Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessment of women with urinary incontinence

This survey is a gynecologic contribution to the knowledge and recommendations for assessment of female urinary incontinence (UI) and lower urinary tract problems. The survey is based on work by a study group, appointed by the Danish Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology. A reference program (1) for assessment of urinary incontinence is desirable. Since the examination program varies (2), various health professions take care of female incontinence, and the economic resources, spent on incontinence, are unknown, the conditions for a regular reference program, including economic aspects, are not accessible in Denmark at the present time. In Sweden, the estimated expenditure on incontinence was 2% of the total health budget in 1990 (3). The prevalence of UI in Scandinavia varies from 5–43% (4, 5), and increases with age (6). The variation in prevalence is attributed to variation in study methods, populations and definitions of incontinence. Two Danish studies used a modified International Continence Society’s (ICS) definition of UI (7): urinary leakage, that is a social or hygienic problem. The prevalence was 22% among 515 45-year old women in an interview study (8), and 14% among more than 3000 30-59-year old women in a questionnaire study (9). Only a few of these women had attended the health system because of their incontinence.
Effects of a multicomponent wellness intervention on dyslipidemia among overweight adolescents

Abstract Behavioral changes are the first line of treatment for dyslipidemia in adolescents, but outcome data on the effectiveness of this approach are inconsistent. This study aims to assess the effect of a 13-week multicomponent wellness intervention program, which included weekly nutrition classes and structured cardiovascular, flexibility, and strength training on dyslipidemia in nine overweight/obese [body mass index (BMI) ≥85th percentile] and nine lean (BMI <85th percentile) adolescents. Clinical measurements and lipid profile assessment were performed before and after the intervention. At the completion of the study, the overweight/obese adolescents demonstrated a 15% increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels (mean, 47±8 vs. 54±5 mg/dL), whereas there was no improvement in BMI or other measurements. The participants in the lean group showed no change in their anthropometric and serum parameters. A multicomponent wellness intervention resulted in a significant increase of cardioprotective HDL-C levels, which have been associated with coronary health in adulthood.
Intermediate filaments cytokeratin and vimentin in ovarian sex cord–stromal tumours with correlative studies in adult and fetal ovaries

The expression of the intermediate filaments cytokeratin and vimentin were studied immunohistochemically in a series of ovarian sex cord–stromal tumours (26 adult and juvenile granulosa cell tumours, 11 thecomas, six fibromas, three Sertoli‐Leydig cell tumours and 1 sex cord tumour with annular tubules). Contrary to previous reports, granulosa cell tumours expressed cytokeratins as well as vimentin. Thecomas and fibromas expressed vimentin only. In Sertoli‐Leydig cell tumours and the sex cord tumour with annular tubules, both cytokeratins and vimentin were detected. Correlative studies in adult ovaries showed that patterns of expression in non‐neoplastic granulosa, thecal and stromal cells correspond to their neoplastic counterparts. Investigation of fetal ovaries demonstrated that these patterns of intermediate filament expression exist from relatively early stages of development. Ovarian surface epithelium and rete ovarii, like granulosa cells, co‐expressed cytokeratin and vimentin. The demonstration of cytokeratins in granulosa cells and the reported presence of desmosomes and tonofilaments, suggests the epithelial nature of these cells although not clarifying their histogenesis. The presence of both these intermediate filaments in granulosa and Sertoli‐Leydig cell tumours as well as in some ovarian carcinomas which may mimic them, limits their value in differential diagnosis between these tumour groups.
Intergenerational changes in chest size and proportions in children and adolescents aged 3–18 from Kraków (Poland), within the last 70 years

The size and proportions of the human body change continuously in response to social change and economic development. As reported by papers on intergenerational changes in chest size, this part of the human body is also influenced by environmental factors. The aim of this study was to assess changes in the dimensions and proportions of the chest of children and adolescents over a span of 70 years.
A redundant loop of descending colon and right sided sigmoid colon

