Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cordyceps sinensis Mycelium Extract Induces Human Premyelocytic Leukemia Cell Apoptosis Through Mitochondrion Pathway

This study was to identify the signaling pathways for the induction of HL-60 cell apoptosis by Cordyceps sinensis mycelium extract (CSME). CSME at 25 μg/ml induced nuclear fragmentation and DNA degradation, two hallmark events of apoptosis, in the HL-60 cells within 12–24 hrs of treatment. Concomitantly, several major events in the mitochondrial signal pathway occurred, including the loss of MTP (ΔΨm), cytochrome c release into the cytoplasm, the decrease in Bcl-2 protein level, the translocation of Bax protein from cytoplasm into mitochondria, and the activation of caspase-2, −3, and −9, but caspase-8, the initiator caspase in the death receptor pathway, was not activated. These results suggest that CSME induces apoptosis in HL-60 cell through the mitochondrial pathway rather than the death receptor pathway.
Subset Analysis of a Multicenter, Randomized Controlled Trial to Compare Magnifying Chromoendoscopy with Endoscopic Ultrasonography for Stage Diagnosis of Early Stage Colorectal Cancer

Background Our recent prospective study found equivalent accuracy of magnifying chromoendoscopy (MC) and endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) for diagnosing the invasion depth of colorectal cancer (CRC); however, whether these tools show diagnostic differences in categories such as tumor size and morphology remains unclear. Hence, we conducted detailed subset analysis of the prospective data. Methods In this multicenter, prospective, comparative trial, a total of 70 patients with early, flat CRC were enrolled from February 2011 to December 2012, and the results of 66 lesions were finally analyzed. Patients were randomly allocated to primary MC followed by EUS or to primary EUS followed by MC. Diagnoses of invasion depth by each tool were divided into intramucosal to slight submucosal invasion (invasion depth <1000 μm) and deep submucosal invasion (invasion depth ≥1000 μm), and then compared with the final pathological diagnosis by an independent pathologist blinded to clinical data. To standardize diagnoses among examiners, this trial was started after achievement of a mean κ value of ≥0.6 which was calculated from the average of κ values between each pair of participating endoscopists. Results Both MC and EUS showed similar diagnostic outcomes, with no significant differences in prediction of invasion depth in subset analyses according to tumor size, location, and morphology. Lesions that were consistently diagnosed as Tis/T1-SMS or ≥T1-SMD with both tools revealed accuracy of 76–78%. Accuracy was low in borderline lesions with irregular pit pattern in MC and distorted findings of the third layer in EUS (MC, 58.5%; EUS, 50.0%). Conclusions MC and EUS showed the same limited accuracy for predicting invasion depth in all categories of early CRC. Since the irregular pit pattern in MC, distorted findings to the third layer in EUS and inconsistent diagnosis between both tools were associated with low accuracy, further refinements or even novel methods are still needed for such lesions. Trial Registration University hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry UMIN 000005085
Learning relatedness measures for entity linking

Entity Linking is the task of detecting, in text documents, relevant mentions to entities of a given knowledge base. To this end, entity-linking algorithms use several signals and features extracted from the input text or from the knowledge base. The most important of such features is entity relatedness. Indeed, we argue that these algorithms benefit from maximizing the relatedness among the relevant entities selected for annotation, since this minimizes errors in disambiguating entity-linking. The definition of an effective relatedness function is thus a crucial point in any entity-linking algorithm. In this paper we address the problem of learning high quality entity relatedness functions. First, we formalize the problem of learning entity relatedness as a learning-to-rank problem. We propose a methodology to create reference datasets on the basis of manually annotated data. Finally, we show that our machine-learned entity relatedness function performs better than other relatedness functions previously proposed, and, more importantly, improves the overall performance of different state-of-the-art entity-linking algorithms.
Efficacy of mosapride plus proton pump inhibitors for treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease: a systematic review.

