Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Recurrence in patients with oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma: human papillomavirus and other risk factors

Conclusions: The results confirm that tumour stage influences the risk of recurrence/second primary tumour (SPT). High-risk human papillomavirus (HPV)-infected patients have a significantly higher risk of recurrence/SPT compared with high-risk HPV-negative patients. High alcohol consumption was associated with a higher risk of recurrence/SPT. In this study, the competing risk of death in intercurrent disease (DICD) was given special consideration. Objectives: The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether any of the factors which were found to increase the risk of oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OOSCC) in previous analyses (smoking tobacco, alcohol, high-risk HPV infection, oral hygiene, missing teeth and dentures) have an influence on recurrence or the occurrence of a new SPT of OOSCC within the first 3 years following diagnosis. Patients and methods: One hundred and twenty-eight consecutive cases with planned curative treatment, who were part of a population-based case-control study carried out in southern Sweden between September 2000 and January 2004, were included. Only patients for whom the intention was curative treatment were eligible. The cases were followed to the first event of recurrence/SPT, death, loss to follow-up, 30 June 2005 or a maximum of 3 years. Time to the first event of recurrence/SPT was analysed by cumulative incidence, where DICD was a competing risk. Regression was performed on cause-specific hazard rates. Results: After a median follow-up time of 22 months (range 0–36 months), 30 recurrences, 2 SPT, 12 lost to follow-up and 21 deaths before recurrence or SPT were observed. Tumour stage was associated with both a higher risk of recurrence/SPT and of DICD. In univariate analysis, patients with tonsillar carcinoma had a significantly higher risk of recurrence/SPT than patients with carcinoma at other sites, but there was no difference according to site in multivariate analyses. High alcohol consumption was associated with a higher risk of recurrence/SPT, but not of DICD. There was no increased risk of recurrence/SPT related to smoking, but there was an association between smoking and DICD. High-risk HPV-positive cases had a higher risk of recurrence/SPT, but a lower risk of DICD compared with high-risk HPV-negative cases. This seemingly higher risk should be interpreted by taking the competing risk of DICD into account.
Lesions in the Pulvinar in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease

The pulvinar nucleus of the thalamus has been implicated in visual attention and in the control of eye movements, and may also help mediate attention-dependent tasks in the auditory and somatosensory systems. Consequently, a hypothetical disruption of functions mediated by the pulvinar may help understand common visual and nonvisual symptoms in patients with Alzheimer's disease. To test this hypothesis, the pulvinar nuclei of nine patients with histologically confirmed Alzheimer's disease and twelve young (9-28 years of age) and age-matched controls (without dementia and with non-Alzheimer dementias) were examined using a battery of histopathological methods. All patients with Alzheimer's disease had numerous amyloid plaques and some ncuritic plaques throughout the various subdivisions of the pulvinar. Neuropil threads were also present among the senile plaques, and ncurofibrillary tangles occurred in clusters throughout the nucleus. Control patients with and without dementia had very few Alzheimer lesions, which should be expected in normal elderly individuals. The lesions in the pulvinar may help understand some of the clinical manifestations of Alzheimer's disease, including deficits in attention and in a host of visual disturbances. Such deficits may be the result of involvement of reciprocal thalamo-cortical and corticothalamo- cortical circuits that appear to be critical for the function of a vast expanse of association cortices interconnected with the pulvinar, which are heavily laden with lesions themselves.
Regulation of the Yeast Hxt6 Hexose Transporter by the Rod1 α-Arrestin, the Snf1 Protein Kinase, and the Bmh2 14-3-3 Protein*

