Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Isolation of alcohol oxidase and two other methanol regulatable genes from the yeast Pichia pastoris

The oxidation of methanol follows a well-defined pathway and is similar for several methylotrophic yeasts. The use of methanol as the sole carbon source for the growth of Pichia pastoris stimulates the expression of a family of genes. Three methanol-responsive genes have been isolated; cDNA copies have been made from mRNAs of these genes, and the protein products from in vitro translations have been examined. The identification of alcohol oxidase as one of the cloned, methanol-regulated genes has been made by enzymatic, immunological, and sequence analyses. Methanol-regulated expression of each of these three isolated genes can be demonstrated to occur at the level of transcription. Finally, DNA subfragments of two of the methanol-responsive genomic clones from P. pastoris have been isolated and tentatively identified as containing the control regions involved in methanol regulation.
Genome‐scale expression profiling of Hutchinson–Gilford progeria syndrome reveals widespread transcriptional misregulation leading to mesodermal/mesenchymal defects and accelerated atherosclerosis

Hutchinson–Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) is a rare genetic disease with widespread phenotypic features resembling premature aging. HGPS was recently shown to be caused by dominant mutations in the LMNA gene, resulting in the in‐frame deletion of 50 amino acids near the carboxyl terminus of the encoded lamin A protein. Children with this disease typically succumb to myocardial infarction or stroke caused by severe atherosclerosis at an average age of 13 years. To elucidate further the molecular pathogenesis of this disease, we compared the gene expression patterns of three HGPS fibroblast cell strains heterozygous for the LMNA mutation with three normal, age‐matched cell strains. We defined a set of 361 genes (1.1% of the approximately 33 000 genes analysed) that showed at least a 2‐fold, statistically significant change. The most prominent categories encode transcription factors and extracellular matrix proteins, many of which are known to function in the tissues severely affected in HGPS. The most affected gene, MEOX2/GAX, is a homeobox transcription factor implicated as a negative regulator of mesodermal tissue proliferation. Thus, at the gene expression level, HGPS shows the hallmarks of a developmental disorder affecting mesodermal and mesenchymal cell lineages. The identification of a large number of genes implicated in atherosclerosis is especially valuable, because it provides clues to pathological processes that can now be investigated in HGPS patients or animal models.
Impaired Health Status, Daily Functioning, and Work Productivity in Adults With Excessive Sleepiness

Objective: This study evaluated the effects of excessive sleepiness (ES) on health status, daily functioning, and work productivity. Methods: From a survey performed in June to July 2006, people with or without ES in two groups (1758 with obstructive sleep apnea, depression, narcolepsy, multiple sclerosis, or shift work; 1977 without these conditions) were assessed on the Work Productivity and the Activity Impairment Scale, Short Form-12, Medical Outcomes study 6-item Cognitive Function Scale, and the Toronto Hospital Alertness Test. Results: ES in both groups was associated with highly significant impairments in health status, daily activities, and work productivity for all measures (P < 0.0001), except for absenteeism (P = 0.0400 for group A, P = 0.8360 for group B). Conclusions: ES may have an incremental negative impact measurable above that of obstructive sleep apnea, multiple sclerosis, narcolepsy, depression, or shift work.
Visual function in low birthweight children

Aim: To determine the visual functions, at age 10–12 years, of a geographically based cohort of children of birth weight less than 1701 g. The results were compared to a group of children born at full term. Methods: 572 low birthweight (LBW) “low birthweight cohort” children who had been examined in the neonatal period were invited for review at 10–12 years of age. 169 11 year old schoolchildren born at full term were also recruited, “school cohort. ” Visual acuity (at distance and near), contrast sensitivity, colour vision, and visual fields were measured. Results: 293 of the original 572 participants consented to a further examination. Compared to the school cohort of children born at term the low birthweight cohort showed significantly lower near and distance acuities and contrast sensitivity (p<0.001 for all uniocular and binocular measures). Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) was a very poor predictor of outcome and multivariate analysis did not identify any key neonatal factors as predictors of long term visual outcome. Conclusions: Low birthweight children have a small but statistically significant deficit in both visual acuity and contrast sensitivity. Low birth weight and ROP both impact on long term visual functions.
Disappearing Investment-Cash Flow Sensitivities: Earnings Have Not Become a Worse Proxy for Cash Flow

