Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Do community demographics, environmental characteristics and access to care affect risks of developing ACOS and mortality in people with asthma?

Individuals with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) overlap syndrome (ACOS) have a more rapid decline in lung function, more frequent exacerbations and worse quality of life than those with asthma or COPD alone [1–3]. Various risk factors may be associated with the development of ACOS, such as smoking history and status, obesity, comorbidity and indoor and outdoor environmental exposures [1, 4–6]. The risk of developing ACOS may vary substantially by region, since demographic and environmental risk factors and community characteristics are not geographically homogeneous. Here, we use population-based data to estimate the incidence of ACOS in the asthma population and to measure the association between demographic factors, community-level characteristics and environmental factors and the risk of incident ACOS and all-cause mortality while accounting for spatial autocorrelation. Material deprivation increases ACOS and death risk in people with asthma; air pollution may also increase death risk http://ow.ly/Eb8730dRPPc
Sex and age differences in victimisation and conflict resolution among adolescents in a south Australian school

This study investigated the victimisation experiences and conflict resolution strategies of 591 adolescents (304 boys and 287 girls) enrolled in grades 8 (mean age 13.3 years), 9 (mean age 14.3 years), and 10 (mean age 15.4 years) in a metropolitan secondary school in Adelaide, South Australia. A modified self-report version of the Direct and Indirect Aggression Scales (DIAS) [Bjorkqvist et al., 1992b] and a conflict resolution questionnaire drawn particularly from the work of Feldman and Gowen [1998] were administered. Boys reported more physical and verbal but less indirect victimisation than girls. Girls reported greater use of compromise, obliging, and avoidance than boys but similar amounts of overt anger. Older students reported greater use of compromise than younger students. More highly victimised students reported less use of compromise but more use of anger and avoidance than their less victimised peers.
The evaluation of serum homocysteine, folic acid, and vitamin B12 in patients complicated with preeclampsia

Introduction Increased plasma homocysteine may be associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as preeclampsia. The aim of this study was to determine the plasma homocysteine, serum folate, and vitamin B12 levels in preeclamptic pregnant women. Methods This case-control study was conducted in 2016 in Ahwaz on 51 pregnant women with preeclampsia and 51 healthy pregnant women of the same gestational age, who served as controls. The case group also was subdivided into severe and non-severe preeclampsia. Patients’ data were collected through a questionnaire and medical records. Serum homocysteine, folic acid, and vitamin B12 were analyzed using chemiluminescent assay. The results were compared between two groups. Statistical analyses were done using IBM-SPSS 20.0. A Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, independent samples t-test, Mann-Whitney test, and Chi-square test were used for data analysis. Results No different demographic characteristics were found among the groups. Pregnant women complicated with preeclampsia displayed significantly higher serum homocysteine levels (p < 0.001) and lower serum folate (p = 0.005) and vitamin B12 levels (p < 0.001) compared to controls. A statistically significant inverse correlation was evident between serum homocysteine and serum folate levels in preeclamptic patients (p = 0.005; r = −0.389). In addition, an inverse correlation was identified between homocysteine and serum vitamin B12, but it was not statistically significant (p = 0.160; r = −0.200). Significant differences occurred in serum homocysteine and folate levels between the severe and non-severe subgroups (p < 0.001, p < 0.001). Conclusion Women complicated with preeclampsia displayed higher maternal serum homocysteine and lower serum folate and vitamin B12. Further studies are needed to confirm if the prescription of folic acid and vitamin B12 in women with a deficiency of these vitamins could decrease the level of serum homocysteine and, therefore, reduce the risk of preeclampsia or, if it occurred, its severity.
MDP, a database linking drug response data to genomic information, identifies dasatinib and statins as a combinatorial strategy to inhibit YAP/TAZ in cancer cells

