Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cigarette tar yield and risk of upper digestive tract cancers: case-control studies from Italy and Switzerland.

BACKGROUND Tobacco smoking is one of the main risk factors for oral, pharyngeal and oesophageal cancers in developed countries. Information on the role of the tar yield of cigarettes in upper digestive tract carcinogenesis is sparse and needs to be updated because the tar yield of cigarettes has steadily decreased over the last few decades. PATIENTS AND METHODS We analysed two case-control studies, from Italy and Switzerland, conducted between 1992 and 1999, involving 749 cases of oral and pharyngeal cancer and 1770 controls, and 395 cases of squamous-cell oesophageal carcinoma and 1066 matched controls. Odds ratios (ORs) were estimated by unconditional multiple logistic regression models, including terms for age, sex, study centre, education and alcohol consumption. RESULTS Based on the brand of cigarettes smoked for the longest time, the multivariate ORs for current smokers compared with never smokers were 6.1 for <20 mg and 9.8 for >or=20 mg tar for oral and pharyngeal neoplasms, and 4.8 and 5.4 for oesophageal cancer, respectively. For the cigarette brand smoked in the previous six months, the ORs for >or=10 mg compared with <10 mg were 1.9 for cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx and 1.8 for oesophageal cancer, after allowance for number of cigarettes and duration of smoking. CONCLUSIONS The present study confirms the direct relationship between the tar yield of cigarettes and upper digestive tract neoplasms, and provides innovative information on lower tar cigarettes, which imply reduced risks compared with higher tar ones. However, significant excess risks were observed even in the lower tar category, thus giving unequivocal indications for stopping smoking as a priority for prevention of upper digestive tract neoplasms.
Vascular endothelial growth factor gene polymorphisms associated with prognosis for patients with gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND The present study analyzed vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene polymorphisms and their impact on the prognosis for patients with gastric cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS Five hundred and three consecutive patients with surgically resected gastric adenocarcinoma were enrolled in the present study. The genomic DNA was extracted from paraffin-embedded tissue and four VEGF (-460T > C, -116G > A, +405G > C, and +936C > T) gene polymorphisms were determined using a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism assay. RESULTS The survival analysis showed no association of three VEGF gene polymorphisms with the prognosis. For the +936C > T polymorphism, the T/T genotype, however, had a worse overall survival (OS) compared with the C/C genotype (P = 0.037). The -460 T/C or C/C genotype was a poor prognostic factor in patients with stage 0 or I gastric cancer (OS: hazard ratio (HR) = 3.96, disease-free survival (DFS): HR = 4.87). In the haplotype analysis, the CACC haplotype was associated with a significantly worse survival when compared with the TGGC haplotype (OS: HR = 1.72, DFS: HR = 1.73). CONCLUSIONS VEGF gene polymorphisms were found to be an independent prognostic marker for patients with gastric cancer. Consequently, the analysis of VEGF gene polymorphisms can help identify patient subgroups at high risk of a poor disease outcome.
Progress in Continuous-Wave Supercontinuum Generation

Supercontinuum (SC) light sources are nowadays a very common way to access a large span of wavelengths, usually ranging from the near ultraviolet (around 400 nm) to the infrared (around 2.4 μm). It corresponds to a range of interest for many applications in optics for measuring transmission, dispersion, or in biophotonics for achieving fluorescencemicroscopy, optical coherence tomography. Indeed these sources are really promising because they should allow to replace the N laser sources used in these experimental setups to access to all theses wavelengths by a single broad one and a spectral filtering apparatus. Most of these results have been obtained by using powerful pump lasers of several kilo-Watts peak power, operating from the femtosecond (Titane:Saphire) to the nanosecond regimes (Nd:YAG), launched in the low dispersion region of a microstructured optical fiber. Although these fibers are short enough (typically from 1 to 10 m) to neglect the linear absorption during the propagation of the pump, the spectral power density is relatively low (few hundreds of μw/nm)which could limit the implementation of SC sources inmany application devices. This is related to a technological limitation of the pump source because it is not easy to combine strong peak power and high average power. One of the simplest solutions to increase the the spectral power density of SC sources is to replace pulsed sources with continuous-wave (CW) light sources whose available average powers are much more important. Wewill see that the dynamics of SC formation is considerably different in this case, requiring to perform intensive numerical studies to optimize the fiber parameters. Indeed, longer fibers are required (from tens to hundreds of meters) which heightens sensitivity to fiber attenuation, namely of the OHpic absorption, that strongly impacts the soliton evolution. However extremely powerful SCs have been reported with more than 10 mW/nm of spectral power density. Furthermore, these pump sources are usually all-fiber that leads to a second advantage against most of pulsed SC because CW pump can be directly spliced on the PCF. It is also important to point out that these SC sources have different temporal properties than the ones of pulsed SCs. The first experimental demonstration of CW SC have been realized at the end of the nineties with a Raman laser launched in a standard telecommunication fiber. The spectral broadening was relatively restricted (around 200 nm) because it was mainly due to Raman effect Gonzalez-Herraez et al. (2003); Persephonis et al. (1996); Prabhu et al. (2000). A breakthrough was reached a few years later when stronger pump lasers (from more than one order of magnitude) based on Ytterbium doped fibers were combined with photonic crystal fibers 4
Bisphosphonates and osteonecrosis of the jaw: cause and effect or a post hoc fallacy?

