Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Living with a child with familial Mediterranean fever: does it affect the quality of life of the parents?

OBJECTIVE The aim of the present study was to assess the quality of life (QOL) and the psychological status of parents of children with familial Mediterranean fever (FMF). METHODS The QOL, anxiety and depression of the parents of 35 children with FMF were evaluated and compared to the parents of 23 healthy children. RESULTS Mothers of FMF children had lower QOL scores than mothers of healthy children: 5.5 +/- 1.1 versus 6.0 +/- 0.6 (p = 0.048). They also expressed higher levels of anxiety and depression. Within each group, mothers were more anxious and depressed than fathers. Parents with several FMF children were not significantly different from parents with only one FMF child. CONCLUSION The QOL and psychological well being of parents with FMF children were found to be slightly impaired, especially that of the mothers.
Assessment of Head Circumference among Pre-school Children of Midnapore Town, West Bengal using WHO (2007) Recommended Cut-off Points

DEAR EDITOR, Malnutrition of pre-school children is one of the most serious health problems in developing countries including India. , and measurement of child growth is the universal mean to assess adequate nutrition, health and development of the child community. According to de Onis (2003) growth assessment is the single best measurement for evaluating child health and nutritional status, and it provides an indirect measurement of the quality of life of an entire population. Anthropometric measurements are widely used procedures for assessing children’s nutritional status. The assessment of growth and nutritional status by measurement of weight, height, head circumference, body mass index, skin fold thicknesses, and mid-upper arm circumference is vital to the identification of growth failure and undernutrition. Measurements of midarm circumference and head circumference (HC) are good indicators of marginal cases of protein energy malnutrition in both survey and screening programs. Head growth, primarily owing to brain development, is most rapid within the first three years of life. Routine measurement of HC (the frontal occipital circumference) is a component of the nutritional assessment in children up to age three and longer in children who are at high nutritional risk. HC is a less sensitive indicator of 1Department of Bio-Medical Laboratory Science and Management (U.G.C. Innovative Funded Department), Vidyasagar University, Midnapore, 2Rural Research Institute of Physiology and Applied Nutrition (RRIPAN), ‘Gitanjali’, Dr. Nilay Paul Road, Midnapore, West Bengal, India
The Regulation of COQ5 Gene Expression by Energy Source

The degree of severity of cardiomyopathy is inversely correlated with tissue levels of coenzyme Q (Q), suggesting that Q synthesis may impact the progression of the disease. It has been suggested that Q functions as an endogenously synthesized anti-oxidant, in addition to regenerating the potent anti-oxidants, vitamins E and C. However, very little is known about the mechanisms that regulate Q synthesis. Using the simple eukaryote Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model, experiments have been designed to investigate the regulation of Q synthesis at the genetic level. To investigate the regulation of COQ5 gene expression by energy source, mRNA content was evaluated in yeast cells treated with dextrose, glycerol or oleic acid. After 1.5 h, more COQ5 mRNA is produced by oleic acid treated cells than by glycerol treated. Experiments performed using COQ5 promoter deletion/reporter constructs demonstrate a specific response to oleic acid. Additional promoter deletion analysis demonstrates that a non-fermentable carbon source element is also present, responding to both glycerol and oleic acid. The specific oleic acid response appears to be regulated by the Rtg family of transcription factors. This family of proteins is required for oleic acid-induced expression of genes of g -oxidation and peroxisomal proliferation, and plays an important role in co-ordinating mitochondrial/peroxisomal/nuclear communication in response to oleic acid, as well as defects in cellular respiration.
Yersinia protein kinase A phosphorylates vasodilator‐stimulated phosphoprotein to modify the host cytoskeleton

