Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Thrombophilia and Cancer

Inherited and acquired thrombophilia are well-known risk factors for venous thromboembolism. The incidence of thrombotic events in cancer patients is increased compared to normal population. Data on inherited thrombophilia and cancer is limited. Most studies are small, and results are varied by geography, tumor type, stage of disease and therapy. Nevertheless, it seems that factor V Leiden and prothrombin mutation may increase VTE risk in cancer patients. Data also exist for hyperhomocysteinemia. Cancer patients with thrombophilia who have a central vein catheter are a special group with increased venous thrombotic event (VTE) risk. Among acquired risk factors, antiphospholipid antibodies are common in cancer patients, especially in lymphoproliferative diseases. Published data suggests that the risk of thrombotic events, venous and arterial, is increased in cancer patients with antiphospholipid antibodies. The questions of screening cancer patients for inherited thrombophilia or antiphospholipid antibodies are unclear. There is no data on primary VTE prophylaxis in cancer patients with thrombophilia and prophylaxis for cancer patients with central vein catheters is controversial.
Different Criteria for the Definition of Insulin Resistance and Its Relation with Dyslipidemia in Overweight and Obese Children and Adolescents

Purpose to compare cut off points corrected for age and gender (COOP) with fixed cut off points (FCOP) for fasting plasma insulin and Homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) for the diagnosis of IR in obese children and adolescents and their correlation with dyslipidemia. Methods A multicenter, cross-sectional study including 383 subjects aged 7 to 18 years, evaluating fasting blood glucose, plasma insulin, and lipid profile. Subjects with high insulin levels and/or HOMA-IR were considered as having IR, based on two defining criteria: FCOP or CCOP. The frequency of metabolic abnormalities, the presence of IR, and the presence of dyslipidemia in relation to FCOP or CCOP were analyzed using Fisher and Mann-Whitney exact tests. Results Using HOMA-IR, IR was diagnosed in 155 (40.5%) and 215 (56.1%) patients and, using fasting insulin, 150 (39.2%) and 221 (57.7%), respectively applying FCOP and CCOP. The use of CCOP resulted in lower insulin and HOMA-IR values than FCOP. Dyslipidemia was not related to FCOP or CCOP. Blood glucose remained within normal limits in all patients with IR. There was no difference in the frequency of IR identified by plasma insulin or HOMA-IR, both for FCOP and CCOP. Conclusion The CCOP of plasma insulin or of HOMA-IR detected more cases of IR as compared to the FCOP, but were not associated with the frequency of dyslipidemia. As blood glucose has almost no fluctuation in this age group, even in the presence of IR, fasting plasma insulin detected the same cases of IR that would be detected by HOMA-IR.
HEALTH-RELATED QOL AND LIFESTYLES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS IN ELDERLY PEOPLE

Human cognitive functions are associated with health conditions and lifestyles in daily living. However, little is known about how cognitive functions in healthy elderly people are correlated with their health conditions and daily lifestyles. This study investigated this issue. The study involved 85 healthy older adults, who were examined for memory and frontal-lobe functions. Additionally, their subjective health-related QOL (HQOL) and lifestyles were assessed, including the physical, intellectual, and social activities in daily lives. This study yielded three main findings. First, HQOL scores were positively correlated with scores for memory and frontal-lobe tasks. Second, older adults whose daily lives included moderate physical activity showed better memory functions than those with high and low levels of physical activity. Third, participants who engaged in a higher frequency of intellectual and social activities had better memory and frontal-lobe functions. Individual differences in subjective health condition and lifestyles could predict cognitive abilities in elderly.
Yeast phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase, Pik1, has essential roles at the Golgi and in the nucleus

Phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase, Pik1, is essential for viability. GFP-Pik1 localized to cytoplasmic puncta and the nucleus. The puncta colocalized with Sec7-DsRed, a marker of trans-Golgi cisternae. Kap95 (importin-β) was necessary for nuclear entry, but not Kap60 (importin-α), and exportin Msn5 was required for nuclear exit. Frq1 (frequenin orthologue) also is essential for viability and binds near the NH2 terminus of Pik1. Frq1-GFP localized to Golgi puncta, and Pik1 lacking its Frq1-binding site (or Pik1 overexpressed in frq1Δ cells) did not decorate the Golgi, but nuclear localization was unperturbed. Pik1(Δ10-192), which lacks its nuclear export sequence, displayed prominent nuclear accumulation and did not rescue inviability of pik1Δ cells. A Pik1-CCAAX chimera was excluded from the nucleus and also did not rescue inviability of pik1Δ cells. However, coexpression of Pik1(Δ10-192) and Pik1-CCAAX in pik1Δ cells restored viability. Catalytically inactive derivatives of these compartment-restricted Pik1 constructs indicated that PtdIns4P must be generated both in the nucleus and at the Golgi for normal cell function.
Maternal Parity and the Risk of Congenital Heart Defects in Offspring: A Dose-Response Meta-Analysis of Epidemiological Observational Studies

Background Epidemiological studies have reported conflicting results regarding maternal parity and the risk of congenital heart defects (CHDs). However, a meta-analysis of the association between maternal parity and CHDs in offspring has not been conducted. Methods We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE for articles catalogued between their inception and March 8, 2014; we identified relevant published studies that assessed the association between maternal parity and CHD risk. Two authors independently assessed the eligibility of the retrieved articles and extracted data from them. Study-specific relative risk estimates were pooled by random-effects or fixed-effects models. From the 11272 references, a total of 16 case-control studies and 3 cohort studies were enrolled in this meta-analysis. Results The overall relative risk of CHD in parous versus nulliparous women was 1.01 (95% CI, 0.97–1.06; Q = 32.34; P = 0.006; I2 = 53.6%). Furthermore, we observed a significant association between the highest versus lowest parity number, with an overall RR = 1.20 (95% CI, 1.10–1.31; (Q = 74.61, P<0.001, I2 = 82.6%). A dose–response analysis also indicated a positive effect of maternal parity on CHD risk, and the overall increase in relative risk per one live birth was 1.06 (95% CI, 1.02–1.09); Q = 68.09; P<0.001; I2 = 80.9%). We conducted stratified and meta-regression analyses to identify the origin of the heterogeneity among studies. A Galbraith plot was created to graphically assess the sources of heterogeneity. Conclusion In summary, this meta-analysis provided a robust estimate of the positive association between maternal parity and risk of CHD.
Multistability of discrete-time recurrent neural networks with unsaturating piecewise linear activation functions

This paper studies the multistability of a class of discrete-time recurrent neural networks with unsaturating piecewise linear activation functions. It addresses the nondivergence, global attractivity, and complete stability of the networks. Using the local inhibition, conditions for nondivergence are derived, which not only guarantee nondivergence, but also allow for the existence of multiequilibrium points. Under these nondivergence conditions, global attractive compact sets are obtained. Complete stability is studied via constructing novel energy functions and using the well-known Cauchy Convergence Principle. Examples and simulation results are used to illustrate the theory.
Stoichiometry of Proton Release from the Catalytic Center in Photosynthetic Water Oxidation

The catalytic center (CC) of water oxidation in photosystem II passes through four stepwise increased oxidized states (S0–S4) before O2 evolution takes place from 2H2O in the S4 → S0 transition. The pattern of the release of the four protons from the CC cannot be followed directly in the medium, because proton release from unknown amino acid residues also takes place. However, pH-independent net charge oscillations of 0:0:1:1 in S0:S1:S2:S3 have been considered as an intrinsic indicator for the H+ release from the CC. The net charges have been proposed to be created as the charge difference between electron abstraction and H+release from the CC. Then the H+ release from the CC is 1:0:1:2 for the S0 → S1 → S2 → S3 → S0 transition. Strong support for this conclusion is given in this work with the analysis of the pH-dependent pattern of H+ release in the medium measured directly by a glass electrode between pH 5.5 and 7.2. Improved and crystallizable photosystem II core complexes from the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus were used as material. The pattern can be explained by protons released from the CC with a stoichiometry of 1:0:1:2 and protons from an amino acid group (pK ≈ 5.7) that is deprotonated and reprotonated through electrostatic interaction with the oscillating net charges 0:0:1:1 in S0:S1:S2:S3. Possible water derivatives that circulate through the S states have been named.
Causal Influence of Articulatory Motor Cortex on Comprehending Single Spoken Words: TMS Evidence

