Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association between lymphoma and melanoma: report of a single-center series of eight patients and a review of the literature

Epidemiologic studies have reported an association between lymphoid neoplasia and melanoma. However, the clinical characteristics, medical history and outcome of patients presenting both diseases have not been clearly described. Patients who developed both lymphoma and melanoma at the Institut Curie between 1970 and 2005 were included in this retrospective study. Patient characteristics were analysed and a review of all previously published cases was then performed. The eight patients of our series and those derived from a review of the literature resulted in a population of 70 patients. The male/female sex ratio was greater than 1. Patients were older than 50 years. The mean interval to the second malignancy was 5 years and 13 years for lymphoma and melanoma, respectively. Most patients had an indolent B-cell lymphoma and localized melanoma. Frequent skin involvement was reported for T-cell lymphoma. Chemotherapy or external radiation therapy frequently preceded the second malignancy. Patients with lymphoma and melanoma should be closely monitored to detect the appearance of a second malignancy. Further studies are therefore warranted to elucidate this peculiar association.
Nonlinear Exchange Rate Transmission in the Euro Area: A Multivariate Smooth Transition Regression Approach

This paper examines the presence of nonlinear behavior in the exchange rate pass-through (ERPT) for a set of euro area countries. We propose to solve the endogeneity problem inherent in single-equation-based methods by implementing the family of nonlinear vector smooth transition regression (VSTR) models. Using quarterly data that span from 1980:1 to 2015:4, linearity tests reveal that the ERPT responds nonlinearly to economic growth. According to the pass-through elasticities, exchange rate transmission differs significantly between the identified economic activity regimes. However, our results underscore the presence of heterogeneous profiles across the euro area economies. For some countries, the ERPT is higher during expansions than during recessions; however, the result is reversed for others. Our findings emphasize the role of a declining ERPT, as it may foster business cycle synchronization and inflation convergence within the monetary union.
Patterns of immune responses to the host-encoded GOR and hepatitis C virus core-derived epitopes with relation to hepatitis C viremia, genotypes, and liver disease severity.

Antibody responses to the GOR epitope and hepatitis C virus (HCV) core were investigated in 136 patients with chronic HCV infection. Patient age (P = .011) and necroinflammatory activity (P < .001) were significantly greater in 92 (67.6%) patients with anti-GOR than in 44 (32.4%) patients without anti-GOR. HCV RNA concentration was significantly higher in patients with anti-GOR (P = .031). HCV 1a or 1b genotypes were also found according to anti-GOR status. GOR and HCV core (amino acids 5-19) antibody responses correlated significantly (rs = .615, P < .001). Anti-HCV core(5-19) was detected in 67 (73%) of 92 patients with and in 14 (32%) of 44 without anti-GOR (P < .001). Patients with concurrent anti-GOR and anti-HCV core(5-19) had significantly greater necroinflammatory activity (P = .003). By multivariate analysis, anti-HCV core(5-19), patient age, and necroinflammatory activity were correlated with anti-GOR response (P < .001). Reactivity to the GOR autoepitope correlates with HCV core response and liver necroinflammatory activity, thus suggesting an immunopathogenic role in chronic hepatitis C.
The footprints of relapsing malaria in southwest Delhi, India.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES Control of vivax malaria is challenging due to persistence of hypnozoites causing relapses and safety concerns with primaquine in G6PD deficient individuals. We present the epidemiology of malaria with emphasis on recurrence of vivax malaria over a period of four years in southwest Delhi among patients reporting to malaria clinic. METHODS Microscopic examination of stained blood smears of fever patients attending malaria clinic was performed. Confirmed malaria cases were treated as per the national treatment guidelines. The epidemiological data of confirmed malaria cases including demographic characteristics, age, gender and past history of malaria were analysed. Patients were asked to report in case of occurence of fever. RESULTS From January 2011 to December 2014, 429 Plasmodium vivax, 24 P. falciparum and three mixed infection cases were reported to the Malaria Clinic at National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi. Malaria cases peaked in the months of August and September during all the four years. Recurrent episodes of vivax malaria were observed in 14.72% patients to whom primaquine was not dispensed, while the prevalence was 4.02% among those who received primaquine. The relapsing patterns observed were of both short as well as long latency P. vivax phenotypes. The entomological survey of area from where malaria patients reported, showed prevalence of Anopheles stephensi. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION The study showed presence of persistent P. vivax malaria with strains causing both frequent and long latency recurrences (probable relapses) in southwest Delhi. This highlights the need to evaluate primaquine regimens against both these strains and formulate strategies to improve compliance to 14-days primaquine treatment.
Assessment of medical residents technology readiness for an online residents-as-teachers curriculum.

