Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Vibration, motor deficit, and the effect of ageing on muscle function

Mechanical vibrations are common in today’s world. Studies have claimed that vibration training can enhance skeletal muscle performance and might be a useful therapy for sarcopenia, the age-related degeneration of muscle function and mass. Others, however, report debilitating consequences following excessive vibration exposure, such as Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome. Further to this ambiguity, few studies have explored the function of skeletal muscles during vibration. Animal models are integral to furthering our understanding of the effects of vibration, and while efforts to reduce the use of vertebrate models are increasing, invertebrates may prove to be valuable alternatives. The contractile dynamics of the locust’s metathoracic extensor tibiae muscle were compared to the soleus and extensor digitorum longus muscles of C57 mice and then subjected to acute vibration, during which their contraction dynamics were analysed. The influence of sensory feedback, stimulus phase, vibration frequency and amplitude on the locust extensor tibiae muscle’s function were also analysed. Additionally, the effects of locust age on its behaviour, extensor tibiae muscle function and response to vibration were studied to determine whether it may provide insights into sarcopenia. The locust’s extensor tibiae muscle demonstrated higher peak forces than both murine muscles, but its force-frequency relationship showed a greater resemblance to that of the soleus muscle. The function of the extensor tibiae and soleus muscles were dependent on stimulus phase, frequency and amplitude of vibration treatments, and sensory feedback was shown to reduce the impact of vibration on the locust muscle. No behavioural changes or decreases in the extensor tibiae muscle’s mass were found in ageing locusts, but age-dependent variations in its contractile function and the neuromuscular response to vibration were measured. This work suggests that both vertebrate and invertebrate muscle function are compromised during vibration, and additional work utilising the locust as a model may further our understanding of the effects of vibration and ageing on the neuromuscular system.
Evaluation of the neck shaft angle achieved after surgical fixation of intertrochanteric fracture of femur

Introduction: Femoral trochanteric fractures are the most common fractures of old age. Due to the fracture there is a change in the neck shaft angle which if not restored can lead to further disability. In this study we evaluated the immediate post-operative neck shaft angle achieved in surgically fixed intertrochantric fracture of femur using DHS and PFN and compared it with the normal side. Material & Method: This observational study was performed on 30 patients, with a mature skeleton, with an intertrochantric fracture of femur who got operated within a period of one year. AP view of Xray pelvis with bilateral hip in 15 degree internal rotation was done in the supine position after surgery. Morphometric measurements bilaterally on digital X-ray machine (CR system) using DIACOM software were done. All the data was analyzed for evaluation of neck shaft angle in non-fractured side and the restoration/change in neck shaft angle on the operated side after surgical fixation. Result: In our study the average neck shaft angle of normal side of femur was found to be 121.17±6.88 degrees and that of the operated side was found to be 125.32±10.12 degrees. Discussion: With DHS we were not able to restore the anatomical NSA due to the valgus reduction but with PFN we were able to restore.
Comparison of fetal middle cerebral artery versus umbilical artery color Doppler ultrasound for predicting neonatal outcome in complicated pregnancies with fetal growth restriction

Background: Although using Doppler ultrasonography of umbilical structures is a common method for predicting prenatal adverse outcome, recent studies have proposed the importance of middle cerebral artery (MCA) Doppler assessment for antenatal monitoring. The aim of the present study was to compare alterations in the fetalMCAversus umbilical artery (UA) pulsatility indices (PI) in complicated pregnancies by fetal growth restriction (FGR). Methods: A cohort study was carried out in Yas Hospital (Tehran, Iran) in 2016. One hundred fifty pregnant women in third trimester with estimation of FGR participated in the study. Transabdominal ultrasound was performed to determine fetal weight. After birth, all neonates were divided into 2 groups: small for gestational age (SGA) and non-SGA.We compared the values of UA and MCA Doppler in predicting SGA. Data were analyzed with t-test and Chi-square test. Results: After delivery, 126 mothers had SGA while 24 subjects had non-SGA neonates. Unlike UA PI, MCA artery PI of the SGA and non-SGA groups were significantly different (p=0.062 for UA PI comparison; p=0.0001 for MCA PI comparison). Of the 126 cases, there was decreased MCA PI in 40.5% of fetuses and increased UA PI in 22.2% of fetuses. There were significant differences in both sensitivity and specificity for MCA PI versus UA PI (p=0.014 for sensitivity; p=0.009 for specificity). Conclusion: Results showed that of all the SGA cases, a decrease in MCA PI was more notable than changes in UA PI. Sensitivity, specificity and prediction of SGA for MCA PI were higher than those for UA PI.
Maximising access to thrombectomy services for stroke in England: A modelling study

