Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Video testimony of long-term hospitalized psychiatrically ill Holocaust survivors.

OBJECTIVE Many Holocaust survivors who have both psychotic disorders and residual symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) remain chronically hospitalized in psychiatric institutions. This study investigated the clinical benefits of a therapeutic process facilitating a detailed videotaped account of traumatic experience (testimony method) in elderly long-term hospitalized Holocaust survivors. METHOD Twenty-four schizophrenia patients (mean age=72.2 years) who were chronically hospitalized in Israeli state psychiatric hospitals underwent assessment by blind rating with a battery of psychiatric rating scales before and 4 months after extensive videotaped interview. The rating scales included the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale; Clinical Global Impression (CGI); Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE); Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale, Form 2; and Structured Interview for Disorders of Extreme Stress. Full pre- and postinterview data were available for 21 patients. RESULTS Thirty-eight percent of the patients met the criteria for PTSD at the first interview, compared with only 19% at the second interview. The patients had significant reductions in functional impairment and in the severity and intensity of all posttraumatic symptom clusters (intrusion, avoidance, hyperarousal); the avoidance cluster showed the most reduction. Eleven subjects had an improvement of 30% or more in total posttraumatic severity score. No differences in Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, MMSE, Structured Interview for Disorders of Extreme Stress, and CGI total scores were noted postinterview or between the two preinterview evaluation batteries in the comparison group. Female patients had a higher prevalence of PTSD symptoms. Total Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale, Form 2, scores and total Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale scores were inversely correlated both at baseline and at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS Study observations suggest clinical benefits of the testimony method in the alleviation of many posttraumatic symptoms, but not psychosis, in a cohort of psychiatrically ill Holocaust survivors, despite an interval of as many as 60 years since the traumatic events. The findings have implications for care and rehabilitation of patients many years after acute traumatic events.
Gout and the risk of epilepsy

Abstract Gout is a chronic disease related to uric acid metabolism. It involves crystals of uric acid accumulating in the joints, causing joint pain and releasing cytokines that trigger inflammation. Inflammation is a key component in the pathogenesis of epilepsy. Thus, we conducted a cohort study to investigate if epilepsy is associated with gout and determine the risk of epilepsy in patients with gout. The gout cohort was obtained from the Registry of Catastrophic Illnesses Patient Database (RCIPD). We identified 104,238 patients who were aged 20 years or more and newly diagnosed with gout between 2000 and 2011 and 3 outpatient visits or history of gout-specific hospitalization between 2000 and 2011. Patients without gout were frequency matched with the gout cohort at a 2:1 ratio according to age, sex, comorbidities, and year of gout diagnosis. The gout cohort showed a 1.27-fold higher overall crude hazard ratio (HR) for epilepsy compared with the control cohort. After we adjusted the analyses by age, sex, and comorbidities the gout patients displayed an increased risk of epilepsy compared with the control group (adjusted HR = 1.25, 95% confidence interval = 1.15–1.36). This study revealed a significantly higher risk of epilepsy in patients with gout. It provides further evidence for the debate around the effect of gout on brain health.
Trends in phage types and antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis isolated from animals in Great Britain from 1990 to 2005

Surveillance data for Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis incidents and isolations from food animals in Great Britain from 1990 to 2005 were analysed to detect any trends and provide the basis for a comparison between phage types (pt) and antimicrobial sensitivity patterns in human beings and animals. During 2001 to 2005 there was a decrease in incidents involving most species except ducks. Only the numbers of incidents involving pts 6, 6a, 9b and 14b (in ducks) and pts 6a and 13a (in mammals) increased significantly during this period, whereas there were 93 per cent fewer incidents involving pt 4 than in 1990 to 2000. After adjustment for pt, the isolates from ducks were more resistant to nalidixic acid, tetracyclines and sulfonamides, and were more likely to be multiresistant than isolates from chickens. Isolates from turkeys tended to be more resistant to sulfonamides than isolates from chickens. pts 1, 5a, 6, 6a and 35 had the highest level of resistance after adjusting for species. During 2001 to 2005 there was an increase in resistance among pts 1, 6 and 7, in most cases involving nalidixic acid.
Risk management aspects of implant dentistry.

