Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Aggression Exhibited by Older Dementia Clients Toward Staff in Japanese Long-Term Care

This study examined the experiences of staff members from seven Japanese hospitals who had been treated aggressively by older dementia clients. Altogether, 170 questionnaires were analyzed. In the past year, 75.3% and 63.5% of staff members had experienced physical and verbal aggression, respectively. Working numerous night shifts, working shifts other than 3-shifts, and being allotted assignments with clients who had a lower average level of physical capacity were the factors associated with recurrent client aggression. Those staff members who spent adequate time caring for their clients, who gained client consent before providing care, and who tried to build a trusting relationship with their clients were found to have experienced less aggression. Burnout, which is likely to enhance the risk of the staff mistreatment and neglect of older clients, was found to be higher among those who experienced aggression.
The Bax N Terminus Is Required for Negative Regulation by the Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinase and Akt Signaling Pathways in T Cells1

The Bcl-2 family proapoptotic protein, Bax, redistributes to the mitochondrion in response to varied stimuli, triggering loss of mitochondrial integrity and apoptosis. Suppression of MAPK kinase (MEK1) by the reagent UO126 in activated T cells maintained in the cytokine IL-2 disrupts cytoplasmic localization of Bax and cell survival. UO126 triggers mitochondrial translocation of ectopically expressed Bax-GFP, and both UO126 and dominant negative MEK-1 (DN-MEK1) trigger increased apoptosis in Bax-GFP-expressing T cell lines. Because inhibition of PI3K or its target Akt also triggers mitochondrial translocation of Bax in T cells and apoptosis in Bax-transfected cell lines, we generated Bax deletion mutants to identify the region(s) that confers sensitivity to regulation by MEK1 and Akt. A deletion mutant (Bax1–171) without the C terminus mitochondrial targeting sequence or an Akt target site (Ser184) localizes to the cytoplasm and triggers low level apoptosis that is enhanced by DN-Akt or DN-MEK1. A construct that lacks the first 29 aa (Bax-δ29) largely localizes to mitochondria, is highly apoptogenic, and is not inhibited by Akt or MEK1. Furthermore, Bax-δ29 overcomes IL-2-dependent survival in a T cell line, whereas Bax triggers comparatively low levels of apoptosis in these cells. Cytoplasmic localization and regulation by MEK1 and Akt are restored in a mutant deleted of the first 13 aa (Bax-δ13). Taken together, our results identify a region in the Bax N terminus that determines cellular localization regulated by MEK- and Akt-dependent signaling in T cells.
Multiscale Segregation: Multilevel Modeling of Dissimilarity—Challenging the Stylized Fact That Segregation Is Greater the Finer the Spatial Scale

A very large literature has explored the intensity of urban residential segregation using the index of dissimilarity. Several recent studies have undertaken such analyses at multiple spatial scales, invariably reaching the conclusion that the finer grained the spatial scale, the greater the segregation. Such findings, however, overstate the intensity of segregation at finer spatial scales because they fail to take into account an argument made by Duncan et al. some sixty years ago that indexes derived from fine-scale analyses must necessarily incorporate those from coarser scales, with the consequence that finer scale segregation is invariably overestimated. Moreover, most studies ignore stochastic variation that results in upward bias in the estimates of segregation. This article demonstrates the importance of a recently developed multilevel modeling procedure that identifies the “true” intensity of segregation at every level in a spatial hierarchy net of its intensity at other levels and also net of stochastic variation This is illustrated by both a simulated data set and an empirical study of an English city, with the latter raising important substantive issues regarding the interpretation of segregation patterns and the processes underlying them. Key Words: dissimilarity, multilevel modeling, scale, segregation.
Perturbations of Monocyte Subsets and Their Association with T Helper Cell Differentiation in Acute and Chronic HIV-1-Infected Patients

