Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Learning Disabilities Mortality Review (LeDeR) programme

Since the 1990s reports have consistently highlighted health inequalities faced by people with learning disabilities. Data from the Primary Care Research Database suggests an all-cause standardised mortality ratio for people with learning disabilities of 3.18, and that people with learning disabilities die approximately 20 years sooner than people without learning disabilities.This presentation will provide an overview of the Learning Disabilities Mortality Review (LeDeR) programme. LeDeR aims to contribute to improvements in the quality of health and social care for people with learning disabilities in England through retrospective mortality reviews.Initial reviews are undertaken of all deaths notified to the LeDeR programme of people with learning disabilities aged 4 years and over. Where indicated, a full multiagency review is conducted. Deaths of young people aged 18–24, and of people from Black and Minority Ethnic communities are subject to priority themed review; each of these receive a full multiagency review.The LeDeR programme will be fully rolled out across England by the end of 2017. In this presentation we will share some of the learning from reviews that are particularly pertinent to GPs, and some of the service improvements that have resulted.To our knowledge, this is the first national programme of mortality reviews of people with learning disabilities in the world. Its focus is service improvement: it is about learning lessons and making changes to improve the lives of, and support for people with learning disabilities.
Tai chi and Qigong as a form of physical activity of people of all ages in the context of modern physiotherapy

Tai Chi and Qigong are forms of movement derived from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), gaining more and more popularity around the world. Qigong is the oldest branch of TCM, whose oldest forms are over 5000 years old, dating back to the legendary Yellow Emperor. Tai Chi is a new form which approximately dates back to 13th century . Qigong is a system of breathing exercises, body postures and movements, alongside with mental concentration, intended to maintain good health and control the flow of vital energy . Tai Chi is an ancient discipline of meditative movements practiced as a system of exercises. Tai Chi and Qigong exercises consist in performing slow, coordinated movements, controlling the position of the body in space, learning how to gradually move the weight from leg to leg. They focus on attention, movement , relaxation of the body and silence of the mind. Tai Chi and Qigong have invaluable health benefits and strengthen the body, both physically and mentally. The results of the study confirm the beneficial effects of Tai Chi and Qigong exercises in patients with neurological disorders, imbalance, lowered bone density, weakened muscular strength, increased risk of falls, diseases of the cardiopulmonary system, cervical and lumbar spine pain, depression, anxiety, stress and many more.
Alpha7 nAChR Agonists for Cognitive Deficit and Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Double-blind Controlled Trials

Background Previous clinical trials of α7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonists (α7-nAChR agonists) showed mixed results in treating the cognitive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Aims To assess the efficacy and safety of α7-nAChR agonists in treating the cognitive and negative symptoms in schizophrenia. Methods A literature search was conducted to identify randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trials for schizophrenia published before May 26, 2017, by searching PubMed, Embase, ClinicalTrials.gov, the Cochrane Library and the Chinese language databases CNKI, Wanfang, and VIP Data. The effects of α7-nAChR agonists were evaluated for overall cognitive function and negative symptoms by calculating standard mean difference (SMDs) between active drugs and placebo added to antipsychotics. Results 8 studies with low bias were included. We found no statistically significant effects of α7 nAChR agonists on the overall cognitive function (SMD=-0.10[-0.46, 0.25], I2 =88%) and negative symptoms (SMD=0.13 [-0.04, 0.30], I2 =64%) in patients with schizophrenia. Sensitivity analysis showed these results to be firm. And this drug is generally safe and well tolerated with no significant difference from placebo based on adverse events (RR=1.02, [0.85, 1.23]) and dropouts (RR=1.04, [0.61, 1.78]) data. Evidence based on outcomes from the meta-analysis was rated as ‘moderate’ as per the GRADE guidelines. Conclusion α7-nAChR agonists may not be effective in reversing overall cognitive impairments and negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia as adjunctive therapies.
Study of platelet indices in cirrhotic patients with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis

