Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Venepuncture during head‐up tilt testing in patients with suspected vasovagal syncope – implications for the test protocol

Head‐up tilt (HUT) testing is a widely used diagnostic tool in patients with suspected vasovagal syncope (VVS). However, no gold standard exists for this examination and the various protocols used have a limited sensitivity and specificity. Our aim was to determine the sensitivity of a sequential HUT testing protocol including venepuncture (VP) and sublingual nitroglycerin application.
Cortical excitability changes distinguish the motor neuron disease phenotypes from hereditary spastic paraplegia

Cortical hyperexcitability has been identified as an important pathogenic mechanism in motor neuron disease (MND). The issue as to whether cortical hyperexcitability is a common process across the MND phenotypes, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and primary lateral sclerosis (PLS), remains unresolved. Separately, the clinical distinction between PLS and ‘mimic disorders’ such as hereditary spastic paraparesis (HSP) may be difficult, potentially delaying diagnosis. Consequently, the aim of the present study was to determine the nature and spectrum of cortical excitability changes across the MND phenotypes, and to determine whether the presence of cortical dysfunction distinguishes PLS from HSP.
Increased bilirubin levels in de novo Parkinson's disease

Oxidative stress is a central pathogenic mechanism of Parkinson's disease (PD), and the heme oxygenase (HO) bilirubin pathway is one of the main mammalian antioxidative defences. Indeed, there is growing evidence of HO−bilirubin upregulation from early phases of PD. Our aim was to investigate bilirubin as a possible biomarker of PD diagnosis and progression.
Comparison of the Diabetes Regular Care Model and the "Diabetes Share Care Disease Management" Model in Eastern Taiwan

Objective: Previously documented studies found that hospitals which practiced ”diabetes share care disease management” program (DSCDM) achieved positive results in the quality of patient care among diabetics. However, most of these studies compared patients who participated in the DSCDM vs those who were not in any diabetic care program. This study particulary focused on comparing care accountability, laboratory results, and the Taiwan SF-36 life quality scores in diabetes patients who were treated in two different models: the regular care model and the DSCDM program. Based on the findings of this study, we hope to provide clinical recommendations and upgrade the quality of diabetes care. Materials and Methods: The data from 175 regular care group subjects and 280 DSCDM group subjects were collected from February 2005 to August 2005 at a medical center in eastern Taiwan via multiple approaches, which included face-to-face interviews, questionnaires, and medical records. Analysis of the data was performed on SPSS10.0 for Windows. Results: After one year, the average rates of chronic diseaes, chronic complications, and difficulties in diabetic control were showed better in the DSCDM group than those of the regular care group. Both groups exhibited noticeable improvement in all clinical examination criteria, and the laboratory data in the DSCDM group were lower and more close to control target, while the care accountability and life quality elevels also showed batter than those of the regular care group. Conclusions: This research demonstrated that practicing DSCDM generated positive results and improved both the care and life quality of patients. Therefore, DSCDM should be promoted and practiced on a broader scale.
Low 25‐hydroxyvitamin D, but not the bioavailable fraction of 25‐hydroxyvitamin D, is a risk factor for multiple sclerosis

Low 25‐hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels correlate with higher disease activity in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). However, it is not clear whether low 25(OH)D levels directly contribute to increased disease activity or merely represent a consequence of reduced endogenous vitamin D synthesis in more disabled MS patients. Furthermore, recent data suggest that bioavailable vitamin D, which also integrates the levels of vitamin D binding proteins and albumin, could be a biologically more relevant parameter than 25(OH)D.
Textbook of benign prostatic hyperplasia

This volume deals with all aspects of benigh prostatic hyperplasia, including basic science, epidemiology, evaluation, medical treatment, surgical and interventional options, and future directions. There is an overview on the effectiveness of current treatments and positive developments in research, as well as discussions of each new drug currently available. New forms of minimally invasive procedures are examined, such as lasers, hyperthermia treatment and the application of high-focused ultrasound.
Immune response induced by Epstein–Barr virus and Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis peptides in current and past infectious mononucleosis: a risk for multiple sclerosis?