Purpose Both intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) and intra-arterial endovascular thrombectomy (ET) improve the outcome of patients with acute ischaemic stroke, with endovascular thrombectomy being an option for those patients with large vessel occlusions. We sought to understand how organisation of services affects time to treatment for both intravenous thrombolysis and endovascular thrombectomy. Method A multi-objective optimisation approach was used to explore the relationship between the number of intravenous thrombolysis and endovascular thrombectomy centres and times to treatment. The analysis is based on 238,887 emergency stroke admissions in England over 3 years (2013–2015). Results Providing hyper-acute care only in comprehensive stroke centres (CSC, providing both intravenous thrombolysis and endovascular thrombectomy, and performing >150 endovascular thrombectomy per year, maximum 40 centres) in England would lead to 15% of patients being more than 45 min away from care, and would create centres with up to 4300 stroke admissions/year. Mixing hyper-acute stroke units (providing intravenous thrombolysis only) with comprehensive stroke centres speeds time to intravenous thrombolysis and mitigates admission numbers to comprehensive stroke centres, but at the expense of increasing time to endovascular thrombectomy. With 24 comprehensive stroke centres and all remaining current acute stroke units as hyper-acute stroke units, redirecting patients directly to attend a comprehensive stroke centre by accepting a small delay (15-min maximum) in intravenous thrombolysis reduces time to endovascular thrombectomy: 25% of all patients would be redirected from hyper-acute stroke units to a comprehensive stroke centre, with an average delay in intravenous thrombolysis of 8 min, and an average improvement in time to endovascular thrombectomy of 80 min. The balance of comprehensive stroke centre:hyper-acute stroke unit admissions would change from 24:76 to 49:51. Conclusion Planning of hyper-acute stroke services is best achieved when considering all forms of acute care and ambulance protocol together. Times to treatment need to be considered alongside manageable and sustainable admission numbers.
Socio-demographic determinants of dengue infection during an outbreak in Dar es Salaam City, Tanzania

Abstract Background: In recent years, the eastern coast of Africa has witnessed a number of dengue outbreaks. This study was carried out to determine socio-demographic determinants of dengue infection during the 2014 outbreak in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Methods: Unmatched case-control analysis of secondary data from a cross-sectional dengue investigation in three districts of Dar es Salaam in June 2014 was conducted. Febrile patients seeking care at health facilities were recruited. Cases were serologically-confirmed dengue-positive while controls were serologically-confirmed dengue-negative patients. A questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic information. The association between sociodemographic variables and dengue infection was examined using univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: A total of 81 cases and 281 controls were included in the analysis. Majority of the cases and controls were males (64.2% versus 54.1%; P=0.137) and were > 15 years of age (88.9% versus 72.9%; P =0.003). Living in Kinondoni (aOR = 4.28; 95% CI: 1.74 - 10.53); being employed (aOR = 2.06; 95% CI: 1.06-4.04); having piped water at home (aOR = 2.63; 95% CI: 1.40 - 4.95) and a recent visit of health facility (aOR = 1.94; 95% CI: 1.11 - 3.38) were significantly associated with dengue infection. Conclusions: Dengue infection in Dar es Salaam varied between the three districts and was associated with being employed, having piped water at home and a recent visit to the health facility. These findings provide primary understanding of the influence of socio-demographic factors on dengue and may be used to develop appropriate preventive interventions.
Design and implementation of a faculty-student engagement programme in an entry-to-practice Doctor of Pharmacy programme

