Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Relationship between glomerular dysfunction and left-ventricular mass independent of haemodynamic factors in a community sample

Aim: To evaluate whether the relationship between early glomerular dysfunction and left-ventricular mass (LVM) occurs in a community sample and whether this relationship depends on haemodynamic factors. Methods: In 621 randomly selected participants from a community sample (332 were normotensive), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), LVM and dimensions were determined using echocardiography, and aortic blood pressure (BP) assessed from applanation tonometry and SphygmoCor software. Aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) and high-quality 24-h BP values were available from 554 and 437 participants, respectively. Results: With adjustments for confounders (including clinic SBP), eGFR was associated with LVM index (LVMI) and LVM in excess of that predicted from stroke work (inappropriate LVM, LVMinappr) in all participants (LVMI: partial r = −0.18, P < 0.0001; LVMinappr: partial r = −0.17, P < 0.0001) and normotensive (LVMI: partial r = −0.23, P < 0.0001; LVMinappr: partial r = −0.22, P < 0.0001) separate from hypertensive patients. Marked differences in LVMinappr were noted in the eGFR range below 132 compared to at least 132 ml/min per 1.73 m2 (P < 0.0005). When replacing clinic BP with either aortic SBP, 24-h BP, PWV, stroke work (for LVMI), left-ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD), or circumferential wall stress in the regression models, eGFR retained strong associations with LVMI (P = 0.01 to <0.0001) and LVMinappr (P < 0.005 to <0.0001) and these effects were replicated in normotensive separate from hypertensive patients. Conclusions: Strong relationships between eGFR and LVM occur at a community level irrespective of the presence of hypertension and independent of 24-h and aortic BP, PWV, LVEDD, stroke work and wall stress. Non-haemodynamic factors explain a considerable proportion of the relationship between early glomerular dysfunction and left-ventricular hypertrophy.
Club Drug Use in Los Angeles Among Young Men Who Have Sex With Men

Little is known about young men who have sex with men's use of club drugs and the risk factors associated with such use. A structured survey was administered in 2005 to 496 young men who were 18–22 years old (40% were 18–19 years old); self-identified as with a same-sex sexuality (83%), bisexual (16%), and/or had had sex with a man (97%); Caucasian (35%), African American (24%), and Latino of Mexican descent (40%). Subjects were recruited from gay-identified venues in Los Angeles, California, using a venue-based probability sampling design. Descriptive statistics revealed a high prevalence of drug and club drug use. Regression analyses revealed risk factors associated with recent club drug use, including place of residence, religiosity, disclosure of sexuality to family, frequency of attendance at bars/clubs, and involvement in sexual exchange and street economy. Limitations and implications of this research are discussed.
Implementing Clinical Practice Guidelines in occupational therapy practice: recommendations from the research evidence.

BACKGROUND Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) are prominent tools in evidence-based practice which integrate research evidence, clinical expertise and client input to develop recommendations for specific clinical circumstance. With the push to use research evidence in health care, it is anticipated that occupational therapists will become increasingly involved in implementing CPGs in practice. The research evidence has revealed several factors that can affect guideline uptake, and a variety of strategies that can facilitate implementation. METHODS This narrative review examines the health-related literature in CPGs to answer the following questions. Based on the research evidence, (i) what are the factors that may influence guideline implementation? (ii) What implementation strategies may enhance guideline implementation? RESULTS Factors within the guideline itself (e.g. quality, complexity and clarity), within the practitioner (e.g. experience, perceptions and beliefs), the patient (e.g. expectations and preferences) and the practice context (e.g. resource availability, organisational culture and opinion leaders) can all affect implementation success. Currently, there is no conclusive evidence to support the use of one implementation strategy over another, in all situations. The choice of implementation strategy must take into account the guideline to be implemented, the practice context and the anticipated challenges to implementation. CONCLUSIONS By understanding the factors that can influence implementation and the strategies for successful implementation, occupational therapists will be better prepared to implement guidelines. Recommendations to assist with guideline uptake and implementation are provided.
The immediacy effect - then and now

