Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Saliva CA125 and TPS Levels in Patients with Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Objectives To determine the levels of carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125) and tissue polypeptide-specific antigen (TPS) in saliva of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and patients with nonneoplastic disease of the oral cavity, and to investigate their diagnostic value and their relationship with pathological grade and clinical stage. Methods A total of 97 hospitalized patients with OSCC, 36 patients with nonneoplastic disease of the oral cavity and 50 healthy individuals were included in this investigation. Mixed saliva was collected from these patients and the healthy controls before treatment. Saliva samples were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results The saliva CA125 and TPS concentrations were significantly higher in patients with OSCC than in patients with nonneoplastic disease and healthy controls, but not significantly different between patients with nonneoplastic disease and controls. Neither the saliva CA125 nor the TPS level was correlated with pathological grade and clinical stage. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of saliva CA125 and TPS for the diagnosis of OSCC were 80.0%, 66.0%, 75.7%, and 82.1%, 74.0%, 79.3%, respectively. When CA125 and TPS were analyzed independently, there was no significant difference in sensitivity, specificity and accuracy between the two markers. When CA125 and TPS were analyzed in combination, there was no significant difference in sensitivity, specificity and accuracy between independent detection and combined detection. Conclusions The saliva CA125 and TPS concentrations were elevated in patients with OSCC. CA125 and TPS may prove to be useful tumor markers in OSCC.
Rasch validation of the Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale and its short versions in patients with Parkinson's disease.

OBJECTIVE To analyse in patients with Parkinson's disease the psychometric performance of the Activities-specific Balance Confidence scale (ABC) and its 3 short versions, using both a classical test theory approach and Rasch analysis. METHODS A sample of 217 patients with Parkinson's disease was assessed by ABC and the 3 short versions: Berg Balance Scale, Fear of Falling Measure, and the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale. RESULTS Cronbach's α was 0.95 in ABC, and ranged from 0.88 to 0.90 in its short versions. At Rasch analysis the 11 original rating categories were collapsed to 5 levels. In ABC 15 out of 16 items fitted the Rasch model. The ABC showed high correlation only with Fear of Falling Measure (r = 0.85), and excellent correlation with its short versions (r > 0.93). The 3 short versions showed a limited range of item difficulty estimates, low reliability levels, floor effect, a mismatch between mean item difficulty and mean ability of the patients. CONCLUSION In patients with Parkinson's disease: (i) the ABC has an adequate unidimensionality; (ii) the selection of its items is satisfactory, although there is room for some minor refinement; (iii) the 0-10 rating scale should be simplified, and a 5-level response format seems able to improve the measurement qualities of the scale; (iv) the 3 short versions showed some psychometric limitations in comparison with the ABC.
A palliative environment: Caring for seriously ill hospitalized patients

Abstract Objective: To explore how patients experience being in the hospital environment and the meaning they assign to the environment during serious illness. Method: A qualitative study design was applied, and the data analysis was inspired by Ricoeur's phenomenological-hermeneutic theory of interpretation. Data were collected through multiple qualitative interviews combined with observations at a teaching hospital in Denmark from May to September 2011. A total of 12 patients participated. Results: The findings showed that the hospital environment has a strong impact on patients' emotions and well-being. They reported that aesthetic decorations and small cozy spots for conversation or relaxation created a sense of homeliness that reinforced a positive mood and personal strength. Furthermore, being surrounded by some of their personal items or undertaking familiar tasks, patients were able to maintain a better sense of self. Maintaining at least some kind of familiar daily rhythm was important for their sense of well-being and positive emotions. Significance of Results: The results stress the importance of an aesthetically pleasing and homelike hospital environment as part of palliative care, since the aesthetic practice and a sense of homeliness strengthened patients' experiences of well-being, relief, and positive emotions while in a vulnerable situation. Such knowledge could encourage the development of new policies regarding appropriate care settings, which in turn could result in overall improved care during serious illness.
Multiple Sclerosis and Glutamate

Abstract: Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis reproduces in rodents the features of multiple sclerosis, an immune‐mediated, disabling disorder of the human nervous system. No adequate therapy is available for multiple sclerosis, despite anti‐inflammatory, immunosuppressive, and immunomodulatory measures. Increasingly glutamate is implicated in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. Here we (1) review changes in the glutamatergic system in multiple sclerosis and (2) reveal the effects of glutamate AMPA antagonists in acute and chronic rodent models of multiple sclerosis. Administration of structurally diverse competitive and non‐competitive AMPA antagonists reduces neurologic disability in rodents subjected to acute experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. In addition, AMPA antagonists are active in both the adoptive transfer and in chronic models of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in rats and mice and affect both the acute and chronic relapsing phases. Moreover, short‐term therapy with AMPA antagonists leads to sustained benefit well into the progressive phases. These results imply that therapeutic strategies for multiple sclerosis should be complemented by glutamate AMPA antagonists to reduce neurologic disability.
Mechanisms Causing Rapid and Parallel Losses of Ribose Catabolism in Evolving Populations of Escherichia coli B