Background Ascites are a pathological collection of fluid within the peritoneal cavity and the most common complication of liver cirrhosis. Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is an infection that develops in cirrhotic ascitic patients. Platelets release prothrombotic and proinflammatory agents and participate in the induction and advancement of vascular and inflammatory disorders. Aim The aim of this study was to evaluate platelet indices as noninvasive predictors for the diagnosis of SBP in cirrhotic patients. Patients and methods Patients were divided into the following groups: group I included 52 cirrhotic ascitic patients with SBP; group II included 34 cirrhotic ascitic patients without SBP; group III (the control group) included 20 healthy individuals. A complete blood count analysis was carried out using the Erma PCE-210 hematology analyzer. Platelet count, mean platelet volume (MPV), and platelet distribution width (PDW) of all the participating patients were determined. Results In this study, there were differences in MPV and PDW between the three groups. MPV showed a significant increase in SBP in comparison with ascitic patients and control participants (11.39±1.08, 10.39±1.32, and 9.47±1.29 fl, respectively), with a P value of less than 0.001. Similarly, the PDW was greater in SBP patients compared with those in groups II and III, but with no significant difference (14.14±2.01, 13.96±3.58, and 12.90±3.13, respectively). Conclusion MPV measurement is an inexpensive, fast, and easy to use test that can predict the development of SBP in cirrhotic ascitic patients.
Awareness about rabies among general population and treatment seeking behaviour following dog-bite in rural Puducherry: a community based cross-sectional study

Rabies is an acute viral disease that causes fatal encephalomyelitis in virtually all the warm-blooded animals including man. Dog-mediated human rabies kills tens of thousands of people every year worldwide. Rabies is 100 per cent fatal but 100 per cent preventable by vaccination in humans and animals. Yet, it remains a neglected zoonotic disease and endemic in many underdeveloped countries. The World Health Organization states that Rabies claims the lives of an estimated 59,000 people each year globally, out of which 20,000 are in India, accounting for the largest number of rabies deaths globally. Most of these deaths occur primarily among children in rural or marginalized populations. In India, dogs are responsible for about 97% of human rabies. ABSTRACT
Attraction of Hawaiian seabirds to lights: conservation efforts and effects of moon phase

Every autumn more than 1,000 fledglings of 3 threatened or endangered procellariiform seabird species are attracted to bright coastal lights on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. These seabirds, apparently on their first flight to the ocean, become disoriented around bright lights and crash into buildings, wires, tall vegetation, and vehicles. Beginning in the early 1960s, this problem became increasingly acute as Kauai's urban areas grew and the number of highintensity lights increased. In response, we initially instructed the public to release fallen seabirds by tossing them into the air near the ocean. Since 1978, however, we asked Kauai residents to collect and turn in the birds at 1 of 12 "shearwater aid stations" that we set up around the island. The principal species involved in fallout is the threatened Newell's race of Townsend's shearwater (Puffinus auricularis newelli) (see Jehl [1982] and Am. Ornithol. Union [1983] for recent taxonomic classification). Newell's shearwaters began turning up under bright lights during the autumn months in the 1950s (Hadley 1961). Thirty-seven birds were collected on Kauai between 1954 and 1961 (King and Gould 1967), and in the autumn of 1967 200 downed shearwaters were found on the grounds of the Kauai Surf Hotel (Sincock and Swedberg 1969). Two other procellariiform species are occasionally downed: the endangered darkrumped petrel (Pterodroma phaeopygia sandwichensis) and the extremely rare bandrumped storm-petrel (Oceanodroma castro cryptoleucura). Here we report the numbers of birds that have been recovered between 1978 and 1985, the noticeable effect of moon phase on seabird fallout, and the seasonality and geographical distribution of fallout.
Effect of elevated temperature on growth and physiological characteristics in chickpea cultivars.

