Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lack of Impact of Body Mass Index at Young Age on Otitis Media Occurrence During Preschool Years: Wheezing Illnesses Study Leidsche Rijn Cohort Study

Using data on weight and height at 6 and 11 months of age and primary care electronic health records data from 1960 children participating in the Wheezing Illnesses Study Leidsche Rijn birth cohort study, we found that body mass index at 6 and 11 months of age was not associated with otitis media occurrence during the first 4 years of life.
Physically based quantum-mechanical compact model of MOS devices substrate-injected tunneling current through ultrathin (EOT /spl sim/ 1 nm) SiO/sub 2/ and high-/spl kappa/ gate stacks

Building on a previously presented compact gate capacitance (C/sub g/-V/sub g/) model, a computationally efficient and accurate physically based compact model of gate substrate-injected tunneling current (I/sub g/-V/sub g/) is provided for both ultrathin SiO/sub 2/ and high-dielectric constant (high-/spl kappa/) gate stacks of equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) down to /spl sim/ 1 nm. Direct and Fowler-Nordheim tunneling from multiple discrete subbands in the strong inversion layer are addressed. Subband energies in the presence of wave function penetration into the gate dielectric, charge distributions among the subbands subject to Fermi-Dirac statistics, and the barrier potential are provided from the compact C/sub g/-V/sub g/ model. A modified version of the conventional Wentzel-Kramer-Brillouin approximation allows for the effects of the abrupt material interfaces and nonparabolicities in complex band structures of the individual dielectrics on the tunneling current. This compact model produces simulation results comparable to those obtained via computationally intense self-consistent Poisson-Schro/spl uml/dinger simulators with the same MOS devices structures and material parameters for 1-nm EOTs of SiO/sub 2/ and high-/spl kappa//SiO/sub 2/ gate stacks on (100) Si, respectively. Comparisons to experimental data for MOS devices with metal and polysilicon gates, ultrathin dielectrics of SiO/sub 2/, Si/sub 3/N/sub 4/, and high-/spl kappa/ (e.g., HfO/sub 2/) gate stacks on (100) Si with EOTs down to /spl sim/ 1-nm show excellent agreement.
Endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene variants and haplotypes associated with an increased risk of idiopathic recurrent miscarriage

Abstract We investigated the association of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (NOS3) polymorphisms rs2070744 (−786T> C), 27-bp repeat 4b/4a, rs1799983 (Glu298Asp), rs3918188 (−734C> A), and rs743507 (113G> A) with idiopathic recurrent miscarriage (IRM). This was a case-control study involving women with confirmed IRM (n = 296), and 305 age- and ethnically matched control women. NOS3 rs2070744, rs1799983, rs3918188, and rs743507 genotyping was done by TaqMan assays; NOS3 4b/4a genotyping was done by PCR-ASA. A higher frequency of -786C and 298Asp alleles was seen in IRM cases, which remained associated independently with IRM on multivariate analysis. Allele and genotype distribution of 4b/4a, rs3918188 (−734C> A) and rs743507 (113A> G) were comparable between IRM cases and control women. Taking homozygous wild-type genotype as a reference, regression analysis confirmed the association of Glu298Asp and −786T/C, and rs743507 homozygous carriers with IRM risk. Marked linkage disequilibrium was seen between tested NOS3 variants, thus allowing the construction of 5-locus [−786T> C/4b4a/Glu298Asp/-734C> A/113G> A] haplotypes. Taking the common T4bGCA haplotype as a reference, multivariate analysis confirmed the positive association of C4bTCG haplotype with IRM, after controlling for traditional covariates. Genetic variation at the NOS3 locus represents a genetic risk factor for increased susceptibility to IRM.
Psychotic and compulsive symptoms in Parkinson's disease

