Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Construct validity of the test of infant motor performance.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to assess the construct validity of the Test of Infant Motor Performance (TIMP), specifically the test's sensitivity for assessing age-related changes in motor skill and correlation with risk for developmental abnormality. SUBJECTS Subjects were 137 term and preterm infants stratified by postconceptional age, medical complications score on the Problem-Oriented Perinatal Risk Assessment System, and ethnicity and race (non-Latino Caucasian, African-American, and Latino). METHODS Subjects were tested on the TIMP at ages ranging from 32 weeks postconceptional age to 3.5 months past term-equivalent age. Scores (Rasch logit ability measures) were correlated with postconceptional age. A multiple regression analysis was used to assess the contributions of age, risk, and ethnicity to the variance in TIMP scores. RESULTS The correlation between postconceptional age and TIMP performance measures was . 83. Risk and age together explained 72% of the variance in TIMP performance (R = .85, P < .00001). No differences related to ethnicity were found. CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION The TIMP has validity for assessing age-related development of functional motor skills in young infants and is sensitive to risk for poor developmental outcome.
Testing a Swedish child-friendly pilot version of the EQ-5D instrument--initial results.

BACKGROUND There is an increasing interest in studying health-related quality of life in children and adolescents. A Swedish child-friendly pilot version of the EQ-5D instrument has been developed. The aim of this article is to report on its assessment of feasibility and discriminative validity. METHODS A questionnaire with the child-friendly pilot version was addressed during a clinical examination to 260 children aged 8 years and 230 children aged 12 years. Comprehensibility and acceptability were investigated and feasibility was assessed according to missing and ambiguous answers. Discriminative validity was investigated by determining whether groups that were a priori known to differ in health status (by clinical and socio-demographic characteristics) were distinguished also by the percentage of reported problems on the five health dimensions and by visual analogue scale (VAS) scores. RESULTS Feasibility was supported for self-completion in the presence of an interviewer. Discriminative validity was supported as children with asthma or rhinitis, severe illness or handicap, having consulted health care during the past 3 months, overweight and obesity and children with a parent born outside the Nordic countries reported more problems and had lower VAS scores. CONCLUSIONS The results of the initial testing of the Swedish child-friendly pilot version of the EQ-5D instrument indicate feasibility and discriminative validity. However, further research should explore alternative modes of administration and study design, and be performed in groups with a larger proportion with diseased children.
Functional Characterization of Heterogeneous Nuclear Ribonuclear Protein C1/C2 in Vitamin D Resistance

Clinically apparent hereditary vitamin D-resistant rickets (HVDRR) usually results from a loss of function mutation in the vitamin D receptor (VDR). We recently described a human with the classical HVDRR phenotype but normal VDR function. Hormone resistance resulted from constitutive overexpression of heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) that competed with a normally functioning VDR-retinoid X receptor (RXR) dimer for binding to the vitamin D response element (VDRE). Here we describe the purification, molecular cloning, and expression of this vitamin D resistance-causing, competitive response element-binding protein (REBiP) hnRNP C1/C2. When overexpressed in vitamin D-responsive cells, cDNAs for both hnRNPC1 and hnRNPC2 inhibited VDR-VDRE-directed transactivation (28 and 43%, respectively; both p < 0.005). By contrast, transient expression of an hnRNP C1/C2 small interfering RNA increased VDR transactivation by 39% (p < 0.005). Chromatin immunoprecipitation of nucleoproteins bound to the transcriptionally active 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D-driven CYP24 promoter revealed the presence of REBiP in vitamin D-responsive human cells and indicated that the normal pattern of 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D-initiated cyclical movement of the VDR on and off the VDRE is legislated by competitive, reciprocal occupancy of the VDRE by hnRNP C1/C2. The temporal and reciprocal pattern of VDR and hnRNPC1/C2 interaction with the VDRE was lost in HVDRR cells overexpressing the hnRNP C1/C2 REBiP. These observations provide further evidence for the functional importance of REBiP as a component of the multiprotein complex involved in the regulation of vitamin D-mediated transcription. In particular, chromatin immunoprecipitation data suggest that, in addition to its RNA-processing functions, hnRNP C1/C2 may be a key determinant of the temporal patterns of VDRE occupancy.
No escape from syntax: Don't try morphological analysis in the privacy of your own lexicon