During routine dissection for undergraduate students in the Department of Anatomy, NRS Medical College, Kolkata, India, few rare variations in the disposition of large intestine and inferior mesenteric artery were noted in a 70-year-old male cadaver. Variations were as: The caecum and appendix were present in right lumbar region and a short ascending colon (about 10 cm in length) extended from the caecum up to the first hepatic flexure. Usual transverse colon was present with mesocolon and splenic flexure with phrenico-colic ligament. A redundant loop of descending colon crossed the great vessels of abdomen to form a second hepatic flexure. The descending and sigmoid colon were present on the right side of abdomen. Inferior mesenteric artery arose from the right side of the ventral surface of the abdominal aorta to supply the left one-third of transverse colon, splenic flexure, descending colon, sigmoid colon, etc. This was a rare case.
Adaptation of hepatic enzyme activities to methionine excess.

Summary. Two groups of adult male rats 8 weeks old were fed a 10 p. 100 protein (casein) diet with or without 2 p. 100 methionine. After 8 rats in each group were killed at 10 a.m. on experimental days 1, 2, 4, 8 and 21, we studied the profiles of plasma non-esteri-fied fatty acids (NEFA) and of the hepatic activities of pyruvate kinase (PK), phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH), malic enzyme (ME), acetyl-CoA-carboxylase (Ac.CoA carbox), alanine aminotransferase (AAT), 3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (3PGDH), serine dehydratase (Ser DH), ATP-methio-nine adenosyltransferase (MAd T), cystathionine synthase (Cysta S) and cystathionase (Cysta t). Animal food intake and body weight dropped on the first two days of methionine excess ; from day 8, they reached a new equilibrium which was much lower than that of the control animals. enzyme adaptation could result : mainly process on the first 4 days of during carboxykinase dehydrogenase and ; occurring of pyruvate kinase slightly and specifically responded to methionine excess : ATP-methionine adenosyltransferase induction was immediate and depended on the amount of methionine ingested while cystathionine synthase did not seem to be closely regulated by methionine intake and cysta- thionase was only induced after 4 days. Each induction or repression has been discussed and related to the overall metabolic effects of the methionine excess reported in our previous papers.
Survival effect of maximal cytoreductive surgery for advanced ovarian carcinoma during the platinum era: a meta-analysis.

PURPOSE To evaluate the relative effect of percent maximal cytoreductive surgery and other prognostic variables on survival among cohorts of patients with advanced-stage ovarian carcinoma treated with platinum-based chemotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS Eighty-one cohorts of patients with stage III or IV ovarian carcinoma (6,885 patients) were identified from articles in MEDLINE (1989 through 1998). Linear regression models, with weighted correlation calculations, were used to assess the effects on log median survival time of the proportion of each cohort undergoing maximal cytoreduction, dose-intensity of the platinum compound administered, proportion of patients with stage IV disease, median age, and year of publication. RESULTS There was a statistically significant positive correlation between percent maximal cytoreduction and log median survival time, and this correlation remained significant after controlling for all other variables (P <.001). Each 10% increase in maximal cytoreduction was associated with a 5.5% increase in median survival time. When actuarial survival was estimated, cohorts with < or = 25% maximal cytoreduction had a mean weighted median survival time of 22.7 months, whereas cohorts with more than 75% maximal cytoreduction had a mean weighted median survival time of 33.9 months--an increase of 50%. The relationship between platinum dose-intensity and log median survival time was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION During the platinum era, maximal cytoreduction was one of the most powerful determinants of cohort survival among patients with stage III or IV ovarian carcinoma. Consistent referral of patients with apparent advanced ovarian cancer to expert centers for primary surgery may be the best means currently available for improving overall survival.
Technology-Enhanced Learning in Blended Learning Environments: A Report on Standard Practices

