Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identification of lymph node metastasis-related microRNAs in lung adenocarcinoma and analysis of the underlying mechanisms using a bioinformatics approach

This study aimed to screen lymphatic metastasis-related microRNAs (miRNAs) in lung adenocarcinoma and explore their underlying mechanisms using bioinformatics. The miRNA expression in primary lung adenocarcinoma, matched adjacent non-tumorigenic and lymph node metastasis tissues of patients were profiled via microarray. The screened metastasis-related miRNAs were then validated using quantitative real-time PCR in a second cohort of lung adenocarcinoma patients with lymphatic metastasis. Significance was determined using a paired t-test. Target genes of the metastasis-related miRNAs were predicted using TargetScan, and transcription factors (TFs) were predicted based on the TRANSFAC and ENCODE databases. Furthermore, the related long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) were screened with starBase v2.0. The miRNA-TF-mRNA and lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA networks were constructed to determine the key interactions associated with lung adenocarcinoma metastasis. According to the miRNA microarray results, there were 10 miRNAs that were differentially expressed in metastatic tissues compared with primary tumor and adjacent non-tumorigenic tissues. Among them were increased levels of miR-146a-5p, miR-342-3p, and miR-150-5p, which were validated in the second cohort. Based on the miRNA-TF-mRNA network, vascular endothelial growth factor A and transcription factors (TFs) including TP53, SMAD4, and EP300 were recognized as critical targets of the three miRNAs. Interactions involving SNHG16–miR-146a-5p–SMAD4 and RP6-24A23.7–miR-342-3p/miR-150-5p–EP300 were highlighted according to the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA network. miR-146a-5p, miR-342-3p, and miR-150-5p are lymphatic metastasis-related miRNAs in lung adenocarcinoma. Bioinformatics analyses demonstrated that SNHG16 might inhibit the interaction between miR-146a-5p and SMAD4, while RP6-24A23.7 might weaken miR-342-3p–EP300 and miR-150-5p–EP300 interactions in metastasis.
Surgery of the aortic root: should we go for the valve-sparing root reconstruction or the composite graft-valve replacement is still the first choice of treatment for these patients?

Objective To compare the results of the root reconstruction with the aortic valve-sparing operation versus composite graftvalve replacement. Methods From January 2002 to October 2013, 324 patients underwent aortic root reconstruction. They were 263 composite graft-valve replacement and 61 aortic valve-sparing operation (43 reimplantation and 18 remodeling). Twenty-six percent of the patients were NYHA functional class III and IV; 9.6% had Marfan syndrome, and 12% had bicuspid aortic valve. There was a predominance of aneurysms over dissections (81% vs. 19%), with 7% being acute dissections. The complete follow-up of 100% of the patients was performed with median follow-up time of 902 days for patients undergoing composite graft-valve replacement and 1492 for those undergoing aortic valve-sparing operation. Results In-hospital mortality was 6.7% and 4.9%, respectively for composite graft-valve replacement and aortic valve-sparing operation (ns). During the late follow-up period, there was 0% moderate and 15.4% severe aortic regurgitation, and NYHA functional class I and II were 89.4% and 94%, respectively for composite graft-valve replacement and aortic valve-sparing operation (ns). Root reconstruction with aortic valve-sparing operation showed lower late mortality (P=0.001) and lower bleeding complications (P=0.006). There was no difference for thromboembolism, endocarditis, and need of reoperation. Conclusion The aortic root reconstruction with preservation of the valve should be the operation being performed for presenting lower late mortality and survival free of bleeding events.
Attitudes towards embryo donation in Swedish women and men of reproductive age

