Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reproducibility and validity of self-reported menopausal status in a prospective cohort study.

The reproducibility and validity of self-reported menopausal status were evaluated among the 121,700 female US registered nurses aged 30-55 years in 1976 who are participants in the Nurses' Health Study, a prospective cohort study of diseases in women. When questioned in 1978, 6,591 of the women who were premenopausal in 1976 reported that their menses had ceased and provided their age at menopause. Two years later, in 1980, 98.8 per cent of the 6,591 women again reported that they were postmenopausal and again gave the reasons for menopause (natural or surgical). Among those women who reported surgical menopause during the 1976-1978 follow-up interval, age at menopause was reported to within one year on both the 1978 and 1980 questionnaires by 95 per cent of women. Among those reporting natural menopause during the 1976-1978 period, 82 per cent of women reported their age at menopause to within one year on the two follow-up questionnaires. A random sample of 255 women reporting surgical menopause between 1982 and 1984 was identified and medical records were obtained for 200. For all but two women, there was complete agreement between self-report and medical record for details of hysterectomy and extent of ovarian surgery. The reproducibility of self-reported age at menopause was assessed among 31,405 women who were menopausal in 1976. Reported age at menopause on consecutive questionnaires showed increasing within-person variance with increasing duration since menopause. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Estrogen protects SGC7901 cells from endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced apoptosis by the Akt pathway

Several previous studies have demonstrated that estrogen may protect cancer cells from endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced apoptosis. However, the molecular mechanisms involved are not fully understood. In the present study, human gastric adenocarcinoma SGC7901 cells were treated with tunicamycin (TM) to induce endoplasmic reticulum stress. This was demonstrated by increased glucose-regulated protein 78 expression and enhanced phosphorylation of protein kinase RNA-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase. Endoplasmic reticulum stress induced caspase-3-mediated apoptosis with the inhibition of Akt; the latter of which was measured by the activity-dependent phosphorylation at Ser473 of Akt. Simultaneous treatment of 10−9 M 17β-estradiol (E2) with TM may protect SGC7901 cells from endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced apoptosis by counteracting the inhibitory effect of TM on Akt, causing an increase in the phosphorylation of Ser473-Akt. It was concluded that low concentrations of E2 may counteract endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced inactivation of Akt to block caspase-3-mediated apoptosis.
The Physiology and Pathophysiology of the Hyperbaric and Diving Environments Hyperbaric oxygen stimulates vasculogenic stem cell growth and differentiation in vivo

Tatyana N. Milovanova, Veena M. Bhopale, Elena M. Sorokina, Jonni S. Moore, Thomas K. Hunt, Martin Hauer-Jensen, Omaida C. Velazquez, and Stephen R. Thom Institute for Environmental Medicine, Departments of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Emergency Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Department of Surgery, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California; Department of Surgery, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas; and Department of Surgery, University of Miami, Miami, Florida
Mitogen and stress response kinase‐1 (MSK1) mediates excitotoxic induced death of hippocampal neurones

Activation of the mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK/ERK) signal transduction pathway may mediate excitotoxic neuronal cell death in vitro and during ischemic brain injury in vivo. However, little is known, of the upstream regulation or downstream consequences of ERK activation under these conditions. Magnesium removal has been described to induce hyperexcitability and degeneration in cultured hippocampal neurones. Here, we show that neurotoxicity evoked by Mg2+ removal in primary hippocampal neurones stimulates ERK, but not p38, phosphorylation. Removal of Mg2+ also resulted in induction of the MAPK/ERK substrate mitogen‐ and stress‐response kinase 1 (MSK1) and induced phosphorylation of the MSK1 substrate, the transcription factor cAMP response element binding protein (CREB). Neuronal death and phosphorylation of components in this cascade were inhibited by the Raf inhibitor SB‐386023, by the MEK inhibitor U0126, or by the MSK1 inhibitors H89 and Ro318220. Importantly, this form of cell death was inhibited in hippocampal neurones cultured from MSK1–/– mice and inhibitors of Raf or MEK had no additive neuroprotective effect. Together, these data indicate that MSK1 is a physiological kinase for CREB and that this activity is an essential component of activity‐dependent neuronal cell death.
Comparing neural networks and linear discriminant functions for glaucoma detection using confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy of the optic disc.

