Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High prevalence of adenomatous colorectal polyps in young cancer survivors treated with abdominal radiation therapy: results of a prospective trial

Objective Cancer survivors treated with abdominal/pelvic radiation therapy (ART) have increased the risks of colorectal cancer (CRC), although evidence supporting early CRC screening for these patients is lacking. We sought to determine whether there is an elevated prevalence of adenomatous colorectal polyps in young survivors prior to the age when screening would be routinely recommended. Design We conducted a prospective study of early colonoscopic screening in cancer survivors aged 35–49 who had received ART ≥10 years previously. The planned sample size was based on prior studies reporting a prevalence of adenomatous polyps of approximately 20% among the average-risk population ≥50 years of age, in contrast to ≤10% among those average-risk people aged 40–50 years, for whom screening is not routinely recommended. Results Colonoscopy was performed in 54 survivors, at a median age of 45 years (range 36–49) and after median interval from radiation treatment of 19 years (10.6–43.5). Forty-nine polyps were detected in 24 patients, with 15 patients (27.8%; 95% CI 17.6% to 40.9%) having potentially precancerous polyps. Fifty-three per cent of polyps were within or at the edge of the prior ART fields. Conclusions Young survivors treated with ART have a polyp prevalence comparable with the average-risk population aged ≥50 years and substantially higher than previously reported for the average-risk population aged 40–50 years. These findings lend support to the early initiation of screening in these survivors. Clinical trial registration number NCT00982059; results.
Sports utility vehicles and older pedestrians

A damaging collision T wo independent trends in the developed world are likely to reverse some of the hard won improvements that have been made in road safety. One is the ageing of the population; the other the increase in the use of sports utility vehicles (SUVs, high performance four wheel drive cars capable of off-road driving). The first trend produces a growing number of vulnerable road users; the second produces a likelihood of more severe injuries when vehicles and pedestrians collide. Public health professionals will need to work with transportation and road safety agencies to avoid the inevitable consequences of more vulnerable road users and more lethal vehicles. Among road users, pedestrians are already a group at high risk, and elderly pedestrians are particularly at risk. People over 60 are more than four times as likely to die if injured by a car than younger people1: in a pattern repeated around the developed world, older people in Ireland account for 30% of pedestrian deaths but only 11% of the population.2 The World Health Organization has recognised protection of older pedestrians as a key safety measure for this age group.3 Pedestrian protection is an even more pressing problem in the developing world. Pedestrian injuries …
Shift of symbiont communities in Acropora tenuis juveniles under heat stress

Ocean warming is a major threat to coral reefs, leading to an increasing frequency and amplitude of coral bleaching events, where the coral and its algal symbiont associations breakdown. Long-term change and resilience of a symbiont community in coral juveniles is thought to be one of the most important aspects for determining thermal tolerance of the coral holobionts; however, despite its importance, they are not well documented in both under elevated temperature and even under natural condition. Here we investigated changes in symbiont communities in juveniles of the coral Acropora tenuis under controlled heat stress conditions (30 °C, 31/32 °C) and natural variations in seawater temperatures (19–30 °C) for up to four months. Compared with the ambient temperature conditions, coral survival rates were higher when exposed to 30 °C, but survival rates decreased when exposed to 31/32 °C. Symbiodinium types A3, C1, and D1-4 were detected in the juveniles under all thermal conditions; however, in higher water temperatures (31/32 °C), both the prevalence of D1-4 Symbiodinium and the number of juveniles harboring only this type of symbiont increased after two to four months later. In contrast, colonies at lower temperatures (30 °C and ambient) harbored multiple clades of symbionts over the same experimental period. These results highlight the flexibility of the coral–Symbiodinium symbiosis for juvenile A. tenuis under variable thermal conditions. In particular, the benefit of the preferential association with type D1-4 can be considered as a response when under heat-stress conditions, and that could help corals to cope with ocean warming.
Glycine-Amide Is an Active Metabolite of the Antiretroviral Tripeptide Glycyl-Prolyl-Glycine-Amide

