Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adjacent Segment Disease after Lumbar or Lumbosacral Fusion: Review of the Literature

Study Design. Review of the literature. Objectives. Review the definition, etiology, incidence, and risk factors associated with as well as potential treatment options. Summary of Background Data. The development of pathology at the mobile segment next to a lumbar or lumbosacral spinal fusion has been termed adjacent segment disease. Initially reported to occur rarely, it is now considered a potential late complication of spinal fusion that can necessitate further surgical intervention and adversely affect outcomes. Methods. MEDLINE literature search. Results. The most common abnormal finding at the adjacent segment is disc degeneration. Biomechanical changes consisting of increased intradiscal pressure, increased facet loading, and increased mobility occur after fusion and have been implicated in causing adjacent segment disease. Progressive spinal degeneration with age is also thought to be a major contributor. From a radiographic standpoint, reported incidence during average postoperative follow-up observation ranging from 36 to 369 months varies substantially from 5.2 to 100%. Incidence of symptomatic adjacent segment disease is lower, however, ranging from 5.2 to 18.5% during 44.8 to 164 months of follow-up observation. The rate of symptomatic adjacent segment disease is higher in patients with transpedicular instrumentation (12.2–18.5%) compared with patients fused with other forms of instrumentation or with no instrumentation (5.2–5.6%). Potential risk factors include instrumentation, fusion length, sagittal malalignment, facet injury, age, and pre-existing degenerative changes. Conclusion. Biomechanical alterations likely play a primary role in causing adjacent segment disease. Radiographically apparent, asymptomatic adjacent segment disease is common but does not correlate with functional outcomes. Potentially modifiable risk factors for the development of adjacent segment disease include fusion without instrumentation, protecting the facet joint of the adjacent segment during placement of pedicle screws,fusion length, and sagittal balance. Surgical management, when indicated, consists of decompression of neural elements and extension of fusion. Outcomes after surgery, however, are modest.
Forward link capacity losses for soft and softer handoff in cellular systems

In CDMA cellular systems, all radio channels use the same frequency band, and the same radio channel can be reused in all neighboring cells. On the forward link there are at least two base stations involved in the soft handoff process, where each base station supports a forward link channel to the mobile, this produce capacity gain by macrodiversity and produce capacity loss due to the use of extra channels. In this paper the losses of soft and softer handoff on the forward-link capacity for unsectorized and sectorized cells due to the use of at least two BSs in the handoff process are evaluated analytically. We follow two approaches, the deterministic approach and the random approach (considering shadowing) and we take into account the IS-95 standard. We obtain that the capacity loss is approximately from 13% to 25% depending of propagation parameters values and handoff threshold.
Nursing and medication education.

AIM This study set out to explore nurses' current contribution to medication education and the clinical contextual factors that influence current practice. METHOD Nurses' practice was investigated using a case study approach. Methods used to collect data were: audio-recordings and observation of nurse-patient interactions about medication, post-interaction interviews with nurses and patients, analysis of relevant written documentation and researcher observation and field notes. RESULTS Findings indicate that nurses' contribution to medication education is commonly limited to giving simple information about medicines, involving the name, purpose, colour, number of tablets and the time and frequency for their administration. CONCLUSION Nurse-patient relationships, patterns of contact and philosophy of care were all identified as contributory factors to enabling the practice of medication education in clinical areas.
Influence of mesoscale eddies on the distribution of nitrous oxide in the eastern tropical South Pacific

