Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MEPE / OF 45 protects cells from DNA damage induced killing via stabilizing CHK 1

Matrix extracellular phosphoglycoprotein/osteoblast factor 45 (MEPE/OF45) was cloned in 2000 with functions related to bone metabolism. We identified MEPE/OF45 for the first time as a new co-factor of CHK1 in mammalian cells to protect cells from DNA damage induced killing. We demonstrate here that MEPE/OF45 directly interacts with CHK1. Knocking down MEPE/OF45 decreases CHK1 levels and sensitizes the cells to DNA damage inducers such as ionizing radiation (IR) or camptothicin (CPT)-induced killing. Over-expressing wildtype MEPE/OF45, but not the mutant MEPE/OF45 (depleted the key domain to interact with CHK1) increases CHK1 levels in the cells and increases the resistance of the cells to IR or CPT. MEPE/ OF45, interacting with CHK1, increases CHK1 halflife and decreases CHK1 degradation through the ubiquitine-mediated pathway. In addition, the interaction of MEPE/OF45 with CHK1 decreases CHK1 levels in the ubiquitin E3 ligases (Cul1 and Cul4A) complex, which suggests that MEPE/OF45 competes with the ubiquitin E3 ligases binding to CHK1 and thus decreases CHK1 from ubiquitinmediated proteolysis. These findings reveal an important role of MEPE/OF45 in protecting cells from DNA damage induced killing through stabilizing CHK1, which would provide MEPE/OF45 as a new target for sensitizing tumor cells to radiotherapy or chemotherapy.
Histopathologic risk factors in retinoblastoma in India.

CONTEXT The presence of histopathologic risk factors is associated with development of metastasis in a patient with retinoblastoma. Adjuvant chemotherapy administered to such patients decreases the risk of metastasis. OBJECTIVE To analyze the incidence of histopathologic risk factors in our patient population and the clinical predictors of such risk factors. DESIGN This is a retrospective case series, with review of clinical data and histopathologic slides, in 142 consecutive eyes enucleated for retinoblastoma between 1996 and 2002. RESULTS Histopathologic risk factors were present in 54.2% of 142 eyes enucleated for retinoblastoma and included infiltration of iris (7%), ciliary body (9%), choroid (40%), optic nerve lamina cribrosa (11%), retrolaminar optic nerve (17%), optic nerve to the line of transection (8%), sclera (9%), and extrascleral structures (6%). On univariate analysis, histopathologic risk factors correlated with age greater than 24 months at presentation and with glaucoma and iris neovascularization at presentation. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, age greater than 24 months and iris neovascularization correlated with infiltration of the choroid, while iris neovascularization correlated with infiltration of the retrolaminar optic nerve. CONCLUSION Histopathologic risk factors are present in a significant proportion of patients enucleated for retinoblastoma and have identifiable clinical predictors.
Characterization of Nutritional Value for Twenty-one Pork Muscles

A study was conducted to evaluate nutritional value for twenty-one pork muscles. Ten market-weight crossbred pigs (five gilts and five barrows) were used for evaluating proximate chemical composition, cholesterol, total iron, calorie and fatty acid contents. As preliminary analysis revealed no noticeable sex effect, pooled data from both sexes were used for the final analysis. M rectus femoris had the highest moisture content, while m. latissimus dorsi was lowest in moisture content (p<0.05). Protein content was highest for m. longissimus dorsi and lowest for m. supraspinatus (p<0.05). The tensor fasciae and latissimus dorsi muscles contained the highest intramuscular fat (p<0.05), while rectus femoris, adductor and vastus lateralis were lowest in intramuscular fat content. When simple correlations between chemical values were computed for the pooled dataset from all muscles, intramuscular fat had significant (p<0.05) negative linear relationships with moisture (r = -0.85) and protein (r = -0.51) contents. Calorie levels were not significantly affected by fat content, while rectus femoris and latissimus dorsi muscles showed lowest and highest calorie contents, respectively (p<0.05). Polyunsaturated fatty acid content was highest (p<0.05) for both m. adductor and m. rectus femoris, while it was lowest for m. longissimus dorsi. Collectively, the current study identified a large amount of variation in nutritional characteristics between pork muscles, and the data can be used for the development of muscle-specific strategies to improve eating quality of meats and meat products.
Investigating Hong Kong's Filipino Domestic Workers' Healthcare Behavior, Knowledge, Beliefs and Attitudes Towards Cervical Cancer and Cervical Screening

