Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Creating connections to life during life-threatening illness: Creative activity experienced by elderly people and occupational therapists

Objective. The aim of this study was to discover and characterize components of engagement in creative activity as occupational therapy for elderly people dealing with life-threatening illness, from the perspective of both clients and therapists. Despite a long tradition of use in clinical interventions, key questions remain little addressed concerning how and why people seek these activities and the kinds of benefits that may result. Method. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 8 clients and 7 therapists participating in creative workshops using crafts at a nursing home in Sweden. Analysis of the interviews was conducted using a constant comparative method. Findings. Engaging in creative activity served as a medium that enabled creation of connections to wider culture and daily life that counters consequences of terminal illness, such as isolation. Creating connections to life was depicted as the core category, carried out in reference to three subcategories: (1) a generous receptive environment identified as the foundation for engaging in creative activity; (2) unfolding creations—an evolving process; (3) reaching beyond for possible meaning horizons. Conclusion. The findings suggest that the domain of creative activity can enable the creation of connections to daily life and enlarge the experience of self as an active person, in the face of uncertain life-threatening illness. Ultimately, the features that participants specify can be used to refine and substantiate the use of creative activities in intervention and general healthcare.
Characterization of Micro- and Nanophase Separation of Dentin Bonding Agents by Stereoscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy

Abstract The aim was to study the effect of solvents on the phase separation of four commercial dental adhesives. Four materials were tested: ClearfilTM SE Bond (CSE), Clearfil Protect Bond (CPB), Clearfil S3 Bond (CS3), and One-Up Bond F Plus (OUB). Distilled water or ethanol was used as a solvent (30 vol%) for microphase separation studies, by stereoscopy. For nanophase images, the mixtures were formulated with two different solvent concentrations (2.5 versus 5 vol%) and observed by atomic force microscopy. Images were analyzed by using MacBiophotonics ImageJ to measure the area of bright domains. Macrophase separations, identified as a loss of clarity, were only observed after mixing the adhesives with water. Nanophase separations were detected with all adhesive combinations. The area of bright domains ranged from 132 to 1,145 nm2 for CSE, from 15 to 285 nm2 for CPB, from 149 to 380 nm2 for CS3, and from 26 to 157 nm2 for OUB. In water-resins mixtures, CPB was the most homogeneous and OUB showed the most heterogeneous phase formation. In ethanol-resin mixtures, CSE attained the most homogeneous structure and OUB showed the most heterogeneous phase. Addition of 5 vol% ethanol to resins decreased the nanophase separation when compared with the control materials.
The Optimal Allocation of Longevity Risk with Perfect Insurance Markets

This paper discusses the allocation of aggregate longevity risk in the case of perfect insurance markets. We show that the optimal allocation transfers some risk to the pensioners, even if pension providers have access to a perfect insurance market. Individuals prefer contributions and benefits to depend on the evolution of aggregate mortality rates rather than being fixed. Indeed, this flexibility offers an interesting diversification strategy where the prospect of a shorter life (e.g. the emergence of new diseases) implies higher consumption levels and conversely, the prospect of a longer life (e.g. thanks to medical progress) implies lower consumption levels. The underlying mechanism only emerges when individuals are temporally risk averse. We illustrate it with risk-sensitive preferences.
A Vibro-Tactile Display for Clinical Monitoring: Real-Time Evaluation

