Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clustering and switching on verbal fluency tests in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease

Two components of verbal fluency performance—clustering (i.e., generating words within subcategories) and switching (i.e., shifting between subcategories)—were examined in patients with dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT), patients with dementia with Parkinson's disease (DPD), nondemented patients with Parkinson's disease (NPD), and demographically matched controls. The DAT and DPD groups were impaired in the number of words generated on both phonemic and semantic fluency. The DAT group produced smaller clusters on both tasks and switched less often on semantic fluency than controls. The DPD group switched less often on both tasks and produced smaller clusters on phonemic fluency than controls. The NPD group was not impaired on any fluency variable. Thus, the total number of words generated on phonemic and semantic fluency did not discriminate the dementia groups from their respective control groups, but measures of clustering and switching did. This differential pattern of performance provides evidence for the potential usefulness of measures of switching and clustering in the assessment of dementia. (JINS, 1998, 4, 137–143.)
Alcohol and HIV: a study among sexually active adults in rural southwest Uganda.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the association between alcohol consumption and HIV sero-positivity in a rural Ugandan population. METHODS The adult population residing in a cluster of 15 neighbouring villages has been kept under epidemiological surveillance for HIV infection using annual censuses and sero-surveys since 1989. At the eighth annual survey all respondents were asked about their history of alcohol consumption, the sale of alcohol in their household, and other socio-demographic information. After informed consent, blood was drawn for HIV serology. RESULTS Of the total adult population 3279 (60%) were interviewed; 48% were males; 905 (27%) had not started sexual activity and were excluded from further analysis. Of the remaining 2374, 8% were HIV infected, 57% had ever drunk alcohol, and 4% lived in households where alcohol was sold. Living in a household where alcohol was sold was associated with a history of having ever drunk alcohol (OR 2.9, 95% CI : 1.7-4.8). HIV prevalence among adults living in households selling alcohol was 15% compared with 8% among those living in households not selling alcohol (OR 2.0, 95% CI : 1.1-3.6). Individuals who had ever drunk alcohol experienced an HIV prevalence twice that of those who had never drunk, 10% versus 5% (OR 2.0, 95% CI : 1.5-2.8). This association remained after adjusting for potential confounders including sale of alcohol in the household and Muslim religion (OR 1.8, 95% CI : 1.2-2.7). Only age, marital status and having ever drunk alcohol independently predicted HIV sero-positivity in a logistic regression model. CONCLUSIONS We have demonstrated an association between a history of alcohol consumption and being HIV sero-positive. This unexplored factor may explain in part the observed lower prevalence of HIV infection among Muslims. Public health campaigns need to stress the relationship between HIV and alcohol.
Comparison of FISH, PCR, and Immunohistochemistry in Assessing EGFR Status in Lung Adenocarcinoma and Correlation With Clinicopathologic Features

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between mutation status, copy number, and protein expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in lung adenocarcinoma, and to correlate the genetic status and clinicopathologic features. Forty-nine adenocarcinomas were tested by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for EGFR gene mutations, by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for increased EGFR gene copy number, and by immunohistochemistry (IHC) for EGFR protein expression. Terminal respiratory unit (TRU) morphology, tumor grade, mitotic count, and pleural and lymphovascular invasion were also examined. Five of 49 tumors (10%) had EGFR mutation by PCR. Eighteen (36%) had high EGFR gene copy number by FISH, all of which were polysomies without gene amplification. Fifteen (31%) had EGFR protein overexpression by IHC, 13 (87%) of which were also positive by FISH. Of the PCR-positive cases, 4/5 (80%) were positive by FISH and 3/5 (60%) were positive by IHC. TRU morphology was observed in all PCR-positive cases and in about 50% of FISH-positive and IHC-positive cases. Pleural invasion was significantly more common in IHC and FISH-positive cases, and lymphovascular invasion was more often present in FISH-positive cases. No statistically significant differences in mitotic count, age, sex, smoking status, degree of differentiation, or stage were seen. Our findings suggest that a staged approach, with FISH testing as the first step, followed by PCR for the FISH-negative cases would be most effective in the identification of patients with EGFR gene alterations.
Ultimate frisbee injuries in a collegiate setting.

