Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interactions between methylmercury and selenomethionine injected into mallard eggs

Methylmercury chloride and seleno‐L‐methionine were injected separately or in combinations into mallard eggs (Anas platyrhynchos), and embryo mortality and teratogenic effects (deformities) were modeled using a logistic regression model. Methylmercury was injected at doses that resulted in concentrations of 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.8, and 1.6 µg/g Hg in the egg on a wet weight basis and selenomethionine at doses that resulted in concentrations of 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, and 0.6 µg/g Se in the egg, also on a wet weight basis. When selenomethionine and methylmercury were injected separately, hatching probability decreased in both cases. However, when methylmercury was injected at 1.6 µg/g in combination with selenomethionine at 0.2 µg/g, the presence of the methylmercury resulted in less embryo mortality than had been seen with 0.2 µg/g Se by itself, but it increased the number of deformed embryos and hatchlings. Selenomethionine appeared to be more embryotoxic than equivalent doses of methylmercury when injected into eggs, and both injected methylmercury and selenomethionine were more toxic to mallard embryos than when deposited naturally in the egg by the mother. The underlying mechanisms behind the interactions between methylmercury and selenomethionine and why methylmercury appeared to improve hatching probability of Se‐dosed eggs yet increased deformities when the two compounds were combined are unclear. These findings warrant further studies to understand these mechanisms in both laboratory and field settings. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2012;31:579–584. © 2011 SETAC
Prenatal and Perinatal Risk Factors for Breast Cancer in Young Women

There is increasing interest in the role of early life exposures in breast carcinogenesis, especially estrogen exposure in utero. Estrogen levels during pregnancy may be higher in twin pregnancies and among older women and slightly lower among smokers. We analyzed early life risk factors in a population‐based case‐control study in the United States of 2,202 breast cancer cases and 2,009 controls under age 55 years. Twins were at an increased risk of breast cancer compared with singletons (relative risk = 1.62; 95% confidence interval = 1.0–2.7), particularly women with a twin brother (relative risk = 2.06), a finding consistent with the observation of high estrogen levels in dizygotic twin pregnancies. Little association was seen between maternal age at birth and breast cancer risk. We carried out further analyses for 534 cases and 497 controls under age 45 years, using data from a questionnaire completed by their mothers relating to the daughters' early life exposures. There was no evidence of an effect of smoking or diethylstilbestrol exposure during pregnancy on daughters' breast cancer risk. A reduced breast cancer risk was seen among women who had been breastfed (relative risk = 0.74; 95% confidence interval = 0.6–1.0). These findings indicate some effect of early life exposures on breast cancer risk, although the role of estrogen exposure may be less central than previously suggested.
Dictionary Extension for Improving Automated Sentiment Detection

This paper investigates approaches to improve the accuracy of automated sentiment detection in textual knowledge repositories. Many high-throughput sentiment detection algorithms rely on sentiment dictionaries containing terms classified as either positive or negative. To obtain accurate and comprehensive sentiment dictionaries, we merge existing resources into a single dictionary and extend this dictionary by means of semisupervised learning algorithms such as Pointwise Mutual Information Information Retrieval (PMI-IR) and Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA). The resulting extended dictionary is then evaluated on various datasets from different domains, which were annotated on both the document and sentence level.
Joint power and subcarrier allocation in OFDMA-based cooperative cognitive networks

This paper considers joint power and subcarrier allocation on the uplink OFDMA-based cooperative cognitive networks. We propose three schemes to maximize sum-capacity of Primary Users (Ups) in a situation that Secondary Users (SUs) relay the data of PUs and achieve subcarrier from PUs. We investigate the optimization problem under PUs peak power constraint to avoid interference with other cells with lower complexity compared to other works. The greedy algorithm is also modified to improve active PUs in the network. Our simulation results show preference of cooperative mode than non-cooperative mode in many parameters.
Family-Based Genetic Association for Molar-Incisor Hypomineralization