BACKGROUND: Vibro-tactile displays use human skin to convey information from physiological monitors to anesthesiologists, providing cues about changes in the status of the patient. In this investigation, we evaluated, in a real-time clinical environment, the usability and wearability of a novel vibro-tactile display belt recently developed by our group, and determined its accuracy in identifying events when used by anesthesiologists. METHODS: A prospective observational study design was used. During routine anesthesia, a standard physiological monitor was connected to a software tool that used algorithms to automatically identify changing trends in mean noninvasive arterial blood pressure, expired minute ventilation, peak airway pressure, and end-tidal carbon dioxide partial pressure. The software was wirelessly interfaced to a vibro-tactile belt worn by the anesthesiologist. Each physiological variable was mapped to 1 of 4 tactor locations within the belt. The direction (increase/decrease) and 2 levels of change (small/large) were encoded in the stimulation patterns. A training session was completed by each anesthesiologist. The system was activated in real-time during anesthesia alongside routine physiological monitors. When the algorithms detected changes in the patient, the belt vibrated at the appropriate location with the pattern corresponding to the level and direction of change. Using a touch screen monitor the anesthesiologist was to enter the vibro-tactile message by first identifying the variable, then identifying the level and direction of change. Usability and wearability questionnaires were to be completed. The percentage of correct identification of the physiological trend, the direction of change, and the level of change were primary outcome variables. The mean usability score and wearability results were secondary outcome variables. We hypothesized that anesthesiologists would correctly identify the events communicated to them through the vibro-tactile belt 90% of the time, and that anesthesiologists would find the vibro-tactile belt usable and wearable. RESULTS: Seventeen anesthesiologists evaluated the display during 57 cases. The belt was operational for a mean (SD) duration of 75 (41) minutes per case. Seven cases were excluded from analysis because of technical failures. Eighty-one percent (confidence interval [CI], 77% to 84%) of all stimuli were decoded. The physiological trend, the direction of change, and the level of change were correctly identified for 97.7% (CI 96%–99%), 94.9% (CI 92%–97%), and 93.5% of these stimuli (CI, 91%–96%), respectively. Fourteen anesthesiologists completed the usability and wearability questionnaires. The mean usability score was 4.8 of a maximum usability score of 7. CONCLUSIONS: Anesthesiologists found a vibro-tactile belt to be wearable and usable and could accurately decode vibro-tactile messages in a real-time clinical environment.
Health Institutions, Temporary Work Agencies, and the Mobility Power of Nurses

The objective of this article is to explore how the mobility power of nurses (the ability to move between employers or leave the labor market) contributes to changing relations between health institutions and temporary work agencies in the Norwegian welfare state. Based on case study as the research strategy, the article contributes to the political economy of labor relations approach and the debate over the role ofTWAs and temporary nursing in the health sector.The mobility power of Swedish nurses who shift from agency nursing to direct temporary nursing in health insti- tutions (bank nursing) partly explains the constrained growth of agency nursing in the Norwegianhospital sector. However, contracting flows of Swedish nurses to Norway since 2015 challengeinternal labor hire and could make health institutions more agency-dependent in future.The dataemployed are semi-structured interviews, official statistics, reports, and news clippings.
Effects of experience and reminding on long-term recall in infancy: remembering not to forget.

We examined whether some of the factors that facilitate recall in older children also extend to 1- to 2-years-olds. Using elicited imitation we assessed the efficacy of verbal (Experiment 1), and verbal plus nonverbal (Experiment 2) reminding on 15-month-olds' recall after a 1-week delay. Reminding ameliorated forgetting: Performance at delayed and immediate recall was equivalent. The addition of nonverbal information did not enhance recall above verbal information alone. In Experiment 3 we investigated the influence of verbal reminding, repeated experience, and mode of experience (i.e., imitate vs watch only) on recall after 1 month. The effects of reminding depended on event type: Reminding facilitated recall of events with enabling relations, but not of events lacking them. Repeated experience and the opportunity to imitate facilitated recall; children who watched events only once nevertheless recalled them. Results suggest that the strength of organization of an event representation, rather than retention interval, is a major determinant of remembering during the second year of life.
HAb18G/CD147 inhibits starvation‐induced autophagy in human hepatoma cell SMMC7721 with an involvement of Beclin 1 down‐regulation

