Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Salmonella typhimurium virulence plasmid increases the growth rate of salmonellae in mice

The virulence plasmids of Salmonella typhimurium and other invasive Salmonella serovars have long been associated with the ability of these bacteria to cause systemic infection beyond the intestines in orally inoculated animals. Genetic analysis of virulence genes on the high-molecular-weight plasmids has revealed that no more than five genes spanning a 6.2-kb region are sufficient to replace the entire plasmid for conferring virulence. However, the exact virulence function(s) encoded by these genes has not been elucidated. In this report, we measured the possible effect of the virulence plasmid on the growth rate of S. typhimurium in mice by two complementary procedures. The first procedure used segregation of a temperature-sensitive plasmid in vivo to provide a measure of bacterial divisions and the number of recovered marker plasmid-containing salmonellae as a measure of killing. In the second procedure, aroA deletions were transduced into virulence plasmid-containing and plasmid-cured S. typhimurium. Since AroA- salmonellae are inhibited for growth in vivo, if the virulence plasmid affected only growth rate, no difference in the recoveries of the paired AroA- strains would be seen. Virulence plasmid-containing S. typhimurium segregated the marker plasmid more rapidly than did the virulence plasmid-cured strain, and AroA- derivatives of both strains were recovered equally from mice. Therefore, the S. typhimurium virulence plasmid increased growth rate but had no detectable effect on killing or bacterial movement into deep tissues. To examine whether the plasmid accomplished this function by affecting the intracellular/extracellular location of bacteria, orally infected mice were injected with gentamicin to kill the extracellular bacteria. Wild-type and plasmid-cured S. typhimurium strains were equally resistant to gentamicin in vivo and hence most likely located intracellularly to equal degrees. When wild-type and plasmid-cured S. typhimurium strains were sequestered within peritoneal chambers in mice, the resulting extracellular growth was equal. Therefore, the virulence plasmid increases the growth rate of S. typhimurium in mice, probably within mouse cells.
Minimally Invasive Flexible Insertion and Rigid Intramedullary Nail Fixation for Distal Radius Fractures

Intramedullary (IM) devices are currently available for the surgical treatment of various distal radius fractures. The proposed advantages of IM fixation include minimally invasive operative techniques, less opportunity for hardware irritation, decreased postoperative pain, and stable fixation allowing for early range of motion. However, many complications have been reported with the use of IM devices in the distal radius such as injury to the superficial branch of the radial nerve, screw penetration into the distal radial ulnar joint, and loss of reduction. Nonetheless, early clinical reports of IM fixation for purely extra-articular distal radius fractures (AO type 23-A) and those with simple intra-articular extension (AO type 23-C1 and C2) have been promising. The purpose of this article is to describe the indication, technique, and rehabilitation after IM nail fixation for select distal radius fractures with a novel IM device, which provides locked fixed angle distal screws to support the articular subchondral bone and a unique flexible IM component that conforms to the patient’s anatomy, is made rigid, and locks proximally with IM fixation within the radial diaphysis. This unique device is theorized to be more patient specific (due to the flexible portion of the nail) and further minimize soft tissue irritation compared with those IM devices currently available.
Patient contact in the first year of basic medical training—Feasible, educational, acceptable?

Background: A new UK medical school uses substantial early patient contact in the first 2 years of an integrated 5-year course. Aims: To explore the feasibility, educational effectiveness, and acceptability to patients of substantial early patient contact. Methods: Mixed-methods case study with data from patients, students, and staff gathered via encounter forms, questionnaires, interviews, and focus groups. Results: The curriculum model of recruiting a specific patient case-mix to match concurrent theoretical teaching was feasible. Patients were willing to attend specifically to meet students, even if not receiving contemporaneous care. Patient satisfaction with teaching involvement was very high, and most patients were willing to attend further sessions. Although at an early stage of knowledge and skill acquisition, students greatly valued their extensive contact with patients. They perceived it as adding substantially to their learning of clinical medicine, by providing ‘real’ learning opportunities and linking theory to practice. It was motivating and memorable, and enabled students to meet learning objectives. There was also evidence that it encouraged students to develop a patient-centred approach. Conclusions: Early, integrated patient contact was both feasible to organise and acceptable to patients. The curriculum model was perceived by all parties to be educationally effective. The indications are that this model will be sustainable but will need consistent intensive support.
The Six Dimensions of Wellness and Cognition in Aging Adults

