Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The commodity and exchange value of housing in the domestic economy of drug users

This study extends previous knowledge about items of consumption, expenditure and exchange in the domestic economy of problematic drug users. It identifies housing as a factor in this wider domestic economy whereby drug users manage their disposable income with a need to maintain drug supply, a need for subsistence and a need for accommodation. The components of the domestic economy of drug users relate to each other in more complicated ways than has been presented in much previous research describing the elasticity of drug consumption in relation to price and income. The elasticity of drug demand and consumption relates not only to the price of drugs but also to the price of other items of expenditure, one of which is accommodation. Housing is seen as a commodity in demand amongst a group of people for whom accommodation may be problematic, insecure or non-existent. Consequently it has an exchange value and can be bartered for other commodities or services—drugs, sex, money or goods. Using qualitative research the paper explores the way this relationship operates amongst a sample of forty problematic drug users in three areas of the North West of England and considers how changes in the Housing Benefit system could affect the relationship between housing and drug consumption.
Snapshot whole‐brain T1 relaxometry using steady‐state prepared spiral multislice variable flip angle imaging

Variable flip angle (VFA) imaging is widely used for whole‐brain T1 quantification. Because of the requirement to acquire at least two sets of MR images at different flip angles, VFA relaxometry is relatively slow. Here, whole‐brain VFA T1 mapping at 1.5 T is accelerated by using efficient spiral non‐Cartesian imaging
Association between meteorological factors and reported cases of hand, foot, and mouth disease from 2000 to 2015 in Japan

SUMMARY The purpose of this study was to clarify the association between hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) epidemics and meteorological conditions. We used HFMD surveillance data of all 47 prefectures in Japan from January 2000 to December 2015. Spectral analysis was performed using the maximum entropy method (MEM) for temperature-, relative humidity-, and total rainfall-dependent incidence data. Using MEM-estimated periods, long-term oscillatory trends were calculated using the least squares fitting (LSF) method. The temperature and relative humidity thresholds of HFMD data were estimated from the LSF curves. The average temperature data indicated a lower threshold at 12 °C and a higher threshold at 30 °C for risk of HFMD infection. Maximum and minimum temperature data indicated a lower threshold at 6 °C and a higher threshold at 35 °C, suggesting a need for HFMD control measures at temperatures between 6 and 35 °C. Based on our findings, we recommend the use of maximum and minimum temperatures rather than the average temperature, to estimate the temperature threshold of HFMD infections. The results obtained might aid in the prediction of epidemics and preparation for the effect of climatic changes on HFMD epidemiology.
Development of prediction models for upper and lower respiratory and gastrointestinal tract infections using social network parameters in middle-aged and older persons -The Maastricht Study-

Abstract The ability to predict upper respiratory infections (URI), lower respiratory infections (LRI), and gastrointestinal tract infections (GI) in independently living older persons would greatly benefit population and individual health. Social network parameters have so far not been included in prediction models. Data were obtained from The Maastricht Study, a population-based cohort study (N = 3074, mean age (±s.d.) 59.8 ± 8.3, 48.8% women). We used multivariable logistic regression analysis to develop prediction models for self-reported symptomatic URI, LRI, and GI (past 2 months). We determined performance of the models by quantifying measures of discriminative ability and calibration. Overall, 953 individuals (31.0%) reported URI, 349 (11.4%) LRI, and 380 (12.4%) GI. The area under the curve was 64.7% (95% confidence interval (CI) 62.6–66.8%) for URI, 71.1% (95% CI 68.4–73.8) for LRI, and 64.2% (95% CI 61.3–67.1%) for GI. All models had good calibration (based on visual inspection of calibration plot, and Hosmer–Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test). Social network parameters were strong predictors for URI, LRI, and GI. Using social network parameters in prediction models for URI, LRI, and GI seems highly promising. Such parameters may be used as potential determinants that can be addressed in a practical intervention in older persons, or in a predictive tool to compute an individual's probability of infections.
Urban rodent reservoirs of Borrelia spp. in Warsaw, Poland

