Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of diabetes on cardiac structure and function: the strong heart study.

BACKGROUND Whether diabetes mellitus (DM) adversely affects left ventricular (LV) structure and function independently of increases in body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure is controversial. METHODS AND RESULTS Echocardiography was used in the Strong Heart Study, a study of cardiovascular disease in American Indians, to compare LV measurements between 1810 participants with DM and 944 with normal glucose tolerance. Participants with DM were older (mean age, 60 versus 59 years), had higher BMI (32.4 versus 28.9 kg/m(2)) and systolic blood pressure (133 versus 124 mm Hg), and were more likely to be female, to be on antihypertensive treatment, and to live in Arizona (all P<0.001). In analyses adjusted for covariates, women and men with DM had higher LV mass and wall thicknesses and lower LV fractional shortening, midwall shortening, and stress-corrected midwall shortening (all P<0.002). Pulse pressure/stroke volume, a measure of arterial stiffness, was higher in participants with DM (P<0.001 independent of confounders). CONCLUSIONS Non-insulin-dependent DM has independent adverse cardiac effects, including increased LV mass and wall thicknesses, reduced LV systolic chamber and myocardial function, and increased arterial stiffness. These findings identify adverse cardiovascular effects of DM, independent of associated increases in BMI and arterial pressure, that may contribute to cardiovascular events in diabetic individuals.
Coaches' perceptions of golf swing kinematics

Using a computer-based videotape analysis system, a randomized series of golf swings was presented to 10 professional and 10 amateur golf coaches in an attempt to determine differences m their internal model of golf swing kinematics. A global measure was obtained by having coaches independently inspect the swings of eight golfers and estimate their golf handicaps. A micro level of analysis was undertaken by requiring participants to indicate what they considered to be 'ideal' swing characteristics using 17 predetermined limb, club, and body position angles for various phases of the swing Videotaped swings for a highly skilled and beginner level golfer were used for this task. Although the training requirements for professional coaches are much more demanding and their playing ability higher, evidence of internal model differences was not found in the handicap estimation task. It was also established that a golfer's swing may be perceived to have deficiencies but still produce sufficient accuracy to engender a low handicap On the second task, only one of the 17 estimated swing angles showed a significant difference between the coach groups. When, however, the two coach groups indicated their preferred angles for the highly skilled golfer and the beginner, 6 of the 17 angles were significantly different. The implications of these findings are that the two coach groups had similar ability to identify fundamental characteristics of the golf swing, but their model of the ideal swing was influenced by the observed golfer's skill level.
Unilateral Jump Behavior in Young Professional Female Ballet Dancers

In the field of dance, lateral body actions should be differently influenced by training. Classes should develop symmetrical jump behavior by the alternate working of the two body sides. In contrast, asymmetrical training effect linked to hemispheric laterality should be also expected. Indeed, for aesthetic reasons, the preferred leg has to give the jump direction while the other leg has to carry out the impulsion during take-off. In addition, and for functional reasons, the preferred leg also has to ensure a soft landing and to avoid imbalance upon landing. To address the question, we studied ten professional right-footed female ballet dancers in a unilateral experimental task: the maximal vertical jump (MVJ). The MVJ height was compared for each leg in ten trials. In addition, the side of the leg usually involved in a choreographic bilateral task was determined. All these right-footed dancers selected their left leg as the impulsion leg for the choreographic jump so as to reserve the right leg for the expression of the artistic gesture linked to emotional laterality. However, ANOVA did not show differences between the right and left legs in MVJ. In these young ballerinas, jump actions of the two body sides seem to develop symmetrically by class training effects.
Basal Cell Carcinoma: What’s New Under the Sun

