Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Differences in suprathreshold heat pain responses and self‐reported sleep quality between patients with temporomandibular joint disorder and healthy controls

The purpose of this study was to examine differences in heat pain threshold (HPTh) and heat pain tolerance (HPTo) between temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJD) patients and healthy controls. Using suprathreshold heat pain, this study also examined between‐group (i.e. TMJD vs. healthy controls) differences in hyperalgesia and temporal summation (TS) of heat pain. Lastly, whether between‐group differences in these heat pain outcomes were mediated by self‐reported sleep quality was also tested. A total of 119 participants (41% TMJD) completed the current study. HPTh and HPTo responses were assessed at the ventral forearm with an ascending method of limits, while hyperalgesia and TS responses were assessed at the dorsal forearm at temperatures of 46, 48 and 50 °C. Prior to completion of heat pain procedures, participants completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Significant between‐group differences in HPTh and HPTo were not observed. TMJD patients demonstrated significantly greater hyperalgesia than healthy controls at 46 °C only, but there were no differences for TS. Furthermore, TMJD patients reported significantly poorer sleep quality compared with healthy controls. Data analysis revealed a significant simple mediation effect whereby the presence of TMJD was strongly associated with poorer self‐reported sleep quality, which, in turn, was related to enhanced hyperalgesia at 46 °C. These findings support the hypothesis that the thermal hyperalgesia demonstrated by TMJD patients may be related to poor quality of their self‐reported sleep. The ability of interventions that improve sleep quality to also affect pain sensitivity is currently the topic of ongoing investigation.
Host resistance and pathogen infectivity in host populations with varying connectivity

Theory predicts that hosts and pathogens will evolve higher resistance and aggressiveness in systems where populations are spatially connected than in situations in which populations are isolated and dispersal is more local. In a large cross‐inoculation experiment we surveyed patterns of host resistance and pathogen infectivity in anther‐smut diseased Viscaria alpina populations from three contrasting areas where populations range from continuous, through patchy but spatially connected to highly isolated demes. In agreement with theory, isolated populations of V. alpina were more susceptible on average than either patchily distributed or continuous populations. While increased dispersal in connected systems increases disease spread, it may also increase host gene flow and the potential for greater host resistance to evolve. In the Viscaria–Microbotryum system, pathogen infectivity mirrored patterns of host resistance with strains from the isolated populations being the least infective and strains from the more resistant continuous populations being the most infective on average, suggesting that high resistance selects for high infectivity. To our knowledge this study is the first to characterize the impacts of varying spatial connectivity on patterns of host resistance and pathogen infectivity in a natural system.
Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in Mental Health

Background: Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is a common disorder and its high prevalence and lifelong chronicity are such that it represents a substantial public health problem. The observation that serotonergic agents appear to be effective for its treatment suggests that patients may have abnormal serotonergic neurotransmission within the central nervous system. We investigated the efficacy of Escitalopram in treatment resistant patients with SAD. Method: Twenty-nine adult outpatients participated in a 12-week open-label trial of escitalopram. All the subjects had a primary diagnosis of SAD and had failed at least one previous adequate trial of paroxetine. Escitalopram was orally administered starting with a dose of 10 mg/day following a 1-week titration. Results: The escitalopram treatment was characterized by good tolerability (drop-out rate due to intolerance: 10.3%), and 24 subjects completed the study trial. At the end of the 12-week treatment period, 14 subjects (48.3%) were considered as responders on the basis of the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) (much or very much improved) scale and the Liebowitz Scale for Social Anxiety (LSAS) (reduction >35% compared to baseline). We observed a significant mean reduction in the Sheehan Disability Scale Work (p < .05) and Social (p < .05) subscores, but not in the Family subscore. Conclusion: These data suggest escitalopram has a role in the treatment of resistant SAD, especially in view of the favourable tolerability profile observed in the patients. Controlled studies are required to further investigate these findings and to compare escitalopram with other treatments for this disorder.
The promise of Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) for psychological research: A brief review

La Spectroscopie proche infrarouge (Near-Infrared Spectroscopy, NIRS) est une technique d’imagerie cerebrale optique qui etudie l’activite cerebrale en mesurant les changements d’oxygenation cerebrale. Cette technique est non invasive, portable et peu sensible aux mouvements. Cette breve synthese a pour objectif de montrer les avantages de la NIRS et plus specifiquement pour les recherches en Psychologie, en proposant differents exemples de recherches qui ont utilise la NIRS notamment en psychologie cognitive, du developpement et dans le domaine clinique. L’objectif principal de cette synthese est de proposer une explication simple pour les chercheurs qui seraient interesses par cette technique. Ainsi, dans une premiere partie nous presentons son utilisation dans des tâches motrices, auditives et visuelles simples ainsi que dans des tâches impliquant des processus cognitifs de haut niveau. Dans une deuxieme partie, nous nous attachons davantage a decrire son utilisation dans differentes populations (nourrissons, enfants et adultes âges). Puis, nous presentons les possibles applications de cette technique a des populations cliniques, telles que les patients souffrant de troubles psychiatriques ou encore les personnes atteintes de la maladie d’Alzheimer. En conclusion, nous presentons les principaux avantages et limites de la NIRS compares a d’autres techniques de neuroimagerie.
Hypercholesterolemia promotes endothelial dysfunction in vitamin E- and selenium-deficient rats.

