Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nurses' Knowledge of Heart Failure Education Topics as Reported in a Small Midwestern Community Hospital

Recurrent heart failure (HF) is the most common cause for readmission of elderly patients with HF. Patient education is an essential component of care for these patients. Healthcare providers must have a sufficient knowledge base to facilitate this education. This study aims to describe nurses' knowledge of HF self-management education principles. Fifty-one nurses working in a small Midwestern community hospital completed a 20-item true or false written survey developed by Albert et al (Heart Lung. 2002;31:102–112) to assess their knowledge of 5 areas of HF self-management. The sample included 14 nurses working in an intensive care unit and 41 nurses working on a general medical unit, all routinely providing care to patients with HF. The mean (±SD) HF self-care knowledge score was 14.6 ± 2 (range = 9–19). There was no statistical difference in mean score between intensive care unit (14.7 ± 1.6) and floor (14.5 ± 2.1) nurses. Correct responses to individual survey items ranged from 20% to 100%; 6 questions resulted in mean scores >90% correct, 9 questions had mean scores between 70% and 90% correct, and 5 questions had mean scores <70% correct. Most respondents (90%) answered 6 questions correctly, but on 9 questions, 70% and 90% answered correctly. On 5 questions, less than 70% answered them correctly. Two questions (need for daily weight monitoring when asymptomatic and the importance of notifying the doctor of new onset or worsening of fatigue) were answered correctly by all participants. Subject areas of frequently missed questions were the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, use of potassium-based salt substitutes, assessment of weight results, and physician notification of asymptomatic low blood pressure and momentary dizziness when rising. These results suggest that nurses working in a small community hospital may not be sufficiently knowledgeable in HF management principles. Additional emphasis on HF educational principles may improve the quality of patient education. One suggested intervention is to provide ongoing education for nurses regarding HF management.
Comprehensive assessments for children entering foster care: a national perspective.

OBJECTIVES To 1) investigate the status of policies for comprehensive health assessments of children entering out-of-home care, 2) develop a profile for each primary sampling unit (PSU) regarding the comprehensiveness of its assessment policies with respect to physical, mental, and developmental health, and 3) examine the relationship between inclusiveness and the estimated percentage of children assessed, primary assessment location, and principal assessment provider type. METHOD In collaboration with the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being, a national probability sample of 92 PSUs was identified. Detailed telephone survey data, addressing policies for the assessment of physical, mental, and developmental needs of children on entry into out-of-home care, were collected from child welfare key informants. Descriptive statistics were used for analyses, and were weighted to account for the sampling strategy. RESULTS Over 94% of PSUs surveyed assessed all children for physical health problems. The percentage of PSUs with inclusive policies regarding mental health and developmental assessment was much lower (47.8% and 57.8%, respectively). Only 42.6% of PSUs provided comprehensive physical, mental health, and developmental examinations inclusive of all children entering out-of-home care. Community locations and primary care providers were most often used to conduct assessments for physical and developmental problems. CONCLUSIONS Despite the publication of national guidelines regarding assessment, many PSUs do not have comprehensive policies or routine practices that address all children entering out-of-home care. Given the high use of primary care providers, these providers must be educated regarding the prevalence and types of problems experienced by children entering foster care.
Whole influenza virus vaccine is more immunogenic than split influenza virus vaccine and induces primarily an IgG2a response in BALB/c mice

The aim of this study was to compare the kinetics and the magnitude of the humoral immune response to two different influenza vaccine formulations, whole and split virus vaccines. BALB/c mice were immunized intramuscularly with one or two doses (3 weeks apart) of 7.5, 15 or 30 µg of haemagglutinin of monovalent A/Panama/2007/99 (H3N2) split or whole virus vaccine. The two vaccine formulations induced similar kinetics of the antibody‐secreting cells response; however, differences in the magnitude were observed in the spleen and bone marrow. Vaccination with whole virus vaccine generally elicited a quicker and higher neutralizing antibody response, particularly after the first dose of vaccine. The two vaccine formulations gave different immunoglobulin G (IgG) subclass profiles. Split virus vaccine stimulated both IgG1 and IgG2a antibodies suggestive of mixed T‐helper 1 (Th1) and Th2 response, whereas whole virus vaccine induced mainly an IgG2a antibody response, which is indicative of a dominant Th1 response. The increased immunogenicity of whole virus vaccine in a naïve population could reduce the vaccine concentration needed to provide protective immunity.
Detection of preclinical Parkinson's disease with PET