Classic wisdom had been that motor and premotor cortex contribute to motor execution but not to higher cognition and language comprehension. In contrast, mounting evidence from neuroimaging, patient research, and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) suggest sensorimotor interaction and, specifically, that the articulatory motor cortex is important for classifying meaningless speech sounds into phonemic categories. However, whether these findings speak to the comprehension issue is unclear, because language comprehension does not require explicit phonemic classification and previous results may therefore relate to factors alien to semantic understanding. We here used the standard psycholinguistic test of spoken word comprehension, the word-to-picture-matching task, and concordant TMS to articulatory motor cortex. TMS pulses were applied to primary motor cortex controlling either the lips or the tongue as subjects heard critical word stimuli starting with bilabial lip-related or alveolar tongue-related stop consonants (e.g., “pool” or “tool”). A significant cross-over interaction showed that articulatory motor cortex stimulation delayed comprehension responses for phonologically incongruent words relative to congruous ones (i.e., lip area TMS delayed “tool” relative to “pool” responses). As local TMS to articulatory motor areas differentially delays the comprehension of phonologically incongruous spoken words, we conclude that motor systems can take a causal role in semantic comprehension and, hence, higher cognition.
Omics strategies for revealing Yersinia pestis virulence

Omics has remarkably changed the way we investigate and understand life. Omics differs from traditional hypothesis-driven research because it is a discovery-driven approach. Mass datasets produced from omics-based studies require experts from different fields to reveal the salient features behind these data. In this review, we summarize omics-driven studies to reveal the virulence features of Yersinia pestis through genomics, trascriptomics, proteomics, interactomics, etc. These studies serve as foundations for further hypothesis-driven research and help us gain insight into Y. pestis pathogenesis.
Prenatal genesis of layer II doublecortin expressing neurons in neonatal and young adult guinea pig cerebral cortex

Cells expressing doublecortin (DCX+) occur at cortical layer II, predominantly over the paleocortex in mice/rats, but also across the neocortex among larger mammals. Here, we explored the time of origin of these cells in neonatal and 2-month-old guinea pigs following prenatal BrdU pulse-chasing. In the neocortex, BrdU+ cells birth-dated at embryonic day 21 (E21), E28, and E35 laminated over the cortical plate with an inside-out order. In the piriform cortex, cells generated at E21 and E28 occurred with a greater density in layer II than III. Many cells were generated at later time points until birth, occurring in the cortex without a laminar preference. DCX+ cells in the neocortex and piriform cortex partially co-colocalized with BrdU (up to 7.5%) in the newborns after pulse-chasing from E21 to E49 and in the 2 month-old animals after pulse-chasing from E28 to E60/61, with higher rates seen among the E21-E35 groups. Together, layer II DCX+ cells in neonatal and young adult guinea pigs may be produced over a wide prenatal time window, but mainly during the early phases of corticogenesis. Our data also show an earlier establishment of the basic lamination in the piriform relative to neocortical areas in guinea pigs.
Crime Classification Manual

This text classifies the three major felonies - murder, arson, and sexual assault - based on the motivation of the offender, standardizing in one place the language and terminology used throughout the criminal justice system. It should provide police officers, detectives, homicide investigators, and other law enforcement personnel, in any size community, access to the same information as used by the FBI to coordinate their investigations. The guide forms the basis of contemporary investigative "profiling", the acclaimed strategy enebling law enforcement personnel to solve a crime by generating a profile of the suspect. Drawing from such disciplines as nursing, psychiatry, and psychology, each of the three crime classification groups reflect current relevant research on actual criminal cases. Each classification includes an in-depth case study, which analyses an actual crime, giving users examples of specific crime scene characteristics to look for. The CCM will facilitate communication within criminal justice and mental health professionals. Furthermore, it develops a database for investigative research.
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: agreement between clinical impression and the SNAP-IV screening tool.

