Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gender and Age Differences and the Trend in the Incidence and Prevalence of Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease in Taiwan: A 7-Year National Population-Based Study

Background Very few nationwide studies have focused on the variations in the incidence and prevalence of dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD) in Asian countries. This study aims to describe the gender and age differences in the incidence and prevalence of dementia and AD in Taiwan. Methods The data on dementia and AD were acquired from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database from 2004 to 2010. The sex and age-specific rates were standardized, and the differences of gender and age on dementia or AD were assessed using Poisson regression analysis. Results Over seven years, the prevalence of dementia and AD significantly increased from 4.7 to 7.6 per hundred people (β = 0.0784, p < 0.0001) and 2.3 to 3.5 per hundred people (β = 0.0696, p < 0.0001), respectively. However, the incidence of both dementia and AD decreased but not significantly from 10.9 to 10.7 and 4.9 to 4.6 per thousand person-years, respectively. Noticeably, both incidence and prevalence increased with age and were higher in women than in men. Conclusions The standardized incidence rates of dementia and AD are much lower than the data reported in some studies from Europe, the US, and Japan. Further studies are warranted to explore which factors are associated with the differences in the incidence of dementia and AD in Taiwan.
Students' dietary habits, food service satisfaction, and attitude toward school meals enhance meal consumption in school food service

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES This study aimed to compare student consumption of school meals by school level, to identify the influencing factors of school meal consumption, and to assess improvement needs of school food service among students. SUBJECTS/METHODS A total of 1,441 elementary, middle, and high school students attending 58 schools in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea participated in the survey in 2015. A questionnaire and informed consent forms for students and legal guardians were sent home and completed responses were returned to the researcher. RESULTS Approximately 58% of the students perceived the portion sizes of school meals as appropriate and 76.1% consumed almost all or all of the meals served. More elementary and middle school students than high school students consumed almost all or all of the meals (P < 0.001). A regression analysis revealed that the students with a higher dietary behavior score (P < 0.001), higher satisfaction with food service (P < 0.001), a higher environmental protection practice score (P < 0.05), and more positive attitudes toward school meals (P < 0.01) consumed significantly more meals. The provision of foods that taste good and reflecting student opinions on menus were the most important factors for increasing school meal consumption. CONCLUSIONS To increase consumption of school meals, food service staff should provide students with quality meals and engage students in school food service. Nutrition education that emphasizes healthy eating behaviors and cafeteria environment modification that applies strategies based on behavioral economics can encourage students to consume more school meals.
Intracortical Administration of the Complement C3 Receptor Antagonist Trifluoroacetate Modulates Microglia Reaction after Brain Injury

Worldwide, millions of individuals suffer an ischemic stroke each year, causing major disability, especially in the elderly, where stroke is the number one cause of disability. However, to date, no effective therapy exists that targets the functional recovery after stroke. After necrosis, neuroinflammation is a common feature of the acute stroke and a major obstacle to tissue restoration. In the lesioned area, the dying neurons release chemotactic signals, such as fractalkine/CX3CL1, which evoke “eat-me” signals that are recognized by microglia expressing complement C3a receptor (C3aR), resulting in phagocytosis of the dying but still viable neurons, known as secondary phagocytosis. Using a mouse model of stroke and two-photon microscopy, we aimed to attenuate poststroke phagocytosis of the dying but still viable neurons by using SB 290157, an antagonist of C3aR. We found that intracortical administration of SB 290157 reduced the number of inflammatory microglial cells expressing ED1 and Iba1 antigens at the lesion site. We could show, in vivo, that two days after a needle-induced cortical lesion there were less microglial cells present around the injury site, displaying less high-order branches and an increase in the lower order ones, suggesting an attenuated phagocytic phenotype in treated animals as compared with controls. We conclude that the C3aR antagonist, SB 290157, may be used in the future to limit the neuronal death by limiting secondary phagocytosis after stroke.
Oxidative Stress and Microvascular Alterations in Diabetic Retinopathy: Future Therapies

Diabetes is a disease that can be treated with oral antidiabetic agents and/or insulin. However, patients' metabolic control is inadequate in a high percentage of them and a major cause of chronic diseases like diabetic retinopathy. Approximately 15% of patients have some degree of diabetic retinopathy when diabetes is first diagnosed, and most will have developed this microvascular complication after 20 years. Early diagnosis of the disease is the best tool to prevent or delay vision loss and reduce the involved costs. However, diabetic retinopathy is an asymptomatic disease and its development to advanced stages reduces the effectiveness of treatments. Today, the recommended treatment for severe nonproliferative and proliferative diabetic retinopathy is photocoagulation with an argon laser and intravitreal injections of anti-VEGF associated with, or not, focal laser for diabetic macular oedema. The use of these therapeutic approaches is severely limited, such as uncomfortable administration for patients, long-term side effects, the costs they incur, and the therapeutic effectiveness of the employed management protocols. Hence, diabetic retinopathy is the widespread diabetic eye disease and a leading cause of blindness in adults in developed countries. The growing interest in using polyphenols, e.g., resveratrol, in treatments related to oxidative stress diseases has spread to diabetic retinopathy. This review focuses on analysing the sources and effects of oxidative stress and inflammation on vascular alterations and diabetic retinopathy development. Furthermore, current and antioxidant therapies, together with new molecular targets, are postulated for diabetic retinopathy treatment.
Rhinoconjunctivitis among Adolescents in Kuwait and Associated Risk Factors: A Cross-Sectional Study