The objective of this study is to evaluate psychiatric symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients and to assess their relation with other clinical aspects of PD. Psychotic symptoms (PS) and compulsive symptoms (CS) as well as other nonmotor and motor features were evaluated in 353 PD patients. Psychotic and compulsive symptom scores did not correlate significantly. PS occurred in 65% of patients, with item frequencies ranging from 10% (paranoid ideation) to 55% (altered dream phenomena). Regression analysis showed that autonomic impairment accounted for 20% of the 32% explained variance of PS, whereas cognitive problems, depression, daytime sleepiness, and dopamine agonist (DA) dose explained the rest. CS occurred in 19%, with item frequencies of 10% for both sexual preoccupation and compulsive shopping/gambling. Patients with more severe CS (score ≥ 2 on one or both items) were significantly more often men, had a younger age at onset, a higher DA dose and experienced more motor fluctuations compared to the other patients. PS and CS are common but unrelated psychiatric symptoms in PD. The relations found between PS and cognitive problems, depression, daytime sleepiness, and autonomic impairment suggests a resemblance with Dementia with Lewy Bodies. The prominent association between PS and autonomic impairment may be explained by a shared underlying mechanism. Our results confirm previous reports on the profile of patients developing CS, and mechanisms underlying motor fluctuations may also play a role in the development of CS in PD. © 2009 Movement Disorder Society
Helicity-coupling amplitudes in tensor formalism.

The decay of a particle with spin to two other particles with spin is best described in the helicity formalism. It is the purpose of this paper to show that the helicity-coupling amplitudes, which appear in the angular distributions, can be expressed in terms of the covariant amplitudes in the tensor formalism. This allows for a systematic derivation for the energy dependence of the helicity-coupling amplitudes within the framework of the tensor formalism. The concept of pure intrinsic spin has been developed in the tensor formalism, for decays involving two spins in the final state, in order to bring the formalism to a form comparable to the standard [ital lS]-coupling scheme. Among several examples worked out in this paper are those involving spin-0, spin-1, or spin-2 states in the initial and the final systems and, in particular, a spin-1 state coupling to two spin-1 final states. The latter example is then specialized to the [ital J]/[psi] radiative decays into a pseudovector ([ital J][sup [ital P][ital C]]=1[sup ++]) or into a vector ([ital J][sup [ital P][ital C]]=1[sup [minus]+]) which is exotic, i.e., not a quarkonium. Orbital angular momenta up to [ital l]=4 have been included in the examples; in particular, themore » decay [pi][sub 2](1670)[r arrow][ital f][sub 2](1270)+[pi], which involves three [ital l]'s ([ital l]=0, 2, and 4), is shown to exhibit a complicated energy-dependent form for the helicity-coupling amplitude. « less
Risks of thromboembolism associated with hormone contraceptives in Japanese compared with Western women

We extracted 581 thromboembolic events associated with combined oral contraceptives (COC) that occurred between 2004 and 2013 in Japan, from the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency database. The most common thromboembolic events associated with COC were deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism and their combination. The reported thromboembolic events increased year by year, in association with an increase in the quantity of prescribed low‐dose estrogen progestin after approval for health insurance coverage for dysmenorrhea in 2008 in Japan. The incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in Japanese COC users is estimated to be lower compared with their Western counterparts. In contrast, the frequency of all thromboembolic events peaked at 90 days from the start of COC, as in Western studies. The risk of VTE in the overweight group (body mass index ≥ 25 kg/m2) was more than twofold higher than in the standard group, and age‐specific incidence rate rose sharply after the age of 40. There were different VTE risks according to progestin type in Japan as in Western countries, but a definite conclusion about risk according to progestin type was not able to be reached at present. As for the risk of arterial embolism and thrombosis, the difference by progestin type was small, but it became higher at ≥50 years of age. Last, mortality rate caused by thromboembolism is extremely low among COC users.
Early Childhood Experiences and Current Emotional Distress: What Do They Tell Us About Aspiring Psychologists?

