Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MicroRNA and mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis: Whole miRNome profiling of human hippocampus

Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE) is a severe neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures. mTLE is frequently accompanied by neurodegeneration in the hippocampus resulting in hippocampal sclerosis (HS), the most common morphological correlate of drug resistance in mTLE patients. Incomplete knowledge of pathological changes in mTLE+HS complicates its therapy. The pathological mechanism underlying mTLE+HS may involve abnormal gene expression regulation, including posttranscriptional networks involving microRNAs (miRNAs). miRNA expression deregulation has been reported in various disorders, including epilepsy. However, the miRNA profile of mTLE+HS is not completely known and needs to be addressed.
Hemispneric asymmetries in global and local processing: evidence from fMRI

FUNCTIONAL magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to explore the brain substrate associated with global and local processing of visuospatial patterns. Systematic differences in activation, consistent with differences observed in reaction time data collected under conditions of visual hemifield presentation, were found in occipitotemporal regions of the right and left hemispheres. Within the right hemisphere, area of activation and fractional signal changes were greater under conditions of global processing than under local processing conditions. In the left hemisphere, activation to global and local input was high and comparable.
Surface ageing of dielectric materials in a controlled atmosphere: A Raman microprobe study

This paper takes a novel approach to the problem of characterising electrical ageing in solid dielectrics through ex-situ experiments that seek to reproduce the chemistry of electrical treeing in bulk. Plaque specimens of a range of polymers, including polyethylene, polystyrene, polyether ether ketone and silicone rubber, were subjected to surface ageing via corona discharge in air or in a closed cell where the atmosphere can be controlled and adjusted. The residual products on both the sample surface and the high voltage electrode were characterised by Raman microprobe spectroscopy and the resulting fingerprints were compared with those previously identified within electrical trees. Analysis of the electrodes aged in air and nitrogen revealed varying evidence of sp2 hybridized carbon, and fluorescence, both of which are products previously associated with the processes involved in electrical treeing. The significance of the results is discussed with respect to electrical treeing.
SMS enhanced vocabulary learning for mobile audiences

The paper reports on a small pilot study to explore the role of Short Message Service (SMS) in English as Second Language (ESL) vocabulary learning for mobile audiences. In this study, SMS was integrated into web-based vocabulary learning. Ten participants were involved in this study. An online test system was set-up for recorded assessment data collection, and an open-ended questionnaire interview was conducted via e-mail to collect qualitative data. The research findings show significant improvements in the learner performance and in their attitudes towards using SMS in their vocabulary learning.
Dissection of the CMV specific T‐cell response is required for optimized cardiac transplant monitoring

Despite the success of antivirals in preventing clinically overt CMV disease in cardiac allograft recipients, sub‐clinical active CMV infection remains a major concern because of its association with allograft rejection and vasculopathy. The measurement of CMV specific T‐cell responses is a promising approach to assessing this situation. For simplicity, class‐I MHC/peptide‐multimers staining CD8 T‐cells directly are often used but this ignores a much wider range of responses including the whole CD4 T‐cell compartment. CD4 T‐cells, however, were recently shown to be critical to reducing CMV load early after transplantation. To determine how extensive T‐cell responses to CMV are, the responses to two dominant CMV proteins, IE‐1 and pp65, were dissected in detail accounting for T‐cell lineage, frequencies, epitope recognition and changes over time in more than 25 heart transplant recipients. Cross‐sectional results from over 30 healthy CMV‐carriers were analyzed for comparison. Responses were unexpectedly complex, with considerable inter‐individual variation in terms of dominance, breadth, and recognized epitopes. Whereas the use of MHC/peptide‐multimers for clinical CD8 T‐cell response monitoring alone can be justified in some situations, short term T‐cell activation combined with intracellular cytokine staining was clearly found to be of more general usefulness. The performance of IFN‐gamma, TNF‐alpha, or IL‐2 as single read‐outs in identifying activated T‐cells was examined and confirmed that the frequently used IFN‐gamma was best suited. These results should be used to inform the design of clinically applicable and diagnostically useful approaches to monitoring CMV specific responses in heart transplant recipients. J. Med. Virol. 80:1604–1614, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Breastfeeding among urban women of low-socioeconomic status: factors influencing introduction of supplemental feeds before four months of age.