Background: The importance of fostering connections between faculty and students is well documented in the literature. The University of British Columbia's Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Faculty) launched a Faculty- Student Engagement Programme (FSEP) to cultivate links between faculty and students. Aim: To describe the design, implementation, and outcomes of the FSEP for first-year students in a Doctor of Pharmacy Programme. Methods: Forty-two volunteer faculty were matched with 224 students in groups of five or six. Evaluation surveys were distributed to faculty and students. Additional in-person feedback was obtained from students. Results: In-person feedback was obtained from 79% (n=174) of students. Surveys were completed by 90% (n=38) of faculty and 25% (n=56) of students. Eighty percent of faculty agreed that the FSEP was a valuable initiative. Seventy- seven percent of students recommended that the Faculty continue to offer the FSEP. Conclusion: The FSEP was positively evaluated by faculty and students and it could be emulated at other institutions interested in enhancing the student experience.
Seroprevalence, Type-Specific of Herpes Simplex Virus and Associated Risk Factors among Women of Child Bearing Age in Kogi State, Nigeria

Background: Viruses of the Herpes viridae family infect 90% of the Earth’s population. Humans are the hosts of at least nine unique herpes viruses. Aim: This study is aimed at evaluating the seroprevalence of type specific herpes simplex virus infection and the associated risk factors in a cross-section of asymptomatic healthy women of childbearing age in Kogi state, Nigeria. Methodology: A total of 330 females of child bearing age (15 - 49 years) participated in this study. They were recruited from various local government areas of three Senatorial districts of Kogi state. Blood samples were collected from participants and analyzed for HSV-1 and HSV-2 antibodies (IgG) quantitatively with ELISA kit. Results: The overall prevalence of HSV was 76.7%. Data further show that majority (96.4%) of the population studied had HSV-1, while 77% had HSV-2 infections. Results also showed that the young adults indicated prevalence of 95.7% for HSV-1 and 74.7% for HSV-2, while in the middle aged, the prevalence were 98.6% for HSV-1, and 84.9% for HSV-2. 99.2% of the married women were positive for HSV-1, while 86.9% were positive for HSV-2. 94.5% of the unmarried women were positive for HSV-1, while 70.5% were positive for HSV-2. The risk of HVS-1 or VS-2 infections was not associated with age, age of first sexual exposure and number sex partners before marriage. Married women were at greater risk for HSV-1 (p = 0.03) and HSV-2 (p ≤ 0.001) infections compared to the unmarried women. Conclusion: The prevalence of the HSV-1 and HSV-2 infections was high among asymptomatic healthy women of childbearing age in Kogi state, Nigeria. Efforts should be made to increase the awareness of HSV infection among the child bearing populace.
Nursing Care Quality in the Cardiac Care Unit: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Health care is inevitably associated with an increased risk of patient safety. Due to the complexity of attitude of care, the safety culture and the care of patients play a major role in safe care. Objectives: The present study aimed to assess the quality of safe nursing care in the Cardiac Care Unit. Methods: This is a descriptive study conducted in the Cardiac Care Unit of Baqiyatallah Hospital in 2018. All nursing staff working in the cardiac care unit comprised the sample of the study. Safe nursing care was measured using a tool designed by Rashvand et al. in 2015. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 21. This study was approved by the ethics committee in BMSU. Results: The results showed that the majority of the research sample (55%) was male with an average age of 42.85 ± 9.66 years and a working experience of 19.05 ± 8.4 years. The mean score of the ethical dimension was 17.47 ± 1.92. Conclusions: The results of this research can be used in educational planning at the undergraduate level of nursing to educate the students from the beginning of education, especially in the first semester, regarding patient safety, in particular, ethics, and safe care, in order to make it easier to use in the future and to reduce the need for in-service training programs. This develops safe care in healthcare settings.
UvA-DARE (Digital Academic Repository) An optimal adaptive wavelet method for first order system least squares

In this paper, it is shown that any well-posed 2nd order PDE can be reformulated as a well-posed ﬁrst order least squares system. This system will be solved by an adaptive wavelet solver in optimal computational complexity. The applications that are considered are second order elliptic PDEs with general inhomogeneous boundary conditions, and the stationary Navier–Stokes equations.
Current diagnosis and treatment of Nelson’s syndrome

