Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Managing unplanned pregnancies in five countries: Perspectives on contraception and abortion decisions

Why is induced abortion common in environments in which modern contraception is readily available? This study analyses qualitative data collected from focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with women and men from low-income areas in five countries – the United States, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru and Mexico – to better understand how couples manage their pregnancy risk. Across all settings, women and men rarely weigh the advantages and disadvantages of contraception and abortion before beginning a sexual relationship or engaging in sexual intercourse. Contraception is viewed independently of abortion, and the two are linked only when the former is invoked as a preferred means to avoiding repeat abortion. For women, contraceptive methods are viewed as suspect because of perceived side effects, while abortion experience, often at significant personal risk to them, raises the spectre of social stigma and motivates better practice of contraception. In all settings, male partners figure importantly in pregnancy decisions and management. Although there are inherent study limitations of small sample sizes, the narratives reveal psychosocial barriers to effective contraceptive use and identify nodal points in pregnancy decision-making that can structure future investigations.
Review of the use of standardized patients in speech-language pathology clinical education

Allied health programmes worldwide have reported increasing difficulty in finding sufficient traditional clinical placements for students within the workplace. As a result, some programmes are taking alternative approaches to clinical training. One such approach is to use standardized patients. A standardized patient is an individual trained to portray a specific clinical case in a highly consistent and measurable manner. The use of standardized patients in speech-language pathology clinical education has been limited. The purpose of this paper is to describe the use of standardized patients and objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) to train and assess students in speech-language pathology. The limited literature on the use of standardized patients and OSCEs in speech-language pathology is reviewed, and a call is made for further research into the use of standardized patients and OSCEs for clinical education and assessment.
Aberrant dentate gyrus cytoarchitecture and fiber lamination in LIS1 mutant mice

Mutant mice with a heterozygous deletion of LIS1, show varying degrees of hippocampal abnormality and enhanced excitability. To examine how LIS1 affects cytoarchitecture and fiber lamination in dentate gyrus (DG), we performed a series of immunohistochemistry studies. By using different neuronal‐ and glial‐specific antibodies, we found that the majority of hippocampal cell populations were affected by heterozygous mutation of LIS1; some reelin‐positive Cajal‐Retzius cells were left undisturbed. Granule cell dispersion was significant in hippocampal sections from Lis1‐deficient mice. However, the fiber termination of commissural/associational fibers and mossy fibers appeared relatively compact despite obvious granule cell dispersion and CA1‐CA3 pyramidal cell disorganization. vGlut1‐immunoreactive axon terminals were found aberrantly traversing the dispersed granule cell layer. Consistent with previous observations, we also found that immature granule cells in Lis1 mutants, here stained with antibodies to doublecortin (DCX) and Mash‐1, are aberrantly located and bear an abnormal cellular morphology. Our findings suggest that LIS1 mutants exhibit abnormal cell positioning and aberrant hippocampal neurogenesis, but maintain relatively normal fiber termination patterns. The functional consequences of hippocampal granule cell dispersion could offer critical insight to the epileptic and cognitive disorder associated with LIS1 haploinsufficiency. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Changes of hippocampal signaling protein levels during postnatal brain development in the rat

Developmental regulation of individual signaling proteins in the brain has been reported, although no systematic approach to study postnatal signaling protein expression in the rat has been described. This formed the rationale to compare hippocampal protein levels in rat hippocampus at different developmental time points. Sprague‐Dawley rats at 3 days, 3 weeks, and 3 months of age were used, hippocampi were extirpated, proteins extracted and run on two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis with subsequent identification of protein spots by mass spectrometry. Identified signaling proteins were quantified by specific software and for between group comparison Fisher's exact or Mann–Whitney U tests were applied. Annexin A3, GTP‐binding nuclear protein RAN, phosphatidylethanolamine‐binding protein, adenylyl cyclase associated protein 1, Rho‐associated protein kinase 1, nucleoside diphosphate kinase A, LIM, and SH3 domain protein 1 were developmentally regulated. High‐abundance hippocampal signaling proteins from several cascades in three different postnatal stages are presented, showing temporal regulation of signaling protein levels that have not been described in literature so far. Results are relevant for design and interpretation of further studies at the protein level and, moreover, an analytical tool concomitantly determining regulation of a large series of signaling proteins in the hippocampus is provided. These data contribute to the understanding that different time points may use different signaling cascades. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Deconstructing ‘barriers’ to access: Minority ethnic women and medicalised maternal health services in Vietnam

