Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of supplementation with multivitamin and mineral on blood pressure and C-reactive protein in obese Chinese women with increased cardiovascular disease risk.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of supplementation with multivitamin and mineral on blood pressure and C-reactive protein (CRP) in obese women with increased cardiovascular disease risk as having hypertension, hyperglycemia or hyperlipemia. SUBJECTS AND METHODS 128 obese Chinese women aged 18-55 years with increased cardiovascular disease risk participated in a 26-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Subjects were randomized to four groups, and received either one tablet of high-dose multivitamin and mineral supplement (MMS), or one tablet of low-dose MMS (Low MMS), or calcium 162 mg (Calcium) or identical placebo (Placebo) daily during the study. Diastolic blood pressure (DBP), systolic blood pressure (SBP) and serum concentrations of CRP were measured at baseline and end-trial. RESULTS At baseline, the subjects had an average age of 42.0+/-7.1 years and BMI of 30.9+/-2.8 kg/m2. There were no significant differences between the four groups in baseline characteristics. One hundred and seventeen subjects completed the study. After 26-week supplementation, both SBP and DBP were significantly lower in the MMS group compared to the placebo group (p < 0.05). There was also a non-significant trend of lower DBP at 26-week in the MMS and calcium groups compared to baseline (p < 0.08). At 26-week, the MMS group also had significantly lower serum concentrations of CRP compared with that of baseline and the placebo group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Our results showed that supplementation with adequate multivitamin and mineral supplement could reduce blood pressure and serum CRP in obese women with increased cardiovascular disease risk.
Advances in Medical Education and Practice Dovepress Empathy Levels among Health Professional Students: a Cross-sectional Study at Two Universities in Australia

Background: Empathy is paramount in the health care setting, optimizing communication and rapport with patients. Recent empirical evidence suggests that empathy is associated with improved clinical outcomes. Therefore, given the importance of empathy in the health care setting, gaining a better understanding of students' attitudes and self-reported empathy is important. The objective of this study was to examine self-reported empathy levels of students enrolled in different health disciplines from two large Australian universities. Materials and methods: A total of 1,111 students from two different universities enrolled in eight different health professions were administered the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy – Health Profession Students version, a 20-item 7-point Likert scale questionnaire to evaluate self-reported empathy levels. Results: A total of 1,111 students participated in this study. The majority of participants were from Monash University (n=771), with 340 students from Edith Cowan University. No statistically significant differences were found between universities: Conclusion: Results relating to sex are reflective of previous studies. There is some discrepancy in results relating to empathy and its incline/decline as students progress through a program. Further study is warranted to explore why there are variations in empathy levels in students of different health disciplines.
United airway disease: current perspectives

Upper and lower airways are considered a unified morphological and functional unit, and the connection existing between them has been observed for many years, both in health and in disease. There is strong epidemiologic, pathophysiologic, and clinical evidence supporting an integrated view of rhinitis and asthma: united airway disease in the present review. The term “united airway disease” is opportune, because rhinitis and asthma are chronic inflammatory diseases of the upper and lower airways, which can be induced by allergic or nonallergic reproducible mechanisms, and present several phenotypes. Management of rhinitis and asthma must be jointly carried out, leading to better control of both diseases, and the lessons of the Allergic Rhinitis and Its Impact on Asthma initiative cannot be forgotten.
THE SENIC PROJECT STUDIES IN THE LITERATURE INERTIA OF WARD ROUTINE NOSOCOMIAL INFECTIONS PATIENT-CARE PRACTICES