This report summarizes educational adoption instances of computing and communication technologies for blended learning environments. We focus on the technologies of desktop videoconferencing and podcasting as they were adopted in the 2005-07 time period. We also expand and present major issues from a panel discussion on this topic at the 2007 Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS) held at the Keystone Resort in Colorado.
Robot motion control based on joint torque sensing

The author proposes a joint-torque feedback (JTF) control scheme with a conventional position compensator for robot motion control. The advantage of this control scheme is that real-time computation is not required for the dynamic compensation. Also, the control system is robust against unexpected external disturbances, such as the action of gravity on objects picked up and put down, and other interactions with the environment. The author discusses the modeling and analysis of the JTF control and proposes a joint-torque sensing technique using the elasticity of the harmonic drive. The JTF control system worked well and insulated the conventional PD control loop from dynamic interventions in experiments with a two-link robot arm. <<ETX>>
The effect of paracetamol on postoperative nausea and vomiting during the first 24 h after strabismus surgery: a prospective, randomised, double-blind study

Context Strabismus surgery is one of the most common ophthalmic surgical procedures in children and is associated with significant postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). Objective We evaluated the effect of intravenous paracetamol on PONV in children after strabismus surgery. Design Prospective, placebo-controlled, randomised double-blind study. Setting University hospital. Patients Ninety children, between 2 and 14 years scheduled for strabismus surgery, were recruited. Eighty-six completed the study. Interventions After induction of anaesthesia, intravenous dexamethasone 0.1 mg kg−1 was administered to all. The patients were enrolled to receive either intravenous physiological saline (group S) or paracetamol 15 mg kg−1 (group P). Main outcome measure Incidence of PONV in the first 24 h postoperatively. Results General and clinical characteristics of the children were similar in both groups. PONV during the first 24 h was significantly higher in group S in comparison with group P (group S vs. group P, 33 vs. 14.6%, respectively, P = 0.038 for nausea; 24.4 vs. 7.3%, respectively, P = 0.030 for vomiting). The number of analgesic administrations during the first 24 h was higher in group S compared with group P (1.31 ± 0.85 and 0.73 ± 0.6, respectively, P = 0.001). The repeat number of postoperative analgesic administrations was significantly different between groups during the first 24 h (P = 0.005), but during 24–48 h was not significant. Conclusion Intraoperative administration of intravenous paracetamol decreases the incidence of PONV during the first 24 h in children after strabismus surgery.
On Torque and Tumbling in Swimming Escherichia coli

ABSTRACT Bacteria swim by rotating long thin helical filaments, each driven at its base by a reversible rotary motor. When the motors of peritrichous cells turn counterclockwise (CCW), their filaments form bundles that drive the cells forward. We imaged fluorescently labeled cells of Escherichia coli with a high-speed charge-coupled-device camera (500 frames/s) and measured swimming speeds, rotation rates of cell bodies, and rotation rates of flagellar bundles. Using cells stuck to glass, we studied individual filaments, stopping their rotation by exposing the cells to high-intensity light. From these measurements we calculated approximate values for bundle torque and thrust and body torque and drag, and we estimated the filament stiffness. For both immobilized and swimming cells, the motor torque, as estimated using resistive force theory, was significantly lower than the motor torque reported previously. Also, a bundle of several flagella produced little more torque than a single flagellum produced. Motors driving individual filaments frequently changed directions of rotation. Usually, but not always, this led to a change in the handedness of the filament, which went through a sequence of polymorphic transformations, from normal to semicoiled to curly 1 and then, when the motor again spun CCW, back to normal. Motor reversals were necessary, although not always sufficient, to cause changes in filament chirality. Polymorphic transformations among helices having the same handedness occurred without changes in the sign of the applied torque.
Effect of antiretroviral drugs on the quality of semen

