Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
framing of prenatal screening test results and women's health-illness orientations as determinants of perceptions of fetal health and approval of amniocentesis

Abstract Framing effects of medical test results and interactions of these effects with personal perspectives were investigated in the context of prenatal screening. Hundred and Thirty-three pregnant women undergoing the ‘triple-test’ were assessed as having health or illness orientations, and were randomly presented with reassuring/moderate/severe diagnoses framed in normal/abnormal terms, forming a 2 × 3 × 2 between subjects design. Evaluations of fetus' health and recommendations to perform amniocentesis were assessed. Findings showed healthier evaluations of the fetus and weaker recommendations to perform amniocentesis in normal versus abnormal framings. An interaction was found between framing, diagnosis, and personal orientations: women with health orientations receiving a moderate diagnosis framed in abnormal terms were significantly more inclined to recommend amniocentesis than illness-oriented women given the same diagnosis; the normal/abnormal framing of severe diagnoses yielded opposite effects on health-oriented versus illness-oriented women. The influences of framing effects and health/ illness orientations on health perceptions and behavioral intentions were discussed.
Extensor indicis brevis Muscle: an Unusual Muscular Variant

El conocimiento de las variaciones anatomicas del aparato locomotor es importante para la interpretacion de las presentaciones clinicas inusuales. En este trabajo se relata la presencia de un musculo extensor indicis anormal en la mano izquierda de un cadaver de un hombre adulto, de sexo masculino. En este caso, el musculo proviene del ligamento y del dorso de los huesos escafoides y trapecio y se continua despues de un corto vientre muscular, fijandose a la aponeurosis dorsal del indice. Esta disposicion muscular se ha descrito en otros estudios que demostraron aproximadamente un 1,0% de incidencia. Clinicamente, esta variacion anatomica puede estar asociada con dolor e hinchazon en el dorso de la mano. En estos casos, los sintomas tienden a aumentar debido a la tension mecanica y puede confundirse con la presencia de un quiste sinovial dorsal. Este informe ayudara a los medicos, cirujanos, terapeutas ocupacionales y fisicos a tomar mejores decisiones clinicas o quirurgicas cuando se le presenta una variacion anatomica como la descrita.
Long-Term Survival and Late Deaths after Allogeneic Bone Marrow Transplantation

Background and Methods It is uncertain whether mortality rates among patients who have undergone bone marrow transplantation return to the level of the mortality rates of the general population. We analyzed the characteristics of 6691 patients listed in the International Bone Marrow Transplant Registry. All the patients were free of their original disease two years after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. Mortality rates in this cohort were compared with those of an age-, sex-, and nationality-matched general population. Cox proportional-hazards regression was used to identify risk factors for death more than two years after transplantation (late death). Results Among patients who were free of disease two years after transplantation, the probability of living for five more years was 89 percent (95 percent confidence interval, 88 to 90 percent). Among patients who underwent transplantation for aplastic anemia, the risk of death by the sixth year after transplantation did not differ significantly from .
Preliminary serologic investigation of 'Rickettsia amblyommii' in the aetiology of Southern tick associated rash illness (STARI).

Southern tick associated rash illness (also known as STARI) has been recognised in the southern and south-central regions of the United States [1,2]. The disease is characterised by a migrating erythematous rash, often with central clearing, that occurs 2–15 days following a tick bite. Lesions are usually solitary, although multiple lesions may develop. The aetiology of STARI has been investigated for nearly a decade, yet no clear microorganism has been identified as the causative agent of this illness. Several features of this illness are compatible with an infectious agent. When a preceding tick bite is recognised, it is always from the lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum). Many patients show improvement coincident with treatment with a tetracycline antibiotic. Spotted fever group rickettsiae had been investigated as a cause of erythema migrans in early Lyme disease work, but the lack of positive results may have made this avenue less appealing to researchers looking at STARI cases. Because it has been shown that the spotted fever group rickettsia ‘R. amblyommii’ can be found in a high proportion of questing A. americanum [3], it is possible that this agent, thus far not shown to be pathogenic, might play a role in the evolution of this disease syndrome. To that end, we examined paired acute and convalescent phase serum samples from patients with STARI to see if any reactivity or seroconversions to ‘R. amblyommii’ or several other rickettsial agents could be demonstrated. M E T H O D S
Identification of mechanisms involved in iron and haem uptake in Bartonella birtlesii: in silico and in vivo approaches.

