Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hesa-A Improves Clinical Outcome of Oral Carcinoma by Affecting p53 Gene Expression in vivo.

BACKGROUND Oral carcinoma (OC) remains as one of the most difficult malignancies to cure. Hesa-A is an Iranian herbal-marine compound that has shown promising anti-tumor properties on various human cancer cells, although the mechanisms of action remain to be addressed. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of two doses of Hesa-A on mRNA expression of p53 as a main prognosticator of OC. MATERIALS AND METHODS 60 rats were randomly divided into 5 groups of 12 animals each. Rats in carcinoma groups received 0, 250 and 500 mg/kg body weight of Hesa-A three times a day. The two other groups considered as treated and untreated healthy groups. At the end of experiment, animals were sacrificed and tongue tissues subjected to H and E staining and real time PCR. RESULTS Our results indicated that compared to healthy group, p53 over expressed ~ 40% in untreated carcinoma group. After treatment with 250 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg body weights of Hesa-A , p53 level dropped by 53.4% and 13.6 %, respectively, compared to untreated carcinoma group (p<0.05, p<0.0001). Moreover, there was a significant relation between p53 mRNA content and observed pathological changes in studied groups (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS These data provide insights into the mechanism(s) by which Hesa-A improves clinical outcome of oral carcinoma by modulation of p53 expression.
Acetylcholine receptors are required for agrin‐induced clustering of postsynaptic proteins

We have investigated the role of acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) in an early step of postsynaptic assembly at the neuromuscular synapse, the clustering of postsynaptic proteins induced by nerve‐released agrin. To achieve this, we used two variants of C2 myotubes virtually lacking AChRs and C2 cells in which surface AChRs were down‐regulated by AChR antibodies. In all cases, agrin caused normal clustering of the agrin receptor component MuSK, α‐dystrobrevin and utrophin, but failed to aggregate AChRs, α‐ and β‐dystroglycan, syntrophin isoforms and rapsyn, an AChR–anchoring protein necessary for postsynaptic assembly and AChR clustering. In C2 variants, the stability of rapsyn was decreased, whereas in antibody‐treated cells, rapsyn efficiently co‐localized with remaining AChRs in microaggregates. Upon ectopic injection into myofibers in vivo, rapsyn did not form clusters in the absence of AChRs. These results show that AChRs and rapsyn are interdependent components of a pre‐assembled protein complex that is required for agrin‐induced clustering of a full set of postsynaptic proteins, thus providing evidence for an active role of AChRs in postsynaptic assembly.
Prevalence and Predictors of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Adult Survivors of Childhood Cancer

OBJECTIVE: This study compared the prevalence of symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with functional impairment and/or clinical distress, among very long-term survivors of childhood cancer and a group of healthy siblings. METHODS: A total of 6542 childhood cancer survivors >18 years of age who received diagnoses between 1970 and 1986 and 368 siblings of cancer survivors completed a comprehensive demographic and health survey. RESULTS: A total of 589 survivors (9%) and 8 siblings (2%) reported functional impairment and/or clinical distress in addition to the set of symptoms consistent with a full diagnosis of PTSD. Survivors had more than fourfold greater risk of PTSD, compared with siblings (odds ratio [OR]: 4.14 [95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.08–8.25]). With controlling for demographic and treatment variables, increased risk of PTSD was associated with educational level of high school or less (OR: 1.51 [95% CI: 1.16–1.98]), being unmarried (OR: 1.99 [95% CI: 1.58–2.50]), having annual income below $20000 (OR: 1.63 [95% CI: 1.21–2.20]), and being unemployed (OR: 2.01 [95% CI: 1.62–2.51]). Intensive treatment also was associated with increased risk of full PTSD (OR: 1.36 [95% CI: 1.06–1.74]). CONCLUSIONS: PTSD was reported significantly more often by survivors of childhood cancer than by sibling control subjects. Although most survivors apparently are faring well, a subset reported significant impairment that may warrant targeted intervention.
HUBUNGAN ANTARA DUKUNGAN SOSIAL DENGAN STRATEGI COPING PADA PENDERITA STROKE RSUD Dr. MOEWARDI SURAKARTA