The aim of this cross‐sectional study was to determine which antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) are associated with changes in the characteristics of semen and the impact of these ARVs according to their score penetration into the male genital compartment. Data from 144 men infected with HIV‐1 enrolled in an Assisted Reproductive Technology program were analyzed retrospectively. A seminal penetration score of ARV was based on the available literature. The nonparametric Kruskal–Wallis test and chi‐square test were used. There was no difference on sperm parameters between NRTI, NNRTI, or PI regimen. In patients receiving NRTIs or PIs no differences were observed between antiretrovirals of these classes. However, in patients receiving NNRTIs, nevirapine (n = 22) was associated with a higher percentage of progressively motile spermatozoa (P < 0.0001) versus efavirenz (n = 38) as well as vitality (P = 0.0004). No relationship was observed between semen quality and the penetration score. NRTIs and PIs were not associated with any semen changes. Nevirapine was associated with a better quality of semen versus efavirenz. It would be of interest to validate, improve and test our penetration score in a prospective study. J. Med. Virol. 83:1391–1394, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Primary Repair of Esophageal Atresia in Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants: A Single-Center Experience and Review of the Literature

Background: Advances in neonatal intensive care have led to an increased survival of very low birth weight (VLBW, <1,500 g) and extremely low birth weight infants (ELBW, <1,000 g). Several abnormalities may occur in these children, e.g. esophageal atresia (EA), imperforate anus or abdominal wall defects. Correction of EA is often performed as a staged procedure in this group of patients. Objectives: To evaluate the feasibility of a primary correction of EA in 4 ELBW and VLBW infants. Methods: Between 2002 and 2004, 4 infants below 1,200 g were operated on in our institution with a diagnosis of EA with lower tracheoesophageal fistula. Birth weight ranged from 780 to 1,120 g (median: 920 g), gestational age from 28 to 30 weeks. Treatment included closure of the tracheoesophageal fistula and primary anastomosis of the esophagus in a one-step procedure. Results: Primary correction of EA and fistula repair was feasible in all children. Initially, all children had a normal passage of the esophagus as observed in barium swallowing. One child suffering from a leakage of the anastomosis was managed conservatively. Another infant suffered from spontaneous small bowel perforation 6 days after surgery, which was treated by laparotomy. One child developed stenosis of the esophagus and required a single dilatation 14 months after initial treatment. In the 4th child, a type II cleft syndrome was subsequently diagnosed, requiring secondary cleft repair together with semifundoplication. This child eventually died from cytomegalovirus pneumonia. Conclusions: Primary repair of EA and closure of a tracheoesophageal fistula is technically feasible and offers a good treatment option for ELBW and VLBW infants. Staged repair can be avoided. Infants with cleft syndrome are still a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge.
Facilitating Discussion Among Expectant Fathers: Is Anyone Interested?

Within childbirth education circles, catering effectively to the needs of expectant fathers who attend antenatal education programs has become an issue of concern. This article reviews the literature on all-male discussion groups for expectant fathers as a strategy to address identified deficits in relation to the inclusion of men within existing program structures. An exploration of the attributes considered appropriate for those who facilitate such groups is undertaken, and the article concludes with a report on the recruitment of male facilitators at a health service in New South Wales, Australia.
Cholecystostomy as Bridge to Surgery and as Definitive Treatment or Acute Cholecystectomy in Patients with Acute Cholecystitis

Purpose. Percutaneous cholecystostomy (PC) has increasingly been used as bridge to surgery as well as sole treatment for patients with acute cholecystitis (AC). The aim of the study was to assess the outcome after PC compared to acute cholecystectomy in patients with AC. Methods. A review of medical records was performed on all patients residing in Stockholm County treated for AC in the years 2003 and 2008. Results. In 2003 and 2008 altogether 799 and 833 patients were admitted for AC. The number of patients treated with PC was 21/799 (2.6%) in 2003 and 50/833 (6.0%) in 2008. The complication rate (Clavien-Dindo ≥ 2) was 4/71 (5.6%) after PC and 135/736 (18.3%) after acute cholecystectomy. Mean (standard deviation) hospital stay was 11.4 (10.5) days for patients treated with PC and 5.1 (4.3) days for patients undergoing acute cholecystectomy. After adjusting for age, gender, Charlson comorbidity index, and degree of cholecystitis, the hospital stay was significantly longer for patients treated with PC than for those undergoing acute cholecystectomy (P < 0.001) but the risk for intervention-related complications was found to be significantly lower (P = 0.001) in the PC group. Conclusion. PC can be performed with few serious complications, albeit with a longer hospital stay.
The Diffusion of Voluntary International Management Standards: Responsible Care, ISO 9000, and ISO 14001 in the Chemical Industry

