Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The social network index and its relation to later-life depression among the elderly aged ≥80 years in Northern Thailand

Background Having a diverse social network is considered to be beneficial to a person’s well-being. The significance, however, of social network diversity in the geriatric assessment of people aged ≥80 years has not been adequately investigated within the Southeast Asian context. This study explored the social networks belonging to the elderly aged ≥80 years and assessed the relation of social network and geriatric depression. Methods This study was a community-based cross-sectional survey conducted in Chiang Mai Province, Northern Thailand. A representative sample of 435 community residents, aged ≥80 years, were included in a multistage sample. The participants’ social network diversity was assessed by applying Cohen’s social network index (SNI). The geriatric depression scale and activities of daily living measures were carried out during home visits. Descriptive analyses revealed the distribution of SNI, while the relationship between the SNI and the geriatric depression scale was examined by ordinal logistic regression models controlling possible covariants such as age, sex, and educational attainment. Results The median age of the sample was 83 years, with females comprising of 54.94% of the sample. The participants’ children, their neighbors, and members of Buddhist temples were reported as the most frequent contacts of the study participants. Among the 435 participants, 25% were at risk of social isolation due to having a “limited” social network group (SNI 0–3), whereas 37% had a “medium” social network (SNI 4–5), and 38% had a “diverse” social network (SNI ≥6). The SNI was not different among the two sexes. Activities of daily living scores in the diverse social network group were significantly higher than those in the limited social network group. Multivariate ordinal logistic regression analysis models revealed a significant negative association between social network diversity and geriatric depression. Conclusion Regular and frequent contact with various social contacts may safeguard common geriatric depression among persons aged ≥80 years. As a result, screening those at risk of social isolation is recommended to be integrated into routine primary health care-based geriatric assessment and intervention programs.
NrdR Controls Differential Expression of the Escherichia coli Ribonucleotide Reductase Genes

ABSTRACT Escherichia coli possesses class Ia, class Ib, and class III ribonucleotide reductases (RNR). Under standard laboratory conditions, the aerobic class Ia nrdAB RNR genes are well expressed, whereas the aerobic class Ib nrdEF RNR genes are poorly expressed. The class III RNR is normally expressed under microaerophilic and anaerobic conditions. In this paper, we show that the E. coli YbaD protein differentially regulates the expression of the three sets of genes. YbaD is a homolog of the Streptomyces NrdR protein. It is not essential for growth and has been renamed NrdR. Previously, Streptomyces NrdR was shown to transcriptionally regulate RNR genes by binding to specific 16-bp sequence motifs, NrdR boxes, located in the regulatory regions of its RNR operons. All three E. coli RNR operons contain two such NrdR box motifs positioned in their regulatory regions. The NrdR boxes are located near to or overlap with the promoter elements. DNA binding experiments showed that NrdR binds to each of the upstream regulatory regions. We constructed deletions in nrdR (ybaD) and showed that they caused high-level induction of transcription of the class Ib RNR genes but had a much smaller effect on induction of transcription of the class Ia and class III RNR genes. We propose a model for differential regulation of the RNR genes based on binding of NrdR to the regulatory regions. The model assumes that differences in the positions of the NrdR binding sites, and in the sequences of the motifs themselves, determine the extent to which NrdR represses the transcription of each RNR operon.
Impaired Endothelial Progenitor Cell Mobilization and Dysfunctional Bone Marrow Stroma in Diabetes Mellitus