PURPOSE To categorize and review complications related to implant dentistry that have resulted in legal actions. MATERIALS AND METHODS The records of 61 patients (39 women and 22 men) were retrospectively evaluated according to a structured form. Ages ranged from 28 years to 78 years (mean 49 +/- 12 years). The time lag in months between actual damage and legal action ranged from 0 months to 60 months (mean 12.7 months). RESULTS Implant type, length, width, and locations varied widely and had no impact on the liability report. Half of the lawsuits were filed as a result of actual body damage (loss of sensation, oroantral fistula, life-threatening bleeding); 35% of the lawsuits were filed because of late complications; and 15% were related to immediate complications not leading to actual body damage. The dental consultants acknowledged liability in 41 of 61 cases. The clinician's errors that led to the reported complication were classified as preoperative in 39 of 41 cases. The doctor's attitude was considered positive in 40 cases and negative in 17 cases. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS Clinicians should report as soon as possible to their insurance companies to get professional help. The main causes for lawsuits are actual body injury and major disappointment. Practitioners should dedicate a significant part of the entire treatment time to preoperative diagnosis and planning.
Observation of Quantum-Size Effects at Room Temperature on Metal Surfaces With STM

Surface steps act as confining barriers for electrons in metal-surface states. Thus, narrow terraces and small single-atom—high metal islands act as low-dimensional, electron-confining structures. In sufficiently small structures, quantum-size effects are observable even at room temperature. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy is used to image the probability amplitude distributions and discrete spectra of the confined states. Examination of the electronic structure of the steps provides evidence for electron-density smoothing and the formation of step-edge states. Estimates of the electron-confining barriers are obtained.
Rural Tourism and Livelihood Change: An Emic Perspective

Rural tourism is often considered a good option for rural development and poverty reduction. However, detailed examination of residents’ adaptation to rural tourism as a new livelihood is missing from the literature. In this study, ethnographic fieldwork was conducted in Chongdu Valley, China to gain insight to the transitions experienced by residents whose livelihood previously depended on agriculture and now relies on rural tourism. Detailed livelihood activities before and after tourism development and the adaptation process local residents engaged in were documented. Results suggested that adopting rural tourism as a new livelihood involved continuous negotiation, adjustment, and engagement. Strategies to help rural residents better adapt to rural tourism are discussed.
Effects of heat stress during pregnancy on postpartum reproductive changes in Holstein cows.

Effects of heat stress during the last third of gestation on reproductive changes postpartum were studied in Holstein cows. Cows and heifers 160 to 190 d of gestation were assigned in June 1978 to shade (n = seven cows and two heifers) or no shade (n = eight cows and two heifers) management treatments. After parturition, all cows (n = 19) were moved to the milking herd and managed uniformly. On the day of calving and on each Monday, Wednesday and Friday thereafter until d 50 postpartum, jugular blood samples were collected. Beginning approximately 7 d postpartum, the reproductive tract of each cow was examined rectally after collection of blood samples. Estrus was monitored twice daily and cows were inseminated after d 45 postpartum. Prepartum heat stress increased 13,14-dihydro-15-keto-prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGFM) concentrations postpartum and increased the rate of uterine involution. Regardless of prepartum treatment, progesterone concentrations indicated that luteal phases had begun by d 12.4 +/- 1.3 postpartum, which was about 3 d before PGFM was basal. The first luteal phase lasted only 10.7 +/- . 9 d. First estrus was not detected until d 32.3 +/- 4.8 postpartum. The previously gravid uterine horn had a negative effect on ovarian volume, diameter of the largest follicle and percentage of ovaries with a corpus luteum. However, prepartum heat stress attenuated this effect. This study indicates that heat stress prepartum had residual effects on postpartum reproductive changes, and that the previously gravid uterine horn exerted some control, which was attenuated by heat stress, over ovarian recrudescense. Even though heat stress prepartum affected sensitive measures of postpartum reproductive function, it did not alter days to first estrus, days open (102.3 +/- 13.1) or services/conception (2.5 +/- .3).
Properties of anticipatory vergence responses.

