, and lack of adequate health insurance-remain "segmented in pockets of heightened prevalence, ’’16 particularly among low-income and minority groups in the population. 4,12,~v,~s To improve the health of vulnerable populations, and to reduce the self-selection biases and attrition rates associated with many intervention
Vitamin D and Prostate Cancer Risk

Prostate cancer is a progressive, multistep disease which presents many stages for intervention. Microscopic cancer is found in the prostate beginning by age 30 in about 20% of men, and the incidence increases steadily so that by the time a man is 90 years old, he has almost a 100% chance of having cancer in his prostate. Independent, multiple foci of cancer are present in the majority of prostate specimens, and the incidence of premalignant lesions is even higher than that of cancer. Yet, despite the high incidence of microscopic cancer, only 8% of men in the US present with clinically significant disease during their lifetime. Furthermore, only 3% of men in the US die of prostate cancer. In no other human cancer is there such disparity between the high incidence of microscopic malignancy and the relatively low death rate. Thus, there are many windows of opportunity for control of prostate cancer. Evidence from diverse areas of study – epidemiologic, molecular, genetic, cellular, animal models, and clinical trials – suggests that vitamin D may be an effective preventive agent against prostate cancer.
Design of the effect of adaptive servo‐ventilation on survival and cardiovascular hospital admissions in patients with heart failure and sleep apnoea: the ADVENT‐HF trial

Both types of sleep‐disordered breathing (SDB), obstructive and central sleep apnoea (OSA and CSA, respectively), are common in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). In such patients, SDB is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality but it remains uncertain whether treating SDB by adaptive servo‐ventilation (ASV) in such patients reduces morbidity and mortality.
Insecurity, distress and mental health: experimental and randomized controlled trials of a psychosocial intervention for youth affected by the Syrian crisis

Background Strengthening the evidence base for humanitarian interventions that provide psychosocial support to war‐affected youth is a key priority. We tested the impacts of an 8‐week programme of structured activities informed by a profound stress attunement (PSA) framework (Advancing Adolescents), delivered in group‐format to 12–18 year‐olds in communities heavily affected by the Syrian crisis. We included both Syrian refugee and Jordanian youth. Methods We followed an experimental design, comparing treatment youth and wait‐list controls over two programme implementation cycles, randomizing to study arm in cycle 2 (ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT03012451). We measured insecurity, distress, mental health difficulties, prosocial behaviour and post‐traumatic stress symptoms at three time‐points: baseline (n = 817 youth; 55% Syrian, 43% female), postintervention (n = 463; 54% Syrian, 47% female), and follow‐up (n = 212, 58% Syrian, 43% female). Regression models assessed: prospective intervention impacts, adjusting for baseline scores, trauma exposure, age, and gender; differential impacts across levels of trauma exposure and activity‐based modality; and sustained recovery 1 year later. We analysed cycle‐specific and cycle‐pooled data for youth exclusively engaged in Advancing Adolescents and for the intent‐to‐treat sample. Results We found medium to small effect sizes for all psychosocial outcomes, namely Human Insecurity (β = −7.04 (95% CI: −10.90, −3.17), Cohen's d = −0.4), Human Distress (β = −5.78 (−9.02, −2.54), d = −0.3), and Perceived Stress (β = −1.92 (−3.05, −0.79), d = −0.3); and two secondary mental health outcomes (AYMH: β = −3.35 (−4.68, −2.02), d = −0.4; SDQ: β = −1.46 (−2.42, −0.50), d = −0.2). We found no programme impacts for prosocial behaviour or post‐traumatic stress reactions. Beneficial impacts were stronger for youth with exposure to four trauma events or more. While symptoms alleviated for both intervention and control groups over time, there were sustained effects of the intervention on Human Insecurity. Conclusions Findings strengthen the evidence base for mental health and psychosocial programming for a generation affected by conflict and forced displacement. We discuss implications for programme implementation and evaluation research.