Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Erectile dysfunction and comorbidities in aging men: an urban cross-sectional study in Malaysia.

INTRODUCTION Erectile dysfunction (ED), lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), cardiovascular disease (CVD), depression, and androgen deficiency are common conditions affecting aging men over 50 years. However, data were limited in developing countries. AIMS To investigate the prevalence of ED, LUTS, chronic diseases, depression, androgen deficiency symptoms, and lifestyle of aging men in Malaysia, and to examine their associations with sociodemographic factors. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES ED, LUTS, chronic diseases, depression, positive Androgen Deficiency in the Aging Male (ADAM) questionnaire METHODS A randomized survey of 351 men using structured questionnaires consisting of self-reported medical conditions, International Index for Erectile Function-5, International Prostate Symptom Score, Geriatric Depression Scale-15, and St Louis University questionnaire for ADAM. Blood samples were taken for glucose, lipid, prostate specific antigen (PSA), and hormones. RESULTS Mean age was 58+/-7 years. Prevalence of ED was 70.1% (mild ED 32.8%, mild to moderate ED 17.7%, moderate ED 5.1%, and severe ED 14.5%). There were 29% of men with moderate and severe LUTS; 11.1% had severe depression; 25.4% scored positive on ADAM questionnaire; 30.2% self-reported hypertension, 21.4% self-reported diabetes mellitus; 10.8% self-reported coronary artery disease; 19.1% were smokers; and 34% consumed alcohol. There were 78.6% of men that are overweight and obese; 28.8% had a fasting blood sugar (FBS) >or=6.1 mmol/L, 70.1% had total cholesterol >5.2 mmol/L, 19.1% had total testosterone >or=11.0 nmoL/L, 14.0% had calculated free testosterone <0.0225 nmoL/dL; 4% had PSA >4 microg/L; 9.4% had insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) level below age specific range, 5.1% had abnormal sex hormone binding globulin (<15 nmoL/L and >70 nmol/L). ED was found to be significantly associated with LUTS, depression (P<0.001 respectively). Similarly, LUTS was significantly associated with depression and ADAM questionnaire status (P<0.001 respectively); and ADAM questionnaire status was also significantly associated with depression (P<0.001). CONCLUSION ED, LUTS, depression, and androgen deficiency symptoms are common in urban aging men. As these conditions are possibly interrelated, strategies for early disease prevention and detection are warranted when one disease presents.
Free vascularized fibular grafting for the treatment of postcollapse osteonecrosis of the femoral head. Surgical technique.

BACKGROUND Osteonecrosis of the femoral head, a disease primarily affecting young adults, is often associated with collapse of the articular surface and subsequent arthrosis. Free vascularized fibular grafting has been reported to be successful for patients with early stages of osteonecrosis, but little is known about its efficacy after the femoral head has collapsed. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed the results in a consecutive series of 188 patients (224 hips) who had undergone free vascularized fibular grafting, between 1989 and 1999, for the treatment of osteonecrosis of the hip that had led to collapse of the femoral-head but not to arthrosis. The average duration of follow-up was 4.3 years (range, two to twelve years). We defined conversion to total hip arthroplasty as the failure end point, and we analyzed the contribution, to failure, of the size of the lesion, amount of preoperative collapse of the femoral head, etiology of the osteonecrosis, age of the patient, and bilaterality of the lesion. We used the Harris hip score to evaluate clinical status preoperatively and at the time of the most recent follow-up. RESULTS The overall rate of survival was 67.4% for the hips followed for a minimum of two years and 64.5% for those followed for a minimum of five years. The mean preoperative Harris hip score was 54.5 points, and it increased to 81 points for the patients in whom the surgery succeeded; 63% of the patients in that group had a good or excellent result. There was a significant relationship between the outcome of the grafting procedure and the etiology of the osteonecrosis (p = 0.017). Patients in whom the osteonecrosis was idiopathic, associated with alcohol abuse, or posttraumatic fared worse than did those with other causes, including steroid use. Survival of the joint was not significantly related to the size of the femoral head lesion, but there was an increased relative risk of conversion to total hip arthroplasty with increasing lesion size and amount of collapse. Neither patient age nor bilaterality significantly affected outcome. CONCLUSIONS Patients with postcollapse, predegenerative osteonecrosis of the femoral head appear to benefit from free vascularized fibular grafting, with good overall survival of the joint and significant improvement in the Harris hip score. The results of this femoral head-preserving procedure in patients with postcollapse osteonecrosis are superior to those of core decompression and nonoperative treatment, as reported in the literature. Patients with larger lesions and certain diagnoses, such as idiopathic and alcohol-related osteonecrosis, have worse outcomes.
Guidelines for the treatment of childhood-onset Graves’ disease in Japan, 2016