PURPOSE/BACKGROUND Ultimate Frisbee (Ultimate) is a limited-contact team sport growing in popularity, particularly as a collegiate club sport. In 2011, over 947,000 people played Ultimate. Sex, age, skill level, and physical demands of the sport place each player at risk for injury, yet there is limited information on the number of injuries with regard to clinical research. The purpose of this study is to identify injury reporting trends in Ultimate Frisbee against other collegiate club sports and examine correlation with sex, body region, and medical recommendations and to discuss associated risk of injury. METHODS Athletes who sustained an injury related to participation in their respective club sport attended a physical therapy sports clinic, underwent screening, and were provided direction for injury management. Data was collected on various elements of each case with descriptive statistical analysis performed to catalog injury characteristics. Chi-square analyses were performed to compare proportions between sports, sex, and body region. RESULTS Ultimate accounted for 143 (31.0%) of the 461 reported injury cases collected from all club sports. Female injuries represented 101 (70.6%) of the 143 Ultimate cases, whereas men totaled 42 (29.4%) (p<0.001). Women had significantly more foot/ankle (26) than men (4) (p<.001) and more lumbar/flank (9) injuries than men (2) (p=.022). CONCLUSIONS Ultimate accounted for one of the highest number of reported injuries among all club sports. Women reported injuries more than twice as frequently as men. The majority of reported Ultimate injuries involved the lower extremity. Injury trends observed are similar to those previously reported in several NCAA Intercollegiate sports. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV.
Characterization of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Abstract The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalences, genotypes, and clonal relationships of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing strains in 98 Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates from Riyadh. The prevalence of ESBLs in these strains was 37·75%. All isolates that were confirmed to have ESBLs were completely resistant to amoxicillin/clavulanate, aztreonam, cefotaxime, ceftazidime, cefoxitin, and gentamicin and were susceptible to tigecycline, colistin, and imipenem. In total, 16·6, 77, and 91·6% of isolates were resistant to amikacin, ciprofloxacin, and piperacillin/tazobactam, respectively. The prevalences of isolates producing the beta-lactamases SHV, CTX-M, and TEM were 91·9, 86·5, and 54·05%, respectively. The most frequent ESBL gene detected was blaCTX-M-15, which was observed in 75% of isolates. Other frequent ESBL genes were blaSHV-12 (29·73% of isolates) and blaSHV-5 (5·4% of isolates); additionally, blaCTX-M-3, blaCTX-M-27, blaCTX-M-57, and blaCTX-M-82 were each detected in one isolate. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis revealed the presence of diverse and unrelated clones. The high prevalence of ESBL producers among the strains examined in our study was not due to the spread of a single clone of bacteria. Clone A was detected in six isolates, indicating intra-hospital spread. Our study documented a high prevalence of the CTX-M-15 product in K. pneumoniae and demonstrated that SHV-12 was also highly prevalent. This study represents the first report of CTX-M-3, CTX-M-27, CTX-M-57, and CTX-M-82 beta-lactamases in K. pneumoniae isolates from Saudi Arabia.
Validation and evaluation of the German version of the Systemic Lupus Activity Questionnaire (SLAQ).