AIM To assess the potential benefits of mosapride plus proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) in the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease. METHODS A literature search was performed through MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the ISI Web of Knowledge. The clinical trials that compared the benefit of mosapride plus PPI treatment with that of PPI monotherapy were analyzed. The rate of responders was evaluated by the pooled relative risk (PRR) and improvement in symptom scores was assessed by single effect size of a standardized mean, while Hedges'g was used as the effect size. Pooled effect sizes with 95%CIs were calculated using a fixed-effects model. Between-study heterogeneity was assessed using Q test and I (2) analyses. In addition, studies that assessed the additional efficacy of mosapride in PPI-resistant patients were also reviewed. RESULTS This systematic review included information on a total of 587 patients based on 7 trials. Four trials compared the efficacy of combination therapy of mosapride plus a PPI with that of PPI monotherapy. The statistical analysis for the effect of additional mosapride showed equivocal results (PRR = 1.132; 95%CI: 0.934-1.372; P = 0.205; Hedges'g = 0.24; 95%CI: 0.03-0.46; P = 0.023). No heterogeneity and publication bias were found among the studies. Three open-labeled trials assessed the additional efficacy of mosapride in PPI-resistant patients. However, since these trials did not set the control group, the results may be considerably biased. CONCLUSION Mosapride combined therapy is not more effective than PPI alone as first-line therapy. Whether it is effective in PPI-resistant patients needs to be determined.
Comparison between ultrasonography (Dermascan C version 3) and transparency profilometry (Skin Visiometer SV600)

Background/purpose: A recently developed method to estimate skin smoothness is the replica method, which may have the limitation of the roughness difference of actual skin due to the skin‐replicating process. Therefore, observation of dermal layer change is very important. For this purpose, ultrasonic display equipment is generally used. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the correlation between skin roughness and dermal density in wrinkle evaluation.
Personal control over the cure of breast cancer: adaptiveness, underlying beliefs and correlates

Objectives: Although cognitive adaptation theory suggests that personal control acts as a stress buffer when facing adversity, maladaptive outcomes might occur when control is disconfirmed. The moderating effect of disappointing news on the adaptiveness of personal control over cure in women with breast cancer was examined and contrasted with the effect on the adaptiveness of general control over life. Additionally, the underlying beliefs and correlates of control over cure were explored.
Structural snapshot of cyclic nucleotide binding domains from cyclic nucleotide-sensitive ion channels

Abstract Cyclic nucleotide-binding domains (CNBDs) that are present in various channel proteins play crucial roles in signal amplification cascades. Although atomic resolution structures of some of those CNBDs are available, the detailed mechanism by which they confer cyclic nucleotide-binding to the ion channel pore remains poorly understood. In this review, we describe structural insights about cyclic nucleotide-binding-induced conformational changes in CNBDs and their potential coupling with channel gating.
Effects of Propylene Glycol on Milk Production, Serum Metabolites and Reproductive Performance during the Transition Period of Dairy Cows

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of an oral drench of propylene glycol (PG) on milk production, serum metabolites and reproductive performance during the transition period of animals. Twenty-four 2-3 multiparous Holstein cows (average body weight 565 kg, body condition score about 3.6, at the 9 th month of gestation) were selected, blocked, and then randomly assigned into a PG and a control group. The control and the PG group cows were orally drenched with water or 50 ml sugarcane molasses mixed with 500 ml PG from 7 days pre-partum to 30 days post-partum, respectively. Experimental results indicated that the oral drench PG had no effect on dry matter intake (DMI). The milk yield of the PG group was significantly higher than that of the control group (p<0.05), whereas milk fat content, milk protein and somatic cell counts (SCC) were not significantly different between groups. Concentration of plasma glucose in the PG group was significantly higher than that of the control group (p<0.05). Conversely, the concentrations of non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) in the PG group were lower than those of the control group (p<0.05). Concentrations of insulin and ketone bodies were not significantly difference between groups. Body condition score (BCS) in the PG group was significantly higher than that of the control group (p<0.05). In reproductive performance there was no difference between groups. The experimental results indicate that supplementation of PG during the transition period of dairy cows can supply energy rapidly, resulting in reduced catabolism of body tissue and increased milk yield.
Probabilistic ictal EEG sources and temporal lobe epilepsy surgical outcome

