Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The reported benefits of telehealth for rural Australians.

OBJECTIVE A literature review was conducted to identify the reported benefits attributed to telehealth for people living and professionals working in rural and remote areas of Australia. DATA SOURCES Scopus and relevant journals and websites were searched using the terms: telemedicine, telehealth, telepsychiatry, teledermatology, teleradiology, Australia, and each state and territory. Publications since 1998 were included. STUDY SELECTION The initial search resulted in 176 articles, which was reduced to 143 when research reporting on Australian rural, regional or remote populations was selected. DATA SYNTHESIS A narrative review was conducted using an existing 'benefits' framework. Patients are reported to have benefited from: lower costs and reduced inconvenience while accessing specialist health services; improved access to services and improved quality of clinical services. Health professionals are reported to have benefits from access to continuing education and professional development; provision of enhanced local services; experiential learning, networking and collaboration. DISCUSSION Rural Australians have reportedly benefited from telehealth. The reported improved access and quality of clinical care available to rural Australians through telemedicine and telehealth may contribute to decreasing the urban-rural health disparities. The reported professional development opportunities and support from specialist through the use of telehealth may contribute to improved rural medical workforces recruitment and retention.
Animal models of toxic epidermal necrolysis

Stevens–Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are severe acute exfoliative skin diseases developing extensive epidermal detachment and mucosal damage. Although SJS and TEN are mostly caused by drugs, an animal model of TEN using drugs has not been established yet. We have established an autoimmune skin disease model mouse reproducing the devastating skin damage of TEN by a combination of transgenic mice expressing an epidermal model antigen and its specific CD8+ T‐cell receptor. In this model mouse, we found that the thymus‐derived CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cell (Treg) is a critical regulator of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) causing TEN. Indeed, loss of Treg function was recently demonstrated by human studies of TEN patients. Although how drug‐reactive CTL is activated in vivo is still unknown, this model elucidated the immunological pathomechanism of TEN after CTL obtained cytotoxicity against epidermal keratinocyte. In this review, roles of CTL, Treg, cytotoxic granules and antigen‐presenting cells were discussed on pathogenesis of TEN.
Effects of Music in Reducing Disruptive Behavior in a General Hospital

There are few controlled studies in acute care of the effectiveness of distracting music in reducing the frequency of noise produced by dementing individuals. OBJECTIVE: The authors tested whether a randomized intervention of playing baroque music for 30-min periods would reduce the frequency of repetitive shouting and banging in elderly patients in a teaching hospital. STUDY DESIGN: Single case studies with 9 participants (7 females, 2 males), with a mean age of 82.7 years (SD = 7.44). Observations were made at different times of day for a minimum of four sessions. RESULTS: Trials with distracting music in seven cases had a reduced frequency of disruptive noises of from 89% to 63% from peak levels in control trials. In 2 participants with an extremely high frequency of incidents, the frequency of outbursts of noise was reduced by up to 31% on trials with music compared to control trials. CONCLUSIONS: The use of music to reduce disruptive noise in an acute care setting appears to be as effective as other such interventions have been in residential care facilities.
Bioinspired Nanoparticulate Medical Glues for Minimally Invasive Tissue Repair

Delivery of tissue glues through small‐bore needles or trocars is critical for sealing holes, affixing medical devices, or attaching tissues together during minimally invasive surgeries. Inspired by the granule‐packaged glue delivery system of sandcastle worms, a nanoparticulate formulation of a viscous hydrophobic light‐activated adhesive based on poly(glycerol sebacate)‐acrylate is developed. Negatively charged alginate is used to stabilize the nanoparticulate surface to significantly reduce its viscosity and to maximize injectability through small‐bore needles. The nanoparticulate glues can be concentrated to ≈30 w/v% dispersions in water that remain localized following injection. With the trigger of a positively charged polymer (e.g., protamine), the nanoparticulate glues can quickly assemble into a viscous glue that exhibits rheological, mechanical, and adhesive properties resembling the native poly(glycerol sebacate)‐acrylate based glues. This platform should be useful to enable the delivery of viscous glues to augment or replace sutures and staples during minimally invasive procedures.
Kejadian Pradiabetes Pada Usia Dewasa Menengah Berdasarkan Karakteristik dan Perilaku Perawatan Kesehatan Keluarga

