Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Serum cortisol and testosterone levels in idiopathic central serous chorioretinopathy

Context: The preferential occurrence of idiopathic central serous chorioretinopathy (ICSC) in males with a typical Type A personality and behavior and a relative absence in females is a possible indicator towards the role of serum cortisol and /or the male sex hormone testosterone. Aims: To study levels of cortisol and testosterone in ICSC. Settings and Design: Case-control study in a tertiary care teaching hospital. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on 23 cases of ICSC. Twelve patients with unilateral sudden painless loss of vision of less than one month duration served as controls. Serum cortisol and testosterone levels at 8.00 a.m. were estimated by radioimmunoassay in both groups. Statistical analysis used: Statistical analysis was done using SPSS 13.0 software. Independent Sample t-test was applied to analyze statistical significance between the two groups. Results: Mean age of patients with ICSC was 37.1 ± 9.7 years and 96% of the patients were males. Mean serum cortisol levels were significantly higher (P=0.002) in patients with ICSC i.e., 495.02 ± 169.47 nano moles/liter (nmol/L) as compared to controls i.e., 362.25 ± 51.54 nmol/L. Mean serum testosterone levels were 3.85 ± 1.81 nano grams/ml (ngm/ml) and 4.23 ± 1.89 ngm/ml in cases and controls respectively and the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.58). Conclusions: ICSC is associated with elevated 8.00 a.m. serum cortisol levels. However, mean serum testosterone levels in both patients of ICSC and controls were within normal range.
Role of angiotensin II type 1 receptor in the regulation of cellular adhesion molecules in atherosclerosis.

BACKGROUND Inflammation is a central feature of coronary artery disease (CAD) that is characterized by increased expression of cellular adhesion molecules with the exception of L-selectin. L-selectin is a leukocyte adhesion molecule that is rapidly shed after leukocyte activation so that it appears to be decreased in CAD. The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is implicated in atherogenesis and up-regulates these molecules. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of angiotensin type 1 (AT1) receptor antagonism on serum and leukocyte adhesion molecule expression in patients with CAD. Blood samples were collected from 31 patients before and after 8 weeks of treatment with losartan (44 +/- 2 mg/d, mean +/- SE), an AT1 receptor antagonist. We measured serum intercellular adhesion molecule-1, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, endothelial-leukocyte adhesion molecule, and C-reactive protein (CRP). By flow cytometry, we also measured the expression of leukocyte CD11a, CD11b, CD11c, CD18, CD31, CD49d, and CD62L (L-selectin) in 13 patients. RESULTS Treatment with losartan decreased systolic blood pressure (141 +/- 3 vs 135 +/- 4 mm Hg, P =.04) and increased plasma renin activity (1.2 +/- 0.4 vs 2.7 +/- 0.5 ng/mL/h, P =.001). There was a significant increase in L-selectin expression on monocytes (86 +/- 6 vs 118 +/- 10 MESF units, P =.007), lymphocytes (52 +/- 10 vs 79 +/- 8, P =.01), and granulocytes (124 +/- 7 vs 156 +/- 18, P =.056). However, there were no changes in the other leukocyte and serum adhesion molecules or CRP. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that AT1 receptor antagonism selectively modulates L-selectin expression on leukocytes and that endogenous stimulation of AT1 receptors by the RAS contributes to the activation of leukocytes and decreased expression of L-selectin in CAD.
Connected Learning in Co-Operative Education.

This qualitative research study explored the experiences of students who had attended a co-operative (co-op) education program, with a focus on what makes the experience meaningful to them. Utilizing a basic interpretive research design, students who graduated from a co-op program were interviewed using an open-ended interview protocol. Both male and female students were selected based on graduation date and came from a wide range of program types. Findings for this study were examined through the lens of connected-learning, a learning method that places emphasis on discussion, collaboration, and acceptance for knowledge development. Several themes emerged including experience, relationships, time, fees, and luck. Findings suggest that co-operative education is beneficial, but it is made meaningful by more than securing paid work terms.
Distant bodies ? Rural studies, political–economy and poststructuralism

This paper suggests that recent debates over the future of rural studies have been, in some cases, highly dualistic, claiming that it is necessary to choose between political-economy or poststructuralism and between adopting a structuralist/modernist class-analysis or a poststructuralism/postmodernism in which class does not figure. It is argued that there are good reasons for resisting such constructions of choice, and the paper seeks to demonstrate the value of paying attention to discursive constructions of class. Drawing on four pieces of rural research, it is suggested that class is still a salient discursive construct, both within popular images of rurality and within the descriptions of rural life made by, at least some, rural residents. It is also argued that while many rural residents do explicitly reject class identities, often preferring to construct identities through a range of rural lifestyle discourses, these themselves often draw upon cultural textures of class
Cardiac muscle changes in senescence.

