Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Otyłość u dzieci i młodzieży a zaburzenia prokreacji wieku dojrzałego - spojrzenie pediatry

An obesity of children and adolescents is the problem growing by epidemic manner, which is tracking and exacerbating all pathological consequences into the adulthood. The review nigrigathered relations which are between obesity in early childhood and/or at puberty and disorders of sexual function in adults. The best described and frequently remembered problems in females are hyperandrogenism and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). They reveal preliminary symptoms in girls, especially with their obesity appearance. Moreover, they are not only disorders limiting procreative possibilities in obese girls and women, but menstrual cycle irregularities without hyperandrogenemia are important too. Boys and men are also affected by obesity which can evoke and/or exacerbate sexual disorders. The obesity has noxious influence even in prepubertal boys, what is visible as pseudo-micropenis and abdominal fatty fold covering the upper part of scrotum. Steatomastia and gynecomastia appear frequently as features concomitant to obesity in course of puberty. Adult obese men may develop hypogonadotropic hypogonadism with further effects on male fertility due to erectile dysfunction and because the decreased sperm quality. At last, it should be mentioned, that there is an increased risk of cancer development in different parts of sexual system in both genders, when obesity is coexistent. The harmful influence of obesity on adult sexual functions in both genders can be prevented in childhood and adolescent period by preserving or restoring proper body mass. Forum Zaburzen Metabolicznych 2010, vol. 1, no 1, 46-54
Influência da migração na prevalência de marcadores sorológicos de hepatite B em comunidade rural: 2 - Análise comparativa de algumas características das populações estudadas

The association between prevalence of hepatitis B serological markers and birthplace, in a study carried out in a small rural county of S. Paulo State, Brazil, suggests different risk factors for hepatitis B between migrants and nonmigrant populations. These two groups were compared with regard to the following variables: level of education, professional occupation, number of previous hospitalizations, past history of blood transfusions and type of dental treatment. Migrants, mainly those from other states of Brazil, showed a low-level of education, a high proportion of people employed in agricultural activities, a higher number of past hospitalizations and higher exposure to blood transfusion and to more aggressive dental procedures. Associations were observed between the prevalence of serological markers and the following variables: level of education, professional occupation, number of previous hospitalizations and type of dental procedures, even though the last two associations did not justify the higher prevalences observed among migrants. The different distribution of hepatitis B markers seems to be dependent on the migrants' worse socio-economic condition, demonstrated by their lower level of education and by the predominance of secondary occupations.
Diagnostic issues in childhood and adult dystonia.

INTRODUCTION There is a general agreement among movement disorder specialists that the recognition of dystonia may be underestimated. In parallel, the growing interest and the improving knowledge of genetic and physiopathological aspects of dystonias require systematization. AREAS COVERED This review focuses on the phenomenology and etiology of pediatric and adult dystonias. It is designed to provide practical help for neurologists and neuropediatricians to make appropriate diagnoses and plan the therapeutical management of these disorders. The reader will get a systematization of the main etiological and diagnostic aspects that differentiate child-onset from adult-onset dystonias. The reader will also gain insights into specific treatments or cures. EXPERT OPINION Because dystonia can vary in clinical presentation and etiology, proper diagnosis and classification of these disorders are important in making therapeutic decisions.
Evaluation of dressing practice for stroke patients after discharge from hospital: a crossover design study

Objective: To determine whether giving dressing practice to patients at home with unresolved dressing problems following stroke reduces the problems. Design: A randomized crossover study design was used, randomly allocating patients to receive no intervention for three months followed by three months' treatment, or the reverse. Setting: All patients were at home, and treatment was given in the home. Subjects: Patients at home with problems in dressing six months after acute stroke, having been discharged from hospital. Intervention: A senior occupational therapist gave regular dressing practice to patients with their families. Specific techniques depended upon the problem. Outcome measures: An independent assessor used the Nottingham Stroke Dressing Assessment, the Rivermead ADL, self-care section, and the Notting ham Health Profile to measure outcome. Results: Fifteen patients were included in each group. Both groups showed statistically significant improvement during the treatment phase (Wilcoxon matched pairs test: z = 2.47, p = 0.01; z = 3.01, p = 0.002). Neither group showed any change during the non-treatment phase. Patients who received treatment in the first three months maintained their improvement (z= 0.90, p = 0.36). Conclusion: Dressing practice given at home to patients who have residual problems in dressing six months after acute stroke leads to a sustained reduction in their problems.
Accuracy of asthma and COPD diagnosis in Australian general practice: a mixed methods study.

