Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Vesicoureteral Reflux Detected on Post-void Image of 99mTc MAG3 Renal Scintigraphy

99mTc MAG3 scintigraphic scan is sensitive at depicting focal parenchymal abnormalities and can be used for the measurement of overall renal function. We experienced a 5-year-old boy presenting with bilateral flank fain, intermittent urinary stream and dysuria. On the post-void delayed image of 99mTc MAG3 scintigraphic scan vesicoureteral reflux was detected in left non-functioning kidney, which was missed on voiding cystourethrography.
The impact of the economic crisis and austerity on the nursing and midwifery professions in the Republic of Ireland – ‘boom’, ‘bust’ and retrenchment

The year 2008 marked a profound crisis for Irish public services, with the economy moving from a state of ‘boom’ to ‘bust’. This economic context has significantly impacted on Irish nursing and midwifery. This paper outlines the profound changes that have taken place in the landscape of Irish nursing and midwifery, between 1997 and 2014 as a result. Firstly we outline the considerable changes that took place within the nursing and midwifery professions following the Government’s acceptance of the recommendations of the Commission on Nursing (Government of Ireland, 1998), including the introduction of a 4-year degree-level pre-registration training for all nurses, and the establishment of the Health Service Executive in 2005. We then describe the consequences of the austerity measures implemented by the Irish Government from 2009 to the present and their impact on the Irish nursing and midwifery professions. An employment moratorium, salary cuts, increased working hours and incentivised retirement schemes, combined with a restructuring of the hospital service and the potential restructuring of nurse education are discussed. These measures have been introduced at a time of increased public and professional consciousness of the impact on patient care of having nurses in the right place, in the right numbers and with the right skills set. It is argued that these restructuring measures will have a profound impact on the shape of Irish nursing into the future, though whether positive or negative is too early to tell.
Current developments in cell- and biomaterial-based approaches for stroke repair

Introduction: Stroke is one of the most devastating diseases and a leading cause of mortality worldwide. So far, clinical management of stroke involves surgical clot retrieval or thrombolytic treatment inducing reperfusion of the occluded vessels in the cerebral infarcted area, which is dependent on early intervention following insult. New treatment strategies involve the promotion of angiogenesis and neuroplasticity, stimulation of endogenous neurogenesis, remyelinization, and immunomodulation by means of cell transplantation and sustained drug delivery. Areas covered: This review describes different types of stem cells (endogenous and exogenous neural progenitors, pluripotent stem cell derivatives, mesenchymal stem cells [MSCs], olfactory ensheathing cells) and biomaterials, their routes of administration, means of noninvasive imaging, and the prerequisites and hurdles for the successful translation of the cell therapies to the clinic. Expert opinion: Neural precursors (NPs) derived from pluripotent stem cells, unlike MSCs, can not only remodel the CNS by promoting neuroplasticity, angiogenesis, and immunomodulation, but also replace damaged cells. To transfer NPs into the clinic, step by step guidelines for researchers are identified and discussed.
Design of an environmentally controlled rotating chamber for bioaerosol aging studies

Abstract A chamber was designed and built to study the long-term effects of environmental conditions on air-borne microorganisms. The system consists of a 55.5-L cylindrical chamber, which can rotate at variable speeds on its axis. The chamber is placed within an insulated temperature controlled enclosure which can be either cooled or heated with piezoelectric units. A germicidal light located at the chamber center irradiates at a 360° angle. Access ports are located on the stationary sections on both ends of the chamber. Relative humidity (RH) is controlled by passing the aerosol through meshed tubes surrounded by desiccant. Validation assay indicates that the interior temperature is stable with less than 0.5 °C in variation when set between 18 and 30 °C with the UV light having no effect of temperature during operation. RH levels set at 20%, 50% and 80% varied by 2.2%, 3.3% and 3.3%, respectively, over a 14-h period. The remaining fraction of particles after 18 h of suspension was 8.8% at 1 rotation per minute (rpm) and 2.6% at 0 rpm with the mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD) changing from 1.21 ± 0.04 µm to 1.30 ± 0.02 µm at 1 rpm and from 1.21 ± 0.04 µm to 0.91 ± 0.01 µm at 0 rpm within the same time period. This chamber can be used to increase the time of particle suspension in an aerosol cloud and control the temperature, RH and UV exposure; the design facilitates stationary sampling to be performed while the chamber is rotating.
Visual feedback after stroke with the balance performance monitor: two single-case studies