PURPOSE To determine whether neural network techniques can improve differentiation between glaucomatous and nonglaucomatous eyes, using the optic disc topography parameters of the Heidelberg Retina Tomograph (HRT; Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany). METHODS With the HRT, one eye was imaged from each of 108 patients with glaucoma (defined as having repeatable visual field defects with standard automated perimetry) and 189 subjects without glaucoma (no visual field defects with healthy-appearing optic disc and retinal nerve fiber layer on clinical examination) and the optic nerve topography was defined by 17 global and 66 regional HRT parameters. With all the HRT parameters used as input, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated for the classification of eyes, by three neural network techniques: linear and Gaussian support vector machines (SVM linear and SVM Gaussian, respectively) and a multilayer perceptron (MLP), as well as four previously proposed linear discriminant functions (LDFs) and one LDF developed on the current data with all HRT parameters used as input. RESULTS The areas under the ROC curves for SVM linear and SVM Gaussian were 0.938 and 0.945, respectively; for MLP, 0.941; for the current LDF, 0.906; and for the best previously proposed LDF, 0.890. With the use of forward selection and backward elimination optimization techniques, the areas under the ROC curves for SVM Gaussian and the current LDF were increased to approximately 0.96. CONCLUSIONS Trained neural networks, with global and regional HRT parameters used as input, improve on previously proposed HRT parameter-based LDFs for discriminating between glaucomatous and nonglaucomatous eyes. The performance of both neural networks and LDFs can be improved with optimization of the features in the input. Neural network analyses show promise for increasing diagnostic accuracy of tests for glaucoma.
Percutaneous transhepatic choledochoscopic lithotomy as a rescue therapy for removal of bile duct stones in Billroth II gastrectomy patients who are difficult to perform ERCP

Background Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is more difficult and dangerous in patients with Billroth II (B II) gastrectomy than those with normal anatomy. Objectives To evaluate the clinical efficacy of percutaneous transhepatic choledochoscopic lithotomy (PTCSL) for removing common bile duct stones in B II gastrectomy patients who are difficult to perform ERCP. Methods This study was designed as prospectively uncontrolled in a large tertiary referral center. In 20 patients, mostly men, with bile duct stones and an earlier B II gastrectomy, PTCSL was tried because of failed ERCP and high risk. The PTCSL was performed using electrohydraulic lithotripsy or papillary balloon dilation. Successful stone removal and complications were measured. Results Stone removal was achieved in all 20 patients. The mean number of procedures and session time were 4.5 and 45 min, respectively. Minor PTCSL-related complications, such as fever, hemobilia, hyperamylasemia, and wound pain, occurred in five patients (25%). There were no major procedure-related complications, including perforation or mortality. Conclusion The PTCSL procedure is an effective and safe rescue therapy for common bile duct stones in B II gastrectomy patients with failed ERCP and high risk.
Human papillomavirus modifies the prognostic significance of T stage and possibly N stage in tonsillar cancer.

BACKGROUND Despite the association with more advanced nodal stage, patients with human papillomavirus (HPV) positive oropharyngeal cancers have better outcomes. We examined whether the HPV can modify the effect of known prognostic factors in tonsillar cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 489 patients from 10 centres were followed up for recurrence or death for a median of 3.2 years. Determinants of the rate of locoregional recurrence, death from tonsillar cancer and overall survival were modelled using Cox regression. RESULTS The prognostic value of T and N stages were modified by HPV as indicated by statistically significant interaction terms. After adjusting for age, gender and treatment, T stage appeared relevant only for HPV-positive cancers (where a higher T stage was associated with worse outcomes). There was some evidence that N stage was a more relevant prognostic factor for HPV-negative than -positive cancers. There was no evidence that the HPV modifies the effect of age, gender or grade on outcomes. CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that the prognostic significance of the conventional staging system in tonsillar cancer is modified by HPV.
Linear Dependent Types and Relative Completeness

A system of linear dependent types for the lambda calculus with full higher-order recursion, called dlPCF, is introduced and proved sound and relatively complete. Completeness holds in a strong sense: dlPCF is not only able to precisely capture the functional behaviour of PCF programs (i.e. how the output relates to the input) but also some of their intensional properties, namely the complexity of evaluating them with Krivine's Machine. dlPCF is designed around dependent types and linear logic and is parametrized on the underlying language of index terms, which can be tuned so as to sacrifice completeness for tractability.
Indirect effects of predators control herbivore richness and abundance in a benthic eelgrass (Zostera marina) mesograzer community.

