Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Immunocharacterization of matrix metalloproteinase-2 and matrix metalloproteinase-9 in canine transmissible venereal tumors

Abstract Matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) are endogenous proteases that are responsible for degradation of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins and cell surface antigens. The breakdown of ECM participates in the local invasion and distant metastases of malignant tumors. Canine transmissible venereal tumor (CTVT) is a naturally occurring contagious round cell neoplasm of dogs that affects mainly the external genitalia of both sexes. CTVT generally is a locally invasive tumor, but distant metastases also are common in puppies and immunocompromised dogs. We investigated the immune expressions and activities of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in CTVT. The presence of these enzymes in tumor cells and tissue homogenates was demonstrated by immunohistochemistry and western blotting. We used gelatin substrate zymography to evaluate the activities of MMP-2 and MMP-9 enzymes in tumor homogenates. We found that tumor cells expressed both MMP-2 and MMP-9. Electrophoretic bands corresponding to MMP-9 and MMP-2 were identified in immunoblots and clear bands that corresponded to the active forms of MMP-2 and MMP-9 also were detected in gelatin zymograms. Our study is the first detailed documentation of MMPs in CTVT.
The Role of Coping Change in Borderline Personality Disorder: A Process-Outcome Analysis on Dialectical-Behaviour Skills Training.

Difficulty in emotion regulation is a hallmark feature of patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Skills training concepts based on dialectical-behaviour therapy (DBT) are common and effective treatment options for specifically addressing lacking skills in emotion regulation. However, so far it is unclear which aspects of coping change over the course of DBT skills training and if these coping strategies predict symptom change. The present process-outcome analysis, based on a randomized controlled study, aims at investigating these questions, by referring to a general conception of coping and by using an observer-rated approach to assess coping strategies directly in the therapy sessions. In total, n = 31 patients with BPD underwent two individual clinical interview assessments (pre- and post-study intervention; half of the patients underwent DBT skills training, half were in a wait-list control). All individual assessment sessions were transcribed and analysed using the Coping Action Pattern Rating Scale. Outcome was assessed pre- and post-intervention using the Outcome Questionnaire-45.2 and the Borderline Symptom List 23. The results showed increase in overall coping functioning in patients who underwent the DBT skills training, compared with the controls, and specific increases in relatedness coping where the stress is appraised as challenge, along with specific decreases in autonomy coping where the stress is appraised as threat. These changes predicted changes in general distress and borderline symptomatology. The results are interpreted within a general framework aiming at understanding the psychological effects of treatments for BPD, in particular effects related to coping. Effective emotion regulation strategies may therefore be important candidates as potential change mechanisms in treatments for BPD. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. KEY PRACTITIONER MESSAGE It seems important for clinicians to assess the quality of coping strategies as they occur within the session facing a patient with borderline personality disorder. Clinicians may foster the emergence of support-seeking and self-reliance coping strategies in order to increase the effectiveness of therapy. Clinicians may monitor closely the patient's use of ineffective emotion regulation strategies, in particular opposition and submission, with the aim of reducing them early in therapy.
The Clinical Correlates of Reported Childhood Sexual Abuse: An Association Between Age at Trauma Onset and Severity of Depression and PTSD in Adults

This study investigated the relationship between the age of -self‐reported sexual abuse occurrence and the development of post-traumatic stress disorder and/or depressive symptoms in adulthood. Subjects were evaluated for the presence of post-traumatic stress disorder and/or depressive symptoms as well as for a self-reported history of sexual abuse before the age of 18. Results found that relative risk of having severe post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms was 10 times higher in patients reporting sexual abuse after age 12 than in those reporting sexual abuse before age 12. Relative risk of having severe depressive symptoms was higher for those abused before the age of 12 than for those abused after the age of 12. Findings suggest that the impact of reported sexual abuse at different stages of development may lead to distinct psychiatric symptoms in adulthood.
Reliability of a Continuous Pain Score Meter: Real Time Pain Measurement

We present a newly developed continuous pain score meter (CPSM). The CPSM is based on the principles of the visual analog score (VAS), and electronically measures pain score in a continuous, instead of a single, manner. In this study, we determine the test–retest reliability of this meter. Thirty‐two healthy volunteers received a reproducible pain stimulus on the right thumbnail and forearm. After a 1‐minute interval the procedure was repeated. During the stimulus, pain was continuously measured with the CPSM, providing values of peak continuous pain score (CPS) and area under the CPS curve (AUC CPS). The intra‐class correlation coefficient (ICC) and the 95% limits of agreement were used to assess the agreement between measurements. ICC of peak CPS (0.89 and 0.83) and AUC CPS (0.79 and 0.86) for nail and arm showed a good reproducibility. This study has successfully established the test–retest reliability of the CPSM. The real‐time continuous pain measurement may provide more detailed information on a subjects' pain perception compared to a single VAS, in particular during an interval of pain stimuli.
Exploring Mental Health Adjustment of Children Post Sexual Assault in South Africa