Research over the past decade had indicated the effectiveness of visual feedback as a method of training stance symmetry and weight-transference after stroke. This study was carried out to assess the efficacy of the Balance Performance Monitor (BPM) in providing feedback. A reversal ABAB single-case experimental design was used with two patients at different stages poststroke. Assessments of motor function and independence in functional tasks (ADL) were made, as well as the measures of stance symmetry. The results indicated large improvements in symmetry, with both patients achieving levels within the normal range after five treatments. Functional skills also improved. Although the limitations of single-case studies are recognized, such dramatic improvements suggest that the BPM is an effective method of providing feedback and that this approach to treatment enhances the effects of physiotherapy and could be used more frequently after stroke.
Evaluation of submarine atmospheres: effects of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and oxygen on general toxicology, neurobehavioral performance, reproduction and development in rats. I. Subacute exposures

Abstract The inhalation toxicity of submarine contaminants is of concern to ensure the health of men and women aboard submarines during operational deployments. Due to a lack of adequate prior studies, potential general, neurobehavioral, reproductive and developmental toxicity was evaluated in male and female rats exposed to mixtures of three critical submarine atmospheric components: carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2; levels elevated above ambient), and oxygen (O2; levels decreased below ambient). In a 14-day, 23 h/day, whole-body inhalation study of exposure to clean air (0.4 ppm CO, 0.1% CO2 and 20.6% O2), low-dose, mid-dose and high-dose gas mixtures (high dose of 88.4 ppm CO, 2.5% CO2 and 15.0% O2), no adverse effects on survival, body weight or histopathology were observed. Reproductive, developmental and neurobehavioral performance were evaluated after a 28-day exposure in similar atmospheres. No adverse effects on estrus phase, mating, gestation or parturition were observed. No developmental or functional deficits were observed in either exposed parents or offspring related to motor activity, exploratory behavior or higher-level cognitive functions (learning and memory). Only minimal effects were discovered in parent-offspring emotionality tests. While statistically significant increases in hematological parameters were observed in the offspring of exposed parents compared to controls, these parameters remained within normal clinical ranges for blood cells and components and were not considered adverse. In summary, subacute exposures to elevated concentrations of the submarine atmosphere gases did not affect the ability of rats to reproduce and did not appear to have any significant adverse health effects.
Health effects of soy-biodiesel emissions: mutagenicity-emission factors*

Abstract Context: Soy biodiesel is the predominant biodiesel fuel used in the USA, but only a few, frequently conflicting studies have examined the potential health effects of its emissions. Objective: We combusted petroleum diesel (B0) and fuels with increasing percentages of soy methyl esters (B20, B50 and B100) and determined the mutagenicity-emission factors expressed as revertants/megajoule of thermal energy consumed (rev/MJth). Materials and Methods: We combusted each fuel in replicate in a small (4.3-kW) diesel engine without emission controls at a constant load, extracted organics from the particles with dichloromethane, determined the percentage of extractable organic material (EOM), and evaluated these extracts for mutagenicity in 16 strains/S9 combinations of Salmonella. Results: Mutagenic potencies of the EOM did not differ significantly between replicate experiments for B0 and B100 but did for B20 and B50. B0 had the highest rev/MJth, and those of B20 and B100 were 50% and ∼85% lower, respectively, in strains that detect mutagenicity due to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), nitroarenes, aromatic amines or oxidative mutagens. For all strains, the rev/MJth decreased with increasing biodiesel in the fuel. The emission factor for the 16 EPA Priority PAHs correlated strongly (r2 = 0.69) with the mutagenicity-emission factor in strain TA100 + S9, which detects PAHs. Conclusions: Under a constant load, soy-biodiesel emissions were 50–85% less mutagenic than those of petroleum diesel. Without additional emission controls, petroleum and biodiesel fuels had mutagenicity-emission factors between those of large utility-scale combustors (e.g. natural gas, coal, or oil) and inefficient open-burning (e.g. residential wood fireplaces).
Tertiary entrance performance : the role of student background and school factors.

