Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Apparent Diffusion Coefficient and T2 Relaxation Time Variation Patterns in Assessment of Age and Disc Level Related Intervertebral Disc Changes

Purpose To compare the variation patterns of ADC and T2 values in different age and intervertebral disc (IVD) levels, thus to identify their sensitivities in assessing age and disc level related IVDs changes. Materials and Methods The T2 and ADC values were recorded from 345 IVDs of 69 volunteers. Kendall's correlation analysis was used to identify the relationship between age and T2/ADC mean values respectively. The one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with post hoc analysis was then applied to test the differences of T2 and ADC values among different IVD levels and age groups, followed by linear regression analysis between age (<45 and >45 years) and T2/ADC mean values. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and the Peking Union Medical College Hospital. Results Significant negative correlation was observed between age and T2/ADC mean values. The T2 and ADC values showed significant differences among IVD levels and among age groups except for T2 values in age group 1 (25–34 years) and group 2 (35–44 years), and for ADC values at L1–2 level. Both T2 and ADC values showed significant differences between young (age<45 years) and elderly group (age>45 years) at each IVD level. A linear relationship was observed between age and T2/ADC mean values in the elderly group as well as in the young group for the ADC mean values, while no such tendency was identified in the young group for the T2 mean values. Conclusions ADC values may be a more sensitive parameter than T2 in assessing age and disc level related intervertebral disc changes.
Human papillomavirus infection in women in four regions of Senegal

Cervical cancer is the most frequent cancer among women in Senegal. However, there are few data concerning the human papillomavirus (HPV) types inducing neoplasia and cervical cancers and their prevalence in the general population of Senegal. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of HPV infection in Senegalese women aged 18 years and older in Dakar Region and three other regions. Cervical samples were collected from 498 women aged 18–80 years (mean, 42.1 years) in Dakar Region. Also, 438 samples were collected from three other regions: Thiès, Saint‐Louis, and Louga. The samples were screened for 21 HPV genotypes using an HPV type‐specific E7 PCR bead‐based multiplex genotyping assay (TS‐MPG). The prevalence of high risk (HR)‐HPV in Dakar Region was 17.4%. HPV 52 (3.2%) was the most prevalent HPV type, followed by HPV 31 (3.0%) and HPV 16, 45, and 53 (all 2.8%). In the Thiès, Saint‐Louis, and Louga Regions, the prevalence of HR‐HPV was 23.2%, 13.1%, and 19.4%, respectively. The study revealed the specificity of HPV prevalence in Dakar Region and other regions of Senegal. The observed patterns show some differences compared with other regions of the world. These findings raise the possibility that, in addition to HPV 16 and HPV 18, other HPV types should be considered for a vaccination program in Senegal. However, additional studies to determine the HPV type distribution in cervical cancer specimens in Senegal are required to further corroborate this hypothesis. J. Med. Virol. 86:248–256, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Immunohistochemical expression of p53, p63, c-myc, p21(WAF1/cip1) and p27(kip1) proteins in urothelial bladder carcinoma: correlation with clinicopathological parameters.

PURPOSE To reevaluate the expression levels of p53, p63, c-myc, p21(WAF1/cip1) and p27(kip1) proteins and their potential association with standard clinicopathological parameters, including tumor stage and grade, in urothelial bladder carcinoma (UBC). METHODS Immunohistochemistry was performed in 100 transurethral resection specimens obtained from prospectively identified patients with primary UBC. RESULTS Overall, 26, 41 and 75% of the cases showed positive staining for p53, p63 and c-myc, respectively, while p21(WAF1/cip1) and p27(kip1) expression levels were altered in 75 and 88% of the cases, respectively. Positive staining for p53 was associated with increased tumor stage (pT2) (p=0.037), while altered expression of p27(kip1) was strongly associated with male gender (p=0.009). CONCLUSION The results of our study imply that p53 overexpression may be a useful marker of tumor invasion in UBC. In contrast, we failed to demonstrate any statistically significant correlation between the remaining markers evaluated and tumor stage or grade.
Can Chameleons Lead Change? The Effect of Resistance to Change on High Self-Monitoring Leaders' Strength of Purpose