OBJECTIVE The University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine has a need to expand the current Residents-as-Teachers workshops into a comprehensive curriculum. One way to do so is to implement an online curriculum, but prior to this, the readiness of the medical residents to participate in such a curriculum should be assessed. Our objective was to determine whether the residents at the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine are prepared to engage in an online Residents-as-Teachers program. METHODS This was a descriptive, mixed-method-design study that collected qualitative and quantitative data using an online survey and a focus-group interview. The study was conducted with students from 11 of the residency programs at the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine. RESULTS More than 80% of the participating residents had the technical knowledge to engage in an online program; 90.5% thought an online Residents-as-Teachers course would be a good alternative to what was currently available; 87.5% would be willing to participate in an online program, and 68.6% of the residents stated that they preferred an online course to a traditional one. CONCLUSION Determinants of readiness for online learning at the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine were identified and discussed. Our results suggest that the majority of the residents who participated in this study are ready to engage in an online Residents-as-Teachers program. The only potential barrier found was that one-third of the residents still preferred a traditional curriculum, even when they thought an online Residents-as-Teachers curriculum was a good alternative and were willing to participate in the course or courses forming part of such a curriculum. Therefore, prior to wide-spread implementation of such a curriculum, a pilot test should be conducted to maximize the presumed and eventual success of that curriculum.
Ibrahim’s triangle model (satisfaction – benefit – loyalty) for systems success measurement

Currently the high rate of systems fails, and challenges faces the researchers results in relegate systems success measure to the back seat. With the big debate among the researcher about what is the best measure of systems success this study come out with new perspective. Current study makes united between the dependent variables that measures systems success, instead of depending on one variable researcher should depends on three variables together. With 344 users from three different universities Ibrahim’s triangle model has been approved as a valid success measure. All the hypothesis was accepted and there is a strong positive relationship between the triangle factors.
Circulating ghrelin was negatively correlated with pulmonary arterial pressure in atrial septal defect patients

Background Ghrelin was found to attenuate the magnitude of pulmonary arterial hypertension and pulmonary vascular remodeling in rats. The objective of this study was to explore the fasting plasma ghrelin level and the relationships between ghrelin and pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) in atrial septal defect (ASD) patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Methods Fasting plasma ghrelin, obestatin, and insulin levels were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method in ASD patients with or without PAH according to the manufacturer's instructions. Insulin resistance was calculated by the homeostasis model of assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA‐IR) approach, calculated as fasting insulin (microunits/ml)× fasting blood glucose (mmol/L)/22.5. Comparisons between the parameters of patients with PAH and those of patients with normal PAP were performed with an unpaired Student's t test. The relationships between ghrelin and various clinical parameters were examined by bivariate correlations and multiple regression analysis. Results We found that the fasting plasma ghrelin level and the ratio of ghrelin to obestatin were significantly lower in the PAH group compared with the control group ((582.4±12.8) pg/ml vs. (1045.2±95.5) pg/ml, P <0.05 and 30.5±4.9 vs. 70.0±9.7, P <0.01). The fasting plasma obestatin level was higher in the PAH group compared with the control group, but the difference between them was not significant ((23.2±3.1) pg/ml vs. (16.3±1.6) pg/ml, P >0.05). In a multiple regression model analysis, only mean PAP was an independent predictor of ghrelin and the ratio of ghrelin to obestatin (standardized coefficient=‐0.737, P <0.001 and standardized coefficient=‐0.588, P=0.006, respectively). Conclusion Ghrelin is negatively correlated with mean PAP and this suggests that circulating ghrelin might predict the severity of pulmonary hypertension in ASD patients with PAH.
Effects of pace and stress on upper extremity kinematic responses in sign language interpreters

Sign language interpreters suffer from high levels of upper extremity disorders and burnout due to the physical and cognitive demands of interpreting. The objective of this research was to quantify the wrist kinematics of interpreting and to assess how speaker pace and psychosocial stress influence wrist kinematics. Professional interpreters interpreted a pre-recorded lecture, while the speaking pace of the lecture varied. One group of subjects was exposed to environmental conditions intended to induce stress. Several wrist kinematic variables of interpreting exceeded previously established high risk benchmarks for development of upper extremity disorders in industrial tasks. Wrist velocity and acceleration increased significantly with pace, with increases ranging from 10.7–18.6%. Increased psychosocial stress resulted in significant increase of left hand (non-dominant) wrist velocity and acceleration, with increases ranging from 14.8–19.5%. These results provide an objective assessment of the biomechanical demands of interpreting and support earlier research into different types of work, which found deleterious effects of psychosocial stress on the biomechanical responses of the lower back.
Rapid detection and characterization of foot-and-mouth disease virus by restriction enzyme and nucleotide sequence analysis of PCR products

