Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Are Manual Therapies Effective in Reducing Pain From Tension-Type Headache?: A Systematic Review

ObjectivesA systematic review was performed to establish whether manual therapies have specific efficacy in reducing pain from tension-type headache (TTH). MethodsComputerized literature searches were performed in MEDLINE, EMBASE, AMED, MANTIS, CINAHL, PEDro, and Cochrane databases. Papers were included if they described clinical (open noncontrolled studies) or randomized controlled trials in which any form of manual therapy was used for TTH, and if they were published after 1994 in the English language. The methodologic quality of the trials was assessed using the PEDro scale. Levels of scientific evidence, based on the quality and the outcomes of the studies, were established for each manual therapy: strong, moderate, limited, and inconclusive evidence. ResultsOnly six studies met the inclusion criteria. These trials evaluated different manual therapy modalities: spinal manipulation (three trials), classic massage (one trial), connective tissue manipulation (two trials), soft tissue massage (one trial), Dr. Cyriax's vertebral mobilization (one trial), manual traction (one trial), and CV-4 craniosacral technique (one trial). Methodologic PEDro quality scores ranged from 2 to 8 points out of a theoretical maximum of 10 points (mean=5.8±2.1). Analysis of the quality and the outcomes of all trials did not provide rigorous evidence that manual therapies have a positive effect in reducing pain from TTH: spinal manipulative therapy showed inconclusive evidence of effectiveness (level 4), whereas soft tissue techniques showed limited evidence (level 3). ConclusionsThe authors found no rigorous evidence that manual therapies have a positive effect in the evolution of TTH. The most urgent need for further research is to establish the efficacy beyond placebo of the different manual therapies currently applied in patients with TTH.
Phonological Awareness at 5 years of age in Children who use Hearing Aids or Cochlear Implants.

Children with hearing loss typically underachieve in reading, possibly as a result of their underdeveloped phonological skills. This study addressed the questions of whether the development of phonological awareness (PA) is influenced by 1) the degree of hearing loss; and 2) whether performance of children with severe-profound hearing loss differed according to the hearing devices used. Drawing on data collected as part of the Longitudinal Outcomes of Children with Hearing Impairment (LOCHI, www. OUTCOMES nal.gov.au) study, the authors found that sound-matching scores of children with hearing loss ranging from mild to profound degrees were, on average, within the normal range. The degree of hearing loss did not have a significant impact on scores, but there was a non-significant tendency for the proportion of children who achieved zero scores to increase with increase in hearing loss. For children with severe hearing loss, there was no significant group difference in scores among children who used bilateral hearing aids, bimodal fitting (a cochlear implant and a hearing aid in contralateral ears), and bilateral cochlear implants. Although there is a need for further prospective research, professionals have an important role in targeting PA skills for rehabilitation of young children with hearing loss.
A longitudinal study of voluntary disclosure quality in the annual reports of innovative firms

Purpose - This paper aims to measure mean voluntary intellectual capital disclosure (ICD) quality score for a sample of Australian Stock Exchange-listed biotechnology firms in the 2003, 2006 and 2010 reporting periods. The aim was to use data for the same companies over the whole period to discover whether the quality of voluntary reporting practice was improving over time, measuring lagged-mean ICD quality score against possible determinants of management disclosure practice. Design/methodology/approach - Mean ICD quality score, and associated frequency data, was measured against possible determinants of managers’ disclosure practice. The dependent variable was an 18-item classification of ICD based on Sveiby’s Intangible Assets Monitor (Sveiby, Findings - Mean voluntary disclosures of internal capital and external capital lower the quality over time using paired sample Originality/value - Voluntary ICD quality and quantity are rarely measured in the same paper. The findings are unique and interesting especially for innovative Australian R&D firms when compared to recent findings for a larger sample of French companies.
Clinical Outcome of Full-endoscopic Interlaminar Discectomy for Single-level Lumbar Disc Herniation: A Minimum of 5-year Follow-up.

