Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fish oil-based lipid emulsion in the treatment of parenteral nutrition-associated liver disease

Purpose of review Parenteral nutrition-associated liver disease (PNALD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the parenteral nutrition-dependent population. Here, we review the most recent literature involving a fish oil-based lipid emulsion (FOLE) and its effects on PNALD. Recent findings Vegetable oil-based lipid emulsions (VBLEs) contribute to PNALD. This may be due to parenteral phytosterols and/or the presence of pro-inflammatory mediators. Whereas a small reduction in the dose of VBLE does not appear to prevent PNALD, a significant reduction in the dose may reverse PNALD; however, it carries the risk of essential fatty acid deficiency. Furthermore, the impact of extreme lipid restriction on subsequent neurodevelopment is unknown. Combination lipid emulsions containing fish oil are associated with decreased bilirubin levels, though no studies compare these emulsions with the outcomes with FOLE alone. The utility of FOLE in the reversal of PNALD has been demonstrated and its administration does not lead to essential fatty acid deficiency. Furthermore, there is evidence that FOLE may prevent PNALD. Conclusion FOLE appears to be an efficacious treatment to reverse PNALD. However, more studies are necessary to determine if FOLE might also be beneficial in the prevention of PNALD. Future studies should additionally focus on the preterm infant population, as they represent a major population requiring parenteral nutrition support for survival.
A patient lifting intervention for preventing the work-related injuries of nurses.

UNLABELLED The average age of nurses is projected to be 50 years in 2010 [17]. Because nurses are older, a work injury prevention program should change how nurses lift patients. The purpose of this evidence-based practice improvement project was to examine a new lifting intervention. METHOD An evidence-based process was used to implement an effective lifting intervention, including a back school, a lift team, and mechanical lifting equipment, on the orthopedic and neurology units in a Minnesota hospital. A two-week pilot determined if enough work would be generated to justify hiring a permanent lift team. Then the entire lifting intervention was studied on the two units. RESULTS The injuries for the two units decreased from 21 to 9 injuries, while the salary and work replacement costs were $48,220 and $2,560 in 2001 and 2002, respectively. The lift team averaged 80 lifts per day and 95% of the nursing staff attended the back school. CONCLUSION The lift team and new mechanical lifting equipment were successfully disseminated resulting in significant reductions in costs. Suggested improvements include additional supervision and lift team scheduling changes, regular staff meetings, and ongoing education.
pncA Mutations in Pyrazinamide-ResistantMycobacterium tuberculosis Isolates from Northwestern Russia

ABSTRACT Thirty-six pyrazinamide-resistant and eight pyrazinamide-susceptible Mycobacterium tuberculosisisolates from Russia were analyzed for their pncAmutations. Thirty-one (86.1%) of the resistant isolates had a mutation either in pncA or upstream of the gene. Twenty of the 23 different mutations found in this study had not been described earlier.pncA genotype correlated well with pyrazinamidase activity and BACTEC 460 susceptibility test results.
Analysis of Voteshares Across Party Systems ∗

Three problems complicate the analysis of voteshares; the same parties do not contest elections 1) across districts, 2) across time, or 3) across countries. Adding a model of the policy space to estimate substitution effects presents a solution. Models of compositional variables are increasingly common through a number of disciplines, and within political science are commonly applied to vote shares, particularly to model the flow of votes between parties in a manyparty system. However, broad, encompassing models of party vote shares are hamstrung whenever the set of parties contesting the elections differs across observations. The transformations used in the compositional literature assume the elements of the composition remain constant, and modifications that relax this requirement can only cope with small differences between observations. We examine the use of log cumulative transformations to model the cutpoints between parties in a policy space, and show how this model is robust to the an ever-changing series of parties across observations. We demonstrate our model with an analysis to determine the effect of incumbency on party vote share in parliamentary democracies. ∗Our thanks for helpful comments to Jonathan Wand, for research assistance to Catherine Brewer, and for providing their data to Marty Cohen, Hans Noel and John Zaller. †Department of Political Science (Bunche Hall, Box 951472 Los Angeles, CA 90095-1472; tercer@ucla.edu). ‡Department of Political Science (Bunche Hall, Box 951472 Los Angeles, CA 90095-1472; dlinzer@ucla.edu; http://dlinzer.bol.ucla.edu).
EXPERIMENTAL ARTERIOSCLEROSIS