Infectious mononucleosis (IM) caused by Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) has been associated with increased risk of multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the mechanism linking these pathologies is unclear. Different reports indicate the association of EBV, and recently Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP), with MS. For a better understanding of the role of these pathogens, the host response induced by selected antigenic peptides in subjects with a history of IM that significantly increases the risk of MS was investigated.
Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy limited to the posterior fossa

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is a rapidly progressive demyelinating disease caused by the reactivation of JC papova virus usually in immunocompromised hosts. (1) The disease is a chronic viral infection resulting in mortality within a year. (2) The condition characterized by white matter changes in multiple locations of the brain is caused by destruction of the oligodendrogliocytes. (2) We report a case of AIDS associated PML presenting with progressive cerebellar symptoms, with the unusual feature of imaging abnormalities limited to the posterior fossa.
The CHESS score: a simple tool for early prediction of shunt dependency after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage

Acute hydrocephalus is an early and common complication of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). However, considerably fewer patients develop chronic hydrocephalus requiring shunt placement. Our aim was to develop a risk score for early identification of patients with shunt dependency after SAH.
Epidemiology of childhood obesity

In recent years awareness of childhood obesity as a clinical and public health problem has increased. However, a number of important issues related to childhood obesity were unclear when this thesis began. The aims of this thesis were as follows: 1. To estimate the prevalence of obesity in British and Iranian children. 2. To assess the strengths and weaknesses of the body mass index (BMI) as a way of identifying obese children/estimating obesity prevalence. 3. To investigate the factors associated with early 'adiposity rebound'. 4. To identify risk factors for obesity in British children. This thesis showed that prevalence of childhood obesity in British and Iranian children was significantly higher than expected and that obesity prevalence in children increased during the 1990s. These results are consistent with reports of increased childhood obesity in the USA, Europe, and some other countries. Using BMI 95th centile as the definition of childhood obesity has moderately high sensitivity and high specificity, though a definition of BMI 92nd centile was shown in this thesis to be optimum. This thesis indicated that the typical age of AR in British children must be sometime between 5-7 years. Further research on the factors associated with timing of AR is recommended. A number of independent risk factors for childhood obesity are identified. Parental obesity, birth weight, fizzy drink consumption, and time spent in the car had the strongest association.
Veterinary Treatment for Working Equines

1. Vital Signs and Normal Values 2. Simple Diagnostic Tests 3. Behaviour and Restraint 4. Veterinary Equipment 5. Veterinary Medicines 6. Vaccines 7. Sedation, Field Anaesthesia and Euthanasia 8. Nutrition 9. Dentistry 10. Hoof Conditions and Problems Within the Hoof Capsule 11. Orthopaedics 12. Wounds 13. Respiratory, Cardiac and Blood Vessel Conditions 14. Gastro-Enteric Conditions 15. Neurological and Locomotory Conditions 16. Eye Conditions 17. Urinogenital Conditions 18. Poisons 19. Skin Condition 20. Harness and Tack.
Pregnancy Resolution as an Indicator of Wantedness and its Impact on the Initiation of Early Prenatal Care

The study examines the impact of the wantedness of a pregnancy on the demand for early prenatal care. Past attempts to address this question have depended on the self-assessments of women as to the wantedness of their pregnancy and birth. Our approach can be described as a form of revealed preference in which only those pregnancies that are voluntarily terminated by induced abortion are considered to be unwanted. Using a cohort of pregnant women in New York City, we estimate a prenatal care demand function in which we control for the probability of giving birth, given a woman is pregnant. We interpret this control as a measure of wantedness. The results indicate that if the black and Hispanic women who aborted, had instead given birth, they would have delayed the initiation of prenatal care, on average, over three-quarters of a month longer than the mean number of months of delay that were actually observed for the women who gave birth. By allowing women to terminate an unwanted pregnancy, induced abortion increases the average utilization of prenatal care among black and Hispanic women relative to what would have been observed if the women who aborted had instead given birth.
Die Wirkung der Kompressions-therapie auf die lokale Mikrozirkulation und Histomorphologie beim Ulcus cruris venosum