BACKGROUND Full-endoscopic interlaminar discectomy (FEID) is widely applied for the treatment of lumbar disc herniation (LDH) and satisfactory short-term outcomes have been achieved. However, the long-term evaluation for this technique is still lacking, especially the comparison between FEID and microendoscopic discectomy (MED). OBJECTIVE To evaluate the clinical outcome of FEID technique in comparison with MED for single-level LDH with a minimum of 5-year follow-up. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective study. SETTING Inpatient surgery center. METHODS A total of 152 patients with single-level LDH located at either L4-L5 or L5-S1 who underwent either FEID or MED from August 2008 to April 2011 at our hospital were enrolled in this study. General parameters including operative time, length of hospital stay, mean time to return to work, complications, and recurrences were recorded. Clinical outcomes were evaluated using visual analog scale (VAS) for low back and leg pain, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) for functional assessment, and modified MacNab criteria for patient satisfaction. RESULTS At the final follow-up, the VAS of leg and back pain decreased from 7.6 ± 1.6 and 3.1 ± 2.2 points preoperatively to 1.6 ± 1.2 and 1.7 ± 0.9 at the final follow-up, respectively (P < 0.05). The ODI score was 69.5% ± 10.5% preoperatively, and declined to 21.8% ± 7.0% at the final follow-up (P < 0.05). VAS, ODI, and modified MacNab criteria of the FEID group were improved compared to the control group though there were no statistically significant differences between the 2 groups. LIMITATIONS This was a retrospective study with a relatively small sample size. Additionally, this study contained only clinical outcomes, without long-term radiological outcomes. CONCLUSIONS The application of FEID achieved similar satisfactory long-term clinical outcomes for the surgical treatment of LDH as MED. However, compared with MED, FEID exhibits advantages including less operation time, shorter hospital stay, and faster postoperative recovery.Key words: Lumbar disc herniation, full-endoscopic interlaminar discectomy, microendoscopic disectomy, long-term.
Insulin‐like growth factor binding protein‐3 mediates IGF‐I action in a bovine mammary epithelial cell line independent of an IGF interaction

IGF‐I is mitogenic for the bovine mammary epithelial cell line MAC‐T. In addition, IGF‐I specifically upregulates IGFBP‐3 synthesis in these cells. To investigate this effect on cell growth and IGF‐I responsiveness, cell lines were developed that constitutively express IGFBP‐3. MAC‐T cells transfected with IGFBP‐3 (+BP3) or vector alone (Mock) grew similarly over 7 days in 10 or 1% fetal calf serum. Basal DNA synthesis was lower (70%) in +BP3 cells compared to Mock cells. However, DNA synthesis was increased by IGF‐I (1–50 ng/ml) relative to untreated controls to a greater extent in +BP3 cells compared to Mock cells. IGF‐I (20 ng/ml) increased DNA synthesis 11‐ and threefold in +BP3 and Mock cells, respectively. Additionally, +BP3 cells were more sensitive to the lower concentrations of IGF‐I (1–5 ng/ml). In contrast, preincubation of Mock cells with exogenous IGFBP‐3 did not enhance responsiveness or sensitivity to IGF‐I. Basal DNA synthesis was unaffected by either an IGF neutralizing antibody or exogenous IGFBP3, indicating the differences observed between +BP3 and Mock cells were not attributable to sequestration of endogenous IGF‐I by IGFBP‐3. There were no differences between +BP3 and Mock cells in IGF‐I receptor number or affinity. DNA synthesis was also increased in +BP3 cells, compared to controls, in response to 5 μg/ml insulin and 2.5 ng/ml Long R3IGF‐I, indicating that the potentiated response did not require an interaction with IGFBP‐3. These results suggest that IGF‐I regulation of IGFBP‐3 represents a regulatory loop, the function of which is to increase IGF‐I bioactivity, using a mechanism that does require an IGF‐I–IGFBP‐3 interaction. J. Cell. Physiol. 183:273–283, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A Miniaturized Electromagnetic Generator With Planar Coils and Its Energy Harvest Circuit

