Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Timing of Surgery for Velopharyngeal Dysfunction on Speech

The timing of surgery for velopharyngeal dysfunction has been based on assumptions about the relation between age, speech development, and velopharyngeal dysfunction. Cleft palate teams often counsel parents to have an intervention for velopharyngeal dysfunction performed earlier rather than later, believing that earlier interventions result in more rapid or better normalization of speech. The objective of this retrospective chart review study is to determine whether the age at surgical intervention for velopharyngeal dysfunction has an effect on the subsequent length of speech therapy. Of 174 patients included in the study database, 36 had velopharyngeal dysfunction for which further velopharyngeal management was required. Of the 36 patients who received surgical velopharyngeal dysfunction management, 27 had verifiable speech therapy records. These 27 patients represent the study population. The outcome measure was the total length of subsequent speech therapy until speech normalization. The data suggest that there is no relation between the age at velopharyngeal dysfunction surgical management and the amount of speech therapy needed to achieve normalization of the speech impairments secondary to velopharyngeal dysfunction after that management. In conclusion, 1) the age at surgical velopharyngeal dysfunction management (pharyngeal flap or sphincter pharyngoplasty) does not have an effect on subsequent normalization of speech as measured by the duration of speech therapy necessary to achieve normalization of the speech impairments secondary to velopharyngeal dysfunction after that management, and 2) the age at surgical velopharyngeal dysfunction management does not affect the likelihood of subsequent surgical velopharyngeal dysfunction management procedures.
Support transfers and well-being among older adults in Latin America

Support Transfers and Well-Being Among Older Adults in Latin America by Elizangela Storelli Advisor: Dr. Sara Moorman This research examines social support transfers, social support networks and psychological well-being among older adults (aged 60+) in five countries in Latin America: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Uruguay. Latin American countries are aging rapidly and, compared to Western Europe and North America, have had a relatively short amount of time to accommodate to their aging population (United Nations 2009). While families have traditionally served as the primary support network of older adults in the region, current demographic, social and economic changes have cast doubt on the future viability of these informal supports (Agree and Glaser 2009; United Nations 2002). In general, little is known about the receipt and provision of support to older adults in the region, and how such support is tied to their well-being as they age. This dissertation examines support transfers, support networks and well-being of older adults in Latin America and is based on the following three research questions: 1) How is network structure associated with the receipt of financial and instrumental support among older adults in Latin America? ; 2) What motivates the provision of financial or instrumental support to older adults in Latin America? ; and 3) Do support transfers from kin and non-kin differently affect psychological well-being among older adults in Latin America? To answer these questions, this study used data from the Survey on Health, WellBeing, and Aging in Latin America and the Caribbean (SABE), which includes information on over 7,000 older adults living in private homes in Buenos Aires (Argentina), Sao Paulo (Brazil), Santiago (Chile), Mexico City (Mexico) or Montevideo (Uruguay) (Peláez et al. 2000). Additionally, the study examined data on over 50,000 members of older adults’ household and family networks. Study findings confirm the importance of network structure for the receipt of both financial and instrumental support among older adults in Latin America. They also suggest a dynamic perspective of support provision throughout the region, where members of older adult’s networks jointly navigate a mix of motivating factors to provide support to older adults in need. Lastly, results highlight the importance of kin support for the psychological well-being of older adults throughout the region. The findings presented in this dissertation provide an important first step in understanding elder support and psychological well-being in Latin America, and offer a strong foundation for future assessments throughout the region.
Mechanisms of auxin signaling

The plant hormone auxin triggers complex growth and developmental processes. Its underlying molecular mechanism of action facilitates rapid switching between transcriptional repression and gene activation through the auxin-dependent degradation of transcriptional repressors. The nuclear auxin signaling pathway consists of a small number of core components. However, in most plants each component is represented by a large gene family. The modular construction of the pathway can thus produce diverse transcriptional outputs depending on the cellular and environmental context. Here, and in the accompanying poster, we outline the current model for TIR1/AFB-dependent auxin signaling with an emphasis on recent studies. Summary: This poster article provides an overview of the auxin signal transduction pathway, highlighting how it facilitates rapid switching between transcriptional repression and gene activation.
Retinal projections throughout optic nerve regeneration in the ornate dragon lizard, Ctenophorus ornatus

