Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of satisfaction with midwifery care.

OBJECTIVE to determine if there were differences in women's satisfaction with maternity care given by doctors and midwives. In addition a simple, six-question, satisfaction questionnaire was to be tested. DESIGN a randomised controlled trial comparing two models of maternity care. SETTING a tertiary referral centre in Alberta, Canada. PARTICIPANTS one hundred and ninety four women with a low-risk pregnancy were randomly assigned to either the midwife care, experimental group (n = 101), or the doctor care, control group (n = 93). INTERVENTIONS a pilot midwifery programme was introduced into a maternity services delivery system that did not have established midwifery. MEASUREMENTS women's satisfaction was measured, at two weeks postpartum, with the Labour and Delivery Satisfaction Index (LADSI), general attitudes toward the birth experience, also at two weeks postpartum; with the Attitudes about Labour and Delivery Experience (ADLE) questionnaire. Fluctuations in satisfaction were measured with a Six Simple Questions (SSQ) questionnaire at 36 weeks gestation and 48 hours, two and six weeks postpartum. FINDINGS women in the midwife group reported significantly greater satisfaction and a more positive attitude toward their childbirth experience than women in the doctor group (p < 0.001). The SSQ demonstrated scores similar to the LADSI. Satisfaction in both groups was lowest at 36 weeks gestation and highest immediately postpartum. KEY CONCLUSIONS women experiencing low-risk pregnancies were more satisfied with care by midwives than with care provided by doctors. Satisfaction scores were high for both groups and may have been lower for women in the doctor group as a result of disappointment with caregiver assignment as all women had sought midwifery care. The SSQ measures similar dimensions to the LADSI but the agreement is not strong enough to recommend its use as a substitute at this time. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE the significantly higher satisfaction of the women with the care provided by the midwives together with better clinical outcomes reported elsewhere suggest that the option of midwifery care should be accessible as an option for all women in Canada. Further research is suggested to determine the usefulness of the SSQ.
Multiple DNA Rearrangements in the BCL2 Region in a Patient With Follicular Lymphoma

A 39‐year‐old male with follicular non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma was repeatedly studied with respect to DNA rearrangements with the two probes pFL‐1 and pFL‐2, representing two segments of chromosome 18. The oncogene 6CL2, detected by pFL‐1, was as expected translocated to the J region of the immunoglobulin locus. The standard BCL2 translocation was found in three samples, one obtained at diagnosis, one ten months later, and one after 5 years. Another translocation was found with the probe pFL‐2 hybridizing with a region located about 20 kb 3' from BCL2. This latter rearrangement was found only in the first biopsy, which was obtained at the time of diagnosis, but not in the two later samples, when the morphology of the lymphoma was unchanged. No cytotoxic therapy had been given in the interval from diagnosis to disappearance of the latter rearrangement. Thus, one of the observed translocations (pFL‐2) was detected only in the first biopsy, while the other (pFL‐1) was a clonal marker in all three biopsies. The finding suggests that clonal evolution does not necessarily mean clinical progression.
Gating of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore by thyroid hormone

The calorigenic‐thermogenic activity of thyroid hormone (T3) has long been ascribed to uncoupling of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. However, the mode of action of T3 in promoting mitochondrial proton leak is still unresolved. Mitochon‐drial uncoupling by T3 is reported here to be transduced in vivo in rats and in cultured Jurkat cells by gating of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (PTP). T3‐induced PTP gating is shown here to be abrogated in inositol 1,4,5‐trisphosphate (IP3) receptor 1 (D? 3R1)_/_ cells, indicating that the endoplasmic reticulum IP3R1 may serve as upstream target for the mitochondrial activity of T3. IP3R1 gating by T3 is due to its increased expression and truncation into channel‐only peptides, resulting in IP3‐independent Ca2+ efflux. Increased cytosolic Ca2+ results in activation of protein phosphatase 2B, dephosphorylation and depletion of mitochondrial Bcl2 (S70), and increase in mitochondrial free Bax leading to low‐conductance PTP gating. The T3 transduction pathway integrates genomic and nongenomic activities of T3 in regulating mitochondrial energetics and may offer novel targets for thyromimetics designed to modulate energy expenditure. —Yehuda‐Shnaidman, E. , Kalderon, B. , Azazmeh, N. , Bar‐Tana, J. Gating of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore by thyroid hormone. FASEB J. 24, 93–104 (2010). www.fasebj. org
Some Observations on the Preparation of Platelet-Rich Plasma