ABSTRACT Twelve populations of Escherichia coli B all lostd-ribose catabolic function during 2,000 generations of evolution in glucose minimal medium. We sought to identify the population genetic processes and molecular genetic events that caused these rapid and parallel losses. Seven independent Rbs−mutants were isolated, and their competitive fitnesses were measured relative to that of their Rbs+ progenitor. These Rbs− mutants were all about 1 to 2% more fit than the progenitor. A fluctuation test revealed an unusually high rate, about 5 × 10−5 per cell generation, of mutation from Rbs+ to Rbs−, which contributed to rapid fixation. At the molecular level, the loss of ribose catabolic function involved the deletion of part or all of the ribose operon (rbs genes). The physical extent of the deletion varied between mutants, but each deletion was associated with an IS150 element located immediately upstream of therbs operon. The deletions apparently involved transposition into various locations within the rbs operon; recombination between the new IS150 copy and the one upstream of therbs operon then led to the deletion of the intervening sequence. To confirm that the beneficial fitness effect was caused by deletion of the rbs operon (and not some undetected mutation elsewhere), we used P1 transduction to restore the functionalrbs operon to two Rbs− mutants, and we constructed another Rbs− strain by gene replacement with a deletion not involving IS150. All three of these new constructs confirmed that Rbs− mutants have a competitive advantage relative to their Rbs+ counterparts in glucose minimal medium. The rapid and parallel evolutionary losses of ribose catabolic function thus involved both (i) an unusually high mutation rate, such that Rbs− mutants appeared repeatedly in all populations, and (ii) a selective advantage in glucose minimal medium that drove these mutants to fixation.
Tactical Knowledge in Tennis: A Comparison of Two Groups with Different Levels of Expertise

Differences in the tactical knowledge of tennis players are described using the expert-novice approach to examine problem representation and strategy planning in 6 pre-professionals and 6 intermediate tennis players, by means of the McPherson and Thomas protocol for analysing verbal reports during game play. Statistical analyses indicated significant differences in conceptual content, structure, and sophistication. These pre-professional tennis players had greater, more elaborated, and sophisticated tactical knowledge; with expertise, more complex structures are developed in long-term memory. Specific training programmes to improve tennis players' tactical knowledge and cognitive skills may be desirable.
Factors influencing the subjective response to caffeine

The subjective effects of caffeine, the most widely used psychoactive drug, vary widely from person to person. The factors responsible for these individual differences remain largely unknown. Data from 36 healthy adults who were light to moderate users of caffeine were examined with the goals of characterizing the subjective effects of caffeine and identifying factors which might correlate with or predict these effects. Subjective effects of 100 and 300 mg caffeine were measured with standardized questionnaires. The low dose of caffeine was found to produce negligible subjective effects in the group as a whole, while the high dose produced mild stimulant and anxiogenic effects. As expected, there was considerable intersubject variability in the subjective effects of caffeine. There was no correlation between stimulant and anxiogenic effects after the high dose. Light caffeine users were more accurate than heavy caffeine users in identifying the high dose of caffeine as an active drug, but there was no evidence that light users were generally more sensitive to the subjective effects of caffeine. Current alcohol use, prior recreational use of stimulants, and baseline level of self-reported arousal appeared to influence subjective response to caffeine. Other variables (personality, gender, baseline anxiety, and prior use of other drugs) showed no relationship with mood res ponse to caffeine.
Strategies used by psychotic individuals to cope with life stress and symptoms of illness: a systematic review

Abstract Psychological models of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders suggest that poor coping responses to life stressors and to symptoms of illness is central to their development and maintenance and influences recovery. These models are widely accepted and inform psychological treatments for psychotic disorders. In this paper, 85 studies that explore how individuals with established psychotic disorders cope with symptoms associated with their illness, and with independent life events and stressors are comprehensively reviewed. Reviewed research included cross-sectional and longitudinal investigations of self-initiated coping. Despite limitations in the existing research, it is concluded that most individuals experiencing psychosis implement at least one strategy to cope with symptoms, and life events and most implement more than one strategy. It appears that having a repertoire of strategies to employ leads to greater effectiveness than simply relying on one strategy. This suggests that treatment strategies that aim to enhance the coping of individuals with psychosis should emphasize the development of a range of coping strategies. It also seems that there is no one coping strategy that is universally effective and situational, or other factors may influence both the choice of coping strategy implemented and its efficacy.
Resilience of medium-sized firms to supply chain disruptions: the role of internal social capital