Haley, R. W. (SENIC Project, CDC, Atlanta, GA 30333), D. Quade, H. E. Freeman, J. V. Bennett and the CDC SENIC Planning Committee. Study on the Efficacy of Nosocomlal Infection Control (SENIC Project): Summary of study design. Am J Epidemiol 111:472-485,1980. With the emergence of nosocomial Infections as a serious problem among US hospitals, the Center for Disease Control undertook in 1974 a nationwide study to evaluate approaches to Infection control. The three-phased project, now known as the Study on the Efficacy of Nosocomlal Infection Control, or SENIC Project, was designed with three primary objectives: 1) to determine whether (and, If so, to what degree) the implementation of Infection surveillance and control programs (ISCPs) has lowered the rate of nosocomlal Infection, 2) to describe the current status of ISCPs and infection rates, and 3) to demonstrate the relationships among characteristics of hospitals and patients, components of ISCPs, and changes in the Infection rate. With data collection completed in a nationally representative sample of hospitals, analysis Is underway to identify approaches to Infection control that are most effective for the least cost to hospitals and to point out additional specific questions to be answered by future research.
Interaction Domain of Digital Device Adoption

The 21st century is interwoven with technological innovation and expanding networks. In the midst of such change, some designers have advocated that we pause and assess the objects with which we been surround ourselves. Erik Stolterman and his colleagues wrote in Device Landscapes that “The number of interactive digital artifacts is growing surrounding personal lives, and individuals have an increasing need to describe, analyze, and interpret what it means to own, use, and live with a large number of interactive artifacts” (Stolterman et al., 2013). With the emergence and rapid proliferation of technology devices, the divide between tangible and intangible things has been questioned as information and data have emerged as important extensions of personal devices. A sea of informational artifacts, therefore, poses a challenge for users to fully adopt them into their daily interactions. In response, I conducted an inquiry-driven investigation into the domain of device adoption and highlighted seven key themes in the context of current and speculative technology. The exploration was designed on a iterative model of areal definition and research to outline the greater territory. For the sake of a sensible scope, I have limited my target users to millennials who I describe as a unique generation of early adapters that are both active participants and architects of technological change. To present the research outcome, I propose an annotated portfolio-styled exhibition that curates ideations and explorative concepts that have emerged from each round of research. The exhibited concepts simulate a range of device experiences and encourage pedagogic discourse around current and future models of device interactions. They are designed to induce informed reflection and discussion over innovation of digital devices and on how to build true agency over objects that are constantly evolving and changing.
Failure of Intraoperative Monitoring to Detect Postoperative Neurologic Deficits: A 25-year Experience in 12,375 Spinal Surgeries

Study Design. Retrospective. Objective. The purpose was to categorize and evaluate intraoperative monitoring (IOM) failure to detect neurologic deficits occurring during spinal surgery. Summary of Background Data. The efficacy of spinal cord/nerve root monitoring regarding undetected neurologic deficits is examined in a large, single institution series involving all levels of the spinal column and all spinal surgical procedures. Methods. Multimodality IOM included somatosensory-evoked potentials (SSEPs), descending neurogenic-evoked potentials (DNEPs), transcranial motor-evoked potentials (MEPs), dermatomal somatosensory-evoked potentials (DSEPs), and spontaneous and triggered electromyography (spEMG, trgEMG). We reviewed 12,375 patients who underwent surgery for spinal pathology from 1985 to 2010. There were 7178 females (59.3%) and 5197 males (40.7%); 9633 (77.8%) primary surgeries and 2742 (22.2%) revisions. Procedures by spinal level were cervical 29.7% (3671), thoracic/thoracolumbar 45.4% (5624), and lumbosacral 24.9% (3080). Age at surgery was > 18 years - 72.7% (8993) and < 18 years - 27.3% (3382). Results. Forty-five of the 12,375 patients (0.36%) had false negative outcomes. False negative results by modality were as follows: spEMG (n = 22, 48.8%), trgEMG (n = 8, 17.7%), DSEP (n = 4, 8.8%), DNEP (n = 4, 8.8%), SSEP (n = 3, 6.6%), DSEP/spEMG (n = 3, 6.6%), and trgEMG/spEMG (n = 1, 2.2%). Thirty-seven patients had immediate postoperative deficits unidentified by IOM; 30 patients (81%) involved nerve root monitoring, four patients had spinal cord deficits, and three patients had peripheral sensory deficits. Eight patients had permanent neurologic deficits, six (0.048%) were nerve root and two (0.016%) were spinal cord in nature. Conclusion. Despite correct application and usage, IOM data failed to identify 45 (0.36%) patients with false negative outcomes out of 12,375 surgical patients. Eight patients (0.064%) of these 45 patients had permanent neurologic deficits, six patients had nerve root deficits in nature and two patients had spinal cord deficits. Although admittedly small, this represents the risk of undetected neurologic deficits even when properly using IOM. Deficits are at a higher risk to remain unresolved when not detected by IOM. Level of Evidence: 4
Building use Cases With Activity Reference Framework for Big Data Analytics

