Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Muscle sympathetic nerve activity responses to dynamic passive muscle stretch in humans

It is suggested that mechanoreceptors in muscle play an important role in the exercise pressor reflex. However, it has not been verified whether isolated stimulation of the mechanoreceptors can induce responses in muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) in young healthy individuals. We tested the hypothesis that passive stretch of muscle can evoke an increase in MSNA in healthy individuals. In 12 young subjects, leg calf muscles were passively stretched, or actively contracted for 5 s followed by a 15–25 s (random length) relaxation period. Stretch and contraction were each repeated 25 times. MSNA, heart rate and blood pressure were analysed, and averaged according to the onset of the force on a beat‐by‐beat basis. At the 1st to the 3rd heart beat from the onset of stretch, MSNA (199 ± 30%, P < 0.05) as well as heart rate (102.5 ± 0.7%, P < 0.05) increased transiently but significantly from the prior stretch baseline (100%), followed (from 3rd to 7th beat from the onset of stretch) by a transient increase in mean blood pressure (101.9 ± 0.3%, P < 0.05) from the baseline. Similar response patterns were observed during active muscle contractions. The present data show that MSNA responses to isolated stimulation of mechanoreceptors are measurable. Because of baroreflex engagement, the magnitude of the response is small and transient, and the haemodynamic consequences using this protocol may be limited.
Gender, oestrogen, hormone replacement and age-related macular degeneration: results from the Blue Mountains Eye Study.

PURPOSE To determine whether females have a higher age-specific age-related maculopathy prevalence than males; whether there is an increased risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) with early menopause; and whether there is a decreased risk of AMD with use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). METHODS Pooled data from three study populations that have used similar AMD diagnostic criteria were used to answer the first hypothesis: the Beaver Dam Eye Study (BDES), the Rotterdam study of the elderly, and the Blue Mountains Eye Study (BMES). The BMES population was used to answer the second and third hypotheses. This population included residents aged 49 or older with 2072 women participating, of whom 1899 postmenopausal women answered questions about menopause, menarche and HRT. AMD was diagnosed from graded retinal photographs using modified international criteria. RESULTS The overall pooled odds ratio (OR) for association between sex and AMD revealed a significant increase in AMD prevalence among females compared with males, adjusting for 10-year age categories, OR = 1.15 (1.10-1.21), with no significant heterogeneity between studies. A significant decrease in the odds of early AMD with increasing years from menarche to menopause was observed. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that females may have a higher risk of AMD. The significant decrease in early AMD with increasing years from menarche to menopause supports the concept that a shorter duration of oestrogen production may increase risk of AMD.
Reporting diagnostic accuracy studies: some improvements after 10 years of STARD.

PURPOSE To evaluate how diagnostic accuracy study reports published in 2012 adhered to the Standards for Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy (STARD) statement and whether there were any differences in reporting compared with 2000 and 2004. MATERIALS AND METHODS PubMed was searched for studies published in 12 high-impact-factor journals in 2012 that evaluated the accuracy of one or more diagnostic tests against a clinical reference standard. Two independent reviewers scored reporting completeness of each article with the 25-item STARD checklist. Mixed-effects modeling was used to analyze differences in reporting with previous evaluations from articles published in 2000 and 2004. RESULTS Included were 112 articles. The overall mean number of STARD items reported in 2012 was 15.3 ± 3.9 (standard deviation; range, 6.0-23.5). There was an improvement of 3.4 items (95% confidence interval: 2.6, 4.3) compared with studies published in 2000, and an improvement of 1.7 items (95% confidence interval: 0.9, 2.5) compared with studies published in 2004. Significantly more items were reported for single-gate studies compared with multiple-gate studies (16.8 vs 12.1, respectively; P < .001) and for studies that evaluated imaging tests compared with laboratory tests and other types of tests (17.0 vs 14.0 vs 14.5, respectively; P < .001). CONCLUSION Completeness of reporting improved in the 10 years after the launch of STARD, but it remains suboptimal for many articles. Reporting of inclusion criteria and sampling methods for recruiting patients, information about blinding, and confidence intervals for accuracy estimates are in need of further improvement.
Tuberculosis of the urinary tract in southern Thailand.

