Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
[Quality of life and burden of disease in peripheral arterial disease: a study among Hungarian patients].

INTRODUCTION Peripheral arterial disease may occur in about of 14% of patients with high blood pressure, of which 1-3% suffer from chronic critical limb ischemia. Literature data on the quality of life according to the Fontaine stages are very limited. AIM The aim of this study was to assess the quality of life of Hungarian patients with peripheral arterial disease regarding Fontaine stages II, III and IV. METHODS The study was based on a cross-sectional survey, which was carried out in four angiologic centres. One hundred and two respondents with peripheral arterial disease (43% woman) were evaluated. The average age of the patients was 70 years (SD-10). RESULTS Based on the EQ-5D index, the results of the quality of life assessment with respect to Fontaine stages II, III and IV were 0.66, 0.35 and 0.18, respectively. In each stage the EQ-5D values were lower than the values of the age-matched average population. The results of the Pain Visual Analogue Scale (0-100 mm) were 38, 65 and 71 mm in Fontaine stages II, III and IV, respectively, and this showed a strong correlation with the EQ-5D (R = -0.68). In stage Fontaine IV the quality of life of the patients was significantly lower among those who had pain at rest and ALSO ulcer on the leg. CONCLUSIONS Peripheral disease with clinical symptoms causes significant reduction in quality of life which can be measured with EQ-5D. It becomes worse as we move along the Fontaine stages. While measuring the health gain in stage Fontaine IV, the health gain from the reduction of pain in rest and partial recovery from ulcer should be taken into account.
Bcl2 enhances survival of newborn neurons in the normal and ischemic hippocampus

Neuronal progenitors in the adult hippocampus continually proliferate and differentiate to the neuronal lineage, and ischemic insult promotes hippocampal neurogenesis. However, newborn neurons show a progressive reduction in numbers during the initial few weeks, therefore, enhanced survival of newborn neurons seems to be essential for therapeutic strategy. Bcl‐2 is a crucial regulator of programmed cell death in CNS development and in apoptotic and necrotic cell death. Therefore, we tested whether Bcl‐2 overexpression enhances survival of newborn neurons in the adult mouse hippocampus under normal and ischemic conditions. Many newborn neurons in the hippocampal dentate gyrus undergo apoptosis. Human Bcl‐2 expression in NSE‐bcl‐2 transgenic mice began at the immature neuronal stage and remained constant in surviving mature neurons. Bcl‐2 significantly increased survival of newborn neurons under both conditions, but particularly after ischemia, with decreased cell death of newborn neurons in NSE‐bcl‐2 transgenic mice. We also clarified the effect by Bcl‐2 overexpression of enhanced survival of newborn neurons in primary hippocampal cultures with BrdU labeling. These findings suggest that Bcl‐2 plays a crucial role in adult hippocampal neurogenesis under normal and ischemic conditions. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Structurally based increase of flow resistance in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

The resistance to flow in the maximally dilated systemic vascular bed (except the coronaries) was compared in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and normotensive controls. – The aortic root was cannulated for perfusion with an oxygenated plasma substitute, both the aortic inflow and the venous effluent via the right heart being recorded continuously. Temperature and viscosity of the perfusate were kept constant and it was checked with supramaximal doses of vasodilator drugs that complete vascular relaxation was at hand. Pressure-flow curves were plotted and flow resistances at equal pressure heads and transmural pressures were compared. — Flow resistance in the maximally dilated systemic vessels was increased in the spontaneously hypertensive rats to an extent that largely equalled their raised blood pressure during “resting” conditions, the difference to the control animals being highly significant. – The results suggest the presence of a morphological adaptation of the resistance vessels of the entire systemic circuit which raises the structurally set “baseline” for functional vascular adjustments, and which therefore may largely account for the increased flow resistance during rest. These findings are in agreement with earlier studies concerning the regional flow resistance in hypertensive man (Folkow 1956, Sivertsson and Olander 1968).
Patients' awareness of adverse relation between Crohn's disease and their smoking: questionnaire survey

Smoking is an independent risk factor for clinical, surgical, and endoscopic recurrence in Crohn's disease.1 In a 10 year follow up of 174 patients the recurrence rate was 70% in smokers and 41% in non-smokers.2 Passive smoking increases the risk of Crohn's disease in children3 and of having the more severe form. Ileocolonic and small bowel disease is more common in heavy smokers.4 On current evidence, encouraging patients to stop smoking ought to be an important part of the management of Crohn's disease, but there are few or no published data describing patients' knowledge of the association between smoking and their disease. We therefore investigated patients' and general practitioners' awareness of the …
A Clinical Device for Measuring Internal-External Rotational Laxity of the Knee