Monocytes have been recently subdivided into three subsets: classical (CD14++CD16−), intermediate (CD14++CD16+), and non-classical (CD14+CD16++) subsets, but phenotypic and functional abnormalities of the three monocyte subsets in HIV-1 infection have not been fully characterized, especially in acute HIV-1 infection (AHI). In the study, we explored the dynamic changes of monocyte subsets and their surface markers, and the association between monocyte subsets and the IFN-γ, interleukin (IL)-4, IL-17, and TNF-α producing CD4+ T cells in acute and chronic HIV-1-infected patients. We found that, in the acute HIV-1-infected individuals, the frequency of the intermediate CD14++CD16+ monocyte subsets, the CD163 density and HLA-DR density on intermediate CD14++CD16+ monocytes, and plasma soluble form of CD163 (sCD163) were significantly higher than that in healthy controls. Intermediate CD14++CD16+ monocyte subsets and their HLA-DR expression levels were inversely correlated with the CD4+ T cell counts, and the intermediate CD14++CD16+ monocytes were positively correlated with plasma sCD163. In contrast to the non-classical CD14+CD16++ and classical CD14++CD16− monocyte subsets, the frequency of the intermediate CD14++CD16+ monocytes was positively associated with the frequency of IFN-γ and IL-4 producing CD4+ T cells in HIV-1-infected patients. Taken together, our observations provide new insight into the roles of the monocyte subsets in HIV pathogenesis, particularly during AHI, and our findings may be helpful for the treatment of HIV-related immune activation.
Physiology and Pharmacology of DPP-4 in Glucose Homeostasis and the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes

Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4), also known as the T-cell antigen CD26, is a multi-functional protein which, besides its catalytic activity, also functions as a binding protein and a ligand for a variety of extracellular molecules. It is an integral membrane protein expressed on cells throughout the body, but is also shed from the membrane and circulates as a soluble protein in the plasma. A large number of bioactive molecules can be cleaved by DPP-4 in vitro, but only a few of these have been demonstrated to be physiological substrates. One of these is the incretin hormone, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which plays an important role in the maintenance of normal glucose homeostasis, and DPP-4 has been shown to be the key enzyme regulating its biological activity. This pathway has been targeted pharmacologically through the development of DPP-4 inhibitors, and these are now a successful class of anti-hyperglycaemic agents used to treat type 2 diabetes (T2DM). DPP-4 may additionally influence metabolic control via its proteolytic effect on other regulatory peptides, but it has also been reported to affect insulin sensitivity, potentially mediated through its non-enzymatic interactions with other membrane proteins. Given that altered expression and activity of DPP-4 are associated with increasing body mass index and hyperglycaemia, DPP-4 has been proposed to play a role in linking obesity and the pathogenesis of T2DM by functioning as a local mediator of inflammation and insulin resistance in adipose and hepatic tissue. As well as these broader systemic effects, it has also been suggested that DPP-4 may be able to modulate β-cell function as part of a paracrine system involving GLP-1 produced locally within the pancreatic islets. However, while it is evident that DPP-4 has the potential to influence glycaemic control, its overall significance for the normal physiological regulation of glucose homeostasis in humans and its role in the pathogenesis of metabolic disease remain to be established.
A randomized, controlled trial of a simple emergency department intervention to improve the rate of primary care follow-up for patients with acute asthma exacerbations.

STUDY OBJECTIVE We determined whether a simple emergency department intervention improves the likelihood of primary care provider (PCP) follow-up after ED discharge for an acute asthma exacerbation. METHODS This randomized, controlled clinical trial was conducted in an urban university-based ED. Participants were patients with asthma between the ages of 16 and 45 years who were treated and discharged from the ED. The study intervention was usual care or an intervention that consisted of a free 5-day course of prednisone, vouchers for transportation to and from their PCP, and a 48-hour telephone reminder to make an appointment with their PCP. The main outcome was whether the patient received follow-up care as determined by PCP contact at 4 weeks. RESULTS One hundred ninety-two patients with asthma were enrolled over 8 months; 178 (93%) had complete follow-up. The intervention and control groups were similar with regard to age, sex, ethnicity, or years of education. The 2 groups were also comparable with respect to multiple measures of baseline access/barriers to care and severity of ED exacerbation. Patients receiving the intervention were significantly more likely to follow up with their PCP than control patients (relative risk 1.6; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1, 2.4). When adjusted for other factors influencing PCP follow-up care (ethnicity, prior PCP relationship, insurance status, regular car access), intervention patients were more likely to follow up with their PCP (odds ratio 3.1; 95% CI 1.5, 6.3). CONCLUSION Providing medication, transportation vouchers, and a telephone reminder to make an appointment increased the likelihood that discharged patients with asthma obtained PCP follow-up.
Alternative splicing of fibroblast growth factor receptors in human prostate cancer

Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) are known to play an important role in the growth of normal prostatic epithelial cells and may promote proliferation of neoplastic prostatic epithelial cells via autocrine or paracrine mechanisms. The affinity of FGFs for FGF receptors 1–3 is critically dependent on an alternative splicing event involving the coding region for the carboxy terminal portion of the third extracellular immunoglobulin‐like domain that leads to two different isoforms of each receptor (IIIb and IIIc). We therefore sought to determine whether changes in alternative splicing of FGF receptors occur in human prostate cancer.
Changes of the connection between the summer North Atlantic Oscillation and the East Asian summer rainfall

[1] In this study, the relationship between the summer North Atlantic Oscillation (SNAO) and the East Asian summer rainfall was statistically diagnosed based on the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) 40-year and interim reanalysis data (ERA-40 and ERA-Interim) as well as precipitation data from the Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC). The results show that the decadal change of the SNAO pattern around the late 1970s significantly enhanced its connection with summer rainfall over central and northern East Asia. Over the period before the late 1970s, the SNAO-related circulations were dominant over the North Atlantic region. Consequently, there was a weak connection between the SNAO and the East Asian summer rainfall. However, over the period after the late 1970s, the SNAO pattern experienced a decadal change, with the southern center shifting eastward. Such changes in the SNAO pattern can alter the stationary wave activity over the Eurasian Continent, producing an anomalous meridional dipole pattern over East Asia. This dipole pattern can then change the divergence circulation, vertical motion, water vapor, and total cloud cover, which would consequently provide beneficial conditions for more (less) summer rainfall over central (northern) East Asia in a positive (negative)-phase SNAO year.
Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce Factors Affecting the Decisions of Tabung Haji Customers in Malaysia to Use Atm Banking: an Empirical Investigation

Hanudin Amin is currently a lecturer/researcher at the Labuan School of International Business and Finance. His areas of interest are Islamic banking products and e-banking acceptance. Abstract The aim of this paper is to provide a preliminary investigation of the factors that determine whether Malaysia's Tabung Haji customers in Eastern Malaysia will use or not a new facility introduced by the institution, namely Automated Teller Machine or ATM banking. As such, this study introduces the concept Tabung Haji ATM Banking (TAB). In order to explain the factors, this paper extends the applicability of the technology acceptance model (TAM) to TAB and includes " perceived credibility (PC) " , and " perceived religiosity (PR) " , in addition to " perceived usefulness (PU) " and " perceived ease of use (PEOU) ". The results indicate that PU, PEOU, PC and PR are the key determinants to predicting the intentions to use TAB. In addition, PEOU is significantly associated with PU, which, in turn, affecting usage intention among Tabung Haji customers on TAB. This study suffers from two limitations, first is on its location of study and, second is on its limited number of measures suggested in the modified model for the study. Nevertheless, these limitations provide directions for the future study and also provide new information in a new introduced financial innovation at Tabung Haji. The results will be primarily of benefit to Tabung Haji since this study offers insights on the intentions of its customers to use TAB.
Non-thyroidal illness syndrome and short-term survival in a hospitalised older population.