BACKGROUND The urinary system is one of the common sites of involvement of extrapulmonary tuberculosis (TB). The accurate diagnosis and treatment of extrapulmonary TB is complex and difficult. OBJECTIVE To address the epidemiology and drug susceptibility of urinary tract TB in southern Thailand. MATERIAL AND METHOD A retrospective analysis of data collected at the time of diagnosis of urinary tract TB cases, during a 10-year period from 1998 to 2007. Data collection included demography, presenting symptoms, laboratory investigations, and imaging studies of the urinary system. RESULTS During a 10-year period of the present study, 35 new cases of urinary tract TB were diagnosed, with a male/female ratio of 1.3:1 and a common age group of 31-40 years. 34.3% of the patients were farmers. The most presenting symptoms were polyuria, dysuria and acidic urinary pH with pyuria. 80% ofthe patients had abnormal imaging studies ofthe urinary system, with hydronephrosis being the most frequently found condition. Fifty seven point one percent had positive urine cultures for Mycobacterium and 0.05% of them had streptomycin resistance, while none ofthem had an HIV coinfection. CONCLUSION The urinary tract TB was more common in male with a common age group of 31-40 years. The common presenting symptoms were long-standing urinary symptoms as frequency in urination, dysuria, hematuria and acidic urinary pH associated with pyuria. In the present study, there was only 0.05% of streptomycin resistance, however, no patients with HIV infection.
International reserves and trilemma policy convergence in Malaysia

ABSTRACT Some observations have suggested that international reserves contribute to trilemma policy convergence in emerging countries. Nonetheless, this hypothesis needs more solid empirical evidence to determine its validity. This article tests this hypothesis by examining the relationships among the index of policy dispersion, international reserves and trade openness in a threshold model in Malaysia. As a small open economy, Malaysia has accumulated a relatively large amount of international reserves since the mid-1990s. The results indicate that the positive impact of international reserves on reducing policy dispersion or achieving policy convergence is found only if the international reserves are above a threshold. Hence, this conclusion supports the need to hold a relatively high level of international reserves in Malaysia.
Up-regulation of angiotensin type 2 receptor mRNA by angiotensin II in rat cortical cells.

The present experiment demonstrates that the exposure of angiotensin II (AII) produced an up-regulation of the AT2 receptor mRNA level in rat cortical cells. AII (10(-9)-10(-5) M) exerted a marked increase of AT2 receptor mRNA in a dose-dependent manner. The maximum increase was observed at 3 hr of AII stimulation and lasted 3 hr. The up-regulation of AT2 receptor mRNA was antagonized by PD123319, an AT2 receptor antagonist, but not by SC-52458, an AT1 receptor antagonist, thus suggesting that the increase in AT2 receptor mRNA is mediated via AT2 receptor. This increase is blocked by serine/threonine phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid, but not by the phosphotyrosine phosphatase inhibitor sodium vanadate, thus suggesting the involvement of serine/threonine phosphatase in this process. Protein kinase C inhibitor, H-7 and calphostin C, did not inhibit the AII-induced up-regulation significantly. In addition, calcium ionophore, A23187 had no effect. These findings suggest that the AT2 receptor mRNA expression by AII is regulated by the activity of serine/threonine phosphatase in the cortical neurons. This observation is also the first example concerning the regulation of AT2 receptor within the brain.
Youth Employment and the Private Sector in Africa

Globally, governments, development agencies, and inter-governmental institutions have invested heavily in skills-building interventions seeking to enhance the employability of youths. However, policy actors are becoming more aware of the shortcomings of skills-building interventions, and attention is shifting to focus on how to promote productivity, boost the private sector, and generate the kind of growth that could create jobs. While policymakers have endorsed the role of the private sector as a job generator, it remains unclear whether, and under what conditions, the formal private sector generates enough and decent jobs. Empirical research on youth employment in the private sector is sparse. This IDS Bulletin begins to fill that gap. The articles here have been authored by young African scholars from the Matasa Fellows Network, convened by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) in collaboration with Mastercard Foundation. These early-career academics from Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, and Zimbabwe were selected to consider the role that could be played by the formal private sector in job creation in Africa. Case studies come from their respective countries. While some aspects of the youth employment challenge are common to all six countries, the local contexts and situations are unique and sectoral. This IDS Bulletin explores the scope of research and policy challenges in three specific areas: agribusiness and youth employment; skills gaps and youth employability; and youth employment in fragile and conflict-affected settings. The articles demonstrate the importance of effective policy measures to ensure that private sector growth creates sufficient numbers of decent, secure jobs to provide employment to African youth.
Providing genetic risk information to parents of newborns with sickle cell trait: role of the general practitioner in neonatal screening.