Objective: Examine how wellness in six dimensions (occupational, social, intellectual, physical, emotional, and spiritual) protects cognition in aging adults. Background: cognitive impairment increases with age. Baby boomers represent a significant percent of the population at risk for cognitive impairment. Cognitive impairment has a negative impact on nursing resources, health care finances, patient mortality, and quality of life. Wellness and prevention is one focus of Institute of Medicine’s vision for the future of nursing. Method: Literature was retrieved from Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature and MEDLINE. Research that examined the affect of wellness in each of the six dimensions on cognition in older adults was included. Results: One or more of the following may protect cognition in aging: midlife occupation complexity, marriage, social networks, formal education, intellectual activities, physical activity, healthy nutrition, motivational ability, purpose in life, and spirituality. Conclusion: Wellness in one or more of the six dimensions may protect cognition in aging. The cognitive protective benefits may increase when wellness in more than one dimension is demonstrated. High wellness in one dimension may protect cognition by compensating for low wellness in another dimension. The interconnectedness of each of the dimensions signifies the importance of evaluating older adults holistically. Wellness throughout the life span may result in improved cognition in aging. Application: Future research is needed to examine the relationship between the six dimensions of wellness and cognition, and to determine if one dimension of wellness is a significant predictor of cognitive health in aging adults.
Depressive and conduct disorder symptoms in youth living with HIV: The independent and interactive roles of coping and neuropsychological functioning

Abstract Emerging research suggests the importance of psychosocial characteristics (e.g., coping and social support) for positive adaptation among youth with behaviorally acquired HIV. However, little is known about how these traits interact with cognitive abilities to impact emotional and behavioral adjustment. This study examined whether coping skills and executive functioning interact in their association with psychological adjustment in HIV-positive youth. Data from Project Adolescents Living with HIV/AIDS (ALPHA), a study to examine psychosocial, behavioral and neuropsychological functioning of youth with behaviorally acquired HIV, were used. Fifty-nine participants, aged 14–23, diagnosed with HIV prior to age 20 and receiving care in one of two HIV clinics in Atlanta or New York City, were recruited, consented and enrolled. Participants completed measures of depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory), conduct disorder (Adolescent Symptom Index), and use of positive and negative coping strategies (Kidcope). The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) assessed abstract reasoning (categories completed) and cognitive inflexibility (perseverative errors). In this sample of HIV-positive youth, depressive symptoms were best predicted by an interactive combination of negative coping skills and poor neuropsychological functioning. Neuropsychological functioning (cognitive inflexibility) and negative coping skills were directly associated with conduct disorder symptoms. Results highlight the importance of including neuropsychological assessment in the evaluation of HIV-positive youth, particularly those with emotional or behavioral problems.
Progress towards achieving the United Nations' first Millennium Development Goal: an analysis of income and food poverty in Nigeria's states of Osun and Jigawa

This study investigates the levels and determinants of income and food poverty in Nigeria’s States of Osun and Jigawa to assess the progress towards attaining the United Nations Millennium Development Goals’(MDGs) targets on poverty reduction in these states in order to verify claims of previous studies and analyses regarding these. The study uses both the individual and the family household in both Osun and Jigawa States of Nigeria as its units of analysis and employs the mixed-method research, comprising both the quantitative and qualitative methods. It collects its quantitative data relying on administration of questionnaires and collects its qualitative data relying on organization of Focus Group Discussions. Six hypotheses are tested by the study to investigate the likely association between the gender, age, educational attainment, and employment status of the family household head, family household size and family household geographical location (independent variables) and income and food poverty (dependent variables). The study analyzes its quantitative data using the Foster, Greer and Thorbecke (FGT) Poverty Headcount Ratio and the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software and it analyzes its qualitative data using tape-based and note-based analyses. Findings of the qualitative element of this research hugely reveal that in general, the levels of income and food poverty in the study areas are high. These findings are confirmed by the findings of the quantitative elements of the research which reveal that at the individual level, Osun and Jigawa States have income poverty rates of 62.6% and 70% respectively based on the international market exchange rate; and that based on the PPP exchange rate, Osun and Jigawa States have income poverty rates of 37.7% and 42% respectively. These findings reveal that the levels of income and food poverty in the two states are both high and moderate based on the exchange rates used as yardsticks for measurement of income and food poverty in the states, thereby suggesting that the progress towards achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals’ (MDGs) targets on poverty reduction is both positive and negative.
The production and affinity of anti-hapten antibody under the influence of various inhibitory conditions.

