Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Accuracy of transcranial colour-coded sonography in the diagnosis of anterior cerebral artery vasospasm.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Transcranial colour-coded sonography (TCCS) has been proven to be a method of high performance in the diagnosis of spasm of the middle cerebral artery (MCA). Relevant data concerning the anterior cerebral artery (ACA) varies amongst studies. The aim of this study was to assess the performance of TCCS in the diagnosis of spasm affecting the ACA. MATERIAL AND METHODS Ninety-two patients (39 women and 53 men, age 51 ± 12.1 years) were examined using TCCS before cerebral angiography. Of 184 examined ACAs, only 133 arteries could be visualized due to insufficiency of the temporal acoustic window. Therefore, only 15 out of 25 arteries in which vasospasm was diagnosed with angiography (by two neuroradiologists not informed about the sonographic findings) could be included in the analysis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed for specific blood flow velocities: peak systolic (PSV), mean (M) and end-diastolic (EDV). The area under the ROC curve was used to measure the overall diagnostic performance of TCCS. RESULTS The area under the ROC curve for PSV was 0.83, which indicates good performance. The PSV threshold of 98 cm/s corresponded to maximum accuracy and was associated with 71% sensitivity vs. 88% specificity. Average systolic blood flow velocity in the vessels with vasospasm was 129 cm/s, whereas in unaffected vessels it was 76 cm/s. CONCLUSIONS The accuracy of TCCS in the diagnosis of ACA spasm is relatively high - the value of the area under the ROC amounts to 0.83. PSV performs best and the threshold of 98 cm/s is associated with an optimal trade-off between sensitivity and specificity.
Adult Intussusception Due to a Malignant Polyp: A Case Report

Intussusception is primarily a disease of childhood; only about 5 to 10 per cent of cases occur in adults. In contrast to childhood intussusception 90 per cent of adults have an associated pathologic process, usually a malignant lesion. Adult cases do not have the classical symptoms and diagnosis may be difficult. CT scan and barium studies are the most useful diagnostic methods. We report a very rare case of adult ileocecocolic intussusception caused by a pedunculated malignant polyp of the cecum and review the clinical features of intussusception.
Influence of COMT val158met and ADRA2B deletion polymorphisms on recollection and familiarity components of human emotional memory

Emotional enhancement of memory is a widely accepted phenomenon that, in addition to its adaptive role, may play a role in the evolution of psychiatric disorders. Hence a comprehensive understanding of its neurobiological basis is imperative. Whilst the pharmacological and neural mechanisms are well known, the contribution of genetic variation is not. Research suggests that two qualitatively different processes (recollection and familiarity) contribute to recognition memory. In this study, we examined the relative contribution of two common genetic polymorphisms, the deletion variant of the ADRA2B gene that codes the α2b adrenergic receptor and the val158met polymorphism of the COMT gene that codes the catechol-O-methyltransferase enzyme, to emotional enhancement of these two memory processes in 97 healthy male volunteers. There was a significant interaction between COMT genotype and emotional arousal in relation to recollection, but not familiarity, with the former being significantly elevated for emotionally arousing versus neutral pictures in carriers of the val158 allele compared with met158 carriers. There were no main effects or interactions in relation to ADRA2B genotype.
The Role of the Family in the Course and Treatment of Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is a highly recurrent and debilitating illness. Research has implicated the role of psychosocial stressors, including high expressed-emotion (EE) attitudes among family members, in the relapse–remission course of the disorder. This article explores the developmental pathways by which EE attitudes originate and predict relapses of bipolar disorder. Levels of EE are correlated with the illness attributions of caregivers and bidirectional patterns of interaction between caregivers and patients during the postepisode period. Although the primary treatments for bipolar disorder are pharmacological, adjunctive psychosocial interventions have additive effects in relapse prevention. Randomized controlled trials demonstrate that the combination of family-focused therapy (FFT) and pharmacotherapy delays relapses and reduces symptom severity among patients followed over the course of 1 to 2 years. The effectiveness of FFT in delaying recurrences among adolescents with bipolar disorder and in delaying the initial onset of the illness among at-risk children is currently being investigated.
PHLDA1 (TDAG51) is a follicular stem cell marker and differentiates between morphoeic basal cell carcinoma and desmoplastic trichoepithelioma

