Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Do changes in the psychosocial school environment influence pupils' health development? Results from a three-year follow-up study

Aims: This study analysed the effects of psychosocial factors at school on pupils' health and self-worth from a longitudinal perspective. Methods: A three-year prospective study was started in 1994, including 533 pupils (261 girls, 272 boys) from 25 different classes in grades 3 and 6. With age-adjusted questionnaires the changes in self-perceived health were compared with changes in psychosocial school environmental factors. Results: The girls in the older cohort reported a negative health development with decreased self-worth and increased somatic and psychological symptoms. Significant gender differences in ill health, but not in self-worth, developed, especially in the older cohort. A multiple regression analysis showed that a negative development of psychosocial factors at school, measured as control, demand, and classmate problems, was associated with poorer health and self-worth among the pupils. A trichotomization of the psychosocial variables at school indicated a possible causal relationship between psychosocial factors and ill health and self-worth. Conclusions: The negative development in pupils' health and self-worth could partly be explained by the more unfavourable psychosocial environment that prevails at school at the senior level. The public health implications of our study can be summarized as the need for schools to improve pupils' social situation at school in relation to their work situation as well as to pay special attention to the school situation of girls at senior level.
Nutritional status and its relationship to quality of life in a sample of chronic hemodialysis patients.

OBJECTIVE To assess the relationship between nutritional status and quality of life in a sample of chronic hemodialysis patients. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SETTING Haemodialysis Units of St Vincent's and St George Hospitals, Sydney, Australia. PATIENTS Sixty-four patients participated in the nutritional assessment, of which 53 completed the quality of life questionnaire. INTERVENTION Nutritional status was assessed using subjective global assessment in addition to a number of anthropometric and biochemical parameters. Quality of life was assessed by means of a patient questionnaire and assessment of physical functioning. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Nutrition status, 6 quality of life subscales related to general well-being, health and functioning, social and economic, psychological/spiritual well-being, and family life, employment status, income, participation in recreational/sports activities, the number of hospital admissions, days of hospitalization, and lengths of hospital stay. RESULTS Sixty-four percent of patients were well nourished, 23% were moderately malnourished, and 13% were severely malnourished. Malnutrition was associated with poorer subjective quality after controlling for the affects of sociodemographic and medical variables. Severe malnutrition was also independently associated with poorer physical function, and resulted in significantly more hospital admissions, more days of hospitalization, and longer average lengths of hospital stay. CONCLUSION Malnutrition is common in chronic hemodialysis patients and is associated with poorer quality of life when the degree of malnutrition becomes severe. Prospective studies are required to determine whether improving the nutritional status of these patients will result in meaningful improvements in quality of life and other medical outcomes.
Geometric Morphometric Analysis of the Breast‐Shoulder Apparatus of Lizards: A Test Case Using Jamaican Anoles (Squamata: Dactyloidae)

The breast‐shoulder apparatus (BSA) is a structurally and kinematically complex region of lizards. Compared with the pelvic region it has received little attention, even though its morphological variation is known to be extensive. This variability has seldom been the focus of functional explanation, possibly because the BSA has been difficult to explore as a composite entity. In this study we apply geometric morphometric techniques to the analysis of the BSA in an attempt to more fully understand its configuration in relation to differential use in locomotion. Our approach centers upon the Jamaican radiation of anoline lizards (genus Norops) as a tractable, small monophyletic assemblage consisting of species representing several ecomorphs. We hypothesized that the different species and ecomorphs would exhibit variation in the configuration of the BSA. Our findings indicate that this is so, and is expressed in the component parts of the BSA, although it is subtle except for Norops valencienni (twig ecomorph), which differs greatly in morphology (and behavior) from its island congeners. We further found similarities in the BSA of N. grahami, N. opalinus (both trunk‐crown ecomorphs), and N. garmani (crown giant). These outcomes are promising for associating morphology with ecomorphological specialization and for furthering our understanding of the adaptive response of the BSA to demands on the locomotor system. Anat Rec, 297:410–432, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Paraplegia following a thoracolumbar transforaminal epidural steroid injection.

