Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessment of spiritual suffering in the cancer context: A systematic literature review

Abstract Objective: An important goal of cancer medicine is relief of patients' suffering. In view of the clinical challenges of identifying suffering patients, we sought to identify valid instruments for assessing the spiritual suffering of people diagnosed with cancer. Method: A systematic review of the literature was conducted in the Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and PsycINFO databases seeking assessment instruments that measure either suffering or one of its synonyms or symptoms. The psychometric properties of the identified measures were compared. Results: A total of 90 articles were identified that supplied information about 58 measures. The constructs examined were: suffering, hopelessness/demoralization, hope, meaning, spiritual well-being, quality of life where a spiritual/existential dimension was included, distress in the palliative care setting and pain, distress or struggle of a spiritual nature. The Pictorial Representation of Illness and Self Measure (PRISM) (patient completed) was the most promising measure identified for measuring the burden of suffering caused by illness due to its ease of use and the inclusion of a subjective component. Significance of Results: Although the appropriateness of any measure for the assessment of spiritual suffering in cancer patients will depend on the context in which it is intended to be utilized, the PRISM is promising for measuring the burden of suffering due to illness.
Joint Source and Relay Optimization for a Non-Regenerative MIMO Relay

We consider a non-regenerative MIMO relay system where the source, relay and destination are all equipped with multiple antennas. The relay does not decode the packets but performs a multi-dimensional amplify-and-forward function (a relay matrix) on the baseband signals. Under the condition that the source is white, the relay matrix that maximizes the capacity between the source and the destination has been previously found. In this paper, we show a new result on how the source covariance matrix and the relay matrix can be jointly optimized to maximize the source-destination capacity. It is shown that the optimal coordinate system governed by the previously discovered relay matrix is still valid under the joint optimization, and the joint optimization yields a further capacity gain when the SNR at the relay is low
Revisiting the Effect of Maternal Smoking during Pregnancy on Offspring Birthweight: A Quasi-Experimental Sibling Analysis in Sweden

Maternal smoking during pregnancy (SDP) seems associated with reduced birthweight in the offspring. This observation, however, is based on conventional epidemiological analyses, and it might be confounded by unobserved maternal characteristics related to both smoking habits and offspring birth weight. Therefore, we apply a quasi-experimental sibling analysis to revisit previous findings. Using the Swedish Medical Birth Register, we identified 677,922 singletons born between 2002 and 2010 from native Swedish mothers. From this population, we isolated 62,941 siblings from 28,768 mothers with discrepant habits of SDP. We applied conventional and mother-specific multilevel linear regression models to investigate the association between maternal SDP and offspring birthweight. Depending on the mother was light or heavy smoker and the timing of exposition during pregnancy (i.e., first or third trimester), the effect of smoking on birthweight reduction was between 6 and 78 g less marked in the sibling analysis than in the conventional analysis. Sibling analysis showed that continuous smoking reduces birthweight by 162 grams for mothers who were light smokers (1 to 9 cigarettes per day) and 226 g on average for those who were heavy smokers throughout the pregnancy in comparison to non-smoker mothers. Quitting smoking during pregnancy partly counteracted the smoking-related birthweight reduction by 1 to 29 g, and a subsequent smoking relapse during pregnancy reduced birthweight by 77 to 83 g. The sibling analysis provides strong evidence that maternal SDP reduces offspring birthweight, though this reduction was not as great as that observed in the conventional analysis. Our findings support public health interventions aimed to prevent SDP and to persuade those who already smoke to quit and not relapse throughout the pregnancy. Besides, further analyses are needed in order to explain the mechanisms through which smoking reduces birthweight and to identify other maternal characteristics that are common causes of both birthweight reduction and maternal smoking.
A simple new method for estimating null allele frequency from heterozygote deficiency

At minisatellite and microsatellite loci of humans and other species heterozygote deficiencies relative to Hardy-Weinberg expectations are sometimes observed. While such deficiencies are consistent with a WahIund effect arising from population subdivision, or inbreeding due to consanguineous mating, they may also be explained by the presence of null alleles, such that many of the apparent homozygotes are, in reality, heterozygotes between a visible and a null allele (Chakraborty et al. 2994; Pemberton et al. 1995). Such genotypes will appear to be homozygotes since they show a single band on the autoradiogram. For microsatellites, such null alleles can arise when mutations prevent primers from binding (Callen et al. 1993). Nulls in minisatellites will arise when a restriction fragment runs off the end of a gel. In allozymes, also, null alleles, lacking the enzyme activity that allows loci to be scored, may exist (Foltz 1986). Notwithstanding the capacity of such null alleles to greatly affect apparent heterozygosity, the expected frequency of n d homozygotes may be quite low, and such individuals may be lacking in the sample. Furthermore, even if such individuals are seen, the conclusion may be drawn that the DNA sample is degraded, or another technical problem has arisen, and the observation may be ignored. Chakraborty et al. (1992) discuss a method of estimating the frequency of null alleles (r in their terminology) from the apparent deficiency of heterozygotes that they induce. They deal with a situation in which all individuals in the sample show either one or two bands at a minisatellite (or microsatellite) locus. Null homozygotes are not represented in the sample.
A Successive Approximation Algorithm for Coordination Problems