Herbivore communities can be sensitive to changes in predator pressure (top-down effects) and resource availability (bottom-up effects) in a wide range of systems. However, it remains unclear whether such top-down and bottom-up effects reflect direct impacts of predators and/or resources on herbivores, or are indirect, reflecting altered interactions among herbivore species. We quantified direct and indirect effects of bottom-up and top-down processes on an eelgrass (Zostera marina) herbivore assemblage. In a field experiment, we factorially manipulated water column nutrients (with Osmocote(™) slow-release fertilizer) and predation pressure (with predator exclusion cages) and measured the effects on herbivore abundance, richness and beta diversity. We examined likely mechanisms of community responses by statistically exploring the response of individual herbivore species to trophic manipulations. Predators increased herbivore richness and total abundance, in both cases through indirect shifts in community composition. Increases in richness occurred through predator suppression of common gammarid amphipod species (Monocorophium acherusicum and Photis brevipes), permitting the inclusion of rarer gammarid species (Aoroides columbiae and Pontogeneia rostrata). Increased total herbivore abundance reflected increased abundance of a caprellid amphipod species (Caprella sp.), concurrent with declines in the abundance of other common species. Furthermore, predators decreased beta diversity by decreasing variability in Caprella sp. abundance among habitat patches. Osmocote(™) fertilization increased nutrient concentrations locally, but nutrients dissipated to background levels within 3 m of the fertilizer. Nutrient addition weakly affected the herbivore assemblage, not affecting richness and increasing total abundance by increasing one herbivore species (Caprella sp.). Nutrient addition did not affect beta diversity. We demonstrated that assemblage-level effects of trophic manipulations on community structure are the result of distinct and often indirect responses of herbivore species. These results underscore the importance of understanding herbivore-herbivore interactions in a system commonly subjected to both eutrophication and overfishing.
Current Transport across the Grain Boundaries of High-Field High-Temperature Micro- and Nanocrystalline Superconductors

We have fabricated micro- and nanocrystalline YBa2Cu3O7, Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 and Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10 superconductors using mechanical ball milling, hot isostatic pressing and oxygen annealing. The fabricated materials were characterised using powder x-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetry, resistivity, V-I traces, a.c. magnetic susceptibility and d.c. magnetic hysteresis. A new approach for measuring the resistivity of grain boundaries in polycrystalline materials is presented. The average resistivities of the grain boundaries ρ_GB in micro- and nanocrystalline YBa2Cu3O7 are much higher than that of the grains (ρ_G) which leads to huge ρ_GB/ρ_G values of 2 × 10^3 and 1.6 × 10^5 respectively. For nanocrystalline Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 and both micro- and nanocrystalline Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10 samples, ρ_GB/ρ_G is at least 10^3. Only microcrystalline Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 has a very low ρ_GB that is similar to ρ_G such that ρ_GB/ρ_G≈1. The values of grain boundary resistivity measured in our samples were used in conjunction with a theoretical framework developed in Durham, to quantitatively calculate how high grain boundary resistivities must be to account for the decrease by several orders of magnitude in transport critical current density J_c in polycrystalline YBa2Cu3O7 and Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10. We conclude that the significant effort made by the research community in texturing samples and removing the grain boundaries is well-founded. For low-temperature superconducting intermetallics such as Nb3Sn, we demonstrate that increases in J_c by two orders of magnitude is still possible by completely removing the grain boundaries from these materials and incorporating additional artificial pinning. Only large-grained polycrystalline Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 has sufficiently low grain boundary resistivity, that cost constraints for applications may yet lead to high J_c polycrystalline materials that have artificial pinning sites or pinning produced by irradiation.
A clinical study of 21 patients with hemophagocytic syndrome in 295 cases diagnosed with nasal type, extranodal nature killer/T cell lymphoma

