Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Micro-Robotic Cholesteatoma Surgery : clinical requirements analysis and image-based control under constraints

Une maladie appelee cholesteatome affecte l'oreille moyenne, en absence de traitement, elle pourrait conduire a des complications graves. Le seul traitement dans la pratique medicale actuelle est une procedure chirurgicale. Les incidences de cholesteatome residuelle ou recurrente sont eleves et le patient doit subir plus d'une intervention chirurgicale. Par consequent, un systeme robotique original a ete propose pour d'eliminer l'incidence du cholesteatome residuel en enlevant efficacement toutes les cellules infectees de la premiere intervention chirurgicale, et de faire une chirurgie moins invasive. Ainsi, ce manuscrit montre les differents defis auxquels fait face le chirurgien a travers une telle micro-procedure. Il est egalement defini le cahier de charge pour la realisation d'un systeme futuriste dedie a la chirurgie du cholesteatome. En outre, un controleur est propose comme un premiere etape vers le systeme ideal. Un tel controleur permet de guider un outil chirurgical rigide afin de suivre un chemin de reference sous les contraintes du trou d'incision. Le controleur propose peut guider soit un outil droit, soit un outil courbe. En effet, le controleur propose est une commande de haut niveau qui es formule dans l'espace de tâche (ou espace Cartesien). Ce controleur est une couche modulaire qui peut etre ajoutee a differentes structures robotiques. Le controleur propose a montre de bons resultats en termes de precision tout en etant evalue sur un robot parallele et un robot en serie.
Blood pressure lowering efficacy of coenzyme Q10 for primary hypertension.

BACKGROUND Studies have shown that coenzyme Q10 deficiency is associated with cardiovascular disease. Hypertension is a commonly measured surrogate marker for non-fatal and fatal cardiovascular endpoints such as heart attacks and strokes. Clinical trials have suggested that coenzyme Q10 supplementation can effectively lower blood pressure (BP). OBJECTIVES To determine the blood pressure lowering effect of coenzyme Q10 in primary hypertension. SEARCH STRATEGY The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (2009 Issue 2), MEDLINE (1966 -May 2008), EMBASE (1982 - May 2008), and CINAHL (1970 - May 2008) as well as the reference lists of articles were searched for relevant clinical trials in any language. SELECTION CRITERIA Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled parallel or crossover trials evaluating the BP lowering efficacy of coenzyme Q10 for a duration of at least 3 weeks in patients with primary hypertension. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS The primary author independently assessed the risk of bias and extracted the data. The second author verified data extraction. MAIN RESULTS Three clinical trials with a total of 96 participants were evaluated for the effects of coenzyme Q10 on blood pressure compared to placebo. Treatment with coenzyme Q10 in subjects with systolic BP (SBP) > 140 mmHg or diastolic BP (DBP) > 90 mmHg resulted in mean decreases in SBP of 11 mmHg (95% CI 8, 14) and DBP of 7 mmHg (95% CI 5, 8). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS Due to the possible unreliability of some of the included studies, it is uncertain whether or not coenzyme Q10 reduces blood pressure in the long-term management of primary hypertension.
Collagen synthesis of human arterial smooth muscle cells: Effects of platelet‐derived growth factor, transforming growth factor‐β1 and interleukin‐1

The effects of platelet‐derived growth factor (PDGF), transforming growth factor‐β1 (TGF‐β1) and interleukin‐1 (IL‐1) on collagen synthesis of cultured human arterial smooth muscle cells in a confluent state were investigated. Synthetic activity of collagenous protein was determined with [3H]‐proline uptake, and subsequent analysis of collagen types by sodium dodecylsulfte‐polyacrylmide gel electrophoresis (SDS‐PAGE) followed by fluorography. Although PDGF (0.5 U/mL and 5.0 U/mL) enhanced total collagen synthesis per dish, it suppressed total collagen synthesis per DNA (DNA content in a dish). TGF‐β1 (10 pmol/L and 100 pmol/L) enhanced total collagen synthesis both per dish and per DNA. IL‐1 (0.1 U/mL and 1.0 U/mL) suppressed total collagen synthesis both per dish and per DNA. A fluorogram revealed that human arterial smooth muscle cells synthesize types I, III, IV and V collagen. Densitometric analysis showed PDGF suppressed the proportion of type V collagen. TGF‐β1 increased the proportions of types IV and V collagen. IL‐1 elicited un‐remarkable change in the proportion of collagen types. These results suggest that, in the event of human atherosclerosis, TGS‐β1 is most effective in enhancing collagen synthesis, and PDGF modulates collagen metabolism by stimulating a cell division of smooth muscle cells with a resultant increase of collagenous protein, especially of type V collagen.
Nursing Students’ Experiences With Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment for Substance Use in the Clinical/Hospital Setting