BACKGROUND An increasing amount of reports are being published suggesting a relationship between the use of bisphosphonates (BPs) and the development of osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ). We reviewed the currently available evidence and explore the potential mechanisms of action based on the known effects of the concerned BP. DESIGN The MEDLine, Current Contents and Science Citation Index Expanded databases were queried and the results augmented by analyzing cited references and recent congress proceedings. RESULTS 22 papers were included detailing 225 patients, all based on retrospective chart review without control groups. The prevalence of ONJ was estimated at 1.5%. The involved BPs were pamidronate, zoledronic acid, alendronate and risedronate, all potent nitrogen-containing agents. The most common symptom was pain (81.7%), although 12.2% of cases were asymptomatic. In 69.3% of patients ONJ was preceded by a dental extraction. At the time of diagnosis, 74.5% of patients were receiving chemotherapy and in 38.2% of cases corticosteroids were administered. Although various conservative and surgical treatment modalities were reported, residual sites of ONJ persisted in 72.5% of cases. CONCLUSION Although not enough evidence is available to prove a causal link, it seems that under specific circumstances local defenses can become overwhelmed resulting in ONJ.
Sexual Violence Victimization and Associations with Health in a Community Sample of African American Women

ABSTRACT Limited information exists on the relationship between sexual violence victimization and health among African American women. Using data from a community sample of African American women, we examine the association between current health and lifetime experiences of sexual violence. In-person interviews were completed in 2010. Among interviewees, 53.7% of women reported rape victimization and 44.8% reported sexual coercion in their lifetime. Victims of rape or sexual coercion were significantly more likely to report depression and posttraumatic stress disorder during their lifetime. Among victims whose first unwanted sexual experience was rape or sexual coercion, perpetrators were mostly acquaintances and intimate partners, and over one third were injured and needed services. More attention is needed on the health needs of African American women and their association to victimization status.
P-nuclear magnetic resonance studies of bioenergetic changes in skeletal muscle in malnourished human adults 1 – 3

In previous studies, both animals and malnourished children receiving 25% of the protein-energy intake of a control group, resulting in a 25% weight loss, had lower ratios of phosphocreatine to b-ATP and of phosphocreatine to inorganic phosphorus, higher free ADP concentrations, and lower free energy of ATP hydrolysis than the control group. Therefore, the effect of malnutrition on muscle energetics in adult humans was examined by using 31P–nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy in malnourished patients with a mean body mass index (BMI; in kg/m2) of 16.4 compared with healthy control subjects with a significantly higher body mass index of 24.5 (P < 0.005). The mean (± SEM) ratio of phosphocreatine (PCr) to ATP in the malnourished patients was 2.28 ± 0.27, which was significantly lower than the ratio of 3.1 ± 0.15 in control subjects (P < 0.02). The ratio of inorganic phosphorus (Pi) to ATP in malnourished patients was 0.33 ± 0.04, which was significantly lower than the ratio of 0.48 ± 0.03 in control subjects (P < 0.02), but the ratio of PCr to Pi was not significantly different from that in control subjects. There was a significant correlation between BMI and the ratio of PCr to ATP (P < 0.01) and of Pi to ATP (P < 0.01). These data suggest that progressive loss of BMI is associated with a relative loss of muscle creatine and phosphorus in relation to ATP. The findings were unlikely to have been due only to atrophy of fast-twitch fibers because such atrophy would have altered the ratio of PCr to Pi. Am J Clin Nutr 1998;67:39–43.
Examining the psychosocial determinants of women's decisions to delay childbearing.

