Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The pathology of intracranial venous thrombosis in oral contraception

In their report to the Committee on Safety of Drugs, Inman and Vessey (1968) found a close relation between the use of oral contraceptives and death from cerebral thrombosis. Vessey and Doll (1968) concluded that oral contraceptives may be a cause of cerebrovascular insufficiency. On the other hand, Schoenberg et al. (1970), in a population study in the USA, found that oral contraceptives could not, on current evidence, be implicated in the pathogenesis of strokes. Pathological reports have been few (table). Walsh et al. (1965) reported two cases, one of which was described in detail by Shafey and Scheinberg (1966). Atkinson, Fairbum and Heathfield (1970) described five cases and Buchanan and Brazinsky (1970) another. Recently, scintigraphy as well as angiography has been used in the clinical diagnosis of venous sinus thrombosis and several clinical cases have been confirmed by these methods (Filippa, Regli and Noseda, 1967; Atkinson et al. ; Buchanan and Brazinsky; Sissons and Hall, 1970). Thrombosis of retinal and ophthalmic veins during oral contraception has also aroused interest. Walsh et al. described a case found at necropsy to have occlusion of the left ophthalmic vein as well as intracranial venous thrombosis and multiple arterial occlusions.
Factores asociados a la lactancia materna exclusiva

Determinants of exclusive breastfeeding in health centers in Santiago, Chile Introduction: Limited information is available regarding factors contributing to exclusive breastfeeding until the sixth month. This information is needed to design appropriate policy interventions. Methods: A survey about socio-demographic characteristics, information received, onset and duration of breastfeeding and cau- ses of weaning was applied. Factors associated with exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months were determined by multivariate logistic regression. Results: 256 mothers attending a public sector hospital and 158 mothers attending a private sector hospital responded to the survey. The following factors were higher in the private sector group: Education level, primiparity, cesarean sections and work outside the home (p < 0.02). 45.8% of mothers continued exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 months, with no difference seen between groups. The main causes of weaning were: maternal decision (27.2%), perceived hunger (24.1%), esthetic factors (17.3%) and child's illness (13.0%). Exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 months was associated with a previous successful breastfeeding (OR 5.4, 95% CI 2.2-13.2), female child (OR 5.5 CI 2.5-12.3), lower maternal education (OR 5.4 CI 2.4-11.7) and public health system (OR 2.1 CI 1.0-4.5). Conclusion: Weaning is often associated with maternal perceptions rather than objective data. Socio-demographic variables infl uence successful prolonged breastfeeding. Better education in health factors and breastfeeding might improve this situation. (Key words: Breastfeeding, weaning, nutrition, feeding, chilhood). Rev Chil Pediatr 2012; 83 (2): 161-169
Lymphocyte Apoptosis, Proliferation and Cytokine Synthesis Pattern in Children with Helicobacter pylori Infection

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is usually acquired in early childhood. The majority of the infected children do not suffer from acute inflammatory complications and a few develop severe diseases such as peptic ulcer (Queiroz et al., 1991), mucosal atrophy, gastric carcinoma or MALT lymphoma (Guarner et al., 2003). The cellular basis for the mild gastric inflammatory changes in children with H. pylori infection is poorly understood. The few available studies in the H. pylori-infected children have revealed low expression of proinflammatory cytokines in the gastric mucosa (Bontems et al., 2003; Lopes et al., 2005), a rather low humoral systemic immune response manifested by H. pylori-specific IgG and IgA antibodies (Soares et al., 2005), and a high local Treg cell response (Harris et al., 2008).
Investment and Economic Growth: An Empirical Analysis for Tanzania

