Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Behavioral correlates of sDB in olDer men Behavioral Correlates of Sleep-Disordered Breathing in Older Men

Based on data from young and middle-aged adults and our previous research in older women, we hypothesized that SDB severity would be associated with daytime sleepiness, sleep disturbances, and poorer sleep-related quality of life but that these associations would be attenuated by adjustment for TST. study objectives : To examine the association between sleep-disor-dered breathing (SDB) and subjective measures of daytime sleepiness, sleep quality, and sleep-related quality of life in a large cohort of com-munity-dwelling older men and to determine whether any association remained after adjustment for sleep duration. Design : Cross-sectional. The functional outcome measures of interest were daytime sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale, ESS), sleep-relat-ed symptoms (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, PSQI), and sleep-related quality of life (Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire, FOSQ). Analysis of variance and adjusted regression analyses examined the association between these outcome measures and SDB severity and actigraphy-determined total sleep time (TST). We then explored whether associations with SDB were confounded by sleep duration by adjusting models for TST. setting : Community-based sample in home and research clinic settings. Participants : Two-thousand eight-hundred forty-nine older men from the multicenter Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study that began in 2000. All participants underwent in-home polysomnography for 1 night and wrist actigraphy for a minimum of 5 consecutive nights. interventions: N/A. measurements and results : Participants were aged 76.4 ± 5.5 years and had an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of 17.0 ± 15.0. AHI and TST were weakly correlated. ESS scores individually were modestly associated with AHI and TST, but the association with AHI was attenuated by adjustment for TST. PSQI and FOSQ scores were largely not associated with measures of SDB severity but were modestly associated with TST. conclusions : Daytime sleepiness, nighttime sleep disturbances, and sleep-related quality of life were modestly associated with TST. After adjustment for TST, there was no independent association with SDB severity. These results underscore the potential differences in SDB functional outcomes in older versus young and middle-aged adults.
Family size in successive generations: The effects of birth order, intergenerational change in lifestyle, and familial satisfaction

Studies of family size in successive generations have found a small but persistently positive effect of size of family of orientation. Recent work has suggested that this relationship may be influenced by birth order, intergenerational change in lifestyle, and familial satisfaction. Data from a 24-year longitudinal study of women in Pennsylvania indicate that number of siblings does influence size of family of procreation. More important, this relationship is stronger among women who were first-born than later-born, stronger for those not experiencing intergenerational change than for those who changed, and stronger among those who at age 16 were satisfied with their parental family than for those who were dissatisfied.
Comparison on the efficacy of dexpanthenol in sea water and saline in postoperative endoscopic sinus surgery.

OBJECTIVE To compare the efficacy of dexpanthenol spray and saline irrigation in the postoperative care of sinusitis patients following endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS). MATERIAL AND METHOD One hundred twenty eight sinusitis patients undergoing ESS were randomly allocated to receive dexpanthenol spray (Mar plus) or saline irrigation twice a day for 4 weeks after the operation. Total nasal symptom score, crusting, infection, compliance, and patient satisfaction were evaluated at 1, 2-3, 4-6, and 12 weeks. Mucociliary clearance was assessed with the saccharin test before ESS and at the last visit. One hundred ten patients remained at the present study termination. Chi-square test and Mann-Whitney U test were employed. RESULTS Total nasal symptom score, mucociliary clearance, and infection improved in both groups after the operation. The dexpanthenol group resulted in a better mucociliary clearance than saline irrigation (9.93 +/- 6.04 vs. 12.38 +/- 9.32 min, p = 0.43). Saline irrigation resulted in a greater reduction of post nasal drip than dexpanthenol at the first visit (74% vs. 87%, p = 0.04). Compliance and patient satisfaction were comparable. CONCLUSION The efficacy of dexpanthenol was comparable to nasal saline irrigation in the postoperative care of sinusitis patients following endoscopic sinus surgery. Dexpanthenol is an alternative treatment, which may be useful in young children and complicated cases.
Cost-effectiveness of insulin detemir compared to NPH insulin for type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus in the Canadian payer setting: modeling analysis*