Cell viability requires adaptation to changing environmental conditions. Ubiquitin-mediated endocytosis plays a crucial role in this process, because it provides a mechanism to remove transport proteins from the membrane. Arrestin-related trafficking proteins are important regulators of the endocytic pathway in yeast, facilitating selective ubiquitylation of target proteins by the E3 ubiquitin ligase, Rsp5. Specifically, Rod1 (Art4) has been reported to regulate the endocytosis of both the Hxt1, Hxt3, and Hxt6 glucose transporters and the Jen1 lactate transporter. Also, the AMP kinase homologue, Snf1, and 14-3-3 proteins have been shown to regulate Jen1 via Rod1. Here, we further characterized the role of Rod1, Snf1, and 14-3-3 in the signal transduction route involved in the endocytic regulation of the Hxt6 high affinity glucose transporter by showing that Snf1 interacts specifically with Rod1 and Rog3 (Art7), that the interaction between the Bmh2 and several arrestin-related trafficking proteins may be modulated by carbon source, and that both the 14-3-3 protein Bmh2 and the Snf1 regulatory domain interact with the arrestin-like domain containing the N-terminal half of Rod1 (amino acids 1–395). Finally, using both co-immunoprecipitation and bimolecular fluorescence complementation, we demonstrated the interaction of Rod1 with Hxt6 and showed that the localization of the Rod1-Hxt6 complex at the plasma membrane is affected by carbon source and is reduced upon overexpression of SNF1 and BMH2.
Why were the 2015/2016 and 1997/1998 extreme El Niños different?

Subtle but important differences are identified between the 1997/1998 and 2015/2016 extreme El Niños that reflect fundamental differences in their underlying dynamics. The 1997/1998 event is found to evolve following the eastern Pacific El Niño dynamics that relies on basin‐wide thermocline variations, whereas the 2015/2016 event involves additionally the central Pacific (CP) El Niño dynamics that depends on subtropical forcing. The stronger CP dynamics during the 2015/2016 event resulted in its sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies lingering around the International Date Line during the decaying phase, which is in contrast to the retreat of the anomalies toward the South American Coast during the decaying phase of the 1997/1998 event. The different SST evolution excited different wave trains resulting in the western U.S. not receiving the same above‐normal rainfall during the 2015/2016 El Niño as it did during the 1997/1998 El Niño. Ensemble model experiments are conducted to confirm the different climate impacts of the two El Niños.
Anti-La positive, anti-Ro negative subset of primary Sjögren's syndrome: anti-La is a reality but is the disease?

OBJECTIVES To characterise the serological and clinical findings in primary Sjögren's syndrome in which anti-La was found without anti-Ro. We hypothesised that a significant portion of these are falsely negative for anti-Ro60. METHODS Twenty-nine sera from primary Sjögren's syndrome patients were tested for antibodies directed against La and Ro. Anti-La was detected using bovine La treated with or without DNAase and RNAase to identify potential false positivity. Anti-Ro60 antibodies were detected using HEp-2000 substrate (in which cells are transfected with human Ro60) and HEp-2 substrate. Anti-Ro60 and Ro-52 were also tested by in vitro transcription/translation followed by immunoprecipitation assay. RESULTS All 29 sera bound La, even after treatment with DNAase and RNAase. Of the 29 sera, 25 were unequivocally negative on HEp-2000 (1:40 dilution). Four samples were anti-Ro60 positive with a speckled pattern, three of the four at 1:320 dilution. Thus, false negative anti-Ro60 exists in a small fraction (14%) of the Ro-negative/La-positive primary Sjögren's patients. However, all the samples were negative for Ro60 and Ro52 by in vitro immunoprecipitation assay. Clinically these patients tended not to have salivary gland pathology characteristic of Sjögren's syndrome. CONCLUSIONS We found only a small fraction of Ro negative/La positive sera to show positive HEp-2000 pattern. These subjects did not have characteristic findings on pathological examination of minor salivary glands, suggesting these subjects have a process distinct from Sjögren's syndrome.
Pengaruh Kepemimpinan Transformasional Terhadap Komitmen Organisasional Dan Organizational Citizenship Behavior Yang Di Mediasi Oleh Kepuasan Kerja

The purpose of this study is to examine and analyze the Influence of Transformational Leadership on Organizational Commitment and Organizational Citizenship Behavior Mediated by Job Satisfaction, to employees at the Office of the Regional Development Planning Board of Puncak Regency. The population in this study is all employees in the Office of the Regional Development Planning Board Puncak, which amounted to 33 employees and samples taken from the entire population. This research uses quantitative approach. Analytical technique using Line Analysis Technique using SPSS 22 Keywords: Transformational Leadership, Organizational Commitment, Organizational Citizenship Behavior, Job Satisfaction
Sustaining livability and a sense of place in a changing South African urban context : an environmental management pilot case study

s from the article in The Arcadian, the community newspaper of the Arcadia Residents and Ratepayers Association (ARRA), Autumn 2009 by Anna Batchelor, resident, 356 Hill Street, Arcadia follow. The title of the article was: ̳Arcadia Street, Potential and threat Can Arcadia street retain its historical character while also realising economic potential? ‘
Do We Need Deeper Trade Agreements for GVCs or Just a BIT?

