Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Chronic Postthoracotomy Pain in Transapical Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

Objective: Chronic postthoracotomy pain (CPTP) is a persistent, occasionally debilitating pain lasting >2 months following thoracic surgery. This study investigates for the first time the prevalence and clinical impact of CPTP in patients who have undergone a transapical transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TA-TAVR). Design: This was a single-institution, prospective observational survey and a retrospective chart review. Setting: The study was conducted in the University Hospital. Participants: Patients. Materials and Methods: A survey of 131 participants with either a previous TA TAVR or transfemoral (TF) TAVR procedure was completed. A telephone interview was conducted at least 2 months following TAVR; participants were asked to describe their pain using the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire. Measurements and Main Results: Odds ratio (OR) was calculated using the proportions of questionnaire responders reporting “sensory” descriptors in the TA-TAVR versus the TF-TAVR groups. Results were then compared to individual Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ12) scores and 5-min walk test (5MWT) distances. A total of 119 participants were reviewed (63 TF, 56 TA). Among TA-TAVR questionnaire responders (n = 16), CPTP was found in 64.3% of participants for an average duration of 20.5-month postprocedure (OR = 10, [confidence interval (CI) 95% 1.91–52.5];P = 0.003). TA-TAVR patients identified with CPTP had significant reductions in 5MWT distances (−2.22 m vs. 0.92 m [P = 0.04]) as well as trend toward significance in negative change of KCCQ12 scores OR = 18.82 (CI 95% 0.85–414.99;P = 0.06) compared to those without CPTP. Conclusions: CPTP occurs in patients undergoing TA-TAVR and is possibly associated with a decline quality of life and overall function.
Endoscopic Treatment of Acute Subdural Hematoma with a Normal Small Craniotomy

Abstract Background Endoscopic surgery is helpful in evacuating intracranial hematomas. However, the indication and the craniotomy location are still unclear in the endoscopic evacuation of acute subdural hematomas (SDHs). This study evaluated the feasibility and efficacy of endoscopic treatment of acute SDH via a normal small craniotomy. Methods A normal small craniotomy (∼ 3 × 4 cm) as a surgical window was made at the superior temporal line around the coronal suture on the lesion side. A 4-mm rigid endoscope with a 0-degree lens was introduced into the subdural space, and the hematoma was evacuated using irrigation and suction devices with various angles. Endoscopic surgery was performed in 13 older adult patients with acute SDH. Adequacy of the hematoma evacuation, bleeding control, and clinical outcomes were analyzed. Results The mean age of the patient was 78.6 years (range: 65–89 years). Four cases of cortical arterial bleeding were encountered and controlled with bipolar cauterization. No re-bleeding was observed postoperatively in any patient. Near-total hematoma removal was achieved. Remnant hematoma was scanty and located in the parietal area. No further craniectomy was required after the endoscopic surgery. The outcome at discharge was closely related to the patient's level of consciousness before the operation. Conclusion A small craniotomy around the superior temporal line provides an optimal window to evacuate an acute SDH and achieve hemostasis using an endoscope. Endoscopic evacuation of acute SDHs could be effective in selected cases.
Motor neuron loss in SMA is not associated with somal stress-activated JNK/c-Jun signaling.

A pathological hallmark of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is severe motor neuron loss, which results in muscle weakness and often infantile or childhood mortality. Although it is well established that deficient expression of survival motor neuron protein causes SMA, the molecular pathways that execute motor neuron cell death are poorly defined. The c-Jun NH2-terminal kinases (JNKs) are stress-activated kinases with multiple substrates including c-Jun, which can be activated during neuronal injury and neurodegenerative disease leading to neuronal apoptosis. Recently, increased JNK-c-Jun signaling was reported in SMA raising the possibility that JNK inhibitors could be a novel treatment for this disease. We examined JNK-c-Jun activity in SMA mouse and human cultured cells and tissues. Anisomycin treatment of human SMA fibroblasts and sciatic nerve ligation in SMA mice provoked robust phosphorylated-c-Jun (p-c-Jun) expression indicating that SMN-deficiency does not prevent activation of the stress-induced JNK-c-Jun signaling pathway. Despite retained capacity to activate JNK-c-Jun, we observed no basal increase of p-c-Jun levels in SMA compared to control cultured cells, human or mouse spinal cord tissues, or mouse motor neurons during the period of motor neuron loss in severe SMA model mice. In both controls and SMA, approximately 50% of α-motor neuron nuclei express p-c-Jun with decreasing expression during the early postnatal period. Together these studies reveal no evidence of stress-activated JNK-c-Jun signaling in motor neurons of SMA mice or human tissues, but do highlight the important role of JNK-c-Jun activity during normal motor neuron development raising caution about JNK antagonism in this pediatric neuromuscular disease.
Bone morphogenetic protein signaling in breast cancer progression

