Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Compliance with hand hygiene in hospitals in Frankfurt/Main, Germany.

Hand disinfection is an essential, indeed, if not the most important, measure in preventing infection. Within the framework of an inspection of hygiene practices carried out in 2006 in Frankfurt hospitals pursuant to Article 36 of the German Protection against Infection Act [1], doctors and nurses were surveyed by staff of the Municipal Health Office on basic issues of hand hygiene and asked to carry out hygienic hand disinfection. This survey revealed that mistakes were noted among doctors, in particular, and that these were fewer in the case of nurses. For example, between 40 and 50 % of doctors wore hand jewellery, including rings, compared with around 20 % of nurses; around three-quarters of doctors who were asked to demonstrate hand disinfection did so properly, compared with nine out of ten nurses. Often, staff were not sufficiently conversant with the recommendations on hand hygiene formulated by the Commission for Hospital Hygiene and Infection Prevention [2] or these were not complied with. Furthermore, for a number of years now the Health Office had been asking the hospitals about the amount of hand disinfectants consumed, as an indicator for implementation of hand hygiene requirements. To begin with, the entire consumption per hospital was recorded, but this can only serve as a rough guide and depends to a large extent on the surgical and functional departments. For the past two years hospitals have been asked to give the consumption on the basis of the different departments. In addition, the number of patient days were ward was recorded. This paper outlines the results recorded for 2007 and gives an overview of developments aimed at improving hand Summary
Synthesis, Characterization and Some Biological Properties of PVA/PVP/PN Hydrogel Nanocomposites: Antibacterial and Biocompatibility

Abstract In this study, it was aimed to synthesize hydrogel based antibacterial, biocompatible and non-toxic wound dressing materials by solvent removal method usingpoly(vinylalcohol) (PVA), poly(vinylpyrolidone) (PVP) and nano pomegranate seed (PN). The morphology, swelling capacity, contact angle, antibacterial activity, biocompatibility and cytotoxicity of the synthesized films were determined. From the experimental findings, it was found that the PN particles were nano-sized, showed homogeneous and spherical distribution and improved the hydrophobic properties of the materials obtained by the addition of PN. And also, their swelling capacities were decreased with increased PN amount and all of the materials showed similar antibacterial activity, hemocompatibility and cytotoxicity.
Perfil do profissional de nível superior na Estratégia Saúde da Família

Objetivo: Investigar o perfil do cirurgiao-dentista (CD), enfermeiro e medico da Estrategia Saude de Familia (ESF) de Anapolis-GO, Brasil. Metodos: Pesquisa descritiva com abordagem quanti-qualitativa. Utilizou-se questionario estruturado com questoes fechadas e abertas para 136 profissionais da ESF de Anapolis-GO, Brasil, ano de 2008. Os dados quantitativos foram tabulados e utilizou-se a tecnica da analise de conteudo para os dados qualitativos. Resultados: A maioria dos profissionais pesquisados era do sexo feminino, sendo 22 (78,5%) CD, 30 (96,8%) enfermeiras e nove (56,3%) medicas; na faixa etaria de 20 a 30 anos, dos quais 21 (75%) eram CD, 22 (71%) enfermeiros e 10 (62,5%) medicos. A maioria era recem-formada (0 a 5 anos desde a graduacao), com destaque para 28 (90,3%) enfermeiros. Quase todos residiam no municipio de Anapolis, com excecao de 4 (14,3%) CD. A maioria, 25 (89,2%) CD, 21 (67,74%) enfermeiros e 12 (75%) medicos, cursou posgraduacao. As atividades clinicas eram mais realizadas pelos 27 (96,4%) CD e 16 (100%) medicos, enquanto as preventivas eram mais realizadas por 28 (90,3%) enfermeiros. A maioria, 26 (92,9%) CD, 31(100%) enfermeiros e 14 (87,5%) medicos, acreditava na proposta de mudanca de modelo de atencao a saude da ESF. Questoes estruturais e organizacionais influenciavam o trabalho, expectativas e motivacoes dos profissionais. Conclusao: O perfil do profissional de nivel superior da Estrategia Saude da Familia de Anapolis-GO e principalmente do sexo feminino, jovem, residente na cidade, com curso de pos-graduacao e acredita na proposta da ESF. Ha indicios de que o enfermeiro e o que mais se aproxima dessa estrategia. A pos-graduacao em saude coletiva e a enfase nas atividades preventivas pelos enfermeiros sao fatores relevantes neste perfil
Are physiotherapy graduates adequately prepared to to manage hiv/aids patients

