Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Increased Endocrine Cells in Treated Rectal Adenocarcinomas: A Possible Reflection of Endocrine Differentiation in Tumor Cells Induced by Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy

The presence of focal endocrine cells in colorectal adenocarcinoma is a relatively common phenomenon. However, endocrine differentiation in treated adenocarcinomas of the gastrointestinal tract has received little attention. We noted striking numbers of cells with endocrine morphology and phenotype in the residual tumor of six randomly encountered cases of rectal adenocarcinoma that were subjected to neoadjuvant therapy. All six cases had a substantial treatment response (≥50%). To validate our initial observation and to explore its clinicopathologic significance, further morphologic and immunohistochemical studies were performed on 53 cases of rectal adenocarcinomas treated with preoperative radiation with (33 cases) or without (20 cases) chemotherapy. Pretreatment biopsies from 20 of the 53 cases and 79 resection specimens of rectal adenocarcinoma that received no neoadjuvant therapy were used as controls. Chromogranin positivity was identified in the posttreatment resection specimens in 36 of the 53 study cases (67.9%). Twenty of the 36 showed positive staining in ≥20% of the residual tumor cells. The chromogranin-positive cells in these cases often formed cords or nests. On hematoxylin and eosin sections these cells had markedly eosinophilic cytoplasm and round and uniform or sometimes pleomorphic nuclei with an often dense chromatin pattern. The proportion of chromogranin-positive cells was significantly associated with the extent of treatment response (p = 0.0005). Tumors treated with both chemotherapy and radiotherapy were more likely to have abundant chromogranin-positive cells compared with tumors treated with radiotherapy alone (p = 0.0004). In contrast, only 30% of the pretreatment biopsies and 17.7% of the control resection specimens of untreated rectal carcinomas showed chromogranin-positive cells, predominantly arranged as scattered individual positive cells, constituting <10% of the tumor. No significant correlation was observed between pretreatment and posttreatment specimens with regard to chromogranin positivity (p = 1.0). Ten of 15 patients (66.7%) whose resection specimens showed positive chromogranin staining failed to demonstrate any chromogranin positivity in their pretreatment biopsy specimens. In addition, groups or nests of chromogranin-positive cells noted in posttreatment specimens showed a very low Ki67 labeling index (<5%) but showed a frequency of abnormal p53 protein expression comparable with that observed in tumor foci resembling conventional adenocarcinoma (66.7% vs 62.5%). Our findings demonstrate that there is an increased frequency and density of cells with an endocrine phenotype in rectal adenocarcinomas that were subjected to neoadjuvant therapy and that the extent of endocrine cells appears proportional to the degree of treatment response. The possible mechanism for the increased endocrine cells in treated rectal adenocarcinomas may be related to induction of endocrine differentiation in tumor cells by cytotoxic insult.
Relationships Among Migrainous, Vascular and Orthostatic Symptoms

A headache symptom questionnaire was filled out by 766 undergraduate university students and 258 reported one or more headaches per month. Headaches characterized by one or more of the main migrainous symptoms (unilateral pain, gastrointestinal disturbance and focal neurological symptoms) were reported to be more severe, pulsatile, of longer duration, and associated with facial pallor and signs of cerebral vascular instability more frequently than headaches accompanied by few or none of the major migrainous symptoms. Additionally, hunger was reported to trigger headaches associated with migrainous symptoms more frequently than non-migrainous headaches. The results are consistent with the proposal that vascular involvement is one of the factors underlying a continuum of headache with migraine as one extreme.
Postoperative Management of Carpometacarpal Joint Fracture Dislocation of the Hand: A Case Report

Injury to the carpometacarpal joints is rare. The strong ligamentous attachments and carpal bone alignment readily resist displacement. To the authors’ knowledge, there are no studies evaluating postoperative recovery regimens of carpometacarpal fracture dislocations. The present study describes a postoperative hand therapy regimen that used a novel carpometacarpal brace permitting early mobilization.
Evaluation of the effect of glucose ingestion and kinetic model configurations of FDG in the normal liver.

