Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Microvascular Decompression for Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia: Long-term Effectiveness and Complication Avoidance

OBJECTIVETo establish the long-term safety, efficacy, and durability of microvascular decompression (MVD) for the treatment of glossopharyngeal neuralgia, this study presents the immediate (<6 mo) postoperative and long-term results of a large series of 47 patients with treated with MVD. METHODSOperative reports and hospital charts were analyzed to collect demographic information, clinical presentation, and surgical findings. Surgical results and complications were ascertained by direct patient contact or by contact with the patient’s family or physician if the patient was dead. Long-term (>10 yr) personal follow-up was available for 29 of 47 patients. RESULTSForty-six (98%) of 47 patients experienced complete relief of pain immediately after MVD. Long-term follow-up was available for 29 of these 47 patients (range, 125–211 mo; median, 152 mo, or 12.7 yr), and 28 of these 29 patients continued to be pain-free. Permanent neurological deficits (>6 mo) attributed to the surgery were observed in 5 (11%) of 47 patients. Of these patients, 4 of 5 had mild hoarseness or dysphagia or both, and one had a Grade II/VI facial nerve paresis. CONCLUSIONThis study demonstrates that MVD is a safe, effective, and durable surgical procedure for producing prolonged pain relief in patients with medically intractable glossopharyngeal neuralgia.
The European Heart Journal and the European Journal of Heart Failure: partners in scientific publishing

More than 200 years ago, the English physician William Withering (1741–1799; Figure 1) learned of the remarkable successes of an old woman practising as a folk herbalist in Shropshire with a formulation of dried leaves in patients with, what we would call today, congestive heart failure. He started to use the remedy in his own practice and confirmed the effectiveness of the plant mixture in his own patients. In 1785, he published his seminal monograph ‘An Account of the Foxglove and Some of its Medical Uses with Practical Remarks on Dropsy and Other Disease’ in which he identified digitalis lanata as the active ingredient. Although William Harvey had discovered the circulation and the role of the heart as a pump in his groundbreaking book ‘De Motu Cordis’ more than a hundred years earlier, Withering did not fully understand the underlying causes of what he called dropsy. Nevertheless, his oedematous and dyspnoeic patients started to urinate, lost weight, and felt better in response to his novel remedy.
Changes in the incidence, pattern of presentation and clinical outcome of early chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients using the 2008 International Workshop on CLL guidelines

Objectives: Before 2008, diagnosis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) relied on 1996 National Cancer Institute Working Group criteria which required an absolute lymphocyte count of 5.0 × 109/l or higher. The up-dated 2008 International Workshop on CLL (IWCLL) guidelines recommend using the B-cell count as a basis for the diagnosis of CLL and indicate a B-cell threshold of 5.0 × 109/l. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of these changes on the pattern of presentation and clinical outcome of early CLL. Methods: For this purpose we analysed 414 patients with previously untreated, Binet stage A CLL diagnosed between January 2006 and December 2010 and registered prospectively at a national database. Results: After patients were reclassified according to updated 2008 IWCLL guidelines, 130 Rai stage 0 CLL patients were reclassifed as clinical monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis, resulting in a 31.4% decrease (from 414 to 284) in the diagnosis of early stage CLL. Moreover, a shift towards a more advanced Rai clinical stage under 2008 IWCLL criteria was observed. Finally, the estimated 3-year time to first treatment decreased from 77.2 to 69.9% according to whether 1996 National Cancer Institute Working Group criteria or 2008 IWCLL criteria were used. Conclusion: In conclusion, the 2008 IWCLL guidelines modify the distribution of Rai stage at diagnosis and shorten the time to first treatment in early CLL patients. We expect that these changes might be considered in the interpretation of epidemiologic studies in CLL and in designing clinical trials of early therapeutic intervention in patients with asymptomatic CLL.
Towards DSM-V: exploring diagnostic thresholds for alcohol dependence and abuse.

AIMS The expected release of the DSM-V in 2012 has renewed the longstanding debate around whether alcohol use disorders are best conceptualized as dimensional or categorical constructs. The current study aimed to validate the current diagnostic thresholds for alcohol dependence and abuse using epidemiological indicators including mental health, disability, psychological distress, functional impairment, service use, suicidality and early age of drinking onset. METHODS Dichotomous variables were created to allocate a representative sample of Australian adult drinkers (n = 4920) above and below each possible threshold for both disorders. Regression analyses were conducted to assess group differences at each threshold for each epidemiological indicator. RESULTS There was some albeit limited support for the current diagnostic threshold of three criteria for alcohol dependence and one criterion for abuse. A number of other cut-offs also showed consistent variation for both disorders. CONCLUSIONS It is essential to define diagnostic thresholds in a systematic way. The current diagnostic thresholds for alcohol dependence and abuse are adequate but require further validation using a variety of methods and external indicators. Combining these disorders in some way may also prove useful as well as including other potential diagnostic criteria in future research.
NEWS FRAMING AND ESCALATION OF ETHNO-POLITICAL ANTIPATHIES ISSUES: A QUANTITATIVE CONTENT ANALYSIS OF NEWSPAPERS