The report examines the tertiary entrance performance of students in Year 12 in 1998 using data from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) project to address a variety of issues relating to tertiary entrance performance. The first substantive part of the report examines the relationship between tertiary entrance performance, measured by their Equivalent National Tertiary Entrance Rank (or ENTER scores), and a variety of demographic, socioeconomic, educational and psychological factors. These include literacy and numeracy achievement, gender, socioeconomic background, school sector, region, ethnicity and indigenous status. This part of the report also addresses the effects of psychological factors, such as selfconcept of ability and educational aspirations. The second substantive part of the report focuses on individual schools, examining the impact of schools on student performance, differences between schools in the impact of prior achievement and socioeconomic background on performance and the influence of the school environment or context. 'School effectiveness' is also addressed in this report by determining which school characteristics lift tertiary entrance performance, taking into account differences in the academic and socioeconomic mix of students across schools and school sector.
The rise in legal highs: prevalence and patterns in the use of illegal drugs and first- and second-generation “legal highs” in South London gay dance clubs

Aim: To assess the prevalence of use of established illegal psychoactive drugs and emergent psychoactive drugs, the so-called “legal highs”, amongst gay club-goers who are considered to be “early adopters” of drug trends. Design: Three in situ surveys were conducted in July 2010 with customers at two dance clubs (nightclubs) in an area known for its “gay-friendly” night time economy. The surveys assessed the prevalence of self-reported lifetime, past year, past month, fieldwork day use and planned use of illegal drugs and “legal highs”. Setting: This is a field study. Participants: The participants were 308 customers in two “gay-friendly” clubs in South London, United Kingdom. Measurements: Two-page research instrument was designed for in situ drug surveys. Findings: Our sample had higher rates of self-reported lifetime and recent use of established illegal drugs than the general population. Mephedrone emerged from near obscurity to become the most popular illegal drug in this survey, with 41% having taken it in the past month and 27% having either taken and/or planning to take it on the fieldwork night. Regarding second-generation “legal highs”, 11% of the sample had taken NRG-1 in the past month and 3% had taken and/or planned to take it on the fieldwork night. Conclusions: This survey suggests that the popularity of mephedrone surpasses other drugs, both legal and illegal, despite having been banned by the UK government prior to this survey being conducted. “Early adopters” of drug trends appear to be undeterred by the legal classification of emergent psychoactive substances. Given the global nature of the trade in “legal highs”, this study has implications for other countries where mephedrone use is emerging.
A laboratory evaluation of the heat generating capacity of prewarmed fluid compared with two commercial in‐line fluid warming devices

The NICE guideline for the management of inadvertent peri-operative hypothermia (IPH) in adults recommends warming all intra-operative fluids. It has been estimated that if in-line fluid warmers are used to implement these guidelines, the cost of the consumables required may be up to £9.45 per patient. A less expensive alternative would be the use of fluid that has been prewarmed in a heating cabinet. We compared the heat delivery of fluid administered from a prewarmed bag, taken from an operating room heating cabinet, against that delivered through two standard in-line warming devices. By investigating the effect of different flow rates of the prewarmed fluid, we explored the effect of heat loss on the efficacy of administration of such fluid. Finally, we investigated the effect of insulation on the rate of cooling of the prewarmed bags.
Congenital malformations among newborns in Kenya

