Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Coagulation function in fresh‐frozen plasma prepared with two photochemical treatment methods: methylene blue and amotosalen

BACKGROUND: Pathogen inactivation of plasma intended for transfusion is now the standard of care in Belgium. Two methods for treatment of single plasma units are available: amotosalen plus ultraviolet A light and methylene blue plus visible light. This study compared the quality and stability of plasma treated with these two methods.
Socioeconomic Status and Utilization of Health Care Services in Canada and the United States: Findings From a Binational Health Survey

Objectives:Building on Andersen’s behavioral model for the utilization of health care services, we examined factors associated with utilization of physician and hospital services among adults in Canada and the United States, with a focus on socioeconomic status (enabling resources in Andersen's framework). Methods:Using the 2002–2003 Joint Canada/United States Survey of Health, we conducted country-specific multivariate logistic regressions predicting doctor contacts/visits and overnight hospitalizations in the past year, controlling for predisposing characteristics, enabling resources, and several factors representing perceived need for health care. All analyses were appropriately weighted to yield nationally representative results. Results:Several measures of socioeconomic status—having a regular medical doctor, education, and, in the US income and insurance coverage—were associated with doctor contacts or visits in both countries, along with various predisposing and need factors. However, these same measures were not associated with hospitalizations in either country. Instead, only the individual's predisposing characteristics (eg, age and sex) and his/her need for health care predicted utilization of hospital services in Canada and the United States. Insurance coverage status in the United States became a significant predictor of hospitalizations when count data were analyzed via Poisson regression. Conclusions:Given our particular outcome measures, adults in Canada and the United States exhibited similar patterns of hospital utilization, and socioeconomic status played no explanatory role. However, relative to Canadian adults, we found disparities in doctor contacts among US adults—between those with more income and those with less, between those with health insurance and those without—after adjusting for health care needs and predisposing characteristics.
A mouse model of a human multiple GIST family with KIT‐Asp820Tyr mutation generated by a knock‐in strategy

Several families exhibiting multiple gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs) and germline c‐kit gene mutations at exons 8, 11, 13, or 17 have been reported. These patients also exhibit diffuse hyperplasia of the interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs) as a pre‐existing lesion of multiple GISTs. We generated a mouse model of a family with germline c‐kit gene mutation at exon 17, and compared the phenotypes between the mice and humans. The mouse counterpart (KIT‐Asp818Tyr) of the human KIT‐Asp820Tyr mutation was transmitted into germline by a knock‐in strategy. Mating of male and female heterozygotes (KIT‐Asp818Tyr/+) resulted in the generation of homozygotes (KIT‐Asp818Tyr/KIT‐Asp818Tyr). Histological examination revealed that all heterozygotes had both a small KIT‐positive mesenchymal tumour at the caecum, consistent with GIST, and KIT‐positive diffuse spindle‐shaped cell proliferation in the distal oesophagus, stomach, proximal duodenum, and colon consistent with ICC hyperplasia. All homozygotes exhibited a larger caecal tumour and more prominent spindle‐shaped cell proliferation compared with the heterozygous mice, and they usually died within 10 weeks after birth, likely due to ileus. The small intestine of both genotypes showed no apparent morphological abnormality, and autonomous contraction of the ileal segments appeared normal. Western blotting demonstrated that the caecal tumours expressed phosphorylated KIT, MAPK, Stat1, and Stat5. These mutant mice are considered to be useful for further investigation of the mechanism of GIST development as a result of ICC hyperplasia and for assessment of the in vivo effects of drugs against molecular targets. Copyright © 2007 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Comparisons of percent equol producers between prostate cancer patients and controls: case-controlled studies of isoflavones in Japanese, Korean and American residents.

