Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Anatomical Variations of the Saphenous and Descending Genicular Artery Perforators: Cadaveric Study and Clinical Implications for Vascular Flaps

Background: With increasing use of free vascular flaps of the saphenous artery and descending genicular artery, the authors investigated the anatomical variations in cadavers. Methods: Thirty-one fresh cadaveric thighs were studied by anatomical dissection. The perforators and their source arteries were skeletonized along their courses to the superficial femoral artery and measured. The perforators' nomenclature and abbreviations were modified from the Gent consensus. The skin and bone perforators were evaluated for their role in skin, bone, and osteocutaneous flaps. Results: The descending genicular artery was noted in 27 thighs (87 percent) and gave rise to at least one skin perforator that could be used to develop an osteocutaneous flap. The chimeric pedicle length increased and the chimeric arm length decreased, as the descending genicular artery skin perforators were more distally located. The saphenous artery was noted in all 31 thighs, and in 16 (52 percent) it originated from the superficial femoral artery. Most musculocutaneous perforators of the saphenous artery were associated with the sartorius, whereas those of the descending genicular artery were associated with the vastus medialis. Superficial femoral artery skin perforators were noted in 10 thighs (32 percent). Two clinical cases, illustrating the use of the descending genicular artery vastus medialis perforator flap and of the distal-direct perforator osteocutaneous flap, are reported. Conclusions: This study investigated the anatomical variations in the skin and bone perforators of the medial knee. Free skin or bone flaps were achieved in all specimens and osteocutaneous chimera flaps were achieved in 87 percent of the thighs.
Premature menopause: multiple disruptions between the woman's biological body experience and her lived body.

AIM OF THE STUDY The aim of this phenomenological study was to find out what menopause was like as an experience for women who were not yet 40 years old. BACKGROUND Women's bodies have naturally occurring rhythms and expected transitions related to their menstrual cycle. One transition that all women will experience, provided they live long enough, is menopause. Menopause involves hormonal changes that result, on average (for Australian women), in the cessation of menstruation around 51 years of age. When women experience menopause prior to the age of 40 years it is defined (medically) as premature. While there is abundant literature on menopause as a biological event, the experience of premature menopause has been paid little attention and dismissed as a 'mystery'. This study intended to uncover some of the so-called 'mystery' of the experience from the perspective of the women. RESEARCH METHODS Hermeneutic phenomenology and feminist philosophy informed this study involving 35 women, all of whom volunteered to participate. They responded to newspaper articles, a radio announcement and through a midlife and menopause support centre. Thirty women engaged in separate face-to-face conversational style interviews. The remaining five women participated in a collaborative interview after some themes were identified through preliminary analysis of the transcripts of the one-on-one interviews. With the consent of participants, all interviews were audio-taped and later transcribed. FINDINGS This study revealed that the experience of menopause came as a shock for the women--it was perceived as a major epiphany in their lives and they were confronted with a multitude of issues related to the timing of the event and their embodied understanding of menopause. The experience of menopause resulted in multiple disruptions in the women's lives. The women discussed many aspects of their lives that now seemed to be 'out of synchrony'.
Effect of sevoflurane on the ex vivo secretion of TNF‐&agr; during and after coronary artery bypass surgery