This study presents design, analysis and experiment of a miniaturized rotary generator in size of 10 times 10 times 2 mm3 and its compact energy harvest circuit chip. The designed generator consists of patterned planar copper coils and a multipolar hard magnet ring made of NdFeB. To perform modeling, a harmonic-like magnetic field model along the circumferential path of each magnetic pole is assumed with the assistance from measured peak magnetic flux densities. This is followed by the application of Faraday's law to predict generated electromotive forces (EMFs) in terms of the relative rotational speed between the magnet ring and coils. The genetic algorithm (GA) is next applied to optimize the critical dimensions of the miniaturized generator. The theoretical model of this power microgenerator is evaluated and compared with experimental results, and it is found that the analytical simulation shows a good agreement with the experimental results. The optimized generator offers 4.5 V and 7.23 mW in root mean square (rms) at 10 000 r/min. With microgenerator successfully fabricated, a novel energy harvest circuit employing Dickson charge pump is designed and fabricated via the 0.35-mum process offered by National Chip Implementation Center (CIC) of Taiwan. This charge pump circuit owns the merit of almost-zero thresholds of employed metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) transistors, enabling the conversion of low-power alternating current (ac) signals by the microgenerator to direct current (dc) ones.
Evaluation of closure versus non-closure of vaginal vault after vaginal hysterectomy

Summary This randomised prospective study in 53 women having vaginal hysterectomy for benign conditions compared a closed vault technique with an open technique. Twenty-seven had the vault closed (group A) whereas 26 patients had an open vault (group B). The primary outcomes include, vault haematoma (as detected by ultrasound on day 3) and fever. Secondary outcomes are haemorrhage, urinary tract infection, urinary retention and vault granulation tissue. The study did not show any statistical difference between either group. Prolapse of the fallopian tube was recorded in one case in the open vault group. A randomised controlled study on a larger scale is recommended.
Evidence for Sequential Action of Rab5 and Rab7 GTPases in Prevacuolar Organelle Partitioning

GTPases of the Rab5 and Rab7 families were shown to control vacuolar sorting but their specific subcellular localization is controversial in plants. Here, we show that both the canonical as well as the plant‐specific Rab5 reside at the newly discovered ‘late prevacuolar compartment’ (LPVC) while Rab7 partitions to the vacuolar membrane when expressed at low levels. Higher expression levels of wild‐type Rab5 GTPases but not Rab7 lead to dose‐dependent inhibition of biosynthetic vacuolar transport. In the case of Ara6, this included aberrant co‐localization with markers for earlier post‐Golgi compartments including the trans‐Golgi network. However, nucleotide‐free mutants of all three GTPases (Rha1, Ara6 and Rab7) cause stronger dose‐dependent inhibition of vacuolar sorting. In addition, nucleotide‐free Rha1 led to a later maturation defect and co‐localization of markers for the prevacuolar compartment (PVC) and the LPVC. The corresponding Rab7 mutant strongly inhibited vacuolar delivery without merging of PVC and LPVC markers. Evidence for functional differentiation of the Rab5 family members is underlined by the fact that mutant Rha1 expression can be suppressed by increasing wild‐type Rha1 levels while mutant Ara6 specifically titrates the nucleotide exchange factor Vps9. A model describing the sequential action of Rab5 and Rab7 GTPases is presented in the light of the current observations.
Neuromuscular compensation mechanisms in vocal fold paralysis and paresis

Vocal fold paresis and paralysis are common conditions. Treatment options include augmentation laryngoplasty and voice therapy. The optimal management for this condition is unclear. The objective of this study was to assess possible neuromuscular compensation mechanisms that could potentially be used in the treatment of vocal fold paresis and paralysis.
Reprogramming of carbon metabolism by the transcriptional activators AcuK and AcuM in Aspergillus nidulans

The ability of fungi to use carbon sources metabolized via the TCA cycle requires gluconeogenesis. In Aspergillus nidulans the AcuK and AcuM transcription factors regulate the expression of the gluconeogenic genes acuF, encoding phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, and acuG, encoding fructose‐1,6‐bisphosphatase. Expressed proteins containing the AcuK/AcuM N‐terminal DNA‐binding domains bind together in vitro to motifs containing repeats of CGG separated by seven bases (CCGN7CCG) and the functionality of these sequences was verified in vivo by acuF–lacZ reporter studies. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis showed inter‐dependent DNA binding of the proteins to the promoters of gluconeogenic genes in vivo independent of the carbon source. Deletion of the mdhC gene encoding a cytoplasmic/peroxisomal malate dehydrogenase showed that this activity is not essential for gluconeogenesis and indicated that induction of AcuK/AcuM regulated genes might result from malate accumulation. Deletion of the gene for the alternative oxidase did not affect growth on gluconeogenic carbon sources; however, expression was absolutely dependent on AcuK and AcuM. Orthologues of AcuK and AcuM, are present in a wide range of fungal taxa and the CCGN7CCG motif is present in the 5′ of many genes involved in gluconeogenesis indicating a fundamental role for these transcription factors in reprogramming fungal carbon metabolism.
Improvement of SVM-based voice activity detection via sparse coding

