Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Concerted promoter hypermethylation of hMLH1, p16INK4A, and E‐cadherin in gastric carcinomas with microsatellite instability

In most sporadic gastric carcinomas, microsatellite instability (MSI) originates from inactivation of the hMLH1 gene by promoter hypermethylation. However, the methylation patterns of other genes and their consequences in high MSI (MSI‐H) gastric carcinomas are not well characterized. To address the aberrant promoter methylation profiles of MSI‐H gastric carcinomas, promoter methylation of six genes (hMLH1, p16INK4A, E‐cadherin, Rb, RASSF1A, and VHL) and CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP) were explored in 36 MSI‐H gastric carcinomas and the results were compared with those of 43 microsatellite‐stable (MSS) gastric carcinomas. Frequent promoter hypermethylation was found in hMLH1, p16INK4A, and E‐cadherin and the frequency was significantly higher in MSI‐H gastric carcinomas. Promoter hypermethylation of hMLH1, E‐cadherin, and p16INK4A was found in 89%, 78%, and 33% of MSI‐H gastric carcinomas and in 16%, 32%, and 11% of MSS carcinomas, respectively (p = 0.01). Selective absent or decreased expression of the gene product related to the hypermethylated promoter was found for hMLH1 and p16INK4A in MSI‐H carcinoma, whereas the expression of E‐cadherin was generally decreased both in the MSI‐H and in the MSS carcinomas. MSI‐H gastric carcinomas were also related to the high CIMP (CIMP‐H, three or more of the five loci examined showing methylation). Twenty‐two (61%) MSI‐H gastric carcinomas were CIMP‐H, compared with only seven (16%) MSS carcinomas (p = 0.001). These findings indicate that hMLH1 is one of the frequent methylation targets in CIMP‐H gastric carcinomas and that inactivation of hMLH1 through promoter hypermethylation results in tumours following the MSI pathway. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Herschel/HIFI observations of molecular emission in protoplanetary nebulae and young planetary nebulae

Aims. We aim to study the physical conditions, particularly the excitation state, of the intermediate-temperature gas in pro toplanetary nebulae and young planetary nebulae (PPNe, PNe). The information that the observations of the different components deliver is of particular importance for understanding the evolution of these objects. Methods. We performed Herschel/HIFI observations of intermediate-excitation molecular lines in the far-infrared/submillimeter range in a sample of ten nebulae. The high spectral resolution provided by HIFI allows the accurate measurement of the line profiles. The dy namics and evolution of these nebulae are known to result from the presence of several gas components, notably fast bipolar outflows and slow sh ells (that often are the fossil AGB shells), and the interaction between them. Because of the diverse kinematic properties of the different components, their emissions can be identified in the line profiles. The observation of these hi gh-energy transitions allows an accurate study of the excit ation conditions, particularly in the warm gas, which cannot be properly studied from the low-energy lines. Results. We have detected FIR/sub-mm lines of several molecules, in particular of 12 CO, 13 CO, and H2O. Emission from other species, like NH3, OH, H2 18 O, HCN, SiO, etc, has been also detected. Wide profiles showin g sometimes spectacular line wings have been found. We have mainly studied the excitation properties of the high-veloc ity emission, which is known to come from fast bipolar outflow s. From comparison with general theoretical predictions, we find that CRL 618 shows a particularly warm fast wind, with characteristic kinetic t emperature Tk > 200 K. In contrast, the fast winds in OH 231.8+4.2 and NGC 6302 are cold, Tk∼ 30 K. Other nebulae, like CRL 2688, show intermediate temperatures, with characteristic values around 100 K. We also discuss how the complex structure of the nebulae can affect our estimates, considering two-component models. We argue that the differences in temperature in the different nebulae can be due to cooling after the gas acceleration (that is probably due to shocks); for instance, CRL 618 is a case of very recent acceleration, less than∼ 100 yr ago, while the fast gas in OH 231.8+4.2 was accelerated ∼ 1000 yr ago. We also find indications that the densest gas tend s to be cooler, which may be explained by the expected increase of the radiative cooling effi ciency with the density.
Prevalence of antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in horses in the province of Kars , Turkey