Abstract Background. When performing in-vitro fertilization (IVF), more embryos than needed are often derived. These embryos are usually frozen and stored, but as ruled by Swedish law they have to be discarded after 5 years. In other countries it is legal to donate the excess embryos to other infertile couples who for different reasons cannot undergo the procedure of IVF. The aim of the present study was to investigate public opinion in Sweden regarding different aspects of embryo donation. Methods. A questionnaire regarding attitudes towards aspects of embryo donation was sent to a randomized sample of 1,000 Swedish women and men of reproductive age. Results. A total of 34% responded to the questionnaires. A majority of the respondents (73%) were positive towards embryo donation. Seventy-five per cent agreed that it should be possible to donate embryos to infertile couples. Approximately half of the participants (49%) supported embryo donation to single women. A majority of the participants emphasized that demands should be imposed on the recipient's age (63%), alcohol addiction (79%), drug addiction (85%), and criminal record (67%). Forty-seven per cent of the respondents agreed that the recipient should be anonymous to the donor, and 38% thought that the donor should remain anonymous to the child. Conclusions. The results of the present study indicate support for embryo donation among a subset of the Swedish population of reproductive age. If embryo donation were to be allowed in Sweden, strategies for treatment and counselling need to be developed.
Simultaneous recording of xylem pressure and trans‐root potential in roots of intact glycophytes using a novel xylem pressure probe technique

The radial electrical potential difference between the root xylem and the bathing solution, i.e. the so-called trans-root potential, was measured in intact maize and wheat plants using a xylem pressure probe into which an Ag/AgCl electrode was incorporated. Besides other advantages (e.g. detection and removal of tip clogging; determination of the radial root resistance), the novel probe allowed placement of the electrode precisely in a single xylem vessel as indicated by the reading of sub-atmospheric or negative pressure values upon penetration. The trans-root potentials were of the order of 0 to - 70 mV and + 40 to - 20 mV for 2- to 3-week-old maize and wheat plants, respectively. Osmotic experiments performed on maize demonstrated that addition of 100 mM mannitol to the solution resulted in a decrease of xylem pressure associated with a slow, but continuous depolarization. The depolarization was reversible upon removal of the mannitol. For wheat plants it could be shown that the oscillations of the xylem pressure described recently by Schneider et al. (1997, Plant, Cell and Environment 20, 221-229) were accompanied by (rectangular, saw-tooth and/or U-shaped) oscillations in the trans-root potential (but not by corresponding changes of the membrane potential of the cortical cells measured simultaneously with conventional microelectrodes). Increase of the light intensity (up to 550 μmol m -2 s -1 ) resulted in a drop of the xylem pressure in wheat, whereas the trans-root potential showed a biphasic response: first hyperpolarization (by about 10 mV) was observed, followed by depolarization (by up to about + 40 mV). Similar light-induced biphasic (but often less pronounced) changes in the trans-root potential were also recorded for maize plants. Most interestingly, the response of the trans-root potential was always faster (by about 1-3 min) than the response of the xylem pressure upon illumination, suggesting that changes in the transpiration rate are reflected very quickly in the electrical properties of the root tissue. The impact of this and other findings on long-distance transport of solutes and water as well as on long-distance signalling is discussed.
Complications after surgery for deeply infiltrating pelvic endometriosis

Please cite this paper as: Kondo W, Bourdel N, Tamburro S, Cavoli D, Jardon K, Rabischong B, Botchorishvili R, Pouly J, Mage G, Canis M. Complications after surgery for deeply infiltrating pelvic endometriosis. BJOG 2011;118:292–298.
Consumer Satisfaction with City Markets in Croatia

SUMMARY The purpose of this study was to investigate consumer satisfaction with city markets in Croatia. Empirical research was conducted on a multiple stratified sample of 475 buyers at city markets in Zagreb, Split, Rijeka and Osijek. The consumer satisfaction was explained by means of Conformation/Disconformation-Paradigm (C/D Paradigm). The regression analysis was used to test the hypothesis about positive relationship between overall and partial satisfactions. The ANOVA analysis was used to test other hypotheses. Regression analysis indicates positive relationship between consumers overall satisfaction and their partial satisfactions (R 2 =0.504). Quality (β=0.297), choice (β=0.231) and freshness of products (β=0.175) were the most important drivers of overall consumer satisfaction, with crowding at city markets (β=0.112) and information obtained at markets (β=0.078) significant but less important. Statistical analyses indicate that there are no significant relationship between consumers sociodemographic characteristics and their satisfaction with city markets. The results of the research show straightness and weaknesses of the city markets in Croatia. Information obtained from this research could be used to keep and increase strategic advantages of this selling.
Care Quality and Implementation of the Chronic Care Model: A Quantitative Study