Voice activity detection (VAD) can be considered as a binary classification problem and solved using the support vector machine (SVM). This paper presents a robust approach to improve the performance of conventional SVM based VAD methods. To this end, we first generate sparse representations by using a speech dictionary learned from clean speech, and derive some kind of audio features from the sparse representations. Then, we design a SVM to detect speech region and non-speech region based on these features. Experiments show that the proposed approach for noise-robust feature extraction further improves the performance of SVM based VAD methods especially in low SNR noisy environments.
High ratio of myeloid dendritic cells to plasmacytoid dendritic cells in blood of patients with acute coronary syndrome.

BACKGROUND Dendritic cells (DCs) stimulate T-cells to participate in the inflammatory processes that promote the destruction of vulnerable plaques. The relationship between circulating levels of myeloid DCs (mDCs) and plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) was evaluated. METHODS AND RESULTS Blood samples were obtained from 39 patients with ACS, 41 patients with stable angina pectoris (SAP) and 43 controls. The proportion of mDCs tended to be lower in the ACS group than in the SAP group and controls. Interleukin-12 levels associated with mDCs were significantly higher in the ACS group than in control group. The proportion of pDCs was significantly lower in the ACS groups than in the other two groups. Interferon-alpha levels secreted by pDCs, however, were not significantly different among the 3 groups. The ratio of mDCs to pDCs >or=4 is an important value for distinguishing ACS from SAP patients and control patients through receiver operating characteristic analysis (sensitivity; 85.0%, specificity; 83.4%). CONCLUSIONS The ratio of mDCs to pDCs may be a useful marker for detecting ACS and the existence of vulnerable plaques.
Autophagy, proteases and the sense of balance

The knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying autophagy has considerably improved after the isolation and characterization of autophagy-defective mutants in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Two ubiquitin-like conjugation systems are required for yeast autophagy. One of them requires the participation of Atg8 synthesized as a precursor protein, which is cleaved after a Gly residue by a cysteine proteinase called Atg4. The new Gly-terminal residue from Atg8 is activated by Atg7 (an E1-like enzyme) then transferred to Atg3 (an E2-like enzyme) and finally conjugated with membrane-bound phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) through an amide bond. The complex Atg8–PE is also deconjugated by the protease Atg4, facilitating the release of Atg8 from membranes. This modification system, which is essential for the membrane rearrangement dynamics that accompany the initiation and execution of autophagy, is conserved in higher eukaryotes including mammals. We have previously identified and cloned the four human orthologues of the yeast proteinase Atg4, whereas parallel studies have revealed that there are at least six orthologues of yeast Atg8 in mammals (LC3A, LC3B, LC3C, GABARAP, ATG8L/GABARAPL1 and GATE-16/GABARAPL2). Thus, in mammals, the Atg4-Atg8 proteolytic system is composed of four proteinases (autophagins) that may target at least six distinct substrates, contrasting with the simplified yeast system in which one single protease cleaves a sole substrate. Currently, it is unclear why mammals have developed this array of closely related enzymes, as other essential autophagy genes such as Atg3, Atg5 or Atg7 are represented in mammalian cells by a single orthologue. It has been suggested that the multiplication of Atg4 orthologues may reflect a regulatory heterogeneity of functionally redundant proteins or, alternatively, derive from the acquisition of new functions that are not related to autophagy. Our first approach to elucidate this question was based on the generation of autophagin-3/Atg4C-deficient mice, which however presented a minor phenotype. With the generation of autophagin-1/Atg4B-deficient mice, recently reported, we have progressed in our attempt to identify the in vivo physiological and pathological roles of autophagins.
Differences in quantal amplitude reflect GluR4- subunit number at corticothalamic synapses on two populations of thalamic neurons