So Lexicalism claims that the syntax manipulates internally complex words, not unanalyzable atomic units. The leading idea of Lexicalism might be summarized as follows: Everyone agrees that there has to be a list of sound/meaning connections for the atomic building blocks of language (=the “morphemes”). There also has to be a list of idiosyncratic properties associated with the building blocks. Perhaps the storage house of sound/meaning connections for building blocks and the storage house of idiosyncratic information associated with building blocks is the same house. Perhaps the distinction between this unified storage house and the computational system of syntax could be used to correlate and localize various other crucial distinctions: non-syntax vs. syntax, "lexical" phonological rules vs. phrasal and everywhere phonological rules, unpredictable composition vs. predictable composition . Syntax is for the ruly, the lexicon for the unruly (see, e.g., DiSciullo and Williams 1987). The Lexicalist view of the computational lexicon may be pictured as in (3), where both the Lexicon and the Syntax connect sound and meaning by relating the sound and meaning of complex constituents systematically to the sounds and meanings of their constitutive parts.
Cornelia de Lange syndrome: Clinical review, diagnostic and scoring systems, and anticipatory guidance

Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS), also known as Brachmann‐de Lange syndrome, is a well‐described multiple malformation syndrome typically involving proportionate small stature, developmental delay, specific facial features, major malformations (particularly the cardiac, gastrointestinal and musculoskeletal systems), and behavioral abnormalities. There is a broad spectrum of clinical involvement, with increasing recognition of a much milder phenotype than previously recognized. Significant progress has been made in recent years in the clinical and molecular delineation of CdLS, necessitating a revision of the diagnostic criteria, more inclusive of the milder cases. In addition, a scoring system of severity has been found to correlate with specific brain changes. Thus, a clinical overview and recommendations for anticipatory guidance are timely in aiding caretakers and professionals to individualize care decisions and maximize developmental potential for individuals with CdLS. These guidelines are derived from consensus based on collective experience of over 500 patients with CdLS, observations of the natural history in children, adolescents, and adults, a review of the literature, and contacts with national support organizations in North America and Europe. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Idiotope‐specific T cell clones that recognize syngeneic immunoglobulin fragments in the context of class II molecules

We have established idiotope (Id)‐specific T cell lines and clones derived from at least 4 different BALB/c mice immunized with the light chain (λ2315) of the BALB/c myeloma protein M315 (α,λ2). Independently derived clones were indistinguishable in that they reacted to Vλ2315, one or more of the amino acids corresponding to somatically mutated codons 94, 95 and 96 of the third hypervariable region being essential for expression of the Id. While the Id was efficiently expressed on Vλ2315, Fv315 and λ2315 fragments, about a 100–1000‐fold higher molar concentration of Fab315and M315 was needed to induce equivalent responses. Thus, Ig quaternary structure heavily influenced the availability of the Id for T cells. The Vλ2315‐specific T cells were Thy‐1.2+, L3T4+, Ly‐2.2− and I‐Ed restricted. Some of the T cell clones produced interleukin 2 (IL2), IL3 and B cell growth and differentiation factors upon activation. In addition, T cells were cytotoxic in long‐term assays for E βd E αk , but not E βk E αk ‐transfected L cells in the presence of Id. The cytotoxic effect was the basis for an L cell growth inhibition assay for T cell activation that was at least 10‐fold more sensitive than ordinary proliferation assays.
Auditory Subliminal Stimulation: A Re-Examination

Unconscious or subliminal perception has historically been a thorny issue In psychology. It has been the subject of debate and experimentation since the turn of the century. While psychologists now agree that the phenomenon of visual subliminal stimulation is real, disagreement continues over the effects of such stimulation as well as to its existence in other sensory modalities, notably the auditory. The present paper provides an overview of unresolved issues in auditory subliminal stimulation which explains much of the difficulty that has been encountered in experimental work in this area. A context is proposed for considering the effects of auditory subliminal stimulation and an overview of current investigations in this field is provided.
Partial cystectomy for urothelial carcinoma of the bladder: Practice patterns and outcomes in the general population.

