Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Concordance of studies for nodal staging is prognostic for worse survival in esophageal cancer.

Pretreatment clinical staging in esophageal cancer influences prognosis and treatment strategy. Current staging strategies utilize multiple imaging modalities, and often the results are contradictory. No studies have examined the implications of concordance of computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET), and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) when used for the evaluation of nodal disease. The objective of this study was to determine if concordance of CT, PET, or EUS for nodal disease predicts worse overall survival. We reviewed 615 esophageal cancer patients with pretreatment CT, PET, and EUS that underwent esophagectomy for survival outcomes based on concordance of studies for nodal disease. Concordant N+ is defined as two or three studies positive for nodal disease; non-concordant N+ is defined as only one positive study. Node-positive disease by any study predicted shorter survival than node-negative disease (42% vs. 73% 5-year survival; P<0.001). Additionally, non-concordant N+ patients had shorter survival than N- patients (52% vs. 73% 5-year survival; P<0.001). Concordant N+ patients had shorter survival than non-concordant N+ patients (38- vs. 61-month median survival; P=0.017). There were no statistically significant differences in survival based on specific combinations of studies. When PET was disregarded, patients with both CT+ and EUS+ had shorter survival than patients with either CT+ or EUS+ (39- vs. 58-month median survival; P=0.029). Pretreatment CT, PET, or EUS concordance for node-positive disease predicts shorter overall survival in patients that undergo esophagectomy for esophageal cancer. Predicting survival in esophageal cancer should consider the synergistic capabilities of CT, PET, and EUS in evaluating nodal status.
Carbohydrate Taste Sensitivity Is Associated with Starch Intake and Waist Circumference in Adults.

Background: Recent studies have proposed that humans may perceive complex carbohydrates and that sensitivity to simple carbohydrates is independent of sensitivity to complex carbohydrates. Variation in oral complex carbohydrate sensitivity may influence food consumption.Objective: This study aimed to investigate the associations between oral complex carbohydrate sensitivity, anthropometry, and dietary intake in adults.Methods: We assessed oral sensitivity to complex carbohydrates (maltodextrin and oligofructose) by measuring detection thresholds (DTs) and suprathreshold intensity perceptions (STs) for 34 participants, including 16 men (mean ± SEM age : 26.2 ± 0.4 y; range: 24-30 y) and 18 women (age: 29.4 ± 2.1 y; range: 24-55 y). We also measured height, weight, and waist circumference (WC) and participants completed a 4-d food diary and a food-frequency questionnaire.Results: Measurements of oral sensitivity to complex carbohydrates were significantly correlated with WC and dietary energy and starch intakes (DT: r = -0.38, P < 0.05; ST: r = 0.36-0.48, P < 0.05). When participants were grouped into tertiles, there were significant differences in WC and total energy or starch intakes for those who were more sensitive or experienced high intensity compared with those who were less sensitive or experienced low intensity. Being more sensitive or experiencing high intensity was associated with greater energy (7968-8954 kJ/d) and starch (29.1-29.8% of energy) intakes and a greater WC (88.2-91.4 cm) than was being less sensitive or experiencing low intensity (6693-7747 kJ/d, 20.9-22.2% of energy, and 75.5-80.5 cm, respectively). Conclusion: Complex carbohydrate sensing is associated with WC and consumption of complex carbohydrates and energy in adults. This trial was registered at anzctr.org. au as ACTRN12616001356459.
Acarbose Accelerates Wound Healing via Akt/eNOS Signaling in db/db Mice