The paper investigates two policies geared towards stimulating and shaping global value chains (GVCs), namely deep regional trade agreements (DRTAs) and bilateral investment treaties (BITs). In an augmented gravity model, we test the impact of both policies on a variety of trade in value added indicators. We find that both policies are likely to increase GVC trade, although their transmission channels differ. While backward linkages are stimulated through both BITs and DRTAs, forward linkages respond only to DRTAs. The estimates suggest that negotiating a DRTA with investment provisions has a higher impact on trade in value added than signing a shallow RTA and a separate BIT.
Effect of exposure to a boar on circulating concentrations of LH, FSH, cortisol and oestradiol in prepubertal gilts.

Serum concentrations of LH, FSH, oestradiol and cortisol were measured in control gilts not exposed to a boar and in gilts with fence-line exposure to a boar that allowed full muzzle contact. All gilts were between 134 and 200 days of age. Control gilts showed first oestrus at 193 +/- 7 days of age (n = 5). Twelve of the gilts exposed to the boar showed first oestrus at 169 +/- 5 days of age and five had not shown oestrus by 200 days of age. Introduction of a boar produced a transient increase in LH pulse frequency lasting no longer than 20 days (P < 0.001) in gilts responding to the boar with oestrus. Basal and mean serum LH concentrations were also increased (P < 0.05) in the gilts that responded to a boar with oestrus, but only in the 6 h after introducing the boar. Mean serum concentrations of FSH were lower in gilts exposed to a boar compared with the controls at 10 days after introduction of the boar, but by 20 days only gilts responding to the boar with oestrus had lower FSH concentrations (P < 0.05). Serum concentrations of cortisol decreased over the day the boar was introduced in all groups of gilts (P < 0.05) and were always highest in gilts exposed to a boar but not showing oestrus by 200 days of age (P < 0.05). There were no significant trends in serum concentrations of oestradiol but oestradiol concentrations varied over a wide range in gilts that did not respond to the boar with oestrus. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Assessment of quality of life in patients with chronic oral mucosal diseases: a questionnaire-based study.

CONTEXT A validated discipline-specific questionnaire has been developed recently to assess the quality of life (QOL) in patients with chronic oral mucosal diseases. OBJECTIVE Use the Chronic Oral Mucosal Diseases Questionnaire for evaluating a diverse group of patients with chronic oral mucosal disease after therapy. DESIGN Prospective convenience sample. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Quality of life. METHODS Seventy patients seen in the Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology with oral lichen planus, recurrent aphthous ulcers, pemphigus, and other chronic oral mucosal diseases were included in the study. Patients completed the questionnaire after undergoing treatment of their oral mucosal disease to assess their QOL. RESULTS Patients older than age 35 years reported significantly lower QOL (p = 0.015) in the domain of social and emotional status. Significant age-related differences in QOL were not observed in other domains. Older individuals also reported a significantly lower overall QOL. Men reported significantly better oral health-related QOL than women did in pain and functional limitation: 16.14 ± 8.94 vs 21.44 ± 7.696, respectively (p = 0.010). Significant differences were not observed between sexes for other domains. Significant differences were observed between the disease groups only for recurrent aphthous ulcers and pemphigus (p = 0.005). Patients with pemphigus had the worst overall QOL (73.6 ± 5.6). CONCLUSION Even after treatment, chronic oral mucosal diseases negatively affect patients’ QOL. Use of the Chronic Oral Mucosal Diseases Questionnaire may allow physicians to more effectively care for their patients with these diseases.
Biomechanical, scanning electron microscopy, and microhardness analyses of the bone-pin interface in hydroxyapatite coated versus uncoated pins.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the bone-pin interface in hydroxyapatite coated versus uncoated pins. DESIGN Eighty-four bicylindrical stainless steel external fixation pins were implanted in a test group of 14 sheep. One-half of the pins were coated with hydroxyapatite and the rest remained uncoated. INTERVENTION Six coated pins were implanted in the left tibia of seven sheep, and six uncoated pins were implanted in the left tibia of the other seven sheep. In all sheep, the right tibia was left intact. During pin implantation, the final insertion torque was measured, and a linear external fixator was mounted on the pins. Then the medial tibial mid-diaphysis was exposed and a 5-mm resection osteotomy was performed. The sheep were killed six weeks after surgery. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The extraction torque was measured on four pins removed from each sheep. Radiographic pin tract rarefaction was measured on all the pins. Two pins from each sheep were used for histologic, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and microhardness analysis. Histomorphometric analysis was carried out on the SEM specimens at x 36 magnification. RESULTS Radiographic pin tract rarefaction was significantly lower in the hydroxyapatite coated pins than in the uncoated pins (P < 0.001). Group average insertion torque was 960 +/- 959 N/mm in the hydroxyapatite coated pins, and 709 +/- 585 N/mm in the uncoated pins (p = not significant). Group average extraction torque was 1485 +/- 1308 N/mm and 298 +/- 373 N/mm, respectively (p = 0.0001). Histomorphometric analysis showed that the group average bone-pin contact was 50.7 +/- 16.9% in the hydroxyapatite coated pins and 27.6 +/- 7.1% in the uncoated pins (p < 0.01). Microhardness analysis showed that bone tissue close to the pins was softer than bone tissue far from them. CONCLUSION Hydroxyapatite coating is an effective method of refining the bone-pin interface and may improve the clinical results of the external fixation technique.
p75 neurotrophin receptor and pro-BDNF promote cell survival and migration in clear cell renal cell carcinoma