PURPOSE We wanted to test whether improvements in care quality were correlated with changes in the Chronic Care Model (CCM) in a large medical group that attempted to implement the CCM. METHODS The leaders of 17 primary care clinics in this medical group completed the Assessing Chronic Illness Care (ACIC) survey measure of CCM implementation before and after care system changes were made. We used administrative data to measure care quality changes for yearly samples of patients with diabetes, coronary heart disease, or depression. RESULTS The total ACIC score for the CCM increased by an overall average of 1.4 points (from 5.8 to 7.2 on a scale of 1 to 11, P = .02) and significant increases occurred for 3 of the 6 components of the CCM. During this time, patients experienced a significant increase in the proportion meeting a composite outcome measure for low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and glycated hemoglobin levels (from 15.7% to 25.5%, P = .001). Heart disease patients meeting a composite measure for LDL values increased from 46.8% to 57.8%, and the percentage of patients with 1 or more cardiac events dropped from 17.2% to 11.4% (P = .001 for each). Persistent use of new antidepressants did not change, but more of these patients had follow-up visits (P = .02). Only the diabetes measure was significantly correlated with 2 CCM elements—clinical information systems and decision support. CONCLUSION Despite implementation of the CCM and improvements in quality measures for 3 chronic diseases, there were few significant correlations between these changes. Showing such a relationship may require larger changes, a larger number of clinics, changes in other CCM elements, or a more-sensitive measurement tool.
Boundary surfaces in sequential circuits

One of the most important tasks in the analysis of a non-linear system is lo determine its global behaviour and, in particular, to delineate the domains of attraction for asymptotically stable solutions. Stable manifolds often act as boundary surfaces between such domains in the state space. In this paper the morphology of boundary surfaces is studied in a single member of Chua's circuit family, although the techniques used apply equally well to many other non-linear circuits. On the way, an answer is given to a former question of Matsumoto et al. concerning boundary surfaces in a chaotic circuit. Dynamical properties of a sequential circuit can be investigated by means of switching between the system's attractors, and boundary surfaces play a crucial role in the process of switching. As an application of the boundary surface techniques, dynamical properties of two models for ternary logic are presented and analysed.
The Insider: its effect on the public

“The Insider” recounts the chain of events that pitted an ordinary man against the tobacco industry and dragged two people into the fight of their lives over seeking out the truth; one a scientist and one a journalist. The movie shows the lengths big tobacco will go to protect a multi billion dollar a year addiction, including using its enormous power to threaten the news media. The movie blends the roles of numerous individuals who …
A new VLT surface map of Titan at 1.575 microns

We present a first high contrast 1.575 micron surface map of Titan, that is haze corrected by simultaneously imaging the stratospheric layer. At visible and most near-infrared wavelengths, the methane rich atmosphere completely obscures the surface; only in a few narrow wavelength windows does the atmosphere become optically thin. One of the most convenient windows (Griffith et al. 2003) lies at 1.58 μm, adjacent to the methane absorption feature at 1.62 μm. Our data span seven consecutive nights, resulting in phase coverage of 275° in longitude. The images were taken with NAOS-CONICA adaptive optics system at the VLT, using the recently commissioned Simultaneous Differential Imager mode (SDI). The combination of adaptive optics and simultaneous imaging through three filters sampling the methane absorption at 1.6 micron reveals extraordinary details of Titan's surface. Providing views of Titan's surface at high resolution (60 mas) is of particular topical importance, since the Cassini-Huygens mission is currently approaching the Saturn system and the Huygens probe will enter Titan's atmosphere in early 2005.
The influence of the matrix on the behaviour in compression of fibre composites

The behaviour of long fibre composites subjected to tensile loads has been widely studied and theories concerning the failure mechanisms are accepted and included in standard texts. In many applications compressive strength is important and in flexure failure is often initiated on the compressive side of the composite. However, compressive failure has not been studied thoroughly, partly because of the large number of failure mechanisms which can occur and the difficulties in conducting meaningful compression tests. The aim of this work was to determine the influence of the matrix on the behaviour of long fibre composites subjected to compressive loads so that failure mechanisms could be predicted more accurately. [Continues. ]
Canine oral fibrosarcomas: a retrospective analysis of 65 cases (1998-2010).