A study was conducted to investigate the effect of rising temperature on growth and physiological characteristics in chickpea genotypes. Plants of Pusa 1108 and Pusa 1053 (both kabuli type) were raised in earthenware pots under natural environment. One set of plants was raised in a polycover and exposed to high temperature (3.1oC above ambient) through out the growth period. Similarly, two sets of plants were exposed to high temperature at flowering and podding for short duration of ten days only. Plants of both the cultivars grown at high temperature through out the growth period exhibited enhanced vegetative growth in terms of increased shoot length, production of more number of branches, leaf area and dry weight accumulation per plant. Rate of photosynthesis increased, stomatal conductance decreased but membrane stability and proline concentration was higher in plants of both cultivars under high temperature but no significant changes were observed in relative water content and total sugars. Yield attributes like pod and seed weight and plant biomass of these plants was less than the plants exposed to high temperature for short duration only at flowering and podding stages. These findings suggest that 3.1oC increase in growth temperature may enhance vegetative growth and photosynthesis in chickpea but may not influence the plant yield. On the other hand, short terms exposure of higher temperature at flowering or podding may have positive influence on yield of chickpea cultivars in timely sown crop under Delhi conditions.
Role and Specificity of LGI4-ADAM22 Interactions in Peripheral Nerve Myelination

textabstractIn the peripheral nervous system, large caliber axons are ensheathed and myelinated by Schwann cells. Myelin is crucial for a faster signal transduction along the nerve. Hence it is not surprising that defects in this myelination process cause serious neurological disease. Despite the medical importance of these cells, our understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms that control Schwann cell development and myelination is still incomplete. Continuous communication between Schwann cells and neurons is essential for the development, differentiation and myelination of peripheral nerves. Previous studies showed that LGI4 is a secreted protein that is crucial for myelination and might be a key player in this communication process. The main aim of this thesis is to elucidate the mechanism of LGI4 function in peripheral nerve myelination and to identify its interaction partners. Chapter 1 of this thesis presents an overview of the different types of cells in the peripheral nervous system with an emphasis on Schwann cell development and myelination.
The Effects of Day Care on Health During Childhood: Evidence by Age

This paper studies the effects of day care exposure on behavioral disorders and mental and physical health at various ages during childhood. We draw on a unique set of merged population register data from Sweden over the period 1999-2008. This includes merged information at the individual level from the inpatient and outpatient registers, the population register and the income tax register. The outpatient register contains all ambulatory care contacts including all contacts with physicians and therapists. Visits are recorded by day, and comprehensive diagnoses are recorded for each visit. By exploiting variation in day care exposure by age generated by a major day care policy reform, we estimate cumulative and instantaneous effects on child health at different ages. We find a positive cumulative impact on behavior at primary school ages, in particular for children from low socio-economic status households, and substitution of infections from primary school ages to low ages. All this affects health care utilization and leads to a moderate reduction in health care costs. Results are confirmed by analyses based on a sibling design and on regional and household-specific components of day care fees.
Dexmedetomidine Used for Sedation in Cardiovascular Surgery Patients

Dexmedetomidine is a highly selective α2-adrenoceptor agonist. It has sedative, analgesic and opioid-sparing effects and has been widely used as an adjuvant during general anesthesia and for sedation during mechanical ventilation after surgery. Dexmedetomidine was shown associate with a shorter time to extubation and has beneficial effects on delirium than midazolam or propofol in intensive patients. There are also some studies about dexmedetomidine used for cardiovascular surgery patients to identify the effect on ventilation time, delirium, other morbidity and mortality. We reviewed these studies and didn’t get clear conclusion about superiority of dexmedetomidine over other sedation medicines in cardiovascular surgery patients, and more strong evidence was needed in the future.
The effect of chemical and nano topographical modifications on early stage of osseointegration