ABSTRACT Objective: This study was conducted to quantify the long-term cost-effectiveness of insulin detemir (Levemir†) versus intermediate-acting neutral protamine Hagedorn (NPH) insulin for the treatment of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Canada, and to assess the sensitivity of results to dis-utilities for hypoglycemic events. † Levemir is a trade name of Novo Nordisk, Princeton, NJ, USA Research design and methods: The web-based IMS-CORE diabetes model has a menu-driven interface programmed in hypertext markup language (HTML). It was used to project lifetime (60 years for T1DM and 35 years for T2DM) clinical and economic outcomes for patients on detemir vs. NPH. Cohort characteristics, utilities, and costs were derived from published literature. For T1DM, clinical trial data for HbA1c improvement (detemir −0.94% ± 1.07; NPH −0.82% ± 1.01) from baseline, and rates of hypoglycemic events (major events: 0.20 vs. 0.80 per patient-year for detemir vs. NPH, respectively) were modeled. For T2DM, observational study data for HbA1c improvement (detemir −0.18%) from baseline, and reductions in hypoglycemic events (major events: 0.0995 vs. 1.33 per patient-year for detemir vs. NPH, respectively) were modeled. Base-case hypoglycemia dis-utilities were −0.0118 for major and −0.0035 for minor events. Sensitivity analyses were conducted on discount rate and hypoglycemia dis-utility. Outcome measures: Outcomes included costs of treatment/management and costs (and incidence) of diabetes-related complications. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were calculated from differences in total costs and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). Results: Average total costs for T1DM were $CAN 83 622 ± 4585 for detemir and $CAN 72 016 ± 4593 for NPH. QALYs increased by 0.475 years with detemir, with an ICER of $CAN 24 389/QALY. Average direct costs for T2DM were $CAN 74 919 ± 6391 (detemir) and $CAN 69 230 ± 6840 (NPH). QALYs increased by 0.305 years. The ICER was $CAN 18 677. Although detemir was associated with slightly lower costs for most complications, results were driven by the differences in rates and costs for hypoglycemic events, and their assumed dis-utility. Study limitations include the use of single trials for clinical assumptions and the lack of analyses for patient risk sub-groups. Conclusions: Findings provide evidence for the cost-effectiveness of detemir vs. NPH in treating T1 and T2DM in Canada, and support the key role of assumptions regarding the impact of hypoglycemic events. Additional work is needed to determine the extent to which results are robust for different sub-groups of patients and for variation in assumptions around HbA1c improvements and hypoglycemic event rates.
Investigating eye movement patterns, language, and social ability in children with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract Although all intellectually high-functioning children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) display core social and communication deficits, some develop language within a normative timescale and others experience significant delays and subsequent language impairment. Early attention to social stimuli plays an important role in the emergence of language, and reduced attention to faces has been documented in infants later diagnosed with ASD. We investigated the extent to which patterns of attention to social stimuli would differentiate early and late language onset groups. Children with ASD (mean age = 10 years) differing on language onset timing (late/normal) and a typically developing comparison group completed a task in which visual attention to interacting and noninteracting human figures was mapped using eye tracking. Correlations on visual attention data and results from tests measuring current social and language ability were conducted. Patterns of visual attention did not distinguish typically developing children and ASD children with normal language onset. Children with ASD and late language onset showed significantly reduced attention to salient social stimuli. Associations between current language ability and social attention were observed. Delay in language onset is associated with current language skills as well as with specific eye-tracking patterns.
Human integration into robot control utilising potential fields

Human integration into discrete event control systems is considered by utilising potential fields for control synthesis. Human integration into a control system is of importance in. Many situations, including those in which limited sensor information about the environment or the task is available. The framework presented allows the sharing of human commands with commands from an automated control system. Potential fields are being used as a tool to generate velocity commands from an autonomous task level controller as well as allowing the human to interact. The potential fields are also utilised to constrain human input such that human input error is minimised. The ideas presented here are supported by experiments.
Statistical analysis of measured radio channels for future generation mobile communication systems

Measurements of radio channels with 100 MHz bandwidth at 5.25 GHz have been performed in both indoor and outdoor environments. The statistical properties of the tap amplitudes have been analyzed together with general channel characteristics, such as path loss, delay spread and coherence bandwidth. With 100 MHz bandwidth, it was found that the average power delay profile consists of several delay time clusters. The tap amplitudes follow Rice or Nakagami statistics for some taps in the beginning of the clusters while the other taps are close to Rayleigh fading. An approach to model the average power delay profile and the frequency correlation is also presented.
Using mobile technologies to give health students access to learning resources in the UK community setting.