Refractory wound is a dreaded complication of diabetes and is highly correlated with EPC dysfunction caused by hyperglycemia. Acarbose is a widely used oral glucose-lowering drug exclusively for T2DM. Previous studies have suggested the beneficial effect of acarbose on improving endothelial dysfunction in patients with T2DM. However, no data have been reported on the beneficial efficacy of acarbose in wound healing impairment caused by diabetes. We herein investigated whether acarbose could improve wound healing in T2DM db/db mice and the possible mechanisms involved. Acarbose hastened wound healing and enhanced angiogenesis, accompanied by increased circulating EPC number in db/db mice. In vitro, a reversed BM-EPC dysfunction was observed after the administration of acarbose in db/db mice, as reflected by tube formation assay. In addition, a significantly increased NO production was also witnessed in BM-EPCs from acarbose treated db/db mice, with decreased O2 levels. Akt inhibitor could abolish the beneficial effect of acarbose on high glucose induced EPC dysfunction in vitro, accompanied by reduced eNOS activation. Acarbose displayed potential effect in promoting wound healing and improving angiogenesis in T2DM mice, which was possibly related to the Akt/eNOS signaling pathway.
The Wisconsin Epidemiologic Study of diabetic retinopathy. XIV. Ten-year incidence and progression of diabetic retinopathy.

OBJECTIVE To examine the 10-year incidence and progression of diabetic retinopathy. DESIGN Population-based incidence study. PARTICIPANTS Seven hundred sixty-five insulin-taking diabetic persons diagnosed before age 30 years, 251 insulin-taking diabetic persons diagnosed at age 30 years or older, and 282 non-insulin-taking diabetic persons diagnosed at age 30 years or older who participated in baseline, 4-year, and 10-year follow-up examinations. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The 10-year incidence of any retinopathy, progression of retinopathy, and progression to proliferative retinopathy were detected by masked grading of stereoscopic color fundus photographs using the modified Airlie House classification and the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study severity scheme. RESULTS The 10-year incidence of retinopathy (89%, 79%, and 67%), progression of retinopathy (76%, 69%, and 53%), and progression to proliferative retinopathy (30%, 24%, and 10%) were highest in the group diagnosed before age 30 years, intermediate in the insulin-taking group diagnosed at age 30 years or older, and lowest in the non-insulin-taking group, respectively. Increased risk of proliferative retinopathy was associated with more severe retinopathy at baseline. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest relatively high 10-year rates of incidence and progression of retinopathy, and despite changes in the treatment of diabetes, there has been little change in the incidence and progression of diabetic retinopathy during the 10-year study period.
KINETICS OF SOIL CHEMICAL REACTIONS : RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN EMPIRICAL EQUATIONS AND DIFFUSION MODELS

A variety of kinetic equations such as zero-order, first-order, second-order, Elovich, fractional-power, and parabolic-diffusion equations have been used to describe the kinetics of soil chemical processes. Often, several of these expressions seem to equally well describe the kinetics of a particular reaction. In this research, it is shown that the kinetics of phosphate sorption/release can be described by an expression that is approximated at beginning times by a fractional-power equation, at intermediate times by the Elovich equation, and at long times by an apparent first-order equation. Such kinetics, which can be characterized by a sigmoidal z(f) plot of the reciprocal of the rate against the time l(dq/dt)-' vs. t], are consistent with theoretical homogeneous and heterogeneous models based on diffusion of the sorbate in the solid phase or at the solid/liquid interface. These models were applied to data from the published literature on sorption and release of phosphates by soils. For some soils, the experimental results were accounted for by assuming a constant diffusion coefficient. For other soils, it was assumed that diffusion processes with various diffusion coefficients take place simultaneously. Using these models, diffusion parameters can be estimated. A ARRAY of kinetic equations including zero-, first-, and second-order, Elovich, fractional-power, and parabolic-diffusion equations have been employed over the years to describe the kinetics of soil chemical phenomena (Sparks, 1989). In several cases, a number of these equations seem to equally well describe time-dependent data if simple correlation coefficients and standard errors of the estimate are the indices that are used to evaluate the data (Chien and Clayton, 1980; Onken and Matheson, 1982; Sparks and Jardine, 1984; Havlin et al., 1985). The following expressions often describe time-dependent data well: 1. The fractional-power or modified Freundlich equation, which can be expressed as
EPIDEMIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF AN INVADING PARASITE: DICROCOELIUM DENDRITICUM IN SYMPATRIC WAPITI AND BEEF CATTLE IN SOUTHERN ALBERTA, CANADA