Can Chameleons Lead Change? The Effect of Resistance to Change on High Self-Monitoring Leaders’ Strength of Purpose Robert B. Morris II The evidence linking self-monitoring (Snyder, 1974) and leadership suggests that it is better to be high than low in self-monitoring regarding leader effectiveness (Day et al., 2002); however, social responsiveness could be a double-edged sword when it comes to leading organization change. It was hypothesized that high self-monitoring (HSM) leaders would launch change in a participative manner and create positive conditions for change, but they would lack strength of purpose for leading the effort in the face of resistance. Grit (Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews & Kelly, 2007), an individual characteristic introduced recently by positive psychologists, is potentially a positive characteristic of change leaders. It was also predicted that grit would be a positive predictor of leader strength of purpose for leading change. Drawing on these literatures, a theoretical model was developed and tested to examine the interaction effect of these two characteristics and a change leader's situation (resistance or support) on strength of purpose (commitment to change goals and intentions to stay with the organization). Two surveys, one scenario-based and one experience-based, were administered to senior leaders (mean age = 43) from across the globe representing a wide range of industries and job functions. The results provided some support that self-monitoring interacted with the leader situation to predict leader approach to change in the scenario survey group, but not in the experience survey group. The findings also demonstrated support for self-monitoring theory in that cultural context moderated the relationship between self-monitoring and leader approach to change, such that HSMs' approach varied significantly depending on whether they were leading change inside or outside their own country of origin (i.e., nationality) whereas LSMs did not vary their approach across these different contexts. The prediction that grit would predict leader strength of purpose was unsupported. It was also found that cultural context moderated the relationship between leader situation and intentions to stay with the organization such that, in conditions of less support (i.e., resistance) from one's established in-group (nationality or societal culture match between the leader and change recipients), leaders expressed higher intentions to leave than when unsupported in out-group conditions. These results and the implications for future research and practice are discussed.
Glyceollin I Reverses Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition in Letrozole Resistant Breast Cancer through ZEB1

Although aromatase inhibitors are standard endocrine therapy for postmenopausal women with early-stage metastatic estrogen-dependent breast cancer, they are limited by the development of drug resistance. A better understanding of this process is critical towards designing novel strategies for disease management. Previously, we demonstrated a global proteomic signature of letrozole-resistance associated with hormone-independence, enhanced cell motility and implications of epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT). Letrozole-resistant breast cancer cells (LTLT-Ca) were treated with a novel phytoalexin, glyceollin I, and exhibited morphological characteristics synonymous with an epithelial phenotype and decreased proliferation. Letrozole-resistance increased Zinc Finger E-Box Binding Homeobox 1 (ZEB1) expression (4.51-fold), while glyceollin I treatment caused a −3.39-fold reduction. Immunofluorescence analyses resulted of glyceollin I-induced increase and decrease in E-cadherin and ZEB1, respectively. In vivo studies performed in ovariectomized, female nude mice indicated that glyceollin treated tumors stained weakly for ZEB1 and N-cadherin and strongly for E-cadherin. Compared to letrozole-sensitive cells, LTLT-Ca cells displayed enhanced motility, however in the presence of glyceollin I, exhibited a 68% and 83% decrease in invasion and migration, respectively. These effects of glyceollin I were mediated in part by inhibition of ZEB1, thus indicating therapeutic potential of glyceollin I in targeting EMT in letrozole resistant breast cancer.
Acceptance of Mobile Learning: a Respecification and Validation of Information System Success.