Background Circulating Endothelial Progenitor Cell (EPC) levels are reduced in diabetes mellitus. This may be a consequence of impaired mobilization of EPC from the bone marrow. We hypothesized that under diabetic conditions, mobilization of EPC from the bone marrow to the circulation is impaired –at least partly– due to dysfunction of the bone marrow stromal compartment. Methods Diabetes was induced in mice by streptozotocin injection. Circulating Sca-1+Flk-1+ EPC were characterized and quantified by flow cytometry at baseline and after mobilization with G-CSF/SCF injections. In vivo hemangiogenic recovery was tested by 5-FU challenge. Interaction within the bone marrow environment between CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPC) and supporting stroma was assessed by co-cultures. To study progenitor cell–endothelial cell interaction under normoglycemic and hyperglycemic conditions, a co-culture model using E4Orf1-transfected human endothelial cells was employed. Results In diabetic mice, bone marrow EPC levels were unaffected. However, circulating EPC levels in blood were lower at baseline and mobilization was attenuated. Diabetic mice failed to recover and repopulate from 5-FU injection. In vitro, primary cultured bone marrow stroma from diabetic mice was impaired in its capacity to support human CFU-forming HPC. Finally, hyperglycemia hampered the HPC supportive function of endothelial cells in vitro. Conclusion EPC mobilization is impaired under experimental diabetic conditions and our data suggest that diabetes induces alterations in the progenitor cell supportive capacity of the bone marrow stroma, which could be partially responsible for the attenuated EPC mobilization and reduced EPC levels observed in diabetic patients.
Developing a short form of the Berg Balance Scale for people with stroke.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE To improve the utility of the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), the aim of this study was to develop a short form of the BBS (SFBBS) that was psychometrically similar (including test reliability, validity, and responsiveness) to the original BBS for people with stroke. SUBJECTS AND METHODS A total of 226 subjects with stroke participated in this prospective study at 14 days after their stroke; 167 of these subjects also were examined at 90 days after their stroke. The BBS, Barthel Index, and Fugl-Meyer Motor Test were administered at these 2 time points. By reducing the number of tested items by more than half the number of items in the original BBS (ie, making 4-, 5-, 6-, and 7-item tests) and simplifying the scoring system of the original BBS (ie, collapsing the 5-level scale into a 3-level scale [BBS-3P]), we generated a total of 8 SFBBSs. RESULTS The distributions of scores for all 8 SFBBSs were acceptable but featured notable floor effects. The 4-item BBS, 5-item BBS, 5-item BBS-3P, and 7-item BBS-3P demonstrated good reliability. The subjects' scores on the 6-item BBS, 6-item BBS-3P, 7-item BBS, and 7-item BBS-3P showed excellent agreement with those on the original BBS. The 6-item BBS-3P and 7-item BBS-3P exhibited great responsiveness. Only the 7-item BBS-3P demonstrated both satisfactory and psychometric properties similar to those of the original BBS. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION The 7-item BBS-3P was found to be psychometrically similar to the original BBS. The 7-item BBS-3P, compared with the original BBS, is simpler and faster to complete in either a clinical or a research setting and is recommended.
When are Real Options Exercised? An Empirical Study of Mine Closings

In this article, we study a well-known real option: the opening and closing of mines. Using a new database that tracks the annual opening and closing decisions of 285 developed North American gold mines in the period 1988--1997, we find that the real options model is a useful descriptor of mines' opening and shutting decisions. In addition, we find that the decision whether to shut a mine is related to firm-specific managerial factors not normally considered within a strict real options model. Copyright 2002, Oxford University Press.
Residual risk of bacterial contamination of platelets: six years of experience with sterility testing

Canadian Blood Services screens 100% of platelet concentrates (PCs) for bacterial contamination with the BacT/ALERT system. Quality‐control sterility testing of 1% (≥10 units) of outdated PCs is performed monthly. Data from routine screening, quality‐control testing, and septic reactions obtained from 2010 to 2016 are presented herein.
Antiretroviral Treatment as Prevention: Impact of the ‘Test and Treat’ Strategy on the Tuberculosis Epidemic