Application of Big Data analytics to exploit for insight and assist in decision making have seen phenomenal growth among organizations in recent years. Although many organizations have invested heavily in Big Data technologies, there still seems to be a lack of common reference framework for organizations to derive business values and answer critical business questions from Big Data Analytics (BDA). In this paper, a vendor-neutral and technology-agnostic Big Data Analytics Activity Reference Framework is presented to close the gap. The framework describes the high level Big Data Analytics activities and serves as a reference to practitioners to decide on the selection of the infrastructure, platform and computing layers. This reference framework is aimed at serving as a launching pad for researchers and implementers to customize their respective Big Data Analytics projects before implementing with the relevant technology and tools.
Effects of intraplantar botulinum toxin‐B on carrageenan‐induced changes in nociception and spinal phosphorylation of GluA1 and Akt

Increasing evidence suggests that botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) delivered into the skin and muscle in certain human and animal pain states may exert antinociceptive efficacy though their uptake and transport to central afferent terminals. Cleavage of soluble N‐methylaleimide‐sensitive attachment protein receptor by BoNTs can impede vesicular mediated neurotransmitter release as well as transport/insertion of channel/receptor subunits into plasma membranes, an effect that can reduce activity‐evoked facilitation. Here, we explored the effects of intraplantar botulinum toxin‐ B (BoNT‐B) on peripheral inflammation and spinal nociceptive processing in an inflammatory model of pain. C57BL/6 mice (male) received unilateral intraplantar BoNT (1 U, 30 μL) or saline prior to intraplantar carrageenan (20 μL, 2%) or intrathecal N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA), substance P or saline (5 μL). Intraplantar carrageenan resulted in edema and mechanical allodynia in the injected paw and increased phosphorylation of a glutamate subunit (pGluA1ser845) and a serine/threonine‐specific protein kinase (pAktser473) in spinal dorsal horn along with an increased incidence of spinal c‐Fos positive cells. Pre‐treatment with intraplantar BoNT‐B reduced carrageenan evoked: (i) allodynia, but not edema; (ii) pGluA1 and pAkt and (iii) c‐Fos expression. Further, intrathecal NMDA and substance P each increased dorsal horn levels of pGluA1 and pAkt. Intraplantar BoNT‐B inhibited NMDA, but not substance P evoked phosphorylation of GluA1 and Akt. These results suggest that intraplantar toxin is transported centrally to block spinal activation and prevent phosphorylation of a glutamate receptor subunit and a kinase, which otherwise contribute to facilitated states.
Speech-Based UI Design for the Automobile

