Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prognostic indicators of management of sudden sensorineural hearing loss in an Asian hospital.

INTRODUCTION This retrospective review evaluates the prognostic indicators in the management of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) in otorhinolaryngology patients admitted to Brunei RIPAS Hospital. METHODS The review covered data collected from 1996 to 1998, and included patients who were treated with naftidrofuryl and dexamethasone. Their hearing improvement (more than 20 dB) in relation to pure tone audiogram patterns, hearing loss severity, vertigo, age of the patients and duration from symptom onset to time of treatment, were evaluated. RESULTS After exclusion of three patients with known causes of hearing loss, 50 patients with idiopathic SSNHL were reviewed. Six audiogram patterns were observed with good prognostic indicators in patterns 1 and 4, where respectively, 95 percent and 100 percent of the patients improved. The hearing improvement was noted in the majority of the patients with mild or moderate degree of hearing loss, especially noticeable in audiogram patterns 1 and 4. Initial vertigo gave poor prognosis in hearing (more than 33 percent patients with vertigo improved versus 88 percent patients without vertigo improved). Patients aged between 21 and 60 years appear to have better prognosis of hearing improvement compared to those who are outside of this age range. 92 percent patients whose treatment started within the first week of onset of hearing loss experienced hearing improvement compared to 84 percent patients whose treatment started in the second week after onset. CONCLUSION Fairly consistent with the previously-reported prognostic indicators are hearing loss severity, vertigo, age and duration of onset to treatment, though there was reasonably good prognosis when the patients were treated in the second week from hearing loss onset. Further findings of note were the six audiogram patterns and the good prognostic indicators in patterns 1 and 4.
Glucose absorption and small intestinal transit in critical illness*

Objectives: Although enteral nutrition is standard care for critically ill patients, nutrient absorption has not been quantified in this group and may be impaired due to intestinal dysmotility. The objectives of this study were to measure small intestinal glucose absorption and duodenocecal transit and determine their relationship with glycemia in the critically ill. Design: Prospective observational study of healthy and critically ill subjects. Setting: Tertiary mixed medical-surgical adult intensive care unit. Subjects: Twenty-eight critically ill patients and 16 healthy subjects were studied. Materials and Main Results: Liquid feed (100 kcal/100 mL), labeled with Tc-sulfur colloid and including 3 g of 3-O-methylglucose, was infused into the duodenum. Glucose absorption and duodenocecal transit were measured using the area under the 3-O-methylglucose concentration curve and scintigraphy, respectively. Data are median (range). Results and Discussion: Glucose absorption was reduced in critical illness when compared to health (area under the concentration curve: 16 [1–32] vs. 20 [14–34] mmol/L·min; p = .03). Small intestinal transit times were comparable in patients and healthy subjects (192 [9–240] vs. 168 [6–240] min; p = .99) and were not related to glucose absorption. Despite higher fasting blood glucose concentrations (6.3 [5.1–9.3] vs. 5.7 [4.6–7.6] mmol/L; p < .05), the increment in blood glucose was sustained for longer in the critically ill (&Dgr; glucose at t = 60; 1.9 [−2.1–5.0] mmol/L vs. −0.2 [−1.3–2.3] mmol/L; p < .01). Conclusions: Critical illness is associated with reduced small intestinal glucose absorption, but despite this, the glycemic response to enteral nutrient is sustained for longer. (Crit Care Med 2011; 39:1282–1288)
Dialogue in American Political Campaigns ? An Examination of Issue Engagement in Candidate Television Advertising

Previous research has shown that competing candidates avoid discussing the same issues during a campaign. Much of this research relies on newspaper reporting to develop a measure of issue engagement between candidates. Using new data based upon television advertising aired in U.S. Senate campaigns during the 1998-2002 period, we reevaluate the extent of issue engagement in contemporary American campaigns. Our analysis of these data shows that issue engagement occurs more frequently than indicated by previous research. We also find that issue engagement increases with the competitiveness of the race but that issue engagement decreases as the gap in financial resources between candidates increases.
In vitro biomechanical comparison of load to failure testing of a canine unconstrained medial compartment elbow arthroplasty system and normal canine thoracic limbs