The biophysical and biochemical mechanisms that govern cardiac muscle function change with age resulting in characteristic alterations in muscle function (22). This chapter reviews our present understanding of how the excitation, activation, and contraction mechanisms in cardiac muscle change with senescence. Many of the studies discussed here measured cardiac muscle function in thin trabeculae or papillary muscles that had been removed from the heart and superfused in physiologic saline. In these preparations the cardiac systole is simulated as a twitch or contraction elicited by an action potential that occurs in response to external electrical stimulation. A brief summary of the mechanisms that underlie the coupling of cardiac excitation, activation, and contraction is useful for an integrated interpretation of studies that have examined the impact of age on these mechanisms.
Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research Polymorphisms of Glutathione-s-transferase M1, T1, P1 and the Risk of Prostate Cancer: a Case-control Study

Background: It has been suggested that polymorphisms in glutathione-S-transferases (GST) could predispose to prostate cancer through a heritable deficiency in detoxification pathways for environmental carcinogens. Yet, studies linking GST polymorphism and prostate cancer have so far failed to unambiguously establish this relation in patients. A retrospective study on healthy, unrelated subjects was conducted in order to estimate the population GST genotype frequencies in the Slovak population of men and compare our results with already published data (GSEC project-Genetic Susceptibility to Environmental Carcinogens). A further aim of the study was to evaluate polymorphisms in GST also in patients with prostate cancer in order to compare the evaluated proportions with those found in the control subjects.
Structuring and Re-Creating Inequality: Health Testing Policies, Race, and the Criminal Justice System

Research shows that prison inmates have a higher risk of contracting HIV than the general population, which prompts measures aimed at diagnosis, quarantine, and treatment. Research has also linked released inmates to an increase in the HIV incidence rate of communities. The authors explore the disjuncture between institutional policies and potential community outcomes by evaluating health assessments of inmates before and during prison admission. The authors argue that the penal institution is an active agent in structuring and re-creating health inequalities within prisons, thereby exacerbating existing community health inequities when inmates are released. Using data from the 2002 Survey of Inmates in Local Jails and the 2004 Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Prisons, the authors find significant racial, educational, and marital inequalities in health testing and test results. These inequalities vary across types of institutional testing policies and inmate cohorts, with later admission cohorts being less likely to receive HIV tests and future release cohorts having a higher likelihood of being HIV-positive.
Stress, social rank and leukocyte telomere length

Blood leukocytes are a heterogeneous mixture of cell types whose telomere lengths differ greatly, reflecting variation in stem cell turnover and recruitment, expansion and replacement of more mature cell types as well as variable telomere loss and telomere repair. These differences in cell and telomere length dynamics, together with the evidence that telomere length is influenced strongly by genetic polymorphisms, greatly complicate the interpretation of claims that socio‐economic status modulates the rate of telomere attrition.
Reassessing the Dimensions of Temperamental Individuality Across the Life Span:The Revised Dimensions of Temperament Survey (DOTS-R)

The principal objective of this research was to identify age-continuous features of temperament, across an age span from early childhood to late adolescence/early adulthood through the construction of a new temperament measure, the Revised Dimensions of Temperament Survey (DOTS-R). Limitations of an extant temperament measure, the Dimensions of Temperament Survey (DOTS), were considered in the present scale construction research. A temperament questionnaire composed of an initial pool of 106 items was administered to three different samples-preschoolers, elementary school children, and late adolescents/early adults. The analyses included interrater agreement for content validity of items, item-total scale analyses, factor analyses, and the determination of internal consistency estimates of temperament dimensions for each sample. A nine factor model of temperament emerged for the preschool and elementary school samples, whereas a ten factor model emerged for the late adolescent/early adult sample. Supporting the factorial validity of the DOTS-R across the three age samples, results indicated high congruity for pairwise comparisons of factor loading patterns across samples, and moderate to high levels of internal consistency for each of the temperament dimensions across samples. Data supportive of the predictive validity of the DOTS-R for early and late adolescents are noted as well.
Learning Ecologies for Technological Fluency: Gender and Experience Differences