Abstract Low maternal health service utilisation amongst minority ethnic women in Vietnam is often attributed to ‘traditional customs’. Drawing on secondary data and original, qualitative research amongst Hmong and Thai communities, this paper analyses minority behaviour related to childbirth. The informed selectivity in service attendance identified can be considered, in part, a rejection of current medicalised approaches at health facilities, where supine delivery is compulsory and family members are prohibited from attending women in labour. The paper reveals how conventional analyses of barriers to minority maternal health service utilisation inhibit scrutiny of the ways services fail to engage with or accommodate local preferences. Participatory identification of mutually acceptable delivery methods by maternal health staff and local women is recommended to enable the development of culturally inclusive services.
Effects of pre or posttraining dorsal hippocampus D‐AP5 injection on fear conditioning to tone, background, and foreground context

NMDA receptor antagonist D‐AP5 was injected into the dorsal hippocampus of Wistar rats before or immediately after the training session in fear conditioning. Training was conducted both with signaled (background context) or unsignaled (foreground context) footshocks. Contextual fear conditioning was assessed 24 h later and tone fear conditioning 48 h after training (only in the signaled footshock condition). Pretraining injections impaired conditioned fear to contextual features, both in background and foreground configurations, whereas tone fear conditioning was left intact. Posttraining injections were ineffective in all cases. We conclude that dorsal hippocampal NMDA receptors are required for contextual fear acquisition independently of context saliency and that they are not required to early consolidation processes. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Levothyroxin restores hypothyroidism‐induced impairment of hippocampus‐dependent learning and memory: Behavioral, electrophysiological, and molecular studies

Hypothyroidism induces cognitive impairment in experimental animals and patients. Clinical reports are conflicting about the ability of thyroid hormone replacement therapy to fully restore the hypothyroidism‐induced learning and memory impairment. In this study, we investigated the effects of L‐thyroxin (thyroxin) treatment on hippocampus‐dependent learning and memory in thyroidectomized adult rats. In the radial arm water maze (RAWM) task, thyroxin treated thyroidectomized animals made significantly fewer errors than the untreated hypothyroid animals in Trial 3 of the acquisition phase, short‐term memory and long‐term memory tests. In addition, the number of errors made by the thyroxin treated thyroidectomized animals was not different from that of the control group. Furthermore, the days‐to‐criterion (DTC) values for thyroxin treated thyroidectomized animals were not different from those of the control group but significantly lower than those of the untreated hypothyroid animals. In anesthetized rats, extracellular recording from hippocampal area CA1 of hypothyroid rats shows that thyroxin treatment restores impaired Late‐phase long‐term potentiation (L‐LTP). Immunoblot analysis of signaling molecules, including cyclic‐AMP response element binding protein (CREB), mitogen‐activated protein kinases (MAPKp44/42; ERK1/2), in area CA1 revealed that thyroxin treatment reversed hypothyroidism‐induced reduction of signaling molecules essential for learning and memory, and L‐LTP. This study shows that thyroxin treatment reverses hypothyroidism‐induced impairment of hippocampus‐dependent cognition, and L‐LTP, probably by restoring the levels of signaling molecule important for these processes. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The human hippocampus at 7 T—In vivo MRI

