Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mediterranean diet and age with respect to overall survival in institutionalized, nonsmoking elderly people 1,2

Background: In studies from Italy and Greece, a Mediterranean dietary pattern was shown to favorably affect life expectancy in the elderly population. This pattern is thought to reduce the risk of cancer in addition to being cardioprotective. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the interactive effects of the Mediterranean diet and age with respect to survival after controlling for several other variables that could be considered as confounders: age, sex, body mass index, albumin concentration, physical activity, self-assessment of health, and dieting in response to chronic conditions. Design: This was a cohort study involving 161 nonsmoking elderly subjects (74 subjects aged <80 y and 87 subjects aged ‡ 80 y) living in Spain. The subjects were followed up for ‡ 9 y. Diet was assessed with a semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire. Results: A diet score based on 8 characteristics of the traditional diet in the Mediterranean region was associated with a significant reduction in overall mortality in elderly subjects aged <80 y but not in subjects aged ‡ 80 y. A unit increase in the diet score predicted a 31% reduction in mortality in subjects aged <80 y (95% CI: 7%, 57%). Conclusion: Efforts to promote adherence to the Mediterranean dietary pattern appear to be worthwhile in persons aged <80 y, in whom the diet predicts survival, but we do not have any available evidence that such a diet benefits subjects aged ‡ 80 y. Am J Clin Nutr 2000;71:987–92.
Accounting Performance and Capacity Investment Decisions: Evidence from California Hospitals

Capacity decisions involve tradeoffs between the cost of capacity and the opportunity costs of lost sales. Accounting researchers posit that accounting performance provides sufficient information about these tradeoffs and thus can be used to formulate simple rules to assist capacity decisions. Empirical research has not examined the role of accounting information in capacity investment decisions at the department level in a multi-product firm in the presence of social costs. Empirical analyses using department-level data from California hospitals for the period 1998-2005 show that hospitals are more likely to make capacity investments in departments with high accounting performance. However, in the presence of demand variability, the association between accounting performance and capacity investment is attenuated because of the resulting increase in noise in accounting performance measures. Thus the weight on accounting performance as a decision tool for capital investments reduces when there is demand variability. Another factor that reduces the weight on accounting performance is capacity utilization. Higher capacity utilization can lead to turning away or rerouting of patients to other hospitals and negatively impacts reputation and quality of care, which increases the hospital’s social costs. Hence, hospitals do not require high accounting performance before investing in a department with high capacity utilization. This empirical evidence of the role of accounting performance in capacity investment decisions fills a gap in the capacity investment literature and furthers our understanding of the interactions between accounting performance and the operational determinants of firms’ capacity investment behavior.
Rural bancroftian filariasis in north-western Cameroon: parasitological and clinical studies.

A cross-sectional epidemiological, parasitological and clinical survey of bancroftian filarieasis was conducted in the rural north-western Republic of Cameroon. Of the 1020 respondents (622 males and 398 females) randomly drawn from 4 ethnically homogeneous communities, 148 were microfilaraemic giving an overall prevalence of 14.5%. Association between the ages of individuals and the prevalence of microfilaria (mf) in peripheral circulation was statistically significant (chi 2(6) = 12.59, P < 0.05). More males (7.8%) than females (6.7%) of all ages exhibited mf and was significant statistically (chi 2 = 0.98, P < 0.01). Community-specific prevalence of mf ranged from 11.9% in Bambui to 17.0% in Bambeli. At the community level the overall geometric mean intensity (GMI) of infection was 192 mf per 10 ml of blood (range 165 mf p ml to 248 mf p ml). Overt clinical manifestations of chyluria, elephantiasis and hydrocele were detected among the mf-positive respondents. Thirty one cases (20.9%) involving 15 (18.6%) males and 16 (23.15%) females exhibited chyluria which was absent in children aged 1 < or = 10 years but appeared to be associated with advancing age. Elephantiasis especially of lower extremities and breast was observed in 8 (10.0%) males and 15 (22.0%) females. Highest cases of elephantiasis were recorded for female adults aged 41-60 years (34.6%) of total cases. Hydrocele affected 20.0% of mf-positive males ages > or = 11 years with cases increasing with advancing age. A positive association seems to exist between hydrocele prevalence and the prevalence of microfilaraemia. A total of 1440 female mosquitoes belonging to 3 species were dissected for the presence of microfilariae. Anopheles gambiae complex s.l. was the dominant species and the only one found to be naturally infected with mf. The apparently low mf. intensity in the population, pattern of microfilaraemia, distribution of clinical syndromes and vector species are discussed.
The Drosophila Ribosomal Protein S3 Contains a DNA Deoxyribophosphodiesterase (dRpase) Activity*