Previous surveys of wild ungulates indicate that the liver fluke, Dicrocoelium dendriticum, was rare in the Cypress Hills area of southeastern Alberta. However, 41 of 59 wapiti (Cervus elaphus) sampled during the 2003 and 2004 hunting seasons from this region were infected, with 7 hosts containing >1,000 worms. Prevalence and mean intensity were similarly high in sympatric beef cattle and mule deer. Worm abundance in wapiti was age related, with calves containing significantly higher numbers of worms (mean ± SD abundance = 825 ± 1,098) than adults (107 ± 259). This pattern with host age was not evident in beef cattle, although the smaller sample sizes may be a contributing factor. These results indicate that D. dendriticum is now well established in Cypress Hills Park, circulating between at least 3 species of sympatric ungulates, including beef cattle.
Natural Killer Cells from HIV Infected Slow Progressors Who Carry the Protective HLA-B*27 Allele and Inhibitory KIR3DL1 Receptors Have Elevated Poly-Functional Potential Compared to Bw6 Homozygotes

Nicole F. Bernard1,2,3,10 et al.* for the Canadian Cohort of HIV Infected Slow Progressors 1Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre 2Division of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, Clinique du Quartier 3Division of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, McGill University Health Centre, Toronto, Ontario 10Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l’Universite de Montreal Montreal, Quebec, Canada
5 Considerations in Modern Multichannel Nonlinear Hearing Aids

The field of hearing aids has witnessed a significant evolution in the last decade. Prior to the 1980s, over 80% of hearing aids manufactured and dispensed were linear hearing aids with peak clipping as the only option for output limiting. Many of the nonlinear hearing aids were linear hearing aids with output compression limiting. The situation changed so that in the mid-1990s almost half of the hearing aids sold were nonlinear hearing aids (Mueller and Killion, 1996). Most of the nonlinear hearing aids were single channel linear hearing aids with compression limiting, or single channel wide dynamic range compression (WDRC) hearing aids. The sale of nonlinear hearing aids steadily increased in the last few years, with an estimate that over 75% of hearing aids sold incorporated some types of nonlinear signal processing. Of these hearing aids, threequarters were either programmable or true digital signal processing hearing aids (Strom, 2001). Many of these hearing aids are multichannel devices utilizing complex processing algorithms that extend the benefits of conventional nonlinear hearing aids. Such rapid change in technology has led to an almost inevitable consequence—our verification protocol has failed to keep pace with the advances such that many can neither be easily evaluated nor fairly verified without special considerations. The interpretation that one makes with the results of verification may also be unclear. Failure to properly verify a nonlinear hearing aid could compromise its potential benefit. Thus, this chapter focuses on the changes in current nonlinear hearing aids, explains how they may extend the benefits provided by conventional devices, and discusses how our current practices on verification may need to be updated to reflect the changes in technology. Although the concept and characterization of compression are reviewed, readers are referred to summary articles for a detailed discussion on the rationale, classification, fitting, and efficacy of conventional nonlinear hearing aids (Braida et al, 1979; Walker and Dillon, 1982; Kuk, 1996, 2000; Dillon, 1996.
Efficient conversion of tomatidine into neuritogenic pregnane derivative.

Moderate acetylation of tomatidine with anhydrous acetic acid and pyridine for 20 h at r.t. , followed by pseudomerization in ice-water, gave a delta(20(22))-pseudo compound, which was then subjected to ozonolysis to provide a pregnane derivative in a total 54% yield showing neuritogenic and NGF-enhancing activities.
Alzheimer's disease: the amyloid cascade hypothesis.

