Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Breast cancer: evaluation of the Common Journey Breast Cancer Support Group.

BACKGROUND Most studies of cancer support groups have focused on the effects of groups established for research purposes, from the exclusive perspective of the group participants. AIM This Roy Adaptation Model-based programme evaluation project focused on identifying the experiences of both participants in and facilitators of a community hospital-sponsored breast cancer support group. DESIGN Repeated measures survey methodology. METHODS Ten women with breast cancer and two Registered Nurse group facilitators participated in the programme evaluation project. Qualitative data were analysed using content analysis. Themes extracted from the data were categorized according to the Roy Adaptation Model modes of adaptation. The group participants completed Initial and End of Year Interview Guides and Group Voices Forms; the group facilitators completed the Facilitators' Voices Form. The Institutional Review Committee of a community hospital approved the programme evaluation project. RESULTS The Common Journey Breast Cancer Support Group is a community hospital-sponsored cancer support group established to meet the informational, emotional support, and social support needs of women with breast cancer who reside in a rural state in the New England region of the USA. Responses of participants and facilitators, which reflected all four of the Roy model modes of adaptation, indicated that the combination of information and emotional and social support was effective. CONCLUSIONS Nurses and other health professionals who establish community-based cancer support groups should consider formal evaluation of the outcomes, from the perspectives of both participants and facilitators, and should publish the results. The results of this programme evaluation project are limited to one breast cancer support group with a small number of female participants and two facilitators. Results cannot be generalized to support groups for other types of cancer or to cancer support groups for men. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE Nurses and other health professionals should consider establishing and facilitating community hospital-sponsored support groups for women with breast cancer, which have the potential to meet the women's informational, emotional support, and social support needs.
Real Time Intraocular Pressure and Lamellar Corneal Flap Thickness in Keratomileusis

Background. To measure real time intraocular pressure (IOP) during keratomileusis and to determine variability of corneal flap thickness by using different suction ring pressure settings. Methods. Eight human cadaver eyes, two groups of four each, were used. The suction ring of the UniversalKeratome was applied to each eye, the same as for a standard automated lamellar keratoplasty (ALK) or laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) procedure, to create a lamellar corneal flap. The pressure of the suction ring on each eye was raised to one of two different levels, four eyes to 488 and the remaining four to 600 mmHg. IOP was continuously recorded by manometer, from application of the suction ring through the end of the passage of the microkeratome. Central corneal thickness was measured, both before and after each procedure. Results. IOP increased by >90 mmHg after application of the suction ring at a pressure of either 488 mmHg or 600 mmHg. Corneal flaps performed under a suction ring pressure of 488 mmHg measured 159.98 ± 5 &mgr;m, whereas flap thickness for the 600-mmHg group varied 1.4–266.2 &mgr;m. Two flaps exhibited irregular configurations. Conclusions. Real time IOP can be measured during keratomileusis. The results demonstrated a significant increase in IOP during the procedure. Suction ring pressure setting is an important variable in determining consistent corneal flap thickness during the keratomileusis procedure.
Collagenolytic protease expression in cranial cruciate ligament and stifle synovial fluid in dogs with cranial cruciate ligament rupture.

OBJECTIVE To determine expression of collagenolytic genes and collagen degradation in stifle tissues of dogs with ruptured cranial cruciate ligament (CCL). ANIMALS Six dogs with CCL rupture and 11 dogs with intact CCL. PROCEDURES Gene expression in CCL tissue and synovial fluid cells was studied using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Collagen degradation was studied using CCL explant cultures and a synovial fluid bioassay. RESULTS Expression of matrix metalloproteases (MMP) was not found in young Beagles with intact CCL; however, increased expression of MMP-3 was found in CCL tissue from older hounds with intact CCL, when compared with young Beagles. In dogs with ruptured CCL, expression of MMP-2 and -9 was increased in stifle tissues, when compared with dogs with intact CCL. Similar to MMP-9, expression of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) and cathepsin S was only found in stifle tissues from dogs with ruptured CCL; in contrast, expression of cathepsin K was found in all ruptured and intact CCL. Collagen degradation was increased in ruptured CCL, when compared with intact CCL. CONCLUSION Rupture of the CCL is associated with up-regulation of expression of MMP-2 and -9 (gelatinase A and B), TRAP, and cathepsin S, and increased degradation of collagen. CLINICAL RELEVANCE These findings suggest that MMP-2, -9, cathepsin S, and TRAP may be important mediators of progressive joint destruction in dogs with CCL rupture. These genes are markers for macrophages and dendritic cells. MMP and cathepsin S pathways may offer novel targets for anti-inflammatory medical therapy aimed at ameliorating joint degradation associated with inflammatory arthritis.
HIV Medication Adherence Programs: The Importance of Social Support