In goldfish and frog, optic nerve regeneration is successful, with restoration of retinotopic projections in visual brain centres and the return of functional vision within 1–2 months. By contrast, at 1 year after unilateral optic nerve crush in the ornate dragon lizard (Ctenophorus ornatus), the regenerated retinotectal projections lack topographic order, presumably explaining why the lizards are blind via the experimental eye (Beazley et al. [1997] J. Comp. Neurol. 377:105–120). To determine whether other abnormalities are associated with the inability to restore topographic projections in the lizard, we charted anatomically the time course, accuracy, and stability of optic nerve regeneration by examining visual projections with the lipophillic dye 1,1′‐dioctadecyl‐3,3,3′,3′‐tetramethylindocarbocyanine perchlorate (DiI) applied to the optic disk at intervals up to 1 year after optic nerve crush; in addition, DiI tracing of small groups of axons was used to examine the topicity of axons projecting to the tectum. Axons re‐innervated visual centres from between 1 and 2 months, a time frame comparable with that in goldfish and frog. However, the projections in lizard were found to differ from those in goldfish and frog in three major ways. First, there was considerable variability within the projection patterns both between individual lizards at any one stage and with time. Second, the projections were inaccurate. As in normal lizards, the major projection was to the contralateral optic tectum, although it lacked detectable retinotopic axon order throughout. Furthermore, misrouting occurred such that regenerating axons formed a persistent projection to the ipsilateral side of the brain that was considerably stronger and more widespread than normal. Minor visual centres also became re‐innervated but, in addition, regenerating axons formed persistent projections into the opposite optic nerve and to non‐retino‐recipient regions such as the nucleus rotundus, hypothalamus, and olfactory nerve, as well as the posterior and tectal commissures. Third, the projections appeared unstable. Projections to both tecta were strongest between 3 and 5 months, but they diminished thereafter. The results suggest that, compared with goldfish and frog, in lizards both pathway and target cues are degraded and/or cannot be read adequately; as a consequence, regenerating axons are unable to navigate exclusively to visual centres and cannot re‐form stable connections. J. Comp. Neurol. 415:188–200, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Is Television Traumatic?: Dreams, Stress, and Media Exposure in the Aftermath of September 11, 2001

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, were traumatic for people living throughout the United States. It has been suggested that people living far from the attacks experienced increased stress because of their exposure to the terrorist events via the media, particularly via television. Following a traumatic or stressful event, individuals may have dreams that reflect that experience. As part of a course on dreaming, individuals recorded their dreams both prior to and following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. On September 12, these same individuals reported their activities and media exposure the previous day. Results revealed (a) changes in dream features following the attacks and (b) a strong relation between exposure to the events on television and changes in dream features after the attacks. Because of the study's within-subjects design, the results provide evidence for a direct association between television viewing and subsequent increases in stress and trauma.
Validation of a brief screening test for depression in the elderly.

This paper describes the clinical validation of the 10-question Short Zung Interviewer-assisted Depression Rating Scale (Short Zung I.D.S.) which has been derived from the 20-question Zung Self-rating Depression Scale (Zung S.D.S) for use in the elderly. The Short Zung I.D. S. was administered to 104 elderly volunteers from the community and to 33 elderly depressed patients assessed by a psychiatrist. The mean scores (41.3 and 81.0, respectively) were significantly different (P less than 0.0001). The Short Zung I.D. S. has proved to be a useful brief screening test for depression in the elderly and should be of value in measuring changes in mood.
Intestinal protozoan infections among HIV positive persons with and without Antiretroviral Treatment (ART) in selected ART centers in Adama, Afar and Dire-Dawa, Ethiopia.