Katarzyna Ożga1, Grzegorz Zieliński2, Łukasz Konecki3, Marta Mazur3, Przemysław Witek3 1 University Hospital in Cracow 2 Department of Neurosurgery, Central Teaching Hospital of the Ministry of Defence, Military Institute of Medicine 3 Department of Gastroenterology, Endocrinology and Internal Diseases, Central Teaching Hospital of the Ministry of Defence, Military Institute of Medicine ENDOCRINOLOGY IN ONCOLOGY
Factors Prognosis of Ebola Virus Disease at the Wonkifong Ebola Treatment Center, Coyah, Guinea

Background: The Ebola Virus Epidemic epidemic in Guinea was marked by its rapid spread in the capital, forcing the authorities to build several Ebola treatment centers including Wonkifong (Coyah), Conakry. Objective: To evaluate the case fatality rate of Ebola Virus Disease in this center and to identify associated factors. Patients and Method: There is a prospective study at wonkifong Ebola treatment center from January 1st, 2014 to April 30th, 2015. All patients diagnosed with an Ebola Virus Disease from January 1st, 2014 to April 30th, 2015 were enrolled in this study. Kaplan-Meier curves and multivariate regression model were used to analyze factors associated with death. Results: 216 patients were included, the mean age was 30.52 ± 17 years and 53.2% were female. The average time between admission to the Ebola treatment center and the onset of signs was 5.13 ± 3.8 days. The average period of stay in the Ebola Treatment Center was 12.64 ± 11.31 days and duration median of death after admission in Wonkifong ETC was 11 days. According to the source, more than half of the patients were from Forecariah, i.e. 60.2% (n = 134). The case fatality rate was 64.4%. This rate was 72.0% in Dubreka, 65.1% in Coyah and 64.6% in Forecariah. The factors independently associated with Ebola Virus Disease death were signs of diarrhea [OR = 2.22 (1.17 - 4.20)], anorexia [OR= 0.40 (0.19 - 0.81)] and period of patients stay in ETC [OR = 0.96 (0.93 - 0.99)]. Conclusion: These results show that the fatality rate linked to the Ebola virus disease remains high. The factors independently associated with death were Diarrhea, anorexia and period between beginning of illness and date of latest news. Biological monitoring and resuscitation seem interesting for the reduction of this mortality.
Cardiovascular Complications of Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation Programs Utilizing Transtelephonic Exercise Monitoring

&NA; Cardiovascular complications of patients utilizing transtelephonic exercise monitoring (TEM) was determined by age, site (home of satellite), and risk stratification. The TEM complications were compared to those observed in traditional hospital outpatient cardiac rehabilitation programs. Survey data were obtained on 786 TEM patients (492 males, 294 females) who amassed a total of 23,551 patientexercise hours. Ninety three patients were considered high‐risk according to American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation guidelines. The majority of participating hospitals (75%) monitored patients only from home. Twenty‐nine cardiovascular complications were observed: 21 at rural (tandem) facilities and eight at home. These included angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmias, and hypoglycemia. The cardiovascular complication rate averaged one event per 812 patient exercise hours. There were no fatalities and only one patient required emergency transport. All tandem site complications occurred in those >65 years of age while 89% of all complications were observed in high‐risk patients. It was concluded that high‐risk patients >65 years of age who exercise at tandem medical facilities are most likely to experience cardiovascular complications during TEM. However, given the absence of fatalities, TEM appears to be safe regardless of risk stratification.
A cross-sectional study to determine if a family history of osteoporosis impacts on attitudes towards osteoporosis knowledge, beliefs and self-efficacy in middle-aged women from the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Background Middle-aged women (MAW) are at risk of osteoporosis, a disease which accounts for the most disability-adjusted life-years (European Commission, 1998). However, MAW often have a low perception of their susceptibility to osteoporosis Deo et al., (2007). Additionally, MAW’s knowledge of osteoporosis has been defined as ‘poor’ (Terrio and Auld, 2002). Furthermore, MAW often present barriers to osteoporosis prevention behaviours (calcium, physical exercise) (von Hurst and Wham, 2007).
Cytomegalovirus Infection (CMV) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus: Diagnostic and Therapeutic Challenges in Virology

