Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nerve‐sparing approach during radical prostatectomy is strongly associated with the rate of postoperative urinary continence recovery

Urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction are the most bothersome sequelae affecting health‐related quality of life in patients treated with radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer. While it has been widely reported that a nerve‐sparing approach significantly improves postoperative erectile function, the impact of neurovascular bundle preservation on urinary continence recovery is still a matter of controversy. Our study clearly demonstrates that patients treated with nerve‐sparing radical prostatectomy have higher chances of recovering full continence after surgery. The results indicate that, when technically and oncologically feasible, an attempt at a nerve‐sparing approach should be planned in order to increase the probability of achieving full continence after radical prostatectomy.
Prison Drug Dealing and the Ethnographic Lens

Based on fieldwork conducted in a medium-security UK prison for men, this article highlights the strengths of ethnographic research methods for exploring prison drug dealing. Having detailed the way that the research project proceeded, it analyses prison drug dealing as an individually meaningful act that takes place within a broader context of cultural codes, social relations and institutional policies. It suggests that, to unpack these issues fully, and chart the terms of the internal economy which heroin dominates, a committed attendance in the prison establishment, and an approach that is broad and exploratory, is of great benefit.
EBV-Specific T-Cell Immunity in Pediatric Solid Organ Graft Recipients With Posttransplantation Lymphoproliferative Disease

Background Posttransplantation lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD) is an often Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)–associated mainly malignant complication after transplantation. We present data on EBV-specific T cells in children treated with rituximab with or without chemotherapy on the pediatric PTLD Pilot 2005 protocol. Methods Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated from 16 pediatric patients with PTLD, 4 transplanted children with EBV reactivation, and 18 healthy controls. EBV-specific T cells were quantified by flow cytometric detection of intracellular interferon-&ggr; after stimulation with autologous EBV-transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines and correlated with EBV load in peripheral blood. Results At diagnosis, PTLD patients had similar numbers of EBV-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells as healthy EBV-positive controls. EBV-specific T cells tended to be lower in early PTLD compared with late PTLD. During treatment with rituximab, CD4+ and/or CD8+ EBV-specific T cells increased in most patients, possibly reflecting restored immunocompetence due to a reduction of immunosuppression as well as antigenic stimulation by cross-presentation of EBV antigen from destroyed B cells. However, this increase did not predict response to rituximab or chemotherapy. EBV load and circulating B cells became undetectable in most patients during rituximab therapy. B-cell recovery after treatment was accompanied by redetection of EBV in peripheral blood, which was controlled by T-cell responses in 11 of 11 evaluable cases. Conclusions In pediatric PTLD patients, pretreatment EBV-specific T-cell numbers are in the range of healthy controls. These cells increased on reduction of immunosuppression and treatment with rituximab. Recurrence of EBV viremia during complete remission is matched by strong T-cell responses.
BURDEN AND COPING IN CAREGIVERS OF PERSONS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA

Caring for a family member with schizophrenia is an enduring stressor and causes considerable amount of burden. The aim of the present study was to examine burden and coping in parents and spouses of persons with schizophrenia. The sample comprised of 24 parents and 24 spouses. Patients were assessed on the Global Assessment Scale (GAS), and caregivers were assessed on the Burden Assessment Schedule (BAS) and the Coping Checklist (CCL). Spouses reported greater emotional burden. Parents used more of denial as a coping strategy, while spouses used more of negative distraction strategies. On stepwise regression analysis, patient′s age, educational level, and level of functioning and caregiver′s use of denial as a coping strategy emerged as significant predictors of caregiver burden. The study highlights the fact that family intervention programs need to address the specific concerns of caregivers.
Situational and Personal Determinants of Academic Procrastination

Abstract Female college students (N = 112) completed a test battery of personality scales and performance tasks at home over four consecutive evenings, under one of eight combinations of the following experimental conditions: Schedule Source (experimenter versus self) × Scheduled Starting Time (strict versus lenient) × Plausibility of the Experiment. Delay in starting, summed over four evenings, constituted the measure of behavioral procrastination. This measure was moderately correlated with high test anxiety scores and low self-regulation. Procrastination was exacerbated when subjects were permitted to schedule the time of their expected completion of the test battery. Significant interactions of specific experimental conditions and specific personal traits demonstrated the situational requirements for trait-behavior relationships to emerge. Findings supported the internal consistency and construct validity of the behavioral procrastination measure. The practical and heuristic applications of a stimulus.
Retrieval and Distraction 1 Retrieval from Memory : Vulnerable or Inviolable ?