Large numbers of children are affected by child sexual abuse in South Africa. This study aimed to assess psychological adjustment of children post sexual assault. In-depth, semistructured interviews were conducted with caretakers, and structured interviews using mental health assessment screening tools were given to children at three intervals over a five-month period after presentation at a sexual assault center. Almost half of the children met clinical criteria for anxiety, and two-thirds met criteria for full symptom post-traumatic stress disorder two to four weeks post disclosure. With standard care, we observed some recovery; 43.3% of children still met full symptom post-traumatic stress disorder nearly six months postdisclosure. Our findings indicate that current practice in South Africa does not promote adequate recovery for children.
Potential of probiotics as pharmaceutical agent: a review

Purpose – Increased evidence for the health benefits of probiotics for health restoration coupled with the consumer's inclination towards a safe, natural and cost-effective substitute for drugs have led application of probiotics as a pharmaceutical agent and are rapidly moving in clinical usage. In this context, this article attempts to highlight the potential of probiotics as a pharmaceutical agent. Design/methodology/approach – Endeavor has been made to explore the significance of probiotics for the modulation of gut ecology and their action. Potentiality of probiotics for their exploitation as a pharmaceutical agent has also been justified. Limitations of probiotic therapy and the various considerations for probiotic therapy have also been delineated. Findings – Probiotic organisms influence the physiological and pathological process of the host by modifying the intestinal microbiota, thereby affecting human health. Beneficial effects of probiotics as a pharmaceutical agent seem to be strain and dose d.
Child Sexual Abuse in Madurai, India: A Literary Review and Empirical Study

This article attempts to explore the cultural and patriarchal relevance of child sexual abuse in a conservative town in India, with a special interest in understanding the current problems experienced by teenage girls in India. A questionnaire was distributed to 100 respondents who belonged to Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Thiruparangundram, Madurai. The questionnaire was developed with special reference to the female protagonist, Lily in Jaishree Misra’s Secrets and Lies. The resulting article also includes an e-interview with Jaishree Misra. The researchers hypothesize that change can be envisioned when the social conscience is awakened to cruel events that happen in the Indian population. Change regarding social events must go even further to allow children to blossom and experience the joys of childhood.
Pulmonary Cement Embolism after Kyphoplasty

Abstract: An 80‐year‐old female with a history of osteoporosis was evaluated for sudden onset axial low back pain with bilateral lower extremity weakness, hyperreflexia, pain, urinary retention, and decreased rectal tone. Computed tomography of the lumbar spine revealed L1 compression fracture, retropulsion of bone causing spinal canal compromise with associated severe central canal stenosis. Following cement kyphoplasty of L1 with polymethyl methacrylate, the patient developed tachycardia and dyspnea. Chest radiograph and computed tomographic pulmonary angiogram revealed a large collection of hyperdense material within the right lower lobe pulmonary artery, consistent with pulmonary cement emboli. Management and imaging are discussed.
Emotional Language Used by Victims of Alleged Sexual Abuse During Forensic Investigation

ABSTRACT Addressing the characteristics of children as witnesses has been a focus of many researchers; however, the emotion derived from children during investigative interviews is an understudied field that is vital for practitioners from various contexts. The current study explores the emotional language that children use during forensic investigations following suspected sexual abuse. The sample comprises 97 investigative interviews with children (N = 97) aged 3–14 years. These interviews were randomly selected from all forensic interviews carried out in Israel in 2011. All of the interviews were conducted in conformity with the National Institute of Child Health and Development Protocol, and the emotional language of the children was coded. The results reveal a limited overall presence of emotional language. Children hardly used positive emotional language and mainly employed negative emotional language. The interview phase and the age of the children greatly affected the use of emotional language, and gender and suspect familiarity had no effect on the children’s emotional language. The findings from the current study enhance existing knowledge on the emotional language of children during forensic investigations and highlight the study’s unique characteristics in the context of abuse, trauma, and forensic investigation. The results of this study demonstrate the need for including probes about emotions in investigative interviews and the addition of emotional language to coding schemes for investigative interviews.
Mental Health and Behavioral Outcomes of Sexual and Nonsexual Child Maltreatment Among Child Welfare-Involved Youth

