Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Anti-Slavic imagery in German radical nationalist discourse at the turn of the twentieth century: a prelude to Nazi ideology?

ABSTRACT By applying methods of cognitive metaphor theory, Jaworska examines metaphorical scenarios employed in the discourse of anti-Slavism, which featured prominently in radical nationalist propaganda in Germany at the turn of the twentieth century. She does so by analysing metaphorical expressions used to refer to the Polish population living in the eastern provinces of Prussia, in the so-called Ostmark. Her article is based on an analysis of a range of pamphlets and newspaper articles written by some of the leading figures of two nationalist organizations: the Pan-German League (Alldeutscher Verband) and the Eastern Marches Society (Ostmarkenverein). The main research questions it addresses are: What kind of metaphoric scenarios were used to depict the Polish minority, and to what extent were the metaphorical patterns of anti-Slavic imagery similar to those employed in the antisemitic propaganda of the Nazi era? Is there a discursive continuity between the radical nationalism of imperial Germany and the National Socialism of the Third Reich at the level of metaphorical scenarios? Ultimately, Jaworska attempts to contribute to a better understanding of the cognitive mechanisms underlying radical and essentially racist attitudes.
Association of the combination of time‐weighted variability of tacrolimus blood level and exposure to low drug levels with graft survival after kidney transplantation

Background. The variability of tacrolimus blood levels has been shown to be associated with inferior graft survival. However, the effect of variability during the early post‐transplantation period has not been evaluated. We sought to evaluate the association between time‐weighted variability in the early post‐transplantation period and graft survival. We also explored the interaction between drug level variability and exposure to inadequate drug levels. Methods. This retrospective cohort study included all patients who underwent kidney transplantation in the Rabin Medical Center and were treated with tacrolimus. Time‐weighted coefficient of variability (TWCV) was defined as time‐weighted standard deviation divided by the mean drug level. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard model was used with the primary outcome of patients and graft survival. Results. The study population included 803 patients who underwent kidney transplantation between 1 January 2000 and 29 September 2013. The high tertile of TWCV of tacrolimus blood levels was associated with reduced graft survival by univariate and multivariate analyses [hazard ratio (HR) 1.69, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.14‐2.53, P = 0.01 and HR 1.74, 95% CI 1.14‐2.63, P = 0.01, respectively]. The interaction between high TWCV and exposure to inadequately low drug levels was significantly associated with reduced survival (P = 0.004), while the interaction between TWCV and high drug blood levels was not. One hundred and thirty patients (16.2%) had the combination of high TWCV and exposure to low drug values (<5 ng/mL). These patients had reduced graft survival by univariate and multivariate analyses (HR 2.42, 95% CI 1.57‐3.74, P < 0.001 and HR 2.6, 95% CI 1.65‐4.11, P < 0.001, respectively). Conclusions. The combination of high TWCV and exposure to low drug levels might identify high‐risk patients in the early post‐transplantation period.
Physical and Mental Health Consequences of War-related Stressors Among Older Adults: An Analysis of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Arthritis in Northern Vietnamese War Survivors