Abnormal regulation of local vascular tone occurs early in human and experimental atherosclerosis. Impaired endothelium-dependent vascular relaxations mediated by endothelium-derived relaxing factor are an important contributor to these abnormalities. Endothelium-derived relaxing factor is nitric oxide released as such or attached to a carrier molecule. Oxidized lipoproteins impede endothelium-derived relaxing factor-mediated responses in vitro. We designed in vivo experiments to determine whether hypercholesterolemia with and without deficiency of two endogenous lipid antioxidants, vitamin E and selenium, would result in endothelial dysfunction. Vitamin E and selenium deficiencies were induced in a group of hypertension-prone Dahl salt-sensitive rats fed a diet high in cholesterol (4%) but low in NaCl (0.5%) for 18 weeks. Two other groups of Dahl salt-sensitive rats received diets sufficient in vitamin E and selenium but containing either high or normal cholesterol levels (control group). Serum cholesterol levels increased approximately 10-fold in the two groups of rats fed high-cholesterol diets. Systolic blood pressure was 143 +/- 3 mm Hg in high-cholesterol/vitamin E- and selenium-sufficient rats and 142 +/- 5 mm Hg in high-cholesterol/vitamin E- and selenium-deficient rats (P = NS). Mild intimal thickening and occasional mononuclear cell infiltration were observed in both of these groups. Serum vitamin E levels were decreased, whereas serum thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances and exhaled pentane (two indicators of endogenous lipid oxidation) were significantly increased in high-cholesterol/vitamin E- and selenium-deficient rats compared with high-cholesterol/vitamin E- and selenium-sufficient rats. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Monkeys crying wolf? Tufted capuchin monkeys use anti-predator calls to usurp resources from conspecifics

The use of ‘tactical deception’ is argued to have been important in the cognitive evolution of the order Primates, but systematic studies of active deception in wild non-human primates are scant. This study tests whether wild tufted capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella nigritus) use alarm calls in a functionally deceptive manner to usurp food resources. If capuchins use alarm calls ‘deceptively’, it was predicted that false alarms should be: (i) given by subordinates more than by dominants, (ii) more frequent when food is most contestable, (iii) more frequent when less food is available, and (iv) given when the caller is in a spatial position in which it could increase its feeding success if conspecifics react to the call. These predictions were tested by observing subjects in experimental contexts, in which the amount and distribution of a high-value resource (banana pieces) were manipulated using wooden platforms suspended from tree branches. While false alarms were non-significantly more common when more food was available, the three remaining predictions were supported. These results generally support the hypothesis that alarm calls are used by capuchins to reduce the effects of feeding competition. Whether this is intentional on the part of the caller requires further investigation.
Acceptance and Effects of Role Models in the Spatial Domain A Storytelling Experiment with Fourth Graders

Previous research has demonstrated that both real-world and fictional role models can influence gender stereotypes, performance, and self-concept in adults and children. The current study investigated such modeling processes in the domain of spatial skills by examining how fourth-grade boys and girls respond to a spatially skilled fictional role model, who was either male or female. The study had an experimental pre-post design, in which 263 children were examined in three intervention groups (female role model, male role model, no role model). Results showed that model acceptance and model gender ratings were more strongly influenced by the model's sex than by her or his male-stereotyped spatial skills. Model acceptance differed between boys and girls only for the female model, who was accepted to a greater degree by girls, while the male model was accepted to the same degree by boys and girls. Furthermore, there was a gender-specific effect of the stories on girls' general self-esteem, which slightly increased in the female-model group and slightly decreased in the male-model group and the control group. However, the hypothesized gender- specific effects of the story interventions were not found with regard to gender stereotypes, spatial performance, and spatial self- concept; instead, there was an intervention-independent decrease in girls' gender stereotypes and spatial self-concept. These results are discussed with regard to the influence of spatial experience on the gender effect in spatial performance, the effectiveness of fictional versus real-world models, and the problem of upward comparison with highly skilled role models.
Characterization of the Interleukin-28 B Gene rs 12979860 C / T Polymorphism in Turkish Chronic Hepatitis C Patients and Healthy Individuals

