Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Experience Analysis of a Practice-Based, Online Pedometer Program

Approximately one-fourth of chronic disease mortality (e.g., diabetes and heart disease) is linked to a sedentary lifestyle.1 In 2000, it was estimated that physical inactivity cost the United States $76.6 billion in medical expenses alone.2 In contrast, a physically active lifestyle is associated with multiple health benefits, including improvements in obesity, coronary artery disease, hypertension, and all-cause mortality.3–6 Regular physical activity may be especially important for individuals at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes; a 2000 calorie/week increase in energy expenditure is associated with a 24% reduction in the risk of developing the disease.7 Despite the clear benefits of an active lifestyle, > 60% of U.S. adults do not get enough physical activity, and at least 25% are completely inactive during their leisure time.8 Technological advancements and changes in the work environment during the past several decades have contributed to a gradual decline in the need for daily physical activity.9,10 Because of this, many practitioners now recommend a lifestyle approach to physical activity, through which sedentary individuals are encouraged to build more physical activity into their daily routine and leisure time.8,11 An increasingly popular tool that can support lifestyle physical activities is the pedometer. Pedometer-based interventions have produced significant improvements in physical activity, weight management, blood pressure, and lipid profiles.11–14 They have also been effective for increasing walking and improving glucose tolerance or insulin sensitivity among participants with type 2 diabetes.15–19 To date, however, most pedometer studies have had limited external validity because of small or narrowly defined at-risk samples. It is unclear how well a large-scale, commercially available pedometer-based walking program performs in the real world. The purpose of this evaluation was to examine whether an online program titled …
Detection of MERS Circulation in Kuwait

In June 2012, a previously unknown human coronavirus was isolated from a 60 year-old Saudi-Arabian patient who died from acute respiratory distress syndrome and multiple organ failure [1]. Subsequently, the novel virus was detected from several additional residents and visitors of the Arabian Peninsula countries including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This virus is currently called Middle East Respiratory Syndrome virus (MERS-CoV). It is the first virus belonging to betacoronavirus lineage C that has been associated with human disease. Globally, from September 2012 to date, WHO has been informed of a total of 157 laboratoryconfirmed cases of infection with MERS-CoV, including 66 deaths [2]. It is recommended for physicians to be vigilant toward testing for MERS-CoV. Other potential causes of respiratory infections should be ruled out using routinely available laboratory tests. Lower respiratory tract samples such as bronchoalveolar lavage are recommended better than upper respiratory tract samples to test for MERS-CoV. A number of RT-PCR assays that are specific for the novel coronavirus have been developed. These include an assay targeting upstream the E protein gene (upE), an assay targeting the open reading frame 1b (ORF 1b) gene and an assay targeting the open reading frame 1a (ORF 1a) gene [3]. The assay for the upE target is considered highly sensitive, with the ORF 1a assay believed to be of equal sensitivity. The ORF 1b assay is considered less sensitive than the ORF 1a assay but may be more specific [3]. By November of 2012, the virus had already been discovered in multiple countries in the Arabian peninsula including Qatar, Jordan and Saudia Arabia . In that time it was also feared that the virus also circulated in Kuwait. The situation was made worse by the arrival of the Hajj season when several thousands of KUWAITI people traveled to Saudi Arabia in the presence of the virus which behavior was unknown. Therefore, MERS-CoV PCR was established targeting ORF-1b in the virology unit in Mubarak Alkabeer Hospital Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait in December of 2012 to screen for the presence of the virus in the country as a cause of severe respiratory tract infection and to detect any imported cases. On November, 2013 another method was replaced to test for MERS-CoV after screening with upE is ModularDx Kit corona Orf1a by TIB and the previous method is now used as secondary test. Almost one year after the identification of the new virus we would like to report our experience.
Recent Cancer Trends in the United States