Abstract Breast cancer is the most prevalent type of cancer amongst women worldwide. The mortality rate for patients with early-stage breast cancer has been decreasing, however, the 5-year survival rate for patients with metastatic disease remains poor, currently at 27%. Here, we have reviewed the current understanding of the role of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling in breast cancer progression, and have highlighted the discordant results that are reported in different studies. We propose that some of these contradictory outcomes may result from signaling through either the canonical or non-canonical pathways in different cell lines and tumors, or from different tumor-stromal interactions that occur in vivo.
Exposure to violence across multiple contexts and health risk behaviours in South African adolescents: the moderating role of emotion dysregulation

Abstract Objective: The association between violence exposure and health risk behaviours in South African adolescents, and the moderating role of emotion dysregulation were investigated. Design: A multi-ethnic sample of adolescents (N = 925: boy: 47.3%, girl: 52.7%, M age = 16 years, SD = 1.54) completed a survey. Main outcome measures: Violence exposure across different contexts (home-, school-, community-, political victimisation), emotion dysregulation (inability to regulate sadness and anger) and a composite measure of health risk behaviours (smoking, substance use, risky sexual behaviour) were examined. Results: Boys reported more risk behaviours than girls, t (844) = 5.25, p < 0.001. Direct community victimisation was a predictor for boys’ risk behaviours, B = 0.22, p < 0.001. Indirect school victimisation and direct community victimisation were predictors for girls’ risk behaviours, B’s = 0.19, p’s < 0.01. Girls reported higher emotion dysregulation than boys, t (748) = −2.95, p < 0.01. Only for girls, emotion dysregulation moderated the associations of indirect home victimisation, B = 16, p < 0.01, and direct community victimisation, B = 15, p < 0.05, with risk behaviours. Conclusion: Interventions may target emotion regulation skills, particularly for girls, to enhance resilience to the negative effects of violence on behaviours.
Round Robin Approach for VM Load Balancing Algorithm in Cloud Computing Environment

Cloud computing is a new emerging trend in computer technology that has influenced every other entity in the entire industry, whether it is in the public sector or private sector with the advance feature of the cloud there are new possibility opening up how application can be built and how different servic es can be offered to the end user through Virtualization, on the internet. Considering the growing importance of cloud finding new way to improve cloud services is an area of concern and research focus. In available Virtual Machine Load Balancing policies limitation of cloud is that they don't save the state of the previous allocation of virtual machine to a request from the user and the VM Load Balancing algorithm require execution each time a new request for VM allocation received from user. This problem can be resolve by developing an efficient VM load balancing algorithm for using Round Robin approach.
Textbook Outcome: Nationwide Analysis of a Novel Quality Measure in Pancreatic Surgery.

