Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A cross-sectional study of the prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension in Shenzhen, China

Objectives An understanding of the awareness, treatment and control of hypertension is helpful to guide decision-making regarding interventions to reduce the risk for diseases with hypertension as a key risk factor. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension in Shenzhen, China. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted. We employed multistage cluster random sampling methods to select participants. A survey involving face-to-face interviews was conducted to collect the data. A total of 1676 participants finished the survey and formed the final analysis. Results We found that the prevalence of hypertension was 17.6%. The rates of hypertension awareness, treatment and control were 48.8%, 51.4% and 43.2% respectively. Only 6.8% hypertensives were found to be managed by community health centres. Compared with the female participants, the males were found to have higher rates of prevalence (19.7% vs 15.7%; OR 1.47, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.97) and awareness (42.9% vs 38.1%; OR 2.35, 95% CI 1.28 to 4.33), but lower rates of medication treatments (20.5% vs 30.2%; OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.05 to 0.92) and control (12.8% vs 23.0%; OR 0.45, 95% CI 0.21 to 0.96). Migrants were more likely to be aware of hypertension (32.5% vs 44.3%; OR 0.57, 95% CI 0.30 to 0.90), reduce their salt intake (8.8% vs 18.1%; OR 0.40, 95% CI 0.15 to 0.94), and undertake regular monitoring of hypertension (1.3% vs 11.0%; OR 0.14, 95% CI 0.02 to 0.92) when compared with the locals. Conclusions Our study finds that hypertension is an important public health burden in Shenzhen. It implies that strategies need to be developed to improve effective primary care management of hypertension. It also suggests a need to develop gender and household register tailored strategies for the prevention, detection, treatment and control of hypertension.
Shear and peel stress analysis of an adhesively bonded scarf joint

The shear and peel stress distributions in a scarf joint made of two isotropic adherends with blunt adherend tips are analysed using a linear elastic analysis. The limits of the analysis with respect to adherend tip thickness have been investigated. A finite difference method is used to solve the differential equations for the shear and peel stress distributions over the joint. The boundary conditions used limit the analysis to the two adherends having the same thicknesses, lengths, and material properties. The adherends are modelled as plates with extensional and bending stiffnesses bonded together with an elastic interlayer. The stresses across the adhesive layer are assumed to be constant. The current analysis applied to cases known from the literature shows good agreement with the shear stresses but the peel stresses are overestimated.
Crystallographic Analysis of Specimens Used for Calibrate a Failure Model for an Al 6061 – T6 Alloy

Calibration and exploitation of failure criterion is at present a challenging field in the structural integrity scenario. Calibrated failure criteria allow the simulation/reproduction of damages using virtual approach and eventually further assessment of the residual integrity of the components. Therefore the increase of awareness in failure issues makes the numerical simulation an actual, useful and reliable tool for the analysis of complex structures under extreme loads, especially in aerospace field where full scale tests are often very expensive and difficult to carry out. With this aim, the constitutive relations of an Aluminium Al 6061-T6 alloy have been calibrated with dedicated focus on failure criterion. The results obtained have been discussed considering the crystallographic measurements that permit to point out the dissipative behavior on the basis of texture formation as a function of the load type. The final aim is to confirm and explain the different failure behavior depending on the different stress triaxiality.
Frailty and sarcopenia in subjects with Alzheimer's disease with or without cerebrovascular disease

