Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Insecticide resistance monitoring of field‐collected Anopheles gambiae s.l. populations from Jinja, eastern Uganda, identifies high levels of pyrethroid resistance

Insecticide resistance in the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae s.l. (Diptera: Culicidae) threatens insecticide‐based control efforts, necessitating regular monitoring. We assessed resistance in field‐collected An. gambiae s.l. from Jinja, Uganda using World Health Organization (WHO) biosassays. Only An. gambiae s.s. and An. arabiensis (≅70%) were present. Female An. gambiae exhibited extremely high pyrethroid resistance (permethrin LT50 > 2 h; deltamethrin LT50 > 5 h). Female An. arabiensis were resistant to permethrin and exhibited reduced susceptibility to deltamethrin. However, while An. gambiae were DDT resistant, An. arabiensis were fully susceptible. Both species were fully susceptible to bendiocarb and fenitrothion. Kdr 1014S has increased rapidly in the Jinja population of An. gambiae s.s. and now approaches fixation (≅95%), consistent with insecticide‐mediated selection, but is currently at a low frequency in An. arabiensis (0.07%). Kdr 1014F was also at a low frequency in An. gambiae. These frequencies preclude adequately‐powered tests for an association with phenotypic resistance. PBO synergist bioassays resulted in near complete recovery of pyrethroid susceptibility suggesting involvement of CYP450s in resistance. A small number (0.22%) of An. gambiae s.s. ×An. arabiensis hybrids were found, suggesting the possibility of introgression of resistance alleles between species. The high levels of pyrethroid resistance encountered in Jinja threaten to reduce the efficacy of vector control programmes which rely on pyrethroid‐impregnated bednets or indoor spraying of pyrethroids.
Obstructive sleep apnoea and schizophrenia: a primer for psychiatrists

Alam A, Chengappa KNR. Obstructive sleep apnoea and schizophrenia: a primer for psychiatrists Objective: The main objective of this review is to improve psychiatric clinician awareness of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and its potential consequences in patients with schizophrenia. This article will also discuss the diagnosis and treatment options for OSA while considering the significant role psychiatrists can play in facilitating the diagnosis and treatment of OSA. Data sources: Ovid, Medline and PsychInfo databases were searched for articles between 1960 and 2010. Search terms used were Sleep apnoea or apnoea and schizophrenia or psychosis. The number of articles retrieved was 38. Articles were carefully reviewed for any data pertinent to OSA in patients with schizophrenia. Conclusions: OSA is a common disorder that is frequently unrecognised. As a chronic breathing condition, OSA is associated with adverse health outcomes and high mortality. OSA may co-occur with schizophrenia or evolve over time, especially with weight gain. The diagnosis should be considered whenever a patient presents with risk factors or clinical manifestations that are highly suggestive of OSA. Those who report snoring, daytime sleepiness and are obese or have a large neck circumference should be considered for an OSA diagnosis. Appropriate diagnosis and treatment of OSA can reduce daytime sleepiness, improve cardiovascular and other medical conditions, as well as reduce mortality. Psychiatrists can play very important role in suspecting OSA in their patients and making the initial referral. Furthermore, behavioural management, especially promoting weight loss and smoking cessation, are effective components of OSA treatment that psychiatrists are positioned to facilitate with their patients.
Anxiety and depression in maintenance dialysis patients: preliminary data of a cross-sectional study and brief literature review.

BACKGROUND Anxiety and depression affect the quality of life of maintenance dialysis (MD) patients. There is little information concerning the extent to which the experience of individual hemodialysis treatments engenders anxiety in this patient population. This preliminary study examined the prevalence and severity of anxiety and depression in MD patients and the incidence of anxiety related to dialysis treatment. METHODS One hundred seventy patients, 155 undergoing maintenance hemodialysis and 15 undergoing chronic peritoneal dialysis, were examined. Inclusion criteria included dialysis vintage of at least 6 months. Patients completed the Beck Anxiety Inventory and Beck Depression Inventory and questionnaires that examined their feelings of anxiety related to individual hemodialysis sessions. RESULTS Patients' mean age was 56 ± standard deviation of 16 years; dialysis vintage, 55 ± 48 months; 46% were female. The data confirmed a high prevalence of anxiety and depression in MD patients. Many MD patients become anxious, often severely, by merely going for routine hemodialysis treatment and also owing to such common events as being connected to the hemodialyzer by a new person or on hearing their hemodialyzer alarm sound. CONCLUSION Anxiety and depression are common in MD patients. Many patients who are well established on MD experience anxiety during individual maintenance hemodialysis treatments.
Animal biology and pathology / Biologie et pathologie animales Assessment of right and left ventricular function in healthy mice by blood-pool pinhole gated SPECT