This article analyzes the factors that explain the international diffusion of voluntary international management standards. We argue that international management standards should not be analyzed in isolation but in conjunction with other standards and their institutional environment. We present two opposite views explaining how the previous diffusion of management standards facilitates or hampers the adoption of new management standards. We test a comprehensive model of diffusion of international environmental management standards within the chemical industry using a panel of 113 different countries during the period 2000 to 2003. Our results show that the previous experience of businesses in voluntary standards such as the Chemical Industry's Responsible Care Program or ISO 9000, government commitment toward Environmental Management Systems Standards, and the level of activity of international nongovernmental organizations in the country of adoption, impact positively on the adoption of ISO 14001 by chemical firms. Unlike previous studies that focused mostly on cross industry analyses, we do not find trade-related factors significant while explaining adoption in the chemical industry. Our results differ, therefore, from previous research and highlight the need to isolate industry effects to understand the diffusion of international standards.
Nematode ligand-gated chloride channels: an appraisal of their involvement in macrocyclic lactone resistance and prospects for developing molecular markers

SUMMARY Ligand-gated chloride channels, including the glutamate-(GluCl) and GABA-gated channels, are the targets of the macrocyclic lactone (ML) family of anthelmintics. Changes in the sequence and expression of these channels can cause resistance to the ML in laboratory models, such as Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster. Mutations in multiple GluCl subunit genes are required for high-level ML resistance in C. elegans, and this can be influenced by additional mutations in gap junction and amphid genes. Parasitic nematodes have a different complement of channel subunit genes from C. elegans, but a few genes, including avr-14, are widely present. A polymorphism in an avr-14 orthologue, which makes the subunit less sensitive to ivermectin and glutamate, has been identified in Cooperia oncophora, and polymorphisms in several subunits have been reported from resistant isolates of Haemonchus contortus. This has led to suggestions that ML resistance may be polygenic. Possible reasons for this, and its consequences for the development of molecular tests for resistance, are explored.
[The validity of repeated mail surveys concerning smoking habits for Japanese physicians].

PURPOSE A cross-sectional study of smoking prevalence among medical doctors was performed using questionnaires. Mailing four times proved essential in order to obtain a reasonable number of responses from the subjects. The objective of the present study was to analyze the smoking characteristics of the subjects who returned the questionnaires after the second to fourth mailings. METHODS A set of an anonymous questionnaire and a letter from the President of the Japan Medical Association (JMA) requesting cooperation was mailed with a return envelope with the subject's name and address written to 3,000 male and 1,500 female doctors randomly selected from the roster membership of the JMA. The survey was conducted between February and June 2000. RESULTS The collection rate after the first mailing was 66%, while the subtotal collection rate for the second through fourth mailings was 21%, bringing the grand-total to 87%. The total prevalence of smoking among the subjects who had sent back the questionnaire on the second to fourth mailings was approximately 1.5 times higher than for those who had sent back the questionnaire after the initial mailing for both male and female subjects. As to other characteristics of the subjects who only responded after the second to fourth mailings were: working in hospitals (odds ratios; male: 1.39, female: 1.47), not giving smoking cessation guidance (odds ratio; male: 0.58), and not recognizing the idea that doctors should not smoke (odds ratio; female: 0.67). CONCLUSIONS The results suggested that for future surveys on smoking to be conducted in academic institutions or work-places, efforts to obtain responses from those who do not answer the first attempt should take into consideration these points.