Beijing Genome Institute, Beijing,ChinaINTRODUCTIONBartonella birtlesii (B. birtlesii), like other Bartonellaspecies, has to face various conditions with regardto the presence of haem in its environments(arthropods, mammals, intra- or extracellular). B. birtlesiihas an intraerythrocytic lifestyle in itsnatural host, the mouse. Inside mice, the extra-cellular free haem concentration is low. In con-trast, when invading and multiplying inside theerythrocyte, B. birtlesii has to challenge toxic highhaem concentrations. Similar to other Bartonellaspecies [1], the B. birtlesii genome does not encodefor the haem biosynthesis pathway. The presenceof a haem uptake system is thus important forBartonellae. Here we investigated the function oftwo components of a putative haem uptakesystem encoded in B. birtlesii, and other Bartonellaegenomes.RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONIn silico identiﬁcation of B. birtlesii genespotentially involved in iron and⁄or haem uptakeAnalysis of the B. birtlesii genome reveals that,similar to other Bartonella species, this a-proteo-bacterium contains only inner membrane ironABC transporters. Genes encoding for an outermembrane iron transporter or a complete sidero-phore biosynthesis pathway are missing in theB. birtlesii genome. Also, the B. birtlesii genomedoes not encode for iron storage proteins (Ftn,Bfn, Dps). In contrast, Bartonellae genomesencode for a complete putative haem transportsystem (Fig. 1). Similar to other bacteria likeNeisseria meningitidis, Bartonellae could use haemas an iron source after its transport and itsdegradation into the cytoplasm. Regulation of theiron-related processes in could simi-larly to other a-proteobacteria involve Mur⁄Fur,RirA and Irr regulators encoded in its genome.Irr was shown to be involved in the regulation ofan outer membrane haem transporter in Brady-rhizobium japonicum. The modulation of the leveland the activity of the components of the haemuptake machinery might be important for theBartonellae lifestyle. Characterisation of Bartonellatribocorum hutA, tonB and exbB mutants as abac-teriaemic strains also underlines the importanceof the haem uptake process in Bartonellae [2]. We undertook a functional characterisation ofB. birtlesii HutA [3] and TonB [4], two compo-nents required for the transport of haem throughthe outer membrane. HutA, already characterisedin Vibrio cholerae, transports haem through theouter membrane and requires energy transmittedby the TonB protein [3]. Expression and activity of TonB from B. birtlesiiexpressed in Escherichia coliThe tonB structural gene from B. birtlesii wasampliﬁed and cloned in vector pBAD24 givingpBAD24::tonBB.bir. To test activity of TonB fromB. birtlesii, we introduced plasmid pBAD24::ton-BB.bir in strain C600tonB. The strain C600tonBpBAD24::tonBB.bir was tested for growth on LBplates in the presence of the strong Fe
Loss of control over alcohol seeking in rats depends on individual vulnerability and duration of alcohol consumption experience

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is characterized by excessive alcohol use and persistent alcohol seeking despite knowledge of its negative consequences. Importantly, AUD typically develops after chronic excessive alcohol use in a subgroup of individuals who drink alcohol, suggesting that AUD results from an interaction between individual vulnerability and prolonged alcohol exposure. The present study assessed the contribution of prolonged exposure to alcohol and individual levels of alcohol intake to the development of loss of control over alcohol seeking in a conditioned suppression model. To investigate the impact of prolonged alcohol exposure, conditioned suppression of alcohol seeking was assessed after 2 and 4 months of intermittent alcohol access (IAA) in a subgroup of rats drinking moderate amounts of alcohol. We observed that suppression of alcohol seeking was reduced after 4 months compared with 2 months of IAA. The influence of individual levels of alcohol intake on loss of control over alcohol seeking was subsequently determined by assessing conditioned suppression in subgroups of low and high alcohol drinking rats. Unlike the low alcohol drinking rats, the high alcohol drinking rats showed aversion-resistant alcohol seeking after 2 months of IAA, although both groups showed comparable levels of conditioned freezing. These findings show that the development of loss of control over alcohol seeking, a key characteristic of AUD in humans, is dependent on both the extent of alcohol exposure and the individual’s propensity to consume alcohol.
Suppressed play behaviour and decreased oxytocin receptor binding in the amygdala after prenatal exposure to low-dose valproic acid