The feasibility of blood-pool pinhole ECG gated SPECT was investigated in healthy mice to assess right and left ventricular function analysis. Anaesthetized (isoflurane 1–1.5%) adult CD1 mice (n = 11) were analyzed after intravenous administration of 0.2 ml of 550 MBq of 99m Tc human albumin. For blood-pool gated SPECT imaging, 48 ventral step and shoot projections with eight time bins per RR over 180 ◦ with 64 × 64 word images were acquired with a small animal gamma camera equipped with a pinhole collimator of 12 cm in focal length and 1.5 mm in diameter. For appropriate segmentation of right and left ventricular volumes, a 4D Fourier analysis was performed after reconstruction and reorientation of blood-pool images with a voxel size of 0.55 × 0.55 × 0.55 mm 3 . Average right and left ejection fractions were respectively 52 ± 4.7% and 65 ± 5.2%. Right end diastolic and end systolic volumes were significantly higher compared with the corresponding left ventricular volumes ( P< 0.0001 each). A linear correlation between right and left stroke volumes (r = 0.9, P< 0.0001) was obtained and right and left cardiac outputs were not significantly different 14.2 ± 1.9 and 14.1 ± 2m l/min, respectively. To cite this article: C. Goetz et al., C. R. Biologies 331 (2008).
Women's expectations and experiences of childbirth.

OBJECTIVE to explore, describe and understand the expectations during pregnancy and subsequent experiences of childbirth in primiparae. DESIGN a qualitative study using a phenomenological approach. Data were collected using unstructured, tape-recorded interviews in late pregnancy and at two weeks post birth. SETTING the north of England. PARTICIPANTS eight pregnant women, expecting their first baby. FINDINGS the women all wanted to take an active part in their labour and the feeling of being 'in control' was the main finding and the 'essence' of this study. This was achieved through support from partners, the positive attitudes of the midwives caring for them during pregnancy and labour, information giving during pregnancy and labour and being able to make and be included in decision making during labour. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE if women are to be empowered by making choices for childbirth and feeling 'in control', then it is important for midwives to explore and discover the wishes and feelings of women in their care so that realistic expectations can be promoted and then hopefully fulfilled.
Can public debt stimulate public investment and economic growth in South Africa?

Abstract South Africa is a developing country faced with diverse challenges like high unemployment, poverty, inequality and low economic growth. In an attempt to address these issues, government can embark on borrowing and incur public debt. Countries that run large persistent public debt signal negative perceptions to investors as the debt might lead to credit risk posed by currency weakness and credit downgrades. The study investigated if public debt can influence public investment and ultimately economic growth. The autoregressive distributive lag, Granger causality, impulse response function and variance decomposition were applied to achieve the objectives. The cointegration test has found the existence of long-run relationship among the investigated variables. It turns out that in the long run there is a negative relationship between public debt and investment. Since there is direct link between investment and economic growth, there is an inverse relationship in the public debt economic growth nexus. The error correction mechanism confirmed that the system can adjust to equilibrium at a speed of 17%. There is bi-directional Granger causality relationship between public debt and economic growth. The impulse response function has found that, one standard deviation shock in public debt inversely affect economic growth. Variance decomposition results indicate that a shock to public debt account for 16.39% fluctuations in economic growth. It is recommended that a capital scarce country be encouraged to borrow so that more capital can be accumulated. However, the later stage of borrowing marked with high level of debt will lead to subdued growth.
Management of vestibular migraine