Abstrak Pradiabetes adalah kadar glukosa darah individu lebih tinggi dari normal, tetapi belum mencapai batas diagnosis diabetes. Perilaku perawatan kesehatan keluarga merupakan upaya promosi kesehatan keluarga dalam pencegahan pradiabetes. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui hubungan karakteristik keluarga dan perilaku perawatan kesehatan keluarga dengan kejadian pradiabetes pada usia dewasa menengah. Desain penelitian deskriptif observasional dengan pendekatan cross sectional. Sampel penelitian sebanyak 156 orang dewasa menengah, diambil menggunakan teknik cluster sampling. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa ada hubungan antara tipe keluarga (OR= 2,070; 95% CI 0,957-4,478), penghasilan keluarga (OR= 0,512; 95% CI 0,243-1,079), pengetahuan keluarga (OR= 7,025; 95% CI 3,109-15,876), dan praktik perawatan kesehatan keluarga (OR= 2,863; 95% CI 1,285-6,379) dengan kejadian pradiabetes. Upaya untuk meningkatkan perilaku perawatan kesehatan keluarga yang lebih efektif perlu disusun oleh tim di pelayanan kesehatan primer melalui program promosi kesehatan seperti pendidikan kesehatan, pembentukan kelompok pendukung, pemberdayaan masyarakat, kemitraan, dan intervensi keperawatan (penyusunan menu makanan sehat, aktivitas fisik, dan perawatan kaki). Kata kunci: perilaku perawatan kesehatan keluarga, pradiabetes, tipe keluarga, usia dewasa menengah Abstract Prevalence of prediabetes at middle-aged adults based on family characteristics and family health care behaviors. Prediabetes is a situation where glucose level higher than normal level, but does not satisfy the criteria for diabetes. Family health care behaviors are health promotion efforts in the family to prevention of prediabetes. The aim of the research was to determine the association between family characteristics and family health care behaviors, and prediabetes at middle-aged adults. The research used observational descriptive design with cross sectional approach. Total sample of 156 people were taken using a cluster sampling technique. The results showed that the type of family (OR= 2.070), family knowledge (OR= 7.025), and practice of family health care (OR= 2.863) are the dominant factors in the incidence of prediabetes. It is important to improve the behavior of family health care through developing health promotion program such as health education, the establishment of support groups, community empowerment, partnership, and nursing interventions. Keywords: family characteristics, family health care behaviors, middle-aged adults, prediabetes
Disability weights for diseases in the Netherlands

Disclaimer/Complaints regulations If you believe that digital publication of certain material infringes any of your rights or (privacy) interests, please let the Library know, stating your reasons. In case of a legitimate complaint, the Library will make the material inaccessible and/or remove it from the website. Please Ask the Library: https://uba.uva. nl/en/contact, or a letter to: Library of the University of Amsterdam, Secretariat, Singel 425, 1012 WP Amsterdam, The Netherlands. You will be contacted as soon as possible.
A Closed Chondromimetic Environment within Magnetic‐Responsive Liquified Capsules Encapsulating Stem Cells and Collagen II/TGF‐β3 Microparticles

TGF‐β3 is enzymatically immobilized by transglutaminase‐2 action to poly(l‐lactic acid) microparticles coated with collagen II. Microparticles are then encapsulated with stem cells inside liquified spherical compartments enfolded with a permselective shell through layer‐by‐layer adsorption. Magnetic nanoparticles are electrostatically bound to the multilayered shell, conferring magnetic‐response ability. The goal of this study is to engineer a closed environment inside which encapsulated stem cells would undergo a self‐regulated chondrogenesis. To test this hypothesis, capsules are cultured in chondrogenic differentiation medium without TGF‐β3. Their biological outcome is compared with capsules encapsulating microparticles without TGF‐β3 immobilization and cultured in normal chondrogenic differentiation medium containing soluble TGF‐β3. Glycosaminoglycans quantification demosntrates that similar chondrogenesis levels are achieved. Moreover, collagen fibrils resembling the native extracellular matrix of cartilage can be observed. Importantly, the genetic evaluation of characteristic cartilage markers confirms the successful chondrogenesis, while hypertrophic markers are downregulated. In summary, the engineered capsules are able to provide a suitable and stable chondrogenesis environment for stem cells without the need of TGF‐β3 supplementation. This kind of self‐regulated capsules with softness, robustness, and magnetic responsive characteristics is expected to provide injectability and in situ fixation, which is of great advantage for minimal invasive strategies to regenerate cartilage.
Self‐Assembled Heterojunction Carbon Nanotubes Synergizing with Photoimmobilized IGF‐1 Inhibit Cellular Senescence

