Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Virtual reality in the assessment and treatment of psychosis: a systematic review of its utility, acceptability and effectiveness

Over the last two decades, there has been a rapid increase of studies testing the efficacy and acceptability of virtual reality in the assessment and treatment of mental health problems. This systematic review was carried out to investigate the use of virtual reality in the assessment and the treatment of psychosis. Web of Science, PsychInfo, EMBASE, Scopus, ProQuest and PubMed databases were searched, resulting in the identification of 638 articles potentially eligible for inclusion; of these, 50 studies were included in the review. The main fields of research in virtual reality and psychosis are: safety and acceptability of the technology; neurocognitive evaluation; functional capacity and performance evaluation; assessment of paranoid ideation and auditory hallucinations; and interventions. The studies reviewed indicate that virtual reality offers a valuable method of assessing the presence of symptoms in ecologically valid environments, with the potential to facilitate learning new emotional and behavioural responses. Virtual reality is a promising method to be used in the assessment of neurocognitive deficits and the study of relevant clinical symptoms. Furthermore, preliminary findings suggest that it can be applied to the delivery of cognitive rehabilitation, social skills training interventions and virtual reality-assisted therapies for psychosis. The potential benefits for enhancing treatment are highlighted. Recommendations for future research include demonstrating generalisability to real-life settings, examining potential negative effects, larger sample sizes and long-term follow-up studies. The present review has been registered in the PROSPERO register: CDR 4201507776.
White matter microstructure predicts longitudinal social cognitive outcomes after paediatric traumatic brain injury: a diffusion tensor imaging study

Background Deficits in social cognition may be among the most profound and disabling sequelae of paediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI); however, the neuroanatomical correlates of longitudinal outcomes in this domain remain unexplored. This study aimed to characterize social cognitive outcomes longitudinally after paediatric TBI, and to evaluate the use of sub-acute diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to predict these outcomes. Methods The sample included 52 children with mild complex-severe TBI who were assessed on cognitive theory of mind (ToM), pragmatic language and affective ToM at 6- and 24-months post-injury. For comparison, 43 typically developing controls (TDCs) of similar age and sex were recruited. DTI data were acquired sub-acutely (mean = 5.5 weeks post-injury) in a subset of 65 children (TBI = 35; TDC = 30) to evaluate longitudinal prospective relationships between white matter microstructure assessed using Tract-Based Spatial Statistics and social cognitive outcomes. Results Whole brain voxel-wise analysis revealed significantly higher mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD) and radial diffusivity (RD) in the sub-acute TBI group compared with TDC, with differences observed predominantly in the splenium of the corpus callosum (sCC), sagittal stratum (SS), dorsal cingulum (DC), uncinate fasciculus (UF) and middle and superior cerebellar peduncles (MCP & SCP, respectively). Relative to TDCs, children with TBI showed poorer cognitive ToM, affective ToM and pragmatic language at 6-months post-insult, and those deficits were related to abnormal diffusivity of the sCC, SS, DC, UF, MCP and SCP. Moreover, children with TBI showed poorer affective ToM and pragmatic language at 24-months post-injury, and those outcomes were predicted by sub-acute alterations in diffusivity of the DC and MCP. Conclusions Abnormal microstructure within frontal-temporal, limbic and cerebro-cerebellar white matter may be a risk factor for long-term social difficulties observed in children with TBI. DTI may have potential to unlock early prognostic markers of long-term social outcomes.
Pediatric Follicular Mucinosis: Presentation, Histopathology, Molecular Genetics, Treatment, and Outcomes over an 11‐Year Period at the Mayo Clinic