Pathogenic Yersinia species evolved a type III secretion system that injects a set of effectors into the host cell cytosol to promote infection. One of these effectors, Yersinia protein kinase A (YpkA), is a multidomain effector that harbours a Ser/Thr kinase domain and a guanine dissociation inhibitor (GDI) domain. The intercellular targets of the kinase and GDI domains of YpkA were identified to be Gαq and the small GTPases RhoA and Rac1, respectively, which synergistically induce cytotoxic effects on infected cells. In this study, we demonstrate that vasodilator‐stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP), which is critical for regulation of actin assembly, cell adhesion and motility, is a direct substrate of YpkA kinase activity. Ectopic co‐expression of YpkA and VASP in HEK293T cells leads to the phosphorylation of VASP at S157, and YpkA kinase activity is essential for VASP phosphorylation at this site. Moreover, YpkA directly phosphorylates VASP in in vitro kinase assay. YpkA‐mediated VASP phosphorylation significantly inhibits actin polymerization and promotes the disruption of actin cytoskeleton, which inhibits the phagocytosis. Taken together, our study found a novel molecular mechanism used by YpkA to disrupt cytoskeleton dynamics, thereby promoting the anti‐phagocytosis ability of pathogenic Yersiniae.
Genetic Ancestry and Risk Factors for Breast Cancer among Latinas in the San Francisco Bay Area

Background: Genetic association studies using case-control designs are susceptible to false-positive and false-negative results if there are differences in genetic ancestry between cases and controls. We measured genetic ancestry among Latinas in a population-based case-control study of breast cancer and tested the association between ancestry and known breast cancer risk factors. We reasoned that if genetic ancestry is associated with known breast cancer risk factors, then the results of genetic association studies would be confounded. Methods: We used 44 ancestry informative markers to estimate individuals' genetic ancestry in 563 Latina participants. To test whether ancestry is a predictor of hormone therapy use, parity, and body mass index (BMI), we used multivariate logistic regression models to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) associated with a 25% increase in Indigenous American ancestry, adjusting for age, education, and the participant's and grandparents' place of birth. Results: Hormone therapy use was significantly less common among women with higher Indigenous American ancestry (OR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.63-0.96). Higher Indigenous American ancestry was also significantly associated with overweight (BMI, 25-29.9 versus <25) and obesity (BMI, ≥30 versus <25), but only among foreign-born Latina women (OR, 3.44; 95% CI, 1.97-5.99 and OR, 1.95; 95% CI, 1.24-3.06, respectively). Conclusion: Some breast cancer risk factors are associated with genetic ancestry among Latinas in the San Francisco Bay Area. Therefore, case-control genetic association studies for breast cancer should directly measure genetic ancestry to avoid potential confounding. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2006;15(10):1878–85)
The effects of therapeutic x-ray doses on mechanical, chemical and physical properties of poly methyl methacrylate.

AIM The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of radiation doses very close to the human dose for oral cancers on mechanical, chemical and physical properties for poly methyl-methacrylate (PMMA). METHODS PMMA samples were divided into four different groups: no irradiated group, 25-Gy irradiated group, 50-Gy irradiated group and 75-Gy irradiated group. Each group contained nine samples. After 24 h, a three-point loading test was applied to each PMMA groups. The transverse strength and the elastic modulus were calculated using the test results. The results were analyzed statistically by using one-way analysis of variance. The structural characterizations of the PMMA samples were carried out by a Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrophotometer to evaluate the chemical structure differences. RESULTS The transverse strength values of 25-Gy, 50-Gy and 75-Gy radiation groups were significantly higher than that of the no radiation group (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference among the elastic modulus values of the study groups (p > 0.05). The FTIR findings demonstrated that the irradiation process did not change the chemical structure of the PMMA polymeric materials. CONCLUSION The therapeutic radiation doses increase the mechanical properties of the PMMA; however, the chemical and structural properties have no effect. When the findings of this study are taken into account, it can be said that patients can wear dentures during the radiotherapy.
Mechanisms of temperature-dependent swimming: the importance of physics, physiology and body size in determining protist swimming speed