Developing scalable coordination algorithms for multi-agent systems is a hard computational challenge. One useful approach, demonstrated by the Coverage Set Algorithm (CSA), exploits structured interaction to produce significant computational gains. Empirically, CSA exhibits very good anytime performance, but an error bound on the results has not been established. We reformulate the algorithm and derive an online error bound for approximate solutions. Moreover, we propose an effective way to automatically reduce the complexity of the interaction. Our experiments show that this is a promising approach to solve a broad class of decentralized decision problems. The general formulation used by the algorithm makes it both easy to implement and widely applicable to a variety of other AI problems.
The Association between Persistent Disruptive Childhood Behaviour and the Psychopathic Personality Constellation in Adolescence: A Twin Study.

This study tested if persistent externalizing behaviour and symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in childhood are associated with personality and behavioural aspects of the psychopathic personality constellation in adolescence. The target sample consisted of all 1,480 twin pairs born in Sweden between 1985 and 1986. Parent-reported externalizing behaviour and ADHD symptoms were obtained when the participants were 8-9 and 13-14 years old. Personality and behavioural aspects of the psychopathic personality constellation were measured with self-report questionnaires when the participants were 16-17 years old. Persistent externalizing behaviour in childhood was associated with both psychopathic personality and antisocial behaviour in adolescence. However, within twin-pair analyses showed that genetic factors explained the association between persistent externalizing behaviour and psychopathic personality, while shared environmental factors explained the association between persistent externalizing and antisocial behaviours. We conclude that persistent externalizing behaviour is a genetically influenced precursor of psychopathic personality among boys.
Assay for free and total carnitine in human plasma using tandem mass spectrometry.

Measurements of free and total carnitine in plasma are important in the diagnosis and clinical management of patients with carnitine deficiency syndromes and certain inborn errors of metabolism (1). The most popular analytical methods are based on the enzymatic reaction in which an acetyl group is transferred from acetyl-CoA to carnitine with release of free CoA (2). A spectrophotometric assay based on this method, using a Cobas centrifugal analyzer (Roche Diagnostics), has been in use in this laboratory for the past several years (3). Limitations of the Cobas enzymatic method in our view include the initial filtration step, which requires a minimum sample volume of 300 μL, and the number and cost of the reagents required. Assay results are critically dependent on two labile reagents, the enzyme carnitine acetyltransferase and the color reagent 5,5′-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid). We have also observed that patients on valproic acid therapy sometimes give total carnitine values that are spuriously low for reasons that are not clear. Another limitation of the Cobas assay is that acylcarnitines with chain lengths >10 are lost in the filtration step (3), and the method will underestimate the total carnitine content of patients with defects in the oxidative degradation of long-chain or multiple acyl-CoAs, especially when metabolically decompensated. We have emphasized previously that the most valuable applications of the routine Cobas assay are the identification of patients with carnitine deficiency and the monitoring of patients on carnitine therapy (3). We have developed a new carnitine assay method based on isotope-dilution tandem mass spectrometry (TMS), which is inherently more straightforward and accurate than previously reported methods. This is true primarily because it has absolute molecular specificity, uses an isotope-labeled internal standard to compensate for any losses or variance resulting from the sample preparation, and has no known chemical interference. The new assay …
Negative Parenting in Childhood Differentially Affects the Adjustment of College Students With and Without ADHD

Parenting a child who has Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) brings extraordinary challenges due to the disruptive behaviors which commonly occur with this disorder. A parent’s competence and perceived self-efficacy in rearing a child with ADHD may have long-term repercussions on the child’s functioning, such as the severity and chronicity of ADHD symptoms beyond adolescence. Online surveys were sent to undergraduate participants and collateral informants (i.e., parents) to collect information on ADHD status, impairment, and parenting style. The purpose was to determine if there was a relationship between emerging adults’ ADHD status and how they were reared. Students did not differ in their report of negative parenting styles across ADHD status and parents of students in the ADHD group reported higher satisfaction and efficacy. Across the entire sample, negative parenting styles were associated with ADHD traits (e.g., existing diagnosis, symptoms that meet diagnostic standards) and impaired functioning. Negative parenting style had a larger detrimental impact on ADHD-related symptoms, impairment, and comorbid symptoms for those in the ADHD group compared to those in the control group.
Hypoxemia during altitude exposure. A meta-analysis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