This study assessed characteristics of women who exclusively breast feed infants during the first 4 months and women who introduce early supplementation of foods in India. Data were obtained from interviews with 75 randomly selected mothers. 73.3% of mothers were 20-30 years old. 49.3% of birth weights were under 45 kg. 20% were under 145 cm in length. 55 mothers (73.3%) received prenatal care. 26 mothers were informed about breast feeding. 76% of mothers resumed full household and/or professional work within 45 days of delivery. 61.3% of births were males. 97.3% were normal vaginal deliveries. 98.7% roomed with their mother after delivery. 62.7% were breast fed within the first day of life. The rest were breast fed by the 3rd day. 51.3% were started on supplementary feeding within 6 weeks. 72% were started on supplementary feeding within 2 months. Duration of exclusive breast feeding was unrelated to maternal education or nutrition, socioeconomic status, family support, motivation for breast feeding, birth order, or gender of the infant. The most common reason for early food supplementation was insufficient breast milk (49.4%). 6 of 13 mothers related work resumption as the reason for artificial feeding. Most mothers used cow or buffalo milk. Most used bottles, and few had proper hygiene. Most diluted the supplements with water.
Factors associated with residents' attitudes toward dying patients.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Management of the dying patient often elicits anxiety in physicians. This study identified the association of physicians' personal fear of death, tolerance of uncertainty, and attachment style with physician attitudes toward dying patients. METHODS Four psychological scales were distributed to family practice residents located in Texas, Missouri, and Maine. The scales were "Death Anxiety," "Death Attitudes," "Physicians' Reactions to Uncertainty," and "Experiences in Close Relationships. " The scores from the measures and demographic data were used to determine which factors were associated with physician attitudes toward caring for terminally ill patients. RESULTS Completed surveys were received from 157 residents. Younger residents (< 30 years) reported more stress from uncertainty and were more uncomfortable with the care of dying patients. Residents who reported higher death anxiety were also more uncomfortable with caring for dying patients. In a multivariate analysis, uncertainty, death anxiety, and age predicted 26% of the total outcome variance of the death attitudes score. CONCLUSIONS Physician tolerance of uncertainty plays a significant role in physician attitudes toward the dying patient. Our findings suggest that decreasing physicians' stress from uncertainty by educating them in the management of the dying patient may improve their attitude toward death and may better prepare them to provide end-of-life care.
Extrapleural solitary fibrous tumor: clinicopathologic study of 17 cases and molecular analysis of the p53 pathway

Solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) occurring at various extrapleural sites is sometimes difficult to diagnose because of its histologic variability. Although a solitary fibrous tumor is usually a slow‐growing tumor with favorable prognosis, a small number of malignant cases have been reported. In the present study, we examined the clinical behavior, histologic, immunohistochemical and molecular features of 17 cases of extrapleural SFT. Four tumors were located in the pelvic cavity, two in the nasal cavity, two were confined to the pulmonary parenchyma, and there was one each in the meninges, kidney, mediastinum, retroperitoneum, temporal region, neck, groin, buttock and thigh. Histologically, all the tumors were characterized by the presence of areas consisting of a proliferation of bland spindle cells with variable amounts of thick, often hyalinized or keloid‐like intercellular collagen bundles. Highly cellular areas were observed in three tumors, frequent mitoses in two, and cellular pleomorph‐ism and tumor necrosis in one each. All 17 tumors showed immunoreactivity to CD34 and 15 (88%) to bcl‐2 protein. The labeling indices of p53, mdm2 protein and Ki‐67 were generally low. PCR‐SSCP and a subsequent sequence analysis of the p53 gene disclosed point mutation at codon 161 in exon 5 in one of the 13 cases analyzed. According to follow‐up information, none of the patients had developed local recurrence or distant metastasis. Our results suggest that most extrapleural SFTs behave in a benign fashion even in a higher histologic grade group, and it is difficult to predict their clinical outcome. Complete surgical excision in order to obtain clear margins and long‐term follow‐up is advisable for patients with an extrapleural SFT.
Youthful and Older Biases as Special Cases of a Self-Age Optimization Bias