AbstractAlthough Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) is an effective early intervention when used across healthcare settings, its implementation has been difficult, in part because of lack of training, healthcare providers’ feelings of low self-efficacy in performing SBIRT, and negative attitudes about people who use alcohol and drugs. This study used qualitative descriptive methods to examine baccalaureate nursing students’ experiences with practicing SBIRT in clinical rotations following in-depth classroom work and skill-based training. Fifty-five junior level nursing students participated in four focus groups. Three overarching themes describe students’ experiences with SBIRT. Students expressed a positive impact of the training on their attitudes and feelings of self-efficacy regarding the use of SBIRT, differences in opinions about whether SBIRT should be used universally with all patients or as a targeted intervention with only some patients, and that SBIRT is a nursing responsibility. These results suggest that education and training can affect attitudes and efficacy, but that attention needs to be paid to how SBIRT is implemented within different healthcare settings.
Faster Reaching in Chronic Spastic Stroke Patients Comes at the Expense of Arm-Trunk Coordination

Background. The velocity of reaching movements is often reduced in patients with stroke-related hemiparesis; however, they are able to voluntarily increase paretic hand velocity. Previous studies have proposed that faster speed improves movement quality. Objective. To investigate the combined effects of reaching distance and speed instruction on trunk and paretic upper-limb coordination. The hypothesis was that increased speed would reduce elbow extension and increase compensatory trunk movement. Methods. A single session study in which reaching kinematics were recorded in a group of 14 patients with spastic hemiparesis. A 3-dimensional motion analysis system was used to track the trajectories of 5 reflective markers fixed on the finger, wrist, elbow, acromion, and sternum. The reaching movements were performed to 2 targets at 60% and 90% arm length, respectively, at preferred and maximum velocity. The experiment was repeated with the trunk restrained by a strap. Results. All the patients were able to voluntarily increase reaching velocity. In the trunk free, faster speed condition, elbow extension velocity increased but elbow extension amplitude decreased and trunk movement increased. In the trunk restraint condition, elbow extension amplitude did not decrease with faster speed. Seven patients scaled elbow extension and elbow extension velocity as a function of reach distance, the other 7 mainly increased trunk compensation with increased task constraints. There were no clear clinical characteristics that could explain this difference. Conclusions. Faster speed may encourage some patients to use compensation. Individual indications for therapy could be based on a quantitative analysis of reaching coordination.
Adolescent reproductive health interventions

Must be a priority if the next generation is not to be decimated by HIV The broad aim of adolescent reproductive health interventions (ARHI) is both to reduce the adverse consequences of sexual behaviour and to improve the quality of sexual relationships for young people, both as young people today and also in their future life as adults. This article aims to describe the different approaches that have been employed and to review the methodological issues that face both those developing and implementing these interventions and the researchers trying to evaluate their effectiveness. It makes no attempt to systematically review all the relevant literature. Young people are particularly vulnerable to the adverse consequences of early sexual behaviour1 and as such are widely recognised to be one of the most important groups for reproductive health interventions.2 This increased vulnerability is caused by a number of biological, behavioural, and psychological factors3 including hormonal changes at puberty, cervical anatomy, immunological naivety, inability to recognise symptoms of infection, sexual experimentation including experimentation with same sex partners, non-consensual sex, imperception of risk, immaturity of communication skills, contraception choice, poor health seeking behaviour, and alcohol or illicit substance use. In addition, structural (societal) factors that facilitate HIV and STI spread are also well documented.4 Economic deprivation, sex inequalities and mobility, including social disruption, are all important determinants of HIV /STI spread. The consequences of sexually transmitted infection (STI) and unplanned pregnancy can be devastating. Young women are at the start of their reproductive life and risk compromising their future fertility through tubal occlusion or ectopic pregnancy. In many areas, young women who get pregnant are withdrawn from school, further disadvantaging them. In countries where access to abortion is limited, the gynaecological consequences of “back street” abortion can be dire. While young men …
Dynamic scenario-based solution approach for scheduling solar-thermal generators