According to a recent conjecture in the literature, earnings have become a poorer proxy for cash flow from operations over time. We find that since 1988, when cash flow statements started to be consistently reported in Compustat, the cash effectiveness of earnings has actually increased for a large sample of US manufacturing firms. This occurs despite the introduction of fair value accounting and increasing accounting accruals during the last three decades. The evidence suggests that this puzzle is explained by more efficient working capital management. Also contrary to the conjecture, using more comprehensive measures of cash flow does not restore the investment-cash flow sensitivity, which continues to be around 0.05 in more recent periods. We end by noting that the investment model used in the literature can be enhanced by including accruals, since it leads to a more precise estimation of cash flow.
Effect of tianeptine on cognitive functions in patients with depressive disorders during a 3-month observation.

OBJECTIVE The authors put forward the hypotheses that during a three-month treatment with tianeptine in patients with depressive disorders there is an improvement in the short-term memory, reaction time and attention. SUBJECT AND METHODS 20 patients suffering from depression, were included in the study. During the entire research period all patients were treated with monotherapy with tianeptine. Cognitive function measurements were performed using the Vienna Test System. RESULTS Our study showed an improvement in the all the assessed functions: patients treated with tianeptine had better performance in tests measuring short term memory and learning processes as well as reaction time and attention. CONCLUSION In conclusion, the study shows that tianeptine improves cognitive functions in depressed patients.
Survival of implanted fetal dopamine cells and neurologic improvement 12 to 46 months after transplantation for Parkinson's disease.

BACKGROUND AND METHODS Patients with Parkinson's disease tend to have a reduced response to levodopa after 5 to 20 years of therapy, with "on-off" fluctuations consisting of dyskinesia alternating with immobility. In an effort to modify the motor disability of advanced Parkinson's disease, we implanted embryonic mesencephalic tissue containing dopamine cells into the caudate and putamen of seven patients. Two patients received unilateral grafts in the caudate and the putamen on the side opposite the side with worse symptoms. Five patients received bilateral grafts implanted in the putamen only. In six of the seven patients, the fetal tissue was obtained from a single embryo with a gestational age of seven to eight weeks. The tissue was injected by means of 10 to 14 needle passes. There were no surgical complications. Four of the seven patients underwent immunosuppression with cyclosporine and prednisone. RESULTS All patients reported improvement according to the Activities of Daily Living Scale when in the on state 3 to 12 months after surgery (P < 0.01). Neurologic examination according to the Unified Disease Rating Scale showed that five of the seven patients improved when in the on state six months after surgery. The mean group Hoehn-Yahr score improved from 3.71 to 2.50 (P < 0.01). Computer and videotape testing in the home supported these findings. Fluctuations in clinical state were moderated, and periods of dyskinesia and off episodes were shorter and less severe than before implantation. Drug doses were reduced by an average of 39 percent (P < 0.01; maximum, 58 percent). The results of clinical evaluation and fluorodopa positron-emission tomography in one patient were compatible with transplant survival for as long as 46 months. Both immunosuppressed and nonimmunosuppressed patients improved. CONCLUSIONS Fetal-tissue implants appear to offer long-term clinical benefit to some patients with advanced Parkinson's disease.
The choice of threshold limits for pediatric ambulatory blood pressure monitoring influences clinical decisions