We show that retrieval from semantic memory is vulnerable even to the mere presence of speech. Irrelevant speech impairs semantic fluency —namely lexical retrieval cued by a semantic category name —more than meaningless speech (reversed speech or nonwords). Moreove r, speech related semantically to the retrieval category is more disruptive than unrelated speech. That phonemic fluency—in which participants are cued with the first letter of words they are to report —was not disrupted by the mere presence of speech, only by speech in a related phonemic category, suggests that distraction is not mediated by executive processing load. The pattern of sensitivity to different properties of sound as a function of the type of retrieval cue is in line with an interference -by-process approach to auditory distraction.
Aesthetic outcome of sliding island flap for reconstruction of cheek after tumour ablation.

BACKGROUND Skin cancer is the most common malignancy in humans and the incidence continues to rise. Facial reconstruction after cutaneous tumour ablation is a challenging job and needs thorough knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of face skin, biomechanics of skin and muscles, design of local flaps and their blood supply. The objective of this study was to report the aesthetic results of sliding island flap on the cheek. METHODS This study was carried in the department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Postgraduate Medical Institute Hayatabad Medical Complex Peshawar from March 2001 to February 2004. Forty patients with age 50-70 years having Basal Cell Carcinoma on infraorbital and malar area of the cheek were taken for the study. Tumors were excised with safe margins and defects restored with sliding island flap. This flap is based on subcutaneous vertical pedicle that vascularizes the skin island through sub dermal plexus. Patients were regularly followed up with preoperative and postoperative photography. Final aesthetic results were analyzed after six months. RESULTS Good symmetry of cheek was achieved. There was no noticeable scarring. Flap necrosis was not seen in any patient. Only one patient had mild ectropion of the lower eyelid (2.5%) that did not need any revisional surgery. CONCLUSIONS Relatively bigger defects of the cheek can be easily covered with this flap with preservation of cosmesis and without any distortion in the symmetry of the face.
Combining ADA, Protein and IFN- γ Best Allows Discrimination Between Tuberculous and Malignant Pleural Effusion

Background The purpose of this study is to assess the usefulness of various enzymes, cytokines and biochemical studies of pleural fluid for the differential diagnosis of tuberculosis from malignant pleural effusions, and to clarify the role of combining diagnostic tests. Methods The study group included 39 cases with tuberculous effusions and 31 cases with malignant effusions, whose diagnoses were confirmed by pleural biopsy, cytology or microbiological methods. We compared pleural fluid levels of ADA, TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, pH, protein, glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride, amylase and lactic dehydrogenase between tuberculous and malignant effusions. Using stepwise logistic regression analysis, we evaluated the benefit of combining various parameters. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of ADA, cytokines and equations generated from regression analyses were plotted and compared with the area under curve (AUC). Cut-off values showing the best diagnostic accuracy were selected and compared. Results Compared to malignant effusion, tuberculous effusion showed significantly higher levels of ADA, IFN-γ, TNF-α and IL-2. There was a good correlation between IFN-γ and TNF-α. By stepwise logistic regression analysis, IFN-γ, protein and ADA were independent variables predicting tuberculous from malignant effusions. The diagnostic accuracy and AUC of regression equation was greater than any other single parameters. Conclusion For the differential diagnosis of tuberculosis and malignant pleural effusions, combining ADA, protein and IFN-γ best allows discrimination.
Changes in the Brain Accumulation of Glucocorticoids in abcb1a-Deficient CF-1 Mice

The multidrug resistance transporter, P‐glycoprotein (P‐gp), contributes to highly lipophilic molecules penetrating the brain from the blood at a much lower rate than expected, and has numerous substrates, inhibitors and modulators. The drug‐transporting isoform of P‐gp is coded by a single human gene, ABCB1, and shares 80% homology with the murine drug‐transporting isoforms, abcb1a and abcb1b, which share 92% homology with each other. Although these murine isoforms are highly similar, there are known affinity differences between the isoforms, and the localisation of the two isoforms in the brain is also disputed. Studies using mice genetically modified to be deficient in one or both isoforms of P‐gp have also resulted in conflicting data. The contribution of the abcb1a isoform, which is considered to contribute most to the central nervous system (CNS)‐protective role of P‐gp, is investigated in the present study using CF‐1‐abcb1a(−/−) mice and the well‐established brain/choroid plexus perfusion technique. Twenty‐minute in situ brain/choroid plexus perfusions in CF‐1‐abcb1a(−/−) mice indicated the increased accumulation of [3H]cortisol, [3H]corticosterone and [3H]dexamethasone in most of the brain regions examined compared to CF‐1‐abcb1a(+/+) mice. Taken together with our earlier published studies in abcb1a/b(−/−) mice, these data strongly suggest that the in vivo CNS accumulation of glucocorticoids obtained using single knockout strains [e.g. abcb1a(−/−)] cannot be directly compared with those obtained in double knockout strains [e.g. abcb1a/b(−/−)].
Towards a Mathematical Theory of Cortical Micro-circuits