The human hippocampus plays a central role in various neuropsychiatric disorders, such as temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), Alzheimer's dementia, mild cognitive impairment, and schizophrenia. Its volume, morphology, inner structure, and function are of scientific and clinical interest. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is a widely employed tool in neuroradiological workup regarding changes in brain anatomy, (sub‐) volumes, and cerebral function including the hippocampus. Gain in intrinsic MR signal provided by higher field strength scanners and concomitant improvements in spatial resolution seem highly valuable. An examination protocol permitting complete, high‐resolution imaging of the human hippocampus at 7 T was implemented. Coronal proton density, T2, T2*, and fluid‐attenuated inversion recovery contrasts were acquired as well as an isotropic 3D magnetization‐prepared rapid acquisition gradient‐echo (500 μm isotropic voxel dimension, noninterpolated). Observance of energy deposition restrictions within acceptable scan times remained challenging in the acquisition of thin, spin‐echo‐based sections. At the higher resolution enabled by 7 T, demarcation of the hippocampus and some internal features including gray/white matter differentiation and depiction of the hippocampal mantle becomes much more viable when compared with 1.5 T; thus, in the future, this imaging technology might help in the diagnosis of subtle hippocampal changes. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Students with chronic diseases: nature of school physician support.

BACKGROUND To educate children with chronic diseases in the least restrictive environment, schools must prevent, recognize, and react appropriately to symptom exacerbations. Schools are often pushed to their limits of knowledge, resources, and comfort level. This study determined the health conditions of students for whom districts seek school physician consultation and the nature of school physician consultants' involvement. METHODS A retrospective record review was performed on 250 of the most recent records of school-elicited referrals from an academic center that provides physician consultation to school districts. Referrals were sent from 8 school districts in southern California (July 1996 to October 2006). Data collected were nature of student's special health need, the school physician consultant's intervention required to satisfy schools' needs, student grade level, enrollment in special education, and health-related excessive absenteeism. RESULTS No single chronic condition, symptom, or special health care need predominated. Six types of school physician consultant activities were used to overcome hurdles schools faced when accommodating students with special health care needs. The 3 most common were direct communication with students' own physicians (70% of students), recommending an appropriate level of school health services when this was a matter of controversy (42%), and formulating portions of students' individualized school health plans (38%). CONCLUSIONS A portion of students with special health care needs benefited from district referral to a school physician consultant. Whether some of these referrals can be avoided if school personnel and students' own physicians are supported and trained to communicate more effectively with one another needs to be explored.
Directly observed physical activity levels in preschool children.

BACKGROUND Millions of young children attend preschools and other structured child development programs, but little is known about their physical activity levels while in those settings. The purpose of this study was to describe the physical activity levels and demographic and school-related correlates of physical activity in children attending preschools, using a direct observation measurement system. METHODS The Observational System for Recording Physical Activity in Children-Preschool Version was used to measure physical activity levels and related factors in four hundred ninety-three 3- to 5-year-old children in 24 preschools. A minimum of six hundred 30-second observation intervals were recorded for each child. Physical (height/weight) and demographic data also were collected. RESULTS Children engaged in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during less than 3% of the observation intervals and were sedentary during more than 80% of the observation intervals. Boys were more likely than girls to engage in MVPA (p = .01), and 3-year-old boys were more active than 4- and 5-year-old boys (p = .01). The preschool that a child attended explained 27% of the variance in activity levels. CONCLUSIONS The study indicates that young children are physically inactive during most of their time in preschool. The preschool that a child attended was a stronger predictor of physical activity level than any other factor examined. Additional research is needed to identify the characteristics of preschools in which children are more active.
Precisão do método de bioimpedância na avaliação da composição corporal em mulheres brasileiras menopausadas