Targeted anticancer therapies represent the most effective pharmacological strategies in terms of clinical responses. In this context, genetic alteration of several oncogenes represents an optimal predictor of response to targeted therapy. Integration of large-scale molecular and pharmacological data from cancer cell lines promises to be effective in the discovery of new genetic markers of drug sensitivity and of clinically relevant anticancer compounds. To define novel pharmacogenomic dependencies in cancer, we created the Mutations and Drugs Portal (MDP, http://mdp.unimore.it), a web accessible database that combines the cell-based NCI60 screening of more than 50,000 compounds with genomic data extracted from the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia and the NCI60 DTP projects. MDP can be queried for drugs active in cancer cell lines carrying mutations in specific cancer genes or for genetic markers associated to sensitivity or resistance to a given compound. As proof of performance, we interrogated MDP to identify both known and novel pharmacogenomics associations and unveiled an unpredicted combination of two FDA-approved compounds, namely statins and Dasatinib, as an effective strategy to potently inhibit YAP/TAZ in cancer cells.
Dönüştürücü Liderliğin Türkiye Bağlamında Yeniden Kavramsallaştırılması (A Re-Conceptualization of Transformational Leadership in the Turkish Context)

Turkish Abstract: Bu calisma, donusturucu liderligin kulturel ve tarihsel acidan ozel bir konumu olan ulkemizde nasil algilandigini ve tanimlandigini, boyutlarinin neler oldugunu ve Bati literaturunden ne tur farkliliklar gosterdigini kulturel bir yaklasimla arastirmistir. Birinci calismada 31 bilgi calisani ile yapilan mulakatlar sonucunda donusturucu liderligin nasil algilandigi ve tanimlandigi incelenmistir. Ikinci calismada, 230 ARGE calisanindan veri toplanarak elde edilenkulturel maddelerin psikometrik ozellikleri test edilmistir. Evrensel ve kulturel maddelerin bir arada incelendigi faktor analizi sonuclari donusturucu liderligin uc boyutta toplandigini gostermistir: Ilgili-Babacan Liderlik, Ilham Veren Karizmatik Liderlik ve Aktif-Entellektuel Uyarici Liderlik. Bu faktorlerin Babacan ve Aktif taraflari kulturel ozellikleri temsil ederken, Ilham Veren Karizmatik Liderlik hem kulturel hem evrensel ozellikler tasimaktadir. Arastirmamizin hipotez testi olan ucuncu calismasinda ise, 256 ARGE calisani ve liderlerinden veri toplanmistir. Bu asamada ise uc boyutun literaturun isaret ettigi degiskenleri yordayip yordamadigina bakilarak soz konusu kulturel maddelerin evrensel maddelerin otesinde bir aciklama getirdigi gorulmustur. Bulgular ekonomik ve sosyal bir gecis donemi yasayan ulkemiz ozelinde pratik uygulamalari acisindan tartisilmakta ve donusturucu liderligin soz konusu kulturel ozelliklerine yonelik kuramsal oneriler sunulmaktadir. English Abstract: The present study adopting a cultural approach, investigated how transformational leadership is defined in the Turkish context, what its dimensions are and to what extent these cultural features differ from the universal dimensions in the literature. The first study examined how transformational leadership is defined and understood through interviews with 31 knowledge workers. In the second study with data from 230 R&D employees, we tested the psychometric properties of the emic items. Factor analysis conducted with both etic and emic items revealed three factors: Considerate-Paternalistic Leadership, Inspiring Charismatic Leadership, Active-Stimulating Leadership. Among these factors, Paternalistic and Active Leadership represented the emic aspects, while Inspiring-Charismatic Leadership included both emic and etic items. In the third hypotheses-testing study, data was collected from 256 R&D employees and their leaders. The results showed that 3 factors predicted important outcomes of transformational leadership and emic aspects of these dimensions predicted those outcomes above and beyond universal dimensions. Findings are discussed with reference to the recent economic and social change in Turkey in addition to theoretical suggestions regarding the emic aspects.
Differences in socioeconomic status and survival among white and black men with prostate cancer.