BACKGROUND Spirometry is the 'gold standard' for diagnosing asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) but is rarely used in general practice. AIMS To compare doctor diagnoses with patient reports/spirometry and to determine doctors' perceptions of spirometry. METHODS Patients prescribed inhaled medication were recruited from 31 practices. Doctor diagnoses were extracted from practice records. Patients completed a questionnaire and spirometry before and after bronchodilator. In-depth interviews were conducted with a sample of doctors. RESULTS Doctor diagnoses were available for 278 patients: asthma 192 (69%), COPD 38 (14%), asthma/COPD 40 (14%), and eight patients (3%) with other conditions. The diagnosis of asthma was correctly reported by 93% of patients, but only by 61% of those with COPD alone. Among those with both diagnoses, 83% reported asthma and 48% reported COPD. Of those with a diagnosis of COPD, 65% had fixed airflow limitation. Conversely, only 14% of those had been diagnosed with COPD alone. There was no significant difference in reversibility in forced expiratory volume in 1 second between diagnoses. While recognising the value of spirometry in differentiating between asthma and COPD, most general practices only used spirometry in diagnostically difficult cases. CONCLUSIONS Doctor-diagnosed asthma is accurately reported by patients. However, COPD remains substantially under-diagnosed. Spirometry needs to be more widely used to improve the accuracy of respiratory diagnoses in general practice.
Diagnosis and treatment of invasive group A streptococcal infections.

BACKGROUND Invasive group A streptococcal infections are serious infections that carry a high mortality. OBJECTIVE The aim was to review current methods of diagnosis and treatment of invasive group A streptococcal infections as well as to provide background on the pathogenesis and epidemiology of these infections. METHODS The most recent literature regarding pathogenesis, epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment of invasive group A streptococcal infections is reviewed. RESULTS/CONCLUSION The incidence of invasive group A streptococcal infections in industrialised countries is in the order of 3 per 100,000, whereas in developing countries available evidence suggests that the incidence is several-fold higher. Management of invasive group A streptococcal infections includes supportive care, surgical debridement of necrotic tissue, correct use of antibiotics, intravenous immunoglobulin and contact prophylaxis. Recent studies suggest that the early use of intravenous immunoglobulin may reduce the need for radical debridement of tissue in cases of necrotising fasciitis.
Fatigue in immune-mediated polyneuropathies

Objectives: To determine the prevalence and severity of ongoing fatigue and to investigate the internal consistency, reliability, and validity of the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) in patients with immune-mediated polyneuropathies. Methods: The FSS was assessed in 113 patients who either experienced Guillain-Barré syndrome in the past or currently have a stable, chronic, inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy or a polyneuropathy associated with a monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, and in 113 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Data on four additional scales (Medical Research Council sumscore, functional grading scale [f-score], INCAT sensory sumscore, medical outcome study 36-items health survey [SF-36]) were obtained in all patients. SF-36 also was assessed in 59 controls. Results: “Severe” fatigue (FSS scores ≥95th percentile values in controls) was present in 80% of the patients. Fatigue was not significantly related to general strength, sensory deficits, f-score, and duration of symptoms. Severe fatigue was reported in 81% to 86% of patients with normal strength or sensation. Eighty percent of the patients (controls, 12%) reported their fatigue being among the three most disabling symptoms. SF-36 health status scores in the patient group were significantly lower than the obtained values of the controls and partially related to the FSS scores. Good internal consistency, significant reliability, and validity were obtained for the FSS. Conclusions: Fatigue is a major symptom in patients with immune-mediated polyneuropathies and may persist for years after apparent recovery. The Fatigue Severity Scale seems appropriate for assessing fatigue in these patients because good internal consistency, reliability, and validity were demonstrated.
Discrepancy between functional exercise capacity and daily physical activity: a cross-sectional study in patients with mild to moderate COPD

Background: In patients with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) the six-minute walk distance reflects the functional exercise level for daily physical activity. It is unknown if this also applies to patients with mild to moderate COPD in primary care. Aims: To assess the relationship between functional exercise capacity and physical activity in patients with mild to moderate COPD. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed in 51 patients with mild to moderate COPD in primary care. Functional exercise capacity was assessed by the six-minute walk test and physical activity was measured with an accelerometer-based activity monitor. Results: Functional exercise capacity was close to normal values. However, the daily physical activity of the patients could be classified as ‘sedentary’ and ‘low active’. No significant correlations were observed between six-minute walk distance (% predicted) and any of the physical activity variables (steps per day, movement intensity during walking, total active time, total walking time, physical activity level, and time spent in moderate physical activity). Conclusions: A discrepancy was found between functional exercise capacity and daily physical activity in patients with mild to moderate COPD recruited and assessed in primary care. We conclude that these variables represent two different concepts. Our results reinforce the importance of measuring daily physical activity in order to fine-tune treatment (i.e. focusing on enhancement of exercise capacity or behavioural change, or both).
Isolation and Identification of a Flavone Apigenin from Marine Red Alga Acanthophora spicifera with Antinociceptive and Anti-Inflammatory Activities