INTRODUCTION Partial cystectomy (PC) for urothelial carcinoma (UC) in selected patients may avoid the morbidity of radical cystectomy (RC). We describe use and outcomes of PC for UC in routine clinical practice. METHODS All patients with urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB) undergoing PC or RC in Ontario from 1994-2008 were identified using the Ontario Cancer Registry and linked electronic records. Pathology reports were reviewed. Variables associated with PC use were identified using logistic regression. Cox proportional hazards model identified factors affecting cancer-specific (CSS) and overall survival (OS). RESULTS A total of 3320 patients underwent PC (n=181; 5%) or RC (n=3139; 95%) from 1994-2008. PC patients were older (36% 80+ years vs. 19%; p<0.001) and more likely to have organ-confined (<pT3) disease (54% vs. 36% RC; p<0.001). Two-thirds (67%) of PC patients did not undergo lymph node dissection (24% for RC; p<0.001). Factors associated with having PC included older age (odds ratio [OR] 1.55; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.96-2.51 for 70+ years), moderate comorbidity (OR 1.95; 95% CI 1.13-3.37), and surgery outside of a comprehensive cancer centre (OR 1.44; 95% CI 1.03-2.01). Unadjusted five-year OS for PC and RC cases was 34% and 33%, respectively (p=0.455); CSS at five years was 43% and 37% (p=0.045). On adjusted analysis, PC was associated with comparable CSS (hazard ratio [HR] 0.87, 95% CI 0.70-1.09) and OS (HR 0.95, 95% CI 0.79-1.14) as RC. CONCLUSIONS In routine clinical practice, PC is not common. A substantial proportion of patients treated with PC achieve long-term survival. PC remains a treatment option in selected patients with UCB.
A Controlled Comparison of the Effects of Social Skills Training and Remedial Drama on the Conversational Skills of Chronic Schizophrenic Inpatients

Summary This study compared the effects of social-skills training, remedial drama and group discussion on the conversation skills of chronic schizophrenic patients. After 16 one-hour treatment sessions only the social-skills training resulted in significant improvement, which was maintained at two-month follow-up. Although there was little evidence to support generalisation, the results are seen as indicating the usefulness of social-skills training in improving the performance level of chronic schizophrenic inpatients and in maintaining their social functioning. The implications for future rehabilitation practice are discussed.
Prostaglandins E2 and E1 inhibit cytokine-induced metalloprotease expression in human synovial fibroblasts. Mediation by cyclic-AMP signalling pathway.

BACKGROUND Cytokine modulated matrix metalloprotease (MMP, i.e., collagenase and stromelysin) synthesis may be associated etiologically with osteoarthritic diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the mode of action by which interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) induced collagenase and stromelysin mRNA expression and synthesis in normal human synoviocytes and to explore mechanisms of suppression of these proteolytic enzymes by prostaglandins (PG). EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Collagenase and stromelysin expression and synthesis were induced in cultured human synoviocytes with rhIL-1 beta in the absence or presence of either chemical inhibitors of protein kinase (PK) A and C, PGE2 or PGE1, or cAMP mimetics. We used enzyme immunoassays to determine MMP antigen levels in spent culture medium and Northern hybridization to measure steady-state MMP mRNA expression. RESULTS Dose-response experiments revealed that 10 pg/ml of interleukin-1 beta was an effective sub-saturating concentration for the induction of collagenase and stromelysin expression in normal human synovial fibroblasts. The rate of collagenase synthesis and expression peaked at 18 to 24 hours after rhIL-1 beta stimulation, whereas stromelysin output increased steadily within the experimental time frame (72 hours). Protein kinase C inhibitors, H-7 and staurosporine, prevented the rhIL-1 beta induction of MMP mRNA expression and protein synthesis. Pretreatment of synoviocytes with phorbol myristate acetate for 18 hours abrogated the ability of rhIL-1 beta to induce MMP synthesis. Prostaglandins E2 and E1 potently inhibited in a dose-dependent fashion rhIL-1 beta induced MMP synthesis: PGE2, IC50, collagenase, 2.3 ng/ml; stromelysin, 21.2 ng/ml; PGE1, IC50, collagenase, 2.5 ng/ml; stromelysin, 13.4 ng/ml. MMP mRNA steady-state levels were suppressed in a fashion similar to that of the protein synthesis. Forskolin, dibutyryl cAMP, and 3-isobutyl-1-methyl xanthine mimicked the effects of the prostaglandins (PGs). [N-(2-methyl-amino)-5-isoquinoline-sulfonamide dihydrochloride] (H-8), an inhibitor of PKA activity, could reverse to a large extent, the suppressive effects of the PGs as did cycloheximide when preincubated with PGE2 before rhIL-1 beta activation of synoviocytes. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that IL-1 beta stimulates MMP synthesis by activating PKC but not PKA, and that the synthesis of collagenase and stromelysin is discoordinate on a temporal and quantitative basis. PGs inhibit rhIL-1 beta-induced MMP expression and synthesis by virtue of their ability to increase cAMP intracellular levels and subsequent activation of signal transduction mechanisms involving PKA. Homeostasis may be maintained in acute episodes of joint inflammation through feedback processes involving locally produced eicosanoids.
UL26-Deficient Human Cytomegalovirus Produces Virions with Hypophosphorylated pp28 Tegument Protein That Is Unstable within Newly Infected Cells