Summary Elbow dysplasia, primarily affecting the medial compartment, is the most common cause of lameness in the thoracic limb. Elbow arthroplasty is an option for end stage or severely affected patients. The purpose of this study was to compare ex vivo axial load to failure of an implanted novel elbow arthroplasty system to control limbs. The partial arthroplasty is a medial compartmental, unconstrained system, intended to allow conversion to total arthroplasty. We hypothesized that there would not be any significant difference between implanted and controlled limbs when loaded to failure. Six pairs of medium mixed breed canine cadaveric thoracic limbs were prepared for comparison of failure loading of control and implanted limbs. Axial compression was performed using a mechanical testing system. Failure loads were normalized to bodyweight. The mean normalized failure load (N/kg) for the implanted limbs and control limbs were 2.47 (range: 1.62-3.38) and 2.68 (range: 2.25-3.25), respectively. An implanted to control ratio of 0.93 ± 0.19 was calculated. The difference between paired control and implanted limbs in normalized failure loading was not significant (p = 0.38). There were not any differences noted in the yield load (p = 0.30), stiffness (p = 0.62), or energy (0.58). Failure modes were recorded. We concluded that the differences between implanted and control limbs in supra-physiologic axial load to failure were not significant.
Transatlantic flight times and climate change

Aircraft do not fly through a vacuum, but through an atmosphere whose meteorological characteristics are changing because of global warming. The impacts of aviation on climate change have long been recognised, but the impacts of climate change on aviation have only recently begun to emerge. These impacts include intensified turbulence and increased take-off weight restrictions. Here we investigate the influence of climate change on flight routes and journey times. We feed synthetic atmospheric wind fields generated from climate model simulations into a routing algorithm of the type used operationally by flight planners. We focus on transatlantic flights between London and New York, and how they change when the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide is doubled. We find that a strengthening of the prevailing jet-stream winds causes eastbound flights to significantly shorten and westbound flights to significantly lengthen in all seasons. Eastbound and westbound crossings in winter become approximately twice as likely to take under 5 h 20 min and over 7 h 00 min, respectively. For reasons that are explained using a conceptual model, the eastbound shortening and westbound lengthening do not cancel out, causing round-trip journey times to increase. Even assuming no future growth in aviation, the extrapolation of our results to all transatlantic traffic suggests that aircraft will collectively be airborne for an extra 2000 h each year, burning an extra 7.2 million gallons of jet fuel at a cost of US$ 22 million, and emitting an extra 70 million kg of carbon dioxide, which is equivalent to the annual emissions of 7100 average British homes. Our results provide further evidence of the two-way interaction between aviation and climate change.
C-reactive protein as a predictor for incident diabetes mellitus among middle-aged men: results from the MONICA Augsburg cohort study, 1984-1998.

BACKGROUND Previous studies have suggested that low-grade systemic inflammation is involved in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus. OBJECTIVE To investigate the association between C-reactive protein (CRP), the classic acute-phase protein, and incident type 2 diabetes mellitus among middle-aged men. METHODS A total of 2052 initially nondiabetic men aged 45 to 74 years who participated in 1 of the 3 MONICA (Monitoring of Trends and Determinants in Cardiovascular Disease) Augsburg surveys between 1984 and 1995 were followed up for an average of 7.2 years. Incidence of diabetes was assessed by questionnaire mailed to participants in 1998. High-sensitive CRP was measured by an immunoradiometric assay. RESULTS A total of 101 cases of incident diabetes occurred during the follow-up period. The age-standardized incidence rate was 6.9 per 1000 person-years. Men with CRP levels in the highest quartile (CRP > or = 2.91 mg/L) had a 2.7 times higher risk of developing diabetes (95% confidence interval, 1.4-5.2) compared with men in the lowest quartile (CRP < or = 0.67 mg/L) in a Cox proportional hazards model adjusted for age and survey. After further adjustment for body mass index, smoking, and systolic blood pressure, the observed association was significantly reduced and became nonsignificant. CONCLUSIONS Low-grade systemic inflammation is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in middle-aged men. Inflammation could be one mechanism by which known risk factors for diabetes mellitus, such as obesity, smoking, and hypertension, promote the development of diabetes mellitus.
What is important for patient centred care? A qualitative study about the perceptions of patients with cancer.