The 1960s saw the birth of what is now called “scientometrics”. One of the queries that arose then related to citations of previous literature. Was recent literature cited proportionately more than older literature? Studies by Price, along with that reprinted here, seemed to indicate that the answer was “yes”. This “immediacy effect”, as it was labelled, could be measured in quantitative terms, but how to do so required some thought. For example, what was the best form of index for representing immediacy, and what errors were involved in estimating the effect? Discussions of the usage of past literature could have practical implications for libraries. One question, therefore, was what implications, if any, citation studies had for the provision of journals to library users. On the scientometrics side, there were such questions as why an immediacy effect occurred and to what extent it could be discerned in different subject areas. This article surveys attempts to examine questions like these over the period from the 1960s to the present day, updating an article published in Journal of Documentation in 1967.
Identification of Brevibacteriaceae by Multilocus Sequence Typing and Comparative Genomic Hybridization Analyses

ABSTRACT Multilocus sequence typing with nine selected genes is shown to be a promising new tool for accurate identifications of Brevibacteriaceae at the species level. A developed microarray also allows intraspecific diversity investigations of Brevibacterium aurantiacum showing that 13% to 15% of the genes of strain ATCC 9174 were absent or divergent in strain BL2 or ATCC 9175.
Prevalence of depression over a 12-month period in a nonpatient population.

A nonpatient population of air traffic controllers, all of whom remained employed during the observation period, was examined monthly for one year for level of depression using the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale. The average monthly prevalence of depression was 9.1%, with 7.0% at the symptom level, 1.9% at a level comparable to outpatients, and 0.2% with moderately severe levels. These figures were generally similar to those for other reported population groups, although exact comparisons were difficult because of the preselection for health in this population. Two patterns of depression were observed. One was characterized by an acute, episodic symptomatology returning to nonsymptomatic levels for most of the year, similar to Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC) category "episodic minor depressive disorder. " The other showed a chronic, fluctuating course with significant depressive symptomatology over half the year, similar to RDC category "chronic and intermittent minor depressive disorder. "
Green and Chamomile Teas, but not Acarbose, Attenuate Glucose and Fructose Transport via Inhibition of GLUT2 and GLUT5.

SCOPE High glycaemic sugars result in blood-glucose spikes, while large doses of post-prandial fructose inundate the liver, causing an imbalance in energy metabolism, both leading to increased risk of metabolic malfunction and type 2 diabetes. Acarbose, used for diabetes management, reduces post-prandial hyperglycaemia by delaying carbohydrate digestion. METHODS AND RESULTS Chamomile and green teas both inhibited digestive enzymes (α-amylase and maltase) related to intestinal sugar release, as already established for acarbose. However, acarbose had no effect on uptake of sugars using both differentiated human Caco-2 cell monolayers and Xenopus oocytes expressing human glucose transporter-2 (GLUT2) and GLUT5. Both teas effectively inhibited transport of fructose and glucose through GLUT2 inhibition, while chamomile tea also inhibited GLUT5. Long term incubation of Caco-2/TC7 cells with chamomile tea for 16 h or 4 days did not enhance the observed effects, indicating that inhibition is acute. Sucrase activity was directly inhibited by green tea and acarbose, but not chamomile. CONCLUSION These findings show that chamomile and green teas are potential tools to manage absorption and metabolism of sugars with efficacy against high sugar bolus stress inflicted, for example, by high fructose syrups, where the drug acarbose would be ineffective.
Learning about Online Learning Processes and Students' Motivation through Web Usage Mining