Human immunodeficiency virus and co-infection by cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a life threatening association with increased risk of complications and high impact in morbidity and mortality due to immunosenescence, disproportionate inflammatory response and increased viral replication of HIV if not treatment is started [1]. Multisystemic compromise can even produce retinal, gastrointestinal, hematological, pulmonary and central nervous compromise by CMV. The purpose of this review is to provide a diagnostic and therapeutic approach based on current literature and pharmacotherapeutics.
Protein and glucose metabolism in response to hyperinsulinemia with and without hyperaminoacidemia in men with type 2 diabetes mellitus

s and presentations M. Bassil, E.B. Marliss, J.A. Morais, R. Gougeon. Altered Glucose but not Protein Metabolism in Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM) during Clamps Simulating the Fed State. Canadian Journal of Diabetes 2008; 11:38 Bassil, M. , Marliss, E.B. , Morais, J.A. and Gougeon, R. , (2009) Net protein anabolic response is not altered during hyperaminoacidemic (hyperAA) clamp in men with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D). FASEB J. 23: 227.2 M.S. Bassil, E.B. Marliss, J.A. Morais, and R. Gougeon. Protein anabolic response to postprandial amino acid levels is not altered in hyperglycemic men with type 2 diabetes during hyperinsulinemic clamp. Journal of Applied Physiology Nutrition and Metabolism; 34:510-511, 2009 R. Gougeon, M. Bassil, C. Mourad, S. Chevalier, J.A. Morais, E.B. Marliss. Lower postprandial branched chain amino acids (BCAA) may contribute to altered protein metabolism but not insulin resistance of glucose in men with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Canadian Journal of Diabetes 2009; 204: O-0388 Maya Bassil, Errol B. Marliss, Sandra Pereira, Réjeanne Gougeon. Tight glucose control does not normalize insulin resistance of glucose and protein metabolism in obese men with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Canadian Journal of Diabetes 2010; 249: 13
A cross sectional study on assessment of epidemiological factors associated with open field defecation in a tribal community

Background: Almost 2.5 billion people don’t have the access to clean toilet globally. In 2011 sanitation coverage globally was 64%. While open defecation is declining across the globe, 15% (one billion) of the global population still defecate outdoors. OFD practices are associated with transmission of variety of infectious diseases. This study was conducted to understand the nature of defecation practices with respect to hygiene in a tribal community.Methods: It was a cross sectional study conducted among patients attending out-patient department of a rural health training center from a nearby tribal area, Thane district, Maharashtra which is a field practice area of rural health training centre of Seth GSMC and KEM Hospital, Mumbai.Results: Majority of the subjects practiced open field defecation (67%), followed by 18% subjects used household latrines and 15% used community based latrines. Majority of the study participants practiced open field defecation in agriculture fields (81%), while 44% preferred nearby water source as a site for defecation.Conclusions: The sanitary condition in the study area was poor. Rural areas with better literacy seems to have lower open field defecation prevalence and higher percentages of sanitary latrine usage.
A cross-sectional study of traditional practices affecting maternal and newborn health in rural Nigeria

Introduction Certain traditional practices which have negative effects on maternal and child health continue to be practiced in sub-Saharan African countries. A survey was carried out in a rural village in Nigeria to understand the scale and range of these practices. Methods This was a cross-sectional study in which trained interviewers administered pre-tested questionnaires on child-bearing women using questionnaires embedded on android devices. Results The median age of marriage and pregnancy were 15 and 16 years respectively. Home births were high (90.4%) while non-skilled birth attendant was 87.4%. The community had a son preference index ratio of 1:4.1. Up to 81.5% of mothers responded that one form of unhygienic traditional procedure or the other was performed on their children. Time to initiation of breast feeding was in hours in the majority (76.3%) of mothers, with a high rate of use of prelacteal feeds (85.2%). Being an adolescent mother (AOR 0.403, 95%CI 0.203, 0,797) and utilizing a skilled provider at birth (AOR 0.245, 95%CI 0.088, 0.683) were associated with less likelihood of having an unhygienic procedure performed on children. Conclusion The findings of our study suggest that traditional practices which could have negative effects on maternal and child health are still ongoing in the study community. Child protection laws and safeguarding principles could help to reduce these practices and would need to be developed and implemented in these settings where these practices are still prevalent.