Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass: initial 2-year experience.

BACKGROUND Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGBP)-essentially a restrictive bariatric procedure-is currently considered the gold standard for the surgical treatment of morbid obesity. Open surgery in obese patients is associated with a high risk of cardiopulmonary complications, wound infection, and late incisional hernia. Laparoscopic surgery has been shown to reduce perioperative morbidity and to improve postoperative recovery for various procedures. Herein we present our results with laparoscopic RYGBP after an initial 2-year experience. METHODS A prospective database was created in our department beginning without the first laparoscopic bariatric procedure. To provide a complete follow-up of 6 months, the results of all patients operated on between June 1999 and August 2001 were reviewed. Early surgical results, weight loss, correction of comorbidities, and improvement of quality of life were evaluated. RESULTS A total of 107 patients were included. There were 82 women and 25 men, with a mean age of 39.7 years (range, 19-58). RYGBP was a primary procedure in 80 cases (49 morbidly obese and 31 superobese patients) and a reoperation after failure or complication of another bariatric operation in 27 cases. Mean duration of surgery was 168 min for morbidly obese patients, 196 min for surperobese patients, and 205 min for reoperated patients (p <0.01). Conversion to open surgery was necessary in two cases. A total of 22 patients (20.5%) developed complication. Nine of them (8.4%) required reoperation for leak (five cases, or 4.6%), bowel occlusion (three cases, or 2.8%), or subphrenic abscess (one case, or 0.9%). mortality was 0.9%. Major morbidity decreased over time (first two-thirds, 12.5%, last third, 2.7%). major morbidity decreased over time (first two-thirds, 12.5%; last third, 2.7%). Excess weight loss of -50% was achieved in >80% of the patients, corresponding to a loss of 15 body mass index (BMI) units in morbidly obese patients and 20 BMI units in superobese patients. In the vast majority of patients, comorbidities improved or disappeared over time and quality of life improved. CONCLUSIONS Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is feasible, but it is a very complex operation. Indeed, it is associated with a long and steep learning curve, as reflected in the high number of major complications among our first 70 patients. The learning curve probably includes between 100 and 150 patients. With increasing experience, the morbidity rate becomes more acceptable and comparable to that of open RYGBP. The results in terms of weight loss and correction of comorbidities are similar to those obtained after open surgery, at least in the short term. However, only surgeons with extensive experience in advanced laparoscopic as well as bariatric surgery should attempt this procedure.
A Review of Programs to Promote Family Wellness and Prevent the Maltreatment of Children

We review research on programs designed to promote family wellness and prevent the maltreatment of children. Based on this review, we conclude that there is currently no evidence that educational programs prevent child sexual abuse. Only home visitation programs have been shown to prevent child physical abuse and neglect, and multicomponent, community-based programs have been shown to promote family wellness and prevent a number of negative outcomes for children. The most effective programs are those that address several different ecological levels of analysis, begin at birth, are long-term and intensive, are flexible, responsive, and controlled by the local community, and are based on respectful and trusting relationships between community members and staff, who are well trained and competent.Resume Nous examinons la recherche entreprise dans le cadre de programmes concus pour ameliorer le bien-etre de la famille et prevenir le mauvais traitement des enfants. A partir de cet examen, nous concluons qu'il n'existe pas de preuve montrant que les programmes d'education previennent la violence sexuelle a l'endroit des enfants; seuls les programmes de visites a domicile ont montre qu'il est possible de prevenir la violence physique et la negligence a l'endroit des enfants. Aussi, il est montre que les programmes a volets multiples, axes sur la collectivite, favorisent le bien-etre de la famille et previennent un certain nombre d'abus. Les programmes les plus efficaces sont ceux qui abordent plusieurs niveaux ecologiques differents d'analyse, debutent a la naissance, sont a long terme et intensifs, sont souples, sensibles aux besoins et geres par la collectivite locale, et fondes sur des rapports de respect et de confiance entre les membres de la collectivite et un personnel qui a ete bien forme et qui est competent.
Tissue specific oxidative stress profile in relation to glycaemic regulation in mice

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycaemia resulting from uncontrolled glucose regulation. Reactive oxygen species are recognized as one link between hyperglycaemia and diabetic complications. Studies have shown that diabetes mellitus is associated with decreases in antioxidant potential and increased formation of free radicals leading to oxidative stress. The present study was undertaken because an unequivocal demonstration that control of hyperglycaemia can reduce oxidative stress is still lacking.
Unstructured vs. Structured Use of Laptops in Higher Education