Abstract The anticipated worldwide surge in urban environments is generating ever-greater interest in the study of host–pathogen interactions in this specific type of habitat. We investigated the potential of city-inhabiting rodents to serve as the main Lyme borreliosis agents (Borrelia spp.) reservoir. We also tried to verify if anthropogenic disturbances changing the vertebrate species community composition may also alter the scheme of Borrelia spp. circulation. A total of 252 Apodemus mice (A. agrarius, A. flavicollis, A. sylvaticus) were captured in Warsaw (Poland), at sites classified into different zones of anthropogenic disturbance, ranging from suburban forests to municipal parks strictly in the city centre. Borrelia spp. infection, ascertained based on bacterium DNA presence in the rodents’ blood, was found only in A. agrarius and A. flavicollis (7.6 and 6%, respectively). Only one species from the Borrelia genus – the mammal-associated species B. afzelii – was found in the mice studied. We found no statistical evidence of a correlation between infection in Apodemus mice and the zone of anthropogenic disturbance where the mice were caught. Non-homogeneous concentrations of Borelia spp. infected specimens within the strict city centre area suggest a lack of contact between members of particular mice subpopulations, and their responsibility for relatively high, but local Borrelia spp. infection.
An outbreak of haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome linked with mountain recreational activities in Zagreb, Croatia, 2017

Abstract In 2017 Zagreb faced the largest outbreak of haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) to date. We investigated to describe the extent of the outbreak and identify risk factors for infection. We compared laboratory-confirmed cases of Hantavirus infection in Zagreb residents with the onset of illness after 1 January 2017, with individually matched controls from the same household or neighbourhood. We calculated adjusted matched odds ratios (amOR) using conditional logistic regression. During 2017, 104 cases were reported: 11–81 years old (median 37) and 71% (73) male. Compared with 104 controls, cases were more likely to report visiting Mount Medvednica (amOR 60, 95% CI 6–597), visiting a forest (amOR 46, 95% CI 4.7–450) and observing rodents (amOR 20, 95% CI 2.6–159). Seventy per cent of cases (73/104) had visited Mount Medvednica prior to infection. Among participants who had visited Mount Medvednica, cases were more likely to have drunk water from a spring (amOR 22, 95% CI 1.9–265), observed rodents (amOR 17, 95% CI 2–144), picked flowers (amOR 15, 95% CI 1.2–182) or cycled (amOR 14, 95% CI 1.6–135). Our study indicated that recreational activity around Mount Medvednica was associated with HFRS. We recommend enhanced surveillance of the recreational areas during an outbreak.
Membrane frizzled-related protein is necessary for the normal development and maintenance of photoreceptor outer segments

Abstract A 4 base pair deletion in a splice donor site of the Mfrp (membrane-type frizzled-related protein) gene, herein referred to as Mfrprd6/rd6, is predicted to lead to the skipping of exon 4 and photoreceptor degeneration in retinal degeneration 6 (rd6) mutant mice. Little, however, is known about the function of the protein or how the mutation causes the degenerative retinal phenotype. Here we examine ultrastructural changes in the retina of Mfrprd6/rd6 mice to determine the earliest effects of the mutation. We also extend the reported observations of the expression pattern of the dicistronic Mfrp/C1qtnf5 message and the localization of these and other retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and retinal proteins during development and assess the ability of RPE cells to phagocytize outer segments (OSs) in mutant and wild-type (WT) mice. At the ultrastructural level, OSs do not develop normally in Mfrprd6/rd6 mutants. They are disorganized and become progressively shorter as mutant mice age. Additionally, there are focal areas in which there is a reduction of apical RPE microvilli. At P25, the rod electroretinogram (ERG) a-wave of Mfrprd6/rd6 mice is reduced in amplitude by ~50% as are ERG components generated by the RPE. Examination of β-catenin localization and Fos and Tcf-1 expression, intermediates of the canonical Wnt pathway, showed that they were not different between mutant and WT mice, suggesting that MFRP may operate through an alternative pathway. Finally, impaired OS phagocytosis was observed in Mfrprd6/rd6 mice both in standard ambient lighting conditions and with bright light exposure when compared to WT controls.
HEALTH EFFECTS OF OXIDIZED HEATED OILS1

The purpose of this report is to alert the foodsenice industry. particularly the fast-food industry, of an emerging health issue. Considerable evidence has accumulated over the past two decades that heated cooking oils, especially polyunsaturated oils, may pose several types of health risks to consumers offn'ed foods and even people working near deep fathers. Heat degrades polyunsaturated fatty acids to toxic compounds; saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids are resistant to heat-induced degradation. Several types of diseases may be related to the exposure of humans to food- or air-borne breakdown products of heated oils including atherosclerosis, the forerunner to cardiovascular disease; injlammatory joint disease, including rheumatoid arthritis; pathogenic conditions of the digestive tract; mutagenicity and genotoxicity, properties that open signal carcinogenesis; and teratogenicity, the property of chemicals that leads to the development of birth defects. Factors that can contribute to improved oil stability, and therefore fewer health concerns, are briejly discussed. The literature reviewed raises serious questions concerning the willfisl addition of large amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids into the human diet without accompanying measures to ensure the protection of these fatty acids against
Mouse Oocyte Control of Granulosa Cell Development and Function: Paracrine Regulation of Cumulus Cell Metabolism