Recent observations in the eastern tropical South Pacific (ETSP) have shown the key role of meso- and submesoscale processes (e.g. eddies) in shaping its hydrographic and biogeochemical properties. Off Peru, elevated primary production from coastal upwelling in combination with sluggish ventilation of subsurface waters fuels a prominent oxygen minimum zone (OMZ). Given that nitrous oxide (N2O) production–consumption processes in the water column are sensitive to oxygen (O2) concentrations, the ETSP is a region of particular interest to investigate its source–sink dynamics. To date, no detailed surveys linking mesoscale processes and N2O distributions as well as their relevance to nitrogen (N) cycling are available. In this study, we present the first measurements of N2O across three mesoscale eddies (two mode water or anticyclonic and one cyclonic) which were identified, tracked, and sampled during two surveys carried out in the ETSP in November–December 2012. A two-peak structure was observed for N2O, wherein the two maxima coincide with the upper and lower boundaries of the OMZ, indicating active nitrification and partial denitrification. This was further supported by the abundances of the key gene for nitrification, ammonium monooxygenase (amoA), and the gene marker for N2O production during denitrification, nitrite reductase (nirS). Conversely, we found strong N2O depletion in the core of the OMZ (O2 < 5 μmol/L) to be consistent with nitrite (NO2-) accumulation and low levels of nitrate (NO3-), thus suggesting active denitrification. N2O depletion within the OMZ’s core was substantially higher in the centre of mode water eddies, supporting the view that eddy activity enhances N-loss processes off Peru, in particular near the shelf break where nutrient-rich, productive waters from upwelling are trapped before being transported offshore. Analysis of eddies during their propagation towards the open ocean showed that, in general, “ageing” of mesoscale eddies tends to decrease N2O concentrations through the water column in response to the reduced supply of material to fuel N loss, although the hydrographic variability might also significantly impact the pace of the production–consumption pathways for N2O. Our results evidence the relevance of mode water eddies for N2O distribution, thereby improving our understanding of the N-cycling processes, which are of crucial importance in times of climate change and ocean deoxygenation.
Predilution hemodiafiltration displays no hemodynamic advantage over low-flux hemodialysis under matched conditions.

BACKGROUND It is the prevailing view that convective dialysis techniques stabilize blood pressure. The aim of this study was to compare the intrasession hemodynamics during high-dose predilution hemodiafiltration (HDF) and low-flux hemodialsis, under strict controlled conditions. METHODS Twelve stable hemodialysis patients were investigated in a randomized crossover blinded controlled trial. The patients were allocated to one session of predilution HDF (substitution fluid 1.20 +/- 0.10 L/kg body weight) and one session of hemodialysis at 4(1/2) hours. To eliminate confounding factors, dialysis dose, ultrafiltration volume and arterial temperature were matched. At the start of the dialysis the patients' core temperature was "locked" by an automatic feedback system regulating the dialysate temperature; thereby, patients' temperature was kept stable throughout the whole treatment. The calcium-ion concentration in the substitution/dialysis fluid was 1.25 mmol/L. Cardiac output was measured hourly by the ultrasound velocity dilution method. RESULTS Mean blood pressure, cardiac output, stroke volume, cardiac work, and relative blood volume was significantly reduced in both treatments. Total peripheral resistance increased significantly in both groups. Ultrafiltration volume, cardiopulmonary recirculation, Kt/V, and total energy transfer were similar for hemodialysis and HDF. The pulse rate showed no significant change throughout both sessions. No significant differences were revealed between hemodialysis and HDF. CONCLUSION The hemodynamics of predilution HDF and low-flux hemodialysis displayed a similar profile during matched conditions. An acute circulatory benefit of convective solute removal over diffusive could not be demonstrated.
Bone-Patellar Tendon-Bone Grafts for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Background Secure fixation is an important factor in the success of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Hypothesis There is no difference in the mechanical behavior of reconstructions from method of fixation or method of testing. Study Design Controlled laboratory study. Methods Anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions were performed with bone-patellar tendon-bone grafts in 48 human cadaveric knees. Three different fixation methods (Endobutton, interference screw, suture-post fixation) were compared under failure tensile loading and cyclic submaximal tensile loading. Results No difference was observed in ultimate load among the three techniques. Stiffness of the grafts was significantly lower for the suture technique than for the interference screw technique. Cyclic loading revealed significantly different failure rates: 0% of the Endobutton, 38% of the interference screw, and 100% of the suture-post groups. The relative movement of the femoral bone plug and the migration of the bone plug out of the femoral canal were lowest in the interference screw group. Conclusions The suture-post fixation is not recommended. The interference screw technique showed the best results, but results were age-dependent, suggesting its best use is in younger patients. The Endobutton technique is recommended for older patients. Clinical Relevance Results of testing are useful to the surgeon in making a choice of reconstruction technique.
Maturation‐dependent neurotoxicity of lead acetate in vitro: Implication of glial reactions