Background: In developing countries, gastroenteritis caused by intestinal parasites may be complicated and is a major cause of morbidity, in general, and kills millions of AIDS patients annually. Thus, the consequences of parasitic diseases are among the major health problems in tropical developing countries. Methods: A total of 200 HIV positive patients on and without-ART aged from 18 to 65 years, of both sexes participated in the study. Each study participant was provided with a faecal collection vial containing 10% formalin for microscopic examination of ova, larvae, and cysts. For detection of Cryptosporidium spp, lsospora belli and Cyclospora spp, the modified Zeihl-Neelsen staining method was used. Results: Most (60%) of the study participants were on antiretroviral therapy (ART). Out of those, only two (1.5%) were diagnosed with an opportunistic parasite, and 96 (48%) of the non-ART study participants were infected with at least one other intestinal parasite species. The prevalence was 16% for Giardia lamblia, 13% for Entamoeba histolytica/ E. dispar, 8% for Cryptosporidium spp, 5% for Isospora belli, 1.5% for Blastocystis hominis, 2.5% for Ascaris lumbricoides and 2% for Hymnolepis nana. Diarrhoea was significantly associated with cryptosporidiosis, giardiasis, and isosporiasis. Significant association was observed between lower CD4+ T cell count (<200 cells/μL) and the prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp, Isospora belli, and Blastocystis hominis. The three parasites were significantly prevalent in HIV sero-positive patients not on -ART. Conclusion: The finding showed that patients under ART had lower prevalence of diarrheogenic protozoan parasites suggesting that ART through improvement of the immune status of patients may have contributed to controlling parasites in HIV/AIDS patients.
Localization and Coexistence of Calcium‐Binding Proteins and Neuropeptides in the Vagal Ganglia of the Goat

This study was performed to investigate the neurochemical characteristics of the vagal ganglia of the goat by immunohistochemical methods using calbindin D‐28k (CB), calretinin (CR), parvalbumin (PA), substance P (SP), calcitonin gene‐related peptide (CGRP) and galanin (GAL) antibodies. In the proximal vagal ganglia (jugular ganglia), CGRP‐ (57.1%), SP‐ (48.2%), GAL‐ (8.6%), PA‐ (8.7%), CB‐ (8.5%) and CR‐like (5.3%) immunoreactive cells were observed. In the distal vagal ganglia (nodose ganglia), CGRP‐ (40.5%), SP‐ (30.2%), CB‐ (22.0%) and CR‐like (18.1%) immunoreactive cells were present. The double immunohistochemical study showed, that in the proximal vagal ganglia, CGRP immunoreactivity was co‐localized in SP‐ (84.8%), GAL‐ (100%), CB‐ (5.6%) and CR‐ (5.7%) immunoreactive cells; SP immunoreactivity was co‐localized in the CGRP‐ (80.0%), GAL‐ (100%), CB‐ (5.3%) and CR‐ (5.6%) immunoreactive cells; GAL immunoreactivity coexisted in the CGRP‐ (4.4%) and SP‐ (19.8%) immunoreactive cells, but not in calcium‐binding proteins (CBP)‐immunoreactive cells; PA immunoreactivity was absent in the CGRP‐ and SP‐immunoreactive cells; CB and CR immunoreactivities were seen in the CGRP‐ (0.8%) and SP‐immunoreactive (0.9%) cells. On the other hand, in the distal vagal ganglia, CGRP immunoreactivity appeared in SP‐ (66.6%), CB‐ (1.0%) and CR‐ (1.2%) immunoreactive cells; SP immunoreactivities were observed in the CGRP‐ (44.1%), CB‐ (1.0%) and CR‐ (1.2%) immunoreactive cells; CB immunoreactivities were present in the CGRP‐ (0.5%) and SP‐ (0.8%) immunoreactive cells; CR immunoreactivities were contained in the CGRP‐ (0.5%) and SP‐ (0.8%) immunoreactive cells. These findings indicate that the goat is distinct from other mammalian species in the distribution and localization of neurochemical substances in the vagal ganglia, and suggest that these differences may be related to physiological characteristics, particular those of the ruminant digestive system.
Persistent Cryptosporidium infection in congenitally athymic (nude) mice