This study illustrates the potential of applying Web usage mining - the analysis of Web log files in educational research. It consists of two sub-studies and focuses on two types of analysis, both related to the whole learning process: investigating one learner's activity in order to learn about her or his learning process, and examining the activity of a large group of learners, in order to develop a log-based motivation measure. Subjects were 674 adults who used an online learning unit as part of their preparations for the Psychometric Academic Entrance Exam and whose log files were drawn. The first sub-study aimed to illustrate the knowledge about the online learner that can be extracted from log files, and this resulted in a list of computable, non computable, and higher-level learning variables. In the second sub-study, a log-based motivation measuring tool was developed on the basis of a theoretical framework, a mechanism for computing relevant learning variables, and a clustering of these variables into three groups (associated with the theoretical framework). A discussion of the results, in the context of educational Web mining, is provided.
La liaison variable dans un corpus du français méridional : Limportance relative de la fonction grammaticale

La liaison, définie comme la réalisation d’une consonne latente devant un mot commençant par une voyelle, comme la prononciation [iletale] pour il est allé, varie selon des facteurs de toutes sortes : linguistiques, diastratiques, diaphasiques, diatopiques, et diachroniques. Cette diversité de facteurs, aussi intéressante soit-elle, a engendré à son tour une multiplicité de résultats et d’interprétations de la part des linguistes (Green et Hintze 1990 :71). Cet article poursuit donc l’objectif de déterminer l’importance relative de deux facteurs linguistiques et deux facteurs diastratiques sur la liaison variable dans un corpus du français méridional et poursuit ainsi la suggestion de Booij et De Jong (1987 :1015) que les recherches futures déterminent le degré d’influence des facteurs sur la liaison variable. Comme point de départ nous proposons que ce soit la fonction grammaticale (autrement dit le lien syntaxique) des mots en liaison qui a le plus grand effet sur sa réalisation. En outre nous proposons qu’il soit plus révélateur de regrouper les liaisons variables selon la fonction grammaticale dans les analyses des autres facteurs, comme par exemple les facteurs diastratiques du sexe et de l’âge. Le fait de ne pas distinguer entre fonctions grammaticales peut être une cause des résultats divers dans les études antérieures diverses sur ce phénomène linguistique.
Omega-3 fatty acids inhibit oxidative stress in a rat model of liver regeneration

Purpose Lipid peroxidation and consequent reactive oxygen species in the setting of oxidative stress have crucial roles in liver regeneration, which may adversely affect the regeneration itself and lead to liver failure. The aim of the current study is to investigate whether omega-3 fatty acid supplementation inhibits oxidative stress in an experimental model of liver regeneration. Methods Forty rats were allocated to four groups. Rats in group A received a sham operation. Rats in group B were subjected to right portal vein ligation (RPVL) and saline infusion. Rats in groups C and D were subjected to RPVL and total parenteral nutrition (TPN) with an all-in-one admixture containing a soybean oil based lipid emulsion. Rats in group D were additionally supplemented with omega-3 fatty acid infusion. Oxidative stresses in the blood and liver were measured by glutathione, superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, malondialdehyde, and nitric oxide. Results Omega-3 supplementation to the TPN solution significantly corrected alterations in the blood and tissue concentrations of oxidants and anti-oxidants during regeneration (P < 0.05). Conclusion Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation to the TPN solution revealed promising results in removal of oxidative stress that emerges during liver regeneration.
Quasi-Lumped Element Bridged-T Absorptive Bandstop Filter

In this letter, we present a new absorptive bandstop filter topology that is capable of operating in the microwave regime (C-Band) and is capable of creating large attenuation using resonators which are comprised of printed circuit elements and surface mount elements. This particular topology allows for a high level of miniaturization when compared to transmission line realizations. Simulated and measured results are presented and show good correlation. We demonstrate a prototype absorptive bandstop filter that operates within the C-band, achieves > 50 dB of rejection, and has a total size of 7 mm × 8.2 mm.
Motion of Electrons and Holes in Perturbed Periodic Fields

A new method of developing an "effective-mass" equation for electrons moving in a perturbed periodic structure is discussed. This method is particularly adapted to such problems as arise in connection with impurity states and cyclotron resonance in semiconductors such as Si and Ge. The resulting theory generalizes the usual effective-mass treatment to the case where a band minimum is not at the center of the Brillouin zone, and also to the case where the band is degenerate. The latter is particularly striking, the usual Wannier equation being replaced by a set of coupled differential equations.
Heterologous rRNA gene expression: internal fragmentation of Sciara coprophila 28S rRNA within microinjected Xenopus laevis oocytes