Synthesis of artificial and functional structures for bone tissue engineering has been well recognized but the associated cell senescence issue remains much less concerned so far. In this work, surface‐modified polycaprolactone‐polylactic acid scaffolds using self‐assembled heterojunction carbon nanotubes (sh‐CNTs) combined with insulin‐like growth factor‐1 are synthesized and a series of structural and biological characterizations are carried out, with particular attention to cell senescence mechanism. It is revealed that the modified scaffolds can up‐regulate the expressions of alkaline phosphates and bone morphogenetic proteins while down‐regulate the expressions of senescence‐related proteins in mesenchymal stem cells, demonstrating the highly preferred anti‐senescence functionality of the sh‐CNTs modified scaffolds in bone tissue engineering. Furthermore, it is also found that with sh‐CNTs, scaffolds can accelerate bone healing with extremely low toxicity in vivo.
Laser Surface Pattering of Titanium for Improving the Biological Performance of Dental Implants

Direct laser interference patterning (DLIP) is used to produce periodic line‐like patterns on titanium surfaces. An Nd:YAG laser operating at 532 nm wavelength with a pulse duration of 8 ns is used for the laser patterning process. The generated periodic patterns with spatial periods of 5, 10, and 20 µm are produced with energy densities between 0.44 and 2.6 J cm−2 with a single laser pulse. With variation of energy density, different shapes of the arising topography are observed due to the development of the solidification front of the molten material at the maxima positions. Characterization of the surface chemistry shows that the DLIP treatment enhances the content of nitrogen of the titanium reactive layer from 3.9% up to 23.4%. The structural analysis near the titanium surface shows no changes in microstructure after the laser treatment. Contact angles between 65° and 79° are measured on both structured and turned reference surfaces. Cell viability of human osteoblasts on line‐like patterned surfaces after 7 d in cultivation medium is 16% higher compared to the grit‐blasted and acid‐etched references. Finally, the possibility of patterning complex 3D dental implants is shown.
JunB mediates enhancer/promoter activity of COL1A2 following TGF-β induction

Transcriptional control of the genes coding for collagen type I is regulated by a complex interaction between a distal enhancer and a proximal promoter. In this study, we have dissected the molecular mechanism of this interaction by defining a specific sequence within the enhancer that respond in fibroblasts to transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β). We show that TGF-β activates COL1A2 gene via a non-canonical (Smad-independent) signalling pathway, which requires enhancer/promoter co-operation. This interaction involves exchange of cJun/Jun B transcription factor occupancy of a critical enhancer site resulting in the stabilization of enhancer/promoter coalescence. Moreover, using transgenesis, we show that interference in this mechanism results in the abolition of COL1A2 fibroblast expression in vivo. These data are therefore relevant to the control of collagen type I in vivo both in embryonic development, in adult connective tissue homeostasis, and in tissue repair and scarring pathologies.
Different Susceptibility of Three Clinically Isolated Strains of Cryptococcus neoformans to the Fungicidal Effects of Reactive Nitrogen and Oxygen Intermediates: Possible Relationships with Virulence

