Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reduced cell death in skin flaps in rats treated with difluoromethylornithine

The beneficial effects of α‐difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) were assessed in a model of peripheral ischemia. DFMO is an irreversible inhibitor of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), the initial enzyme in the production of polyamines. A 7 times 7 cm rat abdominal skin flap was surgically raised based on two inferior epigastric nerve, artery, and vein pedicles. One of the pedicles was then ligated and the skin was sutured back in place. Necrosis of skin was assessed 2 and 7 days after surgery. The rats were divided into four groups: control, DFMO, DFMO + polyamines, and polyamines alone. DFMO was administered in drinking water at 0.2%. Polyamines (putrescine, spermidine, and spermine) were each administered by daily i.p. injection at a dose of 10 mg/kg. The percentage of necrosis of the area of skin at risk in controls was 65 ± 2% (mean ± sem). Necrosis was significantly reduced with DFMO (19 ± 1%), with DFMO plus polyamines (37 ± 3%), or with polyamines alone (41 ± 2%). Protein synthesis and ornithine decarboxylase activity in the skin were both significantly decreased by DFMO. These studies demonstrate that DFMO protects skin from ischemic damage at least in part through actions on polyamine metabolism. — Gelman, J.; Bartolome, J. V. ; Jenkins, S. ; Serafin, D; Schanberg, S. M. ; Klitzman, B. Reduced cell death in skin flaps in rats treated with difluoromethylornithine. FASEB J. 1: 474‐477; 1987.
Accuracy of adult recollections of childhood victimization, Part 2: Childhood sexual abuse.

Using data from a study with prospective-cohorts design in which children who were physically abused, sexually abused, or neglected about 20 years ago were followed up along with a matched control group, accuracy of adult recollections of childhood physical abuse was assessed. Two hour in-person interviews were conducted in young adulthood with 1,196 of the original 1,575 participants. Two measures ( including the Conflict Tactics Scale ) were used to assess histories of childlhood physical abuse. Results indicate good discriminant validity and predictive efficiency ofthe self-report measures, despite substantial underreporting by physically abused respondents. Tests of construct validity reveal shared method variance, with self-report measures predicting self-reported violence and official reports of physical abuse predicting arrests for violence. Findings are discussed in the context of other research on the accuracy of adult recollections of childhood experiences.
Learning From Others

The increase in health care expenditures is a major problem of all welfare states. To counter this trend, since the early 1980s, most OECD countries have changed the way hospitals are financed. Although these reforms are certainly linked to country-specific factors, the authors' main argument is that they are in part due to a diffusion process: Policy change in one country is influenced by previous changes in other countries. More specifically, the authors argue that policy makers learn from the experience of others. Using an original data set and event—history methods to test arguments, their results show that policy change is more likely when the existing policy is ineffective and when the experience of other countries suggests that the reform leads to the desired results. In addition, the authors find that the effects of learning grow over time and that early adopters tend to be countries with few veto players.
The effects of diffuse and distinct affect.

In a series of suboptimal priming studies, it was shown that both affective and nonaffective reactions to a stimulus may occur without awareness. Moreover, it was demonstrated that affective information is detected earlier than nonaffective information. Therefore, early reactions to an affect-laden stimulus (e.g., a smiling man) are cognitively unappraised and thus diffuse (e.g., "positive"), whereas later affective reactions can be more specific and distinct (e.g., "a smiling man"). Through variations of prime exposure (extremely short, moderately short) the impact of early diffuse and late distinct affect on judgment was investigated. Findings show that distinctness (and prime-target similarity) is an essential determinant of whether the effect of affect is null, assimilation, or contrast. Furthermore, whether affect priming activates diffuse or distinct reactions is a matter of a fraction of seconds.
Choice of scale for cubic smoothing spline models in medical applications.

The determination of the functional form of the relationship between an outcome variable and one or more continuous covariates is an important aspect of the modelling of medical data. For correct interpretation of the data it is essential that the functional form be specified at least approximately correctly. I show that for given model complexity, logarithmic transformation of a covariate can greatly improve the fit of one of the most useful and convenient non-parametric regression models, the cubic smoothing spline. A mathematical rationale for the idea is given. I propose a diagnostic for deciding initially whether a log transformation is needed. The method is illustrated using several medical data sets. No special software other than that used for fitting the spline models is needed.
Molecular and toxigenic characterization of Bacillus cereus and Bacillus thuringiensis strains isolated from commercial ground roasted coffee.