BACKGROUND: Cancer incidence rates have been reported to be increasing in the United States, although trends vary according to form of cancer. PURPOSE: We identify the cancers accounting for the rising incidence, quantify the changes that have occurred from the mid-1970s to the early 1990s, and contrast incidence and mortality trends to provide clues to the determinants of the temporal patterns. METHODS: Sex-, race-, and age-specific and age-adjusted incidence rates for the 5-year periods 1987-1991 versus 1975-1979 were calculated for 28 cancers among men and 30 cancers among women using data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program of cancer registration covering about 10% of the U.S. population. Similar rates were computed using national mortality data. Cancers were ranked according to the change in incidence rates over the two periods. RESULTS: Age-adjusted incidence rates for all cancers combined increased by 18.6% among males and 12.4% among females from 1975-1979 to 1987-1991, due largely to rising rates for prostate cancer among men and for breast and lung cancers among women. National mortality rates for all cancers combined rose less steeply, 3% and 6% among men and women, respectively, driven mostly by continuing increases in lung cancer mortality, while death rates for the majority of the cancers were steady or declining. Total cancer incidence rose at all ages, but with different tumors responsible for the increases at different ages: leukemia and brain/nervous system cancer among children; testicular cancer, nonmelanoma skin cancer (largely Kaposi's sarcoma), non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and melanoma among young and middle-aged adults; and prostate, breast, and lung cancers among older individuals. In contrast, mortality rates for all cancers combined declined among both males and females under age 55 years, increasing only among older persons. CONCLUSIONS: Trends in cancer incidence and mortality differ. For most cancers, incidence rates are rising, while mortality rates are generally stable or declining. IMPLICATIONS: Much of the recent increase in cancer incidence can be explained by known factors. Improved detection appears to account for most of the increases in breast cancer among women and prostate cancer among men. On the other hand, cigarette smoking is the major determinant of the rise in lung cancer among women, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome has led to increases in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and Kaposi's sarcoma among young and middle-aged men, and sunlight exposure patterns have affected the trends in melanoma. Some trends remain unexplained, however, and may reflect changing exposures to carcinogens yet to be identified and clarified.
The late and dual origin of cerebrospinal fluid-contacting neurons in the mouse spinal cord

Considerable progress has been made in understanding the mechanisms that control the production of specialized neuronal types. However, how the timing of differentiation contributes to neuronal diversity in the developing spinal cord is still a pending question. In this study, we show that cerebrospinal fluid-contacting neurons (CSF-cNs), an anatomically discrete cell type of the ependymal area, originate from surprisingly late neurogenic events in the ventral spinal cord. CSF-cNs are identified by the expression of the transcription factors Gata2 and Gata3, and the ionic channels Pkd2l1 and Pkd1l2. Contrasting with Gata2/3+ V2b interneurons, differentiation of CSF-cNs is independent of Foxn4 and takes place during advanced developmental stages previously assumed to be exclusively gliogenic. CSF-cNs are produced from two distinct dorsoventral regions of the mouse spinal cord. Most CSF-cNs derive from progenitors circumscribed to the late-p2 and the oligodendrogenic (pOL) domains, whereas a second subset of CSF-cNs arises from cells bordering the floor plate. The development of these two subgroups of CSF-cNs is differentially controlled by Pax6, they adopt separate locations around the postnatal central canal and they display electrophysiological differences. Our results highlight that spatiotemporal mechanisms are instrumental in creating neural cell diversity in the ventral spinal cord to produce distinct classes of interneurons, motoneurons, CSF-cNs, glial cells and ependymal cells. Summary: Neurogenesis at advanced embryonic stages, during the gliogenic phase of spinal cord development, generates neurons of the central canal.
The Use of a Specialized Nutritional Supplement for Diabetic Foot Ulcers Reduces the Use of Antibiotics

Background: Diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) are among the most invalidating and costly complications of diabetes. We evaluated the effect of a blend of arginine, glutamine and Beta -hydroxy- Beta -methyl-butyrate on the healing of these lesions in a group of 22 diabetic subjects who served as their own control. A nutritional supplement containing arginine, glutamine and beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (Ar-Gl-HMB) dramatically improved the healing of diabetic foot ulcers in two studies. Glutamine and Arginine have an antibacterial and immunopotentiating action and should reduce the use of antibiotics. We evaluated the use and the cost of antibiotics using the data from two case controlled studies of diabetic subjects with recurrent neuropathic diabetic foot ulcers. Methods: We identified 22 subjects with type-2 diabetes who had been treated in the past for neuropathic ulcers of the foot (Event 1, E1), and who subsequently suffered recurrent ulcers with similar characteristics (E2). In E2 the treatment was the same but the subjects received a supplementation of Ar-Gl-HMB, and experienced 50% reduction of time to healing. Results: During E1 we used 83 courses of antibiotics, versus 36 during E2 (Wilcoxon SR test = 0.002). The cost for treatment E1 was 17123.77 € , versus 8537.8 € in E2. The difference persists also adding the cost of the supplement of 2586 € (8537.8 + 171223.77 = 1123.8 € ). Conclusions: The cost of the antibiotic treatment was reduced by 50% with the use of the formula. Because the time to healing was shortened, both the direct costs (medication, surgery, nursing time, etc) and the indirect costs (hospitalization, days of work lost) were decreased . The use of a highly specialized nutrition reduces the cost of the antibiotic treatment by about 50% and the auxiliary economic and social burden of disease. doi:10.4021/jem64w
Comparing Novel Positron Emission Tomography Myocardial Perfusion Imaging with Conventional Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography

For myocardial blood flow imaging, single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) technology is widely accepted by the cardiological community. It is supported by rich literature and has acceptable diagnostic accuracy. However it does have limitations with false positive studies especially in women and obese patients and underestimates the multivessel coronary disease. Positron emission tomography (PET) technology appears to be able to improve diagnostic accuracy in detecting coronary disease. It offers qualitatively better images with shorter acquisition times and lower radiation burden on patients and personnel. It has the advantage of absolute quantification of myocardial blood flow for multivessel coronary disease diagnosis and is superior in the assessment of myocardial viability. In absolute terms it is an expensive method but avoiding the cost of additional diagnostic tests in equivocal studies makes it cost effective. Its availability is improving and it is expected to help in advancing nuclear cardiology.
Hydroxyurea for Sickle Cell Disease: A Systematic Review for Efficacy and Toxicity in Children

CONTEXT. Hydroxyurea is the only approved medication for the treatment of sickle cell disease in adults; there are no approved drugs for children. OBJECTIVE. Our goal was to synthesize the published literature on the efficacy, effectiveness, and toxicity of hydroxyurea in children with sickle cell disease. METHODS. Medline, Embase, TOXLine, and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature through June 2007 were used as data sources. We selected randomized trials, observational studies, and case reports (English language only) that evaluated the efficacy and toxicity of hydroxyurea in children with sickle cell disease. Two reviewers abstracted data sequentially on study design, patient characteristics, and outcomes and assessed study quality independently. RESULTS. We included 26 articles describing 1 randomized, controlled trial, 22 observational studies (11 with overlapping participants), and 3 case reports. Almost all study participants had sickle cell anemia. Fetal hemoglobin levels increased from 5%–10% to 15%–20% on hydroxyurea. Hemoglobin concentration increased modestly (∼1 g/L) but significantly across studies. The rate of hospitalization decreased in the single randomized, controlled trial and 5 observational studies by 56% to 87%, whereas the frequency of pain crisis decreased in 3 of 4 pediatric studies. New and recurrent neurologic events were decreased in 3 observational studies of hydroxyurea compared with historical controls. Common adverse events were reversible mild-to-moderate neutropenia, mild thrombocytopenia, severe anemia, rash or nail changes (10%), and headache (5%). Severe adverse events were rare and not clearly attributable to hydroxyurea. CONCLUSIONS. Hydroxyurea reduces hospitalization and increases total and fetal hemoglobin levels in children with severe sickle cell anemia. There was inadequate evidence to assess the efficacy of hydroxyurea in other groups. The small number of children in long-term studies limits conclusions about late toxicities.
Parenting Behavior Is Associated With the Early Neurobehavioral Development of Very Preterm Children

OBJECTIVE. There is an increasing focus on social and environmental factors that promote and support the early development of highly vulnerable children such as those born very preterm. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between parenting behavior, parent-child synchrony, and neurobehavioral development in very preterm children at 24 months of age. METHODS. Participants were 152 very preterm children (<30 weeks’ gestation or <1250 g birth weight) and their parents/guardians. At 2 years’ corrected age, parents/guardians and children completed a semistructured parent-child interaction task assessing dyad synchrony and parenting behavior (positive affect, negative affect, sensitivity, facilitation, and intrusiveness). Cognitive and motor development was assessed by using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development II, and the Infant Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment was used to assess socioemotional development (social-emotional competence and internalizing and externalizing behavior). RESULTS. After controlling for social risk, most parenting domains were associated with cognitive development, with parent-child synchrony emerging as the most predictive. Greater parent-child synchrony was also associated with greater social-emotional competence, as was parenting that was positive, warm, and sensitive. Parents who displayed higher levels of negative affect were more likely to rate their children as withdrawn, anxious, and inhibited, but, unexpectedly, higher negative affect was also associated with more optimal psychomotor development. Parenting was not associated with externalizing behaviors at this age. CONCLUSIONS. Specific parenting behaviors, particularly parent-child synchrony, were associated with neurobehavioral development. These findings have implications for the development of targeted parent-based interventions to promote positive outcomes across different developmental domains during the first 2 years of life for very preterm children.
The Central Governor Model in 2012: eight new papers deepen our understanding of the regulation of human exercise performance