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has been remarkably effective in ameliorating Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-associated morbidity and mortality. The rapid decline in viral load during ART also presents an opportunity to develop a “treatment as prevention” strategy in order to reduce HIV transmission at a population level. Modelling exercises have demonstrated that for this strategy to be effective, early initiation of ART with high coverage of the HIV-infected population will be required. The HIV epidemic has fueled a resurgence of tuberculosis (TB) particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and widespread early initiation of ART could also impact this epidemic via several mechanisms. The proportion of patients with low CD4 cell counts who are at high risk of TB disease from progression of both latent and new TB infection would be greatly reduced. Entry into a life-long ART program provides an ongoing opportunity for intensified TB case finding among the HIV-infected population. Regular screening for HIV infection also presents an opportunity for intensified TB case finding in the general population. The combined effect of reduced progression of infection to disease and intensified case finding could reduce the overall prevalence of infectious TB, thereby further decreasing TB transmission. In addition, decreasing prevalence of HIV infection would reduce the TB-susceptible pool within the population. The ‘test and treat’ strategy therefore has potential to reduce the TB risk at both an individual and a population level. In this paper we explore the expected “TB dividend” of wider access to ART and also explore the potential of the “test and treat” strategy to impact on TB transmission, particularly in the heavily burdened setting of sub-Saharan Africa.
Biochemical and vascular aspects of pediatric chronic fatigue syndrome.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the biochemical and vascular aspects of pediatric chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME). DESIGN Cross-sectional clinical study. SETTING Tayside, Scotland, United Kingdom. PARTICIPANTS Twenty-five children with CFS/ME and 23 healthy children recruited from throughout the United Kingdom. INTERVENTIONS Participants underwent a full clinical examination to establish a diagnosis of CFS/ME and were asked to describe and score their CFS/ME symptoms. Biochemical markers were measured. Arterial wave reflection was estimated to assess systemic arterial stiffness. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Markers of oxidative stress and free radicals, C-reactive protein level, white blood cell apoptosis, and arterial wave reflection. RESULTS Children with CFS/ME had increased oxidative stress compared with control individuals (isoprostanes: 252.30 vs 215.60 pg/mL, P = .007; vitamin C, mean [SD]: 0.84 [0.26] vs 1.15 [0.28] mg/dL, P < .001; vitamin E, 8.72 [2.39] vs 10.94 [3.46] microg/mL, P = .01) and increased white blood cell apoptosis (neutrophils: 53.7% vs 35.7%, P = .005; lymphocytes: 40.1% vs 24.6%, P = .009). Arterial stiffness variables did not differ significantly between groups (mean augmentation index, -0.57% vs -0.47%, P = .09); however, the derived variables significantly correlated with total (r = 0.543, P = .02) and low-density lipoprotein (r = 0.631, P = .004) cholesterol in patients with CFS/ME but not in controls. CONCLUSIONS Biomedical anomalies seen in adults with CFS/ME-increased oxidative stress and increased white blood cell apoptosis-can also be observed in children with clinically diagnosed CFS/ME compared with matched controls. Unlike in their adult counterparts, however, arterial stiffness remained within the reference range in these pediatric patients.
Goal-directed decision making in prefrontal cortex: a computational framework

Research in animal learning and behavioral neuroscience has distinguished between two forms of action control: a habit-based form, which relies on stored actio n values, and a goal-dir ected form, which forecasts and compares action outcomes based on a model of the environment. While habit-based control has been the subject of extensive computational research, the computational principles underlying goal-directed control in animals have so far received less attention. In the present paper, we advance a computational framework for goal-directed control in animals and humans. We take three empirically motivated points as founding premises: (1) Neurons in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex represent action policies, (2) Neurons in orbitofrontal cortex represent rewards, and (3) Neural computation, across domains, can be appropriately understood as performing structured probabilistic inference. On a purely computational level, the resulting account relates closely to previous work using Bayesian inference to solve Markov decision problems, but extends this work by introducing a new algorithm, which provably converges on optimal plans. On a cognitive and neuroscientific level, the theory provides a unifying framework for several different forms of goal-directed action selection, placing emphasis on a novel form, within which orbitofrontal reward representations directly drive policy selection.
Taking email to task: the design and evaluation of a task management centered email tool