Follicular mucinosis (FM) and folliculotropic mycosis fungoides (MF) are rare in children, and data regarding long‐term outcomes are limited. We sought to describe clinical and histopathologic findings of children with FM with and without MF, as well as treatments administered and clinical outcomes. We conducted a retrospective chart review of patients younger than 22 years (at time of diagnosis) with a biopsy demonstrating FM who were seen in the Dermatology Department at the Mayo Clinic from September 1, 1999, to September 1, 2010. Eleven patients (six male, five female) ages 11 to 19 years at the time of diagnosis met the inclusion criteria. Follow‐up data were available for 10 patients, with a mean duration of 4.9 years. The head, neck, and extremities were the most common sites of involvement, and lesions were follicular‐based papules (18%), scaly alopecic patches and plaques (45%), or a combination of the two (36%). Overall, three patients were confirmed to have MF. T‐cell receptor gene rearrangement demonstrated clonality in two cases and was equivocal in one case. Treatments included topical corticosteroids, topical retinoids, oral minocycline, and, in patients with MF, ultraviolet light and topical bexarotene. Lesions resolved completely in seven patients, partially in one, and not at all in two (no follow‐up data on one patient). Of the three patients with MF, two had complete resolution, and one has intermittent flares. To our knowledge, no patients developed other lymphoproliferative disorders. FM in children is rare. A histopathologic diagnosis of FM does not equate to folliculotropic MF in all cases. Most patients responded to treatment with topical steroids, topical retinoids, or phototherapy. In our series of patients, the disease ran a benign course.
Protein Losses and Urea Nitrogen Underestimate Total Nitrogen Losses in Peritoneal Dialysis and Hemodialysis Patients.

OBJECTIVE Muscle wasting is associated with increased mortality and is commonly reported in dialysis patients. Hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) treatments lead to protein losses in effluent dialysate. We wished to determine whether changes in current dialysis practice had increased therapy-associated nitrogen losses. DESIGN Cross-sectional cohort study. METHODS Measurement of total protein, urea and total nitrogen in effluent dialysate from 24-hour collections from PD patients, and during haemodiafiltration (HDF) and haemodialysis (HD) sessions. SUBJECTS One hundred eight adult dialysis patients. INTERVENTION Peritoneal dialysis, high-flux haemodialysis and haemodiafiltration. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Total nitrogen and protein losses. RESULTS Dialysate protein losses were measured in 68 PD and 40 HD patients. Sessional losses of urea (13.9 [9.2-21.1] vs. 4.8 [2.8-7.8] g); protein (8.6 [7.2-11.1] vs. 6.7 [3.9-11.1] g); and nitrogen (11.5 [8.7-17.7] vs. 4.9 [2.6-9.5] g) were all greater for HD than PD, P < . 001. Protein-derived nitrogen was 71.9 (54.4-110.4) g for HD and 30.8 (16.1-59.6) g for PD. Weekly protein losses were lower with HD 25.9 (21.5-33.4) versus 46.6 (27-77.6) g/week, but nitrogen losses were similar. We found no difference between high-flux HD and HDF: urea (13.5 [8.8-20.6] vs. 15.3 [10.5-25.5] g); protein (8.8 [7.3-12.2] vs. 7.6 [5.8-9.0] g); and total nitrogen (11.6 [8.3-17.3] vs. 10.8 [8.9-22.5] g). Urea nitrogen (UN) only accounted for 45.1 (38.3-51.0)% PD and 63.0 (55.3-62.4)% HD of total nitrogen losses. CONCLUSION Although sessional losses of protein and UN were greater with HD, weekly losses were similar between modalities. We found no differences between HD and HDF. However, total nitrogen losses were much greater than the combination of protein and UN, suggesting greater nutritional losses with dialysis than previously reported.
Endometrial Safety of Ospemifene and the Ability of Transvaginal Ultrasonography to Detect Small Changes in Endometrial Thickness