Thirty samples of roasted ground coffee beans from 10 different commercial brands were analyzed to investigate the occurrence and levels of Bacillus cereus and Bacillus thuringiensis strains. Strains were evaluated for their genetic diversity by repetitive element sequence polymorphism PCR (Rep-PCR) and for their toxigenic profiles, i.e., the presence of hblA, hblC, hblD, nheA, nheB, nheC, cytK, ces, and entFM. Survival and multiplication of B. cereus sensu lato in the ready-to-drink coffee was determined to evaluate this beverage as a possible vehicle for B. cereus infection. B. cereus was detected in 17 (56.7%) of the 30 samples, and B. thuringiensis was detected in 8 (26.7%) of the 30 samples. Five samples did not produce any characteristic growth. The most common gene, entFM, was detected in 23 strains (92%). The NHE complex (nheA, nheB, and nheC genes) was found in 19 strains (76%). The HBL complex (hblA, hblC, and hblD) was found in 16 strains (64%). All strains were negative for ces. The cytK gene was found in 16 strains (64%). The computer-assisted cluster analysis of Rep-PCR profiles using a clustering criterion of 80% similarity revealed four main clusters. Cluster 1 was the predominant and comprised three B. thuringiensis strains with 100% similarity, cluster 2 comprised two B. cereus strains (100% similarity), cluster 3 comprised two B. thuringiensis strains (90% similarity), and cluster 4 comprised one B. thuringiensis strain and one B. cereus strain (85% similarity). The cluster analysis of fingerprints generated by Rep-PCR revealed a high genetic diversity among the B. cereus strains, suggesting that the contamination could have originated from different sources. In our experiments, when sugar was added and the beverage was kept in thermic bottles there was a significant increase in B. cereus sensu lato levels, which may increase the risk of food poisoning. These results highlight the need for additional studies on this subject to better evaluate coffee as a food poisoning vehicle.
KCNJ11 activating mutations in Italian patients with permanent neonatal diabetes

Permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus (PNDM) is a rare condition characterized by severe hyperglycemia constantly requiring insulin treatment from its onset. Complete deficiency of glucokinase (GCK) can cause PNDM; however, the genetic etiology is unknown in most PNDM patients. Recently, heterozygous activating mutations of KCNJ11, encoding Kir6.2, the pore forming subunit of the ATP‐dependent potassium (KATP) channel of the pancreatic β‐cell, were found in patients with PNDM. Closure of the KATP channel exerts a pivotal role in insulin secretion by modifying the resting membrane potential that leads to insulin exocytosis. We screened the KCNJ11 gene in 12 Italian patients with PNDM (onset within 3 months from birth) and in six patients with non‐autoimmune, insulin‐requiring diabetes diagnosed during the first year of life. Five different heterozygous mutations were identified: c.149G>C (p.R50P), c.175G>A (p.V59M), c.509A>G (p.K170R), c.510G>C (p.K170N), and c.601C>T (p.R201C) in eight patients with diabetes diagnosed between day 3 and 182. Mutations at Arg50 and Lys170 residues are novel. Four patients also presented with motor and/or developmental delay as previously reported. We conclude that KCNJ11 mutations are a common cause of PNDM either in isolation or associated with developmental delay. Permanent diabetes of non autoimmune origin can present up to 6 months from birth in individuals with KCNJ11 and EIF2AK3 mutations. Therefore, we suggest that the acronym PNDM be replaced with the more comprehensive permanent diabetes mellitus of infancy (PDMI), linking it to the gene product (e.g., GCK‐PDMI, KCNJ11‐PDMI) to avoid confusion between patients with early‐onset, autoimmune type 1 diabetes. Hum Mutat 25:22–27, 2005. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Relationships among Job Demands, Work Engagement, and Turnover Intentions in the Multiple Groups of Different Levels of Perceived Organizational Supports

The purpose of this article was to investigate the relationships among job demands, work engagement, and turnover intention in the multiple groups of different levels of perceived organizational support. Data were collected from 890 professional nurses working in the private hospital industry of medical tourism in Thailand. The statistical methods employed were confirmatory factor analysis, multiple groups analysis, and structural equation modeling. The results revealed that there was a significant, work engagement had mediating effects on the relationship between job demand and turnover intention. Meanwhile, work engagement mediated the relationship between perceived organizational supports and turnover intentions. The second objective was to examine the moderating effects of the multiple groups of perceived organizational support levels on the relationship between job demands and work engagement. The results showed that multiple groups of different levels of perceived organizational support had no moderating influence. Therefore, it could be concluded from this study that perceived organizational support had an indirect influence on turnover intention through work engagement but had no moderating effects.
Affinity and catalytic heterogeneity and metal‐dependence of polyclonal myelin basic protein‐hydrolyzing IgGs from sera of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