Stroke is a disease impaired of blood vessel in the brain suddenly. Stroke will be effect of limitation in moving, communicating and thinking. Physical changes that occur in patients with stroke will be increased of stress, tension, anxiety and frustration. The appropriate of coping strategies is required to overcome. The coping strategies by stroke patients will be influenced by social support. Social support can reduce the psychological tension and stabilize the emotions of the people with stroke. The purpose of this study are to know the correlation between social support with coping strategies in patients with stroke, to determine the level of social support received by stroke patients, and to find coping strategies that are often raised by people with stroke. Subjects used is stroke patients, totaling 30 people. The sampling technique used is purposive non-random sampling. The analysis of the product moment shows the correlation of 0.563 with p = 0.000 (p = 0.01), it’s means there is a positive and significant correlation between social support with coping strategies in patients with stroke. Effective contribution (SE) of social support for coping strategies by 31.7%, so there is still has 68.3% another factor that affects the appearance of coping strategies in patients with stroke.
Comparison of ZnO-Based JFET, MESFET, and MISFET

We compare key properties of zinc oxide (ZnO)-based junction field-effect transistors (JFETs), metal-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MESFETs), and metal-insulator-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MISFETs) prepared from a common ZnO:Mg thin film. The JFETs are fabricated with a ZnCo2O4-gate, the MESFETs with reactively sputtered Pt-gate and the MISFETs with WO3 as gate insulator. The three FET types are compared with regarding dc characteristics, frequency dependence, and stability at temperatures up to 150°C. All devices can be switched within a similar gate voltage range of less than 3 V, making a direct comparison of the device characteristics possible. Measurements above room temperature show a common shift of the transfer curves to higher gate voltages, which seems to be a distinguishing property of ZnO compared with other semiconductors. All electric measurements show major differences between the devices, which can be attributed to the different gate structures.
Nonrandom de novo chromosome aberrations in human lymphocytes and amniotic cells.

The incidences and types of chromosome aberrations in single cells of individuals with a normal chromosome constitution were studied in two cell types, viz. lymphocytes and amniotic cells. A total of 17, 545 lymphocytes and 17, 262 amniotic cells were analyzed from 2, 554 consecutive individuals. The total incidence of numerical and structural aberrations was 2.0% and 1.6% in lymphocytes and amniotic cells, respectively. Two particular translocation types-t (7:14) (p 14–15; q 11–12) and t (7;14) (q 36: q 12)-were present in the lymphocytes of 1/145 individuals (1/1, 595 metaphases), whereas none of the amniotic cell metaphases displayed such a translocation. Otherwise, no apparent differences were found between the two cell types as regards incidences and types of numerical and structural aberrations. None of the structural aberrations found in lymphocytes and amniotic cells were identical to any of the consistent chromosome aberrations characteristics of malignant cells. The fact that the breakpoints in structural chromosome aberrations in isolated somatic cells seem to be basically different from these characteristic of neoplastic cells supports the conclusion that the cancer-associated aberrations are produced by mechanisms that actively favor the formation of such aberrations.
Pulse pressure variation predicts fluid responsiveness following coronary artery bypass surgery.