Ethno-political antipathies issues such as Farmers/Herdsmen clashes and post-election violence have persisted and lingered for decades in developing countries. In view of these clashes, ethno-political groups are wandering the path of hatred and irreconcilable for decades. Hence, this paper investigates and discloses the patterns of news framing on these issues in Nigerian newspapers. News headlines and story lead paragraphs from three Nigerian national daily newspapers, (the Daily Trust, Nigerian Tribune, and the Sun newspapers) were content analyzed. The findings indicated three main patterns of news framing which are stereotypes, favoritism, and ethnic apathy during the period under study. The three newspapers examined correlated with factors such as ownership, proximity, and accepted those ideas of political elites in framing ethno-political antipathies in Nigeria. Therefore, this study suggests that newspapers have apparently adopted both positive and negative labeling/depictions as the elements that shape their regional and ethno-political proclivity. The framing of antipathies seemed to exploit national integration through acceptance of this political rhetoric. This study is beneficial for policy makers to construe the causes, consequences, and offered solutions on proposed reviews of existing media laws within Nigeria‘s political entity. An investigation of issues on ethno-political antipathies in other genres of mass media like radio is recommended for future research direction.
Helicobacter pylori and effects on iron status in children: delineating causality.

646 I ron-deficiency anemia (IDA) is the most common micronutrient deficiency worldwide and a major global health issue (1). Helicobacter pylori has been purported to play a causal role in refractory IDA and current guidelines recommend testing for H pylori infection in refractory IDA, whereas other causes such as celiac disease have been ruled out (2,3). However, the role of H pylori infection in IDA is an area of clinical contention. The association between H pylori infection and IDA was initially suggested by case reports in which eradication of H pylori infection was associated with improvement of treatment-refractory IDA. Since then a number of large population-based studies have assessed the role of H pylori infection as an independent risk factor for IDA. A recent meta-analysis that included 15 observational studies comparing the prevalence of IDA in H pylori–positive and –negative subjects demonstrated a correlation between infection and IDA (4). In subgroup analysis, this effect was significant in children and adolescents but not in adults. Because observational studies do not determine cause and effect, randomized interventional studies are needed to determine etiology. Two recent metaanalyses of randomized controlled intervention trials (RCTs) provided conflicting results regarding a beneficial effect of H pylori eradication on IDA (4,5). The meta-analysis in which a beneficial effect was observed included 16 RCTs of variable quality (5). In comparison, the meta-analysis in which a statistically significant benefit was not detected was limited to 4 RCTs (4). Thus, it is clear that further large well-designed studies are needed to clarify the role of H pylori infection in IDA. In the March 2011 issue of JPGN, Cardenas et al (6) are commended for attempting to address the role of H pylori infection on iron status in children. In this study from Texas, 110 asymptomatic H pylori–infected children ages 3 to 10 years of lower socioeconomic status and without evidence of iron deficiency or IDA were randomized to 1 of 4 groups: H pylori eradication therapy using sequential therapy; H pylori eradication therapy plus iron; eradication placebo plus iron; and eradication placebo plus iron placebo. In both the more stringent intention to treat and the preprotocol analysis, no difference in iron status was observed between the groups. However, when subgroup analysis was performed in subjects with either spontaneous clearance of
Improvement In Indices Of Health Status In Outpatients With Schizophrenia Switched To Ziprasidone

Side effect and health status changes were measured in 3 studies in which outpatients experiencing suboptimal efficacy or tolerability with their current antipsychotic were switched to 6 weeks of open-label ziprasidone. The studies differed only in the patient’s prior antipsychotic; 1 study group was on olanzapine (n = 104), a second on risperidone (n = 58), and third on a conventional antipsychotic (n = 108). Baseline and end point health status measures included weight and height, nonfasting cholesterol, and triglyceride levels, prolactin levels, and extrapyramidal side effects. Improvements in health indices and side effects were seen among all 3 groups, but the specific benefits depended on the preswitch antipsychotic. For example, patients switched from olanzapine experienced a mean weight loss of 1.76 kg (P < 0.0001), those switched from risperidone had a lesser reduction in weight (−0.86 kg; P = 0.015), and those switched from conventionals had a nonsignificant increase (+0.27 kg; P = 0.3). Prolactin levels decreased among those switched from risperidone (P < 0.0001) or conventionals (P = 0.05), but not for patients switched from olanzapine. EPS improved among those switched from conventionals (P < 0.0001) and to a lesser extent among those switched from risperidone (P < 0.01), but not in those changed from olanzapine (NS). Thus, in these studies, switching to ziprasidone in patients with continuing symptoms or side effects on their current medication was often associated with improved health status indices, lowered prolactin levels, or less EPS, with the magnitude benefit consistent with the known side-effect profile of the preswitch antipsychotic.
Follow-up of serum KL-6 lung fibrosis biomarker levels in 173 patients with systemic sclerosis.