Background Morphoeic basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and desmoplastic trichoepithelioma can often be difficult to differentiate on routine sections and few reliable immunohistochemical markers are currently available. Recent cDNA microarray studies revealed the pleckstrin homology‐like domain, family A, member 1 protein (PHLDA1) as a highly reliable marker of the hair follicle stem cells. Given the differentiation of trichoepithelioma along the follicular lineage and the proposed role of PHLDA1 as a follicular stem cell marker, we examined the staining pattern of PHLDA1 in the desmoplastic variant of trichoepithelioma and in its differential diagnostic conundrum, morphoeic BCC.
Nourrir la planète, pour une révolution doublement verte

Huit cents millions de sous-alimentes vivent pour la plupart dans les pays en voie de developpement. D'ici 2050, la planete comptera trois milliards d'habitants de plus. Comment allons-nous nous nourrir ? Des les annees 1960, cette question s'est posee, et nous y avons repondu par la Revolution verte, fondee sur la genetique, les engrais, les pesticides, des politiques publiques vigoureuses. Cette strategie ne suffit plus. Comment aujourd'hui concilier productivite accrue, respect de l'environnement et souci de l'equite entre les hommes ? Michel Griffon brosse le tableau de la crise alimentaire mondiale qui se dessine et jette les bases de ce que devrait etre le developpement durable de l'agriculture du futur. Il plaide pour une " revolution doublement verte ".
FERMI/LARGE AREA TELESCOPE BRIGHT GAMMA-RAY SOURCE LIST

Following its launch in 2008 June, the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope (Fermi) began a sky survey in August. The Large Area Telescope (LAT) on Fermi in three months produced a deeper and better resolved map of the γ-ray sky than any previous space mission. We present here initial results for energies above 100 MeV for the 205 most significant (statistical significance greater than ∼10σ) γ-ray sources in these data. These are the best characterized and best localized point-like (i.e., spatially unresolved) γ-ray sources in the early mission data.
The Case-Control Study in Psychiatry

Case-control studies involve ‘cases' being compared to ‘controls' with respect to ‘exposures', possible aetiological (or associated) factors. Associations between a disease and an exposure can be explained by chance, reverse causality, confounding and biases or, lastly, by causality. However, confounders as well as information and selection biases can be adjusted for at the design (or analysis) stage of the study. The strength of an association can be measured by means of relative risk, calculated indirectly using the odds ratio. Well conducted control studies should produce accurate estimates of relative risks in many psychiatric investigations.
Ribotype diversity of porcine Pasteurella multocida from Australia.

OBJECTIVE To use the technique of ribotyping to investigate the genetic diversity of Australian isolates of Pasteurella multocida associated with outbreaks of clinical disease in Australian pigs. DESIGN One hundred and seven porcine P multocida isolates were analysed by ribotyping using the restriction enzymes HpaII and HindIII. The genetic population structure of the Australian porcine P multocida isolates was determined through statistical analysis of the joint ribotype patterns, and this was then compared with biochemical and epidemiological data available for the population. RESULTS A total of 25 combined ribotypes were recognised, which were grouped into five ribotype clusters. Despite the deliberate selection of diverse isolates, the study revealed only a limited degree of genetic diversity. Fourteen of the ribotypes contained multiple isolates, and 12 of these ribotypes were present on more than one farm. Three of the seven biovars analysed in the study showed very limited diversity. All fifteen biovar 2 isolates (subsp multocida) were found in a single cluster (III), while all four biovar 8 isolates, which correspond to P multocida subsp gallicida, were allocated by themselves to a single cluster (IV). All nine of the biovar 12 isolates (lactose-positive subsp multocida) were assigned to a single cluster (I), together with the single biovar 14 isolate, which was the only other lactose-positive isolate in the population (ODC-negative). CONCLUSION A limited number of ribotypes of P multocida are associated with Australian pigs. The majority of these ribotypes are widely distributed across multiple farms, and across multiple states. Individual farms can possess multiple ribotypes of P multocida. Some of the unusual biochemical variants of P multocida present in Australian pigs have a very limited genetic diversity. The nature of pig production in Australia, primarily involving continuous flow systems with few closed herds, has possibly contributed to the widespread distribution of a limited number ribotypes.
Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities Are More Pronounced in Inflammatory Breast Cancer Than Other Breast Cancers