PURPOSE To characterize the dynamic properties of vergence eye movements made between near and far targets that were alternately illuminated with predictable timing. METHODS Using the magnetic search coil technique, eye movements were measured in 10 normal subjects as they shifted their point of fixation between a near green LED and a distant red laser spot, both aligned on subjects' midlines. Targets were alternately illuminated every 1.25 sec. RESULTS All subjects showed some anticipatory responses, consisting of vergence movements that preceded target jumps, accompanied by a small saccade. Group median anticipatory interval was 191 msec. Responses preceded target motion in 83% of divergence trials, and 70% of convergence trials. The velocities of both pre- and persaccadic components of anticipatory vergence responses were greater when the near target was positioned at 20-cm compared with at 36 cm. In control experiments, in which target presentation was unpredictable, vergence movements preceded stimuli in only approximately 2% of trials; for the group, vergence responses followed target presentation after a median interval of 183 msec. To determine whether anticipatory vergence movements depended on a memory of prior stimuli, trials were run in four subjects in which oddball stimuli required a different-sized vergence movement. Most responses to oddball stimuli were not significantly different from responses to the preceding stimuli. CONCLUSIONS Anticipatory vergence movements occur commonly in response to predictable stimulus movements in depth, but uncommonly when the timing of stimulus presentation is not predictable. The speed of anticipatory vergence movements is affected by stimulus amplitude. Properties of these movements are influenced by prior vergence responses, indicating that they depend on working memory.
Factors Influencing Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation Attendance

Purpose: In the current health climate, the length of stay of cardiac patients in hospital has been decreasing, and this has significantly reduced the time nurses and colleagues have for providing inpatient cardiac rehabilitation (CR). The purpose of this research was to determine if inpatient CR has an influence on outpatient cardiac rehabilitation attendance for women, Māori, and older people. Methods: An audit of patients discharged from hospital between November 2011 and July 2012 with a diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome were sent a postal questionnaire. Findings: The survey was completed by 143 people: 46% female, 12% Māori, and 70% >65 years. Only 38% attended outpatient CR on discharge. Reasons for not attending included lack of referral to CR, and 61% understood only some/none of the information given to them while in hospital. The Cardiac Rehabilitation Coordinator most consistently recommended attendance, but this invitation was extended after discharge from hospital. Conclusions: Attendance at outpatient CR is low and may increase with an improved individualized plan of care including greater cultural considerations and attention to discharge planning. An automatic referral tool as well as following evidence‐based guidelines for inpatient care may increase participation rates for CR. Clinical Relevance: Nursing staff have the majority of contact with patients and it appears that very few nurses are discussing CR programs with their patients. The information to attend CR should be offered by all of the health professionals patients meet during their stay in hospital.
“Prolonged grief disorder” and “persistent complex bereavement disorder”, but not “complicated grief”, are one and the same diagnostic entity: an analysis of data from the Yale Bereavement Study

There exists a general consensus that prolonged grief disorder (PGD), or some variant of PGD, represents a distinct mental disorder worthy of diagnosis and treatment. Nevertheless, confusion remains over whether different names and proposed symptom criteria for this disorder identify the same or different diagnostic entities. This study aimed to determine whether PGD, complicated grief (CG), and persistent complex bereavement disorder (PCBD) as described by the DSM‐5 are substantively or merely semantically different diagnostic entities. Data were derived from the Yale Bereavement Study, a longitudinal community‐based study of bereaved individuals funded by the US National Institute of Mental Health, designed explicitly to evaluate diagnostic criteria for disordered grief. The results suggested that the difference between PGD and PCBD is only semantic. The level of agreement between the original PGD test, a new version of the PGD test proposed for ICD‐11 and the PCBD test was high (pairwise kappa coefficients = 0.80‐0.84). Their estimates of rate of disorder in this community sample were similarly low (∼10%). Their levels of diagnostic specificity were comparably high (95.0‐98.3%). Their predictive validity was comparable. In contrast, the test for CG had only moderate agreement with those for PGD and PCBD; its estimate of rate of disorder was three‐fold higher (∼30%); its diagnostic specificity was poorer, and it had no predictive validity. We conclude that PGD, PCBD and proposed ICD‐11, but not CG, symptom‐diagnostic tests identify a single diagnostic entity. Ultimately, brief symptom‐diagnostic tests, such as the one proposed here for ICD‐11, may have the greatest clinical utility.
Central corneal thickness and glaucoma in East Asian people.