This paper analyzes the causal effect between domestic private investment, public investment, foreign direct investment and economic growth in Tanzania during the 1970-2014 period. The modified neo-classical growth model is used to estimate the effect of investment on economic growth. Also, the economic growth models based on Phetsavong & Ichihashi (2012), and Le & Suruga (2005) are used to estimate the crowding out effect of public investment on domestic private investment on one hand and foreign direct investment on the other hand. In the same way, the crowding out effect of foreign direct investment on domestic private investment is estimated. A correlation test is applied to check the correlation among independent variables, and the results show that there is very low correlation suggesting that multicollinearity is not a serious problem. Moreover, the diagnostic tests including RESET regression errors specification test, Breusch-Godfrey serial correlation LM test, Jacque-Bera-normality test and white heteroskedasticity test reveal that the model has no signs of misspecification and that, the residuals are serially uncorrelated, normally distributed and homoskedastic. Broadly, the empirical results show that the domestic private investment and foreign direct investment play an important role in economic growth in Tanzania. Besides, a revealed negative, albeit weak, association between public and private investment suggests that the positive effect of domestic private investment on economic growth becomes smaller when public investment-to-GDP ratio exceeds 8-10 percent. Similarly, foreign direct investment tends to marginally reduce the impact of domestic private investment on growth. These results suggest that public investment and foreign direct investment need to be considered carefully in order to avoid a reduced positive impact of domestic private investment on growth. Domestic saving may be promoted to encourage domestic investment for economic growth.
Real and Imaginary Stories: Robinson Crusoe and the Serious Reflections

Defoe's Serious Reflections during the Life and Surprising Adventures ofRobinson Crusoe (1720) has enjoyed none of the universal popular success of the first part of the Crusoe trilogy. Walter Scott considered that it contained "few observations that might not have been made by any shop-keeper living at Charing Cross,"1 and it is only the search by modern critics for clues to Defoe's intent in writing Robinson Crusoe that has rescued the text from total neglect.2 The attention that a relatively small number of critics have given to the Serious Reflections has yielded some fascinating clues as to the way in which Defoe viewed his fictional craft. The most complete attempt to define Defoe's approach to fiction from his own writings remains Maximillian Novak's; but, as Robert Merrett has pointed out, Defoe's critical views are so heavily subject to their rhetorical and didactic purpose that contradictions and inconsistencies make it almost impossible to weld them into a coherent theory.3 Within the rhetorical and didactic parameters of the Se-
The MEK1/2 Inhibitor Pimasertib Enhances Gemcitabine Efficacy—Letter

We have read with interest the article by Vena and colleagues ([1][1]), on the combination of the MEK1/2 inhibitor pimasertib with gemcitabine in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). MEK emerged as a promising target to sensitize gemcitabine therapy through downregulation of the ribonucleotide
Wetting of nickel films of variable thickness by island lead condensates

The wetting of nickel films deposited on NaCl (100), Si (111), and GaAs (111) single crystals by island lead condensates has been studied. It has been shown that with an increase of the Ni film thickness the contact angle changes from the value corresponding to the wetting of a clean single-crystal substrate to the wetting of the bulk nickel one. Complete substrates properties damping was achieved at nickel thicknesses of about 40, 90 and 20 nm for NaCl, Si, and GaAs, respectively. The contact angle θ change has been explained by the heterogeneity of the wettable surface. It seems to be that such heterogeneity is a result of both: the chemical interaction of the nickel film with silicon and gallium arsenide, and the nickel dissolution in liquid lead.
Correlates, Causes, Effects, and Treatment of Test Anxiety

Results of 562 studies were integrated by meta-analysis to show the nature, effects, and treatment of academic test anxiety. Effect sizes were computed through the method invented by Glass (Glass, McGaw, & Smith, 1981). Correlations and effect-size groups were tested for consistency and significance with inferential statistics by Hedges and Olkin (1985). Test anxiety (TA) causes poor performance. It relates inversely to students’ self-esteem and directly to their fears of negative evaluation, defensiveness, and other forms of anxiety. Conditions (causes) giving rise to differential TA levels include ability, gender, and school grade level. A variety of treatments are effective in reducing test anxiety. Contrary to prior perceptions, improved test performance and grade point average (GPA) consistently accompany TA reduction.
Communication miR-346 and miR-582-3 p-regulated EG-VEGF expression and trophoblast invasion via matrix metalloproteinases 2 and 9

