Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pancreatic Lymphoma. Is Surgery Mandatory for Diagnosis or Treatment?

From 1982 to 1986, nine patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma primarily involving the pancreas were managed at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. This group of nine patients represents 2.2% of patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (nine of 402) and 4.9% of all patients presenting with pancreatic malignancies (nine of 182) at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions during this period. Computed tomography (CT) scan findings of a large pancreatic mass (6 cm) with extrapancreatic extension and significant retroperitoneal lymph node enlargement suggested lymphoma. Diagnosis was established by radiographically-guided needle biopsy in four patients, by laparotomy in four, and by peripheral lymph node biopsy in one. In five jaundiced patients, initial chemotherapy with the nonhepatotoxic agents cyclophos-phamide and prednisone resulted in marked tumor regression, allowing for early resolution of jaundice and subsequent addition of more aggressive adriamycin containing combination chemotherapy. Overall, complete remission has occurred in six of nine patients, with a median survival of 24 months (range 4–69 months). It is concluded from this experience that the majority of patients with pancreatic lymphoma can be managed without surgery. Excellent control of symptoms, including jaundice, as well as long-term remission, can be obtained with chemotherapy alone. The only role for surgery in this setting may be to aid in establishing the diagnosis when percutaneous biopsy is nondi-agnostic.
Blood folate, vitamin B12, and their relationships with cerebrospinal fluid monoamine metabolites, depression, and personality in suicide attempters

High prevalences of folate deficiency have been reported in psychiatric patients, and low folate and vitamin B12 concentrations have been associated with depression and low levels of the serotonin metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). A total of 107 suicide attempters, 41 with information on CSF monoamine metabolite levels, were studied for the purpose of exploring the blood folate and serum B12 levels and their relationships with the three major monoamine metabolites in the CSF, plasma cortisol before and after dexamethasone administration, the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), suicidality as measured with the Suicide Assessment Scale (SAS), and the Marke-Nyman Temperament (MNT) dimensions. Diagnoses were made on the basis of the DSM-III-R. Few patients had low folate or B12 levels. No significant differences appeared between the diagnostic groups. B12 correlated positively and significantly with cortisol (rsp=0.23.
The positive predictive value of rib fractures as an indicator of nonaccidental trauma in children.

BACKGROUND Rib fractures have a strong association with nonaccidental trauma (NAT) and severe trauma. The purposes of this study were to evaluate rib fractures in children to determine (1) the positive predictive value of a rib fracture in defining NAT and (2) the frequency of rib fractures as the only skeletal manifestation of NAT. METHODS We reviewed the medical records and imaging of all children with rib fractures over a 6-year period. NAT was determined by the Child Advocacy and Protection team. RESULTS In children younger than 3 years of age, the positive predictive value (PPV) of a rib fracture as an indicator of NAT was 95%. The positive predictive value increased to 100% once historical and clinical circumstance excluded all other causes for rib fractures. CONCLUSION In this study, rib fracture(s) were the only skeletal manifestation of NAT in 29% of the children.
The New Religious Grant-Maintained Schools

The 1993 Education Act makes faith-based GM schools a possibility. Existing faith-based private schools may apply to be re established as grant maintained. The relevant clauses in the Act were strongly influenced by the Christian Schools Campaign. In this paper, Geoffrey Walford, Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Educational Policy at Aston University, reports upon a survey he undertook of the schools represented by the CSS.
Insecticide Resistance Mechanisms in the Green Peach Aphid Myzus persicae (Hemiptera: Aphididae) I: A Transcriptomic Survey