PURPOSE To examine the association between central corneal thickness (CCT) and glaucoma. METHODS This was a nested case-control study using 1090 subjects from an eye disease population survey in Singapore and 243 participants from a hospital glaucoma surgery clinical trial in Singapore. RESULTS Mean CCT in 938 community subjects was 539 μm ± 32 μm, and in 12 community subjects with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) the mean CCT was 545 μm ± 38 μm. In the hospital cohort, mean CCT was 552 μm ± 38 μm in 138 patients with POAG and 551 μm ± 33 μm in 105 patients with primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG). No individuals had undergone previous intraocular surgery or had other significant ocular pathology. Regression models showed POAG diagnosis was not associated with CCT (P = 0.42) or age (P = 0.062) in community subjects but was associated with IOP (P = 0.005). Similar analyses for hospital cases showed CCT to be significantly higher in both POAG and PACG (both P = 0.001), but this became nonsignificant after controlling for IOP and age (P = 0.26, POAG; P = 0.08, PACG). Both age (P = 0.043) and IOP (P = 0.001) were highly associated with hospital POAG; only IOP (P = 0.001) was associated with hospital PACG. Further regression analyses for community subjects showed diabetic status and pseudophakia had no significant effect on CCT (P = 0.33 and P = 0.11, respectively). CONCLUSIONS The authors found no evidence to support the previous observation that thinner corneas may be independently associated with POAG or PACG. Age and IOP are significantly associated with CCT, and this should be taken into account by future studies investigating CCT as an independent risk factor for glaucoma diagnosis.
Clinical manifestations and predictors of disease progression in drug users with human immunodeficiency virus infection.

BACKGROUND AND METHODS To examine the clinical course of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in injection-drug users, we conducted a prospective study of a cohort of patients in a methadone-treatment program in New York City from July 1985 through December 1990. The patients underwent standardized evaluations at base line and semiannually thereafter and received on-site primary medical care. Rates of progression to the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and major outcomes before the development of AIDS were examined by univariate analyses; the risk of AIDS was also assessed by product-limit survival analysis and proportional-hazards regression. RESULTS Of 318 HIV-seropositive patients who did not yet have AIDS (171 men and 147 women), 90 were black, 179 were Hispanic, and 49 were white; the median age was 33 years. Over a median of 3.0 years of follow-up, 55 (17 percent) received a diagnosis of AIDS (incidence per 100 person-years, 5.8). Major outcomes before the development of AIDS included oral candidiasis (incidence per 100 person-years, 11.2), pyogenic bacterial infections including pneumonia and sepsis (8.0), pulmonary tuberculosis (1.2), multiple constitutional symptoms (13.6), and herpes zoster (1.3). There were 41 deaths from AIDS, and 13 seropositive patients without AIDS (4.1 percent) died of bacterial infections, as compared with only 1 of 411 seronegative patients studied (P < 0.001). The incidence of AIDS was 62 percent lower among those who took zidovudine than among those who did not (P = 0.02). In the multivariate analysis, progression to AIDS was best predicted by low numbers and percentages of CD4+ lymphocytes, nonuse of zidovudine, and the presence of oral candidiasis, bacterial infections, or tuberculosis. There was no consistent relation between progression to disease and the continued use of injection drugs. CONCLUSIONS HIV-infected injection-drug users have progression to AIDS at rates comparable to those of other HIV-infected groups, but they have substantial pre-AIDS morbidity and mortality, particularly from bacterial infections, which also appear to predict disease progression.
Work-related Symptoms and Inflammation among Sewage Plant Operatives