Background: The dial test can be improved by providing reproducible, accurate measurements to improve diagnosis and treatment comparisons. Purpose: Validation of a rotational measurement device (RMD) for measuring knee internal-external rotational laxity. Study Design: Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 2. Methods: The RMD consisted of 3 components: a femoral clamp and a tibial splint using paired inclinometers to measure rotations, and a boot to apply tibial internal-external rotation torque. A separate boot inclinometer allowed for foot rotations to be measured independently. The measurements were simultaneously compared with electromagnetic “nest of birds” (NOB) sensors. Sequential paired knee measurements were taken at 4, 6, and 8 N·m of torque at 30° and 90° of flexion in 46 volunteers. Results: The correlation coefficient was 0.92 (95% CI, 0.89 to 0.94) and 0.63 (95% CI, 0.54 to 0.70) between the NOB and RMD and between the NOB and boot inclinometer, respectively. Bland-Altman analysis revealed that the RMD was on average within 2° (95% CI, 1° to −4°) of NOB readings, whereas the boot overestimated by 34° (95% CI, −9° to −58°). Maximum side-to-side differences measured by the NOB, RMD, and boot were 1°, 3°, and 21°, respectively. The mean +2× standard deviation data gave a range of side-to-side differences of less than 5° for the RMD. The intraobserver intraclass correlation was 0.9 (95% CI, 0.78 to 0.97) at both 30° and 90° of flexion, and the 95% CI of the differences between readings taken on 2 occasions, the interobserver repeatability, was 1° or less. Conclusion: The novel clinical RMD for measuring rotational laxity of the knee was portable, easy, and comfortable to use in the clinical setting. The RMD showed significant correlation and accuracy compared with sensors of known high accuracy. Side-to-side differences of less than 5° were found in 95% of normal knees, compared with differences of 13° or more for clinical diagnosis of pathological rotational laxity. Measuring knee rotation at the foot showed poor correlation and accuracy.
The Effect of Drug Pressure and Transmission Setting on Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine Resistant Plasmodium falciparum Haplotype Prevalence and Selective Sweep Characteristics, in Malawi

Title: The Effect of Drug Pressure and Transmission Setting on SulfadoxinePyrimethamine Resistant Plasmodium falciparum Haplotype Prevalence and Selective Sweep Characteristics, in Malawi Elena M Artimovich. Doctor of Philosophy, 2014 Dissertation Directed by: Dr. Shannon Takala-Harrison Background: The continued expansion of resistance to anti-malarial chemotherapies is a threat to public health, and to malaria control and elimination. The reexpansion of drug sensitive parasites after the removal of drug pressure has renewed interest in epidemiological factors affecting resistance haplotype dynamics, in the hopes that previously abandoned drugs might once again find clinical utility. Objectives: Estimate the effect of changes in drug pressure and different malaria transmission settings on sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP)-resistant haplotype prevalence and characteristics of selective sweeps. Methods: DNA was extracted from dried blood spots representing malaria infections from three time periods (high-SP use 1999-2001, transition-period 2007-2008, low-SP use 2012) of drug pressure in Malawi and three transmission settings (urban-low, ruralmoderate, rural-high). Pyrosequencing and microsatellite genotyping were performed on all samples to determine haplotype prevalence and sweep characteristics. Changes in haplotype prevalence were assessed via Chi-squared tests and changes in sweep characteristics via permutation. Results: We observed the persistence of the DHFR 51I/59R/108N and DHPS 437G/540E haplotypes, five years after reduction in SP pressure as well as an increase in the prevalence of DHPS 437G/540E/581G haplotype. Selective sweeps indicated little to no fitness cost to the DHFR 51I/59R/108N and DHPS 437G/540E haplotypes in the absence of strong SP pressure. A decline in polyclonal infections was found across the three time periods. No significant difference in haplotype prevalence was found between transmission settings. Sweep characteristics could suggest divergent evolutionary history in the rural-moderate transmission setting. Conclusions: There is little to no fitness cost of SP-resistance in the absence of strong SP pressure in these three transmission settings within Malawi. The reexpansion of SP sensitive parasites in the region is not expected under current epidemiological conditions. Reduction in the amount of malaria in the region could further reduce the likelihood of reexpansion through the elimination of rare haplotypes due to genetic drift. The Effect of Drug Pressure and Transmission Setting on Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine Resistant Plasmodium falciparum Haplotype Prevalence and Selective Sweep Characteristics, in Malawi by Elena M Artimovich Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, Baltimore in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2014 © Copyright 2014 by Elena Artimovich All rights reserved
Presenting Different Selves to Different People: Self-Presentation as a Function of Relationship Type and Contingent Self-Esteem