STUDY QUESTION What are the psychosocial determinants of women's intentions to delay childbearing until after 35 years? SUMMARY ANSWER Attitudes, pressure from important others, perceived self-confidence and anticipated regret all influence the decision-making process of women aged 18-30 years to defer their attempts to conceive their first child until 35+ years. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Research has consistently demonstrated that, for many women, the decision to delay childbearing can lead to 'unintentional childlessness' due to a failure to consider the impact of age-related fertility decline. A large body of literature has also found strong links between age-related involuntary infertility and negative psychological impacts, including an increased prevalence of anxiety, depression, guilt, stigma and poor mental health. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION The study initially conducted focus groups designed to ascertain important beliefs informing participants' intentions to delay childbearing. A subsequent larger-scale quantitative questionnaire followed. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Participants (n = 358) were female, aged between 18 and 30 years, lived in Australia, identified as being open to the idea of having children, were heterosexual, had not already had children, were not already pregnant, and had not received a diagnosis of medical infertility prior to participating. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE Hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed strong support for psychosocial predictors of attitude, pressure from others and perceived self-confidence as predictors of women's intentions to delay childbearing, accounting for 59% of total variance. The extended model that included anticipated regret, accounted for a significant additional 4.4% variance in intention to delay childbearing past the age of 35 years. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION Proportionally more participants were younger, Caucasian, and were university students, thus limiting the generalizability of results to the wider Australian community. Future research in this domain is recommended to adopt a prospective design and incorporate a measure of behaviour to investigate the link between intentions to delay childbearing and future fertility behaviour. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS This research augments our understanding of the decision-making process and key beliefs underlying the decision to delay childbearing. Further efforts are needed to advise young women to investigate their fertility options during the peak of their reproductive years in order to prevent negative psychological consequences associated with unintentional childlessness. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTERESTS None.
Measurement and Prediction of Biodiesel Surface Tensions

Surface tension is one of the key properties that directly affects fuel atomization. A large value of this property makes the formation of small droplets difficult, hampering the correct fuel atomization on the engine combustion chamber. Despite its importance, there are very few data on the surface tension of biodiesels or fatty acid esters from which biodiesels are composed and even less are available on its temperature dependence. To overcome this limitation, this work reports experimental surface tensions for 10 biodiesel fuels in a wide temperature range and evaluates the ability of two models to predict these data: the parachor-based MacLeod–Sugden equation and the density gradient theory based on the cubic-plus-association equation of state (CPA EoS). It is shown that both models provide an acceptable description of the experimental surface tension of the biodiesel fuels studied, with an overall average relative deviation (OARD) of 7.7% for the MacLeod–Sugden equation using the Allen’s parachors an.
Behavioural strategy of common bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ) in response to different kinds of boats in the waters of Lampedusa Island ( Italy )

1. Owing to the increase of boat-traffic in the ocean many studies have been conducted to determine the response of bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) to this kind of disturbance. This species is affected by boats in various ways and the response depends on the behavioural state of the dolphin but also on the kind of vessel. 2. This study aimed to determine the effect of motorboats and trawlers on dolphins’ presence, permanence in the area and whistle parameters in Lampedusa waters (Italy). Sampling was carried out between May and December 2006 and between July and September 2009, using experimental passive acoustic monitoring systems (PAM); a total of 300 h of recordings and 3000 whistles were analysed. 3. The dolphins’ behavioural strategies depend on the kind of boats: in the case of motorboats, dolphins preferred to leave the area as the disturbance became too heavy to be tolerated; in the case of trawlers, dolphins changed their acoustic behaviour to compensate for the masking noise. 4. The study highlighted the efficacy of PAM to detect the behavioural response of dolphins, suggesting a novel approach to assessing anthropogenic influences on marine mammal vocalizations in the absence of visual observations. Copyright # 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Received 24 July 2012; Revised 26 February 2013; Accepted 03March 2013
Radio-astronomical imaging in the presence of strong radio interference

Radio-astronomical observations are increasingly contaminated by interference, and suppression techniques become essential. A powerful candidate for interference mitigation is adaptive spatial filtering. We study the effect of spatial filtering techniques on radio-astronomical imaging. Current deconvolution procedures, such as CLEAN, are shown to be unsuitable for spatially filtered data, and the necessary corrections are derived. To that end, we reformulate the imaging (deconvolution/calibration) process as a sequential estimation of the locations of astronomical sources. This not only leads to an extended CLEAN algorithm, but also the formulation allows the insertion of other array signal processing techniques for direction finding and gives estimates of the expected image quality and the amount of interference suppression that can be achieved. Finally, a maximum-likelihood (ML) procedure for the imaging is derived, and an approximate ML image formation technique is proposed to overcome the computational burden involved. Some of the effects of the new algorithms are shown in simulated images.
Observation of Momentum-Confined In-Gap Impurity State in Ba$_{0.6}$K$_{0.4}$Fe$_{2}$As$_{2}$: Evidence for Antiphase s$+$- Pairing

We report the observation by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy of an impurity state located inside the superconducting gap of Ba0.6K0. 4Fe2As2 and vanishing above the superconducting critical temperature, for which the spectral weight is confined in momentum space near the Fermi wave-vector positions. We demonstrate, supported by theoretical simulations, that this in-gap state originates from weak scattering between bands with opposite sign of the superconducting-gap phase. This weak scattering, likely due to off-plane nonmagnetic (Ba, K) disorder, occurs mostly among neighboring Fermi surfaces, suggesting that the superconducting-gap phase changes sign within holelike (and electronlike) bands. Our results impose severe restrictions on the models promoted to explain high-temperature superconductivity in these materials.
Characterizing genomic variation of Arabidopsis thaliana: the roles of geography and climate