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common skin cancer in white populations with an increasing incidence worldwide, thereby imposing an important public health problem. Its etiology is still unclear, but existing data indicate that the risk for BCC development is of multifactorial origin and results from the interplay of both constitutional and environmental factors. Yet, UV radiation (UVR) is believed to be the predominant causative risk factor in the pathogenesis of BCC. For years, BCC and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) have been grouped together as “nonmelanoma skin cancer. ” However, it seems that there are considerable biologic differences between BCC and SCC, and thus each type of epithelial cancer should be addressed separately. The present review provides an overview of the intriguing etiologic link of BCC with UVR and attempts a comprehensive review of recent epidemiologic and molecular evidence that supports this association.
Effect of the histone deacetylase inhibitor LBH589 against epidermal growth factor receptor–dependent human lung cancer cells

Activating mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) selectively activate signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) and Akt survival signaling pathways important in lung cancer cell growth and survival. Many kinases, such as EGFR, rely on heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) chaperone function for conformational maturation and proper function. Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) have been suggested to regulate signaling protein interactions via modulation of protein chaperone function through Hsp90. For these reasons, we evaluated the effect of a HDACi in lung cancer cells with defined EGFR status. Cell lines with defined EGFR status and sensitivity to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors were exposed to the HDACi LBH589, and the effects on cell survival, proliferation, and downstream signaling were evaluated. LBH589 resulted in increased acetylation of Hsp90 and reduced association of Hsp90 with EGFR, Akt, and STAT3. LBH589 selectively depleted proteins important in signaling cascades in cell lines harboring EGFR kinase mutations, such as EGFR, STAT3, and Akt, and these cells underwent apoptosis following exposure to LBH589. In addition, we found depletion of STAT3-dependent survival proteins, including Bcl-xL, Mcl-1, and Bcl-2. Conversely, LBH589 had little effect on apoptosis in cells not dependent on EGFR for survival, no changes were identified in the expression of EGFR or other survival proteins, and the predominant effect was cell cycle arrest rather than apoptosis. A 10-fold increase in LBH589 was necessary to observe durable depletion of EGFR and Akt in cells not harboring EGFR mutation. Treatment of cells with erlotinib and LBH589 resulted in synergistic effects on lung cancer cells dependent on EGFR for growth and/or survival. Based on these results, LBH589 can acetylate Hsp90, deplete EGFR and other key survival signaling proteins, and trigger apoptosis only in lung cancer cells harboring EGFR mutations. Therefore, EGFR mutation status may be predictive of outcome with LBH589 and possibly other HDACi. [Mol Cancer Ther 2007;6(9):2515–24]
Effect of saikosaponins and extracts of vinegar-baked Bupleuri Radix on the activity of β-glucuronidase

Abstract 1. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, liver targeting is usually achieved by coadministration with Vinegar-baked Radix Bupleuri (VBRB), but the mechanism is unclear. In this paper, the influence of VBRB on the activity of β-glucuronidase was investigated and compared with that of saikosaponins. 2. The activity of β-glucuronidase was measured by microplate reader using a 4-nitrophenyl-β-d-glucuronide substrate. The change of 4-nitrophenol content was used to characterize the activity of β-glucuronidase. 3. Bupleurum chinenes were found to be the inhibitor of β-glucuronidase. The inhibition rate of Bupleurum chinenes extracts BC1 (high molecular weight polysaccharides), BC2 (ethanol soluble/water insoluble component), BC3 (extracted by n-butanol, soluble in water), and BC4 (low molecular weight water soluble parts) on the activity of β-glucuronidase was found to be 45.15%, 33.94%, 24.94%, and 34.54%, respectively, after 1 h incubation, with BC1 showing the highest inhibition rate. In contrast, the saikosaponins were demonstrated to be the promoter of β-glucuronidase, with promotion rates of 333.56%, 217.04%, 247.87%, 149.75%, and 92.50% for saikosaponin standard samples A, B, B2, C, and D, respectively, (p < 0.05). 4. In conclusion, inhibiting the activity of β-glucuronidase might be one of the reasons why VBRB could influence drug distribution upon its coadministration with other drugs. Since saikosaponins and VBRB extracts have opposite effect, more attention should be paid to the content of saikosaponins in the extracts upon its application.
La demande contraceptive au Sahel : les attentes des hommes se rapprochent-elles de celles de leurs épouses ?

