Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cultural adaptation and analysis of the psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the Spiritual Distress Scale.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To culturally adapt and test the psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the Spiritual Distress Scale. BACKGROUND In Brazil, there is currently a lack of validated instruments that assess the spiritual dimension, which includes the spiritual distress phenomenon that can be experienced at different moments in a person's life. This can include times when a person is affected by a disease such as cancer, which occurs suddenly and causes significant life changes. DESIGN Methodological and cross-sectional study. METHODS Cultural adaptation of the Spiritual Distress Scale was performed using translation and back-translation stages, evaluation of cultural equivalence, committee review and pretesting. An interview using the Brazilian version of the scale was conducted with 170 patients in a cancer treatment unit of a charitable general hospital (not state funded). The following psychometric properties were evaluated: construct validity (divergence and factor analysis) and internal consistency/reliability (Cronbach's α and Kappa). RESULTS Reliability analysis in the intra- and inter-rater phase showed that more than half of the items had Kappa values > 0·75. A correlation between the Spiritual Well-Being Scale and the Spiritual Distress Scale was found. Overall, the Spiritual Distress Scale showed a Cronbach's α of 0·87, with three of its four domains showing significant parameters. CONCLUSION The Brazilian version of the Spiritual Distress Scale proved to be a reliable, valid and efficient instrument that is capable of assessing spiritual distress. The Brazilian Spiritual Distress Scale presented reliability and validity parameters that correspond to the original English version of the scale. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE The existence of an internationally validated instrument that assesses spiritual distress will assist healthcare professionals and researchers in recognising this phenomenon in clinical practice.
Prenatal Zidovudine Use and Congenital Anomalies in a Medicaid Population

Objectives: To examine the association of prescribed zidovudine (ZDV) during pregnancy with congenital anomalies in a population‐based cohort. Methods: Medicaid claims were used to assess prescribed ZDV and children’s major congenital anomalies in 1932 liveborn deliveries from 1993 to 1996 to HIV‐infected women in the state of New York (NYS), U.S.A. Prevalence of anomalies in the cohort was compared with that of a general NYS population. Within the cohort, adjusted odds of any anomaly were compared by receipt of ZDV and by trimester of first prescription. Results: The adjusted prevalence of any anomaly in the study cohort was 2.76 times greater than in the general population (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.36‐3.17). Children of study women who were prescribed ZDV had increased adjusted odds of any anomaly (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 1.55; 95% CI, 1.01‐2.29). Adjusted ORs (with CIs) by trimester of first prescription were 1.20 (0.58‐2.51), 1.47 (0.85‐2.55), and 1.84 (1.04‐3.25) for the first, second, and third trimesters, respectively. Conclusion: Children of HIV‐infected women in this cohort had a greater prevalence of major anomalies than did the general NYS population. An increased risk of major anomalies was not evident for first trimester exposure when the association would have been most biologically plausible.
Mushroom spine dynamics in medium spiny neurons of dorsal striatum associated with memory of moderate and intense training

Significance Interference with activity of cerebral structures, including the dorsal striatum, produces amnesia after moderate levels of training; such interference, nonetheless, becomes ineffective when animals are subjected to intense training procedures. The mechanisms that mediate the protective effect of intense training are unknown. This report shows an increase in relative density of mushroom spines in medium spiny neurons (MSNs) of the dorsal striatum, which depends upon the intensity of training; relative density of mushroom spines in MSNs of nucleus accumbens, on the other hand, is augmented after noncontingent administration of a foot-shock alone. These findings suggest that increased mushroom spinogenesis produced by intense training strengthens memory consolidation and facilitates transfer of information from the dorsal striatum to other cerebral structures. A growing body of evidence indicates that treatments that typically impair memory consolidation become ineffective when animals are given intense training. This effect has been obtained by treatments interfering with the neural activity of several brain structures, including the dorsal striatum. The mechanisms that mediate this phenomenon are unknown. One possibility is that intense training promotes the transfer of information derived from the enhanced training to a wider neuronal network. We now report that inhibitory avoidance (IA) induces mushroom spinogenesis in the medium spiny neurons (MSNs) of the dorsal striatum in rats, which is dependent upon the intensity of the foot-shock used for training; that is, the effect is seen only when high-intensity foot-shock is used in training. We also found that the relative density of thin spines was reduced. These changes were evident at 6 h after training and persisted for at least 24 h afterward. Importantly, foot-shock alone did not increase spinogenesis. Spine density in MSNs in the accumbens was also increased, but the increase did not correlate with the associative process involved in IA; rather, it resulted from the administration of the aversive stimulation alone. These findings suggest that mushroom spines of MSNs of the dorsal striatum receive afferent information that is involved in the integrative activity necessary for memory consolidation, and that intense training facilitates transfer of information from the dorsal striatum to other brain regions through augmented spinogenesis.
Breast-feeding support in Ireland: a qualitative study of health-care professionals’ and women’s views