PURPOSE In 2007, the neonatal screening program in the Netherlands was expanded to include hemoglobinopathies. Newborns with sickle cell disease (SCD), as well as SCD carriers are identified. The benefit of reporting SCD carriers includes detection of more couples at risk (both parents are carriers) who can be informed about future reproductive choices, a responsibility of their general practitioner (GP). We evaluated knowledge, ideas, and actions of GPs after reporting SCD carriers and explored and analyzed potential barriers. METHODS A questionnaire study. RESULTS A total of 139 GPs responded to our questionnaire (49%). Ninety GPs (90%) stated they informed parents of the test result. In only 23 cases (23%) both parents had themselves tested for hemoglobinopathies. Eighty-one GPs (64%) stated that they did not have enough clinical experience with SCD. Almost half of the GPs indicated that they did not experience any barriers in counseling patients (n=60, 48%). CONCLUSION At the moment, the goal of the neonatal screening for SCD carriers has not been achieved as the majority of parents were not tested for hemoglobinopathies after disclosure of carrier status in their newborn. With GPs reporting few barriers in counseling parents and only indicating a lack of knowledge and clinical experience, more effort is required to provide better information to GPs to help facilitate their work.
An epidemiologic study of the Thai Stroke Rehabilitation Registry (TSRR): a multi-center study.

OBJECTIVE To perform the registry of stroke patients receiving the in-patient comprehensive rehabilitation program at main tertiary hospitals from March to December 2006. MATERIAL AND METHOD Demographic data including medical history and pathology of stroke were recorded. All subjects received a comprehensive rehabilitation program until they reached their rehabilitation goals or discharge criteria. RESULTS Three hundred twenty seven patients met the inclusion criteria. The mean age was 62 +/- 12 years, and 59% were males. Most of the patients were married (73.1%), lived in an urban area (62.1%), and had an education level of primary school or lower (58.7%). The median duration from onset to admission for rehabilitation was 24 days. The major medical history was hypertension (74.9%), followed by dyslipidemia (54.4%), diabetes mellitus (26.6%), and ischemic heart disease (18.0%). Fifty-one (15.6%) patients had a history of previous stroke. Cerebral infarction was found in 71.9%, including thrombosis (45.3%), lacuna infarction (15.3%), and emboli (8.0%) and 28.1% had hemorrhagic stroke. On admission, more than half (51.8%) had cognitive impairment and one-third (31.5%) had bowel-bladder problems. Almost all of the patients (99.4%) had family support. Either their spouse or siblings had undertaken the main caregiver role (46.5% and 40.4% respectively). However, more than 80% of the patients were discharged to their own homes or immediate family's house. CONCLUSION This was the first multi-center registry of inpatient stroke rehabilitation in Thailand. It presented the epidemiologic aspects in order to become national data of stroke patients receiving medical rehabilitation services.
IMPORT COMPETITION, PRODUCTIVITY, AND RESTRUCTURING IN UK

We discuss the literature on the importance of entry and exit for raising productivity growth. Using micro datafor the UK for a period from 1980 to 2000, we find that the share of productivity growth accounted for by entryand exit has increased considerably: from around 25 per cent in the 1980s to around 50 per cent in the 1990s.We then ask to what extent increased globalization—measured as sectoral import penetration—might haveexplained this and find effects from both globalization and information and communication technology.
Practical use of local anesthetics in regional anesthesia

Purpose of review The choice of local anesthetics in regional anesthesia depends on desired onset, intensity, and duration of block, as well as possible adverse effects. This review highlights recent advances in day-case spinal anesthesia; considerations in selecting local anesthetic volume, concentration, and mass in peripheral nerve blockade; and the pharmacokinetics of ropivacaine. Recent findings Spinal anesthesia using 2-chloroprocaine offers fast onset and rapid recovery, whereas mepivacaine and lidocaine are suitable for longer procedures. Intrathecal lidocaine in the lithotomy position carries a significant risk of transient neurologic symptoms and should be avoided. Dosing studies of local anesthetics in peripheral nerve blockade suggest that mass of drug, not volume or concentration, primarily determines block onset, success, and duration. Commonly used doses of ropivacaine for Transversus Abdominis Plane blocks can result in high plasma concentrations and local anesthetic systemic toxicity. Summary There are effective alternatives to bupivacaine in day-case spinal anesthesia but more safety and outcome data are required, particularly for 2-chloroprocaine. The trend toward smaller doses of local anesthetics in ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia improves safety but should be weighed against possible reductions in speed of onset and analgesic duration. Strategies to reduce the risk of local anesthetic systemic toxicity should be employed when performing large-volume fascial plane blocks with ropivacaine.
Influence of supply voltage frequency and magnitude on PD pulse parameters