Summary In order to prepare platelet-rich plasma a constant height and volume of citrated whole blood was centrifuged at different gravity forces and times. The supernatant plasmas were examined for platelet concentrations, plasma volumes and optical densities. Results are described showing that gravity force and time have an important influence on the platelet numbers and the plasma volumes recovered. The light attenuation by different concentrations of platelets in plasma, using light path lengths of 5 mm and 10 mm, was compared. The shorter light path provides greater linearity between optical density and platelet numbers especially at higher concentrations.
Brain metastases from epithelial ovarian cancer. The Hellenic Cooperative Oncology Group (HeCOG) experience and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND Brain metastases from epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) are rare. A retrospective study of all patients diagnosed with brain metastases from EOC over the last 20 years, according to the Hellenic Cooperative Oncology Group (HeCOG) tumor registry, was conducted. PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 1450 patients with EOC were treated within various HeCOG protocols from 1983 to 2004. Seventeen (1.17%) of them developed brain metastases. RESULTS The median age at diagnosis of brain metastases was 58 years (range, 24 to 77). At initial diagnosis, 2 patients had stage II, 12 had stage III and 3 had stage IV disease. Serous papillary adenocarcinoma was the most common histological subtype [12 patients (71%)]. All patients had received initial cisplatin-based chemotherapy. The median time from initial diagnosis to central nervous system (CNS) relapse was 15.9 months (range, 1.4 to 70.8). The CNS was the only site of disease in 13 (76.5%) patients, whereas 4 (23.5%) patients had additional extracranial disease. Two (12%) patients with isolated single brain lesions underwent surgical excision of the metastases, followed by whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT) and chemotherapy. Four (24%) patients were treated with WBRT alone, 6 (35%) patients with WBRT plus chemotherapy and 2 (12%) had only supportive care, while 3 (18%) patients decided not to have any further treatment after the diagnosis of brain metastases. The median survival time from diagnosis of CNS relapse was 5.7 months (range, 0.2 to 22.6) and the median survival time from diagnosis of EOC was 27.4 months (range, 3.0 to 71.4). In patients with CNS recurrence as the only site of disease, the median survival time from diagnosis of CNS relapse was 5.3 months (range, 0.6 to 22.6) and in those with both CNS and extracranial disease, the median survival time was 3.9 months (range, 0.2 to 11.9) (p=0.5597). There was a statistically significant difference in survival for those treated with WBRT plus chemotherapy (10.0 months) versus those treated with WBRT alone (1.5 months) and those who had only supportive care (0.2 months) (p=0.0003). CONCLUSION The incidence of cerebral metastases in our patients with EOC was 1.17%, which is consistent with the mean value of all series reported in the literature. The prognosis of patients with brain metastases from EOC is poor. Patients who had WBRT and chemotherapy fared better than those who received WBRT alone.
Short‐term exposure to low‐carbohydrate, high‐fat diets induces low bone mineral density and reduces bone formation in rats