This study investigates the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in horses from seven villages in the province of Kars in north-eastern Turkey. A total of 189 serum samples from clinically healthy, local crossbred horses were tested for anti-T. gondii antibodies using the Sabin-Feldman dye test. Antibodies to T. gondii were found in 39 (20.6%) horses, with specific titres of 1 : 16 (27), 1 : 64 (11) and 1 : 256 (1). The 95% confidence interval for the population proportion ranged from 13.3 to 27.9%. The number of seropositive horses in Yucelen village (40%) was considerably higher than in other villages, whereas in the villages of Caglayan (8%) and Cerme (10.5%) the seroprevalence was lower than elsewhere. However, the differences in seroprevalence between the seven villages were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). In contrast, the overall seroprevalence in the province of Kars was significantly higher than that reported previously in studies carried out on army and private horse stud farms elsewhere in Turkey (P < 0.05). The relevance of these findings to the epizootiology of toxoplasmosis in Kars and Turkey is discussed.
Sequencing-Based Genotyping and Association Analysis of the MICA and MICB Genes in Type 1 Diabetes

OBJECTIVE— The nonclassical major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I chain-related molecules (MICs), encoded within the MHC, function in immunity. The transmembrane polymorphism in MICA (MICA-STR) has been reported to be associated with type 1 diabetes. In this study, we directly sequenced both of the highly polymorphic MIC genes (MICA and MICB) in order to establish whether they are associated with type 1 diabetes independently of the known type 1 diabetes MHC class II genes HLA-DRB1 and HLA-DQB1. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS— We developed a sequencing-based typing method and genotyped MICA and MICB in 818 families (2,944 individuals) with type 1 diabetes from the U.K. and U.S. (constructing the genotype from single nucleotide polymorphisms in exons 2–4 of MICA and 2–5 of MICB) and additionally genotyped the MICA-STR in 2,023 type 1 diabetic case subjects and 1,748 control subjects from the U.K. We analyzed the association of the MICA and MICB alleles and genotypes with type 1 diabetes using regression methods. RESULTS— We identified known MICA and MICB alleles and discovered four new MICB alleles. Based on this large-scale and detailed genotype data, we found no evidence for association of MICA and MICB with type 1 diabetes independently of the MHC class II genes (MICA P = 0.08, MICA-STR P = 0.76, MICB P = 0.03, after conditioning on HLA-DRB1 and HLA-DQB1). CONCLUSIONS— Common MICA and MICB genetic variations including the MICA-STR are not associated, in a primary way, with susceptibility to type 1 diabetes.
Alteration of the tongue manifestation reflects clinical outcomes of peptic ulcer disease.

OBJECTIVES This study investigated whether the tongue inspection technique in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) can be used as a noninvasive auxiliary diagnostic tool to differentiate the subtypes of peptic ulcer disease (PUD) and as an indicator of therapeutic efficacy. SUBJECTS AND METHODS A total of 198 outpatients from the China Medical University Hospital were recruited. The control group comprised 50 healthy adults. The remaining 148 patients were diagnosed with gastric ulcer, duodenal ulcer, or Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection using upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy, biopsy, and Campylobacter-like organism test. Tongue appearance was evaluated by a physician experienced in clinical Chinese medicine. Images of the tongue were immediately recorded using a high-resolution digital camera system. RESULTS The affected group of 148 patients received an 8-week course of ulcer therapy. Of these, 108 patients infected with Hp were subjected to triple therapy in the first week. Forty-nine of these 108 cases infected with Hp completed secondary examination of upper GI endoscopy and tongue inspection. Forty-one of 49 cases (83.7%) were fully cured of Hp infection. These results showed that the color of the tongue body did not change in the cured patients; however, tongue fur was markedly thinner with a color change to white (p<0.05), while sublingual veins with engorgement (p<0.05) and blood stasis (p<0.01) improved after the ulcer healed and Hp was eradicated. CONCLUSIONS TCM tongue inspection can be potentially used as a noninvasive auxiliary diagnostic method and as an indicator for clinical outcomes for patients with PUD.
Distinct cagA EPIYA Motifs are Associated with Ethnic Diversity in Malaysia and Singapore