The Drosophila ribosomal protein S3 has been previously demonstrated to cleave DNA containing 8-oxoguanine residues and has also been found to contain an associated apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) lyase activity that cleaves phosphodiester bonds via a β, δ-elimination reaction. The activity of this protein on DNA substrates containing incised AP sites was examined. A glutathione S-transferase fusion protein of S3 was found to efficiently remove sugar-phosphate residues from DNA substrates containing 5′-incised AP sites as well as from DNA substrates containing 3′-incised sites. Removal of 2-deoxyribose-5-phosphate as 4-hydroxy-2-pentenal-5-phosphate from a substrate containing 5′-incised AP sites occurred via a β-elimination reaction, as indicated by reaction of the released sugar-phosphate products with sodium thioglycolate. The reaction for the removal of 4-hydroxy-2-pentenal-5-phosphate from the substrate containing 3′-incised AP sites was dependent on the presence of the Mg2+ cation. These findings suggest that the S3 ribosomal protein may function in several steps of the DNA base excision repair pathway in eukaryotes and may represent an important DNA repair function for the repair of oxidative and ionizing radiation-induced DNA damage.
A new autosomal dominant disorder of pyogenic sterile arthritis, pyoderma gangrenosum, and acne: PAPA syndrome.

OBJECTIVE To describe a multigenerational family with transmission of an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by pyogenic arthritis, pyoderma gangrenosum, and severe cystic acne. MATERIAL AND METHODS We present a detailed case report of a 39-year-old man with arthritic changes in several joints, pyoderma gangrenosum, and cystic acne. Several relatives from three generations of his family underwent clinical and genetic investigations. The findings in this kindred are reported. RESULTS Ten affected family members in three generations manifested variable expression of a pauciarticular, nonaxial, destructive, corticosteroid-responsive arthritis that began in childhood; pyoderma gangrenosum; and severe cystic acne in adolescence and beyond. Other less commonly associated features included adult-onset insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, proteinuria, abscess formation at the site of parenteral injections, and cytopenias attributable to sulfonamide medications. Laboratory evaluation was nondiagnostic. Genetic studies excluded linkage to the major histocompatibility locus. CONCLUSION The acronym of PAPA syndrome (pyogenic sterile arthritis, pyoderma gangrenosum, and acne) is suggested for this newly recognized pleiotropic autosomal dominant disorder. The nature of the genetic alteration in PAPA syndrome is unknown.
Plasmodium berghei Ookinetes Glide and Release Pbs25 and Circumsporozoite Thrombospondin-Related Protein on Solid Surface Substrata

Abstract Plasmodium spp. development within mosquito vectors includes invasive ookinete and sporozoites stages, which display gliding movements during invasion of the midgut and salivary glands, respectively. Sporozoite gliding has been well documented, and several proteins released during sporozoite's locomotion have been described. However, proteins on the ookinete gliding trails are poorly described. In the present study, we documented that 2 proteins, Pbs25 and circumsporozoite thrombospondin-related protein (CTRP), are released during Plasmodium berghei ookinete gliding on a solid surface substrate.
Weight issues for people with epilepsy—A review

Summary Weight gain or loss is not an integral part of epilepsy although a sedentary lifestyle can contribute to weight gain. Pharmacological treatment for epilepsy may be associated with substantial weight changes that may increase morbidity and impair adherence to the treatment regimen. Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) associated with weight loss are felbamate, topiramate, and zonisamide. AEDs associated with weight gain are gabapentin, pregabalin, valproic acid, and vigabatrin and possibly, carbamazepine. Weight neutral AEDs are lamotrigine, levetiracetam, and phenytoin. In clinical practice it is critical to weigh patients regularly and AED selection should be based on each patient's profile without sacrificing therapeutic efficacy.
Histopathology of CNS leukemia and complications of therapy.

An understanding of the pathology of central nervous system (CNS) leukemia has evolved slowly. Observations in the 19th century clearly established CNS leukemia as a disease involving the leptomeninges. Although infiltration of the leptomeninges by leukemic cells remains the principal CNS lesion in patients with this disease, other histopathologic changes have become evident with the development of antileukemic therapy. During the early years of chemotherapy, as patient survival increased, the effects of chronic meningeal leukemia, e.g., increased intracranial pressure, became prominent. Only recently, following effective control of CNS leukemia with chemotherapy and irradiation, did it become clear that current methods of treatment can produce neurotoxic effects. Two specific examples are leukoencephalopathy and mineralizing microangiopathy, both apparently induced by the effects of radiation on the microvasculature. Only through careful prospective studies can the consequences and actual incidence of these two lesions be determined. These results will permit sounder judgments of whether the risks of CNS radiotherapy outweigh the known benefits.
ECONOMY-WIDE CONSEQUENCES OF REGULATORY REFORM IN AN AUSTRALIAN CONTEXT

