Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clinical and epidemiologic analysis of giant cell (temporal) arteritis from a nationwide survey in 1998 in Japan: the first government-supported nationwide survey.

OBJECTIVE To elucidate epidemiologic and clinical manifestations of Japanese patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA), the first nationwide survey for GCA was conducted in 1998 in Japan. METHODS The first questionnaire on GCA for patients treated in 1997 was sent to 10,717 medical departments in Japan. A total of 177 patients were reported. Among the 177 patients, 66 GCA patients with detailed clinical and epidemiologic features on second survey were analyzed. RESULTS Prevalence in patients 50 years of age and older in 1997 was 1.47 per 100,000 population in Japan. The average age at onset was 71.5 years old. The male:female ratio was 1:1.7. The association with permanent and complete visual loss (6.5%), jaw claudication (15.2%), and polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) (30.3%) were low in frequency compared with those reported from other countries. All patients were treated with corticosteroids. Only 3 (4.5%) patients were reported as deceased due to other causes. CONCLUSION The prevalence of GCA in Japan was revealed to be extremely low compared with other countries. Clinical findings of permanent and complete visual loss, jaw claudication, and PMR were infrequent among Japanese patients with GCA.
Association between subclinical inflammation & fasting insulin in urban young adult north Indian males.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES Elevated levels of c-reactive protein (CRP) are known to be associated with insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome in adults. A substantial prevalence of hyperinsulinaemia and elevated CRP levels have been shown in Indian young adults. We therefore studied the association of serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) with fasting insulin and insulin resistance in urban adolescent and young adult males in north India. METHODS In this cross-sectional study 324 healthy males, 14-25 yr of age were selected randomly and their clinical and anthropometric profile [body mass index (BMI), waist and hip circumferences, waist-to-hip circumference ratio (W-HR), and skinfold thickness at four sites], percentage of body fat (%BF) and biochemical (fasting blood glucose, lipoprotein profile, fasting insulin and hs-CRP) parameters were recorded. Insulin resistance was assessed by the homeostasis model of assessment (HOMA-IR). RESULTS Fasting insulin and hs-CRP levels correlated significantly with BMI, waist circumference, and triceps and subscapular skinfold thickness. Fasting insulin also correlated with %BF, and hs- CRP correlated with W-HR. No correlation was observed between hs-CRP and fasting insulin levels or insulin resistance. In multiple logistic regression analysis different independent risk factors for hyperinsulinaemia and elevated hs-CRP levels were observed; hypercholesterolaemia, overweight and high subscapular skinfold thickness for the former, and high triceps skinfold thickness for the latter. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION Lack of correlation between hs-CRP and surrogate markers of insulin resistance and different risk factors for each, in young Indian males are unique observations of our study. Further studies on a larger sample of both genders need to be done to confirm these findings.
The Spanish Instrument Protocol: Design and Implementation of a Study to Evaluate Treatment Efficacy Instruments for Spanish‐Speaking Patients with Alzheimer's Disease

Development of improved outcome measures for Alzheimer's disease (AD) clinical trials is a major objective of the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS), an NIA-sponsored, multisite clinical trials consortium. The ADCS is committed to recruiting and following minority patients in clinical trials. At present, a serious impediment to recruiting non-English-speaking minorities is the lack of instruments with adequate translation. Because Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language in the United States and because persons of Hispanic origin represent approximately 10% of the population, we conducted an instrument development protocol for Spanish-speaking patients. Evaluating treatment efficacy in Spanish-speaking AD patients requires the development of assessments that are comparable to those used for English-speaking participants in clinical trials. The ADCS Instrument Development Project evaluated the sensitivity, reliability, and validity of new or improved measures in each of five assessment domains: (a) cognition (immediate and delayed memory, praxis, attention, and executive function); (b) clinical global change; (c) activities of daily living; (d) behavioral symptoms (agitation and other noncognitive symptoms); and (e) cognition in severely impaired patients. These new treatment efficacy instruments were translated for Spanish speakers and a Spanish Instrument Study was conducted in parallel with the English version of the study. This report describes instrument translation, entry criteria, and recruitment procedures. In addition, the demographic and clinical characteristics of the cohort at baseline are presented and compared to the English-speaking cohort. Implications for the development of comparably sensitive Spanish language instruments are discussed.
Woody Species Richness and Diversity at Ades Dry Afromontane Forest of South Eastern Ethiopia