ABSTRACT Nasal type, extranodal nature killer (NK)/T cell lymphoma-associated hemophagocytic syndrome (NK/T-LAHS) is a rare and fatal disorder with extremely poor prognosis. To investigate its clinical characteristics and risk factors, we retrospectively analyzed 295 patients with nasal type, extranodal nature killer/T cell lymphoma, of which 21 were diagnosed with hemophagocytic syndrome, with a cumulative incidence of 7.1%. The most frequently clinical characteristics were fever, lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, pancytopenia, hyperferritinemia, liver dysfunction, hypertriglyceridemia, hypofibrinogenemia and evaluated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level. After a median follow-up of 27 months, the 2-year survival for the 295 patients was 74.6%. Significant difference for 2-year survival was found between patients with and without hemophagocytic syndrome (4.8% vs. 80.0%, P<0.001). After developing hemophagocytic syndrome, all patients survived no more than 3 months, with a median survival of 35 days. Risk factors for NK/T-LAHS were bone marrow (BM) involvement (P = 0.019; relative risk, 13.649; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.538–121.103), hepatosplenomegaly (P = 0.003; relative risk, 9.616; 95%CI: 2.154–42.918), and elevated LDH level (>314U/L) (P = 0.038; relative risk, 6.293; 95%CI: 1.108–35.735). We conducted a risk model for all 295 patients based on the 3 adverse factors as follows: low risk (233 cases, 79.0%), no factor; intermediate risk (43 cases, 14.6%), one factor; high risk (19 cases, 6.4%), 2 or 3 factors. The probabilities for developing LAHS were 0.9% for low-, 14.0% for intermediate-, and 68.4% for high-risk group. Significant differences in the 3 risk groups were observed (P<0.001).
Discrimination Method of the Volatiles from Fresh Mushrooms by an Electronic Nose Using a Trapping System and Statistical Standardization to Reduce Sensor Value Variation

Electronic noses have the benefit of obtaining smell information in a simple and objective manner, therefore, many applications have been developed for broad analysis areas such as food, drinks, cosmetics, medicine, and agriculture. However, measurement values from electronic noses have a tendency to vary under humidity or alcohol exposure conditions, since several types of sensors in the devices are affected by such variables. Consequently, we show three techniques for reducing the variation of sensor values: (1) using a trapping system to reduce the infering components; (2) performing statistical standardization (calculation of z-score); and (3) selecting suitable sensors. With these techniques, we discriminated the volatiles of four types of fresh mushrooms: golden needle (Flammulina velutipes), white mushroom (Agaricus bisporus), shiitake (Lentinus edodes), and eryngii (Pleurotus eryngii) among six fresh mushrooms (hen of the woods (Grifola frondosa), shimeji (Hypsizygus marmoreus) plus the above mushrooms). Additionally, we succeeded in discrimination of white mushroom, only comparing with artificial mushroom flavors, such as champignon flavor and truffle flavor. In conclusion, our techniques will expand the options to reduce variations in sensor values.
Three-dimensional object-oriented modeling of the stomach for the purpose of microprocessor-controlled functional stimulation

Three-dimensional (3-D) object-oriented models are needed for optimizing gastric electrical stimulation by performing virtual computer experiments. The aim of the study was to create a 3-D object-oriented electromechanical model of the stomach in vivo for the purpose of microprocessor controlled functional stimulation. The stomach was modeled using coaxial truncated conoids as objects. The strength of an external stimulating electric field generated by circumferentially implanted wire electrodes is related to artificial neurogenic and myogenic control of smooth muscle depolarization and contraction. Variation of the field strength modulates the frequency and concentration of acetylcholine release, as well as the transmembrane voltage of the muscle cells. Mechanical response of the stimulated tissue was quantified by two parametric functions of the electric field strength representing the relative contractile force and geometrical displacement of the gastric surface. Data from previously conducted canine experiments were used to test the validity of the model. The model was applied to simulate contractions with different positions, orientation and number of the circumferentially implanted stimulating electrodes. The model combined most of the existing theoretical and experimental findings concerning functional gastric stimulation and can be utilized as a flexible tool for virtual medical tests involving external high-frequency (50 Hz) neural stimulation.
Excitation Control: Balancing PSD-95 Function at the Synapse