ABSTRACT Our research team used the nationally representative National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being II to explore the differences in mental health and behavioral outcomes between children who enter the child welfare system with substantiated sexual abuse and those who enter with exclusively nonsexual maltreatment. The sample included 380 children between the ages of 8 to 17.5 who were substantiated for maltreatment (sexual and nonsexual) and had the same caregivers at both wave 1 and 2 (n = 380). Results show that the average age of children in the sample was 11 years old, and the results corroborate literature that has indicated children and youth with histories of childhood sexual abuse experience significantly more post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms than children with histories of nonsexual maltreatment. This finding held after controlling for baseline trauma symptoms and all covariates, including race, age, placement type, and caregiver characteristics. Childhood sexual abuse was not significantly related to an increase in behavioral symptoms after controlling for covariates. Implications for research and practice are offered.
Recovering Process from Child Sexual Abuse During Adulthood from an Integrative Approach to Solution-Focused Therapy: A Case Study

ABSTRACT In recent times, strengths-based recovery approaches that focus on the present and build strategies that look toward the future have become popular. However, some cases require the consideration of experiences from previous stages of the clients’ development. This single-case study explores the psychotherapeutic process of a middle-aged woman who presented with a history of child sexual abuse (incest) and a long-term adult diagnosis of depression that was treated in public health services. This psychotherapy involved an integrative approach to solution-focused therapy; specifically, the approach proposed by Yvonne Dolan to work with adult survivors of sexual abuse, in conjunction with techniques and strategies from the transtheoretical model. Measures incorporating therapeutic working alliance and outcomes were administered over sessions. Results showed positive outcomes from this therapeutic intervention, which remained at 3-month and 12-month follow-ups. Implications for practitioners’ specialist practice in health services are discussed, given the complexity of comorbid mental health conditions with a history of child sexual abuse.
Data summarization method for chronic disease tracking

Objectives: Bearing in mind the rising prevalence of chronic medical conditions, the chronic disease management is one of the key features required by medical information systems used in primary healthcare. Our research group paid a particular attention to this specific area by offering a set of custom data collection forms and reports in order to improve medical professionals’ daily routine. The main idea was to provide an overview of history for chronic diseases, which, as it seems, had not been properly supported in previous administrative workflows. After five years of active use of medical information systems in more than 25 primary healthcare institutions, we were able to identify several scenarios that were often end-user-action dependent and could result in the data related to chronic diagnoses being loosely connected. An additional benefit would be a more effective identification of potentially new patients suffering from chronic diseases. Methods: For this particular reason, we introduced an extension of the existing data structures and a summarizing method along with a specific tool that should help in connecting all the data related to a patient and a diagnosis. The summarization method was based on the principle of connecting all of the records pertaining to a specific diagnosis for the selected patient, and it was envisaged to work in both automatic and on-demand mode. The expected results were a more effective identification of new potential patients and a completion of the existing histories of diseases associated with chronic diag-
CINE CORONARY ARTERIOGRAPHY: Second Becton, Dickinson and Company Oscar Schwidetzky Memorial Lecture

HE DIAGNOSIS of human coronary atheroT sclerosis has until recently depended primarily on the ability of the physician to interpret the significance of chest pain described by patients with infinitely variable subjective responses to stress. Objective confirmation has hinged upon recognition of transient or persistent electrocardiographic changes which usually indicate the presence of myocardial ischemia, necrosis, or scar tissue replacement of functioning myocardium.
Anemia, chronic renal disease and chronic heart failure: the cardiorenal anemia syndrome

SUMMARY The mortality and morbidity of congestive heart failure (CHF) have improved slightly over the years but are still very high. Many patients with CHF are anemic, which raises the question, ‘Could uncontrolled anemia be a cause? ’ The anemia is associated with more severe CHF and higher mortality, hospitalization and morbidity rates. The only way to prove that anemia is causing this worsening of CHF is to correct it. We review here some of the published papers about correction of anemia. Many, but not all, show a positive effect of erythropoietin or its derivatives when coadministered with oral or intravenous (IV) iron, with improvements in left and right ventricular systolic and diastolic function, dilation, hypertrophy, renal function, New York Heart Association class, exercise capacity, oxygen utilization, caloric intake, quality of life, and the activity of endothelial progenitor cells. A reduction in hospitalizations, diuretic dose, pulmonary artery pressure, plasma volume, heart rate, serum brain natriuretic peptide levels, the inflammatory marker interleukin 6, and soluble Fas ligand (a mediator of apoptosis) were also observed. Iron deficiency may also play an important role in this anemia because improvement in CHF has been seen with IV iron treatment alone. We call the interaction between chronic renal failure, CHF and anemia the cardiorenal anemia syndrome. Each of these three elements causes or exacerbates the others, and their correction can prevent the progression of both renal and heart failure. However, until ongoing large placebo-controlled studies on darbepoetin alpha or IV iron are completed, we will not know whether these treatments really influence the outcome of renal failure and CHF.
Severe hypoglycemia in users of sulfonylurea antidiabetic agents and antihyperlipidemics