A majority of today’s higher education students have been nurtured on a steady diet of technology and Internet access, leading to the increased presence of laptops in higher education classrooms. However, many instructors are unsure whether or how to assimilate this technology into their lessons. The purpose of the following study was to examine the impact of unstructured (limited use) vs. structured (active use) use of laptops for 177 university students (89 males, 88 females). Both on-task (note taking, academic activities) and off-task (email, instant messaging, games, movies) behaviours were examined by surveying students. Paired-t-tests revealed that structured use of laptops resulted in significantly more time spent on note taking and academic activities and significantly less time spent on sending personal emails, instant messages and playing games during class. It is concluded that future research needs to focus on evaluating specific strategies that maximize the benefits and minimize the distractions of using laptops.
Formation Process of Body Culture as “PE Teacher Identity”: An Introduction to the PE Teacher Body Theory

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the formation process of body culture, i.e., gestures and behavior, of physical education teachers in Japan based on phenomenological body theory, and to present a theoretical basis for the most desirable ``PE teacher identity''. It has been pointed out that PE teacher body culture has a variety of in‰uences on students. However, how a teacher acquires body culture has never been su‹ciently considered. Therefore the paper focuses on the phenomenological body theory that suggests the relationship between habits and the perceptual experience of body culture formation. The main points of discussion are as follows: Previous studies have shown that the image of the PE teacher as a coach has been well established, and that clariˆcation of the process of body culture formation is warranted. In previous studies, the body culture of PE teachers has been discussed mainly in terms of `habitus'. However, it has not been clariˆed how individual PE teachers embody such a culture. Phenomenological body theory indicates that acquisition of habit involves reworking and renewal of the body schema through perception in‰uenced by culture. Based on this, analysis of corporal punishment as a typical example of body culture in school athletic clubs can be used to clarify the model formation of PE teacher's body culture. PE teachers' thoughts and behavior are unconsciously formed as a ``body schema'' through experience of school athletic clubs where a coach's one-sided method of instruction is almost unconditionally accepted by students striving to acquire athletic success. In conclusion, ``PE teacher identity'' is formed on the basis of original body culture, and is embodied as a habit through unconscious processes. This is why PE teachers seldom notice their behavior, and thus do not change or improve it. It is only through a ``body schema'' and perceptual experience that a PE teacher's thoughts and behavior, ``PE teacher identity'', can be reconstructed. The possibility of PE teacher body theory can be established on the basis of this viewpoint.
Practitioners' experiences and perceptions of investigating allegations of institutional abuse

This article is based upon an exploratory study of practitioners' experiences of investigating allegations of institutional child abuse (Barter, 1998). The research involved interviewing all NSPCC child protection practitioners and managers in England or Wales who had been involved in an investigation between 1994 and 1996. Overall, 41 interviews were undertaken and details from 36 investigation reports were analysed. The research found that many professionals perceived these kinds of investigations as being particularly difficult and problematic, especially in respect to maintaining independence, determining the remit and scope of inquiry and ensuring the provision of adequate and appropriate support. The lack of agreed guidelines and protocols, particularly in relation to post-substantiation procedures, made these investigations especially challenging. In addition, participants also identified a range of factors that differentiated these forms of investigations from intra-familial ones, including discretion in child-rearing practices, the irrelevance of mitigating circumstances and the extent of administrative culpability. A number of tentative recommendations based on the research findings are presented which seek to ensure that investigations are undertaken in the most sensitive and appropriate manner possible. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Serum and Cerebrospinal Fluid Detection of Cryptococcal Antigen in Enzyme-Linked Immunoassays for Immuno-Mycologics Lateral Flow and Large-Scale Evaluation of the

Published Ahead of Print 31 October 2012. 10.1128/CVI.00536-12. 2013, 20(1):52. DOI: Clin. Vaccine Immunol. Bauman, Thomas R. Kozel and Kimberly E. Hanson Sean Gates-Hollingsworth, Brandon Neary, Adam P. Barker, Jessica Hansen, E. Susan Slechta, Marcellene A. Serum and Cerebrospinal Fluid Detection of Cryptococcal Antigen in Enzyme-Linked Immunoassays for Immuno-Mycologics Lateral Flow and Large-Scale Evaluation of the
Neurobiological Models of Two-Choice Decision Making Can Be Reduced to a One-Dimensional Nonlinear Diffusion Equation