The study was conducted at Ades Dry Afromontane Forest at 407 km Southeast of Addis Ababa to assess the diversity and composition of woody plant species. The sampling design was based on a US Forest Service model for the indigenous forests. A total of 60 circular plots each with an area of 0.017 ha were arranged in groups of four where a central plot is surrounded by three plots that are each at 36.6m from the central plot. In each plot, all woody plants that were ≥10cm in DBH were sampled for floristic diversity. Biodiversity analyses were accomplished using the Shannon-Weaver’s Index (H’) to assess the tree species diversity and Shannon Equitability (H’E) was calculated to assess the evenness values of species while the Importance Value Index (IVI) of each woody species was analyzed to see the Importance of individual tree and shrub species at the site. A total of 65 trees and shrub species belonging to 38 families had been recorded in this study. Rosaceae was a family with the highest number of species comprising about 9.23 % of the total number of species. The H’ ranged between 0.004 to 0. 362 with the overall H’ of 2.82. The H’E values ranged between 0.001 to 0.087 with a mean value of 0.01. A mean H’E value of 0.01 indicates that the relative homogeneity of woody plant species of the sampled plots was 1% of the maximum possible even population. The evenness values are not enough to justify uniformity in composition of tree species. The mean IVI value ranged between 0.36 to 49.06 with mean IVI value of 6.0. In this study only 15% of the recorded species were found with IVI values > 10 and the rest of 85% have IVI values < 10. The variation in survival mechanisms of species made some species to be dominant and most species to be lower in number in a given ecosystem. Tree species with high IVI were also found to have higher H’ of diversity. The spatial distribution and dominance of species can be affected both by the properties of the species themselves and the environmental factors. The diversity of woody species observed in the Ades dry afromontane is encouraging since, among other reasons, it is useful for conservation strategy.
Human tissue kallikrein 9: production of recombinant proteins and specific antibodies

Abstract Human tissue kallikreins (genes, KLKs; proteins, hKs) are a subgroup of hormonally regulated serine proteases. Two tissue kallikreins, namely hK2 and hK3 (prostate-specific antigen, PSA), are currently used as serological biomarkers of prostate cancer. Human tissue kallikrein 9 (KLK9) is a newly identified member of the tissue kallikrein gene family. Recent reports have indicated that KLK9 mRNA is differentially expressed in ovarian and breast cancer and has prognostic value. Here, we report the production of recombinant hK9 (classic form) using prokaryotic and mammalian cells and the generation of polyclonal antibodies. Total testis tissue mRNA was reverse-transcribed to cDNA, amplified, cloned into a pET/200 TOPO plasmid vector, and transformed into E. coli cells. hK9 was purified and used as an immunogen to generate polyclonal antibodies. Full-length KLK9 cDNA was also cloned in the vector pcDNA3.1 and was expressed in CHO cells. The identity of hK9 was confirmed by mass spectrometry. hK9 rabbit antiserum displayed no cross-reactivity with other tissue kallikreins and could specifically recognize E. coli- and CHO-derived hK9 on Western blots. hK9 was mainly detected in testis and seminal vesicles by Western blotting. The reagents generated here will help to define the physiological role of this tissue kallikrein and its involvement in human disease.
Assessing the impact of intra-cloud live migration on anomaly detection

Virtualized cloud environments have emerged as a necessity within modern unified ICT infrastructures and have established themselves as a reliable backbone for numerous always-on services. `Live' intra-cloud virtual-machine (VM) migration is a widely used technique for efficient resource management employed within modern cloud infrastructures. Despite the benefits of such functionality, there are still several security issues which have not yet been thoroughly assessed and quantified. We investigate the impact of live virtual-machine migration on state-of-the-art anomaly detection (AD) techniques (namely PCA and K-means), by evaluating live migration under various attack types and intensities. We find that the performance for both detectors degrades as shown by their Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curves when intra-cloud live migration is initiated while VMs are under a netscan (NS) or a denial-of-service (DoS) attack.
Attenuation of Toll-Like Receptor Expression and Function in Latent Tuberculosis by Coexistent Filarial Infection with Restoration Following Antifilarial Chemotherapy

