Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Experience of fibromyalgia. Qualitative study.

OBJECTIVE To explore illness experiences of patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia. DESIGN Qualitative method of in-depth interviews. SETTING Midsize city in Ontario. PARTICIPANTS Seven patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia. METHOD Seven in-depth interviews were conducted to explore the illness experience of patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia. All interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. All interview transcriptions were read independently by the researchers, who then compared and combined their analysis. Final analysis involved examining all interviews collectively, thus permitting relationships between and among central themes to emerge. The analysis strategy used a phenomenologic approach and occurred concurrently rather than sequentially. MAIN FINDINGS Themes that emerged from the interpretive analysis depict patients' journeys along a continuum from experiencing symptoms, through seeking a diagnosis, to coping with the illness. Experiencing symptoms was composed of four subcategories: pain, a precipitating event, associated symptoms, and modulating factors. Seeking a diagnosis entailed frustration and social isolation. Confirmation of diagnosis brought relief as well as anxiety about the future. After diagnosis, several steps led to creation of adaptive coping strategies, which were influenced by several factors. CONCLUSION Findings suggest that the conventional medical model fails to address the complex experience of fibromyalgia. Adopting a patient-centred approach is important for helping patients cope with this disease.
Incidence of ischaemic heart disease and stroke in Chinese, Malays and Indians in Singapore: Singapore Cardiovascular Cohort Study.

INTRODUCTION This is the first prospective cohort study in Singapore to describe the incidence of ischaemic heart disease (IHD) and stroke among Chinese, Malays and Asian Indians. MATERIALS AND METHODS The Singapore Cardiovascular Cohort Study is a longitudinal follow-up study on a general population cohort of 5920 persons drawn from 3 previous cross-sectional surveys. Morbidity and mortality from IHD and stroke were ascertained by record linkage using a unique identification number with the death registry, Singapore Myocardial Infarct Registry and in-patient discharge databases. RESULTS There were 193 first IHD events and 97 first strokes during 52,806 person-years of observation. The overall incidence of IHD was 3.8/1000 person-years and that of stroke was 1.8/1000 person-years. In both males and females, Indians had the highest IHD incidence, followed by Malays and then Chinese. For males after adjusting for age, Indians were 2.78 times (95% CI 1.86, 4.17; P < 0.0001) and 2.28 times (95% CI 1.34, 3.88; P = 0.002) more likely to get IHD than Chinese and Malays respectively. For females after adjusting for age, Indians were 1.97 times (95% CI 1.07, 3.63; P = 0.03) and 1.37 times (95% CI 0.67, 2.80; P = 0.39) more likely to get IHD than Chinese and Malays respectively. For stroke, male Chinese and Indians had higher incidence than Malays (though not statistically significant). However, in females, Malays had the highest incidence of stroke, being 2.57 times (95% CI 1.31, 5.05; P = 0.008) more likely to get stroke than Chinese after adjustment for age. CONCLUSIONS This prospective study of both mortality and morbidity has confirmed the higher risk of IHD in Indians. It has also found that Malay females have a higher incidence of stroke, which deserves further study because of its potential public health importance.
Pancreaticoduodenectomy and Celiac Occlusive Disease

Pancreaticoduodenectomy is currently associated with an average perioperative mortality rate of 25%. Breakdown of the pancreaticojejunal anastomosis accounts for the greatest morbidity and usually results from technical complications. The potential contribution of unsuspected celiac occlusive disease to anastomotic dehiscence remains unclear. Two patients with biopsy-proven carcinoma of the head of the pancreas, in addition to arteriographic evidence of hemodynamically significant stenosis or occlusion of the celiac artery, recently underwent potentially curative pancreaticoduodenal resection and simultaneous celiac revascularization using a splenic to superior mesenteric artery reimplantation technique. Neither patient experienced postoperative complications. Inadvertent sacriiice during pancreaticoduodenectomy of celiacomesenteric collateral pathways which have developed in response to chronic celiac artery insufficiency may predispose to ischemia of the upper abdominal viscera and thus contribute to postoperative complications such as liver failure and anastomotic breakdown. Selective celiac and superior mesenteric arteriography is recommended prior to pancreaticoduodenectomy. If high grade ostial stenosis or occlusion of the celiac axis is demonstrated by preoperative arteriography, strong consideration should be given at the time of pancreaticoduodenal resection to simultaneous celiac revascularization.
Correlation of CD4 cell count with gingival bleeding index in HIV positive individuals.