Background Insecticide resistance is one of the best examples of rapid micro-evolution found in nature. Since the development of the first synthetic insecticide in 1939, humans have invested considerable effort to stay ahead of resistance phenotypes that repeatedly develop in insects. Aphids are a group of insects that have become global pests in agriculture and frequently exhibit insecticide resistance. The green peach aphid, Myzus persicae, has developed resistance to at least seventy different synthetic compounds, and different insecticide resistance mechanisms have been reported worldwide. Methodology/Principal Findings To further characterize this resistance, we analyzed genome-wide transcriptional responses in three genotypes of M. persicae, each exhibiting different resistance mechanisms, in response to an anti-cholinesterase insecticide. The sensitive genotype (exhibiting no resistance mechanism) responded to the insecticide by up-regulating 183 genes primarily ones related to energy metabolism, detoxifying enzymes, proteins of extracellular transport, peptidases and cuticular proteins. The second genotype (resistant through a kdr sodium channel mutation), up-regulated 17 genes coding for detoxifying enzymes, peptidase and cuticular proteins. Finally, a multiply resistant genotype (carrying kdr and a modified acetylcholinesterase), up-regulated only 7 genes, appears not to require induced insecticide detoxification, and instead down-regulated many genes. Conclusions/Significance This study suggests strongly that insecticide resistance in M. persicae is more complex that has been described, with the participation of a broad array of resistance mechanisms. The sensitive genotype exhibited the highest transcriptional plasticity, accounting for the wide range of potential adaptations to insecticides that this species can evolve. In contrast, the multiply resistant genotype exhibited a low transcriptional plasticity, even for the expression of genes encoding enzymes involved in insecticide detoxification. Our results emphasize the value of microarray studies to search for regulated genes in insects, but also highlights the many ways those different genotypes can assemble resistant phenotypes depending on the environmental pressure.
Skilled performance, practice, and the differentiation of speed-up from automatization effects: Evidence from second language word recognition

ABSTRACT Practice on cognitive tasks, in general, and word recognition tasks, in particular, will usually lead to faster and more stable responding. We present an analysis of the relationship between observed reductions in performance latency and latency variability with respect to whether processing has merely become faster across the board or whether a qualitative change, such as automatization, has taken place. The coefficient of variability (CV) - the standard deviation of response time divided by the mean latency - is shown to be useful for this purpose. A cognitive interpretation of the CV is given that relates it to issues of skill development.Data from second language learners' word recognition performance and from a simple detection task are presented which confirm predictions drawn from this interpretation of the cognitive significance of the CV. Initial improvement in a second language word recognition task was interpreted as involving more efficient controlled processing, which later gave way to automatization. The implications of this index of skill are discussed in relation to second language development and the general issue of automaticity of processing components in cognitive skills.
Clinical Phenotypes and Comorbidity in European Sleep Apnoea Patients

Background Clinical presentation phenotypes of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and their association with comorbidity as well as impact on adherence to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment have not been established. Methods A prospective follow-up cohort of adult patients with OSA (apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI) of ≥5/h) from 17 European countries and Israel (n = 6,555) was divided into four clinical presentation phenotypes based on daytime symptoms labelled as excessive daytime sleepiness (“EDS”) and nocturnal sleep problems other than OSA (labelled as “insomnia”): 1) EDS (daytime+/nighttime-), 2) EDS/insomnia (daytime+/nighttime+), 3) non-EDS/non-insomnia (daytime-/nighttime-), 4) and insomnia (daytime-/nighttime+) phenotype. Results The EDS phenotype comprised 20.7%, the non-EDS/non-insomnia type 25.8%, the EDS/insomnia type 23.7%, and the insomnia phenotype 29.8% of the entire cohort. Thus, clinical presentation phenotypes with insomnia symptoms were dominant with 53.5%, but only 5.6% had physician diagnosed insomnia. Cardiovascular comorbidity was less prevalent in the EDS and most common in the insomnia phenotype (48.9% vs. 56.8%, p<0.001) despite more severe OSA in the EDS group (AHI 35.0±25.5/h vs. 27.9±22.5/h, p<0.001, respectively). Psychiatric comorbidity was associated with insomnia like OSA phenotypes independent of age, gender and body mass index (HR 1.5 (1.188–1.905), p<0.001). The EDS phenotype tended to associate with higher CPAP usage (22.7 min/d, p = 0.069) when controlled for age, gender, BMI and sleep apnoea severity. Conclusions Phenotypes with insomnia symptoms comprised more than half of OSA patients and were more frequently linked with comorbidity than those with EDS, despite less severe OSA. CPAP usage was slightly higher in phenotypes with EDS.
Anorexia nervosa in males: Clinical features and outcome