STUDY OBJECTIVE To determine whether the degree of pulse pressure variation (PPV) and systolic pressure variation (SPV) predict an increase in cardiac output (CO) in response to volume challenge in postoperative patients who have undergone coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), and to determine whether PPV is superior to SPV in this setting. DESIGN AND SETTING This was a prospective clinical study conducted in the cardiovascular ICU of a university hospital. PATIENTS Twenty-one patients were studied immediately after arrival in the ICU following CABG. INTERVENTION A fluid bolus was administered to all patients. MEASUREMENTS Hemodynamic measurements, including central venous pressure (CVP), pulmonary artery occlusion pressure (PAOP), CO (thermodilution), percentage of SPV (%SPV), and percentage of PPV (%PPV), were performed shortly after patient arrival in the ICU. Patients were given a rapid 500-mL fluid challenge, after which hemodynamic measurements were repeated. Patients whose CO increased by >/= 12% were considered to be fluid responders. The ability of different parameters to distinguish between responders and nonresponders was compared. RESULTS In response to the volume challenge, 6 patients were responders and 15 were nonresponders. Baseline CVP and PAOP were no different between these two groups. In contrast, the %SPV and the %PPV were significantly higher in responders than in nonresponders. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis suggested that the %PPV was the best predictor of fluid responsiveness. The ideal %PPV threshold for distinguishing responders from nonresponders was found to be 11. A PPV value of >/= 11% predicted an increase in CO with 100% sensitivity and 93% specificity. CONCLUSION PPV and SPV can be used to predict whether or not volume expansion will increase CO in postoperative CABG patients. PPV was superior to SPV at predicting fluid responsiveness. Both of these measures were far superior to CVP and PAOP.
Establishment of personalized templates for automatic signature verification

The paper presents a novel method of on-line signature verification that analyzes both the shape of the signature and dynamics of the writing process. This approach automatically determines characteristic features of the written image and combines these shape features with features from the writing dynamics. For establishing a writing characteristic template for one signer the signature is separated into characteristic segments. The segmentation algorithm extracts writing points which would give a forgery the appearance of the original. For these significant points local extreme values, which identify writing segments, are calculated. Subsequently, dynamic features are computed for the segments. The developed system needs three signatures of one person for the establishment of a personalized template. A database has been collected with 544 signatures of 27 signers for evaluation. The developed system achieved a correct acceptance rate of 78% and a correct rejection rate of 100%.
Simply a Matter of Luck & Looks? Predicting Elections When Both the World Economy and the Psychology of Faces Count

Economic research shows that candidates have a higher chance of getting (re-)elected when they have the luck that the world economy does well even though this is beyond their control and unrelated to their competence. Psychological research demonstrates that candidates increase their chances if they have the right looks, a facial characteristic that is also unrelated to a politician’s actual policies. We combine these two strands of literature by assessing the relative strength of luck and looks. Moreover, we take the moderating effect of the electoral system into account. Using a sample of 196 elections for 44 countries between 1979-1999, results show that looks matter only in majority systems whereas luck ceases to be relevant at all. Economic competence does matter in representative systems. These results hold after controlling for the interaction of luck, looks and competence with variables that proxy for the cross-country variation in the well-informedness of voters.
Early predictors of attention and engaged leaning in elementary school

Cognitive self-regulation, or the ability to direct one’s attention and actively participate in learning, is a valuable asset because it promotes successful adjustment across the lifespan. Although cross-sectional studies have provided some information about the stability and change in cognitive self-regulation from early childhood through the elementary school years (ages 3-12), less is known about the other child characteristics that influence its development. This study is designed to examine multiple dimensions of preschool skills in relation to children’s attention and engaged learning across the elementary school years. Rich longitudinal data are used from a sample of 1,364 typically developing children from across the U.S. who participated in the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. Variation in preschool attentional skills, social behavior, and early academic skills was used to predict average level and rate of change in attention, planning, work habits, and classroom engagement from first through sixth grades. Results indicate that high levels of teacher-rated attention problems in the fall of kindergarten are consistently related to lower levels of attention and engaged learning in elementary school. High scores on kindergarten teacher-rated internalizing problems and social skills are linked with high attention and classroom work habits according to elementary school teachers. Finally, early academic skills (particularly oral language skills) are associated with high performance on the Tower of Hanoi planning task and
Lack of Association of TYK2 Gene Polymorphisms in Chinese Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

