Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Developing a Weight Management Program in a Community Setting

Background: Managing body weight is important for a patient's overall well-being. Developing a weight management program for patients is a basis for providing structure and assistance to patients who may not understand what is necessary to achieve a healthy body weight. Objective: To describe implementation of a pharmacist-run weight management program in a community pharmacy. Methods: From July to December 2007, we created a weight management program which was implemented in January 2008 in a community pharmacy setting by utilizing nutritional information readily available online, purchasing commercially available weight management machines, and offering counseling sessions. Results: Preliminary results show that patients have been able to decrease their weight with the assistance of this pharmacist-run program. Conclusions: A community pharmacy-based weight management program can assist patients in decreasing their total body weight and give pharmacists an opportunity to be involved in managing obesity.
Is smoking cessation counselling effective in the OB/GYN office? A prospective study -

Background: There are over 10,000 publications related to smoking cessation alone, there are very few reports examining the success of anti-smoking strategies used in private practice. Aims & Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of smoking cessation in a private OB/GYN office setting in a suburban middle class population. Material and Methods: A total of 84 smokers were identified from among 1306 patient visits among 365 patients in a six month period. All patients were coming to a private OB/GYN practice for routine care. The patients participated in a three minute counselling session and were given a two page written hand-out on smoking cessation. Patients were interviewed at 6 and 12 months after the initial smoking cessation counselling. Results: Approximately 77.4% of smokers indicated a desire to quit smoking when asked at the initial interview. 78.8% of smokers indicated that they enjoyed smoking. The overall successful cessation rate after one year’s time was 11.9%. Of those reporting unsuccessful attempts to quit, 30.8% reported cutting down on daily consumption. Conclusion: A three minute smoking cessation intervention coupled with a two page written hand-out was effective in improving smoking cessation rates in a suburban middle class population.
National Register of Radiofrequency Workers: Exploring health eff ects of occupational radiofrequency radiation exposure -

Background: Radiofrequency (RF) radiation continues to proliferate in the workplace. However, there is a broadly acknowledged need for additional research exploring the potential health effects of occupational exposure to RF. Aims: The aim was to establish a register of workers occupationally exposed to RF, in line with the recommendation of the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones. This database is to be used as a resource for the investigation of any potential health effects of RF exposure. Methods: Following a series of consultations with industry and other relevant organizations, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) established a Steering Group in 2002 to manage the establishment of the National Register of individuals potentially exposed above public RF exposure guidelines. The Steering Group selected the University of Birmingham to administer the recruitment process. Recruitment and the first wave of analysis are due to finish in 2015. Results: The recruitment of a cohort of some 2500 individuals is near completion, and the initial study, a long-term follow-up of the cohort investigating mortality and cancer incidence is underway. Conclusions: The National Register of RF Workers provides the basis to explore potentially adverse health outcomes from occupational RF exposure. Funded by, key industry sponsors and supported by the University of Birmingham and HSE, the collaborative nature of the register provides an exemplar of how studies of occupational health can continue to be funded and managed.
Associations between Sensorimotor, Autonomic and Central Neuropathies in Diabetes Mellitus

Background: Patients with long-standing diabetes mellitus (DM) are exposed to hyperglycemia and metabolic disorders associated with extensive neuronal damage. Using a bedside applicable setup, the aim was to explore whether diabetes patients suffering from sensorimotor neuropathy had co-existing autonomic and central neuropathy. Methods: Twenty DM patients (10 women, average age 58.3 ± 12.0 years) with sensorimotor polyneuropathy and 16 healthy volunteers (HV) (9 women, age 62.6 ± 10.5 years) were recruited. Heart rate variability was recorded. Peripheral tactile detection threshold and sensation to pinprick was assessed by Von Frey-filaments. Sensitivity to pressure of the forearm extensor digitorum muscle was measured before and after conditioning pain modulation (CPM) induction by immersing the contra lateral hand into ice water in 180 seconds. Results: In comparison to HV, DM patients had lower variance (7.1 ± 5.6 vs. 13.3 ± 8.1 beats pr. min.; P=0.02) and mean standard deviation (3.3 ± 2.0 vs. 5.6 ± 2.8; P=0.01) of heart rate. They also had peripheral hypoesthesia to tactile stimulation: Median (3.0 g (0.8-12.5) vs. 1.0 g (0.4-1.4), P=0.03) and less efficacious CPM (13.9 ± 14.8% vs. 37.4% ± 28.9%; P=0.005). In patients, peripheral hypoesthesia was associated to mean heart rate (P=0.01), standard deviation of heart rate (P=0.004), and to CPM (P=0.046). Conclusion: DM patients with sensorimotor neuropathy showed generalized polyneuropathy evident as peripheral hypoesthesia, autonomic neuropathy and impaired CPM. Von Frey tactile detection threshold was associated with heart rate variability and CPM. The clinical approach and combined testing procedures, may serve as a prognostic platform to quantitatively evaluate the severity, extension and progression of diabetic neuropathy.
Strategies of actin reorganisation in plant cells