The economic and efficient scheduling of electrical generators is a complex optimization problem. The problem becomes even more complex when the uncertain solar sources are considered. Over the last decade, different scenario-based solution approaches have been developed for this problem in which the uncertain solar productions are represented as random scenarios. Although this approach is beneficial for a day-ahead scheduling, the selection of an appropriate number of scenarios is very challenging. A large number of scenarios is required to obtain a stable solution, but it takes longer computational time to solve. In this paper, a dynamic scenariobased optimization model is developed in which the number of scenarios is dynamically set during the process of evaluations. The optimization model is solved using a differential evolution in which the control parameters are self-adaptively adjusted for better performance. A 19-unit solar thermal problem for a 24-hour time horizon is taken from the literature and solved using the proposed and conventional approaches. The obtained results are analyzed that shows that the proposed approach has some merits in terms of computational efficiency and solution stability.
The Monocyte/Macrophage Infiltrate in 35 Medulloblastomas: A Paraffin-Wax Study

We have studied formalin fixed, paraffin-wax embedded tissue from 35 medulloblastomas, collected over 23 years (27 non-desmoplastic and 8 desmoplastic) with KP1 and Mac387 two monoclonal anti-monocytes/macrophage (M/Ms) antibodies recommended for use on paraffin wax embedded tissue. In non-desmoplastic medulloblastomas, outside areas of necrosis, M/Ms were detected in 50% of cases with KP1 and 52% with Mac387. M/Ms were seen In 100% of desmoplastic medulloblastomas with both antibodies. Semiquantitative assessment revealed that, on average, desmoplastic tumors had at least three times as many Infiltrating M/Ms as non-desmoplastic tumors. There was no significant difference in the findings with the two antibodies or, between recently embedded and « older » tumors. The findings may be indicative of the presence of a host M/Ms immune response in medulloblastoma, which may be more accentuated in desmoplastic medulloblastomas. Furthermore, we conclude that these antibodies are quite suitable for the study of infiltrating M/Ms, thus lessening (but not obviating) the need for frozen tissue for immunohistological studies.
Possible Utility of Serum Determinations of CA 125 and CA 27.29 in Breast Cancer Management

The utility of measurement of serum levels of the tumor associated antigens CA 125 and CA 27.29 in detecting the presence of disease and in monitoring changes in disease status was examined in 63 patients with breast cancer. In patients with clinically detectable disease the CA 125 level was elevated in 59%, the CA 27.29 level in 59.5% and one or both markers in 84.6%. Specificity for presence of disease was 83.6% for CA 125, 88% for CA 27.29, and 69.1% for the two markers combined. Changes in marker levels of more than 50% correlated with clinical changes in disease status in 58% of cases for either CA 125 or CA 27.29 alone. In 87.5% of cases with clinically progressive disease one or both marker levels increased by more than 50% from the previous levels. In no case with greater than 50% increase in a marker level was there regression of disease. Thus, the use of these markers in combination might have utility in cases where diagnosis of recurrent disease is difficult or where monitoring of response to treatment is hampered by lack of measurable disease.
Stress and Parents of Children with Autism: A Review of Literature