Madoka Yanagawa, Hiroyuki Umegaki, Taeko Makino, Hirotaka Nakashima and Masafumi Kuzuya Department of Community Healthcare and Geriatrics, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan 3 McKhann G, Drachman D, Folstein M, Katzman R, Price D, Stadlan EM. Clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease: report of the NINCDS-ADRDA Work Group under the auspices of Department of Health and Human Services Task Force on Alzheimer’s Disease. Neurology 1984; 34: 939–944. 4 Fazekas F, Chawluk JB, Alavi A, Hurtig HI, Zimmerman RA. Mr.signal abnormalities at 1.5T in Alzheimer’s dementia and normal aging. AJR Am J Roentgenol 1987; 149: 351–356. 5 Folstein MF, Folstein SE, McHugh PR. Mini-mental state – practical method for grading cognitive state of patients for clinician. J Psychiatr Res 1975; 12: 189–198. 6 Honma A, Fukuzawa K, Tsukada Y, Ishii T, Hasegawa K, Mohs RC. Preparation of the Japanese version of the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS). J Jpn Psychogeriatr Soc 1992; 3: 647–655. 7 Wechsler D. The Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised Manual. San Antonio, TX: The Psychological Corporation, 1987. 8 Berri MS, Silverman JM, Davis KL, Marin D, Grossman HZ, Schmeidler J. Type 2 diabetes is negatively associated with Alzheimer’s disease neuropathology. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2005; 60: 471–475. 9 Kadoi Y, Hinohara H, Kunimoto F et al. Diabetic patients have an impaired cerebral vasodilatory response to hypercapnia under propofol anesthesia. Stroke 2003; 34: 2399– 2403. Letters to the Editor
Novel Role for a Sterol Response Element Binding Protein in Directing Spermatogenic Cell-Specific Gene Expression

ABSTRACT Sperm are highly specialized cells, and their formation requires the synthesis of a large number of unique mRNAs. However, little is known about the transcriptional mechanisms that direct male germ cell differentiation. Sterol response element binding protein 2gc (SREBP2gc) is a spermatogenic cell-enriched isoform of the ubiquitous transcription factor SREBP2, which in somatic cells is required for homeostatic regulation of cholesterol. SREBP2gc is selectively enriched in spermatocytes and spermatids, and, due to its novel structure, its synthesis is not subject to cholesterol feedback control. This suggested that SREBP2gc has unique cell- and stage-specific functions during spermatogenesis. Here, we demonstrate that this factor activates the promoter for the spermatogenesis-related gene proacrosin in a cell-specific manner. Multiple SREBP2gc response elements were identified within the 5′-flanking and proximal promoter regions of the proacrosin promoter. Mutating these elements greatly diminished in vivo expression of this promoter in spermatogenic cells of transgenic mice. These studies define a totally new function for an SREBP as a transactivator of male germ cell-specific gene expression. We propose that SREBP2gc is part of a cadre of spermatogenic cell-enriched isoforms of ubiquitously expressed transcriptional coregulators that were specifically adapted in concert to direct differentiation of the male germ cell lineage.
Schizophrenia and Depression Co-Morbidity: What We have Learned from Animal Models

Patients with schizophrenia are at an increased risk for the development of depression. Overlap in the symptoms and genetic risk factors between the two disorders suggests a common etiological mechanism may underlie the presentation of comorbid depression in schizophrenia. Understanding these shared mechanisms will be important in informing the development of new treatments. Rodent models are powerful tools for understanding gene function as it relates to behavior. Examining rodent models relevant to both schizophrenia and depression reveals a number of common mechanisms. Current models which demonstrate endophenotypes of both schizophrenia and depression are reviewed here, including models of CUB and SUSHI multiple domains 1, PDZ and LIM domain 5, glutamate Delta 1 receptor, diabetic db/db mice, neuropeptide Y, disrupted in schizophrenia 1, and its interacting partners, reelin, maternal immune activation, and social isolation. Neurotransmission, brain connectivity, the immune system, the environment, and metabolism emerge as potential common mechanisms linking these models and potentially explaining comorbid depression in schizophrenia.
Magnetoencephalography to investigate central perception of exercise-induced breathlessness in people with chronic lung disease: a feasibility pilot

