Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Treatment rates for patients with borderline personality disorder and other personality disorders: a 16-year study.

OBJECTIVE The goal of this study was to document the use of 16 treatment modalities reported by 290 patients with borderline personality disorder and 72 patients with other axis II disorders over 16 years of prospective follow-up. METHODS This study built upon previous findings of the McLean Study of Adult Development. Treatment use was assessed at baseline and at eight two-year follow-up periods with a semistructured interview of proven reliability and validity. RESULTS Patients with borderline personality disorder reported significantly higher rates of use of 12 of the 16 treatment modalities studied. Only four of the 16 treatment modalities were used by roughly the same percentage of patients with borderline personality disorder and those with other axis II disorders: individual therapy, intensive individual therapy, couples or family therapy, and electroconvulsive therapy. In addition, rates of participation in 13 treatment modalities declined significantly over the first eight years of follow-up for those in both study groups. However, the rates of participation in 15 of 16 treatment modalities did not decline significantly over the second eight years of follow-up for those in either study group. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study suggest that rates of treatment use by patients with borderline personality disorder decline significantly over the short and medium term. They also suggest that these rates remain stable or fail to decline further over the longer term.
Synthesizing Obama

Given audio of President Barack Obama, we synthesize a high quality video of him speaking with accurate lip sync, composited into a target video clip. Trained on many hours of his weekly address footage, a recurrent neural network learns the mapping from raw audio features to mouth shapes. Given the mouth shape at each time instant, we synthesize high quality mouth texture, and composite it with proper 3D pose matching to change what he appears to be saying in a target video to match the input audio track. Our approach produces photorealistic results.
Food security measures during uncertain climatic conditions in Nigeria

Food security is a function of a few variables such as technological input, capital, government policies and environmental (climate) factors. Good control of all these dependent variables except the last, and the thorough understanding of the last can take the nation to food security level. Possible ways of controlling the first three variables (technological input, capital, government policies) are suggested. To have thorough understanding of the climate factors, time series analysis of climate variables precisely temperature and precipitation data in twelve locations covering the various climatic belts of Nigeria were carried out. Nigeria rainfall has a usual zonal pattern and the vast majority of precipitation falls within a well-defined period. The coastal stations received more rainfall than the inland locations. The northern locations received less rainfall than southern locations. The onset period for the northern stations is May/June while the cessation period is September/October. The southern stations have April as their onset month while October is their cessation month. The southern stations have two peaks of rainfall in June/July and September. A period when rainfall ceases within the wet season exists in the south, and is referred to as ‘August break'. The northern stations have only one peak, which is in August. Annual trend of precipitation is positive in most of the southern stations while it is negative in most northern stations. At the ninety-nine percent confidence limits, all the stations have mean annual rainfall close to or within the limits except during El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) years. Harmonic analysis reveals 3 to 4 and 7-8 years inter-annual cycle of precipitation which correspond to the warm and cold ENSO cycle. Temperature has a bimodal variation through the twelve months in a year. The two maxima occur in March/April/May and October/November while the minimum is in July/August. Annual temperature trend is positive (small slope) in some stations while it is negative in some not necessarily depending on the position. Keywords : Climate-variability, confidence limits, productivity, drought African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development Vol. 9 (2) 2009: pp. 652-677
A qualitative investigation of parents' concerns, experiences and expectations in managing otitis media in children: implications for general practitioners

Antibiotic prescribing for acute otitis media is common and studies have failed to show significant short-term benefits for their use in the treatment of this condition. Antibiotic resistance is an escalating problem related to antibiotic use and the Department of Health has published guidelines advising that they are probably unnecessary in otitis media. The aims of this study were to primarily explore parents' ideas, concerns and experiences when consulting for otitis media in children. Secondly, to develop strategies that general practitioners can use to improve doctor–patient communication and the doctors' ability to negotiate management options acceptable to patients, taking into consideration current evidence-based guidelines. A qualitative research design using focus groups were employed. The study sample interviewed were parents of children. A total of 17 parents representing a range of ages and different socio-economic backgrounds attended the focus groups. Six major themes emerged from the analysis. These themes suggested that parents' were given little information and had a poor understanding of ear infections. They expected the general practitioner (GP) to primarily make a diagnosis followed by an explanation and discussion. Parents also wished to be reassured that their child was not suffering from anything more serious, in particular, meningitis. Most were happy not to have antibiotics prescribed and preferred the doctor to make the decision about the use of antibiotics. Parents were happy to consider seeing a practice nurse when their child presented with otitis media. The strategies recommended for general practitioners is to provide a diagnosis and reassure parents about meningitis and other long-term complications and to be aware that they may overestimate parents' expectations of a prescription. General practitioners should also be flexible in involving them in the decision making process.
Organização da demanda de um Centro de Especialidades Odontológicas