Background and objective: Sevoflurane has been used for the induction and maintenance of anaesthesia during cardiac surgery owing to its favourable haemodynamic effects. It has been suggested that it offers protection against myocardial ischaemia‐reperfusion injury. Methods: We investigated the effect of sevoflurane on plasma concentrations of tumour necrosis factor‐&agr; (TNF‐&agr;) after ex vivo stimulation of whole‐blood leukocytes by lipopolysaccharide from 20 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery. The patients were randomized to two groups. Group 1 patients were induced and maintained with sevoflurane; those in Group 2 were anaesthetized with moderate doses of midazolam‐sufentanil. Blood samples were drawn from the patients on seven occasions from before induction of anaesthesia until 24 h after skin closure. Results: Plasma concentrations of TNF‐&agr; were lower in Group 1 than in Group 2 after cessation of cardiopulmonary bypass (median (interquartiles): 25 (21‐30) versus 37 (28‐79) pg mL−1; P < 0.05) and 24 h after skin closure (196 (100‐355) versus 382 (233‐718) pgmL−1; P < 0.05). Postoperatively, two cases of myocardial infarction were recorded, one in each group. Six patients in Group 2 needed continued inotropic support after the first morning to maintain haemodynamic stability versus one patient in Group 1 (P < 0.05). The length of stay in the intensive care unit was significantly lower in Group 1 than in Group 2 (mean ± SD: 25 ± 16 versus 54 ± 30 h; P < 0.05). Conclusions: Sevoflurane reduces production of TNF‐&agr; more than total intravenous anaesthesia with midazolam‐sufentanil during cardiac surgery. This may reduce cardiac morbidity and the length of stay in the intensive care unit.
Pneumatic position servo control considering the proportional valve zero point

With the improvement of the performance and the reduction in the cost of the pneumatic proportional valve, the simple structure pneumatic position servo system is widely applied in various fields. However, the high accuracy tracking control is still a challenge, because the accurate parameters of the pneumatic system are unavailable. The situation becomes even worse, when the zero point of proportional valve is unknown. The impact of the inaccurate valve zero point will be accumulated due to the integration property of the valve, which degrades the tracking performance. To deal with this problem, an adaptive backstepping sliding mode control method is proposed in this paper. The zero point of the proportional valve is treated as an uncertain parameter and estimated online. The proposed controller is proved to be stable, thus the tracking error asymptotically converges to zero by using Lyapunov theorem. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed approach, as compared with the method without considering the valve zero point.
Nanomaterials in Humans

Nanomaterials are increasingly being used for commercial purposes. However, concerns about the potential risks of exposure to humans have been raised. We previously reported unusual pulmonary disease and death in a group of patients with occupational exposure to spray paint. However, the nanoparticle and chemical composition of the exposure was not fully described. The present study aimed to isolate and identify the nanoparticles observed in the patients’ biopsies and report the potential deleterious effects to human lungs using electron microscopy. Using electron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray analysis, silica nanoparticles were identified and characterized mainly in macrophages, pulmonary microvessels, vascular endothelial cells, microlymphatic vessels, pleural effusions, and a few in alveolar epithelial cells and pulmonary interstitial tissue (with no microscale particles present). Notably, damage to alveolar epithelial cells, macrophages, vascular endothelial cells, and the blood–gas barrier was observed. Given the well-documented toxicity of microscale silica, it is possible that these silica nanoparticles may have contributed in part to the illness reported in these workers. Such a possibility supports the adoption of controls and prevention strategies to minimize inhalation of nanoparticles by workers, and it highlights the urgent need and the importance of the nanosafety study in humans.
A novel population of natural killer progenitor cells isolated from human umbilical cord blood.

In this report, we describe the isolation of a unique subpopulation of CD7+ cells from human fetal blood. Umbilical cord blood was first immuno-rosette-depleted using T cell, B cell, granulocyte, and macrophage markers to isolate a Lin- population. The Lin- cells were further characterized by cell sorting. As expected, the CD34+Lin- population (30%) was homogeneous and highly enriched for hemopoietic progenitors. Somewhat surprisingly, the CD34-Lin- population was also shown to be relatively homogeneous, with over 95% of cells expressing CD7. This CD34-Lin-CD7+ population was shown to be negative for all other T cell markers tested (i.e., CD7+1-2-3-4-8-). However, approximately 30% of these cells were positive for the NK cell surface markers CD16 and CD56 (CD7+NK+). Both CD7+NK+ and CD7+NK- populations proliferated in response to stimulation in vitro with IL-2/PHA/PHA-conditioned medium. After such treatment, approximately 40% of the CD7+NK- acquired CD56 and 20% CD16, whereas about 20% of the CD7+NK+ population became CD2+. The significance of the 60% of CD7+NK- cells that did not acquire other markers remains to be determined. In addition, although neither population was cytotoxic when first isolated, both populations acquired the ability to lyse the NK target cell line K562 while cultured under these conditions. These data suggest that these two populations may represent a developmental sequence among NK cell precursors in human umbilical cord blood. Additional analysis of such precursors may be useful in understanding the ontogeny of NK cells in vivo.
A Pilot Study of Methyiphenidate, Clonidine, or the Combination in ADHD Comorbid with Aggressive Oppositional Defiant or Conduct Disorder