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore resources or capabilities that enable medium-sized firms to be resilient, namely, to avoid and recover from supply chain disruptions. Design/methodology/approach A case-study method is employed with four medium-sized manufacturing firms headquartered in the USA that have global supply chains. Data are collected from semi-structured interviews with key informants from diverse functions and managerial levels, archival documents, observation and a resilience assessment. Findings Internal social capital emerged as a resilience-enhancing resource, comprising: structural capital grounded in small network size, geographical proximity among decision makers and low hierarchy; relational capital grounded in close relationships, commitment and respect; and cognitive capital grounded in long employee tenure. Originality/value This is the first paper in the supply chain management literature to examine the resilience of medium-sized firms, an under-researched context. It is also the first paper to introduce internal social capital as a resilience-enhancing resource. Hence, this is among the few papers to propose a resilience-enhancing resource rooted not in a firm’s supply chain operations but its human resources. This paper, moreover, identifies several facets of internal social capital within medium-sized firms. Finally, the paper makes several managerial contributions.
Prognostic Impact of Breast-Conserving Therapy Versus Mastectomy of BRCA1/2 Mutation Carriers Compared With Noncarriers in a Consecutive Series of Young Breast Cancer Patients.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of different types of surgery on breast cancer prognosis in germline BRCA1/BRCA2 mutation carriers compared with noncarriers. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Although breast-conserving therapy (breast-conserving surgery followed by radiotherapy) has been associated with more local recurrences than mastectomy, no differences in overall survival have been found in randomized trials performed in the general breast cancer population. Whether breast-conservation can be safely offered to BRCA1/2 mutation carriers is debatable. METHODS The study comprised a cohort of women with invasive breast cancer diagnosed <50 years and treated between 1970 and 2003 in 10 Dutch centers. Germline DNA for BRCA1/2 testing of most-prevalent mutations (covering ∼61%) was mainly derived from paraffin-blocks. Survival analyses were performed taking into account competing risks. RESULTS In noncarriers (N = 5820), as well as in BRCA1 (N = 191) and BRCA2 (N = 70) mutation carriers, approximately half of the patients received breast-conserving therapy. Patients receiving mastectomy followed by radiotherapy had prognostically worse tumor characteristics and more often received systemic therapy. After adjustment for these potential confounders, patients who received breast-conserving therapy had a similar overall survival compared with patients who received mastectomy, both in noncarriers (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.95, confidence interval [CI] = 0.85-1.07, P = 0.41) and BRCA1 mutation carriers (HR = 0.80, CI = 0.42-1.51, P = 0.50). Numbers for BRCA2 were insufficient to draw conclusions. The rate of local recurrences after breast-conserving therapy did not differ between BRCA1 carriers (10-year risk = 7.3%) and noncarriers (10-year risk = 7.9%). CONCLUSION Our results, together with the available literature, provide reassurance that breast-conserving therapy is a safe local treatment option to offer to BRCA1 mutation carriers with invasive breast cancer.
Glomerular size-selective dysfunction in NIDDM is not ameliorated by ACE inhibition or by calcium channel blockade.

BACKGROUND In patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and overt nephropathy glomerular barrier size-selectivity progressively deteriorates with time and is effectively improved by angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition. Whether similar glomerular functional changes develop in proteinuric patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), and whether antihypertensive agents can favorably affect glomerular filtration of macromolecules in these patients, has not been documented yet. METHODS We investigated renal hemodynamics and fractional clearance of neutral dextrans of graded sizes, in nine proteinuric patients with NIDDM and renal biopsy findings of typical diabetic glomerulopathy. Six healthy volunteers served as controls. We also investigated the effects of an ACE inhibitor and of a calcium channel blocker, both given in doses targeted to achieve a comparable level of systemic blood pressure control, on glomerular hemodynamics and sieving function. Theoretical analysis of glomerular macromolecule transport was adopted to evaluate intrinsic glomerular membrane permeability properties. RESULTS Fractional clearance of large macromolecules (42 to 66 A in radius) was significantly higher in diabetic patients than in controls, and the distribution of membrane pore radii was calculated to be shifted towards larger pore sizes in diabetics (mean radius increased from 55 to 60 A). Despite effective blood pressure control, neither antihypertensive affected glomerular hemodynamics to any significant extent. Fractional clearance of dextrans, as well as of albumin and IgG, and total urinary proteins were not modified by either treatments. CONCLUSIONS These data indicate that patients with NIDDM and overt nephropathy develop abnormalities in size-selective function of the glomerular barrier and, at variance to IDDM, such changes were not ameliorated either by ACE inhibition or calcium channel blockade.
Treatment of myopic choroidal neovascularization with intravitreal ranibizumab injections: the role of age