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to investigate Hong Kong Filipino domestic workers health behaviors, knowledge, beliefs and attitudes about cervical screening and cancer. A concurrent cross sectional survey design used a snowball method of recruitment was used because of the acknowledged problematic access to a random sample of immigrant women. A total of 98 female domestic helpers were actively recruited through designated recreation centers. The women were between 24–45 years old (mean = 37.9, SD = 7.7). The majority of these women were employed as full-time domestic helpers (91%), were earning less than $4000 Hong Kong dollars/month (92%), were married (82%), with children (91%), were non-smokers (88%), and had at least a secondary level of education (100%), with 66% of these women having completed post-secondary education. While the majority of women had previously heard about cervical smears (78%) more than half (53%) reported never having a cervical smear taken. Women who had a prior cervical smear had significantly more knowledge about cervical smears and cervical cancer (mean = 51.34, SD = 2.5) than those who never had a cervical smear (mean = 49.72, SD = 3.2). Recommendations are made for culturally tailored mass screening programmers out of office hours and health information to be provided in both written and oral Tagalong. Doctors and nurse ideally of Filipino origin should be used to deliver health messages that prioritize the importance of self protection for the family and future fertility issues, culturally prized within Filipino society.
Combined CT venography and pulmonary angiography: a comprehensive review.

The combination of computed tomographic (CT) venography and pulmonary angiography (CTVPA) was initially described in 1998 as a single comprehensive noninvasive imaging examination for suspected thromboembolic disease. It allowed the identification of pulmonary embolism as well as deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in the abdomen, pelvis, thighs, and calves. The venographic portion of CTVPA has now been studied by multiple researchers and has been shown to be an accurate imaging study for the thigh veins in comparison with lower extremity sonography. In contrast to sonography, however, CTVPA readily and rapidly permits evaluation of the inferior vena cava, the pelvic veins, the calf veins, and all of the superficial venous system. Complex venous anatomy can be surveyed, an additional sonographic study is not required, and only a few extra minutes and images are required over and above CT pulmonary angiography. A review of 957 recent cases of suspected pulmonary embolism examined with CTVPA revealed an overall 10.5% frequency of DVT, with a nearly equal distribution of thrombosis at the common femoral, superficial femoral, popliteal, and deep calf veins. Although a variety of protocols for CTVPA may be implemented, including a contiguous helical acquisition, obtaining 5- or 10-mm-thick images every 4 cm provides a high degree of accuracy and decreases overall radiation dose.
Intracellular labeling of neurons in the medial accessory olive of the cat: III. Ultrastructure of axon hillock and initial segment and their GABAergic innervation

The gamma‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) synaptic input of identified axons in the cat inferior olive was studied by use of combination of intracellular labeling with horseradish peroxidase and postembedding gold‐immunocytochemistry. With this technique olivary cells were physiologically identified and light microscopically reconstructed, and the horseradish peroxidase reaction product and the immunogold labeling were subsequently simultaneously visualized for electron microscopic investigation with the use of serial ultrathin sections.
Book Reviews: Natural Language Processing for Social Media by Atefeh Farzindar and Diana Inkpen