Background: In vitro studies have shown that the biologic activity of CagA is influenced by the number and class of EPIYA motifs present in its variable region as these motifs correspond to the CagA phosphorylation sites. It has been hypothesized that strains possessing specific combinations of these motifs may be responsible for gastric cancer development. This study investigated the prevalence of cagA and the EPIYA motifs with regard to number, class, and patterns in strains from the three major ethnic groups within the Malaysian and Singaporean populations in relation to disease development.
Postexercise hypotension and sustained postexercise vasodilatation: what happens after we exercise?

• What is the topic for this review? During the exercise recovery period, the combination of centrally mediated decreases in sympathetic nerve activity with a reduced signal transduction from sympathetic nerve activation into vasoconstriction, as well as local vasodilator mechanisms, contributes to the fall in arterial blood pressure seen after exercise. • What advances does it highlight? Important findings from recent studies include the recognition that skeletal muscle afferents may play a primary role in postexercise resetting of the baroreflex via discrete receptor changes within the nucleus tractus solitarii and that sustained postexercise vasodilatation of the previously active skeletal muscle is primarily the result of histamine H1 and H2 receptor activation.
[Association of the rs9939609 polymorphism of FTO gene with overweight or obesity in Hazakh children].

OBJECTIVE To study the association of rs9939609 polymorphism of the fat mass and obesity associated gene (FTO) with overweight or obesity in Hazakh children. METHODS PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism was used to determine the rs9939609 polymorphism in 141 patients with overweight or obesity and 138 healthy controls. Height and weight were measured for body mass index (BMI). Serum lipid levels including total cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, blood pressure, plasma glucose levels, and plasma insulin were also determined. RESULTS The genotype distributions of both groups were in the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The frequencies of AA, AT and TT were 0.071, 0.511 and 0.418 in the overweight or obesity group, and 0.029, 0.428 and 0.543 in the controls (Chi-square = 5.74, P= 0.057). However, the frequency of AA+ AT genotype in case group (0.582, 82/141) was higher than that in the controls (0.457, 63/138)(Chi-square = 4.368, P= 0.037). The A allele frequency in the case group (0.326) was higher than that in the controls (0.243) (Chi-square = 4.772, P= 0.029). In both groups, the plasma glucose levels of individuals with AA+ AT genotype (4.88± 0.51 mol/L) was higher than those with TT genotypes (4.68± 0.56 mol/L)(P= 0.026). Logistic regression analysis showed that the A allele of the FTO gene was an independent risk factor for overweight or obesity (OR= 0.527; 95%CI: 0.319-0.869). CONCLUSION The A allele of the fat mass and obesity associated gene might be a risk factor of overweight or obesity in Hazakh children in Xinjiang.
Effects of spectro-temporal modulation changes produced by multi-channel compression on intelligibility in a competing-speech task.

These experiments are concerned with the intelligibility of target speech in the presence of a background talker. Using a noise vocoder, Stone and Moore [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 114, 1023-1034 (2003)] showed that single-channel fast-acting compression degraded intelligibility, but slow compression did not. Stone and Moore [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 116, 2311-2323 (2004)] showed that intelligibility was lower when fast single-channel compression was applied to the target and background after mixing rather than before, and suggested that this was partly due to compression after mixing introducing "comodulation" between the target and background talkers. Experiment 1 here showed a similar effect for multi-channel compression. In experiment 2, intelligibility was measured as a function of the speed of multi-channel compression applied after mixing. For both eight- and 12-channel vocoders with one compressor per channel, intelligibility decreased as compression speed increased. For the eight-channel vocoder, a compressor that only affected modulation depth for rates below 2 Hz still reduced intelligibility. Experiment 3 used 12- or 18-channel vocoders. There were between 1 and 12 compression channels, and four speeds of compression. Intelligibility decreased as the number and speed of compression channels increased. The results are interpreted using several measures of the effects of compression, especially "across-source modulation correlation. "
A Novelty Detection Approach to Classification of Breast Tissue Containing Microcalcifications