Purpose The aim of this study was to explore the role of age as a prognostic factor for the outcome of myopic choroidal neovascularization (CNV) treatment with intravitreal ranibizumab injections. Methods A retrospective review of charts of patients treated with intravitreal injections of ranibizumab for the treatment of myopic CNV was done. Patients with other ophthalmic disease were excluded. Patients were followed for at least 2 years. The correlation between age and the change in visual acuity and the number of injections during treatment was investigated. Results Age of the patients was significantly correlated with the number of injections that the patients received (Pearson’s r=0.585, P=0.005). Also, it was significantly correlated with improvement in corrected distance visual acuity, defined as the difference between final and initial LogMAR corrected distance visual acuity (Pearson’s r=0.614, P=0.003). Conclusion Age significantly affects the visual outcome of myopic CNV treatment with ranibizumab. Younger patients in our study needed fewer intravitreal injections and achieved a more significant improvement in vision.
Vildagliptin Recruits Regulatory T Cells in Patients Undergoing Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

ABSTRACT Regulatory T cells (Treg) has been documented to be protective against myocardial ischemia–reperfusion injury (MIRI). The administration of drugs which recruit Treg cells may participate in the cardioprotection of MIRI. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether the add-on vildagliptin (vild) to standard treatment of MIRI prior to reperfusion could increase Treg recruitment, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects of the standard treatment or not. Sixty diabetic patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction were randomly divided into two equal groups: control group was given the standard medical treatment and vild group was given the standard medical treatment plus vild. There were no statistical differences between the mean of percentage of changes in nitric oxide, ischemia modified albumin, highly sensitive C reactive protein, and interferon-gamma levels in the studied groups. While, the percentages of changes of myeloperoxidase level, CD4+CD25+ Treg cells count, and transforming growth factor-beta1 level were significantly higher in vild group compared with control group. We concluded that addition of vild to standard medical treatment of MIRI could increase its effectiveness through recruitment of CD4+CD25+ Treg cells.
The Night and Day of Amihud's (2002) Liquidity Measure

Amihud’s stock (il)liquidity measure averages daily ratios of the absolute close-to-close return to dollar volume, including overnight returns. Our modified measure uses open-to-close returns matching return and trading volume measurement windows. It is more strongly correlated with trading-cost measures (by 8%–37%) and better explains cross-sections of returns, doubling estimated liquidity premiums. Using nonsynchronous trading near close, we show overnight returns are primarily information driven: including them in Amihud’s proxy for price impacts of trading magnifies measurement error, understating liquidity premiums. Our modification helps wherever Amihud’s measure is required. Our measures are publicly available for 1964–2019 and can be updated. (JEL G12, G14) Received June 2, 2020; editorial decision September 11, 2020 by Editor Jeffrey Pontiff.
The adaptive significance of crustacean hyperglycaemic hormone (CHH) in daily and seasonal migratory activities of the Christmas Island red crab Gecarcoidea natalis

SUMMARY The Christmas Island red crab Gecarcoidea natalis undergoes extreme changes in metabolic status, ranging from inactivity during the dry season, to a spectacular annual breeding migration at the start of the wet season. The dramatic change in metabolic physiology that this polarisation entails should be reflected in changes in endocrine physiology, particularly that of the crustacean hyperglycaemic hormone (CHH), of which we know relatively little. CHH levels were measured using a novel ultrasensitive time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay (TR-FIA), together with metabolites (glucose, lactate), in the field at several scales of temporal resolution, during migratory activities (wet season) and during the inactive fossorial phase (dry season). Release patterns of CHH were measured during extreme (forced) exercise, showing for the first time an unexpectedly rapid pulsatile release of this hormone. A seasonally dependent glucose-sensitive negative-feedback loop was identified that might be important in energy mobilisation during migration. Haemolymph lactate levels were strongly correlated with CHH levels in both field and experimental animals. During migration, CHH levels were lower than during the dry season and, during migration, daytime CHH levels (when most locomotor activity occurred) increased. However, the intense dawn activity in both dry and wet seasons was not always associated with repeatable hyperglycaemia or CHH release. The results obtained are discussed in relation to the life history and behaviour of G. natalis.
Cultural Tourism And Flamenco In The City Of Cordoba (Spain)

ABSTRACT Flamenco is a tourist product that can attract many visitors from around the world, and the city of Cordoba (Spain) has an important role in the origins of flamenco. This work studies whether the satisfaction of cultural tourists who visit the city can be influenced by cultural offers related to flamenco. To achieve this objective, fieldwork was carried out based on 709 surveys conducted in the most important flamenco “tablaos” (stages) of the city. The techniques of factorial analysis and linear adjustment were used. The results show that flamenco can be a product that complements the satisfaction of cultural tourists.