ObjectivesHypertension in children may be defined by blood pressure elevated above the 95th percentile according to sex and age. Population data for ambulatory blood pressure provide different age-related and sex-related threshold limits to office-derived data. We sought to determine whether, when using ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in a clinical setting, changing 95th percentile threshold limit sets from office-derived to ambulatory blood pressure-derived would lead to different diagnostic decisions. MethodsThree nephrologists who were blinded as to patient identity and limit setting method reported on 42 ambulatory blood pressure records from a mixed group of patients aged 5–18 years by using both office-derived threshold limits for the 95th centile of blood pressure and ambulatory blood pressure-derived limits. Decisions regarding the presence or absence of hypertension were compared for each patient according to the limit set. ResultsThirty-five (83%) patients were considered to be hypertensive when office-derived threshold limits were used and 20% (P=0.005) fewer records were reported as showing hypertension when ambulatory blood pressure-derived threshold limits were used. When ambulatory blood pressure limits were applied, there were fewer records with an awake systolic blood pressure load >50% (P=0.004) and the average awake systolic blood pressure load was significantly lower (P<0.001). ConclusionAmbulatory blood pressure normative data tend to provide higher blood pressure limits for age and sex. Consequently, when ambulatory blood pressure data are used to set threshold limits, clinical decisions based on ambulatory blood pressure may be different than when office limits are used. These findings demonstrate the importance of using the most appropriate limit sets to analyze ambulatory blood pressure and when interpreting ambulatory blood pressure-based research.
Family-Oriented Early Intervention Policies and Practices: Family-Centered or Not?

This article includes a multimethod, multisource analysis and synthesis of the degree to which contemporary family-oriented early intervention policies and practices are family centered. Federal laws and legislation, state-level policy positions, and the viewpoints of service providers and consumers were analyzed as part of the study. The findings, taken together. Indicate a movement toward adoption of family-centered early intervention policies and practices at the different levels of analysis. There are, however, discrepancies between what state-level policymakers and “street-level” providers and consumers see as current beliefs and practices within states.
Follicular dynamics and dominance in Booroola x Finnish Landrace and Booroola x Suffolk ewes heterozygous for the F gene.

To study the influence of the F gene on follicular dynamics and dominance, 2-year-old Booroola x Finnish Landrace (BFL, N = 17) and Booroola x Suffolk (BS, N = 18) ewes were compared with contemporary purebred Finn (FL, N = 18) and Suffolk (S, N = 18) ewes. In Exp. 1, oestrous cycles of ewes were synchronized during the breeding season with progestagen-impregnated sponges. At sponge removal (Day 0), 14 days after insertion, ewes of each of the 4 genetic groups were assigned to Group 1 in which all follicles visible on both ovaries were destroyed by electrocauterization except for the largest (F1) which was marked, Group 2 in which all visible follicles on both ovaries were destroyed, or Group 3 in which the 3 largest follicles of both ovaries were identified as F1, F2 and F3 and marked. At 48 h after treatment (Day 2), follicular growth was evaluated. At Day 0, the mean number of small follicles (1-3 mm) was higher (P less than 0.05) for BS, S and BFL (35.8, 35.1 and 32.9) than FL (24.9) ewes. Large follicles (greater than or equal to 4 mm) were more numerous (P less than 0.05) in FL (3.5) than in BS (2.1) ewes, BFL and S ewes being intermediate. Diameter of the F1 follicle was larger (P less than 0.05) for S (7.6 mm) than FL, BS and BFL (5.8, 5.1 and 5.1 mm) ewes. In Group 1, all F1 follicles marked at Day 0 ovulated at oestrus after sponge removal for BFL, BS and S ewes while in FL ewes, 2 of 6 F1 follicles regressed. In ewes ovulating, only the F1 follicle ovulated except for one S ewe which shed one more ovum. In Group 2, there were no follicles greater than or equal to 4 mm at Day 2 and no ewes ovulated after treatment. In Group 3, the proportion of marked follicles that ovulated was higher for S ewes than in those of the prolific genotypes. The number of follicles not marked at Day 0 but ovulating (compared to the total number of ovulations) was higher in BFL, BS and FL (8/11, 9/13 and 9/13) than S (3/10) ewes. In Exp. 2, prolific (BFL + BS) and non-prolific (S) ewes were compared following destruction of follicles greater than or equal to 3 mm with the F1 left intact (Treatment 1) or destroyed (Treatment 2), 12 days after sponge insertion. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Correlation between plasma calcium, parathyroid hormone (PTH) and the metabolic syndrome (MetS) in a community‐based cohort of men and women