OBJECTIVES To correlate CD4 cell count with gingival bleeding index in HIV positive individuals. METHODS Fifty-one serologically confirmed HIV positive individuals were included in the study. Plaque index and bleeding index was recorded by a single examiner. CD4 cell count was obtained within 30 days from the day of examination. CD4 cell counts and gingival bleeding index was correlated using Spearman's correlation test. p < 0.01 was considered as statistically significant. RESULTS Mean plaque score, mean gingival bleeding index score and mean CD4 cell count was 1.40, 0.96 and 249.86 cells/mm3 respectively. It was noticed that gingival bleeding was enhanced in individuals with increased immunosuppression. However, no significant positive correlation was seen between mean CD4 cell count and gingival bleeding (p = 0.14). CONCLUSION Though CD4 cells are an important indicator for clinical aggravation of HIV infection, periodontal disease as measured by bleeding index is not directly associated to the cell count.
Why Is End-of-Life Care Delivery Sporadic?: A Quantitative Look at the Barriers to and Facilitators of Providing End-of-Life Care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

PURPOSE: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Infant Mortality Statistics, 28 384 infants died in the United States in 2005. On examining the state of the science in providing end-of-life care for newborns, it is important to examine the practice of providing compassionate and dignified palliative care at the end of life. The purpose of this research study was to examine the barriers to and facilitators of providing a quality end-of-life care in one large Midwestern tertiary NICU. SUBJECTS: A convenience sample of 50 NICU registered nurses from a Level III Midwestern Facility participated. METHODS: A quantitative, prospective, cross-sectional design was used. Data were collected with the Neonatal Palliative Care Attitude Scale questionnaire. RESULTS: Five barriers and 8 facilitators to end-of-life care practice in the NICU were identified. The 5 barriers were the nurses' inability to express opinions values and beliefs regarding palliative care (M = 2.98, SD = 1.30), less than ideal physical environment (M = 2.70, SD = 1.31), technological imperatives (M = 3.22, SD = 1.11), parental demands (M = 3.46, SD = 1.07), and, finally, lack of education (M = 2.86, SD = 1.44). The 8 facilitators were supportive medical staff (M = 3.60, SD = 1.29), parental involvement of decisions (M = 3.76, SD = 1.17), parents informed of options (M = 3.32, SD = 1.22), support from medical team when palliative care is implemented (M = 3.20, SD = 1.28), staffing (M = 3.60, SD = 1.29), time spent with dying baby (M = 3.52, SD = 1.31), policies/guidelines supporting palliative care (M = 3.76, SD = 1.19), and available counseling (M = 3.566, SD = 1.26). CONCLUSIONS: Barriers and facilitators continue to exist within neonatal end-of-life care. There is significant importance for NICU nurses to recognize and understand the barriers to and facilitators of providing end-of-life care within their specific unit. Further research is warranted regarding implementation of end-of-life care education in the NICU to improve patient care.
Robust angle-independent blood velocity estimation based on dual-angle plane wave imaging

Two-dimensional blood velocity estimation has shown potential to solve the angle-dependency of conventional ultrasound flow imaging. Clutter filtering, however, remains a major challenge for large beam-to-flow angles, leading to signal drop-outs and corrupted velocity estimates. This work presents and evaluates a compounding speckle tracking (ST) algorithm to obtain robust angle-independent 2-D blood velocity estimates for all beam-to-flow angles. A dual-angle plane wave imaging setup with full parallel receive beamforming is utilized to achieve high-frame-rate speckle tracking estimates from two scan angles, which may be compounded to obtain velocity estimates of increased robustness. The acquisition also allows direct comparison with vector Doppler (VD) imaging. Absolute velocity bias and root-mean-square (RMS) error of the compounding ST estimations were investigated using simulations of a rotating flow phantom with low velocities ranging from 0 to 20 cm/s. In a challenging region where the estimates were influenced by clutter filtering, the bias and RMS error for the compounding ST estimates were 11% and 2 cm/s, a significant reduction compared with conventional single-angle ST (22% and 4 cm/s) and VD (36% and 6 cm/s). The method was also tested in vivo for vascular and neonatal cardiac imaging. In a carotid artery bifurcation, the obtained blood velocity estimates showed that the compounded ST method was less influenced by clutter filtering than conventional ST and VD methods. In the cardiac case, it was observed that ST velocity estimation is more affected by low signal-to-noise (SNR) than VD. However, with sufficient SNR the in vivo results indicated that a more robust angle-independent blood velocity estimator is obtained using compounded speckle tracking compared with conventional ST and VD methods.
A low-profile dual-band circularly polarized GPS antenna