OBJECTIVES A single-centre retrospective longitudinal study to investigate the predictive value of KL-6 serum levels for the outcome of interstitial lung fibrosis in a large systemic sclerosis (SSc) patient cohort. METHODS ELISA tests for the mucin like glycoprotein KL-6 were performed in sera of 173 SSc patients. The clinical and laboratory data were evaluated by a standardised protocol of chest x-ray, lung function tests, echocardiography and high-resolution computed tomography. 158 patients were 29 ± 22 months later reinvestigated, 9 patients (2 lcSSc, 7 dcSSc) died from SSc-related causes, and 6 patients were lost to follow-up. RESULTS Serum titer of KL-6 was negatively correlated with lung function parameters, independent of the time of investigation. There was a significantly higher probability of death among patients with high level of baseline KL-6. There was no statistically significant difference in the deterioration and improvement rates between groups with normal and elevated KL-6 level at study entry, even in patients in early phase of disease (disease duration <3 years). Serum levels of KL-6 significantly decreased in patients receiving cyclophosphamide treatment in spite of the fact that the spirometry results (FVC and DLCO) did not show a significant change. CONCLUSIONS KL-6 can be used as a lung fibrosis severity marker, but its role as a marker for disease activity is questionable. Furthermore, following cyclophosphamide treatment serum KL-6 levels may decrease independently of the lung function parameters.
Predicting Influent Estradiol and Estrone Concentrations for Wastewater Treatment Facilities

An externally validated model was developed to predict influent concentrations of natural estrogens at municipal wastewater plants. The model kinetic constant for the first‐order biotransformation of estradiol into estrone, k E2, was calculated as 0.030 hour −1 (ranging from −0.080 to 0.49 hour −1, with a standard deviation of 0.23) and the model value for the biodegradation k of estrone, k E1, was −0.18 hour −1(ranging from −0.44 to 0.38 hour −1, with a standard deviation of 0.3). The k values were not found to be temperature‐sensitive within the range 12 to 24.5°C and displayed a weak trend of increasing with total suspended solids within the range 0.103 to 0.450 g/L. The new model improved on the predictions of a previous model for influent estrone concentrations, but gave comparable results for estradiol.
Effects of different doses of radioactive iodine for remnant ablation on successful ablation and on long-term recurrences in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to compare ablation success and disease-free survival (DFS) on the basis of different ablation doses. MethodsThis retrospective study enrolled differentiated thyroid carcinoma patients who underwent total thyroidectomy and radioactive remnant ablation at the Asan Medical Center between January 2000 and December 2004. Radioactive iodine doses of 30 mCi (group A), 80 mCi (group B), and 150 mCi (group C) were administered according to the patients’ risk of recurrences based on the clinicopathologic parameters at the time of surgery. Ablation success was defined as absence of abnormal uptake on diagnostic whole-body scan. ResultsAmong 1024 patients, successful ablation was achieved in 81.7% in group A, in 89.5% in group B, and in 94.8% in group C (P<0.001). A total of 100 patients (9.8%) had clinical recurrences during 6.6 years of median follow-up. DFS was evaluated according to ablation success in each dose group. There were no significant differences in DFS. Side effects of radioactive iodine were negligible with dose up to 80 mCi; however, 2% of patients developed permanent salivary dysfunction in group C. ConclusionIn cases of different ablation doses administered according to patients’ risk of recurrences, we found that a higher dose of radioiodine was associated with a higher rate of ablation success compared with lower doses. However, successful ablation was not associated with a reduction in clinical recurrences. The optimal dose for ablation must be adjusted according to the risk group of individual patients to avoid unnecessary radiation and maximize therapeutic efficacy.
Evaluation of API An-IDENT and RapID ANA II systems for identification of Actinomyces species from clinical specimens

We compared the accuracy of the An-IDENT system (bioMerieux Vitek, Inc., Hazelwood, Mo.) and the RapID ANA II system (Innovative Diagnostic Systems, Norcross, Ga.) with that of conventional biochemical tests for the identification of 85 strains of Actinomyces species. In our hands, the overall accuracy of the An-IDENT was 59% and that of the RapID ANA II was 24%. The error rate for the An-IDENT was 18% and that for the RapID ANA II was 38%. The results of this study suggest that although the An-IDENT was more accurate than the RapID ANA II (P < 0.005), neither system, in our hands, was able to identify Actinomyces species with an acceptable degree of accuracy. It is recommended that suspected Actinomyces isolates be identified by conventional testing.
Chondromyxoid fibroma‐like osteosarcoma: a distinct variant of low‐grade osteosarcoma