p75NTR, a member of TNF receptor family, is the low affinity receptor common to several mature neurotrophins and the high affinity receptor for pro-neurotrophins. Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), a member of neurotrophin family has been described to play an important role in development and progression of several cancers, through its binding to a high affinity tyrosine kinase receptor B (TrkB) and/or p75NTR. However, the functions of these two receptors in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) have never been investigated. An overexpression of p75NTR, pro-BDNF, and to a lesser extent for TrkB and sortilin, was detected by immunohistochemistry in a cohort of 83 clear cell RCC tumors. p75NTR, mainly expressed in tumor tissues, was significantly associated with higher Fuhrman grade in multivariate analysis. In two derived-RCC lines, 786-O and ACHN cells, we demonstrated that pro-BDNF induced cell survival and migration, through p75NTR as provided by p75NTR RNA silencing or blocking anti-p75NTR antibody. This mechanism is independent of TrkB activation as demonstrated by k252a, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor for Trk neurotrophin receptors. Taken together, these data highlight for the first time an important role for p75NTR in renal cancer and indicate a putative novel target therapy in RCC.
Influence of Dietary Sodium on the Renal Isoforms of 11β-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase

Abstract Endogenous glucocorticoids are converted to their biologically inert 11-dehydroderivatives by isoforms of the enzyme 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11β-HSD). The low-K m, NAD+-dependent renal isoform (Type 2) identified in the distal nephron protects mineralocorticoid receptors from activation by endogenous glucocorticoids. The function of high-K m, NADP+-dependent renal isoform (Type 1) is less well understood. Since glucocorticoids may modulate sodium transport in renal proximal tubules (PT), we hypothesized that Type 1 activity in this segment may be regulated by dietary Na+. 11β-HSD activity was assessed in homogenates of canine PT by the conversion of cortisol to cortisone in the presence of NADP+ 200 μM. A high-Na+ diet for 4 days increased the V max 4-fold, with no change in the Type 1 K m (40 mEq/day Na+ diet: K m 0.959 μM, V max 3.40 pmoles/min/mg protein versus 150 mEq/day Na+ diet: K m 0.962 μM, V max 14.8 pmoles/min/mg protein). Type 1 mRNA also rose in the salt repleted animals. The high-Na+ diet produced no detectable change in the Type 2 isoform enzyme kinetics and mRNA level. No reverse oxo-reductase activity was noted with either renal isoform. Thus, renal Type 1 11β-HSD can be regulated by dietary Na+ independent of changes in the renal Type 2 isoform.
An Intergenerational Women’s Empowerment Intervention to Mitigate Domestic Violence