Excitability of individual neurons dictates the overall excitation in specific brain circuits. This process is thought to be regulated by molecules that regulate synapse number, morphology and strength. Neuronal excitation is also influenced by the amounts of neurotransmitter receptors and signaling molecules retained at particular synaptic sites. Recent studies revealed a key role for PSD-95, a scaffolding molecule enriched at glutamatergic synapses, in modulation of clustering of several neurotransmitter receptors, adhesion molecules, ion channels, cytoskeletal elements and signaling molecules at postsynaptic sites. In this review we will highlight mechanisms that control targeting of PSD-95 at the synapse, and discuss how this molecule influences the retention and clustering of diverse synaptic proteins to regulate synaptic structure and strength. We will also discuss how PSD-95 may maintain a balance between excitation and inhibition in the brain and how alterations in this balance may contribute to neuropsychiatric disorders.
Increased frequency of restless legs syndrome in a French-Canadian population with multiple sclerosis

The authors evaluated the co-occurrence of multiple sclerosis (MS) and restless legs syndrome (RLS) using an RLS questionnaire. They evaluated 200 patients with MS, 100 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and 100 controls, all French-Canadians. They found that 37.5% of MS patients, 31% of RA patients, and 16% of controls fulfilled the criteria for RLS. MS can cause RLS, or MS and RLS may have common susceptibility factors.
A survey of the Mycoplasma genitalium genome by using random sequencing

A total of 508 random clones from five Mycoplasma genitalium genomic libraries were partially sequenced and analyzed. This resulted in the identification of 291 unique contigs. Sequence information from these clones (100,993 nucleotides), representing approximately 17% of this pathogen's genome, was analyzed by comparison to the DNA and protein sequence data bases. The frequency with which clones could be identified, by virtue of possessing homology to another data base entry, was 46%. Sequence analysis indicated the following. (i) The M. genitalium genome contains many genes involved in various metabolic processes. (ii) Repetitive DNA may comprise as much as 4% of this genome. (iii) The MgPa adhesin gene may be the result of horizontal transfer from an unknown origin. (iv) Not all dinucleotide pairs are present in this genome at the expected frequency. (v) This genome potentially encodes approximately 390 proteins and makes very efficient use of its limited amount of DNA. In addition, this study allowed us to estimate the number of genes involved with various cellular functions.
Bipolar and Unipolar Resistive Switching in Cu-Doped $ \hbox{SiO}_{2}$

Scalable nonvolatile memory devices that operate at low voltage and current, exhibit multilevel cell capability, and can be read nondestructively using simple circuitry, are highly sought after. Such devices are of particular interest if they are compatible with back-end-of-line processing for CMOS integrated circuits. A variety of resistance-change technologies show promise in this respect, but a new approach that is based on switching in copper-doped silicon dioxide may be the simplest and least expensive to integrate. This paper describes the characteristics of W-(Cu/SiO2)-Cu programmable metallization cell (PMC) devices formed by the thermal diffusion of Cu into deposited SiO2. PMC devices operate by the electrochemical control of metallic pathways in solid electrolytes. Both unipolar and bipolar resistive switching could be attained in these devices. Bipolar switching, which is identical to that seen in PMC devices based on other solid electrolytes, was observed for low bias (a few tenths of volts) and programming currents in the microampere range. The resistance ratio between high and low states was on the order of 103, and a multibit storage is considered possible via the strong dependence of ON-state resistance on programming current. The low and high resistance states were stable for more than 5 x 104 s. The devices could be made to exhibit unipolar switching using a negative bias on the order of -1 V combined with erase currents of hundreds of microampere to a few milliampere. In this case, the OFF/ON ratio was 106.