Since the advent of medical treatments for HIV, the promotion of adherence to these difficult treatment regimens has proven critical to disease management. Three Connecticut state-funded HIV medication adherence programs were evaluated.1 The purpose of this process evaluation was to explore and compare the goals and modality of each adherence program, assess client and staff satisfaction, and provide recommendations for the improvement of these programs. Focus group interviews with clients and individual interviews with staff were conducted at each of the programs. Interviews were transcribed, coded and analyzed with a code and retrieve method of theme identification. Focus group themes included the importance of social support on medication adherence and the "lifesaving" effect the program has had. The staff expressed that although complete adherence should be the long-term objective, more intermediate objectives should be considered (e.g., behavioral changes to increase clients' ability, self-esteem, and self-efficacy to take medications).
Migraine trait symptoms in migraine with and without aura

Objectives: The aim of the study was to determine whether various transient sensory and neuropsychological symptoms (SNS) were associated with migraine using a custom questionnaire. Methods: In this hypothesis-generating case-control study, the frequencies of transient SNS in 219 patients with migraine (149 without aura and 70 with aura) were compared with 161 age- and sex-matched healthy controls using a custom questionnaire. Patients from a tertiary academic headache center in Hamburg were contacted by regular mail. Healthy controls without a history of migraine were recruited by means of a screening questionnaire and consecutively approached by e-mail. Results: The presence of both migraine and aura was associated with significantly higher frequencies of autokinesis, metamorphopsia, dyschromatopsia, cinematographic vision, illusionary visual spread, and synesthesia (for all comparisons: corrected p < 0.05). Double vision, inverted 2- and 3-dimensional vision, and altered perception of body weight and size were found more often in patients with migraine without aura than in those with aura. In contrast, aura was associated with the occurrence of visual splitting and corona phenomenon (for all comparisons: corrected p < 0.05). No relevant association with migraine was found for micropsia and macropsia, teleopsia and pelopsia, inverted vision, out-of-body experience, Doppelgänger phenomenon, complex visual hallucinations, and altered perception of body position in space. Conclusions: The observed SNS seem to belong to a physiologic spectrum of multisensory phenomena. Some of these phenomena were significantly accentuated in patients with migraine and may therefore be termed migraine trait symptoms. However, these results will have to be confirmed in a prospective study with face-to-face interviews.
Depletion of Phagocytic Cells during Nonlethal Plasmodium yoelii Infection Causes Severe Malaria Characterized by Acute Renal Failure in Mice

ABSTRACT In the current study, we examined the effects of depletion of phagocytes on the progression of Plasmodium yoelii 17XNL infection in mice. Strikingly, the depletion of phagocytic cells, including macrophages, with clodronate in the acute phase of infection significantly reduced peripheral parasitemia but increased mortality. Moribund mice displayed severe pathological damage, including coagulative necrosis in liver and thrombi in the glomeruli, fibrin deposition, and tubular necrosis in kidney. The severity of infection was coincident with the increased sequestration of parasitized erythrocytes, the systematic upregulation of inflammation and coagulation, and the disruption of endothelial integrity in the liver and kidney. Aspirin was administered to the mice to minimize the risk of excessive activation of the coagulation response and fibrin deposition in the renal tissue. Interestingly, treatment with aspirin reduced the parasite burden and pathological lesions in the renal tissue and improved survival of phagocyte-depleted mice. Our data imply that the depletion of phagocytic cells, including macrophages, in the acute phase of infection increases the severity of malarial infection, typified by multiorgan failure and high mortality.
"I could only think about what i was doing, and that was a lot to think about": online self-regulation in dialogue interpreting