OBJECTIVES This article describes a project which explored the potential for mobile technologies to give health students in the community access to learning resources. The purpose included the need to identify possible barriers students could face in using mobile technologies. Another focus was to assess the students perceptions of the importance of being able to access learning resources in the community. METHODS This 1-year project used two main approaches for data collection. A review of the literature on mobile technologies in the health context was conducted. This was used in a systematic way to identify key issues and trends. The literature review was used to inform the design and production of a questionnaire. This was distributed to and completed by a group of community health students at Northumbria University, UK. The questionnaire was piloted and there was a 100% completion rate with 49 returned forms. RESULTS The literature review indicated that most mobile technology applications were occurring in the US. At the time of the review the most prevalent mobile technologies were PDAs, laptops, WAP phones and portable radios with use being concentrated around doctors in the acute sector. A range of advantages and disadvantages to the technology were discovered. Mobile technologies were mainly being used for clinical rather than learning applications. The students showed a low level of awareness of the technology but placed great importance to accessing learning resources from the community. CONCLUSIONS Significant development and changes are taking place in mobile technologies. Since the data collection for this work was completed in 2004 podcasting and videocasting have become significant in mobile learning for health professionals. Librarians will need to address the relevance and implications of m-learning for their practice. Care and consideration needs to be given on the time and resources librarians allocate for the necessary development work around mobile technologies. Collaboration and partnership working will be most effective approach for librarians wishing to integrate their services with m-learning technologies.
T1 Relaxivities of Gadolinium-Based Magnetic Resonance Contrast Agents in Human Whole Blood at 1.5, 3, and 7 T

ObjectivesCalculation of accurate T1 relaxivity (r1) values for gadolinium-based magnetic resonance contrast agents (GBCAs) is a complex process. As such, often referenced r1 values for the GBCAs at 1.5 T, 3 T, and 7 T are based on measurements obtained in media that are not clinically relevant, derived from only a small number of concentrations, or available for only a limited number of GBCAs. This study derives the r1 values of the 8 commercially available GBCAs in human whole blood at 1.5 T, 3 T, and 7 T. Materials and MethodsEight GBCAs were serially diluted in human whole blood, at 7 concentrations from 0.0625 to 4 mM. A custom-built phantom held the dilutions in air-tight cylindrical tubes maintained at 37 ± 0.5°C by a heat-circulating system. Images were acquired using inversion recovery sequences with inversion times from 30 milliseconds to 10 seconds at 1.5 T and 3 T as well as 60 milliseconds to 5 seconds at 7 T. A custom MATLAB program was used to automate signal intensity measurements from the images acquired of the phantom. SigmaPlot was used to calculate T1 relaxation times and, finally, r1. ResultsMeasured r1 values in units of s−1[BULLET OPERATOR]mM−1 at 1.5 T (3 T/7 T) were 3.9 ± 0.2 (3.4 ± 0.4/2.8 ± 0.4) for Gd-DOTA, 4.6 ± 0.2 (4.5 ± 0.3/4.2 ± 0.3) for Gd-DO3A-butrol, 4.3 ± 0.4 (3.8 ± 0.2/3.1 ± 0.4) for Gd-DTPA, 6.2 ± 0.5 (5.4 ± 0.3/4.7 ± 0.1) for Gd-BOPTA, 4.5 ± 0.1 (3.9 ± 0.2/3.7 ± 0.2) for Gd-DTPA-BMA, 4.4 ± 0.2 (4.2 ± 0.2/4.3 ± 0.2) for Gd-DTPA-BMEA, 7.2 ± 0.2 (5.5 ± 0.3/4.9 ± 0.1) for Gd-EOB-DTPA, and 4.4 ± 0.6 (3.5 ± 0.6/3.4 ± 0.1) for Gd-HP-DO3A. The agents can be stratified by relaxivity, with a significant additional dependency on field strength. ConclusionsThis report quantifies, for the first time, T1 relaxivity for all 8 gadolinium chelates in common clinical use worldwide, at current relevant field strengths, in human whole blood at physiological temperature (37°C). The measured r1 values differ to a small degree from previously published values, where such comparisons exist, with the current r1 measurements being that most relevant to clinical practice. The macrocyclic agents, with the exception of Gd-DO3A-butrol, have slightly lower r1 values when compared with the 2 much less stable linear agents, Gd-DTPA-BMA and Gd-DTPA-BMEA. The 2 agents with hepatobiliary excretion, Gd-EOB-DTPA and Gd-BOPTA, have, at 1.5 and 3 T, substantially higher r1 values than all other agents.
Interdependence of Regional and Global Cerebral Blood Flow during Visual Stimulation: An O-15-Butanol Positron Emission Tomography Study