It was shown using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) that titers of antibodies against human myelin basic protein (hMBP) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients 4.2‐fold higher than in healthy individuals, but 2.1‐fold lower than in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Approximately 86% electrophoretically and immunologically homogeneous SLE immunoglobulin Gs (IgGs) purified using several affinity resins including Sepharose with immobilized hMBP specifically hydrolyze only hMBP but not many other tested proteins. Several rigid criteria were applied to show that the hMBP‐hydrolyzing activity is an intrinsic property of SLE IgGs but not from healthy donors. In contrast to MS IgGs, abzymes from SLE patients are more sensitive to ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and less sensitive to specific inhibitors of serine‐like proteases. We present the first evidence demonstrating a significant diversity of different fractions of SLE IgGs in their affinity for hMBP‐Sepharose, the ability of IgGs to hydrolyze hMBP at different optimal pHs (5–10) and be activated by different metal ions: Ca2+ > Mg2+ ≥ Co2+ ≥ Fe2+ ≥ Ni2+ ≥ Zn2+ ≥ Cu2+ ≥ Mn2+. Combinations of Ca2+ + Mg2+ and Ca2+ + Co2 lead to a significant increase in the antibody proteolytic activity as compared with Ca2+, Co2+, or Mg2+ ions taken separately. Our findings suggest that the immune systems of individual SLE similar to MS patients can generate a variety of anti‐hMBP abzymes with different catalytic properties, which can attack hMBP of myelin‐proteolipid shell of axons and play an important role in pathogenesis not only MS but also SLE patients. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Interstitial Lung Disease Induced by Targeted Therapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Review of Diagnosis, Workup, and Management

Targeted therapies are being increasingly used for cancer treatments and had been proven to improve clinical outcomes. Although targeted therapies demonstrate survival benefit in particular patient populations, they may also increase the frequency of treatment-related toxicities and morbidity. The pulmonary toxicities, especially drug induced-interstitial lung disease (ILD), have emerged as critical adverse drug reactions which are potentially fatal.The main managment of targeted therapy-induced ILD includes drug discontinuation and corticosteroid therapy, but no standard guideline for the treatment of targeted therapy-induced ILD was established. Clinical physicians must cautiously weigh the benefits and risks of targeted therapies causing ILD in order to provide optimal treatments and favorable outcomes. Relevant clinical information regarding management of targeted therapy-induced ILD was reviewed in this article.
The Effect of Mounting Height on GNSS Receiver Positioning Accuracy in Forest Conditions

In spite of the high prices of GNSS receivers, many users decide to invest in this equipment because of the high accuracy of X, Y and Z data capture. Measurements in forested environments are affected by the increased positional error because of the signal multipath effect caused by trees. The main idea of this paper is to raise the antenna of a GNSS receiver during measurements, in order to reduce the multipath effect in the highest part of forests. A 15 meter pole was used in order to capture the GNSS signal at a height of 5, 10 and 15 m above ground level, in various forest conditions. The main factor, which determines the precision and accuracy, is the operational mode of the receiver. When in the FIXED mode, the results obtained are more reliable than those obtained when in the FLOAT mode. Due to difficult conditions in the forest stand, FIXED mode occurrence is not always possible, but much more likely at higher elevations. The FLOAT mode, however, is more likely to occur in the forest conditions and the obtained accuracy of the X and Y coordinates was ±0.81 m and 1.11 m for the elevation (Z coordinate). The best results were achieved for X and Y coordinates at an altitude of 10 m in a leafless state with an average error of ±0.54 m for the FLOAT mode. We cannot assume, therefore, that raising the GNSS antenna will improve the precision and accuracy in every case.
Effects of transvenous electrode polarity and waveform duration on the relationship between defibrillation threshold and upper limit of vulnerability.