Despite some evidence of genetic and environmental factors on molar-incisor hypomineralization (MIH), its aetiology remains unclear. This family-based genetic association study aimed more comprehensively to investigate the genetic carriage potentially involved in MIH development. DNA was obtained from buccal cells of 391 individuals who were birth family members of 101 Brazilian nuclear families. Sixty-three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were investigated in 21 candidate genes related to amelogenesis using the TaqMan™ OpenArray™ Genotyping platform. All SNPs were genotyped in 165 birth family members unaffected by MIH, 96 with unknown MIH status and 130 affected individuals (50.7% with severe MIH). Association analysis was performed by the transmission/disequilibrium test (TDT), and statistical results were corrected using the false discovery rate. Significant results were obtained for SNPs rs7821494 (FAM83H gene, OR = 3.7; 95% CI = 1.75-7.78), rs34367704 (AMBN gene, OR = 2.7; 95% CI = 1.16-6.58), rs3789334 (BMP2 gene, OR = 2.9; 95% CI = 1.34-6.35), rs6099486 (BMP7 gene, OR = 2.2; 95% CI = 1.14-4.38), rs762642 (BMP4 gene, OR = 2.3; 95% CI = 1.38-3.65), rs7664896 (ENAM gene, OR = 2.1; 95% CI = 1.19-3.51), rs1711399 (MMP20 gene, OR = 0.4; 95% CI = 0.20-0.72), rs1711423 (MMP20 gene, OR = 2.1; 95% CI = 1.18-3.61), rs2278163 (DLX3 gene, OR = 2.8; 95% CI = 1.26-6.41), rs6996321 (FGFR1 gene, OR = 2.7; 95% CI = 1.20-5.88), and rs5979395 (AMELX gene, OR = 11.7; 95% CI = 1.63-84.74). Through this family-based association study, we concluded that variations in genes related to amelogenesis were associated with the susceptibility to develop MIH. This result is in agreement with the multifactorial idea of the MIH aetiology, but further studies are necessary to investigate more thoroughly the factors that could influence MIH.
Homeostasis of the adult colonic epithelium: a role for morphogens

The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is a complex organ system with a rapidly renewing epithelium that contains a large variety of highly specialized cell types. The epithelial microarchitecture shows a remarkable stability during our adult lives despite its high turnover rate. We have only a rudimentary understanding of the mechanisms responsible for the maintenance of this homeostasis. The renewal of adult epithelium has several interesting similarities with patterning events during development. We (1) and others (2) have therefore used the term ‘morphostasis’ for this ongoing postnatal tissue patterning (from the Greek o (form) and (to stand)) in analogy with the developmental process of morphogenesis. The molecular controls of developmental patterning events are fairly well characterized and remarkably conserved across species. What is still needed is translational work to apply the insights into developmental patterning events to adult human GI epithelial morphostasis and its deregulation. In this review we discuss the role of patterning mechanisms in the maintenance of colonic epithelial homeostasis in the adult, and review our current understanding of the role of morphogens.
Evaluating the effect of tangible virtual reality on spatial perspective taking ability

As shown in many large-scale and longitudinal studies, spatial ability is strongly associated with STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) learning and career success. At the same time, a growing volume of research connects cognitive science theories with tangible/embodied interactions (TEI) and virtual reality (VR) to offer novel means to support spatial cognition. But very few VR-TEI systems are specifically designed to support spatial ability, nor are they evaluated with respect to spatial ability. In this paper, we present the background, approach, and evaluation of TASC (Tangibles for Augmenting Spatial Cognition), a VR-TEI system built to support spatial perspective taking ability. We tested 3 conditions (tangible VR, keyboard/mouse, control; n=46). Analysis of the pre/post-test change in performance on a perspective taking test revealed that only the VR-TEI group showed statistically significant improvements. The results highlight the role of tangible VR design for enhancing spatial cognition.
Closure of Oroantral Fistula By Using Buccal Fat Pad or Buccal Advancement Flap : Comparative Study

