Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Health status and health care of immigrants in Canada: a longitudinal analysis

Objectives: This paper focuses upon health status, need for care, and use of health care from 1994/95 to 2000/01 in the Canadian foreign-born population. Methods: Using Statistics Canada's longitudinal National Population Health Survey, descriptive and survival analyses are used to explore immigrant health status and health care. Results: The health status of immigrants quickly declines after arrival, with a concomitant increase in use of health care services. However, survival analysis of the risk of a change to poor health indicates no difference between immigrants and the native-born. Similarly, there is no difference in the risk of hospital use between the two populations. Conclusions: The health status of recent immigrant arrivals is observed to decline towards that of the native-born population, while health care utilization increases. However, increased use may not be sufficient to offset declines in health, meaning that need for health care within the immigrant population may be unmet.
Comparison of contrast media and low-molecular-weight dextran for frequency-domain optical coherence tomography.

BACKGROUND Although an intracoronary frequency-domain optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT) system overcomes several limitations of the time-domain OCT (TD-OCT) system, the former requires injection of contrast media for image acquisition. The increased total amount of contrast media for FD-OCT image acquisition may lead to the impairment of renal function. The safety and usefulness of the non-occlusion method with low-molecular-weight dextran L (LMD-L) via a guiding catheter for TD-OCT image acquisition have been reported previously. The aim of the present study was to compare the image quality and quantitative measurements between contrast media and LMD-L for FD-OCT image acquisition in coronary stented lesions. METHODS AND RESULTS Twenty-two patients with 25 coronary stented lesions were enrolled in this study. FD-OCT was performed with the continuous-flushing method via a guiding catheter. Both contrast media and LMD-L were infused at a rate of 4 ml/s by an autoinjector. With regard to image quality, the prevalence of clear image segments was comparable between contrast media and LMD-L (97.9% vs. 96.5%, P=0.90). Furthermore, excellent correlations were observed between both flushing solutions in terms of minimum lumen area, mean lumen area, and mean stent area. The total volumes of contrast media and of LMD-L needed for OCT image acquisition were similar. CONCLUSIONS FD-OCT image acquisition with LMD-L has the potential to reduce the total amount of contrast media without loss of image quality.
Postnatal changes in caldesmon expression and localization in cardiac myocytes

Caldesmon is a heat‐stable protein found in both muscle and non‐muscle tissue. It binds to a number of contractile and cytoskeletal proteins and may be involved in regulating acto‐myosin interaction in smooth muscle cells and/or the assembly of microfilaments in muscle and non‐muscle cells. We have shown previously that caldesmon is localized at the Z‐lines in adult cardiac myocytes and that both the low‐ and high‐molecular‐weight forms (l‐caldesmon and h‐caldesmon, respectively) are present in atrial and ventricular myocytes. Here we examined the expression of caldesmon and its localization in freshly isolated cardiac myocytes during postnatal development and when these myocytes were grown in culture. We found that l‐caldesmon is expressed in both neonatal and adult rat ventricular myocytes. The expression of h‐caldesmon, however, was not detected in myocytes from newborn animals but increased during the first 2 weeks of postnatal development. Caldesmon was generally not co‐localized with α‐actinin at the Z‐lines in neonatal myocytes but became increasingly more so during the first 2 weeks of postnatal development. When myocytes from 5‐ and 10‐day‐old rats were grown in primary culture, h‐caldesmon expression decreased and caldesmon could not be detected at the Z‐lines in the cultured cells. These results indicate that caldesmon plays a role at the Z‐lines in adult cardiac myocytes; however, its localization at the Z‐lines is not necessary for the prenatal development that occurs at these sites or for the establishment of a contractile phenotype in cultured cardiac myocytes.
Serum chemokine levels as prognostic markers in patients with early systemic sclerosis: a multicenter, prospective, observational study