Arteriosclerotic lesions have been produced in monkeys (Macaca nemestrina) by selective removal of the vascular endothelium with an intra-arterial balloon catheter. Immediately after de-endothelialization a platelet layer covers the denuded area. This thrombus is gradually removed and by 7 days the vessel appears to be largely reendothelialized. Beginning at day 4, smooth muscle cells undergo modification and migrate through fenestrae in the internal elastic lamina into the intima where they proliferate. By 28 days, the intimal lesion consists of multiple layers of smooth muscle cells surrounded by collagen and elastic fibers and basement-like material. After 3 months the lesions are markedly hyperplastic and contain new extracellular connective tissue elements. In contrast, with no further injury after 6 months the lesion has decreased markedly in size suggesting that it may be reversible in the absence of continued endothelial injury. The importance of endothelial "injury" exposing medial smooth muscle to plasma constituents may be the principal factors associated with the migration and proliferation of the smooth muscle cells into the intima resulting in the lesion. The smooth muscle cells do not contain lipid. The similarities of this lesion to the fibromusculo-elastic lesion or preatherosclerotic intimal hyperplasia in man makes it a useful model for the further study of atherosclerosis.
Prevention of insulin resistance with Hibiscus sabdariffa Linn. extract in high-fructose fed rat

Abstrak Latar belakang: Dislipidemia dan stres oksidatif memiliki peran penting sebagai penyebab resistensi insulin. Salah satu herba yang memiliki efek antioksidan kuat dan dapat memperbaiki dislipidemia adalah Hibiscus sabdariffa Linn. Penelitian ini bertujuan mengetahui efek ekstrak Hibiscus sabdariffa Linn. terhadap kadar glukosa darah puasa, kadar insulin darah puasa dan indeks resistensi insulin (HOMA-IR) pada tikus yang diberi diet tinggi fruktosa. Metode: Penelitian eksperimental in vivo ini dilakukan pada 25 tikus Sprague-Dowley yang diberi diet tinggi fruktosa (10% ad libitum) bersamaan dengan pemberian ekstrak Hibiscus sabdariffa Linn. pada dosis 100, 200 dan 400 mg/kgBB/hari selama 5 minggu. Pada akhir penelitian dilakukan pengukuran kadar glukosa darah puasa, kadar insulin puasa, dan indeks resistensi insulin (HOMA-IR). Hasil: Kadar glukosa darah puasa, kadar insulin darah puasa, dan HOMA-IR pada kelompok tikus yang diberi diet tinggi fruktosa bersamaan dengan Hibiscus sabdariffa Linn. pada dosis 100 mg/kgBB/hari tidak berbeda bermakna dibandingkan kelompok tikus yang hanya diberikan diet tinggi fruktosa sedangkan pada dosis 400 mg/kgBB/hari lebih rendah secara bermakna dibandingkan pada kelompok tikus yang hanya diberi diet tinggi fruktosa (masing-masing 4,84 mmol/L vs 6,11 mmol/L, 0,07 µU/L vs 0,3 µU/L, dan 0,02 vs 0,08). Kesimpulan: Hibiscus sabdariffa Linn. dapat mencegah terjadinya resistensi insulin yang diinduksi diet tinggi fruktosa pada tikus.
The Concept of Social Business: Oxymoron or Sign of a Changing Work Culture?

The article discusses the source and pertinence of the term “Social Business”. We present the findings from a study of projects that are in the early stages of adoption of Social Software in organisations. Using a qualitative research approach we examine real-world cases of implementations of integrated Enterprise Collaboration Systems. 16 existing cases (desk research) and three new cases (field research) are analysed and the findings are compared and aggregated. We apply the 8C Model as an analytical lens to guide the coding of the case data. The study’s results reveal the relations between the different concepts (features, components, collaboration scenarios) that can be identified in the cases. The findings show that the most popular usage scenarios of the software are not very “social” but support people in their daily joint work with a focus on getting the job done. The study also reveals possible beneficial factors for the adoption of Social Software such as improved personal information management, mobile devices and unified communication, and better workspace and presence awareness.
Evaluation of analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of the crude methanol extract of the stem-bark of Annona senegalensis Pers.