Why should a journal of sports and exercise medicine include an extensive series of papers that deal exclusively with exercise physiology; indeed with a tiny subsection of that discipline? The reason is perhaps twofold. The first is that the published articles all address the novel aspects of exercise-induced fatigue and the regulation of human exercise performance. Fatigue remains a common complaint that brings patients to their primary care physicians. Surely there must be some common explanation for the types of fatigue that we feel, whether at rest or during exercise? Can the exercise sciences contribute something unique to our understanding of this important clinical phenomenon? In 1923, Nobel Laureate Archibald V Hill developed the currently popular model of exercise fatigue.1 According to his understanding, fatigue develops in the exercising skeletal muscles when the heart is no longer able to produce a cardiac output which is sufficient to cover the exercising muscles' increased demands for oxygen. This causes skeletal muscle anaerobiosis (lack of oxygen) leading to lactic acidosis. The lactic acid so produced then ‘poisons’ the muscles, impairing their function and causing all the symptoms we recognise as ‘fatigue’. The collection of articles in this issue provides several invigorating challenges to Hill's hallowed interpretation. Which brings us to the second reason why these articles are published here rather than elsewhere. For some of the articles included were reviewed unfavourably elsewhere; perhaps they were considered heretical. Clearly, some believe that ideas challenging a hallowed dogma are best left unpublished. Otherwise, we might need to update our thinking. Or worse, our teaching! The issue begins with the complementary studies of Lex Mauger et al 2 from the University of Bedfordshire and Fernando Beltrami and his associates3 from the University of Cape Town. Their studies disprove perhaps the most fundamental idea on …
A set of simple cell processes is sufficient to model spiral cleavage

During cleavage, different cellular processes cause the zygote to become partitioned into a set of cells with a specific spatial arrangement. These processes include the orientation of cell division according to: an animal-vegetal gradient; the main axis (Hertwig's rule) of the cell; and the contact areas between cells or the perpendicularity between consecutive cell divisions (Sachs' rule). Cell adhesion and cortical rotation have also been proposed to be involved in spiral cleavage. We use a computational model of cell and tissue biomechanics to account for the different existing hypotheses about how the specific spatial arrangement of cells in spiral cleavage arises during development. Cell polarization by an animal-vegetal gradient, a bias to perpendicularity between consecutive cell divisions (Sachs' rule), cortical rotation and cell adhesion, when combined, reproduce the spiral cleavage, whereas other combinations of processes cannot. Specifically, cortical rotation is necessary at the 8-cell stage to direct all micromeres in the same direction. By varying the relative strength of these processes, we reproduce the spatial arrangement of cells in the blastulae of seven different invertebrate species. Highlighted article: Computational modelling reveals that Sachs' rule, animal-vegetal polarization of cell division, cortical rotation and adhesion are the main contributing variables to spiral cleavage.
Food Security, Maternal Stressors, and Overweight Among Low-Income US Children: Results From the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999–2002)

OBJECTIVE. A high proportion of children in the United States are overweight, suffer from food insecurity, and live in households facing maternal stressors. The objective of this article was to identify the associations of food insecurity and maternal stressors with childhood overweight among low-income children. We hypothesized that maternal stressors may exacerbate the relationship between food insecurity and child obesity. METHODS. The sample included 841 children (3–17 years old) and their mothers with incomes below 200% of the poverty line from the 1999–2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Food insecurity was based on US Department of Agriculture protocol, maternal stressors were assessed from survey questions, and BMI was used to classify weight status. Probit regression models predicted the probability of a child being overweight or obese. RESULTS. In most specifications, there was no direct association between food insecurity or maternal stressors and overweight for children of any age. Among 3- to 10-year-olds, the interaction of food insecurity and maternal stressors was significantly linked to the probability of being overweight; more specifically, an increase in maternal stressors amplified a food secure child's probability of being overweight or obese. This result is robust to alternative specifications. However, these results were not found among 11- and 17-year-old youth. CONCLUSIONS. Younger children in food secure, low-income households in the United States who are experiencing higher levels of maternal stressors have a greater probability of being overweight than food insecure children. This finding was contrary to the hypothesis; 3 reasons for this are covered in the article. Those who create policies that address childhood obesity could consider the benefits to low-income children's well-being resulting from reducing their mothers' stressors. Because most children in the United States are food secure, these policies could have a profound impact on childhood overweight.