BACKGROUND The upper limit of vulnerability (ULV) hypothesis for defibrillation predicts that maneuvers that alter the ULV will cause a similar alteration in the defibrillation threshold (DFT). The purpose of this study was to test this prediction by evaluating the effects of electrode polarity and waveform duration on the relationship between the DFT and the ULV. METHODS AND RESULTS Platinum spring electrodes were placed in the right ventricular (RV) apex and the superior vena cava in 12 pigs. Strength-duration curves were constructed for the DFT and ULV for each electrode polarity with monophasic waveforms (6 pigs) of different durations (2 to 14 ms) and biphasic truncated exponential waveforms (6 pigs) having phase 1 equal to 4 ms and phase 2 of different durations (0 to 10 ms). ULV data were gathered by scanning of the T wave. The ventricular pacing threshold (VPT) and ventricular fibrillation threshold (VFT) were also determined with these same waveforms. For the RV electrode as a cathode for monophasic and the first phase of biphasic stimuli, VPTs for the same waveform duration were significantly lower than for the configuration with the RV electrode as an anode. VFTs were not significantly different for the two electrode polarities with either monophasic or biphasic waveforms. The DFT changed in a fashion similar to the ULV with changes in electrode polarity and phase duration for both monophasic and biphasic waveforms. The ULV and DFT for each waveform duration for each polarity were strongly correlated (r=.83 to .99). CONCLUSIONS The almost identical changes in ULV and DFT with changes in electrode polarity and waveform duration provide new evidence to support the ULV hypothesis of defibrillation.
Use of a cell cycle mutant to delineate the critical period for the control of histone mRNA levels in the mammalian cell cycle

Temporal analysis of DNA replication and histone mRNA accumulation in a hamster fibroblast cell cycle mutant (K12) showed that histone mRNA accumulates periodically during the cell cycle and reaches its highest level in the S phase. The direct correlation between the initiation of DNA synthesis and the accumulation of histone mRNA to high levels in S phase demonstrated the strict interdependence of these two events. Moreover, a critical period necessary for histone mRNA accumulation occurred late in G1 phase. If cells were incubated at the nonpermissive temperature during this critical period, the amount of histone mRNA remained at the basal level. Transcription rate measurements indicated that the triggering of histone mRNA synthesis occurred in late G1 and this mRNA was synthesized at its maximal rate 3 to 5 h before its peak of accumulation. However, if cells were prohibited from synthesizing DNA as a consequence of the temperature-sensitive block in G1, the synthesis of histone mRNA was not initiated.
Development, structure and composition of lampbrush chromosomes in domestic fowl.

Stained sections of developing ovaries and hand-isolated oocyte nuclei and lampbrush chromosomes of domestic fowl were studied. The observations suggest a synchronous transformation from the diplotene chromosomes to the lampbrush stage of chromosomal development and an asynchronous breakdown of recognizable chromosomes in larger oocytes.Before the appearance of lampbrush chromosomes a series of nucleo-cytoplasmic changes were observed in the developing oocytes. Formation and dispersal of the Balbiani-body complex in the cytoplasm appears to be associated with the movement of chromosomes and the initiation of lampbrush formation.The lampbrush chromosomes are developed early in life, in about 18-day chicks, and continue to be observed in active oocytes (above 150 μ diam) of mature birds. The lateral loops of lampbrush chromosomes appear to contain nucleoprotein chromatic granules in linear array. Using enzyme treatment it is conceived that the protein composition of the lampbrush chromosome is relatively hi.
Strongly Conflict-Avoiding Codes

Strongly conflict-avoiding codes (SCACs) are used in the slot-asynchronous multiple-access collision channel without feedback to guarantee that each active user can send at least one packet successfully in the worst case within a fixed period of time. The number of codewords in an SCAC is the number of potential users that can be supported. In this paper, a general upper bound on the size of SCAC is derived. We further improve the upper bound if the code has some special structure, called equi-difference, and we show this bound is asymptotically tight.
The nonstationary ideal in the ℙmax extension

Abstract The forcing construction ℙmax, invented by W. Hugh Woodin, produces a model whose collection of subsets of ω1 is in some sense maximal. In this paper we study the Boolean algebra induced by the nonstationary ideal on ω1 in this model. Among other things we show that the induced quotient does not have a simply definable form. We also prove several results about saturation properties of the ideal in this extension.
Predictors of histology, tissue eosinophilia and mast cell infiltration in Hodgkin’s Lymphoma – a population‐based study

Objective: Classical Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL) lesions comprise few tumour cells, surrounded by numerous inflammatory cells. Like in other malignancies, the microenvironment is presumed to be clinically important in HL; however, microenvironment predictors remain poorly characterised. The aim of this study was to investigate how selected patient characteristics and genetic factors affect HL phenotype, in particular tissue eosinophilia, mast cell counts and HL histological subtype.
A comparative study of texture features for the discrimination of gastric polyps in endoscopic video

In this paper, we extend the application of four texture feature extraction methods proposed for the detection of colorectal lesions, into the discrimination of gastric polyps in endoscopic video. Support Vector Machines have been utilized for the texture classification task. The polyp discrimination performance of the surveyed schemes is compared by means of Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC). The results advocate the feasibility of a computer-based system for polyp detection in video gastroscopy that exploits the textural characteristics of the gastric mucosa in conjunction with its color appearance.