BACKGROUND In recent years, transforaminal epidural injections have emerged as an alternative to interlaminar and caudal epidural steroid injections. The rationale for utilizing transforaminal epidural injections has been described for diagnostic as well as therapeutic purposes. The evidence for lumbar transforaminal epidural steroid injections in managing lumbar nerve root pain is strong, whereas it is moderate in managing cervical nerve root pain. However, these techniques are also associated with rare, but catastrophic, neurologic complications. OBJECTIVE To present a case report describing a devastating neurologic injury following a transforaminal thoracolumbar epidural steroid injection. CASE REPORT A 67-year-old female was referred for treatment of chest wall pain following a T-12 compression fracture. Her pain was primarily radicular in nature. She had not responded to conservative care and continued to suffer from disabling pain. A left T12-L1 transforaminal epidural steroid injection was performed using the "safe triangle" technique; there was appropriate spread of dye that was visualized and recorded as well as a "washout" image. The injectate consisted of a 3 mL volume of 1% ropivacaine and 50 mg triamcinolone acetonide suspension. The patient experienced a rapid and complete loss of sensation and movement below the T-10 level within five minutes after the injection. An MRI initially performed six hours after the procedure was non-diagnostic but an MRI performed two days later confirmed a thoracolumbar spinal cord infarction. High dose intravenous steroids provided during the course of treatment did not significantly alter her neurological deficits and she continues to be paraplegic. CONCLUSION This case report describes vascular injury leading to an infarction of the spinal cord following a thoracolumbar transforaminal epidural steroid injection. Alternative approaches to, or alternatives means of, performing transforaminal injections should be considered to avoid devastating neurological complications.
PrP‐deficient Mice Are Resistant to Scrapie a

Prusiner proposed that the infectious agent of scrapie, the prion, is PrPSc, a modified form of the normal host protein PrPC. Prn-p0/0 mice devoid of PrPC showed normal development and behavior. When inoculated with mouse scrapie prions they remained free of scrapie symptoms for at least 16 months while wild type controls all died within 6 months. Propagation of infectivity in the PrP null mice, if any, was less than 10(-5) that in wild type animals. Surprisingly, heterozygous Prn-p0/+ mice also showed enhanced resistance to scrapie. After introduction of Syrian hamster PrP transgenes, Prn-p0/0 mice became highly susceptible to hamster but not to mouse prions. These experiments show that PrPC, possibly at close to normal levels, is required for the usual susceptibility to scrapie and that lack of homology between incoming prions and the host's PrP genes retards disease.
Herbicide Application Timing in Preharvest Desiccation of Soybean Cultivars with Different Growth Habits

Abstract In order to evaluate the ideal time of herbicide applications to desiccate soybean cultivars with determinate and indeterminate growth habits in preharvest, an experiment was carried out at the University of Ponta Grossa (PR), during 2002–2003. The experimental design used was a randomized blocks arranged in a factorial scheme 4×,5 (herbicides and time of application), with three replications, using four soybean cultivars: Spring, V-Max, BR-16, and BRS-133. The herbicides glufosinate, diquat, and paraquat were used at the rate of 400 g ha-1, when soybean was at stage of R6.0, R6.5, R7.0, R7.5, and R8.0. The assessments included yield, as well as yield components, considering each cultivar separately. The results show that desiccation should be done on cultivars with determinate growth habit at stages between R7.0 and R7.5, independent of herbicide used. For indeterminate growth habit cultivars, desiccation should be done later, because those pods formed after R6.5 stage are important to define yield; although herbicides have different mode of action, yield results were similar. In cultivars, desiccation should start when all pods in the middle of plants become yellow and grains are not held by fibers.
Control of intestinal inflammation by regulatory T cells