Objectives We examine the impacts of trauma exposures and family stressors associated with the Vietnam War on musculoskeletal health and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) outcomes in elderly Vietnamese who were widely impacted by the war as young adults. Noting that wars' impacts extend beyond male veterans in most survivor populations, we give attention to male and female war survivors placed in a variety of roles vis-a-vis the war. Method Utilizing data from the 2010 Vietnam Health and Aging Pilot Study (N = 405), we use logistic and Poisson regression models to estimate the effect of wartime trauma exposures and family stressors on disabling arthritis and PTSD symptoms in male and female northern Vietnamese adults aged 55 and older. Results The odds of experiencing recent PTSD symptoms are greater in respondents who report involvement in killing/causing severe injury and who observed war atrocities. In women, PTSD is positively correlated with war era child death and spousal separation. Arthritis also exhibits a significant, positive association with killing/causing severe injury. Discussion Our study provides insights into the burden of conflict upon health among populations of the global south that survived war and are now entering older adulthood. The pattern of results, indicating greatest suffering among those who inflicted or failed to prevent bodily harm or loss of life, is consistent with the concept of moral injury.
Histologic Characterization of Retina Neuroglia Modifications in Diabetic Zucker Diabetic Fatty Rats.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to characterize retinal degenerative morphologic modifications in Zucker Diabetic Fatty (ZDF) rats, a genetic model of type 2 diabetes, by histologic and immunohistochemical evaluation. Methods Male lean (? /+; n = 10) and ZDF (fa/fa; n = 20) rats were used. At 24 weeks of age, body weights and blood glucose levels were determined. Eyes were removed and processed for paraffin wax embedding. Sections through the optic disc were stained for hematoxylin and eosin or immunostained for TUNEL, advanced glycation end products (AGEs), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), glutamate/aspartate transporter (GLAST), isolectin B4, recoverin, retinal pigment epithelium-specific 65-kDa protein, rhodopsin, vimentin, and zonula occludens protein 1. Retinal morphometry, cell counts, glial activation degree and immunoreactivity of AGEs and GLAST were also determined. Results ZDF rats were observed to be diabetic from week 9 and by week 24. These animals showed retinal morphologic degenerative changes, increased neuroretinal thickness, and decreased number of nuclei. Glial cells activation with massive GFAP upregulation was present. Cellular morphologic modifications were also observed. GLAST immunofluorescence was decreased, whereas AGEs were increased in comparison with lean rats. Conclusions Spontaneous development of diabetes in ZDF rats results in neuroglia morphologic degenerative changes at 24 weeks of age. This animal model may be useful to understand the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy and to screen neuroprotective drugs in diabetes.
Antibiotic consumption in Shandong Province, China: an analysis of provincial pharmaceutical centralized bidding procurement data at public healthcare institutions, 2012–16

Objectives To explore the trends of antibiotic consumption in public healthcare institutions through analysing the provincial centralized bidding procurement (CBP) data in Shandong, China. Methods The Shandong CBP system has been established since 2011, covering public healthcare institutions of 500 secondary and tertiary hospitals, 600 urban primary healthcare centres (PHCs) and 1600 rural PHCs. We collected all the antibiotic procurement records from the CBP system between 2012 and 2016. Antibiotic consumption data were calculated using Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC)/DDD methodology and normalized using DDD per 1000 inhabitants per day (DID). Results Overall antibiotic consumption increased from 12.859 DID in 2012 to 15.802 DID in 2014, then decreased to 13.802 DID in 2016. The top three antibiotics consumed in 2016 were penicillins (4.251 DID), quinolones (2.957 DID) and macrolides (2.057 DID). PHCs consumed 80% of the total antibiotics, of which rural PHCs accounted for 88%. Antibiotic consumption peaked in 2014 for rural PHCs and in 2015 for hospitals, and declined thereafter. In urban PHCs, the consumption steadily increased from 2012 to 2016. Conclusions Zero mark-up drug policies and national policies to improve rational use of antibiotic were associated with the reduction of antibiotic consumption in public healthcare institutions in Shandong Province. Regulations for antibiotic use in PHCs should be strengthened.
Transcriptomic regulations in oligodendroglial and microglial cells related to brain damage following fetal growth restriction

Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is a major complication of human pregnancy, frequently resulting from placental vascular diseases and prenatal malnutrition, and is associated with adverse neurocognitive outcomes throughout life. However, the mechanisms linking poor fetal growth and neurocognitive impairment are unclear. Here, we aimed to correlate changes in gene expression induced by FGR in rats and abnormal cerebral white matter maturation, brain microstructure, and cortical connectivity in vivo. We investigated a model of FGR induced by low‐protein‐diet malnutrition between embryonic day 0 and birth using an interdisciplinary approach combining advanced brain imaging, in vivo connectivity, microarray analysis of sorted oligodendroglial and microglial cells and histology. We show that myelination and brain function are both significantly altered in our model of FGR. These alterations, detected first in the white matter on magnetic resonance imaging significantly reduced cortical connectivity as assessed by ultrafast ultrasound imaging. Fetal growth retardation was found associated with white matter dysmaturation as shown by the immunohistochemical profiles and microarrays analyses. Strikingly, transcriptomic and gene network analyses reveal not only a myelination deficit in growth‐restricted pups, but also the extensive deregulation of genes controlling neuroinflammation and the cell cycle in both oligodendrocytes and microglia. Our findings shed new light on the cellular and gene regulatory mechanisms mediating brain structural and functional defects in malnutrition‐induced FGR, and suggest, for the first time, a neuroinflammatory basis for the poor neurocognitive outcome observed in growth‐restricted human infants. GLIA 2016;64:2306–2320
Systemic Stability of Housing and Mortgage Market: From the observable to the unobservable

Motivated by the revealed preference approach to consumer theory, this study constructs a dynamic theoretical model which infers the unobservable household behavior from the observable patterns of housing and mortgage market activities. The model emphasizes the role of asymmetric responses of sellers in different phases of a housing market cycle in generating certain price and volume patterns. Such role has so far largely been ignored in both theoretical and empirical studies of housing markets. The model also establishes, theoretically, multiple channels via which housing and mortgage markets interact and via which speculative forces are propagated. In addition, it generates a testable result regarding the stability of the system formed by the two markets, which may be extended by endogenizing some important policy instruments.
Laminopathy-causing lamin A mutations reconfigure lamina-associated domains and local spatial chromatin conformation

ABSTRACT The nuclear lamina contributes to the regulation of gene expression and to chromatin organization. Mutations in A-type nuclear lamins cause laminopathies, some of which are associated with a loss of heterochromatin at the nuclear periphery. Until recently however, little if any information has been provided on where and how lamin A interacts with the genome and on how disease-causing lamin A mutations may rearrange genome conformation. Here, we review aspects of nuclear lamin association with the genome. We highlight recent evidence of reorganization of lamin A-chromatin interactions in cellular models of laminopathies, and implications on the 3-dimensional rearrangement of chromatin in these models, including patient cells. We discuss how a hot-spot lipodystrophic lamin A mutation alters chromatin conformation and epigenetic patterns at an anti-adipogenic locus, and conclude with remarks on links between lamin A, Polycomb and the pathophysiology of laminopathies. The recent findings presented here collectively argue towards a deregulation of large-scale and local spatial genome organization by a subset of lamin A mutations causing laminopathies.
Machine learning in laboratory medicine: waiting for the flood?

Abstract This review focuses on machine learning and on how methods and models combining data analytics and artificial intelligence have been applied to laboratory medicine so far. Although still in its infancy, the potential for applying machine learning to laboratory data for both diagnostic and prognostic purposes deserves more attention by the readership of this journal, as well as by physician-scientists who will want to take advantage of this new computer-based support in pathology and laboratory medicine.
Circulating LncRNAs Serve as Diagnostic Markers for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background/Aims: Circulating (serous or plasmic) long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) as biomarkers for predicting the diagnosis or prognosis of human disease have been well documented. Due to the sensibility or specificity limitation of Alpha Fetoprotein (AFP), a cluster lncRNAs were revealed as fingerprints for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, we enrolled all the reported circulating lncRNAs in HCC as candidate targets and examined in an independent cohort. Methods: The candidate lncRNAs were determined by qRT-PCR divided into training and validation sets. The risk score analysis was employed to evaluate the potential diagnosis ability of the lncRNAs independently or combining with AFP value. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was applied for presentation of sensibility or specificity. Results: Among the ten candidate circulating lncRNA, LINC00152, RP11-160H22.5, XLOC014172 and LOC149086 were screened with significant difference in training set. Further investigation in validation set indicated LINC00152, RP11-160H22.5 and XLOC014172 might be the fingerprints for HCC comparing with chronic hepatitis (CH) patients or healthy controls. The risk score analysis revealed the combination of three lncRNAs with AFP could distinguish the HCC from either CH or healthy control with the area under curve value (AUC) of 0.986 and 0.985, respectively. Conclusion: The three lncRNAs may act as novel biomarkers for acting as fingerprint in HCC combining with AFP.
Iron deficiency and hematinic deficiencies in atrial fibrillation: A new insight into comorbidities.