Low‐carbohydrate, high‐fat (LC‐HF) diets are popular for inducing weight loss in adults and are also used as part of a treatment for children with epilepsy. However, potential risks and side effects remain controversial. We investigated effects of LC‐HF diets on growth, bone mineral density (BMD), and turnover in growing rats fed for 4 weeks either normal chow (CH, 9% fat, 33% protein, and 58% carbohydrates), LC‐HF‐1 (66% fat, 33% protein, and 1% carbohydrates), or LC‐HF‐2 (94.5% fat, 4.2% protein, and 1.3% carbohydrates). Rats fed LC‐HF diets accumulated significantly more visceral and bone marrow fat and showed increased leptin but decreased insulin‐like growth‐factor 1 (IGF‐1). Both LC‐HF diets significantly decreased body length (nose to rump), but lengths of humerus, tibia, and femur were significantly reduced with LC‐HF‐2 only. Peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) and micro‐CT (µCT) independently revealed significant reductions in BMD of tibiae in both LC‐HF groups, and tibial maximum load was impaired. Bone‐formation marker N‐terminal propeptide of type I procollagen was reduced in sera of LC‐HF groups, whereas bone resorption marker CrossLaps remained unchanged. Real‐time PCR analysis revealed significant reductions by 70% to 80% of transcription factors influencing osteoblastogenesis (Runx2, osterix, and C/EBPβ) in bone marrow of rats fed LC‐HF diets. In conclusion, both LC‐HF diets impaired longitudinal growth, BMD, and mechanical properties, possibly mediated by reductions in circulating IGF‐1. Serum bone‐formation markers as well as expression of transcription factors influencing osteoblastogenesis were reduced. This might indicate a lower rate of mesenchymal stem cells differentiating into osteoblasts, thus explaining reduced bone formation with LC‐HF diets. © 2010 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
Complications of tuberculosis

Purpose of review Diagnosis and management of tuberculosis (TB) remains challenging and complex because of the heterogeneity of disease presentations. Despite effective treatment, TB disease can lead to significant short-and long-term health consequences. We review potential acute and chronic complications of TB disease and current management approaches. Recent findings Acute and subacute complications of TB disease are attributable to structural damage or vascular compromise caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, as well as metabolic abnormalities and host inflammatory responses. TB-related sepsis is a life-threatening acute complication for which current diagnostic and management approaches are likely inadequate. Therapeutic intensification and usage of immunomodulators are areas of ongoing research. Paradoxical reaction or symptom worsening during TB treatment may benefit from corticosteroids. Despite successful cure of TB, chronic complications can arise from anatomic alterations at disease sites. Examples include mycetomas developing within residual TB cavities, impaired pulmonary function, or focal neurologic deficits from tuberculomas. Summary Effective management of TB requires attention to potential structural, metabolic, vascular, and infectious complications. In some instances, individualizing treatment regimens may be necessary. Imunosuppression and other host factors predispose to complications; others occur despite adequate treatment. Public health TB programs and health systems require additional resources to provide comprehensive TB and post-TB care.
Prognostic Value of Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres–Associated Biomarkers in Uterine Sarcoma and Uterine Carcinosarcoma

Objective A subset of cancer cells maintains telomere lengths in a telomerase-independent manner known as the alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT). The goal of this study was to evaluate the frequency of ALT in uterine sarcoma and carcinosarcoma and to assess its association with clinical parameters. Methods Retrospectively collected paraffin blocks from 41 patients with uterine sarcomas and carcinosarcomas were analyzed for ALT-associated promyelocytic leukemia bodies (APBs), which are a significant feature of ALT cells, using combined immunofluorescence and telomere fluorescence in situ hybridization. In addition, a C-circle assay and human telomerase reverse transcriptase immunohistochemistry were performed to support these results. Results The APB assay and C-circle assay indicated that 46.3% (19/41 cases) and 36.4% (8/22 cases) of sarcomas of the uterus, respectively, were positive for ALT. Alternative lengthening of telomerase positivity was correlated with high-grade uterine sarcoma and parameters indicative of an aggressive tumor, such as tumor size (P = 0.033) and mitotic index (P = 0.001); ALT positivity was negatively correlated with human telomerase reverse transcriptase reactivity (P = 0.036). In a survival analysis, the presence of APBs was found to be a poor prognostic factor for disease-free survival (P = 0.018) and overall survival (P = 0.021). Conclusions Alternative lengthening of telomeres is a prevalent mechanism in uterine sarcomas and carcinosarcomas and is associated with the aggressiveness of the tumor and tumor progression. Importantly, ALT positivity is an indicator of poor prognosis for patients with uterine sarcoma and carcinosarcoma.
Characteristics of Patients with Gaze-evoked Tinnitus