Putamen 18F-dopa uptake of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) is reduced by at least 35% at onset of symptoms; therefore, positron-emission tomography (PET) can be used to detect preclinical disease in clinically unaffected twins and relatives of patients with PD. Three out of 6 monozygotic and 2 out of 3 dizygotic unaffected PD co-twins have shown reduced putamen 18F-dopa uptake to date. In addition, an intact sibling and a daughter of 1 of 4 siblings with PD both had low putamen 18F-dopa uptake. These preliminary findings suggest there may be a familial component to the etiology of PD. PET can also be used to detect underlying nigral pathology in patients with isolated tremor and patients who become rigid taking dopamine-receptor blocking agents (DRBAs). Patients with familial essential tremor have normal, and those with isolated rest tremor have consistently low, putamen 18F-dopa uptake. Drug-induced parkinsonism is infrequently associated with underlying nigral pathology.
“My Legs Affect Me a Lot. … I Can No Longer Walk to the Forest to Fetch Firewood”: Challenges Related to Health and the Performance of Daily Tasks for Older Women in a High HIV Context

Compromised health negatively impacts older persons’ ability to participate in expected social roles. Researchers have published little empirical work, however, to explore these issues in HIV endemic African settings. Qualitative interviews with 30 women, aged 60-plus, in rural South Africa, provide insight into the relationship between health and daily activities, with attention to the fulfillment of social roles. In this poor HIV endemic context, older women make connections between their compromised health and their (lack of) capacity to perform the daily tasks that they view as expected of them. By expanding the conceptualization of health to include the capacity to achieve the expectations and perform the tasks expected of one, we better understand how and why health and performance of daily activities are so intricately linked in the minds of respondents. This also provides a starting point for thinking about the social and structural support needed by older persons in these settings, especially as HIV erodes familial supports.
Functional characterization of the novel BRAF complex mutation, BRAFV600delinsYM, identified in papillary thyroid carcinoma

An activating mutation in the BRAF gene is the most common genetic alteration in papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs). The mutation in PTCs is almost a c.1799T>A transversion, resulting in a p.V600E amino acid substitution (BRAFV600E). Here, we report a novel complex BRAF mutation identified in 4/492 Japanese PTC cases (0.81%). The mutation was comprised of one nucleotide substitution at position 1798, followed by an in‐frame insertion of three nucleotides, c.1798delinsTACA in Exon 15, resulting in p.V600delinsYM. In silico three‐dimensional protein structure prediction implied altered kinase activity of this mutant. In vitro kinase assay and western blotting revealed that this mutation conferred high kinase activity on the BRAF protein, leading to constitutive activation of the MAPK signaling pathway. The mutation also showed high transforming ability in focus formation assay using NIH3T3 cells. The degree of all the functional characteristics was comparable to that of BRAFV600E, and treatment with a BRAF inhibitor Sorafenib was also equally effective in this mutant. These findings suggest that the novel BRAF mutation, BRAFV600delinsYM, is a gain‐of‐function mutation and plays an important role in PTC development.
Electromagnetic wave propagation in the millimeter wave band using the NVIDIA OptiX GPU ray tracing engine

In this paper we present the implementation of a polarimetric 3D electromagnetical wave propagation simulator utilizing the NVIDIA® OptiX™ ray tracing engine. In order to get a reference for the performance of our simulator we analyze a conference room scenario which has been used for 60 GHz indoor channel analysis before by comparing measured and simulated channels of a different raytracer, called Paray.
Psychosocial risk factors which may differentiate between women with Functional Voice Disorder, Organic Voice Disorder and a Control group