SUMMARY Body temperatures and thus physiological rates of poikilothermic organisms are determined by environmental temperature. The power an organism has available for swimming is largely dependent on physiological rates and thus body temperature. However, retarding forces such as drag are contingent on the temperature-dependent physical properties of water and on an organism's size. Consequently, the swimming ability of poikilotherms is highly temperature dependent. The importance of the temperature-dependent physical properties of water (e.g. viscosity) in determining swimming speed is poorly understood. Here we propose a semi-mechanistic model to describe how biological rates, size and the physics of the environment contribute to the temperature dependency of microbial swimming speed. Data on the swimming speed and size of a predatory protist and its protist prey were collected and used to test our model. Data were collected by manipulating both the temperature and the viscosity (independently of temperature) of the organism's environment. Protists were either cultured in their test environment (for several generations) or rapidly exposed to their test environment to assess their ability to adapt or acclimate to treatments. Both biological rates and the physics of the environment were predicted to and observed to contribute to the swimming speed of protists. Body size was not temperature dependent, and protists expressed some ability to acclimate to changes in either temperature or viscosity. Overall, using our parameter estimates and novel model, we are able to suggest that 30 to 40% (depending on species) of the response in swimming speed associated with a reduction in temperature from 20 to 5°C is due to viscosity. Because encounter rates between protist predators and their prey are determined by swimming speed, temperature- and viscosity-dependent swimming speeds are likely to result in temperature- and viscosity-dependent trophic interactions.
Proteomic analysis of tissue samples in translational breast cancer research

In the last decade, many proteomic technologies have been applied, with varying success, to the study of tissue samples of breast carcinoma for protein expression profiling in order to discover protein biomarkers/signatures suitable for: characterization and subtyping of tumors; early diagnosis, and both prognosis and prediction of outcome of chemotherapy. The purpose of this review is to critically appraise what has been achieved to date using proteomic technologies and to bring forward novel strategies – based on the analysis of clinically relevant samples – that promise to accelerate the translation of basic discoveries into the daily breast cancer clinical practice. In particular, we address major issues in experimental design by reviewing the strengths and weaknesses of current proteomic strategies in the context of the analysis of human breast tissue specimens.
Assessing the Influence of Incentives on Physicians and Medical Groups

This article describes issues that should be considered in the development of a theory or theories about incentives from which testable hypotheses could be derived. Economic, psychological, and organizational theories are described, and issues that should be considered in hypothesis generation are presented. Psychological factors influencing incentives include decision framing, regret, heuristics, and reinforcements. Organizational factors influencing incentives include bundling of services or people, matching of incentive structure with work organization, and the incompletely contained hierarchical nesting of incentives. Finally, the dynamics of incentive change are considered, with a focus on describing the conditions under which physicians and physician organizations respond to incentive changes.
Cation Fluxes and Permeability Changes Accompanying Bacteriophage Infection of Escherichia coli

Infection of Escherichia coli by bacteriophage T2 was accompanied by a rapid but transient increase in the rate of loss of small molecules from the bacterial cells. This transient leakage was studied with radioactive labels such as 42K and 28Mg. Bacteriophage-induced leakage was dependent on the ratio of phage to bacteria: the higher the multiplicity of infection, the greater the leakage. No leakage occurred at 4 C [when adsorption proceeds but injection of phage deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is blocked]. Leakage was caused by heavily irradiated phage as well as by normal phage; therefore, the intracellular functioning of the bacteriophage DNA was not required. This conclusion was supported by experiments which showed phage-induced leakage in the presence of chloramphenicol or sodium cyanide. Leakage could be prevented by infecting the bacteria with phage in the presence of high magnesium concentrations. Phage-induced leakage was terminated by a “sealing” reaction, after which potassium turnover by infected and uninfected cells was very similar. The sealing reaction occurred even in the presence of chloramphenicol, suggesting that the sealing is controlled by bacterial and not bacteriophage genes. We were not able to detect any effect of normal bacteriophage infection on the influx (active transport) of potassium and magnesium into the cells.
Experimental investigation of the cooling characteristics of a monobloc cast iron brake disc with fingered hub