Objective The authors describe symptoms and population characteristics in subjects who can modulate the loudness and/or pitch of their tinnitus by eye movements. Study Design Data were obtained by questionnaire. Setting The study was conducted at a university center and a tertiary care center. Patients Respondents had the self-reported ability to modulate their tinnitus with eye movements. Results Ninety-one subjects reported having gaze-evoked tinnitus after posterior fossa surgery involving the eighth nerve. Eighty-seven of them underwent removal of a vestibular schwannoma (acoustic neuroma), two had bilateral eighth nerve tumors (one underwent bilateral tumor removal; the other unilateral tumor removal), one underwent removal of a cholesteatoma, and one underwent removal of a glomus jugulare tumor. Seventeen subjects who had never had posterior fossa surgery reported gaze-evoked tinnitus. Of those with vestibular schwannomas, tumor size ranged from small (<2 cm) to large (>4 cm). The gender distribution was 48.3% male and 51.7% female. In 77% of patients, the gaze-evoked tinnitus was localized to the surgical ear or side of head; 21.8% had bilateral tinnitus that was louder in the surgical ear or side of head. In 86 of 87 subjects, loudness of tinnitus changed with eye movement. Eye movement away from the central (eyes centered) position increased the loudness of tinnitus in all 86 subjects who responded to this question. Seventy-three of 85 (85.9%) patients indicated that pitch changed with eye movement, with pitch increasing in 64/72 (88.9%) of them. Eighty-three of 87 (95.4%) patients reported total loss of hearing in the surgical ear. Seventy of 83 (84.3%) patients reported facial nerve problems immediately after surgery, 52 of 87 (60%) reported persistent facial weakness, and 16 of 87 (18.4%) patients reported persistent double vision. In those 17 subjects with gaze-evoked tinnitus and no posterior fossa surgery, the majority of respondents (14/17, 82.4%) were male. Conclusions Gaze-evoked tinnitus after cerebellar pontine angle surgery is more common than was previously believed. In addition, posterior fossa surgery is not a prerequisite for the development of gaze-evoked tinnitus. It is likely that gaze-evoked tinnitus is a manifestation of functional reorganization. Gaze-evoked tinnitus could result from an unmasking of brain regions that respond to multiple stimulus/response modalities, and/or from anomalous cross-modality interactions, perhaps caused by collateral sprouting.
The let-7 microRNA interfaces extensively with the translation machinery to regulate cell differentiation

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are noncoding RNAs that regulate numerous target genes through a posttranscriptional mechanism and thus control major developmental pathways. The phylogenetically conserved let-7 miRNA regulates cell proliferation and differentiation, thus functioning as a key regulator of developmental timing in C. elegans and a tumor suppressor gene in humans. Using a reverse genetic screen, we have identified genetic interaction partners of C. elegans let-7, including known and novel potential target genes. Initial identification of several translation initiation factors as suppressors of a let-7 mutation led us to systemically examine genetic interaction between let-7 and the translational machinery, which we found to be widespread. In the presence of wild-type let-7, depletion of the translation initiation factor eIF3 resulted in precocious cell differentiation, suggesting that developmental timing is translationally regulated, possibly by let-7. As overexpression of the eIF3 in humans promotes translation of mRNAs that are also targets of let-7-mediated repression, we suggest that eIF3 may directly or indirectly oppose let-7 activity. This might provide an explanation for the opposite functions of let-7 and eIF3 in regulating tumorigenesis.
Running head : Hierarchical Model of Achievement Motivation Fear of Failure , 2 x 2 Achievement Goal and Self-handicapping : An Examination of the Hierarchical Model of Achievement Motivation in Physical Education