AbstractIntroduction : Secondary care in oral health in Brazil is still a little researched topic. Objective : The aim of this study was to analyze the resolution of dental services in SUS based on the referral to secondary attention and back-referral to primary attention. Methodology : It’s a descriptive, quantitative study that used secondary data collected from dental records of patients seen at Centre of Dental Specialties (Ceo) in a city of Sao Paulo State. Result : It was analyzed 1030 dental records. Just 1236 proceedings received referral to Ceo and among then, 86.4% showed the first attendance on Basic Health Unity (UBS) through spontaneous demand and 50.4% (n=623) received referral to endodontic treatment. There was evasion of 2.27% of studied population (n=28) on the first specialized consultation. Among 1208 proceedings that started the treatment in Ceo, 62.6% (n=757) were finalized and received back-referral to primary attention, that finalized 61.1% (n=463) of proceedings. To conclude the treatment, considering the time spent in Ceo and primary attention, there was variation according to specialty: periodontics – 62 days (sd ±68) and endodontics – 71 days (sd ±51.8), requiring 3 consultations in average, regardless specialty.
Preliminary studies on diuretic effect of hygrophila auriculata (schum) heine in rats

Purpose: Hygrophila auriculata is a traditional folk medicine widely used in the treatment of urinary infection, gout, hepatic obstruction and as a diuretic. This study was conducted to examine the diuretic effect of whole plant extracts and its fractions. Methods: The diuretic effect was examined by treating different groups of wistar albino rats with single (200 mg/kg) oral doses of alcoholic extract/fractions. Frusemide (10 mg/kg) was used as positive control in the study. The urine volume and electrolyte concentration (Na+, K+ and Cl-) were measured. Results: Out of the different fractions and extract, the n-butanol fraction (200 mg/kg) significantly and markedly increased the urine output (p < 0.01). The pattern of diuresis induced by the n-butanol fraction was almost similar to that produced by the frusemide. Conclusion: Hygrophila auriculata plant extract posesses diuretic effects in rats. Keywords: Hygrophila auriculata, Diuretics, Electrolytes, Terpenoid.
Pro-Inflammatory Cytokine Profile in Dairy Cows: Consequences for New Lactation

To verify the potential relevance of proinflammatory cytokine (PIC) with periparturient health problems and performances, the changes of plasma interleukin-1beta (IL-1β) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) have been investigated in 21 Holstein-Friesian cows from 35 d before to 28 d after parturition. The overall PIC concentration was higher during late pregnancy compared to the first month of lactation, but showed a high variability among the cows. Therefore, cows were retrospectively divided in 3 groups according to the values of area under the concentration curve of IL-1β concentrations from -35 d before to the day of parturition and designated as up (UPIL1), intermediate (INIL1) and low (LOIL1) IL-1β group. The concentrations of IL-6 and to some extent the concentrations of albumin and reactive oxygen metabolites (ROMs) were well related to the grouping based on IL-1β concentrations. After calving the UPIL1 cows showed a more severe acute phase reaction (APR), based on the marked increase of haptoglobin and the lower plasma albumin concentrations during the first week of lactation, and the highest oxidative stress, based on the higher concentrations of ROMs. Moreover, the UPIL1 group showed higher number of mastitis, lower feed intake and milk yield compared with INIL1 and LOIL1. Our results demonstrated that cows with the highest PIC concentrations in the last month of pregnancy showed the worse health status in early lactation (clinical and subclinical problems) and a lower milk yield. Thus, these data support the utility of PIC measurement in late pregnancy as prognostic markers for a risky transition period.
Gene therapy for therapeutic angiogenesis in peripheral arterial disease - a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials.