The paper compares heat dissipation characteristics of two interchangeable ventilated brake discs, a standard solid hub and a newly developed fingered hub version, both single piece cast designs. The tests were conducted on a specially developed Thermal Flow Rig, which enables disc induction heating to 450°C and cooling for a range of rotational and air speeds, in parallel and angular cross flow. The Rig facilitated very accurate and repeatable experiments to be conducted for numerous combinations of operating conditions. From the recorded cooling curves, average heat transfer coefficients for convection and radiation were extracted and the results also presented in a generic form, using Nusselt numbers. The fingered design demonstrated superior convective heat dissipation, with the improvements varying depending on the rotational speed, air cross flow velocity and angle, as well as disc temperature. The gains were ranging from 3.5% to over 20%. The fingered design is 8.5% lighter and being a single piece cast disc, it remains inexpensive to mass produce.
p53 protein expression in intraductal papillary mucinous tumors (IPMT) of the pancreas as an indicator of tumor malignancy.

BACKGROUND/AIMS Intraductal papillary mucinous tumors, as a cystic disease in the pancreas, clinically has a more indolent and favorable course than invasive ductal pancreas carcinoma. However, some cases of intraductal papillary mucinous tumors show invasive and rapid progression like ductal pancreas carcinoma and the prognosis of such patients is sometimes poor. In the current study, we carried out immunohistochemical staining of intraductal papillary mucinous tumor tissues for p53 and investigated whether positive staining indicates tumor malignancies and has a prognostic value for intraductal papillary mucinous tumors. METHODOLOGY Nineteen (19) patients who underwent pancreatic resection under the diagnosis of intraductal papillary mucinous tumors at the Chiba University Hospital between April 1992 and December 1996 were studied. We performed immunohistochemical staining of p53 as well as of PCNA, Ki-67 and Bcl-2 using their respective antibodies. Pathological findings revealed that 9 cases were intraductal papillary adenoma, 9 were intraductal papillary adenocarcinoma, and one was invasive ductal papillary adenocarcinoma. RESULTS p53 expression could only be detected in the 1 case with invasive ductal papillary adenocarcinoma. Significant association could not be found between histological features and immunohistochemical staining of PCNA, Ki-67 and Bcl-2. CONCLUSIONS p53 protein expression could be detected after progression to invasive type of intraductal papillary mucinous tumors. The present results demonstrate that p53 expression might be an indicator of invasive progression in intraductal papillary mucinous tumors, and might represent a surgical indicator of intraductal papillary mucinous tumors.
New Techniques to Reduce the Execution Time of Functional Test Programs

The compaction of test programs for processor-based systems is of utmost practical importance: Software-Based Self-Test (SBST) is nowadays increasingly adopted, especially for in-field test of safety-critical applications, and both the size and the execution time of the test are critical parameters. However, while compacting the size of binary test sequences has been thoroughly studied over the years, the reduction of the execution time of test programs is still a rather unexplored area of research. This paper describes a family of algorithms able to automatically enhance an existing test program, reducing the time required to run it and, as a side effect, its size. The proposed solutions are based on instruction removal and restoration, which is shown to be computationally more efficient than instruction removal alone. Experimental results demonstrate the compaction capabilities, and allow analyzing computational costs and effectiveness of the different algorithms.
Dynamic conditional correlations between Chinese sector returns and the S&P 500 index: An interpretation based on investment shocks

This paper examines dynamic conditional correlations between 12 Chinese sectors and the S&P 500 index for the period of 2006–2014. We show that those correlations vary significantly across sectors and over time. Within the general equilibrium framework of Papanikolaou's (2011), we interpret the heterogeneity of sector-level correlations as arising from their heterogeneous sensitivities to investment-specific shocks. We also verify our interpretation and find that sector-specific investment opportunities are significantly associated with the magnitude of dynamic conditional correlations. This paper thereby advances our understanding of sectoral heterogeneities from the perspective of their responses to an outer shock.
Improving House Staff Ordering of Three Common Laboratory Tests: Reductions in Test Ordering Need Not Result in Underutilization