The theoretical setting of hierarchical Bayesian inference is gaining acceptance as a framework for understanding cortical computation. In this paper, we describe how Bayesian belief propagation in a spatio-temporal hierarchical model, called Hierarchical Temporal Memory (HTM), can lead to a mathematical model for cortical circuits. An HTM node is abstracted using a coincidence detector and a mixture of Markov chains. Bayesian belief propagation equations for such an HTM node define a set of functional constraints for a neuronal implementation. Anatomical data provide a contrasting set of organizational constraints. The combination of these two constraints suggests a theoretically derived interpretation for many anatomical and physiological features and predicts several others. We describe the pattern recognition capabilities of HTM networks and demonstrate the application of the derived circuits for modeling the subjective contour effect. We also discuss how the theory and the circuit can be extended to explain cortical features that are not explained by the current model and describe testable predictions that can be derived from the model.
Heat Shock Proteins and Exercise Adaptations. Our Knowledge Thus Far and the Road Still Cellular and Molecular Metabolism Laboratory Baker Idi Heart and Diabetes Institute Dch and Mh Have No Conflict

Heat shock proteins and exercise adaptations. Our knowledge thus far and the road still 1 ahead. 2 Darren C Henstridge, Mark A Febbraio, Mark Hargreaves. 3 4 Cellular & Molecular Metabolism Laboratory, Division of Metabolism and Obesity, Baker IDI 5 Heart & Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia. 6 Division of Diabetes & Metabolism, The Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, 7 Sydney, NSW, 2010, Australia. 8 Department of Physiology, The University of Melbourne, 3010, Australia. 9 10 11 †Address for correspondence: Darren C. Henstridge, PhD 12 Cellular and Molecular Metabolism Laboratory 13 Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute 14 75 Commercial Rd, Melbourne 3004, Victoria, Australia 15 Ph: +61 3 8532 1708, Fax: +61 3 8532 1100, Email: darren.henstridge@bakeridi.edu. au 16 17
Explaining Information Systems Adoption and Post-Adoption: Toward an Integrative Model

This study develops and tests an integrated model that explains information systems usage at adoption and post-adoption stages. Integrating the theory of planned behavior with the IS continuance model, this research provides insights into the complementary nature of the two theories in explaining IS usage over time. In addition, the integrated model takes into consideration the “habit” construct in order to better explain the automatic nature of IS continuance. The integrated model is tested in a longitudinal setting. Results present strong support for the existing theoretical links of the theory of planned behavior and IS continuance model, as well as for those newly hypothesized in this study. Initial usage indicates significant affect IS continuance usage, and habit posits a significant moderating impact on the relationship between IS continuance intention and IS continuance usage. The dynamic interrelationship between acceptance and continuance decision and the variability of determinants of IS usage across different adoption stages are demonstrated. The implications are noteworthy for both researchers and practitioners.
Reevaluating the Evidence for Increasingly Positive Self-Views Among High School Students

Twenge and Campbell (2008) evaluated 13 items from the Monitoring the Future (MTF) data sets and concluded that the selfviews of U.S. high school students have become generally more positive over time. For many items, they compared responses from 2006 with responses from 1975; however, there is a warning that appears at the bottom of every page of the monograph that contains the 1975 data (Johnston & Bachman, 1980): "CAUTION: Items were rearranged after 1975; changes in context may produce spurious 'trends. ' " Johnston and Bachman (1980) warned readers that comparisons between 1975 and any other single year should be avoided, and they even cited the "good worker" item as one that might be subject to survey artifacts (p. 12). This concern with the 1975 data is the reason why responses have not been made available electronically (J.G. Bachman, personal communication, August 22, 2008).
Nonnegative Matrix Factorization with Integrated Graph and Feature Learning

Matrix factorization is a useful technique for data representation in many data mining and machine learning tasks. Particularly, for data sets with all nonnegative entries, matrix factorization often requires that factor matrices be nonnegative, leading to nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF). One important application of NMF is for clustering with reduced dimensions of the data represented in the new feature space. In this paper, we propose a new graph regularized NMF method capable of feature learning and apply it to clustering. Unlike existing NMF methods that treat all features in the original feature space equally, our method distinguishes features by incorporating a feature-wise sparse approximation error matrix in the formulation. It enables important features to be more closely approximated by the factor matrices. Meanwhile, the graph of the data is constructed using cleaner features in the feature learning process, which integrates feature learning and manifold learning procedures into a unified NMF model. This distinctly differs from applying the existing graph-based NMF models after feature selection in that, when these two procedures are independently used, they often fail to align themselves toward obtaining a compact and most expressive data representation. Comprehensive experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method, which outperforms state-of-the-art algorithms when applied to clustering.
Mast Cell Activation in Brain Injury, Stress, and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Alzheimer's Disease Pathogenesis