ABSTRACT Past work has established a connection between self-esteem and self-presentation; however, research has not explored how self-esteem that is contingent on one's relationship may influence self-presentational tactics in that relationship. Across two studies, undergraduate students reported on the extent to which their self-esteem depended on their friendship and romantic relationship, as well as the extent to which they engaged in self-presentation behaviors in those relationships. The results suggest that relationship-specific contingent self-esteem predicts relationship-specific self-presentation; however, friendship-contingent self-esteem predicted self-presentation in both friendships and romantic relationships. These results suggest that individuals are keenly and differentially attuned to qualitatively different relationships, and when perceiving potential problems, they attempt to remedy those through their self-presentations. Furthermore, results indicate the possibility that self-esteem tied to a particular relationship may not be as important as self-esteem based more generally on one's relationships.
Remission rates with 3 consecutive antidepressant trials: effectiveness for depressed outpatients.

OBJECTIVE This effectiveness study assessed remission rates in patients who had the opportunity to receive up to 3 antidepressant trials if unresponsive. METHOD One hundred seventy-one consecutive outpatients entered 1 of 3 studies for the treatment of major depressive disorder (DSM-IV criteria) from January 1999 through December 2001. This group primarily received fluoxetine as a first treatment in trials lasting 6 to 12 weeks (a small number received gepirone). If unimproved, patients received a second or third trial (primarily clinician's choice). A standard criterion to determine remission-a score of 7 or less on the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression-was used. In order to contrast remission rates with first-generation antidepressants, patients' outcomes in a previously published study that compared placebo, phenelzine, and imipramine were also examined (N = 420). RESULTS In an intent-to-treat analysis, 66% (113/171) of patients who were treated with second-generation antidepressants and 65% (275/420) of patients who were treated with first-generation antidepressants eventually achieved remission. CONCLUSIONS Remission rates in the effectiveness study are approximately 20% higher than the rates usually cited, a result of our choice to examine outcome following 3 treatment trials. This choice is dictated by good clinical practice. The usual procedure when comparing treatment modalities is to assess outcome after a single anti-depressant trial. The cumulative high remission rates suggest antidepressants are effective and should encourage more patients to seek treatment and physicians to develop techniques to improve patient adherence.
Articular Cartilage Injury and Potential Remedies

Summary: Osteoarthritis affects millions of people worldwide, is associated with joint stiffness and pain, and often causes significant disability and loss of productivity. Osteoarthritis is believed to occur as a result of ordinary “wear and tear” on joints during the course of normal activities of daily living. Posttraumatic osteoarthritis is a particular subset of osteoarthritis that occurs after a joint injury. Developing clinically relevant animal models will allow investigators to delineate the causes of posttraumatic osteoarthritis and develop means to slow or prevent its development after joint injury. Chondroprotectant compounds, which attack the degenerative pathways at a variety of steps, are being developed in an effort to prevent posttraumatic osteoarthritis and offer great promise. Often times, cartilage degradation after joint injury occurs despite our best efforts. When this happens, there are several evolving techniques that offer at least short-term relief from the effects of posttraumatic osteoarthritis. Occasionally, these traumatic lesions are so large that dramatic steps must be taken in an attempt to restore articular congruity and joint stability. Fresh osteochondral allografts have been used in these settings and offer the possibility of joint preservation. For patients presenting with neglected displaced intra-articular fractures that have healed, intra-articular osteotomy techniques are being developed in an effort to restore joint congruity and function. This article reviews the results of a newly developed animal model of posttraumatic osteoarthritis, several promising chondroprotectant compounds, and also cartilage techniques that are used when degenerative cartilage lesions develop after joint injury.
Practical High-Throughput Crossbar Scheduling

A practical deterministic crossbar scheduler achieves almost full throughput without being heavily affected by short virtual output queues or traffic burstiness. Simple additions offer deterministic service guarantees and distribute the bandwidth of congested links in a weighted, fair manner. Input-queued crossbars are the common building blocks in Internet routers, data center and high-performance computing interconnects, and on-chip networks. These crossbars often contain no buffers, which saves valuable chip area. Arriving packets issue requests to a central scheduler. While waiting for the scheduler to grant their requests, packets wait at input packet buffers in front of the crossbar. To isolate traffic for different outputs, these input buffers are often organized as virtual output queues (VOQs).
The Impact of Health and Financial Literacy on Decision Making in Community-Based Older Adults