— With the proliferation of mobile computing technology, mobile learning (m-learning) will play a vital role in the rapidly growing electronic learning market. However, the acceptance of m-learning by individuals is critical to the successful implementation of m-learning systems. Thus, there is a need to research the factors that affect users’ intention to use m-learning. Based on an updated information system (IS) success model, data collected from 350 respondents in Taiwan were tested against the research model using the structural equation modeling approach. The data collected by questionnaire were analyzed to check the validity of constructs. Then hypotheses describing the relationships between the identified constructs and users’ satisfaction were formulated and tested.
Stimulus-Specific Adaptation in the Gerbil Primary Auditory Thalamus Is the Result of a Fast Frequency-Specific Habituation and Is Regulated by the Corticofugal System

The detection of novel and therefore potentially behavioral relevant stimuli is of fundamental importance for animals. In the auditory system, stimulus-specific adaptation (SSA) resulting in stronger responses to rare compared with frequent stimuli was proposed as such a novelty detection mechanism. SSA is a now well established phenomenon found at different levels along the mammalian auditory pathway. It depends on various stimulus features, such as deviant probability, and may be an essential mechanism underlying perception of changes in sound statistics. We recorded neuronal responses from the ventral part of the medial geniculate body (vMGB) in Mongolian gerbils to determine details of the adaptation process that might indicate underlying neuronal mechanisms. Neurons in the vMGB exhibited a median spike rate change of 15.4% attributable to a fast habituation to the frequently presented standard stimulus. Accordingly, the main habituation effect could also be induced by the repetition of a few uniform tonal stimuli. The degree of habituation was frequency-specific, and comparison across simultaneously recorded units indicated that adaptation effects were apparently topographically organized. At the population level, stronger habituation effects were on average associated with the border regions of the frequency response areas. Finally, the pharmacological inactivation of the auditory cortex demonstrated that SSA in the vMGB is mainly regulated by the corticofugal system. Hence, these results indicate a more general function of SSA in the processing and analysis of auditory information than the term novelty detection suggests.
Impact of a contemplative end-of-life training program: Being with dying

Abstract Objective: Health care professionals report a lack of skills in the psychosocial and spiritual aspects of caring for dying people and high levels of moral distress, grief, and burnout. To address these concerns, the “Being with Dying: Professional Training Program in Contemplative End-of-Life Care” (BWD) was created. The premise of BWD, which is based on the development of mindfulness and receptive attention through contemplative practice, is that cultivating stability of mind and emotions enables clinicians to respond to others and themselves with compassion. This article describes the impact of BWD on the participants. Methods: Ninety-five BWD participants completed an anonymous online survey; 40 completed a confidential open-ended telephone interview. Results: Four main themes—the power of presence, cultivating balanced compassion, recognizing grief, and the importance of self-care—emerged in the interviews and were supported in the survey data. The interviewees considered BWD's contemplative and reflective practices meaningful, useful, and valuable and reported that BWD provided skills, attitudes, behaviors, and tools to change how they worked with the dying and bereaved. Significance of results: The quality of presence has the potential to transform the care of dying people and the caregivers themselves. Cultivating this quality within themselves and others allows clinicians to explore alternatives to exclusively intellectual, procedural, and task-oriented approaches when caring for dying people. BWD provides a rare opportunity to engage in practices and methods that cultivate the stability of mind and emotions that may facilitate compassionate care of dying patients, families, and caregivers.
A new class of potent matrix metalloproteinase 13 inhibitors for potential treatment of osteoarthritis: Evidence of histologic and clinical efficacy without musculoskeletal toxicity in rat models.