Physiotherapy learners treat patients with Human Immuno-deficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS). There is no available published research on physiotherapy learners' opinions about how the South Afican physiotherapy undergraduate program is helping them cope with HIV/AIDS patients. This study determines whether the physiotherapy degree offered at South African Universities, adequately prepares learners to cope with HIV/AIDS patients. Differences in knowledge and attitudes of physiotherapy learners regarding HIV/AIDS, amongst universities is also explored. Two hundred and two senior physiotherapy learners from eight South African universities returned their questionnaires and 55% of these were viable for analysis. A large portion (79%) of learners indicated that the physiotherapy undergraduate degree did not adequately prepare them to cope with HIV/AIDS patients. Learners' knowledge and attitudes regarding HIV/AIDS differed significantly (41% to 73%) amongst universities. Formal lectures on HIV/AIDS significantly affected knowledge (0% -100%) but not attitude towards patients. The role of the physiotherapist, precautions, transmission modes, syndrome stages, counseling and clinical skills were considered critical in the management of HIV/AIDS patients.
∂ ∂ ∂ ∂ + ∂ ∂ − = ∂ ∂

The objective of the present work was to perform a detailed numerical study of laminar fully developed forced convection in a pipe partially filled with a porous medium. The Brinkman-Forchheimerextended Darcy model is adopted for the porous matrix region, which is attached at the pipe wall and extends inward, toward the centerline. The effects of the Darcy number Da , the thickness of porous layer S and the thermal conductivity ratio, k R , are investigated. The results showed that as thickness of the porous layer increases or the Darcy number decreases, the pressure drop grows. It was found that, the dependence of the Nusselt number Nu on S is not straightforward. For a higher thermal conductivity porous material, the Nusselt number increases monotonically with increasing S while for a lower value of k R a minimum exists in the Nu distributions. The obtained results show that increasing either the Darcy number or the thermal conductivity of porous material improves the heat transfer. Further, for highly permeable and conducting porous media, it may not be necessary to fill the pipe cross section completely to attain the maximum heat transfer. Key-Words: Forced convection, Nusselt, Porous medium, Pressure Drop, SIMPLER, Thickness,
A 10% Increase in Step Rate Improves Running Kinematics and Clinical Outcomes in Runners With Patellofemoral Pain at 4 Weeks and 3 Months