Vestibular migraine is considered to be the second most common cause of vertigo and the most common cause of spontaneous episodic vertigo. The duration of attacks varies from seconds to days, usually lasting minutes to hours, and they mostly occur independently of headaches. Long-lasting individual attacks are treated with generic antivertiginous and antiemetic drugs. Specific antimigraine drugs are unlikely to be very effective for rescue. The mainstay of the management of vestibular migraine is prophylactic medication. To date, there are no controlled trials available; the body of knowledge builds on case series and retrospective or observational studies. Most drugs are also used for the prevention of migraine headaches. The choice of medication should be guided by its side effect profile and the comorbidities of patients. Betablockers such as propanolol or metoprolol are preferred in patients with hypertension but in the absence of asthma. Anticonvulsants include topiramate when patients are obese, valproic acid and lamotrigine. Lamotrigine is preferred if vertigo is more frequent than headaches. Calcium antagonists include verapamil and flunarizine. If patients have anxiety, tricyclic antidepressants such as amitryptiline or nortryptiline or SSRIs and benzodiazepines such as clonazepam are recommended. Acetazolamide is effective in rare genetic disorders related to migraine-like episodic ataxia; however, its place in vestibular migraine is still to be established. Nonpharmacological measures such as diet, sleep, hygiene and avoidance of triggers are recommended as they are for migraine. Vestibular rehabilitation might be useful when there are complications such as loss of confidence in balance or visual dependence.
Hybridization selection and cell-free translation of mRNA's encoded within the inverted terminal repetition of the vaccinia virus genome

Early polypeptides encoded within the 10,000-base pair terminally repeated region of the vaccinia virus genome were mapped by cell-free translation of mRNA that was selected by hybridization to restriction fragments and to separated strands of a recombinant lambda phage. The results, which were confirmed by hybrid arrest of translation, indicated that polypeptides of 7,500 (7.5K), 19,000 (19K), and 42,000 (42K) daltons mapped at approximately 3.2 to 4.3, 6.5 to 7.2, and 7.2 to 8.3 kilobase pairs from the end of the genome, respectively. mRNA's for the 42K and 7.5K polypeptides were transcribed towards the end of the genome, whereas mRNA for the 19K polypeptide was transcribed in the opposite direction. Including polyadenylic acid tails, the lengths of the mRNA's for the 7.5K, 19K, and 42K polypeptides, determined by gel electrophoresis of denatured RNA, hybridization selection, and cell-free translation, were approximately 1,200, 680, and 1,280 nucleotides, respectively. mRNA's for the 42K and 19K polypeptides were only about 100 nucleotides longer than the minimums required to code for their respective polypeptides, whereas mRNA for the 7.5K polypeptide contained 900 nucleotides of untranslated sequence. This long untranslated portion of the latter mRNA was probably located near the 3' end, because this gene was only inactivated by high doses of UV irradiation. This small target size also excluded certain models for RNA processing involving formation of the mRNA's for the 42K and 7.5K polypeptides from a common promoter. Rabbitpox virus, which has an inverted terminal repetition approximately half that of vaccinia virus, was also shown to encode mRNA's that hybridized to the cloned terminal segment of vaccinia virus DNA.
Cognitive reserve and cortical atrophy in multiple sclerosis

Objective: To test the cognitive reserve (CR) hypothesis in the model of multiple sclerosis (MS) by assessing the interactions among CR, brain atrophy, and cognitive efficiency in patients with relapsing-remitting MS. Methods: A Cognitive Reserve Index was calculated including education, premorbid leisure activities, and IQ. Brain atrophy was assessed through magnetic resonance quantitative parameters of normalized total brain volume and normalized cortical volume. Cognitive function was measured using Rao's Brief Repeatable Battery. Results: Fifty-two patients with relapsing-remitting MS were evaluated at baseline and 35 of them were reassessed after a 1.6-year follow-up period. At baseline, higher CR predicted better performance on most of the Brief Repeatable Battery tests, independent of brain atrophy and clinical and demographic characteristics (p ≤ 0.021). An interaction between CRI and normalized cortical volume predicted better cognitive performance on tasks of verbal memory and attention/information processing speed (p < 0.005). However, at the follow-up examination, progressing cortical atrophy (β = 0.45; p = 0.008) and older age (β = −0.33; p = 0.044) were the only predictors of deteriorating cognitive performance. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that higher CR in individuals with MS may mediate between cognitive performance and brain pathology. CR-related compensation may, however, fail with progression of damage. The time window of opportunity for therapeutic approaches aimed at intellectual enhancement most likely lies in the earliest disease stages.
Elevated blood cyanide concentrations in victims of smoke inhalation.