Context In recent years, an association has been noted between several abnormalities that characterize the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT). These abnormalities include dyslipidaemia, obesity, insulin resistance and hypertension. The correlations between plasma calcium, parathyroid hormone (PTH) and the variables in the MetS in a normal population are still unclear.
Spouse-assisted coping skills training in the management of knee pain in osteoarthritis: long-term followup results.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the long-term effects of a spouse-assisted coping skills intervention in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knees, and to evaluate how pre- to posttreatment changes in marital adjustment and self-efficacy relate to long-term improvements in pain, psychological disability, physical disability, pain coping, and pain behavior. METHODS A followup study was conducted with 88 OA patients who had been randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatment conditions: 1) spouse-assisted coping skills training (spouse-assisted CST), 2) a conventional CST intervention with no spouse involvement, and 3) an arthritis education-spousal support (AE-SS) control condition. To evaluate long-term outcome, comprehensive measures of self-efficacy, marital adjustment, pain, psychological disability, physical disability, pain coping, and pain behavior were collected from these individuals at 6 and 12 months posttreatment. RESULTS Data analysis revealed that, at 6-month followup, patients in the spouse-assisted CST condition scored higher on measures of coping and self-efficacy than those in the AE-SS control group. At 6-month followup, patients who received CST without spouse involvement showed a significantly higher frequency of coping attempts and reported higher levels of marital adjustment than those in the AE-SS control group. At 12-month followup, patients in the spouse-assisted CST condition had significantly higher overall self-efficacy than those in the AE-SS control condition. In addition, patients in both the spouse-assisted CST and CST only conditions tended to show improvements in physical disability at the 12-month followup. Individual differences in outcome were noted at the 12-month followup. Patients in the spouse-assisted CST condition who reported initial (pre- to posttreatment) increases in marital adjustment had lower levels of psychological disability, physical disability, and pain behavior at 12-month followup. However, for patients in the conventional CST and AE-SS control conditions, increases in marital adjustment occurring over the initial phase of treatment were related to increases in pain and decreases in scores on the Pain Control in Rational Thinking factor of the Coping Strategies Questionnaire. Finally, patients in the spouse-assisted CST condition who showed pre- to posttreatment increases in self-efficacy were more likely to show decreases in pain, psychological disability, and physical disability at 12-month followup. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that spouse-assisted CST can enhance self-efficacy and improve the coping abilities of OA patients in the long term. Individual differences in the long-term outcome of spouse-assisted CST were noted, with some patients (those showing increases in marital satisfaction and self-efficacy) showing much better outcomes than others.
Social determinants of pediatric residents' injury prevention counseling.