INTRODUCTION: Ospemifene is a nonestrogen with tissue selective agonist and antagonist effects recently approved for treatment of moderate to severe dyspareunia, a symptom of vulvovaginal atrophy resulting from menopause. The known increase in endometrial hyperplasia and carcinoma associated with unopposed systemic estrogen therapies warranted vigilance with regard to endometrial safety. Discussed here are the modalities to best establish endometrial safety in the context of the randomized controlled clinical trials of oral ospemifene at 60 mg per day compared with placebo in postmenopausal women exposed up to 52 weeks. METHODS: Six phase 2 and 3 clinical trials compared ospemifene at 60 mg per day with placebo. RESULTS: Endometrial safety was evaluated in 851 women exposed to ospemifene at 60 mg per day. Endometrial biopsies, vaginal bleeding, and transvaginal ultrasound scans for thickness and lesions were used. Change in endometrial thickness was significantly greater than placebo at 12 months (0.8±1.5 mm; P<.001); however, endometrial thickening of greater than 5 mm at the last visit demonstrated no statistically significant increase. Small endometrial thickness increases or decreases were not reproducible at different time points. Vaginal bleeding or spotting was reported in 1.2% of women with a uterus receiving ospemifene compared with 0.9% on placebo. There were no carcinomas, one case of simple hyperplasia without atypia (0.3%), and less than 1.0% active proliferation. CONCLUSION: The ospemifene endometrial profile, including histology and ultrasonography results for a maximum of 1 year of daily oral treatment, appears more consistent with the selective estrogen receptor modulator raloxifene than with steroidal estrogen. Histology, transvaginal ultrasonography greater than 5 mm, and symptoms of vaginal bleeding were helpful in discerning endometrial safety.
Biophysics of mitosis

Abstract Mitosis is the process by which eukaryotic cells organize and segregate their chromosomes in preparation for cell division. It is accomplished by a cellular machine composed largely of microtubules (MTs) and their associated proteins. This article reviews literature on mitosis from a biophysical point of view, drawing attention to the assembly and motility processes required to do this complex job with precision. Work from both the recent and the older literature is integrated into a description of relevant biological events and the experiments that probe their mechanisms. Theoretical work on specific subprocesses is also reviewed. Our goal is to provide a document that will expose biophysicists to the fascination of this quite amazing process and provide them with a good background from which they can pursue their own research interests in the subject.
Efeito agudo da suplementação da cafeína no desempenho da força muscular e alterações cardiovasculares durante o treino de força

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the acute effect of caffeine on the muscular strength performance in addition to the possible hemodynamic changes during a strength training session. Thirteen strength training experienced male subjects were submitted to a protocol of three sets of 10RM for bench press (BP), pull press (PP), leg extension (LE) and leg curl (LC), according to three conditions: no supplementation (C); 250 mg of caffeine supplementation (S); placebo (P). All subjects were submitted to an anthropometric evaluation, followed by a 10RM familiarization test. Hemodynamic measurements – heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) – were carried out before, during and after each session. Holding 48 hours time intervals, participants were submitted to three randomly presented 10RM tests according to C, S and P conditions. For conditions S and C, significant differences were found in BP and LE. No significant differences in HR and BP were found. Results seem to suggest an ergogenic effect of caffeine on submaximal muscle strength during a session of strength training.
Preliminary results of a medical telecare pilot in Wrexham

A pilot project was initiated in Wrexham in North Wales with two groups of patients suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). One group was provided with a commercial telehealth system (HomMed Genesis) while the other received a medical telecare service involving standalone vital signs peripherals and a phone call from a respiratory nurse who collected data and entered them into a spreadsheet. After four months of monitoring, the outcomes were analysed for both groups and were found to be largely similar both in terms of the interventions, and the perceived quality of life benefits for the patients. A cost benefit analysis showed that the savings to the NHS exceeded the project costs by about £9,000 thanks mainly to a reduction in the number of exacerbations exhibited by the patients. It is recommended that this form of telecare may greatly increase the independence of people with a chronic disease or long‐term condition and that further studies need to be initiated to determine which measurement regime is most suitable.
Anterior superior instability with rotator cuff tearing: slac lesion

Abstract Anterosuperior instability of the shoulder may occur from a variety of pathologic lesions. We describe a specific entity, the SLAC (Superior labrum, anterior cuff) lesion that involves an association of anterior-superior labral tear with a partial supraspinatus tear. We retrospectively isolated a group of 40 patients with this lesion. The presenting complaints, physical examination findings, surgical findings, and results were isolated. Overhead activities were the most common etiology; load and shift instability testing and whipple rotator cuff testing were the most common physical examination findings. Surgical repair was successful in 37 of the 40 patients. The SLAC lesion is a definable clinical entity with predictable history: examination, surgical pathology, and satisfactory results from surgery.
Crime and expenditure amongst polydrug misusers seeking treatment : the connection between prescribed methadone and crack use, and criminal involvement