Endocrine gland-derived vascular endothelial growth factor (EGVEGF) is an important regulator for embryo implantation and placental development, and is clinically associated with several obstetric disorders related to insufficient or inappropriate trophoblast invasion, such as recurrent abortion, preeclampsia, and intrauterine fetal growth restriction. This study was performed to identify the microRNAs targeting EG-VEGF, and evaluate the regulatory effect on trophoblast biology. miR-346 and miR-582-3p were initially identified via bioinformatic tools, and their specific binding sites on the EG-VEGF 30UTR were further confirmed using dual luciferase and a co-transfection assays. miR-346 and miR-582-3p were demonstrated not only to suppress EG-VEGF expression, but also inhibit trophoblast invasion and migration in the JAR and HTR-8/SVneo cell lines. We further evaluated the effect of microRNAs in HTR-8/SVneo cells coexpressing EGVEGF and miR-346 or miR-582-3p on matrix metalloproteinase (MMP 2 and MMP 9) and the tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase (TIMP 1 and TIMP 2) using RT-PCR, western blotting and gelatin zymography. TIMP 1 and TIMP 2 were not affected by the two microRNAs, whereas the expressions and activities of MMP 2 and MMP 9 were significantly downregulated, which in turn inhibited the invasion ability of trophoblasts. In conclusion, miR-346 and miR-582-3p regulate EG-VEGF-induced trophoblast invasion through repressing MMP 2 and MMP 9, and may become novel diagnostic biomarkers or therapeutic targets for EG-VEGF-related obstetric disorders. VC 2016 BioFactors, 43(2):210–219, 2017
Polymeric colloidal particulate systems: intelligent tools for intracellular targeting of antileishmanial cargos

Introduction: Targeted cargo delivery systems can overcome drawbacks associated with antileishmanials delivery, by defeating challenges of physiological barriers. Various colloidal particulate systems have been developed in the past; few of them even achieved success in the market, but still are limited in some ways. Areas covered: This review is focused on the pathobiology of leishmaniasis, interactions of particulate systems with biological environment, targeting strategies along with current conventional and vaccine therapies with special emphasis on polymeric nanotechnology for effective antileishmanial cargo delivery. Expert opinion: The problems concerned with limited accessibility of chemotherapeutic cargos in conventional modes to Leishmania-harboring macrophages, their toxicity, and resistant parasitic strain development can be sorted out through target-specific delivery of cargos. Vaccination is another therapeutic approach employing antigen alone or adjuvant combinations delivered by means of a carrier, and can provide preventive measures against human leishmaniasis (HL). Therefore, there is an urgent need of designing site-specific antileishmanial cargo carriers for safe and effective management of HL. Among various colloidal carriers, polymeric particulate systems hold tremendous potential as an effective delivery tool by providing control over spatial and temporal distribution of cargos after systemic or localized administration along with enhancing their stability profile at a comparatively cost-effective price leading to improved chances of commercial applicability.
[The effect of tibial lengthening on gastrosoleus muscle function: an electrophysiological study].

OBJECTIVES We evaluated the changes in electrophysiological characteristics of the contraction forces of the gastrosoleus complex due to stretching in experimental tibial lengthening. METHODS Distraction histiogenesis was performed in 22 guinea pigs weighing 600 to 800 g. Following the application of a semicircular external fixator and right tibial osteotomy, distraction was applied at a rate of 0.25 mm two times a day for 15 days without a latency period. The animals were randomized to two groups. In the study group, a foot plate preventing ankle plantar flexion was affixed to the external fixator, while ankle motions were unrestricted in the control group. On days 5, 10, and 15, the posterior tibial nerve was stimulated with a nerve stimulator at a constant frequency. Gastrosoleus muscle contractions were measured with a transducer and contraction forces were recorded. RESULTS On day 5, muscle contraction forces measured in the study group were much higher than the control group (p<0.05). On day 10, however, muscle contraction forces showed a rapid decline in the study group and, at the end of the study, muscle contraction forces decreased by 81% compared to the baseline values (p<0.05). Yet, throughout the study period, muscle contraction forces were always higher than the control group (p<0.05). In addition, the rate of the decrease in muscle strength slowed down after day 10 in the study group, and gastrosoleus function and strength were much better preserved. Equinus deformity developed progressively in the ankles of the control animals whose muscle contraction forces also showed significant decreases during the experiment (p<0.05). CONCLUSION In clinical applications of tibial lengthening, the strength of the gastrosoleus complex should be preserved to prevent equines deformity and maintain ankle functions. This can be achieved through gradual stretching of the muscle during distraction. If there is shortening before surgery or muscle stiffness is expected during lengthening, measures should be taken before distraction osteogenesis and muscle length should be preserved.
Factors influencing patient satisfaction with GI endoscopy.