Physicochemical investigation of the red alga Acanthophora spicifera (Vahl) Borgesen, collected from Al-Shoaiba coast, Red Sea, Saudi Arabia, led to the isolation of a flavone from the algal tissue with acetone. Preparative chromatography on silica gel thin-layer chromatography was used for the separation of the flavone and eluted with the methanol:chloroform:ethyl acetate (1:7:2) solvent system. The physicochemical analyses infrared, mass spectra, and ultraviolet spectra in addition to shift reagents (NaOMe, NaOAc, NaOAc + H3BO3, AlCl3, and AlCl3 + HCl) were used for the identification and elucidation of the structure of the flavone compound (4,5,7-trihydroxy flavonoids). The flavone compound was identified as apigenin bycomparing its physicochemical data with those in the literature. Analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of apigenin were evaluated. Apigenin showed promising analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities in the hot plate test and writhing test in mice as well as tail-immersion tests and carrageenan-induced paw edema and cotton pellet-induced granuloma formation in rats. It is concluded that apigenin possesses potent analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antiproliferative activities, which might be due to the inhibition of PGE2 as well as proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor- α.
What Sticks: How Medical Residents and Academic Health Care Faculty Transfer Conflict Resolution Training from the Workshop to the Workplace

Workshops in conflict resolution were given to enhance the ability of residents and academic health care faculty to collaborate in multidisciplinary teams, patient care, hospital committees, public health issues, teaching, and research. A qualitative research study on the transfer of learning from the workshops to the workplace reports on the attitude, knowledge, and skills consistently reported both immediately after the workshops and twelve months later. Learners' descriptions of workplace conflict confirmed they gained a positive outlook on conflict and their own ability to solve problems and apply conflict resolution skills, such as interest analysis and communication techniques, to gain perspective, reduce tension, increase mutual understanding, and build relationships in patient care, teaching, research, and administration.
The effect of sevelamer hydrochloride and calcium-based phosphate binders on mortality in hemodialysis patients: a need for more research.

OBJECTIVE To review phosphate-binder choice and mortality in hemodialysis patients. DATA SOURCES A literature search was performed using the PUBMED database to identify clinical trials published from January 1966 through January 2009. Search terms included: sevelamer and mortality, calcium acetate and mortality, and calcium carbonate and mortality. STUDY SELECTION Clinical trials relating the effect of phosphate-binder choice on cardiovascular disease and mortality in hemodialysis patients, judged to be pertinent by the authors, were selected for discussion. DATA SYNTHESIS/CONCLUSIONS: The Renagel in New Dialysis (RIND) extension study and the Dialysis Clinical Outcomes Revisted (DCOR) study were the first clinical trials to compare the effects of calcium-based phosphate binders and sevelamer hydrochloride on mortality in hemodialysis patients. Based on the results of these and other studies evaluated, it is still unclear if sevelamer hydrochloride has a survival benefit in hemodialysis patients over calcium-based phosphate binders.
Haematological response to different workload in jumper horses.

Five clinically healthy Sella Italiana horses were used in order to assess the haematological response to different workload. Blood samples were collected on each horse at rest, immediately after the exercise and 30 min after the end of the exercise. An automated haematology analyzer was used to assess red blood cells counts, haemglobin concentration, haematocrit (Hct) and white blood cells counts One-way for repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine the statistical differences and it showed a significant effect of the exercise on sand track on Hct. Our results confirm that exercise has variable effects on the studied parameters depending on work intensity. Based on our results it is possible to affirm that the indices studied could be useful in the assessment of the fitness of sport horses and aerobic working capacity, correlated to blood fluidity.
Famitinib enhances nasopharyngeal cancer cell radiosensitivity by attenuating radiation-induced phosphorylation of platelet-derived growth factor receptor and c-kit and inhibiting microvessel formation

Purpose: Famitinib is a novel tyrosine kinase inhibitor. We investigated the effects of famitinib on the radiosensitivity of human nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cell radiosensitivity in vitro and in vivo, and explored its possible mechanisms. Materials and methods: Human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell line (CNE-2) were treated with famitinib and radiation, and analyzed by3-(4,5-dimethylthaizol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT), clonogenic survival assay, and Western blot. A xenograft model using CNE-2 cells was established to analyze the effects of famitinib and radiation on tumor volume and microvessel density (MVD). Results: Famitinib dose-dependently inhibited CNE-2 cells growth and significantly reduced clonogenic survival (p < 0.05), with a sensitivity enhancement ratio (SER) of 1.45. The tumor inhibition rate of the combined treatment group was 91%, which was significantly higher than the radiation group (35%, p < 0.05) and famitinib group (46%, p < 0.05). Famitinib attenuated radiation-induced phosphorylation of the platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR) and stem cell factor (c-kit) at 0, 30, 60 min after radiation treatment. Furthermore, radiation combined with famitinib decreased tumor MVD (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Famitinib significantly increased CNE-2 cell radiosensitivity in vitro and in vivo by attenuating radiation-induced PDGFR and c-kit phosphorylation and by inhibiting microvessel formation.
Role of various DNA repair pathways in chromosomal inversion formation in CHO mutants