Abstract Objective To examine women’s experience of professional support for breast-feeding and health-care professionals’ experience of providing support. Design We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews among women with experience of breast-feeding and health-care professionals with infant feeding roles. Interviews with women were designed to explore their experience of support for breast-feeding antenatally, in hospital and postnatally. Interviews with health-care professionals were designed to explore their views on their role and experience in providing breast-feeding support. Interview transcripts were analysed using content analysis and aspects of Grounded Theory. Overarching themes and categories within the two sets were identified. Setting Urban and suburban areas of North Dublin, Ireland. Subjects Twenty-two women all of whom had experience of breast-feeding and fifty-eight health-care professionals. Results Two overarching themes emerged and in each of these a number of categories were developed: theme 1, facilitators to breast-feeding support, within which being facilitated to breast-feed, having the right person at the right time, being discerning and breast-feeding support groups were discussed; and theme 2, barriers to breast-feeding support, within which time, conflicting information, medicalisation of breast-feeding and the role of health-care professionals in providing support for breast-feeding were discussed. Conclusions Breast-feeding is being placed within a medical model of care in Ireland which is dependent on health-care professionals. There is a need for training around breast-feeding for all health-care professionals; however, they are limited in their support due to external barriers such as lack of time. Alternative support such as peer support workers should be provided.
Effects of dietary factors and the NAT2 acetylator status on gastric cancer in Koreans

Environmental dietary carcinogens and genetic polymorphisms in metabolic enzymes have been reported to be the risk factors for gastric cancer. This study was undertaken to investigate the effects of the diet, the N‐acetyltransferase (NAT) 2 acetylation status and their interaction on gastric cancer risk. The study population consisted of 471 gastric cancer patients and 471 age‐ and sex‐matched control subjects. NAT2 genotypes were identified using single‐nucleotide primer extension reaction methods. Thirty‐one alleles related to 12 polymorphism sites were assayed in this study. Significantly increased odds ratios were observed in former smokers (OR = 2.39, 95% CI = 1.57–3.62), heavy drinkers (OR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.06–1.55) and individuals who eat well‐done meat (OR = 1.24, 95% CI = 1.09–1.41). The odds ratios (95% CI) for high intake of kimchi, stews and soybean paste were 3.27 (2.44–4.37), 1.96 (1.50–2.58) and 1.63 (1.24–2.14), respectively. The NAT2 genotype alone was not associated with gastric cancer risk. A significant gene–environment interaction was observed between environmental carcinogens and NAT2 genotypes. The odds ratios for kimchi, stews and soybean paste were higher in slow/intermediate acetylators than in rapid acetylators. The odds ratios for slow/intermediate acetylators were 2.28 (95% CI: 1.29–4.04) for light smokers and 3.42 (95% CI: 2.06–5.68) for well‐done meat intake. The NAT2 acetylator genotype may be an important modifier of the effects of environmental factors on gastric cancer risk. © 2009 UICC
GENDER DIFFERENCES IN CHILD SURVIVAL IN CONTEMPORARY RURAL CHINA: A COUNTY STUDY

Using data from a survey of deaths of children less than 5 years old conducted in 1997 in a county in Shaanxi Province, China, this paper examines gender differences in child survival in contemporary rural China. First, excess female child mortality in the county in 1994–96 is described, followed by an analysis of the mechanisms whereby the excess mortality takes place, and the underlying social, economic and cultural factors behind it. Excess female child mortality in this county is probably caused primarily by discrimination against girls in curative health care rather than in preventive health care or food and nutrition. Although discrimination occurs in all kinds of families and communities, discrimination itself is highly selective, and is primarily against girls with some specific characteristics. It is argued that the excess mortality of girls is caused fundamentally by the strong son preference in traditional Chinese culture, but exacerbated by the government-guided family planning programme and regulations. This suggests that it is crucial to raise the status of girls within the family and community so as to mitigate the pressures to discriminate against girls in China’s low fertility regime. Finally, the possible policy options to improve female child survival in contemporary rural China are discussed.
Friendship within Entrepreneurial Teams and its Association with Team and Venture Performance