BACKGROUND Social norms imparted by preceptors and the requirements necessary to pass American Board of Pediatrics' examinations are potentially important contributors to physician behavior. OBJECTIVE To explore the relationships between perceived professional norms regarding injury prevention and the injury prevention topics discussed, and counseling strategies employed, by pediatric residents. DESIGN A self-administered survey. SETTING All 5 North Carolina pediatric residency programs. PARTICIPANTS Physicians training in pediatrics or medicine-pediatrics in these programs (N = 160, 72% response rate). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Correlation between perceived professional norms and self-reported content of injury prevention counseling and use of behavior change strategies. RESULTS Although 95% of the pediatric residents reported counseling all or almost all parents with children younger than 1 year about car seat use, only 19% reported counseling this many parents about gun safety. Of the 7 behavior change strategies that residents were asked about, respondents were most likely to report "showing approval for safe behaviors" to all almost all parents (78%). Two thirds reported asking all or almost all parents about the safety of their homes. Pediatric residents' reported injury prevention counseling was correlated with their perceived professional norms regarding such counseling for most of the content areas and behavior change strategies. CONCLUSIONS Perceived professional norms regarding injury prevention are related to pediatric residents' counseling, Preceptors should be aware that they transmit professional norms to residents. Also, the American Board of Pediatrics can increase residents' attention to injury prevention by informing them that it will be a topic included in the board examination.
Retinacula of the foot and ankle: MRI with anatomic correlation in cadavers.

OBJECTIVE The retinacula of the ankle are regions of localized thickening of superficial aponeurosis that provide mechanical strength to prevent tendon bowstringing. The purpose of this study was to define the foot and ankle retinacula as seen on MRI with anatomic correlation in cadavers. MATERIALS AND METHODS Ten fresh foot and ankle specimens from humans were imaged with 1.5-T MRI. T1- and intermediate-weighted images were obtained in the axial, coronal, and sagittal planes. Specimens then were sectioned into 3-mm-thick sections in either the axial or the coronal plane to correspond with the MR images. Two radiologists interpreted the MR images and sections by consensus for the anatomic landmarks and best imaging planes for identification of the retinacula and discernment of their shape, thickness, and relations to adjacent tendons. RESULTS Normal retinacula of the ankle appeared as bands of low signal intensity in both MRI sequences. The bony landmarks were helpful in localization of the attachment sites of the retinacula. The superior extensor retinaculum and superior and inferior peroneal retinacula were optimally visualized on axial images. Their thicknesses averaged 0.9, 1.0, and 0.8 mm, respectively. The flexor retinaculum and three root components (medial, intermediate, and lateral) of the stem ligament of the inferior extensor retinaculum were well seen in the coronal plane. The average thicknesses of these structures were 0.9, 1.5, 1.0, and 0.9 mm, respectively. CONCLUSION MRI in standard orthogonal planes is a useful technique for visualizing the attachment sites, signal intensity, and normal thickness of foot and ankle retinacula.
Inequalities in Access to Treatment and Care for Patients with Dementia and Immigrant Background: A Danish Nationwide Study.

BACKGROUND Previous studies demonstrated lower quality diagnostic assessment of dementia in immigrant populations, but knowledge about the quality of treatment and care for dementia is still lacking. OBJECTIVE To conduct a nationwide registry-based study to determine whether inequality exists regarding access to anti-dementia treatment and care between immigrant and Danish-born patients with dementia. METHODS A cross-sectional register-based study was conducted in the entire elderly (60≥years) population with dementia in Denmark in 2012 (n = 34,877). The use of anti-dementia drugs and residency in a nursing home were compared among Danish-born and Western and non-Western immigrants with dementia. Logistic regression analysis was done with adjustment for age, sex, comorbidity, marital status, basis of inclusion, and time since dementia diagnosis. RESULTS Immigrant background was associated with a significantly lower likelihood of receiving anti-dementia drug therapy (odds ratio (OR) [95% confidence interval (CI)]): non-Western = 0.70 [0.56-0.87]; Western = 0.74 [0.63-0.87]). No significant differences were found in type or amount of anti-dementia medication dispensed between the population groups (proxy measure for adherence). Non-Western immigrants were significantly less likely to live in a nursing home (0.52 [0.41-0.65]). CONCLUSION This nationwide registry-based study indicated a worrisome difference in access to anti-dementia treatment and care for dementia patients with an immigrant background, but similar levels of adherence compared with the Danish-born population. Further research is necessary to pinpoint barriers to access to suitable healthcare among elderly immigrants with dementia but also to identify and develop culturally sensitive methods for their treatment and care.