Abstract This study aimed to explore psychosocial factors contributing to the development of functional voice disorders (FVD) and those differentiating between organic voice disorders (OVD) and a non-voice-disordered control group. A case-control study was undertaken of 194 women aged 18–80 years diagnosed with FVD (n = 73), OVD (n = 55), and controls (n = 66). FVD women were allocated into psychogenic voice disorder (PVD) (n = 37) and muscle tension voice disorder (MTVD) (n = 36) for sub-group analysis. Dependent variables included biographical and voice assessment data, the number and severity of life events and difficulties and conflict over speaking out (COSO) situations derived from the Life Events and Difficulties Schedule (LEDS), and psychological traits including emotional expressiveness scales. Four psychosocial components differentiated between the FVD and control group accounting for 84.9% of the variance: severe events, moderate events, severe COSO, and mild COSO difficulties. Severe events, severe and mild COSO difficulties differentiated between FVD and OVD groups, accounting for 80.5% of the variance. Moderate events differentiated between PVD and MTVD sub-groups, accounting for 58.9% of the variance. Psychological traits did not differentiate between groups. Stressful life events and COSO situations best differentiated FVD from OVD and control groups. More refined aetiological studies are needed to differentiate between PVD and MTVD.
Recurrent pregnancy‐induced thyrotoxicosis presenting as hyperemesis gravidarum. Case report

Case report The patient was a Pakistani woman who had hyperemesis gravidarum in each of her first two pregnancies and was found to be biochemically thyrotoxic on each occasion. She was 26 when she presented with vomiting. lassitude and weight loss during the 9th week of her first pregnancy. Her weight on admission to hospital was 38.4 kg and fell to 33.7 kg over the succeeding 7 weeks despite intensive support. She was withdrawn. wasted and apathetic. She had a tachycardia (despite rehydration) with a sleeping pulse rate of 110-120 beatsimin. There were no specific clinical signs of thyroid disease. Her thyroid function test results are summarized in Table 1 and confirm the diagnosis of thyrotoxicosis. An intravenous 200 p g T R H test showed no response of immunorcactive TSH withlevelsof5.2,6.2and6. 1 mU/la t0 ,20and60 min. Thyroid cytoplasmic and thyroglobulin antibodies were negative, as were LATS and LATSP (kindly assayed by Professor D. S. Munro). Plasma and urinary hCG levels lay within the reference range. There was no evidence of trophoblastic disease and the pregnancy was single. Treatment with carbiniazole (10 mg twice daily) was commenced at 15 weeks and w~as accompanied by prompt improvement in her sickness and malaise. She was discharged home 17 days later. The dose of carbimazole was reduced to 5 mg daily and her subsequent course until the birth of a healthy baby at term was uneventful. The drug was discontinued altogether after delivery. There was no evidence of intrauterine or neonatal thyroid disease. The patient remained clinically and biochemically euthyroid until she conceived for a second time. In February 1983 she presented at 11 weeks of pregnancy, again with hyperemesis. Her thyroid function tests are summarized in Table 1 and the TSH levels after TRH (at 13 weeks) were 2.4, 1.6 and 1.6 mUil (0,20 and 60 min). LATS and LATSP lcvels were negative. The urinary hCG level was elevated above the reference range at 512 000 iuil at 13 weeks but subsequently fell to normal. Trcatment with carbimazole. 5 mg three times daily, was started at 13 weeks and was followed by a marked clinical improvement. She went home after 411 h, and remained well thereafter. Because it was suspected that her condition was hCG-related. carbimazole was discontinued electively at 1 h
An immunoreactive peptide of the FSH involved in autoimmune infertility.