BACKGROUND Our previous case-control study revealed that the Japanese residents in Japan could be divided into those who are able to degrade daidzein, a soybean isoflavone, to equol and those without this ability, and that the incidence of prostate cancer is higher in the latter group. METHODS We recently conducted a similar case-control study involving not only Japanese residents in Japan but also Korean residents in Korea. The incidence of prostate cancer in Korean residents is known to be close to that of Japanese residents in Japan. On the other hand, American residents in the United States have a markedly higher incidence of prostate cancer as compared to Japanese residents in Japan. RESULTS The number of subjects was 295 in Japan (133 patients and 162 controls), 122 in Korea (61 patients and 61 controls) and 45 in the United States (24 patients and 21 controls). The percentage of equol producers among patients and controls was 29% and 46% in Japan (P = 0.004) and 30% and 59% in Korea (P = 0.001), respectively. The active isoflavone level was markedly lower and the percentage of equol producers was also lower (17% for patients and 14% for controls) for Americans as compared to the Japanese and Koreans. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that the ability of producing equol or equol itself is closely related to the lower incidence of prostate cancer. The results also suggest that a diet based on soybean isoflavones will be useful in preventing prostate cancer.
Corticostriatal innervation of the patch and matrix in the rat neostriatum

The distribution of rat corticostrial axons in the patch (striosome) and matrix compartments of the neostriatum was studied by using axonal labeling with biotinylated dextran amine (BDA) and identifying patch and matrix in the same section with calbindin immunocytochemistry.
Developing a responsive measure of change for paediatric brain injury inpatient rehabilitation

Primary objective : To describe conceptual and methodological issues to be addressed in developing a responsive clinical performance measure for paediatric brain injury inpatient rehabilitation. Selected statistical approaches used to examine responsiveness of two functional activity scales (daily and social behavioural activity) of a prototype measure are presented to illustrate these issues. Research design : Retrospective chart review. Methods and procedures : Data on 65 children, aged 6 months to 18 years (X bar = 9.5 years) were collected during 1998 and 1999 from eight sites in the USA. Responsiveness was examined using effect sizes and a number of parametric and non-parametric tests. Main outcomes and results : Significant improvements from admission to discharge were found on all item and scale scores ( p < 0.001). Moderate significant relationships were found between activity scale change scores and external ratings of change. Conclusions : Findings provide evidence that the activity scales have the potential to be responsive and point to issues that will need to be addressed in future measurement development.
Low-Temperature Processed Flexible In–Ga–Zn–O Thin-Film Transistors Exhibiting High Electrical Performance

In-Ga-Zn-O thin-film transistors processed at 150°C on laminated polyethylene naphthalate substrates exhibit ing high electrical performances such as a saturation mobility of 24.26 cm2/(V · s), a subthreshold slope of 140 mV/dec, a turn-on voltage Von of -0.41 V, and an on-off ratio of 1.8 × 109 were fabricated. Cool-off-type adhesive was adopted to easily detach the plastic substrate from the carrier holder. Devices also showed highly uniform characteristics with a variation of 0.09 V in turn-on voltage. Stability characteristics under the positive gate bias stress can be enhanced by increasing the annealing time at 150°C.
[Anti-tumor effect of ethanol extracts from Thymus quinquecostatus Celak on human leukemia cell line].

OBJECTIVE To screen the anti-tumor fraction of ethanol extracts from Thymus quinquecostatus Celak and investigate its anti-tumor effect on human leukemia cell line. METHODS Ethyl acetate, n-butanol and acetone fractions were separated from the ethanol extracts of wild Thymus quinquecostatus Celak. Growth inhibiting effects of these extracts on human leukemia cell lines K562 and HL-60 were determined by live cell counting and cell growth curve analysis. The possible anti-tumor mechanism was studied by morphological analysis with norcantharidin as a positive control. RESULTS Ethyl acetate fraction could significantly inhibit the proliferations of K562 and HL-60 cells, and the inhibiting effect depended on the concentration of ethyl acetate fraction. Ethyl acetate fraction could induce apoptosis of K562 and HL-60 cells. The n-butanol and acetone fractions had no significant inhibiting effect on K562 and HL-60 cells. CONCLUSION Ethyl acetate fraction is the major anti-tumor fraction in ethanol extracts from Thymus quinquecostatus Celak.
Correlation of delta high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) score with delta clinical variables in early systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients.