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare yet aggressive form of breast cancer. We examined differences in patient demographics and outcomes in IBC compared to locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) and all other breast cancer patients from the Breast and Prostate Cancer Data Quality and Patterns of Care Study (POC-BP), containing information from cancer registries in seven states. Out of 7,624 cases of invasive carcinoma, IBC and LABC accounted for 2.2% (N = 170) and 4.9% (N = 375), respectively. IBC patients were more likely to have a higher number (P = 0.03) and severity (P = 0.01) of comorbidities than other breast cancer patients. Among IBC patients, a higher percentage of patients with metastatic disease versus nonmetastatic disease were black, on Medicaid, and from areas of higher poverty and more urban areas. Black and Hispanic IBC patients had worse overall and breast cancer-specific survival than white patients; moreover, IBC patients with Medicaid, patients from urban areas, and patients from areas of higher poverty and lower education had worse outcomes. These data highlight the effects of disparities in race and socioeconomic status on the incidence of IBC as well as IBC outcomes. Further work is needed to reveal the causes behind these disparities and methods to improve IBC outcomes.
[Genotyping of Toxoplasma gondii strains from immunocompromised patients].

The genotypes of Toxoplasma gondii strains isolated from HIV and non-HIV immunocompromised patients with cerebral and extracerebral toxoplasmosis were determined and compared to those of strains isolated from non-immunocompromised patients in order to identify the possible relationships between parasite genotype and morbidity of toxoplasmosis. One hundred and ten strains of T. gondii were obtained, either by cell culture (n = 73), brain biopsy (n = 17) or mouse inoculation (n = 20). Ninety strains isolated from immunocompromised patients (74 HIV+ and 16 non-HIV patients) were compared to 20 strains isolated from immunocompetent patients (17 cases of congenital toxoplasmosis, and three cases of primary acquired infection). Genotyping was performed by PCR/RFLP on locus SAG2, and T. gondii strains were classified as Type I, II or III. Ninety out of 110 strains were successfully genotyped, including 20 strains that had been maintained in mice, 69/73 strains maintained in cell cultures, but only 1/17 strains from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded brain biopsies. 76.7% of the strains in the study population were of type II, 15.6% were type I and 7.7% were type III. The distribution of strain genotypes in immunocompromised and non-immunocompromised patients was comparable: 14.1% and 21% for type I, 76.1% and 79% for type II and 9.8% and 0% for type III, respectively; no correlation could be established between genotype and clinical presentation, i.e., cerebral or extracerebral toxoplasmosis. These results suggest that the type of infecting parasitic strain does not predominantly influence the pathogenesis of toxoplasmosis in immunocompromised patients and fully supports the need for specific prophylaxis in patients infected by T. gondii, regardless of the strain genotype.
Health status of the temporarily homeless population and residents of North West Thames region.

OBJECTIVES--To survey the health status of the temporarily homeless population of North West Thames region and make comparisons with regional residents. DESIGN--Direct interview with standardised questionnaires. SETTING--Temporarily homeless people resident in hotels in the London boroughs in the North West Thames region and a random sample of regional residents. SUBJECTS--137 hotels thought to be providing accommodation to homeless people selected at random from a list of 295. 113 (82%) participated in the study, and 319 (61%) of 522 homeless people approached participated. The study was restricted to adults aged 16 and over selected at random. RESULTS--The homeless population was predominantly female (195/319; 61%), young (229 (72%) aged 16-34), and poor, 54% (172/319) receiving income support. 207 subjects (65%) had dependent children aged 16 and under. Rates of acute illness among homeless people (32 cases; 10%) were similar to those reported by regional residents. The prevalence of longstanding limiting illness (108 cases; 34%) was similar to that for regional residents, but the prevalence of mental morbidity was twice that for the region as a whole (145 cases (45%) v 1485 (18%)). Utilisation of general practitioner services, accident and emergency departments, and inpatient admission was much higher by the homeless population than by regional residents. General practitioner registration rates were above 90% for the homeless sample. CONCLUSIONS--Survey data provide empirical evidence about the nature and characteristics of the temporarily homeless population. The high service utilisation recorded may, in part, have resulted from the higher morbidity in this sample of homeless people. The concentration of homeless people into specific locations may suggest that additional funding should be provided to the district which provides care to this group. However, such funding should not necessarily be used for additional acute care but should be used to purchase appropriate services which meet the health needs of this very young, poor and vulnerable group.
Finanças comportamentais no Brasil: um estudo bibliométrico (2001-2007)