Most studies of modifying test ordering have focused on costs. Questions not addressed are whether programs to reduce testing lead to a higher proportion of clinically indicated tests and is underutilization an adverse outcome of such programs? To investigate this, we studied the house staff's ordering of three common laboratory tests at baseline and after educational and administrative interventions. Over a 2-year period, 3,603 urine cultures, sputum cultures, and admission urinalyses were reviewed. A lecture emphasizing the indications for these tests followed by chart audit and weekly feedback increased the proportion of clinically indicated tests. Subsequently, an administrative intervention requiring the intern to list the reason for ordering the test on the laboratory request form further improved test ordering. Underutilization, defined as a failure to order a potentially indicated test, was assessed during two representative periods. The “underutilization rate” (omitted tests per 100 patients) was no worse during maximal intervention than it was 9 months after the last intervention (7.7 vs. 11.1, NS). No immediate adverse consequences resulted from tests not ordered. Our findings indicate that it may be possible to selectively reduce the ordering of unnecessary tests without sacrificing quality of care.
ABCB4 sequence variations in young adults with cholesterol gallstone disease

Background and Aims: Mutations in the gene encoding the ABCB4 [adenosine triphosphate (ATP)‐binding cassette, sub‐family B (MDR/TAP), member 4] transporter lower phosphatidylcholine output into bile and contribute to cholesterol gallstone formation by decreasing the solubility of cholesterol in bile. Mutations in ABCB4 have been identified in patients with low phospholipid‐associated cholelithiasis. The aim of the present study was to determine the types and frequencies of ABCB4 mutations in cholecystectomized patients aged <40 years.
Total and component carbon fluxes of a Scots pine ecosystem from chamber measurements and eddy covariance.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Distinguishing between, and quantifying, the different components of ecosystem C fluxes is critical in predicting the responses of ecosystem C cycling to climate change. The aims of this study were to quantify the photosynthetic and respiratory fluxes of a 50-year-old Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) ecosystem, and to distinguish respiration of branches with needles from that of stems, and that of soil. METHODS The CO2 flux of the ecosystem was continuously measured using the eddy covariance (EC) method, and its components (respiration and photosynthesis of a branch with needles, stem and soil surface) were measured with an automated chamber system, from 2001 to 2004. KEY RESULTS All values below are chamber based. The average temperature coefficient (Q10) of respiration was 2.7, 2.2 and 4.0, respectively, for branch (Rbran), stem (Rstem) and the soil surface (Rsoil). Respiration at a reference temperature of 15 degrees C (R15) was 1.27, 0.49 and 4.02 micromol CO2 m(-2) ground s(-1) for the three components, respectively. Over 4 years, the annual Rbran, Rstem and Rsoil ranged from 196 to 256, 56 to 83 and 439 to 598 g C m(-2) ground year(-1), respectively, with a 4-year average of 227, 72 and 507 g C m(-2) ground year(-1). Annual ecosystem respiration (Reco) was 731, 783, 909 and 751 g C m(-2) ground year(-1) in years 2001-2004, respectively, gross primary production (GPP) was 922, 1030, 1138 and 1001 g C m(-2) ground year(-1), and net ecosystem production (NEP) was 191, 247, 229 and 251 g C m(-2) ground year(-1). The average contribution of Rbran, Rstem and Rsoil to Reco was 29, 9 and 62 %, respectively. Overstorey photosynthesis accounted for 96 % of GPP. The average Reco/GPP ratio was 0.78. Net primary production (NPP) in the 4 years was 469, 581, 600 and 551 g C m(-2) year(-1), respectively, with the NPP/GPP ratio 0.54 averaged over the years. CONCLUSIONS Respiration from the soil is the dominant component of ecosystem respiration. Differences between years in Reco were due to differences in temperature during the growing season. Rsoil was more sensitive to temperature than Rbran and Rstem, and differences in Rsoil were responsible for the differences in Reco between years.