OBJECTIVE Iron deficiency (ID) is the most common nutritional deficiency, and iron metabolism becomes further deteriorated in the presence of certain conditions, such as heart failure (HF). Atrial fibrillation (AF) has many similarities to HF, including a chronic inflammatory pathophysiology; however, the prevalence of ID and other hematinic deficiencies in AF patients have not been determined. METHODS In this study, the prevalence of iron (serum ferritin <100 µg/L or ferritin 100-299 µg/L with transferrin saturation <20%), vitamin B12 (<200 pg/mL), and folate deficiency (<4.0 ng/mL) was evaluated in 101 patients with non-valvular AF with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction and no signs of HF, and the results were compared with 35 age- and gender-matched controls. RESULTS Anemia was detected in 26% of the patients. A total of 48 (47.6%) patients had ID, 10 (9.9%) had a vitamin B12 deficiency, and 13 (12.9%) had a folate deficiency. The prevalence of ID was similar in the controls and the paroxysmal AF patients, but increased gradually in persistent and permanent AF. Univariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that permanent vs. paroxysmal AF [Odds ratio (OR): 2.17; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.82-5.69; p=0.011], high sensitive C-reactive protein (OR: 1.47; 95% CI: 0.93-2.36; p=0.019), N-terminal pro b-type natriuretic peptide (OR: 1.24; 95% CI: 0.96-1.71; p=0.034), and white blood cell count (OR: 1.21; 95% CI: 0.95-1.58; p=0.041) were associated with ID. In multivariable analysis, permanent AF remained as an independent clinical associate of ID (OR: 4.30; 95% CI: 0.83-12.07; p=0.039). CONCLUSION ID is common in permanent AF, as in HF. Inflammation and neurohormonal activation seem to contribute to its development.
Invasive Cancer Incidence — Puerto Rico, 2007–2011

UNLABELLED Cancer is a leading cause of morbidity and death in Puerto Rico. To set a baseline for identifying new trends and patterns of cancer incidence, Puerto Rico Central Cancer Registry staff and CDC analyzed data from Puerto Rico included in U.S. Cancer Statistics (USCS) for 2007-2011, the most recent data available. This is the first report of invasive cancer incidence rates for 2007-2011 among Puerto Rican residents by sex, age, cancer site, and municipality. Cancer incidence rates in Puerto Rico were compared with those in the U.S. population for 2011. A total of 68,312 invasive cancers were diagnosed and reported in Puerto Rico during 2007-2011. The average annual incidence rate was 330 cases per 100,000 persons. The cancer sites with the highest cancer incidence rates included prostate (152), female breast (84), and colon and rectum (43). Cancer incidence rates varied by municipality, particularly for prostate, lung and bronchus, and colon and rectum cancers. In 2011, cancer incidence rates in Puerto Rico were lower for all cancer sites and lung and bronchus, but higher for prostate and thyroid cancers, compared with rates within the U.S. POPULATION Identifying these variations can aid evaluation of factors associated with high incidence, such as cancer screening practices, and development of targeted cancer prevention and control efforts. Public health professionals can monitor cancer incidence trends and use these findings to evaluate the impact of prevention efforts, such as legislation prohibiting tobacco use in the workplace and public places and the Puerto Rico Cessation Quitline in decreasing lung and other tobacco-related cancers.
The association of low muscle mass with soluble receptor for advanced glycation end products (sRAGE): The Korean Sarcopenic Obesity Study (KSOS)

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are accumulated with aging in various tissues of humans. The soluble receptor for AGEs (sRAGE) exerts a protective role against the development of aging‐related chronic disorders by neutralizing the action of AGEs. We investigated the implication of sRAGE on low muscle mass in Asian men and women.
Diffusive limit of lattice gas with mixing conditions