The objective of this retrospective study was to report the outcome of treatment of canine oral fibrosarcomas (FSA) in relation to median survival and progression-free survival (PFS), and to report whether grade was prognostic in relation to median survival. Sixty-five dogs with oral FSA presented to the WSU VTH between June 1998 and March 2010. Significant predictors of median survival were location (P = 0.0099), tumour size or oral stage (P = 0.0312), type of surgery (P = 0.0182), margins (P = 0.0329) and grade (P = 0.0251). Significant predictors of PFS were location (P = 0.0177), and radiation protocol (P = 0.0343). A combination of surgery and radiation was the strongest predictor of prolonged median survival (P = 0.0183) and PFS (P = 0.0263) at 505 and 301 days, respectively. Treatment of canine oral FSA with a combination of surgery and radiation therapy provided the longest median survivals.
A cirrus cloud climate dial?

Cirrus cloud seeding may help to reduce climate warming, but large uncertainties remain Climate engineering is a potential means to offset the climate warming caused by anthropogenic greenhouse gases. Suggested methods broadly fall into two categories. Methods in the first category aim to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, whereas those in the second aim to alter Earth's radiation balance. The most prominent and best researched climate engineering approach in the second category is the injection of atmospheric aerosol particles or their precursor gases into the stratosphere (1), where these particles reflect solar radiation back to space. Climate engineering through cirrus cloud thinning, in contrast, mainly targets the long-wave radiation that is emitted from Earth.
’ s Choice Series on the Next Generation of Biotech Crops Quantitative Trait Loci and Crop Performance under Abiotic Stress : Where Do We Stand ?

The improvement of crop yield has been possible through the indirect manipulation of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that control heritable variability of the traits and physiological mechanisms that determine biomass production and its partitioning. This article surveys how QTL-based approaches contribute to a better understanding of the genetic basis of crop performance underenvironmentally constrained conditions and critically analyzes how this knowledge can assist breeders accelerate the release of cultivars better able to cope with abiotic constraints. Crop performance is the end result of the action of thousands of genes and their interactions with environmental conditions and cultural practices. During the past century, conventional breeding has been very successful in constantly raising the yield potential of crops (Campos et al., 2004; Borlaug and Dowswell, 2005; Duvick, 2005). This was mainly achieved with little or no knowledge of the factors governing the genetic variability exploited by breeders for crop improvement (Blum, 1988; Borlaug, 2007). However, this approach may now be insufficient, because the pressure to provide improvements at a rapid pace will mount if global climate change increases the frequency and severity of abiotic constraints. Heat stress, drought, water-logging, and salinity will probably become more prevalent in certain areas, while there will be an increased demand for agricultural products and reduced availability of agricultural land and natural resources such as water and fertilizers. Consequently, the genetic dissection of the quantitative traits controlling the adaptive response of crops to abiotic stress is a prerequisite to allow cost-effective applications of genomics-based approaches to breeding programs aimed at improving the sustainability and stability of yield under adverse conditions. UNVEILING THE NATURE OF QUANTITATIVE VARIABILITY
Physical and Behavioral Measures that Predict Cats’ Socialization in an Animal Shelter Environment during a Three Day Period