This book presents the state-of-the-art in research and empirical studies in the field of Natural Language Processing (NLP) for the semantic analysis of social media data. Over the past few years, online social networking sites have revolutionized the way we communicate with individuals, groups and communities, and altered everyday practices. The unprecedented volume and variety of user-generated content and the user interaction network constitute new opportunities for understanding social behavior and building socially intelligent systems. Much research work on social networks and the mining of the social web is based on graph theory. That is apt because a social structure is made up of a set of social actors and a set of the dyadic ties between these actors. We believe that the graph-mining methods for structure, information diffusion or influence spread in social networks needs to combined with the content analysis of social media. This provides the opportunity for new applications that use the information publicly available as a result of social interactions. The intended audience of this book is researchers who are interested in developing tools and applications for automatic analysis of social media texts. We assume that the readers have basic knowledge in the area of natural language processing and machine learning. This book will help the readers better understand computational linguistics and social media analysis, in particular text-mining techniques and NLP applications (such as summarization, localization detection, sentiment and emotion analysis, topic detection and machine translation) designed specifically for social media texts.
Impact of a Workplace-based HIV and AIDS Risk Reduction Training Intervention

Abstract The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of a workplace-based HIV and AIDS training programme on employees. The study compared the health scores of employees who went through a workplace-based HIV and AIDS training programme and those who did not. The sample was made up of 68 employees drawn from two companies in Johannesburg. The study assessed employees‘ levels of HIV and AIDS risk with particular reference to attitude to condom use, sexual risk cognition, HIV and AIDS risk-taking behaviour, stigma and disclosure. Data collected from the questionnaires administered were analysed using t tests run on statistical analysis software (SAS). The results showed a significant difference in HIV and AIDS risk between the two groups. The training intervention reduced HIV and AIDS risk among employees. Directions for future research could focus on the relationship between organisational involvement and HIV and AIDS risk reduction among employees.
Pathogenesis of hypertension in black and white children

Studies of cardiovascular risk factors in children conducted in the Bogalusa Heart Study provide a better understanding of the early natural history of essential hypertension. Contrasts in the biracial community of Bogalusa furnish some clues as to why essential hypertension is more prevalent in blacks. Black children tend to have higher blood pressure levels than whites. Autopsy studies and echocardiographic examinations have provided evidence of early cardiac enlargement in children and young adults with blood pressure levels in the 90th percentile. This suggests that the anatomic changes related to high blood pressure levels occur early in life. Blacks have lower plasma renin and serum dopamine β‐hydroxylase levels than whites. In general, obesity is not as closely correlated with higher blood pressure levels in black children as in white children. Prevention of hypertension should begin in early life. A major approach may be to educate children about cardiovascular risk factors and to encourage them to adopt healthy lifestyles while still young.
Developmental changes in Notch1 and numb expression mediated by local cell-cell interactions underlie progressively increasing delta sensitivity in neural crest stem cells.

Neural stem cells become progressively less neurogenic and more gliogenic with development. Here, we show that between E10.5 and E14.5, neural crest stem cells (NCSCs) become increasingly sensitive to the Notch ligand Delta-Fc, a progliogenic and anti-neurogenic signal. This transition is correlated with a 20- to 30-fold increase in the relative ratio of expression of Notch and Numb (a putative inhibitor of Notch signaling). Misexpression experiments suggest that these changes contribute causally to increased Delta sensitivity. Moreover, such changes can occur in NCSCs cultured at clonal density in the absence of other cell types. However, they require local cell-cell interactions within developing clones. Delta-Fc mimics the effect of such cell-cell interactions to increase Notch and decrease Numb expression in isolated NCSCs. Thus, Delta-mediated feedback interactions between NCSCs, coupled with positive feedback control of Notch sensitivity within individual cells, may underlie developmental changes in the ligand-sensitivity of these cells.
Effects of Childhood Adversity on Bullying and Cruelty to Animals in the United States