ress of hepatitis-C virus (HCV) infection. Interleukin28B (IL28B) single nucleotide polymorphisms may play an important role in the clearance of HCV spontaneously or with treatment. Aims: The aim of our study was to evaluate the rate of IL28B genotypes in patients with Chronic Hepatitis-C (CHC) and healthy control subjects and to examine the characteristics of patients in each IL28B subgroup. Study Design: Case-control study. Methods: IL28B polymorphisms were genotyped by Polymerase Chain Reaction and Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) in all subjects. Results: The mean age was 52.3±10.9 years (33% female) in the CHC patients and 52.5±11.5 years (39.1% female) in the healthy controls. The percentage of patients with a high baseline viral load (≥400,000 IU/mL) was higher in the CT group (69.8%) compared to the C/C (44.4%) and T/T (50%) groups (p=0.021). There was no significant difference in liver fibrosis and liver necroinflammation distribution among the CC, CT and TT genotypes with mild, moderate and severe groups (p=0.058 and p=0.791, respectively). Mean age, gender ratio, body mass index, viral load at baseline, rate of HCV genotypes, baseline ALT levels were not significantly different among the three IL28B subgroups (p>0.05). A significant increase was observed in the frequencies of IL28B rs12979860 TT genotypes in the CHC patients (20.6%) compared to the healthy control group (8.7%) (p=0.033). Conclusion: In the patients with chronic HCV-genotype 1b and 4 infections, the IL28B rs12979860 (C>T) gene polymorphism frequency of the TT genotype and T allele was higher than in healthy control subjects. This result indicates that the TT genotype may be more effective in the progression of HCV infection than other genotypes.
Optimizing Display, Analysis, Interpretation and Utility of Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose (SMBG) Data for Management of Patients with Diabetes

Background: Self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) data have not been used to fullest advantage. Few physicians routinely download data from memory-equipped glucose meters and perform systematic analyses and interpretation of the data. There is need for improved methods for display and analysis of SMBG data, for a systematic approach for identification and prioritization of clinical problems revealed by SMBG, for characterization of blood glucose variability, and for clinical decision support. Methods: We have developed a systematic approach to the analysis and interpretation of SMBG data to assist in the management of patients with diabetes. This approach utilizes the following criteria: 1) Overall quality of glycemic control; 2) Hypoglycemia (frequency, severity, timing); 3) Hyperglycemia; 4) Variability; 5) Pattern analysis; and 6) Adequacy of monitoring. The “Pattern analysis” includes assessment of: Trends by date and by time of day; relationship of blood glucose to meals; post-prandial excursions; the effects of day of the week, and interactions between time of day and day of the week. Results: The asymmetrical distribution of blood glucose values makes it difficult to interpret the mean and standard deviation. Use of the median (50th percentile) and Inter-Quartile Range (IQR) overcomes these difficulties: IQR is the difference between the 75th and 25th percentiles. SMBG data can be used to predict the A1c level and indices of the risks of hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia. Conclusion: Given reliable measures of glucose variability, one can apply a strategy to progressively reduce glucose variability and then increase the intensity of therapy so as to reduce median blood glucose and hence A1c, while minimizing the risk of hypoglycemia.
Distinct Functional Domains Contribute to Degradation of the Low Density Lipoprotein Receptor (LDLR) by the E3 Ubiquitin Ligase Inducible Degrader of the LDLR (IDOL)

We recently identified the liver X receptor-regulated E3 ubiquitin ligase inducible degrader of the LDL receptor (IDOL) as a modulator of lipoprotein metabolism. Acting as an E3 ubiquitin ligase, IDOL triggers ubiquitination and subsequent degradation of the low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR). We demonstrate here that this outcome requires the conserved FERM and RING domains present in IDOL. The RING domain promotes ubiquitination in vitro and Lys-63-specific ubiquitination of the LDLR in vivo in response to IDOL or liver X receptor activation. We further identify RING residues that differentially influence ubiquitination of the LDLR or stability of IDOL. The FERM domain interacts with the LDLR and in living cells co-localizes with the receptor at the plasma membrane. Homology modeling revealed a phosphotyrosine-binding element embedded in the FERM domain. Mutating residues within this region or residues in the LDLR preceding the NPVY endocytosis motif abrogate LDLR degradation by IDOL. Collectively, our results indicate that both the FERM and RING domains are required for promoting lysosomal degradation of the LDLR by IDOL. Our findings may facilitate development of structure-based IDOL inhibitors aimed at increasing LDLR abundance in therapeutic strategies to treat cardiovascular disease.
“Taking on Corporate Bullies”: Cintas, Laundry Workers, and Organizing in the 1930s and Twenty-First Century