OBJECTIVE Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) have long been considered excellent targets for osteoarthritis (OA) treatment. However, clinical utility of broad-spectrum MMP inhibitors developed for this purpose has been restricted by dose-limiting musculoskeletal side effects observed in humans. This study was undertaken to identify a new class of potent and selective MMP-13 inhibitors that would provide histologic and clinical efficacy without musculoskeletal toxicity. METHODS Selectivity assays were developed using catalytic domains of human MMPs. Freshly isolated bovine articular cartilage or human OA cartilage was used in in vitro cartilage degradation assays. The rat model of monoiodoacetate (MIA)-induced OA was implemented for assessing the effects of MMP-13 inhibitors on cartilage degradation and joint pain. The surgical medial meniscus tear model in rats was used to evaluate the chondroprotective ability of MMP-13 inhibitors in a chronic disease model of OA. The rat model of musculoskeletal side effects (MSS) was used to assess whether selective MMP-13 inhibitors have the joint toxicity associated with broad-spectrum MMP inhibitors. RESULTS A number of non-hydroxamic acid-containing compounds that showed a high degree of potency for MMP-13 and selectivity against other MMPs were designed and synthesized. Steady-state kinetics experiments and Lineweaver-Burk plot analysis of rate versus substrate concentration with one such compound, ALS 1-0635, indicated linear, noncompetitive inhibition, and Dixon plot analysis from competition studies with a zinc chelator (acetoxyhydroxamic acid) and ALS 1-0635 demonstrated nonexclusive binding. ALS 1-0635 inhibited bovine articular cartilage degradation in a dose-dependent manner (48.7% and 87.1% at 500 nM and 5,000 nM, respectively) and was effective in inhibiting interleukin-1alpha- and oncostatin M-induced C1,C2 release in human OA cartilage cultures. ALS 1-0635 modulated cartilage damage in the rat MIA model (mean +/- SEM damage score 1.3 +/- 0.3, versus 2.2 +/- 0.4 in vehicle-treated animals). Most significantly, when treated twice daily with oral ALS 1-0635, rats with surgically induced medial meniscus tear exhibited histologic evidence of chondroprotection and reduced cartilage degeneration, without observable musculoskeletal toxicity. CONCLUSION The compounds investigated in this study represent a novel class of MMP-13 inhibitors. They are mechanistically distinct from previously reported broad-spectrum MMP inhibitors and do not exhibit the problems previously associated with these inhibitors, including selectivity, poor pharmacokinetics, and MSS liability. MMP-13 inhibitors exert chondroprotective effects and can potentially modulate joint pain, and are, therefore, uniquely suited as potential disease-modifying osteoarthritis drugs.
De Novo Aneurysm Formation Following Gamma Knife Surgery for Arteriovenous Malformation: A Case Report

Abstract Background Stereotactic radiosurgery plays a critical role in the treatment of central nervous system neoplasm and cerebrovascular malformations. This procedure is purportedly less invasive, but problems occurring later including tumor formation, necrosis, and vasculopathy-related diseases have been reported. Clinical Presentation We report on a 65-year-old man who had experienced a de novo aneurysm in an irradiated field and an acute onset of right hemiparesis and aphasia. He had undergone gamma knife radiosurgery to treat an arteriovenous malformation 15 and 12 years prior, with 18 and 22 Gy marginal doses. At current admission, radiologic studies showed a de novo aneurysm in the irradiated field without recurrence of malformation. The aneurysm was resected. Histologic findings showed a disruption of the internal elastic lamina accompanied by fibrous degeneration. Conclusion Stereotactic radiosurgery is a promising treatment tool, but long-term risks have not been fully researched. The treatment procedure for benign lesions should be chosen prudently.
The epidemiology of Parkinson's disease in the county of Rogaland, Norway