Although dialogue interpreting has been the focus of much scholarly interest in the past several decades, such research has primarily investigated its interactional, social, and communicative aspects. This dissertation places the interpreter’s experience of task performance at center stage. The research study reported on herein explores dialogue interpreters’ online self-regulation, defined as online monitoring of affect, behavior, cognition, and context and the online employment of affectual, behavioral, or cognitive control mechanisms in order to maintain or increase alignment between the current state of the interactional system and the interpreter’s performance goals. The results of the study shed light on the aspects of the interactional system that interpreters monitor, the control mechanisms they employ during performance, and the goal states mediating their online self-regulation. In addition to reporting on the aforementioned research study, the author discusses and proposes models of dialogue interpreting.
Effects of adding yeast cell walls and Yucca schidigera extract to diets of layer chicks

1. This research was conducted to determine the impact of diet supplementation with yeast cell walls and Yucca schidigera extract on the growth performance, antibody titres, and intestinal tissue histology of layer chicks. 2. White, 1-d-old, Hy-Line hybrid chicks (n = 840) were divided into 4 main groups, each comprising 7 replicates of 30 chicks (n = 210): (1) control; (2) 1000 mg/kg yeast cell walls (YCW) added; (3) 1000 mg/kg Yucca schidigera extract (YE) added; and (4) 500 mg/kg YE + 500 mg/kg YCW added. The trial lasted 60 d. 3. Daily weight gain of the chicks was positively affected between d 45-60 in the YE and YCW + YE groups compared with the control group. 4. Overall, feed consumption did not differ between the control and YCW, YE, YCW + YE groups during the 60 d study period. Feed efficiency was better in the YE and YCW + YE groups than in the control group between d 1-60. 5. During the 60 d evaluation period, live weight gain, and final live weight were higher in YE and YCW + YE groups than in the control group. 6. Antibody titres against infectious bronchitis and infectious bursal disease did not differ among the 4 treatments, but those for Newcastle disease were higher in the YE + YCW groups than in the control, YCW and YE groups on d 45. 7. There were differences in intestinal histomorphometry between the 4 treatments. The height of the jejunal and ileal villi was greater in the YE and YCW + YE groups than in the control and YCW groups 8. It can be concluded that YCW and YE supplementation for layer chicks is beneficial for growth performance and intestinal histology during the 1-60 d growing period.
Effects of anabolic and therapeutic doses of dexamethasone on thymus morphology and apoptosis in veal calves

Three groups of 10 veal calves were treated, respectively, with 5 mg of dexamethasone-21-isonicotinate administered intramuscularly on days 0 and 7 (group A); 0·4 mg/day of dexamethasone-21-phosphate administered orally for 20 days (group B); or left untreated as controls (group C). Two animals from each group were slaughtered on day 3, 7, 14, 32 and 52. The size and weight of the thymus decreased progressively in both treated groups until day 32. On day 14, in comparison with the controls, there was a mean reduction of 76 per cent in the thymus weight of group A and 35 per cent in group B. On day 32, the reductions were 13 per cent in group A and 50 per cent in group B, but the thymus weight of both groups had recovered completely by day 52. Dexamethasone-induced changes in thymus weight associated with lymphoid depletion and fat replacement, and there were clear correlations between these changes and apoptosis of thymocytes.
Outcomes after Aneurysm Rupture during Endovascular Coil Embolization