Drug–drug interactions causing severe hypoglycemia due to antidiabetic drugs is a major clinical and public health problem. We assessed whether sulfonylurea use with a statin or fibrate was associated with severe hypoglycemia. We conducted cohort studies of users of glyburide, glipizide, and glimepiride plus a statin or fibrate within a Medicaid population. The outcome was a validated, diagnosis‐based algorithm for severe hypoglycemia. Among 592,872 persons newly exposed to a sulfonylurea+antihyperlipidemic, the incidence of severe hypoglycemia was 5.8/100 person‐years. Adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for sulfonylurea+statins were consistent with no association. Most overall HRs for sulfonylurea+fibrate were elevated, with sulfonylurea‐specific adjusted HRs as large as 1.50 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.24–1.81) for glyburide+gemfibrozil, 1.37 (95% CI: 1.11–1.69) for glipizide+gemfibrozil, and 1.63 (95% CI: 1.29–2.06) for glimepiride+fenofibrate. Concomitant therapy with a sulfonylurea and fibrate is associated with an often delayed increased rate of severe hypoglycemia.
Establishment of an Equivalence Acceptance Criterion for Accelerated Stability Studies

In this article, the use of statistical equivalence testing for providing evidence of process comparability in an accelerated stability study is advocated over the use of a test of differences. The objective of such a study is to demonstrate comparability by showing that the stability profiles under nonrecommended storage conditions of two processes are equivalent. Because it is difficult at accelerated conditions to find a direct link to product specifications, and hence product safety and efficacy, an equivalence acceptance criterion is proposed that is based on the statistical concept of effect size. As with all statistical tests of equivalence, it is important to collect input from appropriate subject-matter experts when defining the acceptance criterion.
Ambulatory anesthesia: responding to the "boom" in outpatient surgery

License. The full terms of the License are available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. Permissions beyond the scope of the License are administered by Dove Medical Press Limited. Information on how to request permission may be found at: http://www.dovepress. com/permissions.php Ambulatory Anesthesia 2014:1 1–2 Ambulatory Anesthesia Dovepress
Intravascular Ultrasound

Coronary angiography is the gold standard for evaluating coronary atherosclerotic heart disease, yet it has well-known limitations. Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) is an invasive technique that is used to improve the assessment and management of coronary artery disease. IVUS is a readily available imaging modality that is easy to learn and interpret with low complication rates. In this literature review, the authors will review the technique and discuss the various current usages of IVUS and its limitations, safety, and complications.
Physiological and perceptual indicators of physical stress in 41-to 60-year-old men who vary in conditioning level and in body fatness

ABSTRACTPerceived exertion during exercise was studied in 51 physically active and in 19 sedentary men, 41–60 years old, by the use of a numerical scale for rating of perceived exertion (RPE). The subjects, who varied in degree of adiposity, each had two or more characteristics associated with the p
Precision Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham: Laying the Foundational Processes Through Implementation of Genotype‐Guided Antiplatelet Therapy

Precision medicine entails tailoring treatment based on patients' unique characteristics. As drug therapy constitutes the cornerstone of treatment for most chronic diseases, pharmacogenomics (PGx), the study of genetic variation influencing individual response to drugs, is an important component of precision medicine. Over the past decade investigations have identified genes and single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and quantified their effect on drug response. Parallel development of point‐of‐care (POC) genotyping platforms has enabled the interrogation of the genes/SNPs within a timeline conducive to the provision of care. Despite these advances, the pace of integration of genotype‐guided drug therapy (GGTx) into practice has faced significant challenges. These include difficulty in identifying SNPs with sufficiently robust evidence to guide clinical decision making, lack of clinician training on how to order and use genotype data, lack of clinical decision support (CDS) to guide treatment, and limited reimbursement. The University of Alabama at Birmingham's (UAB) efforts in precision medicine were initiated to address these challenges and improve the health of the racially diverse patients we treat.