For patients with medication refractory medial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE), surgery offers the hope of a cure. However, up to 30% of patients with MTLE continue to experience disabling seizures after surgery. The reasons why some patients do not achieve seizure freedom are poorly understood. A promising theory suggests that epileptogenic networks are broadly distributed in surgically refractory MTLE, involving regions beyond the medial temporal lobe. In this retrospective study, we aimed to investigate the distribution of epileptogenic networks in MTLE using Bayesian distributed EEG source analysis from preoperative ictal onset recordings. This analysis has the advantage of generating maps of source probability, which can be subjected to voxel‐based statistical analyses.
Spatial Distribution Maps for Atom Probe Tomography

This paper proposes obtaining structural information by directly imaging offsets between neighboring atom positions after reconstruction. This technique requires much less memory and CPU processing time than either FT implementation described above. Additionally, in certain situations position-dependent reconstruction aberrations can be estimated across much of the field of view by direct examination of peak shapes in the resulting 3D spatial distribution functions
Using mobile phones in English education in Japan

Abstract We present three studies in mobile learning. First, we polled 333 Japanese university students regarding their use of mobile devices. One hundred percent reported owning a mobile phone. Ninety-nine percent send e-mail on their mobile phones, exchanging some 200 e-mail messages each week. Sixty-six percent e-mail peers about classes; 44% e-mail for studying. In contrast, only 43% e-mail on PCs, exchanging an average of only two messages per week. Only 20% had used a personal digital assistant. Second, we e-mailed 100-word English vocabulary lessons at timed intervals to the mobile phones of 44 Japanese university students, hoping to promote regular study. Compared with students urged to regularly study identical materials on paper or Web, students receiving mobile e-mail learned more (P<0.05). Seventy-one percent of the subjects preferred receiving these lessons on mobile phones rather than PCs. Ninety-three percent felt this a valuable teaching method. Third, we created a Web site explaining English idioms. Student-produced animation shows each idiom's literal meaning; a video shows the idiomatic meaning. Textual materials include an explanation, script, and quiz. Thirty-one Japanese college sophomores evaluated the site using video-capable mobile phones, finding few technical difficulties, and rating highly its educational effectiveness.
A Retrospective Clinicopathologic Study of Remnant Gastric Cancer After Distal Gastrectomy

Introduction:Remnant gastric cancer (RGC) is a unique clinical entity with relatively less frequency in gastric cancer series and often reported to be detected at advanced stages and had poor prognosis. Methods:A total of 112 patients with RGCs from July 1991 to July 2008 were enrolled in this retrospective analysis. Results:A total number of 112 cases were composed of 20 (17.8%) differentiated carcinomas and 92 (82.2%) undifferentiated carcinomas. There are 64 (57.1%) patients with tumor at anastomotic site and 48 (42.9%) tumor at nonanastomotic site. The diameter of tumors was ≥4 cm in 83 (74.1%) patients. Borrmann III, IV accounted for 70.5% and 17.8% respectively. Three (2.6%) patients were classified as stage I, 16 as stage II (14.2%), 62 as stage III (55.3%), and 31 (27.6%) as stage IV. Percentage of T4 stage was 57.1%. Distant metastasis rate and lymph node metastasis rate were 27.6% and 58.9%, respectively. There were numerous clinicopathologic differences according to different original disease, initial reconstruction, and tumor location. The median overall survival time was 27.9 months. TNM stage and option of treatments were independent prognostic factors in multivariable analysis. Conclusions:The lifelong annual follow-up endoscopic examinations after the initial gastrectomy and radical resection may help to improve the prognosis of RGCs.
Characterization of Guanylate Kinase-Associated Protein, a Postsynaptic Density Protein at Excitatory Synapses That Interacts Directly with Postsynaptic Density-95/Synapse-Associated Protein 90