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and filarial coinfection is highly prevalent, and the presence of filarial infections may regulate the Toll-like receptor (TLR)-dependent immune response needed to control Mtb infection. By analyzing the baseline and mycobacterial antigen–stimulated expression of TLR1, 2, 4, and 9 (in individuals with latent tuberculosis [TB] with or without filarial infection), we were able to demonstrate that filarial infection, coincident with Mtb, significantly diminishes both baseline and Mtb antigen-specific TLR2 and TLR9 expression. In addition, pro-inflammatory cytokine responses to TLR2 and 9 ligands are significantly diminished in filaria/TB-coinfected individuals. Definitive treatment of lymphatic filariasis significantly restores the pro-inflammatory cytokine responses in individuals with latent TB. Coincident filarial infection exerted a profound inhibitory effect on protective mycobacteria-specific TLR-mediated immune responses in latent tuberculosis and suggests a novel mechanism by which concomitant filarial infections predispose to the development of active tuberculosis in humans.
POS induction with distributional and morphological information using a distance-dependent Chinese restaurant process

We present a new approach to inducing the syntactic categories of words, combining their distributional and morphological properties in a joint nonparametric Bayesian model based on the distance-dependent Chinese Restaurant Process. The prior distribution over word clusterings uses a log-linear model of morphological similarity; the likelihood function is the probability of generating vector word embeddings. The weights of the morphology model are learned jointly while inducing part-ofspeech clusters, encouraging them to cohere with the distributional features. The resulting algorithm outperforms competitive alternatives on English POS induction.
Intra- and Intersensory Matching by Nursery School Children

Nursery school children (27 boys, 27 girls) were tested on two intrasensory and one intersensory equivalence tasks. Matching ability was examined in the context of successive and simultaneous methods of presenting stimuli. It was concluded that success in discrimination was not dependent on method of presentation but was related to modality. Visual-visual comparisons were significantly easier for preschoolers than either visual-tactual or tactual-tactual comparisons. No age or sex differences were obtained.
Preliminary stages of cross-cultural adaptation of the Brazilian Portuguese version of McMaster Family Assessment Device

Objective To carry out the preliminary stages of the cross-cultural adaptation of the Family Assessment Device (FAD) to Brazilian Portuguese language and examine its reliability. Methods The translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the FAD were developed according to the methods internationally recommended. The resulting product was applied to 80 individuals who completed the questionnaire on two different occasions, seven days apart. Internal consistency was obtained through Cronbach’s alpha, and reliability was estimated by using the Bland and Altman method. Results The internal consistency obtained was very good (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.910). The mean differences of FAD dimensions found in the Bland and Altman test were the following: -0.21 (Problem Solving); -0.32 (Communication); -0.17 (Roles); 0.2 (Affective Responsiveness); -0.27 (Affective Involvement); -0.08 (Behavior Control); -0.02 (General Functioning). Conclusion The processes of translation and cross-cultural adaptation were successful. Assessment of the structural validity and external construct validity is recommended for the improvement of the Brazilian version.
Closing-in Behavior in Mild Cognitive Impairment: An Executive Deficit