HAb18G/CD147, a transmembrane glycoprotein highly expressed in various types of malignant cells, mainly functions as an inducer of matrix metalloproteinases to promote tumor growth, invasion and metastasis. However, whether there are other mechanisms underlying the role of HAb18G/CD147 in tumor progression remains to be elucidated. In this study, we investigated the functional effects of HAb18G/CD147 on autophagy in hepatoma cell line SMMC7721 using immunofluoscence staining, Western blot and transmission electronmicroscopy. Our data showed that specific small interference RNA (siRNA) considerably down‐regulated the expression of HAb18G/CD147 in SMMC7721 cells at both messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein levels. The down‐regulation of HAb18G/CD147 significantly promoted starvation‐induced autophagy in a dose‐dependent manner. Using trypan blue exclusion assay, we found that HAb18G/CD147 notably enhanced the survival of SMMC7721 cells through inhibiting starvation‐induced autophagy. In addition, we demonstrated that HAb18G/CD147 down‐regulated the expression of autophagy‐regulating protein Beclin 1 in SMMC7721 cells. Furthermore, our data indicated that HAb18G siRNA‐transfected SMMC7721 cells had a significantly decreased level of phosphorylated serine/threonine protein kinase B (pAkt) and the expression of Beclin 1 was inversely associated with the level of pAkt, suggesting that the Class I phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase‐Akt pathway may be involved in the down‐regulation of Beclin 1 by HAb18G/CD147. Overall, we provide the first experimental evidence to show that HAb18G/CD147 may play an important role in the inhibitory regulation of autophagy. Therefore, our data suggest a new molecular mechanism for HAb18G‐mediated hepatoma progression. (Cancer Sci 2009; 100: 837–843)
An alpha-stable model for ultrasound speckle statistics in skin

Characterization of biological tissues in ultrasound images is often tackled using empirical pre-Rayleigh distributions. However, the absence of a theoretical explanation to these distributions hinders their improvement and clinical interpretation. This paper presents a novel model that extends classic statistical theories to speckle in biological tissues and explains the existing pre-Rayleigh distributions. Furthermore, statistics derived from the proposed model outperform the state of the art in skin tissue characterization. Finally, promising results in characterization of skin melanoma tumors set the basis for the development of reliable ultrasound-based diagnosis techniques.
Neuroprotective Properties of Nitric Oxide

ABSTRACT: The discoveries of physiological roles of nitric oxide (·NO) as the mediator of endothelium‐derived relaxing factor (EDRF) action and the activator of guanylyl cyclase to increase cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), which lead to vasorelaxation in the cardiovascular system, have been awarded with the 1998 Nobel Prize of Medicine. The present review discusses putative beneficial effects of ·NO in the central nervous system (CNS). In addition to its prominent roles of the regulation of cerebral blood flow and the modulation of cell to cell communication in the brain, recent in vitro and in vivo results indicated that ·NO is a potent antioxidative agent. ·NO terminates oxidant stress in the brain by (i) suppressing iron‐induced generation of hydroxyl radicals (·OH) via the Fenton reaction, (ii) interrupting the chain reaction of lipid peroxidation, (iii) augmenting the antioxidative potency of reduced glutathione (GSH) and (iv) inhibiting cysteine proteases.
Targeting DUSPs in glioblastomas – wielding a double‐edged sword?

Several dual‐specificity phosphatases (DUSPs) that play key roles in the direct or indirect inactivation of different MAP kinases (MAPKs) have been implicated in human cancers over the past decade. This has led to a growing interest in identifying DUSPs and their specific inhibitors for further testing and validation as therapeutic targets in human cancers. However, the lack of understanding of the complex regulatory mechanisms and cross‐talks between MAPK signaling pathways, combined with the fact that DUSPs can act as a double‐edged sword in cancer progression, calls for a more careful and thorough investigation. Among the various types of brain cancer, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is notorious for its aggressiveness and resistance to current treatment modalities. This has led to the search for new molecular targets, particularly those involving various signaling pathways. DUSPs appear to be a promising target, but much more information on DUSP targets and their effects on GBM is needed before potential therapies can be developed, tested, and validated. This review identifies and summarize the specific roles of DUSP1, DUSP4, DUSP6 and DUSP26 that have been implicated in GBM.
High levels of agreement between clinic-based ethyl glucuronide (EtG) immunoassays and laboratory-based mass spectrometry