BACKGROUND This article deals with one of the themes from interviews in a larger qualitative study about cancer patients' perceptions of good caring. It is widely recognized today that patient centred care is important. Patients' values and perceptions must be acknowledged in order to make care evidence based and to meet the demands of quality improvement processes. AIM The aim was to get insight in patients with cancers' perceptions of the importance of being respected as partners and share control of decisions about interventions and management of their health problems and the reasons behind their wishes. METHOD Giorgio's scientific approach to phenomenology was used. Twenty cancer inpatients with various cancer diagnoses at different stages and with different prognoses were interviewed. The sampling was purposive. ETHICAL ISSUES Permission to carry out the research was given by a Regional Committee of Research Ethics in Western Norway and the data collection followed the guidelines of the Data Inspectorate of Norway. MAIN FINDINGS The units of meaning identified could be clustered into three themes with significance for patient centred care from patients' perspectives: (1) empowerment (being respected, listened to, given honest information, being valued); (2) shared decision making about the treatment of the disease (discussing the treatment, but letting the doctor decide in the end); and (3) partnership in nursing care. CONCLUSION Health care professionals can practise patient centred care by treating patients with respect, giving honest information, making them feel valued as persons and by inviting them to take part in all decisions about their daily life and care. However, cancer patients' desire to make decisions about their treatments must not be taken for granted. Doctors must find out the extent to which each patient wants to participate and then give the necessary information.
Impact factor--a useful tool, but not for all purposes.

How likely is it that a scientific article will still be being cited half a century after it first appeared? A working group around John P. Ioannidis of Stanford University has investigated the fate of more than 5000 contributions in 27 medical journals from the year 1959 (1), and found that no fewer than one in 23 of these texts received a citation in 2009. Classic status, however—at least five citations—was attained by only one in 400 publications; examples given in the study are the descriptions of Prinzmetal’s angina or Down syndrome.
Number Size Distribution, Mass Concentration, and Particle Composition of PM1, PM2.5, and PM10 in Bag Filling Areas of Carbon Black Production

Number size characteristics and PM10 mass concentrations of particles emitted during the packaging of various kinds of carbon blacks were measured continuously in the bag filling areas of three carbon black plants and concurrently at ambient comparison sites. PM10, PM2.5, and PM1 dust fractions were also determined in the bag filling areas. The filter samples were then analyzed for elemental and organic carbon. Comparisons of the measured number size distributions and mass concentrations during bag filling activities with those measured parallel at the ambient site and with those determined during nonworking periods in the work area enabled the characterization of emitted particles. PM10 mass concentrations were consistently elevated (up to a factor of 20 compared to ambient concentrations) during working periods in the bag filling area. Detailed analysis revealed that the carbon black particles released by bag filling activities had a size distribution starting at ≈ 400 nm aerodynamic diameter (dae) with modes around 1 μm dae and > 8 μm dae. Ultrafine particles (< 100 nm dae), detected in the bag filling areas, were most likely attributed to noncarbon black sources such as forklift and gas heater emissions.
How to achieve ultra high photoconductive gain for transparent oxide semiconductor image sensors

We present quantitative analysis of the ultra-high photoconductivity in amorphous oxide semiconductor (AOS) thin film transistors (TFTs), taking into account the sub-gap optical absorption in oxygen deficiency defects. We analyze the basis of photoconductivity in AOSs, explained in terms of the extended electron lifetime due to retarded recombination as a result of hole localization. Also, photoconductive gain in AOS photo-TFTs can be maximized by reducing the transit time associated with short channel lengths, making device scaling favourable for high sensitivity operation.
Candida albicans