INTRODUCTION The CONCOR study aimed to determine the predictive value of the SNAP-IV screening tool for ADHD relative to the pediatricians' clinical global impression of the presence of ADHD in children attending their practice. METHODS In this multicentre, cross-sectional, case-control study participated pediatricians from all over Spain and each pediatrician enrolled at least six children over the age of 6 years who had no previous diagnosis of ADHD, three whom they considered to have symptoms characteristic of ADHD (DSM-IV criteria) and three children who did not. Screening with the SNAP-IV tool was completed by parents in the waiting room prior to a consultation (for any reason) and results were compared with the pediatrician's clinical global impression. RESULTS Results for 7263 Spanish children (>6 years of age) showed 'good' concordance between the SNAP-IV screening tool and the pediatricians' clinical impression of ADHD (kappa concordance index 0.6471; 95% confidence intervals: 0.6296-0.6646), with acceptable sensitivity and specificity (82.3% and 82.4%, respectively). Based on an estimated ADHD prevalence of 3-10%, the negative predictive values of SNAP-IV were 97.7%-99.3% and positive predictive values were 12.6-34.2%. CONCLUSIONS SNAP-IV is a useful screening tool that identifies children who are unlikely to have ADHD, and brings those in whom there is a high possibility of ADHD to the attention of the pediatrician for clinical evaluation.
FAST SPE EXTRACTION AND LC-ESI-MSMS ANALYSIS OF FLAVONOIDS AND PHENOLIC ACIDS IN

As generally recognized, flavonoids and phenolic acids are the most important components of honey related to its antioxidant power. A simple SPE extraction procedure was developed to acquire fractions for the determination in honey of antioxidants components, like phenolics, flavonoids and organic acids. An acidified honey solution is passed through a 500mg C18 and/or SDB polymeric SPE column to obtain a clear fraction containing phenolic acids and flavonoids. Then the filtrate is neutralised and passed through a SAX SPE column to obtain the fraction containing organic acids. The procedure was validated analysing the extracts with HPLC-DAD methods to determine repeatability r and recovery %. Coupled reversed phase HPLC-Mass Spectrometry Detection with an ESI (Electro Spray Ionisation) interface in the negative ion mode was then used to analyse the phenolics and flavonoid containing fractions. Detection and Quantification limits are very low. The LC/ESI/MS/MS with full SCAN, DAUGHTER SCAN and MRM methods, permitted so far to identify and quantify, by mean of their specific m/z and fragmentation patterns, eight typical flavonoids and seven typical phenolic acids in 5 species of unifloral Italian honeys (Robinia, Castanea, Eucalyptus, Helianthus, Erica arborea).
Marine Plastic Pollution in Waters around Australia: Characteristics, Concentrations, and Pathways

Plastics represent the vast majority of human-made debris present in the oceans. However, their characteristics, accumulation zones, and transport pathways remain poorly assessed. We characterised and estimated the concentration of marine plastics in waters around Australia using surface net tows, and inferred their potential pathways using particle-tracking models and real drifter trajectories. The 839 marine plastics recorded were predominantly small fragments (“microplastics”, median length = 2.8 mm, mean length = 4.9 mm) resulting from the breakdown of larger objects made of polyethylene and polypropylene (e.g. packaging and fishing items). Mean sea surface plastic concentration was 4256.4 pieces km−2, and after incorporating the effect of vertical wind mixing, this value increased to 8966.3 pieces km−2. These plastics appear to be associated with a wide range of ocean currents that connect the sampled sites to their international and domestic sources, including populated areas of Australia's east coast. This study shows that plastic contamination levels in surface waters of Australia are similar to those in the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Maine, but considerably lower than those found in the subtropical gyres and Mediterranean Sea. Microplastics such as the ones described here have the potential to affect organisms ranging from megafauna to small fish and zooplankton.
Effects of visual feedback rhythmic weight-shift training on hemiplegic stroke patients