Andro Armelle, Hertrich Veronique. - La demanda de anticonceptivos en el Sahel: ^Tienen hombres y mujeres expectativas similares? A menudo, la baja prevalencia del uso de anticonceptivos en los parses del Sahel se atribuye a la falta de servicios de planificacion familiar. La existencia de una demanda de anticonceptivos, corroborada por encuestas realizadas a mujeres, se da por supuesta. Este arti- culo reconsidera la cuestion teniendo en cuenta tanto las expectativas de las mujeres como las expectativas de los hombres y de las parejas. El analisis se basa en encuestas demograficas y de salud llevadas a cabo en Burkina Faso (1993) y en Mali (1995-1996). El ejemplo de Ghana (1993) se utiliza como referenda. Los resultados muestran que la demanda de anticonceptivos es muy heterogenea. La demanda de limitacion del numero de nacimientos, fundamental entre las mujeres, es mucho mas reducida entre los hombres y casi insignificante si se mide a nivel de pareja. Tal heterogenei- dad constituye un freno importante a la difusion del uso de anticonceptivos, ya que los hombres juegan un papel decisivo en su practica. Tanto en Mali como en Burkina Faso, la probabilidad de utilizar anticonceptivos esta altamente relacionada con las expectativas mas- culinas. El punto de vista de las mujeres cuenta poco. No obstante, las jovenes generaciones parecen desafiar este modelo, ya que las aspiraciones de hombres y mujeres jovenes son me- nos heterogeneas.
Alpha ganglion cells in mammalian retinae: Common properties, species differences, and some comments on other ganglion cells

Abstract A specific morphological class of ganglion cell, the alpha cell, was first defined in cat retina. Alpha cells have since been found in a wide range of mammalian retinae, including several orders of placental and marsupial mammals. Characteristically, they have the largest somata and a large dendritic field with a typical branching pattern. They occur as inner and outer stratifying subpopulations, presumably corresponding to ON-center and OFF-center receptive fields. In all species, alpha cells account for less than 10% of the ganglion cells, their somata are regularly spaced, and their dendritic fields evenly and economically cover the retina in a mosaic-like fashion. The morphology of alpha cells and many features, both of single cells and of the population, are conserved across species with different habitats and life-styles. This suggests that alpha cells are a consistent obligatory ganglion cell type in every mammalian retina and probably subserve some fundamental task(s) in visual performance. Some general rules about the construction principles of ganglion cell classes are inferred from the alpha cells, stressing the importance of population parameters for the definition of a class. The principle, that a functionally and morphologically homogeneous population should have a regular arrangement and a complete and even coverage of the retina to perform its part in image processing at each retinal location, is especially evident across species and across ganglion cell types.
A nice vacation: Variations in experience aspirations and travel careers

This article focuses on tourists' vacation experiences - both in the form of their experience aspirations and in terms of actual ‘lived’ experiences. The qualitative study upon which the article draws suggests a series of ways in which everyday life contexts (and especially stages in the family life cycle) profoundly impact the experiences that people aspire for during their vacations. Even more importantly, informants' accounts for their travel careers suggest that informants are very conscious about the type of experiences they wish(ed) for at different times during their lives. Thus, informants seem to be very aware that the broad spectrum of vacations one can take qualifies as a ‘repertoire of experiencescapes’. The article introduces and discusses the ways in which stages in the family life cycle (and other aspects of everyday life) influence which types of vacations people prefer and which experiences they seek. Finally, implications hereof for vacation marketers are discussed.
Development of Pineapple Microsatellite Markers and Germplasm Genetic Diversity Analysis