Objectives Neuroimaging in chronic breathlessness is challenging. The study objective was to test the feasibility of magnetoencephalography (MEG) for functional neuroimaging of people with chronic breathlessness. Design Feasibility pilot study. Setting Respiratory clinic out-patients. Participants 8 patients (mean age=62; (range 47–83); 4 men) with chronic non-malignant lung disease; modified MRC breathlessness score ≥3 (median mMRC=4), intensity of exercise-induced breathlessness >3/10; no contraindication to MRI scanning. Methods and measures 4 MEG scans were conducted for each participant: (1) at rest (5 mins), (2) postseated leg exercise-induced breathlessness during recovery (10 mins). Recovery scans (2) were conducted with/without facial airflow in random order; both scans were repeated 1 h later. Participants rated breathlessness intensity (0–10 Numerical Rating Scale (NRS)) at baseline, maximal exertion and every minute during recovery, and rated acceptability of study procedures at the end of the study (0–10 NRS). A structural MRI scan was conducted for MEG coregistration and source-space analyses. Rest data were compared with data from healthy volunteers (N=6; 5 men; mean age=30.7 years±3.9 years). Results Exercises and MEG scanning were acceptable to all participants; 7/8 completed the MRI scans. Maximum breathlessness intensity was induced by 5 min’ exercise. The same level was induced for repeat scans (median=8; IQR=7–8). All recovered to baseline by 10 min. Time-frequency profiles of data from the first and last 3 min were analysed in MEG source space based on breathlessness location estimates. Source localisation was performed, but anatomical source inference was limited to the level of the lobe. Differences in areas of activity were seen: during recovery scans; with and without airflow; and between participants/normal volunteers at rest. Conclusions MEG is a feasible method to investigate exercise-induced breathlessness in people breathless with chronic lung disease, and able to identify neural activity related to changes in breathlessness.
ALKoma: a cancer subtype with a shared target.

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) is a receptor-type protein tyrosine kinase that is currently the focus of much attention in oncology. ALK is rendered oncogenic as a result of its fusion to NPM1 in anaplastic large cell lymphoma, to TPM3 or TPM4 in inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor, to EML4 in non-small cell lung carcinoma, and to VCL in renal medullary carcinoma. It is also activated as a result of missense mutations in neuroblastoma and anaplastic thyroid cancer. Whereas these various tumors arise in different organs, they share activated ALK, and a marked clinical efficacy with ALK inhibitors has already been shown for some of the tumors with ALK fusions. One of such compound, crizotinib, is now approved in the United States for the treatment of lung cancer positive for ALK rearrangement. I propose that tumors carrying abnormal ALK as an essential growth driver be collectively termed "ALKoma. "
Effects of massage on physiological restoration, perceived recovery, and repeated sports performance

Background—Despite massage being widely used by athletes, little scientific evidence exists to confirm the efficacy of massage for promoting both physiological and psychological recovery after exercise and massage effects on performance. Aim—To investigate the effect of massage on perceived recovery and blood lactate removal, and also to examine massage effects on repeated boxing performance. Methods—Eight amateur boxers completed two performances on a boxing ergometer on two occasions in a counterbalanced design. Boxers initially completed performance 1, after which they received a massage or passive rest intervention. Each boxer then gave perceived recovery ratings before completing a second performance, which was a repeated simulation of the first. Heart rates and blood lactate and glucose levels were also assessed before, during, and after all performances. Results—A repeated measures analysis of variance showed no significant group differences for either performance, although a main effect was found showing a decrement in punching force from performance 1 to performance 2 (p<0.05). A Wilcoxon matched pairs test showed that the massage intervention significantly increased perceptions of recovery (p<0.01) compared with the passive rest intervention. A doubly multivariate multiple analysis of variance showed no differences in blood lactate or glucose following massage or passive rest interventions, although the blood lactate concentration after the second performance was significantly higher following massage (p<0.05). Conclusions—These findings provide some support for the psychological benefits of massage, but raise questions about the benefit of massage for physiological restoration and repeated sports performance.
Comment: Analyses Using Time-Dependent Pioglitazone Usage in Cox Models May Lead to Wrong Conclusions About Its Association With Cancer

We read the two articles published in a recent issue of Diabetes Care by Lewis et al. (1) and Ferrara et al. (2) with interest. The first study tested a time-dependent use of pioglitazone for the risk of bladder cancer among 193,099 diabetic patients in the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Diabetes Registry and concluded that use of the drug over 24 months was associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer (hazard ratio 1.4, 95% CI 1.03–2.0). The second study tested a time-dependent use of pioglitazone for the risk of cancer among 252,467 diabetic patients aged ≥40 years from the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Diabetes Registry and found that ever use of pioglitazone was not …
A Comparative Evaluation of Three Commercial Instruments for Field Measurements of Reinforcing Steel Corrosion Rates