Spatial-temporal flexibility of the actin filament network (F-actin) is essential for all basic cellular functions and is governed by a stochastic dynamic model. In this model, actin filaments that randomly polymerise from a pool of free actin are bundled with other filaments and severed by ADF/cofilin. The fate of the severed fragments is not known. It has been proposed that the fragments are disassembled and the monomeric actin recycled for the polymerisation of new filaments. Here, we have generated tobacco cell lines and Arabidopsis plants expressing the actin marker Lifeact to address the mechanisms of F-actin reorganisation in vivo. We found that F-actin is more dynamic in isotropically expanding cells and that the density of the network changes with a periodicity of 70 seconds. The depolymerisation rate, but not the polymerisation rate, of F-actin increases when microtubules are destabilised. New filaments can be assembled from shorter free cytoplasmic fragments, from the products of F-actin severing and by polymerisation from the ends of extant filaments. Thus, remodelling of F-actin might not require bulk depolymerisation of the entire network, but could occur via severing and end-joining of existing polymers.
The Elders Drum Project: Enhancing Quality of Life for Long-Term Care Residents

The impact of purposeful activity on quality of life for the residents of a long-term care facility was studied through the examination of the Elders Drum Project. This project is a model occupational therapy program that uses drumming and related activities to achieve therapeutic goals for its' participants. Semi-structured interviews and observations were used to collect data from five program participants. The transcribed interviews and field notes were qualitatively analyzed according to emerging themes. Results indicated that the Elders Drum Project positively impacted each participant's quality of life as reflected in self-concept, health status, life satisfaction, and altruism. Participants' strengths were also enhanced through self-directed engagement in purposeful activity; thereby, contributing to quality of life.
Serine 363 of the δ-opioid receptor is crucial for adopting distinct pathways to activate ERK1/2 in response to stimulation with different ligands

Distinct opioid receptor agonists have been proved to induce differential patterns of ERK activation, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we report that Ser363 in the δ-opioid receptor (δOR) determines the different abilities of the δOR agonists DPDPE and TIPP to activate ERK by G-protein- or β-arrestin-dependent pathways. Although both DPDPE and TIPP activated ERK1/2, they showed different temporal, spatial and desensitization patterns of ERK activation. We show that that DPDPE employed G protein as the primary mediator to activate the ERK cascade in an Src-dependent manner, whereas TIPP mainly adopted a β-arrestin1/2-mediated pathway. Moreover, we found that DPDPE gained the capacity to adopt the β-arrestin1/2-mediated pathway upon Ser363 mutation, accompanied by the same pattern of ERK activation as that induced by TIPP. Additionally, we found that TIPP- but not DPDPE-activated ERK could phosphorylate G-protein-coupled receptor kinase-2 and β-arrestin1. However, such functional differences of ERK disappeared with the mutation of Ser363. Therefore, the present study reveals a crucial role for Ser363 in agonist-specific regulation of ERK activation patterns and functions.
First Clinical Experience with α-Emitting Radium-223 in the Treatment of Skeletal Metastases