A low-profile, dual-band, wide-beam circularly polarized (CP) stacked antenna is proposed for global positioning system (GPS) and vehicle applications. Antenna's configuration consists of stacked unequal circular-patches integrated-microstrip radiators with a coaxial feed. The dual-band CP radiation is achieved by integrated unequal circular-patches at the corners of lower and upper square microstrip radiators. The measured performance of the dual-band antenna shows wide coverage CP radiation with a gain of more than 5.0 dBic in both L1 (1.575 GHz) and L2 (1.227 GHz) bands. The proposed antenna is low-profile with size of 0. 307λ0×0. 307λ0×0. 0196λ0 at 1.227 GHz.
Dynamics of a Recurrent Buchnera Mutation That Affects Thermal Tolerance of Pea Aphid Hosts

Mutations in maternally transmitted symbionts can affect host fitness. In this study we investigate a mutation in an obligate bacterial symbiont (Buchnera), which has dramatic effects on the heat tolerance of pea aphid hosts (Acyrthosiphon pisum). The heat-sensitive allele arises through a single base deletion in a homopolymer within the promoter of ibpA, which encodes a universal small heat-shock protein. In laboratory cultures reared under cool conditions (20°), the rate of fixation (1.4 × 10−3 substitutions per Buchnera replication) is much higher than the previously estimated mutation rate for single base deletions in homopolymers in the Buchnera genome, implying a strong selective benefit. This mutation recurs in natural populations, but seldom reaches high frequencies, implying that it is only rarely favored by selection. Another potential source of physiological stress in pea aphids is infection by other microorganisms, including facultative bacterial symbionts, which occur in a majority of pea aphids in field populations. Frequency of the heat-sensitive Buchnera allele is negatively correlated with presence of facultative symbionts in both laboratory colonies and field populations, suggesting that these infections impose stress that is ameliorated by ibpA expression. This single base polymorphism in Buchnera has the potential to allow aphid populations to adapt quickly to prevailing conditions.
PERIPHERAL ARTERIAL TONOMETRY FOR THE DIAGNOSIS OF OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA

Sleep related breathing disorders have been recognized as a risk factor for cardiovascular disorders. Peripheral arterial tonometry (PAT) allows to monitor vasoconstriction on the finger continuously and non-invasively. We investigated whether the rapid changes of autonomous function can be assessed by PAT. In 21 patients with obstructive sleep apnea and arterial hypertension we recorded PAT in parallel to cardiorespiratory polysomnography and invasive arterial blood pressure. The correlation between periodic PAT attenuations and the total number of apneas (r = 0.656, p < 0.01) and the total number of cortical arousal (r = 0.583, p < 0.01) were significant. The PAT signal cannot substitute blood pressure but allows a good recognition of apneas and subcortical arousal and gives additional information on changes of sympathetic and parasympathetic tone during sleep.
The Green Microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Has a Single ω-3 Fatty Acid Desaturase That Localizes to the Chloroplast and Impacts Both Plastidic and Extraplastidic Membrane Lipids1[C][W]