This article explores friendship within the entrepreneurial team with particular attention to its association with the team's behavior and the performance of the venture. Building on a foundation in the literatures on friendship, entrepreneurial teams, and strategic decisions, we propose 13 such relationships. Friendship facilitates the formation of management teams for new ventures, thereby improving their early performance. As the entrepreneurial team continues to function, friendship is conducive to decision-making processes that enhance the team's effectiveness in solving “wicked” problems and ultimately improve the venture's performance. Friendships, under different circumstances, may exert either positive or negative influences on turnover within the entrepreneurial team, and those influences may improve or impair the venture's performance. (At the same time, behavior within the team or events in the venture's development may affect friendships within the team.) Finally we develop and discuss several implications of our propositions for research and practice in entrepreneurship. We point out methodological considerations and directions for future research that would address these implications.
ISOLATION OF HIGH-QUALITY RNA FROM GRAINS OF DIFFERENT MAIZE VARIETIES

The study of gene expression in maize varieties represents a powerful tool aiming to increase vitamin A precursors. However, the isolation of RNA from different maize varieties is challenging because these varieties show different levels of polysaccharides, and most methods available for RNA isolation are inappropriate for grain samples. The polysaccharides co-purify and co-precipitate with RNA during isolation, resulting in low-quality RNA, compromising the use of RNA in subsequent applications. Thus, a cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)-based method was adapted in this study and compared with six methods for RNA isolation, including commercial reagents and RNA and DNA isolation kits, in order to identify the most appropriate for maize grains from different varieties. Most of the methods evaluated were considered inadequate due to limitations in terms of purity and/or quantity of the isolated RNA, which affected the efficiency of subsequent RT-qPCR analysis, resulting in nonamplification of β-carotene hydroxylase gene (HYD3) or high deviation among replicates. However, the CTAB modified method allowed the study to obtain intact RNA, with high quality and quantity, from 25 maize varieties. Furthermore, this RNA was successfully used to evaluate the expression of HYD3 gene by real-time qualitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), and thus represents a simple, efficient, and low-cost strategy.
Cost-effectiveness of omalizumab in severe persistent asthma in Spain: a real-life perspective

Abstract Objectives: To determine the cost-effectiveness of omalizumab compared with routine clinical practice in the treatment and control of severe persistent asthma. Methods: Cost-effectiveness analysis using pre- and post-treatment with omalizumab after 10 months of 47 patients diagnosed with uncontrolled severe persistent asthma attended by the Pneumology Service, Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Malaga. Effectiveness was assessed by the number of emergency room (ER) visits for exacerbations and quality-adjusted life years (QALY) gained. The costs of treatment with omalizumab and ER visits were analyzed using the National Health System perspective. Results are expressed in cost per QALY gained and cost per ER visit avoided (costs €2012). Results: Exacerbations with ER visits decreased significantly (p < 0.001) after 10 months of omalizumab treatment compared with the previous 10 months [7.94 (6.52–9.37) vs 0.19 (0.03–0.35)]. Health utilities increased significantly (p < 0.001) during the same period [0.5967 (0.5722–0.6212) vs 0.7566 (0.7232–0.7900)], representing 0.1333 (0.1053–0.1612) QALYs gained (p < 0.001). The mean cost per patient was €1850.78 (1519.46–2182.10) in the 10 months before treatment and €5431.87 (4930.72–5933.02) after 10 months of omalizumab treatment. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were €462.08/exacerbation avoided (347.65–606.22) and €26 864.89/QALY gained (21 632.07–33 859.49). Conclusions: Our results confirm that adding omalizumab to the treatment of patients with uncontrolled severe persistent asthma reduces the number of exacerbations with ER visits and increases health-related quality of life after 10 months of treatment and produces ICERs favorable to omalizumab and acceptable from the health system perspective.
Polarization chaos from a free-running quantum dot laser diode

For fifty years semiconductor lasers have been considered as damped nonlinear oscillators, thus they could not be driven into chaos unless one uses external forcing, e.g. optical feedback or parameter modulation. Here we demonstrate experimentally the generation of polarization chaos in a free-running vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL), i.e. chaotic mode mode hopping between two polarization modes [1], and provide the theoretical bifurcation scenario leading to chaos in the framework of the spin-flip model (SFM) [2].
Retention of J-1 Visa Waiver Program Physicians in Washington State's Health Professional Shortage Areas