Objective: To assess the balance function of hemiplegic stroke patients and to investigate whether visual feedback rhythmic weight-shift training following acute stroke can decrease falls among patients with hemiplegic stroke. Design: A prospective study, using a Balance Master. Setting: Hospital-based rehabilitation units. Subjects: Fifty-two hemiplegic stroke patients (28 in the training group and 24 in the control group). Interventions: Conventional stroke rehabilitation programme plus visual feedback rhythmic weight-shift training. Training effect was evaluated by assessing the static and dynamic balance performance as well as comparing the occurrence of falls in the training and control groups at six-month follow-up. Main measures: Occurrence of falls; static balance in different sensory conditions; and dynamic balance performance, including on-axis velocity and directional control during rhythmic weight-shift. Results: Significant improvement in dynamic balance performance was found in hemiplegic patients in the training group. The improvement was sustained for six months. With regarding to static balance function, no significant improvement was found. At six-month follow-up, 5 of 28 patients (17.8%) in the training group had fallen, compared with 10 of 24 patients (41.7%) in the control group. The occurrence of falls decreased, although not statistically significantly (p = 0.059). Conclusions: Visual feedback rhythmic weight-shift training may improve dynamic balance function for hemiplegic stroke patients. The effects of training may be sustained for six months. The occurrence of falls decreased in the training group, but not statistically significantly.
Excitation of g-Modes in a Proto-Neutron Star by the Standing Accretion Shock Instability

The acoustic-revival mechanism in core-collapse supernovae, proposed recently by the Arizona group led by A. Burrows, is an interesting new scenario. With an aim to understanding the elementary processes involved in this mechanism, we have calculated the eigenfrequencies and eigenfunctions for the g-mode oscillations of a nonrotating proto-neutron star. The possible excitation of these modes by the standing accretion shock instability, or SASI, is discussed. We have formulated the forced oscillations of g-modes due to external pressure perturbations exerted on the proto-neutron star's surface. The driving pressure fluctuations have been adopted from our previous computations of axisymmetric SASI in the nonlinear regime. We pay particular attention to low-l modes, since these are the modes that are dominant in SASI and what Burrows et al. claim to have played an important role in their acoustic-revival scenario. Here l is the index of the spherical harmonic functions, Y. Although the frequency spectrum of nonlinear SASI is broadened substantially by nonlinear couplings, the typical frequency is still much smaller than those of the g-modes, leading to a severe impedance mismatch. As a result, the excitations of various g-modes are rather inefficient, and the energy of the saturated g-modes is ~1050 ergs or less, with the g2 mode being the largest in our model. Here the g2 mode has two radial nodes and is confined to the interior of the convective region. The energy transfer rate from the g-modes to outgoing sound waves is estimated from the growth of the g-modes to be ~1051 ergs s-1 in the models studied in this paper.
What Is Patient-Centered Care Really? Voices of Hispanic Prenatal Patients

Variations in patient-centered care (PCC) models and approaches contribute to ambiguity in how PCC is understood and defined, especially with regard to meeting the needs of diverse patient populations. One of the biggest challenges of putting PCC into practice is knowing what elements are the most important to patients. This qualitative study privileges patients’ voices and adds a cultural dimension to existing health communication research on PCC through an empirical investigation of 48 Hispanic prenatal care patients’ understandings and expectations of PCC. Semistructured interviews with 48 patients revealed five key themes in order of frequency: (a) una relación amable (a friendly relationship), (b) la atencion médica efectiva (effective medical care), (c) Español hablado (the Spanish language spoken), (d) comprensión de la información (understanding of information), and (e) eliminación del racismo (elimination of racism). The themes reflected several different assumptions and expectations with regard to PCC as compared to those espoused in many of the existing models and frameworks, such as the extent to which friendly interpersonal behaviors (e.g., smiling, making eye contact, displaying patience, and engaging in formal greetings, introductions, and farewells) were critical to patient satisfaction with the health care experience. Not only did patients feel better understood, but accompanied by friendly behaviors, information was viewed as more believable and accurate, and thus more patient-centered. The findings suggest that implementing culturally sensitive PCC approaches to caring for Hispanic prenatal care patients can include training health care staff on the importance of displaying friendly communicative behaviors such as smiling.