Abstract This study explored Closing-in behavior (CIB), the tendency in figure copying to draw very close to or on top of the model, in mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The files of 154 people diagnosed with MCI were reviewed and CIB was identified in 21% of cases. Two approaches were used to explore CIB. First, we capitalized on the diverse cognitive profiles within MCI, subdividing the overall sample into people with and without memory deficits. The frequency of CIB was significantly higher in multidomain non-amnestic MCI than in multidomain amnestic MCI, suggesting that CIB is not associated with specific memory impairment. Second, we assessed the cognitive correlates of CIB, by selecting patients with MCI who completed a battery of executive, visuo-constructional and memory tasks. Sub-groups of patients with and without CIB showed a similar overall severity of cognitive decline and comparable performance in visuo-constructional and memory tasks, but those with CIB were slightly but significantly more impaired on executive function tasks. The study provides evidence against memory-based accounts of CIB, and supports recent suggestions that executive impairments are the dominant cognitive correlate of this clinical sign. (JINS, 2012, 18, 269–276)
Reduction of Orc6 Expression Sensitizes Human Colon Cancer Cells to 5-Fluorouracil and Cisplatin

Previous studies from our group have shown that the expression levels of Orc6 were highly elevated in colorectal cancer patient specimens and the induction of Orc6 was associated with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) treatment. The goal of this study was to investigate the molecular and cellular impact of Orc6 in colon cancer. In this study, we use HCT116 (wt-p53) and HCT116 (null-p53) colon cancer cell lines as a model system to investigate the impact of Orc6 on cell proliferation, chemosensitivity and pathways involved with Orc6. We demonstrated that the down regulation of Orc6 sensitizes colon cancer cells to both 5-FU and cisplatin (cis-pt) treatment. Decreased Orc6 expression in HCT-116 (wt-p53) cells by RNA interference triggered cell cycle arrest at G1 phase. Prolonged inhibition of Orc6 expression resulted in multinucleated cells in HCT-116 (wt-p53) cell line. Western immunoblot analysis showed that down regulation of Orc6 induced p21 expression in HCT-116 (wt-p53) cells. The induction of p21 was mediated by increased level of phosphorylated p53 at ser-15. By contrast, there is no elevated expression of p21 in HCT-116 (null-p53) cells. Orc6 down regulation also increased the expression of DNA damaging repair protein GADD45β and reduced the expression level of JNK1. Orc6 may be a potential novel target for future anti cancer therapeutic development in colon cancer.
Pain in Outpatients Treated for Breast Cancer: Prevalence, Pharmacological Treatment, and Impact on Quality of Life

Background: Cancer pain is an unmitigated clinical phenomenon. Despite available guidelines, variability exists in treating cancer pain. Objective: The objective of this study was to describe prevalence and severity of pain and the pharmacotherapy (opioid, nonopioid, adjuvant analgesics) in outpatients treated for breast cancer. Adequacy of pharmacological pain treatments, the predictors, and impact were also examined. Methods: This descriptive study consisted of 114 chemotherapy outpatients from urban and rural settings. Pain and quality of life were self-reported by patients; treatment-related information was obtained from medical records. Based on the World Health Organization analgesic ladder, adequacy of pharmacological pain management (acceptable or inadequate analgesia) was computed using the Pain Management Index; the most potent analgesic was prescribed relative to the patient’s reported pain. Results: Although patients were commonly treated with traditional analgesics, more than half (52.3%) received inadequate analgesia. Those who received inadequate analgesia reported more pain, greater pain interferences (P = .003), and more symptoms (P = .043). Those who received adjuvant analgesics reported more pain, greater interference (P = .018), more symptoms (P = .032), and lower functioning (P = .029). Nonadvanced disease stages and more comorbidities were strong predictors of inadequate analgesia. Conclusions: There is a lack of congruence between the strength of analgesia and the patient’s pain level. The addition of adjuvant analgesics did not reduce pain severity or improve quality of life. Implications for Practice: The risks and benefits of coadministration of traditional and adjuvant analgesics need to be determined. Other treatment modalities in conjunction with pharmacological treatment are needed, considering negative effects of adjuvant analgesics on pain and quality of life.
Damaging Insect Pests and Diseases and Their Threats to Agarwood Tree Plantations