Summary: Transfer of CD4+ T cells to immune‐deficient mice in the absence of the CD25+ subset leads to the development of colitis, indicating that regulatory cells capable of controlling a bacteria‐driven inflammatory response are present in normal mice. Cells with this function are present in the thymus as well as in the periphery of germ‐free mice, suggesting they may be reactive with self‐antigen. These cells resemble CD4+CD25+ cells that inhibit organ‐specific autoimmunity, suggesting that a similar subset of regulatory T cells may control responses to self and foreign antigens. Development of colitis is dependent on accumulation of activated CD134L+ dendritic cells (DC) in the mesenteric lymph nodes, which is inhibited by CD4+CD25+ cells, indicating that regulatory T cells may control DC activation in vivo. Whilst inhibition of T‐cell activation in vitro by CD4+CD25+ cells does not involve interleukin‐10 and transforming growth factor‐β, these cytokines are required for the suppression of colitis. It may be that control of responses that activate the innate immune system requires multiple mechanisms of immune suppression. Recently, we identified CD4+CD25+ cells with immune suppressive activity in the thymus and peripheral blood of humans, raising the possibility that dysfunction in this mechanism of immune regulation may be involved in the development of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
Effects of gender and estrogen on chicken ductus arteriosus reactivity

Thijs WH Flinsenberg, Saskia van der Sterren, Anne NH van Cleef, Marijn JS Schuurman, Pia Ågren, Eduardo Villamor Department of Pediatrics, Maastricht University Medical Center (MUMC+), School for Oncology and Developmental Biology (GROW), Maastricht, 6202 AZ, the Netherlands. Running Title: estrogen and ductus arteriosus Full Address of Corresponding Author: E. Villamor, MD, PhD. Dept of Pediatrics, Maastricht University Medical Center (MUMC+). P. Debyelaan 25. P.O. Box 5800. 6202 AZ Maastricht. The Netherlands. Phone +31 43-3877246, fax +31 43-3875246 E-mail: E.Villamor@mumc.nl
Nonoperative treatment of patients with presumed penile fracture.

PURPOSE Immediate surgical intervention is the basis for treatment of penile fractures due to the high risk of complications associated with conservative management. Unfortunately, patient refusal to undergo surgery has led to conservative treatment of a small group of patients with presumed penile fractures at our institution. We followed these patients in regard to clinical outcome. MATERIALS AND METHODS Between 1992 and 1999, 5 patients were evaluated after blunt trauma to an erect penis. Patient age at presentation ranged from 19 to 31 years (mean 25). The interval from time of injury to presentation was 24 to 72 hours. Of these patients 4 had been injured during sexual intercourse, while 1 had been injured during masturbation. All 5 patients refused immediate surgical exploration for presumed penile fracture. RESULTS No patient had any immediate complications. At 6 and 12-month followup all patients reported erections adequate for intercourse without associated pain. One patient reported only mild curvature for which he did not seek treatment. CONCLUSIONS We report on a subset of young males with presumed penile fracture who refused diagnostic evaluation and therapy, and were able to maintain normal erectile and voiding function. However, longer followup and radiographic evidence will be necessary to corroborate or refute these initial observations.
Molecular Basis for Synergistic Transcriptional Activation by Oct1 and Sox2 Revealed from the Solution Structure of the 42-kDa Oct1·Sox2·Hoxb1-DNA Ternary Transcription Factor Complex*

The Oct and Sox transcription factors control many different aspects of neural development and embryogenesis, often binding to adjacent sites on DNA, and interacting with one another through their DNA binding domains to regulate transcription synergistically. Oct proteins contain two DNA binding domains (POUS and POUHD) connected by a flexible linker, which interact with DNA in a bipartite manner. Residual dipolar coupling measurements on the binary Oct1·DNA complex reveal that the two domains are characterized by distinct alignment tensors in both phage pf1 and polyethylene glycol/hexanol liquid crystalline media. We show that this difference is due to a fast microscopic dissociation/association process involving alternative binding modes for the weaker binding POUS domain in the binary complex. Upon binding of Sox2 to an adjacent site in the Hoxb1 regulatory element, all components of the ternary Oct1·Sox2·DNA complex share a single alignment tensor. Thus ternary complex formation increases the site-specific affinity of Oct1 for DNA by effectively locking the POUS domain in a single orientation on the DNA. The solution NMR structure of the ternary 42 kDa Oct1·Sox2·Hoxb1-DNA complex, determined by novel procedures based on orientational restraints from dipolar couplings and conjoined rigid body/torsion angle dynamics, reveals that Sox2 and POUS interact through a predominantly hydrophobic interface, surrounded by a ring of electrostatic interactions. These observations suggest a mechanism of combinatorial control involving direct protein-protein interactions on the DNA whereby Oct1 in conjunction with a co-interacting transcription factor provide cell-specific transcription regulation.
Anthropometric measures and epithelial ovarian cancer risk in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition

We examined the associations of measured anthropometric factors, including general and central adiposity and height, with ovarian cancer risk. We also investigated these associations by menopausal status and for specific histological subtypes. Among 226,798 women in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort, there were 611 incident cases of primary, malignant, epithelial ovarian cancer diagnosed during a mean 8.9 years of follow‐up. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), adjusted for potential confounders. Compared to women with body mass index (BMI) < 25 kg/m2, obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) was associated with excess ovarian cancer risk for all women combined (HR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.05–1.68; ptrend = 0.02) and postmenopausal women (HR = 1.59, 95% CI = 1.20–2.10; ptrend = 0.001), but the association was weaker for premenopausal women (HR = 1.16, 95% CI = 0.65–2.06; ptrend = 0.65). Neither height or weight gain, nor BMI‐adjusted measures of fat distribution assessed by waist circumference, waist–hip ratio (WHR) or hip circumference were associated with overall risk. WHR was related to increased risk of mucinous tumors (BMI‐adjusted HR per 0.05 unit increment = 1.17, 95% CI = 1.00–1.38). For all women combined, no other significant associations with risk were observed for specific histological subtypes. This large, prospective study provides evidence that obesity is an important modifiable risk factor for epithelial ovarian cancer, particularly among postmenopausal women.
Exposure–response relationship between chrysotile exposure and mortality from lung cancer and asbestosis

Objectives To describe mortality in workers exposed to chrysotile asbestos, and determine exposure–response relationships between asbestos exposure and mortality from lung cancer and asbestosis by fitting and comparing different models. Methods A prospective cohort consisting of 586 workers in an asbestos textile factory was followed from 1 January 1972 to 31 December 2006. A structured questionnaire was administered to collect personal information and exposure data. Paired concentration samples measured in the workshops were used to convert dust concentrations to fibre concentrations. Individual cumulative asbestos exposure was estimated as the product of fibre concentrations and duration of employment in each job and expressed as fibre-years/ml. The vital status of cohort members was followed annually. Poisson regression analysis was applied to fit log-linear, log-quadratic, power, additive relative risk and categorical models to estimate exposure–response relationships between cumulative fibre exposure and mortality from lung cancer and asbestosis. Results Of the 226 deaths (14.6 per 1000 person-years) over the 35-year follow-up, 51 were from lung cancer (3.29 per 1000 person-years) and 37 from asbestosis (2.39 per 1000 person-years). A significant exposure–response relationships with either lung cancer or asbestosis (p<0.001) was observed in the final model. The power model with lagged 10 years was found to be the best model of those evaluated for both lung cancer (β coefficient=0.53) and asbestosis (β coefficient=0.63). Conclusions The study confirmed strong associations between exposure to chrysotile asbestos and lung cancer and asbestosis, in which clear exposure–response relationships were observed.
Antithrombotic drug prescription in atrial fibrillation and its rationale among general practitioners, internists and cardiologists in The Netherlands – The EXAMINE‐AF study. A questionnaire survey