Purpose: The main goals were to study the safety and tolerability of the α-emitter radium-223 (223Ra) in breast and prostate cancer patients with skeletal metastases. In addition, pain palliation was evaluated. Experimental Design: Fifteen prostate and 10 breast cancer patients enrolled in a phase I trial received a single i.v. injection of 223Ra. Five patients were included at each of the dosages: 46, 93, 163, 213, or 250 kBq/kg and followed for 8 weeks. Palliative response was evaluated according to the pain scale of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ C30 questionnaire at baseline and at 1, 4, and 8 weeks after injection. Results: Weekly blood sampling during follow-up revealed mild and reversible myelosuppression with nadir 2 to 4 weeks after the injection. Importantly, for thrombocytes only grade 1 toxicity was reported. Grade 3 neutropenia and leucopenia occurred in two and three patients, respectively. Mild, transient diarrhea was observed in 10 of the 25 patients. Nausea and vomiting was more frequently observed in the highest dosage group. Serum alkaline phosphatase decreased with nadir averages of 29.5% in females and 52.1% in males. Pain relief was reported by 52%, 60%, and 56% of the patients after 7 days, 4, and 8 weeks, respectively. 223Ra cleared rapidly from blood and was below 1% of initial level at 24 hours. Gamma camera images indicated, in accordance with pretreatment 99mTc-MDP scans, accumulation of 223Ra in skeletal lesions. Elimination was mainly intestinal. Median survival exceeded 20 months. Conclusions:223Ra was well tolerated at therapeutically relevant dosages. Phase II studies have therefore been initiated.
The Burden of Influenza in Young Children, 2004–2009

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the health care burden of influenza from 2004 through 2009, years when influenza vaccine recommendations were expanded to all children aged ≥6 months. METHODS: Population-based surveillance for laboratory-confirmed influenza was performed among children aged <5 years presenting with fever and/or acute respiratory illness to inpatient and outpatient settings during 5 influenza seasons in 3 US counties. Enrolled children had nasal/throat swabs tested for influenza by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and their medical records reviewed. Rates of influenza hospitalizations per 1000 population and proportions of outpatients (emergency department and clinic) with influenza were computed. RESULTS: The study population comprised 2970, 2698, and 2920 children from inpatient, emergency department, and clinic settings, respectively. The single-season influenza hospitalization rates were 0.4 to 1.0 per 1000 children aged <5 years and highest for infants <6 months. The proportion of outpatient children with influenza ranged from 10% to 25% annually. Among children hospitalized with influenza, 58% had physician-ordered influenza testing, 35% had discharge diagnoses of influenza, and 2% received antiviral medication. Among outpatients with influenza, 7% were tested for influenza, 7% were diagnosed with influenza, and <1% had antiviral treatment. Throughout the 5 study seasons, <45% of influenza-negative children ≥6 months were fully vaccinated against influenza. CONCLUSIONS: Despite expanded vaccination recommendations, many children are insufficiently vaccinated, and substantial influenza burden remains. Antiviral use was low. Future studies need to evaluate trends in use of vaccine and antiviral agents and their impact on disease burden and identify strategies to prevent influenza in young infants.
NZDep2006 Index of Deprivation

retired from her position as a Senior Lecturer in Biostatistics in the Department of Public Health at the University of Otago, Wellington in 2004, but has maintained her active association with the NZDep project. Clare has thirty-five years experience working as a biostatistician at the Wellington Hospital Epidemiology Unit and at the University of Otago (in both Dunedin and Wellington). She has published extensively in the epidemiology and medical research literature.
Pediatric Mortality in Males Versus Females in the United States, 1999–2008

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether differences between pediatric male and female mortality are due to differences in specific age ranges, specific disease categories, or differences in the risk of developing specific conditions versus the risk of dying once having developed the condition. METHODS: Using 1999–2008 mortality data for all deaths of individuals <20 years of age from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s WONDER database, we calculated male-to-female relative risks (RRs), standardized to the 2000 US Census, by age and International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10), chapters. By using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s record of linked birth and infant death records between 1999 and 2007, we also calculated male-to-female RRs stratified by gestational age; and by using Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results cancer registries for 1999–2008, we calculated incidence and mortality RRs for the 7 leading types of cancer. RESULTS: Males experience higher mortality rates in all age groups from birth to age 20 years (RR: 1.44; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.44–1.45) and among infant deaths in nearly all weekly gestational age strata (RR: 1.12; 95% CI: 1.11–1.12). Stratified by ICD-10 major disease categories, males experience higher mortality rates in 17 of 19 categories. For the 7 types of pediatric cancers, the overall pattern was similarly greater male incidence (RR: 1.13; 95% CI: 1.12–1.14), fatality rate (RR: 1.10; 95% CI: 1.07–1.13), and overall mortality (RR: 1.21; 1.18–1.25). CONCLUSIONS: Under 20 years of age, males die more than females from a wide array of underlying conditions. The potential genetic and hormonal mechanisms for the mortality difference between males and females warrant investigation.
Qualidade de vida na asma brônquica: a concordância das percepções das crianças, adolescentes e seus pais