BACKGROUND non-thyroidal illness syndrome (NTIS) has been associated with an adverse clinical outcome. OBJECTIVE to evaluate the prevalence of NTIS, its impact on patients' survival and the possible pathogenic role of systemic inflammation. DESIGN observational cross-sectional analysis. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING three hundred and one acutely ill older patients (156 women; median age 81 years, range 65-101) consecutively admitted to a primary care unit. METHODS serum FT(3), FT(4) and thyrotropin levels as well as acute inflammation indexes were evaluated. RESULTS the NTIS prevalence (specifically low T3 syndrome) was 31.9%. A significant association was found between NTIS and acute renal failure (P = 0.006), New York Heart Association classification (NYHA) IV heart failure (P = 0.003) and metastasised cancer disease (P = 0.0002). Serum FT(3) values correlated inversely with serum C-reactive protein (P < 0.0001), lactate dehydrogenase (P = 0.0004), fibrinogen (P = 0.03) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (P < 0.0001) values, and progressively decreased with increasing tertiles of age (P = 0.0004). The mortality rate was significantly higher (P = 0.0002) among patients with low T3 syndrome, which emerged as the sole predictive factor of death (odds ratio 4.3; 95% confidence interval 1.7-10.5). CONCLUSIONS low T3 syndrome is very common in the hospitalised older population, emerging as the most sensitive independent predictor of short-term survival. Serum FT(3) determination should be included in the assessment of short-term prognosis of acutely ill older patients.
Genome-wide association study of suicide attempts in mood disorder patients.

OBJECTIVE Family and twin studies suggest that liability for suicide attempts is heritable and distinct from mood disorder susceptibility. The authors therefore examined the association between common genomewide variation and lifetime suicide attempts. METHOD The authors analyzed data on lifetime suicide attempts from genomewide association studies of bipolar I and II disorder as well as major depressive disorder. Bipolar disorder subjects were drawn from the Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program for Bipolar Disorder cohort, the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium bipolar cohort, and the University College London cohort. Replication was pursued in the NIMH Genetic Association Information Network bipolar disorder project and a German clinical cohort. Depression subjects were drawn from the Sequential Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression cohort, with replication in the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety/Netherlands Twin Register depression cohort. RESULTS Strongest evidence of association for suicide attempt in bipolar disorder was observed in a region without identified genes (rs1466846); five loci also showed suggestive evidence of association. In major depression, strongest evidence of association was observed for a single nucleotide polymorphism in ABI3BP, with six loci also showing suggestive association. Replication cohorts did not provide further support for these loci. However, meta-analysis incorporating approximately 8,700 mood disorder subjects identified four additional regions that met the threshold for suggestive association, including the locus containing the gene coding for protein kinase C-epsilon, previously implicated in models of mood and anxiety. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that inherited risk for suicide among mood disorder patients is unlikely to be the result of individual common variants of large effect. They nonetheless provide suggestive evidence for multiple loci, which merit further investigation.
Cadmium bioaccumulation in carp (Cyprinus carpio) tissues during long-term high exposure: analysis by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry.

This work was an attempt to investigate cadmium bioaccumulation in the carp (Cyprinus carpio) during simulated pollution. The fish, weighing 100 g, were kept for 140 days in a 1000-liter indoor concrete tank supplied with a continuous flow (8 liters min-1) of unchlorinated, aerated, and filtered well water, the cadmium concentration of which was maintained at 450 microg liter-1. Such a high cadmium concentration was chosen to achieve metal saturation of the fish organs. Carp were fed during exposure. Cadmium accumulation in liver, kidney, and muscle was measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), which is one of the most sensitive analytical techniques. The reported data indicate that cadmium exposure results in significant cadmium uptake, but the pattern of this uptake varies with the organ. For kidney and liver, cadmium concentration increased rapidly to the saturation level, probably because of the limited ability to store the cadmium as exposure persisted. A positive correlation between the increase in metallothioneins in tissues and the increase in metal tolerance in fish has been suggested. The cadmium concentration increase in muscle was significant only after 3 months, and, then, increased as an exponential function of the exposure time. When the storage capacity limits of the liver and kidney are reached, cadmium accumulation in muscle is stimulated. In this experiment, the high contamination levels reached suggest that such muscle would be unsuitable for human consumption. After 140 days of exposure, the cadmium concentrations in muscle, liver, and kidney were respectively 9 +/- 1, 91 +/- 7, and 250 +/- 16 mg kg-1 dry wt.
Over-the-top ACL Reconstruction Plus Extra-articular Lateral Tenodesis With Hamstring Tendon Grafts: Prospective Evaluation With 20-Year Minimum Follow-up