The aim of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes of buccal fat pad flap or buccal advancement flap in closure of the oroantral fistula. A total of 20 patients with oroantral fistulae were selected for this study. Ten patients were treated with Buccal Advancement Flaps (BAFs )(Group1), and 10 were treated with buccal Fat pad flaps(BFPFS) (Group2). The parameters evaluated included, closure of the fisula, pain, swelling, maximum mouth openin , and vestibular depth. Assessments for clinical parameters were made on the day of surgery , on days (2 and 7) and 3 months. All fistulae were successfully closed in BFPF group at the end of the third month, the success rate was 100% and it was 80 % in BAF group. Statistically significant differences were detected for the swelling and trismus values between the two treatment groups on the second postoperative day). The mean of vestibular depth were 8.20±2.48 in BAF group and 12.10±0.99 in BFPF group with statistically significant differences. In spite of the immediate complications of the application of the buccal fat pad in closing the oroantral fistulae, it could be considered safe and reliable Procedure comparing with Buccal advancement flap.
Development of mucosal and systemic lymphoproliferative responses and protective immunity to human group A rotaviruses in a gnotobiotic pig model

Gnotobiotic pigs were orally inoculated with virulent Wa strain (G1P1A[8]) human rotavirus (group 1), attenuated Wa rotavirus (group 2) or diluent (controls) and were challenged with virulent Wa rotavirus 21 days later. On various postinoculation or postchallenge days, virus-specific responses of systemic (blood and spleen) and intestinal (mesenteric lymph node and ileal lamina propria) mononuclear cells (MNC) were assessed by lymphoproliferative assays (LPA). After inoculation, 100% of group 1 pigs and 6% of group 2 pigs shed virus. Diarrhea occurred in 95, 12, and 13% of group 1, group 2, and control pigs, respectively. Only groups 1 and 2 developed virus-specific LPA responses prior to challenge. Group 1 developed significantly greater mean virus-specific LPA responses prior to challenge and showed no significant changes in tissue mean LPA responses postchallenge, and 100% were protected against virulent virus challenge. By comparison, both group 2 and controls had significantly lower LPA responses at challenge and both groups showed significant increases in mean LPA responses postchallenge. Eighty-one percent of group 2 and 100% of control pigs shed challenge virus, and both groups developed diarrhea that was similar in severity postchallenge. The virus-specific LPA responses of blood MNC mirrored those of intestinal MNC, albeit at a reduced level and only at early times postinoculation or postchallenge in all pigs. In a separate study evaluating antibody-secreting-cell responses of these pigs (L. Yuan, L.A. Ward, B.I. Rosen, T.L. To, and L.J. Saif, J. Virol. 70:3075-3083, 1996), we found that the magnitude of a tissue's LPA response positively correlated with the numbers of virus-specific antibody-secreting cells for that tissue, supporting the hypothesis that the LPA assesses T-helper-cell function. The magnitude of LPA responses in systemic and intestinal tissues also strongly correlated with the degree of protective immunity elicited by the inoculum (p = 0.81). We conclude that blood may provide a temporary "window" for monitoring intestinal T cells and that the LPA can be used to assess protective immunity to human rotaviruses.
Successful topical application of caspofungin in the treatment of fungal keratitis refractory to voriconazole.

F ungal keratitis is an important ophthalmic problem because it leads to corneal blindness and sometimes to loss of the eye. There is no agreed protocol for the treatment of suspected fungal keratitis. Topical and oral voriconazole have now been reported to be effective. However, some cases do not respond to this treatment. New antifungal agents such as caspofungin acetate, 0.5%, are promising alternatives.
Prediction of bone mineral density by age, body mass index and menopausal status in middle socioeconomic status women of urban Kolar region of Bhopal.