OBJETIVO: Avaliar a percepcao da qualidade de vida, com relacao a asma, pelas criancas, adolescentes e seus pais, verificando as concordâncias existentes em cada dominio do questionario Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire Adaptado (PAQLQ-A). METODOS: Estudo transversal realizado em dois ambulatorios universitarios de referencia para seguimento de criancas e adolescentes asmaticos em Recife (PE). Apos o cumprimento das exigencias eticas, os dados sobre a qualidade de vida foram obtidos por aplicacao do PAQLQ, em sua versao traduzida adaptada e validada para a lingua portuguesa. O questionario foi respondido por 126 pacientes (70 criancas e 56 adolescentes) e seus respectivos pais. Um banco de dados criado no programa SPSS, versao 13.0, foi analisado com o teste de concordância Kappa. RESULTADOS: A concordância das respostas entre criancas e pais variou de ruim a sofrivel, observando-se as piores concordâncias no dominio sintomas para o item "chiado no peito" e, no dominio emocoes, para o item "sentiu-se irritado". As respostas dos adolescentes e seus pais tiveram a concordância avaliada entre ruim e regular; sendo a pior concordância observada no dominio atividades, no item "incomodado por nao poder estar com os outros" e a melhor concordância notada no dominio emocoes, no item "desconfortavel". CONCLUSOES: O PALQ-A nao foi bem compreendido pela populacao estudada e nao houve concordância na percepcao sobre qualidade de vida das criancas e adolescentes asmaticos e seus pais. Recomenda-se a elaboracao de instrumentos adequados as especificidades regionais ou ainda a revalidacao de instrumentos internacionais, de forma que atendam a diversidade regional.
Assessing variability in neonatal blood pressure, notably in hypotension

New reports corroborate our prior finding that hypotension in infancy is associated with impaired neurodevelopment later in childhood. We had also found that neurological deficit is further associated with a more pronounced circadian variation in transcutaneous pO2 (tcpO2). New evidence in adulthood prompts the recommendation to automatically monitor vital signs for continued surveillance, relying on the methods of chronobiology for data analysis as-one-goes. This applies notably early in extra-uterine life when infants may be particularly sensitive to ischemic cerebral injury secondary to systemic hypotension. Monitoring at this sensitive lifetime stage has also provided a glimpse of unseen effects of the cosmos on the patterns of blood pressure variability, detected by chronomics.
ATP inhibits Ins(1,4,5)P3-evoked Ca2+ release in smooth muscle via P2Y1 receptors

Summary Adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP) mediates a variety of biological functions following nerve-evoked release, via activation of either G-protein-coupled P2Y- or ligand-gated P2X receptors. In smooth muscle, ATP, acting via P2Y receptors (P2YR), may act as an inhibitory neurotransmitter. The underlying mechanism(s) remain unclear, but have been proposed to involve the production of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate [Ins(1,4,5)P3] by phospholipase C (PLC), to evoke Ca2+ release from the internal store and stimulation of Ca2+-activated potassium (KCa) channels to cause membrane hyperpolarization. This mechanism requires Ca2+ release from the store. However, in the present study, ATP evoked transient Ca2+ increases in only ∼10% of voltage-clamped single smooth muscle cells. These results do not support activation of KCa as the major mechanism underlying inhibition of smooth muscle activity. Interestingly, ATP inhibited Ins(1,4,5)P3-evoked Ca2+ release in cells that did not show a Ca2+ rise in response to purinergic activation. The reduction in Ins(1,4,5)P3-evoked Ca2+ release was not mimicked by adenosine and therefore, cannot be explained by hydrolysis of ATP to adenosine. The reduction in Ins(1,4,5)P3-evoked Ca2+ release was, however, also observed with its primary metabolite, ADP, and blocked by the P2Y1R antagonist, MRS2179, and the G protein inhibitor, GDP&bgr;S, but not by PLC inhibition. The present study demonstrates a novel inhibitory effect of P2Y1R activation on Ins(1,4,5)P3-evoked Ca2+ release, such that purinergic stimulation acts to prevent Ins(1,4,5)P3-mediated increases in excitability in smooth muscle and promote relaxation.
Caregiver-Fabricated Illness in a Child: A Manifestation of Child Maltreatment