The objective of this investigation was to clarify the epidemiology of idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) in the county of Rogaland, Norway. Total case ascertainment and a high diagnostic accuracy were attempted through a detailed community study and the use of a new clinical diagnostic classification. The study population comprised 220, 858 inhabitants, and a total of nearly 400 patients was interviewed and examined by a neurologist. On prevalence day, January 1, 1993, 245 patients were included in the study. The diagnostic classification revealed 135 patients with clinically definite, 74 with probable, and 36 with possible PD. The crude prevalence rate was shown to be 110.9 per 100,000 inhabitants. The total age‐adjusted prevalence was calculated to be 102.4 per 100,000 and to 120.9 per 100,000 men and 89.8 per 100,000 women. Among the 245 patients, 28 patients had a tremor‐dominant disease, 50 patients an akinetic‐dominant disease, and 167 patients a mixed clinical pattern of PD. Age‐adjusted prevalence figures were slightly higher for rural compared to urban areas. About 50% of the PD patients were in need of public help, 15% had complaints about pain related to their parkinsonism, and after ∼6 years of levodopa treatment, 20% were suffering from clinical fluctuations. The study showed that 40% of the patients had some degree of thought disorder. The prevalence figures for PD in this study are slightly lower than those reported from most previous prevalence studies with a comparable study design for case finding. This may be due to a careful diagnostic evaluation with the use of specified diagnostic criteria, excluding patients with other parkinsonian syndromes.
Post‐conflict Behaviour of Wild Olive Baboons. II. Stress and Self‐directed Behaviour

Previous studies indicate that the proximate function of post-conflict affiliative interaction among primates is to reduce a victim's uncertainty about its opponent's future behaviour: the ‘uncertainty reduction hypothesis’ (Aureli & van Schaik 1991; Ethology, 89, 101–114). This study confirms and extends these results, demonstrating that they are neither a product of captivity nor specific to macaques: both victims and initiators of aggression in a large group of wild olive baboons exhibited elevated rates of self-directed behaviour (SDB) - scratching, autogrooming, body-shaking and yawning - in a 10-min post-conflict period. During this period, they were more likely to receive further aggression. Reconciliation reduced both SDB and the incidence of further aggression. However, reconciliation only reduced SDB among individuals involved in conflicts in which both parties exchanged aggression. It is suggested that aggressors in unilateral conflicts were aroused rather than uncertain and that their victims' lack of control over post-conflict interactions (which tended to be initiated by their opponents) prevented them from benefiting from reconciliation in the same fashion as longtailed macaque victims, which frequently initiated reconciliation.
A contested profession: employability, performativity and professionalism in Irish further education

Further education typically represents the vocational, technical and practice-based forms of education, but this is now being repositioned in a neo-liberal era that is driving a performance-based and market-orientated vision of education in the Republic of Ireland and elsewhere. The implacable drive of neo-liberal economics in everyday practice is evident in the current economic and training discourses of further education, which aim to upgrade the employability of low-skilled and marginalised sectors of the population. The article provides an overview of shifts in educational policy and practices that align Irish further education with what has occurred in the UK and elsewhere through processes of professionalisation and performativity. Analysis of the potential impact on notions of professional identity in the sector helps to articulate the principles, pedagogies and philosophies that will be vital when contesting the performance cultures of New Managerialism that seem likely to ensue. We explore the implications in terms of the policy discourses, organisational structure and professional practices of further education. We contend that changes in these areas have profound impacts on the learning and knowledge base of further education, constraining its social justice and transformative capacity for the learners at the heart of further education.
Pharmacological interventions into the renin–angiotensin system with ACE inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor antagonists: effects beyond blood pressure lowering

Hypertension is recognized as an important risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Lowering of blood pressure has been shown to minimize the risk of cardiovascular events, with the majority of antihypertensives demonstrating a similar ability to reduce coronary events and stroke for a given reduction in blood pressure. Agents that modify the activity of the renin–angiotensin system (RAS) have been proposed to exhibit additional effects that might go beyond simple blood pressure lowering. The RAS is a crucial system that regulates extracellular fluid volume and blood pressure. Proposed potential benefits of RAS blockade that go beyond blood pressure lowering include a reduction in platelet aggregation and thrombosis, blunting of cardiac and vascular remodeling, favorable metabolic effects and reno- and cerebro-protection. However, factors such as treatment adherence, duration of action of antihypertensive agents and differences in effects on central versus brachial blood pressure may also result in apparent differences in efficacy of different antihypertensives. The aim of this review article is to examine the available data from clinical studies of antihypertensive drugs for evidence of effects that might legitimately be claimed to go beyond simple blood pressure lowering.