Background: Aberrant frontal-plane hip and pelvis kinematics have been frequently observed in runners with patellofemoral pain (PFP). Gait retaining interventions have been shown to improve running kinematics and may therefore be beneficial in runners with PFP. Purpose: To investigate whether a 10% increase in the running step rate influences frontal-plane kinematics of the hip and pelvis as well as clinical outcomes in runners with PFP. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: Runners with PFP underwent a 3-dimensional gait analysis to confirm the presence of aberrant frontal-plane hip and/or pelvis kinematics at baseline. A total of 12 participants with frontal-plane hip and/or pelvis kinematics 1 standard deviation above a reference database were invited to undergo the gait retraining intervention. Running kinematics along with clinical outcomes of pain and functional outcomes were recorded at baseline, 4 weeks after retraining, and 3 months. Gait retraining consisted of a single session where step rate was increased by 10% using an audible metronome. Participants were asked to continue their normal running while self-monitoring their step rate using a global positioning system smartwatch and audible metronome. Results: After gait retraining, significant improvements in running kinematics and clinical outcomes were observed at 4-week and 3-month follow-up. Repeated-measures analysis of variance with post hoc Bonferroni correction (P < .016) showed significant reductions in peak contralateral pelvic drop (mean difference [MD], 3.12° [95% CI, 1.88°-4.37°]), hip adduction (MD, 3.99° [95% CI, 2.01°-5.96°]), and knee flexion (MD, 4.09° [95% CI, 0.04°-8.15°]) as well as significant increases in self-reported weekly running volume (MD, 13.78 km [95% CI, 4.62-22.93 km]) and longest run pain-free (MD, 6.84 km [95% CI, 3.05-10.62 km]). Friedman test with a post hoc Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed significant improvements on a numerical rating scale for worst pain in the past week and the Lower Extremity Functional Scale. Conclusion: A single session of gait retraining using a 10% increase in step rate resulted in significant improvements in running kinematics, pain, and function in runners with PFP. These improvements were maintained at 3-month follow-up. It is important to assess for aberrant running kinematics at baseline to ensure that gait interventions are targeted appropriately. Registration: NCT03067545 (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier)
Scar shape analysis and simulated electrical instabilities in a non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy patient cohort

This paper presents a morphological analysis of fibrotic scarring in non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy, and its relationship to electrical instabilities which underlie reentrant arrhythmias. Two dimensional electrophysiological simulation models were constructed from a set of 699 late gadolinium enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance images originating from 157 patients. Areas of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) in each image were assigned one of 10 possible microstructures, which modelled the details of fibrotic scarring an order of magnitude below the MRI scan resolution. A simulated programmed electrical stimulation protocol tested each model for the possibility of generating either a transmural block or a transmural reentry. The outcomes of the simulations were compared against morphological LGE features extracted from the images. Models which blocked or reentered, grouped by microstructure, were significantly different from one another in myocardial-LGE interface length, number of components and entropy, but not in relative area and transmurality. With an unknown microstructure, transmurality alone was the best predictor of block, whereas a combination of interface length, transmurality and number of components was the best predictor of reentry in linear discriminant analysis.
A scale-dependent framework for trade-offs, syndromes, and specialization in organismal biology.

Biodiversity is defined by trait-differences between organisms, and biologists have long sought to predict associations among ecologically important traits: why do some traits trade off while others are co-expressed? Why might some trait associations hold across levels of organization, from individuals and genotypes to populations and species, while others only occur at one level? Understanding such scaling is a core biological problem, bearing on the evolution of ecological strategies as well as forecasting responses to environmental change. Explicitly considering the hierarchy of biodiversity and expectations at each scale (individual change, evolution within and among populations, and species turn-over) is necessary as we work towards a predictive framework in evolutionary ecology. Within species, a trait may have an association with another trait due to phenotypic plasticity, genetic correlation, or population-level local adaptation. Plastic responses are often adaptive and yet individuals have a fixed pool of resources; thus, positive and negative trait associations can be generated by immediate environmental needs and energetic demands. Genetic variation and covariation for traits within a population are typically shaped by varying natural selection in space and time. Although genetic correlations are infrequently long-term constraints, they may indicate competing organismal demands. Traits are often quantitatively differentiated (local adaptation) among populations, although selection rarely favors qualitatively different strategies until populations become reproductively isolated. Across species, niche specialization to particular habitats or biotic interactions may determine trait correlations, a subset of which are termed "strategic trade-offs" because they are a consequence of adaptive specialization. Across scales, constraints within species often do not apply as new species evolve, and conversely, trait correlations observed across populations or species may not be reflected within populations. I give examples of such scale-dependent trait associations and their causes across taxonomic groups and ecosystems, and in the final section of the paper I specifically evaluate leaf economic spectrum traits and their associations with plant defense against herbivory. Scale-dependent predictions emerge for understanding plant ecology holistically, and this approach can be fruitfully applied more generally in evolutionary ecology. Adaptive specialization and community context are two of the primary drivers of trade-offs and syndromes across biological scales.
Epigenetic switching as a strategy for quick adaptation while attenuating biochemical noise