Rhinoconjunctivitis is a public health problem that causes major illness and disability worldwide. Epidemiological studies intended to determine the burden of rhinoconjunctivitis in Kuwait are limited. Hence, this study sought to estimate the prevalence of rhinoconjunctivitis among adolescents in Kuwait and explore its association with different risk factors. Schoolchildren aged 11–14 years (n = 3,864) were enrolled in a cross-sectional study. Parents completed questionnaires regarding their children's clinical history and symptoms of rhinoconjunctivitis and relevant exposures. Associations were assessed using Poisson regression with robust variance estimation, and adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated. The 12-month (current) prevalence estimates of rhinitis, rhinoconjunctivitis, and severe rhinoconjunctivitis were 28.6% (1,040/3,643), 13.5% (497/3,689), and 1.2% (44/3,689), respectively. The prevalence of current rhinoconjunctivitis symptoms was higher in boys compared to girls (aPR = 1.19, 95% CI: 1.01–1.41). Parental history of rhinitis and asthma showed positive associations with rhinoconjunctivitis in offspring. Trend analyses showed that rhinoconjunctivitis prevalence decreased with increasing numbers of total siblings (aPR = 0.92, Ptrend < 0.001) and older siblings (aPR = 0.90, Ptrend < 0.001). Rhinoconjunctivitis is common among adolescents in Kuwait and its epidemiology is similar to that found in western countries.
Interleukin-6 from Adipose-Derived Stem Cells Promotes Tissue Repair by the Increase of Cell Proliferation and Hair Follicles in Ischemia/Reperfusion-Treated Skin Flaps

The most common postoperative complication after reconstructive surgery is flap necrosis. Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) and their secretomes are reported to mediate skin repair. This study was designed to investigate whether conditioned media from ADSCs (ADSC-CM) protects ischemia/reperfusion- (I/R-) induced injury in skin flaps by promoting cell proliferation and increasing the number of hair follicles. The mouse flap model of ischemia was ligating the long thoracic vessels for 3 h, followed by blood reperfusion. ADSC-CM was administered to the flaps, and their survival was observed on postoperative day 5. ADSC-CM treatment led to a significant increase in cell proliferation and the number of hair follicles. IL-6 levels in the lysate and CM from ADSCs were significantly higher than those from Hs68 fibroblasts. Furthermore, a strong decrease in cell proliferation and the number of hair follicles was observed after treatment with IL-6-neutralizing antibodies or si-IL-6-ADSC. In addition, ADSC transplantation increased flap repair, cell proliferation, and hair follicle number in I/R injury of IL-6-knockout mice. In conclusion, IL-6 secreted from ADSCs promotes the survival of I/R-induced flaps by increasing cell proliferation and the number of hair follicles. ADSCs represent a promising therapy for preventing skin flap necrosis following reconstructive and plastic surgery.
Influence of a Cell-Phone Conversation on Balance Performance in Women with Fibromyalgia: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study

Background Altered balance is a common and debilitating symptom of fibromyalgia. Previous studies have investigated balance under single-task conditions that do not reflect real-life situations. The present study evaluated the impact of a simultaneous cell-phone conversation on balance performance in a case-control cohort from Spain. Methods A cross-sectional case-control study was performed in 34 women recruited from local self-help organizations and university facilities (n = 18 fibromyalgia cases; n = 16 healthy, pain-free controls). Participants performed the 30 s postural stability test, as implemented in the Biodex Balance System, under two conditions: (a) as a single task and (b) as a dual task, i.e., while holding a simultaneous cell-phone conversation with a technician. Intergroup differences in dual task costs were calculated. Findings Compared with controls, women with fibromyalgia showed higher dual-task costs in balance variables, such as overall sway (pp value = 0.039) and anterior/posterior sway (p value = 0.007). In the dual-task condition, overall (p value = 0.004) and anterior/posterior (p value = 0.012) sway indices significantly decreased in women with fibromyalgia but not in controls. Interpretation In women with fibromyalgia, balance performance was adversely impacted by the holding of a simultaneous cell-phone conversation. The inability to conduct two tasks simultaneously may be related to reduced attention and may increase the risk of falling in this population.
The Roles of GABA in Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in the Central Nervous System and Peripheral Organs

Ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury is a common pathological process, which may lead to dysfunctions and failures of multiple organs. A flawless medical way of endogenous therapeutic target can illuminate accurate clinical applications. γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) has been known as a marker in I/R injury of the central nervous system (mainly in the brain) for a long time, and it may play a vital role in the occurrence of I/R injury. It has been observed that throughout cerebral I/R, levels, syntheses, releases, metabolisms, receptors, and transmissions of GABA undergo complex pathological variations. Scientists have investigated the GABAergic enhancers for attenuating cerebral I/R injury; however, discussions on existing problems and mechanisms of available drugs were seldom carried out so far. Therefore, this review would summarize the process of pathological variations in the GABA system under cerebral I/R injury and will cover corresponding probable issues and mechanisms in using GABA-related drugs to illuminate the concern about clinical illness for accurately preventing cerebral I/R injury. In addition, the study will summarize the increasing GABA signals that can prevent I/R injuries occurring in peripheral organs, and the roles of GABA were also discussed correspondingly.
Multi-screen lock: visual passwords from user's social data

A critical issue for a mobile device user is the protection of stored sensitive data and their access, via the device. A widely used technique for protecting the mobile device with a display is the lock screen. Many security methods have been proposed but they suffer from technical vulnerabilities, algorithm weakness, security issues due to using, or high complexity that prevents large user groups from adopting it for everyday use. In this paper, an easy and secure technique for screen locking is proposed. Comparison to existing methods is offered, highlighting the strong points of the proposed solution, and the mathematical background is offered proving the strong security level achieved.
A two‐dimensional electrodynamical outer gap model for γ‐ray pulsars: γ‐ray spectrum

A two-dimensional electrodynamical model is used to study particle acceleration in the outer magnetosphere of a pulsar. The charge depletion from the Goldreich-Julian charge density causes a large electric field along the magnetic field lines. The charge particles are accelerated by the electric field and emit γ-rays via the curvature process. Some of the emitted γ-rays may collide with X-ray photons to make new pairs, which are accelerated again on the different field lines in the gap and proceed similar processes. We simulate the pair creation cascade in the meridional plane using the pair creation mean-free path, in which the X-ray photon number density is proportional to inverse square of radial distance. With the space charge density determined by the pair creation simulation, we solve the electric structure of the outer gap in the meridional plane and calculate the curvature spectrum. We investigate in detail relation between the spectrum and total current, which is carried by the particles produced in the gap and/or injected at the boundaries of the gap. We demonstrate that the hardness of the spectrum is strongly controlled by the current carriers. Especially, the spectrum sharply softens if we assume a larger particle injection at the outer boundary of the outer gap. This is because the mean-free path of the pair creation of the inwardly propagating γ-ray photons is much shorter than the light radius so that the many pairs are produced in the gap to quench the outer gap.
A useful ageing property based on the Laplace transform

The class of life distributions for which , where , and , is studied. We prove that this class is larger than the HNBUE (HNWUE) class (consisting of those life distributions for which for x ≧ 0) and present results concerning closure properties under some usual reliability operations. We also study some shock models and a certain cumulative damage model. The class of discrete life distributions for which for 0 ≦ p ≦ 1, where , is also studied.
Explosive Nucleosynthesis in Aspherical Hypernova Explosions and Late-Time Spectra of SN 1998bw

Aspherical explosion models for the hypernova (hyperenergetic supernova) SN 1998bw are presented. Nucleosynthesis in aspherical explosions is examined with a two-dimensional hydrodynamical code and a detailed nuclear reaction network. Aspherical explosions lead to a strong α-rich freezeout, thus enhancing the abundance ratios [44Ca, 48Ti, 64Zn/Fe] in the ejecta. The nebular line profiles of the Fe-dominated blend near 5200 Å and of [O I] 6300, 6363 Å are calculated and compared with the observed late-time spectra of SN 1998bw. Compared with the spherical model, the unusual features of the observed nebular spectra can be better explained if SN 1998bw is a strongly aspherical explosion with a kinetic energy of ~1052 ergs viewed from near the jet direction.
Comparative analysis of social, demographic, and flight-related attributes between accident and nonaccident general aviation pilots.