Reverse transcription coupled with PCR was used for the detection of foot-and-mouth disease virus serotypes A, C, and O in organ extracts from experimentally infected cattle. Primers were selected from conserved sequences flanking the genome region coding for the major antigenic site of the capsid located in the C-terminal part of viral protein 1 (VP1). Because this region of the capsid is highly variable its coding sequence is considered to be the most appropriate for the characterization of virus isolates and, therefore, for the determination of the epidemiological relationships between viruses of the same serotype. For differentiation between serotypes and for detailed characterization of individual virus isolates restriction enzyme cleavage and nucleotide sequence analysis of the respective PCR products were carried out. In order to minimize the time required for sample preparation from clinical material, viral RNA was released from particles by heating the sample for 5 min at 90 degrees C. Finally, an air thermocycler was used, which allows performance of a PCR of 30 cycles in approximately 20 min. The results show that reverse transcription PCR followed by restriction enzyme analysis and/or nucleotide sequence analysis of the PCR products is useful for the rapid detection and differentiation of foot-and-mouth disease virus.
Expression of Adrenomedullin and its Receptors in Human Salivary Tissue

Adrenomedullin is a multifunctional peptide produced by a wide range of different cells and tissues. This study was designed to investigate whether adrenomedullin is present in human saliva and in salivary glands. It was expected that saliva may contain high concentrations of adrenomedullin, which has antimicrobial activity in vitro, which may have functional implications in the oral cavity. Saliva from the submandibular and parotid glands contained higher concentrations of adrenomedullin than did the circulation, but lower concentrations than in whole saliva. This suggests that oral epithelium may contribute the majority of the adrenomedullin peptide found in saliva. Specific adrenomedullin receptors were found in cell lines from the submandibular (HSG) and parotid (HSY) salivary glands. These findings suggest a paracrine/autocrine role for adrenomedullin in these tissues; however, the concentration of adrenomedullin in saliva was insufficient to suggest a significant antimicrobial action in the healthy oral cavity.
γ-Secretase Associated with Lipid Rafts

Background: Intramembranous cleavages of β-carboxyl-terminal fragment (βCTF) by γ-secretase generate amyloid β-protein (Aβ). Results: Three- to six-residue peptides are released successively along with Aβ generation by lipid raft-associated γ-secretase. Conclusion: γ-Secretase cleaves βCTF through multiple interactive pathways for stepwise successive processing to generate Aβ. Significance: This cleavage model provides insights into the precise molecular mechanism of Aβ generation. γ-Secretase generates amyloid β-protein (Aβ), a pathogenic molecule in Alzheimer disease, through the intramembrane cleavage of the β-carboxyl-terminal fragment (βCTF) of β-amyloid precursor protein. We previously showed the framework of the γ-secretase cleavage, i.e. the stepwise successive processing of βCTF at every three (or four) amino acids. However, the membrane integrity of γ-secretase was not taken into consideration because of the use of the 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-2-hydroxy-1-propanesulfonic acid-solubilized reconstituted γ-secretase system. Here, we sought to address how the membrane-integrated γ-secretase cleaves βCTF by using γ-secretase associated with lipid rafts. Quantitative analyses using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry of the βCTF transmembrane domain-derived peptides released along with Aβ generation revealed that the raft-associated γ-secretase cleaves βCTF in a stepwise sequential manner, but novel penta- and hexapeptides as well as tri- and tetrapeptides are released. The cropping of these peptides links the two major tripeptide-cleaving pathways generating Aβ40 and Aβ42 at several points, implying that there are multiple interactive pathways for the stepwise cleavages of βCTF. It should be noted that Aβ38 and Aβ43 are generated through three routes, and γ-secretase modulator 1 enhances all the three routes generating Aβ38, which results in decreases in Aβ42 and Aβ43 and an increase in Aβ38. These observations indicate that multiple interactive pathways for stepwise successive processing by γ-secretase define the species and quantity of Aβ produced.
The influence of total intravenous anaesthesia and isoflurane anaesthesia on plasma interleukin-6 and interleukin-10 concentrations after colorectal surgery for cancer: A randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND Although it has been demonstrated that both surgery and anaesthesia induce immune suppression, it remains unclear whether there are differences between anaesthetic techniques in inducing immune suppression in cancer patients. OBJECTIVE The aim of this present study was to compare the effects of total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) and isoflurane anaesthesia on plasma concentrations of interleukins IL-6 and IL-10 in patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer. DESIGN A randomised, controlled, open-label study. SETTING University hospital. PATIENTS Seventy patients undergoing open colorectal surgery with tumour resection were randomised prospectively into one of two groups; 60 patients completed the study. INTERVENTIONS Group 1 (n = 30) received TIVA and group 2 (n = 30) received isoflurane. Propofol infusion rate and inspired concentration of isoflurane were titrated to achieve bispectral index values of 40 to 55. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Plasma concentrations of IL-6 and IL-10 were measured preoperatively, before surgical incision and at 2 and 24 h postoperatively. The area under the curve (AUC) for IL-6 and IL-10 over 24 h and plasma interleukin concentrations at each time point were compared between the groups. RESULTS Median (range) AUC for IL-6 was 4657 (1219 to 8427) pg h ml−1 in the TIVA group and 5349 (839 to 8126) pg h ml−1 in the isoflurane group. For IL-10, AUC was 1165 (344 to 5258) pg h ml−1 in the TIVA group and 1405 (463 to 8161) pg h ml−1 in the isoflurane group. When comparing interleukin concentrations between study groups at different time intervals, there were no significant differences in plasma concentrations of IL-6 or IL-10. Intragroup comparisons revealed that IL-6 and IL-10 concentrations were significantly increased 2 and 24 h postoperatively in both groups when compared with their baseline values (P < 0.01 and P < 0.01 at 2 and 24 h for the TIVA group and isoflurane group, respectively). CONCLUSION We found no significant differences between the effects of TIVA and isoflurane anaesthesia on plasma concentrations of IL-6 and IL-10 after colorectal cancer surgery during the first 24 h postoperatively. Further studies are needed to determine differences in long-term outcome of these patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT01902849. The study was registered retrospectively.
The gastroprotective effect of the essential oil of Croton cajucara is different in normal rats than in malnourished rats