BACKGROUND The nature of the toxic gases that cause death from smoke inhalation is not known. In addition to carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide may be responsible, but its role is uncertain, because blood cyanide concentrations are often measured only long after exposure. METHODS We measured cyanide concentrations in blood samples obtained at the scene of residential fires from 109 fire victims before they received any treatment. We compared the results with those in 114 persons with drug intoxication (40 subjects), carbon monoxide intoxication (29 subjects), or trauma (45 subjects). The metabolic effect of smoke inhalation was assessed by measuring plasma lactate at the time of admission to the hospital in 39 patients who did not have severe burns. RESULTS The mean (+/-SD) blood cyanide concentrations in the 66 surviving fire victims (21.6 +/- 36.4 mumol per liter, P less than 0.001) and the 43 victims who died (116.4 +/- 89.6 mumol per liter, P less than 0.001) were significantly higher than those in the 114 control subjects (5.0 +/- 5.5 mumol per liter). Among the 43 victims who died, the blood cyanide concentrations were above 40 mumol per liter in 32 (74 percent), and above 100 mumol per liter in 20 of these (46 percent). There was a significant correlation between blood cyanide and carbon monoxide concentrations in the fire victims (P less than 0.001). Plasma lactate concentrations at the time of hospital admission correlated more closely with blood cyanide concentrations than with blood carbon monoxide concentrations. Plasma lactate concentrations above 10 mmol per liter were a sensitive indicator of cyanide intoxication, as defined by the presence of a blood cyanide concentration above 40 mumol per liter. CONCLUSIONS Residential fires may cause cyanide poisoning. At the time of a patient's hospital admission, an elevated plasma lactate concentration is a useful indicator of cyanide toxicity in fire victims who do not have severe burns.
Imaging Techniques for Small Animal Imaging Models of Pulmonary Disease: Micro-CT

Microcomputed tomography (micro-CT) is ideal for quantifying pulmonary disease because of the inherent contrast between tissue and air that exists in the lungs. Both in vivo and in vitro studies can be performed using micro-CT. Live animal studies show function, while fixed specimen studies show structure. Through the use of image processing techniques, both acute and chronic lung diseases can be quantified. The information provided by micro-CT is complementary to histological evaluation, since CT is nondestructive. This paper discusses two examples, in vivo and in vitro, of how micro-CT can be used to assess pulmonary diseases in small animal models. With the use of micro-CT, we were able to quantify pulmonary fibrosis in the live rat and investigate the microstructure of the airway in fixed mouse lungs.
Losses of the tumor suppressor BIN1 in breast carcinoma are frequent and reflect deficits in programmed cell death capacity

Oncogenic activation of MYC occurs often in breast carcinoma and is associated with poor prognosis. Loss or inactivation of mechanisms that restrain MYC may therefore be involved in tumor progression. In this study, we show that the MYC‐interacting adaptor protein BIN1 is frequently missing in malignant breast cells and that this loss is functionally significant. BIN1 was expressed in normal and benign cells and tissues but was undetectable in 6/6 estrogen receptor–positive or estrogen receptor–negative carcinoma cell lines examined. Similarly, complete or partial losses of BIN1 were documented in 30/50 (60%) cases of malignant breast tissue analyzed by immuno‐histochemistry or RT‐PCR. Abnormalities in the organization of the BIN1 gene were apparent in only a minority of these cases, suggesting that most losses were due to epigenetic causes. Nevertheless, they were functionally significant because ectopic BIN1 induced programmed cell death in malignant cells lacking endogenous BIN1 but had no effect on the viability of benign cells. We propose that loss of BIN1 may contribute to breast cancer progression by eliminating a mechanism that restrains the ability of activated MYC to drive cell division inappropriately. Int. J. Cancer 85:376–383, 2000. ©2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Differential involvement of cortical receptor mechanisms in working, short-term and long-term memory