The structure of central synapses is poorly understood at the molecular level. A recent advance came with the identification of the postsynaptic density-95 (PSD-95)/synapse-associated protein 90 family of proteins as important mediators of the synaptic clustering of certain classes of ion channels. By yeast two-hybrid screening, a novel protein termed guanylate kinase-associated protein (GKAP) has been isolated that binds to the GK-like domain of PSD-95 (Kim et al., 1997). Here we present a detailed characterization of GKAP expression in the rat brain and report the cloning of a novel GKAP splice variant. By Northern blot, GKAP mRNAs (4, 6.5, and 8 kB) are expressed predominantly in the rat brain. By in situhybridization, GKAP is expressed widely in neurons of cortex and hippocampus and in the Purkinje and granule cells of the cerebellum. On brain immunoblots, two prominent bands of 95 and 130 kDa are detected that correspond to products of short and long N-terminal splice variants of GKAP. Two independent GKAP antibodies label somatodendritic puncta in neocortical and hippocampal neurons in a pattern consistent with synaptic elements. Immunogold electron microscopy reveals GKAP to be predominantly postsynaptic and present at asymmetric synapses and in dendritic spines. The distribution of GKAP immunogold particles is uniform in the lateral plane of the PSD but peaks in the perpendicular axis ∼20 nm from the postsynaptic membrane. In cultured hippocampal neurons GKAP immunoreactive puncta colocalize with the AMPA receptor subunit Glu receptor 1 but not with the GABAA receptor subunits β2 and β3. Thus GKAP is a widely expressed neuronal protein localized specifically in the PSD of glutamatergic synapses, consistent with its direct interaction with PSD-95 family proteins.
Purpose in life and work-related stress in mariners. Mediating role of quality of marriage bonds and perceived anxiety.

BACKGROUND The specific character of mariners' work is connected with many factors conducive to stress, overload, fatigue and emotional tension, all of which can negatively influence subjective quality of life, including particularly the sense of life's purpose and meaning. However, over the course of entire life one plays many various roles and takes part in many areas of life which influence one another, both positively and negatively. Undoubtedly one of such areas, essential from the point of fulfilling individual's important needs, is one's family and marriage that can function as a crucial factor for neutralising on-the-job problems and tensions. AIM The research presented here attempts to verify the relation between stress perceived by mariners and their sense of purpose in life along with the mediating role of marriage quality and anxiety levels. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 210 mariners working on deep-sea ships were examined. The following research tools were applied in the study: the Purpose in Life Test (PIL), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ) and the Questionnaire of Suitable Marriage (KDM). RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS The results arrived at indicate that both marriage satisfaction and anxiety levels can indeed mediate the relation between stress and sense of purpose in life among mariners.
Alcohol-Screening Instruments for Pregnant Women

According to new studies, even low levels of prenatal alcohol exposure can negatively affect the developing fetus, thereby increasing the importance of identifying women who drink during pregnancy. In response, researchers have developed several simple alcohol-screening instruments for use with pregnant women. These instruments, which can be administered quickly and easily, have been evaluated and found to be effective. Because of the potential adverse consequences of prenatal alcohol exposure, short screening questionnaires are worthwhile preventive measures when combined with appropriate followup.
Actin and myosin contribute to mammalian mitochondrial DNA maintenance

Mitochondrial DNA maintenance and segregation are dependent on the actin cytoskeleton in budding yeast. We found two cytoskeletal proteins among six proteins tightly associated with rat liver mitochondrial DNA: non-muscle myosin heavy chain IIA and β-actin. In human cells, transient gene silencing of MYH9 (encoding non-muscle myosin heavy chain IIA), or the closely related MYH10 gene (encoding non-muscle myosin heavy chain IIB), altered the topology and increased the copy number of mitochondrial DNA; and the latter effect was enhanced when both genes were targeted simultaneously. In contrast, genetic ablation of non-muscle myosin IIB was associated with a 60% decrease in mitochondrial DNA copy number in mouse embryonic fibroblasts, compared to control cells. Gene silencing of β-actin also affected mitochondrial DNA copy number and organization. Protease-protection experiments and iodixanol gradient analysis suggest some β-actin and non-muscle myosin heavy chain IIA reside within human mitochondria and confirm that they are associated with mitochondrial DNA. Collectively, these results strongly implicate the actomyosin cytoskeleton in mammalian mitochondrial DNA maintenance.
Optimal management of renal cell carcinoma in the elderly: a review