Zusammenfassung Hintergrund: Die Wirkung der Kompressionstherapie auf die lokale Mikrozirkulation und Histomorphologie ist bisher nicht ausreichend belegt. Die konfokale Laser-Scanning-Mikroskopie (KLSM) ermöglicht eine in-vivo-Untersuchung der menschlichen Haut auf zellulärer Ebene. Methode: Neunzehn Patienten mit Ulcus cruris venosum wurden folgenden Therapien zugeführt. Gruppe A: medizinische Kompressionstherapie, inaktive Wundauflage; Gruppe B: inaktive Wundauflage. Vor und 4 Wochen nach Therapiebeginn wurden folgende Parameter mittels KLSM evaluiert: zellulärer Blutfluss, Epidermisdicke, epidermale Zellgrößen, Quantität von Entzündungszellen. Ergebnisse: In Gruppe A stieg nach vierwöchiger Kompressionstherapie der zelluläre Blutfluss signifikant an, in Gruppe B nur insignifikant. Die Epidermisdicke nahm in Gruppe A mehr ab als in Gruppe B. Die epidermalen Zellen veränderten sich in beiden Gruppen nur insignifikant. Die Quantität der Entzündungszellen nahm in Gruppe A von massiv auf vereinzelt und in Gruppe B von massiv auf vermehrt ab. Conclusio: Mit der KLSM konnte die positive Wirkung der medizinischen Kompressionstherapie auf die lokale Mikrozirkulation und His-tomorphologie beim Ulcus cruris venosum nachgewiesen werden.
Effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on motor recovery and motor cortex excitability in patients with stroke: a randomized controlled trial

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) changes the excitability of the motor cortex and thereby has the potential to enhance motor recovery after stroke. This randomized, sham‐controlled, double‐blind study was to compare the effects of high‐frequency versus low‐frequency rTMS on motor recovery during the early phase of stroke and to identify the neurophysiological correlates of motor improvements.
Assessing Homicides by and of U.S. Law-Enforcement Officers.

“Legal intervention deaths” of civilians — cases in which someone is killed by a law-enforcement or other peace officer while that officer is on duty — and occupational homicides of law-enforcement officers have garnered increasing attention in the United States, owing to numerous recent high-profile incidents. These events are not only devastating to the victims’ families and the directly affected communities or neighborhoods; they also erode the relationship between law-enforcement agencies and the diverse populations they serve. Though these killings account for a small percentage of total U.S. homicides, they represent a significant public health burden and can incite further .
Dietary Patterns and Human Reproduction

textabstractPart 1 of the thesis focuses on dietary patterns and fatty acid intake in couples undergoing IVF/ICSI fertility treatment. The studies described in Chapter 2, 3 and 4 are based on the FOod Lifestyle and Fertility Outcome study (FOLFO), a prospective cohort study examining the influence of preconception lifestyle exposures in subfertile couples on fertility parameters and pregnancy outcome. This study was conducted between 2004 and 2007 in the Erasmus University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.24 Part 2 focuses on the role of the maternal dietary patterns periconception as a risk factor for congenital malformations in the offspring. The studies on risk factors for spina bifida (Chapter 5) and orofacial cleft (Chapter 7) offspring were conducted in a nationwide large-scale case-control triad study carried out between 1998 and 2004 at the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre.25, 26 The findings on associations with congenital heart malformations in Chapter 6 are based on the HAVEN study (Hart Afwijkingen, Vasculaire status, Erfelijkheid en Nutrienten). 7 The HAVEN study is an ongoing case-control triad study conducted in the Western part of the Netherlands. The study emphasizes nutrition, lifestyle and genes in the pathogenesis and prevention of congenital heart malformations and children and both parents were included. Data collected between March 2004 and August 2008 were used for analysis. Finally, Chapter 8 provides a general discussion of the thesis, a summary of the key findings, reflections on the strengths and limitations of the applied methods, implication for clinical practice and public health, and suggestions for future research.
Implications of telomeres and telomerase in endometrial pathology