The concern with a “digital divide” has been transformed from one defined by technological access to technological prowess—employing technologies for more empowered and generative uses such as learning and innovation. Participation in technological fluency-building activities among high school students in a community heavily involved in the technology industry was investigated in a study of 98 high school seniors enrolled in AP-level calculus. Findings indicated substantial variability in history of fluency-building experiences despite similar levels of access. More and less experienced groups were defined based on their breadth of prior experience. Males and females who were classified as more experienced utilized a broader range of learning resources and were more likely to learn from out-of-school classes and distributed resources such as online tutorials and reading material. Gender differences emerged with respect to participation in certain activities such as computer programming, even when controlling for overall breadth of experience and an analysis of course-taking history helped explain why. Four times as many males as females had taken a programming class. Analysis of reasons for taking courses indicated that the majority of females who chose to take programming did so with the encouragement of family members. Both confidence and interest were related to experience, though the relationship differed for males and females. These results are discussed with respect to a multi-context framework for the development of technological fluency.
Sex Offender Sentencing in Washington State

prison; the remainder received either a jail sentence or probation. For those who were imprisoned, the average length of stay was just over five years.1 For sex offenders determined by the court to be "sexual psychopaths," civil commitment was available. Approximately 200 sex offenders received inpatient treatment at a state mental hospital, which lasted about two years. The hospital staff made continual decisions regarding the offender's progress in treatment. Only about 20 percent of those offenders sent to the hospital were successfully discharged; the remainder were returned to court and sentenced to prison terms.2 In 1981, the Legislature embarked on sentencing reform and appointed a Sentencing Guidelines Commission to recommend the first sentencing guidelines.3 The Commission completed its initial work in 1983. However, at that time the group requested another year to determine if and how to incorporate treatment options for sex offenders. The Commission's report noted that both advocates of sexual assault victims and specialists in the treatment of sex offenders were concerned about the ramifica tions of presumptive sentencing on treatment opportunities for sex offenders.4 Under the indeter minate sentencing scheme, the offender was offered treatment as part of a probation sentence. If the offender did not succeed or failed to cooperate, the court could impose a jail or prison term later. Since determinate sentencing is an "up-front" system, however, accommodating treatment meant carving out special rules for sex offenses. During 1982, Commission members met with prosecutors, defense attorneys, victim and sex offender treatment professionals and received letters from many citizen groups and individuals. In addition, they reviewed scientific research and contacted national experts in the field of sex offender treatment. In the Commission's deliberations, the victim's response to sex crimes was an important consideration. The Commission learned that many victims and their families want the offender to receive treatment rather than be incarcerated, particularly in cases involving child sexual abuse by relatives. Without the cooperation of victims and their families, the criminal justice system could not effectively respond to sexual abuse. With incarcera tion as the sole options, victims and other family members aware of sexual abuse might not be willing to report the offender. The Commission also considered the offender's incentives to cooperate with treatment. Offenders are usually aware that undergoing treatment, especially if the professional is well-qualified and effective, will not be easy: the inquiry will be very intrusive. By contrast, doing time in jail or prison may be boring, frightening, or oppressive, but the level of intrusive ness will not be nearly so high. Therefore, the Commission saw the need to structure a system with incentives for the offender, since public safety is enhanced when treatment reduces re-offending. Ultimately, the Commission chose to craft a special treatment option for certain sex offenders that allowed them to receive treatment in lieu of incar
Mechanisms of neuropathic pain.

Neuropathic pain is defined as ‘pain initiated or caused by a primary lesion or dysfunction in the nervous system’. 94 The spectrum of neuropathic pain covers a variety of disease states (Table 1) and presents in the clinic with a variety of symptoms. 145 Neuropathic pain is often reported as having a lancinating or continuous burning character and is often associated with the appearance of abnormal sensory signs, such as allodynia (pain as a result of a stimulus which does not normally provoke pain) or hyperalgesia (an increased response to a stimulus which is normally painful) (Figure 1). The sensory phenomena can be further characterized into static or dynamic sub-types. The mechanistic implication of allodynia is that elements of the sensory nervous system, which normally signal innocuous sensation have begun to encode painful stimuli, whilst in hyperalgesia the structures that sub-serve nociception have become hyperexcitable. Neuropathic pain is an area of largely unmet therapeutic need. The current pharmacological mainstays of clinical management are tricyclic anti-depressants and certain anticonvulsants, 92 119 but these only achieve clinically significant (greater than 50%) pain relief in less than 50% of patients and are associated with sub-optimal side effect profiles. Opioids are generally considered to be less effective in neuropathic pain than in inflammatory pain, with the dose response curve of opioids in neuropathic pain shifted to the right of that for inflammatory pain, although the extent of this difference is controversial. 112 The majority of research into neuropathic pain mechanisms has concentrated on changes in the peripheral nerve or spinal cord after peripheral nerve injury and, therefore, most available evidence relates to changes in these parts of the nervous system and the review will, therefore, focus on these aspects. Nevertheless, it is important to recognize that alterations in the brain have also been demonstrated following peripheral nerve injury, but much less is known about the significance of these changes. For example, phantom limb pain has been shown to be associated with reorganization of the cortex of humans. 43 The degree of cortical re-organization, as determined by BTi neuromagnetic imaging, was linked in a linear fashion to the intensity of pain, with an increase in re-organization being associated with greater pain intensity. 43 A more recent study indicated that cortical re-organization was evident only in patients with phantom limb pain, and not in patients with non-painful phantom limb phenomena or congenital absence of the limb. 44
In Vitro Studies of 5-Fluorocytosine Resistance in Candida albicans and Torulopsis glabrata