Both the aging population and the incidence of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) are growing, making the question of tumor management in the elderly a real challenge. Doctors should be aware of the importance of assessing this specific subpopulation. An aggressive therapeutic approach may be balanced by the benefit of the treatment — care or cure — and the life expectancy and willingness of the patient. The treatment for local disease can be surgery (radical or partial nephrectomy) or ablative therapies (radiofrequency, cryotherapy). Even if in most cases surgery is safe, complications such as alteration of renal function may occur, especially in the elderly, with physiological renal impairment at baseline. More recently, another option has been developed as an alternative: active surveillance. In the past decade, new drugs have been approved in the metastatic setting. All the phase 3 trials have included patients without a limit on age. Nevertheless, data concerning the elderly are still poor and concern only a very selective subpopulation. The toxicity profile of targeted agents may interfere with pre-existent comorbidities. Furthermore, the metabolism of several agents via cytochrome P450 can cause drug interaction. The importance of quality of life is a major factor with regard to management of therapy. Finally, to date, there is no recommendation of systematic a priori dose reduction in the elderly. In this review we describe the various possibilities of treatment for localized RCC or metastatic RCC in an aging population.
Speed Finite Control Set Model Predictive Control of a PMSM Fed by Matrix Converter

This paper presents a new speed finite control set model predictive control algorithm, which has been applied to a permanent-magnet synchronous motor driven by a matrix converter (MC). This method replaces the classical cascaded control scheme with a single control law that controls the motor currents and speed. Additionally, unlike classical MC modulation methods, the method allows direct control of the MC input currents. The performance of the proposed work has been verified by simulation studies and experimental results.
Passage Equivalency and Predictive Validity of Oral Reading Fluency Measures

The use of oral reading fluency (ORF) passages within a Response to Intervention (RTI) framework is examined. Significant limitations within the current ORF research are discussed. The passage equivalency and readability scores for DIBELS Next, AIMSweb, and a school district's curriculum's ORF passages are evaluated using Generalizability Theory and readability formulas. Multiple regression is used to analyze the contribution of ORF progress monitoring passages for predicting the California Standards Test (CST). The optimal number of ORF passages to administer is also examined. Participants consisted of third and fifth grade students from an urban school district in Southern California. Results indicate that readability formulas provide wide range of scores for individual passages but rank sets of passages fairly equally. Results also indicate that ORF passages have high levels of reliability and variance attributable to student skill. Finally, results also indicate that the addition of progress monitoring did not increase the predictive validity of the CSTs. The implications, limitations, and future direction of research are discussed.
Clinical experimental stress studies: methods and assessment

Abstract Stress is a state of threatened homeostasis during which a variety of adaptive processes are activated to produce physiological and behavioral changes. Stress induction methods are pivotal for understanding these physiological or pathophysiological changes in the body in response to stress. Furthermore, these methods are also important for the development of novel pharmacological agents for stress management. The well-described methods to induce stress in humans include the cold pressor test, Trier Social Stress Test, Montreal Imaging Stress Task, Maastricht Acute Stress Test, CO2 challenge test, Stroop test, Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task, noise stress, and Mannheim Multicomponent Stress Test. Stress assessment in humans is done by measuring biochemical markers such as cortisol, cortisol awakening response, dexamethasone suppression test, salivary α-amylase, plasma/urinary norepinephrine, norepinephrine spillover rate, and interleukins. Physiological and behavioral changes such as galvanic skin response, heart rate variability, pupil size, and muscle and/or skin sympathetic nerve activity (microneurography) and cardiovascular parameters such as heart rate, blood pressure, and self-reported anxiety are also monitored to assess stress response. This present review describes these commonly employed methods to induce stress in humans along with stress assessment methods.