Motivation underlying the career choice of mental health professionals may include a desire to resolve personal psychological distress from childhood or the need to continue the caretaking role held in the family (A. DiCaccavo, 2002; J. D. Guy, 1987). The authors examined whether psychology students whose future vocational aspirations lie in the clinical domain (N = 40) differed from psychology students with no clinical aspirations (N = 35) and from business students (N = 91) in reported childhood experiences and current psychological functioning. Psychology students who wanted to work in the clinical domain reported higher rates of perceived childhood sexual abuse and neglect as compared with both psychology students with no clinical aspirations and business students. They also reported more parentification experiences between the ages of 14 years and 16 years as compared with business students. There were no significant differences between groups in reported levels of current negative emotions.
Elucidation of molecular mechanism of stability of the heme-regulated eIF2α kinase upon binding of its ligand, hemin in its catalytic kinase domain

The eIF2α kinase activity of the heme-regulated inhibitor (HRI) is regulated by heme which makes it a unique member of the family of eIF2α kinases. Since heme concentrations create an equilibrium for the kinase to be active/inactive, it becomes important to study the heme binding effects upon the kinase and understanding its mechanism of functionality. In the present study, we report the thermostability achieved by the catalytic kinase domain of HRI (HRI.CKD) upon ligand (heme) binding. Our CD data demonstrates that the HRI.CKD retains its secondary structure at higher temperatures when it is in ligand bound state. HRI.CKD when incubated with hemin loses its monomeric state and attains a higher order oligomeric form resulting in its stability. The HRI.CKD fails to refold into its native conformation upon mutation of H377A/H381A, thereby confirming the necessity of these His residues for correct folding, stability, and activity of the kinase. Though our in silico study demonstrated these His being the ligand binding sites in the kinase insert region, the spectra-based study did not show significant difference in heme affinity for the wild type and His mutant HRI.CKD.
A Gut Microbial Metabolite of Linoleic Acid, 10-Hydroxy-cis-12-octadecenoic Acid, Ameliorates Intestinal Epithelial Barrier Impairment Partially via GPR40-MEK-ERK Pathway*

Background: The physiological activity of gut microbial metabolites has recently attracted much attention. Results: A gut microbial metabolite of linoleic acid, 10-hydroxy-cis-12-octadecenoic acid (HYA), ameliorates intestinal epithelial barrier impairments by regulating TNFR2 expression via the GPR40-MEK-ERK pathway. Conclusion: HYA-induced GPR40 signaling contributes to the intestinal homeostasis. Significance: Our findings indicate a novel function of GPR40 in the inflamed intestine. Gut microbial metabolites of polyunsaturated fatty acids have attracted much attention because of their various physiological properties. Dysfunction of tight junction (TJ) in the intestine contributes to the pathogenesis of many disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease. We evaluated the effects of five novel gut microbial metabolites on tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α-induced barrier impairment in Caco-2 cells and dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis in mice. 10-Hydroxy-cis-12-octadecenoic acid (HYA), a gut microbial metabolite of linoleic acid, suppressed TNF-α and dextran sulfate sodium-induced changes in the expression of TJ-related molecules, occludin, zonula occludens-1, and myosin light chain kinase. HYA also suppressed the expression of TNF receptor 2 (TNFR2) mRNA and protein expression in Caco-2 cells and colonic tissue. In addition, HYA suppressed the protein expression of TNFR2 in murine intestinal epithelial cells. Furthermore, HYA significantly up-regulated G protein-coupled receptor (GPR) 40 expression in Caco-2 cells. It also induced [Ca2+]i responses in HEK293 cells expressing human GPR40 with higher sensitivity than linoleic acid, its metabolic precursor. The barrier-recovering effects of HYA were abrogated by a GPR40 antagonist and MEK inhibitor in Caco-2 cells. Conversely, 10-hydroxyoctadacanoic acid, which is a gut microbial metabolite of oleic acid and lacks a carbon-carbon double bond at Δ12 position, did not show these TJ-restoring activities and down-regulated GPR40 expression. Therefore, HYA modulates TNFR2 expression, at least partially, via the GPR40-MEK-ERK pathway and may be useful in the treatment of TJ-related disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease.
Current status of syphilis in pregnant women in Japan

Abstract We examined the current status of syphilis-infected pregnant Japanese women, according to the results of syphilis screening and confirmation tests of women who gave birth in Japan between October, 2015 and March, 2016. We requested 2458 obstetrical facilities to provide information of syphilis screening tests and 78.1% of them responded. Considering the response rate and the rate of implementation of confirmation tests, the number of syphilis-infected pregnant Japanese women was estimated to be 250 (1/4022) per year.
Drug susceptibility pattern of Helicobacter pylori in patients with dyspepsia at the Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi.