Two concepts of subjective age are measured for two cohorts (college students and older persons with an age range of 50 to 91 years). Functional age (Kastenbaum et al., 1972 Ages-of-Me Scale [1]) shows the typical youthful bias for the older cohort. An older bias is shown for the Best/Ideal Age by the older cohort in comparison to the younger cohort. Taken together, the youthful bias, being like someone of younger chronological age, and the bias of selecting a relatively older age as best represents a “Self Age Optimization Bias. ” A sub-set of Best Age items dealing with work and career are identified for gender and cohort comparisons.
Bioavailability of a New Sustained-Release Anhydrous Theophylline Product

The bioavailability of a new sustained-release anhydrous theophylline product (Theophylline Lavipharm®) was evaluated and compared with the bioavailability of a well-established product, Theodur®. Two groups of 12 healthy non-smokers were given single doses of 200 or 300 mg of each product and two groups of 12 patients with asthma or chronic obstructive lung disease were given doses of 200 or 300 mg of each product every 12 h for 5-day periods. The values of the area under the plasma theophylline concentration against time curve (AUC), the maximum plasma theophylline concentration (C max) and the time taken to reach Cmax (Tmax) for the two products did not differ significantly in the healthy groups or in the patients. The minimum and the average plasma theophylline concentrations and the fluctuation index were also calculated for the patients and there were no significant differences between the values for the two products. The new anhydrous theophylline product, Theophylline Lavipharm®, appears to show very similar bioavailability to Theodur®. No adverse reactions to the new product were reported.
Effects of air pollution on emergency room visits for respiratory illnesses in Montreal, Quebec.

As an approach to evaluating the public health burden from current air pollution levels, we examined the relationship of daily emergency room (ER) visits for respiratory illnesses (25 hospitals, average 98 visits/d) to air pollution in Montreal, Canada, from June through September, 1992 and 1993. Air pollutants measured included ozone (O3), particulate matter diameter < 10 microm (PM10) and < 2.5 microm (PM2.5), the sulfate fraction of PM2.5 (SO4), and aerosol strong acidity (H+). Temporal trends, autocorrelation, and weather were controlled for in time-series regressions. For 1992, no significant associations with ER visits were found. However, 33% of the particulate data were missing. For 1993, 1-h maximum O3, PM10, PM2.5, and SO4 were all positively associated with respiratory visits for patients over 64 yr of age (p < 0.02). An increase to the mean level of 1-h maximum O3 (36 ppb) was associated with a 21% increase over the mean number of daily ER visits (95% confidence interval [CI]: 8 to 34%). Effects of particulates were smaller, with mean increases of 16% (4 to 28%), 12% (2 to 21%) and 6% (1 to 12%) for PM10, PM2.5, and SO4, respectively. Relative mass effects were PM2.5 > PM10 >> SO4. Ozone and PM10 levels never exceeded 67 ppb and 51 microg/m3, respectively (well below the U.S. National Ambient Air Quality Standards of 120 ppb and 150 microg/m3, respectively). The present findings have public health implications with regard to the adverse health effects of urban photochemical air pollution on older individuals.
High level of alpha‐fetoprotein in sera of adult mice

Mouse a‐fetoprotein (AFP) was purified by making use of its immunological cross‐reaction with rabbit AFP. A radioimmunoassay, developed for mouse AFP, was used to measure AFP concentrations in the sera of adult mice of different inbred strains. The level of adult mouse AFP was found to be 30–350 ng/ml, which is about 10 times higher than has been reported for humans and rats. An association seems to exist between the high basal level of AFP and the remarkably high incidence of spontaneous hepatomas in mice.
Heat Tolerance in Patients with Extensive Healed Burns