Chondromyxoid fibroma‐like osteosarcoma is a recently described, extremely rare subtype of low‐grade osteosarcoma. Two such cases were encountered among 102 cases of osteosarcoma seen in the Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong, between 1984 and 1994. The first patient, a 39‐year‐old woman, presented with a mass in her right maxilla which was resected and mistaken as a myxoma. The tumour recurred locally four years later and she now has extensive local recurrent disease six years after initial presentation and is amenable to support treatment only. The second patient, a 28‐year‐old man, had a pelvic tumour which recurred in the form of a polypoid left atrial tumour and pulmonary nodules six years after operation. The left atrial tumour recurred one year after operation, and led to sudden death of the patient seven years after initial presentation. Radiologically, the tumours in both cases appeared as expansile osteolytic lesions with erosion of adjacent bone and infiltration into soft tissue. Histologically, they consisted of lobules of spindle, stellate or polygonal tumour cells showing mitotic activity and with moderate nuclear pleomorphism and hyperchromatism, set in a highly myxoid stroma superficially mimicking chondromyxoid fibroma. The histological hallmark was the direct production of osteoid by tumour cells. Chondromyxoid fibroma‐like osteosarcoma merits recognition as a distinct variant of low‐grade osteosarcoma for which early appropriate surgery is indicated.
Genetic diversity in Helicobacter pullorum from human and poultry sources identified by an amplified fragment length polymorphism technique and pulsed‐field gel electrophoresis

Helicobacter pullorum was first isolated from the faeces and carcasses of poultry and has been associated with human gastroenteritis. The aim of this study was to examine interstrain genetic diversity within H. pullorum. Two fingerprinting techniques were used: amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and pulsed field gel electrophoretic (PFGE) analysis. The 20 strains examined were from four countries and comprised 13 human isolates and seven poultry isolates. Their identity was confirmed by a species‐specific PCR assay. The human and poultry isolates had distinct genotypes and most strains showed a high degree of genetic diversity. Genotyping also indicated a clonal origin for two strains from the same poultry flock, and established a close relatedness between three chicken carcass isolates from a processing plant. It is concluded that these two genotyping techniques will provide a useful basis for future epidemiological investigations of H. pullorum in poultry, and may provide a link with its possible causal role in human gastrointestinal infections.
Factors determining user satisfaction of internet usage among public sector employees in Yemen

Internet technology has become an essential technological tool for individuals, organisations, and nations driving growth and prosperity. However, there are countries such as Yemen which have very low internet usage rates and which see little economic, social and cultural progress as a result. Therefore, this study has developed an integrated conceptual model based the DeLone and McLean information systems success model (DMISM), the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) and task-technology fit (TTF) to predict the user satisfaction of internet. A survey questionnaire was used to collect primary data from 530 employees in all 30 government ministry institutions in Yemen. An analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between the variables of the proposed model, which includes initial exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modelling (SEM) via AMOS. The results indicated that system quality, information quality, task quality, and social quality are the four key determinants of employee satisfaction related to internet usage. The theoretical and practical implications are also discussed in this study.
The time course of reading processes in children with and without dyslexia: an ERP study

The main diagnostic criterion for developmental dyslexia (DD) in transparent orthographies is a remarkable reading speed deficit, which is often accompanied by spelling difficulties. These deficits have been traced back to both deficits in orthographic and phonological processing. For a better understanding of the reading speed deficit in DD it is necessary to clarify which processing steps are degraded in children with DD during reading. In order to address this question the present study used EEG to investigate three reading related ERPs: the N170, N400 and LPC. Twenty-nine children without DD and 52 children with DD performed a phonological lexical decision (PLD)—task, which tapped both orthographic and phonological processing. Children were presented with words, pseudohomophones, pseudowords and false fonts and had to decide whether the presented stimulus sounded like an existing German word or not. Compared to control children, children with DD showed deficits in all the investigated ERPs. Firstly, a diminished mean area under the curve for the word material-false font contrasts in the time window of the N170 was observed, indicating a reduced degree of print sensitivity; secondly, N400 amplitudes, as suggested to reflect the access to the orthographic lexicon and grapheme-phoneme conversion, were attenuated; and lastly, phonological access as indexed by the LPC was degraded in children with DD. Processing differences dependent on the linguistic material in children without DD were observed only in the LPC, suggesting that similar reading processes were adopted independent of orthographic familiarity. The results of this study suggest that effective treatment should include both orthographic and phonological training. Furthermore, more longitudinal studies utilizing the same task and stimuli are needed to clarify how these processing steps and their time course change during reading development.