ObjectiveTo assess the utility of serum chemokine levels as a prognostic indicator of disease progression in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients with early onset disease.MethodsSeventy Japanese patients with early onset SSc presenting with diffuse skin sclerosis and/or interstitial lung disease were registered in a multicenter, observational study. Concentrations of CCL2, CCL5, CXCL8, CXCL9, and CXCL10 in serum samples from all patients were measured using cytometric beads array. In 33 patients, chemokine levels were measured each year for 4 years. The ability of baseline chemokine levels to predict changes in clinical features were evaluated statistically by multiple regression analysis.ResultsAt their first visit, serum levels of CCL2, CCL5, CXCL8, CXCL9, and CXCL10 were significantly elevated in patients with SSc compared with healthy controls. There were significant associations between CCL2 and CXCL8 levels and between CXCL9 and CXCL10 levels in patients. The initial serum CXCL8 levels were significantly associated with the HAQ-DI at the fourth year while the %VC of baseline tended to be negatively associated with HAQ-DI at the fourth year. Initial chemokine levels were not associated with other clinical features including skin thickness score and the respiratory function.ConclusionSerum CXCL8 level may serve as a prognostic indicator of the physical dysfunction in SSc. Further longitudinal studies of larger populations are needed to confirm these findings.
Enumeration of Neural Stem and Progenitor Cells in the Neural Colony‐Forming Cell Assay

Advancement in our understanding of the biology of adult stem cells and their therapeutic potential relies heavily on meaningful functional assays that can identify and measure stem cell activity in vivo and in vitro. In the mammalian nervous system, neural stem cells (NSCs) are often studied using a culture system referred to as the neurosphere assay. We previously challenged a central tenet of this assay, that all neurospheres are derived from a NSC, and provided evidence that it overestimates NSC frequency, rendering it inappropriate for quantitation of NSC frequency in relation to NSC regulation. Here we report the development and validation of the neural colony‐forming cell assay (NCFCA), which discriminates stem from progenitor cells on the basis of their proliferative potential. We anticipate that the NCFCA will provide additional clarity in discerning the regulation of NSCs, thereby facilitating further advances in the promising application of NSCs for therapeutic use.
Comparative Analysis of the Magnitude, Quality, Phenotype, and Protective Capacity of Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Gag-Specific CD8+ T Cells following Human-, Simian-, and Chimpanzee-Derived Recombinant Adenoviral Vector Immunization

Recombinant adenoviral vectors (rAds) are the most potent recombinant vaccines for eliciting CD8+ T cell–mediated immunity in humans; however, prior exposure from natural adenoviral infection can decrease such responses. In this study we show low seroreactivity in humans against simian- (sAd11, sAd16) or chimpanzee-derived (chAd3, chAd63) compared with human-derived (rAd5, rAd28, rAd35) vectors across multiple geographic regions. We then compared the magnitude, quality, phenotype, and protective capacity of CD8+ T cell responses in mice vaccinated with rAds encoding SIV Gag. Using a dose range (1 × 107–109 particle units), we defined a hierarchy among rAd vectors based on the magnitude and protective capacity of CD8+ T cell responses, from most to least, as: rAd5 and chAd3, rAd28 and sAd11, chAd63, sAd16, and rAd35. Selection of rAd vector or dose could modulate the proportion and/or frequency of IFN-γ+TNF-α+IL-2+ and KLRG1+CD127−CD8+ T cells, but strikingly ∼30–80% of memory CD8+ T cells coexpressed CD127 and KLRG1. To further optimize CD8+ T cell responses, we assessed rAds as part of prime-boost regimens. Mice primed with rAds and boosted with NYVAC generated Gag-specific responses that approached ∼60% of total CD8+ T cells at peak. Alternatively, priming with DNA or rAd28 and boosting with rAd5 or chAd3 induced robust and equivalent CD8+ T cell responses compared with prime or boost alone. Collectively, these data provide the immunologic basis for using specific rAd vectors alone or as part of prime-boost regimens to induce CD8+ T cells for rapid effector function or robust long-term memory, respectively.
Reduced Dietary Intake of Carbohydrates by Obese Subjects Results in Decreased Concentrations of Butyrate and Butyrate-Producing Bacteria in Feces