This study examined effects of type of and cumulative burden of childhood adversities on bullying and cruelty to animals in the United States. Data were derived from Waves I and II of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults. Structured psychiatric interviews were completed by trained lay interviewers between 2001-2002 and 2003-2004. Although the effects of childhood adversity diminished with the inclusion of confounding variables, several adversities remained significant. For bullying, these included being made to do chores that were too difficult or dangerous, threatening to hit or throw something, pushing, shoving, slapping, or hitting, and hitting that left bruises, marks, or injuries. With respect to cruelty to animals, swearing and saying hurtful things, having a parent or other adult living within the home that went to jail or prison, and adult/other person fondling/touching in a sexual way were significant. The final models indicated that the cumulative burden of childhood adversities had strong effects on the increased likelihood of bullying behavior but not cruelty to animals.
Arousing Curiosity: When Hospital Art Transcends

Evolutionary and emotional congruence theoretical perspectives support the use of certain types of artwork to reduce stress and promote improved outcomes in healthcare settings. This paper explores the artwork of three artists whose work falls outside the traditional representational art supported by these theoretical perspectives. The concept of curiosity as a common thread is proposed as the underlying theory in an effort to explain the success of such work in achieving positive outcomes for patients, families, and staff. Other concepts are explored as contributing theoretical frameworks. Research is needed to determine the impact of this emerging type of artwork and the implications of findings for individuals who create—as well as for those who select—art for healthcare settings.
Bombesin prevents the atrophy of Peyer's patches and the dysfunction of M cells in rabbits receiving long-term parenteral nutrition.

BACKGROUND Long-term parenteral nutrition (PN) induces atrophy of the gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT). We examined whether bombesin could ameliorate this atrophy of Peyer's patches and the down-regulation of particle transport by M cells, which was also observed in rabbits undergoing PN. METHODS Adult female rabbits were randomized into 6 groups to receive chow ad libitum, chow + bombesin, PN, or PN + bombesin (20 microg/kg, subcutaneously every 8 hours) for 2 or 4 weeks. At the end of each nutrition period, a laparotomy was performed under anesthesia and a suspension of 1 x 10(10)/mL of 0.5-microm fluorescent microspheres was injected into the lumen of intestinal segments containing Peyer's patches and incubated for 2 hours. After the incubation, segments were harvested and prepared for light microscopy, immunohistochemistry, fluorescent microscopy, and electron microscopy. RESULTS Long-term PN reduced the size of ileal Peyer's patches, the number of microspheres that was taken up into the follicle-associated epithelium of lymphoid nodules, and the area of Peyer's patch surface occupied by M cells. The number of intraepithelial lymphocytes within the follicle-associated epithelium near the perifollicular crypts of Peyer's patches was also reduced by long-term PN. These consequences were dramatically ameliorated by treatment with bombesin. No ultrastructural alteration of the M cells of Peyer's patches was found in the chow, the PN, or the PN + bombesin groups. CONCLUSIONS Bombesin prevents PN-induced atrophy of GALT, reduction of M cell numbers, and decrease in particulate transport by M cells during long-term PN. Bombesin may modulate the genesis of and particulate transport by M cells through stimulation of lymphoid cells in Peyer's patch epithelium near perifollicular crypts, where M cells and other constituents of lymphoid follicle epithelium are generated, thereby preserving mucosal immunity.
Educational Delivery Methods to Encourage Adoption of Sustainable Agricultural Practices.

The growing public concern about groundwater contamination, pesticide residues, soil erosion, and wildlife habitat runs parallel to “an emerging interest by many farmers for a more costeffective and environmentally benign agriculture” (USDA, 1990). But only a small number of farmers are using alternative farming systems (Board of Agriculture, 1989). The cause of the limited adoption of sustainable agricultural practices is the lack of dissemination of clear and reliable information. “Although science has accumulated a great base of knowledge of potential benefit to alternative agriculture, research and extension have not focused on integrating this knowledge into practical solutions to farmers’ problems” (Board of Agriculture, 1989). The link between research and reality is still a tenuous one.
Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli strains secrete a heat-labile toxin antigenically related to E. coli hemolysin

A protein toxin of approximately 120,000 Da secreted by nonhemolytic enteroaggregative Escherichia coli strains cross-reacted in Western blots (immunoblots) with antibodies raised against the C-terminal region of E. coli hemolysin. Treatment of HEp-2 cells with enteroaggregative E. coli or culture supernatants caused elevation of intracellular calcium and stimulated calcium-dependent protein phosphorylation.
Reasoning and delusions