BACKGROUND The correlation of changes (delta: Δ) of high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) score with the Δ of other clinical variables has not been well studied. The purpose of this study was to determine the correlation of Δ HRCT score with Δ percent predicted forced vital capacity (%pFVC), Δ modified Rodnan Skin Score (mRSS), Δ erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and Δ percent of oxygen saturation at room air (%SpO2) in patients with early systemic sclerosis (SSc). METHODS We used an inception cohort of early-SSc patients seen at the Rheumatology Clinic, Chiang Mai University, Thailand, between January 2010 and June 2014. All patients underwent HRCT at study entry and every 12 months thereafter. Thirty-one SSc patients who underwent pulmonary function test (PFT) within 12 weeks of their corresponding HRCT at baseline and last visit were identified. The extent of ground glass (GG), lung fibrosis (Fib), bronchiectasis (B), and honeycombing (HC) was scored, and then aggregated to produce a total (t) HRCT score. RESULTS Mean ± SD age and disease duration from non-Raynaud's phenomenon (NRP) to undergo HRCT at baseline were 52.2±8.8 years and 11.7±7.1 months, respectively. Seventeen (54.8%) patients were female and 20 (64.5%) were classified as dcSSc. The mean ± SD interval between the two HRCT tests was 16.0±7.2 months. The Δ HRCT scores [total fibrosis scores (t-Fib), total bronchiectasis scores (t-B), and total HRCT score (t-HRCT) scores] and Δ mRSS, but not Δ %pFVC, showed significant change over the observation period. We found significant correlation of Δ total honeycombing scores (t-HC) with Δ ESR (r=-0.44, P<0.05), and Δ t-Fib with Δ %SpO2 (r=-0.38, P<0.05). However, no significant correlation of any Δ HRCT scores with Δ %pFVC and Δ mRSS were observed. CONCLUSIONS In this study, the changes in the HRCT scores were greater than %pFVC; this, along with their correlations with the changes in ESR and %SpO2, suggest that HRCT scores are a useful and sensitive method for monitoring disease progression in early SSc-related ILD (SSc-ILD).
Chronic erosive herpes simplex virus infection of the penis, a possible immune reconstitution disease

Objective To report a novel clinical presentation: a chronic erosive herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection of the penis which developed in AIDS patients following the commencement of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). The lesions were unresponsive to antiviral treatments which had previously been effective, and this could not be accounted for in terms of increased antiviral resistance.
The Disciplinary Effects of Proxy Contests

Using a manually collected data set of all proxy contests from 1994 through 2012, I show that proxy contests play an important role in hostile corporate governance. Target shareholders benefit from proxy contests: the average abnormal returns reach 6.5% around proxy contest announcements. Proxy contests that address firms’ business strategies and undervaluation are most beneficial for shareholders. By contrast, proxy contests that aim at changing capital structure and governance do not lead to higher firm values. Relative to matching firms, future targets are smaller, they have higher stock liquidity, higher institutional and activist ownership, lower leverage and market valuation, and higher investments. Whereas most of these characteristics predict proxy contests in time series, prior to proxy contests, targets also experience poor stock performance, decreases in investments, increases in cash reserves and payouts to shareholders, and increases in management’s entrenchment. These changes in corporate po.
An E-Nose-based indoor air quality monitoring system: prediction of combustible and toxic gas concentrations

A system for monitoring and predicting indoor air quality level is proposed in this paper. The system comprises a computer with a monitoring program and a sensor cell, which has an array of metal oxide gas sensors along with a temperature and humidity sensor. The gas sensors in the cell have been chosen to detect only hydrogen, methane, and carbon monoxide gases. Methane was selected as a representative for indoor combustible gases, and carbon monoxide was used to represent indoor toxic gases. Hydrogen was used as an interfering (and also combustible) gas in the study. A number of experiments were conducted to train the three artificial neural networks of the monitoring system. The networks have been trained using 80% of the gathered data with the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm. The results of this work show that the performance rate of the proposed monitoring system in determining gas type for the limited sample space is 100% even when there is an interfering gas such as hydrogen in the environment. The trained system can predict the concentration level of the methane and carbon dioxide gases with a low absolute mean percent error rate of almost 1%.
Antifungal action and antiaflatoxigenic properties of some essential oil constituents