ABSTRACT Weight loss diets for humans that are based on a high intake of protein but low intake of fermentable carbohydrate may alter microbial activity and bacterial populations in the large intestine and thus impact on gut health. In this study, 19 healthy, obese (body mass index range, 30 to 42) volunteers were given in succession three different diets: maintenance (M) for 3 days (399 g carbohydrate/day) and then high protein/medium (164 g/day) carbohydrate (HPMC) and high protein/low (24 g/day) carbohydrate (HPLC) each for 4 weeks. Stool samples were collected at the end of each dietary regimen. Total fecal short-chain fatty acids were 114 mM, 74 mM, and 56 mM (P < 0.001) for M, HPMC, and HPLC diets, respectively, and there was a disproportionate reduction in fecal butyrate (18 mM, 9 mM, and 4 mM, respectively; P < 0.001) with decreasing carbohydrate. Major groups of fecal bacteria were monitored using nine 16S rRNA-targeted fluorescence in situ hybridization probes, relative to counts obtained with the broad probe Eub338. No significant change was seen in the relative counts of the bacteroides (Bac303) (mean, 29.6%) or the clostridial cluster XIVa (Erec482, 23.3%), cluster IX (Prop853, 9.3%), or cluster IV (Fprau645, 11.6%; Rbro730 plus Rfla729, 9.3%) groups. In contrast, the Roseburia spp. and Eubacterium rectale subgroup of cluster XIVa (11%, 8%, and 3% for M, HPMC, and HPLC, respectively; P < 0.001) and bifidobacteria (4%, 2.1%, and 1.9%, respectively; P = 0.026) decreased as carbohydrate intake decreased. The abundance of butyrate-producing bacteria related to Roseburia spp. and E. rectale correlated well with the decline in fecal butyrate.
Hepatozoon sp. in Wild Carnivores in Texas

Twelve coyotes (Canis latrans), three bobcats (Lynx rufus) and six ocelots (Felis pardalis) from the Gulf Coast of Texas were infected with Hepatozoon sp. The geographic distribution of infected wild animals coincides with the highest prevalence of Hepatozoon canis infection in domestic dogs for which the wild species may act as a reservoir.
Mixed lineage kinase 3 mediates gp120IIIB‐induced neurotoxicity

Overexpression of gp120, the major coat protein of the HIV‐1 virus, in central glial cells, or treatment of neurons with gp120 in culture, produces apoptotic neuronal death. Here we demonstrate that CEP‐1347 (KT7515), an inhibitor of mixed lineage kinase 3 (MLK3), an upstream activator of JNK, inhibits gp120IIIB‐induced apoptosis of hippocampal neurons. Furthermore, expression of wild type MLK3 in hippocampal pyramidal neurons enhanced gp120IIIB‐induced neurotoxicity, whereas expression of a dominant negative MLK3 protected neurons from the toxic effects of the glycoprotein. These results indicate a role for MLK3 signaling in gp120IIIB‐induced neuronal death, and suggest potential clinical utility of CEP‐1347 in inhibiting the progression of AIDS dementia.
Dignity in the life of people with head injuries.

TITLE Dignity in the life of people with head injuries. AIM This paper is a report of a study conducted to determine how people who suffer from head injuries perceive respect for their dignity and to discover what patients mean by the concept of 'dignity'. BACKGROUND We know something about what the phenomenon of dignity means. However, we still lack knowledge about how patients perceive dignity in their lives and how dignity may be fostered and supported. METHODS Qualitative interviews were carried out during 2007 with 14 patients suffering from head injuries, diagnosed as having mild to moderate disability. The study was explorative and descriptive, with a content analysis. FINDINGS Patients experienced their dignity as maintained when they were taken seriously, received appropriate information and were reality-oriented. They experienced their dignity as violated if they had been neglected or had encountered healthcare personnel who lacked knowledge, were sceptical about their stories, and where the patient experienced extra burden when they were mistrusted. The importance of adequate information was underscored. As interviewees said, head injuries do not show on the outside and people with head injuries do not have a high status in society. CONCLUSION Patients living with head injuries should be informed about consequences and be taught strategies for how to live with head injuries as early as possible after the injury in order to maintain dignity.
Long Term Effects of Charge Redistribution in Cycled Bias Operating MOS Dosimeter

Techniques based on bias switching during the irradiation allow to extend the measurement range of MOS dosimeters. The response of the REM RFT300 RADFET dosimeter during bias cycled measurements shows a slow shift of the quasi-steady state threshold voltage value during radiation-induced charge neutralization. This phenomenon was previously explained as due to the presence of border traps. In this work, a recently developed numerical model which included the main physical processes leading to hole trapping and neutralization in MOS oxides was used to reproduce this experiment. The application of the model shows that the slow shift of the quasi-steady state threshold voltage during neutralization stages is a consequence of the spatial redistribution of trapped charge within the oxide. The effect this phenomenon has on MOS dosimetry is analyzed.
Clinical Features, Prognostic Factors, and Their Relationship With Antiplatelet Antibodies in Children With Immune Thrombocytopenia