Abstract Background: Immunoassay urine drug screening cups that detect use for two or more days are commonly used in addiction treatment settings. Until recently, there has been no comparable immunoassay test for alcohol use in these settings. Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the agreement of a commercially available ethyl glucuronide immunoassay (EtG-I) test conducted at an outpatient addiction clinic and lab-based EtG mass spectrometry (EtG-MS) conducted at a drug testing laboratory at three cut-off levels. High agreement between these two measures would support the usefulness of EtG-I as a clinical tool for monitoring alcohol use. Methods: Forty adults with co-occurring alcohol dependence and serious mental illnesses submitted 1068 urine samples over a 16-week alcohol treatment study. All samples were tested using EtG-I on a benchtop analyzer and 149 were randomly selected for EtG-MS analysis at a local laboratory. Agreement was defined as the number of samples where EtG-I and EtG-MS were both above or below a specific cut-off level. Agreement was calculated at low cut-off levels (100 and 250 ng/ml), as well as at a higher cut-off level (500 ng/ml) recommended by most by commercial drug testing laboratories. Results: Agreement between EtG-I and EtG-MS was high across all cut-off levels (90.6% at 100 ng/ml, and 96.6% at 250 and 500 ng/ml). Conclusions: EtG immunoassays conducted at low cut-off levels in point-of-care testing settings have high agreement with lab-based EtG-MS. EtG-I can be considered a useful clinical monitoring tool for alcohol use in community-based addiction treatment settings.
Naloxone-inaccessible sigma receptor in rat central nervous system.

It has been postulated that the psychotomimetic effects of opiates of the benzomorphan series are due to their activity at the sigma receptor. Therefore, the binding of (+/-)-[3H]ethylketocyclazocine ( [3H]EKC), a benzomorphan, to synaptosomal membranes of rat central nervous tissue was studied. Surprisingly, high concentrations of naloxone, a mu, delta, and kappa receptor antagonist, only inhibited about 80% of the specifically bound [3H]EKC in the spinal cord. This suggested that the remaining 20% of the binding sites were not mu, delta, or kappa. The Scatchard plot of the binding of [3H]EKC was nonlinear but became linear in the presence of naloxone (1 microM), suggesting a single class of naloxone-inaccessible receptor sites. This biochemically readily distinguishable receptor type bound the dextrorotatory isomer of EKC stereoselectively. The sigma agonist N-allylnormetazocine [(+)-SKF 10,047] stereoselectively competed with the binding of [3H]EKC to this naloxone-inaccessible binding site. A number of opiates that have psychotomimetic activity also competed for binding to this binding site. This binding site is designated as sigma binding site according to the nomenclature originally suggested by Martin et al. [Martin, W. R. , Eades, C. G. , Thompson, J. A. , Huppler, R. E. & Gilbert, P. E. (1976) J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 197, 517-532]. The drug selectivity and regional distribution of this sigma binding site in the rat central nervous system are different from that of the mu and delta opioid receptors and phencyclidine receptors. The concentration of the sigma binding site is highest in the spinal cord, pons and medulla, and cerebellum.
The role of US and MR imaging in detecting local chest wall tumor recurrence after mastectomy.