Epigenetic switches are bistable, molecular systems built from self-reinforcing feedback loops that can spontaneously switch between heritable phenotypes in the absence of DNA mutation. It has been hypothesized that epigenetic switches first evolved as a mechanism of bet-hedging and adaptation, but the evolutionary trajectories and conditions by which an epigenetic switch can outcompete adaptation through genetic mutation remain unknown. Here, we used computer simulations to evolve a mechanistic, biophysical model of a self-activating genetic circuit, which can both adapt genetically through mutation and exhibit epigenetic switching. We evolved these genetic circuits under a fluctuating environment that alternatively selected for low and high protein expression levels. In all tested conditions, the population first evolved by genetic mutation towards a region of genotypes where genetic adaptation can occur faster after each environmental transition. Once in this region, the self-activating genetic circuit can exhibit epigenetic switching, which starts competing with genetic adaptation. We show a trade-off between either minimizing the adaptation time or increasing the robustness of the phenotype to biochemical noise. Epigenetic switching was superior in a fast fluctuating environment because it adapted faster than genetic mutation after an environmental transition, while still attenuating the effect of biochemical noise on the phenotype. Conversely, genetic adaptation was favored in a slowly fluctuating environment because it maximized the phenotypic robustness to biochemical noise during the constant environment between transitions, even if this resulted in slower adaptation. This simple trade-off predicts the conditions and trajectories under which an epigenetic switch evolved to outcompete genetic adaptation, shedding light on possible mechanisms by which bet-hedging strategies might emerge and persist in natural populations.
Hypoxia Mediates Runt-Related Transcription Factor 2 Expression via Induction of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Periodontal Ligament Stem Cells

Periodontitis is characterized by the loss of periodontal tissues, especially alveolar bone. Common therapies cannot satisfactorily recover lost alveolar bone. Periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) possess the capacity of self-renewal and multilineage differentiation and are likely to recover lost alveolar bone. In addition, periodontitis is accompanied by hypoxia, and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) is a master transcription factor in the response to hypoxia. Thus, we aimed to ascertain how hypoxia affects runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2), a key osteogenic marker, in the osteogenesis of PDLSCs. In this study, we found that hypoxia enhanced the protein expression of HIF-1α, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and RUNX2 ex vivo and in situ. VEGF is a target gene of HIF-1α, and the increased expression of VEGF and RUNX2 proteins was enhanced by cobalt chloride (CoCl2, 100 μmol/L), an agonist of HIF-1α, and suppressed by 3-(5′-hydroxymethyl-2′-furyl)-1-benzyl indazole (YC-1, 10 μmol/L), an antagonist of HIF-1α. In addition, VEGF could regulate the expression of RUNX2, as RUNX2 expression was enhanced by human VEGF (hVEGF165) and suppressed by VEGF siRNA. In addition, knocking down VEGF could decrease the expression of osteogenesis-related genes, i.e., RUNX2, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and type I collagen (COL1), and hypoxia could enhance the expression of ALP, COL1, and osteocalcin (OCN) in the early stage of osteogenesis of PDLSCs. Taken together, our results showed that hypoxia could mediate the expression of RUNX2 in PDLSCs via HIF-1α-induced VEGF and play a positive role in the early stage of osteogenesis of PDLSCs.
Analysis of Agile Canine Gait Characteristics Using Accelerometry