Purpose: To investigate the effect of chemically modified implants with similar micro but different nano topography on early stage of osseointegration. Materials and Methods: Screw shaped implants were placed in the flat proximal medial tibial methaphyses of 10 New Zealand white rabbits. Blasted (control); blasted-fluoride and blasted-nano HA implants were investigated. Surface evaluation included chemical analyses with x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, morphological analyses with scanning electron microscopy and topographical analyses with interferometry. Bone response was investigated with removal torque measurements and histological analyses after a healing period of 4 weeks. Results: Chemical analyses revealed the presence of Ti, O, C and N in all implant groups. The blasted-F group revealed F and the blasted nano HA group Ca and P with simultaneous decrease of Ti and O. Surface roughness parameters showed a slight decrease of the average height deviation for the blasted nano-HA and blasted-F compared to the blasted control implants. SEM images at high magnification indicated the presence of nano structures on the chemically modified implants. Removal torque (RTQ) mean values revealed an increase of 17% to 25% for the chemically modified implants compared to the control implants and the histological analyses demonstrated a similar enhanced bone formation to the chemically modified implants with nanostructures. Conclusion: Chemical modifications used in the present study were capable of producing a unique nano topography and together with the ions present at the implant surface may explain the increased RTQ and histomorphometric values after a healing period of 4 weeks.
The effect of Equex STM® in freezing media on post thaw motility, viability and DNA integrity of frozen-thawed ram spermatozoa.

In this study we investigated the effect of Equex STM® on quality and in-vitro survival of ram spermatozoa frozen in Tris egg yolk based extender. Ejaculates from 6 crossbreed rams were frozen according to the standard procedure after two step dilution with Tris-egg yolk extender (1). The second extender, added to the semen at 5°C, contained 14% of glycerol and was supplemented with detergent 0.75% Equex STM® (group OEP) or contained no detergent (control group). After thawing the samples were incubated in a water bath at 37°C and analysis were performed 10 minutes, 6, 12 and 24 hours later. Motility and the viability (Viadent®) of the semen were analysed with Hamilton Thorne Biosciences, Version 12.3 and membrane integrity with HOS (hypoosmotic swelling test). DNA fragmentation (DFI %) of F/T spermatozoa was analyzed 10 minutes and 3 hours after thawing using sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSATM). The sperm membrane integrity was analysed 15 minutes and 3 hours after thawing by Sybr-14/PI test. Percentage of motile spermatozoa was significantly higher in OEP group in comparison to control group at 0, 6, 12 and 24 h (P<0.001). Viability of spermatozoa was significantly higher (P<0.001) in OEP compared to control group in all analysed times after thawing. Percentage of HOS positive spermatozoa was significantly higher in OEP compared to control group respectively for 0 (P=0.001), 6 (P=<0.001), 12 and 24 h (P=0.002) after thawing.
Integration of biological and statistical models toward personalized radiation therapy of cancer

Abstract Radiation Therapy (RT) is one of the most common treatments for cancer. To understand the impact of radiation toxicity on normal tissue, a Normal Tissue Complication Probability (NTCP) model is needed to link RT dose with radiation-induced complications. There are two types of NTCP models: biological and statistical models. Biological models have good generalizability but low accuracy, as they cannot factor in patient-specific information. Statistical models can incorporate patient-specific variables, but may not generalize well across different studies. We propose an integrated model that borrows strength from both biological and statistical models. Specifically, we propose a novel model formulation followed by an efficient parameter estimation algorithm, and investigate statistical properties of the estimator. We apply the integrated model to a real dataset of prostate cancer patients treated with Intensity Modulated RT at the Mayo Clinic Arizona, who are at risk of developing the grade 2+ acute rectal complication. The integrated model achieves an Area Under the Curve (AUC) level of 0.82 in prediction, whereas the AUCs for the biological and statistical models are only 0.66 and 0.76, respectively. The superior performance of the integrated model is also consistently observed over different simulation experiments.
Correlation Between Obesity And Periodontitis In Vietnamese Patients

