Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Skin care intervention for patients having cardiac surgery.

BACKGROUND Pressure ulcers are a major problem after cardiovascular surgery, occurring in 9.2% to 38% of patients. OBJECTIVES To determine the effectiveness of a skin care intervention program in preventing development of ulcers or progression from one stage to another and to determine the extent to which selected risk factors were associated with development and progression of pressure ulcers. METHODS A simple interrupted time series design was used. The protocol involved interrelated assessment, staging, and type of intervention provided. The Braden Scale was used to determine risk for skin breakdown. RESULTS Of the 351 patients in the study, 327 (93%) maintained skin integrity and 24 (7%) had skin breakdown. Breakdown by stages was as follows: stage 1, 62% (n = 15); stage 2, 29% (n = 7); stage 3, 4% (n = 1); and stage 4, 4% (n = 1). Age, sex (female), and heart failure were statistically significant risk factors for breakdown (P = < .001, .02, and .02, respectively). The mean scores on the Braden Scale of the breakdown group differed significantly from those of the skin integrity group from days 2 through 5 after surgery (P = .01). Seventeen (71%) of the breakdowns occurred during the first 4 days after surgery. CONCLUSIONS Skin assessments and nursing interventions should be increased on the day of surgery and the first to fifth postoperative days, including multiple assessments and skin care focused on maintaining skin integrity.
Biomechanical Performance of Baseball Pitchers With a History of Ulnar Collateral Ligament Reconstruction

Background: A relatively high number of active professional baseball pitchers have a history of ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction (UCLr) on their throwing elbow. Controversy exists in the literature about whether professional baseball pitchers regain optimal performance after return from UCLr. It has been suggested that pitchers may have different biomechanics after UCLr, but this has not been previously tested. Hypothesis: It was hypothesized that, compared with a control group without a history of UCLr, professional pitchers with a history of UCLr would have (1) significantly different throwing elbow and shoulder biomechanics; (2) a shortened stride, insufficient trunk forward tilt, and excessive shoulder horizontal adduction, characteristics associated with “holding back” or being tentative; (3) late shoulder rotation; and (4) improper shoulder abduction and trunk lateral tilt. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: A total of 80 active minor league baseball pitchers (and their 8 Major League Baseball organizations) agreed to participate in this study. Participants included 40 pitchers with a history of UCLr and a matched control group of 40 pitchers with no history of elbow or shoulder surgery. Passive ranges of motion were measured for each pitcher’s elbows and shoulders, and then 23 reflective markers were attached to his body. The pitcher took as many warm-up pitches as desired and then threw 10 full-effort fastballs for data collection. Ball speed was recorded with a radar gun. The reflective markers were tracked with a 10-camera, 240-Hz automated motion analysis system. Eleven biomechanical parameters were computed for each pitch and then averaged for each participant. Demographic, range of motion, and biomechanical parameters were compared between the UCLr group and the control group by use of Student t tests (significance set at P < .05). Results: All hypotheses were rejected, as there were no differences in pitching biomechanics between the UCLr group and the control group. There were also no differences in passive range of motion between the 2 groups. Conclusion: Compared with a control group, active professional pitchers with a history of UCLr displayed no significant differences in shoulder and elbow passive range of motion and no significant differences in elbow and shoulder biomechanics. Clinical Relevance: Clinical studies have previously shown that 10% to 33% of professional pitchers do not return to their preinjury level; however, the current study showed that those pitchers who successfully return to professional baseball after UCLr pitch with biomechanics similar to that of noninjured professionals.
Change in PD pattern with aging

