Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Losing one's grip: a bivariate growth curve model of grip strength and nonverbal reasoning from age 79 to 87 years in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1921.

OBJECTIVES Grip strength and reasoning are associated in old age. This is one of the few longitudinal studies addressing whether aging of one causes decline in the other or whether they share causal influences. METHODS The Lothian Birth Cohort 1921 were assessed for grip strength and nonverbal reasoning at ages M = 79 (N = 550), M = 83 (N = 321), and M = 87 (N = 207). Associations among intercepts and slopes for grip strength and reasoning and covariates were examined by fitting a bivariate growth curve structural equation model. RESULTS Grip strength and reasoning declined with age. They were each significantly correlated on each occasion. Their intercepts were significantly correlated (.20) but not their slopes. Neither intercept was significantly associated with its own or the other's slope. Better reasoning was associated with higher childhood intelligence, more professional occupations, male sex, and being taller. There were no significant reasoning slope associations. Stronger grip strength was associated with male sex, being taller, and drinking less alcohol. Women showed less age-related decline in grip strength. DISCUSSION Physical and mental "grips" declined in the ninth decade of life. Their levels were significantly correlated; their slopes were not. There was no evidence for reciprocal dynamic influences nor for shared associations.
Mice lacking Kcns1 in peripheral neurons show increased basal and neuropathic pain sensitivity

Abstract Voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels are increasingly recognised as key regulators of nociceptive excitability. Kcns1 is one of the first potassium channels to be associated with neuronal hyperexcitability and mechanical sensitivity in the rat, as well as pain intensity and risk of developing chronic pain in humans. Here, we show that in mice, Kcns1 is predominantly expressed in the cell body and axons of myelinated sensory neurons positive for neurofilament-200, including A&dgr;-fiber nociceptors and low-threshold A&bgr; mechanoreceptors. In the spinal cord, Kcns1 was detected in laminae III to V of the dorsal horn where most sensory A fibers terminate, as well as large motoneurons of the ventral horn. To investigate Kcns1 function specifically in the periphery, we generated transgenic mice in which the gene is deleted in all sensory neurons but retained in the central nervous system. Kcns1 ablation resulted in a modest increase in basal mechanical pain, with no change in thermal pain processing. After neuropathic injury, Kcns1 KO mice exhibited exaggerated mechanical pain responses and hypersensitivity to both noxious and innocuous cold, consistent with increased A-fiber activity. Interestingly, Kcns1 deletion also improved locomotor performance in the rotarod test, indicative of augmented proprioceptive signalling. Our results suggest that restoring Kcns1 function in the periphery may be of some use in ameliorating mechanical and cold pain in chronic states.
A Persistence Model of the National Minimum Wage

This paper utilises the panel element of the BHPS (waves 9 to 14) to examine the dynamics of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) introduced to Britain in 1999. Specifically a persistence measure based on a random effects probit model for those affected by the NMW is constructed. The conditional probabilities imply some degree of state dependence, but there is also a considerable amount of turnover from one year to the next among those affected by the NMW.
Social assistance and activation in the pursuit of happiness: shedding new light on old policy solutions to social exclusion

• A submitted manuscript is the version of the article upon submission and before peer-review. There can be important differences between the submitted version and the official published version of record. People interested in the research are advised to contact the author for the final version of the publication, or visit the DOI to the publisher's website. • The final author version and the galley proof are versions of the publication after peer review. • The final published version features the final layout of the paper including the volume, issue and page numbers.
Consecutive envenomation of two men bitten by the same coral snake (Micrurus corallinus)