The clinical features and long-term outcome of anorexia nervosa in male patients was investigated by a comparison with a matched group of female patients. The clinical features were remarkably similar in, both groups, whereas the long-term outcome was marginally worse in men. It is suggested that a multicentre study is needed in order to overcome the problem posed by the small numbers of male cases reported.
Making connections: The relationship between epistemology and research methods

The relationship between epistemology and method is rarely articulated through our formal coursework education either at undergraduate or postgraduate level; certainly this is true in many psychology programmes. Nowhere during my formal education was the connection between epistemology and method clearly explained, indeed the entire notion of a philosophical foundation to research was missing. The Australian Psychological Accreditation Council (APAC) guidelines do not require the epistemological foundations of science to be explicated at either the undergraduate or postgraduate level. In fact the only reference to 'philosophy' in the 2005 documentation is a requirement for the " history and philosophy of psychology " (APAC, 2005, p.23) to be included somewhere during the undergraduate degree. The various research units I studied throughout my undergraduate and postgraduate education were all titled Research Methods (with or without various suffixes attached) which served to emphasise the focus onto the methods employed instead of the entire construction of the research process. It was only when I was struggling to write my PhD thesis that I realised that this gap in my knowledge and understanding existed and that I needed to rectify it before I continued with the writing. But in embarking on this journey I discovered as much about me as I did about how the methods I employed sat within a social constructionist worldview. In this paper I will describe why it is important to be explicit about the epistemological foundations of our work and how identifying our orientation can help frame our research design. I begin by outlining the constructionist view and differentiating this from the positivist stance. I do this for two reasons; first, to demonstrate the dominance of the positivist perspective in psychology students education and second, because I personally subscribe to a constructionist worldview and this influenced my choice of research topic, and the methodology I employed. Having done this I then demonstrate how this epistemological view shaped my study and was able to cast new light on the experience of undergraduate students that challenges the accepted knowledge on this topic. Epistemological Roots The basic contention of the constructionist argument is that reality is socially constructed by and between the persons who experience it (Gergen, 1999). It is a consequence of the context in which the action occurs and is shaped by the cultural, historical, political, and social norms that operate within that context and time: And that reality can be …
Plant Growth under Natural Light Conditions Provides Highly Flexible Short-Term Acclimation Properties toward High Light Stress

Efficient acclimation to different growth light intensities is essential for plant fitness. So far, most studies on light acclimation have been conducted with plants grown under different constant light regimes, but more recent work indicated that acclimation to fluctuating light or field conditions may result in different physiological properties of plants. Thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana) was grown under three different constant light intensities (LL: 25 μmol photons m−2 s−1; NL: 100 μmol photons m−2 s−1; HL: 500 μmol photons m−2 s−1) and under natural fluctuating light (NatL) conditions. We performed a thorough characterization of the morphological, physiological, and biochemical properties focusing on photo-protective mechanisms. Our analyses corroborated the known properties of LL, NL, and HL plants. NatL plants, however, were found to combine characteristics of both LL and HL grown plants, leading to efficient and unique light utilization capacities. Strikingly, the high energy dissipation capacity of NatL plants correlated with increased dynamics of thylakoid membrane reorganization upon short-term acclimation to excess light. We conclude that the thylakoid membrane organization and particularly the light-dependent and reversible unstacking of grana membranes likely represent key factors that provide the basis for the high acclimation capacity of NatL grown plants to rapidly changing light intensities.
Towards the development of self-regulation in pupils experiencing social and emotional behavioural difficulties (SEBD)

The paper focuses upon the development of self-regulation as it pertains to pupils experiencing social and emotional behavioural difficulties (SEBD) within the context of a case study evaluating an intervention, designed and implemented by the author, to support such pupils within a Scottish secondary school situated in an area of multiple deprivation. The paper examines the extent to which pupils participating within the intervention developed the capacity to regulate their behaviour with good judgement in a range of contexts, identifying variables which fostered or impeded progress. The study is principally qualitative but draws also from quantitative data. It focuses upon four cohorts of support group pupils (N = 69), inclusive of six case studies. The findings indicate that the intervention had impacted positively upon the capacity of the young people to self-regulate their behaviour, if to varying extents, and that pupil outcomes were highly context related.
Histone h3 modifications in rat hepatic stellate cells by ethanol.