UNLABELLED The liver plays an important role in glucose homeostasis. PET studies with 2-[F-18]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) of the liver (e.g., in neoplasms) require an understanding of the effects of dietary conditions on hepatic FDG uptake. METHODS Twenty studies were performed on 10 normal volunteers (ages 24 +/- 4) after fasting 4 to 19 hr and again after oral consumption of 100 g of dextrose to investigate tracer kinetic model configurations of FDG in the normal liver and to evaluate the impact of oral glucose on liver in normal subjects. Dynamic PET images were acquired for about 1 hr using a Siemens/CTI 931 tomograph. RESULTS A three-compartment model with an input function delay time parameter was the statistically preferred model configuration. The model estimated transport rate constant from plasma to liver, K1, increased significantly (p < 0.05) from 0.864 +/- 0.136 ml/min/g in fasting studies to 1.058 +/- 0.269 ml/min/g in postglucose studies. Glucose loading also significantly increased (p < 0.01) the rate constant for FDG phosphorylation, k3, from 0.005 +/- 0.003 min-1 in fasting studies to 0.013 +/- 0.007 min-1 in postglucose administration and, consequently, significantly increased both the phosphorylation fraction (k3/(k2 + k3)) and the influx constant (K1k3/(k2 + k3)). No significant differences in the liver-to-plasma transport rate constant, k2, dephosphorylation constant, k4, or distribution volume of FDG (K1/(k2 + k3)) were observed. CONCLUSION Dynamic FDG-PET studies can be used to evaluate kinetics of liver glucose metabolism. The results indicate that dietary conditions have a significant effect on hepatic FDG kinetics. Because of the higher net FDG uptake by normal liver after glucose loading, fasting conditions are preferred for FDG liver tumor studies to increase the tumor-to-background contrast.
Trends of antimicrobial resistance in bacterial isolates from a small animal referral hospital

A longitudinal, retrospective investigation was made of antimicrobial resistance in bacterial isolates obtained from clinical cases in a small animal hospital between 1989 and 1997. Isolates of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus species were used as Gram-negative and Gram-positive indicator organisms, respectively, and the annual prevalence of antimicrobial resistance was calculated for each organism to each of nine (for E coli) and 11 (for Staphylococcus species) appropriate antimicrobials, including enrofloxacin. Using a chi-square test for trend, statistically significant, rising trends were identified in the resistance of E coli to amoxycillin (P=0.04), clavulanate-amoxycillin (P<0.01) and streptomycin (P<0.01), and in the resistance of Staphylococcus species to erythromycin (P<0.01). There was an equivocal, rising trend for the resistance of Staphylococcus species to cephalexin. No significant trends were apparent for any of the other 15 organism/drug interactions. The annual prevalence of multiple drug resistance was calculated for E coli, Proteus species, Pseudomonas species, staphylococci and streptococci, but no statistically significant trends were identified.
Intragenic complementation among partial peptides of herpes simplex virus regulatory protein ICP4

Peptides of the herpes simplex virus type 1 regulatory protein, ICP4, which are translated from genes containing nonsense and deletion mutations retain specific biochemical properties and activities characteristic of the intact ICP4 molecule (N. A. DeLuca and P. A. Schaffer, J. Virol. 62:732-743, 1988). Mutant viruses expressing these peptides are deficient for viral growth in the absence of complementing wild-type protein supplied in trans, indicating that the mutant peptides are not functionally complete. In the present study we have demonstrated that certain pairs of mutants expressing partial ICP4 peptides complement each other. The complementation is shown at the level of transcription and results in enhanced virus growth. Among complementing pairs of ICP4 mutants is a virus expressing a peptide deleted for codons 185 to 309 (d2) and a virus expressing only the amino-terminal 774 amino acids (n208). By using a mobility-shift assay and by taking advantage of the specific DNA-binding properties of ICP4, it was demonstrated that novel ICP4-containing DNA-protein complexes were found when extracts from cells coinfected with complementing pairs of ICP4 mutants were incubated with target DNA. The novel complexes were shown to be a function of both mutant peptides in the coinfected cell, suggesting that complementation results from the multimerization of partial ICP4 peptides.
Push and Pull: The Influence of Race/Ethnicity on Agency in Doctoral Student Career Advancement.