Simple Summary Information from surveys completed by the cats’ caregivers provided a score for the level of socialization of cats. We examined the effectiveness of structured assessments and measures in their ability to distinguish More and Less Socialized cats in a shelter-like setting over a three day period. Statistical models were developed that best predicted More and Less Socialized cats. Measures from these models were used to calculate a point system where more points indicated more socialization. In combination with key socialized behaviors, these points were able to fairly accurately distinguish More Socialized from Less Socialized cats. Abstract Animal welfare organizations typically take in cats with unknown levels of socialization towards humans, ranging from unsocialized cats well-socialized but lost pets. Agencies typically determine the socialization status and disposition options of cats within three days, when even a well-socialized pet may be too frightened of the unfamiliar surroundings to display its typical behavior. This is the third part of a three-phase project to develop and evaluate a reliable and valid tool to predict cats’ socialization levels. We recruited cats from the full spectrum of socialization and, using information from the cats’ caregivers regarding typical behavior toward familiar and unfamiliar people, assigned each cat to a Socialization Category. This information was compared to the cats’ behavior during three days of structured assessments conducted in a shelter-like setting. The results of logistic regression modeling generated two models using assessments from the mornings of the second and third day, focusing on predicting shyer or more aloof but socialized cats. Using the coefficients from each of these models, two sets of points were calculated which were useful in differentiating More and Less Socialized cats. In combination with key socialized behaviors, these points were able to fairly accurately identify More and Less Socialized cats.
Cleistanthus collinus poisoning

Cleistanthus collinus, a toxic shrub, is used for deliberate self-harm in rural South India. MEDLINE (PUBMED) and Google were searched for published papers using the search/ MeSH terms “Cleistanthus collinus,” “Euphorbiaceae,” “Diphyllin,” “Cleistanthin A,” Cleistanthin B” and “Oduvanthalai. ” Non-indexed journals and abstracts were searched by tracing citations in published papers. The toxic principles in the leaf include arylnaphthalene lignan lactones — Diphyllin and its glycoside derivatives Cleistanthin A and B. Toxin effect in animal models demonstrate neuromuscular blockade with muscle weakness, distal renal tubular acidosis (dRTA) and type 2 respiratory failure with conflicting evidence of cardiac involvement. Studies suggest a likely inhibition of thiol/thiol enzymes by the lignan-lactones, depletion of glutathione and ATPases in tissues. V-type H+ ATPase inhibition in the renal tubule has been demonstrated. Mortality occurs in up to 40% of C. collinus poisonings. Human toxicity results in renal tubular dysfunction, commonly dRTA, with resultant hypokalemia and normal anion gap metabolic acidosis. Aggressive management of these metabolic derangements is crucial. Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is seen in severe cases. Cardiac rhythm abnormalities have been demonstrated in a number of clinical studies, though the role of temporary cardiac pacemakers in reducing mortality is uncertain. Consumption of decoctions of C. collinus leaves, hypokalemia, renal failure, severe metabolic acidosis, ARDS and cardiac arrhythmias occur in severe poisonings and predict mortality. Further study is essential to delineate mechanisms of organ injury and interventions, including antidotes, which will reduce mortality.
Effect of Press-Drying Parameters on Paper Properties

This study investigates alternatives that can improve the internal bond strength (IBS) of paper by pulp refining and paper press-drying (PD). The improvement mechanisms of IBS and their impact on the strength development of high-yield pulps are discussed. All experiments were conducted using a factorial design where the factors were four pulp types (one spruce thermomechanical (TMP) and three chemi-thermomechanical (CTMP) from spruce, birch, and aspen), three refining levels, three PD temperatures and three pressures. The effects of these treatments on the physical and mechanical properties of paper were studied using an analysis of variance. Refining changed the fibre surface, thereby promoting mechanical adhesion. PD temperature softened the fibres and changed their surface chemistry, while PD pressure improved the contact area between fibres. These changes led to an important improvement in IBS which explained, to a large extent, the variations in paper properties. Compared to air-dried paper, PD paper showed much higher properties for most tested pulps at all refining levels. These results were due to the increase in bonded areas. PD at 175°C substantially improved the wet tensile strength of paper due to the flow of lignin on the fibre surface, which protects the hydrogen bonds from moisture.