ABSTRACT The chemically modified tripeptide glycyl-prolyl-glycine-amide (GPG-NH2) inhibits replication of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 (HIV-1) in vitro, probably by interfering with capsid formation. The aim of the present study was to determine whether the metabolites glycyl-proline (GP-OH), glycine (G-OH), prolyl-glycine-amide (PG-NH2), proline (P-OH), and glycine-amide (G-NH2) from proteolytic cleavage may inhibit the replication of HIV-1 in vitro. PG-NH2 has previously been shown to have a modest effect on HIV-1 replication. In the present study we show that G-NH2 exhibits a pronounced inhibitory effect on HIV-1. This effect was not due to a decrease in cell proliferation or viability and could not be shown for herpes simplex virus type 1. The G-NH2 concentration that inhibited virus replication by 50% (IC50) was equimolar to that of GPG-NH2 and ranged from 3 to 41 μM. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the effect of G-NH2 on HIV-1 morphology was equivalent to that of GPG-NH2 and showed disarranged capsid structures, indicating interference with capsid formation. Serial passage of HIV-infected cells with G-NH2 for more than 20 subcultivations did not decrease the susceptibility to the compound. The results from this study suggest that GPG-NH2 might act as a prodrug and that G-NH2 is an active antiretroviral metabolite.
Analysis of Monocyte and Histiocytic Cell Populations in Bone Marrow of Patients with Confirmed and Suspected Cases of Reactive Histocytosis

Abstract Objective: To describe characteristics of monocytes and histiocytes in the bone marrow of patients with a confirmed and suspected diagnosis of reactive histiocytosis. Methods: 14 patients with a confident diagnosis of reactive histiocytosis or with a suspected diagnosis were inpatients at the Tianjin Blood Diseases Hospital between 2008 and 2012. Nucleated cells from bone marrow were observed by light microscopy – morphologically and immunohistochemically for histiocyte antigens – and ultrastructurally by transmission electron microscopy. Results: Monocytes, atypical histiocytes, macrophages, hemophagocytes, reticular cells and dendritic cells were significantly increased in 9, 9, 5, 3, 3 and 2, respectively, of the 14 cases. Atypical histiocytes expressed some morphological characteristics of promonocytes. Conclusion: Monocytes, atypical histiocytes, macrophages, hemophagocytes, reticular cells and dendritic cells were increased in different relative degrees in patients with bone marrow reactive histiocytosis or suspected reactive histiocytosis. The increase in numbers of monocytes, atypical histiocytes and macrophages was a particularly significant feature. It is argued that atypical histiocytes with immature monocyte features might be precursors of hemophagocytes, reticular cells or dendritic cells.
Android Permissions Remystified: A Field Study on Contextual Integrity

We instrumented the Android platform to collect data regarding how often and under what circumstances smartphone applications access protected resources regulated by permissions. We performed a 36-person field study to explore the notion of "contextual integrity," i.e., how often applications access protected resources when users are not expecting it. Based on our collection of 27M data points and exit interviews with participants, we examine the situations in which users would like the ability to deny applications access to protected resources. At least 80% of our participants would have preferred to prevent at least one permission request, and overall, they stated a desire to block over a third of all requests. Our findings pave the way for future systems to automatically determine the situations in which users would want to be confronted with security decisions.
Inhibin and follistatin concentrations in fetal tissues and fluids during gestation in sheep: evidence for activin in amniotic fluid.