OBJECTIVEIntracranial aneurysm rupture during placement of Guglielmi detachable coils has been reported, but the management and consequences of this event have not been extensively described. We present our experience with this feared complication and report possible neuroradiological and neurosurgical interventions to improve outcomes. METHODSWe retrospectively reviewed the records for 701 patients with 734 intracranial aneurysms that were treated with endovascular coiling, during a 6-year period, in the metropolitan Minneapolis-St. Paul (Minnesota) area. This analysis revealed 10 cases of perforation during coiling. The management and outcomes were recorded, and the pertinent literature was reviewed. RESULTSAll 10 cases involved previously ruptured aneurysms. This complication occurred sporadically and was not observed in the first 100 cases. Perforation occurred during microcatheterization of the aneurysm in two cases and during coil deposition in eight cases. Seven of the perforated aneurysms were located in the anterior circulation and three in the posterior circulation. Six of the 10 patients made good or fair recoveries; all three patients with posterior circulation lesions died immediately after rehemorrhage. Elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) was noted for all five patients with intraventricular catheters in place. Bilateral pupil dilation and profound hemodynamic changes were noted for eight patients. Coiling was rapidly completed, and total or nearly total occlusion was achieved in all cases. Emergency ventriculostomy was performed to rapidly reduce increased ICP for two patients, both of whom made good recoveries. Hemodynamic and angiographic factors after perforation, such as prolonged systemic hypertension, persistent dye extravasation after deployment of the first Guglielmi detachable coil, and persistent prolongation of contrast dye transit time (suggesting ongoing ICP elevation), were correlated with poor outcomes. CONCLUSIONPreviously ruptured aneurysms seem to be more susceptible to endovascular treatment-related perforation than are unruptured lesions. Worse prognoses are associated with iatrogenic rupture during coiling of posterior circulation lesions, compared with those in the anterior circulation. When perforation is recognized, the definitive treatment seems to be reversal of anticoagulation therapy and completion of Guglielmi detachable coil embolization. Immediate neurosurgical intervention is limited in these cases and focuses on decreasing ICP via emergency ventriculostomy. However, these measures may be life-saving, and neurosurgical assistance must be readily available during treatment of these cases.
Recognition of major histocompatibility complex antigens on cultured human biliary epithelial cells by alloreactive lymphocytes

We have developed an in vitro system to study the interactions between biliary epithelium and lymphocytes using cultured human biliary epithelial cells. No class II antigens were detected by immunoperoxidase staining of the normal biliary epithelial cells, but alloactivated lymphocyte culture supernatants were able to induce class II expression. The activity of the supernatants was blocked with an anti‐γ‐interferon monoclonal antibody. In addition, recombinant human γ‐interferon alone induced the expression of class II antigens and increased the intensity of class I staining of cultured biliary epithelial cells. Biliary epithelial cell‐induced proliferation of alloreactive T lymphocytes demonstrated that the major histocompatibility complex molecules carry functional lymphocyteactivating determinants. The recognition of major histocompatibility complex determinants was confirmed by monoclonal antibody‐blocking studies and by stimulation of an alloreactive T‐cell clone. However, the biliary epithelial cells were much less potent stimulators than arterial endothelial cells tested in the same assay system. (HEPATOLOGY 1991;13:239–246).
Independent thallium-201 accumulation and fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose metabolism in glioma.