O presente estudo contribui com o mapeamento preliminar da producao brasileira em Financas Comportamentais (FC) publicada nos eventos e periodicos Sociedade Brasileira de Financas (SBFIN), Encontro da Associacao Nacional de Pos-Graduacao e Pesquisa em Administracao (ENANPAD), Revista de Administracao de Empresas (RAE), RAE eletronica, Revista de Administracao (READ) e Revista de Administracao da Universidade de Sao Paulo (RAUSP), com posicoes A e B no ranking do Qualis (de acordo com a antiga classificacao) entre 2001 e 2007. A metodologia do estudo e exploratoria, bibliografica e documental, com enfase nos fenomenos documentados sobre FC. Como fio condutor da pesquisa, foi utilizado procedimento de sintese a partir da cobertura da hipotese de mercados eficientes (HME), da teoria racional da escolha e das financas comportamentais. Apos os procedimentos da pesquisa, foi possivel identificar que a producao cientifica sobre FC esta concentrada no SBFIN e no ENANPAD, com 70% das publicacoes. Tal fato mostra que o crescimento da publicacao em eventos nao foi acompanhado pelas revistas, geralmente associadas a um maior rigor metodologico, o que sugere uma necessidade de melhoria da qualidade da publicacao na area.
Anatomical variations of the pre-transverse segment of the vertebral artery in Indian cadavers

Variations of the first segment (V1) of the vertebral artery (VA) are important to spine surgeons and radiologists. The present study was conducted to document the anatomical variations of the V1 segment and estimate side and gender differences, if any. The study was a cross-sectional analytical study performed on 33 adult cadavers (24 male and 9 female) of Indian origin. The V1 segment of 67 VA was dissected and the following parameters were noted: site of origin, level of entry into cervical spine, presence of tortuosity, length, external diameter and presence of hypoplasia. Side differences were estimated using the paired sample T test and Wilcoxon signed rank test. The independent sample T test and Chi square test were used to estimate gender differences. An unusual origin of the right VA from the thyrocervical trunk, in addition to the origin of the left VA from the arch of the aorta, was noted. Stenotic segments were observed in 4.5% of the VA. Rare levels of entry into the cervical column of the V1 segment of the VA included the foramen transversarium of C5 (4.5%) and C7 vertebra (2.5%). Nine per cent of V1 segments showed a high degree of tortuosity. The mean length and diameter of the V1 segments were 3.7±1.5 cm and 4.2±0.9 mm respectively. Hypoplasia was observed in 18% of the V1 segments. The mean length of the V1 was found to be significantly greater on the left side. Male cadavers had a significantly greater external diameter of V1. The knowledge of these variations of the V1 segment of the VA is imperative for the safe performance of anterior spine procedures.
Plasma Corticotropin and Cortisol Responses to Ovine Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone (CRH), Arginine Vasopressin (AW), CRH plus AVP, and CRH plus Metyrapone in Patients with Cushing’s Disease*

The CRH test may sometimes be useful in the differential diagnosis of Cushing’s syndrome, because most patients with pituitary ACTH- dependent Cushing’s syndrome (Gushing’s disease) respond to CRH, but those with other causes of Cushing’s syndrome usually do not. However, about 10% of Cushing’s disease patients fail to respond to CRH. We wondered if we could eliminate these false negative results either by exploiting the potential additive or synergi&ic effects of another ACTH secretapoae or bv reducing elucocorticoid inhibition -L YY of CRH’s ACTH-releasing effect. We compared the effect on plasma ACTH and cortisol in 51 patients with Gushing’s
Functional complementation of yeast cytosolic pyrophosphatase by bacterial and plant H+-translocating pyrophosphatases