A growing body of literature has documented the global prevalence of domestic violence against women of reproductive age as well as the association between violence and an array of adverse reproductive, psychosocial, and child health outcomes . However, there is a dearth of research on domestic violence prevention interventions in the peer-reviewed literature to guide program planning and policy-making efforts. In this article, the authors describe the development and assessment of the feasibility, acceptability, and potential effectiveness of an intergenerational women’s empowerment-based intervention to mitigate domestic violence and related adverse health outcomes in low-income urban communities in Southern India.
Serum insulin‐like growth factor I in a random population sample of men and women: relation to age, sex, smoking habits, coffee consumption and physical activity, blood pressure and concentrations of plasma lipids, fibrinogen, parathyroid hormone and osteocalcin

OBJECTIVE There Is a cllnlcal need for population based reference values for serum Insulin‐like growth factor I (IGF‐I). We have therefore determined serum IGF‐i concentrations In a random population sample from Sweden and have related the levels to age, sex, llfe style factors, blood pressure, body composition, blood llplds, plasma fibrlnogen, Parathyroid hormone (PTH) and osteocalcin.
Lethal effects of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans leukotoxin on human T lymphocytes

The majority of strains of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans isolated from patients with periodontal diseases secrete a leukotoxin that destroys human myeloid cells within minutes but has no effect on viability of peripheral blood lymphocytes in culture for 1.5 h. However, since this organism persists in the gingival crevice and thus may continuously release toxin over extended periods of time, we assessed the viability of T cells cultured with leukotoxin (0 to 250 ng/ml) for up to 2 days. Although the total numbers of cells recovered from cultures with or without leukotoxin were equivalent, leukotoxin killed up to 70% of the T cells in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Cell death was associated with uptake of propidium iodide, release of 51Cr from the cytoplasm, and morphological evidence of damage to the plasma membrane and apoptosis. Leukotoxin also induced increased cleavage of chromosomal DNA into nucleosome-sized fragments, suggesting activation of an endogenous nuclease in the T cells. These data suggest that leukotoxin kills T cells by pathways resembling necrosis and programmed cell death. Leukotoxin-induced lymphotoxicity may represent a critical mechanism by which A. actinomycetemcomitans suppresses the host local immune response and contributes to the pathogenesis of diseases involving this microorganisms.
Mutational Enzymatic Resistance of Enterobacter Species to Beta-Lactam Antibiotics

Mutants with enhanced β-lactam resistance were selected from strains of Enterobacter cloacae and E. aerogenes by using three antibiotics. High-level β-lactamase-producing mutants had similar degrees of increased resistance, enzyme substrate profiles, and isoelectric (pI) values irrespective of the selective agent. Reverse mutants from a resistant E. cloacae mutant regained the susceptibility pattern originally exhibited by the wild type, or were of enhanced susceptibility, and no longer expressed increased β-lactamase production. β-Lactamases of the mutants were similar in pI values to the wild-type enzyme. The increased resistance of the mutants therefore appeared to be accounted for by increased β-lactamase production.
The Protective Role of Zinc against Acute Toxicity of Depleted Uranium in Rats

Depleted uranium (DU) has been widely used in both civilian and military activities and contributes to health problems. This study was undertaken to evaluate the protective role of zinc against acute toxicity of DU. Sprague Dawley rats were injected with DU (10 mg/kg, i.p.) to create a toxicity model (DU group). Before and after the injection of DU, zinc sulphate (10 mg/kg, i.p.) was administered once a day for 2 days. The survival rates at 30 days post DU administration and the effects of zinc at 4 days post DU administration were evaluated. Our data indicate that zinc has obvious protective effects, especially pre‐treatment with zinc. Rats pre‐treated with zinc had significantly higher survival rates than rats in the DU group, with 60.03% more surviving. In addition, at 4 days post DU administration, the former had lower kidney uranium content, insignificant renal tubular epithelial cell necrosis and less transparent tubes. Meanwhile, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine and urine N‐acethyl‐β‐d‐glucosaminidase concentrations were significantly decreased; the gene expression levels of metallothionein (MT) in kidney tissues were significantly increased; and catalase levels were increased and malondialdehyde levels were decreased. In conclusion, pre‐treatment with zinc significantly alleviated acute toxicity of DU, and the mechanism appeared to be related to the induction of MT synthesis and enhancement of the antioxidant function.