We investigated and evaluated the demographics, clinical and laboratory features, treatment responses, and disease duration of 25 children with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) eligible for detection of antiplatelet antibodies. We found that patients without antecedent of preceding infection (API) were more likely to have anti-GPIa/IIa than those with API (42.9% vs. 5.5%, P=0.048). Age groups of <2 years and 2 to 10 years were more likely to show response (R) or complete response (CR) to given treatments, whereas none of the patients whose onset age >10 years showed R or CR to given treatments (88.9% and 100% vs 0%, P=0.001). The percentage of newly diagnosed ITP was higher in age groups of <2 years (100%) and in 2 to 10 years (90%) than the age group of >10 years (16.7%, P=0.001). Patients without API (71.4%) were more likely to develop chronic ITP than those with API (5.6%, P=0.002). In conclusion, younger age was a favorable prognostic factor, especially in patients <2 years of age with respect to treatment responses and disease duration. In addition, API was associated with a short disease course as well as absence of anti-GPIa/IIa.
The expediency of culture : uses of culture in the global era

The Expediency of Culture is a pioneering theorization of the changing role of culture in an increasingly globalized world. George Yudice explores critically how groups ranging from indigenous activists to nation-states to nongovernmental organizations have all come to see culture as a valuable resource to be invested in, contested, and used for varied sociopolitical and economic ends. Through a dazzling series of illustrative studies, Yudice challenges the Gramscian notion of cultural struggle for hegemony and instead develops an understanding of culture where cultural agency at every level is negotiated within globalized contexts dominated by the active management and administration of culture. He describes a world where “high” culture (such as the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain) is a mode of urban development, rituals and everyday aesthetic practices are mobilized to promote tourism and the heritage industries, and mass culture industries comprise significant portions of a number of countries’ gross national products. Yudice contends that a new international division of cultural labor has emerged, combining local difference with transnational administration and investment. This does not mean that today’s increasingly transnational culture—exemplified by the entertainment industries and the so-called global civil society of nongovernmental organizations—is necessarily homogenized. He demonstrates that national and regional differences are still functional, shaping the meaning of phenomena from pop songs to antiracist activism. Yudice considers a range of sites where identity politics and cultural agency are negotiated in the face of powerful transnational forces. He analyzes appropriations of American funk music as well as a citizen action initiative in Rio de Janeiro to show how global notions such as cultural difference are deployed within specific social fields. He provides a political and cultural economy of a vast and increasingly influential art event— in site a triennial festival extending from San Diego to Tijuana. He also reflects on the city of Miami as one of a number of transnational “cultural corridors” and on the uses of culture in an unstable world where censorship and terrorist acts interrupt the usual channels of capitalist and artistic flows.
Tetramers Are the Activation-competent Species of the HOCl-specific Transcription Factor HypT*

Background: The transcription factor HypT is a dynamic oligomer and is activated by methionine oxidation. Results: Dissociation of dodecamers into tetramers enhances and accelerates HypT activation by HOCl, proving tetramers to be the activation-competent species. Conclusion: HypT activity is controlled by its oligomeric state and exposure to HOCl. Significance: Regulation of a transcription factor by two levels of control enables fine-tuned activation under stress. Hypochlorous acid (HOCl) is an important component of the immune system and is produced by neutrophils to kill invading microorganisms. The transcription factor HypT is specifically activated by HOCl by methionine oxidation and protects Escherichia coli cells from the detrimental effects of HOCl. HypT forms dodecameric ring-like oligomers. Binding of HypT to DNA induces dissociation of the dodecamers into dimers and tetramers, thus forming the DNA-binding species. To dissect HypT dissociation, binding to DNA, and activation, we aimed to dissociate the dodecamers independently of DNA and to analyze HOCl-dependent activation in vitro. We found that HypT dodecamers dissociated into tetramers in the presence of l-arginine and NaCl, which was reversible upon dilution of the additive. Making use of the reversible dissociation, we generated mixed assemblies consisting of wild-type and mutant HypT subunits and determined that mutant subunits with reduced thermal stability were stabilized by wild-type HypT in the mixed assembly. HypT tetramers, as present at high NaCl concentrations, were stabilized against thermal unfolding and aggregation triggered by high HOCl concentrations. Importantly, in vitro activation by HOCl of HypT tetramers was completed within 1 min, whereas activation of dodecamers required 1 h for completion. Furthermore, activation of HypT tetramers required stoichiometric amounts of HOCl instead of an excess of HOCl, as observed for dodecamers. This supports the idea that small HypT oligomers are the activation-competent species, whereas the dodecamers are a storage form. Our study reveals the importance of the dynamic oligomeric state for HypT activation by HOCl.
Trapping parameters estimation of fresh and thermally-aged low-density polyethylene by using an improved trapping/detrapping model