The authors investigated the influence of variations in global cerebral blood flow (gCBF) on regional flow changes during visual stimulation. Global flow was varied using different end-expiratory CO2 values (Petco2) between 20 and 70 mm Hg. Visual stimulation was performed with a red LED-array flashing at 8 Hz. Blood flow was measured with O-15-butanol, continuous arterial blood sampling, and positron emission tomography (PET). Global flow changes surpassed the published values of O-15-H2O studies, better fitting the results of the inert gas technique (gCBF at 20, 40, and 70 mm Hg Petco2 ± SD was 31 ± 4, 48 ± 13, and 160 ± 50 mL 100 g−1 min−1, respectively). The relation between Petco2 and CBF in the current study was best described by an exponential rather than a linear function. At low Petco2, the activation-induced flow changes are moderately damped, whereas at high Petco2, they are nearly lost (ΔCBF (±SD): 52% ± 25%, 68% ± 22%, 16% ± 25% at Petco2 = 20, 40, 70 mm Hg, respectively).
The effect of inpatient care on measured Health Needs in children and adolescents.

BACKGROUND The concept of 'health need' relates patient problems in symptom and psychosocial domains to available appropriate treatments. We studied the effectiveness of inpatient treatment in modifying measured 'Health Needs' in children and adolescents admitted to UK inpatient units. METHODS A prospective cohort study of 150 children and adolescents admitted to eight UK inpatient units, using formal pre-admission, pre-discharge and 1-year follow-up measurement of Health Needs. RESULTS Total patient 'Cardinal Problems' reduced highly significantly (p < .001) from 8.5 at admission to 5.7 at discharge (effect size .81) and to 4.1 one year after discharge (effect size 1.35). Functional domains free of 'Health Needs' increased from 14.9 to 19.4 (effect size 1.08) from the point of admission to the end of follow-up. These changes were clinically meaningful, present in all domains and reduced morbidity to a level typical of outpatient cases. CONCLUSIONS Admission (mean length 116 days, SD 88) leads to clinically important improvement in measured Health Needs over multiple domains for children with serious, complex mental health difficulties. These improvements in multiple symptom and functional domains persist over the next year.
Vision-based ZMP detection and stability evaluation in image plane for biped robot

This paper describes a visual ZMP detection and its mapping method to the image plane for evaluating dynamic equilibrium of walking motion in biped robot system. The zero moment point (ZMP) is popular index for evaluating the dynamically balanced gait, and this idea contributes to practical design of walking motion and stability controller for reliable walking. However, the reaction force detection by force or pressure sensors at foot soles requires much implementation costs. In this paper, the appropriate flexibility around ankle joints are given, and the ZMP is detected by only vision sensor mounted on the robot. Furthermore, the proposed idea enables the definition of suitable ZMP region in camera image plane. This means the evaluation of balanced gait is possible only from visual information. The fundamental performance of the proposed method is evaluated by several experimental results.
Calcium‐binding protein (calbindin‐D28K) and parvalbumin immunocytochemistry in the normal and epileptic human hippocampus

The calcium‐binding proteins calbindin‐D28K (CaBP) and parvalbumin (PV) were localized in the “normal” and “epileptic” human hippocampus to address the possible relationship between the expression of these constitutive cytosolic calcium‐binding proteins and the resistance or selective vulnerability of different hippocampal neuron populations in temporal lobe epilepsy. Compared to rodents and a baboon (Papio papio), the pattern of CaBP‐like immunoreactivity (LI) in the “normal” human hippocampus is unique. CaBP‐LI is present in the dentate granule cells, neurons of the “resistant zone” (area CA2), and presumed interneurons of all regions. Unlike rodent and baboon CA1 pyramidal cells, human CA1 pyramidal cells appear to be devoid of CaBP‐LI. Thus, the relatively resistant dentate granule cells and CA2 pyramidal cells are the only human hippocampal principal cells that contain CaBP‐LI normally. As in lower mammals, PV‐LI is present exclusively in interneurons of all human hippocampal subregions.
Germanane: A Low Effective Mass and High Bandgap 2-D Channel Material for Future FETs