Species‐specific pre‐rRNA processing variations may result in fragmented 18S, 5.8S and 28S rRNAs. Some insect 5.8S and 28S rRNAs are further cleaved, creating within a ‘hidden break’ or ‘gap’. We investigated the specificity of the processing mechanism by microinjecting Sciara coprophila (fungus fly) rDNA into Xenopus laevis oocytes to examine insect rRNA maturation within a cell where endogenous rRNAs are not cleaved at homologous sites. Results confirm insect rDNA transcription and pre‐28S rRNA fragmentation, demonstrating that fly‐specific processing machinery is not required. Instead, oocytes may provide required accessory factors, suggesting that the insect gap processing mechanism is served by an evolutionarily conserved apparatus. Alternatively, these results may suggest that processing in some lineages is an autocatalytic property of the rRNA.
Spinocerebellar ataxia type 8 in Scotland: frequency, neurological, neuropsychological and neuropsychiatric findings

Objectives – The objectives of this study were to: (i) establish whether the spinocerebellar ataxia type 8 (SCA 8) expansion is associated with ataxia in Scotland; (ii) test the hypothesis that SCA 8 is associated with neuropsychological impairment; and (iii) review neuroradiological findings in SCA 8.
Effect of surfactants on cellulose hydrolysis

The effect of surfactants on the heterogeneous enzymatic hydrolysis of Sigmacell 100 cellulose and of steam‐exploded wood was studied. Certain biosurfactants (sophorolipid, rhamnolipid, bacitracin) and Tween 80 increased the rate of hydrolysis of Sigmacell 100, as measured by the amount of reducing sugar produced, by as much as seven times. The hydrolysis of steam‐exploded wood was increased by 67% in the presence of sophorolipid. At the same time, sophorolipid was found to decrease the amount of enzyme adsorbed onto the cellulose at equilibrium. Sophorolipid had the greatest effect on cellulose hydrolysis when it was present from the beginning of the experiment and when the enzyme/cellulose ratio was low. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Tuscan consensus on the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of moderate-to-severe psoriasis.

BACKGROUND Psoriasis is traditionally defined as an inflammatory chronic-relapsing disease of the skin. As widely demonstrated, this disease is also associated with multiple comorbidities: arthropathy, inflammatory bowel disease, metabolic, cardiovascular, ocular and psychological disorders. The disease also has a significant impact on patients' quality of life, whose work ability decreases considerably with clear consequences for the social costs. Therefore, if we consider that in Tuscany, more than 100,000 people out of 3,672,202 suffer from psoriasis, it is of paramount importance focusing the attention on a rational model of clinical and therapeutic management of the disease. All the leading experts in Tuscany have come together with the aim of defining unanimously accepted regional guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment, follow-up and management of psoriasis, and of providing practical guidance/protocol on diagnosis, treatment, follow-up and management of special cases of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. METHODS In a working group formed ad hoc, the main topics have been discussed and approved by plenary vote. RESULTS Diagnosis must include a proper general health condition overview, a careful evaluation of skin and joints, the assessment and management of other comorbidities and the definition of disease severity. With regards to the therapy the best time to start a systemic treatment, the therapeutic goal, the most appropriate drug and blood tests to be performed in case of moderate severe-psoriasis have been taken into account. During follow-up, proper monitoring of systemic therapy and its management in the long term has also been suggested. Eventually, the experts have addressed the problem of how to manage the disease in special conditions, such as during surgery, pregnancy, in children and in case of infections (HBV, HCV, HIV). CONCLUSIONS The main aim of this Consensus was to find agreement on the criteria for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of psoriasis, shared by all the Dermatologic Therapy Units of Tuscany. A need to create an easier way for the patient to access specialized dermatology outpatient services, and to reduce the waiting list and costs related to the management of psoriasis has been stressed. Most importantly, during the Consensus all of the participants agreed on the central role of the patient, and on the need of a multidisciplinary management of the disease which requires communication among specialists and regional centers in order to build on existing experience.
A study on quality parameters and shelf stability of sweetened condensed vegetable milks produced from four varieties of soybeans (Glycine max)

