Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Healthcare utilisation and empowerment among women in Liberia

Background Many efforts have been undertaken to improve access to healthcare services in low-income settings; nevertheless, underutilisation persists. Women's lack of empowerment may be a central reason for underutilisation, but empirical literature establishing this relationship is sparse. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from the 2007 Liberia Demographic and Health Survey. Our sample included all non-pregnant women who were currently married or living with a partner (N=3925 unweighted). We used multivariate logistic regression to assess the associations between constructs derived from the Theory of Gender and Power (TGP) and healthcare utilisation. Results Two-thirds of women (65.6%) had been to a healthcare facility for herself or her children in the past 12 months. Constructs from the three major theoretical structures were associated with healthcare utilisation. Women with no education, compared with women with some education, were less likely to have been to a healthcare facility (OR=0.76; 95% CI 0.62 to 0.93) as were women who had experienced sexual abuse (OR=0.65; 95% CI 0.45 to 0.95) and women who were married (OR=0.69, 95% CI 0.54 to 0.88). Women in higher wealth quintiles, compared with women in the next lower wealth quintile, and women with more decision-making power had greater odds of having been to a healthcare facility (OR=1.22; 95% CI 1.10 to 1.36 and OR=1.10; 95% CI 1.01 to 1.20; respectively). Conclusions Strong associations exist between healthcare utilisation and empowerment among women in Liberia, and gender imbalances are prevalent. This fundamental issue likely needs to be addressed before large-scale improvement in health service utilisation can be expected.
Computational modelling for congenital heart disease: how far are we from clinical translation?

Computational models of congenital heart disease (CHD) have become increasingly sophisticated over the last 20 years. They can provide an insight into complex flow phenomena, allow for testing devices into patient-specific anatomies (pre-CHD or post-CHD repair) and generate predictive data. This has been applied to different CHD scenarios, including patients with single ventricle, tetralogy of Fallot, aortic coarctation and transposition of the great arteries. Patient-specific simulations have been shown to be informative for preprocedural planning in complex cases, allowing for virtual stent deployment. Novel techniques such as statistical shape modelling can further aid in the morphological assessment of CHD, risk stratification of patients and possible identification of new ‘shape biomarkers’. Cardiovascular statistical shape models can provide valuable insights into phenomena such as ventricular growth in tetralogy of Fallot, or morphological aortic arch differences in repaired coarctation. In a constant move towards more realistic simulations, models can also account for multiscale phenomena (eg, thrombus formation) and importantly include measures of uncertainty (ie, CIs around simulation results). While their potential to aid understanding of CHD, surgical/procedural decision-making and personalisation of treatments is undeniable, important elements are still lacking prior to clinical translation of computational models in the field of CHD, that is, large validation studies, cost-effectiveness evaluation and establishing possible improvements in patient outcomes.
Reminiscence therapy for older people suffering from loneliness, anxiety and depression: a review of the literature

Reminiscence therapy is generally used to treat mental health problems. Reminiscence therapy uses the recall of past events, feelings and thoughts to facilitate pleasure, quality of life or adaptation to present circumstances. Reminiscence therapy is believed to provide numerous benefits to older people, especially those with loneliness, anxiety and depression. The aim of this review was to explore the literature related to reminiscence therapy for older people with loneliness, anxiety and depression. This review considered all types of research design. The inclusion criteria were studies that included older people aged 60 years and over, and outcomes on loneliness, anxiety or depression. A literature search strategy involved published and grey literature. Twenty-four studies met the inclusion criteria. Five key themes were derived from the literature: integration of theories in reminiscence therapy, different classification of reminiscence therapy, factors that may influence reminiscence therapy, the effectiveness of reminiscence therapy and the integration of new elements in reminiscence therapy. Further research in this area is needed in terms of improvement of methodological quality such as rigorous control group and integration of new elements in reminiscence therapy.
Climate change communication insights from cooperative Extension professionals in the US Southern states: finding common ground

ABSTRACT Climate change is often avoided in educational programming due to its perceived polarizing nature. Identifying areas of agreement may help educators introduce climate change topics and help audiences begin to listen. As part of a survey of Extension professionals in the southeastern US, respondents shared their thoughts about climate change. Based on methods used by Maibach, Leiserowitz, Roser-Renouf, and Mertz [(2011). Identifying like-minded audiences for global warming public engagement campaigns: An audience segmentation analysis and tool development. PLoS ONE, 6(3), e17571], we categorized respondents using the Six Americas segments. Qualitative data analysis techniques were applied to identify common themes. Five themes emerged as common across most segments: (1) confusion and mistrust abound, (2) educators face barriers to climate change education, (3) economic aspects of climate change are important, (4) we should be good stewards of Earth, and (5) adaptation is an agreeable strategy. By identifying climate change message frames with which people may agree, regardless of how they feel about climate change, educators may be able to better communicate with broader audiences.
Usefulness of data from magnetic resonance imaging to improve prediction of dementia: population based cohort study