Despite a wealth of data on the neurotoxic effects of lead at the cellular and molecular levels, the reasons for its development‐dependent neurotoxicity are still unclear. Here, the maturation‐dependent effects of lead acetate were analyzed in immature and differentiated brain cells cultured in aggregates. Markers of general cytotoxicity as well as cell‐type‐specific markers of glial and neuronal cells showed that immature brain cells were more sensitive to lead than the differentiated counterparts, demonstrating that the development‐dependent neurotoxicity of lead can be reproduced in aggregating brain cell cultures. After 10 days of treatment, astrocytes were found to be more affected by lead acetate than neurons in immature cultures, and microglial cells were strongly activated. Eleven days after cessation of the treatment, lead acetate caused a partial loss of astrocytes and an intense reactivity of the remaining ones. Furthermore, microglial cells expressed a macrophagic phenotype, and the loss of activity of neuron‐specific enzymes was aggravated. In differentiated cultures, no reactive gliosis was found. It is hypothetized that the intense glial reactions (microgliosis and astrogliosis) observed in immature cultures contribute to the development‐dependent neurotoxicity of lead. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Affective Flexibility: Relations to Expressive Flexibility, Feedback, and Depression

Theory and research on emotion regulation have shifted from emphasizing the adaptiveness of specific strategies to flexible regulation. Studies on the modulation of emotional expression, or expressive flexibility (EF), have demonstrated a close link between flexibility and psychological adjustment. The present study extended this line of research to the modulation of subjective emotional experience. We developed the affective flexibility (AF) task, which measures individual differences in the ability to up-regulate and down-regulate subjective feeling. We examined relations between AF and EF tasks, and how each task related to feedback and depression. Performance on the two tasks was moderately correlated. Feedback did not modulate task performance, but there was an overall improvement in AF over time. Improvement in AF abilities were incrementally associated with lower depression. Specifically, after controlling for change in expressive abilities, improvements in up-regulation and down-regulation of affect were each significantly inversely associated with depression.
MECHANICAL COMPLICATIONS RELATED TO INDWELLING CENTRAL VENOUS CATHETER IN PEDIATRIC HEMATOLOGY/ONCOLOGY PATIENTS

Indwelling central venous catheters (CVC) are essential devices in the management of children with oncologic/hematologic diseases or following bone marrow transplantation. The authors report data on the mechanical complications observed in pediatric hematology/oncology patients, collected by a retrospective analysis of clinical records of 482 patients in whom 567 indwelling central venous catheters had been inserted from January 1992 to December 1998 at the G. Gaslini Institute. During the study period, 52 episodes of mechanical complications (9%) were observed: mechanical obstruction (24 episodes), catheter dislocation (13), problems related to catheter material (12), and accidental removal (3). In 25 cases removal and replacement of CVC was necessary for the treatment of complications, while medical treatment (thrombolytic-antithrombotic) was successful and well tolerated in 8. The study shows the importance of mechanical complications in children with indwelling CVC for hematologic or oncologic diseases. Moreover, the experience of administering a systemic low-dosage thrombolytic therapy demonstrates new prospects of reducing CVC replacement by restoring CVC viability.
Features of burst-suppression EEG after asphyxial cardiac arrest in rats

To analyze EEG features of burst-suppression soon after cerebral circulatory arrest, 14 rats subjected to 7 or 9 min of asphyxial cardiac arrest are divided into good and bad outcome groups with balanced number of animals based on 72-h neurological deficit score. Results show that both the amplitude of EEG suppression and the burst frequency are significantly different between two groups while the amplitude of bursts exhibits similar values. All these findings demonstrate a close prognostic relationship between electrical and behavioral recovery after asphyxia-induced brain injury.
Study of underlying risk factors for stroke in young

Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability throughout the world. Unlike developed countries, in India about substantial proportion of all stroke cases occur in young. In our study, we assessed some physio-chemical parameters like blood pressure (both systolic and diastolic), lipid profile (total cholesterol: High Density Lipoprotein- cholesterol ratio) and Body Mass Index (BMI) in 36 stroke patients of 27-49 years of age and 20 age-sex matched healthy control. We found a significant association between the incidence of stroke in young and high blood pressure (both systolic and diastolic), high fasting blood sugar and dyslipidemia (p 0.05). Our study concludes that, stroke in young is closely associated with underlying risk factors like high blood pressure, high fasting blood sugar and dyslipidemia, modification of which may curtail the risk of stroke among the said population.
Risk Factors for Falls in Community-Dwelling Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia with Lewy Bodies: Walking with Visuocognitive Impairment May Cause a Fall

Background/Aims: To identify risk factors for falls in community-dwelling patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Patients: 78 consecutive patients (51 AD, 27 DLB) were recruited from the Niigata Rehabilitation Hospital memory clinic. Methods: We assessed the number of falls each patient had had in the previous 4 months. The data for DLB patients without motor parkinsonism were analyzed both as part of the whole DLB group and separately to determine the effect of parkinsonism alone on falls. Results: Of 78 patients, 17 (21.8%) reported at least 1 fall during the period. A diagnosis of DLB, visual hallucinations, parkinsonism and cognitive fluctuation were significant predictors, but none of them was significant in the stepwise multivariate analysis. After excluding patients with parkinsonism, the use of hypnotics-anxiolytics and a worse score on the constructional task were significant and independent predictors of falling. Conclusion: Parkinsonism was a major risk factor for falls. When AD or DLB patients walk with incongruent visual information, they may increase their postural sway or instability, because of their executive dysfunction. If elementary and/or higher-order visuocognitive impairment in AD or DLB patients alters visual information sufficiently, they may fall when walking.
Characterization of the RFX-mod Saddle Coil System and design of the regulator for the control of MHD modes

The RFX-mod layout is equipped with a complex system for the active control of MHD modes. The system has been fully commissioned and a plasmaless experimental campaign was devoted to its characterization. Several tests were performed in presence of plasma in order to commission the implementation of the main algorithms developed to drive the saddle coils. The results of the tests are very encouraging in terms of plasma performances and are presented in the paper along with discussion of the characterization results and a description of the control schemes adopted
Survival after recurrence of Ewing's sarcoma family of tumors.

PURPOSE The overall survival (OS) of patients with relapsed Ewing's sarcoma family of tumors (ESFT) is poor, and the relative benefit of high-dose therapy (HDT) is controversial. PATIENTS AND METHODS We retrospectively identified 55 consecutive ESFT patients with adequate medical records for review, who were treated at Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center and who developed disease recurrence between January 1, 1985 and December 31, 2002. RESULTS The median relapse-free interval (RFI) from diagnosis to first recurrence was 17 months (range, 5 to 90 months). Most recurrences were metastatic only (39 patients) or local and metastatic (10 patients). Twenty-seven patients (49%) achieved a partial or complete response to second-line treatment, with a median duration of response of 27 months (range, 5 to 119+ months). The 5-year OS rate for all relapsed patients was 23% (95% CI, 11% to 35%). By univariate analysis, improved OS was associated with response to second-line treatment versus no response (46% v 0%, respectively; P < .0001), RFI > or = 24 months versus less than 24 months (48% v 12%, respectively; P = .0001), and no metastases at initial diagnosis versus presence of metastases (31% v 12%, respectively; P = .05). Because all 13 patients who received HDT also had responsive relapse, we performed a multivariate analysis. Reduced risk of death was associated with response to second-line therapy (relative risk, 0.14; 95% CI, 0.05 to 0.40), RFI > or = 24 months (relative risk, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.13 to 0.66), and receiving HDT (relative risk, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.08 to 0.85). CONCLUSION HDT as consolidation therapy for relapsed ESFT seems to be associated with improved OS, even after adjusting for RFI and response to second-line treatment.
Systematic review of the survival rate and incidence of biologic, technical, and esthetic complications of single implant abutments supporting fixed prostheses.