Abstract BACKGROUND Eukaryotic chromosomal ends are linear and are protected by nucleoprotein complexes known as telomeres. The complex structural anatomy and the diverse functions of telomeres as well as the unique reverse transcriptase enzyme, telomerase that maintains telomeres are under intensive scientific scrutiny. Both are involved in many human diseases including cancer, but also in ageing and chronic disease such as diabetes. Their intricate involvement in many cellular processes and pathways is being dynamically deciphered in many organs including the endometrium. This review summarizes our current knowledge on the topic of telomeres and telomerase and their potential role in providing plausible explanations for endometrial aberrations related to common gynaecological pathologies. OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALE This review outlines the recent major findings in telomere and telomerase functions in the context of endometrial biology. It highlights the contemporary discoveries in hormonal regulation, normal endometrial regeneration, stem cells and common gynaecological diseases such as endometriosis, infertility, recurrent reproductive failure and endometrial cancer (EC). SEARCH METHODS The authors carried out systematic PubMed (Medline) and Ovid searches using the key words: telomerase, telomeres, telomere length, human telomerase reverse transcriptase, telomeric RNA component, with endometrium, hormonal regulation, endometrial stem/progenitor cells, endometrial regeneration, endometriosis, recurrent miscarriage, infertility, endometrial hyperplasia, EC and uterine cancer. Publications used in this review date from 1995 until 31st June 2016. OUTCOMES The human endometrium is a unique somatic organ, which displays dynamic telomerase activity (TA) related to the menstrual cycle. Telomerase is implicated in almost all endometrial pathologies and appears to be crucial to endometrial stem cells. In particular, it is vital for normal endometrial regeneration, providing a distinct route to formulate possible curative, non-hormonal therapies to treat chronic endometrial conditions. Furthermore, our current understanding of telomere maintenance in EC is incomplete. Data derived from other malignancies on the role of telomerase in carcinogenesis cannot be extrapolated to EC because unlike in other cancers, TA is already present in proliferating healthy endometrial cells. WIDER IMPLICATIONS Since telomerase is pivotal to endometrial regeneration, further studies elucidating the role of telomeres, telomerase, their associated proteins and their regulation in normal endometrial regeneration as well as their role in endometrial pathologies are essential. This approach may allow future development of novel treatment strategies that are not only non-hormonal but also potentially curative.
Behaviorismo radical e psicanálise: (im)possilidades de articulação conceitual - doi: 10.5102/ucs.v8i1.1074

As concepcoes de evento privado no Behaviorismo Radical (B. R.) e de determinismo psiquico na Psicanalise apontam para uma possivel articulacao conceitual entre essas perspectivas epistemologicas, ja que ambas se referem a fenomenos como estimulos endogenos, sentimentos e pensamentos. Nesse sentido, o presente trabalho se propos a analisar a (im)possibilidade de se estabelecerem relacoes conceituais entre a Psicanalise e o B.R. a partir das concepcoes de evento privado e determinismo psiquico. A metodologia de pesquisa adotada foi a pesquisa bibliografica, a partir da qual foi realizada uma revisao da literatura acerca dos conceitos e desta discussao aqui proposta. Com este estudo, pode-se sustentar uma articulacao conceitual observando- -se os conceitos de estimulo interno para B.R. e excitacao endogena para a Psicanalise.
Informed consent in randomized quality improvement trials: a critical barrier for learning health systems.