Abstract. Purpose behind developing these guidelines: Over one decade ago, the “Guidelines for the Treatment of Graves’ Disease with Antithyroid Drug, 2006” (Japan Thyroid Association (JTA)) were published as the standard drug therapy protocol for Graves’ disease. The “Guidelines for the Treatment of Childhood-Onset Graves’ Disease with Antithyroid Drug in Japan, 2008” were published to provide guidance on the treatment of pediatric patients. Based on new evidence, a revised version of the “Guidelines for the Treatment of Graves’ Disease with Antithyroid Drug, 2006” (JTA) was published in 2011, combined with the “Handbook of Radioiodine Therapy for Graves’ Disease 2007” (JTA). Subsequently, newer findings on pediatric Graves’ disease have been reported. Propylthiouracil (PTU)-induced serious hepatopathy is an important problem in pediatric patients. The American Thyroid Association’s guidelines suggest that, in principle, physicians must not administer PTU to children. On the other hand, the “Guidelines for the Treatment of Graves’ Disease with Antithyroid Drug, 2011” (JTA) state that radioiodine therapy is no longer considered a “fundamental contraindication” in children. Therefore, the “Guidelines for the Treatment of Childhood-Onset Graves’ Disease with Antithyroid Drug in Japan, 2008” required revision.
Topical bleomycin treatment of oral leukoplakia: A randomized double‐blind clinical trial

Background. Oral leukoplakia and oral erythroplakia may be associated with benign and dysplastic cellular changes, and are at risk of malignant transformation. Additional means of management of these lesions is needed. The results of nonblinded trials using topical bleomycin in oral leukoplakia indicated the need for phase III study.
Japanese and American Folk Vocabularies for Emotions

Abstract The authors investigated how emotions are labeled and conceptualized by individuals representing widely varying ages and educational backgrounds, who live in rural areas of Japan and the United States. The authors gathered data in 2 phases: 30 participants in each country first produced emotion terms, and another 2 groups of 28 (1 group from each country) sorted out those emotion terms by similarities. Results indicated that these laypersons' emotion vocabularies were larger than those typically studied in psychological research; both American and Japanese participants produced many terms referring to physical sensations or evaluative reactions. Also, the authors found both similarities and differences in how speakers of American English and Japanese conceptualized emotions, bringing into question the often simplistic notions of cultural differences reported in the previous literature (P. Ekman, 1994; P. Ekman & W. V. Friesen, 1971; P. Ekman et al., 1987).
Hypercholesterolemia is associated with increased kidney graft loss caused by chronic rejection in male patients with previous acute rejection.

BACKGROUND Whereas acute rejection is the main risk factor for the occurrence of chronic rejection, mechanisms in addition to the donor-specific immune response probably contribute to late allograft failure. In this study, we investigated the possible role of hypercholesterolemia in the incidence of chronic kidney graft loss. METHODS By using the actuarial method, we retrospectively analyzed the long-term loss of cadaveric kidney grafts in patients who had a functioning graft at 1 year and had received a transplant and undergone cyclosporin A therapy in our center between 1983 and 1997. RESULTS As observed previously, patients with acute rejection during the 1st posttransplant year (n=198) had significantly higher actuarial graft loss at 10 years compared with those free of acute rejection (n=244). In patients free of acute rejection at 1 year, hypercholesterolemia (> or =250 mg/dl) had no impact on graft loss at 10 years. On the contrary, in patients with previous acute rejection, those with hypercholesterolemia (n=59) had a higher immunological (36.0% vs. 19.2%; P<0.01) and overall (50.0% vs. 25.3%; P<0.01) graft loss at 10 years compared with patients with serum cholesterol <250 mg/dl (n=139). Among patients with 1st year acute rejection, hypercholesterolemia was associated with a significant increase in graft loss in male but not in female recipients. Multivariate analysis confirmed that hypercholesterolemia was an independent risk factor for chronic graft loss in male patients (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Hypercholesterolemia is an independent risk factor for kidney graft loss from chronic rejection in male patients with previous acute rejection. Correction of hypercholesterolemia could help to reduce kidney graft loss caused by chronic rejection in this category of patients.
Herpes simplex virus type 1 UL46 and UL47 deletion mutants lack VP11 and VP12 or VP13 and VP14, respectively, and exhibit altered viral thymidine kinase expression