The response behaviors in many two-alternative choice tasks are well described by so-called sequential sampling models. In these models, the evidence for each one of the two alternatives accumulates over time until it reaches a threshold, at which point a response is made. At the neurophysiological level, single neuron data recorded while monkeys are engaged in two-alternative choice tasks are well described by winner-take-all network models in which the two choices are represented in the firing rates of separate populations of neurons. Here, we show that such nonlinear network models can generally be reduced to a one-dimensional nonlinear diffusion equation, which bears functional resemblance to standard sequential sampling models of behavior. This reduction gives the functional dependence of performance and reaction-times on external inputs in the original system, irrespective of the system details. What is more, the nonlinear diffusion equation can provide excellent fits to behavioral data from two-choice decision making tasks by varying these external inputs. This suggests that changes in behavior under various experimental conditions, e.g. changes in stimulus coherence or response deadline, are driven by internal modulation of afferent inputs to putative decision making circuits in the brain. For certain model systems one can analytically derive the nonlinear diffusion equation, thereby mapping the original system parameters onto the diffusion equation coefficients. Here, we illustrate this with three model systems including coupled rate equations and a network of spiking neurons.
Redox-dependent interaction between thaumatin-like protein and β-glucan influences malting quality of barley

Significance The process of malting in the making of beer is under fine biological regulation. Here, we report the dissection of a malting quality quantitative trait locus (QTL) known for its association with variation in the yield of β-glucan and malt extract. A key gene, HvTLP8, has been identified in the QTL2 region that is expressed differentially in barley malt and feed varieties, based on analyses of both mRNA and protein. The present finding that the affinity of recombinant HvTLP8 for insoluble barley β-glucan is redox-dependent suggests a key role for redox in the malting process. This discovery represents a significant step forward in understanding the biochemistry of malting. Barley is the cornerstone of the malting and brewing industry. It is known that 250 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) of the grain are associated with 19 malting-quality phenotypes. However, only a few of the contributing genetic components have been identified. One of these, on chromosome 4H, contains a major malting QTL, QTL2, located near the telomeric region that accounts, respectively, for 28.9% and 37.6% of the variation in the β-glucan and extract fractions of malt. In the current study, we dissected the QTL2 region using an expression- and microsynteny-based approach. From a set of 22 expressed sequence tags expressed in seeds at the malting stage, we identified a candidate gene, TLP8 (thaumatin-like protein 8), which was differentially expressed and influenced malting quality. Transcript abundance and protein profiles of TLP8 were studied in different malt and feed varieties using quantitative PCR, immunoblotting, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The experiments demonstrated that TLP8 binds to insoluble (1, 3, 1, 4)-β-D glucan in grain extracts, thereby facilitating the removal of this undesirable polysaccharide during malting. Further, the binding of TLP8 to β-glucan was dependent on redox. These findings represent a stride forward in our understanding of the malting process and provide a foundation for future improvements in the final beer-making process.
Ultrahigh-resolution structure of a BPTI mutant.

The crystal structure of a mutant of bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor has been refined to 0.86 A resolution using low-temperature synchrotron data. The variant contains three mutations in the binding loop (Thr11Ala, Pro13Ala, Lys15Arg) and an unrelated Met52Leu substitution. Refinement with anisotropic displacement parameters and with removal of main-chain stereochemical restraints converged with R = 0.1035. The use of full-matrix refinement provided an estimate of the variances in the derived parameters. Some stereochemical parameters, such as the planarity of the peptide group and the value of the N-C(alpha)-C angle, show a wide spread, suggesting that the standard values used as restraints in protein structure refinements may not always be entirely appropriate. Comparison with the recently determined room-temperature structure of the same mutant at 1.42 A resolution confirms the previous observations and provides new details, such as a double conformation of the main chain at Leu29 and at Gly56-Gly57, a high proportion (over 20%) of residues in double conformations, correlation of disorder through lattice contacts and the positions of H atoms, including those in water molecules, and their involvement in C-H.O and N-H.pi hydrogen bonds.
Arterial Stiffness Is Associated With Regional Ventricular Systolic and Diastolic Dysfunction: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Objective—The pathophysiology of left ventricular (LV) dysfunction, particularly in the setting of a preserved ejection fraction (EF), remains unclear. Few studies have investigated the relationship between arterial compliance and LV function in humans, and none used cardiovascular MRI. Methods and Results—We sought to determine whether arterial compliance is related to regional myocardial function among participants of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Arterial compliance was assessed using carotid ultrasound measurements to calculate the distensibility coefficient (DC) and Young’s modulus (YM). Circumferential systolic (SRS) and diastolic (SRE) strain rates were calculated by harmonic phase (HARP) from tagged MRI. Associations between arterial compliance and indices of ventricular function were adjusted for cardiovascular risk factors. We found a significant association between arterial compliance and SRS in all myocardial regions (P<0.05); arterial compliance was also associated with SRE in the lateral and septal wall regions (P<0.05). Multiple linear regression analyses demonstrated a direct linear relationship between the carotid artery DC and SRS across all LV segments and slices, even after adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors and LV mass. In regression analyses, a significant relationship between arterial compliance and SRE in the septal and antero-apical walls was also found and remained significant after multivariable adjustment. Conclusion—Arterial stiffness is associated with early and asymptomatic impairment of systolic as well as diastolic myocardial function. Further studies are needed to elucidate role of vascular compliance in the development of ventricular dysfunction and failure.
Why chloroplasts and mitochondria retain their own genomes and genetic systems: Colocation for redox regulation of gene expression