The purpose of this study was to identify autoantigens contained in human ovary extracts. Serum samples from 36 infertile women with anti-ovary antibodies as detected with an ELISA technique were tested in Western blot against human ovary extracts. A reactive protein with a molecular mass matching that of the FSH was detected in 34 cases. These serum samples also reacted strongly in Western blot and ELISA with purified FSH and, in immunofluorescence, with pituitary cells. Using the Pepscan approach, with overlapping peptides matching the amino acid sequence of the human FSH beta-chain, several immunoreactive regions were evidenced. The 78-93 amino acid sequence of the human FSH beta-chain appeared as one of the major epitopes. Synthetic peptides of this region were prepared and demonstrated to react with human serum samples from women with anti-ovary antibodies. These data demonstrate that FSH can be an autoantigen, recognized by autoantibodies associated with infertility.
Course and branch of the celiac artery in the red falcon (Buteo rufinus)

The present study was aimed at determining the origin, course and distribution of the celiac artery in eight adult red falcons, using a latex injection and dissection method. The celiac artery was ascertained to originate from the aorta at the level of the last 2-3 costae. The celiac artery was determined to split into two main branches, namely, left branch of the celiac artery and right branch of the celiac artery, in between the proventricu- lus and gizzard, and in the proximity of the lien. Prior to the indicated bifurcation, the celiac artery was observed to give off an esophageal artery and superior proventricular artery. In seven of the red falcons examined, splenic arteries, varying from two to four in number, were determined to spring from the celiac artery. Both the left and right hepatic arteries were ascertained to stem from the left branch of the celiac artery. The terminal branch of the left branch of the celiac artery, namely, the left gastric artery, was determined to have a fan-like distribution to the left surface of the gaster. The artery of the gall bladder was demonstrated to emanate from the left branch of the celiac artery in all of the red falcons examined, excluding one. The right branch of the celiac artery was determined to ramify into its terminal branches, namely, the right inferior gastric artery, ileocecal artery, pan- creaticoduodenal artery, duodenojejunal artery and gastroduodenal artery, in the proximity of the pylorus which constitutes the gastro-duodenal passage.
Influence of leadership on implementing Dementia Care Mapping: A multiple case study

Dementia Care Mapping is an internationally applied method for enhancing person-centred care for people with dementia in nursing homes. Recent studies indicate that leadership is crucial for the successful implementation of Dementia Care Mapping; however, research on this topic is rare. This case study aimed to explore the influence of leadership on Dementia Care Mapping implementation in four nursing homes. Twenty-eight interviews with project coordinators, head nurses and staff nurses were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Nursing homes that failed to implement Dementia Care Mapping were characterised by a lack of leadership. The leaders of successful nursing homes promoted person-centred care and were actively involved in implementation. While overall leadership performance was positive in one of the successful nursing homes, conflicts related to leadership style occurred in the other successful nursing homes. Thus, it is important that leaders promote person-centred care in general and Dementia Care Mapping in particular. Furthermore, different types of leadership can promote successful implementation. Trial registration of the primary study: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN43916381.
Relation of total antiradical activity and total polyphenol content of sweet cherries (Prunus avium L.) and tart cherries (Prunus cerasus L.)

In present study the quantification of total phenolics content (TPC), total antioxidant activity (TAA) and their relation in sweet and tart cherries were studied. Aqueous and pure polar solvents were used to compare the yield of present phenolic compounds in prepared extracts. The solubility of phenolics was the most effective in sweet cherry extracts with using of 50 % methanol and in tart cherry extracts with using of 50 % acetone. The yield of TPC of both tested cherry fruit extracts was higher with pure methanol in comparison to pure acetone. Substantial TPC assessed with Folin-Ciocealteu assay in tart cherry extracts were in range from 70.6? 8.46 mg to 241.4? 7.26 mg GAE/100 g FW. Extracts from lyophilised tart cherries (methanolic and water-acetone mixtures) contain in average 2-times higher amount of polyphenols than ethanol extracts. The DPPH antiradical efficiency values of the both tested fruit extracts were higher in extracts of tart cherries (from 5.4 to 9.9 % of inhibition of DPPH radical) when compared to those of sweet cherries (from 2.4 to 3.5 % of inhibition of DPPH radical). Total antioxidant activity (TAA) of sweet cherry extracts (using 70 % ethanol and with 70 % methanol) and of tart cherry extracts (with 50 % methanol) depended on phenolics content.
Nursing in the crossfire.

