Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Respiratory muscle assessment

Respiratory muscles generate the pressure differences driving ventilation. Respiratory muscle weakness is hence an important clinical feature. In advanced stages, respiratory muscle weakness leads to respiratory pump failure. Respiratory muscle dysfunction (i.e. reduced strength or endurance) is to be distinguished from lung function abnormalities, and should be measured separately. Inspiratory muscle weakness may partially explain dyspnoea and exercise intolerance. In addition, reduced respiratory muscle force has been shown to be an important predictive factor for poor survival in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) [1], cystic fibrosis [2] and congestive heart failure [3]. In advanced stages the functional consequence of respiratory muscle weakness is a reduction of the operational lung volume and patients may require mechanical ventilation. Expiratory muscle weakness leads to problems with speech, and mucus retention due to impaired cough efficacy. Measurement of respiratory muscle function is important in the diagnosis of respiratory muscle disease [4–6], or respiratory muscle dysfunction [7]. It may also be helpful in the assessment of the impact of chronic diseases [8–12] or their treatment [13–15] on the respiratory muscles. For example, specific inspiratory muscle training has been reported to be useful in COPD only when patients present with significant respiratory muscle weakness [15], and tapering of oral corticosteroid treatment successfully restored respiratory muscle strength and dyspnoea in patients with corticosteroid-induced myopathy [16]. The present chapter aims to provide clinicians with some aspects of respiratory muscle testing. More detailed, excellent reviews on the pathophysiology and aetiology of respiratory muscle weakness are available elsewhere for the interested reader [17, 18]. Indications, techniques commonly used in clinical practice and issues important in the interpretation of the test results are the main focus of this chapter.
The scaling of safety factor in spider draglines

SUMMARY This study documents the effect of body mass on the size and strength of draglines produced by the orb-weaving spider Araneus diadematus and the jumping spider Salticus scenicus. Silk samples obtained from individuals spanning the range from first-instar juveniles to gravid adults were tested to determine both the properties of the silk material and the strength and static safety factor of the draglines produced by each individual spider. Analysis of material properties indicates that the tensile strength and extensibility of the silks employed by each species are identical over the entire size range of the species. Analysis of the breaking forces for individual draglines, however, indicates that the draglines scale allometrically with the spider's body mass. For Araneus, breaking force (N) scales with body mass (kg) as Fmax=11.2M0. 786, and the static safety factor (SBW=Fmax/Mg) scales as SBW=1.14M–0.214. For Salticus, Fmax=0.363M0. 66 and SBW=0.037M–0.34. Thus, static safety factors decrease as these spiders grow, with values falling to 4–6 for adult Araneus and to 1–2 for adult Salticus. Analysis of these results suggests that the safety lines produced by these two species are not able to absorb the impact energy of most falls with a fixed length of pre-existing silk, except in the smallest of the Araneus spiders. It is therefore likely that both spiders must draw new silk from their spinnerets during falls to keep the dynamic loads on their safety-lines below failure levels.
Snoring, witnessed sleep apnoeas and pregnancy‐induced hypertension

Background. Snoring is common in pregnancy, but there are only a few studies that have investigated the relationship of snoring and pregnancy complications. We aimed to investigate the relationship of snoring and witnessed sleep apnoeas with pregnancy‐induced hypertension. Methods. A questionnaire was administered on the day of delivery to 456 women at the Department of Obstetrics, Hospital Donación F. Santojanni, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Pregnancy complications and blood pressure measurements were recorded from each woman's medical chart. Results. Some 156 (35%) of 447 women with singleton pregnancies who answered the questionnaire, snored at some time during their pregnancy. Snoring was related to pregnancy‐induced hypertension and pre‐eclampsia combined, with an adjusted odds ratio of 1.82 (95% CI: 1.16–2.84; p <0.01), independent of body mass index before pregnancy, weight gain during pregnancy, neck circumference, smoking, alcohol and age. Witnessed sleep apnoeas were also related to pregnancy‐induced hypertensive disease, with an adjusted odds ratio of 8.00 (95% CI: 2.71–23.55; p <0.001). Daytime sleepiness was more prevalent in snoring women. Conclusions. Snoring and witnessed sleep apnoeas are independently related to pregnancy‐induced hypertensive disease.
Effectiveness and Duration of Protection of One Dose of a Meningococcal Conjugate Vaccine