Abstract Objective: To report two patients who developed systemic neurotoxicity after consecutive bites by the same coral snake. Case report: Two previously healthy men (32-year-old and 34-year-old) found a coral snake in a woodpile while collecting wood for a barbecue. During the barbecue, both men became drunk and “played” with the snake, believing that they were handling a false coral snake, and were bitten within a few minutes of each other. Both patients were admitted to a referral tertiary care hospital (175 km from where the bites occurred) 16 hours and 19 hours postbite; both showed similar features of envenomation: palpebral ptosis, muscle weakness, dysphagia, and generalized myalgia. No fang marks or local pain were detected in either case. The patients were successfully treated with Brazilian coral snake antivenom (Fab´2) and discharged one-day postadmission, with improvement of myasthenia, but still showing palpebral ptosis. The offending snake was identified as a 42-cm-long Micrurus corallinus. During follow-up, both patients reported a transitory loss of taste that lasted approximately 3–4 weeks postbite. Conclusion: Consecutive bites by the same coral snake may cause systemic neurotoxicity (acute myasthenia) in more than one person, as well as transitory loss of taste, an underreported complication of snakebites.
Ambient temperature influences metabolic substrate oxidation curves during running and cycling in healthy men

Abstract Fat oxidation in cold environments and carbohydrate (CHO) use in hot environments are increased during exercise at steady-state submaximal workloads. However, the influence of cold and heat on fat and CHO oxidation curves remain unknown. We therefore examined the influence of a cold and warm ambient temperature on fat and CHO oxidation across a wide range of exercise intensities during treadmill and cycle ergometer exercise. Nine, young, healthy, male subjects completed four trials, during which they performed an incremental peak oxygen consumption (⩒O2peak) test on a cycle ergometer or treadmill in a 4.6°C or 34.1°C environment. Substrate oxidation, maximal fat oxidation rate (MFO), and exercise intensity where MFO occurs (Fatmax) were assessed via indirect calorimetry. MFO was significantly greater in the cold vs. warm during the treadmill exercise (0.66 ± 0.31 vs. 0.43 ± 0.23 g min−1; p = 0.02) but not during cycling (0.45 ± 0.24 vs. 0.29 ± 0.11 g min−1; p = 0.076). MFO was also greater during treadmill vs. cycling exercise, irrespective of ambient temperature (0.57 g min−1 vs. 0.37 g min−1; p = 0.04). Fatmax was greater in the cold vs. warm for both treadmill (57 ± 20 vs. 37 ± 17%⩒O2peak; p = 0.025) and cycling (62 ± 28 vs. 36 ± 13%⩒O2peak; p = 0.003). Multiple, linear, mixed-effects regressions revealed a strong influence of ambient temperature on substrate oxidation. We demonstrated that exercising in a cold environment increases MFO and Fatmax, predominantly during treadmill exercise. These results validate the implication of ambient temperature on energy metabolism over a wide range of exercise intensities.
Lack of an Association between Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Gene Insertion/Deletion Polymorphism and Ischaemic Stroke

Background and Purpose: Numerous factors have been reported to influence the pathogenesis of stroke. The angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) gene is a candidate gene for atherosclerotic-related diseases. In the present study, the association between the polymorphism of the ACE gene and ischaemic stroke was investigated. Methods: Using polymerase chain reaction techniques, 100 patients (48 males, age 69.3 ± 9.7 years) with cerebral infarction and 100 age- and sex-matched controls were divided into the following three ACE genotypes [deletion (D) and insertion (I)]: II, ID and DD. Results: There was no evidence of any association between the ACE gene polymorphism and the presence of ischaemic stroke (odds ratio 0.874, 95% confidence interval 0.386–1.973). Conclusions: The DD genotype in the human ACE gene does not appear to be a risk factor for ischaemic stroke. Further evaluation in a larger population study is required to examine the possibility of an increased risk of ischaemic stroke in DD homozygotes.
ALDOLASE A regulates invasion of bladder cancer cells via E‐cadherin‐EGFR signaling