We prove, under certain mixing conditions, that the hydrodynamical limit of a stochastic lattice gas on the cubic lattice Z is governed by a nonlinear diffusion equation. Following [VI], we characterize the diffusion coefficient by a variational formula, which is equivalent to the Green-Kubo formula. The fluctuation-dissipation equation is established rigorously as an important step of the proof. Our mixing conditions are implied by the Dobrushin-Shlosman mixing conditions which are always valid at high temperatures.
Comparison in efficacy of dopaminergic therapy between a group of ParkinsonÃ¢ÂÂsdisease patients and a group of patients with vascular parkinsonism.

Nowadays it is a common experience in general in medical practice and more for neurologists that there is an increasing incidence of signs of cerebral vascular minimal damage detected by radiologic investigations performed occasionally or not in the common population diffusely in age range, even involving young people. Therefore we decided to observe if there could be any statistic linkage between vascular disease and Parkinson Disease. In a previous study a first step consisted in showing a statistical significant incidence of cerebral vasculopathy in a group of patients affected by Parkinson Disease.
How strongly related are health status and subjective well-being? Systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Health status is widely considered to be closely associated with subjective well-being (SWB), yet this assumption has not been tested rigorously. The aims of this first systematic review and meta-analysis are to examine the association between health status and SWB and to test whether any association is affected by key operational and methodological factors. Methods A systematic search (January 1980-April 2017) using Web of Science, Medline, Embase, PsycInfo and Global health was conducted according to Cochrane and PRISMA guidelines. Meta-analyses using a random-effects model were performed. Results Twenty nine studies were included and the pooled effect size of the association between health status and SWB was medium, statistically significant and positive (pooled r = 0.347, 95% CI = 0.309-0.385; Q = 691.51, I2 = 94.99%, P < 0.001). However, the association was significantly stronger: (i) when SWB was operationalised as life satisfaction (r = 0.365) as opposed to happiness (r = 0.307); (ii) among studies conducted in developing countries (r = 0.423) than it was in developed countries (r = 0.336) and (iii) when multiple items were used to assess health status and SWB (r = 0.353) as opposed to single items (r = 0.326). Conclusion Improving people's health status may be one means by which governments can improve the SWB of their citizens. Life satisfaction might be preferred to happiness as a measure of SWB because it better captures the influence of health status.
New insights into the mineralogy of the Atlantis II Deep metalliferous sediments, Red Sea

The Atlantis II Deep of the Red Sea hosts the largest known hydrothermal ore deposit on the ocean floor and the only modern analog of brine pool‐type metal deposition. The deposit consists mainly of chemical‐clastic sediments with input from basin‐scale hydrothermal and detrital sources. A characteristic feature is the millimeter‐scale layering of the sediments, which bears a strong resemblance to banded iron formation (BIF). Quantitative assessment of the mineralogy based on relogging of archived cores, detailed petrography, and sequential leaching experiments shows that Fe‐(oxy)hydroxides, hydrothermal carbonates, sulfides, and authigenic clays are the main “ore” minerals. Mn‐oxides were mainly deposited when the brine pool was more oxidized than it is today, but detailed logging shows that Fe‐deposition and Mn‐deposition also alternated at the scale of individual laminae, reflecting short‐term fluctuations in the Lower Brine. Previous studies underestimated the importance of nonsulfide metal‐bearing components, which formed by metal adsorption onto poorly crystalline Si‐Fe‐OOH particles. During diagenesis, the crystallinity of all phases increased, and the fine layering of the sediment was enhanced. Within a few meters of burial (corresponding to a few thousand years of deposition), biogenic (Ca)‐carbonate was dissolved, manganosiderite formed, and metals originally in poorly crystalline phases or in pore water were incorporated into diagenetic sulfides, clays, and Fe‐oxides. Permeable layers with abundant radiolarian tests were the focus for late‐stage hydrothermal alteration and replacement, including deposition of amorphous silica and enrichment in elements such as Ba and Au.