This study examined and enriched our understanding of the career choice process for doctoral students of color in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. In addition, it explored the challenges facing all doctoral students in STEM in understanding and making meaning of diversity as it relates to individual perspectives and actions. We used an agency theoretical framework to explore career-related decisions of doctoral students. This framework captured how students “navigate, negotiate, reframe, and act” during the career decision-making process of a doctoral program.
Subjective Sexual Well-Being in Chilean Adults: Evaluation of a Predictive Model

Research on sexuality has traditionally focused on sexual satisfaction, with studies into subjective sexual well-being being a recent phenomenon. This study sought to evaluate the relationship between sexual behavior, happiness, health, and subjective sexual well-being. The data were collected from 862 people aged between 18 and 50 years in Santiago, Chile, and were analyzed by logistic regression analysis. The results showed that sexual behavioral indicators (sexual frequency, sexual caresses, and touching), happiness, and perception of health taken as a whole predicted 47.4% of subjective sexual well-being (SSWB). Analysis of the four items of subjective sexual well-being separately showed that the dimension of physical satisfaction was associated with three variables of sexual behavior indicators with a prediction percentage of 33.5%, whereas emotional satisfaction was associated with three variables of sexual behavior indicators and happiness, with a percentage of prediction of 43.3%. Satisfaction with sexual function was associated with perception of health and one sexual behavior indicator, with a prediction percentage of 29.2% of this variable. The importance of sex was associated with three sexual behavior variables that predicted 26.2% of this variable. The results confirm that subjective sexual well-being can be predicted and that its four dimensions present a different behavior compared to the study predictors.
Dysexecutive Syndrome and Social Adjustment in Schizophrenia

Objective: This paper reports on a study designed to (i) assess levels of executive functions among patients suffering from schizophrenia; (ii) investigate associations between measures of executive functions and psychosocial adjustment; and (iii) examine the influence of psychopathology on the relationship between executive functions and psychosocial adjustment. Clear knowledge of executive functions and of their impact on social adjustment in patients with schizophrenia may play a decisive role in preparing and structuring appropriate outpatient care. Method: An extensive battery constituted of several tests developed for the assessment of executive functions was used in 38 inpatients with a DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia. Psychosocial adjustment was assessed with a set of commonly used scales. Results: Performance on measures of executive functions was heterogeneous among the patient population, with a subgroup performing within normal scores. A similar pattern was found on measures of psychosocial adjustment. Most of the executive measures were not dependent on demographic or clinical variables. A factorial analysis on measures of psychosocial adjustment yielded a one-factor model which showed inconsistent, and at most, weak to moderate correlations with executive functions. Regression analysis revealed that symptom levels accounted for two-thirds of the variance of psychosocial adjustment, and together with measures of executive functions for 91% of the variance. General and negative symptoms showed strong correlations with psychosocial adjustment. Conclusions: Our study supports the view that executive function is a heterogeneous construct with several subdimensions. Additionally, it suggests that symptom level has an important role as ‘rate limiting factor’ on psychosocial adjustment and is partially mediated by executive dysfunction. Our results call for careful and detailed assessment in this patient population in order to establish appropriate treatment programmes such as cognitive remediation.
Species Specificity in Ribosome Biogenesis: a Nonconserved Phosphoprotein Is Required for Formation of the Large Ribosomal Subunit in Trypanosoma brucei