BACKGROUND Textbook outcome (TO) is a multidimensional measure for quality assurance, reflecting the "ideal" surgical outcome. METHODS Post-hoc analysis of patients who underwent pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) or distal pancreatectomy (DP) for all indications between 2014 and 2017, queried from the nationwide prospective Dutch Pancreatic Cancer Audit. An international survey was conducted among 24 experts from 10 countries to reach consensus on the requirements for TO in pancreatic surgery. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify TO predictors. Between-hospital variation in TO rates was compared using observed-versus-expected rates. RESULTS Based on the survey (92% response rate), TO was defined by the absence of postoperative pancreatic fistula, bile leak, postpancreatectomy hemorrhage (all ISGPS grade B/C), severe complications (Clavien-Dindo ≥III), readmission, and in-hospital mortality. Overall, 3341 patients were included (2633 (79%) PD and 708 (21%) DP) of whom 60.3% achieved TO; 58.3% for PD and 67.4% for DP. On multivariable analysis, ASA class 3 predicted a worse TO rate after PD (ASA 3 OR 0.59 [0.44-0.80]), whereas a dilated pancreatic duct (>3 mm) and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) were associated with a better TO rate (OR 2.22 [2.05-3.57] and OR 1.36 [1.14-1.63], respectively). For DP, female sex and the absence of neoadjuvant therapy predicted better TO rates (OR 1.38 [1.01-1.90] and OR 2.53 [1.20-5.31], respectively). When comparing institutions, the observed-versus-expected rate for achieving TO varied from 0.71 to 1.46 per hospital after casemix-adjustment. CONCLUSIONS TO is a novel quality measure in pancreatic surgery. TO varies considerably between pancreatic centers, demonstrating the potential benefit of quality assurance programs.
Single-walled and multiwalled carbon nanotubes induce oxidative stress in isolated rat brain mitochondria

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are broadly applicable across a variety of industrial fields. Despite their usefulness in many different applications, oxidative stress-induced toxicity of SWCNTs and MWCNTs has not been widely investigated. The present study examined the effects of SWCNTs and MWCNTs on rat brain mitochondria using the 3,4 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and indices of reactive oxygen species (ROS), based on measurements of malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), and mitochondrial membrane potential. Based on the MTT assay, exposure to SWCNTs and MWCNTs decreased mitochondrial survival and viability in a dose-dependent manner. Findings also indicated that MWCNTs and SWCNTs could damage mitochondrial membranes and induce the formation of ROS, as indicated by increased levels of MDA and decreased GSH content. The results of this study suggest that SWCNTs and MWCNTs likely damage brain tissue mitochondria by increasing oxidative stress and possibly activating the apoptosis pathway as well as other pathways of cytotoxicity.
Fighting for time: Spillover and crossover effects of long work hours among dual-earner couples.

Drawing upon the spillover-crossover model, this study examined the extent to which one's work time demands spilled over to the family domain, and crossed over to his or her spouse, utilizing data of 365 dual-earner couples from the 500 Family Study. The results of the distinguishable actor-partner interdependence model indicated that there was gender symmetry in the spillover processes such that the effects of work hours were identical between men and women. Further, although there was more bi-directional crossover between partners within couples, we observed some unidirectional crossover from husbands to wives. Specifically, husbands only increased their contribution to domestic work in response to wives' work fatigue, whereas wives increased their contribution to domestic work in response to husbands' work fatigue and high workloads. Finally, husbands' housework hours negatively related to wives' marital satisfaction and positively related to wives' depression, whereas wives' housework hours negatively related to husbands' marital satisfaction and depression. These findings have practical implications for improving the work-family balance, health, and well-being of dual-earner couples.
Medium-term load forecasting with artificial neural network models

The latest research and results published in the literature show that the interest in load forecasts has moved from traditional techniques to models that use neural networks and fuzzy systems. This paper describes a new approach to the medium-term load forecasting which uses artificial neural networks and fuzzy techniques. The medium-term load forecast must be understood as the assessment of the power consumption as load profiles with hourly values for 48 characteristic days within a year.
Antithrombotic treatment and major adverse cardiac events after bleeding in patients with myocardial infarction: a retrospective analysis of nationwide registry data.