Available literature suggests that congenital malformations are a major cause of prenatal infant deaths and postnatal physical defects [1, 2]. Therefore, a study was conducted to determine the patterns and incidence of congenital malformations at birth in newborns in Kenya and thereby analyze associated predisposing factors in their mothers. This single cross-sectional survey adopted the quasi-experimental study design to investigate a total of 7,355 consecutive births at the maternity unit of Kenyatta National Referral Hospital over a period of uninterrupted 12 months beginning 8th September to 7th September of the following year. Data collection involved clinical examination of the malformed newborns for final diagnosis using a standard proforma. The study included a control group of new born babies selected systematically among babies who were born during the same study period but had no recognizable defects at birth (n=210). These included normal babies delivered immediately after the malformed newborns. The experimental group comprised the malformed babies (n=207). Mothers were also interviewed for demographic information and data on life style and behavioral risk factors. In this paper only the results of the experimental group are described. A total of 207 malformations were documented. Results showed overall incidence of externally discernible malformations of 28.1 per 1000 total births (28.1/1000). The incidence of major malformations was 15/1000 births. Malformations of musculoskeletal system were the most frequently observed, accounting for 33.9% of all the major malformations, followed by malformations of the central nervous system (28.6%). Polydactyl was the most common single malformation with an incidence of 10/1000 total births. Neural tube defects (with an overall incidence of 4.6/1000 births) and chromosomal disorders were also common. On the overall, congenital malformations occurred in proportions that were comparable to other findings in Africa and other parts of the world. These findings highlight the need for stepping up nutritional prevention efforts, for instance, folic acid supplements; strengthening surveillance to monitor trends; and the establishment of a genetic centre in Kenya in order to strengthen local capacity for chromosomal studies, prenatal diagnosis, and genetic counseling on these complex issues.
The impact of road traffic noise on cognitive performance in attention-based tasks depends on noise level even within moderate-level ranges

Little empirical evidence is available regarding the effects of road traffic noise on cognitive performance in adults, although traffic noise can be heard at many offices and home office workplaces. Our study tested the impact of road traffic noise at different levels (50 dB(A), 60 dB(A), 70 dB(A)) on performance in three tasks that differed with respect to their dependency on attentional and storage functions, as follows: The Stroop task, in which performance relied predominantly on attentional functions (e.g., inhibition of automated responses; Experiment 1: n = 24); a non-automated multistage mental arithmetic task calling for both attentional and storage functions (Exp. 2: n = 18); and verbal serial recall, which placed a burden predominantly on storage functions (Experiment 3: n = 18). Better performance was observed during moderate road traffic noise at 50 dB(A) compared to loud traffic noise at 70 dB(A) in attention-based tasks (Experiments 1-2). This contrasted with the effects of irrelevant speech (60 dB(A)), which was included in the experiments as a well-explored and common noise source in office settings. A disturbance impact of background speech was only given in the two tasks that called for storage functions (Experiments 2-3). In addition to the performance data, subjective annoyance ratings were collected. Consistent with the level effect of road traffic noise found in the performance data, a moderate road traffic noise at 50 dB(A) was perceived as significantly less annoying than a loud road traffic noise at 70 dB(A), which was found, however, independently of the task at hand. Furthermore, the background sound condition with the highest detrimental performance effect in a task was also rated as most annoying in this task, i.e., traffic noise at 70 dB(A) in the Stroop task, and background speech in the mental arithmetic and serial recall tasks.
How Long Can Hair Follicle Units Be Preserved at 0 and 4°C for Delayed Transplant?