In this study, the hierarchical model of achievement motivation (Elliot, 1997) is used to investigate the motivational mechanism behind the relationship between fear of failure and selfhandicapping adoption. A cross-sectional design was employed. The participants were 691 college students enrolled in physical education in Taiwan. Students completed the Performance Failure Appraisal Inventory (PEAI-S, Conroy, Willow, & Metzler, 2002), the Chinese 2 x 2 Achievement Goal Questionnaire for Physical Education (CAGQ-PE, Chen, 2007) and the SelfHandicapping Scale (SHS; Wu, Wang., & Lin, 2004). Structural equation modeling was conducted. Generally, the results showed that mastery avoidance and performance avoidance goals partially mediated the relationship between fear of failure and self-handicapping. The results are discussed in terms of the hierarchical model of achievement motivation, and its implications for physical education are also highlighted.
Aggregation for low complexity recovery: Oracle inequalities and algorithms. (Agrégation pour la restauration de faible complexité : Inégalités Oracle et algorithmes)

In many areas of statistics, including signal and image processing, high-dimensional estimation is an important task to recover an object of interest. However, in the overwhelming majority of cases, the recovery problem is ill-posed. Fortunately, even if the ambient dimension of the object to be restored (signal, image, video) is very large, its intrinsic ``complexity'' is generally small. The introduction of this prior information can be done through two approaches: (i) penalization (very popular) and (ii) aggregation by exponential weighting (EWA). The penalized approach aims at finding an estimator that minimizes a data loss function penalized by a term promoting objects of low (simple) complexity. The EWA combines a family of pre-estimators, each associated with a weight exponentially promoting the same objects of low complexity. This manuscript consists of two parts: a theoretical part and an algorithmic part. In the theoretical part, we first propose the EWA with a new family of priors promoting analysis-group sparse signals whose performance is guaranteed by oracle inequalities. Next, we will analysis the penalized estimator and EWA, with a general prior promoting simple objects, in a unified framework for establishing some theoretical guarantees. Two types of guarantees will be established: (i) prediction oracle inequalities, and (ii) estimation bounds. We will exemplify them for particular cases some of which studied in the literature. In the algorithmic part, we will propose an implementation of these estimators by combining Monte-Carlo simulation (Langevin diffusion process) and proximal splitting algorithms, and show their guarantees of convergence. Several numerical experiments will be considered for illustrating our theoretical guarantees and our algorithms.
Delusional infestation and patient adherence to treatment: an observational study

Delusional infestation (DI) is the persistent belief of pathogenic infestation of the skin or body, without objective medical evidence. Treatment for symptoms of delusions can be particularly challenging, especially when patients are difficult to engage and adverse to the possibility of a nonskin disorder. To date there has been no study to evaluate patient adherence to DI treatment.
NUMERICAL CALCULATION OF FRAGILITY CURVES FOR PROBABILISTIC SEISMIC RISK ASSESSMENT

In nuclear engineering practice, fragility curves are often determined by means of margin factors, using the scaling method This approach allows for determining fragility curves in a very convenient way but makes strong simplifying hypothesis. This is why it can be interesting to directly propagate uncertainties by means of Monte Carlo simulation. In this paper, we will discuss statistical estimation of the parameters of fragility curves and present results obtained for a reactor coolant system of nuclear power plant.
Ionic germination of spores of Clostridium perfringens type A.

Spores of Clostridium perfringens NCTC 8238 underwent so-called “ionic germination” under suitable conditions in aqueous solutions of either inorganic or organic salts. Chlorides of alkali metal ions except for Na+ were the most effective in inducing germination. Chlorides of alkali earth metal ions were effective to some extent, but those of heavy metal ions were rather inactive. Potassium salts of halogens, nitrogen, sulfur and phosphorus, as well as organic acids including fatty acids and polycarboxylic acids were also germinative. Preheating the spores at 80 C for 10 min was essential for rapid and complete germination by these salts. Maximum germination occurred at an incubation temperature of 40 C and at a fairly wide range of pH values (5.0–9.0). The germination was markedly inhibited by various uncoupling reagents such as carbonylcyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone, pentachlorophenol, hexachlorophene (HCP), and dicumarol. This inhibition was reversible because removal of these reagents allowed germination to proceed. The inhibiting effect of HCP was highly dependent on pH, suggesting that a molecular dissociation of the reagent affects the inhibition. Furthermore, the inhibition of germination by HCP was competitively overcome at higher KCl concentrations. The possible mechanism of ionic germination and the inhibitory effect of uncouplers on the ionic germination are discussed.