A pilot comparison of the safety and efficacy of methylphenidate (MPH) combined with clonidine, clonidine monotherapy, or MPH monotherapy in 6to 16-year-old children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and comorbid aggressive oppositional defiant disorder or conduct disorder was completed. Study design was a 3-month, randomized, blinded, group comparison with eight subjects per group. No placebo comparison was used. All three treatment groups showed significant improvements in attention deficits, impulsivity, oppositional, and conduct disordered symptoms as assessed by parent and teacher rating scales and laboratory measures. Significant differences among treatment groups were found only on a few measures. Only the clonidine monotherapy group showed significantly decreased fine motor speed. These results suggest the safety and efficacy of clonidine alone or in combination with MPH for the treatment of ADHD and aggressive oppositional and conduct disorders.
Associations of mindfulness with depressive symptoms and well-being in older adults: the moderating role of neuroticism

ABSTRACT Objective: To investigate whether observed interactions of mindfulness with the personality trait neuroticism extend to older adults and to aspects of psychological functioning other than depressive symptoms, and whether effects of mindfulness training in this population depend on levels of neuroticism. Method: We performed a secondary analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) for community-dwelling older adults. We investigated whether neuroticism moderates associations of dispositional mindfulness with various aspects of psychological and physical functioning at baseline, as well as effects of MBSR on these outcomes. Results: Significant two-way interactions showed that greater mindfulness was associated with fewer depressive symptoms and less negative affect at baseline in individuals with average or higher levels of neuroticism. In contrast, mindfulness was associated with greater positive affect and vitality and fewer physical symptoms regardless of the level of neuroticism. There were no effects of MBSR on these outcomes at any level of neuroticism. Conclusion: Mindfulness may be more protective against psychological ill-being in older adults with higher levels of neuroticism, but conducive to positive psychological and physical well-being regardless of this personality trait. The potential moderating role of neuroticism should be further evaluated in studies of mindfulness-based interventions in older adults.
Brain Single Photon Emission Computed Tomographic Evaluation of Patients With Childhood Absence Epilepsy

This study was performed to determine the utility of 99mTc-hexamethylpropylenamine oxime (HMPAO) brain single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in evaluating patients with childhood absence epilepsy. Twenty-three patients (13 female, 10 male), aged 7 to 15 years (mean age 10.3 ± 2.2), were studied. All patients underwent a detailed neurologic examination, interictal and ictal electroencephalography (EEG), computed tomography, and/or magnetic resonance imaging, and SPECT. The baseline study was performed during the interictal period and the activation study was performed on a separate day while the patients were having seizures provoked by hyperventilation. Their EEGs were monitored at the same time. Transaxial, sagittal, and coronal slices were obtained for both studies. The mean counts per pixel were calculated on 11 regions of interest on three representative transaxial slices. Count density was calculated for each region. Region-to-occipital cortex ratios were obtained. For each region, normalized ratios were used to obtain a side-to-side percent asymmetry index between baseline and activation studies. Visual interpretation of the baseline study showed that 10 of the 23 patients had a detectable abnormality in regional cerebral blood flow during the interictal period. These abnormalities consisted of relative hypoperfusion in the frontal lobes that could involve neighboring parietal and temporal regions. The activation study revealed that 13 of 23 patients had relative hyperperfusion in these brain regions that were relatively hypoperfused in the baseline study. These hyperperfused regions occupied larger areas than baseline hypoperfused regions. All patients had global increased perfusion in the ictal study. The side-to-side asymmetry indexes for these visually interpreted regional cerebral blood flow abnormalities ranged from 2 to 6%. The relatively consistent pattern of frontal regional cerebral blood flow alterations suggests that altered frontal lobe functions can be implicated in patients with childhood absence epilepsy. (J Child Neurol 2003;18:542—548).
Subaponeurotic haemorrhage in the 1990s: a 3‐year surveillance