AIMS The aim of this study was to describe the use of antithrombotic therapy following a bleeding event among patients with myocardial infarction (MI), and the associated risk of major adverse cardiac events (MACE). METHODS AND RESULTS Using Danish nationwide registries patients hospitalized with a bleeding event within 1 year after MI were identified. Antithrombotic treatment with aspirin, clopidogrel and/or vitamin K antagonists (VKA) was determined at the bleeding and at Day 90 and 180 post bleed. Based on guidelines, patients were stratified into four groups: expected, reduced, discontinued, or intensified treatment. Risk of MACE (ischemic stroke, MI, or death) within the first year was assessed by Cox proportional hazard models. A total of 3324 patients with a bleeding after MI were included. At day 90 post bleed 1052 (31.7%) received expected antitrombotic treatment, 1301 (39.2%) reduced, 164 (4.9%) intensified, and 807 (24.3%) no treatment. MACE occurred in 637 (19.2%) patients. With dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) as reference, adjusted hazard ratios for MACE were: aspirin 1.81 (1.06-3.09), clopidogrel 1.08 (0.64-1.82), VKA 1.08 (0.47-2.48), VKA+aspirin 1.97 (0.95- 4.07), VKA+clopidogrel 0.26 (0.03-1.91), triple 1.73 (0.50-5.95), no treatment 1.93 (1.11-3.36). CONCLUSIONS The majority of MI patients reduced or discontinued their antithrombotic therapy post-bleed. Patients in monotherapy with aspirin or no treatment post-bleed had a higher risk of MACE Further studies of optimal antithrombotic treatments after a bleed are needed.
Increased ASL-CBF in the right amygdala predicts the first onset of depression in healthy young first-degree relatives of patients with major depression

Healthy first-degree relatives of patients with major depression are at an elevated risk of developing depression, and regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) alterations are observed in patients with depression. Therefore, in a 33-month follow-up study, we used arterial spin labeling-magnetic resonance imaging (ASL-MRI) to investigate quantitative CBF before and after the diagnosis of depression in healthy young adults with and without first-degree relatives with major depression (FH + and FH−, respectively). In cross-sectional and longitudinal CBF comparisons, CBF in the right amygdala was increased or decreased. Additionally, a significant correlation was observed between the altered CBF in the right amygdala and the scores on the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) in the FH + group. Furthermore, logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curve analyses showed that increased CBF in the right amygdala at baseline predicted the subsequent onset of depression in the FH + group. Our results suggest that among healthy young adults with a familial risk of depression, those who exhibit increased CBF in the amygdala are susceptible to developing this disease.
Impact of Ramadan fasting on medical and psychiatric health.

Ramadan is a religious month dedicated to prayer, fasting and feasting. Recently, there has been an increased interest among healthcare providers regarding possible health-related complications as a consequence of religious fasting such as that seen during Ramadan. In May 2018, a 34-year-old female patient with a diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder, depressive type, was admitted for inpatient hospitalization to an inpatient psychiatric hospital in Buffalo, New York. The earliest date of initial diagnosis is unclear; however, the patient reports an increase in symptoms during her early twenties. Upon admission, the patient was continued on haloperidol, lithium and fluphenazine decanoate which had been initiated prior to this admission. Medication administration and meal times were adjusted to accommodate her observance of Ramadan. Despite efforts to mitigate the potential impact, the patient complained of dizziness and weakness following initiation and titration of clozapine. Due to psychiatric exacerbation, inpatient hospitalization and continuous monitoring, clozapine titration occurred quickly. Upon admission, the patient's blood pressure was 137/85 mmHg, which decreased to a low of 87/58 mmHg as her clozapine dose was increased, leaving the patient requesting bedrest due to significant dizziness and weakness. On the 21st day of Ramadan, the patient broke her fast due to substantial adverse effects. Five days after breaking her fast, the patient's blood pressure increased and returned to baseline. Individuals participating in Ramadan tend to have disrupted sleep cycles, including nocturnal sleep reduction and broken sleep patterns, which can impact overall health. Additional health-related complications that have been reported include dehydration and changes in blood glucose, blood pressure, lipid panel, body weight and exacerbation of psychiatric symptoms. These adverse effects can result in serious complications in fasting individuals with acute medical and psychiatric illness. Clozapine was initiated and rapidly titrated during the patient's observance of Ramadan. She exhibited signs and symptoms of hypotension, which were also subjectively reported by the patient. The significant drop in blood pressure while fasting, and rapid increase once the fast was broken, confirm that medication changes implemented during religious fasting, such as that seen during Ramadan, can increase a patient's risk of serious adverse effects.
Toward a New Venture: Building Partnerships with Faculty