This investigation represents an exploratory examination of several differentiating social and demographic characteristics for a sample of calendar year 1978 Colorado-resident nonfatal accident-involved pilots and a random sample of nonaccident general aviation (i.e., nonairline) pilots. During 1979-1980 80 currently active pilots were interviewed by the author, and information concerning the standard demographic variables, in addition to several social, psychological, and flying-related items, was obtained. The sample was generated from commercially available data files derived from U.S. Government records and consisted of 46 accident and 34 nonaccident pilots who resided within a 100-mi radius of Denver, east of the Rocky Mountains. Descriptively, the respondents represented a broad spectrum of general aviation, including: corporate pilots, "crop dusters," builders of amateur experimental aircraft, and recreational fliers. Application of stepwise discriminant analysis revealed that the pilots' education, political orientation, birth order, percent of flying for business purposes, participation in nonflying aviation activities, number of years of flying experience, and an index of aviation procedural noncompliance yielded statistically significant results. Furthermore, utilization of the classification capability of discriminant analysis produced a mathematical function which correctly allocated 78.5% of the cases into the appropriate groups, thus contributing to a 56.5% proportionate reduction in error over a random effects model. No relationship was found between accident involvement and several indicators of social attachments, socioeconomic status, and a number of measures of flying exposure. Language: en
Resonant scattering of X-rays by the warm intergalactic medium

For the low-density filamentary and sheet-like structures in the warm (∼104 to ∼106 K) intergalactic medium (IGM) predicted by numerical simulations, the resonant line scattering of X-ray background (XRB) photons by He and H-like ions of heavy elements can exceed the ‘local’ thermal emission by a factor of a few or more. As a result of the conservative nature of scattering, this resonantly scattered radiation can only be identified if a significant fraction of the XRB is resolved and removed. While the combined spectrum of the resolved sources will contain X-ray absorption features, the residual background will contain corresponding emission features with the same intensity. At the relevant densities and temperatures the lines of He and H-like oxygen at 0.57 and 0.65 keV are most promising. These lines (which have a typical width of ∼1–2 eV) may contain up to 50 per cent of the total 0.5–1 keV emission of the filament. For a nearby (z≲0.1) filament with a Thomson optical depth of 10−4, XMM should detect about 200 photons in the O vii line during a 105-s exposure if the metallicity of the gas is as large as observed in galaxy clusters. On average up to a few per cent of the soft XRB could be resonantly scattered by this phase of the IGM and resonantly scattered photons should account for a significant fraction of the truly diffuse background at low energies. Close to bright X-ray sources like galaxy clusters or active galactic nuclei (AGN) the flux of scattered radiation will be further enhanced. Off-line blazars are the most promising illuminating sources. The scattered emission from AGN may also constrain the duration of the active phase of these objects.
Pediatric Extranodal NK/T Cell Lymphoma in a Single Institution

Pediatric Extranodal NK/T Cell Lymphoma in a Single Institution Hee Young Ju, M.D., Hyoung Jin Kang, M.D., Ph.D., Che Ry Hong, M.D., Sung Jin Kim, M.D., Ji Won Lee, M.D., Hyeri Kim, M.D., Kyung Duk Park, M.D., Ph.D., Yoon Kyung Jeon, M.D., Ph.D., Chul-Woo Kim, M.D., Ph.D., Hee Young Shin, M.D., Ph.D. and Hyo Seop Ahn, M.D., Ph.D. Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University Children’s Hospital, Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Department of Pathology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea
Solvability of an infinite system of nonlinear integral equations of Volterra-Hammerstein type

Abstract The purpose of the paper is to study the solvability of an infinite system of integral equations of Volterra-Hammerstein type on an unbounded interval. We show that such a system of integral equations has at least one solution in the space of functions defined, continuous and bounded on the real half-axis with values in the space l1 consisting of all real sequences whose series is absolutely convergent. To prove this result we construct a suitable measure of noncompactness in the mentioned function space and we use that measure together with a fixed point theorem of Darbo type.
Core journals of evidence-based physiotherapy practice

To identify the core journals of evidence-based physiotherapy practice we conducted an analysis of the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), the most comprehensive database of physiotherapy clinical trials and systematic reviews. We compared our results to two earlier lists of core journals based upon citation analyses and rankings from the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) impact factors. As of 2 June 2000 the PEDro database contained 2,231 papers that had been published in 519 different journals with a single journal contributing from 1 to 109 papers. When journals were ranked based upon the total number of papers contributed to PEDro the top five journals were: Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, British Medical Journal, Spine, Physical Therapy, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. However when the journals were ranked based upon the average methodological quality of clinical trials the top five were: British Journal of Obstetrics and Gyn aecology, New England Journal of Medicine, Stroke, Scandinavian Journal of Rheumatology, and British Journal of Rheumatology. When judged by trial quality, the top five exclusively physiotherapy journals were Australian Journal of Physiotherapy, Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, Physical Therapy, Physiotherapy, and Physiotherapy Canada. Each approach to ranking the journals produced a different set and ranking of core journals to that of the two previous citation analyses. The current study's rankings were unrelated to ISI impact factors.