The cultivation of agarwood tree species such as Aquilaria has grown dramatically during the last ten years. This development is driven by the desire to produce sustainable agarwood to meet the high market demand. In the past, the main source of agarwood had been from natural forests, which resources are now declining. Although there are various examples of pests and diseases affecting early plantations, these damages were often overlooked. Recently, the emergence of new pests and diseases in large-scale Aquilaria tree plantations has raised concerns among planters and researchers, as the damage level to the trees may vary from unsubstantial to tree mortality. Lack of information on the types of pests and diseases in Aquilaria plantations makes it difficult to properly manage these threats, leading to economic losses. This review summarizes the insect pests and diseases known to damage cultivated agarwood trees in various countries including China, India, Indonesia, and Malaysia. As we learn from the cultivation practices of other monoculture crops, these insect pests and pathogens are a major challenge to the healthy growth of agarwood trees. The implementation of an integrated pest and disease management at an early stage of plantation establishment may hold the key to help control and contain these threats from turning into major outbreaks.
Evaluation of Antimalarial Activity of the Leaf Latex and TLC Isolates from Aloe megalacantha Baker in Plasmodium berghei Infected Mice

Malaria is a devastating parasitic disease which caused around 216 million cases and 445,000 deaths worldwide in 2016. This might be attributed to a wide spread of drug resistant parasites. The plant Aloe megalacantha is indigenous to Ethiopia where the sap of the leaves is traditionally used for the treatment of malaria. This study was aimed at evaluating the antimalarial effect of leaf latex and isolates obtained from Aloe megalacantha against chloroquine sensitive Plasmodium berghei ANKA strain in Swiss albino mice. Peters' 4-day suppressive test method was used to test the antimalarial activity of both leaves latex and isolates. Three isolates were obtained using thin layer chromatography and were coded as AM1, AM2, and AM3 in ascending order of their retention factor. After treatment of Plasmodium berghei infected mice with leaf latex of Aloe megalacantha for four days at 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg, it shows 30.3%, 43.4%, and 56.4% suppression of the parasite growth, respectively. 32.3%, 51.3%, and 67.4% chemosuppression after treatment with AM1, 39.8%, 50.6%, and 64.2% chemosuppression after treatment with AM2, and 52.6%, 69.4%, and 79.6% chemosuppression after treatment with AM3 were observed at doses of 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg/day, respectively. The observed parasite suppression of leaves latex and isolates was statistically significant (P<0.05) as compared to negative control. Moreover, both the leaves latex and isolates were also observed to prevent Plasmodium berghei induced body weight loss and hypothermia and increased the survival time of Plasmodium berghei infected mice as compared to the negative control. Hence, the present study supports the traditional claim of the plant for the treatment of malaria.
Sex-Based Differences in Response to Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator in Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Pooled Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials

Background and Purpose— Women experience worse outcomes after stroke compared with men. Prior work has suggested sex-based differences in coagulation and fibrinolysis markers in subjects with acute stroke. We explored whether sex might modify the effect of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) on outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Methods— Using a combined database including subjects from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), Alteplase Thrombolysis for Acute Noninterventional Therapy in Ischemic Stroke (ATLANTIS) A and B, and the Second European Cooperative Acute Stroke Study (ECASS II) trials, we examined 90-day outcomes in patients randomized to rtPA versus placebo by sex. We used logistic regression to control for potential confounders. Results— Among 988 women treated between 0 and 6 hours from symptom onset, patients receiving rtPA were significantly more likely than those receiving placebo to have a modified Rankin Score ≤1 (40.5% versus 30.3%, P<0.0008). Among 1190 men, the trend toward benefit in the overall group did not reach statistical significance (38.5% versus 36.7%, P=0.52). An unadjusted analysis showed that women were significantly more likely to benefit from rtPA compared with men (P=0.04). Controlling for age, baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, diabetes, symptom onset to treatment time, prior stroke, systolic blood pressure, extent of hypoattenuation on baseline computed tomography scan and several significant interaction terms (including onset to treatment time–by-treatment and systolic blood pressure–by treatment) did not substantially change the strength of the interaction between gender and rtPA treatment (P=0.04). Conclusions— In this pooled analysis of rtPA in acute ischemic stroke, women benefited more than men, and the usual gender difference in outcome favoring men was not observed in the thrombolytic therapy group. For patients presenting at later time intervals, when the risks and benefits of rtPA are more finely balanced, sex may be an important variable to consider for patient selection.