The gene products of herpes simplex virus type 1 UL46 and UL47 enhance the efficiency of alpha TIF (VP16)-mediated alpha gene expression through an unknown mechanism of action. To further characterize the function of the UL46- and UL47-encoded proteins during virus infection, a series of isogenic herpes simplex virus type 1 strain F-derived UL46 and UL47 single-deletion mutants and a UL46/47 double-deletion mutant were constructed and compared with the wild type. Analysis of purified virions obtained from the UL46 deletion mutant showed for the first time that UL46 encoded the viron tegument phosphoproteins VP11 and VP12 (VP11/12). Similar analyses of the UL47 deletion mutants confirmed an earlier report by McLean et al. that UL47 also encoded two virion tegument phosphoproteins, VP13 and VP14 (VP13/14) (G. McLean, F. Rixon, N. Langeland, L. Haarr, and H. Marsden, J. Gen. Virol. 71:2953-2960, 1990). Kinetic analysis demonstrated a delay of approximately 2 h in the appearance of thymidine kinase (TK) activity in all of the UL46 and UL47 single-deletion mutants. In the UL46/47 double-deletion mutant, the delay in TK activity increased twofold, suggesting that the proteins encoded by UL46 and UL47 may act at the same level. Since the delay in TK expression occurred within the first 4 h of infection, the actions of VP11/12 and VP13/14 resulted from their virion association and not from their de novo synthesis as late (beta gamma and gamma) genes. Densitometric analysis of purified virions showed that the levels of VP11/12 and VP13/14 in the virion tegument were near the molar ratios of alpha TIF. On the basis of these observations, we predict that the abilities of UL46 and UL47 to enhance alpha TIF-mediated transcription could result from a stoichiometric association of VP11/12 and VP13/14 with alpha TIF within the infecting virion.
Application of the Balanced Scorecard Framework in Performance Measurement of E-Government Services : Case of Kenya Revenue Authority By AKINYI , GRACE LEAH ( P 54 / 64501 / 2013 )

v LIST OF FIGURES . viii LIST OF TABLES . ix LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS . x 1.0 INTRODUCTION . 1 1.1: Background . 1 1.2: Problem Statement . 3 1.3: Objectives of the Study . 4 1.4: Research Questions . 4 1.5: Value of the Study . 4 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW . 5 2.1 E-Government . 5 2.2 E-Government Services in Kenya . 7 2.3 E-Government Services at Kenya Revenue Authority . 8 2.4: Performance Measurement of E-Government Services . 9 2.5 Levels of performance measurement of e-Government services . 10 2.6 Objectives of performance measurement of e-Government services. 11 2.7 Tools and methodologies used to evaluate e-Government services . 12 2.8 Challenges to evaluation of the e-Government services . 14 2.9 Balanced Scorecard . 14 2.8: IS BSC as a tool for Performance Measurement . 17 2.9 Conceptual Framework . 20
An Animal Model of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: The Use of Cut‐Off Behavioral Criteria