OBJECTIVE To determine drug susceptibility pattern of Helicobacter pylori to metronidazole, clarithromycin, amoxicillin and tetracycline in patients presenting with dyspepsia at the Kenyatta National Hospital. DESIGN Cross-sectional descriptive study. SETTING Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi. SUBJECTS Two hundred and sixty-seven patients aged 15 to 85 years, presenting with dyspepsia and referred for upper gastro-intestinal endoscopy were recruited into the study. RESULTS Between October 2003 and April 2004, 138 male and 129 female patients aged 15-85 years, with a mean age of 45.4 years were studied. Gastritis was the most common endoscopic finding, occurring in 55%, followed by normal-looking mucosa in 27% and peptic ulcer disease in 16% of the patients. The rapid urease test was positive in 184 patients (69%). The culture yield was 62% of these CLO (Campylobacter like organisms) positive biopsies. The MIC90 (minimum inhibitory concentration) was 256 mg/l for metronidazole, 1.5 mg/l for clarithromycin, 1.5 mg/l for tetracycline and 0.75 mg/l for amoxicillin. The MIC values for amoxicillin were significantly higher in the female patients (p = 0.02) but showed no significant variation for age. The MIC values for metronidazole, tetracycline and clarithromycin showed no significant difference for age or gender. MIC values for tetracycline were significantly higher for patients with duodenitis and duodenal ulcer p = 0.009 and 0.02, respectively. CONCLUSION All isolated H. pylori organisms were resistant to metronidazole. The susceptibility of the H. pylori isolates was 93.6% for clarithromycin, 95.4% for amoxicillin and 98.1% for tetracycline. The MIC90 for amoxicillin and clarithromycin were found to be close to the upper limit of the susceptibility range. There was a rising MIC90 for tetracycline and metronidazole compared to that found in a previous study in 1991.
The photopic negative response as a promising diagnostic tool in glaucoma. A review.

PURPOSE Based on the available literature, the clinical usefulness of Photopic Negative Response (PhNR) of flash Electroretinogram (ERG) in detecting glaucoma has been described. MATERIALS AND METHODS Data published in the literature available at the Pub Med library between 1999-2011. Different techniques of eliciting, assessing and measuring PhNR have been analyzed. Relations between results of static automated perimetry (SAP), Gdx, optical coherence tomography (OCT), pattern electroretinogram (PERG) and PhNR in glaucomatous patients have been described. RESULTS 1. The most frequent method of PhNR recording has been brief (< 6 ms), red stimulus against the blue background with thread active DTL electrodes. 2. There has been a significant decrease of PhNR amplitude and PhNR/b-wave ratio in patients with different stages of glaucoma field defect. 3. Curvilinear and linear correlation between retinal sensitivity (SAP), retinal nerve fibre layer thickness (RNFLT), PhNR amplitude and PhNR/b-wave ratio has been found. 4. A significant correlation occurred between PhNR and PERG amplitudes. 5. Focal PhNR seems to be a more specific and sensitive tool in comparison to full field PhNR. CONCLUSIONS PhNR is a promising tool in glaucoma neuropathy assessment. Up to date the value of PhNR has not been definitely proved. More research is necessary to con rm the usefulness of PhNR in diagnosing glaucoma.
Human Opioid Receptor A118G Polymorphism Affects Intravenous Patient-controlled Analgesia Morphine Consumption after Total Abdominal Hysterectomy