Predictive accuracy of bioimpendance method for assessing body composition of brazilian menopause women The purpose of this study was to determine the predictive accuracy of the Bioimpedance (BIA) method for the assessment of the body composition of 95 Brazilian pos-menopause women (62.27 ± 7.69 years). The BIA method is relatively not expensive, fast and not invasive (LUKASKI, 1987). However, the validity of this method has never been tested in older Brazilian women. Moreover, CHUMLEA & BAUMGARTNER (1989) do not recommend the use of the hydrostatic weighing in older individual. Thus, the DXA (DPX-IQ, Version 4.6) was used to obtain the reference relative fat (%BF), and the fat free mass (FFM). The total body resistance was measured with a BIA RJL model. The LOHMAN (1992) specific equation for elders, and the SEGAL et al. (1988) fatness specific equations (obese > 30%BF and not obese < 30%BF) were analysed in this study. The results were as follows: The LOHMAN et al. (1992) BIA equation presented a good validity coefficient (r = 0.88), an excellent standard error of estimation (SEE = 2.01 kg). However, the LOHMAN equation significantly overestimated the FFM of the studied sample (D = 0.63 kg). However, the BIA equations of SEGAL et al. (1988) accurately estimated the FFM of the studied sample (D = 0.40 kg), and presented an acceptable error (SEE = 2.11 kg). Based on these results, it can be recommended to physical education professionals, endocrinologists and nutritionists the use of the BIA method for the assessment of the body composition of Brazilian menopause women.
Hippocampal NMDA receptor subunits differentially regulate fear memory formation and neuronal signal propagation

Activation of NMDA receptors (NMDAR) in the hippocampus is essential for the formation of contextual and trace memory. However, the role of individual NMDAR subunits in the molecular mechanisms contributing to these memory processes is not known. Here we demonstrate, using intrahippocampal injection of subunit‐selective compounds, that the NR2A‐preferring antagonist impaired contextual and trace fear conditioning as well as learning‐induced increase of the nuclear protein c‐Fos. The NR2B‐specific antagonist, on the other hand, selectively blocked trace fear conditioning without affecting c‐Fos levels. Studies with cultured primary hippocampal neurons, further showed that synaptic and extrasynaptic NR2A and NR2B differentially regulate the extracellular signal‐regulated kinase 1 and 2/mitogen‐ and stress‐activated protein kinase 1 (ERK1/2/MSK1)/c‐Fos pathway. Activation of the synaptic population of NMDAR induced cytosolic, cytoskeletal, and perinuclear phosphorylation of ERK1/2 (pERK1/2). The nuclear propagation of pERK1/2 signals, revealed by upregulation of the downstream nuclear targets pMSK1 and c‐Fos, was blocked by a preferential NR2A but not by a specific NR2B antagonist. Conversely, activation of total (synaptic and extrasynaptic) NMDAR engaged receptors with NR2B subunits, and resulted in membrane retention of pERK1/2 without inducing pMSK1 and c‐Fos. Stimulation of extrasynaptic NMDAR alone was consistently ineffective at activating ERK signaling. The discrete contribution of synaptic and total NR2A‐ and NR2B‐containing NMDAR to nuclear transmission vs. membrane retention of ERK signaling may underlie their specific roles in the formation of contextual and trace fear memory. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Examination of trends and evidence-based elements in state physical education legislation: a content analysis.

OBJECTIVES To develop a comprehensive inventory of state physical education (PE) legislation, examine trends in bill introduction, and compare bill factors. METHODS State PE legislation from January 2001 to July 2007 was identified using a legislative database. Analysis included components of evidence-based school PE from the Community Guide and other authoritative sources: minutes in PE, PE activity, teacher certification, and an environmental element, including facilities and equipment. Researchers abstracted information from each bill and a composite list was developed. RESULTS In total, 781 bills were analyzed with 162 enacted. Of the 272 bills that contained at least 1 evidence-based element, 43 were enacted. Only 4 bills included all 4 evidence-based elements. Of these 4, 1 was enacted. Funding was mentioned in 175 of the bills introduced (37 enacted) and an evaluation component was present in 172 of the bills (49 enacted). CONCLUSIONS Based on this analysis, we showed that PE is frequently introduced, yet the proportion of bills with evidence-based elements is low. Future research is needed to provide the types of evidence required for development of quality PE legislation.
Continuing professional education in Eritrea taught by local obstetrics and gynaecology residents: Effects on work environment and patient outcomes