ABSTRACT In the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma brucei, the large rRNA, which is a single 3.4- to 5-kb species in most organisms, is further processed to form six distinct RNAs, two larger than 1 kb (LSU1 and LSU2) and four smaller than 220 bp. The small rRNA SR1 separates the two large RNAs, while the remaining small RNAs are clustered at the 3′ end of the precursor rRNA. One would predict that T. brucei possesses specific components to carry out these added processing events. We show here that the trypanosomatid-specific nucleolar phosphoprotein NOPP44/46 is involved in this further processing. Cells depleted of NOPP44/46 by RNA interference had a severe growth defect and demonstrated a defect in large-ribosomal-subunit biogenesis. Concurrent with this defect, a significant decrease in processing intermediates, particularly for SR1, was seen. In addition, we saw an accumulation of aberrant processing intermediates caused by cleavage within either LSU1 or LSU2. Though it is required for large-subunit biogenesis, we show that NOPP44/46 is not incorporated into the nascent particle. Thus, NOPP44/46 is an unusual protein in that it is both nonconserved and required for ribosome biogenesis.
Pharmacogenetics of tamoxifen biotransformation is associated with clinical outcomes of efficacy and hot flashes.

PURPOSE Polymorphisms in tamoxifen metabolizing genes affect the plasma concentration of tamoxifen metabolites, but their effect on clinical outcome is unknown. METHODS We determined cytochrome P450 (CYP)2D6 (*4 and *6) and CYP3A5 (*3) genotype from paraffin-embedded tumor samples and buccal cells (living patients) in tamoxifen-treated women enrolled onto a North Central Cancer Treatment Group adjuvant breast cancer trial. The relationship between genotype and disease outcome was determined using the log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards modeling. RESULTS Paraffin blocks were obtained from 223 of 256 eligible patients, and buccal cells were obtained from 17 living women. CYP2D6 (*4 and *6) and CYP3A5 (*3) genotypes were determined from 190, 194, and 205 patient samples and in 17 living women. The concordance rate between buccal and tumor genotype was 100%. Women with the CYP2D6 *4/*4 genotype had worse relapse-free time (RF-time; P = .023) and disease-free survival (DFS; P = .012), but not overall survival (P = .169) and did not experience moderate to severe hot flashes relative to women heterozygous or homozygous for the wild-type allele. In the multivariate analysis, women with the CYP2D6 *4/*4 genotype still tended to have worse RFS (hazard ratio [HR], 1.85; P = .176) and DFS (HR, 1.86; P = .089). The CYP3A5*3 variant was not associated with any of these clinical outcomes. CONCLUSION In tamoxifen-treated patients, women with the CYP2D6 *4/*4 genotype tend to have a higher risk of disease relapse and a lower incidence of hot flashes, which is consistent with our previous observation that CYP2D6 is responsible for the metabolic activation of tamoxifen to endoxifen.
Role of Endogenous Oxidative DNA Damage in Carcinogenesis: What Can We Learn from Repair-Deficient Mice?

Abstract Basal steadystate levels of oxidative DNA base modifications such as 7,8-dihydro-8-oxo-2deoxyguanosine (8-oxoG) are observed in all types of cells, most probably due to a continuous generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the cellular oxygen metabolism, and it has long been suspected that they might play an important role in the initiation of carcinogenesis. Experimental evidence for this assumption can be obtained by studying the effects of a modulation the steadystate levels, either by in or decreasing the generation of oxidative DNA damage, on spontaneous mutation rates and cancer incidence. However, clear answers have not yet been obtained by these strategies. It is still doubtful whether an efficient reduction of the in vivo steadystate levels can achieved by application of antioxidants, and effects observed under oxidative stress conditions (i.e. increased oxidative DNA damage) are inconclusive due to the pronounced epigenetic effects of ROS on signal transduction and gene expression (tumor promotion). In addition, the reliable quantification of the basal levels of oxidative DNA modifications is still major problem. Recently, the generation of mice deficient in the repair 8-oxoG (ogg1/ mice) has opened the door for an alternative approach. Results obtained so far indicate that an increase by less than five 8-oxoG residues per 106 bp in the liver of the knockout animals is associated with a two to threefold higher spontaneous mutation frequency in transgenic genes. However, the increase in the ogg1/ mice of the steadystate level of 8-oxoG and the spontaneous mutation frequency was only observed in the liver and apparently too small to enhance the spontaneous cancer incidence significantly. The limited effect seems to be due to a backup repair system for 8-oxoG in the ogg1/ mice, and it can be expected that the inactivation of this pathway doubleknockout mice will lead to higher effects and a better assessment of the risk associated with endogenous oxidative DNA damage.
Cytochemical studies of the temporary changes on the intestinal autonomic nerve cells of the mouse caused by the injection of the poisons for autonomic nerve. I. Observations after pilocarpin injection.