Appearance of microcalcifications in mammograms is one of the early signs of breast cancer. In this work, one-class support vector machines (SVM), a novelty detection method, is utilized for detection of the mammogram samples containing microcalcifications. These samples are small regions of the mammograms with the size of 25x25 pixels. Each of the samples are represented by 25 features that are already proven to be accurate identifiers of the microcalcifications. Since the obtained classification performance of one-class SVM with all these 25 features is very low (accuracy = 0.5575, sensitivity = 0.2107, specificity = 0.9042), number of these features is reduced by using principal component analysis (PCA). Training a classifier only with the PCA features achieves an improved performance (accuracy = 0.9464, sensitivity = 1.0000, specificity = 0.8927) where the number of false negative samples is reduced from 206 to 0.
Examining the influence of personal goal interference and attainability on psychological distress in non‐metastatic breast cancer patients

&NA; The present study investigated the relationship between two goal‐related appraisals ‐ perceived cancer‐related interference and perceived attainability of important personal goals ‐ and psychological distress among non‐metastatic breast cancer patients across the short‐term treatment and recovery period. Forty‐five women completed self‐report questionnaires at approximately 1 and 6 months following surgery. A mixed idiographic‐nomothetic goal methodology assessed perceived cancer‐related interference and attainability of self‐generated important personal goals. Psychological distress symptoms were assessed with the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales short form. Correlation analyses and general linear modelling were used to evaluate the hypothesised relationships over time. Average cancer‐related interference and attainability of important personal goals were significantly associated with concurrent depression, anxiety and stress symptoms at 6 months following surgery. Perceived attainability of highly important goals at 6 months post‐surgery uniquely predicted change in psychological distress symptoms over time. The findings suggest that low perceived attainability of important personal goals may be an important predictor of elevated distress symptoms across the short‐term following surgery. Further insight into the relationship between these negative goal appraisals and psychological functioning among different groups of cancer patients could inform the provision of targeted psychosocial support across the cancer continuum.
Bit Contiguous Memory Allocation for Processing In Memory

Given the recent resurgence of research into processing in or near memory systems, we find an ever increasing need to augment traditional system software tools in order to make efficient use of the PIM hardware abstractions. One such architecture, the Micron In-Memory Intelligence (IMI) DRAM, provides a unique processing capability within the sense amp stride of a traditional 2D DRAM architecture. This accumulator processing circuit has the ability to compute both horizontally and vertically on pitch within the array. This unique processing capability requires a memory allocator that provides physical bit locality in order to ensure numerical consistency. In this work we introduce a new memory allocation methodology that provides bit contiguous allocation mechanisms for horizontal and vertical memory allocations for the Micron IMI DRAM device architecture. Our methodology drastically reduces the complexity by which to find new, unallocated memory blocks by combining a sparse matrix representation of the array with dense continuity vectors that represent the relative probability of finding candidate free blocks. We demonstrate our methodology using a set of pathological and standard benchmark applications in both horizontal and vertical memory modes.
Sox11 Balances Dendritic Morphogenesis with Neuronal Migration in the Developing Cerebral Cortex