The widespread implementation of electronic medical records (EMRs), stimulatedby thePatient Protection andAffordable Care Act, provides a major opportunity to conduct inexpensive pragmatic randomized trials1,2 that are embedded into the clinical practice of health care delivery. Electronicmedical recordsallowhealthsystemsto identifyparticular types of patients, deliver targeted interventions designed to improve health, and measure how those interventions impact health care delivery and health outcomes. With optimal use of EMRs, the administrative costs of a trial need not increasewith the sample size; this decouplingof costs and size facilitates large, simple, and inexpensive trials that have thepotential to transformhealthsystems intoentities that learn and continuously improve.3
The Selling of DSM: The Rhetoric of Science in Psychiatry

ABSTRACT Let me state my biases up front. I am a psychiatrist who has strongly supported the development of a psychiatric nosology that has value to the clinician, to research on the etiology and epidemiology of mental disorders, and, ultimately, to the patient. I have participated in the development of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Third Edition) and have a particular interest in the impact of the diagnostic manual on reimbursement. I believe that DSM-III, its revision, and the soon-to-be-published DSM-IV represent progress and a great improvement over what existed prior to 1980, when DSM-III was published.The authors of The Selling of DSM do not state their biases up front. It does become clear to the reader, however, that these professors of social work cast an extremely skeptical eye on current concepts in psychiatry, the medical or diagnostic model, and share (if not exactly, certainly closely) the
Circunferencia hipertrigliceridémica y perfil de riesgo cardiometabólico en adolescentes normopeso y con exceso de peso

Antecedentes: la cintura hipertrigliceridemica (CHT) se asocia a elevado riesgo cardiometabolico (RCM) en adultos, sin embargo, se dispone de poca informacion si el mismo refleja cambios metabolicos adversos en adolescentes con y sin exceso de peso. Objetivo: evaluar el perfil de RCM asociado con la CHT y su capacidad para predecir factores de RCM en adolescentes, categorizados segun el puntaje Z del indice de masa corporal. Materiales y metodos: se evaluaron 96 adolescentes (12-17 anos) divididos en dos grupos: normopeso y sobrepeso/obesidad. Se determino peso, talla, circunferencia de cintura, presion arterial, estadio de maduracion sexual y marcadores bioquimicos de RCM. Se calculo un indice de RCM agrupado (IRCMa). Resultados: la frecuencia de CHT fue de 9,8%. El numero de casos de CHT fue mayor al avanzar la maduracion sexual (p<0,001) y en el grupo con exceso de peso (p=0,043). En el grupo total, la CHT fue capaz de predecir presion arterial elevada (p<0,002), colesterol no-HDL elevado (p<0,012) y RCM agrupado elevado (p<0,001). En el grupo normopeso, la presencia de CHT elevo la relacion TGL/HDLc (p=0,003) y el IRCMa (p=0,001) y en el grupo con sobrepeso/obesidad elevo la presion sistolica (p=0,005) y diastolica (p=0,006), colesterol total (p=0,037) y no-HDL (p=0,029), relacion colesterol total/HDLc (p=0,032), relacion trigliceridos/HDLc (p<0,001) y el IRCMa (p<0,001), independientemente del sexo, edad y estadio de maduracion sexual. Conclusiones: la CHT fue prevalente y se asocio a un perfil metabolico adverso y RCM agrupado elevado en adolescentes con y sin exceso de peso, recomendandose su deteccion en atencion primaria.
Dealing with lung cancer complications: how aggressive can we be?

In Malaysia, lung cancer is the most common cancer (16.3%) among men and third most common cancer among women (5.4%, 2007 data) 1. It accounted for the most cancer deaths in 2001 that occurred in this country2. Most of our patients presented with advanced disease and surgery is not an option, more so, more than half of operable patients refused surgery 3. Hooi et al showed that operative rate for lung cancer was only 4.8% in Penang. 4Chemotherapy with or without radiotherapy is the treatment of choice in this group of patients 5. TKI is effective in EGFR mutation patient but it is not freely available to the poor. Despite recent advancement in the treatment of lung cancer, most of our advanced lung cancer patients suffered from various complications including SVC or airway obstruction, dyspnea due to pleural or pericardial effusion, lymphagitis carcinomatosis, distance metastasis to brain, spine, bone etc, haemoptysis and paraneoplastic syndrome. We should be familiar and aggressive in managing their complications in order to prolong their life.