The effects of four experimental conditions leading to lower antibody production (minute amount of antigen, excess of antigen, treatment with methotrexate and competition with an unrelated antigen) on the amount and affinity of antibody produced by injecting an optimal immunizing amount of dinitrophenylated bovine serum albumin (DNP-BSA) in adult guinea-pigs were compared. Adequate use of these four conditions resulted in a rather similar degree of inhibition, antibody production averaging 15 per cent of that produced by optimally stimulated animals. Affinity for the hapten DNP-e-aminocaproic acid of the antibody produced following stimulation with a minute amount of antigen or following treatment with methotrexate was found to be closely similar to the affinity of antibodies produced by optimally stimulated animals, Both immunization with an excess of antigen and immunization with an optimal amount of DNP-BSA mixed with an excess of an unrelated antigen (bovine γ-globulin), led to the production of antibody of low affinity. These results seem to indicate that the competing antigen interfered with the test antigen at the level of the antibody producing cell.
Impact on Electromigration Performance of Combining CuSiN and Ti-Barrier Metal in Cu Interconnects

CuSiN and Ti-barrier metal (BM) were used in combination to resolve the tradeoff of CuSiN between resistivity and electromigration (EM) performance. Two types of CuSiN were prepared for this experiment. The first type, called CuSiN(h), was a thick layer and improved EM lifetime, but excess Si appeared during the formation of CuSiN(h) and diffused into the Cu line. Consequently, the resistivity was high. The second type, called CuSiN(l), exhibited no Si diffusion in the Cu line, but there was no improvement in EM performance in the case of Ta-BM. Although using CuSiN(h) and Ti-BM in combination slightly mitigated the resistivity increase caused by CuSiN(h), the extent of mitigation was insufficient, and resistivity remained high. On the other hand, the combination of CuSiN(l) and Ti-BM provided the ideal distribution of Si and Ti for high EM performance: specifically, Si and Ti were uniformly distributed along grain boundaries on the Cu surface. As a result, the median time-to-failure due to EM was about two orders longer as compared with the Ta-BM sample without CuSiN, whereas resistivity remained low. In EM testing, Cu atom transport was suppressed throughout the grain boundaries on the Cu surface, and the activation energy was 1.45 eV.
Canadian outpatients and advance directives: poor knowledge and little experience but positive attitudes.

OBJECTIVE To examine the knowledge of, previous experience with, attitudes toward and perceived barriers to completing advance directives among outpatients at two general medicine clinics. DESIGN Cross-sectional questionnaire administered in face-to-face structured interviews. SETTING General internal-medicine outpatient clinics at a university teaching hospital. PATIENTS One hundred and five adult outpatients who could communicate in spoken English and who consented to be interviewed. RESULTS Of 167 patients approached, 58 were excluded because they could not communicate in spoken English, and 4 refused to participate. Of the remaining 105 patients, 17 (16%) knew about living wills, 12 (11%) about durable powers of attorney for health care and 4 (4%) about advance directives. Twenty-three (22%) had thought about their preferences for life-sustaining treatment, 20 (19%) had discussed them, none had written them down, and 45 (43%) had thought about choosing a proxy. Sixty-one (58%) wanted to think about their preferences for treatment, 65 (62%) wanted to discuss them, 32 (30%) wanted to write them down, and 80 (76%) wanted to choose a proxy. The perceived barriers to completing an advance directive were inability to write, the belief that an advance directive was unnecessary, a fatalistic attitude, previous discussion of preferences, a desire to leave the decision to doctors, uncertainty about preferences, a desire to discuss preferences rather than document them, a desire to wait until the situation arose, a desire to write down preferences in the future and a desire to avoid thinking about preferences or advance directives. Respondents with more knowledge of life-sustaining treatments were more likely to want to complete an advance directive. CONCLUSIONS Outpatients have positive attitudes toward advance directives, but their knowledge and experience are limited. These data underscore the need for patient education and for policies to eliminate the barriers to completing advance directives that patients face.
Intergroup Contact and Attitudes Toward the Principle and Practice of Racial Equality

Research on racial attitudes indicates that acceptance of the principle of racial equality is frequently offset by opposition to policies designed to eliminate injustice. At the same time, research on the contact hypothesis indicates that positive interaction between groups erodes various kinds of prejudiced attitudes. Integrating these two traditions of research, this study examined whether or not interracial contact reduces the principle-implementation gap in racial attitudes. The study comprised a random-digit-dialing survey of the attitudes and contact experiences of White and Black South Africans (N = 1,917). The results suggest that among Whites, there remains a stubborn core of resistance to policies designed to rectify the injustices of apartheid. The results also indicate that interracial contact has differential, and somewhat paradoxical, effects on the attitudes of Whites and Blacks toward practices aimed at achieving racial justice.
IS THERE A RELATION BETWEEN STUDENT LECTURE ATTENDANCE AND CLINICAL SCIENCE SUBJECT EXAMINATION SCORE?