Email has come to play a central role in task management, yet email tool features have remained relatively static in recent years, lagging behind users? evolving practices. The Taskmaster system narrows this gap by recasting email as task management and embedding task-centric resources directly in the client. In this paper, we describe the field research that inspired Taskmaster and the principles behind its design. We then describe how user studies conducted with ? live? email data over a two-week period revealed the value of a task-centric approach to email system design and its potential benefits for overloaded users.
Temperature Dependence of Pd Thin-Film Cryoresistors

Cryoresistors based on Pd thin films were designed and investigated in the temperature range 50 mK-300 K. The resistors in the range 100 kΩ-1.3 MΩ were fabricated by thermal evaporation technique. Resistivity of Pd film at 293 K varies in (21-53) · 10 8 Ωm range for 15-40 nm films. Temperature co efficient of resistance at low temperatures depends on the thickness of the film. The lowest temperature coefficient in the range 3 K-4 K of about few parts in 106/K was obtained for 20-nm-thick film. Current coefficient measured on 20-nm-thin film 1.002-MΩ resistor does not exceed 2 · 10 5/μA in 0.7 K-1 K temperature range.
LY2228820 Dimesylate, a Selective Inhibitor of p38 Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase, Reduces Angiogenic Endothelial Cord Formation in Vitro and in Vivo*

Background: Angiogenesis is a critical process for tumor growth and survival. Results: LY2228820 dimesylate, a p38 MAPK-specific inhibitor, or shRNA knockdown of p38α, MK2, or HSP27 reduced angiogenic cord formation. Conclusion: p38 MAPK modulated soluble factors released from stromal and tumor cells and reduced their downstream signaling in endothelial cells. Significance: Antiangiogenic activity of LY2228820 dimesylate may lead to anti-tumor growth effects. LY2228820 dimesylate is a highly selective small molecule inhibitor of p38α and p38β mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) that is currently under clinical investigation for human malignancies. p38 MAPK is implicated in a wide range of biological processes, in particular those that support tumorigenesis. One such process, angiogenesis, is required for tumor growth and metastasis, and many new cancer therapies are therefore directed against the tumor vasculature. Using an in vitro co-culture endothelial cord formation assay, a surrogate of angiogenesis, we investigated the role of p38 MAPK in growth factor- and tumor-driven angiogenesis using LY2228820 dimesylate treatment and by shRNA gene knockdown. p38 MAPK was activated in endothelial cells upon growth factor stimulation, with inhibition by LY2228820 dimesylate treatment causing a significant decrease in VEGF-, bFGF-, EGF-, and IL-6-induced endothelial cord formation and an even more dramatic decrease in tumor-driven cord formation. In addition to involvement in downstream cytokine signaling, p38 MAPK was important for VEGF, bFGF, EGF, IL-6, and other proangiogenic cytokine secretion in stromal and tumor cells. LY2228820 dimesylate results were substantiated using p38α MAPK-specific shRNA and shRNA against the downstream p38 MAPK effectors MAPKAPK-2 and HSP27. Using in vivo models of functional neoangiogenesis, LY2228820 dimesylate treatment reduced hemoglobin content in a plug assay and decreased VEGF-A-stimulated vascularization in a mouse ear model. Thus, p38α MAPK is implicated in tumor angiogenesis through direct tumoral effects and through reduction of proangiogenic cytokine secretion via the microenvironment.
Occupational Integrity: Another Perspective on “Life Balance”

Background. An underlying premise of occupational science and occupational therapy is that humans do better with a balanced lifestyle. What life balance means, how to design it, and to recognize when one has it have not been defined. Purpose. Our intention is to offer another perspective on life balance, one that we believe is at the root of what the term means. Key Issues. We suggest the notion underlying life balance is the extent to which a person designs and lives in integrity with his or her own personal values, strengths and what has meaning for them. The term we propose is occupational integrity and that it be regarded as an essential precondition to life balance. Implications. Occupational integrity expands the focus of therapy beyond “doing” to interventions at the level of the person and identity, helping clients to identify their strengths, values and purpose, what is meaningful and satisfying for them, and then designing and living their lives in congruence with that.
Oxidation of 2-cys peroxiredoxins in human endothelial cells by hydrogen peroxide, hypochlorous acid, and chloramines.