PURPOSE To assess the 5-year survival rate and number of technical, biologic, and esthetic complications involving implant abutments. MATERIALS AND METHODS Electronic (Medline) and hand searches were performed to assess studies on metal and ceramic implant abutments. Relevant data from a previous review were included. Two reviewers independently extracted the data. Failure and complication rates were analyzed, and estimates of 5-year survival proportions were calculated from the relationship between event rate and survival function. Multivariable robust Poisson regression was used to compare abutment characteristics. RESULTS The search yielded 1,558 titles and 274 abstracts. Twenty-four studies were selected for data analysis. The survival rate for ceramic abutments was 97.5% (95% confidence interval [CI]): 89.6% to 99.4%) and 97.6% (95% CI: 96.2% to 98.5%) for metal abutments. The overall 5-year rate for technical complications was 11.8% (95% CI: 8.5% to 16.3%), 8.9% (95% CI: 4.3% to 17.7%) for ceramic and 12.0% (95% CI: 8.5% to 16.8%) for metal abutments. Biologic complications occurred with an overall rate of 6.4% (95% CI: 3.3% to 12.0%), 10.4% (95% CI: 1.9% to 46.7%) for ceramic, and 6.1% (95% CI: 3.1% to 12.0%) for metal abutments. CONCLUSIONS The present meta-analysis on single-implant prostheses presents high survival rates of single implants, abutments, and prostheses after 5 years of function. No differences were found for the survival and failure rates of ceramic and metal abutments. No significant differences were found for technical, biologic, and esthetic complications of internally and externally connected abutments.
Acute Burns during Pregnancy: A Retrospective Study

Background & aim: The incidence of acute burn injuries in pregnant women is very low. Burn injuries during pregnancy are often associated with a high rate of fetal and maternal mortality and morbidity. In this study, we aimed to review the cases of acute burn during pregnancy and evaluate the outcome of these patients in Mashhad, Iran. Methods : This retrospective study was performed using the medical records of 48 pregnant women with thermal injuries over a 13-year period. Results: The results showed that 8 (16.7%), 27 (56.3%), and 13 (27.1%) patients were in the first, second, and third trimesters of pregnancy. Moreover, 14 mothers (29.2%) died, 24 (50.0%) were discharged without any fetal problems, eight (16.7%) had fetal death, 13 (27.1%) had abortion, two (4.2%) had normal vaginal delivery, and one (2.1%) underwent normal caesarean section. Conclusion : The rate of maternal survival in the first and second trimesters was higher than the third one. In the third trimester, pregnancy termination is indicated only after fetal maturation.
Serosurveillance of canine leptospirosis under different climatic conditions in and around Lahore, Pakistan.

Received: Revised: Accepted: April 08, 2012 July 16, 2012 January 11, 2013 Leptospirosis is an important zoonotic problem occurring globally. To study the serosurveillance of canine leptospirosis, 429 dogs (265 males; 164 females) blood samples were collected around Lahore city and its peri-urban areas and processed by using canine Leptospira IgG ELISA kit. Of 429 samples, 36.1% were positive serologically for canine leptospirosis. Among 265 male and 164 female dogs, 38.5 and 32.3% male and female dogs were found positive, respectively. Canine leptospirosis was more (38.4%) in adults as compared to pups (27.9%). While season wise serosurveillance was 21.2, 35.8, 40.3 and 49.3% in winter, spring, summer and fall, respectively. It is concluded that highest prevalence of canine leptospirosis is recorded in summer and fall months. ©2013 PVJ. All rights reserved
Dextromethorphan shows efficacy in experimental pain (nociception) and opioid tolerance

The oral antitussive dextromethorphan is a clinically available N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist. Dextromethorphan has analgesic efficacy in the experimental formalin test, blocks the nociceptive activation of the immediate-early gene, c-fos proto-oncogene, and prevents and reverses the development of opiate analgesic tolerance in experimental models. These data suggest that dextromethorphan should be evaluated in a controlled clinical trial for analgesic efficacy in zoster-associated neuralgia. NEUROLOGY 1995;45(Suppl 8): S66-S68