In both metazoan development and metastatic cancer, migrating cells must carry out a detailed, complex program of sensing cues, binding substrates, and moving their cytoskeletons. The linker cell in Caenorhabditis elegans males undergoes a stereotyped migration that guides gonad organogenesis, occurs with precise timing, and requires the nuclear hormone receptor NHR-67. To better understand how this occurs, we performed RNA-seq of individually staged and dissected linker cells, comparing transcriptomes from linker cells of third-stage (L3) larvae, fourth-stage (L4) larvae, and nhr-67-RNAi–treated L4 larvae. We observed expression of 8,000–10,000 genes in the linker cell, 22–25% of which were up- or down-regulated 20-fold during development by NHR-67. Of genes that we tested by RNAi, 22% (45 of 204) were required for normal shape and migration, suggesting that many NHR-67–dependent, linker cell-enriched genes play roles in this migration. One unexpected class of genes up-regulated by NHR-67 was tandem pore potassium channels, which are required for normal linker-cell migration. We also found phenotypes for genes with human orthologs but no previously described migratory function. Our results provide an extensive catalog of genes that act in a migrating cell, identify unique molecular functions involved in nematode cell migration, and suggest similar functions in humans.
Adoption of Improved Poultry Technologies by Poor Resource Farmers in Nigeria: Implications to Meat Protein Availability in the 21st Century

A study to assess the prices of inputs and the adoption of improved poultry technologies by poor resource farmers was conducted in Akwa Ibom State in the southern zone of Nigeria. A multi-stage random sampling method was adopted in the study. The data obtained was subjected to descriptive and inferential statistics. The results show that both young and older farmers are involved in poultry production. The study reveals that 78% of the farmers are married while 22% are single. About 44% of the farmers earn an annual income of N5000 – 20,000, 35% of them earn from N21,000 – 35,000 while about 21% earn from N36,000 to over 50,000 (151 NGN= 1 USD). The prices of a 25 kg poultry feeds: chick mash, starters mash, growers mash, layers mash and finishers mash, prices of day old chicks, poultry equipment and medication show some slight variations in some years and remain stable in some during the period of study. However, the R-value of coefficient shows that the socioeconomic characteristics of the farmers collectively have a significant positive but low relationship with cost of inputs adopted by the farmers. Similarly, the socioeconomic characteristics of the farmers collectively have a significantly positive but low relationship with medication practices adopted by the farmers. Therefore, the peasant poultry farmers will be able to continue with production of egg and meat protein if prices of inputs and other related services are affordable.
Effect of graded doses of nicotine on ovarian and uterine activities in albino rats.

Nicotine (2 and 4 mg/kg body weight, i.p.) administered to albino rats for 20 days decreased the number of healthy follicles and increased the number of regressing follicles in the ovary. Uterine weight, its diameter, thickness of myometrium and endometrium and height of epithelium were reduced. Increase in the ovarian cholesterol level and decrease in glycogen content in nicotine treated rats indicate the inhibition brought in the steroidogenesis which is dependent on pituitary gonadotrophins. Decreased protein content of the ovary and uterus may be due to their retarded growth. Reduced number of estrous cycle with prolonged metaestrus and diestrus also supports the decreased estrogen synthesis responsible for cornification of vaginal smear in nicotine treated rats.
Osteoclastogenesis in Local Alveolar Bone in Early Decortication-Facilitated Orthodontic Tooth Movement

Objective In the current study, we aimed to investigate the effects of alveolar decortication on local bone remodeling, and to explore the possible mechanism by which decortication facilitates tooth movement. Materials and Methods Forty rabbits were included in the experiment. The left mandible was subjected to decortication-facilitated orthodontics, and the right mandible underwent traditional orthodontics as a control. The animals were sacrificed on the days 1, 3, 5, 7 and 14, after undergoing orthodontic procedures. Tooth movement was measured by Micro-CT, and the local periodontal tissues were investigated using H&E, Masson's trichrome and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining. The mRNA levels of genes related to bone remodeling in the alveolar bone were analyzed using real-time PCR. Result On days 3, 5, 7 and 14, tooth movement was statistically accelerated by decortication (P < 0.05) and was accompanied by increased hyperemia. Despite the lack of new bone formation in both groups, more osteoclasts were noted in the decorticated group, with two peak counts (P < 0.05). The first peak count was consistent with the maximum values of ctsk and TRAP expression, and the second peak counts accompanied the maximum nfatc1 and jdp2 expression. The increased fra2 expression and the ratio of rankl/opg also accompanied the second peak counts. Conclusions Following alveolar decortication, osteoclastogenesis was initially induced to a greater degree than the new bone formation which was thought to have caused a regional acceleratory phenomenon (RAP). The amount of steoclastogenesis in the decorticated alveolar bone was found to have two peaks, perhaps due to attenuated local resistance. The first peak count in osteoclasts may have been due to previously existing osteoclast precursors, whereas the second may represent the differentiation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells which came from circulation as the result of hyperemia.
Hyperosmolarity Reduces GLUT 4 Endocytosis and Increases Its Exocytosis from a VAMP 2-independent Pool in L 6 Muscle Cells *