The high rate of severe injuries associated with racing greyhounds poses a significant problem for both animal welfare and the racing industry. Using accelerometry to develop a better understanding of the complex gait of these agile canines may help to eliminate injury contributing factors. This study used a single Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) equipped with a tri-axial accelerometer to characterise the galloping of thirty-one greyhounds on five different race tracks. The dorsal-ventral and anterior-posterior accelerations were analysed in both the time and frequency domains. The fast Fourier transform (FFT) and Morlet wavelet transform were applied to signals. The time-domain signals were synced with the corresponding high frame rate videos of the race. It was observed that the acceleration peaks in the dorsal-ventral accelerations correspond to the hind-leg strikes which were noted to be fifteen times the greyhound’s weight. The FFT analysis showed that the stride frequencies in all tracks were around 3.5 Hz. The Morlet wavelet analysis also showed a reduction in both the frequency and magnitude of signals, which suggests a speed reduction throughout the race. Also, by detecting abrupt changes along the track, the wavelet analysis highlighted potentially hazardous locations on the track. In conclusion, the methods applied in this research contribute to animal safety and welfare by eliminating the factors leading to injuries through optimising the track design and surface type.
Physicochemical and Microbiological Properties of Synbiotic Yogurt Made with Probiotic Yeast Saccharomyces boulardii in Combination with Inulin

Saccharomyces boulardii is a unique species of yeast previously characterized as a probiotic strain (CNCM I-745) among a few probiotic yeasts reported to date. Inulin is one of the most common prebiotics that exhibit twisted hydrocolloidal properties in dairy products. The present study was designed to develop a synbiotic yogurt by incorporation of S. boulardii and inulin at 1%, 1.5%, and 2% (w/v), comparing with the probiotic and control plain yogurts. Microrheological, microstructural, microbiological, sensory properties, and volatile compounds of the yogurt samples were evaluated. Microrheological analysis showed that addition of inulin to yogurt slightly reduced the values of G′ and G″, while solid–liquid balance (SLB) values confirmed more solid properties of the synbiotic yogurt (0.582~0.595) than the plain yogurt (0.503~0.518). A total of 18 volatile compounds were identified in the synbiotic yogurt, while only five and six compounds were identified in plain and probiotic yogurts, respectively. Physiochemical parameters such as pH, acidity, and protein content were in the normal range (as with the control), while fat content in the synbiotic yogurt decreased significantly. Addition of 1% inulin not only reduced syneresis but also maintained viability of S. boulardii after 28 days of storage. Microstructural and microrheological studies confirmed the dense, compressed, homogeneous structure of the synbiotic yogurt. Thus, addition of inulin improved the textural and sensory properties of the synbiotic yogurt, as well as survival of S. boulardii with viable count above 6.0 log CFU/g in yogurt, as generally required for probiotics. Therefore, novel synbiotic yogurt with desirable quality was developed as an effective carrier for delivery of the probiotic yeast exerting its beneficial health effects.
Validation of the Chinese version of the memory binding test for distinguishing amnestic mild cognitive impairment from cognitively normal elderly individuals

ABSTRACT Background: Episodic memory starts to decline very early in the development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Subtle impairments in memory binding may be detected in mild cognitive impairment (MCI). This study aims to examine the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the memory binding test (MBT). Methods: One hundred and sixty-four subjects (26 individuals with AD, 67 individuals with amnestic MCI (aMCI), 30 individuals with subjective cognitive impairment (SCI), and 41 cognitively normal elderly individuals (NC)) participated in the study. Twenty-two subjects repeated the assessment of the MBT within 6 weeks (± 2 weeks). Pearson correlation was used to calculate the convergent validity. The test––retest reliability was determined by the calculation of the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Discriminative validity was calculated to evaluate the receiver–operating characteristic curves. The optimal index was chosen by comparing the area under the curve for specificity and sensitivity ≥ 0.80. The optimal cutoff score of the index was chosen to maximize the sum of sensitivity and specificity. Results: The absolute value of the convergent validity of the direct indexes of MBT ranged from 0.443 to 0.684. The ICC for each of direct indexes was 0.887–0.958. Total delayed paired recall (TDPR) was the optimal index for discriminating aMCI from NC. The cutoff score for TDPR was ≤25 to distinguish aMCI from NC (sensitivity = 0.896, specificity = 0.707). Conclusion: The Chinese version of MBT is a valid and reliable instrument to detect MCI.