Glycolysis and glycogenesis are known to be tightly associated with cancer cell migration. However, their roles in bladder cancer have not been reported. In this study, ALDOLASE A (ALDOA) was identified in a coexpression network generated using glycolysis‐ and glycogenesis‐related genes in Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes. ALDOA was located in the central region in the network, and the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) data suggest that ALDOA expression levels are associated with viability in patients with cancer at the middle and late stages. Bladder cancer cell lines, T24 and RT4, were used to knockdown (sh) or overexpress (OE) ALODA to analyze its role. The sh‐ALDOA reduced cell viability, colony formation rate, and invasion cell number; while OE had an opposite effect compared with sh‐ALDOA. Further, the sh‐ALDOA expression induced E‐cadherin level while reduced N‐cadherin and vimentin levels. The OE cells reduced E‐cadherin and induced N‐cadherin and vimentin levels. In addition, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK), and AKT serine/threonine kinase (AKT) phosphorylation levels are all reduced in sh‐ALODA while activated in OE cells compared with the control group. But either sh‐ALODA or OE did not change total protein levels of EGFR, MAPK, and AKT. To further analyze E‐cadherin function in ALDOA regulation on bladder cancer cells, sh‐ALDOA and sh‐E‐cadherin were cotransfected in T24 and RT4 cells. The results indicated that sh‐ALDOA and sh‐E‐cadherin expressions eliminated sh‐ALDOA function, resulting similar cell viability, colony formation rate, and invasion cell number with control group. Also, sh‐ALDOA and shE‐cadherin expressions increased EGFR, MAPK, and AKT phosphorylation levels; and the levels were similar to the control group. But, sh‐ALDOA and sh‐E‐cadherin expressions did not change N‐cadherin and vimentin levels, which maintain similar levels with sh‐ALDOA‐expressing cells. Taken together, these results suggest that ALDOA might play an important function in bladder cancer and its action may be though E‐cadherin‐EGFR signaling.
Epidemiology of Viral Gastroenteritis in Iran

Viruses are prominent causative agents of acute gastroenteritis in children <5 years of age per year.1 In the present review, all viral gastroenteritis studies in Iran were assessed, and the mean prevalences of rotaviruses, noroviruses, enteric adenoviruses, sapoviruses and astroviruses associated with acute gastroenteritis were 39.9%, 6%, 5.7%, 4.2% and 2.7%, respectively. In 2 studies, human bocavirus and human parechovirus were detected in 21.8% and 23.7% of children with acute gastroenteritis, respectively.
Export Taxes, World Prices, and Poverty in Argentina: A Dynamic CGE-Microsimulation Analysis

In this paper we implement a sequential dynamic computable general equilibrium model combined with microsimulations to assess (1) the short- and long-run economic impacts of a gradual reduction in the export tax that was introduced during the economic crisis that hit Argentina at the end of 2001, and (2) the impact of a decrease in the world prices of food products, one of the country’s main export product. Our results show that the elimination of the export tax would have different long run effects depending on the fiscal instrument that is used by the government to compensate for the loss in tax revenue. On the one hand, when the government budget is equilibrated by an increased deficit, the average annual growth rate for 2008-2015 is lower than in the baseline scenario. On the other hand, when the government budget is equilibrated by an increased direct tax rate, there is a long-run positive effect on growth. In any case, the employment level is lower and the price of food items is higher. Therefore, the poverty headcount ratio increases. As expected, a reduction in the world price of food items (i.e., a worsening in Argentina’s terms of trade) would impact negatively on the country’s GDP growth rate and poverty, particularly in the rural areas.
Inhibiting Interleukin 11 Signaling Reduces Hepatocyte Death and Liver Fibrosis, Inflammation, and Steatosis in Mouse Models of Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS We studied the role of interleukin 11 (IL11) signaling in the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis using hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), hepatocytes, and mouse models of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). METHODS We stimulated mouse and human fibroblasts, HSCs, or hepatocytes with IL11 and other cytokines and analyzed them by imaging, immunoblot, and functional assays and ELISAs. Mice were given injections of IL11. Mice with disruption of the interleukin 11 receptor subunit alpha gene (Il11ra1-/-) mice and Il11ra1+/+ mice were fed a high-fat methionine- and choline-deficient diet (HFMCD) or a Western diet with liquid fructose (WDF) to induce steatohepatitis; control mice were fed normal chow. db/db mice were fed with MCD for 12 weeks and C57BL/6 NTac were fed with HFMCD for 10 weeks or WDF for 16 weeks. Some mice were given intraperitoneal injections of anti-IL11 (X203), anti-IL11RA (X209), or a control antibody at different timepoints on the diets. Livers and blood were collected; blood samples were analyzed by biochemistry and liver tissues were analyzed by histology, RNA-seq, immunoblots, immunohistochemistry, hydroxyproline, and mass cytometry time of flight assays. RESULTS HSCs incubated with cytokines produced IL11, resulting in activation (phosphorylation) of ERK and expression of markers of fibrosis. Livers of mice given injections of IL11 became damaged, with increased markers of fibrosis and inflammation. Following the HFMCD or WDF, livers from Il11ra1-/- mice had reduced steatosis, fibrosis, expression of markers of inflammation and steatohepatitis, and lower levels of serum lipids and glucose compared to and Il11ra1+/+ mice on the same diets. Depending on the time of administration of anti-IL11 or anti-IL11RA to wild-type mice on the HFMCD or WDF, or to db/db mice on the MCD, the antibodies prevented, stopped, or reversed development of fibrosis and steatosis. Blood samples from Il11ra1+/+ mice fed the HFMCD or WDF and given injections of anti-IL11 or anti-IL11RA, as well as from Il11ra1-/- mice fed the diets, had lower serum levels of lipids and glucose than mice not injected with antibody or with disruption of Il11ra1. CONCLUSIONS Neutralizing antibodies that block IL11 signaling reduce fibrosis, steatosis, hepatocyte death, inflammation and hyperglycemia in mice with diet-induced steatohepatitis. These antibodies improve the cardiometabolic profile of mice and might be developed for treatment of NASH.
Association of VAMP5 and MCC genetic polymorphisms with increased risk of Hirschsprung disease susceptibility in Southern Chinese children