A study on the influence of supply voltage magnitude and frequency on partial discharge (PD) pulse shapes is presented in this paper. Ultrawide band (UWB) time resolved PD pulse measurements were carried out on artificial PD defects using test voltage frequency range of 10-400 Hz and voltage range of 2-11 kV. The manner in which the PD pulse shape responded to changes in the test voltage characteristics depended on the defect type. The observations can be interpreted using the generally agreed theory of PD mechanisms. The knowledge generated in this work is valuable in the interpretation and comparison of PD measurements made at different voltages and frequencies. It also contributes to development of PD defect classification techniques based on the correlation between test voltage frequency and time-resolved PD.
Specific-wavelength visible light irradiation inhibits bacterial growth of Porphyromonas gingivalis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE The effects of laser irradiation on Porphyromonas gingivalis have been reported, but the results are still controversial regarding the efficiency because of the differences of the light sources and irradiation conditions. The aim of this study was to determine the wavelength and irradiation conditions under which the most effective inhibitory effect on P. gingivalis growth was seen without any photosensitizers. MATERIAL AND METHODS Using an Okazaki large spectrograph, monochromatic light spectra ranging from 400 to 700 nm were evaluated to determine which spectra effectively inhibited bacterial growth. Moreover, using a monochromatic 405-nm irradiating device, the effects of various irradiating conditions on P. gingivalis growth were examined. RESULTS Growth of bacteria irradiated at 400 nm and 410 nm was significantly suppressed compared with a nonirradiated control, whereas wavelengths of 430 nm and longer produced no significant inhibition. A constant energy density of 15 J/cm2 was found to be enough to show an inhibitory effect. Significant inhibition of bacterial growth was found after only 1 min at 50 mW/cm2 irradiation. CONCLUSION These results indicate that P. gingivalis growth is specifically suppressed by 405-nm light irradiation, suggesting that visible blue light irradiation is a promising means for eradicating periodontopathogenic bacteria from periodontal lesions.
Granger Causality Between Exports and Growth in OECD Countries : A Panel Data Approach

This paper investigates the possibility of Granger causality between growth and exports, measure in logarithms of real GDP and real exports in 26 OECD countries from 1971 to 2014. A panel data approach is applied based on VAR systems and Wald tests on the panel, as well as on each individual country. Two different specifications are used: a bivariate (GDP-exports) and a trivariate augmentation including trade openness (GDP-exports-openness). The variable of trade openness is used as a specification in the trivariate model and it is expected to estimate the sensitivity of GDP and exports. The results from the cross country analysis indicate unidirectional causality from exports to GDP in Greece and Italy, one-directional causality from GDP to exports in Denmark, Germany, Korea, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Canada and Norway, bidirectional causality between exports and growth in Japan, Sweden and Turkey, while in the cases of Australia, Austria, France, Iceland, Ireland, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland and the United States there is no statistical evidence for any causal relationship. The results from the two models are ambiguous for five countries, namely Belgium, Finland, Luxembourg, Portugal and Great Britain; therefore there is not sufficient evidence in order to draw any conclusions. Nevertheless, the results from the panel analysis show a significant statistical evidence for unidirectional causality from GDP towards exports lending support to the growth-driven-export hypothesis. The conclusions from this paper show that trade has a positive effect on growth, as expected from theory and as previously found in cross-country studies.
Ocular findings in two colonies of gray mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus).

OBJECTIVE To determine the incidence and describe the characteristics of cataracts and other ocular lesions found in two colonies of gray mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus). ANIMALS STUDIED A total number of 218 mouse lemurs (age range: 4 months-11 years) were included in this study. All individuals were property of the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (France), and were housed either in Paris (colony #1: 75 animals examined), or in Brunoy (colony #2: 143 animals). METHODS Ocular examinations were performed on all animals before and after pupil dilation, and included slit-lamp biomicroscopy and indirect ophthalmoscopy. In both colonies, a limited number of individuals were re-examined between several months and 2 years following the initial eye examinations. The eyes of five mouse lemurs with incipient or immature cataracts that died during this period were collected, and processed for routine histopathologic examination. RESULTS A high incidence of cataracts was observed in both colonies (48% in colony #1; 21% in colony #2). Cataracts were predominantly bilateral, started in the anterior and/or posterior subcapsular area, and appeared to be slowly progressive. The earliest age at which lens opacities were observed was 3.5 years, and more than 50% of mouse lemurs over 7 years of age were diagnosed with cataracts. Complete cataracts led to blindness and were occasionally associated with other ocular lesions. CONCLUSION We report a high incidence of acquired, slowly progressive, bilateral cataracts in two colonies of mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus). Further studies need to be conducted to determine the cause of this disease in this species.