BACKGROUND A modified Group Health Association of America-9 survey (mGHAA-9) was recently proposed for measurement of patient satisfaction with endoscopy. It is unknown whether the mGHAA-9 addresses the issues most important to this outcome. METHODS A 15-item survey of factors potentially important to patient satisfaction with endoscopy was developed, including the 6 core mGHAA-9 items. Respondents were asked to rank the factors from 1 to 15 (1 = most important to l5 = least important to satisfaction). Two groups were surveyed: (1) patients with prior endoscopy experience and (2) physician endoscopists. Item rank distributions overall and by patient age, gender, and procedure experience were examined. RESULTS Of 559 outpatients surveyed, 437 (78%) provided complete responses. The mean patient age was 59 years (48.7% female, 45.3% male, 6% not stated). The number 1 ranked factor was the endoscopist's technical skills (median ranking (mr) = 1), an item included in the mGHAA-9. Pain control, a factor not assessed by the mGHAA-9, was second (mr = 4), and ranked number 1 by 16% of patients. Item rankings were consistent across patient subgroups. Relative to patients, endoscopists underprioritized preprocedure and postprocedure communication. CONCLUSIONS The mGHAA-9 has inadequate content validity for measurement of patient satisfaction with endoscopy because it does not assess pain control. However, endoscopy satisfaction measurement with a single, universally applied instrument appears feasible.
Magnetism and Giant Magneto-Transport Properties in Granular Solids

Magnetic granular solids consist of nanometer-sized magnetic particles uniformly dispersed and embedded in an immiscible insulating or metallic medium. They display a rich variety of magnetic properties and giant magneto-transport properties due to their unique nanostructure, which can be usefully described by the metal volume fraction and the metal particle diameter of granular solids. Fabrications and characterizations of granular solids, their enhanced magnetic properties, percolation behavior, single-domain characteristics, superparamagnetic relaxation, and superparamagnetism are reviewed. Giant magneto-transport properties, recently observed in granular solids, including giant magnetoresistance, extraordinary Hall resistivity, magneto-thermal conductivity, and Wiedemann-Franz law are discussed.
THE ACS NEARBY GALAXY SURVEY TREASURY. IX. CONSTRAINING ASYMPTOTIC GIANT BRANCH EVOLUTION WITH OLD METAL-POOR GALAXIES

In an attempt to constrain evolutionary models of the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) phase at the limit of low masses and low metallicities, we have examined the luminosity functions and number ratios between AGB and red giant branch (RGB) stars from a sample of resolved galaxies from the ACS Nearby Galaxy Survey Treasury. This database provides Hubble Space Telescope optical photometry together with maps of completeness, photometric errors, and star formation histories for dozens of galaxies within 4 Mpc. We select 12 galaxies characterized by predominantly metal-poor populations as indicated by a very steep and blue RGB, and which do not present any indication of recent star formation in their color–magnitude diagrams. Thousands of AGB stars brighter than the tip of the RGB (TRGB) are present in the sample (between 60 and 400 per galaxy), hence, the Poisson noise has little impact in our measurements of the AGB/RGB ratio. We model the photometric data with a few sets of thermally pulsing AGB (TP-AGB) evolutionary models with different prescriptions for the mass loss. This technique allows us to set stringent constraints on the TP-AGB models of low-mass, metal-poor stars (with M < 1.5 M☉, ). Indeed, those which satisfactorily reproduce the observed AGB/RGB ratios have TP-AGB lifetimes between 1.2 and 1.8 Myr, and finish their nuclear burning lives with masses between 0.51 and 0.55 M☉. This is also in good agreement with recent observations of white dwarf masses in the M4 old globular cluster. These constraints can be added to those already derived from Magellanic Cloud star clusters as important mileposts in the arduous process of calibrating AGB evolutionary models.
Complete Genome Sequence of a Recombinant Marek's Disease Virus Field Strain with One Reticuloendotheliosis Virus Long Terminal Repeat Insert