In spring 2000, the authors undertook a study to examine the extent of collaboration between librarians and faculty at the University of Manitoba and to identify the current and future roles of librarians. Two surveys were designed—one directed at faculty, the other at librarians. The current article reports the results of the librarian survey and presents some comparative data between the two surveys. This study demonstrates the extent to which their opinions intersect and examines the quality of the partnership. It measures the impact of the collaboration and describes areas where it could be enhanced and expanded. In addition, the study identifies new roles for librarians that would further enhance the partnership between faculty and librarians.
A Model of Online Publishing: the Case of arXiv.org

arXiv.org is a publishing platform, without formal refereeing, that is mainly used in physics and math. Taking arXiv.org as an example, we show that authors can self-referee, i.e., among authors of the same quality, those with good papers are more likely to make papers more visible to readers to help readers evaluate papers. Therefore, authors play a role analogous to referees in the peer review process. Our work suggests that online publishing, like arXiv.org, provides an alternative to journals, where the traditional role of evaluating papers through peer review is replaced by authors’ self-refereeing. We also address the broader question: do producers have incentives to reveal the quality of their bad products? We propose that authors’ self-refereeing is driven by their reputation concerns. Given papers of the same quality, good authors make their papers less visible than bad authors in order to benefit from the reputation improvement in the future. Good authors are more likely to invest in their reputation because they are more likely, than bad authors, to have good papers in the future. In general, good papers are cited more than bad papers. This citation advantage is higher if a good paper’s author invested in their reputation. The more limited readers’ attentions are, the more likely authors are to self-referee, because authors with good papers incur a higher cost for their papers to be missed by readers. In Chapter 1, we identify properties of authors’ strategic submissions, which motivates the model that we present in Chapter 2. In Chapter 3, we collect data and test the theoretical model of Chapter 2.
Hearing, speech reception, vocabulary and language: population epidemiology and concordance in Australian children aged 11 to 12 years and their parents

Objectives To describe the epidemiology and parent-child concordance of hearing, speech reception, vocabulary and language in Australian parent-child dyads at child age 11 to 12 years. Design Population-based cross-sectional study (Child Health CheckPoint) nested within the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. Setting Assessment centres in seven Australian cities and eight regional towns or home visits around Australia, February 2015 to March 2016. Participants Of all participating CheckPoint families (n=1874), 1516 children (50% female) and 1520 parents (87% mothers, mean age 43.8 years) undertook at least one of four measurements of hearing and language. Outcome measures Hearing threshold (better ear mean of 1, 2 and 4 kHz) from pure-tone audiometry, speech reception threshold, receptive vocabulary, expressive and receptive languages using a sentence repetition task. Parent-child concordance was examined using Pearson’s correlation coefficients and adjusted linear regression models. Survey weights and methods accounted for Longitudinal Study of Australian Children’s complex sampling and stratification. Results Children had a similar speech reception threshold to parents (children mean −14.3, SD 2.4; parents −14.9, SD 3.2 dB) but better hearing acuity (children 8.3, SD 6.3; parents 13.4, SD 7.0 decibels hearing level). Standardised sentence repetition scores were similar (children 9.8, SD 2.9; parents 9.1, SD 3.3) but, as expected, parents had superior receptive vocabularies. Parent-child correlations were higher for the cognitively-based language measures (vocabulary 0.31, 95% CI 0.26 to 0.36; sentence repetition 0.29, 95% CI 0.24 to 0.34) than the auditory measures (hearing 0.18, 95% CI 0.13 to 0.23; speech reception threshold 0.18, 95% CI 0.13 to 0.22). Mother-child and father-child concordances were similar for all measures. Conclusions We provide population reference values for multiple measures spanning auditory and verbal communication systems in children and mid-life adults. Concordance values aligned with previous twin studies and offspring studies in adults, in keeping with polygenic heritability that is modest for audition but around 60% for language by late childhood.