Purpose To determine whether the Conrad Program, which allows states to recruit 30 foreign-trained physicians per year to work in underserved settings, is meeting its goal of increasing the number of physicians in Washington State's underserved areas. Participating physicians have completed their residency training in, and want to continue residing in, the United States. Method The authors identified all J-1 visa waiver physicians assigned to employers in Washington between 1995 and 2003, tracked them (whenever possible) through public databases to their current locations, and surveyed them about their experiences in, and subsequent to, the program. Results The authors tracked 141 of 155 physicians (91%). Of those 141, 77 (55%) responded to the survey. These respondents reported that they remained with their J-1 waiver employers a median of 23 (range: 0–120) months longer than their required commitment periods and that they remained in practices serving primarily underserved populations for, on average, 34 (0–120) consecutive months after fulfilling their commitments. After leaving J-1 waiver employers, 35 of 47 physicians (74%) who served in rural areas moved toward more urban areas, and 57% (80/141) still live in the state. Whereas most expressed satisfaction with the program, 29/77 (38%) felt employers should have shown them more respect. Conclusions In Washington State, the Conrad Program has increased the number of physicians in underserved areas who frequently stay beyond their obligations. The significant movement away from rural areas for postobligation employment, however, highlights the long-term need to continue state efforts to recruit physicians to these areas.
Lactobacilli as effectors of host functions: no influence on the activities of enzymes in enterocytes of mice

Preparations of lactobacilli are often used as dietary supplements to improve the growth and efficiency in utilizing food of animals of commercial value. We tested in an experimental model whether the effects of lactobacilli on growth of and food utilization by animals may be due to alteration of the activities of absorptive enzymes in the small bowel. Germfree mice housed in isolators under tightly controlled conditions were monoassociated with one of four strains of indigenous Lactobacillus spp. From 1 to 5 weeks later, the activity of alkaline phosphatase was assayed in homogenates of segments of the upper small intestines of the associated animals and of matched germfree controls. The specific activity of the enzyme was the same in the mice in the two groups. In other experiments, epithelial cells were isolated from the upper small intestines of mice associated with eight Lactobacillus strains (octa-associated) and from those of matched germfree mice and assayed for alkaline phosphatase, phosphodiesterase, and thymidine kinase activities. The epithelial cells were harvested sequentially from the tips of the villi toward the crypts of Lieberkühn of the intestines. In all preparations, mice of both types yielded an equivalent mass (wet weight) of cells. The protein content of the cells reflected the mass. The activities of the microvillous membrane enzymes alkaline phosphatase and phosphodiesterase and the cytosol enzyme thymidine kinase were the same whether or not the animals contained the bacteria. Therefore, any effects on animal growth and food utilization observed when lactobacilli are used as dietary supplements may not be due to a direct alteration by the bacteria of the absorptive enzymes of the host animal. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Pharmacists' Preferences for Providing Patient-Centered Services: A Discrete Choice Experiment to Guide Health Policy

Background: In Canada, most pharmacists are not paid to provide patient-centered services. In other areas of the world these services have suffered from poor adoption by pharmacists. Objective: To determine pharmacists' preferences for providing patient-centered services. Methods: Senior pharmacy students and pharmacists in British Columbia and Alberta were recruited to complete a discrete choice experiment. In 18 different choice-sets, respondents were asked to choose 1 of 3 options that included 2 different hypothetical patient-centered services and a status quo option. For each hypothetical service, we described the following attributes: service type and setting, personal income and job satisfaction, professional fee, and educational requirements. Multinomial logit and latent class regression models determined respondents' relative preference weights for each attribute. Results: Of 539 respondents who completed the questionnaire, 49% were dispensary pharmacists or managers, 12% were dispensary owners or regional managers, 21% were clinical pharmacists, and 16% were students. When choosing new services, respondents were very averse to having their personal income or job satisfaction decrease. They also preferred a higher professional fee for the service (to be paid to the pharmacy) and preferred a weeklong course or a preceptorship over no education before embarking on new services. Respondents also preferred medication or disease management services, were not interested in screening, and were averse to typical pharmacy services. Finally, respondents preferred the clinic setting over the dispensary. Preferences differed according to several factors including respondents' employment and time in practice. Conclusions: Pharmacists prefer to provide patient-centered services over typical pharmacy services. Most will need to be assured that their income and job satisfaction will be maintained or increased and that they will have access to suitable advanced education. Decision-makers should carefully consider these preferences to improve program success and sustainability.