Objective To determine whether the addition of data derived from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain to a model incorporating conventional risk variables improves prediction of dementia over 10 years of follow-up. Design Population based cohort study of individuals aged ≥65. Setting The Dijon magnetic resonance imaging study cohort from the Three-City Study, France. Participants 1721 people without dementia who underwent an MRI scan at baseline and with known dementia status over 10 years’ follow-up. Main outcome measure Incident dementia (all cause and Alzheimer’s disease). Results During 10 years of follow-up, there were 119 confirmed cases of dementia, 84 of which were Alzheimer’s disease. The conventional risk model incorporated age, sex, education, cognition, physical function, lifestyle (smoking, alcohol use), health (cardiovascular disease, diabetes, systolic blood pressure), and the apolipoprotein genotype (C statistic for discrimination performance was 0.77, 95% confidence interval 0.71 to 0.82). No significant differences were observed in the discrimination performance of the conventional risk model compared with models incorporating data from MRI including white matter lesion volume (C statistic 0.77, 95% confidence interval 0.72 to 0.82; P=0.48 for difference of C statistics), brain volume (0.77, 0.72 to 0.82; P=0.60), hippocampal volume (0.79, 0.74 to 0.84; P=0.07), or all three variables combined (0.79, 0.75 to 0.84; P=0.05). Inclusion of hippocampal volume or all three MRI variables combined in the conventional model did, however, lead to significant improvement in reclassification measured by using the integrated discrimination improvement index (P=0.03 and P=0.04) and showed increased net benefit in decision curve analysis. Similar results were observed when the outcome was restricted to Alzheimer’s disease. Conclusions Data from MRI do not significantly improve discrimination performance in prediction of all cause dementia beyond a model incorporating demographic, cognitive, health, lifestyle, physical function, and genetic data. There were, however, statistical improvements in reclassification, prognostic separation, and some evidence of clinical utility.
Effects of moderate and vigorous physical activity on heart rate variability in a British study of civil servants.

Physical inactivity and low resting heart rate variability (HRV) are associated with increased coronary heart disease incidence. In the Whitehall II study of civil servants aged 45-68 years (London, United Kingdom, 1997-1999), the strength of the association of moderate and vigorous activity with higher HRV was examined. Five-minute recordings of heart rate and HRV measures were obtained from 3328 participants. Calculated were time domain (standard deviation of NN intervals) and high-frequency-power measures as indicators of cardiac parasympathetic activity and low-frequency power of parasympathetic-sympathetic balance. Leisure-time physical activity (metabolic equivalent-hours per week) was categorized as moderate (>or=3-<5) and vigorous (>or=5). Moderate and vigorous physical activity were associated with higher HRV and lower heart rate. For men, linear trends of higher low-frequency power with increasing quartile of vigorous activity (304.6 (low), 329.0, 342.4, 362.5 (high); p < 0.01) and lower heart rate with increasing quartile of moderate activity (69.6 (low), 69.2, 68.9, 67.8 (high); p < 0.05) were found. These associations remained significant after adjustment for smoking and high alcohol intake. For men whose body mass index was >25 kg/m(2), vigorous activity was associated with HRV levels similar to those for normal-weight men who engaged in no vigorous activity. Vigorous activity was associated with higher HRV, representing a possible mechanism by which physical activity reduces coronary heart disease risk.
Immediate versus delayed loading: comparison of primary stability loss after miniscrew placement in orthodontic patients-a single-centre blinded randomized clinical trial.