UNLABELLED SPECT with 201TI is an effective procedure for evaluating the malignancy of glioma. Our goal was to investigate the diagnostic relevance of both 201TI SPECT and [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET and the relation between 201TI uptake and glucose metabolism in glioma using comparative SPECT and PET studies. METHODS Thallium-201 SPECT and FDG dynamic PET studies were performed in 20 patients with untreated glioma (5 with glioblastoma, 5 with anaplastic glioma, 10 with low-grade glioma). Thallium-201 uptake in the tumor was estimated using the 201TI index, defined as the ratio of 201TI uptake in the tumor to that in the contralateral normal brain on SPECT images obtained 15 min after intravenous injection. We measured regional glucose metabolic parameters, including rate constants and regional cerebral metabolic rate of glucose utilization (rCMRgl), in the tumor. We then compared the regional 201TI index and glucose metabolic parameters with the histologic characteristics, malignancy and computed tomographic/ magnetic resonance imaging findings. In addition, we investigated the correlation between the 201TI index and glucose metabolic parameters. RESULTS Thallium-201 SPECT showed abnormal 201TI uptake in all patients with glioblastoma and anaplastic glioma. Thallium-201 indices of glioblastoma (202.6 +/- 22.1%) and anaplastic glioma (176.6% +/- 26.6%) were significantly higher than that for low-grade glioma (106.7% +/- 13.8%). The rCMRgl value of glioblastoma (17.6 +/- 3.5 mumole/100 g/min) was also significantly higher than that for low-grade glioma (10.8 +/- 4.5 mumole/100 g/min), although rCMRgl showed a large variability in both high- and low-grade glioma. Rate constants of FDG kinetics had no correlation with histological grade of glioma. Some patients with high-grade glioma, however, showed false-negative results with FDG-PET because of high normal brain uptake of FDG. Conversely, most low-grade glioma could not be localized by 201TI SPECT. There was no correlation between the 201TI index and glucose metabolic parameters. CONCLUSION Thallium-201 indices and rCMRgl values for glioblastoma were higher than those for low-grade glioma. Thallium-201 uptake in the tumor may be independent of increased glucose transport or metabolism. Thallium-201 SPECT and FDG-PET are complementary in the diagnosis of glioma, although 201TI SPECT is more significantly correlated with the malignancy of glioma.
Can deliberative democracy resolve intergenerational sustainability dilemma

What the current generation does today affects the future generations, but the opposite is not true. This one-way nature induces the current generation to take advantage of resources without fully considering future generations'needs, which we call "intergenerational sustainability dilemma (ISD)," and it is a cause of many important problems such as climate change. Although deliberative democracy is demonstrated to be effective for some class of social problems such as prisoner's dilemma (PD), little is known about whether and how deliberative democracy is effective to solve ISD. Given this state of affairs, we examine (1) the factors to characterize the preferences and behaviors and (2) whether deliberative democracy resolves the problem in ISD through conducting an intergenerational sustainability dilemma game (ISDG) in two types of Nepalese fields (urban and rural areas). In ISDG, a sequence of six generations each of which consists of three people is organized, and each generation can either maintain intergenerational sustainability (sustainable option) or maximize its own generation's payoff by irreversibly imposing a cost on future generations (unsustainable option) under deliberative democratic settings. Our results show that the probability of choosing sustainable options increases with a number of prosocial members per generation, implying that generations in rural areas choose sustainable options more frequently than those in urban areas. Second, deliberative democracy does not induce individual opinion changes and generation decisions in favor of intergenerational sustainability. Overall, our findings demonstrate that some new mechanisms in place of deliberative democracy may be necessary to enhance intergenerational sustainability unless societies would have more prosocial people or cultural changes in the future.
Altered Long- and Short-Range Functional Connectivity in Patients with Betel Quid Dependence: A Resting-State Functional MRI Study

Objective: Addiction is a chronic relapsing brain disease. Brain structural abnormalities may constitute an abnormal neural network that underlies the risk of drug dependence. We hypothesized that individuals with Betel Quid Dependence (BQD) have functional connectivity alterations that can be described by long- and short-range functional connectivity density(FCD) maps. Methods: We tested this hypothesis using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from subjects of the Han ethnic group in Hainan, China. Here, we examined BQD individuals (n = 33) and age-, sex-, and education-matched healthy controls (HCs) (n = 32) in a rs-fMRI study to observe FCD alterations associated with the severity of BQD. Results: Compared with HCs, long-range FCD was decreased in the right anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and increased in the left cerebellum posterior lobe (CPL) and bilateral inferior parietal lobule (IPL) in the BQD group. Short-range FCD was reduced in the right ACC and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), and increased in the left CPL. The short-range FCD alteration in the right ACC displayed a negative correlation with the Betel Quid Dependence Scale (BQDS) (r=-0.432, P=0.012), and the long-range FCD alteration of left IPL showed a positive correlation with the duration of BQD(r=0.519, P=0.002) in BQD individuals. Conclusions: fMRI revealed differences in long- and short- range FCD in BQD individuals, and these alterations might be due to BQ chewing, BQ dependency, or risk factors for developing BQD.