In the present paper, trapping parameters of normal and thermally aged low-density polyethylene (LDPE) samples were estimated using the improved charge dynamic model. The results show that, after long-term thermal ageing process, the injection barrier of both electrons and holes is lowered, the overall trap depth is shallower and electron trap density becomes much greater. The latter may indicate that electrons are more sensitive to ageing than those of holes.
Fine‐needle aspiration cytology of a liver metastasis of follicular dendritic cell sarcoma

Follicular dendritic cell sarcoma (FDCS) is an uncommon neoplasm derived from FDCs in lymphoid tissue. Metastatic FDCS to the liver is rare. We present a case of a 65‐yr‐old woman who was referred to our institution 1 mo after splenectomy for FDCS of the spleen. An abdominal CT scan revealed a 2.0‐cm liver lesion, which led to fine‐needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy. Smears of the aspiration obtained were hypercellular showing a pleomorphic population of large oval to spindle‐shaped tumor cells against a background of small mature lymphocytes, plasma cells, and necrotic debris. Tumor cells were arranged singly, in syncytial or fascicular patterns, and had a moderate amount of cytoplasm and indistinct cell borders. Nuclei had irregular nuclear membranes, finely granular to vesicular chromatin, and prominent nucleoli. Multinucleated and binucleated cells resembling Reed‐Sternberg cells were noted occasionally. Mitotic figures, including atypical forms, were frequently identified. The diagnosis of “pleomorphic malignant spindle‐cell neoplasm consistent with metastatic FDCS” was rendered and later confirmed by histological review and immunohistochemical staining of the subsequent liver resection specimen. Although cytological features of FDCS are characteristic, they are overlapping with those of many other tumors. We review the literature on this entity with emphasis on FNA cytomorphology, differential diagnosis, and immunohistochemical findings. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2005;32:38–43. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Capecitabine, an oral fluoropyrimidine carbamate with substantial activity in advanced colorectal cancer: results of a randomized phase II study.

PURPOSE To evaluate in patients with advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) three treatment regimens of oral capecitabine in order to select the most appropriate regimen for testing in phase III. PATIENTS AND METHODS Three capecitabine schedules were evaluated in a randomized phase II design: arm A, 1,331 mg/m(2)/d bid continuously; arm B, 2,510 mg/m(2)/d bid intermittently (2 weeks on/1 week off); and arm C, 1,657 mg/m(2)/d plus oral leucovorin 60 mg/d bid intermittently (2 weeks on/1 week off). RESULTS One hundred nine patients were randomized; 39 patients were assessable for efficacy in arm A, 34 in arm B, and 35 in arm C. Patient characteristics were balanced in the arms. Confirmed tumor responses (partial response [PR] + complete response [CR]) were reported for eight patients with two CRs (21%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 9% to 36%) in arm A, eight patients with one CR (24%; 95% CI, 11% to 41%) in arm B, and eight patients with two CRs (23%; 95% CI, 10% to 40%) in arm C. Median times to progression (TTP) in arms A, B, and C were 127, 230, and 165 days, respectively. Overall, more toxicity was seen with capecitabine plus leucovorin, particularly diarrhea and hand-foot syndrome. There was no grade 3 or 4 marrow toxicity. CONCLUSION Capecitabine offers a new, effective treatment option as an oral single agent in advanced CRC. Promising overall response rates were reported for all three regimens. The addition of leucovorin to the intermittent regimen had no marked effect on tumor response or median TTP. The intermittent single-agent capecitabine schedule is proposed for phase III evaluation, based on considerations of toxicity, dose-intensity, response rate, and TTP.