After diagnosis with prostate cancer, Black men in the United States have poorer survival than White men, even after controlling for differences in cancer stage. The extent to which these racial survival differences are due to biologic versus non-biologic factors is unclear, and it has been hypothesized that differences associated with socioeconomic status (SES) might account for much of the observed survival difference. The authors examined this hypothesis in a cohort study, using cancer registry and US Census data for White and Black men with incident prostate cancer (n = 23,334) who resided in 1,005 census tracts in the San Francisco Bay Area during 1973-1993. Separate analyses were conducted using two endpoints: death from prostate cancer and death from other causes. For each endpoint, death rate ratios (Blacks vs. Whites) were computed for men diagnosed at ages <65 years and at ages > or =65 years. These data suggest that differences associated with SES do not explain why Black men die from prostate cancer at a higher rate when compared with White men with this condition. However, among men with prostate cancer, SES-associated differences appear to explain almost all of the racial difference in risk of death from other causes.
Development and Evaluation of a Novel Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Method for Rapid Detection of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus

ABSTRACT The development and evaluation of a one-step single-tube accelerated real-time quantitative reverse transcription (RT) loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay is reported for rapid detection of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) replicase gene. A total of 49 samples (15 throat washes, 13 throat swabs, and 21 combined throat and nasal swabs) collected from patients admitted to the Hanoi-French and Ninhbinh hospitals in Vietnam during the SARS epidemic were evaluated and compared to conventional RT-PCR. The RT-LAMP assay demonstrated 100-fold-greater sensitivity, with a detection limit of 0.01 PFU. The sensitivity and specificity of RT-LAMP assay for detecting viral RNA in clinical specimens with regard to RT-PCR were 100 and 87%, respectively. The specificity of the RT-LAMP assay was further validated by restriction analysis as well as nucleotide sequencing of the amplified product. The concentration of virus in most of the clinical samples was 0.1 PFU (0.1 to 102 PFU), as determined from the standard curve of SARS RT-LAMP and based on the time of positivity. The assay procedure is quite simple, wherein the amplification is carried out in a single tube under isothermal conditions at 63°C, and the result can be obtained in less than 1 h (as early as 11 min). Thus, the RT-LAMP assay reported here has the advantages of rapid amplification, simple operation, and easy detection and will be useful for rapid and reliable clinical diagnosis of SARS-CoV in developing countries.
Effect of cimetidine suspension on appetite and weight in overweight subjects.

OBJECTIVE--To investigate the weight reducing effect of cimetidine, comparing it with placebo. DESIGN--Block randomised parallel group double blind study using suspensions with identical appearance and taste. SETTING--Primary care practice. SUBJECTS--55 women and 5 men aged 18-59, body mass index 25-37 kg/m2, completed the study according to the protocol. INTERVENTIONS--Cimetidine suspension 200 mg or placebo 30 minutes was given before the three main meals for eight weeks. Subjects followed a diet restricted to 5 MJ/day supplemented with 9 g fibre per day. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Weight reduction; abdominal and hip circumferences and systolic and diastolic blood pressures were also recorded. RESULTS--Subjects given cimetidine lost a mean of 7.3 (95% confidence interval 6.5 to 8.3) kg more than subjects given placebo (p < 0.001); body mass index decreased 3.33 (SD 0.76) and 0.77 (0.43), respectively (p < 0.001). Abdominal and hip circumference was decreased more in the cimetidine group (8.6 (3.9) cm and 7.8 (3.1) cm) than in the placebo group (2.2 (1.5) cm and 2.1 (1.5) cm). Mean reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure were greater in the cimetidine group than the placebo group (mean 5.8 v 0.4 and 6.5 v 0.4, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION--Intake of cimetidine suspension 30 minutes before meals in overweight subjects may lead to reduced hunger, less food intake, and subsequent weight loss. This effect may be due to the suppression of gastric acid secretion. Cimetidine suspension may be a valuable adjunct in treating obesity.
Dual Color Photoactivation Localization Microscopy of Cardiomyopathy-associated Desmin Mutants*