The effect of 20 essential oil constituents on Aspergillus flavus growth and aflatoxin production was tested at the level of 1000 ppm. Some of the tested oils exhibited inhibitory effects on fungal growth and toxin formation. Five oils, namely geraniol, nerol and citronellol (aliphatic oils), cinnamaldehyde (aromatic aldehyde) and thymol (phenolic ketone), completely suppressed growth and aflatoxin synthesis. Trials for determining the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of these oils revealed that geraniol, nerol and citronellol were effective at 500 ppm, while thymol and cinnamaldehyde were highly effective at doses as low as 250 and 200 ppm, respectively. It was observed that citral, citronellal and eugenol prevented fungal growth and toxin formation for up to 8 d. However, after 15 d of incubation, toxin production was greater than the controls.
Push-out bond strength of an experimental self-adhesive resin cement.

The adhesion of fiber posts luted with simplified adhesive systems has been a matter of great interest over the past years. The aim of this study was to assess the post retentive potential of experimental self-adhesive resin cement (EXP) when used alone and in combination with a self-etch adhesive. Fiber posts were placed in endodontically treated teeth and divided into four groups (n = 6) according the luting material, as follows: group 1 (EXP alone); group 2 (EXP used with self-etch adhesive); group 3 (marketed dual-cured cement used with self-etch adhesive); and group 4 (marketed self-adhesive cement). The push-out test was used to assess the retentive strength of fiber posts (expressed in MPa), and specimens were analyzed under a stereomicroscope to determine failure mode. The adhesive interface between the cement and root canal dentin for each group was evaluated using scanning electron microscopy. The post retentive potential of group 1 (EXP) (7.48 ± 4.35 MPa) was comparable with that of marketed cements from group 4 (6.79 ± 3.68 MPa) and group 3 (8.77 ± 4.58 MPa). When EXP was used in combination with self-etch adhesive (group 2), significantly higher push-out bond-strength values were measured (15.87 ± 4.68 MPa) compared with the other groups.
The efficacy and safety of tacrolimus in rheumatoid arthritis

The crucial role of T cells in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is well recognized. Tacrolimus is an immunomodulator that acts by the inhibition of T-cell activation. There have been numerous studies examining the use of tacrolimus in RA, including four randomized controlled trials. This article reviews these data with respect to the efficacy of the use of tacrolimus in RA as monotherapy and as part of combination therapy. The safety of tacrolimus use in RA is then evaluated. Tacrolimus is shown to be an effective and safe therapeutic option for RA patients intolerant of or resistant to previous disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). In addition to monotherapy, tacrolimus has been successfully used as part of combination RA therapy, in particular in conjunction with methotrexate. Further assessment of combination approaches involving tacrolimus use alongside other DMARDs or biologics would be helpful. More studies are required to examine the effects of tacrolimus on the radiographic progression of RA.
A study of open access journals using article processing charges

Article processing charges (APCs) are a central mechanism for funding open access (OA) scholarly publishing. We studied the APCs charged and article volumes of journals that were listed in the Directory of Open Access Journals as charging APCs. These included 1,370 journals that published 100,697 articles in 2010. The average APC was $906 U.S. dollars (USD) calculated over journals and $904 USD calculated over articles. The price range varied between $8 and $3,900 USD, with the lowest prices charged by journals published in developing countries and the highest by journals with high-impact factors from major international publishers. Journals in biomedicine represent 59% of the sample and 58% of the total article volume. They also had the highest APCs of any discipline. Professionally published journals, both for profit and nonprofit, had substantially higher APCs than journals published by societies, universities, or scholars/researchers. These price estimates are lower than some previous studies of OA publishing and much lower than is generally charged by subscription publishers making individual articles OA in what are termed hybrid journals. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A Repeatable Ex Vivo Model of Spondylolysis and Spondylolisthesis