The coordinated mechanisms balancing promotion and suppression of dendritic morphogenesis are crucial for the development of the cerebral cortex. Although previous studies have revealed important transcription factors that promote dendritic morphogenesis during development, those that suppress dendritic morphogenesis are still largely unknown. Here we found that the expression levels of the transcription factor Sox11 decreased dramatically during dendritic morphogenesis. Our loss- and gain-of-function studies using postnatal electroporation and in utero electroporation indicate that Sox11 is necessary and sufficient for inhibiting dendritic morphogenesis of excitatory neurons in the mouse cerebral cortex during development. Interestingly, we found that precocious suppression of Sox11 expression caused precocious branching of neurites and a neuronal migration defect. We also found that the end of radial migration induced the reduction of Sox11 expression. These findings indicate that suppression of dendritic morphogenesis by Sox11 during radial migration is crucial for the formation of the cerebral cortex. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Because dendritic morphology has profound impacts on neuronal information processing, the mechanisms underlying dendritic morphogenesis during development are of great interest. Our loss- and gain-of-function studies indicate that Sox11 is necessary and sufficient for inhibiting dendritic morphogenesis of excitatory neurons in the mouse cerebral cortex during development. Interestingly, we found that precocious suppression of Sox11 expression caused a neuronal migration defect. These findings indicate that suppression of dendritic morphogenesis by Sox11 during radial migration is crucial for the formation of the cerebral cortex.
Drinking alcohol before age 13 and negative outcomes in late adolescence.

BACKGROUND Research has shown that adolescents who begin drinking at an early stage in life are at greater risk of developing alcohol dependency, as well as a variety of negative outcomes, for instance, delinquent behavior. Most of these studies have focused on those who begin drinking in middle adolescence, but little attention has been paid to youth who initiate drinking under the age of 13. Twenty percent of adolescents have begun using alcohol by the age of 13. The purpose of the study is to examine whether initiating alcohol use before the age of 13 exacerbates negative outcomes in late adolescence. METHODS Data for the study were derived from 2 school-based statewide surveys conducted in Florida: the 2005 YRBS and the 2006 FYSAS. The sample included 12,352 11th and 12th grade students divided into 3 groups: students who initiated alcohol use under the age of 13, students who initiated alcohol use at age 13 or later, and students who never used alcohol. RESULTS Results showed that after adjusting for gender, ethnicity/race, and grade, adolescents who initiated alcohol use before age 13 were more likely to report problems with school performance and display delinquent behaviors (carrying a gun, carrying a weapon to school, and recent marijuana use). CONCLUSION Although no temporal relationships can be determined between drinking alcohol before age 13 and delinquent behavior outcomes, the results suggested that adolescents under the age of 13 need to be included in national epidemiological surveys on alcohol use and more efforts need to be directed toward the implementation of prevention programs early in elementary and middle schools.
On Outage Capacity of Secondary Users in Fading Cognitive Radio Networks with Primary User's Outage Constraint

This paper considers a cognitive radio network where a secondary user shares the same narrow band with a primary user for transmission. Instead of adopting the conventional interference-power/interferecne-temperature constraint, this paper proposes a new type of constraint for the secondary user to protect the primary transmission, which limits the maximum outage probability of the primary transmission subject to the secondary user's interference to be below a prescribed target. Under this newly proposed constraint along with the average/peak transmit power constraint, the paper derives the optimal power allocation strategies over block-fading channels for the secondary user to achieve its outage capacity. It is shown by simulations that the derived power allocation strategies achieve substantial outage capacity gains for the secondary user over the conventional power control policies based upon the interferencetemperature constraint, given the same primary user's outage probability constraint.
Lack of effect of intravenous hydrocortisone on mood in humans: a preliminary study

Patients receiving therapy with hydrocortisone often report that this drug produces stimulant‐like effects or feelings of well‐being. However, little is known about the mood‐elevating effects of hydrocortisone after acute administration. Four healthy volunteers (two men and two women) received intravenous doses of hydrocortisone (0, 25, 50, 100 or 200 mg) on five separate sessions. Plasma levels of cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) were obtained, vital signs were monitored, and subjects completed a series of standardized subjective effects questionnaires. Despite large increases in circulating levels of cortisol, hydrocortisone did not produce any detectable stimulant‐like effect on mood or vital signs. To the contrary, hydrocortisone had a mild sedative‐like effect, decreasing ‘arousal’. These preliminary data indicate that acute increases in cortisol do not have either subjective stimulant‐like or mood‐elevating effects.