INTRODUCTION The aim of this randomized clinical trial was to compare torque recordings at insertion time and 1 week post-placement between immediately loaded orthodontic miniscrews and an unloaded control group. TRIAL DESIGN This RCT was designed as parallel with an allocation ratio of 1:1. METHODS Eligibility criteria to enroll patients were: needs of fixed orthodontic treatment, no systemic disease, absence of using drugs altering bone metabolism. All patients were consecutively treated in a private practice and the miniscrews were placed by the same author. Patients received ORTHOImplant (3M Unitek) miniscrews and they were blindly divided in two groups: group 1 screws were unloaded between T0 and T1, group 2 received immediately loaded screws with NiTi coil. For each patient, maximum insertion torque (MIT) was evaluated at T0. After 1 week, without loading, the screw torque was measured again (T1) and at the end of the treatment maximal removal torque was evaluated (T2). Torque variation in the first week was considered as the primary outcome. RANDOMIZATION A randomization list was created for the group assignment, with an allocation ratio of 1:1. BLINDING The study was single blinded in regard of the statistical analysis. RESULTS Patients enrolled in the clinical trial were 51 for a total of 81 miniscrews. The recruitment started in November 2012 and the observation period ended in August 2014. Twenty-six and twenty-five patients were analysed in group 1 and 2, respectively. The MIT mean in each placement time was 18.25 Ncm (SD = 3.00), 11.41 Ncm (SD = 3.51) and 10.52 Ncm (SD = 5.14) at T0, T1, and T2 time, respectively. In group 1, the torque decrease between T1 and T0 was statistically higher compared to group 2 (P value = 0.003). Statistically significant effects of the placement times on MIT were found (P value <0.0001). No serious harm was observed. LIMITATIONS This study was performed using only direct force on the miniscrew and not using the miniscrew as an indirect anchorage. It was not possible to obtain quantitative data on bone quality or root proximity to miniscrews. CONCLUSIONS A significant stability loss was observed in the first week in both groups; Group 1 showed a statistically higher torque loss in the first week when compared to the immediately loaded group. There were statistically significant effects of the measurement times on MIT and of the miniscrew location on MIT. The overall failure rate was 7.4%. TRIAL REGISTRATION This trial was not registered. PROTOCOL The protocol was not published before trial commencement.
Glial cell line‐derived neurotrophic factor in genetically defined fear‐induced aggression

Glial cell line‐derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) plays an important role in maintenance of neuronal system throughout life. However, there is a lack of data on the involvement of GDNF in the regulation of different kinds of behavior. In this study, GDNF, its precursor (proGDNF) and GDNF mRNA levels were investigated in the brain of rats selectively bred for 85 generations for either high level or for the lack of affective aggressiveness toward human. It was found that GDNF mRNA level was decreased in the frontal cortex, increased in the raphe nuclei area of the midbrain of aggressive rats compared to tame animals and was not detected in the amygdala and hypothalamus. The level of proGDNF was reduced in the raphe nuclei area of the midbrain of highly aggressive rats and was not detected in the striatum, nucleus accumbens of investigated animals. Two forms of mature GDNF – monomer and dimer – were revealed. GDNF monomer level was increased in the raphe nuclei area, substantia nigra and amygdala of aggressive rats and it was not found in the frontal cortex and nucleus accumbens of investigated rats. Dimer GDNF level was found in all investigated brain structures. It was reduced in the hippocampus and increased in amygdala of highly aggressive rats. Thus, considerable structure‐specific differences in GDNF expression between highly aggressive and nonaggressive rats were shown. The data suggested the implication of both mature GDNF monomer and dimer as well as proGDNF in the mechanism underlying genetically defined aggressiveness.
Complete mesocolic excision in right‐sided colon cancer does not increase severe short‐term postoperative adverse events

The aim was to assess whether complete mesocolic excision (CME) in patients with right‐sided colon cancer is related to short‐term mortality or postoperative adverse events requiring reoperation. The complete mobilization of an integral mesocolon and central ligation of blood vessels are essential steps in CME surgery. The resultant specimen, with an intact mesocolic fascia and a high number of harvested lymph nodes, is believed to be oncologically favourable. However, it has been suggested that CME surgery may increase the risk of intra‐operative severe adverse events, due to exposure of vital retroperitoneal organs and large blood vessels.
Changes in Activity and Community Structure of Methane-Oxidizing Bacteria over the Growth Period of Rice

ABSTRACT The activity and community structure of methanotrophs in compartmented microcosms were investigated over the growth period of rice plants. In situ methane oxidation was important only during the vegetative growth phase of the plants and later became negligible. The in situ activity was not directly correlated with methanotrophic cell counts, which increased even after the decrease in in situ activity, possibly due to the presence of both vegetative cells and resting stages. By dividing the microcosms into two soil and two root compartments it was possible to locate methanotrophic growth and activity, which was greatest in the rhizoplane of the rice plants. Molecular analysis by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) with family-specific probes revealed the presence of both families of methanotrophs in soil and root compartments over the whole season. Changes in community structure were detected only for members of the Methylococcaceae and could be associated only with changes in the genusMethylobacter and not with changes in the dominance of different genera in the family Methylococcaceae. For the family Methylocystaceae stable communities in all compartments for the whole season were observed. FISH analysis revealed evidence of in situ dominance of the Methylocystaceae in all compartments. The numbers of Methylococcaceae cells were relatively high only in the rhizoplane, demonstrating the importance of rice roots for growth and maintenance of methanotrophic diversity in the soil.
Serum gamma-glutamyl transferase and risk of type 2 diabetes in the general Korean population: a Mendelian randomization study.