A 3‐year survey of subaponeurotic haemorrhage (January 1991 to December 1993) in a tertiary referral centre in Hong Kong revealed that the incidence of this life‐threatening condition was 6.4 per 1000 ventouse‐associated deliveries, which is 60‐fold more common than with other modes of childbirth. We highlight a lesser known phenomenon of marked male predominance (male to female ratio 8:1). Three of 18 (17%) infants with subaponeurotic haemorrhage died. Severe subaponeurotic haemorrhage with a decrease in venous haematocrit > 25% of the baseline value at birth and requiring urgent blood transfusion in the first 12 h, in association with significant birth asphyxia with arterial cord blood pH < 7.20 and 1‐minApgar score3 were the most important risk factors for death. A worrying feature was the silent presentation of occult subaponeurotic haemorrhage in two of the fatal cases. Frequent monitoring of haematocrit, early and rapid restoration of blood volume and prompt commencement of cardiac inotropes are the keys to the management of this condition, which should be suspected in all ill newborn infants subjected to the ventouse applicator, Cord blood pH, haematocrit, subaponeurotic haemorrhage, ventouse
Functional Stereotactic Surgery for Treatment of Cervical Dystonia: Review of the Experience from the Lesional Era

Background: Functional stereotactic neurosurgery has been rediscovered as a powerful tool to treat various manifestations of medically refractory dystonia. The purpose of this study was to provide the first systematic review of previous experience with thalamic and basal ganglia surgery in the treatment of cervical dystonia (CD). Methods: A comprehensive review of the literature published between 1950 and 1990 was performed. In addition, data from an unpublished doctoral thesis on 162 patients with CD operated on by Mundinger between 1972 and 1986 were analyzed. Results: Overall, there is published documentation of experience with more than 300 patients with CD who underwent functional stereotactic surgery between the late 1950s and the early 1980s. In general, amelioration of CD was achieved in about 50–70% of patients in most studies. Bilateral surgery generally provided better outcomes than unilateral surgery. Postoperative benefit was reported to become evident only after a delay in several studies. Some reports demonstrated sustained benefit after follow-up of more than 5 years. Bilateral procedures, in particular bilateral thalamotomies, were clearly associated with a higher rate of postoperative side effects, such as dysarthria, dysphagia and ataxia, ranging from 20 to 70%. In the first decade after its introduction, thalamotomy was the preferred procedure. Later, the subthalamic area was targeted more frequently in order to affect pallidal outflow. Experience with targeting the pallidum proper was limited. Functional stereotactic surgery for CD was abandoned in the late 1970s for several reasons, including the general decline in movement disorder surgery at that time, the introduction of selective peripheral denervation and the widespread and beneficial use of botulinum toxin soon thereafter. Conclusions: Functional stereotactic surgery for treatment of CD has a rich history. There are several lessons to be learned from review of earlier experience. Contemporary techniques have led to a significant improvement in the benefit to risk ratio, in particular regarding bilateral surgery.
A Review of the Archival Literature on Audit Partners

SYNOPSIS The last decade has witnessed a boom in archival studies examining auditing at the partner level. This research is timely because audit partners' names in the United States have been publicly disclosed starting in 2017. This paper reviews the existing archival literature on audit partners, discusses some concerns with certain aspects of the literature, and provides some suggestions for future research.
General and Test Anxiety, Shyness, and Grade Point Average of Elementary School Children of Divorced and Nondivorced Parents