The intracellular traffic of the glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) in muscle cells remains largely unexplored. Here we make use of L6 myoblasts stably expressing GLUT4 with an exofacially directed Myc-tag (GLUT4myc) to determine the exocytic and endocytic rates of the transporter. Insulin caused a rapid (t1⁄2 5 4 min) gain, whereas hyperosmolarity (0.45 M sucrose) caused a slow (t1⁄2 5 20 min) gain in surface GLUT4myc molecules. With prior insulin stimulation followed by addition of hypertonic sucrose, the increase in surface GLUT4myc was partly additive. Unlike the effect of insulin, the GLUT4myc gain caused by hyperosmolarity was insensitive to wortmannin or to tetanus toxin cleavage of VAMP2 and VAMP3. Disappearance of GLUT4myc from the cell surface was rapid (t1⁄2 5 1.5 min). Insulin had no effect on the initial rate of GLUT4myc internalization. In contrast, hyperosmolarity almost completely abolished GLUT4myc internalization. Surface GLUT4myc accumulation in response to hyperosmolarity was only partially blocked by inhibition of tyrosine kinases with erbstatin analog (erbstatin A) and genistein. However, neither inhibitor interfered with the ability of hyperosmolarity to block GLUT4myc internalization. We propose that hyperosmolarity increases surface GLUT4myc by preventing GLUT4 endocytosis and stimulating its exocytosis via a pathway independent of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase activity and of VAMP2 or VAMP3. A tetanus toxin-insensitive v-SNARE such as TI-VAMP detected in these cells, might mediate membrane fusion of the hyperosmolarity-sensitive pool.
Spatially and temporally regulated expression of specific heparan sulfate epitopes in the developing mouse olfactory system

Heparan sulfate (HS) comprises a structurally diverse group of glycosaminoglycans present ubiquitously on cell surfaces and in the extracellular matrix. The spatially and temporally regulated expression of specific HS structures is essential for various developmental processes in the nervous system but their distributions in the mouse olfactory system have not been explored. Here, we examined the spatiotemporal distribution of particular HS species in the developing mouse olfactory system using three structure‐specific monoclonal antibodies (HepSS‐1, JM403 and NAH46). The major findings were as follows. (i) During olfactory bulb morphogenesis, the HepSS‐1 epitope was strongly expressed in anterior telencephalic cells and coexpressed with fibroblast growth factor receptor 1. (ii) In early postnatal glomeruli, the JM403 epitope was expressed at different levels among individual glomeruli. The expression pattern and levels of the JM403 epitope were both associated with those of ephrin‐A3. (iii) In the vomeronasal system, the JM403 epitope was expressed in all vomeronasal axons but became increasingly restricted to vomeronasal axons terminating in the anterior region of the accessory olfactory bulb by 3 weeks of age. Our results demonstrate that each HS epitope exhibits a unique expression pattern during the development of the mouse olfactory system. Thus, each HS epitope is closely associated with particular developmental processes of the olfactory system and might have a particular role in developmental events.
A model of transcriptional regulatory networks based on biases in the observed regulation rules

Control rules governing transciption of eukaryotic genes can be modeled as Boolean function, and these rules are strongly biased toward large numbers of "canalizing" inputs. The ensemble of networks with the observed canalizing bias presicts cells are in an ordered regime with convergent flow in transcription state space, a percolating subnetwork of genes fixed on or off an isolated islands of twinkling genes turning on or off, and a near power-law distribution of cascades of gene activity changes following perturbations. The data suggest that a given cell state or type can be represented as an attractor of transcriptional activity or flow over time. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.