Mast cells are localized throughout the body and mediate allergic, immune, and inflammatory reactions. They are heterogeneous, tissue-resident, long-lived, and granulated cells. Mast cells increase their numbers in specific site in the body by proliferation, increased recruitment, increased survival, and increased rate of maturation from its progenitors. Mast cells are implicated in brain injuries, neuropsychiatric disorders, stress, neuroinflammation, and neurodegeneration. Brain mast cells are the first responders before microglia in the brain injuries since mast cells can release prestored mediators. Mast cells also can detect amyloid plaque formation during Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis. Stress conditions activate mast cells to release prestored and newly synthesized inflammatory mediators and induce increased blood-brain barrier permeability, recruitment of immune and inflammatory cells into the brain and neuroinflammation. Stress induces the release of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) from paraventricular nucleus of hypothalamus and mast cells. CRH activates glial cells and mast cells through CRH receptors and releases neuroinflammatory mediators. Stress also increases proinflammatory mediator release in the peripheral systems that can induce and augment neuroinflammation. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a traumatic-chronic stress related mental dysfunction. Currently there is no specific therapy to treat PTSD since its disease mechanisms are not yet clearly understood. Moreover, recent reports indicate that PTSD could induce and augment neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. Mast cells play a crucial role in the peripheral inflammation as well as in neuroinflammation due to brain injuries, stress, depression, and PTSD. Therefore, mast cells activation in brain injury, stress, and PTSD may accelerate the pathogenesis of neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases including AD. This review focusses on how mast cells in brain injuries, stress, and PTSD may promote the pathogenesis of AD. We suggest that inhibition of mast cells activation and brain cells associated inflammatory pathways in the brain injuries, stress, and PTSD can be explored as a new therapeutic target to delay or prevent the pathogenesis and severity of AD.
Processing of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Exotoxin A Is Dispensable for Cell Intoxication

ABSTRACT Exotoxin A is a major virulence factor of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This toxin binds to a specific receptor on animal cells, allowing endocytosis of the toxin. Once in endosomes, the exotoxin can be processed by furin to generate a C-terminal toxin fragment that lacks the receptor binding domain and is retrogradely transported to the endoplasmic reticulum for retrotranslocation to the cytosol through the Sec61 channel. The toxin then blocks protein synthesis by ADP ribosylation of elongation factor 2, thereby triggering cell death. A shorter intracellular route has also been described for this toxin. It involves direct translocation of the entire toxin from endosomes to the cytosol and therefore does not rely on furin-mediated cleavage. To examine the implications of endosomal translocation in the intoxication process, we investigated whether the toxin required furin-mediated processing in order to kill cells. We used three different approaches. We first fused to the N terminus of the toxin proteins with different unfolding abilities so that they inhibited or did not inhibit endosomal translocation of the chimera. We then assayed the amount of toxin fragments delivered to the cytosol during cell intoxication. Finally we used furin inhibitors and examined the fate and intracellular localization of the toxin and its receptor. The results showed that exotoxin cytotoxicity results largely from endosomal translocation of the entire toxin. We found that the C-terminal fragment was unstable in the cytosol.
Clinical Outcome 2 Years After Intracoronary Administration of Bone Marrow–Derived Progenitor Cells in Acute Myocardial Infarction

Background—The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical outcome 2 years after intracoronary administration of autologous progenitor cells in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Methods and Results—Using a double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial design, we randomized 204 patients with successfully reperfused AMI to receive intracoronary infusion of bone marrow–derived progenitor cells (BMC) or placebo medium into the infarct artery 3 to 7 days after successful infarct reperfusion therapy. At 2 years, the cumulative end point of death, myocardial infarction, or necessity for revascularization was significantly reduced in the BMC group compared with placebo (hazard ratio, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.94; P=0.025). Likewise, the combined end point death and recurrence of myocardial infarction and rehospitalization for heart failure, reflecting progression toward heart failure, was significantly reduced in the BMC group (hazard ratio, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.085 to 0.77; P=0.015). Intracoronary administration of BMC remained a significant predictor of a favorable clinical outcome by Cox regression analysis when adjusted for classical predictors of poor outcome after AMI. There was no evidence of increased restenosis or atherosclerotic disease progression after BMC therapy nor any evidence of increased ventricular arrhythmias or neoplasms. In addition, regional left ventricular contractility of infarcted segments, as assessed by MRI in a subgroup of patients at 2-year follow-up, was significantly higher in the BMC group compared with the placebo group (P<0.001). Conclusions—Intracoronary administration of BMC is associated with a significant reduction of the occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events maintained for 2 years after AMI. Moreover, functional improvements after BMC therapy may persist for at least 2 years. Larger studies focusing on clinical event rates are warranted to confirm the effects of BMC administration on mortality and progression of heart failure in patients with AMIs. Clinical Trial Registration—clinicaltrials.gov. Identifier: NCT00279175.