The changes in the PD /spl Phi/-q-n pattern and the PD current shape due to the degradation of insulating materials have been investigated with a fast digital oscilloscope and a PD measurement system. In order to verify the effect of gas change, the volume of gas in a void was observed with the /spl Phi/-q-n pattern. It showed that the change in the maximum PD magnitude is related to the change in gas volume according to ageing time. The PD /spl Phi/-q-n pattern could be classified into the five stages. At stage 3 for example, which had a "rabbit-like pattern", the current shape of the first PD in each half-cycle had a large magnitude of the order of 100 mA and a narrow width. At stage 5, which had a "turtle-like pattern", the current shape had a slow rise-time and a slow decay-time. Such changes in PD characteristics will be applicable to the diagnosis of insulation degradation.
Tectal Fiber Connections in a Non-Teleost Actinopterygian Fish, the Sturgeon Acipenser

Tectal fiber connections were studied in members of an early branch of the actinopterygian lineage, the sturgeons Acipenser transmontanus and A. schrenkii, by means of biocytin, HRP, biotinylated dextran amine, and DiI tract tracing methods. The aim of this study is to elucidate the visual pathway via the optic tectum to the thalamus as a part of a series of studies on the visual pathways in sturgeons. After biocytin or biotinylated dextran amine injections to the optic tectum terminals are found bilaterally in the medial and lateral portions of both the dorsal thalamus and ventral thalamus. Ipsilateral projections are much more abundant. Tectal recipient areas in the thalamus overlap in part with the retinal recipient areas. After HRP or DiI injections to the dorsal or ventral thalamus, tectal neurons projecting to the thalamus were labeled in the ipsilateral or bilateral stratum periventriculare. Dendritic morphology of tectothalamic neurons suggests that they receive direct retinal input. These results suggest that visual information passes through the tectum to the thalamic areas which also receive direct retinal projections. In this regard, the visual system of Acipenser resembles that of chondrichthyans (sharks). Other fiber connections of the tectum are also described, which have not previously been studied by tracer methods in a sturgeon.
Parkinson's disease: the genetics of a heterogeneous disorder

Since the first description of Parkinson's disease (PD) in 1817 attempts have been made to resolve the etiology of this common neurodegenerative disorder. In the last century the influence of heredity in PD was controversial. The identification of mutations in six genes responsible for Mendelian forms of PD; α‐synuclein (SNCA), parkin (PRKN), ubiquitin C‐terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH‐L1), oncogene DJ‐1, PTEN‐induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1), and most recently leucine‐rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2), has confirmed the role of genetics in familial forms of the disease. The exact relationship of these familial disorders and related genes to the more common sporadic form is currently uncertain. The identification of LRRK2 mutations and the association of common variants in SNCA and UCH‐L1 in apparently sporadic late‐onset disease indicate these genes may be of greater importance than previously believed. The protein products of the six genes are involved in different pathways of neurodegeneration and have opened new avenues of research. This focused research will lead to the development of novel targeted therapies, which may revolutionize the treatment of PD for a substantial proportion of patients.
The Role of Spirituality in Health Care

The technological advances of the past century tended to change the focus of medicine from a caring, serviceoriented model to a technological, cure-oriented model. Technology has led to phenomenal advances in medicine and has given us the ability to prolong life. However, in the past few decades physicians have attempted to balance their care by reclaiming medicine’s more spiritual roots, recognizing that until modern times spirituality was often linked with health care. Spiritual or compassionate care involves serving the whole person—the physical, emotional, social, and spiritual. Such service is inherently a spiritual activity. Rachel Naomi Remen, MD, who has developed Commonweal retreats for people with cancer, described it well: Helping, fixing, and serving represent three different ways of seeing life. When you help, you see life as weak. When you fix, you see life as broken. When you serve, you see life as whole. Fixing and helping may be the work of the ego, and service the work of the soul (1). Serving patients may involve spending time with them, holding their hands, and talking about what is important to them. Patients value these experiences with their physicians. In this article, I discuss elements of compassionate care, review some research on the role of spirituality in health care, highlight advantages of understanding patients’ spirituality, explain ways to practice spiritual care, and summarize some national efforts to incorporate spirituality into medicine.
The effect of experimental cryptorchidism on testicular DNA polymerase activities in the mouse.