The study investigates patterns of criminal activity and drug use in a cohort of 100 new entrants to a drug treatment service in south London. While 78 subjects reported heroin use in the month prior to treatment and 52 reported crack cocaine use, only 56 reported involvement in acquisitive crime in this period. Forms of crime most commonly engaged in were shoplifting, receiving stolen goods and theft. The patterns of criminal involvement varied as a function of the extent and profile of drug activity in the preceding month with crack users reporting the highest levels of drug expenditure and the most crime. There was no clear relationship between current methadone prescribing (or methadone dose) and levels of criminal involvement.
Speckle tracking for the intraoperative assessment of right ventricular function: a feasibility study.

OBJECTIVES Speckle tracking is an ultrasound method that assesses B-mode features to measure tissue displacement and derive deformation parameters. The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of using speckle tracking in the measurement of right ventricular (RV) longitudinal strain during cardiac surgery using transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). DESIGN This was a prospective, observational cohort study. SETTING A single university hospital setting. PARTICIPANTS Twenty-one patients without valvular disease referred for coronary artery bypass graft surgery were studied. INTERVENTIONS None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS After the induction of anesthesia and mechanical ventilation, transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) were used to obtain tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), RV fractional area of change (FAC), and 2-dimensional strain analysis (speckle tracking) on 3 consecutive heart beats. There was a larger percentage of measurable segments achieved when using TEE. All segments could be analyzed per cardiac cycle in 73% of loops when using TEE and 38% when using TTE. The global strain value was similar using both methods (TEE: -20.4%, TTE: -20.1%). The TAPSE could be measured in only 52% of the segments using TTE and 100% using TEE. The FAC could be measured in 90.5% of the loops using TEE and in only 33.3% of the loops using TTE. CONCLUSIONS Perioperative measurements of RV strain using TEE in ventilated patients is feasible. The success rate was higher using TEE in ventilated patients under anesthesia. Differences between the 2 methods were likely the result of differences in 2-dimensional image quality.
Pediatric Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis: Experience of a Tertiary Burn Center

Pediatric toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) is a rare and potentially fatal skin disease with a multitude of causative factors and no consensus on treatment guidelines and, as a result, it has a variety of short‐ and long‐term outcomes. We present the experience of a large specialty burn center to share our diagnostic and treatment principles.
Pericarditis como presentación inicial de enfermedad meningocócica diseminada

: Pericarditis is a well-recognized but uncommon complication of meningococcal infection. The incidence of pericarditis complicating meningococcal disease in all age groups is reported to be 3-19%. There are few cases reported in the paediatric age group. Disseminated meningococcal disease with pericarditis, defined as purulent pericarditis with clinical evidence of disseminated meningococcemia and meningitis. We report the case of a 4-month-old male infant who presented disseminated meningococcal disease with pericarditis caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B. The patient was treated with antibiotic with excellent response. It is important to point out that meningococcal disease may present in unusual forms which may lead to diagnostic and therapeutic difficulties.
Latent variable models are network models

Abstract Cramer et al. present an original and interesting network perspective on comorbidity and contrast this perspective with a more traditional interpretation of comorbidity in terms of latent variable theory. My commentary focuses on the relationship between the two perspectives; that is, it aims to qualify the presumed contrast between interpretations in terms of networks and latent variables.
Evaluation of a Computer‐Based Game About the Glycemic Index Among College‐Aged Students

Computer games may be an effective tool for teaching health-related knowledge and skills. This study evaluates the effect of a novel computer game about the glycemic index (GI) on knowledge, self-efficacy, and behavioral intention for adopting a lower GI diet. A pretest-posttest, nonequivalent control group design was employed. Students aged 18–30 years (n = 65) either completed the GI computer game or reviewed US Department of Agriculture's MyPyramid Web site regarding healthy eating guidelines. Participants completed a GI knowledge test, a self-efficacy instrument, and a questionnaire that assessed intentions to choose lower GI food choices. The computer game group showed greater gains than the control group in knowledge (P < .001) and self-efficacy scores (P < .01). Scores regarding behavioral intention also were significantly higher (P < .001) for the game group. A game-based approach may be effective in facilitating the adoption of lower GI food choices.
How individual social capital affects residents’ satisfaction with medical services: Based on the evidence from urban residents in China