BACKGROUND: Meningococcal conjugate vaccines were licensed beginning in 2005 on the basis of serologic end points and recommended for use in adolescents. A single dose at age 11 to 12 years was expected to provide protection through late adolescence. We conducted a case-control evaluation of vaccine effectiveness (VE) and duration of protection of a meningococcal (groups A, C, W, and Y) polysaccharide diphtheria toxoid conjugate vaccine (MenACWY-D). METHODS: Cases of culture- or polymerase chain reaction-confirmed serogroup A, C, W, and Y meningococcal disease among adolescents were identified through meningococcal disease surveillance sites in the United States from January 1, 2006, through August 31, 2013. Attempts were made to enroll 4 friend and school controls per case. VE was calculated using the generalized estimating equation, controlling for underlying medical conditions and smoking. RESULTS: Serogroup C accounted for 88 (49%), serogroup Y 80 (44%), and serogroup W 13 (7%) of enrolled cases. Thirty-six (20%) cases and 87 (44%) controls received MenACWY-D. The overall VE estimate 0 to 8 years postvaccination was 69% (51% to 80%); VE was 79% (49% to 91%) at <1 year, 69% (44% to 83%) at 1 to <3 years, and 61% (25% to 79%) at 3 to <8 years. VE was 77% (57% to 88%) against serogroup C and 51% (1% to 76%) against serogroup Y. CONCLUSIONS: MenACWY-D was effective in the first year after vaccination but effectiveness waned 3 to <8 years postvaccination. The estimates of VE from this evaluation informed the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices in its decision to add a booster dose of MenACWY.
E-cigarettes and National Adolescent Cigarette Use: 2004–2014

BACKGROUND: E-cigarette use is rapidly increasing among adolescents in the United States, with some suggesting that e-cigarettes are the cause of declining youth cigarette smoking. We hypothesized that the decline in youth smoking changed after e-cigarettes arrived on the US market in 2007. METHODS: Data were collected by using cross-sectional, nationally representative school-based samples of sixth- through 12th-graders from 2004–2014 National Youth Tobacco Surveys (samples ranged from 16 614 in 2013 to 25 324 in 2004). Analyses were conducted by using interrupted time series of ever (≥1 puff) and current (last 30 days) cigarette smoking. Logistic regression was used to identify psychosocial risk factors associated with cigarette smoking in the 2004–2009 samples; this model was then applied to estimate the probability of cigarette smoking among cigarette smokers and e-cigarette users in the 2011–2014 samples. RESULTS: Youth cigarette smoking decreased linearly between 2004 and 2014 (P = .009 for ever smoking and P = .05 for current smoking), with no significant change in this trend after 2009 (P = .57 and .23). Based on the psychosocial model of smoking, including demographic characteristics, willingness to wear clothing with a tobacco logo, living with a smoker, likelihood of smoking in the next year, likelihood of smoking cigarettes from a friend, and use of tobacco products other than cigarettes or e-cigarettes, the model categorized <25% of current e-cigarette–only users (between 11.0% in 2012 and 23.1% in 2013) as current smokers. CONCLUSIONS: The introduction of e-cigarettes was not associated with a change in the linear decline in cigarette smoking among youth. E-cigarette–only users would be unlikely to have initiated tobacco product use with cigarettes.
Ethnicity, patterns of substance misuse and criminality: a comparative study of White and Asian patient populations in West London