Morbidity and mortality associated with osteoporosis continues to be high in India primarily due to late diagnosis. This study aims to find association of age, body mass index (BMI) and menopausal status with bone mineral density (BMD); and confirm if these variables are predictors of low BMD in premenopausal and postmenopausal women. This cross sectional study was conducted on 350 women aged 30-65 years. BMD was measured at calcaneum heel by Quantitative Ultrasound. Chi-square test and logistic regression have been used for statistical confirmations. Low BMD was found in 51.1% premenopausal and 77.1% postmenopausal women. Age, BMI and menopausal status were found to be associated with BMD. Advancing age, normal BMI and postmenopausal status were predictors of low BMD. Low BMD was more likely to develop in premenopausal women aged 40-59 years (adjusted odds ratio (OR)=2.0;95% confidence interval (95%CI):1.0- 4.2) and in postmenopausal women aged 60 years and above (OR=2.8;95%CI:0.93-8.3); less likely to develop in premenopausal obese women (OR=0.17;95% CI:0.06-0.49) and in postmenopausal obese women (OR=0.04;95%CI:0.005-0.31). Low BMD was more likely to develop in postmenopausal women (OR=2.0;95%CI:1.14-3.55) as compared to premenopausal women. Our study shows that high BMI has protective effect against bone loss. Older women with normal BMI need to be identified at an early stage for taking timely preventive measures to reduce morbidity, mortality and socioeconomic burden associated with osteoporosis.
Vitamin and trace mineral content in feed of breeders and their progeny: effects of growth, feed conversion and severity of malabsorption syndrome of broilers

1. A study was conducted to investigate the effects of several vitamins and trace elements supplemented to basal breeder and broiler feed to the immune system. Effects were tested in control chickens and in chickens experimentally infected with malabsorption syndrome (MAS). 2. Vitamins and trace minerals in feed were varied. Breeders received either a basal amount of vitamins and trace minerals (low mix) or an increased amount (high mix). Their progeny also received either a low mix or a high mix. Effects of different breeder and broiler mix combinations on broiler performance, heamatology, spleen weight and humoral response were examined in control chickens. The effects of the different feeds and breeder, broiler combinations at the severity and recovery of MAS infection were also studied. 3. In general, the immune system can be stimulated by addition of vitamins and trace minerals, without affecting the growth potential of the controls. The number of leukocytes increased on d 1 in the broilers descended from breeders receiving high mix. The response to Newcastle disease virus boost was affected by the different amount of vitamins. 4. When breeders received a high mix the number of infiltrating polymorphonuclear leukocytes in the intestine was higher compared with breeders receiving basal amounts of minerals and vitamins. Also the recovery rate of intestinal lesions, cystic crypts of Lieberkühn and villus atrophy, as observed by histopathology, was faster in the groups where the breeders received high mix.
Prevalence of AMPC Beta Lactamases among Gram Negative Bacterial Isolates in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Gram negative bacilli producing AmpC lactamases are often responsible for multidrug resistance that is not always detected in routine antimicrobial susceptibility tests as there are no Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) or other approved criteria for AmpC detection, this remains a serious clinical concern. Hence it is necessary to know the prevalence of AmpC mediated resistance in a hospital setting so as to enable the clinician to select the appropriate antibiotic regimens. An attempt was made to detect the prevalence of AmpC lactamases in gram-negative bacilli. This prospective study was conducted in the Department of Microbiology at VIMS & RC. A total of 256 Gram negative clinical isolates were obtained from various clinical samples from out patients and in patients admitted into various wards and intensive care units. All the isolates were identified based on the microscopy, the colony morphology and the biochemical reactions according to the standard guidelines. Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing was performed by modified Kirby Bauer s disc diffusion method. AmpC screening was done using cefoxitin disk diffusion method, screen positives were phenotypically confirmed by disk approximation test, AmpC disk test and three-dimensional test (3D) 256 gram negative isolates were obtained from various clinical specimens. 84 were from the out patients and 172 from inpatients. E. coli was isolated more frequently (32%) followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (27%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (21%), Acinetobacter species (14%), Proteus mirabilis (3%) and Citrobacter freundii (3%). 68% (174/256) of the isolates were cefoxitin resistant by disc diffusion method and 32% (82/256) were sensitive. Among 174 screen positive isolates Amp C was confirmed in 59% (103/174) of the isolates, 84 (82%) were from inpatients and 19 (18%) from out patients. Amp C production was predominant in Acinetobacter baumannii (61%), followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (42%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (41%), Citrobacter freundii (38%), E. coli (30%) and Proteus mirabilis (25%). All Amp C producing isolates were sensitive to imipenem, however high level resistance was demonstrated to the other antibiotics used. Isolates producing AmpC -lactamases raise special concerns as these isolates have been responsible for several nosocomial outbreaks and high rate of therapeutic failure, identification of these enzymes may aid in hospital infection control and help the physician to restrict the indiscriminate use of antibiotics thus decreasing the selective pressure, which generates antibiotic resistance. This study highly recommends performing screening and phenotypic tests for AmpC detection in a routine diagnostic laboratory work, however sequencing and typing the strains may be required to give a better insight into the genetic relatedness and the molecular epidemiology of this resistance mechanism. K e y w o r d s
Management of liver metastases from gastric carcinoma: where is the evidence?