Two types of proteins that hydrolyze inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi), very different in both amino acid sequence and structure, have been characterized to date: soluble and membrane-bound proton-pumping pyrophosphatases (sPPases and H+-PPases, respectively). sPPases are ubiquitous proteins that hydrolyze PPi releasing heat, whereas H+-PPases, so far unidentified in animal and fungal cells, couple the energy of PPi hydrolysis to proton movement across biological membranes. The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has two sPPases that are located in the cytosol and in the mitochondria. Previous attempts to knock out the gene coding for a cytosolic sPPase (IPP1) have been unsuccessful, thus suggesting that this protein is essential for growth. Here, we describe the generation of a conditional S. cerevisiae mutant (named YPC-1) whose functional IPP1 gene is under the control of a galactose-dependent promoter. Thus, YPC-1 cells become growth arrested in glucose but they regain the ability to grow on this carbon source when transformed with autonomous plasmids bearing diverse foreign H+-PPase genes under the control of a yeast constitutive promoter. The heterologously expressed H+-PPases are distributed among different yeast membranes, including the plasma membrane, functional complementation by these integral membrane proteins being consistently sensitive to external pH. These results demonstrate that hydrolysis of cytosolic PPi is essential for yeast growth and that this function is not substantially affected by the intrinsic characteristics of the PPase protein that accomplishes it. Moreover, this is, to our knowledge, the first direct evidence that H+-PPases can mediate net hydrolysis of PPi in vivo. YPC-1 mutant strain constitutes a convenient expression system to perform studies aimed at the elucidation of the structure–function relationships of this type of proton pumps.
The clinical utility of the MMPI-2 in diagnosing unipolar depression among male alcoholics.

The correspondence between Scale 2 elevations on the MMPI-2 and SCID-diagnosed unipolar depression (major depression and dysthymia) and alcohol-induced depression was evaluated among 106 consecutive male admissions to an inpatient alcohol treatment unit. Valid profiles were obtained from 87 subjects, 15% of whom were diagnosed with unipolar depression and another 4.5% with presumed alcohol-induced depression. The sensitivity of Scale 2 (the probability that a depressed subject would obtain an elevated score) ranged from . 19 to . 42. Positive predictive power (the probability that a subject who obtained an elevated score had a depressive disorder) ranged from . 23 to . 38. Neither Scale 2 alone nor Scale 2 paired in 2-point code types predicted the presence or absence of comorbid depressive disorders among male alcoholics.
The triviality of abortion in Greece.

In Greece modern contraceptive methods are used only in a very limited manner and abortion is the primary form of birth control. There are several social and psychological issues that are considered to be responsible. A 1985 study done for the Family Planning Center of Thessaloniki found that the ratio of live births is 1.3 and the ratio of abortion is 1.8/woman. 88% of women in the study had had an abortion while practicing coitus interruptus. 90% of the women never bought condoms. In a 1989 study only 6% of women had a positive attitude about condoms. Abortion is used as the primary method of birth control regardless of a woman's socioeconomic status. Further it was found that abortion did not correlate with other modern attitudes or the emancipation of women. The decision to abort was related to difficulties and constraints inherent in bring up a child. However positive attitudes toward contraception were related to educational and occupational levels. To complicate matters the information concerning contraceptives was problematic and related to the women's own lack of initiative to find out, and a lack of correct information offered from gynecologists. A 1990 study on knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices in relation to HIV infection indicated that the most favored method of contraception was condoms, but 60.8% of the men reported use versus 33.7% of the women. However these figures are not very representative because the survey was given in the context of HIV prevention and no attempt was made to distinguish between regular and irregular use patterns. Abortions is not a moral issue in Greece. It was legalized in 1986 only because it came to the attention of the government that the previous prohibition was being completely ignored. Abortion is strongly affected by social and psychological factors that are complex and result from cultural view points about fertility, maternal value, and life itself that are unique to the Greek culture.