Nude (nu/nu) BALB/c mice and their white (nu/+) littermates were experimentally infected with Cryptosporidium sp. at 6 days of age. In white mice, the infection was transient, but in nude mice a persistent infection developed that was characterized by diarrhea and, occasionally, death. There were villus atrophy and crypt hyperplasia in the small intestine of infected nude and white mice necropsied at 11 days of age. Persistently infected nude mice had, in addition to the above small intestinal lesions, diffuse cystic mucosal hyperplasia and crypt abscesses in the large intestine at 56 days of age. These results suggest that T cells are required for recovery from the Cryptosporidium infection but are not required for epithelial cell loss in cryptosporidiosis. Both nude and white mice appeared to be relatively more resistant to Cryptosporidium infection at 42 days of age than at 6 days of age.
Status-Aspirational Pricing

This paper examines the effect of status loss on organizations’ price-setting behavior. We predict, counter to current status theory and aligned with performance feedback theory, that a status decline prompts certain organizations to charge higher prices and that there are two kinds of organizations most prone to make such price increases: those with broad appeal across disconnected types of customers and those whose most strategically similar rivals have charged high prices previously. Using panel data from U.S. News & World Report’s annual rankings of private colleges and universities from 2005 to 2012, we model the effect of drops in rank that take a school below an aspiration level. We find that schools set tuition higher after a sharp decline in rank, particularly those that appeal widely to college applicants and whose rivals are relatively more expensive. This study presents a dynamic conception of status that differs from the prevailing view of status as a stable asset that yields concrete benefits. In contrast to past work that has assumed that organizations passively experience negative effects when their status falls, our results show that organizations actively respond to status loss. Status is a performance-related goal for such producers, who may increase prices as they work to recover lost ground after a status decline.
Psychological Functioning, Post-Traumatic Growth, and Coping in Parents and Siblings of Adolescent Cancer Survivors.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To examine psychological functioning, post-traumatic growth (PTG), coping, and cancer-related characteristics of adolescent cancer survivors' parents and siblings. DESIGN Descriptive, correlational. SETTING Children's Hospital of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada. SAMPLE Adolescents who finished cancer treatment 2-10 years prior (n = 31), as well as their parents (n = 30) and siblings (n = 18). METHODS Participants completed self-report measures of psychological distress, PTG, life satisfaction, coping, and cancer-related characteristics. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES Psychological functioning, PTG, and coping. FINDINGS Parents' and siblings' PTG levels were similar to survivors' PTG levels; however, parents reported higher PTG than siblings. Parents who used less avoidant coping, were younger, and had higher life satisfaction experienced less psychological distress. Parents whose survivor children used more active coping reported less psychological distress. Siblings who were older used more active coping, and the longer it had been since their brother or sister was diagnosed, the less avoidant coping they used. CONCLUSIONS Childhood and adolescent cancer affects survivors' siblings and parents in unique ways. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING Relationship to the survivor, use of coping strategies, life satisfaction, and time since diagnosis affect family members' postcancer experiences.
Like mother, like offspring: maternal and offspring wound healing correlate in snakes

SUMMARY Immune function early in life can be influenced by parental effects and the environment, but it remains unclear how these two factors may interact to influence immunocompetence. We evaluated maternal and environmental contributions to offspring healing ability in a viviparous reptile, the northern watersnake (Nerodia sipedon). We measured wound healing rates, a highly integrative and biologically relevant measure of innate immunity, of females and their offspring collected from sites contaminated with a toxic heavy metal and compared them with those of individuals from reference sites. We found that female watersnakes that healed the fastest produced offspring that also exhibited faster healing rates. However, we detected no influence of environmental pollution on maternal or offspring healing rates. To our knowledge, our study is the first to correlate maternal and offspring wound healing ability in a wild vertebrate.
Variations in Incidence of Necrotizing Enterocolitis in Canadian Neonatal Intensive Care Units