In this study, a comparative evaluation was made of three instruments, designed for field monitoring of reinforcing steel corrosion rates. The electrochemical operating principles of each instrument were determined by monitoring the potential and current of each electrode during operation. Corrosion current densities (icorr) of reinforcing steel bar (rebar) in concrete determined with the three different instruments varied by as much as 50 times. The average of the ratios of corrosion rates between any two of the instruments varied between four and 14 times. The size of the polarized area of a section of reinforcing steel is assumed by the configuration of each instrument's counter electrode and guard ring electrode. It was observed that the guard ring electrodes affected the polarization of the reinforcing steel and this effect, together with the different electrode materials, is considered the principal cause of the variations in measured corrosion rate. Corrosion rates of embedded corrosion monitoring probes were also measured. The variation in icorr for measurements on probes was smaller than those on the reinforcing bar and, on average, corrosion rates varied between two and six times. The observation that corrosion monitoring of probes is more consistent than measurements on reinforcing bar suggests that the use of such embedded probes may provide more reliable values for service-life predictions. This consistency was attributed mainly to the known size of the polarized area.
New method to assess mitophagy flux by flow cytometry

Mitochondrial autophagy, also known as mitophagy, is an autophagosome-based mitochondrial degradation process that eliminates unwanted or damaged mitochondria after cell stress. Most studies dealing with mitophagy rely on the analysis by fluorescence microscopy of mitochondrial-autophagosome colocalization. However, given the fundamental role of mitophagy in the physiology and pathology of organisms, there is an urgent need for novel quantitative methods with which to study this process. Here, we describe a flow cytometry-based approach to determine mitophagy by using MitoTracker Deep Red, a widely used mitochondria-selective probe. Used in combination with selective inhibitors it may allow for the determination of mitophagy flux. Here, we test the validity of the use of this method in cell lines and in primary cell and tissue cultures.
Genetic patterns in head and neck cancers that contain or lack transcriptionally active human papillomavirus.

BACKGROUND Transcriptionally active high-risk human papilloma viruses (HPVs), particularly HPV type 16 (HPV16), are found in a subset of head and neck squamous-cell carcinomas (HNSCCs). HPV16-associated carcinogenesis is mediated by expression of the viral E6 and E7 oncoproteins, which cause deregulation of the cell cycle by inactivating p53 and pRb, respectively. We tested the hypothesis that HPV-associated HNSCCs display a pattern of genetic alterations different from those of HNSCCs without HPV DNA. METHODS Polymerase chain reaction-based assays were used to examine 143 consecutive HNSCCs (106 of the oral cavity and 37 of the oropharynx) for the presence of HPV DNA and for viral E6 and/or E7 messenger RNA (mRNA) expression. The HPV DNA-and E6 and E7 mRNA-positive HNSCCs and an equal number of HPV DNA-negative HNSCCs were further analyzed for mutations in TP53, the gene encoding p53, and for allelic loss of 28 microsatellite markers at chromosome arms 3p, 6q, 8p, 9p, 13q, 17p, and 18q, including markers located in regions of chromosome arms 9p and 17p that harbor genes involved the p53 and pRb pathways. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS Twenty-four (16.7%) of the 143 HNSCCs were positive for HPV16 DNA, and 12 of these HNSCCs (8.4% of total number) expressed E6 and E7 mRNAs. None of the HPV DNA-and E6/E7 mRNA-positive tumors had TP53 gene mutations, whereas nine (75%) of the 12 HPV DNA-negative tumors had such mutations (P<.001). Compared with the HPV DNA-negative HNSCCs, the E6/E7 mRNA-positive HNSCCs had statistically significantly lower levels of allelic loss for 13 of the 15 markers on 3p, 9p, and 17p. CONCLUSIONS HNSCCs with transcriptionally active HPV16 DNA are characterized by occasional chromosomal loss, whereas HNSCCs lacking HPV DNA are characterized by gross deletions that involve whole or large parts of chromosomal arms and that already occur early in HNSCC development. These distinct patterns of genetic alterations suggest that HPV16 infection is an early event in HNSCC development.
Preparation of BF Burden from Titanomagnetite Concentrate by Composite Agglomeration Process (CAP)