Abstract: Considerable heterogeneity exists in the response of human subjects exposed to extreme traumatizing events. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is diagnosed in 20‐30% of those exposed. Clinical studies of this population employ stringent inclusion/exclusion criteria, yet animal studies have routinely included the entire exposed population as the study population. We examined the effect of grouping stressed rats according to the magnitude of their response on the statistical analysis of behavioral models. Exposure to a predator stimulus was used as the stress paradigm. Response magnitude was assessed in two consecutive behavioral tests measuring anxiety‐ and stress‐related behaviors and was used to divide the animals into groups. The two extremes were studied, that is, those clearly “maladapted” and those clearly “well‐adapted,” using arbitrarily selected severity‐measures, the “cut‐off behavioral criteria” (CBC). Data for the partially affected middle group were discarded for reasons of clarity. The hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal axis and heart rate variability were analyzed for the entire exposed population and then reexamined according to the CBCs. When the CBCs were applied, we found PTSD‐like symptoms in only 22.0% of exposed rats. Compared to controls and to well‐adapted exposed rats, the behaviorally maladapted rats displayed disordered physiological measures. They had significantly higher plasma corticosterone and ACTH levels, increased sympathetic activity, diminished vagal tone, and increased sympathovagal balance. These differences surfaced only when data were analyzed according to the CBCs. Animals respond to stress heterogeneously, resembling humans. Overlooking heterogeneity in responses obscures the results of biobehavioral data analysis. We submit that animals exposed to trauma should be divided into groups according to the magnitude of their response and be studied accordingly.
Online learner's 'flow' experience: an empirical study

This study is concerned with online learners’‘flow’ experiences. On the basis of Csikszentmihalyi’s theory of flow, flow was conceptualised as a complex, multimentional, reflective construct composing of ‘enjoyment’, ‘telepresence’, ‘focused attention’, ‘engagement’ and ‘time distortion’ on the part of learners. A flow model was put forward with regard to virtual class environment in a traditional university context, comprised with flow antecedents, flow and flow consequences. Based on the model, a virtual-course flow measure was developed and administered to 525 undergraduate students engaged in virtual classes in order to examine the empirical relationships between measured flow antecedents, flow experiences and flow consequence-course satisfaction in this case. The analysis of the data showed that: (1) students’ perceptions of their level of ‘skill’ and ‘challenge’ specific to each course are critical to determining the level of flow, (2) flow is a significant predictor of course satisfaction and (3) other than flow, individual differences such as ‘gender’ and ‘having a clear goal’ can make a significant difference in the level of flow in a virtual course. These findings are discussed along with the implications for bringing up a computer-mediated environment more conducive to flow and learning.
CHARACTERISTICS OF NONTRAUMATIC SUBARACHNOID HEMORRHAGE IN THE UNITED STATES IN 2003

OBJECTIVESubstantial progress has been made in the diagnosis and treatment of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). However, studies of SAH in the United States do not include information more recent than 2001, precluding analysis of shifts in treatment methods. We examined the epidemiology and in-hospital outcomes of nontraumatic SAH in the United States. METHODSWe analyzed nationally representative data from the 2003 Nationwide Inpatient Sample of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project to determine demographic and hospital characteristics, treatments, and in-hospital outcomes of patients with nontraumatic SAH. RESULTSIn 2003, there were an estimated 31,476 discharges for nontraumatic SAH among patients aged 17 years or older, or 14.5 discharges per 100,000 adults. The in-hospital mortality rate was 25.3%. Microvascular clipping was performed in 7513 discharges, or 23.9% of inpatients with nontraumatic SAH; endovascular coiling was performed in 2849 discharges (9.1%). Adjusted odds of treatment with either procedure were significantly higher in urban teaching hospitals compared with urban nonteaching hospitals (odds ratio, 1.62; 95% confidence interval, 1.00–2.62) or rural hospitals (odds ratio, 3.08; 95% confidence interval, 1.93–4.91). CONCLUSIONThe in-hospital mortality rate associated with nontraumatic SAH continues to exceed 25%. Although it is unclear how many patients with nontraumatic SAH were actually diagnosed with a cerebral aneurysm, this study suggests that less than one-third of patients hospitalized for SAH receive surgical or endovascular treatment. Prospective studies are needed to elucidate either what systematic coding error is occurring in the national database or why patients may not receive treatment to secure a ruptured aneurysm.
Hospice Family Caregivers: An Experience in Coping

ABSTRACT The purpose of this phenomenological study was to identify coping strategies of rural family caregivers who were caring for an elderly relative in a home hospice situation. Each of the six participants were interviewed on two occasions exploring their caregiving experience with a focus on coping strategies. Colaizzi’s six step phenomenological method was employed for data analysis. Participant caregivers specifically identified coping strategies of support, adaptive activities, spiritual means, and avoidance. The collected data were analyzed and the findings compared to related caregiving literature. Implications for nursing practice and future research opportunities are discussed. [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-342-9678. E-mail address: getinfo@haworthpressinc.com ]
Carotid chemoreceptor activity during acute and sustained hypoxia in goats.