Some thermoregulatory parameters of 10 subjects with healed burns were studied. The subjects, 4 of whom had healed burns of over 40 percent (group A) and 6 with burns smaller than 30 percent (group B) were assigned in a climatic chamber to 3 hours bench stepping (30 cm height) under 40 degrees C and 50 percent relative humidity. Rectal temperature, weighted skin temperature, heat storage, and heart rate were all found to be significantly higher in group A than in group B or group C (control group of normal subjects). No significant difference was observed between groups B and C. A highly significant linear correlation (r = 0.89) was found between the sweat rate and percentage of burned area. In addition, 3 subjects of group A terminated the study after less than 90 minutes. Two subjects in group B terminated the study after 120 and 135 minutes, while all subjects of group C finished the entire 3 hour work. The study indicates that subjects with burns of over 40 percent could be classified as heat intolerant due to a pronounced reduction in perspiration area.
Rapid Improvement of Serum 1,5-Anhydroglucitol Concentrations After Administration of α-Glucosidase Inhibitor

From the Epidemiology Unit (JFB.), Manitoba Health; the Departments of Medicine (S.L.) and Pediatrics (H.D.) and the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy and Evaluation (A.W), Department of Community Sciences, University of Manitoba; and the Diabetes Education Resource Program (K.A., N.D.), Winnipeg, Manitoba; and the Laboratory Centre for Disease Control (O.K.), Ottawa, Canada. Address correspondence to J. Blanchard, MD, Epidemiology Unit, Manitoba Health, 800 Portage Avenue, Room 405, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3G 0N4, Canada. E-mail: jamieb@mbnet.mb. ca.
Relationship between p53‐associated proteins and estrogen receptor status in ovarian serous neoplasms

We studied the immunoexpression of p14ARF, MDM2, and p53, in addition to relationships between those protein expressions and estrogen receptor (ER)α in ovarian serous tumors including benign (n = 23), borderline (n = 41), and malignant (n = 94). The aberrant expressions of p14ARF, MDM2, and p53 were observed in 19.6% (31/158), 47.5% (75/158), and 39.9% (63/158) of cases, respectively. The expression of MDM2 was significantly higher in borderline tumors compared to benign (P = 0.04) and malignant (P < 0.01) tumors. p53 expression in borderline tumors was uncommon, and p14ARF expression loss was mainly observed in carcinomas. Altered expression of p14ARF, MDM2, and p53 shows significant relationship with stage. Overexpression of MDM2 (P = 0.01) and loss of p14ARF expression (P = 0.04) were significantly associated with ER expression. Our results suggest that alteration of p14ARF–MDM2–p53 pathway proteins may contribute significantly to the tumorigenesis of ovarian serous neoplasms, and ER is involved in cellular regulation of p14ARF–MDM2–p53 pathway in ovarian serous neoplasms.
Mean Platelet Volume Is Increased in Patients With Bicuspid Aortic Valve

Background: It has been demonstrated that platelet activation occurs in patients with aortic stenosis. However, no study has assessed platelet activation in patients with a normally functioning bicuspid aortic valve (BAV). Therefore, we aimed to investigate relationship between platelet activation assessed by mean platelet volume (MPV) and normally functioning BAV. Methods: Thirty-nine patients with isolated BAV and 25 age- and gender-matched healthy participants were included in the study. Patients with more than mild aortic regurgitation and aortic velocity >2 m/s were excluded from the study. For the entire study population, MPV was measured using an automatic blood counter. Results: Compared to control group, MPV value was significantly higher in patients with BAV (8.6 ± 1.0 vs 8.0 ± 0.8, p: .01). In the correlation analysis, there was a significant correlation between MPV measures with aortic stiffness (r: .32 and p: .01) and aortic elastic modulus (r: .37 and p: .003). Conclusion: Our study results indicate that BAV is associated with elevated MPV values.
Population-based study of chlamydial infection in China: a hidden epidemic.