Chloroplasts and mitochondria are subcellular bioenergetic organelles with their own genomes and genetic systems. DNA replication and transmission to daughter organelles produces cytoplasmic inheritance of characters associated with primary events in photosynthesis and respiration. The prokaryotic ancestors of chloroplasts and mitochondria were endosymbionts whose genes became copied to the genomes of their cellular hosts. These copies gave rise to nuclear chromosomal genes that encode cytosolic proteins and precursor proteins that are synthesized in the cytosol for import into the organelle into which the endosymbiont evolved. What accounts for the retention of genes for the complete synthesis within chloroplasts and mitochondria of a tiny minority of their protein subunits? One hypothesis is that expression of genes for protein subunits of energy-transducing enzymes must respond to physical environmental change by means of a direct and unconditional regulatory control—control exerted by change in the redox state of the corresponding gene product. This hypothesis proposes that, to preserve function, an entire redox regulatory system has to be retained within its original membrane-bound compartment. Colocation of gene and gene product for redox regulation of gene expression (CoRR) is a hypothesis in agreement with the results of a variety of experiments designed to test it and which seem to have no other satisfactory explanation. Here, I review evidence relating to CoRR and discuss its development, conclusions, and implications. This overview also identifies predictions concerning the results of experiments that may yet prove the hypothesis to be incorrect.
Arginine‐140 and isoleucine‐141 determine the 17β‐estradiol‐binding specificity of the sex‐steroid‐binding protein (SBP, or SHBG) of human plasma

Arginine‐140 and isoleucine‐141 were identified as key determinants of 17β‐estradiol (E2) binding affinity of the sex‐steroid‐binding protein (SBP, or SHBG) of human plasma. Amino acid residues that differ between human and rabbit SBP sequences were replaced in the human protein and the products tested for lowered E2binding activity as are seen in the rabbit protein. Only mutants containing either R140K or I141L replacements display an E2 equilibrium dissociation constant (Kd) higher than the wild type, reaching a value of 30 nM when both were present. The 5α‐dihydrotestosterone (DHT) equilibrium dissociation constant of these mutants was unaffected. The quadruple mutant M107I/I138V/R140K/I141L yielded an E2 Kd of 65 nM, significantly closer to the 80 nM rabbit SBP E2 Kd value. Although mutants containing the M107I and I138V replacements in the absence of R140K and I141L had normal E2 Kds, the presence of the M107I replacement in the quadruple mutant was necessary to obtain an accurate E2 Kd value by competitive Scatchard analysis. Molecular modeling using coordinates for the recently determined N‐terminal domain of human SBP revealed a significant shift of the F56 phenyl ring away from ring A of E2 in mutant models containing the R140K and I141L replacements. We conclude that R140 and I141 are required for sustaining the right proximity of the phenyl ring of F56 to ring A of 17β‐estradiol, thus optimizing the E2‐binding affinity of human SBP.
Cadmium-induced apoptosis in mouse liver.

Apoptosis is a process of active cell death, distinct from necrosis and characterized by specific morphological and biochemical features. Although the acute hepatotoxic effects of cadmium (Cd) are well described, little is known about the occurrence of apoptosis in Cd toxicity. Therefore, mice were injected with 5-60 mumol/kg i.p. of Cd and their livers were removed 1.5-48 h later and examined by light microscopy. Cd induced both a time- and dose-dependent increase in apoptotic index, severity of necrosis, and mitotic index. Apoptotic index peaked at 9-14 h after Cd administration and then decreased. The time course of apoptotic DNA fragmentation index, monitored by quantification of oligonucleosomal DNA fragments, correlated with the results obtained by histopathological analysis and a commercial in situ apoptotic DNA detection kit. Liver necrosis, as demonstrated by histology and serum alanine aminotransferase and sorbitol dehydrogenase assays, was most severe 14-48 h after Cd injection. Apoptosis was decreasing by 24 h while necrosis persisted. Replacement of liver tissue by blood lakes (peliosis hepatis) was observed after 14 h. The mitotic index increased gradually with time, indicating compensatory liver cell regeneration. There was a progressive increase in the severity of necrosis, apoptotic index, and mitotic index with increasing dose of Cd. These data demonstrate that apoptosis is a major mode of elimination of critically damaged cells in acute Cd hepatotoxicity in the mouse, and it precedes necrosis.