This paper examines the economy-wide consequences of regulatory reform, with particular focus on price-cap regulation and competition regulation in Australia’s services industries. A general equilibrium model is used where oligopolistic firms produce differentiated products and interact on prices with tacit collusion represented by conjectural variations parameters. When capital stocks are fixed in the short-run, the effects of price-cap regulation prove to be unambiguously expansionary. Taken alone, price-cap regulation reduces the domestic price of the service, benefiting households and other industries that use the service as an intermediate input. The economy gains from the associated improvement in allocative efficiency. In the long-term, with both intersectoral and international capital mobility, pricecap regulation can be either expansionary or contractionary depending on the specific characteristics of the services industry being regulated. Competition regulation is modelled as a reduction in the level of tacit collusion between firms within a services industry, reflected by a change in conjectural variations parameters. One finding that emerges is the equivalence of competition regulation and price-cap regulation in the short-term and long-term while ever the number of firms in an industry is fixed. Allowing free-entry and exit leads to substantial structural change in regulated services industries following competition reform. The exit of firms allows the remaining firms to produce further down their average cost curves yielding net gains economy-wide. When there is entry of firms however a trade-off is observed between the benefits of productive efficiency and the duplication of fixed costs. These tradeoffs are quantified in the context of Australian services industries, including Electricity, Transport and Water. Surprisingly, competition reform in Telecommunications leads to adverse economy-wide effects which stand in contrast to the results of competition regulation in all the other services industries modelled. * This paper has been prepared for the National Honours Colloquium in Economics, 20 August 2004, University of New South Wales
Macular degeneration and early menopause: a case-control study

Age related macular degeneration is a main cause of blindness in elderly people. The disease affects the macula lutea and results in a central scotoma in the visual field. The cause of the disease is poorly understood, and treatment is only successful in a few cases. Recent findings of an association between use of postmenopausal exogenous oestrogens and a lower risk of macular degeneration suggest a role for oestrogens in the pathogenesis of the disease.1 We hypothesised that a higher risk of macular degeneration occurs in women with an early menopause. Data were obtained from the Rotterdam study.2 All women aged 55 years and over who were resident in the suburb of Ommoord in Rotterdam were invited for the study. The response rate was …
Habitat Use and Movement of the Mummichog ( Fundulus heteroclitus ) in a Restored Salt Marsh

The mummichog, Fundulus heteroclitus, is one of the most abundant macrofaunal components of salt marsh ecosystems along the east coast of the United States. During April–November 1998, we determined the habitat use and movement patterns of young-of-the-year (YOY) and adult mummichogs in a restored marsh, formerly a salt hay farm, and an adjacent creek in order to expand our understanding of the ecology of the species and evaluate the success of the restoration. Four major fish habitat types (large first-order natural creek, second-order created creek, linear drainage ditch, and marsh surface) were identified within the study site. Patterns of relative abundance and mark and recapture using coded wire tags were used to determine the habitat use, tidal movements, home range, and site fidelity of the species within these habitat types. A total of 14,784 fish, ranging from 20–100 mm SL, were captured with wire mesh traps and tagged, and 1,521 (10.3%) fish were recaptured. A variety of gears were used to attempt to recapture fish across all habitat types, including wire mesh traps, push nets, and otter trawls. Based on abundance and recaptures of tagged fish, the YOY and adults primarily used the shallow subtidal and intertidal areas of the created creek, the intertidal drainage ditches, and the marsh surface of the restored marsh but not the larger, first-order natural creek. At low tide, large numbers were found in the subtidal areas of the created creek; these then moved onto the marsh surface on the flooding tide. Elevation, and thus hydroperiod, appeared to influence the microscale use of the marsh surface. We estimated the home range of adults and large YOY (20–100 mm SL) to be 15 ha at high tide, which was much larger than previously quantified. There was strong site fidelity to the created creek at low tide. The habitat use and movement patterns of the mummichog appeared similar to that reported for natural marshes. Coupled with the results of other studies on the feeding, growth, and production of this species in this restored marsh, the species appeared to have responded well to the restoration.
Regulation of Human p53 Activity and Cell Localization by Alternative Splicing