To better understand the role of the neuropeptide oxytocin in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), we investigated potential deficits in social play behaviour and oxytocin receptor (OXTR) density alterations in the amygdala in a rodent model of ASD. Pregnant rats were injected daily with 20 or 100 mg/kg valproic acid (VPA) or saline from day 12 until the end of pregnancy. The number of pinning and pouncing events was assessed at postnatal days 29–34. Brains from male offspring (n=7/group) were removed at postnatal day 50. We performed quantitative autoradiography with an OXTR radioligand, the [125I]-ornithine vasotocin analogue, in brain slices from the amygdala and other limbic brain regions involved in rat social behaviour. The results demonstrated a significant reduction in pinning behaviour and decreased OXTR density in the central nucleus of the amygdala in the 20 mg/kg VPA group. However, the 100 mg/kg VPA group had no significant changes in the number of play behaviour-related events or OXTR binding in the central nucleus of the amygdala. The reduction in OXTR density in the amygdala may be a critical disrupting mechanism affecting social behaviour in pervasive disorders such as ASD.
Is Human Immunodeficiency Virus Still Transmissible Through Blood Transfusion in Children with Sickle Cell Anaemia in Jos, Nigeria?

Aims: To compare the prevalence of HIV infection amongst transfused and non-transfused children with sickle cell anaemia (SCA) in Jos, Nigeria and explore the factors affecting it. Study Design: This was a prospective case control study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Paediatrics (Sickle Cell Clinic), Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos, Nigeria, between January 2008 and March 2009. Methodology: A total of 200 transfused children with SCA (117 males and 83 females) were recruited consecutively and screened for HIV using rapid test kits. A questionnaire was used to ascertain the details of blood transfusion and other relevant clinical information. Two hundred age and sex matched non-transfused children with SCA attending the same clinic were recruited as controls. Results: The prevalence of HIV infection amongst transfused children with SCA was 2%, compared to 0% in the control group (P=.04). The four HIV positive cases were transfused in private hospitals with blood of unknown screening status. The number of blood transfusions was Original Research Article British Journal of Medicine & Medical Research, 4(21): 3912-3923, 2014 3913 not a significant factor in acquiring HIV infection (P=.78); however remunerative blood donation increased the risk of acquiring HIV through blood transfusion (AOR=6.28; 95% CI (1.82-9.92); P=. 01). Conclusion: HIV is still transmissible through blood transfusion and screening of blood before transfusion is still not completely practiced in Jos, Nigeria. Policies on proper screening of blood before transfusion and voluntary blood donation should therefore be enforced at all levels of healthcare.
Brazilian spotted fever in the paediatric age-segment in the State of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil, 2003-2006.

Nucleo de Vigilância Epidemiologica ⁄ Servico de Epidemiologia Hospitalar ⁄Hospital das Clinicas ⁄Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, Sao Paulo, SP, Centro de Vigilância Epidemiologica ‘Prof. Alexandre Vranjac’, Secretaria de Estado da Saude de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Disciplina de Molestias Infecciosas ⁄Departamento de Clinica Medica ⁄ Faculdade de, Ciencias Medicas ⁄Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil and Epidemiology Group Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics s.r. l. , Siena, Italy
Exposure to acute restraint stress reinstates nicotine-induced place preference in rats