We investigated the susceptibility of three clinically isolated strains of Cryptococcus neoformans with different virulences to reactive nitrogen and oxygen intermediates (RNI and ROI, respectively), representing two important mediators of macrophage microbicidal activity. All mice infected with the highly virulent strain of C. neoformans, YC‐11, died within 3 to 6 weeks because of rapid multiplication of the organism in the lungs and dissemination to the brain. In contrast, a weakly virulent strain, YC‐13, was almost completely eradicated from the lungs and did not disseminate to the brain, leading to survival of all infected animals during the period of observation (15 weeks). The virulence of the third strain, YC‐5, was intermediate between the other two strains. To examine the susceptibility of C. neoformans to the fungicidal effect of nitric oxide (NO) and superoxide anions (O2‐), the organisms were exposed to these oxidants, which were chemically generated in a cell‐free system. Interestingly, the number of live YC‐13 yeast cells was markedly reduced after exposure to NO and O2−. In contrast, YC‐11 was almost completely resistant to the killing effect of these oxidants. YC‐5 showed an intermediate susceptibility. Our results demonstrate that the resistance of C. neoformans to the fungicidal effects of RNI and ROI is related to virulence, and suggest that the resistance to nitrogen‐ and oxygen‐derived oxidants may be one of the factors to determine the outcome of infection with C. neoformans.
Unmet demand? Characteristics and activities of university applicants not offered a place

The report compares the ‘Applied, no offer’ group with other groups of young people. The Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) program provides a rich source of data on young people – their social and educational backgrounds, intentions, Year 12 performance, enrolments in post-school education and training, and labour market activities. The report analyses the LSAY cohort that was first sampled in Year 9 in 1998. Most were in Year 12 in 2001, and their post-school activities were analysed for 2002 and 2003.
Electron microscopic examination of uncultured soil‐dwelling bacteria

Bacteria living in soil collected from a rice paddy in Fukuoka, Japan, were examined by electron microscopy using a freeze‐substitution fixation method. Most of the observed bacteria could be categorized, based on the structure of the cell envelope and overall morphology, into one of five groups: (i) bacterial spore; (ii) Gram‐positive type; (iii) Gram‐negative type; (iv) Mycobacterium like; and (v) Archaea like. However, a few of the bacteria could not be readily categorized into one of these groups because they had unique cell wall structures, basically resembling those of Gram‐negative bacteria, but with the layer corresponding to the peptidoglycan layer in Gram‐negative bacteria being extremely thick, like that of the cortex of a bacterial spore. The characteristic morphological features found in many of these uncultured, soil‐dwelling cells were the nucleoid being in a condensed state and the cytoplasm being shrunken. We were able to produce similar morphologies in vitro using a Salmonella sp. by culturing under low‐temperature, low‐nutrient conditions, similar to those found in some natural environments. These unusual morphologies are therefore hypothesized to be characteristic of bacteria in resting or dormant stages.
Atomic Layer Deposition of a Silver Nanolayer on Advanced Titanium Orthopedic Implants Inhibits Bacterial Colonization and Supports Vascularized de Novo Bone Ingrowth

Joint replacement surgery is associated with significant morbidity and mortality following infection with either methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) or Staphylococcus epidermidis. These organisms have strong biofilm‐forming capability in deep wounds and on prosthetic surfaces, with 103–104 microbes resulting in clinically significant infections. To inhibit biofilm formation, we developed 3D titanium structures using selective laser melting and then coated them with a silver nanolayer using atomic layer deposition. On bare titanium scaffolds, S. epidermidis growth was slow but on silver‐coated implants there were significant further reductions in both bacterial recovery (p < 0.0001) and biofilm formation (p < 0.001). MRSA growth was similarly slow on bare titanium scaffolds and not further affected by silver coating. Ultrastructural examination and viability assays using either human bone or endothelial cells, demonstrated strong adherence and growth on titanium‐only or silver‐coated implants. Histological, X‐ray computed microtomographic, and ultrastructural analyses revealed that silver‐coated titanium scaffolds implanted into 2.5 mm defects in rat tibia promoted robust vascularization and conspicuous bone ingrowth. We conclude that nanolayer silver of titanium implants significantly reduces pathogenic biofilm formation in vitro, facilitates vascularization and osseointegration in vivo making this a promising technique for clinical orthopedic applications.
Relación entre trastornos del sueño, rendimiento académico y obesidad en estudiantes de preparatoria