Aims To compare and evaluate patterns of substance misuse and criminality in White and Asian patient populations. Setting Outer Borough of London. Methods Retrospective case note study of 200 consecutive attendees at a Community Drug Treatment Unit. Outcome measures (1) Age at presentation; (2) sex distribution; (3) age of first use; (4) drug of choice; (5) alcohol consumption; (6) criminal record; and (7) amount spent (£ sterling) on drug habit per day. Results In the Asian group there were more opiate users and lower levels of alcohol consumption. The Asian group reported less criminal activity and a lower age of presentation to the service compared to the White group. There were very few Asian females attending the service. There was no appreciable difference in the daily amount spent on drug habit or age of first use of drugs between the two groups. Comments/clinical implications Our study provides evidence that there is need for vigorous research in this field, particularly targeting hidden populations like Asian women. This will inform service development so that it is culturally sensitive and appropriate to the needs of ethnic minorities.
Skeletal muscle fiber types in the ghost crab, Ocypode quadrata: implications for running performance

SUMMARY Ghost crabs possess rapid running capabilities, which make them good candidates for comparing invertebrate exercise physiology with that of more extensively studied vertebrates. While a number of studies have examined various aspects of running physiology and biomechanics in terrestrial crabs, none to date have defined the basic skeletal muscle fiber types that power locomotion. In the current study, we investigated skeletal muscle fiber types comprising the extensor and flexor carpopodite muscles in relation to running performance in the ghost crab. We used kinematic analyses to determine stride frequency and muscle shortening velocity and found that both parameters are similar to those of comparably sized mammals but slower than those observed in running lizards. Using several complementary methods, we found that the muscles are divided into two primary fiber types: those of the proximal and distal regions possess long sarcomeres (6.2±2.3 μm) observed in crustacean slow fibers and have characteristics of aerobic fibers whereas those of the muscle mid-region have short sarcomeres (3.5±0.4 μm) characteristic of fast fibers and appear to be glycolytic. Each fiber type is characterized by several different myofibrillar protein isoforms including multiple isoforms of myosin heavy chain (MHC), troponin I (TnI), troponin T (TnT) and a crustacean fast muscle protein, P75. Three different isoforms of MHC are differentially expressed in the muscles, with fibers of the mid-region always co-expressing two isoforms at a 1:1 ratio within single fibers. Based on our analyses, we propose that these muscles are functionally divided into a two-geared system, with the aerobic fibers used for slow sustained activities and the glycolytic mid-region fibers being reserved for explosive sprints. Finally, we identified subtle differences in myofibrillar isoform expression correlated with crab body size, which changes by several orders of magnitude during an animal's lifetime.
Algorithm 8 xx : CHOLMOD , supernodal sparse Cholesky factorization and update / downdate ∗

CHOLMOD is a set of routines for factorizing sparse symmetric positive definite matrices of the form A or AA , updating/downdating a sparse Cholesky factorization, solving linear systems, updating/downdating the solution to the triangular system Lx = b, and many other sparse matrix functions for both symmetric and unsymmetric matrices. Its supernodal Cholesky factorization relies on LAPACK and the Level-3 BLAS, and obtains a substantial fraction of the peak performance of the BLAS. Both real and complex matrices are supported. CHOLMOD is written in ANSI/ISO C, with both C and MATLABinterfaces. It appears in MATLAB 7.2 as x=A\b when A is sparse symmetric positive definite, as well as in several other sparse matrix functions.
Factors influencing maternal attachment of first-time Jordanian mothers