The secreted aspartyl proteinases of Candida albicans (products of the SAP genes) are thought to contribute to virulence through their effects on Candida adherence, invasion, and pathogenicity. From a single strain of C. albicans (WO-1) which expresses a phenotypic switching system, three secreted aspartyl proteinases have been identified as determined by molecular weight and N-terminal sequence. Each of the three identified proteins represents the mature form of one of three distinct proteinase isoenzymes, two of which correspond to the recently cloned SAP) and SAP2 genes (previously referred to as CAP, PEP, or PR4). A genomic library was screened under low-stringency hybridization conditions with a polymerase chain reaction f ent from SAP). In addition to clones ofSAP) and SAP2, a done containing S4P3, a novel third secreted proteinase gene, was identified and sequenced. The three aspartyl proteinase isoenzymes differ in primary sequence and pI, suggesting that they may play different roles in virlence and pathogenesis. AU three of these proteinases are expressed in the same strain. However, the pattern of proteinase expression is correlated with the switch phenotype of the cell. Opaque cells of strain WO-1 express Sapl and Sap3, while white cells of the same strain express Sap2. The differential expression of three Sap proteinases may contribute to virulence in C. albicans.
Fields as Limit Functions of Stochastic Discrimination and Their Adaptability

For a particular type of elementary function, stochastic discrimination is shown to have an analytic limit function. Classifications can be performed directly by this limit function instead of by a sampling procedure. The limit function has an interpretation in terms of fields that originate from the training examples of a classification problem. Fields depend on the global configuration of the training points. The classification of a point in input space is known when the contributions of all fields are summed. Two modifications of the limit function are proposed. First, for nonlinear problems like high-dimensional parity problems, fields can be quantized. This leads to classification functions with perfect generalization for high-dimensional parity problems. Second, fields can be provided with adaptable amplitudes. The classification corresponding to a limit function is taken as an initialization; subsequently, amplitudes are adapted until an error function for the test set reaches minimal value. It is illustrated that this increases the performance of stochastic discrimination. Due to the nature of the fields, generalization improves even if the amplitude of every training example is adaptable.
1Alpha,25 dihydroxyvitamin D3: therapeutic and preventive effects against oxidative stress, hepatic, pancreatic and renal injury in alloxan-induced diabetes in rats.

UNLABELLED Diabetes mellitus is a major endocrine disorder and a growing health problem in most countries which can be ameliorated by numerous bio-molecules such as 1alpha,25 dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1alpha,25(OH)2VD3]. With this in mind, the current study investigated the therapeutic and preventive effects of 1alpha,25(OH)2VD3 on diabetes and its side effects: toxicity in liver, pancreas and kidneys. Our results show that administration of 1alpha,25(OH)2VD3 in diabetic rats increased the plasmatic insulin level, favored the normal blood glucose levels and normalized the hepatic glycogen concentration. In addition, 1alpha,25(OH)2VD3 enhanced superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) (by 207, 52 and 72%, respectively) compared to diabetic rats. It also reduced lipid peroxidation and the indices of toxicity in liver and kidneys by significantly decreasing alkaline phosphatases (PAL), aspartate and lactate transaminase (AST and ALT) activities, total and direct bilirubin, triglycerides (TG), cholesterol, creatinine, urea and iron levels in diabetic rats. Moreover, the plasmatic non-enzymatic antioxidant level of HDL-cholesterol, magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca) and copper (Cu) increased after 1alpha,25(OH)2VD3 administration. The administration of 1alpha,25(OH)2VD3 in diabetic rats protects against alloxan-induced histological changes in pancreas. CONCLUSION from these data, it is concluded that 1alpha,25(OH)2VD3 might be useful for the therapy and prevention of diabetes and the numerous side effects especially toxicity in liver, pancreas and kidneys and this protective effect is more obvious in our preventive experiment.
The Retina of Ansorge's Cusimanse (Crossarchus ansorgei): Number, Topography and Convergence of Photoreceptors and Ganglion Cells in Relation to Ecology and Behavior