Spontaneous mutants of Candida albicans resistant to 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC) were isolated from a strain susceptible to 5-FC. These mutants were compared with 5-FC-resistant strains of C. albicans and Torulopsis glabrata isolated from patients treated with the drug and from untreated patients. Resistance to 5-FC was in all cases followed by a decreased susceptibility to 5-fluorouracil. Most strains were also more resistant to 5-fluorouridine and had a lowered incorporation of uridine. In one spontaneous mutant totally resistant to all three 5-fluoropyrimidines, the uridine monophosphate pyrophosphorylase activity was greatly decreased. The 5-FC-resistant strains were of two main phenotypic classes. Class one was unaffected by 5-FC at the highest concentration tested. The growth rate of strains belonging to the other class was markedly decreased by low concentrations of 5-FC, but these strains were still able to form colonies after 7 days of incubation on plates containing very high concentrations of the drug (2,000 μg/ml). The frequency of spontaneous mutation of a susceptible strain to 5-FC resistance was fairly high. The number of mutants growing on media containing 5-FC was unchanged by concentrations ranging from 25 to 500 μg/ml.
The communicative competence of mildly retarded adults

ABSTRACT This study examined the communicative behavior of mildly retarded adults engaged in conversation with peers. Contemporary models of pragmatic interaction were applied to samples of triadic naturally occurring conversation. The subjects made few errors in turn-taking; moreover, the rule system involved was consistent with that posited for nonretarded adults. They recognized those illocutionary acts that obligated them to respond as well as the specific responses required. That they were actively involved in information exchange was indicated by the observation that the majority of their turns were responses to the preceding turns of others, even when under no obligation to respond. Individual differences on most measures were observed, and the measures appeared related to each other, but not to IQ. Unexpectedly, the subjects produced few indirect speech acts.
Unmarried Adolescent Females in Rural India: A Study of the Social Impact of Education.

Data from interviews with 70 unmarried adolescent females in a traditional Indian community are used to examine the impact of education upon their activities, ideals and general awareness. A novelfeature of the analysis is the inclusion of both schoolgoing and out-of-school youth. While education was linked to more modern attitudes and greater knowledge, considerable traditionalism prevailed even among the most educated adolescents. Comparisons with responses from a sample of 40 village boys to selected general knowledge questions demonstrated relative female ignorance. It is argued that the present rural school system is of limited relevance for female adolescents.
Involvement Counts: Family and Community Partnerships and Mathematics Achievement

National and international studies have made student performance in mathematics a high priority in schools. Using longitudinal data from elementary and secondary schools, the authors examined the connections between specific family and community involvement activities and student achievement in mathematics at the school level. After the authors controlled for prior levels of mathematics achievement, analyses indicated that effective implementation of practices that encouraged families to support their children's mathematics learning at home was associated with higher percentages of students who scored at or above proficiency on standardized mathematics achievement tests. Findings suggest that subject-specific practices of school, family, and community partnerships may help educators improve students' mathematics skills and achievement.
Working class homosexuality and HIV/AIDS prevention some recent research from Sydney, Australia

Abstract Surveys on gay and bisexual men in Sydney and non-metropolitan New South Wales (NSW) indicate uneven patterns of HIV/AIDS knowledge and sexual behaviour change. As a follow-up action-research study, the Class, Homosexuality and AIDS Prevention (CHAP) project pursued audio-recorded, semistructured interviews with men in western Sydney and Nullangardie, a provincial city in NSW, to investigate the relationship between homosexuality and class. One-to-one interviews with working-class, homosexually active men revealed particular patterns of homosexual initiation and sexual relationships, and a distinct culture being slowly affected by notions of being “gay” and “gay community”. This impact of modern gay life on western Sydney was different from that in the provincial city. More prominent were the effects of class—unemployment, poor education, poverty, and cultural marginalisation—on the experience and elaboration of homosexuality. Group interviews confirmed an experience of “difference” from prominen.