In this chapter we discuss a variety of topics relating to speech-based user interfaces for use in an automotive environment. We begin by presenting a number of design principles for the design of such interfaces, derived from several decades of combined experience in the development and evaluation of spoken user interfaces (UI) for automobiles, along with three case studies of current automotive navigation interfaces. Finally, we present a new model for speech-based user interfaces in automotive environments that recasts the goal of the UI from supporting the navigation among and selection from multiple states to that of selecting the desired command from a short list. We also present experimental evidence that UIs based on this approach can impose significantly lower cognitive load on a driver than conventional UIs. This work may not be copied or reproduced in whole or in part for any commercial purpose. Permission to copy in whole or in part without payment of fee is granted for nonprofit educational and research purposes provided that all such whole or partial copies include the following: a notice that such copying is by permission of Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.; an acknowledgment of the authors and individual contributions to the work; and all applicable portions of the copyright notice. Copying, reproduction, or republishing for any other purpose shall require a license with payment of fee to Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright c © Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc., 2008 201 Broadway, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 Handbook of Research on User Interface Design and Evaluation for Mobile Technology Hershey • New York InformatIon scIence reference Volume I Joanna Lumsden National Research Council of Canada Institute for Information Technology – e-Business, Canada Acquisitions Editor: Kristin Klinger Development Editor: Kristin Roth Senior Managing Editor: Jennifer Neidig Managing Editor: Sara Reed Copy Editor: Joy Langel, Katie Smalley, and Angela Thor Typesetter: Jeff Ash Cover Design: Lisa Tosheff Printed at: Yurchak Printing Inc. Published in the United States of America by Information Science Reference (an imprint of IGI Global) 701 E. Chocolate Avenue, Suite 200
Prolonged space flight‐induced alterations in the structure and function of human skeletal muscle fibres

The primary goal of this study was to determine the effects of prolonged space flight (∼180 days) on the structure and function of slow and fast fibres in human skeletal muscle. Biopsies were obtained from the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles of nine International Space Station crew members ∼45 days pre‐ and on landing day (R+0) post‐flight. The main findings were that prolonged weightlessness produced substantial loss of fibre mass, force and power with the hierarchy of the effects being soleus type I > soleus type II > gastrocnemius type I > gastrocnemius type II. Structurally, the quantitatively most important adaptation was fibre atrophy, which averaged 20% in the soleus type I fibres (98 to 79 μm diameter). Atrophy was the main contributor to the loss of peak force (P0), which for the soleus type I fibre declined 35% from 0.86 to 0.56 mN. The percentage decrease in fibre diameter was correlated with the initial pre‐flight fibre size (r= 0.87), inversely with the amount of treadmill running (r= 0.68), and was associated with an increase in thin filament density (r= 0.92). The latter correlated with reduced maximal velocity (V0) (r=−0.51), and is likely to have contributed to the 21 and 18% decline in V0 in the soleus and gastrocnemius type I fibres. Peak power was depressed in all fibre types with the greatest loss (∼55%) in the soleus. An obvious conclusion is that the exercise countermeasures employed were incapable of providing the high intensity needed to adequately protect fibre and muscle mass, and that the crew's ability to perform strenuous exercise might be seriously compromised. Our results highlight the need to study new exercise programmes on the ISS that employ high resistance and contractions over a wide range of motion to mimic the range occurring in Earth's 1 g environment.
Who owns the Brazilian carbon?

Brazil is one of the major contributors to land‐use change emissions, mostly driven by agricultural expansion for food, feed, and bioenergy feedstock. Policies to avoid deforestation related to private commitments, economic incentives, and other support schemes are expected to improve the effectiveness of current command and control mechanisms increasingly. However, until recently, land tenure was unknown for much of the Brazilian territory, which has undermined the governance of native vegetation and challenged support and incentive mechanisms for avoiding deforestation. We assess the total extent of public governance mechanisms protecting aboveground carbon (AGC) stocks. We constructed a land tenure dataset for the entire nation and modeled the effects and uncertainties of major land‐use acts on protecting AGC stocks. Roughly 70% of the AGC stock in Brazil is estimated to be under legal protection, and an additional 20% is expected to be protected after areas in the Amazon with currently undesignated land undergo a tenure regularization. About 30% of the AGC stock is on private land, of which roughly two‐thirds are protected. The Cerrado, Amazon, and Caatinga biomes hold about 40%, 30%, and 20% of the unprotected AGC, respectively. Effective conservation of protected and unprotected carbon will depend on successful implementation of the Forest Act, and regularization of land tenure in the Amazon. Policy development that prioritizes unprotected AGC stocks is warranted to promote conservation of native vegetation beyond the legal requirements. However, different biomes and land tenure structures may require different policy settings considering local and regional specifics. Finally, the fate of current AGC stocks relies upon effective implementation of command and control mechanisms, considering that unprotected AGC in native vegetation on private land only accounts for 6.5% of the total AGC stock.
The Effect of Combined Treatment with Oral Clindamycin and Oral Rifampicin in Patients with Hidradenitis Suppurativa