Background:Animal and human studies indicate that genetics may contribute to the variability of morphine efficacy. A recent report suggested that cancer patients homozygous for the 118G allele caused by the single nucleotide polymorphism at nucleotide position 118 in the &mgr;-opioid receptor gene require higher doses of morphine to relieve pain. The purpose of the current study was to investigate whether this polymorphism contributes to the variability of morphine efficacy in women who undergo abdominal total hysterectomy. Methods:After informed consent was obtained, 80 female patients (American Society of Anesthesiologist physical status I or II) scheduled to undergo elective total hysterectomy surgery were enrolled in this study. All patients received general anesthesia and were screened for A118G polymorphism by blood sample. Intravenous morphine patient-controlled analgesia was provided postoperatively for satisfactory analgesia. The authors recorded the morphine consumption doses and demand times. Pain at rest and side effects were measured with rating scales. Results:Forty-three women were A118 homozygous, 19 were heterozygous, and 18 were G118 homozygous. Patients homozygous for G118 required more morphine doses (33 ± 10 mg) to achieve adequate pain relief compared with patients homozygous for A118 (27 ± 10 mg) in the first 24 h (P = 0.02). However, there was no statistically significant difference for morphine consumption at 48 h. Conclusion:Genetic variation of the &mgr;-opioid receptor may contribute to interindividual differences in postoperative morphine consumption. In the future, identifying single nucleotide polymorphisms of patients may provide information to modulate the analgesic dosage of opioid for better pain control.
Thrombospondin and the Adhesive Behavior of Platelets

The adhesion-promoting activity of TSP has been examined in four systems. Both the amino-terminal heparin-binding domain and the large globular carboxy-terminal domains have been implicated in the agglutination of erythrocytes and fixed-activated platelets by TSP. Sulfatides specifically bind TSP and may serve as a membrane receptor for the heparin-binding domain of TSP. The large globular domains of TSP have been implicated in secretion-dependent platelet aggregation. Activation-dependent adhesion of platelets to TSP substrates does not appear to be mediated solely by direct interaction of TSP with platelet membrane components, but appears to be mediated in large part by intervening bridging molecules, such as fibronectin or fibrinogen. Thus, different regions of the complex TSP molecule are of varying importance in the different systems. No single simple system appears adequate for exploration of the adhesion-promoting activity of TSP.
Clinical significance of bone marrow metastases as detected using the polymerase chain reaction in patients with breast cancer undergoing high-dose chemotherapy and autologous bone marrow transplantation.

PURPOSE The present study evaluates the clinical significance of detection of cytokeratin 19 (K19) in the bone marrow of patients with breast cancer undergoing high-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) and autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT). PATIENTS AND METHODS We studied retrospectively cryopreserved bone marrow aspirates from 83 patients with high-risk stage II, III, and IV breast cancer obtained before bone marrow harvest but after induction chemotherapy. All samples were histologically negative for metastases. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for K19 was performed according to methods described previously and results were correlated with the probability of relapse following HDCT and ABMT. RESULTS The incidence of occult metastases as defined by PCR for K19 message was 52% for 19 stage II, 57% for 14 stage III, and 82% for 50 stage IV patients (two-tailed P = .0075, chi 2 test). The probability of relapse at 3 years after ABMT was 32% and 94% for K19-positive stage II/III and stage IV patients, respectively, versus 10% and 14% for K19-negative stage II/III and stage IV patients, respectively. The difference was significant for stage IV patients (two-tailed P = .0002). CONCLUSION It has been shown that PCR is a highly sensitive method to detect K19 message in the bone marrow. The incidence of K19 positivity in bone marrow increases significantly with advancing stage. In patients with breast cancer, especially metastatic breast cancer, undergoing HDCT and ABMT, the presence of K19 is associated with a poor prognosis.
Changes in glutamate concentration, glucose metabolism, and cerebral blood flow during focal brain cooling of the epileptogenic cortex in humans

Recently, focal brain cooling (FBC) was proposed as a method for treating refractory epilepsy. However, the precise influence of cooling on the molecular basis of epilepsy has not been elucidated. Thus the aim of this study was to assess the effect of FBC on glutamate (Glu) concentration, cerebral blood flow (CBF), and glucose metabolism in patients with intractable epilepsy.
Connections of the primary auditory cortex in the common marmoset, Callithrix jacchus jacchus

The afferent and efferent connections of the primary auditory cortex (AI) of common marmosets were traced following small injections of wheat germ agglutinin conjugated with horseradish peroxidase (WGA‐HRP) made at best frequency (BF)‐defined sites in the AI. After the injections the animals remained anesthetized for 15–23 hours; they were then perfused transcardially with fixative and the brains were processed for WGA‐HRP reaction product.