Background: There are few published studies with very long-term follow-up of combined intra- and extra-articular anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Purpose: To analyze clinical and radiographic outcomes of over-the-top ACL reconstruction plus extra-articular lateral tenodesis with autologous hamstrings at minimum 20-year follow-up. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: Of 60 originally eligible patients who underwent over-the-top ACL reconstruction with double-stranded hamstring tendon (leaving intact graft tibial insertions) and extra-articular lateral plasty (performed with the remnant part of tendons), 52 were prospectively evaluated at a minimum 20-year follow-up (mean follow-up, 24 years; 41 men, 11 women; mean age at time of surgery, 25.5 ± 7.6 years). Twenty-nine patients were available for prospective evaluations: clinical (Lysholm, Tegner, and objective International Knee Documentation Committee [IKDC]), instrumented (KT-2000), and radiographic (standard, long-standing, and Merchant views). Subjective KOOS (Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score) and objective inertial sensor pivot-shift analysis (KiRA) were carried out at final follow-up. Twenty-three patients were investigated by phone interview for subjective Tegner score and documented complications, rerupture, or revision surgery. Results: At final follow-up, mean Lysholm score was 85.7 ± 14.6; median Tegner score, 4 (range, 3-5); sport activity resumption, 86.2%; and objective IKDC score, good or excellent in 86% of patients (31%, A; 55%, B). Only 3 of 26 patients (12%) had >5-mm manual maximum KT-2000 side-to-side difference. KiRA system documented positive pivot-shift (>0.9-m/s2 tibial acceleration side-to-side difference) in these 3 of 26 patients (12%). Statistically significant changes were as follows: decrease in Tegner score from 7 (range, 6-8) at 5-year follow-up to 4 (range, 3-5) at 10 years (P < .0001) and decrease in Lysholm score from 96.1 ± 7.3 at 10-year follow-up to 85.7 ± 14.6 at 20 years (P = .0003). Radiographic evaluation demonstrated significant difference of medial joint space between injured and healthy knees in patients with concomitant medial meniscectomy (n = 8, 3.2 ± 0.6 vs 5.0 ± 1.8 mm, P = .0114). No significant differences were reported regarding lateral or patellofemoral joint space. One patient (2%) experienced rerupture, with 3 of 52 (5.8%) having a contralateral ACL injury (excluded from KT-2000 and radiographic evaluations). Overall, 4 of 29 clinical failures (objective IKDC, KT-2000) and 1 rerupture among 52 patients were registered at final follow-up. Conclusion: Studied surgical technique demonstrated good results in laxity control at 20-year minimum follow-up. The lateral extra-articular plasty associated with ACL reconstruction did not generate lateral knee or patellofemoral osteoarthritis. The factor increasing osteoarthritis was meniscectomy.
DNA vaccines encoding full-length or truncated Neu induce protective immunity against Neu-expressing mammary tumors.

We generated DNA expression vectors encoding the full-length neu cDNA (designated pNeuN), the neu extracellular domain (pNeuE), or the neu extracellular and transmembrane domains (pNeuTM). The 293 cells transfected with pNeuN or pNeuTM expressed the neu extracellular domain on the surface membrane, whereas 293 cells transfected with pNeuE secreted the extracellular domain of neu into the culture supernatant. We examined whether i.m. injection of either of these plasmids could induce protective immunity in FVB/N mice against the adoptive transfer of Tgl-1 cells, a neu-expressing tumor cell line generated from a mouse mammary tumor that spontaneously arose in a FVB/N neu-transgenic mouse. The i.m. injection of pNeuTM or pNeuE, and to a lesser extent pNeuN, induced protective immunity against a subsequent challenge with Tgl-1 cells in FVB/N mice. In addition, the coinjection of a plasmid encoding interleukin-2 (designated pIL-2) augmented the efficacy of each of the pNeu plasmids for inducing protective immunity. The plasmid pNeuTM seemed to be the most effective for inducing anti-neu antibodies. However, the generation of detectable anti-neu antibodies in response to any one of these pNeu plasmids was not enhanced by coinjection of pIL-2 and was not required for protective immunity against Tgl-1 cells. These studies demonstrate that DNA expression vectors encoding soluble or membrane-bound forms of neu lacking the cytoplasmic kinase domain can be effective in inducing protective antitumor immunity.