Tobacco addiction is associated with high rates of relapse to drug use even after prolonged periods of abstinence. Relapse can occur upon reexposure to the drug of abuse, exposure to stress or to stimuli associated with drug consumption. The reinstatement of conditioning place preference (CPP) provides a simple and easy approach to investigate the mechanisms for drug relapse. We evaluated whether exposure to restraint stress could reinstate nicotine-induced CPP 1 or 15 days after its extinction. Nicotine produced place preference to the compartment paired with its injections during conditioning (0.16 mg/kg, subcutaneous; four drug sessions). Once established, nicotine CPP was extinguished by alternate exposure to each compartment after a saline injection (four exposures to each compartment). After this extinction phase, the reinstatement of place conditioning was investigated. For this purpose, rats were exposed to 30-min restraint stress 1 or 15 days after the extinction test, then immediately tested for reinstatement of CPP. Our results show that exposure to restraint stress reinstated CPP 1 and 15 days after extinction. Our study indicates for the first time that the vulnerability to stress-induced reinstatement of nicotine CPP is long-lasting, corroborating clinical studies showing that stress is positively associated with relapse to tobacco use even after a long period of nicotine withdrawal.
Prevalence of human respiratory viruses in adults with acute respiratory tract infections in Beijing, 2005–2007

Abstract To determine the aetiological role and epidemiological profile of common respiratory viruses in adults with acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs), a 2-year study was conducted in Beijing, China, from May 2005 to July 2007. Nose and throat swab samples from 5808 ARTI patients were analysed by PCR methods for common respiratory viruses, including influenza viruses (IFVs) A, B, and C, parainfluenza viruses (PIVs) 1–4, enteroviruses (EVs), human rhinoviruses (HRVs), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), human metapneumovirus (HMPV), human coronaviruses (HCoVs) OC43, 229E, NL63, and HKU1, and adenoviruses (ADVs). Viral pathogens were detected in 34.6% of patient samples, and 1.6% of the patients tested positive for more than one virus. IFVs (19.3%) were the dominant agents detected, followed by HRVs (6.5%), PIVs (4.3%), EVs (3.2%), and HCoVs (1.1%). ADVs, RSV and HMPV were also detected (<1%). The viral detection rates differed significantly between infections of the lower and upper respiratory tracts in the sample population: PIVs, the second most commonly detected viral agents in lower acute respiratory tract infections (LRTIs), were more prevalent than in upper acute respiratory tract infections, indicating that the pathogenic role of PIVs in LRTIs should be investigated. Currently, this study is the largest-scale investigation of respiratory virus infections in China with multiple agent detection, providing baseline data for further studies of respiratory virus infections in adults with ARTIs.
Study of the role of different severity scores in respiratory ICU

Background Scoring systems are increasingly used in the ICUs in an attempt to accurately predict the mortality outcome in critically ill patients. Objective The performance of the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score, the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score, and the Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) II was compared in terms of calibration and discrimination in critically ill patients admitted to the respiratory ICU. Materials and methods Mean admission APACHE II, SAPS II, and SOFA scores were compared in 105 patients. The outcome measure was ICU mortality. The discriminatory ability of the scores was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. Calibration was tested using the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test. Results The mean admission APACHE II, SAPS II, and SOFA scores were higher in nonsurvivors compared with survivors; yet, only admission SOFA score differed significantly. There was highly significant positive correlation between the three scores. The cutoffs obtained by the receiver operating characteristic curve were 11 for APACHE II, 7.5 for SOFA, and 40 for SAPS II score. Discrimination power of the three scores was poor; yet, in the order of best discrimination, SOFA [area under the curve (AUC) = 0.63] was followed by APACHE II (AUC = 0.60) and then SAPS II (AUC = 0.59). In terms of calibration, SAPS II (χ 2 = 4.82; P = 0.78) had the best calibration and APACHE II (χ 2 = 7.34; P = 0.39) had the worst. Logistic regression analysis showed that, of the three scores, only the SOFA score was an independent predictor of mortality among the respiratory ICU patients; with a unit increase in the SOFA score, there was a 1.2 times higher risk for mortality. Conclusion The SOFA score performed well in terms of calibration, whereas the SAPS II score performed well in terms of discrimination. The APACHE II score did not perform well in terms of calibration and had poor discrimination power.
Pharmacological evaluation of the adequacy of marble burying as an animal model of compulsion and/or anxiety