OBJECTIVES Disease activity accounts for damage, overall mortality and co-morbidities in SLE and should frequently be assessed to adapt therapeutic patient management. The Systemic Lupus Activity Questionnaire (SLAQ) is a patient-reported instrument for the assessment of disease activity derived from the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Activity Measure (SLAM) and was originally developed in English. Our aim was to validate the SLAQ in German and evaluate its use in a large cohort. METHODS We translated and adapted the SLAQ questionnaire in German. It was applied to SLE outpatients at a tertiary centre (n=328) and compared to the SLAMnolab and other SLE outcome parameters. Internal consistency, criterion validity, inter-rater and test-retest reliability as well as construct validity were examined. Correlation, Cronbach's alpha, Mann-Whitney U-test or the Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance test were ascertained where appropriate. Levels of statistical significance were defined at 5% (p<0.05). All reported p-values are two-tailed. RESULTS The German SLAQ showed a comparable strong correlation with the SLAMnolab (r=0.632, p<0.0001) as the original version of the SLAQ and presented a good to excellent internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha=0.89). Accrued damage as well as low disease activity are factors possibly influencing the score. Amongst others, scores were higher in patients with more reported flares, lower self-reported overall health, lower functional status and higher daily doses of prednisolone. CONCLUSIONS Our German version of the SLAQ shows a comparable validity as the original SLAQ and is a promising instrument to survey disease activity in clinical routine as well as in clinical and epidemiological studies. Possible interacting factors need to be considered when applying.
The genetic background of inflammatory bowel disease: from correlation to causality

Recent studies have greatly improved our insight into the genetic background of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). New high‐throughput technologies and large‐scale international collaborations have contributed to the identification of 200 independent genetic risk loci for IBD. However, in most of these loci, it is unclear which gene conveys the risk for IBD. More importantly, it is unclear which variant within or near the gene is causal to the disease. Using targeted GWAS, imputation, resequencing of risk loci, and in silico fine‐mapping of densely typed loci, several causal variants have been identified in IBD risk genes, and various pathological pathways have been uncovered. Current research in the field of IBD focuses on the effect of these causal variants on gene expression and protein function. However, more elements than only the genome must be taken into account to disentangle the multifactorial pathology of IBD. The genetic risk loci identified to date only explain a small part of genetic variance in disease risk. Currently, large multi‐omics studies are incorporating factors ranging from the gut microbiome to the environment. In this review, we present the progress that has been made in IBD genetic research and stress the importance of studying causality to increase our understanding of the pathogenesis of IBD. We highlight important causal genetic variants in the candidate genes NOD2, ATG16L1, IRGM, IL23R, CARD9, RNF186, and PRDM1. We describe their downstream effects on protein function and their direct effects on the gut immune system. Furthermore, we discuss the future role of genetics in unravelling disease mechanisms in IBD. Copyright © 2016 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The impact of communication partner and discourse task on a person with traumatic brain injury: The use of multiple perspectives

Primary objective: This study investigated whether varying the communication partner (i.e. mother vs paid caregiver) and discourse task (i.e. casual conversation vs purposeful conversation vs problem-solving task) affected the nature of information exchange for a person with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Methods: Three discourse tasks were recorded involving a TBI participant with his mother and, on a separate occasion, with his paid caregiver. Texts were analysed using multiple perspectives, comprising exchange structure analysis, ratings by independent observers and self and others’ perceptions of communication. Results: The TBI participant was more likely to give information when interacting with his mother than with the paid caregiver, as shown by exchange structure analysis. The participants also varied the way they exchanged information according to the discourse tasks. Results from exchange structure analysis were corroborated by the ratings by independent observers. Additionally, the mother was found to perceive that the TBI participant ‘usually’ had communication difficulty, while the caregiver perceived that he ‘rarely’ had communication difficulty. Conclusion: The nature of information exchange for a person with TBI varied with the communication partner and discourse task. The multiple perspectives used in this study appeared promising for the examination of discourse ability following TBI.
Somatostatin Inhibits Alpha-2-Adrenergic-Induced Secretion of Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone

The purpose of this experiment was to determine the role of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) and somatostatin (SRIH) neurons in mediating α2-adrenergic receptor-induced stimulation of growth hormone (GH) secretion in cattle. Our first objective was to determine if stimulation of α2-adrenergic receptors increases activity of GHRH neurons in the arcuate nucleus (ARC) and/or decreases activity of SRIH neurons in periventricular (PeVN) and ARC nuclei. Clonidine (an α2-adrenergic agonist) or vehicle (saline) were injected i.v. into steers and dual-label immunohistochemistry was performed to quantify the number of GHRH and SRIH neurons expressing Fos and Fos-related antigens (Fos/FRA) as markers of neuronal activity. Clonidine increased concentrations of GH in serum and decreased activity of SRIH neurons in the PeVN, but not in the ARC. Clonidine did not alter activity of GHRH neurons in the ARC. Our second objective was to determine if clonidine decreases secretion of SRIH from perifused slices of hypothalami, which contain perikarya and terminals of GHRH and SRIH neurons, and from explants of hypophysial stalk alone, which contain only terminals of GHRH and SRIH neurons. Clonidine failed to alter release of GHRH or SRIH from hypothalamic slices, but stimulated release of GHRH from explants of hypophysial stalk. Blockade of SRIH receptors enabled clonidine to stimulate release of GHRH from slices of hypothalami, but also stimulated release of SRIH. These results suggest that α2-adrenergic-induced secretion of GH occurs via a dual mechanism involving inhibition of SRIH neurons in the PeVN and direct stimulation of GHRH release from axon terminals in the median eminence.
Maintenance of physical activity and dietary change following a telephone-delivered intervention.

OBJECTIVE To examine the maintenance of behavioral changes 6 months following a telephone-delivered physical activity and diet intervention. DESIGN Patients (n = 434) with Type 2 diabetes or hypertension were recruited from 10 primary care practices in a disadvantaged community; practices were randomized to a telephone-counseling intervention (TC; 5 practices, n = 228) or usual care (UC; 5 practices, n = 206). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Validated, self-report measures of physical activity and diet were taken at baseline, 12 months (end-of-intervention), and 18 months (6 months postintervention completion). RESULTS For physical activity, the significant (p < .001) within-groups improvements from baseline observed at 12 months remained at 18 months, in both the TC (62.2 ± 14.2 minutes/week; 2.2 ± 0.3 sessions/week) and UC (74.7 ± 14.9 minutes/week; 2.1 ± 0.4 sessions/week) groups. For all dietary outcomes, significant (p < .05) between-groups maintenance effects, similar to end-of-intervention outcomes, remained [TC-UC changes from baseline to 18 months (95% CI)]: total fat [-1.33 (-2.16, -0.50)% energy/day], saturated fat [-1.06 (-1.70, -0.43)% energy/day], fiber intake [1.90 (0.72, 3.15) grams/day], and fruit [0.22 (0.05, 0.40) servings/day]), except vegetables [0.59 (-0.01, 1.17) servings/day; p = . 05]. Intervention effects across all health behavior outcomes were stronger for the subgroup (n = 145) adhering to the study protocol. CONCLUSION Telephone-delivered interventions can promote maintenance of health behavior change. Studies with longer-term follow-up are needed, particularly to determine how intervention duration and intensity might further enhance maintenance.
Visual Feature and Conjunction Searches of Equal Difficulty Engage Only Partially Overlapping Frontoparietal Networks

According to a classical view of visual object recognition, targets are detected "pre-attentively" if they carry unique features, whereas attention has to be deployed serially to object locations for feature binding if the targets can be distinguished from distracters only in terms of their feature conjunctions. Consistent with this view, recent reports suggest a contribution of the posterior parietal cortex (PPC; one major region controlling spatial attention) to conjunction search as opposed to feature search. However, PPC engagement in conjunction search might also reflect feature-based attention or the difficulty of target selection. The present fMRI study compared regions and amplitudes of cortical activity reflecting the attention mechanisms of a conjunction and a feature search of equal difficulty performed during maintenance of fixation. Attention-related activity was assessed by comparing each hard feature and conjunction search with an easy feature search. Hard feature and conjunction search activated overlapping regions in multiple PPC areas and in the frontal eye field (FEF). Most consistent PPC overlaps were located in the anterior and posterior intraparietal sulcus (IPS). The response amplitude of posterior IPS did not differ between both search tasks. However, the IPS junction with the transverse occipital sulcus and the FEF responded at a higher amplitude during conjunction search. Moreover, regions of the prefrontal cortex and the PPC were activated only during either hard feature or conjunction search. These findings suggest that equally difficult visual searches for features and conjunctions are controlled by overlapping frontoparietal networks, but also that both search types involve specific mechanisms.
Defects in succinate dehydrogenase in gastrointestinal stromal tumors lacking KIT and PDGFRA mutations