Arabidopsis thaliana inhabits diverse climates and exhibits varied phenology across its range. Although A. thaliana is an extremely well‐studied model species, the relationship between geography, growing season climate and its genetic variation is poorly characterized. We used redundancy analysis (RDA) to quantify the association of genomic variation [214 051 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)] with geography and climate among 1003 accessions collected from 447 locations in Eurasia. We identified climate variables most correlated with genomic variation, which may be important selective gradients related to local adaptation across the species range. Climate variation among sites of origin explained slightly more genomic variation than geographical distance. Large‐scale spatial gradients and early spring temperatures explained the most genomic variation, while growing season and summer conditions explained the most after controlling for spatial structure. SNP variation in Scandinavia showed the greatest climate structure among regions, possibly because of relatively consistent phenology and life history of populations in this region. Climate variation explained more variation among nonsynonymous SNPs than expected by chance, suggesting that much of the climatic structure of SNP correlations is due to changes in coding sequence that may underlie local adaptation.
Cardioprotective Effect of Saffron Extracts against Acute Doxorubicin Toxicity in Isolated Rabbit Hearts Submitted to Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury

Abstract Doxorubicin (DOX) is an anthracycline antibiotic routinely used as a chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of solid tumours. However, DOX possesses an acute and cumulative cardiotoxicity due to free radical production. The present study was designed to investigate the possible protective effects of saffron (Crocus sativus) extracts against DOX-induced acute cardiotoxicity in isolated rabbit hearts submitted to 30 min global ischemia followed by 40 min reperfusion. DOX was delivered during reperfusion, without or with saffron given 5 min before ischemia or at reperfusion. Cardiodynamic, biochemical, and histopathological parameters were determined. In addition, to determine the expression of the AKT/mTOR/4EBP1 pathway, the levels of p38 MAPK and cardiac troponin T in heart homogenates were visualized by Western blotting. DOX administration during 40 min of reperfusion increased ischemic tissue damage, but did not act synergistically. Administration of saffron extracts during the first minutes of reperfusion significantly reduced oxidative myocardial damage, but was less effective when given before ischemia. Subsequent Western blot analysis revealed that saffron administration preserved cardiac troponin T proteins, inhibited the p38 MAPK pathway, and activated the AKT/mTOR/4EBP1 pathway in reperfusion- and DOX-treated rabbit hearts. In conclusion, saffron extracts, acting through antioxidant and antiapoptotic mechanisms, exhibited a protective effect against DOX-induced cardiotoxicity under ischemic condition.
Distinct Regulatory Role of Carbon Catabolite Protein A (CcpA) in Oral Streptococcal spxB Expression

ABSTRACT Pyruvate oxidase (SpxB)-dependent H2O2 production is under the control of carbon catabolite protein A (CcpA) in the oral species Streptococcus sanguinis and Streptococcus gordonii. Interestingly, both species react differently to the presence of the preferred carbohydrate source glucose. S. gordonii CcpA-dependent regulation of spxB follows classical carbon catabolite repression. Conversely, spxB expression in S. sanguinis is not influenced by glucose but is repressed by CcpA. Here, we constructed strains expressing the heterologous versions of CcpA or the spxB promoter region to learn if the distinct regulation of spxB expression is transferable from S. gordonii to S. sanguinis and vice versa. While cross-species binding of CcpA to the spxB promoter is conserved in vitro, we were unable to swap the species-specific regulation. This suggests that a regulatory mechanism upstream of CcpA most likely is responsible for the observed difference in spxB expression. Moreover, the overall ecological significance of differential spxB regulation in the presence of various glucose concentrations was tested with additional oral streptococcus isolates and demonstrated that carbohydrate-dependent and carbohydrate-independent mechanisms exist to control expression of spxB in the oral biofilm. Overall, our data demonstrate the unexpected finding that metabolic pathways between two closely related oral streptococcal species can be regulated differently despite an exceptionally high DNA sequence identity. IMPORTANCE Polymicrobial diseases are the result of interactions among the residential microbes, which can lead to a dysbiotic community. Streptococcus sanguinis and Streptococcus gordonii are considered commensal species that are present in the healthy dental biofilm. Both species are able to produce significant amounts of H2O2 via the enzymatic action of the pyruvate oxidase SpxB. H2O2 is able to inhibit species associated with oral diseases. SpxB and its gene-regulatory elements present in both species are highly conserved. Nonetheless, a differential response to the presence of glucose was observed. Here, we investigate the mechanisms that lead to this differential response. Detailed knowledge of the regulatory mechanisms will aid in a better understanding of oral disease development and how to prevent dysbiosis.