Elevated gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) levels are associated with higher risk of type 2 diabetes in observational studies, but the underlying causal relationship is still unclear. Here, we tested a hypothesis that GGT levels have a causal effect on type 2 diabetes risk using Mendelian randomization. Data were collected from 7640 participants in a South Korean population. In a single instrumental variable (IV) analysis using two stage least squares regression with the rs4820599 in the GGT1 gene region as an instrument, one unit of GGT levels (IU/L) was associated with 11% higher risk of type 2 diabetes (odds ratio (OR) = 1.11, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.04 to 1.19). In a multiple IV analysis using seven genetic variants that have previously been demonstrated to be associated with GGT at a genome-wide level of significance, the corresponding estimate suggested a 2.6% increase in risk (OR = 1.026, 95% CI: 1.001 to 1.052). In a two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis using genetic associations with type 2 diabetes taken from a trans-ethnic GWAS study of 110 452 independent samples, the single IV analysis confirmed an association between the rs4820599 and type 2 diabetes risk (P-value = 0.04); however, the estimate from the multiple IV analysis was compatible with the null (OR = 1.007, 95% CI: 0.993 to 1.022) with considerable heterogeneity between the causal effects estimated using different genetic variants. Overall, there is weak genetic evidence that GGT levels may have a causal role in the development of type 2 diabetes.
A slotted ALOHA protocol with cooperative diversity

Over the last few years, the area of cooperative communications has regained attention within the physical layer community. However, existing works on cooperative random access protocols are relatively scarce and biased towards their physical layer properties, thus leaving unattended important problems of the medium access control (MAC) sublayer such as calculation of the backlog delay, design of appropriate back-off retransmission strategies, and stability evaluation, among many others. This paper partially fills this gap by studying the general performance of a symmetrical Slotted ALOHA protocol in which a cooperative relaying phase is enabled in order to improve the decoding probability of collision-free transmissions. Infinite and finite user schemes are used, and for the latter, Bernoulli and Markov models are further employed to study the steady- and the dynamic-state properties of the protocol, respectively. A stochastic reception model is presented which fairly describes the underlying physical layer events from the perspective of the MAC sublayer, including correct packet decoding probabilities, relay node availability, and error detection capabilities. Important results regarding the boundaries for optimum performance of cooperative relaying schemes and useful guidelines for the design of optimum relaying strategies are here derived and discussed.
Research on Relationships among Hope Level,Anxiety,Depression and Social Support in Gastric Cancer Patients

Objective To investigate gastric cancer patients′ hope level status as well as the relationship between hope level,anxiety,depression and social support.Methods 120 gastric cancer patients and 120 healthy persons were examined by Herth Hope Index(HHI),Hamilton Anxiety Scale(HAMA),Hamilton Depression Scale(HAMD) and social support rating scale(SSRS). Results(1)Compared with healthy persons,gastric cancer patients had higher scores of hope level,anxiety and depression,but lower scores of social support.There is statistical difference between them(P0.05). (2)Correlation analysis showed a significantly negative correlation among the level of hope,anxiety and depression and a significantly positive correlation between the level of hope and social support. (3)The multiple linear stepwise regression found that scores of anxiety,depression,social support and objective support could predict 46.6% of the variation of the hope level.The total average score of the hope level equals to 28.2-0.33×total anxiety scores+0.28×total social support scores-0.14×total depression scores+0.21×total objective support scores.Conclusion Anxiety,depression and social support were important factors for predicting hope level of gastric cancer patients.
Factors associated with appropriate psychotropic drug prescription in nursing home patients with severe dementia

ABSTRACT Background: We studied the patient and non-patients factors of inappropriate psychotropic drug (PD) prescription for neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) in nursing home patients with severe dementia. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, the appropriateness of prescriptions was explored using the Appropriate Psychotropic drug use In Dementia (APID) index sum score. This index assesses information from medical records on indication, evaluation, dosage, drug–drug interactions, drug–disease interactions, duplications, and therapy duration. Various measurements were carried out to identify the possible patient and non-patient factors. Linear multilevel regression analysis was used to identify factors that are associated with APID index sum scores. Analyses were performed for groups of PDs separately, i.e. antipsychotics, antidepressants, anxiolytics, and hypnotics. Results: The sample consisted of 338 patients with a PD prescription that used 147 antipsychotics, 167 antidepressants, 85 anxiolytics, and 76 hypnotics. It was found that older patients and more severe aggression, agitation, apathy, and depression were associated with more appropriate prescriptions. Additionally, less appropriate prescriptions were found to be associated with more severe anxiety, dementia diagnoses other than Alzheimer dementia, more physician time available per patient, more patients per physician, more years of experience of the physician, and higher nurse's workload. Conclusions: The association of more pronounced NPS with more appropriate PD prescriptions implies that physicians should pay more attention to the appropriateness of PD prescriptions when NPS are less manifest. Non-patient-related factors are also associated with the appropriateness of PD prescriptions. However, especially considering that some of these findings are counter-intuitive, more research on the topic is recommended.