The concentrations of inhibin and follistatin in amniotic fluid and in tissue extracts from the placenta, gonads and adrenals of fetal sheep were measured using radioimmunoassays. These tissue extracts were from whole fetuses from days 16 to 45 and from the individual organs from day 46 to 145 (term) and were assayed at multiple dilutions. The capacity of these extracts to alter FSH production of rat anterior pituitary cells in culture was also assessed at multiple dilutions. Immunoactive inhibin concentrations in amniotic fluid from both sexes increased during gestation and levels were significantly greater in males than females. Peak concentrations of immunoreactive inhibin of 11.2 +/- 1.9 ng/ml were found in males at 116-125 days of gestation. Follistatin concentrations did not change throughout gestation and no significant difference was noted between sexes. Mean follistatin levels throughout gestation were 3.0 +/- 0.9 ng/ml for males and 3.7 +/- 0.9 ng/ml for females. Despite the potential for FSH inhibition by inhibin and follistatin, amniotic fluid from both sexes at all stages of gestation stimulated FSH secretion in the pituitary cell bioassays, suggesting the presence of activin which was confirmed by the measurement of immunoactive activin (13.3 +/- 2.5 ng/ml) in a specific radioimmunoassay. Maximum concentrations of immunoactive and bioactive inhibin in placental extracts were observed in late gestation (2.2 +/- 0.6 and 3.8 +/- 1.6 ng/g respectively) and there was no significant difference between sexes. Follistatin concentrations in placental cotyledons ranged from 11.5 to 27.1 ng/g with no significant difference between sexes. In view of the higher follistatin concentrations compared with inhibin, it is likely that the capacity of placental extracts to suppress FSH production by pituitary cells in culture is due predominantly to follistatin. Immunoactive inhibin was observed in high concentrations in the fetal testis throughout gestation; with concentrations increasing to a maximum of 1993.0 +/- 519.7 ng/g at 126-135 days of gestation with a ratio of bioactive: immunoactive inhibin of 1:20. Although bioactive and immunoactive inhibin was also observed in fetal ovaries and adrenals from both male and female fetuses, concentrations were lower than those observed in fetal testes. Follistatin concentrations in the fetal testis were elevated between 70 and 95 days (97.6 ng/g) and then declined. Similar concentrations were found in the adrenal glands of both sexes (males 83.5-103.3 ng/g: females 55.3-95.8 ng/g). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Comparison of Shiga-Toxigenic Escherichia coli Prevalences among Dairy, Feedlot, and Cow-Calf Herds in Washington State

ABSTRACT Shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli (STEC) strains were isolated from 7.4% of 1,440 fecal and farm environmental samples. Shiga toxin gene and STEC prevalences were significantly associated with animal production type and season. A range of serogroups were identified. Nine percent of isolates possessed all three principal virulence markers: stx2, eae, and ehx.
Modality and Perceptual-Motor Experience Influence the Detection of Temporal Deviations in Tap Dance Sequences

Accurate temporal information processing is critically important in many motor activities within disciplines such as dance, music, and sport. However, it is still unclear how temporal information related to biological motion is processed by expert and non-expert performers. It is well-known that the auditory modality dominates the visual modality in processing temporal information of simple stimuli, and that experts outperform non-experts in biological motion perception. In the present study, we combined these two areas of research; we investigated how experts and non-experts detected temporal deviations in tap dance sequences, in the auditory modality compared to the visual modality. We found that temporal deviations were better detected in the auditory modality compared to the visual modality, and by experts compared to non-experts. However, post hoc analyses indicated that these effects were mainly due to performances obtained by experts in the auditory modality. The results suggest that the experience advantage is not equally distributed across the modalities, and that tap dance experience enhances the effectiveness of the auditory modality but not the visual modality when processing temporal information. The present results and their potential implications are discussed in both temporal information processing and biological motion perception frameworks.
Placebo-controlled trial of indole-3-carbinol in the treatment of CIN.

OBJECTIVE Most precancerous lesions of the cervix are treated with surgery or ablative therapy. Chemoprevention, using natural and synthetic compounds, may intervene in the early precancerous stages of carcinogenesis and prevent the development of invasive disease. Our trial used indole-3-carbinol (I-3-C) administered orally to treat women with CIN as a therapeutic for cervical CIN. METHODS Thirty patients with biopsy proven CIN II-III were randomized to receive placebo or 200, or 400 mg/day I-3-C administered orally for 12 weeks. If persistent CIN was diagnosed by cervical biopsy at the end of the trial, loop electrocautery excision procedure of the transformation zone was performed. HPV status was assessed in all patients. RESULTS None (0 of 10) of the patients in the placebo group had complete regression of CIN. In contrast 4 of 8 patients in the 200 mg/day arm and 4 of 9 patients in the 400 mg/day arm had complete regression based on their 12-week biopsy. This protective effect of I-3-C is shown by a relative risk (RR) of 0.50 ((95% CI, 0. 25 to 0.99) P = 0.023) for the 200 mg/day group and a RR of 0.55 ((95% CI, 0.31 to 0.99) P = 0.032) for the 400 mg/day group. HPV was detected in 7 of 10 placebo patients, in 7 of 8 in the 200 mg/day group, and in 8 of 9 in the 400 mg/day group. CONCLUSIONS There was a statistically significant regression of CIN in patients treated with I-3-C orally compared with placebo. The 2/16 alpha-hydroxyestrone ratio changed in a dose-dependent fashion.
Reinforcing of Biologically Derived Apatite with Commercial Inert Glass