The purposes of this study were to identify differences in maternal attachment according to maternal characteristics (socio-demographic, perinatal and self-efficacy variables) and identify factors influencing maternal attachment of first-time Jordanian mothers. A cross-sectional correlational design was used in this study. A convenience sample of 220 first-time Jordanian mothers was recruited during a period of three months in the summer of 2008. Participants completed a socio-demographic and perinatal data sheet, the Parental Self-efficacy scale and the Perceived Maternal Attachment Inventory. ‘Pleasure of proximity’ was the maternal attachment dimension that received the highest mean score, and the highest mean score on the maternal self-efficacy (MSE) measure was reported for the ‘situational belief’ subscale. A significant positive correlation was found between maternal attachment and maternal self-efficacy (r = 0.54, p < 0.001). Factors influencing maternal attachment were maternal self-efficacy, perception of marital relationship and pregnancy and delivery experience, which together explained 33% of the variance in maternal attachment (R2 = 0.33). Maternal self-efficacy, a good marital relationship and difficulties during pregnancy and delivery are important factors that influence maternal attachment of first-time Jordanian mothers. Health care providers from Jordan and other parts of the world need to acknowledge these factors when dealing with the health and social well-being of mothers and their infants.
Nosocomial transmission of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in a health care worker, Fars Province, Iran

Background: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus causes a severe hemorrhagic syndrome in humans with fatality rate up to 50%. Its transmission to humans is through the bite of Ixodid ticks or by contact with blood or tissues from infected livestock. Patient: By a nosocomial transmission of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF), a health care worker was infected in December 2008 due to a re-emerging outbreak of CCHF in Fars province, Iran. After admission of probable CCHF cases in a local hospital, one of the nurses contributed in taking care of the patients was infected with CCHF, though it seems that she had not had direct contact with blood and secretions of CCHF patients. The laboratory detected antiCCHF virus IgM antibody through specific ELISA and also the CCHF virus genome in her serum by real-time and gelbased RT-PCR. She was improved by an alert and on time clinical diagnosis and treatment. Conclusion: We recommend that in outbreaks of CCHF, care to prevent airborne transmission should be kept in mind.
Effect of acute exercise on the levels of salivary cortisol, tumor necrosis factor-α and nitric oxide

The aim of the present study was to assess the levels of salivary cortisol, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and nitric oxide (NO) before, during and after acute exercise. Acute exercise was induced using a standard treadmill test with Bruce protocol in ten physically active male participants. Unstimulated saliva was collected before, during and after exercise. The levels of salivary cortisol and TNF-alpha were assessed by enzyme immunoassays. Salivary NO was determined by the Griess reagent. The results showed that both salivary cortisol and TNF-alpha increased and peaked at 14 min during exercise and then decreased. The levels of NO were increased up to 1 h after exercise and subsequently lowered after 24 h. The results of the present study suggest that acute exercise may induce high levels of salivary cortisol, TNF-alpha and NO.
A few chirps about twitter

Web 2.0 has brought about several new applications that have enabled arbitrary subsets of users to communicate with each other on a social basis. Such communication increasingly happens not just on Facebook and MySpace but on several smaller network applications such as Twitter and Dodgeball. We present a detailed characterization of Twitter, an application that allows users to send short messages. We gathered three datasets (covering nearly 100,000 users) including constrained crawls of the Twitter network using two different methodologies, and a sampled collection from the publicly available timeline. We identify distinct classes of Twitter users and their behaviors, geographic growth patterns and current size of the network, and compare crawl results obtained under rate limiting constraints.
Daily and seasonal rhythms in the respiratory sensitivity of red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans)

SUMMARY The purpose of the present study was to determine whether the daily and seasonal changes in ventilation and breathing pattern previously documented in red-eared sliders resulted solely from daily and seasonal oscillations in metabolism or also from changes in chemoreflex sensitivity. Turtles were exposed to natural environmental conditions over a one year period. In each season, oxygen consumption, ventilation and breathing pattern were measured continuously for 24 h while turtles were breathing air and for 24 h while they were breathing a hypoxic–hypercapnic gas mixture (H–H). We found that oxygen consumption was reduced equally during the day and night under H–H in all seasons except spring. Ventilation was stimulated by H–H but the magnitude of the response was always less at night. On average, it was also less in the winter and greater in the reproductive season. The data indicate that the day–night differences in ventilation and breathing pattern seen previously resulted from daily changes in chemoreflex sensitivity whereas the seasonal changes were strictly due to changes in metabolism. Regardless of mechanism, the changes resulted in longer apneas at night and in the winter at any given level of total ventilation, facilitating longer submergence at times of the day and year when turtles are most vulnerable.
Levels of Interleukin -10 in Gingival Crevicular Fluid and its Role in theInitiation and Progression of Gingivitis to Periodontitis