Abstract Purpose: In an effort to better understand the formation of chromosomal inversions, we investigated the role of various DNA repair pathways, including the non-homologous end joining (NHEJ), homologous recombination (HR), and Fanconi Anemia (FA) repair pathways for the formation of radiation induced chromosomal inversions. Materials and methods: CHO10B2 wild type, CHO DNA repair-deficient, and CHO DNA repair-deficient corrected mutant cells were synchronized into G1 phase and exposed to gamma-rays. First post-irradiation metaphase cells were analyzed for chromosomal inversions by a differential chromatid staining technique involving a single cycle pre-irradiation ethynyl-uridine treatment and statistic calculations. Results: It was observed that inhibition of the NHEJ pathway resulted in an overall decrease in the number of radiation-induced inversions, roughly a 50% decrease when compared to the CHO wild type. Interestingly, inhibition of the FA pathway resulted in an increase in both the number of spontaneous inversions and the number of radiation-induced inversions observed after exposure to 2 Gy of ionizing radiation. It was observed that FA-deficient cells contained roughly 330% (1.24 inversions per cell) more spontaneous inversions and 20% (0.4 inversions per cell) more radiation-induced inversions than the wild-type CHO cell lines. The HR mutants, defective in Rad51 foci, showed similar number of spontaneous and radiation-induced inversion as the wild-type cells. Gene complementation resulted in both spontaneous and radiation-induced inversions resembling the CHO wild-type cells. Conclusions: We have concluded that the NHEJ repair pathway contributes to the formation of radiation-induced inversions. Additionally, through an unknown molecular mechanism it appears that the FA signal pathway prevents the formation of both spontaneous and radiation induced inversions.
Aging and Response Selection in Spatial Choice Tasks

Factors that make response selection more difficult, most notably incompatibility between displays and controls, degrade performance. The cost of incompatibility on performance is often much greater for older than for younger adults. To design products that accommodate decreased response selection capabilities of older adults, designers need to understand the specific ways in which response selection processes change with age. The purpose of the present paper is to review research on age-related changes in stimulus-response compatibility and response precuing effects, the two effects that are most directly linked to basic response selection processes. Several specific aspects of response selection that are particularly harmful for older adults' performance are identified. Potential applications of this research include initial guidelines for minimizing the effects of those aspects when designing for older adults.
Normal and Abnormal Patterns of Cerebrovascular Reserve Tested by 133Xe Inhalation

• Cerebrovascular functional reserve was tested by noninvasive measurement of regional cerebral blood flow (nrCBF) at rest in quiet darkness and when repeated during standard multiple psychophysiologic activation. The test was applied to normal volunteers and patients with different neurologic disorders. The test included counting, conversation, music, and observing movements, while rCBF was measured over both cerebral hemispheres, brain stem, and cerebellum. In normal persons at rest, mean gray matter flow (Fg) values were the same for each hemisphere. Highest Fg values were observed in brain stem and both frontal regions. During activation in normal persons, there was a significant increase in Fg values over both hemispheres and in brain stem. During activation, three types of abnormal rCBF responses were seen: Demented patients showed no change, patients with vascular occlusion showed little or no increase over the ischemic hemisphere, and some patients with epilepsy showed excessive increases.
Interaction With an Immersive Virtual Environment Corrects Users' Distance Estimates

Objective: Two experiments examined whether prior interaction within an immersive virtual environment (VE) enabled people to improve the accuracy of their distance judgments and whether an improved ability to estimate distance generalized to other means of estimating distances. Background: Prior literature has consistently found that users of immersive VEs underestimate distances by approximately 50%. Method: In each of the two experiments, 16 participants viewed objects in an immersive VE and estimated their distance to them by means of blindfolded walking tasks before and after interacting with the VE. Results: The interaction task significantly corrected users' underestimation bias to nearly veridical. Differences between pre- and postinteraction mean distance estimation accuracy were large (d = 4.63), and significant (p < .001), and they generalized across response task. Conclusion: This finding limits the generality of the underestimation effect in VEs and suggests that distance underestimation in VEs may not be a roadblock to the development of VE applications. Application: Potential or actual applications of this research include the improvement of VE systems requiring accurate spatial awareness.