Bidirectional communication between oocytes and the companion granulosa cells is essential for the development and functions of both compartments. Oocytes are deficient in their ability to transport certain amino acids and in carrying out glycolysis and cholesterol biosynthesis. Cumulus cells must provide them with the specific amino acids and the products in these metabolic pathways. Oocytes control metabolic activities in cumulus cells by promoting the expression of genes in cumulus cells encoding specific amino acid transporters and enzymes essential for the oocyte-deficient metabolic processes. Hence oocytes outsource metabolic functions to cumulus cells to compensate for oocyte metabolic deficiencies. Oocyte control of granulosa cell metabolism may also participate in regulating the rate of follicular development in coordination with endocrine, paracrine, and autocrine signals. Oocytes influence granulosa cell development mainly by secretion of paracrine factors, although juxtacrine signals probably also participate. Key oocyte-derived paracrine factors include growth differentiation factor 9, bone morphogenetic protein 15, and fibroblast growth factor 8B.
Spatial sensitivity, responsivity, and surround suppression of LGN cell responses in the macaque

Abstract Responses of cells in the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) of the macaque monkey have been measured for different sizes of chromatic and achromatic stimuli, with relative luminance spanning a range of 3–6 log units. Homogeneous illuminated test fields, centered on the receptive field, were used. Responses to these stimuli deviated from what is expected for the grating stimuli used to study the contrast-sensitive mechanisms in the visual pathway. For test fields smaller than the center of the receptive field, both the excitatory and the inhibitory cone-opponent components were present in the response, and the sensitivity to both components increased with the same factor when the test field increased in size (area summation). For test field areas extending into the suppressive surround of the extraclassical receptive field, the excitatory and the inhibitory cone opponents were both suppressed, again by the same factor. This suppression of the cell’s responsiveness, as a function of test spot area, was described by a logarithmic function, and the spatial sensitivity of attenuation could therefore be described by a power function of radius. The logarithmic suppression was clear for parvocellular and koniocellular cells but was more prominent for magnocellular cells. The surround field suppression was also found for the prepotential inputs to LGN cells, indicating a retinal origin. The difference of Gaussian (DOG) model has been used successfully to describe the cells’ contrast behavior for grating stimuli. However, this model fails to describe the constant excitatory/inhibitory response balance needed to obtain color (hue) stability for light stimuli of different sizes but with the same Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage (CIE) chromaticity and luminance factor. Neither the constant responsiveness found in the center of the receptive field nor the suppressive response in the surround can be described by the DOG model.
On modeling

Mapping tissue microstructure with MRI holds great promise as a noninvasive window into tissue organization at the cellular level. Having originated within the realm of diffusion NMR in the late 1970s, this field is experiencing an exponential growth in the number of publications. At the same time, model‐based approaches are also increasingly incorporated into advanced MRI acquisition and reconstruction techniques. However, after about two decades of intellectual and financial investment, microstructural mapping has yet to find a single commonly accepted clinical application. Here, we suggest that slow progress in clinical translation may signify unresolved fundamental problems. We outline such problems and related practical pitfalls, as well as review strategies for developing and validating tissue microstructure models, to provoke a discussion on how to bridge the gap between our scientific aspirations and the clinical reality. We argue for recalibrating the efforts of our community toward a more systematic focus on fundamental research aimed at identifying relevant degrees of freedom affecting the measured MR signal. Such a focus is essential for realizing the truly revolutionary potential of noninvasive three‐dimensional in vivo microstructural mapping.
Dissociating early and late visual processing via the Ebbinghaus illusion

Abstract Visual perception is not instantaneous; the perceptual representation of our environment builds up over time. This can strongly affect our responses to visual stimuli. Here, we study the temporal dynamics of visual processing by analyzing the time course of priming effects induced by the well-known Ebbinghaus illusion. In slower responses, Ebbinghaus primes produce effects in accordance with their perceptual appearance. However, in fast responses, these effects are reversed. We argue that this dissociation originates from the difference between early feedforward-mediated gist of the scene processing and later feedback-mediated more elaborate processing. Indeed, our findings are well explained by the differences between low-frequency representations mediated by the fast magnocellular pathway and high-frequency representations mediated by the slower parvocellular pathway. Our results demonstrate the potentially dramatic effect of response speed on the perception of visual illusions specifically and on our actions in response to objects in our visual environment generally.
Conversion rates and perceived barriers to referral: views of extended scope physiotherapists in the primary care setting.