To the Editor: We read with interest the study of Hellquist, et al 1 showing tyrosine kinase 2 ( TYK2 ) is associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Similar results have been reported in different Caucasian populations2,3,4, but not in a recently published Japanese study5. Interestingly, we also found TYK2 polymorphisms were not associated with SLE in Hong Kong Chinese, although subphenotype analysis revealed it may be associated with the development of photosensitivity and discoid rash. Our study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the University of Hong Kong/Hospital Authority Hong Kong West Cluster. The study included 669 patients with SLE and 2538 controls, as reported6,7. Genotyping with the Illumina 610-Quad Human Beadchip (Illumina, San Diego, CA, USA) from 612 patients and 2193 healthy controls included 9 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) within 10 kilobases spanning TYK2 . Additional genotyping by direct sequencing on 150 patients and 345 healthy controls was performed for rs12720270, rs2304356, and rs2304255, which were not included … Address correspondence to Dr. Lau; E-mail: lauylung{at}hkucc.hku. hk
Using ipads to self-monitor aggressive behavior of juvenile delinquents

v List of Figures vii List of Tables viii Chapter 1: Introduction 1 1.1 Statement of Problems 1 1.2 Significance of the Study 4 1.3 Statement of Purpose 5 Chapter 2: Review of the Literature 6 Chapter 3: Methods 15 Chapter 4: Results 23 Chapter 5: Discussion 27 References 30 Appendix A: Photographs of App 34 Appendix B: Observation Checklist 35 Appendix C: Survey 36
Multiscale modeling of chemotaxis in homogeneous porous media

We present a predictive, multiscale modeling framework for chemotaxis in porous media. This model results from volume averaging the governing equations for bacterial transport at the microscale and is expressed in terms of effective medium coefficients that are predicted from the solution of the associated closure problems. As a result, the averaged chemotactic velocity is an explicit function of the attractant concentration field and diffusivity, rather than an empirical effective chemotactic sensitivity coefficient. The model was validated by comparing the transverse bacterial concentration profiles with experimental measurements for Escherichia coli HCB1 in a T‐sensor. The averaged chemotactic velocity predicted by the model was found to be within the range of values reported in the literature. Reasonable agreement (approximately 10% mean absolute error) between theory and experiments was found for several flow rates. In order to assess the potential for decreasing the computational demands of the model, the macroscale domain was divided into subdomains for the coupling of bacterial transport to that of the attractant. Sensitivity analysis was performed regarding the number of subdomains chosen, and the results indicate that bacterial transport (as measured by concentration profiles) was not highly affected by this choice. Overall, these results suggest that the predictive, multiscale modeling framework is reliable for modeling chemotaxis in porous media when chemotactic transport is significant compared to convective transport.
Symbolic Representation of Psychological States in the Dreams of Women with Eating Disorders

The study compared the dream content of 12 eating-disordered (ED) and 11 non-eating-disordered (NED) women using the Marascuilo method of pairwise comparisons. The results showed significant links in the dreams of the ED group between the presence of an eating disorder and a sense of ineffectiveness, the presence of self-hate, a sense of being controlled by others, a sense of being watched and judged, an inability to self nourish, and the presence of negative emotions. A sense of ineffectiveness was significantly paired with the presence of anger and negative emotions in the ED group. There were no significant pairings in the NED group. Dream examples are given to illustrate the findings. Implications for counselling are discussed in terms of aspects of self that emerge via dreams, and what techniques can intensify these experiences in the counselling setting.
Chronic Levodopa Administration Followed by a Washout Period Increased Number and Induced Phenotypic Changes in Striatal Dopaminergic Cells in MPTP-Monkeys