Two methods were used to develop pineapple microsatellite markers. Genomic library-based SSR development: using selectively amplified microsatellite assay, 86 sequences were generated from pineapple genomic library. 91 (96.8%) of the 94 Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) loci were dinucleotide repeats (39 AC/GT repeats and 52 GA/TC repeats, accounting for 42.9% and 57.1%, resp.), and the other three were mononucleotide repeats. Thirty-six pairs of SSR primers were designed; 24 of them generated clear bands of expected sizes, and 13 of them showed polymorphism. EST-based SSR development: 5659 pineapple EST sequences obtained from NCBI were analyzed; among 1397 nonredundant EST sequences, 843 were found containing 1110 SSR loci (217 of them contained more than one SSR locus). Frequency of SSRs in pineapple EST sequences is 1SSR/3.73 kb, and 44 types were found. Mononucleotide, dinucleotide, and trinucleotide repeats dominate, accounting for 95.6% in total. AG/CT and AGC/GCT were the dominant type of dinucleotide and trinucleotide repeats, accounting for 83.5% and 24.1%, respectively. Thirty pairs of primers were designed for each of randomly selected 30 sequences; 26 of them generated clear and reproducible bands, and 22 of them showed polymorphism. Eighteen pairs of primers obtained by the one or the other of the two methods above that showed polymorphism were selected to carry out germplasm genetic diversity analysis for 48 breeds of pineapple; similarity coefficients of these breeds were between 0.59 and 1.00, and they can be divided into four groups accordingly. Amplification products of five SSR markers were extracted and sequenced, corresponding repeat loci were found and locus mutations are mainly in copy number of repeats and base mutations in the flanking region.
In vivo engineering of a human vasculature for bone tissue engineering applications

The neovascularization of three‐dimensional voluminous tissues, such as bone, represents an important challenge in tissue engineering applications. The formation of a preformed vascular plexus could maintain cell viability and promote vascularization after transplantation. We have developed a three‐dimensional spheroidal coculture system consisting of human primary endothelial cells and human primary osteoblasts (hOBs) to improve angiogenesis in bone tissue engineering applications. In this study, we investigated the survival and vascularization of the engineered implants in vivo. Endothelial cell spheroids were cocultured with hOBs in fibrin and seeded into scaffolds consisting of processed bovine cancellous bone (PBCB). The cell‐seeded scaffolds were evaluated for their angiogenic potential in two different in vivo assays: the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) model and the severe combined immunodeficiency disorder (SCID) mouse model. In both assays, the development of a complex three‐dimensional network of perfused human neovessels could be detected. After subcutaneous implantation into immunodeficient mice, the newly formed human vasculature was stabilized by the recruitment of murine smooth muscle α‐actin‐positive mural cells and anastomoses with the mouse vasculature. We conclude that this endothelial cell spheroid system can be used to create a network of functional perfused blood vessels in vivo. The finding that this process takes place with high efficacy in the presence of co‐implanted primary osteoblasts and in an osteoconductive environment provided by the PBCB scaffold, suggests that this system may be suitable for improving vascularization in bone tissue engineering.
Theories of Local Economic Growth (Part 2): Model Specification and Empirical Validation

This study is an attempt to produce a theoretically informed econometric analysis of dynamic regional economic performance. The first paper in this two-part study highlighted the problems and possibilities of translating the propositions contained in six ‘soft’ theories of local economic growth into measurable dimensions and sets of proxy variables that are hypothesized to determine local economic growth. This second paper focuses on issues of econometric-model design and empirical validation. Given the practical limitations imposed by data availability, the ‘soft’ theories of local economic growth are modeled by a simple conditional ‘gap’ convergence model in which prevailing regional unemployment relativities are determined by a common trend in unemployment and a set of regionally specific variables. The empirical validity of the competing ‘soft’ theories of local economic growth is evaluated by applying test restrictions imposed by the ‘soft’ theories to a general model specification containing eight regionally specific variables that have been identified as potential drivers of local economic growth. The econometric modeling of Australian data suggests that the processes of regional economic performance might be somewhat different from those specified in individual theoretical models. Significantly, the role of local ‘enterprise culture’ is revealed—built on specialization, technological leadership, human resources, and the local integration of firms—though significant caveats are attached to the roles of access to information, institutional support, and interregional trade as promoters of local economic growth.
Ascorbic acid mitigation of water stress-inhibition of root growth in association with oxidative defense in tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.)