AIMS A questionnaire survey of primary care musculoskeletal extended-scope physiotherapists (ESPs) was undertaken to determine information about their conversion rates and referral barriers, with regard to radiological and consultant referrals. METHOD A sample of 200 musculoskeletal ESPs classified as having a speciality in orthopaedics and working in primary care were recruited via the 'ESP Professional Network'. RESULTS A total of 100 (50%) responses were received. Forty-seven per cent of primary care ESPs indicated that they recorded their conversion rates, but only 31 participants submitted conversion rate data. Overall, the average conversion rate for all participants was 74% (range 30-95%). Forty-three per cent of respondents identified that they had experienced barriers when referring for radiological investigations and 38% that they experienced barriers when referring patients to secondary care for a consultant opinion. Commissioning barriers such as poorly commissioned care pathways were the most common theme in both areas. Fifty per cent of respondents identified that they used a referral criteria when referring patients to secondary care. Commonly, these criteria had been developed in conjunction with secondary care consultants or commissioners. CONCLUSION ESPs in primary care have reported similar conversion rates to those working in secondary care. There is a need for further empirical conversion rate studies in primary care to validate these self-reported findings and to enable ESPs to demonstrate clinical efficiency and benchmark their performance.
The educational needs of nurses and allied healthcare professionals caring for people with arthritis: results from a cross-sectional survey.

AIM The purpose of the present study was to identify the educational needs of rheumatology nurses and allied healthcare professionals (AHPs) working with people with osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS A cross-sectional national online survey was carried out. RESULTS The survey was completed by 162 health care practitioners. Seventy-one per cent of respondents had the knowledge and skills to manage the care of a person with RA. The elements of care for which the respondents were either unsure or did not have the necessary knowledge and skills related to providing advice on exercise (37%) and pain medication (30%) to people with RA. There was a consistent tendency for respondents to be less confident in their knowledge and skills when caring for people with OA, with respondents reporting that they were either unsure or did not have the necessary knowledge and skills to advise on appropriate exercise (61%), or medication for the management of pain (45%) or the management of ongoing care (51%). CONCLUSIONS Current and future educational programmes on RA and OA management should provide nurses and AHPs with the opportunity to develop knowledge and skills in providing advice on exercise and pain medication.
The dominance of chronic pain: a phenomenological study.

BACKGROUND Chronic pain is not only a physical disorder, but also a complex combination of biopsychosocial symptoms affecting each other. When in chronic pain, the patient's entire body becomes a source of pain, and eventually the pain occupies the patient's mind and entire life. The aim of the present study was to examine the life experience and management of chronic pain from the patient's perspective. METHODS Thirty-four participants with chronic pain were interviewed. For 21 of the participants, the duration of pain was more than five years. Most of the participants had degenerative spinal pain. The transcribed interviews were analysed using Giorgi's four-phase phenomenological method. RESULTS The results indicated that chronic pain impaired the participant's psychosocial well-being by controlling thoughts and making life itself painful. When life is filled with pain, the entire life is seen through pain. Continuity, unpredictability and the fear of the pain decreased quality of life. As a result of the interviews, the following subthemes were identified, based on the essential theme of 'the dominance of chronic pain': namely: 'pain is the master', 'life is not worth living', 'contextual pain' and 'waiting and hoping'. CONCLUSIONS Chronic pain may decrease the quality of the patient's life to such an extent that it may be regarded as not worth living. Multidisciplinary management of chronic pain may lead to a better health status and diminish the adverse consequences of chronic pain.
A systematic review of the effect of breakfast on the cognitive performance of children and adolescents

Breakfast is recommended as part of a healthy diet because it is associated with healthier macro- and micronutrient intakes, BMI and lifestyle. Breakfast is also widely promoted to improve cognitive function and academic performance, leading to the provision of breakfast initiatives by public health bodies. Despite this positive and intuitive perception of cognitive benefits, there has been no systematic review of the evidence. Systematic review methodology was employed to evaluate the effects of breakfast on cognitive performance in well-nourished children and nutritionally at-risk or stunted children. Acute experimental studies, school feeding programmes and studies of habitual breakfast intake are reviewed. Comparisons of breakfast v. no breakfast and breakfasts differing in energy and macronutrient composition are discussed. Included are forty-five studies described in forty-one papers published between 1950 and 2008. The evidence indicates that breakfast consumption is more beneficial than skipping breakfast, but this effect is more apparent in children whose nutritional status is compromised. There is a lack of research comparing breakfast type, precluding recommendations for the size and composition of an optimal breakfast for children's cognitive function. Few studies examined adolescents. Studies of school breakfast programmes suggest that such interventions can have positive effects on academic performance, but this may be in part explained by the increased school attendance that programmes encourage. The present systematic review considers methodological issues in this field and makes recommendations for future research design and policy priorities.