Based on interviews with workers and organizers, union and company records, legal documents, and media sources, this article compares laundry unionism in the 1930s and early 2000s at Cintas, North America’s largest industrial launderer and uniform rental provider. Employing resource mobilization theory, social movement unionism, and collective identity theory, the article argues that laundry workers were able to organize in the 1930s because of the simultaneous presence of union resources and internal activist solidarities at the shop floor level. While UNITE HERE (now Workers United) has run an innovative comprehensive campaign to organize Cintas, the absence of solidarity on the shop floor has impeded organization.
Labour and birth stories : a feminist poststructural reading of the discourse of work-family interaction

A hermeneutic analysis of work-family interaction is undertaken from a feminist poststructural perspective to destabilize the definitions of ‘work’, ‘family’, and ‘work-family’ in organizational discourse. This hermeneutic inquiry begins by confronting mainstream human resource management literature with the lived experience of women and men to demonstrate that over forty years of empirical research has failed to adequately address the issues. A detailed review and subsequent critical analysis of the human resource management literature reveals a conceptually limited discourse that serves to obfuscate real social structures to the disadvantage of women. A citation analysis identifies seminal articles from which this literature draws its theoretical foundations, which then leads to analysis of the social, political and historical context within which this discourse emerged. This hermeneutic inquiry concludes by arguing the human resource management discourse emerged from and retains the repressive assumptions of the Cold War era and that no meaningful advances can occur in this field until the current discourse is dismantled.
Identification of Phthalates in Medications and Dietary Supplement Formulations in the United States and Canada

Background: In animal studies, some ortho-phthalates, including di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), have been shown to be reproductive and developmental toxicants. Human studies show widespread population exposure to background levels of phthalates. Limited evidence suggests that particularly high exposure levels may result from orally ingested medicinal products containing phthalates as excipients (inactive ingredients). Objective: In this study we aimed to identify and describe the scope of prescription (RX) and nonprescription (over-the-counter; OTC) medicinal products and dietary supplements marketed in the United States and Canada since 1995 that include phthalates as excipients. Methods: We used lists of modified-release drug products to identify potential drug products. Inclusion of phthalates was verified using available electronic databases, print references, published package inserts, product packages, and direct communication from manufacturers. Additional products were identified using Internet searches utilizing keywords for phthalates. Results: Based on labeling information, 6 RX drug products included DBP as an excipient, and 45 specified the use of diethyl phthalate (DEP). Phthalate polymers with no known toxicity—hypromellose phthalate (HMP), cellulose acetate phthalate (CAP), and polyvinyl acetate phthalate (PVAP)—were included in 75 RX products. Three OTC drug and dietary supplement products listed DBP, 64 listed DEP, and > 90 indicated inclusion of polymers. Conclusions: Numerous RX and OTC drug products and supplements from a wide range of therapeutic categories may use DBP or DEP as excipients in oral dosage forms. The potential effects of human exposure to these phthalates through medications are unknown and warrant further investigation.
Emerging roles of Semaphorins in the regulation of epithelial and endothelial junctions

Tissue barriers maintain homeostasis, protect underlying tissues, are remodeled during organogenesis and injury and limit aberrant proliferation and dissemination. In this context, endothelial and epithelial intercellular junctions are the primary targets of various cues. This cellular adaptation requires plasticity and dynamics of adhesion molecules and the associated cytoskeleton, as well as the adhesive-linked signaling platforms. It is therefore not surprising that the guidance molecules from the Semaphorin family arise as novel modifiers of epithelia and endothelia in development and diseases. This review will focus on the actions of Semaphorins, and their cognate receptors, Plexins and Neuropilins, on epithelial and endothelial barrier properties.
60,000 Disaster Victims Speak: Part I. An Empirical Review of the Empirical Literature, 1981—2001

Abstract Results for 160 samples of disaster victims were coded as to sample type, disaster type, disaster location, outcomes and risk factors observed, and overall severity of impairment. In order of frequency, outcomes included specific psychological problems, nonspecific distress, health problems, chronic problems in living, resource loss, and problems specific to youth. Regression analyses showed that samples were more likely to be impaired if they were composed of youth rather than adults, were from developing rather than developed countries, or experienced mass violence (e.g., terrorism, shooting sprees) rather than natural or technological disasters. Most samples of rescue and recovery workers showed remarkable resilience. Within adult samples, more severe exposure, female gender, middle age, ethnic minority status, secondary stressors, prior psychiatric problems, and weak or deteriorating psychosocial resources most consistently increased the likelihood of adverse outcomes. Among youth, family factors were primary. Implications of the research for clinical practice and community intervention are discussed in a companion article (Norris, Friedman, and Watson, this volume).