The effect of experimental cryptorchidism on testicular deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) polymerase activities was studied in the mouse. Multiple DNA polymerase activities were measured between 3-30 days after experimental cryptorchidism. DNA polymerase activity in the nucleus was significantly reduced (p less than .01) 3 days postsurgery and by 10 days was less than half the activity (p less than .01) found in the contralateral scrotum. No further reduction was observed between 10-30 days postsurgery. Activity of the cytosol DNA polymerases appeared to be enhanced 3-10 days postsurgery and decreased between 15-30 days. No systematic trend was observed in specific activities of nuclear and cytosol DNA polymerase between 3-30 days postsurgery however a marked decline in total enzyme activity was seen. Nuclear and cytosol extracts from 15-day cryptorchid testes revealed a chromatography elution profile qualitatively identical to mature testes.
Alterations in the GAL4 DNA-binding Domain Can Affect Transcriptional Activation Independent of DNA Binding*

The GAL4 protein belongs to a large class of fungal transcriptional activator proteins encoding within their DNA-binding domains (DBD) six cysteines that coordinate two atoms of zinc (the Zn2Cys6 domain). In an effort to characterize the interactions between the Zn2Cys6 class transcriptional activator proteins and their DNA-binding sites, we have replaced in the full-length GAL4 protein small regions of the Zn2Cys6 domain with the analogous regions of another Zn2Cys6 protein called PPR1 an activator of pyrimidine biosynthetic genes. Alterations between the first and third cysteines abolished binding to GAL4 (upstream activation sequence of GAL (UASG)) or PPR1 (upstream acitvation sequence of UAS) DNA-binding sites and severely reduced transcriptional activation in yeast. In contrast, alterations between the third and fourth cysteines had only minor effects on binding to UASG but led to substantial decreases in activation in both yeast and a mammalian cell line. In the crystal structure of the GAL4 DBD-UASG complex (Marmorstein, R., Carey, M., Ptashne, M., and Harrison, S. C. (1992) Nature356, 408–414), this region is facing away from the DNA, making it likely that there exists within the GAL4 DBD an accessible domain important in activation.
Screening for Syphilis : Brief Update for the U . S . Preventive Services Task Force

Syphilis is a systemic infectious disease caused by sexual or congenital transmission of the bacterium Treponema pallidum (T. pallidum). Syphilis causes a variety of symptoms corresponding to stages of infection (primary, secondary, tertiary) and no symptoms during latent stages. Late-stage syphilis includes gummatous, cardiovascular, and neurological complications that can lead to significant disability and premature death. Syphilis is associated with HIV infection. Congenital syphilis results in fetal or perinatal death, as well as disease complications in surviving newborns.
EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF INTERNET BANKING ADOPTION IN TUNISIA

This paper aims to identify empirically the factors influencing the intention to use Internet Banking in Tunisia. The impact of perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, awareness, social norm, security and privacy, and computer self efficacy on intention to use Internet banking is tested through structural equation modelling techniques. The 284 self-administrated questionnaires were collected from Tunisian’s customers who are using banking services in Tunisia. The findings of the study suggest that customer’ intention to use Internet banking can be affected by perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of Internet banking. In turn, perceived usefulness can be affected by both perceived ease of use and influence social. Customers’ perceived ease of use can be determined by security and privacy and customers’ self-efficacy, and social influence. These findings may provide for banks useful guidelines for developing Internet banking systems in order to deliver services effectively.
Astrocytes are required for the oscillatory activity in cultured hippocampal neurons

Synchronous oscillations of intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) and of membrane potential occurred in a limited population of glutamatergic hippocampal neurons grown in primary cultures. The oscillatory activity occurred in synaptically connected cells only when they were in the presence of astrocytes. Microcultures containing only one or a few neurons also displayed oscillatory activity, provided that glial cells participated in the network. The glutamate‐transporter inhibitors L‐trans‐pyrrolidine‐2,4‐dicarboxylic acid (PDC) and dihydrokainate, which produce an accumulation of glutamate in the synaptic microenvironment, impaired the oscillatory activity. Moreover, in neurons not spontaneously oscillating, though in the presence of astrocytes, oscillations were induced by exogenous l‐glutamate, but not by the stereoisomer d‐glutamate, which is not taken up by glutamate transporters. These data demonstrate that astrocytes are essential for neuronal oscillatory activity and provide evidence that removal of glutamate from the synaptic environment is one of the major mechanisms by which glial cells allow the repetitive excitation of the postsynaptic cell.
Combination of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase and thymidylate synthase gene expressions in primary tumors as predictive parameters for the efficacy of fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy for metastatic colorectal cancer.

Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) and thymidylate synthase (TS) gene expressions in metastatic colorectal cancer have been reported to be predictive parameters for the efficacy of fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy. In this study, we investigated the association between both DPD and TS expressions in primary colorectal tumor and the antitumor effect in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer when treated with a fluoropyrimidine-based protocol. DPD and TS expressions were measured by reverse transcription-PCR in surgically resected materials of primary colorectal tumors from 37 patients who went on to receive oral treatment of uracil and tegafur and leucovorin for either synchronous or metachronous metastatic diseases. Relative mRNA amounts of DPD or TS were expressed as the ratios of targeted gene to glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase reverse transcription-PCR products. Median values of DPD mRNA expressions were 0.30 and 0.65 for responding tumors and nonresponding ones, respectively, with a statistical significance (P < 0.0001). No responding tumor had a DPD mRNA expression >/= 0.5. A total of 19 tumors had low DPD mRNA expressions of <0.5, and 63% of them showed response. There was no responding tumor with both high DPD and high TS (TS mRNA expression >/= 1.0). However, the response rate was 75% in tumors with both low DPD and low TS. The median survival time was 16.3 months in patients with both low DPD and low TS versus 8.4 months in patients with high DPD or high TS mRNA expression. In conclusion, the combination of DPD and TS mRNA expressions in the primary tumor might be useful as predictive parameters for the efficacy of fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy for metastatic colorectal cancer.
Self-care during the coronary artery bypass graft preoperative period : a descriptive study

Aim: To relate the basic conditioning factors of self-care to the self-care capability of patients in the preoperative period of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). Method: a descriptive, cross-sectional study, using the Self Care Theory as a reference. Data from 62 participants were collected through individual interviews. Tests were applied to analyze ratios comparing the means and using the Poisson regression model. Results: The self-care capability was 87.5% (± 10.5) and was related to income and the age of the participants. Discussion: the association between treatment and self-care capability may relate to an ability to adapt to, and cope with, cardiovascular problems that require surgical procedures. Conclusion: The application of Self-Care Theory is a possibility for patients in the CABG preoperative period. This strengthens the integration between research, theory and practice, and contributes to the definition and autonomy of the work process in nursing.
Methotrexate with Citrovorum Factor in Low-Risk Gestational Trophoblastic Tumor

From January 1976 through December 1985, methotrexate (MTX) with citrovorum factor (CF) was administered as primary treatment to 57 patients with low-risk gestational trophoblastic tumor (GTT); 51 patients were non-metastatic and 6 were metastatic GTT. The median number of courses needed to achieve biochemical remission was two (range, 1–7). Complete remission was attained in 95% of non-metastatic GTT patients with postmolar persistent trophoblastic disease, but when choriocarcinoma was histologically confirmed, this fell to 60%. The cure rate of metastatic GTT patients was only 50%. The overall remission rate with the MTX-CF combination was 84.2%. Toxicity was mild, consisting of myelosuppression and mucositis. Fifteen patients were resistant to MTX-CF, or relapsed subsequently, but they all achieved remission with chemotherapy rescue treatment (VP 16 alone, EMA/CO, CHAMOCA). Two patients required a pulmonary lobectomy. They are all still alive in biochemical remission with a median survival of 54 months. Our experience suggests that drug resistance and relapse rate seem related to a β-HCG value higher than 104, an enlarged uterus with myometrial deep involvement, and a histologically confirmed diagnosis of choriocarcinoma. In conclusion, the MTX-CF combination is effective in postmolar GTT, whereas a different therapeutic approach may be considered for a « special » low-risk group of patients, on the basis of prognostic factors.
The Vaccine-site Microenvironment Induced by Injection of Incomplete Freund's Adjuvant, With or Without Melanoma Peptides