Background: Heterozygous DES mutations affect filament formation leading to skeletal and cardiomyopathies. Results: Our results reveal different extent of filament formation defects by various desmin mutants under heterozygous conditions. Conclusion: Analysis of interaction and co-localization of mutant and wild-type desmin proves the co-existence of heterogeneous filaments in living cells. Significance: These results might be of relevance for the understanding of filament formation defects. Mutations in the DES gene coding for the intermediate filament protein desmin may cause skeletal and cardiac myopathies, which are frequently characterized by cytoplasmic aggregates of desmin and associated proteins at the cellular level. By atomic force microscopy, we demonstrated filament formation defects of desmin mutants, associated with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy. To understand the pathogenesis of this disease, it is essential to analyze desmin filament structures under conditions in which both healthy and mutant desmin are expressed at equimolar levels mimicking an in vivo situation. Here, we applied dual color photoactivation localization microscopy using photoactivatable fluorescent proteins genetically fused to desmin and characterized the heterozygous status in living cells lacking endogenous desmin. In addition, we applied fluorescence resonance energy transfer to unravel short distance structural patterns of desmin mutants in filaments. For the first time, we present consistent high resolution data on the structural effects of five heterozygous desmin mutations on filament formation in vitro and in living cells. Our results may contribute to the molecular understanding of the pathological filament formation defects of heterozygous DES mutations in cardiomyopathies.
Cause analysis of learning management system: role of moderator in improving students performance

One of the recent online learning platforms for delivering instruction being used by most universities is the Learning Management System (LMS). The LMS has shaped new ways of transferring information between moderators and learners. However, evidence suggests that the gap between actual and desired performance still exists among learners. Therefore, there is a need to probe the role of the moderator in improving the academic and technology-related performance of students. Three experienced LMS moderators were interviewed for this purpose. Fourteen categories were drawn from the interviews and were categorized into six themes. An additional factor labelled “publicise the usefulness” emerged from the study. The results draw parallels with the five factors of cause analysis in the Human Performance Technology (HPT) model.
Macrophage inflammatory protein‐2 and vascular endothelial growth factor regulate corneal neovascularization induced by infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa in mice

Pseudomonas aeruginosa ocular infection causes extensive corneal neovascularization. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the role of the angiogenic factors macrophage inflammatory protein‐2 (MIP‐2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the regulation of corneal neovascularization during P. aeruginosa ocular infection. After administering anti‐MIP‐2 antibody or control antibody, mouse corneas were challenged with P. aeruginosa. The expression of MIP‐2 and VEGF was detected using an ELISA from ocular homogenates. Corneal neovascularization was examined by histology. The cellular sources of MIP‐2 and VEGF were identified by immunohistochemistry. In addition, protein expression of MIP‐2 and VEGF in isolated corneas was measured to determine the ability of the cornea to produce these two mediators. Results showed that the expression of MIP‐2 and VEGF was significantly (P < 0.05) elevated after bacterial infection, and high levels of these two mediators paralleled the extensive corneal neovascularization seen at later stages of the infection. Anti‐MIP‐2 antibody treatment resulted in a significant (P < 0.05) reduction in VEGF expression and in corneal neovascularization. Both corneal resident cells and infiltrating neutrophils had the ability to produce MIP‐2 and VEGF after stimulation. The present study demonstrates that both MIP‐2 and VEGF are important mediators in the regulation of corneal neovascularization caused by P. aeruginosa infection, and that MIP‐2 regulates the production of VEGF.
The role of perceived and actual disease status in adjustment to rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVES To examine the role and relative impact of illness perceptions, coping strategies and clinical disease indicators on adjustment in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. METHOD Participants were 75 women with rheumatoid arthritis. The Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ), the COPE questionnaire and the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scale (AIMS) were administered during a semistructured interview. Disease status was indicated by physician ratings of joint involvement and by the laboratory indices of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP). RESULTS Statistically significant correlations (P<0.01) were in the expected direction. Various aspects of adjustment (good physical function, low pain and depression) were associated with perceptions of low illness identity, high control/cure, more serious illness consequences and long illness timeline. Low disease activity was related to good physical function. Depression was associated with high use of coping by denial and with less frequent use of five COPE strategies: active coping, planning, seeking instrumental social support, positive reinterpretation and growth, and acceptance. In hierarchical regression analysis, disease status explained variance in physical function (15%). Illness perceptions accounted for variance in all three adjustment outcomes, ranging from 22 to 27%. Coping variables did not add to the explanation of variance on adjustment. CONCLUSIONS Illness perceptions have significant implications for adaptation to illness and they outweigh the impact of medical disease status on depression, physical function and pain. Health interventions based on understanding and modifying perceptions of illness may prove useful in facilitating patient well-being.
Eating disturbances and outcome of gastric bypass surgery: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE We examined how the outcome of gastric bypass surgery (GBP) was effected by the interaction between presurgery eating disturbance status and length of time since surgery. METHOD Subjects were recruited from a list of patients who received GBP in the last 3 years. Twenty-seven patients 20.8 +/- 11.0 months postsurgery were interviewed. RESULTS Both current eating disturbance status and weight regain were predicted by the interaction between presurgical eating disturbance status and length of time since surgery. The significant time period in this interaction was 2 years or more postsurgery. DISCUSSION Patients with a presurgical eating disorder may experience a short-term improvement in their eating disorder following GBP that erodes on or after 2 years and is related to weight regain. Methods for improving surgical outcome in this population are discussed.
Genetic Heterogeneity of HER2 Amplification and Telomere Shortening in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