In addition to the medium spiny neurons the mammalian striatum contains a small population of GABAergic interneurons that are immunoreactive for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), which dramatically increases after lesions to the nigrostriatal pathway and striatal delivery of neurotrophic factors. The regulatory effect of levodopa (L-Dopa) on the number and phenotype of these cells is less well understood. Eleven macaques (Macaca fascicularis) were included. Group I (n = 4) received 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6 tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) and L-Dopa; Group II (n = 4) was treated with MPTP plus vehicle and Group III (n = 3) consist of intact animals (control group). L-Dopa and vehicle were given for 1 year and animals sacrificed 6 months later. Immunohistochemistry against TH was used to identify striatal and nigral dopaminergic cells. Double and triple labeling immunofluorescence was performed to detect the neurochemical characteristics of the striatal TH-ir cells using antibodies against: TH, anti-glutamate decarboxylase (GAD67) anti-calretinin (CR) anti-dopa decarboxylase (DDC) and anti-dopamine and cyclic AMP-regulated phosphoprotein (DARPP-32). The greatest density of TH-ir striatal cells was detected in the striatum of the L-Dopa treated monkeys and particularly in its associative territory. None of the striatal TH-ir cell expressed DARPP-32 indicating they are interneurons. The percentages of TH-ir cells that expressed GAD67 and DDC was approximately 50%. Interestingly, we found that in the L-Dopa group the number of TH/CR expressing cells was significantly reduced. We conclude that chronic L-Dopa administration produced a long-lasting increase in the number of TH-ir cells, even after a washout period of 6 months. L-Dopa also modified the phenotype of these cells with a significant reduction of the TH/CR phenotype in favor of an increased number of TH/GAD cells that do not express CR. We suggest that the increased number of striatal TH-ir cells might be involved in the development of aberrant striatal circuits and the appearance of L-Dopa induced dyskinesias.
Efficient metabolic pathway engineering in transgenic tobacco and tomato plastids with synthetic multigene operons

The engineering of complex metabolic pathways requires the concerted expression of multiple genes. In plastids (chloroplasts) of plant cells, genes are organized in operons that are coexpressed as polycistronic transcripts and then often are processed further into monocistronic mRNAs. Here we have used the tocochromanol pathway (providing tocopherols and tocotrienols, collectively also referred to as “vitamin E”) as an example to establish principles of successful multigene engineering by stable transformation of the chloroplast genome, a technology not afflicted with epigenetic variation and/or instability of transgene expression. Testing a series of single-gene constructs (encoding homogentisate phytyltransferase, tocopherol cyclase, and γ-tocopherol methyltransferase) and rationally designed synthetic operons in tobacco and tomato plants, we (i) confirmed previous results suggesting homogentisate phytyltransferase as the limiting enzymatic step in the pathway, (ii) comparatively characterized the bottlenecks in tocopherol biosynthesis in transplastomic leaves and tomato fruits, and (iii) achieved an up to tenfold increase in total tocochromanol accumulation. In addition, our results uncovered an unexpected light-dependent regulatory link between tocochromanol metabolism and the pathways of photosynthetic pigment biosynthesis. The synthetic operon design developed here will facilitate future synthetic biology applications in plastids, especially the design of artificial operons that introduce novel biochemical pathways into plants.
T‐cell receptors and IC AM‐1 expression in renal allografts during rejection

Abstract. Sixty‐two biopsies taken from 38 kidney grafts were studied for 15 histological and 10 immunohistological parameters. The biopsies were divided into three groups, according to the clinical diagnosis at the time they were performed: group 1, rejection (n=43); group 2, other causes of dysfunction (n= 10); and group 3, stable function (n= 9). Histological signs of acute rejection included diffuse interstitial infiltrate, tubular basement membrane damage, mononuclear leukocyte infiltration, and congestion of the peritubular capillaries. Immunoperoxidase staining with monoclonal antibodies to ten markers showed a statistically significant association between detection of T‐cell receptor subunits alpha‐beta (TcR2) and gamma‐delta (TcR1) on infiltrating lymphocytes and of intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 (ICAM‐1) in tubular cells and acute rejection. These results suggest that T‐cell receptors and ICAM‐1 may be useful markers to differentiate acute rejection from renal graft dysfunctions due to other abnormalities.