Annona senegalensisPers. (Annonaceae) is a plant widely used in ethnomedicine medicine (EM) for contro l- ling and treating inflammatory conditions and pain. In this study, the analgesic and anti -inflammatory properties of the methanol stem-bark extract of A. senegalensis was evaluated using laboratory animal models. Analgesic activity of the extract was determined using the acetic acid -induced writhing and hot plate tests in mice, while the anti -inflammatory test was conducted using the egg albumin-induced paw oedema in rats and vascular permeability test in mice. The met h- anol extract of A. senegalensis (100, 400, 1000 mg.kg -1 ; p.o.) produced significant (p<0.05) dose-dependent inhibition of writhes induced by acetic acid while also increa sing the nociceptive reaction latency in the hot plate test. In respect of the anti-inflammatory test, A. senegalensis caused significant (p<0.05) dose and time -dependent decrease in the size of the paw oedema caused by egg-albumin and in a dose-dependent fashion also inhibited significantly (p<0.05) the permeabi l- ity of blue dye into the peritoneal cavity of mice induced by acetic acid. The effects of the stem -bark extract were gener- ally comparable to that of the standard drugs (pentazocine and piroxicam) used in this study. The fin dings in this study suggest that the methanol extract of the stem -bark of A. senegalensis possesses analgesic and anti-inflammatory proper- ties possibly mediated through peripheral and central nervous system pathways. The results further justify the use of A. senegalensis extract in ethnomedical practice for the treatment of painful and inflammatory conditions .
Impact of Work Site Health Promotion on Stages of Dietary Change: The Working Well Trial

The stages of change construct has been applied to healthful dietary behavior in cross-sectional studies. This report examines associations of stages of change with diet prospectively and addresses whether (1) baseline stage of change predicts participation, (2) forward changes in stage movement were greater in treatment work sites, and (3) change in stage was associated with adoption of healthful diets, using data from a cohort of 11,237 employees. Findings indicate that persons in later stages of change reported higher participation levels. Employees from intervention work sites who were in preaction stages at baseline were much more likely to shift into action and maintenance stages than controls. Changes in dietary stage of change were associated with decreases in fat intake and increases in fiber, fruit and vegetable intake. Net change in diet due to the intervention was modest. Stage of change appears to be useful for understanding mediators of health promotion intervention effectiveness.
Helicobacter pylori eradication with proton pump inhibitor‐based triple therapies and re‐treatment with ranitidine bismuth citrate‐based triple therapy

It has been suggested that short‐term triple therapy comprising a proton pump inhibitor, plus clarithromycin and amoxycillin be used as first choice in treating H. pylori infection, while eradication failure patients should be further treated with a quadruple therapy. Nevertheless, conflicting results have been reported using these treatment regimens in different countries.
The effects of imagery training on fast isometric knee extensor torque development

Abstract We hypothesized that imagery training would improve the fast onset of neuromuscular activation and thereby fast knee extensor isometric torque development. Forty young healthy participants, not involved in strength training, were assigned to one of four groups: physical training, imagery training, placebo training or control. The three training groups had three 15 min sessions per week for 4 weeks, with a 90° knee angle but were tested also at 120°. At 90° knee angle, maximal torque increased (∼8%) similarly in all three training groups. The torque–time integral (contractile impulse) over the first 40 ms after torque onset (TTI40) increased (P < 0.05) after physical training (by ∼100%), but only at 90°. This increase was significantly different from the delta values (change pre to post) in the control and placebo groups, whereas delta values in the imagery group were similar to those in the placebo group. The increases in TTI40 following physical training were related (r 2 = 0.81, P < 0.05) to significant increases of knee extensor rectified surface EMG at torque onset (EMG40). In conclusion, only physical training led to a knee angle specific increase of contractile impulse that was significantly different from placebo and controls and that was related to improved onset of neuromuscular activation.
FrzZ, a dual CheY‐like response regulator, functions as an output for the Frz chemosensory pathway of Myxococcus xanthus