Background: Health and financial literacy have been linked to the health and well-being of older adults, yet there are few data on how health and financial literacy actually impact decision making regarding healthcare and economic choices in advanced age. Objective: To examine the association of health and financial literacy with decision making in older adults. Method: Data came from 525 community-dwelling older persons without dementia from the Rush Memory and Aging Project, an ongoing longitudinal study of aging. Health and financial literacy were assessed via a series of questions designed to measure comprehension of health and financial information and concepts. The two scores were averaged to yield a total literacy score. A modified, 12-item version of the Decision-Making Competence Assessment Tool was used to measure financial and healthcare decision making (6 items each), using materials designed to approximate those used in real world settings. All 12 items were summed to yield a total decision-making score. Associations were tested via linear regression models adjusted for age, sex and education. Secondary models adjusted for global cognitive function, income, depression and chronic medical conditions. Results: On average, participants correctly answered 67% of the literacy questions (health literacy = 61.6%, SD = 18.8% and financial literacy = 72.5%, SD = 16.0%). After adjustment for cognitive function, the total literacy score was positively associated with the decision-making total score (estimate = 0.64, SE = 0.08, p < 0.001), as well as healthcare (estimate = 0.37, SE = 0.5, p < 0.001) and financial decision making (estimate = 0.28, SE = 0.05, p < 0.001). Further, total literacy, health and financial literacy all were independently associated with decision making in models adjusted for covariates including income, depression, and chronic medical conditions (all p values < 0.001). Finally, there was evidence of effect modification such that the beneficial association between literacy and healthcare decision making was stronger among older persons, poorer persons and persons at the lower ranges of cognitive ability. Conclusion: Among community based older persons without dementia, higher levels of health and financial literacy were associated with better decision making, suggesting that improvements in literacy could facilitate better decision making and lead to better health and quality of life in later years.
Molecular Cloning of a Novel Brain‐Type Na+‐Dependent Inorganic Phosphate Cotransporter

Abstract: We have isolated a human cDNA encoding a protein, designated DNPI, that shows 82% amino acid identity and 92% similarity to the human brain‐specific Na+‐dependent inorganic phosphate (Na+/Pi) cotransporter (BNPI), which is localized exclusively to neuron‐rich regions. Expression of DNPI mRNA in Xenopus oocytes resulted in a significant increase in Na+‐dependent Pi transport, indicating that DNPI is a novel Na+/Pi cotransporter. Northern blot analysis shows that DNPI mRNA is expressed predominantly in brain, where the highest levels are observed in medulla, substantia nigra, subthalamic nucleus, and thalamus, all of which express BNPI mRNA at low levels. In contrast, DNPI mRNA is expressed at low levels in cerebellum and hippocampus, where BNPI mRNA is expressed at high levels. No hybridizing signal for DNPI mRNA is observed in the glia‐rich region of corpus callosum. In other regions examined, both mRNAs are moderately or highly expressed. These results indicate that BNPI and DNPI, which coordinate Na+‐dependent Pi transport in the neuron‐rich regions of the brain, may form a new class within the Na+/Pi cotransporter family.
Étude spectropolarimétrique des étoiles froides évoluées

Dans cette these, j'analyse des observations spectropolarimetriques d'etoiles froides evoluees dans tous les parametres de Stokes ($I$, $Q$, $U$ et $V$). L'etude des spectres polarises circulairement de trois etoiles supergeantes rouges (RSG) m'a permis de detecter un faible champ magnetique (de l'ordre de 1 Gauss) a leur surface ainsi que de mettre en evidence l'influence de la forte polarisation lineaire de ces etoiles sur la mesure du champ magnetique.Cette forte polarisation lineaire est d'origine non magnetique et est reliee a la polarisation du continu dont l'observabilite resulte de la presence de structures brisants la symetrie cylindrique du disque stellaire.Apres une analyse en profondeur de la polarisation du continu des etoiles RSG, j'utilise un modele analytique spectropolarimetrique permettant de remonter a la position sur le disque de ces structures, en bon accord avec des observations interferometriques.Les etoiles variables pulsantes montrent elles aussi des signaux polarises lineairement intenses dont l'origine est la polarisation intrinseque (ou de resonance) associee a certaines raies spectrales.Pour ces etoiles, les gradients de vitesses, introduits par les ondes de chocs se propageants dans leur atmosphere, amplifient la polarisation intrinseque des raies, un mecanisme d'eclaircissement Doppler, bien connu dans le cas du Soleil, qui offre de nouvelles perspectives dans l'etude de ces objets.
What children know about alcohol and how they know it.

Summary In an interview study New Zealand children aged 8 and 9 years revealed clear concepts, mostly negative, about alcohol. Most of the children associated drinking alcohol with getting drunk, and few were unable to describe any effects of alcohol or what being drunk meant. Television was a source of information for 37% of the sample, parents or siblings for 26%; 21% had witnessed the effects they described. More than half the sample said they did not know their friends' feelings about alcohol use. When television was a communication source, especially if health promotion advertisements had been seen, drink-driving dangers were more likely to be described. Children judged aware of alcohol problems in their immediate environment who had witnessed the effects they described mentioned vomiting and silliness as alcohol effects more often than others.