Low-frequency thalamocortical oscillations that underlie drowsiness and slow-wave sleep depend on rhythmic inhibition of relay cells by neurons in the reticular nucleus (RTN) under the influence of corticothalamic fibers that branch to innervate RTN neurons and relay neurons. To generate oscillations, input to RTN predictably should be stronger so disynaptic inhibition of relay cells overcomes direct corticothalamic excitation. Amplitudes of excitatory postsynaptic conductances (EPSCs) evoked in RTN neurons by minimal stimulation of corticothalamic fibers were 2.4 times larger than in relay neurons, and quantal size of RTN EPSCs was 2.6 times greater. GluR4-receptor subunits labeled at corticothalamic synapses on RTN neurons outnumbered those on relay cells by 3.7 times, providing a basis for differences in synaptic strength.
India's mandatory CSR policy: implications and implementation challenges

The increasing emphasis on social responsibility across the world is not new (Warhurst, 2005) and many countries require companies to disclose information about their environmental, social and employee-related impact, as well as their diversity policy (The Hauser Institute, 2015). India took CSR to the next level by mandating it for all companies through the recently introduced Section 135 in the Companies Act (2013). The provisions of the section require companies to establish a CSR committee consisting of three members of the Board of Directors to develop a CSR policy and review the CSR activities and prepare periodic reports. The above mentioned CSR infrastructure therefore necessitates significant capacity building within companies. With respect to implementation, companies may channel their resources through qualified nongovernmental organisations (NGOs). Consequently NGOs will also require significant capacity building. In this paper we identify the implications of the new guidelines that are worthy of consideration; these implications are for companies that meet the criteria to and therefore must comply with the provisions contained in Section 135, the organisations (including NGOs) that will implement the activities and other general implications. Furthermore the paper suggests mechanisms by which several of these challenges can be met and managed.
The Medial Stitch in Transosseous-Equivalent Rotator Cuff Repair

Background: Despite advances in surgical technique, rotator cuff repair retears continue to occur at rates of 10%, 22%, and 57% for small, medium, and large tears, respectively. A common mode of failure in transosseous-equivalent rotator cuff repairs is tissue pullout of the medial mattress stitch. While the medial mattress stitch has been studied extensively, no studies have evaluated a vertical mattress pattern placed near the musculotendinous junction in comparison with a horizontal mattress pattern. Hypothesis: Vertical mattress stitches will have higher load to failure and lower gapping compared with horizontal mattress stitches in a transosseous-equivalent rotator cuff repair. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Double-row transosseous-equivalent rotator cuff repairs were performed in 9 pairs of human male cadaveric shoulders (mean age ± SD, 58 ± 10 years). One shoulder in each pair received a medial-row suture pattern using a vertical mattress stitch, and the contralateral shoulder received a horizontal mattress. Specimens were mounted in a materials testing machine and tested in uniaxial tensile deformation for cyclic loading (500 cycles at 1 Hz to 1.0 MPa of effective stress), followed by failure testing carried out at a rate of 1 mm/s. Construct gapping and applied loads were monitored continuously throughout the testing. Results: Vertical mattress sutures were placed in 5 right and 4 left shoulders. Peak cyclic gapping did not differ between vertical (mean ± SD, 2.8 ± 1.1 mm) and horizontal mattress specimens (3.0 ± 1.2 mm) (P = .684). Vertical mattress sutures failed at higher loads compared with horizontal mattress sutures (568.9 ± 140.3 vs 451.1 ± 174.3 N; P = .025); however, there was no significant difference in failure displacement (8.0 ± 1.6 vs 6.0 ± 2.1 mm; P = .092). Failure stiffness did not differ between the suture patterns (P = .204). Conclusion: In transosseous-equivalent rotator cuff repairs near the musculotendinous junction, a vertical mattress suture used as the medial stitch has a higher load to failure but no difference in gapping compared with a horizontal mattress pattern. Clinical Relevance: A vertical mattress suture may offer enhanced strength of repair for transosseous-equivalent repairs.