Myxococcus xanthus utilizes two distinct motility systems for movement (gliding) on solid surfaces: adventurous motility (A‐motility) and social motility (S‐motility). Both systems are regulated by the Frz signal transduction pathway, which controls cell reversals required for directed motility and fruiting body formation. The Frz chemosensory system, unlike the Escherichia coli chemotaxis system, contains proteins with multiple response regulator domains: FrzE, a CheA–CheY hybrid protein, and FrzZ, a CheY–CheY hybrid protein. Previously, the CheY domain of FrzE was hypothesized to act as the response regulator output of the Frz system. In this study, using a genetic suppressor screen, we identified FrzZ and showed FrzZ is epistatic to FrzE, demonstrating that FrzZ is the principal output component of the pathway. We constructed M. xanthus point mutations in the phosphoaccepting aspartate residues of FrzZ and demonstrated the respective roles of these residues in group and single cell motility. We also performed in vitro assays and showed rapid phosphotransfer between the CheA domain of FrzE and each of the CheY domains of FrzZ. These experiments showed that FrzZ plays a direct role as an output of the Frz chemosensory pathway and that both CheY domains of FrzZ are functional.
Memantine for dementia.

BACKGROUND Memantine, a low affinity antagonist to glutamate NMDA receptors, may prevent excitatory neurotoxicity in dementia. OBJECTIVES To determine efficacy and safety of memantine for people with Alzheimer's disease (AD), vascular (VD) and mixed dementia. SEARCH STRATEGY The Specialized Register of the Cochrane Dementia and Cognitive Improvement Group was searched on 8th February 2006. This register contains references from all major healthcare databases and many ongoing trial databases and is updated regularly. In addition, the search engines Copernic and Google were used to identify unpublished trials through inspection of the websites of licensing bodies like the FDA , EMEA and NICE and of companies' websites (Lundbeck, Merz, Forest, Suntori etc) and clinical trials registries. SELECTION CRITERIA Double-blind, parallel group, placebo-controlled, randomized trials of memantine in people with dementia. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Data were pooled where possible. Intention-to-treat (ITT) and observed case (OC) analyses are reported. MAIN RESULTS 1. Moderate to severe AD. Two out of three six month studies show a small beneficial effect of memantine. Pooled data indicate a beneficial effect at six months on cognition (2.97 points on the 100 point SIB, 95% CI 1.68 to 4.26, P < 0.00001), activities of daily living (1.27 points on the 54 point ADCS-ADLsev, 95% CI 0.44 to 2.09, P = 0.003) and behaviour (2.76 points on the 144 point NPI, 95% CI 0.88 to 4.63, P=0.004), supported by clinical impression of change (0.28 points on the 7 point CIBIC+, 95% CI 0.15 to 0.41, P < 0.0001). 2. Mild to moderate AD. Pooled data from three unpublished studies indicate a marginal beneficial effect at six months on ITT cognition (0.99 points on the 70 point ADAS-Cog, 95% CI 0.21 to 1.78, P = 0.01) which was barely detectable clinically (0.13 CIBIC+ points, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.25, P = 0.03) but no effect on behaviour, activities of daily living or OC analysis of cognition.3. Mild to moderate vascular dementia. Pooled data from two six month studies indicated a small beneficial effect of memantine on cognition (1.85 ADAS-Cog points, 95% CI 0.88 to 2.83, P = 0.0002), and behaviour (0.84 95% CI 0.06 to 0.91, P = 0.03) but this was not supported by clinical global measures.4. Patients taking memantine were slightly less likely to develop agitation (134/1739, 7.7% versus 175/1873, 9.3% OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.61 to 0.99, P = 0.04). This effect was slightly larger, but still small, in moderate to severe AD (58/506 [12%] vs 88/499 [18%]; OR = 0.6, 95% CI 0.42 to 0.86, P = 0.005). There is no evidence either way about whether it has an effect on agitation which is already present.5. Memantine is well tolerated. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS Memantine has a small beneficial effect at six months in moderate to severe AD. In patients with mild to moderate dementia, the small beneficial effect on cognition was not clinically detectable in those with vascular dementia and was detectable in those with AD. Memantine is well tolerated.
Performance-based measures of everyday function in mild cognitive impairment.