The role of carotid body chemoreceptors in ventilatory acclimatization to hypoxia, i.e., the progressive, time-dependent increase in ventilation during the first several hours or days of hypoxic exposure, is not well understood. The purpose of this investigation was to characterize the effects of acute and prolonged (up to 4 h) hypoxia on carotid body chemoreceptor discharge frequency in anesthetized goats. The goat was chosen for study because of its well-documented and rapid acclimatization to hypoxia. The response of the goat carotid body to acute progressive isocapnic hypoxia was similar to other species, i.e., a hyperbolic increase in discharge as arterial PO2 (PaO2) decreased. The response of 35 single chemoreceptor fibers to an isocapnic [arterial PCO2 (PaCO2) 38-40 Torr)] decrease in PaO2 of from 100 +/- 1.7 to 40.7 +/- 0.5 (SE) Torr was an increase in mean discharge frequency from 1.7 +/- 0.2 to 5.8 +/- 0.4 impulses. During sustained isocapnic steady-state hypoxia (PaO2 39.8 +/- 0.5 Torr, PaCO2, 38.4 +/- 0.4 Torr) chemoreceptor afferent discharge frequency remained constant for the first hour of hypoxic exposure. Thereafter, single-fiber chemoreceptor afferents exhibited a progressive, time-related increase in discharge (1.3 +/- 0.2 impulses.s-1.h-1, P less than 0.01) during sustained hypoxia of up to 4-h duration. These data suggest that increased carotid chemoreceptor activity contributes to ventilatory acclimatization to hypoxia.
Do Symptom Interpretations Mediate the Relationship Between Panic Attack Symptoms and Agoraphobic Avoidance?

Background: There is little consensus as to whether agoraphobic avoidance in panic disorder is characterized by a prominence of particular symptoms and interpretations of those symptoms. Aims: We sought to clarify the relationship between symptoms and agoraphobic avoidance and to establish whether catastrophic interpretations of symptoms mediate any such relationships. Method: The Symptom Checklist 90-Revised, Agoraphobic Cognitions Questionnaire and Mobility Inventory were administered to 117 patients with panic disorder who were attending an outpatient anxiety disorders clinic. Results: Medium to large associations were found between most symptoms and agoraphobic avoidance and between particular symptoms and the corresponding symptom interpretation items. Some interpretations of symptoms were found to mediate relationships between symptoms and agoraphobic avoidance. Conclusions: These findings suggest that the catastrophic misinterpretation model of panic disorder can to some extent be invoked to explain the extent of agoraphobic avoidance, but that there may also be other pathways leading from symptoms to agoraphobia.
Diffusion Tensor Imaging Reliably Detects Experimental Traumatic Axonal Injury and Indicates Approximate Time of Injury

Traumatic axonal injury (TAI) may contribute greatly to neurological impairments after traumatic brain injury, but it is difficult to assess with conventional imaging. We quantitatively compared diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) signal abnormalities with histological and electron microscopic characteristics of pericontusional TAI in a mouse model. Two DTI parameters, relative anisotropy and axial diffusivity, were significantly reduced 6 h to 4 d after trauma, corresponding to relatively isolated axonal injury. One to 4 weeks after trauma, relative anisotropy remained decreased, whereas axial diffusivity “pseudo-normalized” and radial diffusivity increased. These changes corresponded to demyelination, edema, and persistent axonal injury. At every time point, DTI was more sensitive to injury than conventional magnetic resonance imaging, and relative anisotropy distinguished injured from control mice with no overlap between groups. Remarkably, DTI changes strongly predicted the approximate time since trauma. These results provide an important validation of DTI for pericontusional TAI and suggest novel clinical and forensic applications.