ABSTRACT The human cytomegalovirus UL26 open reading frame encodes proteins of 21 and 27 kDa that result from the use of two different in-frame initiation codons. The UL26 protein is a constituent of the virion and thus is delivered to cells upon viral entry. We have characterized a mutant of human cytomegalovirus in which the UL26 open reading frame has been deleted. The UL26 deletion mutant has a profound growth defect, the magnitude of which is dependent on the multiplicity of infection. Two very early defects were discovered. First, even though they were present in normal amounts within mutant virions, the UL99-coded pp28 and UL83-coded pp65 tegument proteins were present in reduced amounts at the earliest times assayed within newly infected cells; second, there was a delay in immediate-early mRNA and protein accumulation. Further analysis revealed that although wild-type levels of the pp28 tegument protein were present in UL26 deletion mutant virions, the protein was hypophosphorylated. We conclude that the UL26 protein influences the normal phosphorylation of at least pp28 in virions and possibly additional tegument proteins. We propose that the hypophosphorylation of tegument proteins causes their destabilization within newly infected cells, perhaps disrupting the normal detegumentation process and leading to a delay in the onset of immediate-early gene expression.
The Dega Osteotomy: A Versatile Osteotomy in the Treatment of Developmental and Neuromuscular Hip Pathology

Background The purpose of this study is to evaluate the use of the Dega osteotomy in the treatment of hip pathology resulting from both developmental dysplasia (DDH) and neuromuscular disease (NM). Methods We retrospectively reviewed the results of one surgeon's operative experience with the Dega osteotomy for the treatment of DDH and NM. Forty-four patients (50 hips) with an average length of follow-up of 53 months were identified. The Dega was customized at the time of surgery to provide more anterior or posterior coverage depending on the needs of the individual hip. Results In all cases, there were no intraoperative complications and all hips were well reduced postoperatively. In the DDH group, there were 22 children (26 hips), who underwent surgery at a mean age of 3.1 years. Thirteen hips had a concomitant open reduction and 4 had a femoral osteotomy. There were 5 complications: 2 femoral head lateralizations, 2 avascular necroses (asymptomatic), and 1 traumatic dislocation. One patient (1 hip) had a reoperation. All patients had unlimited physical activity with no limp with an improvement in the acetabular index from 37 degrees preoperatively to 13 degrees at last follow-up. In the NM group, there were 22 children (24 hips), who underwent surgery at a mean age of 6.3 years. Twenty-three hips had concomitant procedures performed. At an average of 56 months postoperatively, all patients were pain-free. There were 5 complications: 1 graft dislodgement, 1 graft collapse, and 3 femoral head lateralizations. Three patients (3 hips) had a reoperation. Acetabular index improved from 36 degrees preoperatively to 14 degrees, and the migration percentage ranged from 84% to 14%. Conclusions In this series of Dega osteotomies, one of the largest in the English literature, the osteotomy seems safe and effective in the treatment of both DDH and NM hip disease. The Dega osteotomy is utilitarian, as it may provide increased acetabular coverage anteriorly or posteriorly depending on where it is hinged. Level of Evidence Therapeutic study, clinical case series: level IV.
Determination of Plasma Osteopontin and Serum Inhibin B in Pregnant Women with Preeclampsia