BACKGROUND Liver metastases of gastric carcinoma are often the synonym of advanced neoplastic disease which has long justified the indication of palliative chemotherapy. However, inspired by the good results of the management of liver metastases of colorectal cancers,several surgeons have focused on the treatment of liver metastases of gastric carcinoma. The different therapeutic modalities used are surgery, radiofrequency ablation, hepatic arterial infusion and palliative gastrectomy. AIMS To provide evidence based answer to the following questions regarding liver metastases from gastric carcinoma: 1. What is the indication of surgery? 2. Does radiofrequency ablation useful? 3. What is the contribution of the hepatic arterial infusion? 4. Is there any benefit to palliative gastrectomy? METHODS A literature search on PubMed database over the period from January 1990 to December 2011 was conducted using as key words "gastric cancer" and "liver metastases". RESULTS Surgery of a single liver metastasis smaller than 5 cm and not associated with another metastatic site offers better results in terms of 5-year survival rate than palliative chemotherapy. Intra hepatic arterial chemotherapy offers an alternative to surgery in inoperable patients and can be proposed as neo adjuvant treatment to surgery. The interest of radiofrequency ablation and palliative gastrectomy remains unproven. CONCLUSION Surgery is a good indication for single liver metastasis of gastric carcinoma less than 5 cm and not associated with another extra hepatic metastasis.
WHO position paper on hepatitis A vaccines – June 2012.

In accordance with its mandate to provide guidance to Member States on health policy matters, WHO issues a series of regularly updated position papers on vaccines and combinations of vaccines against diseases that have an international public health impact. These papers are concerned primarily with the use of vaccines in large-scale immunization programmes; they summarize essential background information on diseases and vaccines, and conclude with the current WHO position on the use of vaccines worldwide.
INVESTIGATION OF TIME OF HAY FEEDING ON PLASMA VOLUME AND EXERCISE RESPONSE IN THOROUGHBRED HORSES

A common question asked regarding feeding the performance horse is when should the horse be fed hay relative to grain and exercise. Should the horse receive hay before, with or after a grain meal. Research in our laboratory (Pagan et al, 1997) with resting horses showed that time of hay feeding affected glycemic response to a grain meal and total plasma protein (TPP) concentration. Increases in TPP presumably reflect changes in plasma volume. The purpose of this experiment was to investigate whether time of hay feeding actually affects plasma volume and whether these changes affect metabolic response during an extended exercise bout.
The effect of graphic style on data model interpretation

Abstract. Graphic data models are commonly used as a tool for presentation of information structures in the design, implementation, use and maintenance of the databases that support information systems. The methods proposed for database design assume that the use of graphic data models will enhance understanding of system specifications by both the end‐users and the implementers of the system. For this assumption to hold, the information presented in the graphic data model must be readily comprehensible so that the design, represented by the model, can be confirmed and implemented correctly. The lack of standard representations for graphic models has led to a variety of graphic styles. To date, there has been little focus on studying the effect graphic style has on model comprehension. We have studied the effect of three graphic styles proposed for data models on model legibility and interpretation. Our study shows a significant variation in model interpretation that can be attributed to the graphic syntax used. Graphic style appears to influence which model elements are included in the interpretation, as well as the way data models are read.