Extensive research is dedicated to understanding if sporadic and familial papillary thyroid carcinoma are distinct biological entities. We have previously demonstrated that familial papillary thyroid cancer (fPTC) cells exhibit short relative telomere length (RTL) in both blood and tissues and that these features may be associated with chromosome instability. Here, we investigated the frequency of HER2 (Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2) amplification, and other recently reported genetic alterations in sporadic PTC (sPTC) and fPTC, and assessed correlations with RTL and BRAF mutational status. We analyzed HER2 gene amplification and the integrity of ALK, ETV6, RET, and BRAF genes by fluorescence in situ hybridization in isolated nuclei and paraffin-embedded formalin-fixed sections of 13 fPTC and 18 sPTC patients. We analyzed BRAFV600E mutation and RTL by qRT-PCR. Significant HER2 amplification (p = 0.0076), which was restricted to scattered groups of cells, was found in fPTC samples. HER2 amplification in fPTCs was invariably associated with BRAFV600E mutation. RTL was shorter in fPTCs than sPTCs (p < 0.001). No rearrangements of other tested genes were observed. These findings suggest that the association of HER2 amplification with BRAFV600E mutation and telomere shortening may represent a marker of tumor aggressiveness, and, in refractory thyroid cancer, may warrant exploration as a site for targeted therapy.
A RHETORIC OF BETRAYAL: MILITARY SEXUAL TRAUMA AND THE REPORTED EXPERIENCES OF OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM AND OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM WOMEN VETERANS

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)%%%%The primary objective of this pilot study was to understand the military experiences of OEF/OIF women veterans. Seven women veterans described accounts of sexual harassment and sexual assault, also known in the Veteran Health Administration (VHA) context as Military Sexual Trauma (MST). The prevalence and dialogue of MST both explicitly and implicitly throughout all the interviews justified examining MST on its own. As an alternative to tracking new cases of MST, this thesis provides an examination of the rhetoric of betrayal and suggests that objective knowledge of MST does not exist apart from such social conditions and one’s interpretations of them. Betrayal emerged as the way in which women veterans understood and made meaning of their MST experiences during the claims-making process. Women veterans incorporated strategies to manage the sexual harassment and sexual assault they experienced while in the military environment, since reporting MST was actively discouraged. Findings from this study suggest that the way we approach and understand MST as a social problem needs to be reconsidered and further examined.
Using automatically-derived acoustic sub-word units in large vocabulary speech recognition

Although most parameters in a speech recognition sys-tem are estimated from data, the unit inventory and lexicon are generally hand crafted and therefore unlikely to be optimal. This paper describes a joint solution to the problems of learning a unit inventory and corresponding lexicon from data. The methodology, which requires multiple training tokens per word, is then extended to handle infrequently observed words using a hybrid system that combines automatically-derived units with phone-based units. The hybrid system outperforms a phone-based system in (cid:12)rst-pass decoding experiments on a large vocabulary conversational speech recognition task.