The objective of this study is to determine the correlation between periodontitis and obesity in patients reporting at the Tradi-tional Medicine Institute in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. This cross-sectional study sample consisted of 679 adult patients aged between 18 and 83 years who visited examination department, the Traditional Medicine Institute, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. All participants completed the questionnaire, had anthropometric (weight, height, waist circumference) and body fat percentage measurements; and periodontal examination (BOP, PI, GI, PD and CAL). The fasting glycemic level and type 2 diabetic status were also determined. Whatever different definitions of obesity used (body mass index, waist-hip ratio and body fat per-centage), the prevalence of periodontitis in the obese group was significantly higher when compared with the non-obese group (p <0.05). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, body mass index, waist-hip ratio and body fat percentage defined obesity were significantly associated with periodontitis, presenting OR of 2.16 (1.35-3.45), 2.09 (1.343.26), and 2.71 (1.82-4.05), respectively (p<0.05). BOP and CAL were also significantly correlated with periodontitis. Conclusion: Obesity was significantly associated with increased odds of periodontitis (p<0.05).
Difference in the Mortality Between Weekend and Non-Weekend Coronary Artery Disease Admissions

Abstract Background: Acute coronary syndrome requires urgent diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, which may not be uniformly available throughout the week. So, we sought to examine the effects of admission on clinical outcomes in patients with wide spectrum coronary artery diseases. Methods: A retrospective analysis of ICCU Inpatient sample database of 17 months from 2015 to 2016 used to compare differences in in-hospital mortality between patients admitted on a non-weekday versus weekend for wide spectrum ACS which include STEMI, NSTEMI and unstable angina and patients with cardiogenic shock. Out of these 75% had higher TIMI risk score (5-7). Results: Total 2700 patients with ACS were included in the present study with wide spectrum coronary artery diseases. Out of that 20 % (n=541) were admitted in weekends and 79.9% (n=2159) were admitted in non-weekends. Total 804 females admitted on non-weekend had a mean age of 61.05±12 years and 162 females admitted on weekend had mean age 58.5±13.3 years (p value=0.025). Out of 2159 admitted on non-weekend, 1355 were males with mean age of 57.65±15.55 years and 379 were males admitted on weekend out of 541 patients with mean age of 56.85±13.1 years (p value =0.314). In-hospital mortality rate of these patients admitted on non-weekends was 9.4% (n=204) and those admitted on weekends was 5.9% (n=32) with statistically significant difference (95% CI; p= 0.003). The mortality rate of ACS without STEMI in non-weekend group was 8.6% (n=170) which was statistically significant (p = 0.006) with mortality of weekend group 5.3% (n=26). Conclusion: Our study shows that there is no added mortality in patients with coronary artery disease on weekend days compared with non-weekend days. As the patients admitted during non-weekend were elder and sicker than the weekend admissions (having the high risk score), the in-hospital mortality is higher on non-weekends. Efforts to improve health care system should ensure comparable outcomes for patients irrespective of time of hospital admission.
Severe pseudocholinesterase deficiency and ECT: a case report

Pseudocholinesterase (PCE) deficiency is an inherited condition in which recovery from anesthetic agents like succinylcholine and mivacurium is slow and is complicated with prolonged paralysis of respiratory muscles in susceptible patients. We present a very rare case that we encountered in our practice; the patient is a 29-year-old woman with a 15-year history of schizophrenia with pseudocholinesterase deficiency. Since the detection of PCE levels of all patients eligible for ECT is part of our pre-ECT assessment procedure, we could detect the deficiency before the ECT procedure. We performed modified ECT with propophol and rocuronium instead of succinylcholine as usual. Sugammadex was used for fastening the recovery. Response to treatment which is measured with Positive and Negative Symptom Scale was good and we completed 9 ECT sessions without complication. We suggest further investigation of this topic because screening for PCE levels in pre-ECT assessment may reduce complications of modified ECT with anesthesia.