The purpose of this review is twofold. The first is to synthesize factors that impact parents’ experiences of caring for a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD); the second is to identify factors that impact parental stress and parental decision-making to use autism services or not. Parents of children with ASD score higher on levels of stress than other groups of parents. The daily challenges of caring for the child are endless and effect all aspects of the child's care as well as the parent's mental health and ability to manage the needs of the child and family. Understanding more about the challenges parents face will provide direction for research, intervention development, and practice. Accordingly, a search was conducted using CINAHL and Medline. Inclusion criteria included articles available in full text, published in English, and focused on children with ASD distinct from other diagnoses, as well as parental experiences of caring for a child with ASD. Articles (N = 132) that met the inclusion criteria were summarized. Challenging aspects of the child's diagnosis and care are discussed, as well as the factors that impact parental stress and decision-making to use autism services. Recommendations for research and practice include interventional development related to early diagnosis, disparity, access to care, parental decision-making to use autism services, and parental stress management.
Titanium particles inhibit osteoblast adhesion to fibronectin‐coated substrates

To illuminate the effect of titanium particles on osteoblast function, we compared the adhesion force of neonatal rat calvarial osteoblasts on fibronection‐coated glass after incubation with titanium particles (80% had diameters of less than 5 μm). The cells were incubated with the particles for 1.5–72 hours. Using a micropipette single‐cell manipulation system, we showed that the adhesion force of the osteoblasts to fibronectin‐coated glass (1.0 μg/ml) was significantly affected by the presence of particulate debris. The adhesion force of the cells incubated with titanium particles for less than 4 hours was not significantly affected by exposure to the particles; after 4 hours, however, it was significantly reduced relative to that of controls. Aspiration of particle‐challenged osteoblasts into the micropipette demonstrated that the particles were not stripped from the cell surface and therefore confirmed that the osteoblasts had ingested them. During aspiration, the particles traveled through the cytoplasm rather than on the cell surface. When the osteoblasts were exposed to the particles and cytochalasin D, they exhibited much lower adhesion forces than did the controls or the cells exposed to titanium particles only; this indicates and important role of actin filaments in the osteoblastic response to particles. Staining for F‐actin also indicated an influence of internalized titanium particulate on cytoskeletal arrangement and cell spreading. Furthermore, with standard Northern blotting techniques, levels of mRNA for collagen type I and fibronectin were significantly reduced as early as 4 hours after exposure to particles compared with levels in controls, and this effect continued to 72 hours. These data indicate that direct exposure of osteoblasts to titanium particles, which we propose to be ingested by the osteoblasts, can significantly decrease osteoblast adhesion force; this may lead to decreased cellular activity and gene expression of fibronectin and collagen type I in the presence of titanium wear debris.
Title keywords and subject descriptors: a comparison of subject search entries of books in the humanities and social sciences

In order to compare the value of subject descriptors and title keywords as entries to subject searches, two studies were carried out. Both studies concentrated on monographs in the humanities and social sciences, held by the online public access catalogue of the National Library of the Netherlands. In the first study, a comparison was made by subject librarians between the subject descriptors and the title keywords of 475 records. They could express their opinion on a scale from 1 (descriptor is exactly or almost the same as word in title) to 7 (descriptor does not appear in title at all). It was concluded that 37 per cent of the records are considerably enhanced by a subject descriptor, and 49 per cent slightly or considerably enhanced. In the second study, subject librarians performed subject searches using title keywords and subject descriptors on the same topic. The relative recall amounted to 48 per cent and 86 per cent respectively. Failure analysis revealed the reasons why so many records that were found by subject descriptors were not found by title keywords. First, although completely meaningless titles hardly ever appear, the title of a publication does not always offer sufficient clues for title keyword searching. In those cases, descriptors may enhance the record of a publication. A second and even more important task of subject descriptors is controlling the vocabulary. Many relevant titles cannot be retrieved by title keyword searching because of the wide diversity of ways of expressing a topic. Descriptors take away the burden of vocabulary control from the user.
Papel de las especies reactivas de oxígeno en la función endotelial renal y en la disfunción endotelial asociada a la obesidad