A single v-3 fatty acid desaturase in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is sufficient to produce [omega]-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids for both plastidial and extraplastidial lipids. The ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids account for more than 50% of total fatty acids in the green microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, where they are present in both plastidic and extraplastidic membranes. In an effort to elucidate the lipid desaturation pathways in this model alga, a mutant with more than 65% reduction in total ω-3 fatty acids was isolated by screening an insertional mutant library using gas chromatography-based analysis of total fatty acids of cell pellets. Molecular genetics analyses revealed the insertion of a TOC1 transposon 113 bp upstream of the ATG start codon of a putative ω-3 desaturase (CrFAD7; locus Cre01.g038600). Nuclear genetic complementation of crfad7 using genomic DNA containing CrFAD7 restored the wild-type fatty acid profile. Under standard growth conditions, the mutant is indistinguishable from the wild type except for the fatty acid difference, but when exposed to short-term heat stress, its photosynthesis activity is more thermotolerant than the wild type. A comparative lipidomic analysis of the crfad7 mutant and the wild type revealed reductions in all ω-3 fatty acid-containing plastidic and extraplastidic glycerolipid molecular species. CrFAD7 was localized to the plastid by immunofluorescence in situ hybridization. Transformation of the crfad7 plastidial genome with a codon-optimized CrFAD7 restored the ω-3 fatty acid content of both plastidic and extraplastidic lipids. These results show that CrFAD7 is the only ω-3 fatty acid desaturase expressed in C. reinhardtii, and we discuss possible mechanisms of how a plastid-located desaturase may impact the ω-3 fatty acid content of extraplastidic lipids.
Amazonian peasant livelihood differentiation as mutuality-market dialectics

ABSTRACT Economistic approaches to the study of peasant livelihoods have considerable academic and policy influence, yet, we argue, perpetuate a partial misunderstanding – often reducing peasant livelihood to the management of capital assets by rational actors. In this paper, we propose to revitalize the original heterodox spirit of the sustainable livelihoods framework by drawing on Stephen Gudeman’s work on the dialectic between use values and mutuality on the one hand, and exchange values and the market on the other. We use this approach to examine how historically divergent mutuality-market dialectics in different Amazonian regions have shaped greater prominence of either extractivism or agriculture in current livelihoods. We conclude that an approach centered on the mutuality-market dialectic is of considerable utility in revealing the role of economic histories in shaping differential peasant livelihoods in tropical forests. More generally, it has considerable potential to contribute to a much-needed re-pluralization of approaches to livelihood in academia and policy.
Validation of computational fluid dynamics in CT-based airway models with SPECT/CT.

PURPOSE To compare the results obtained by using numerical flow simulations with the results of combined single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and computed tomography (CT) and to demonstrate the importance of correct boundary conditions for the numerical methods to account for the large amount of interpatient variability in airway geometry. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study was approved by all relevant institutional review boards. All patients gave their signed informed consent. In this study, six patients with mild asthma (three men; three women; overall mean age, 46 years ± 17 [standard deviation]) underwent CT at functional residual capacity and total lung capacity, as well as SPECT/CT. CT data were used for segmentation and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. A comparison was made between airflow distribution, as derived with (a) SPECT/CT through tracer concentration analysis, (b) CT through lobar expansion measurement, and (c) CFD through flow computer simulation. Also, the heterogeneity of the ventilation was examined. RESULTS Good agreement was found between SPECT/CT, CT, and CFD in terms of airflow distribution and hot spot detection. The average difference for the internal airflow distribution was less than 3% for CFD and CT versus SPECT/CT. Heterogeneity in ventilation patterns could be detected with SPECT/CT and CFD. CONCLUSION This results of this study show that patient-specific computer simulations with appropriate boundary conditions yield information that is similar to that obtained with functional imaging tools, such as SPECT/CT. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL http://radiology.rsna. org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1148/radiol.10100322/-/DC1.
Repatriation Taxes and Foreign Cash Holdings: The Impact of Anticipated Tax Policy