Cancer vaccines have not been optimized. They depend on adjuvants to create an immunogenic microenvironment for antigen presentation. However, remarkably little is understood about cellular and molecular changes induced by these adjuvants in the vaccine microenvironment. We hypothesized that vaccination induces dendritic cell (DC) activation in the dermal vaccination microenvironment but that regulatory processes may also limit the effectiveness of repeated vaccination. We evaluated biopsies from immunization sites in 2 clinical trials of melanoma patients. In 1 study (Mel38), patients received 1 injection with an adjuvant mixture alone, composed of incomplete Freund's adjuvant (IFA) plus granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF). In a second study, patients received multiple vaccinations with melanoma peptide antigens plus IFA. Single injections with adjuvant alone induced dermal inflammatory infiltrates consisting of B cells, T cells, mature DCs, and vessels resembling high endothelial venules (HEVs). These cellular aggregates usually lacked organization and were transient. In contrast, multiple repeated vaccinations with peptides in adjuvant induced more organized and persistent lymphoid aggregates containing separate B and T cell areas, mature DCs, HEV-like vessels, and lymphoid chemokines. Within these structures, there are proliferating CD4+and CD8+ T lymphocytes, as well as FoxP3+CD4+ lymphocytes, suggesting a complex interplay of lymphoid expansion and regulation within the dermal immunization microenvironment. Further study of the physiology of the vaccine site microenvironment promises to identify opportunities for enhancing cancer vaccine efficacy by modulating immune activation and regulation at the site of vaccination.
Promyelocytic Leukemia Protein Mediates Interferon-Based Anti-Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Effects

ABSTRACT Herpes simplex virus (HSV) 1 disaggregates the nuclear domain 10 (ND10) nuclear structures and disperses its organizing promyelocytic leukemia protein (PML). An earlier report showed that ectopic overexpression of PML precludes the disaggregation of ND10 but has no effect on viral replication. PML has been reported to mediate the effects of interferon (IFN) and viral mutants lacking ICP0 (Δα0 mutants). To test the hypothesis that HSV disaggregates ND10 structures and disperses PML to preclude IFN-mediated antiviral effects, we tested the accumulation of viral proteins and virus yields from murine PML+/+ and PML−/− cells mock treated or exposed to IFN-α, IFN-γ, or both and infected with the wild-type or Δα0 mutant virus. We report the following results. (i) The levels of growth of wild-type and mutant viruses and of accumulation of viral proteins were not significantly different in untreated PML+/+ and PML−/− cells. (ii) Major effects of IFN-α and -γ were observed in PML+/+ cells infected with the Δα0 mutant virus, and more minor effects were observed in cells infected with the wild-type virus. The effects of the IFNs on either wild-type or the mutant virus in PML−/− cells were minimal. (iii) The mixture of IFN-α and -γ was more effective than either IFN alone, but again, the effect was more drastic in PML+/+ cells than in PML−/− cells. We concluded that the anti-HSV state induced by exogenous IFN is mediated by PML and that the virus targets the ND10 structures and disseminates PML in order to preclude the establishment of the antiviral state induced by IFNs.
South African Capital Structure Decisions: A Survey of Listed Companies

ABSTRACT This paper explores the factors that influence capital structure decisions in South Africa from the perspective of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO). The results of a survey of 33 CFOs of JSE listed companies find that South African CFOs are equally likely to follow the Pecking Order and Static Trade-Off theories. However, small companies are more likely to follow the Pecking Order theory while large companies are more likely to follow the Static Trade-Off theory. In addition, the results show that South African companies are more likely to follow the Static Trade-Off theory than companies in other emerging countries.