Root growth inhibition by water stress may be related to oxidative damages. The objectives of this study were to determine whether exogenous application of ascorbic acid (ASA) could mitigate root growth decline due to water stress and whether ASA effects on root growth could be regulated through activating non-enzymatic or enzymatic antioxidant systems in perennial grass species. Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb. cv. “K-31”) plants were grown in nutrient solution, and polyethylene glycol (PEG)-8000 was added into the solution to induce water stress. For exogenous ASA treatment, ASA (5 mM) was added into the solution with or without PEG-8000. Plants treated with ASA under water stress showed significantly increased root growth rate, and those roots had significantly lower content of reactive oxygen species (ROS) (H2O2 and O2− content) than those without ASA treatment. Malondialdehyde content in root tips treated with ASA under water stress was also significantly reduced compared with those under water stress alone. In addition, free ascorbate and total ascorbate content were significantly higher in roots treated with ASA under water stress than those without ASA treatment. The enzymatic activities for ROS scavenging-related genes were not significantly altered by ASA treatment under water stress, while transcript abundances of genes encoding superoxide dismutase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, glutathione reductase, dehydroascorbate reductase, and monohydroascorbate reductase showed significant decreases in the root elongation zone and significant increases in the root maturation zone treated with ASA under water stress. Transcripts of genes for expansins and xyloglucan endotransglycosylases showed increased abundances in ASA-treated root maturation zone under water stress, indicating that ASA could accelerated cell wall loosening and cell expansion. The results suggested that exogenous treatment of roots with ASA enhanced root elongation under water stress, which could be attributed by increasing non-enzymatic antioxidant production, suppressing ROS toxicity and up-regulating gene expression of cell-wall loosening proteins controlling cell expansion.
Social inequalities in health in Tunisia: a reality whose magnitude is underestimated

This study aims to analyse the influence of determinants of health on the extent of socioeconomic inequalities in health. A material and social deprivation index into two versions has been used to assess the magnitude of social inequalities in health in Tunisian population. The results show that the individual version of the index produces differences in healthy life expectancy and life expectancy without disability of greater magnitude than the geographic version. The relative risk of mortality and the proportional risk of disability are increased with deprivation index, used the geographical or individual version. The differences between the two versions are also stronger for the disability for mortality and more marked in interior regions than in larger cities and the coastal regions. Finally, the advantages and limitations of this index are also put into perspective, as are the possibilities it offers for research and decision-making.
Clinical , biological , and anthropological aspects of leishmaniasis in Suriname-report of the final meeting of the Integrated Program

The parasitic disease cutaneous leishmaniasis is an increasing health problem in many countries including the Republic of Suriname. Diagnosis is difficult and treatment options are few, while the sideeffects are serious and treatment failure is not uncommon. Insight into the epidemiology and biology of the disease in Suriname is scant. Cutaneous leishmaniasis also puts a significant economic burden on affected individuals and may have a substantial social impact on quality of life as patients can be mutilated and may suffer stigmatization. Nevertheless, a control program for the disease is lacking in Suriname. For these reasons, a comprehensive collaborative effort among stakeholders in Suriname and The Netherlands has been initiated to assess the problem of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Suriname in an integrated manner. This Integrated Program has established diagnostic algorithms to assess and improve the efficacy of current treatment options of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Suriname; has contributed to our understanding of the Leishmania parasite(s), vector(s), and reservoir(s) involved in the transmission of the disease; and has provided more insight into the factors related to treatment seeking behavior, risk factors, and disease perception. This paper reports on these advances.