Marble-burying behavior in rodents has been used commonly as an animal model of compulsive and/or anxiety behavior. The purpose of this study was to further assess the adequacy of marble burying as a preclinical animal model of compulsive behaviors using pharmacological tools. In particular, we were interested in whether dopamine D2/D3 agonists (e.g. pramipexole) known to produce compulsive behaviors in humans would increase marble burying. The effects of pramipexole on marble-burying behavior and locomotor activity were compared with those of the following: diazepam, a drug known to decrease marble burying; D-amphetamine, a stimulant that increases locomotor activity; and methyl &bgr;-carboline-3-carboxylate, a &bgr;-carboline previously shown to produce anxiogenic effects in rodents. All drugs produced dose-dependent decreases in marble burying, which were not always related to the locomotor effects of these drugs. The inability of pramipexole and methyl &bgr;-carboline-3-carboxylate to increase marble burying questions the validity of this assay as an adequate animal model of compulsive and/or anxiety behavior.
Cognitive-enhancing activity of thymol and carvacrol in two rat models of dementia

This study evaluated the efficacy of thymol and carvacrol against cognitive deficits induced by amyloid &bgr; (A&bgr;) or scopolamine. Rats received bilateral intrahippocampal injections of A&bgr;(25–35) or intraperitoneal injections of scopolamine, and the effect of different doses of thymol, or carvacrol (0.5, 1, or 2 mg/kg) on cognitive function was determined. Animals were subjected to 5 days of training in the Morris water maze: 4 days with an invisible platform to test spatial learning and the 5th day with a visible platform to test motivation and sensorimotor coordination. The acute toxicities of thymol and carvacrol were also studied. The results showed increases in escape latency and decreases in target quadrant entries in A&bgr; or scopolamine-treated groups. These impairments were reversed by pretraining administration of either thymol or carvacrol. The calculated LD50’s of thymol (565.7 mg/kg) and carvacrol (471.2 mg/kg) were found to be much higher than their therapeutic doses (thymol 0.5 mg/kg, carvacrol 1 mg/kg). These findings provide preliminary positive evidence for the effectiveness and safety of thymol and carvacrol in alleviating cognitive impairments caused by increased A&bgr; levels or cholinergic hypofunction. Anticholinesterase, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities may be the mechanisms contributing toward their beneficial effects in these models.
Inhibition of G&bgr;&ggr;-subunit signaling potentiates morphine-induced antinociception but not respiratory depression, constipation, locomotion, and reward

Inhibition of G&;&ggr;-subunit signaling to phospholipase C &bgr;3 has been shown to potentiate morphine-mediated antinociception while attenuating the development of tolerance and dependence in mice. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of G&bgr;&ggr;-subunit inhibition on antinociception and other pharmacological effects, such as respiratory depression, constipation, and hyperlocomotion, mediated by the &mgr;-opioid receptor. The G&bgr;&ggr;-subunit inhibitor, gallein, was administered to C57BL/6J mice by intraperitoneal injection before morphine, and data were compared with mice treated with vehicle, morphine, or gallein alone. Morphine-induced antinociception was measured using the 55°C warm-water tail-withdrawal test. Pretreatment with gallein produced a dose-dependent potentiation of morphine-mediated antinociception, producing up to a 10-fold leftward shift in the morphine dose–response curve and extending the duration of antinociception induced by a single dose of morphine. Gallein pretreatment also prevented acute antinociceptive tolerance induced by morphine. In contrast, the dose-dependent respiratory depression and hyperlocomotion induced by morphine were not potentiated by gallein pretreatment. Similarly, gallein pretreatment did not potentiate morphine-conditioned place preference responses or morphine-induced constipation, as measured as a reduction in excreta. These results suggest that selectively inhibiting G&bgr;&ggr;-mediated signaling may selectively increase &mgr;-opioid receptor-mediated antinociception without matching increases in adverse physiological effects.
Ethnic (Black‐White) Contrasts in 24‐Hour Heart Rate Variability in Male Adolescents with High and Low Blood Pressure: The Bogalusa Heart Study

Background: Heart rate variability (HRV) has been used to study autonomic effects on the heart. The time‐domain measure RMSSD (root mean square of successive differences) represents high frequency (HF) changes in HRV reflecting parasympathetic nervous system activity (PS). The frequency‐domain ratio of low to high power (LF/HF) represents sympathetic (SYMP) to PS balance. In adults, increased SYMP tone has been found in hypertensive as compared to normals. The present study was performed to look for differences in HRV by race and between young subjects with high and low levels of diastolic blood pressure (DBP).