OBJECTIVE The view that everyday function is preserved in mild cognitive impairment may be problematic. The objectives of this study were to determine the magnitude of impairment in everyday function in patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease using a novel sensitive performance-based measure (the UCSD Performance-Based Skills Assessment; UPSA), contrast it with use of an informant-based measure (the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study-Activities of Daily Living Inventory; ADCS-ADL), and model the relationship between cognitive measures and the performance-based measure. METHOD Fifty cognitively normal elders, 26 patients who met criteria for amnestic mild cognitive impairment, and 22 patients who suffered from mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease were assessed on the UPSA, the ADCS-ADL, and a battery of neurocognitive tests. RESULTS Patients with mild cognitive impairment had significant impairments on the UPSA but not on the ADCS-ADL. The magnitude of the effect size between the cognitively healthy and the mild cognitive impairment group for the UPSA was large (d=0.86). A strong and significant relationship was observed between cognitive performances in speed (R(2)=0.37), episodic memory (R(2)=0.10), and semantic processing (R(2)=0.03) and UPSA score using multiple regression models. The psychometric properties of the UPSA were acceptable, as were its sensitivity and specificity in contrasts between cognitively normal elders and patients with mild cognitive impairment and between the latter group and patients with Alzheimer's disease. CONCLUSIONS These findings indicate that performance-based measures of function may be a sensitive tool in studies of Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment and suggest the need for a reconceptualization of the relationship between cognition and function in mild cognitive impairment so that they can be usefully aligned.
Underestimation of the influence of satellite nodules as a risk factor for post‐transplantation recurrence in patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma

Liver transplantation offers good results in patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma. However, 3 to 15% of patients still have recurrence, suggesting that factors other than the size and number of nodules are implicated. The aim of our study was to identify predictive factors of recurrence in patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma. Seventy consecutive patients fulfilling Milano criteria and who were transplanted for hepatocellular carcinoma were studied. Forty‐six patients had pretransplantation adjuvant local therapy. The size and number of tumors, the clinical and biological characteristics of the patients were recorded before liver transplantation, and histological analysis was performed on the explanted liver. Overall survival rates at 1 and 3 years were 81% and 66%, respectively. Recurrence‐free survival rates at 1 and 3 years were 80% and 65%, respectively. Seven patients had tumor recurrence with 1‐ and 3‐year recurrence rates of 5% and 10%, respectively. Satellite nodules on the explanted liver were the only statistically significant predictor of recurrence (P = .0003). None of the patients who did not have satellite nodules had recurrence. There was a significant correlation between satellite nodules and microvascular invasion. Patients with pretransplantation adjuvant therapy had significantly more tumor necrosis, but did not have less satellite nodules. In conclusion, microscopic satellite nodules are a significant predictive factor of tumor recurrence in patients transplanted for small hepatocellular carcinoma. (Liver Transpl 2004;10:S86–S90.)
Working with Families Affected by Mental Distress: Stakeholders' Perceptions of Mental Health Nurses Educational Needs

ABSTRACT Family and informal caregivers provide a substantial amount of care and support to people who experience mental health problems. The aim of this study was to explore mental health nurses', students' and service users' perceptions of the knowledge, skills and attitudes that are required by mental health nurses to work with families and carers using a qualitative methodology. Three themes emerged from the data: Knowledge of the family and how mental distress affects the family; working with the family – support and education; and valuing the role of the family. The three themes demonstrate the complexity of preparing mental health nurses to work with families and carers, and the article offers recommendations about how this might be achieved.