Introduction: Sleep disorders are a public health problem that can have an impact on memory consolidation and, consequently on academic performance. There is also a direct relationship between sleep disorders and body mass index. Objective: To correlate sleep disorders with academic performance and weight disorders in a group of female students of a high school in Mexico City. Material and methods: Descriptive and transverse study through a standardized survey based on the Epworth modified somnolence scale which was applied to 160 high school female students; 15 to 18 years of age, between November 2010 and January 2011. Sleep disorders were correlated with the academic performance as well as with the body mass index. We applied the ANOVA statistic analysis followed by a T-student Results: 27.5%of the students presented sleep disorders with diurnal hipersomnia. There was a difference of 7 tenths (8.6 ± 0.08 vs 7.9 ± 0.06) in the general average proficiency between students with sleep disorders and those without them. Students with sleep disorders were also overweight or obese: 35.03 ± 2. Conclusions: Diurnal hypersomnia affects academic performance in 0.7% of the students which is also related to overweight or obesity.
Characterization of vaginal lactobacilli coaggregation ability with Escherichia coli

The coaggregation abilities of probiotic strains might enable it to form a barrier that prevents colonization by pathogenic bacteria. In the present study, the characterization of the coaggregation ability of 19 vaginal lactobacilli was studied. Coaggregation ability of all lactobacilli with Escherichia coli ATCC 11229 was positive. Only the highest coaggregation percentage of Lactobacillus acidophilus S1 was obtained with E. coli ATCC 11229 under both aerobic (71%) and anaerobic conditions (62%). The coaggregation abilities of strains occurred higher at acidic pH than at basic pH values. Moreover, the coaggregation abilities of tested strains against E. coli decreased after heat treatment (70 or 85 °C). Also, the relationship between hydrophobicity and coaggregation of strains was found to be significant. The effect of sonication, some enzymes (lipase and pepsin) and sodium periodate on coaggregation ability of L. acidophilus S1, which is one of the highest potentials on coaggregation ability, was investigated. Sodium periodate did not have a significant effect on coaggregation ability of L. acidophilus S1. The sonicated cell showed lower coaggregation than the control, the supernatant fluid of this sonicated cells showed similar coaggregation ability to the control. Coaggregation abilities of bacteriotherapeutic lactobacilli with pathogenic bacteria can be used for preliminary screening in order to identify potentially probiotic bacteria suitable for human use against urogenital tract infections.
Genome-wide CpG island methylation and intergenic demethylation propensities vary among different tumor sites

The epigenetic landscape of cancer includes both focal hypermethylation and broader hypomethylation in a genome-wide manner. By means of a comprehensive genomic analysis on 6637 tissues of 21 tumor types, we here show that the degrees of overall methylation in CpG island (CGI) and demethylation in intergenic regions, defined as ‘backbone’, largely vary among different tumors. Depending on tumor type, both CGI methylation and backbone demethylation are often associated with clinical, epidemiological and biological features such as age, sex, smoking history, anatomic location, histological type and grade, stage, molecular subtype and biological pathways. We found connections between CGI methylation and hypermutability, microsatellite instability, IDH1 mutation, 19p gain and polycomb features, and backbone demethylation with chromosomal instability, NSD1 and TP53 mutations, 5q and 19p loss and long repressive domains. These broad epigenetic patterns add a new dimension to our understanding of tumor biology and its clinical implications.
Rational Design of Glucose‐Responsive Insulin Using Pharmacokinetic Modeling

A glucose responsive insulin (GRI) is a therapeutic that modulates its potency, concentration, or dosing of insulin in relation to a patient's dynamic glucose concentration, thereby approximating aspects of a normally functioning pancreas. Current GRI design lacks a theoretical basis on which to base fundamental design parameters such as glucose reactivity, dissociation constant or potency, and in vivo efficacy. In this work, an approach to mathematically model the relevant parameter space for effective GRIs is induced, and design rules for linking GRI performance to therapeutic benefit are developed. Well‐developed pharmacokinetic models of human glucose and insulin metabolism coupled to a kinetic model representation of a freely circulating GRI are used to determine the desired kinetic parameters and dosing for optimal glycemic control. The model examines a subcutaneous dose of GRI with kinetic parameters in an optimal range that results in successful glycemic control within prescribed constraints over a 24 h period. Additionally, it is demonstrated that the modeling approach can find GRI parameters that enable stable glucose levels that persist through a skipped meal. The results provide a framework for exploring the parameter space of GRIs, potentially without extensive, iterative in vivo animal testing.