Carney-Stratakis syndrome, an inherited condition predisposing affected individuals to gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) and paraganglioma, is caused by germline mutations in succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) subunits B, C, or D, leading to dysfunction of complex II of the electron transport chain. We evaluated the role of defective cellular respiration in sporadic GIST lacking mutations in KIT or PDGFRA (WT). Thirty-four patients with WT GIST without a personal or family history of paraganglioma were tested for SDH germline mutations. WT GISTs lacking demonstrable SDH genetic inactivation were evaluated for SDHB expression by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting and for complex II activity. For comparison, SDHB expression was also determined in KIT mutant and neurofibromatosis-1–associated GIST, and complex II activity was also measured in SDH-deficient paraganglioma and KIT mutant GIST; 4 of 34 patients (12%) with WT GIST without a personal or family history of paraganglioma had germline mutations in SDHB or SDHC. WT GISTs lacking somatic mutations or deletions in SDH subunits had either complete loss of or substantial reduction in SDHB protein expression, whereas most KIT mutant GISTs had strong SDHB expression. Complex II activity was substantially decreased in WT GISTs. WT GISTs, particularly those in younger patients, have defects in SDH mitochondrial complex II, and in a subset of these patients, GIST seems to arise from germline-inactivating SDH mutations. Testing for germline mutations in SDH is recommended in patients with WT GIST. These findings highlight a potential central role of SDH dysregulation in WT GIST oncogenesis.
Cocaine use in trauma: effect on injuries and outcomes.

BACKGROUND It has been reported that cocaine is associated with trauma patients at epidemic proportions. However, the injury patterns, complications, and mortality in cocaine test-positive trauma patients are not well known. METHODS Retrospective review of all trauma patients with toxicology screen at a Level I trauma center between January 2002 and December 2005. A total of 1,096 patients were positive for cocaine but no other substances of abuse or alcohol. Nine hundred eighty-five patients of these cocaine test-positive patients were matched to a pool of 4,846 toxicology test-negative patients admitted during the same period with respect to age (< or = 18, 19-55, > 55 years), gender, mechanism (blunt, penetrating), Injury Severity Score (ISS < 16, 16-25, > 25), head Abbreviated Injury Score (AIS < 3, > or = 3), chest AIS (< 3, > or = 3), abdominal AIS (< 3, > or = 3), and extremity AIS (< 3, > or = 3). Matched pairs of binary outcomes were analyzed using McNemars, and continuous data were tested using the Wilcoxon signed-ranks test. RESULTS The two groups had similar injury patterns and there was no difference in surgical procedures between cocaine test-positive and toxicology test-negative patients. Overall, there was no difference in mortality between the cocaine and test-negative patients (6.5% vs. 6.2%; p = 0.81), or between cocaine and test-negative patients with an ISS < 16 (1.4% vs. 1.5%; p = 1.00), ISS 16 to 25 (13% vs. 12%; p = 1.00), and ISS > 25 (59% vs. 54%; p = 0.70). The overall incidence of complications was 4% in cocaine patients and 3.6% in test-negative patients (p = 0.72), although the incidence of pneumonia was significantly higher in the cocaine test-positive patients (p = 0.04). CONCLUSION Cocaine abuse in trauma patients is concerning. This study did not show a difference in mortality or length of intensive care unit stay between cocaine positive and negative patients. However, there was a significantly higher incidence of pneumonia in cocaine positive patients. Implementation of effective prevention strategies may help reduce cocaine related victims of trauma.