We investigate the electronic properties of Germanane and analyze its importance as 2-D channel material in switching devices. Considering two types of morphologies, namely, chair and boat, we study the real band structure, the effective mass variation, and the complex band structure of unstrained Germanane by density-functional theory. The chair morphology turns out to be a more effective channel material for switching devices than the boat morphology. Furthermore, we study the effect of elastic strain, van der Waals force, and vertical electric field on these band structure properties. Due to its very low effective mass with relatively high-energy bandgap, in comparison with the other 2-D materials, Germanane appears to provide superior performance in switching device applications.
Performance of Young and Older Drivers on a Static Acuity Test under Photopic and Mesopic Luminance Conditions

Sixty young (18−25 years) and 91 older volunteers (60-87 years) were tested for static visual acuity under six different luminance levels ranging from 245.5 cd/m2 (photopic) to 0.2 cd/m2 (mesopic). The results showed significant differences in log decimal acuity and in passing a 20/40 acuity criterion score as a function of age and luminance level. There were no differences, however, in comparisons between young subjects and those aged 60-64. It seems, therefore, that when using visual acuity measures, as is done for driver licensing, 65 years is the critical age after which visual acuity becomes significantly poorer under conditions of degraded illumination. The implications for issuing driver's licenses to individuals over age 65 based on standard visual acuity testing are discussed.
The gastrointestinal absorption of unaltered protein in normal infants and in infants recovering from diarrhea.

The serum concentration of egg albumin after the oral administration of 1 gm. /kg. of purified egg albumin was determined by means of a quantitative immunochemical technique in 21 infants recovering from diarrhea and in 19 control subjects of the same age. In the patients with diarrhea the concentrations were significantly greater than in the controls. The use of hypoallergenic food in the recovery phase of diarrhea is recommended.
Suppression of Sleep Spindle Rhythmogenesis in Mice with Deletion of CaV3.2 and CaV3.3 T-type Ca(2+) Channels.

STUDY OBJECTIVES Low-threshold voltage-gated T-type Ca(2+) channels (T-channels or CaV3 channels) sustain oscillatory discharges of thalamocortical (TC) and nucleus Reticularis thalami (nRt) cells. The CaV3.3 subtype dominates nRt rhythmic bursting and mediates a substantial fraction of spindle power in the NREM sleep EEG. CaV3.2 channels are also found in nRt, but whether these contribute to nRt-dependent spindle generation is unexplored. We investigated thalamic rhythmogenesis in mice lacking this subtype in isolation (CaV3.2KO mice) or in concomitance with CaV3.3 deletion (CaV3.double-knockout (DKO) mice). METHODS We examined discharge characteristics of thalamic cells and intrathalamic evoked synaptic transmission in brain slices from wild-type, CaV3.2KO and CaV3.DKO mice through patch-clamp recordings. The sleep profile of freely behaving CaV3.2KO and CaV3.DKO mice was assessed by polysomnographic recordings. RESULTS CaV3.2 channel deficiency left nRt discharge properties largely unaltered, but additional deletion of CaV3.3 channels fully abolished low-threshold whole-cell Ca(2+) currents and bursting, and suppressed burst-mediated inhibitory responses in TC cells. CaV3.DKO mice had more fragmented sleep, with shorter NREM sleep episodes and more frequent microarousals. The NREM sleep EEG power spectrum displayed a relative suppression of the σ frequency band (10-15 Hz), which was accompanied by an increase in the δ band (1-4 Hz). CONCLUSIONS Consistent with previous findings, CaV3.3 channels dominate nRt rhythmogenesis, but the lack of CaV3.2 channels further aggravates neuronal, synaptic, and EEG deficits. Therefore, CaV3.2 channels can boost intrathalamic synaptic transmission, and might play a modulatory role adjusting the relative presence of NREM sleep EEG rhythms.