Background Delusions are assumed to reflect disordered reasoning, but with little empirical support. We attempted to study this in 16 relatively intelligent deluded patients and 16 normal volunteers. Method Standard tests were used which required subjects to choose between logically fallacious and valid responses, both of which were plausible. The tests were: (a) conditional statements (if… then), (b) syllogisms (e.g. no A are C, some B are C, some C are not A), and (c) judgements of probability. All three tasks incorporated neutral and emotive content. Results Both normal and deluded subjects frequently made logical errors. With conditionals, deluded subjects tended to endorse fallacies more often than normal controls and this was accentuated when the content was emotive. Similarly, with syllogisms, the effect of emotional content on the endorsement of unbelievable responses was increased slightly in the deluded group. Finally, the deluded patients showed a trend to be less prone to the conjunction fallacy than normals, suggesting less reliance on existing schema. Conclusions Differences in reasoning between deluded patients and controls are surprisingly small. Patients are somewhat more prone to endorse invalid or fallacious responses, especially when emotive themes are involved.
Screening for Hyperopia in Infants Using the PowerRefractor

Purpose. To determine the proportion of infants in a pediatric medical practice who have high levels of hyperopia in addition to evaluating the ability of the PowerRefractor (PR) [with and without accessory +4.50 diopter (D) spectacles] compared with cycloplegic retinoscopy to detect highly hyperopic refractive errors. Methods. The cycloplegic refractive error (2 drops tropicamide 1% given 5 min apart) of 200 normal birth weight infants was measured by retinoscopy and the Plusoptix PR. If initial readings were ≥+2.00 D, PR measurement was repeated with accessory +4.50 D spectacles to extend its operating range. Examinations were conducted during well-baby visits at 2 months of age at the office of a local pediatrician group practice. Results. Of the 200 infants, 7.5% had a spherical equivalent refractive error of +5.00 D or more in both eyes. The use of +4.50 D accessory glasses during PowerRefraction significantly improved the ability to detect higher levels of hyperopia. Areas under receiver operating characteristic curves that were 0.69 to 0.51 when no glasses were worn improved to 0.87 to 0.98 when the glasses were worn (cutpoints between +3.50 and +5.00 D by retinoscopy). Significant underestimation of higher levels of hyperopia by the PR compared with retinoscopy was eliminated when +4.50 D accessory glasses were worn. Conclusions. Accessory +4.50 diopter sphere spectacles appeared to successfully extend the operating range of the PR with cycloplegia, allowing for detection of high levels of hyperopia that occurred in a large proportion of 2-month old infants with adequate sensitivity and specificity compared with cycloplegic retinoscopy.
Randomized study of vancomycin versus teicoplanin for the treatment of gram-positive bacterial infections in immunocompromised hosts

Seventy-four immunocompromised patients with severe infection due to gram-positive organisms were randomized to receive either vancomycin or teicoplanin. Extensive cancer was present in 71 patients, of whom 47 died within a month. The types of infections were 46 bacteremias (39 associated with central catheters), 24 skin and soft tissue infections (3 with bacteremia), and 7 others (mainly bronchopneumonia). The most frequent pathogen was Staphylococcus epidermidis, followed by Staphylococcus aureus. Microbiological eradication was obtained in 23 of 35 evaluable patients treated with vancomycin (65.7%) and 28 of 36 patients treated with teicoplanin (77.8%) (P = 0.4). Clinical cure and improvement were obtained in 26 of 35 patients (74.3%) and 27 of 36 patients (75.0%), respectively. No significant side effects were observed with teicoplanin, in contrast to reversible increases in serum creatinine (three patients) and skin rashes (four patients) with vancomycin. Superinfection was observed in five patients treated with vancomycin and two patients treated with teicoplanin. No relation was found between peak concentration in serum (at steady state) or bactericidal titers and outcome.