Objective: To determine whether there is a relation between lecture attendance and factual knowledge of obstetrics and gynecology, as measured by the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) clinical science subject examination. Methods: We analyzed data on 197 students completing 8-week obstetrics and gynecology rotations from July 1,1991 to June 30, 1992. Each student was expected to attend a weekly lecture series, and each completed the NBME clinical science subject examination at the end of the clerkship. Student attendance and board scores were correlated at the end of the academic year overall and by subgroups. Scores in the top and bottom 15% were defined as good and poor performance, respectively. Results: A negative correlation (r=-0.1738, P=.0146) was found between percent absence and examination score. The odds ratio for poor performance was 5.48 (95% confidence interval 1.3-26.5; P=.015) for the subgroup of students with more than 30% absence compared to those without absences. Odds ratios for scoring in the upper 15th percentile were not significant. Conclusion: The negative correlation and the high odds ratio for poor performance suggest the value of monitoring attendance and identifying students at risk for poor performance (more than 30% absence). Lower absence rates did not predict performance.
Depression and Anxiety in Adults With Sickle Cell Disease: The PiSCES Project

Objective: Depression and anxiety are common in sickle cell disease (SCD) but relatively little is known about their impact on SCD adults. This study measured prevalence of depression and anxiety in SCD adults, and their effects on crisis and noncrisis pain, quality-of-life, opioid usage, and healthcare utilization. Methods: The Pain in Sickle Cell Epidemiology Study is a prospective cohort study in 308 SCD adults. Baseline variables included demographics, genotype, laboratory data, health-related quality-of-life, depression, and anxiety. Subjects completed daily diaries for up to 6 months, reporting sickle cell pain intensity, distress, interference, whether they were in a sickle cell crisis, as well as health care and opioid utilization. Results: Two hundred thirty-two subjects who completed at least 1 month of diaries were studied; 27.6% were depressed and 6.5% had any anxiety disorder. Depressed subjects had pain on significantly more days than nondepressed subjects (mean pain days 71.1% versus 49.6%, p < .001). When in pain on noncrisis days, depressed subjects had higher mean pain, distress from pain, and interference from pain. Both depressed and anxious subjects had poorer functioning on all eight SF-36 subscales, even after controlling for demographics, hemoglobin type, and pain. The anxious subjects had more pain, distress from pain, and interference from pain, both on noncrisis pain days and on crisis days, and used opioids more often. Conclusions: Depression and anxiety predicted more daily pain and poorer physical and mental quality-of-life in adults with SCD, and accounted for more of the variance in all domains of quality-of-life than hemoglobin type. SCD = sickle cell disease; PiSCES = Pain in Sickle Cell Epidemiology Study; ED = emergency department; PHQ = patient health questionnaire; MOS SF-36 = Medical Outcome Study 36 item Short Form-36; MMSE = mini mental status examination.
Intrarater reliability of CROM measurement of cervical spine active range of motion in persons with and without neck pain.

STUDY DESIGN Clinical measurement, intrarater reliability study. OBJECTIVES To determine the intrarater reliability of cervical active range of motion (AROM) measurement of subjects with and without neck pain using the cervical range-of-motion device (CROM). BACKGROUND Cervical spine AROM data are used by physical therapists to assist in identifying movement impairment, monitor patient progress, and evaluate the effectiveness of intervention. Presently, insufficient literature exists regarding the intrarater reliability of cervical AROM measurements using the CROM. METHODS AND MEASURES Twenty-five adult subjects without neck pain and 22 adult subjects with neck pain volunteered for the study. Two trials of cervical AROM measurement (6 movements) were performed for each subject. Practice sessions, methods of measurement, and rest time between trials were standardized; order of measurement was randomized. RESULTS The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC3,1) for the subjects without neck pain ranged from 0.87 for flexion (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.76-0.95) to 0.94 for left rotation (95% CI: 0.87-0.97). The standard error of the measurement ranged from 2.3 degrees to 4.0 degrees . The ICCs for the subjects with neck pain ranged from 0.88 for flexion (95% CI: 0.73-0.95) to 0.96 for left rotation (95% CI: 0.91-0.98). The standard error of the measurement ranged from 2.5 degrees to 4.1 degrees . Minimal detectable change ranged from 5.4 degrees for left rotation in the subjects without neck pain to 9.6 degrees for flexion in the subjects with neck pain. CONCLUSION Intrarater reliability for cervical AROM measurement of persons with and without neck pain is sufficient to consider use of the CROM in clinical practice, although changes between 5 degrees to 10 degrees are needed to feel confident that a real change in spine mobility has occurred.