Hirschsprung disease (HSCR) is a genetic disorder characterized by the absence of neural crest cells in parts of the intestine. This study aims to investigate the association of vesicle-associated membrane protein 5 (VAMP5) and mutated in colorectal cancer (MCC) genetic polymorphisms and their correlated risks with HSCR. We examined the association in four polymorphisms (rs10206961, rs1254900 and rs14242 in VAMP5, rs11241200 in MCC) and HSCR susceptibility in a Southern Chinese population composed of 1473 cases and 1469 controls. Two variants in VAMP5 were replicated as associated with HSCR. Interestingly, we clarified SNPs rs10206961 and rs1254900 in VAMP5 are more essential for patients with long-segment aganglionosis (LHSCR). Relatively high expression correlation was observed between VAMP5 and MCC using data from public database showing there may exist potential genetic interactions. SNP interaction was cross-examined by logistic regression and multifactor dimensionality reduction analysis revealing that VAMP5 rs1254900 and MCC rs11241200 were interacting significantly, thereby contributing to the risk of HSCR. The results suggest that significant associations of the rs10206961 and rs14242 in VAMP5 with an increased risk of HSCR in Southern Chinese, especially in LHSCR patients. This study provided new evidence of epistatic association of VAMP5 and MCC with increased risk of HSCR.
Market Definition and Market Power in the British Supermarket Industry

In this report I will explain how to measure relevant antitrust markets for the analysis of the market power of the leading supermarket chains in Great Britain. Given the recent enforcement practices of the Competition Commission and the analyses submitted by, or on behalf of, Tesco, Sainsbury, and other retailers, my explanation necessarily must also continue to the measurement of market power. Non-coordinated competitive effects are also called unilateral effects and I will use that term henceforth in this report. These strategic moves do not require the cooperation of other firms. Coordinated effects (tacit collusion) do depend upon the cooperation of other firms. The exercise of these types of market power is not mutually exclusive (Levy and Reitzes 1993). Both types can elevate prices or otherwise distort the price, quality, reach and service marketing mix in a market.
Deconstructing an infamous extinction crisis: Survival of Partula species on Moorea and Tahiti