AIMS Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) play critical roles in the development of hepatic fibrosis caused by various agents including alcohol. Ethanol causes post-translational modification in histone. The goal of this study is to investigate whether ethanol affected acetylation and methylation of histone H3 in rat HSCs. METHODS We isolated and separated HSCs using collagenase perfusion of liver followed by Nycodenz density gradient centrifugation. HSCs were divided and treated with different concentrations of ethanol for various times. Histone was isolated using acid extraction method. Acetylation and methylation of histone H3 at Lys9 was analysed by both western blot and fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) immunochemical stain. Acetylation of histone H3 at Lys9 (Ac-H3-lys9), Lys14 (Ac-H3-Lys14), Lys18 (Ac-H3-lys18), or Lys23 (Ac-H3-lys23) was checked by western blotting. RESULTS At lysine 9, ethanol caused dose-dependent increase of Ac-H3 up to 200 mM. Ac-H3-lys9 increased with a maximum of 86-fold at 72 h and 200 mM ethanol treatment, and decreased thereafter. This increase was confirmed by both western blotting and FITC stain. At high dose, ethanol increased acetylation of histone H3 at Lys23 (Ac-H3-lys23), but it had no effect on Ac-H3-lys14 or Ac-H3-lys18. The intensity of the FITC-labelled dimethyl-histone H3 at Lys9 (Me-H3-lys9) antibody appeared to decrease slightly with increasing dose of ethanol. But this did not appear to change when monitored by western blotting. CONCLUSIONS Ethanol caused dose and time-dependent increase in acetylation of histone H3 at Lys9, but not at Lys14 or Lys18. Compared with hepatocytes the Ac-H3-lys9 in HSCs required longer ethanol exposure. Levels of Me-H3-lys9 seemed to remain unaltered. Thus increase in Ac-H3-lys9 represents a nuclear-chromatin modification event in HSCs exposed to ethanol.
Hierarchical Models of Self-Concept across Genders and Sciences/Humanities for College Students in Taiwan

The aim of this study is to examine the hierarchical model of self-concept (SC) using two operations (Models A and B). In Model A, global self-concept (GSC) is the higher-order factor of field-specific self-concepts (FSCs). In Model B, GSC is the predictor of the correlated FSCs. The data of 28,824 college students are obtained from the national database for higher education in Taiwan. The two models are examined by the use of total-group hierarchical confirmatory factor analysis (HCFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM), respectively. Multigroup HCFA and SEM are used to test whether the two models demonstrate measurement equivalence and structural invariance across female and male college students and across college students coming from different fields of study. The results of the analysis reveal three major findings. (1) The data fit Models A-B well for all the students as a whole. (2) Females and males are found not to be equivalent in the structure of both models. (3) Females from female-dominated humanities fields (education and business) are different from those in male-dominated sciences fields (engineering and natural sciences), while males from the four fields are similar in both models.
Disruption of a Cadherin Gene Associated with Resistance to Cry1Ac δ-Endotoxin of Bacillus thuringiensis in Helicoverpa armigera