Background: Virulence of microorganisms contribute to initiation and progression of periodontal disease but genetic contribution to pathogenesis of periodontitis and specific genetic markers are found to be strong indicators of susceptibility to periodontitis in adults. The purpose of this study was to determine whether interindividual variation in interleukin-10 levels in patients with similar levels of oral hygiene has a role in preventing progression of gingivitis to periodontitis. Methods: In the present study, 91 subjects were divided into three groups based on GI (Gingival Index), OHI-S (Oral Hygiene Index-Simples), PPD (Probing pocket depth) and CAL (Clinical attachment level) into healthy, gingivitis and periodontitis groups. GCF (Gingival Crevicular Fluid) samples were collected from each patient using micropipette and IL-10 (interleukin -10) levels were analyzed using ELISA. Results: The highest mean concentration of IL-10 was obtained for gingivitis group (1128.19 ± 532.90 mg/ml) and lowest for control group (648.96 ± 505.75). The mean IL-10 level of periodontitis (956.22 ± 475.49) group was found to be intermediate between the other two groups. There was statistically significant difference in IL-10 levels between three groups (p 0.05). Conclusions: The results suggest that IL-10 levels are higher in patients with gingivitis than whose condition progressed to periodontitis. In control group, IL-10 level was least suggesting role of bacterial factors in initiating IL-10 response. The data suggests the protective role of anti-inflammatory cytokine, IL-10 in limiting progression of gingivitis to periodontitis.
Energy expenditure during physiotherapist-assisted and self-treatment in cystic fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis (CF) results in increased energy requirements at rest. However, the energy expended during physiotherapy management is unknown. The aim of this study, therefore, is to examine the energy expended during two commonly used forms of chest physiotherapy in CF subjects. Twenty-six CF subjects completed a randomised crossover trial with 48 hours between treatments. Two regimens of treatment were conducted: therapist-assisted treatment (active cycle of breathing, ACBT, with percussion, vibration), and independent treatment (ACBT alone, under the supervision of a physiotherapist). Subjects completed pulmonary function tests before and after either treatment. Indirect calorimetry and oximetry parameters were recorded at rest, during, and following treatment. Treatment groups were compared using ANOVA and two-sample crossover t-tests. When compared to resting values, physiotherapy treatment resulted in significant increases in VO2, VCO2 and respiratory exchange ratio. No difference was evident between treatment regimens for the change in VO2 between baseline and treatment. The increase in ventilation (baseline to treatment) was significantly greater for the therapist-assisted treatment. The therapist-assisted ACBT was associated with a significant carryover effect for forced expiratory flow at 50% of vital capacity (FEF50). Oxygen requirements for the two treatments were similar. However, the assisted regimen resulted in greater changes in minute ventilation during treatment and improved 48-hour post-treatment pulmonary function after only one treatment session. These findings suggest that the inclusion of percussion and vibration within the ACBT may influence respiratory muscle activity during treatment and result in improved pulmonary function.
Policy Concerns of White Grandparents Who Provide Regular Care to Their Grandchildren

Quantitative and qualitative data were used to examine the policy/program needs raised in the stories of a purposive sample of 114 primarily white, middleclass grandparents who provide regu- lar care to their grandchildren. Their needs echoed those raised by black grandparents: participation in their grandchild's medical care, the use of social sentice agencies because of providing regular care to a grandchild, experiences with lawyers because of their legal relationship with their grandchild, the use of child and respite care, and the use of support groups. Although the burden of providing care may be felt differentially by grandparents in different social positions, this is not a "black . grandmother issue" but rather a grandparent as caregiver issue. A rethinking of policies and programs must transcend race with s i d attention paid to h e dishction bctween custodid, living wicd day-care grandparenting.