A previous study identified spirometric testing as a useful adjunct for estimating PaO2 during altitude exposure in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We sought to examine the validity of this finding by quantitative analysis of recent published reports. We analyzed acute hypoxic exposures from five prior studies involving 71 patients. Across all studies, the change in arterial oxygen tension per unit change in inspired oxygen partial pressure (linear slope, dPaO2/dP1O2) correlated with the preexposure forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1, p < 0.01). The correlation with FEV1 held for values weighted or unweighted by sample size, with rotating deletion of each study from analysis one at a time, and with semilog slope as the dependent variable. A formula derived from the semilog slope relationship with FEV1 gave accurate description of the mean hypoxic response in each prior study and individual responses from one study (n = 18): ln (PaO2alt/PaO2g) = Kn. (PIO2alt-PIO2g). We found that FEV1 modulated the values of kn in this study. We conclude, based on analysis of prior studies, that preexposure arterial oxygen tension and FEV1 both influence the prediction of PaO2 during hypoxic exposures in patients with COPD.
Do out-of-pocket health expenditures rise with age among older Americans?

PURPOSE Relationships are examined between age and out-of-pocket costs for different health goods and services among the older population. DESIGN AND METHODS Age patterns in health service use and out-of-pocket costs are examined by use of the 1990 Elderly Health Supplement to the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (N = 1,031, age 66+). Multivariate regression is used to examine how age effects are mediated by health, insurance, and socioeconomic variables. RESULTS Although long-term care expenditures increased with age, out-of-pocket costs for most other services did not. Total out-of-pocket costs increased with age only when nursing home costs were included. Increases with age in hospital and prescription costs were explained by declining health. Patterns of service use suggested reduced access to discretionary care among the oldest old. IMPLICATIONS Although expenditures did not increase with age for most services, the high personal cost for nursing home care among the oldest old underlines the need for increased efforts to support them in the community. Greater spending by those in poor health highlights the importance of preventing age-related health conditions and their complications. Improved access to discretionary care among the oldest old may help to reduce the need for care in higher cost settings. The high prevalence of out-of-pocket prescription spending across the age range provides impetus for current efforts to reduce these costs.
Sedation for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy: New Practices, New Economics

Gastroenterologists in the United States have routinely sedated patients as a part of the endoscopic service. In recent years, more and more endoscopists are turning to anesthesiologists or nurse anesthetists to provide sedation rather than administering it themselves.a Numerous factors are driving this transition, including increasing use of propofol (a sedation agent which in most settings is administered only by an anesthesiologist), efforts to offset falling reimbursements, and effective marketing by anesthesiologists. The clinical merits and the politics of this trend have been recently reviewed (1, 2). The economic implications are less appreciated by clinical gastroenterologists, however, and are the subject of this paper. To approach the subject, it is useful to ask three questions: (1) How significant is the transition to non-gastroenterologist administered sedation? (2) How are the payors responding to this transition? and (3) Where are the payors headed?
Comparison of conscious sedation and general anesthesia for motor mapping and resection of tumors located near motor cortex.

OBJECT The surgical treatment of tumors located near eloquent cortex carries a high risk of inducing worsening neurological deficits. Intraoperative electrocorticography techniques have been developed to help identify these areas at the time of surgery in an effort to minimize such risks. The optimal anesthetic technique for conducting these procedures, however, has never been determined. METHODS The authors conducted a retrospective study to compare patients who underwent intraoperative motor mapping between September 2000 and May 2002. Demographic and neurophysiological monitoring data were collected from the hospital records. Patients were divided into two groups based on the anesthetic technique used for surgery: in Group 1 general anesthesia was used, and in Group 2 conscious sedation. Group 1 comprised 24 patients (mean age 47 years) with 16 right- and eight left-sided lesions. Group 2 consisted of 21 patients (mean age 46 years) with 18 right- and three left-sided lesions. Pathological diagnoses were similar between the two groups. Motor stimulation was elicited in 12 patients (50%) in Group 1 and in 21 patients (100%) in Group 2 (p < 0.001). In addition, the mean stimulation amplitude required was significantly higher (13 mA) in patients in whom conscious sedation was used as opposed to general anesthesia (5 mA, p < 0.0001). Electrographic evidence of seizures was seen in 29% of Group 1 compared with 10% of Group 2 patients (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The use of conscious sedation as an anesthetic technique for motor mapping not only improves the chances of achieving successful stimulation and identification of motor cortex in relationship to the lesion, but it also allows for repetitive monitoring of the patient's motor function during resection of the lesion.
Recent advances on fluorescent biomarkers of near-infrared quantum dots for in vitro and in vivo imaging