Ademas de su papel en la patogenesis de la enfermedad vascular, las especies reactivas de oxigeno (ROS) pueden actuar como moleculas de senalizacion fisiologica en la pared vascular, y ROS como el H2O2 estan implicadas en las respuestas relajantes mediadas por la hiperpolarizacion derivada del endotelio (EDH) de arteriolas coronarias y mesentericas, donde se libera en respuesta al flujo o a agonistas (Matoba et al., 2000; Matoba et al., 2003). El papel de las ROS en la funcion vascular renal ha sido investigado en el contexto perjudicial de la generacion de ROS derivadas de NADPH oxidasa y mitocondria en diabetes y enfermedad renal asociada a obesidad (Sharma, 2015). Una fraccion sustancial de la vasodilatacion dependiente del endotelio de arterias renales esta mediada por el factor relajante no-oxido nitrico (NO), no-prostanoide liberado por el endotelio (Bussemaker et al., 2003), cuya naturaleza aun se desconoce. La obesidad es un problema mundial de salud publica cuya prevalencia continua aumentando en la actualidad, asociada con el desarrollo de la resistencia a la insulina, hipertension, dislipidemia y diabetes tipo 2, conocidos en su conjunto como sindrome metabolico. La obesidad y el sindrome metabolico aumentan el riesgo de complicaciones diabeticas como la nefropatia y la enfermedad renal cronica (ERC). Sin embargo, estudios epidemiologicos recientes sugieren que la ERC puede desarrollarse en individuos obesos no diabeticos, y la obesidad representa un factor de riesgo de ERC independiente de la diabetes, la hipertension y otras comorbilidades (De Vries et al., 2014).
Observations on the predatory activity of Lebistes reticulatus (Peters, 1859) on cercariae of Schistosoma mansoni.

Summary Laboratory and preliminary field studies were conducted to evaluate the role of the guppy (Lebistes reticulatus) as an active predator on Schistosoma mansoni cercariae. When guppies were introduced into spring water containing about 1,000 cercariae per fish, a dramatic reduction in the number of cercariae was observed. In many experiments no cercariae could be found after 60 minutes. In one laboratory experiment, the infection rate and worm burden of mice exposed to cercariae shed by Biomphalaria glabrata in the presence of guppies was also greatly reduced. Groups of mice were exposed to cercariae shed by infected B. glabrata, in nylon-screen cages partially immersed in natural pond water. The conditions of exposure were similar in all experiments, the only difference being the presence or absence of guppies in the cages. In three experiments the mean numbers of worms recovered from mice exposed in cages with infected B. glabrata in the presence of guppies were approximately 2, 4 and 9, whereas in the control cages, with the same number of infected B. glabrata, but without guppies, the mean numbers were 29, 48 and 126. It was concluded that under special conditions the guppy may play an important role as a limiting factor in the infection of vertebrate hosts with S. mansoni.
Modélisation et simulation paramétrable d'objets déformables. Application aux traitements des cancers pulmonaires.

Les traitements curatifs des cancers par irradiation avec des rayons ionisants tels que la radiotherapie conformationnelle et l'hadrontherapie sont plannifies avec des marges d'erreur qui prennent en compte, entre autres, les statistiques de mouvements des tumeurs. En partenariat avec le Centre anticancereux Leon Berard de Lyon et dans le projet ETOILE, nous proposons de rechercher des modeles de simulations des objets deformables qui prendraient en consideration, en plus de la geometrie issue directement de l'imagerie medicale, les parametres physiologiques mesures sur les patients afin de pouvoir garantir de meilleures marges d'erreur, dans le cas des tumeurs pulmonaires. Dans cette these, nous avons choisi de modeliser les poumons avec des systemes masses-ressorts qui sont generalement utilises dans le monde de l'animation pour le realisme et la rapidite. Pour rendre le systeme precis et directement parametre par les donnees mecaniques du patient, nous nous sommes inspires des travaux de Van Gelder qui introduit un controle par les caracteristiques rheologiques d'un materiaux "2D" lineaire elastique homogene isotrope. Cependant, apres verification et etude theorique de ce modele, il est apparut que celui-ci bien que donnant des animations realistes etait errone. Nous avons donc entrepris une etude lagrangienne qui nous a permis de rendre ce modele 2D rectangulaire, puis 3D a base de brique elementaire cubique, parametrable. Nous avons d'autre part determiner la robustesse de notre systeme a l'aide de tests d'etirement, gonflement, flechissement et cisaillement et par comparaison a des tests effectues sur des modeles elements finis. Cette these explique ainsi comment ce modele parametrable a ete obtenu, et comment il pourra etre relie avec les donnees physiologiques et dans quelle precision.