ABSTRACT The development of cancer is a multistep process involving mutations in proto-oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, and other genes which control cell proliferation, telomere stability, angiogenesis, and other complex traits. Despite this complexity, the cellular pathways controlled by the p53 tumor suppressor protein are compromised in most, if not all, cancers. In normal cells, p53 controls cell proliferation, senescence, and/or mediates apoptosis in response to stress, cell damage, or ectopic oncogene expression, properties which make p53 the prototype tumor suppressor gene. Defining the mechanisms of regulation of p53 activity in normal and tumor cells has therefore been a major priority in cell biology and cancer research. The present study reveals a novel and potent mechanism of p53 regulation originating through alternative splicing of the human p53 gene resulting in the expression of a novel p53 mRNA. This novel p53 mRNA encodes an N-terminally deleted isoform of p53 termed p47. As demonstrated within, p47 was able to effectively suppress p53-mediated transcriptional activity and impair p53-mediated growth suppression. It was possible to select for p53-null cells expressing p47 alone or coexpressing p53 in the presence of p47 but not cells expressing p53 alone. This showed that p47 itself does not suppress cell viability but could control p53-mediated growth suppression. Interestingly, p47 was monoubiquitinated in an Mdm2-independent manner, and this was associated with its export out of the nucleus. In the presence of p47, there was a reduction in Mdm2-mediated polyubiquitination and degradation of p53, and this was also associated with increased monoubiquitination and nuclear export of p53. The expression of p47 through alternative splicing of the p53 gene thus has a major influence over p53 activity at least in part through controlling p53 ubiquitination and cell localization.
Phonetic variation in Northern Wales: preaspiration

Preaspiration (aspiration preceding the closure of a voiceless stop) is typologically rare (Laver 1994: 356) and, in the case of many languages and dialects in North West Europe, is noted as being an areal phenomenon. In some varieties preaspiration has been normalised in the phonology, whereas in others it occurs as a non-obligatory feature (Helgason 2002: 2123). The aim of this paper is to ascertain whether preaspiration is present in the repertoire of Welsh-English bilinguals in North Wales. Data was collected via word-list from four Welsh-English bilinguals and was analysed acoustically. Preaspiration was detected in 60.5% of Welsh tokens and was also found, to a lesser extent, in the English tokens (33.3%). As in previous studies, preaspiration is more common in female speech (78.3%) than amongst males (57.7%). The female informants, who were also more active users of the language, were significantly more prone to produce preaspirated English tokens.
Modulation of the allergic immune response in BALB/c mice by subcutaneous injection of high doses of the dominant T cell epitope from the major birch pollen allergen Bet v 1

Several in vitro and in vivo studies indicate that application of high doses of dominant T cell epitopes can induce a state of antigen‐specific non‐responsiveness (anergy). In the present study, we developed a murine model of an allergic immune response to Bet v 1, the major birch pollen allergen. Mice were sensitized by injection of rBet v 1 and the allergic state was proven by the presence of allergen‐specific IgE and positive immediate‐type skin tests to Bet v 1. In epitope mapping experiments, an immunodominant T cell epitope of Bet v 1 in BALB/c mice was identified by the use of overlapping peptides. This peptide (BV139) was subsequently employed for treatment. Two tolerization protocols were used: in one approach, the peptide was administered to naive mice before immunization (group BV139‐S), in the second, already sensitized mice were treated (S‐BV139). The results demonstrated that administering high doses of the dominant T cell epitope of Bet v 1 profoundly diminished T cell proliferation to the peptide in the BV139‐S group, and to the peptide as well as to the whole protein in the S‐BV139 group. Skin test reactivity to Bet v 1 was reduced in the BV139‐S group. However, no differences in terms of specific antibody production between treated and untreated mice could be observed. This study provides evidence that administration of dominant T cell epitopes can down‐regulate the allergen‐specific T cell response. Proceeding on the assumption that the T lymphocyte response to allergens is crucial for the induction and maintenance of the allergic disease, a modulation of the immune response to allergens by treatment with T cell epitope peptides could represent a promising concept for immunotherapy in the future.
Three-dimensional Structure of AzoR from Escherichia coli

The crystal structure of AzoR (azoreductase) has been determined in complex with FMN for two different crystal forms at 1.8 and 2.2Å resolution. AzoR is an oxidoreductase isolated from Escherichia coli as a protein responsible for the degradation of azo compounds. This enzyme is an FMN-dependent NADH-azoreductase and catalyzes the reductive cleavage of azo groups by a ping-pong mechanism. The structure suggests that AzoR acts in a homodimeric state forming the two identical catalytic sites to which both monomers contribute. The structure revealed that each monomer of AzoR has a flavodoxin-like structure, without the explicit overall amino acid sequence homology. Superposition of the structures from the two different crystal forms revealed the conformational change and suggested a mechanism for accommodating substrates of different size. Furthermore, comparison of the active site structure with that of NQO1 complexed with substrates provides clues to the possible substrate-binding mechanism of AzoR.
Prognostic factors in 677 patients in Singapore with nondisseminated nasopharyngeal carcinoma

The objective of the current study was to describe the survival of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients in Singapore, verify the prognostic value of the revised 1997 TNM staging system, and develop a multivariate prognostic model for NPC. In addition, the authors also examined the prognostic value of characteristics of lymph node spread and parapharyngeal involvement.