BACKGROUND Preservation of hair follicle units for the purpose of delayed transplant will help us graft thousands of hair grafts at one session, even in a clinic with fewer assistants and less equipment. OBJECTIVE This study was undertaken to evaluate and compare the viability of hair follicle units preserved at 0 and 4°C for various periods. MATERIALS AND METHODS Cell cultures and transplant of hair follicle units into athymic mice were performed. RESULTS Outer root sheath cells could be cultivated in 96% (0°C group) and 92% (4°C group) of the hair follicles after 24 hours of preservation, whereas 85% (0°C group) and 79% (4°C group) of the follicles implanted into the mice regrew well after the same period of preservation. Then, in both the 0°C and the 4°C group, these rates decreased significantly with length of preservation in cell cultures and mice transplant; however, 0°C seems better than 4°C for preservation of grafts (p < .05). CONCLUSION Grafts are better preserved at 0° C instead of 4°C. When delayed transplant is an option, it should be completed within 24 hours and no later than 48 hours.
Emerging options in the treatment of dyslipidemias: a bright future?

Introduction: Hypercholesterolemia is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) reduction has been demonstrated to decrease CVD-related morbidity and mortality. However, several patients do not reach LDL-C target levels with the currently available lipid lowering agents, particularly statins. Lipid and non-lipid parameters other than LDL-C may account for the residual CVD risk after adequate LDL-C lowering with statins. Areas covered: This review focuses on the efficacy and safety of emerging drugs aiming at high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) elevation (i.e., recombinant or plasma-derived wild-type apolipoprotein (apo) A-I, apo A-I mimetic peptides, reconstituted mutant HDL, partially delipidated HDL and cholesterol ester transfer protein inhibitors), microsomal triglyceride transfer protein inhibitors and antisense oligonucleotides. Expert opinion: Several lipid modifying agents in development may potently reduce the residual CVD risk. Ongoing and future studies with clinical outcomes will clarify their efficacy in clinical practice.
Roles of BDNF in spinal neuroplasticity in cats subjected to partial dorsal ganglionectomy

This study investigated the role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in neuroplasticity in cats subjected to the removal of dorsal root ganglia (DRG). Following partial ganglionectomy, the number of BDNF-positive varicosities from spared L6 DRG decreased significantly. This reduction was observed at 3 days post operation (dpo) in spinal lamina II of L3 and L5. Whereas the percentages of positive neurons for BDNF and its mRNA in spared L6 DRG at 10 dpo were significantly increased, and accumulated BDNF was seen on the DRG side of the ligated axons. Importantly, BDNF antibody neutralization in vivo results in a significant reduction in the number of varicosities in spinal lamina II, evidenced by BDNF and calcitonin gene-related peptide immunohistochemical staining. These findings suggested that peripheral-derived BDNF could play a critical role in spinal neuroplasticity in cats subjected to partial ganglionectomy. This may underlie the basis of molecular therapy depending on gene drug-like BDNF release.
Emerging pipeline drugs for hepatitis B infection

Introduction: Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection continues to represent a global health concern with an estimated 350 – 400 million people infected worldwide. Current treatment options are either of two IFN-based therapies or either of five oral nucleos(t)ide analogs which are used as monotherapy or in combination. Control of viral replication can be achieved basically in all patients today. However, despite the clinical efficacy of antivirals, long-term management remains a clinical challenge mainly due to the slow kinetics of HBsAg clearance. Emergence of viral resistance has been a challenge in the past with some but not all oral therapies. The development of novel therapeutic agents with different mechanisms of action might provide new opportunities to clear HBsAg and achieve HBsAg seroconversion which could be maintained off therapy. The long-term efficacy of combinations of IFN and/or nucleos(t)ide analogs might achieve antiviral synergy, preventing drug resistance and clearing viral covalently close circular DNA and infected cells. Areas covered: This article provides a review of recent data on the safety and efficacy of existing and emerging agents for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B infection. Expert opinion: Currently, entecavir and tenofovir offer a safe and effective treatment option for patients with chronic HBV with minimal to no resistance. Although entecavir and tenofovir are able to suppress replication in essentially all patients, achieving HBsAg seroconversion remains suboptimal among all antiviral therapy. There are a number of new therapies in the pipeline for the treatment of chronic HBV infection as well as revisiting IFN combined or sequential to antiviral therapy.