ABSTRACT Luminescence probe has been broadly used for bio-imaging applications. Among them, near-infrared (NIR) quantum dots (QDs) are more attractive due to minimal tissue absorbance and larger penetration depth. Above said reasons allowed whole animal imaging without slice scan or dissection. This review describes in vitro and in vivo imaging of NIR QDs in the regions of 650–900 nm (NIR-I) and 1000–1450 nm (NIR-II). Also, we summarize the recent progress in bio-imaging and discuss the future trends of NIR QDs including group II-VI, IV-VI, I-VI, I-III-VI, III-V, and IV semiconductors. Graphical Abstract
Role of tranexamic acid in reducing postoperative blood loss and transfusion requirement in patients undergoing hip and femoral surgeries

Context: Pharmacological agents are used to reduce postoperative blood loss. Aims: To assess the effects of tranexamic acid on prevention of bleeding and requirement of blood transfusion after major hip and femoral surgeries. Settings and Design: A prospective, randomized, double blinded study was conducted in the tertiary care teaching hospital. Methods: Ninety ASA grade I-II patients undergoing hip fracture surgery were included in this prospective study. Forty-five patients received tranexamic acid (TA) given in a bolus dose of 500 mg 15 min before surgical incision followed by continuous infusion. The remaining, 45 patients were allocated as a control group. Postoperative bleeding (volume of blood in the drain), percentage fall of hemoglobin, transfusions and complications were recorded. Results: Mean volume of blood in the drain was 39.33±10.09 ml (mean±SD) as compared to 91.11±17.61 ml in placebo group showing a P<0.001. Mean percentage fall in Hb at day 0 was 2.99±3.45 in the study group as compared to 7.70±6.05 in the placebo group (P<0.001), and fall at day 2 in the study group was 0.35±0.74, compared to 2.72±2.70 in the placebo group (P<0.001). The number of patients required blood transfusions were lower in the study group than in the placebo group (P=0.01). Conclusions: We conclude that tranexamic acid significantly reduces postoperative blood loss and transfusion requirements during major hip and femoral surgeries.
Effect of long-range potential fluctuations on scaling in the integer quantum Hall effect.

We report a set of transport data taken in two low-mobility GaAs/${\mathrm{Al}}_{\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{Ga}}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{x}}$As heterostructures. When Tg200 mK, we find that the T dependence of (d${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\rho}}}_{\mathit{x}\mathit{y}}$/dB${)}^{\mathrm{max}}$ behaves differently in different Landau levels, whereas when T200 mK, it behaves like ${\mathit{T}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}0.42}$ as reported by Wei et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 61, 1294 (1988)]. The characteristic T (=200 mK) for observing the critical behavior is much lower than that of previous observations in the ${\mathrm{In}}_{\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{Ga}}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{x}}$As/InP heterostructure. This lowering of T for scaling is attributed to the dominance of long-range potential fluctuations due to the remote ionized impurities in the ${\mathrm{Al}}_{\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{Ga}}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{x}}$As.
LDL-Migration Index (LDL-MI), an Indicator of Small Dense Low-Density Lipoprotein (sdLDL), Is Higher in Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis than in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study

Background Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with increased risks of atherosclerotic diseases, including cardiovascular disease. However, the difference in risk between patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) has not yet been determined. Accumulating evidence has shown that high amounts of small dense low-density lipoprotein (sdLDL) are closely associated with atherosclerotic diseases. This study investigated differences in risk factors for atherosclerotic diseases, especially LDL-migration index (LDL-MI), an indicator of sdLDL, between patients with NAFL and NASH. Methods LDL-MI was analyzed in a primary cohort of 156 patients with NAFLD, including 53 with NAFL and 103 with NASH, and a validation cohort of 69 patients with NAFLD, including 25 with NAFL and 44 with NASH. Results In the primary cohort, NASH was associated with elevated LDL-MI (p = 0.039). Multiple regression analysis showed that NASH and the non-use of lipid lowering medications were independently correlated with higher LDL-MI in all patients with NAFLD. Among patients not on lipid lowering medications, those with NASH had significantly higher LDL-MI than those with NAFL (p = 0.001). These findings were confirmed in a validation cohort, in that LDL-MI was significantly higher in patients with NASH than with NAFL (p = 0.043). Conclusion This study is the first to show that LDL-MI, an indicator of sdLDL, was higher in patients with NASH than with NAFL, suggesting that the risk of atherosclerotic diseases may be higher in NASH than NAFL. Patients with NASH should be followed closely, especially for the progression of liver pathology and atherosclerotic diseases. Trial Registration UMIN000009614