Rats received, through bilaterally implanted indwelling cannulae, 0.5 µl infusions of 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline2,3-dione (CNQX) (0.5 µg), D-2-amino-5-phophono pentanoic acid (AP5) (5.0 µg), muscimol (0.5 µg), scopolamine (2.0 µg), SCH23390 (2.5 µg), saline or a vehicle into the CA1 region of the hippocampus, or into the antero-lateral prefrontal (PRE), posterior parietal (PP) and entorhinal cortex (EC). The infusions were given 6min prior to one-trial step-down inhibitory avoidance training in order to measure their effect on working memory (WM), or immediately post-training in order to measure their effect on short-term (STM) and long-term memory (LTM), 1.5 and 24 h later, respectively. WM was inhibited by CNQX or muscimol given into any of the cortical areas, by SCH23390 given into CA1, PRE or PP, and by scopolamine given into PRE or EC. STM was unaffected by any of the treatments given into PRE, and was inhibited by CNQX or muscimol given into CA1, PP and EC and by scopolamine given into PP, and enhanced by SCH given into CA1. LTM was inhibited by CNQX, muscimol, scopolamine or SCH23390 given into PRE, by scopolamine given into PP, by SCH23390 given into the entorhinal cortex, and by AP5, CNQX, muscimol or scopolamine given into CA1. The results indicate a differential involvement of the various neurotransmitter systems in the three types of memory in the various brain areas, and a separation of the mechanisms and of the regions involved in each. In addition, some of the findings suggested links between WM and LTM processing in PRE, between WM and STM processing in EC and PP, and between all three types of memory in CA1.
Mutation in the SLC4A11 Gene Associated with Autosomal Recessive Congenital Hereditary Endothelial Dystrophy in a Large Saudi Family

Objective: To determine the role of the SLC4A11 gene in two pedigrees affected with autosomal recessive congenital hereditary endothelial dystrophy (CHED). Methods: Nine members of a pedigree from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (pedigree 971G) and 2 twins in a pedigree from Bosnia (pedigree GGO413) were diagnosed with autosomal recessive CHED and contributed DNA samples for genetic studies. The proband of each pedigree was tested for disease-causing mutations in the SLC4A11 gene with bi-directional DNA sequencing. Screening assays using restriction enzyme digests were developed to test a cohort of 99 normal control subjects for the presence of SLC4A11 mutations. Results: A novel, homozygous mutation in the SLC4A11 gene (Thr271Met) was detected in the proband of pedigree 971G. Homozygous Thr271Met mutations were detected in all affected members of pedigree 971G. The Thr271Met mutation was not detected in a cohort of 99 normal control subjects. This mutation alters a highly conserved amino acid in the encoded SLC4A11 protein. No SLC4A11 mutations were detected in pedigree GGO413. Conclusion: A novel SLC4A11 mutation (Thr271Met) is associated with autosomal recessive CHED in a pedigree from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and provides additional support that mutations in this gene cause disease.
A framework for the dissemination and utilization of research for health-care policy and practice.

PURPOSE The purpose of this paper is to construct a comprehensive framework of research dissemination and utilization that is useful for both health policy and clinical decision-making. ORGANIZING CONSTRUCT The framework illustrates that the process of the adoption of research evidence into health-care decision-making is influenced by a variety of characteristics related to the individual, organization, environment and innovation. The framework also demonstrates the complex inter-relationships among these characteristics as progression through the five stages of innovation namely, knowledge, persuasion, decision, implementation and confirmation occurs. Finally, the framework integrates the concepts of research dissemination, evidence-based decision-making and research utilization within the diffusion of innovations theory. METHODS During the discussion of each stage of the innovation adoption process, relevant literature from the management field (i.e., diffusion of innovations, organizational management and decision-making) and health-care sector (i.e., research dissemination and utilization and evidence-based practice) is summarized. Studies providing empirical data contributing to the development of the framework were assessed for methodological quality. CONCLUSIONS The process of research dissemination and utilization is complex and determined by numerous intervening variables related to the innovation (research evidence), organization, environment and individual.