Background: A previous limited study showed promising results of combined oral treatment with rifampicin 600 mg and clindamycin 600 mg for 10 weeks. Objective: To expand and to validate the basis for this therapy, we reviewed the response to different treatment durations. Method: A retrospective study in 34 patients. Results: Twenty-eight of 34 patients (82%) experienced at least partial improvement, and 16 (47%) showed a total remission. The maximum effect of treatment appeared within 10 weeks. Following total remission, 8 of 13 (61.5%) patients treated as mentioned above experienced a relapse after a mean period of 5.0 months. Nonresponders were predominantly patients with severe disease. Conclusion: Combination treatment with oral rifampicin and clindamycin is a promising treatment option for hidradenitis suppurativa, despite the frequent occurrence of diarrhea as a side effect. The length and the dosage of treatment are not yet firmly established.
Idiopathic intracranial hypertension: ongoing clinical challenges and future prospects

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is an uncommon disorder characterized by increased intracranial pressure without radiological or laboratory evidence of intracranial pathology except empty sella turcica, optic nerve sheath with filled out cerebrospinal fluid spaces, and smooth-walled nonflow-related venous sinus stenosis or collapse. This condition typically affects obese women. The incidence of IIH is increasing with the rising prevalence of obesity. Persistent headache is the most common symptom. Visual impairment is a serious complication that may not be recognized by the patients. This paper reviews clinical manifestations, diagnostic challenges, and current treatments of IIH in adults. Various imaging modalities have been studied on their validity for detection of IIH and papilledema. This review also includes new studies on medical, surgical, and interventional management of this condition. Acetazolamide and topiramate are the only two medications that have been studied in randomized controlled trials about their efficacy in treatment of IIH. In patients who have severe visual impairment or progressive visual deterioration despite medical management, surgical or interventional treatment may be considered. The efficacy and complications of cerebrospinal fluid diversion, optic nerve sheath fenestration, and endovascular venous stenting reported in the last 3 decades have been summarized in this review. Finally, the prospective aspects of biomarkers and treatments are proposed for future research.
Continuous Assessment of Cerebral Autoregulation With Near-Infrared Spectroscopy in Adults After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Background and Purpose— In patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage, the assessment of cerebral autoregulation aids in prognosis as well as detection of vasospasm. Mx is a validated index of cerebral autoregulation based on measures of cerebral perfusion pressure and mean flow velocity on transcranial Doppler but is impractical for longer-term monitoring. Near-infrared spectroscopy is noninvasive and suitable for continuous monitoring of cerebral tissue oxygenation using the Tissue Oxygenation Index. In this study, we compared near-infrared spectroscopy-based indices of cerebral autoregulation (TOx) with Mx in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage. Methods— Arterial blood pressure, intracranial pressure, mean flow velocity, and Tissue Oxygenation Index were recorded. Mx and TOx were calculated as moving correlation coefficients between 10-second averaged values of cerebral perfusion pressure and mean flow velocity and between cerebral perfusion pressure and Tissue Oxygenation Index. We also calculated TOxA, the moving correlation coefficient between arterial blood pressure and Tissue Oxygenation Index. Results— Fifty-one recording sessions were performed in 27 patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage with a total duration of 62.5 hours. Correlations of Mx and TOx over time varied markedly among individual recordings. However, time-averaging over the entire recording interval in each of the 51 recordings, we found correlations between Mx and TOx and between Mx and TOxA were highly significant. This correlation was even stronger after correction for multiple sampling for each patient, reaching r=0.81 for Mx and TOx and r=0.72 for Mx and TOxA. Conclusion— Near-infrared spectroscopy can be used to continuously assess cerebral autoregulation in adults after subarachnoid hemorrhage.