Apatite-based ceramics, derived from fine powder of calcinated bovine—bone (BHA), were successfully reinforced with 5 and 10 wt% commercial inert glass (CIG), which contained biocompatible elements, via sintering at different temperatures between 1000 and 1300°C. The products were subjected to mechanical testing and microstructural and crystallographic analyses. Comparison of the experimental results with those from earlier similar studies shows that CIG is superior for reinforcing of BHA ceramics compared with other bioactive glasses. Provided that the CIG addition does not exceed a certain limit, optimally being approximately 5 wt%, the resultant BHA-CIG materials can exhibit high strength after sintering and remarkable resistance toward over-firing at 1300°C. The influence of the amount of CIG on the developed microstructure and crystalline structure after sintering at different temperatures is discussed.
Decreased SIRT3 in aged human mesenchymal stromal/stem cells increases cellular susceptibility to oxidative stress

Sirtuin3 (SIRT3) is an important member of the sirtuin family of protein deacetylases that is localized to mitochondria and linked to lifespan extension in organisms ranging from yeast to humans. As aged cells have less regenerative capacity and are more susceptible to oxidative stress, we investigated the effect of ageing on SIRT3 levels and its correlation with antioxidant enzyme activities. Here, we show that severe oxidative stress reduces SIRT3 levels in young human mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (hMSCs). Overexpression of SIRT3 improved hMSCs resistance to the detrimental effects of oxidative stress. By activating manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) and catalase (CAT), SIRT3 protects hMSCs from apoptosis under stress. SIRT3 expression, levels of MnSOD and CAT, as well as cell survival showed little difference in old versus young hMSCs under normal growth conditions, whereas older cells had a significantly reduced capacity to withstand oxidative stress compared to their younger counterparts. Expression of the short 28 kD SIRT3 isoform was higher, while the long 44 kD isoform expression was lower in young myocardial tissues compared with older ones. These results suggest that the active short isoform of SIRT3 protects hMSCs from oxidative injury by increasing the expression and activity of antioxidant enzymes. The expression of this short isoform decreases in cardiac tissue during ageing, leading to a reduced capacity for the heart to withstand oxidative stress.
Kinetics of Induction and Purification of Chloramphenicol Acetyltransferase from Chloramphenicol-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Plasmid-mediated chloramphenicol resistance in Staphylococcus aureus has been shown to involve acetylation of chloramphenicol by an enzyme induced by growth in the presence of the antibiotic and certain analogues. Analysis of the kinetics of induction has been complicated by (i) the intrinsic inhibitory effects of chloramphenicol on induced enzyme synthesis and (ii) the rapid disappearance of inducer after synthesis of the acetylating enzyme. The compound related to d-threo chloramphenicol which lacks a C3 hydroxyl substituent (3-deoxychloramphenicol) is a potent inducer of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase but is ineffective as an antibiotic and is not a substrate for the enzyme. The availability of such a “gratuitous” inducer has simplified an analysis of the kinetics of induction of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase. The enzyme from induced bacteria has been purified to homogeneity and has been compared with the analogous enzyme present in E. coli which harbors a resistance transfer factor with the chloramphenicol resistance determinant.
Attendance and Chronic Absenteeism in Indiana: The Impact on Student Achievement

Student attendance serves as an effective predictor of future academic achievement as well as of high school graduation. An analysis of Indiana attendance data indicates a direct link between absenteeism and school achievement, with chronically absent students scoring lower on achievement tests and dropping out of high school at higher rates than peers with better attendance. Between the 2008-09 and 2010-11 school years, 55,264 students on average missed 10% or more of the school year, a percentage that classifies these students as either chronically absent or severely chronically absent. However, the number of students who fall in these categories is likely higher, as this figure does not include school days missed due to out-of-school suspensions or expulsions.
Risk factors for and impact of online sexual solicitation of youth.