PURPOSE To determine the role of clinical examination, ultrasonography (US), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in detecting local tumor recurrence in patients who underwent modified radical mastectomy for breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study included 27 patients who were examined between April 1999 and April 2003. US evaluation of the chest wall was performed in all patients. MRI was performed on 10 patients due to suspicious findings in clinical examination, on 3 patients due to US findings, and on 8 patients due to both US and clinical examination findings. Six patients without any suspicious findings underwent MRI for follow-up purposes. The lesions detected with MRI were evaluated according to their morphology, contrast enhancement characteristics and dynamics. The focal lesions that enhanced intensely at the early phase were accepted as suspicious for malignancy. RESULTS Of the 10 cases that underwent biopsy secondary to suspicious lesions for malignancy according to MRI findings, 7 were found to have recurrence. In the remaining 3 patients, recurrence diagnosis was made based on the fact that the lesions regressed in response to chemotherapy. In 17 cases, there were no suspicious findings on MRI for local recurrence. In 2 of these cases, biopsies were performed due to suspicious US findings; however, no malignancies were detected. The sensitivity and specificity of clinical examination in detecting local recurrence was 70% and 35.2%, respectively. These values were 90% and 88.2% for US, and 100% and 100% for MRI. CONCLUSION In patients with mastectomy, US and MRI were more successful in detecting local recurrence than clinical examination. Considering the fact that US is cheaper and more readily available than MRI, it should be part of the routine follow-up in order to detect local recurrence early. MRI will be helpful in cases with suspicious US findings by increasing the specificity of the evaluation as well as determining the actual size and spread of any lesions, which is valuable information for the subsequent management and response to the particular treatment.
Structure and solid-state chemistry of anhydrous and hydrated crystal forms of the trimethoprim-sulfamethoxypyridazine 1:1 molecular complex.

The crystal structure of the equimolar trimethoprim (TMP) and sulfamethoxypyridazine (SMPD) complex in the anhydrous form (TMP. SMPD) and that of the species with 1.5 molecules of water of crystallization (TMP.SMPD.W) are reported in this article. X-ray powder diffraction patterns (both computer generated and experimental) and thermal analytical data from differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetry useful for the characterization of TMP.SMPD and TMP.SMPD. W are provided. The stability of TMP.SMPD. W, which retains its crystallographic order under 0% relative humidity (RH) conditions at room temperature (22 degrees C) and 20 mmHg, is accounted for in terms of crystal structure and hydrogen bonding. Transformation of TMP.SMPD to the hydrate complex by exposure to approximately 100% RH, suspension in water, and wet granulation, and dehydration of TMP.SMPD. W by thermal treatment and by desiccation with methanol were investigated and tentatively interpreted in terms of crystal properties. Interactions in the physical mixture of TMP and SMPD by grinding, compression, heating, and contact with water were also studied. Water-mediated formation of TMP.SMPD. W by wetting and metastable eutectic melting-mediated formation of TMP.SMPD by heating was demonstrated. Mechanical activation by milling makes the physical mixture prone to solid-state transformation into dimorphic anhydrous cocrystals by supply of thermal energy during a DSC scan.
Rate, pattern and barriers of HIV serostatus disclosure in a resource-limited setting in the Niger delta of Nigeria

The disclosure of HIV serostatus is a difficult emotional task creating opportunity for both support and rejection. In this study, we evaluated the rate, patterns and barriers to HIV serostatus disclosure. A pre-tested interviewer-administered questionnaire from 187 HIV infected people residing in a resource-limited setting in the Niger Delta of Nigeria was analysed. Of the 187 HIV seropositive patients studied, 144 (77.0%) had disclosed their HIV-serostatus while 43 (23.0%) had not. Results showed that the patients had disclosed their HIV-serostatus to: parents (22.3%), siblings (9.7%), pastors (27.8%), friends (6.3%), family members (10.4%) and sexual partners (23.6%) (P = 0.004). Females were more likely (59.7%) to disclose their HIV serostatus compared with males (40.3%) (P = 0.003). Mothers were twice as likely (65.6%) to be confided in compared with fathers. Barriers to HIV serostatus disclosure included fear of stigmatization, victimization, fear of confidants spreading the news of their serostatus and fear of accusation of infidelity and abandonment (P = 0.002). Married respondents were more likely to disclose their status. Better-educated respondents with tertiary education were more likely to disclose their HIV-serostatus. Expectation of economic, spiritual, emotional and social support was the major reason for disclosure. The ratio of disclosure to non-disclosure among patients with non-formal education was (2.6:1.0), primary education (2.3:1.0), secondary education (3.3:1.0) and tertiary education (10.0:1.0). Disclosure of HIV serostatus can foster economic social and economic support. There is need for the re-intensification of interventional measure that combines provider, patients and community education particularly in the aspect of anti-stigma campaign, partner notification and skill building to facilitate appropriate HIV serostatus disclosure.