Study Design. An ex vivo biomechanical study using porcine spinal segments. Objective. To produce a biomechanical model of both spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis using an accelerated cyclic loading model with intermittent impulse loads. Summary of Background Data. Only a few models of spondylolisthesis appropriate for biomechanical testing have been presented previously. Past modeling attempts have largely required nonphysiologic gross fracture of the pars before testing and have resulted in nonphysiologic endplate fracture. In these tests no clinically relevant spondylolisthesis was seen at the end of testing. A reproducible, clinically relevant model of both spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis would allow study of these disease processes, and facilitate the development and evaluation of advanced spinal implants optimized specifically for these pathologies. Methods. Five porcine lumbar functional spinal units were tested (2 L4-L5, 3 L6-S1) after small notches had been created in the pars and after the disc had specific collagen fibers in the anterior anulus sectioned. Specimens were loaded with a constant cranial-caudal compressive force of 300 N and the application of cyclic anterior shear loads between 300 and 600 N with intermittent impulse loads to 1500 N until pars fracture occurred. Elevated cyclic loading then continued between 500 and 800 N. Results. All specimens displayed bilateral pars fracture with the fractures passing through the points of notching and no damage to endplates or facet joints. Clinically-relevant Grade II spondylolisthesis was achieved in all 5 specimens. The mean slip at the conclusion of testing was 33%. Conclusion. Cyclic shear loading with intermittent impulse loads can reliably create fracture in the pars interarticularis in ex vivo porcine spine segments. Subsequent cyclic anterior motion of the superior vertebra results in clinically-relevant spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis.
Aflatoxin Biosynthetic Pathway and Pathway Genes

Among the over 185 known species within the genus Aspergillus, Aspergillus flavus is the most economically important because it produces the toxic and carcinogenic aflatoxins. Its non-aflatoxigenic relative A. oryzae is used extensively for food fermentations (Jelinek et al., 1989). It is one of the most abundant soil-borne molds on earth. A. flavus fungus is a saprobe mold that is capable of surviving on many organic nutrient sources like plant debris, tree leaves, decaying wood, animal fodder, cotton, compost piles, dead insects and animal carcasses, stored grains, and even immunocompromised humans and animals (Klich, 1998). It has the ability to survive temperatures ranging from 12°C to 48°C, but the optimal growth temperature ranges from 28°C to 37°C. Its ability to grow at relatively high temperatures contributes to its pathogenicity toward humans and other warm blooded animals. For most of its lifecycle, the fungus exists in the form of mycelium or asexual spores known as conidia. Under adverse conditions such as lack of adequated nutrients or water, the fungal mycelium will transform to resistant structures called sclerotia which can survive extremely harsh environmental conditions. The fungus overwinters either as spores, sclerotia, or as mycelium in debris. When conditions become favorable the sclerotia germinate directly to produce new colonies or conidiophores with conidia (Bennett et al., 1986; Cotty, 1988; Chang et al., 2002). Aflatoxins were first identified as the cause of a severe animal poisoning incident in England in 1960 called the Turkey X disease (Allcroft et al., 1961; Lancaster et al., 1961). A. flavus produces aflatoxin B1 and B2 whereas A. parasiticus, produces aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, and G2. These four major aflatoxins are named based on their blue (B) or green (G) fluorescence under ultraviolet light, and their relative mobility by thin-layer chromatography on silica gel. Aflatoxin M1 is a hydroxylated derivative metabolized from aflatoxin B1 by cows and secreted in milk (Van Egmond, 1989). In addition to aflatoxins B1 and B2, A. flavus also produces many other mycotoxins such as cyclopiazonic acid, kojic acid, beta-nitropropionic acid, aspertoxin, aflatrem and aspergillic acid (Goto et al., 1996). The disease caused by ingestion of aflatoxins in contaminated food or feed is called aflatoxicosis. Acute aflatoxicosis occurs when aflatoxins are consumed at moderate to high levels. Depending on the level and duration of exposure, aflatoxins possess both hepatotoxic and carcinogenic properties. Symptoms in humans include vomiting, abdominal pain, alteration in digestion, limb and pulmonary edema, convulsions, rapid progressive jaundice,