Education and training can improve the quality of health care. We evaluated a course taught by Obstetrics/Gynaecology residents on the work environment and maternal/neonatal outcomes at Orotta Maternity Hospital. Participants were given a Standardised Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ) to measure work environment before and after training. Maternal/neonatal outcomes were extracted from hospital logbooks. Neonatal quality indicators were: adverse score index, weighted score index and severity score index. SAQ response rate was 77.6% (45/58) pre-training and 95.6% (43/45) post-training. Mean total SAQ score increased from 3.07 to 3.32 out of 5 points (p < 0.05). Changes in relative risk (RR) were not statistically significant for maternal [maternal death ratio of RR (RRR) =1.08, 95% CI: 0.20−5.84 and blood transfusion RRR = 0.90, 95% CI: 0.74 –1.09] or neonatal outcomes (intrapartum death RRR = 1.24, 95% CI: 0.57–2.75, neonatal death RRR = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.26–3.24, neonatal transfer RRR = 1.02, 95% CI: 0.81–1.27, and Apgar < 7 at 5 minutes RRR = 1.20, 95% CI: 0.83−1.73). Neonatal quality indicators did not change significantly. Utilising residents to teach staff-developed training within a hospital setting was feasible and may improve the work environment. Impact on maternal/neonatal outcomes is not evident but continued follow-up is important.
School climate factors contributing to student and faculty perceptions of safety in select Arizona schools.

BACKGROUND To ensure that schools are safe places where students can learn, researchers and educators must understand student and faculty safety concerns. This study examines student and teacher perceptions of school safety. METHODS Twenty-two focus groups with students and faculty were conducted in 11 secondary schools. Schools were selected from a stratified sample to vary in location, proximity to Indian reservations, size, and type. The data analysis was based on grounded theory. RESULTS In 9 of 11 schools, neither faculty nor students voiced overwhelming concerns about safety. When asked what makes school safe, students tended to report physical security features. School climate and staff actions also increased feelings of safety. Faculty reported that relationships and climate are key factors in making schools safe. High student performance on standardized tests does not buffer students from unsafe behavior, nor does living in a dangerous neighborhood necessarily lead to more drug use or violence within school walls. School climate seemed to explain the difference between schools in which students and faculty reported higher versus lower levels of violence and alcohol and other drug use. CONCLUSIONS The findings raise provocative questions about school safety and provide insight into elements that lead to perceptions of safety. Some schools have transcended issues of location and neighborhood to provide an environment perceived as safe. Further study of those schools could provide insights for policy makers, program planners, and educational leaders.
Determination of True ERBB2 Gene Amplification in Breast Cancer by Quantitative PCR Using a Reference and a Novel Control Gene

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (ERBB2/HER2) is amplified and overexpressed in 20% to 25% of breast carcinomas, correlates with poor outcome, and is an indication for treatment with trastuzumab. Accurate assessment of ERBB2 status is crucial for proper prognosis and to offer appropriate treatment for patients. ERBB2 status is generally determined by immunohistochemistry or fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and sporadically by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). We developed a new algorithm, termed quantitative PCR algorithm (QPA) score, and compared its performance with the gold standard FISH assay. The QPA is a computation of the relative number of copies of the ERBB2 gene with respect to a nonstandard, short-arm centromeric sequence on chromosome 17, and referenced to a single-copy gene, RPP30. This provides a more reliable determination of ERBB2 amplification, reducing the false polysomy 17 error. A total of 69 breast carcinoma samples were tested for quantitative real-time PCR and FISH, and the degree of concordance was analyzed. Sixty-two cases were in agreement between the 2 methods, and the contingency study assigned a &kgr; value of 0.729 for their correlation. A receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to determine the optimal cut-off point for ERBB2 amplification, which was estimated at a QPA=1.53 (sensitivity=0.863; specificity=0.944). Our data conclude that the QPA is able to determine ERBB2 gene status with high accuracy, while also overcoming the limitations of conventional techniques and providing better cost-effectiveness.