CONTEXT Health care professionals, educators, and others are increasingly called upon to advise parents and policymakers about risks posed to children by Internet use. However, little scientific information exists on the experiences of children online. OBJECTIVE To assess the risk factors surrounding online sexual solicitations of youth and distress due to solicitation. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Telephone survey (August 1999-February 2000) of a random sample of 1501 youth aged 10 through 17 years who were regular Internet users. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Demographic and behavioral characteristics associated with solicitation risk and distress due to solicitation. RESULTS Nineteen percent of youth who used the Internet regularly were the targets of unwanted sexual solicitation in the last year. Girls (P<.001), older teens (P =.005), troubled youth (P =.004), frequent Internet users (P =.01), chat room participants (P<.001), and those who communicated online with strangers (P<.001) were at greater risk. Twenty-five percent of the solicited youth reported high levels of distress after solicitation incidents. Risk of distress was more common among the younger youth (P =.005), those who received aggressive solicitations (the solicitor attempted or made offline contact) (P =.001), and those who were solicited on a computer away from their home (P =.001). CONCLUSIONS Many young people who use the Internet encounter unwanted sexual overtures. Health care professionals, educators, and parents should be prepared to educate youth about how to respond to online sexual solicitations, including encouraging youth to disclose and report such encounters and to talk about them.
Risk of Handling Paper Currency in Circulation Chances of Potential Bacterial Transmittance

butchers, food sellers, and banks) where paper currency is widely used. The currencies used by public transport in Nepal (micro-buses) were found to be extremely contaminated with various pathogenic bacteria followed by the currency used by butchers and food sellers. These microorganisms could be one of the major causes of widely transmitting diseases in Nepal. Eight different pathogenic bacteria were isolated that are the known to be involved in transmitting various diseases in Nepal. A lot of people loss their life every year in Nepal due to the transmittance of diseases by these kind of bacteria. Use of paper money could be one of the major sources of transmittance of such diseases in Nepal that provides platform for the growth of such bacteria. Public awareness of using paper currency in circulation became essential for the safety in human health. Key words: Escherichia coli; Infections; Pathogens; Staphylococcus aureus; Salmonella choleraesius DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.3126/njst.v10i0. 2952 Nepal Journal of Science and Technology Vol. 10, 2009 Page: 161-166
Flexible-Schedule-Based TDMA Protocols for Supporting Fault-Tolerance, On-Demand TDMA Slot Transfer, and Peer-to-Peer Communication in Wireless Sensor Networks

This thesis develops a scheduled protocol (time division multiple access, TDMA) called flexible-schedule-based TDMA Protocol (FlexiTP), to address the problem of providing end-to-end guarantees on data delivery, whilst also respecting severe resource constraints of wireless sensor networks. FlexiTP achieves this balance through a distributed, synchronised, and loose slot structure in which sensor nodes can build, modify, or extend their schedules based on their local information. In FlexiTP, it is not necessary to predetermine the number of slots required for a network. FlexiTP’s local repair scheme allows nodes to adjust their schedules dynamically and autonomously to recover from node and communication faults. Hence, it maintains a reliable and selforganising multihop network. Most sensor network protocols designed for data gathering applications implicitly assume a periodic rate of data collection from all nodes in the network to the base station. However, nodes may want to report their data more rapidly or slowly depending on the significance and importance of their data to the end-user. The problem is that traditional TDMA-based protocols are not flexible to changes in traffic patterns because of their rigid slot structure schemes. This thesis aims to solve this problem by developing an ondemand TDMA slot transfer method that leverages the flexible-slot structure algorithm of FlexiTP to transfer time slots from one part of the network to another part. Hence, it allows wireless sensor networks to be adaptive to dynamic traffic patterns in the channel. Many wireless sensor networks are designed with a specific communication pattern such as broadcast from the base station to all sensor nodes in a network, or convergecast from