The family Herpestidae (cusimanses and mongooses) is a monophyletic radiation of carnivores with remarkable variation in microhabitat occupation and diel activity, but virtually nothing is known about how they use vision in the context of their behavioral ecology. In this paper, we measured the number and topographic distribution of neurons (rods, cones and retinal ganglion cells) and estimated the spatial resolving power of the eye of the diurnal, forest-dwelling Ansorge's cusimanse (Crossarchus ansorgei). Using retinal wholemounts and stereology, we found that rods are more numerous (42,500,000; 92%) than cones (3,900,000; 8%). Rod densities form a concentric and dorsotemporally asymmetric plateau that matches the location and shape of a bright yellow tapetum lucidum located within the dorsal aspect of the eye. Maximum rod density (340,300 cells/mm2) occurs within an elongated plateau below the optic disc that corresponds to a transitional region between the tapetum lucidum and the pigmented choroid. Cone densities form a temporal area with a peak density of 44,500 cells/mm2 embedded in a weak horizontal streak that matches the topographic distribution of retinal ganglion cells. Convergence ratios of cones to retinal ganglion cells vary from 50:1 in the far periphery to 3:1 in the temporal area. With a ganglion cell peak density of 13,400 cells/mm2 and an eye size of 11 mm in axial length, we estimated upper limits of spatial resolution of 7.5-8 cycles/degree, which is comparable to other carnivores such as hyenas. In conclusion, we suggest that the topographic retinal traits described for Ansorge's cusimanse conform to a presumed carnivore retinal blueprint but also show variations that reflect its specific ecological needs.
Spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma with hemiparesis mimicking acute cerebral infarction: Two case reports

Abstract Context Acute hemiparesis is a common initial presentation of ischemic stroke. Although hemiparesis due to spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma (SSEH) is an uncommon symptom, a few cases have been reported and misdiagnosed as cerebral infarction. Design Case reports of SSEH with acute hemiparesis. Findings In these two cases, acute stroke was suspected initially and administration of intravenous alteplase therapy was considered. In one case, the presentation was neck pain and in the other case, it was Lhermitte's sign; brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance angiography were negative for signs of ischemic infarction, hemorrhage, or arterial dissection. Cervical MRI was performed and demonstrated SSEH. Conclusion Clinicians who perform intravenous thrombolytic treatment with alteplase need to be aware of this possible contraindication.
Diabetic neuropathy and oxidative stress

This review will focus on the impact of hyperglycemia‐induced oxidative stress in the development of diabetes‐related neural dysfunction. Oxidative stress occurs when the balance between the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the ability of cells or tissues to detoxify the free radicals produced during metabolic activity is tilted in the favor of the former. Although hyperglycemia plays a key role in inducing oxidative stress in the diabetic nerve, the contribution of other factors, such as endoneurial hypoxia, transition metal imbalances, and hyperlipidemia have been also suggested. The possible sources for the overproduction of ROS in diabetes are widespread and include enzymatic pathways, auto‐oxidation of glucose, and mitochondrial superoxide production. Increase in oxidative stress has clearly been shown to contribute to the pathology of neural and vascular dysfunction in diabetes. Potential therapies for preventing increased oxidative stress in diabetic nerve dysfunction will be discussed. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Leg ulcers: time to benchmark?

The paper used within this publication has been sourced from Chain-of-Custody certified manufacturers, operating within international environmental standards, to ensure sustainable sourcing of the raw materials, sustainable production and to minimise our carbon footprint. Cover image: patpitchaya Editor Annabel De Coster Commercial Manager Fenella Wenham Editorial Director Julie Smith Managing Director Anthony Kerr