ABSTRACT Marek's disease virus (MDV) Chinese strain GX0101, isolated in 2001 from a vaccinated flock of layer chickens with severe tumors, was the first reported recombinant MDV field strain with one reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV) long terminal repeat (LTR) insert. GX0101 belongs to very virulent MDV (vvMDV) but has higher horizontal transmission ability than the vvMDV strain Md5. The complete genome sequence of GX0101 is 178,101 nucleotides (nt) and contains only one REV-LTR insert at a site 267 nt upstream of the sorf2 gene. Moreover, GX0101 has 5 repeats of a 217-nt fragment in its terminal repeat short (TRS) region and 3 repeats in internal repeat short (IRS) region, compared to the other 10 strains with only 1 or 2 repeats in both TRS and IRS.
Distributions of p 53 codon 72 polymorphism in primary open angle glaucoma

Background: Glaucomatous neuropathy is a type of cell death by apoptosis. The p53 gene is one of the regulatory genes of apoptosis. Recently, p53 codon 72 polymorphism has been extensively studied to determine the risk factors responsible for many diseases. In the p53 gene, a single base change from G to C causes the alternation of amino acid residue 72 from arginine to proline. In this study the association between p53 codon 72 polymorphism and primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) patients was evaluated. Methods: 58 POAG patients and 59 healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study. Polymerase chain reaction based analysis was used to resolve the p53 codon 72 polymorphism. Results: There were significant differences in the distribution of the polymorphism between the control subjects and the POAG patients (p = 0.00782) The proline form of p53 gene codon 72 appears to be a significant risk factor in the development of POAG (odds ratio 2.389, 95% confidence interval: 1.14 to 5.01). Conclusions: Retinal ganglion cells die during POAG by apoptosis. The tumour suppressor protein, p53, is one of the primary regulators steps of apoptosis, and the results of our study are compatible with this concept.
Fasting plasma free fatty acids and risk of type 2 diabetes: the atherosclerosis risk in communities study.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether plasma levels of free fatty acids (FFAs) are independently associated with incidence of type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A case-cohort design was used to randomly select 580 incident cases of diabetes and 566 noncases from 10,275 African-American and white men and women in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study, aged 45-64 years and without prevalent diabetes at the baseline exam. Incident diabetes was ascertained at three exams over 9 years of follow-up. FFA levels were measured in plasma samples collected at the baseline exam. RESULTS At baseline, FFA level was inversely associated with height and positively associated with female sex, BMI, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, heart rate, plasma triglycerides, and an inflammation score quantifying levels of six systemic inflammation markers. Relative risks for incident diabetes (fourth vs. first quartile of FFAs) were increased in a basic model adjusted for age, sex, race, and center (hazard ratio 1.68, 95% CI 1.20-2.34) and in a model further adjusted for baseline fasting glucose, insulin, BMI, waist circumference, triglycerides, and the inflammation score (1.63, 1.04-2.57). Relative risks associated with a greater FFA level were lowest among those of normal weight and highest among the obese, but a formal test of interaction between FFAs and BMI was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS Individuals with higher fasting levels of plasma FFAs were at modestly higher risk of type 2 diabetes in this cohort of middle-aged adults.
The relationship between job satisfaction, job performance and employee engagement: An explorative study

Author’s Email: asns2010@gmail.com Successful organizations know that employee satisfaction, performance and employee engagement are crucial. This research was conducted to examine what contributes to a satisfied employee by examining a number of factors such as job fit, good communication, appreciation and clear objectives. The study will also look at the roles of the organization and individual in employee satisfaction. Job performance, another key success factor for organizations, will also be examined. The link between employee satisfaction and performance findings will be illuminated and related examples of what can be done to improve both variables will be provided. Finally, this study discusses employee engagement which combines the above topics and much more including definitions, organizational success, and how to develop a successful employee engagement program. This study will also provide compelling information that will help to understand the advantages of having satisfied and high performing employees as well as using the power of employee engagement to be competitive and profitable.