Caregiver-fabricated illness in a child is a form of child maltreatment caused by a caregiver who falsifies and/or induces a child’s illness, leading to unnecessary and potentially harmful medical investigations and/or treatment. This condition can result in significant morbidity and mortality. Although caregiver-fabricated illness in a child has been widely known as Munchausen syndrome by proxy, there is ongoing discussion about alternative names, including pediatric condition falsification, factitious disorder (illness) by proxy, child abuse in the medical setting, and medical child abuse. Because it is a relatively uncommon form of maltreatment, pediatricians need to have a high index of suspicion when faced with a persistent or recurrent illness that cannot be explained and that results in multiple medical procedures or when there are discrepancies between the history, physical examination, and health of a child. This report updates the previous clinical report “Beyond Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy: Identification and Treatment of Child Abuse in the Medical Setting. ” The authors discuss the need to agree on appropriate terminology, provide an update on published reports of new manifestations of fabricated medical conditions, and discuss approaches to assessment, diagnosis, and management, including how best to protect the child from further harm.
A near-optimal strategy for a heads-up no-limit Texas Hold'em poker tournament

We analyze a heads-up no-limit Texas Hold'em poker tournament with a fixed small blind of 300 chips, a fixed big blind of 600 chips and a total amount of 8000 chips on the table (until recently, these parameters defined the heads-up endgame of sit-n-go tournaments on the popular Party-Poker.com online poker site). Due to the size of this game, a computation of an optimal (i.e. minimax) strategy for the game is completely infeasible. However, combining an algorithm due to Koller, Megiddo and von Stengel with concepts of Everett and suggestions of Sklansky, we compute an optimal jam/fold strategy, i.e. a strategy that would be optimal if any bet made by the player playing by the strategy (but not bets of his opponent) had to be his entire stack. Our computations establish that the computed strategy is near-optimal for the unrestricted tournament (i.e., with post-flop play being allowed) in the rigorous sense that a player playing by the computed strategy will win the tournament with a probability within 1.4 percentage points of the probability that an optimal strategy (allowing post-flop play) would give.
Relationships between Oncologist Gender, Participatory Decision Making, Anxiety and Breast Cancer Care

The discovery that adjuvant treatment (chemotherapy and radiotherapy) after lumpectomy contributes to high survival rates has been a groundbreaking development in modern breast cancer care. Participatory decision-making (PDM) is a communication style that involves active interactions and discourse between doctors and patients. Although the receipt of adjuvant therapy for various types of cancers has been found to be linked to differences in patient-physician communication, few studies have explored whether this relationship exists in breast cancer treatment. The present study, one of the first explicitly to examine demographic and psychosocial factors that may be related to adjuvant treatment rates, surveyed a sample of inner-city breast cancer patients (N = 105) about the type of care they received, assessing concomitant levels of participatory decision making (PDM), and anxiety. The results demonstrated that patients who indicated higher PDM tended to have lower levels of anxiety (p < .01). Breast cancer patients who saw female oncologists were more likely to receive adjuvant treatment than breast cancer patients who saw male oncologists (p < .05). Contrary to popular belief, patients reported equivalent levels of PDM and anxiety regardless of their physician’s gender or their receipt of adjuvant treatment. The surprisingly low adjuvant treatment rates (45%) in this sample suggest possible system failures in breast cancer care and indicate that more attention needs to be given to public education on the importance of receiving follow-up treatment in breast cancer care.