Pre-eclampsia is a multisystem disorder of pregnancy, which complicates 3%-5% of pregnancies in the world . The present study deals with estimation of levels of Osteopontin, Inhibin B, protein, albumin, globulin and Alb. /Glb. ratio in forty five Pregnant Women with Preeclampsia in comparison with thirty healthy Pregnant Women. In Pregnant Women with Preeclampsia, the level of Osteopontin and Inhibin B were significantly higher as compared to the normal subjects [p<0.01]. In Pregnant Women with Preeclampsia the levels of S. calcium S.Protein and albumin were significantly decreased as compared to the normal subjects [p<0.05, p<0.05and p<0.01] respectively. Based on findings of the present study, it can be concluded that Patients with Preeclampsia had significantly higher serum inhibin B and Osteopontin concentrations compared to healthy pregnant women. In addition, the current study could not determine any links between Osteopontin levels and other biochemical markers in this study. Keyword: Preeclampsia, Osteopontin, Inhibin B, protein, Albumin and Globulin.
Children's knowledge of contagion and contamination as causes of illness.

Children's knowledge of contagion and contamination as causes of illness was examined in 3 experiments. In Experiment 1, preschoolers and children in grades 1 and 3 were shown videotaped segments of puppets with colds and toothaches who explained their ailments in terms of contagion and immanent justice. The children were instructed to evaluate and correct the puppets' explanations and, in addition, to indicate the possible effects on health of drinking milk that had come into contact with objects such as a cockroach, used comb, and spoon. Even preschoolers displayed some knowledge of contagion and contamination. However, compared to the third graders, younger children were less likely to reject proximity to a sick person and naughty behavior as causes of toothaches. They were also more likely to indicate that to drink milk that had come into contact with a spoon was unhealthy. In Experiment 2, preschoolers rejected the proposition that an ailment caused by accident (i.e., a scraped knee) is contagious and, in Experiment 3, they generally accepted that contamination through contact with a dirty spoon can be prevented by washing. Altogether, preschoolers have a more substantial knowledge of contagion and contamination than has been estimated previously. The results are discussed in terms of children's ability to understand causal relations.
Membrane Fusion Tropism and Heterotypic Functional Activities of the Nipah Virus and Hendra Virus Envelope Glycoproteins

ABSTRACT Nipah virus (NiV) and Hendra virus (HeV) are novel paramyxoviruses from pigs and horses, respectively, that are responsible for fatal zoonotic infections of humans. The unique genetic and biological characteristics of these emerging agents has led to their classification as the prototypic members of a new genus within the Paramyxovirinae subfamily called Henipavirus. These viruses are most closely related to members of the genus Morbillivirus and infect cells through a pH-independent membrane fusion event mediated by the actions of their attachment (G) and fusion (F) glycoproteins. Understanding their cell biological features and exploring the functional characteristics of the NiV and HeV glycoproteins will help define important properties of these emerging viruses and may provide new insights into paramyxovirus membrane fusion mechanisms. Using a recombinant vaccinia virus system and a quantitative assay for fusion, we demonstrate NiV glycoprotein function and the same pattern of cellular tropism recently reported for HeV-mediated fusion, suggesting that NiV likely uses the same cellular receptor for infection. Fusion specificity was verified by inhibition with a specific antiserum or peptides derived from the α-helical heptads of NiV or HeV F. Like that of HeV, NiV-mediated fusion also requires both F and G. Finally, interactions between the glycoproteins of the paramyxoviruses have not been well defined, but here we show that the NiV and HeV glycoproteins are capable of highly efficient heterotypic functional activity with each other. However, no heterotypic activity was observed with envelope glycoproteins of the morbilliviruses Measles virus and Canine distemper virus.