Introduction Residents’ satisfaction with medical services has commonly been treated as both a medical and psychosocial process. The influence of psychosocial factors on residents’ satisfaction with medical treatment is generally considered as important as that of medical factors. However, the effect of individual social capital on residents’ satisfaction after medical treatment–an important psychosocial variable that may influence health status and access to medical services–has not received sufficient attention. Methods This study used the questionnaire survey data of urban residents in eight Chinese cities in 2014 to investigate how individual social capital affects residents’ satisfaction with medical services over the past year. Results The results revealed a negative impact of individual social capital on residents’ overall satisfaction with medical services. In addition, the use of individual social capital significantly improved residents’ satisfaction with medical resources and significantly reduced residents’ satisfaction with the medical system. Moreover, the negative impact of individual social capital on residents’ overall satisfaction with medical services was greater for individuals with a lower likelihood of using this capital, which may lead to unequal allocation of medical resources and long-term life satisfaction. Discussion The heterogeneous impact and mechanism of individual social capital on residents’ satisfaction with medical services was confirmed under the premise of self-selection bias.
Soil carbon dynamics in the temperate Himalayas: Impact of land use management

Food security and environmental health are directly linked with soil carbon (C). Soil C plays a crucial role in securing food and livelihood security for the Himalayan population besides maintaining the ecological balance in the Indian Himalayas. However, soil C is being severely depleted due to anthropogenic activities. It is well known that land use management strongly impacted the soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics and also regulates the atmospheric C chemistry. Different types of cultivation practices, i.e., forest, plantations, and crops in the Kashmir Himalayas, India, has different abilities to conserve SOC and emit C in the form of carbon dioxide (CO2). Hence, five prominent land use systems (LUC) (e.g., natural forest, natural grassland, maize-field-converted from the forest, plantation, and paddy crop) of Kashmir Himalaya were evaluated to conserve SOC, reduce C emissions, improve soil properties and develop understanding SOC pools and its fractions variations under different land use management practices. The results revealed that at 0–20 cm and 20–40 cm profile, the soil under natural forest conserved the highest total organic carbon (TOC, 24.24 g kg−1 and 18.76 g kg−1), Walkley-black carbon (WBC, 18.23 g kg−1 and 14.10 g kg−1), very-labile-carbon (VLC, 8.65 g kg−1, and 6.30 g kg−1), labile-carbon (LC, 3.58 g kg−1 and 3.14 g kg−1), less-labile-carbon (VLC, 2.59 g kg−1, and 2.00 g kg−1), non-labile-carbon (NLC, 3.41 g kg−1 and 2.66 g kg-1), TOC stock (45.88 Mg ha−1 and 41.16 Mg ha−1), WBC stock (34.50 Mg ha−1 and 30.94 Mg ha−1), active carbon pools (AC, 23.14 Mg ha−1 and 20.66 Mg ha−1), passive carbon pools (PC, 11.40 Mg ha−1 and 10.26 Mg ha−1) and carbon management index (CMI, 100), followed by the natural grassland. However, the lowest C storage was reported in paddy cropland. The soils under natural forest and natural grassland systems had a greater amount of VLC, LC, LLC, and NLC fraction than other land uses at both depths. On the other hand, maize-field-converted-from-forest-land-use soils had a higher proportion of NLC fraction than paddy soils; nonetheless, the NLC pool was maximum in natural forest soil. LUS based on forest crops maintains more SOC, while agricultural crops, such as paddy and maize, tend to emit more C in the Himalayan region. Therefore, research findings suggest that SOC under the Kashmir Himalayas can be protected by adopting suitable LUS, namely forest soil protection, and by placing some areas under plantations. The areas under the rice and maize fields emit more CO2, hence, there is a need to adopt the conservation effective measure to conserve the SOC without compromising farm productivity. Graphical Abstract