AIMS Reactive oxygen species released from neutrophils during vascular inflammation could contribute to endothelial dysfunction seen in diseases such as atherosclerosis. Activated neutrophils generate hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) and hypochlorous acid (HOCl), as well as chloramines that are formed when HOCl reacts with amino compounds. These oxidants preferentially target thiol groups and thiol-containing proteins. The peroxiredoxins (Prxs) are thiol proteins that have high reactivity with H(2)O(2) and may also be sensitive to HOCl and chloramines. RESULTS We have investigated human umbilical vein endothelial cells and shown that their cytoplasmic (Prx1 and Prx2) and mitochondrial (Prx3) Prxs are oxidized when they are exposed to H(2)O(2), HOCl, or cell-permeable chloramines. H(2)O(2) converted the Prxs to hyperoxidized, inactive forms, with little accumulation of disulfide-linked dimers. The oxidized Prxs were reduced over hours, presumably due to the action of endothelial sulfiredoxin. In contrast to the hyperoxidation seen with H(2)O(2), HOCl and the chloramine derivatives of glycine and ammonia converted the Prxs to disulfide-linked dimers and dimerization was reversed within 10-30 min of oxidant removal. HOCl treatment caused thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) inhibition with no reversal of dimerization. The cytotoxicity of ammonia chloramine was increased when cells were pretreated with H(2)O(2) to hyperoxidize the Prxs, or when the chloramine was added in the presence of the TrxR inhibitor, auranofin. INNOVATION We describe the novel observation that exposure of nucleated cells to inflammatory oxidants results in the accumulation of Prxs in the dimeric form. CONCLUSIONS Endothelial cell Prxs are sensitive targets for neutrophil-derived oxidants and may protect against their damaging effects.
A call to action--measuring the quality of colonoscopy.

Several years ago I visited the Ming Tombs near Beijing. The Ming emperors were buried in elaborate structures, hidden away in the hills to prevent looting. Bricks were embedded with the signature of the brick maker. My guide told me that if the brick collapsed during the life of the brick maker, he would be beheaded. Needless to say, the tombs still survive, many centuries later. This variation on pay for performance (i.e., death for poor performance) highlights issues of quality. In medicine, focusing attention on quality improvement has given rise to systems for measuring quality, including the Health Plan .
Role of Prostate-Specific Antigen Change Ratio at Initial Biopsy as a Novel Decision-Making Marker for Repeat Prostate Biopsy

Purpose Prostate biopsy is used to confirm the prostate cancer. Although first biopsy result was benign, repeat biopsy is recommended for the patient who has higher risk of prostate cancer. In this study, we investigated the PSA change ratio (post-biopsy PSA to baseline PSA) whether it could be predictive factor of prostate cancer and helpful when decided to perform repeat biopsy. Materials and Methods 151 patients, first diagnosed as benign, but underwent repeat biopsy due to clinical suspicion of prostate cancer were included. Post-biopsy PSA was checked 60 minutes later after biopsy. PSA change ratio was defined as post-biopsy PSA to baseline PSA. According to results of repeat biopsy, patients were divided into benign group (group A) and cancer groups (group B). Between two group baseline PSA, PSA density, post-biopsy PSA and PSA change ratio were compared, and most effective cut-off value was analyzed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC). Results 129 men were benign, 22 men were prostate cancer according to results of repeat biopsy. Between two groups, post-biopsy PSA and PSA change ratio were statically significant differences. (p<0.001, <0.001) The effective cut-off value was 3.0, 3.5 and 4.0 according to ROC. At ROC curve, PSA change ratio was statistically significant for diagnosis of prostate cancer. (AUC 0.800, p<0.001). Conclusions PSA change ratio is thought be a predictive factor for prostate cancer. If the PSA change ratio was less than 3.0-4.0, repeat biopsy should be considered to confirm the diagnosis.