Takakusu (1924), Ishikawa (1922) and d'Amato (1906) reported about the changes on the intestinal autonomic nerve cells of the various kinds of animals caused by the injection of the autonomic poisons, but the authors have never seen the cytochemical studies of phosphatase and polysaccharide on them. The authors began to study the changes on the intestinal autonomic nerve cells within the short time after the injection of the poisons of autonomic nerve. In this paper we observed the changes on the alkaline phosphatase, acid phosphatase and PAS positive substances of the autonomic nerve cells after pilocarpin injection.
The Effect of Yoga Exercise on Improving Depression, Anxiety, and Fatigue in Women With Breast Cancer: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Depression, anxiety, and fatigue are among the most significant problems that influence the quality of life of patients with breast cancer who receive adjuvant chemotherapy. Although evidence has shown yoga to decrease anxiety, depression, and fatigue in patients with cancer, few studies on the effects of yoga have targeted patients with breast cancer. Yoga interventions should be tested to promote the psychological and physical health of women with breast cancer. Purpose: This study examines the effectiveness of an 8-week yoga exercise program in promoting the psychological and physical health of women with breast cancer undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy in terms of depression, anxiety, and fatigue. Methods: A sample of 60 women with nonmetastatic breast cancer was recruited. Participants were randomly assigned into either the experimental group (n = 30) or the control group (n = 30). A 60-minute, twice-per-week yoga exercise was implemented for 8 weeks as the intervention for the participants in the experimental group. The control group received standard care only. Results: Analysis using the Johnson–Neyman procedure found that the yoga exercise reduced overall fatigue and the interference of fatigue in everyday life for the experimental group participants. Significant reductions were obtained after 4 weeks of intervention participation for those experimental group patients with relatively low starting baseline values (baseline item mean value < 3.31 and 3.22, respectively) and after 8 weeks for most patients (approximately 75%) with moderate starting baseline values (baseline item mean value < 7.30 and 5.34, respectively). The 8-week intervention did not significantly improve the levels of depression (F = 1.29, p > .05) or anxiety (F = 2.7, p > .05). Conclusions/Implications for Practice: The 8-week yoga exercise program developed in this study effectively reduced fatigue in patients with breast cancer but did not reduce depression or anxiety. Oncology nurses should strengthen their clinical health education and apply yoga to reduce the fatigue experienced by patients with breast cancer who undergo adjuvant chemotherapy.
Putting Theory into Practice: Wildlife Health in Conservation

Abstract: Infectious and noninfectious diseases are being recognized by conservation biologists as an increasing challenge to the conservation of wildlife. The amplified role of diseases as a factor limiting species' survival can be traced to anthropogenic changes on a global scale that have direct and indirect influences on the health of wildlife species. These changes include human population growth, habitat fragmentation and degradation, the isolation of populations of species, and an increased proximity of humans (and their domestic animals) to wildlife. Further, some conservation projects have caused more harm than good by unwittingly introducing diseases to wildlife populations, whereas others have failed to meet their objectives because they did not take disease factors into consideration. Conservation biologists need to move quickly past the decades‐old debate on the relative importance of wildlife health to conservation and begin using all the tools available to ensure the effectiveness of their efforts. We briefly review the literature on wildlife diseases, place wildlife health in the context of global changes affecting wild animal populations, and offer concrete suggestions for ways to integrate wildlife health sciences into conservation, such as including health assessment or monitoring programs and research on interspecies disease transmission in field biology projects, training wildlife professionals in the design and implementation of wildlife studies that incorporate health components, and encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration. Our goal is to raise awareness that conservation biologists working in disciplines ranging from field biology to policy making have an important role to play in facilitating a transition toward a new conservation paradigm that includes wildlife health. This paradigm shift will take an academic understanding of the importance of wildlife disease and turn it into practical actions that will help conserve wildlife more effectively.