The objective of the EXAMINE‐AF study was to record and compare antithrombotic treatment in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) in daily clinical practice of general practitioners, internists and cardiologists in the Netherlands. Eighty‐six general practitioners, 93 internists and 99 cardiologists responded to postal questionnaires and enrolled 1596 patients: 365, 351 and 880 respectively. A cardiologist was indicated to be the main treating physician for AF in 82% of all patients; current antithrombotic treatment was initiated in 80% by a cardiologist. Of all patients, 84% were at high risk for stroke and therefore were eligible for oral anticoagulation treatment, but only 64% actually received this. Cardiologists instituted appropriate antithrombotic treatment best, compared with general practitioners and internists (70% vs. 58% and 55%; p < 0.001). Positive predictive factors for oral anticoagulation prescription were previous stroke/transient ischaemic attack (OR, 2.31; 95% CI, 1.33–4.02) and heart failure (OR, 1.72; 95% CI, 1.23–2.42). Contraindications for oral anticoagulation (OR, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.32–0.68), treatment by a general practitioner (OR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.20–0.42) or internist (OR, 0.24; 95% CI, 0.15–0.39) were important factors for withholding treatment. Antithrombotic treatment in AF patients is well instituted in primary and secondary care in the Netherlands. Cardiologists play a key role in the diagnosis and management of the majority of AF patients, even in those regularly attending other physicians. Factors for oral anticoagulation prescription are heart failure, physician specialty and contraindications. Availability of guidelines seems instrumental for application of appropriate antithrombotic treatment.
Serum adiponectin in coronary heart disease: ethnic differences and relation to coronary artery disease severity

Adiponectin is a collagen-like protein secreted predominantly by adipose tissue. In humans, plasma adiponectin concentrations are inversely related to measures of insulin resistance, with reduced adiponectin concentrations reported in obesity and patients with essential hypertension, dyslipidaemia, diabetes, and coronary artery disease (CAD). 1 Low serum adiponectin concentrations appear to be associated with an increased risk of myocardial infarction,2 but it is not clear if this increased risk is related to increased coronary disease burden. People of South Asian descent have increased susceptibility to glucose intolerance, dyslipidaemia, and CAD, the cause(s) of which are complex and multiple.3 One small study suggested lower adiponectin concentrations in South Asians compared to body mass index (BMI) matched white people,4 but ethnic differences in plasma adiponectin among patients with CAD have not been reported. We hypothesised that serum adiponectin is lower in CAD patients of South Asian descent compared to white counterparts, and secondly, that there was a relation between serum adiponectin and coronary disease severity by angiography. To test these hypotheses, we performed a cross sectional study of consecutive white and South Asian patients undergoing cardiac catheterisation. Consecutive patients attending outpatient diagnostic cardiac catheterisation for the investigation of CAD were recruited. The South Asian patients attending our unit are almost exclusively of Punjabi origin, and their ethnic group was confirmed by direct …
Natalizumab plus interferon beta-1a for relapsing multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND Interferon beta is used to modify the course of relapsing multiple sclerosis. Despite interferon beta therapy, many patients have relapses. Natalizumab, an alpha4 integrin antagonist, appeared to be safe and effective alone and when added to interferon beta-1a in preliminary studies. METHODS We randomly assigned 1171 patients who, despite interferon beta-1a therapy, had had at least one relapse during the 12-month period before randomization to receive continued interferon beta-1a in combination with 300 mg of natalizumab (589 patients) or placebo (582 patients) intravenously every 4 weeks for up to 116 weeks. The primary end points were the rate of clinical relapse at 1 year and the cumulative probability of disability progression sustained for 12 weeks, as measured by the Expanded Disability Status Scale, at 2 years. RESULTS Combination therapy resulted in a 24 percent reduction in the relative risk of sustained disability progression (hazard ratio, 0.76; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.61 to 0.96; P=0.02). Kaplan-Meier estimates of the cumulative probability of progression at two years were 23 percent with combination therapy and 29 percent with interferon beta-1a alone. Combination therapy was associated with a lower annualized rate of relapse over a two-year period than was interferon beta-1a alone (0.34 vs. 0.75, P<0.001) and with fewer new or enlarging lesions on T(2)-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (0.9 vs. 5.4, P<0.001). Adverse events associated with combination therapy were anxiety, pharyngitis, sinus congestion, and peripheral edema. Two cases of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, one of which was fatal, were diagnosed in natalizumab-treated patients. CONCLUSIONS Natalizumab added to interferon beta-1a was significantly more effective than interferon beta-1a alone in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis. Additional research is needed to elucidate the benefits and risks of this combination treatment. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00030966.).