CONTEXT Sexually transmitted diseases are increasing rapidly in China. Surveillance data imperfectly indicate current prevalence and risk factors. OBJECTIVES To estimate the prevalence of genital chlamydial and gonococcal infections and to describe patterns of infection by subgroup and behavioral patterns. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A national stratified probability sample of 3426 Chinese individuals (1738 women and 1688 men) aged 20 to 64 years, who were interviewed between August 1999 and August 2000, completed a computer-administered survey, and provided a urine specimen (69% total participation rate). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Positive test result for chlamydial or gonococcal infections. RESULTS The overall prevalence per 100 population of chlamydial infection was 2.6 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.6-4.1) for women and 2.1 (95% CI, 1.3-3.3) for men. For gonococcal infection, the overall prevalence per 100 population was 0.08 (95% CI, 0.02-0.4) for women and 0.02 (95% CI, 0.005-0.1) for men. Risk factors for chlamydial infection among men aged 20 to 44 years were unprotected sex with a commercial sex worker (odds ratio [OR], 8.24; 95% CI, 3.51-19.35), less education (OR, 7.20; 95% CI, 2.31-22.37), and recent sex with their spouse or other steady partner (OR, 7.73; 95% CI, 2.70-22.10). Among women aged 20 to 44 years, risk factors for chlamydial infection were having less education (OR, 2.82; 95% CI, 1.01-7.91) and living in a city (OR, 3.46; 95% CI, 1.67-7.18) or along the southern coast (OR, 2.16; 95% CI, 1.29-3.63) and having a spouse or other steady sexual partner who earned a high income (OR, 2.85; 95% CI, 1.11-7.29), who socialized often (OR, 2.79; 95% CI, 1.08-7.19), or who traveled less than 1 week per year (OR, 5.40; 95% CI, 1.44-20.3). CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of chlamydial infection in China is substantial. The patterns of infection suggest potential avenues for intervention.
Evaluation of the Physical and Sensory Characteristics of Bread Produced from Three Varieties of Cassava and Wheat Composite Flours

This study determines the most suitable cassava variety and an acceptable maximum substitution level of wheat flour with cassava flour for bread production in terms of baking and organoleptic characteristics using three varieties of cassava. High Quality Cassava Flour produced from three cassava varieties (Afisiafi, Bankye hemmaa and Doku duade) was used together with wheat in composite at 10%, 20% and 30% substitution levels. Bread samples were baked from the resulting composites and examined for its specific volume, density and hardness. The products were also subjected to sensory analysis for appearance, taste, texture and overall acceptability by a semi-trained panel of consumers. Increasing proportion of cassava flour in the composite bread reduced bread specific volume and increased density and hardness. Increasing the content of cassava in the composite resulted in bread that was less springy and difficult to chew. Springiness of bread substituted with 10% and 20% cassava flour compared well with the control, while those with 30% cassava were significantly less springy than the control. A substitution level of 10% Afisiafi and 20 % Bankye hemmaa cassava flour in composite bread on overall acceptable was similar to 100% wheat bread and therefore has the most suitable potential to replace part of wheat flour in bakery products.
Shift in Phenotypic Variation Coupled with Rapid Loss of Genetic Diversity in Captive Populations of Eristalis tenax (Diptera: Syrphidae): Consequences for Rearing and Potential Commercial use

ABSTRACT Because of its importance as a pollinator and its potential economic usefulness for the biodegradation of organic animal waste, the genetic and phenotypic diversity of the drone fly, Eristalis tenax L. (Diptera: Syrphidae), was studied in both wild and captive populations from southeastern Europe. Wild specimens from a natural protected habitat (with low human impact), field crop habitat (semisynanthropic condition), and intensive pig farming habitat (synanthropic condition) were compared with a laboratory colony reared on artificial media. An integrative approach was applied based on allozyme loci, cytochrome c oxidase I mitochondrial DNA, wing traits (size and shape), and abdominal color patterns. Our results indicate that the fourth and eighth generations of the laboratory colony show a severe lack of genetic diversity compared with natural populations. Reduced genetic diversity in subsequent generations (F4 and F8) of the laboratory colony was found to be linked with phenotypic divergence. Loss of genetic variability associated with phenotypic differentiation in laboratory samples suggests a founder effect, followed by stochastic genetic processes and inbreeding. Hence, our results have implications for captive bred Eristalis flies, which have been used in crop pollination and biodegradation of organic waste under synanthropic conditions.