ABSTRACT A laboratory strain (GY) of Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) was established from surviving larvae collected from transgenic cotton expressing a Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki insecticidal protein (Bt cotton) in Gaoyang County, Hebei Province, People's Republic of China, in 2001. The GYBT strain was derived from the GY strain through 28 generations of selection with activated Cry1Ac delivered by diet surface contamination. When resistance to Cry1Ac in the GYBT strain increased to 564-fold after selection, we detected high levels of cross-resistance to Cry1Aa (103-fold) and Cry1Ab (>46-fold) in the GYBT strain with reference to those in the GY strain. The GYBT strain had a low level of cross-resistance to B. thuringiensis var. kurstaki formulation (Btk) (5-fold) and no cross-resistance to Cry2Aa (1.4-fold). Genetic analysis showed that Cry1Ac resistance in the GYBT strain was controlled by one autosomal and incompletely recessive gene. The cross-resistance pattern and inheritance mode suggest that the Cry1Ac resistance in the GYBT strain of H. armigera belongs to “mode 1,” the most common type of lepidopteran resistance to B. thuringiensis toxins. A cadherin gene was cloned and sequenced from both the GY and GYBT strains. Disruption of the cadherin gene by a premature stop codon was associated with a high level of Cry1Ac resistance in H. armigera. Tight linkage between Cry1Ac resistance and the cadherin locus was observed in a backcross analysis. Together with previous evidence found with Heliothis virescens and Pectinophora gossypiella, our results confirmed that the cadherin gene is a preferred target for developing DNA-based monitoring of B. thuringiensis resistance in field populations of lepidopteran pests.
The feasibility of using mutation detection in ctDNA to assess tumor dynamics

For many decades it has been known that tumor DNA is shed into the blood. As a consequence of technological limitations, researchers were unable to comprehensively characterize circulating DNA. The advent of ultrasensitive and highly specific molecular assays has provided a comprehensive profile of the molecular characteristics and dynamics of circulating DNA in healthy subjects and cancer patients. With these new tools in hand, significant interest has been provoked for an innovative type of tumor biopsy termed a “liquid biopsy”. Liquid biopsies are obtained by minimal invasive blood draws from cancer patients. Circulating cancer cells, exosomes and a variety of molecules contained within the liquid biopsy including cell‐free circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) can serve as promising tools to track cancer evolution. Attractive features of ctDNA are that ctDNA isolation is straightforward, ctDNA levels increase or decrease in response to the degree of tumor burden and ctDNA contains DNA mutations found in both primary and metastatic lesions. Consequently, the analysis of circulating DNA for cancer‐specific mutations might prove to be a valuable tool for cancer detection. Moreover, the capacity to screen for ctDNA in serial liquid biopsies offers the possibility to monitor tumor progression and responses to therapy and to influence treatment decisions that ultimately may improve patient survival. Here we focus on mutation detection in ctDNA and provide an overview of the characteristics of ctDNA, detection methods for ctDNA and the feasibility of ctDNA to monitor tumor dynamics. Current challenges associate with ctDNA will also be discussed.
Removing barriers to achievement: A strategy for inclusion or exclusion?

Taking as its starting point a critique of policy for inclusion which I published 6 years ago after the publication of the Green Paper Excellence for All Children; Meeting Special Educational Needs (DfEE, 1997), the present paper presents a critical analysis of subsequent policy relating to the inclusion of children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in the mainstream of education which claims to secure for them a genuinely equitable educational experience. The results of this analysis suggest that far from ensuring full participation as a right, the policy for inclusion can be seen to have done little to increase genuine access to the mainstream for these pupils and may well have even increased exclusionary practices therein. The paper focuses particularly on the potential of current government strategy, presented in Removing Barriers to Achievement. The Government's Strategy for SEN (2004), to drive forward and realize the inclusion agenda. This examination reveals that, as in previous policy, there is a failure to recognize the complex and controversial nature of inclusion; no attempt is made to address the exclusiveness of the curriculum, assessment procedures, and practices of mainstream provision and that the strategy is founded on notions of normalization, compensation and deficit approaches to SEN. The paper argues that there is a need to recognize that as long as policy is founded on the idea that inclusion into the mainstream of schooling, as it is currently conceived, and achievement measured against a set of norm related standards is the route to good education children with SEN will continue to be disadvantaged and to receive an inferior educational opportunity