Eleven of eighteen Society Island Partula species endemic to the Windward Island subgroup (Moorea and Tahiti) have been extirpated by an ill‐advised biological control program. The conservation status of this critically endangered tree snail radiation is of considerable import, but is clouded by taxonomic uncertainty due to the extensive lack of congruence among species designations, diagnostic morphologies, and molecular markers. Using a combination of museum, captive, and remnant wild snails, we obtained the first high‐resolution nuclear genomic perspective of the evolutionary relationships and survival of fourteen Windward Island Partula species, totaling 93 specimens. We analyzed ~1,607–28,194 nuclear genomic loci collected with the double digest restriction‐site associated sequencing method. Results from phylogenomic trees, species estimation, and population assignment tests yielded monophyly of the Windward Island subgroup. Within this group, two well‐supported clades encompassing five species complexes were recovered. Clade 1 was restricted to Tahiti and contained two species complexes: “P. affinis” (three species) and “P. otaheitana” (five species). Clade 2 occurred on Moorea and on Tahiti and consisted of three species complexes: one Tahitian, “P. clara/P. hyalina”; the other two, “P. taeniata” (three species) and “P. suturalis” (six species), Moorean. Our genomic results largely corroborated previous mitochondrial DNA survival estimates for Moorea and Tahiti, with all five species complexes having members surviving in captivity and/or as remnant wild populations, although the details vary in each case. Continued, proactive conservation and management may yet ensure a phylogenetically representative survival of the fabled Partula species of Moorea and Tahiti.
Holistic Conceptualizations of Health by Incarcerated Aboriginal Women in New South Wales, Australia

While there has been extensive research on the health and social and emotional well-being (SEWB) of Aboriginal women in prison, there are few qualitative studies where incarcerated Aboriginal women have been directly asked about their health, SEWB, and health care experiences. Using an Indigenous research methodology and SEWB framework, this article presents the findings of 43 interviews with incarcerated Aboriginal women in New South Wales, Australia. Drawing on the interviews, we found that Aboriginal women have holistic conceptualizations of their health and SEWB that intersect with the SEWB of family and community. Women experience clusters of health problems that intersect with intergenerational trauma, perpetuated and compounded by ongoing colonial trauma including removal of children. Women are pro-active about their health but encounter numerous challenges in accessing appropriate health care. These rarely explored perspectives can inform a reframing of health and social support needs of incarcerated Aboriginal women establishing pathways for healing.
Appendix to : “ Understanding the Effect of Technology Shocks in SVARs with Long-Run Restrictions ”

The model used for the simulations extends to one introduced in Section 2.2 by allowing for habits in consumption and investment adjustment costs. We do not claim here that the resulting estimated model is necessarily the correct data generating process for the labor productivity and hours worked, but both mechanisms have proven useful in accounting for the dynamics of macroeconomic variables in particular in terms of their persistence properties (see e.g. Beaudry and Guay, 1996, Boldrin, Christiano and Fisher, 2001 and Christiano, Eichenbaum and Evans, 2005). 2 Intertemporal consumption choices are not time separable and the flows of consumption services are a linear function of current and lagged consumption decisions. The intertemporal expected utility function of the representative household is now given by
Recruitment Techniques and Strategies in a Community-Based Colorectal Cancer Screening Study of Men and Women of African Ancestry

Background Recruiting ethnically diverse Black participants to an innovative, community-based research study to reduce colorectal cancer screening disparities requires multipronged recruitment techniques. Objectives This article describes active, passive, and snowball recruitment techniques, and challenges and lessons learned in recruiting a diverse sample of Black participants. Methods For each of the three recruitment techniques, data were collected on strategies, enrollment efficiency (participants enrolled/participants evaluated), and reasons for ineligibility. Results Five hundred sixty individuals were evaluated, and 330 individuals were enrolled. Active recruitment yielded the highest number of enrolled participants, followed by passive and snowball. Snowball recruitment was the most efficient technique, with enrollment efficiency of 72.4%, followed by passive (58.1%) and active (55.7%) techniques. There were significant differences in gender, education, country of origin, health insurance, and having a regular physician by recruitment technique (p < .05). Discussion Multipronged recruitment techniques should be employed to increase reach, diversity, and study participation rates among Blacks. Although each recruitment technique had a variable enrollment efficiency, the use of multipronged recruitment techniques can lead to successful enrollment of diverse Blacks into cancer prevention and control interventions.
Age, gender, and body mass index are associated with renal function after kidney donation

Mjøen G, Øyen O, Midtvedt K, Dahle DO, Norby G, Holdaas H. Age, gender, and body mass index are associated with renal function after kidney donation. Clin Transplant 2011: 25: E579–E583. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.