It has been shown previously that malnourished rats are resistant to acute gastric lesions but not to subchronic gastric ulceration. It also has been demonstrated that the essential oil obtained from the bark of Croton cajucara (Sacaca) has antiulcer properties. In the present study, the ability of this essential oil to prevent the formation of gastric ulcers in rats fed a diet with 17% protein (normoproteic rats) or 6% protein (malnourished rats) was investigated. At a dose of 100mg/kg body weight, orally, the essential oil significantly reduced the gastric injury caused by indomethacin (25% after 2h and 70% after 4h) only in normoproteic rats. In the pylorus ligature model, the essential oil increased the pH and gastric volume, but decreased the total acid concentration in both groups when compared to the respective control group. The essential oil significantly increased prostaglandin E2 production in glandular cells by 50% compared to the controls in both groups of rats. In addition, the amount of gastric mucus was two-fold higher in malnourished rats than in normoproteic rats. The present results show that the enhanced protective effect of essential oil in malnourished rats involved an increase in prostaglandin E2 production and mucus secretion, which are both factors that protect the gastric mucosa against damage. In agreement with this, malnourished rats always had a lower number of acute gastric ulcers.
Activation of an Unfolded Protein Response during Differentiation of Antibody-secreting B Cells*

The unfolded proteinresponse pathway (UPR) is believed to detect and compensate for excessive protein accumulation in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The UPR can be induced by pharmacological agents that perturb ER functions, but may also occur during cellular developmental processes such as the transition of B-lymphocytes into antibody-secreting plasma cells. Here we show that major UPR components are activated in B cells stimulated to secrete antibody. Increased expression of UPR targets including the ER chaperones BiP and GRP94 and the transcription factor XBP-1 initiates early in the differentiation program prior to up-regulated synthesis of Ig chains. Furthermore, these same kinetics are observed during differentiation for cleavage of the ER-localized ATF6α protein and splicing of XBP-1 mRNA to generate p50ATF6α and p54XBP-1, the two known UPR transcriptional activators. All of these UPR events reach maximal levels once Ig synthesis and secretion are markedly induced. Interestingly, these events are not accompanied by expression of CHOP, a transcription factor induced by ER stress agents commonly used to investigate the UPR. These results suggest that a physiological UPR elicited during differentiation of B-lymphocytes into high-rate secretory cells may be distinct from the UPR defined by agents that disrupt protein maturation in the ER.
Preterm Prelabor Rupture of Membranes and Fetal Survival after Minimally Invasive Fetal Surgery: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Objective: Iatrogenic preterm prelabor rupture of membranes (iPPROM; <37 weeks of gestation) is a major complication of fetal surgery. Little information is available about risk factors and incidence. Methods: We systematically reviewed reported iPPROM rates, gestational age at delivery and fetal survival after representative minimally invasive antenatal procedures. Results: A total of 1,146, 36 and 194 cases with mean iPPROM rates of 27, 31 and 26% were included for placental laser in twin-twin transfusion syndrome, shunting in lower urinary tract obstruction and interventions for twin-reversed arterial perfusion, respectively. In the statistical analysis, the maximum diameter of the instrument predicted iPPROM rate and was significantly related to gestational age at birth as well as fetal survival. Information on duration of the respective procedures was scarce and did not allow for meaningful analysis. Conclusions: iPPROM occurs in about 30% of cases treated by minimally invasive fetal surgery. The maximum diameter of the instrument explains iPPROM rate, gestational age at birth and fetal survival. Great variations in the reporting of iPPROM make data analysis difficult.