Abstract Sewage operatives at five sewage treatment plants (n = 59) and controls not exposed to sewage (n = 55) were examined to determine work-related symptoms and inflammatory responses. Symptoms were elicited using a questionnaire, and spirometry was performed. Inflammatory markers were determined in blood and nasal lavage. Workplace endotoxin and hydrogen sulfide were measured and adeno- and enterovirus antibodies were evaluated in blood. Gastrointestinal and airway symptoms, joint pains, unusual tiredness, and toxic pneumonitis were more common among operatives, and the proportion of blood neutrophils was higher among operatives as compared with controls. A relationship was found between several reported symptoms and the inflammatory markers. Hydrogen sulfide levels were very low. Endotoxin levels were generally low, but high at some work sites.
Evolution of the Gender Wage Gap in Austria

EU-SILC data from 2005 to 2015 indicate that, generally, the gap between mean wages earned by women and men in Austria is closing. The part of the gender gap that cannot be explained by observed characteristics widened before the financial market crisis broke out in 2008, but has since declined, altogether dropping by 3.0 percentage points between 2005 and 2015. During the same period, that part of the gender wage gap which is explained by observable characteristics rose by 0.7 percentage point. Men and women have become, on average, more equal both in terms of observable and unobservable characteristics which, ultimately, leads to a decline of the gender wage gap.
In Vitro Studies Demonstrate Anticancer Activity of an Alkaloid of the Plant Gelsemium sempervirens

The chemical structure of the main fluorescenting compound in the ethanolic extract (mother tincture) of the American yellow jasmine, Gelsemium sempervirens, was determined by employing 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), 13C NMR, mass spectroscopy, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), correlation spectroscopy (COSY), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analyses. Spectrofluorometric analysis has been made of the mother tincture and its agitated serial dilutions (up to 12th potency) prepared according to a homeopathic procedure in which serial, agitated dilutions were made separately in glass and polypropylene containers. The succussions were made by employing three different modes: hand jerk, sonication, and vortexing. The chemical formula of scopoletin, the main fluorescent compound, was determined to be C10H8O4 having a molecular weight of 192.17. Significant differences were noted between the remedies prepared in the two types of containers. Further, a comparison between any two methods of agitation revealed significant differences in fluorometric data of remedies at certain potency levels. The biological (anticancer) action of the crude extract, the alkaloid scopoletin, and 2C potency of Gelsemium sp were tested in vitro on the HeLa cell line through fluorescence microscopy, the 3(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, and fluorescent activated cell sorting (FACS). The role of nanoparticles presumably derived from the containers, their orientation, and their interaction with the starting substance during the dynamization process initiated by different modes of agitation could possibly be attributed to the differences noted in the fluorometric data of potencies prepared in the two types of containers and among the three different means of succussion tested.
Corruption, Political Stability and Illicit Financial Outflows in Sub-Saharan Africa

This paper examines the effect of corruption control and political stability on illicit financial outflows in Sub-Saharan Africa. We use a balanced panel data from the World Bank, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and Global Financial Integrity on Sub-Saharan African countries covering the period 2005-2014. Our regression estimates reveal that a unit increase in political stability and corruption control reduce illicit financial outflow due to misinvoicing in merchandise trade by an average of US$ 20.5 million and US$ 44.3 million respectively. The results also show that high trade rating, financial sector rating and exchange rates reduce illicit financial outflows while an increase in foreign direct investment and inflation increase illicit financial outflow. We recommend that governments in Sub-Saharan Africa countries must ensure that institutions responsible for fighting corruption and enhancing stable governance are well empowered and given the needed resources to work effectively to reduce corruption to the barest minimum.