We examine whether anticipation of Congress enacting a reduction in repatriation taxes affects the amount of cash U.S. multinational corporations (MNCs) hold overseas. Prior papers have focused on which U.S. MNCs repatriated foreign cash and how they deployed these funds following the repatriation tax holiday in 2004. We build on this literature and examine whether MNCs were willing to incur the costs of holding excess cash in response to anticipated but uncertain tax legislation. We find that U.S. MNCs most likely to benefit from this anticipated (yet not enacted) legislation began accumulating significant cash holdings once Congress initially proposed and began deliberating a second repatriation tax holiday. Further tests reveal that this cash accumulation was accompanied by two complementary activities designed to maximize expected tax benefits: tax-motivated income shifting and increases in permanently reinvested foreign earnings. The documentation of such preemptive behavior by corporations contributes to the literature on how firms respond to tax-induced incentives, provides a new explanation for the dramatic growth in cash holdings by U.S. MNCs over the last decade, and raises important questions about the long-run consequences of enacting temporary tax regulation.
Electric field effects on alanine tripeptide in sodium halide solutions

Abstract The electric field effects on conformational properties of trialanine in different halide solutions were explored with long-scale molecular dynamics simulations. NaF, NaCl, NaBr and NaI solutions of low (0.2 M) and high (2 M) concentrations were exposed to a constant electric field of 1000 V/m. Generally, the electric field does not disturb trialanine's structure. Large structural changes appear only in the case of the supersaturated 2.0 M NaF solution containing NaF crystals. Although the electric field affects in a complex way, all the ions–water–peptide interactions, it predominantly affects the electroselectivity effect, which describes specific interactions such as the ion-pair formation.
An Alternate Targeting Pathway for Procathepsin L in Mouse Fibroblasts

In transformed mouse fibroblasts, a significant proportion of the lysosomal cysteine protease cathepsin L remains in cells as an inactive precursor which associates with membranes by a mannose phosphate‐independent interaction. When microsomes prepared from these cells were resolved on sucrose gradients, this procathepsin L was localized in dense vesicles distinct from those enriched for growth hormone, which is secreted constitutively when expressed in fibroblasts. Ultrastructural studies using antibodies directed against the propeptide to avoid detection of the mature enzyme in lysosomes revealed that the proenzyme was concentrated in dense cores within small vesicles and multivesicular endosomes which labeled with antibodies specific for CD63. Consistent with the resemblance of these cores to those of regulated secretory granules, secretion of procathepsin L from fibroblasts was modestly stimulated by phorbol, 12‐myristate, 13‐acetate. When protein synthesis was blocked with cycloheximide and lysosomal proteolysis inhibited with leupeptin, procathepsin L was found to gradually convert to the active single‐chain protease. The data suggest that when synthesis levels are high, a portion of the procathepsin L is packaged in dense cores within multivesicular endosomes localized near the plasma membrane. Gradual activation of this proenzyme achieves targeting of the proenzyme to lysosomes by a mannose phosphate receptor‐independent pathway.
Differential regulation of cell death pathways by the microenvironment correlates with chemoresistance and survival in leukaemia

Glucocorticoids (GCs) and topoisomerase II inhibitors are used to treat acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) as they induce death in lymphoid cells through the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and p53 respectively. Mechanisms underlying ALL cell death and the contribution of the bone marrow microenvironment to drug response/resistance remain unclear. The role of the microenvironment and the identification of chemoresistance determinants were studied by transcriptomic analysis in ALL cells treated with Dexamethasone (Dex), and Etoposide (Etop) grown in the presence or absence of bone marrow conditioned media (CM). The necroptotic (RIPK1) and the apoptotic (caspase-8/3) markers were downregulated by CM, whereas the inhibitory effects of chemotherapy on the autophagy marker Beclin-1 (BECN1) were reduced suggesting CM exerts cytoprotective effects. GCs upregulated the RIPK1 ubiquitinating factor BIRC3 (cIAP2), in GC-sensitive (CEM-C7-14) but not in resistant (CEM-C1-15) cells. In addition, CM selectively affected GR phosphorylation in a site and cell-specific manner. GR is recruited to RIPK1, BECN1 and BIRC3 promoters in the sensitive but not in the resistant cells with phosphorylated GR forms being generally less recruited in the presence of hormone. FACS analysis and caspase-8 assays demonstrated that CM promoted a pro-survival trend. High molecular weight proteins reacting with the RIPK1 antibody were modified upon incubation with the BIRC3 inhibitor AT406 in CEM-C7-14 cells suggesting that they represent ubiquitinated forms of RIPK1. Our data suggest that there is a correlation between microenvironment-induced ALL proliferation and altered response to chemotherapy.