Objectives: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is the most common acquired intestinal disease of neonates. Previous reports on incidence have generally examined small cohorts of extremely low–birth-weight infants and have not examined risk-adjusted variations among neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). The authors examined risk-adjusted variations in the incidence of NEC in a large group of Canadian NICUs and explored possible therapy-related risks. Methods: The authors obtained data on 18,234 infants admitted to 17 tertiary level Canadian NICUs from January 1996 to October 1997. They used multivariate logistic regression analysis to examine the inter-NICU variation in incidence of NEC, with adjustment for population risk factors and admission illness severity, and explored therapy-related variables. Results: The incidence of NEC was 6.6% (n = 238) among 3,628 infants with birth weight ≤1,500 g (VLBW), and 0.7% (n = 98) among 14,606 infants with birth weight >1,500 g (HBW). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that for VLBW infants, NEC was associated with lower gestational age and treatment for hypotension and patent ductus arteriosus. Among HBW infants, NEC was associated with lower gestational age, presence of congenital anomalies (cardiovascular, digestive, musculoskeletal, multiple systems) and need for assisted ventilation. There was no significant variation in the risk-adjusted incidence of NEC among NICUs, with the exception of one NICU reporting no cases of NEC. Conclusions: Risk factors for NEC were different in VLBW and HBW infants. There was no significant variation in the risk-adjusted incidence of NEC among Canadian NICUs, with one possible exception.
Halogen-Substitution Effect on the Optical Absorption Bands of Uracil*

Abstract The ultraviolet absorption spectra of uracil and its 5-halogenated derivatives have been in vestigated in regard to the electron attracting properties of the substituents. It could be shown that the position of the two absorption bands is proportional to the inverse of the electronegativity; the extinction coefficients are a linear function of the electron affinities. In this way, the red shift obtained upon substitution with halogens can be explained. Also, the decrease in absorbance of the absorption bands at λ > 250 nm, occuring concomitant ly, is understandable. The increase in absorbance with increasing electron affinity, as observed in the case of the absorption bands at λ < 250 nm, might question the assumption that this band is due to a higher pi -pi* excitation
Meditation reduces sympathetic activation and improves the quality of life in elderly patients with optimally treated heart failure: a prospective randomized study.

OBJECTIVE We tested whether meditation can reduce sympathetic activation, evaluated by norepinephrine blood levels (NE), and improve quality of life in elderly persons with congestive heart failure (CHF). DESIGN AND SETTING This was a prospective, randomized study conducted from April 2000 to October 2001 in an ambulatory care teaching hospital in São Paulo, Brazil. SUBJECTS We studied 19 patients with CHF, 74.8 +/- 6.7 years old, receiving diuretics, optimal doses of an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin II inhibitor, maximum tolerated carvedilol dose (23.1 +/- 13.6 mg) and spironolactone 25 mg (10 patients). INTERVENTIONS After 2 months of optimal treatment with carvedilol, patients were randomized into two groups. The meditation group (M) was provided an audiotape, 30 minutes long, to listen to at home, twice a day, for 12 weeks, plus a weekly meeting. The control group (C) just had weekly meetings. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES We determined before and after 14 +/- k1 weeks, NE (in pg/mL); quality of life with the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLWHFQ); VO2 and VE/VCO2 slope by cardiopulmonary exercise testing; left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), and left ventricular end-diastolic volume index (LVDDi) measured by echocardiography. RESULTS Meditation reduced NE (mean +/- SEM) from 677.7 +/- 96.6 to 387.1 +/- 39.1 pg/mL (p = 0.008) in M versus 491.4 +/- 35.9 to 470.6 +/- 31.2 (p = 0.34) in C; improved MLWHFQ total score (mean +/- SEM) from 33.2 +/- 6.6 to 21.6 +/- 6.8 points (p = 0.02) in M versus 18.4 +/- 8.0 to 25.1 +/- 8.9 (p = 0.41) in C; and reduced the VE/VCO2 slope (mean +/- SEM) from 31.2 +/- 3.0 to 28.2 +/- 2.6 (p = 0.04) in M versus 28.4 +/- 2.7 to 28.8 +/- 2.6 (p = 0.24) in C. No changes occurred in LVEF, LVDDi, and VO(2). CONCLUSIONS In elderly patients with optimally treated CHF, meditation reduced NE, improved quality of life, and reduced the VE/VCO(2) slope. Our results support the possible role of meditation as a new hope in the treatment of CHF.