Vanadium-bearing titanomagnetite ore is an important multi-metal resource which attracts increasing attentions recently.1,2) In China, more than 90 wt. % vanadium-bearing titanomagnetite ore reserves are located in PanzhihuaXichang area of Sichuan province.3,4) Titanomagnetite concentrate is one of the main dressing products of vanadium-bearing titanomagnetite ore, and is usually sintered to prepare blast furnace burden for ironmaking.3,5) However, the sinter yield and quality of titanomagnetite concentrate are usually worse than those of conventional TiO2-free iron ores.5–7) On one hand, the deteriorated sintering performance is attributed to the crystallization of perovskite from the titanomagnetite concentrate fluxed sintering melt, as the fact that perovskite characterized by high hardness and brittleness could decrease sinter tumbler strength and reduction property.8–10) On the other hand, titanomagnetite concentrate has coarse granularity and poor hydrophilicity, resulting in undesirable granulation, poor permeability of sintering bed and low productivity.3,6) Some methods have been proposed to solve the problems in titanomagnetite concentrate sintering. Hydrated lime Preparation of BF Burden from Titanomagnetite Concentrate by Composite Agglomeration Process (CAP)
Massive Idiosyncratic Exon Skipping Corrects the Nonsense Mutation in Dystrophic Mouse Muscle and Produces Functional Revertant Fibers by Clonal Expansion

Conventionally, nonsense mutations within a gene preclude synthesis of a full-length functional protein. Obviation of such a blockage is seen in the mdx mouse, where despite a nonsense mutation in exon 23 of the dystrophin gene, occasional so-called revertant muscle fibers are seen to contain near-normal levels of its protein product. Here, we show that reversion of dystrophin expression in mdx mice muscle involves unprecedented massive loss of up to 30 exons. We detected several alternatively processed transcripts that could account for some of the revertant dystrophins and could not detect genomic deletion from the region commonly skipped in revertant dystrophin. This, together with exon skipping in two noncontiguous regions, favors aberrant splicing as the mechanism for the restoration of dystrophin, but is hard to reconcile with the clonal idiosyncrasy of revertant dystrophins. Revertant dystrophins retain functional domains and mediate plasmalemmal assembly of the dystrophin-associated glycoprotein complex. Physiological function of revertant fibers is demonstrated by the clonal growth of revertant clusters with age, suggesting that revertant dystrophin could be used as a guide to the construction of dystrophin expression vectors for individual gene therapy. The dystrophin gene in the mdx mouse provides a favored system for study of exon skipping associated with nonsense mutations.
Regulation of the adrenal and gonadal microsomal mixed function oxygenases of steroid hormone biosynthesis.

The microsomal steroidogenic enzymes catalyze reactions important in determining both the quantity and the identity of glandular secretory prod­ ucts. By determining cell function, changes in the rates of these reactions can effect differentiation. The recognition of these control points in steroid hormone biosynthesis lagged because major research effort was directed at the rate-limiting reaction, mitochondrial cholesterol side-chain cleavage (140). The mechanism of the control of this site of tropic hormone action has been recently reviewed (132). A cell can alter the rates of the individual steps in steroidogenesis in several ways. The two most thoroughly documented are at the extremes­ modulation of gene expression and direct modulation of enzyme activity by inhibition. More nebulous and tantalizing are the possibilities for regulation of the amount of specific enzyme protein at a post-transcriptional or transla­ tion site and the regulation of enzyme activity or specificity by post-transla­ tional modification�ither covalent or protein-protein interaction. The ubiquitous protein phosphorylation and the possible requirement for sub­ strate binding specificity proteins to allow interaction with different sub­ strates are the most obvious examples of the latter. Here I review the control of the adrenal and gonadal microsomal roixed­ function oxygenase enzymes that catalyze the reactions leading to the major