What is exceptional in nursing is the nature of the work: the continuous and intimate association with pain and not infrequent contact with death. Not every man or woman would feel themselves able to undertake the duties of a nurse. Brian Abel-Smith, A History of the Nursing Profession, 1960.1 Nursing is an embattled profession. Many nurses who work in hospitals feel that they are overworked and often unable to provide good patient care. The young people who traditionally have embarked on careers in nursing are increasingly choosing other fields, such as medicine or business, in which the .
Smoking as a Risk Factor for Renal Injury in Essential Hypertension

Background: Smoking is an important player in the pathogenesis of hypertensive nephropathy. To shed more light on this issue, we performed a case-control cross-sectional study and stratification analyses to evaluate the influence of smoking on surrogate markers of kidney injury and oxidative stress in patients supposed to have hypertensive nephropathy. The dependence of kidney lesions on the ‘extent’ of smoking was determined as well. Methods: 82 patients with essential hypertension and micro- or macro-albuminuria were recruited. The control group consisted of 41 sex- and age-matched healthy individuals. Urine albumin creatinine ratio and plasma von Willebrand factor activity were analysed as markers of endothelial injury. N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase, transforming growth factor-β1 and 15-isoprostane F2t urine excretions were regarded as markers of tubular dysfunction, renal fibrosis and oxidative stress, respectively. Patients’ smoking habits were recorded and categorized on the basis of a self-administered questionnaire. Results: In multivariate regression analysis, the independent associations between smoking and urine albumin (p < 0.05; β = 0.27), von Willebrand factor activity (p < 0.05; β = 0.29) and urine isoprostanes (p < 0.05; β = 0.28) were found. When the smokers were stratified according to the number of cigarettes smoked per day and the time from which they started smoking, ‘heavy smokers’ and ‘long-term smokers’ presented with higher albumin excretion and higher von Willebrand factor activity than ‘light smokers’ and ‘short-term smokers’, respectively. The passive smokers had numerically higher albumin excretion and von Willebrand factor activity than nonsmokers. Conclusion: The study showed that smoking induces oxidative stress. Smoking was also found to be a strong predictor for the extent of endothelial injury in patients with hypertensive kidney injury. Subjects who smoke heavily and for a long time, as well as passive smokers, seem to be particularly exposed to endothelial damage.
Characterization of nelfinavir binding to plasma proteins and the lack of drug displacement interactions

To determine the characteristics of the binding of nelfinavir and active M8 to α1‐acid glycoprotein (AAG) and human serum albumin (HSA), and to examine the displacement effects of drugs binding extensively to AAG (ritonavir and saquinavir) or to HSA (salicylic acid and valproic acid).
The Thymus and the Cellular Basis of Immunity

Radiation Chimaeras With or Without a Thymus 44 1. Description Preparation of chimaeras Histopathology Haematology Cytology Immunology 2. Exploration of the System Adult thymectomy; the effect of irradiation; variation of time between thymectomy and irradiation Variation of numbers ot bone-marrow cells injected after irradiation Variation of sex and strain of mice Variation of time and site of implantation of thymus graft Variation of genotype of thymus graft Variation of number of thymus grafts implanted Injection of thymocytes or peripheral blood cells Thymus graft removal Old chimaeras
Congenital Deficiency of All Vitamin K-Dependent Blood Coagulation Factors Due to a Defective Vitamin K-Dependent Carboxylase in Devon Rex Cats

Summary Two Devon Rex cats from the same litter, which had no evidence of liver disease, malabsorption of vitamin K or chronic ingestion of coumarin derivatives, were found to have plasma deficiencies of factors II, VII, IX and X. Oral treatment with vitamin K1 resulted in the normalization of these coagulation factors. After taking liver biopsies it was demonstrated that the coagulation abnormality was accompanied by a defective γ-glutamyl-carboxylase, which had a decreased affinity for both vitamin K hydroquinone and propeptide. This observation prompted us to study in a well-defined in vitro system the possible allosteric interaction between the propeptide binding site and the vitamin K hydroquinone binding site on carboxylase. It was shown that by the binding of a propeptide-containing substrate to γ-glutamylcarboxylase the apparent K M for vitamin K hydroquinone is decreased about 20-fold. On the basis of these in vitro data the observed defect in the Devon Rex cats can be fully explained.