This study was aimed at producing sweetened condensed soymilk (SCS) from three improved soybean varieties TGx1740-2F, TGx1987-10F and TGx1987-62F which were obtained from a research institute. SCS was also produced from a local variety and used for comparison with those from improved varieties. The present study was undertaken with the view to improving utilization of the soybeans in developing countries like Nigeria. The SCS samples were canned and stored at room temperature (30 o C) for four months, during which certain quality parameters and shelf stability indicators, including proximate properties, amino acid composition and sensory quality were evaluated. The pH values of the samples, during storage period, were within 6.5 to 7.0 while crude fibre (%) varied between 1.34 and 2.14. The highest contents (%) of 2.44 (for TGx1740-2F variety) and 19.82 (for TGx1987-62F) were recorded for ash and protein respectively in the SCS. No significant difference ( P>0.05) was observed in the proximate properties during storage. Analysis of amino acid composition indicated that there was presence of essential amino acids such as leucine, isoleucine, threonine and valine at concentrations (g/16 g N) of 11.69, 10.14, 10.57 and 9.58 respectively. Result of sensory evaluation of the SCS showed that they were acceptable in the quality attributes of colour, mouth feel, flavour, taste and viscosity as mean scores of above 5.0 were recoded for each of the attributes. The SCS obtained from TGx1740-2F variety recorded the highest mean score in terms of general acceptability. It was concluded that shelf stable and good quality SCS can be produced from improved and local soybeans varieties. Production of sweetened condensed soymilk from soybeans may therefore promote utilization of the vegetable crop in Nigeria.
Quality of after-hours primary care in the Netherlands: adherence to national guidelines

Objective To assess the quality of after-hours clinical care as delivered by general practitioner (GP) cooperatives in the Netherlands. Methods A cross-sectional analysis was undertaken of patient health records of five GP cooperatives during 1 year. We used quality indicators derived from national guidelines for the appropriate prescription of pain medication and antibiotics, clinical performance in emergency cases and referral to medical specialists. Data were collected from electronic health records. Results We analysed 7660 patient contacts. Average adherence to the guidelines was 77%. The guidelines on referrals to medical specialists and prescription of pain medication had the highest adherence scores (92% and 90%, respectively). Prescribing antibiotics and treatment in emergency cases had the lowest scores (69% and 71%, respectively). Antibiotics were overprescribed in 42% of the cases and underprescribed in 21%. Conclusions In general, GPs adhered well to after-hours service national guidelines. There is room for improvement in care for people with acute illnesses and in the prescription of antibiotics.
Validity and Reliability of the Observer's: Assessment of Alertness/Sedation Scale Study with Intravenous Midazolam

The Observer's Assessment of Alertness/Sedation (OAA/S) Scale was developed to measure the level of alertness in subjects who are sedated. This scale was tested in 18 subjects in a three-period crossover study to assess its reliability and its criterion, behavioral, and construct validity. After receiving either placebo or a titrated dose of midazolam to produce light or heavy sedation, each subject was administered two sedation scales (OAA/S Scale and a Visual Analogue Scale) and two performances tests (Digit Symbol Substitution Test and Serial Sevens Subtraction). Two raters individually evaluated the subject's level of alertness on each of the two sedation scales. The results obtained on the OAA/S Scale were reliable and valid as measured by high correlations between the two raters and high correlations between the OAA/S Scale and two of the three standard tests used in this study. The OAA/S Scale was sensitive to the level of midazolam administered; all pairwise comparisons were significant (p < 0.05) for all three treatment levels at both test periods.