116 boys and girls in elementary Grades 4, 5, and 6 were administered the General Anxiety Scale, Test Anxiety Scale, and the Shyness Scale. Their GPAs were obtained from school records as were Normal Curve Equivalents from the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills given the previous school year. Children of divorced parents (n = 31) had lower GPAs than children of nondivorced parents (n = 85). The girls had higher GPAs and general anxiety scores than the boys. The students who scored lower on test anxiety had higher Normal Curve Equivalents. Pearson correlations were significant for scores on Test Anxiety with those on general anxiety (r = .57), GPA (r = − .25), and Normal Curve Equivalents (r = – .26). Normal Curve Equivalents correlated significantly with GPA (r = .66), but shyness did not correlate significantly with any other measure.
Epidemiological aspects in neuroschistosomiasis.

UNLABELLED The urbanization process of schistosomiasis has been described in the literature. The present report shows and discusses some epidemiological aspects of neuroschistosomiasis that emphasizes this trend. METHOD The study was done between July, 2005 and June, 2006, and consisted of spinal cord schistosomiasis carriers at the moment of diagnosis. These patients were evaluated whatever the origin and period of the year that they developed the symptoms. RESULTS A total of 13 patients were evaluated. Ten cases (76.92%) came from the Metropolitan Region of Recife, while the other zones (Zona da Mata, Agreste e Sertão) contributed with just three cases (23.07%). October, November and December (post rainy period) concentrated the majority of the cases (61.54%). CONCLUSION The high spatial and temporal concentration of cases in relation to a recent endemic area for Schistosomiasis suggests that the immunological status may be an important factor for installation of Sschistosomal myelitis.
Factors influencing the use of maternal healthcare services in Ethiopia.

This study examined the factors that influence the use of maternal healthcare services in Ethiopia and particularly assessed the use of antenatal and delivery-care services. Data for the study were drawn from the 2000 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was employed to explore the relative importance of a number of demographic and sociocultural variables in the likelihood of using these services. Results of the study showed that the coverage of maternity-care services was very low in Ethiopia, i.e. about 27% and 6% of women, respectively, received professionally-assisted antenatal and delivery-care services in the five years preceding the survey. The study also revealed that demographic and sociocultural factors were the most important aspects that influenced the use of maternal healthcare services in Ethiopia. The independent factors influencing the use of maternal healthcare services included education of mothers, marital status, place of residence, parity, and religion. However, this cannot detract from the relevance of service-related factors, especially in the rural areas of the country.
Balloon dilation for eustachian tube dysfunction: systematic review

Abstract Background: Eustachian tube dysfunction is a disorder for which there are limited medical and surgical treatments. Recently, eustachian tube balloon dilation has been proposed as a potential solution. Method: A systematic literature review was performed. Abstracts were selected for relevance, and pooled data analysis and qualitative analysis was conducted. Results: Nine prospective studies, describing 713 eustachian tube balloon dilations in 474 patients (aged 18–86 years), were identified. Follow-up duration ranged from 1.5 to 18 months. Ability to perform a Valsalva manoeuvre improved from 20 to 177 out of 245 ears following eustachian tube balloon dilation and, where data were reported in terms of patient numbers, from 15 to 189 out of 210 patients. Tympanograms were classified as type A in 7 out of 141 ears pre-operatively and in 86 out of 141 ears post-operatively. Conclusion: Prospective case series can confirm the safety of eustachian tube balloon dilation. As a potential solution for chronic eustachian tube dysfunction, further investigations are warranted to establish a higher level of evidence of efficacy.
New Resolution of the Unbalance Power According to Std. 1459

Harmonic distortion and load unbalances have been an important issue in the last few years, motivating a large number of studies in active power compensators used for the power network quality improvement. Following an approach similar to the one used in IEEE Std. 1459 for the non-fundamental effective apparent power, a new resolution of the unbalance power is presented in this paper. The proposed power magnitudes allow explanation of the results obtained when shunt active power compensators are used in customer installations to improve the power quality. Related to the new unbalance power resolution, new merit factors are introduced in this paper to provide a measure of the quality level in the installation. Simulated and experimental results are analyzed in the paper by using the proposed resolution.