BACKGROUND Beyond pharmacological, endovascular and surgical treatment strategies for peripheral arterial disease (PAD), therapeutic angiogenesis has been advocated to relieve symptoms and support limb salvage, in particular in patients with critical limb ischemia. We aimed to systematically review randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of gene therapy in PAD. PATIENTS AND METHODS A systematic search of electronic databases was performed to identify RCTs studying local administration of pro-angiogenic growth factors (VEGF, FGF, HGF, Del-1, HIF-1alpha) using plasmid or viral gene transfer by intra-arterial or intra-muscular injections. Outcomes of interest comprised all-cause mortality, amputations, ulcer healing, walking distance and ankle-brachial index. If feasible, standard meta-analysis should be performed with subgroup analysis for claudicants and patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI). RESULTS The systematic search yielded 12 RCTs for analysis from 1163 citations. In total, 1494 patients (29 % females) were included with the majority suffering from CLI (64 %). Various endpoints were improved by single studies, but none by a majority of studies. Meta-analysis showed neither a significant benefit nor harm for gene therapy when synthesizing data for all-cause mortality (OR 0.88, 95 % CI 0.62 - 1.26) amputations (OR 0.64, 95 % CI 0.31 - 1.31) or ulcer healing (OR 1.79, 95 % CI 0.8 - 4.01). No differences were seen between patients with intermittent claudication or CLI. CONCLUSIONS Despite promising results in single studies, no clear benefit could be identified for gene therapy in PAD patients, irrespective of disease severity.
THE EFFECTSOF MULTIVITAMINS AND MINERALS ON CHILDREN WITH DOWN SYNDROME

The effects of high‐dosage multivitamin and mineral supplements on 15 children with Down syndrome aged between 7‐5 and 63 months were studied in a placebo‐controlled crossover trial. Active treatment was associated with decreased developmental progress, and various side‐effects were reported by the parents. The only suggestions of benefit were parents' observations of improvement in general appearance and skin freshness. However, the parents were willing to continue using the treatment and to recommend it to other parents, despite the side‐effects.
Fast and effective text mining using linear-time document clustering

Clustering is a powerful technique for large-scale topic discovery from text. It involves two phases: first, feature extraction maps each document or record to a point in high-dimensional space, then clustering algorithms automatically group the points into a hierarchy of clusters. We describe an unsupervised, near-linear time text clustering system that offers a number of algorithm choices for each phase. We introduce a methodology for measuring the quality of a cluster hierarchy in terms of FMeasure, and present the results of experiments comparing different algorithms. The evaluation considers some feature selection parameters (tfidfand feature vector length) but focuses on the clustering algorithms, namely techniques from Scatter/Gather (buckshot, fractionation, and split/join) and kmeans. Our experiments suggest that continuous center adjustment contributes more to cluster quality than seed selection does. It follows that using a simpler seed selection algorithm gives a better time/quality tradeoff. We describe a refinement to center adjustment, “vector average damping,” that further improves cluster quality. We also compare the near-linear time algorithms to a group average greedy agglomerative clustering algorithm to demonstrate the time/quality tradeoff quantitatively.
Identification of research priorities in occupational health

Commentary on the paper by Seidler et al ( Occup Environ Med , December 2004)* Dementia is among the most feared consequences of growing old, and with the aging of the generation born after World War II, its prevalence is expected to increase in most industrialised nations in the coming decades. Cognitive decline and dementia in late life are the result of multiple environmental and genetic risk factors interacting with multiple age related pathological changes taking place in the brain. The good news is that recent studies have identified a range of lifestyle factors associated with risk of dementia, including characteristic levels of cognitive, social, and physical activity and proneness to experience negative emotions, suggesting that some proportion of risk may be modifiable. In the December 2004 issue of Occupational and Environmental Medicine , Seidler and colleagues report an association between psychosocial features of the workplace environment and risk of dementia, with decreased risk in persons with more cognitively and socially challenging working conditions.1 The finding is noteworthy because few previous studies have examined the …
Paradoxical Gait at a Narrowed Entrance in a Patient with Hoehn-Yahr Stage III Parkinson’s Disease

Recently, we studied fallers and non-fallers with Hoehn-Yahr stage III Parkinson’s disease (PD) using a path that suddenly narrowed, which we originally designed and produced. A risk of future falls was suggested to be related to slow gait with freezing (SGF) elicited by a fear of falling before arrival at a narrowed entrance or while walking on a narrow path, as well as to the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale part II score, associated with SGF. In the same study, we had faller patients walk on a path that narrowed in a straight-line fashion to determine whether SGF could be improved. In one patient, who showed a unique paradoxical gait, SGF resolved. We describe this patient in the hope that our experience will provide potential clues to effective ways to prevent future falls in patients with Hoehn-Yahr stage III PD. To prevent gait instability elicited by fear of falling in patients with Hoehn-Yahr stage III PD, it might be useful to remove narrowed entrances.
Appraisal of the practice of ocular self-medication in Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana

The purpose of the present study was to assess the practice of ocular self-medication among people of the Cape Coast Metropolis, Central Region of Ghana. A population-based survey involving 421 respondents ≥18 years old was conducted. A pre-tested interview-based questionnaire was used to collect data on demographics, ocular symptoms for which selfmedication was practiced, medical knowledge and self-care orientation. Households were systematically and randomly selected as study units. Analysis was done using SPSS version 16. Descriptive results were expressed as frequency, percentage, and mean±standard deviation, X2 test was used for associations, and logistic regression was used to test for predictors of the practice of ocular self-medication. Prevalence of ocular self-medication was 23.3% with itchy eye being the main ocular symptom for which self-medication was practiced. Local pharmacies were the main source of drug for ocular self-medication. There was no association between medical knowledge and the practice of ocular self-medication (X2=0.126; P=0.722). Some 25.5% experienced adverse effects. In conclusion, the practice of ocular self-medication was without recourse to adequate concept of the practice of self-care but its negative effect was mitigated by the low self-care orientation of the people.
Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Contraceptive use in Married Women of Peshawar

Objectives: To determine the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) regarding family planning services among married women. Methods: A “cross sectional” study was done on 400 married women of Bhana Mari Union Council Peshawar. The sampling technique was systematic sampling. “Structured questionnaire” was used for measuring the knowledge, attitude and practices. SPSS version 16 was used for analysis of data and frequency. Results: It showed that about 70.4 % of married women were of age 25 to 40 years. Percentage of illiterate participants was (50.5%). Most married women (90.2%) had knowledge of the common types of contraceptives methods. Knowledge of women about condom was 35.9%, about oral pills was 27.7% and 26.2% knew about injections. Among the sampled population, 87.8% had positive attitudes towards family planning. Most married women were currently practicing oral pills and their husbands were currently practicing condoms. Conclusion: The study finding showed that women who were literate and in late young age used contraception.
Postoperative pain management with tramadol after craniotomy: evaluation and cost analysis.

OBJECT Patients undergoing craniotomies have traditionally received opiates with acetaminophen for the management of their postoperative pain. The use of narcotic pain medications can be costly, decrease rates of early postoperative ambulation, lengthen hospital stays, and alter a patient's neurological examination. The use of alternative pain medications such as tramadol may benefit patients by resolving many of these issues. METHODS The authors conducted a randomized, blinded prospective study to evaluate the efficacy of alternative pain management strategies for patients following craniotomies. Fifty patients were randomly assigned either to a control group who received narcotics and acetaminophen alone or an experimental group who received tramadol in addition to narcotic pain medications (25 patients assigned to each group). RESULTS The control group was noted to have statistically significant higher visual analog scale pain scores, an increased length of hospital stay, and increased narcotic use compared with the tramadol group. The narcotics and acetaminophen group also had increased hospitalization costs when compared with the tramadol group. CONCLUSIONS The use of scheduled atypical analgesics such as tramadol in addition to narcotics with acetaminophen for the management of postoperative pain after craniotomy may provide better pain control, decrease the side effects associated with narcotic pain medications, encourage earlier postoperative ambulation, and reduce total hospitalization costs.
Physician-Patient Racial Matching, Effectiveness of Care, Use of Services, and Patient Satisfaction

The authors examined how racial matching between older patients and physicians relates to effectiveness of care, use of services, and satisfaction with care. In this cross-sectional, community-based cohort study, 2,867 elderly African American and White North Carolina residents with regular physicians were interviewed and screened for hypertension (HBP). African Americans were more likely than Whites to be told they had HBP, to receive HBP medication, and to take it regardless of their physician’s race. White elders with African American physicians were more likely to report that they delayed care quite often. African American elders were less likely to delay care quite often, regardless of their physicians’ race. These results did not support the position that African Americans require treatment by African American physicians to achieve better care. Although elders of both races who had African American physicians were less satisfied with care received, interpretation of this finding is difficult without better measurement of patient satisfaction.
Ascorbic acid changes in three indigenous Kenyan leafy vegetables during traditional cooking

The ascorbic acid (vitamin C) contents in three fresh green leafy vegetables commonly consumed in Kenya namely, Amaranthus hybridus, Gynandropsis gynandra and Solanum nigrum L. and the changes during traditional cooking were measured. In the fresh leaves, the ascorbic acid varied from 123.8 mg/100 g fresh weight in A. hybridus to 189.2 mg/100 g fresh weight in G. gynandra. Cooking for 20 min in boiling water led to losses of between 75 and 89%. Smaller losses in ascorbic acid were observed when the leafy vegetables were cooked in two and four volumes of water. The loss in ascorbic acid as a function of cooking time was highest in S. nigrum while its loss as a function of volume of cooking water was highest in A. hybridus. Using loss in ascorbic acid as an index, it is proposed that controlling the time and amount of water used in cooking without sacrificing palatability could help, at least in part, in preventing loss in other essential nutrients during traditional cooking of the vegetables.