Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Who merits a neck dissection after definitive chemoradiotherapy for N2–N3 squamous cell head and neck cancer?

The role of neck dissection (ND) after definitive chemoradiotherapy for squamous cell head and neck cancer is incompletely defined. We retrospectively reviewed 109 patients with N2–N3 disease treated with chemoradiotherapy to identify predictors of a clinical complete response in the neck (CCR‐neck), pathologic complete response after ND (PCR‐neck), and regional failure.
Interprofessional collaboration: Sure start, uncertain futures

We report on a study that examines the structural constraints to successful interprofessional collaboration, rather than organizational (Hart & Fletcher, 1999) or management (Bateman, Bailey, & McLellan, 2003) processes. These constraints are derived from differences in service ethos between professionals. This study involved investigating the perceptions of mainstream professionals about their experience of working with Sure Start professionals in a Nottinghamshire Sure Start programme. Sure Start is a United Kingdom (UK) Government initiative designed to tackle child poverty and social exclusion. It does this by targeting extra provision for families with preschool children in specified geographical areas identified as deprived. It is anticipated that Sure Start will facilitate interprofessional collaboration with other agencies working with pre-school children through recognition of a shared agenda. Unlike statutory services, Sure Start provision is demand-led, in that services are identified and monitored in partnership with the community. Implicitly it is hoped that Sure Start will bring about innovation in service provision and challenge accepted ways of doing things. Although interprofessional collaboration is fundamental to Sure Start, there are examples that it has not been achieved in other settings, e.g., Bateman et al., 2003; Freeman, Miller, & Ross 2000; McLaughlin, 2004. It is recognized that effective collaboration requires recognition of shared interests and agenda (Lawson, 2004), although Morrow, Malin, & Jennings (2005) and Bateman et al. (2003) argue that the experience of interprofessional collaboration can generate considerable uncertainty, in particular about where individual or collective responsibility lies. A series of semi-structured interviews with 18 local professionals were conducted to collect data on the impact of Sure Start on their work, and the extent to which they worked with a shared agenda. The professional groups included Social Services, Nursery Nurses, Special Need Educationalists, Midwifery, Librarians, Clinical Psychologists, Health Visitors, Speech Therapists, and Children’s Resource Workers. All interviewees gave informed consent. Overwhelmingly, local professionals viewed Sure Start positively. They saw it as a welcome adjunct to statutory services in areas with a high proportion of families with complex needs. It was seen as a programme with a high level of financial support attached to it, compared to statutory services that were seen as under-resourced. Examples of how Sure Start was thought to add to existing services were found in each professional grouping. For Social Services, Clinical Psychologists and Speech Therapists, Journal of Interprofessional Care, August 2006; 20(4): 433 – 435
Polysulfides are possible H2S‐derived signaling molecules in rat brain

Accumulating evidence shows that hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has a variety of physiological functions. H2S is produced from cysteine by 3 sulfurtransferases. H2S, in turn, generates polysulfides, the functions of which are not well understood. H2S induces Ca2+ influx in astrocytes, a type of glia. However, the receptor that mediates the response has not been identified. Here, we have shown that polysulfides induce Ca2+ influx by activating transient receptor potential (TRP)A1 channels in rat astrocytes (EC50 91 nM, Hill coefficient value 1.77±0.26) and that the maximum response was induced at 0.5 μM, which is 1/320 of the concentration of H2S required to achieve a response of similar magnitude (160 μM, EC50 116 μM). TRPA1‐selective agonists, allyl isothiocyanate and cinnamaldehyde, induced Ca2+ influx, and responses to polysulfides were suppressed by TRPA1‐selective inhibitors, HC‐030031 and AP‐18, as well as by siRNAs selective to TRPA1. The present study suggests that polysulfides are possible H2S‐derived signaling molecules that stimulate TRP channels in the brain. —Kimura, Y. , Mikami, Y. , Osumi, K. , Tsugane, M. , Oka, J., Kimura, H. Polysulfides are possible H2S‐derived signaling molecules in rat brain. FASEB J. 27, 2451–2457 (2013). www.fasebj. org
Exploiting Ensemble Method in Semi-Supervised Learning

In many practical machine learning fields, obtaining labeled data is hard and expensive. Semi-supervised learning is very useful in these fields since it combines labeled and unlabeled data to boost performance of learning algorithms. Many semi-supervised learning algorithms have been proposed, among which the "co-training" algorithms are widely used. We present a new co-training strategy. It uses random subspace method to form an initial ensemble of classifiers, where each classifier is trained with different subspace of the original feature space. Unlike the prior work of Blum and Mitchell on co-training, using two redundant and sufficient views, our method uses an ensemble of classifiers. Each classifier's predictions on new unlabeled data are combined and used to enlarge the training set of others. The ensemble classifiers are refined through the enlarged training set. Experiments on UCI data sets show that when the number of labeled data is relatively small, our method performs better than the data dimensionality
Clinicopathologic and Prognostic Characteristics of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Background: Triple-negative breast cancer (estrogen receptor (ER)-, progesterone receptor (PR)-, and HER2-negative) is a rare subtype with a poor prognosis. However, the clinicopathologic and prognostic characteristics of triple-negative breast cancer remain undetermined. Materials and Methods: Immunohistochemical staining was adopted to examine the expressions of ER, PR, p53, C-erbB-2 (HER2), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) protein in 116 samples of paraffinembedded breast cancer tissues. Results: 22 triple-negative breast cancers were found among 116 informative cases (19%). The triple-negative phenotype significantly correlates with tumor size, histological grade, lymph node status, p53, and EGFR (p < 0.05), and not significantly with age, menopausal status, and VEGF protein. After a median follow-up period of 96 months (range: 32–123 months), 12 triple-negative breast cancer patients and 20 patients with non-triplenegative phenotype had distant relapse (p < 0.05). Survival analysis showed that triple-negative phenotype was inversely associated with overall survival (p < 0.05) but not significantly with disease-free survival (p = 0.2877). Multivariate Cox model analysis showed that tumor size, lymph node status, histological grade, and triple-negative phenotype provided independent significant predictive power. Conclusion: Triple-negative breast cancer phenotype has specific clinical and biological characteristics. Patients with triple-negative breast cancer have a poorer prognosis. So far, there is no conclusive effective treatment, which necessitates further studies.
Anatomical characteristics of the fossula fenestrae vestibuli

Abstract Anatomical characteristics of the fossula fenestrae vestibuli were tested and analysed precisely on 200 samples of temporal bones. The fossula is usually ovoid and shallow but can be, exceptionally, elongated, narrow and deep. It is surrounded by four walls. In 45.5 per cent of cases the upper wall is formed only by the facial canal and in 54.5 per cent of cases a bony lamella is found beneath the facial canal; the promontory forms the lower wall; the front wall is formed by the bony lamella and part of the processus cochleariformis; the back wall is clearly defined in only 22.8 per cent of cases and is formed by the bony lamella of the medial wall of the tympanic cavity. In 13.2 per cent of cases the floor of the fossula partially covers the prominence of the facial canal and in two per cent the eminentia pyramidalis. Bony recesses in this region occur fairly frequently: sinus subfacialis in 60 per cent, sinus retrofenestralis in 77.2 per cent, and sinus subrostralis in 25 per cent of the cases. These anatomical variations can influence the result of surgical intervention.
Cancer in HIV-Infected Persons From the Caribbean, Central and South America

Background:HIV-infected individuals have heightened cancer risk. With the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), the frequency of some AIDS-defining cancers (ADC) has decreased although certain non-AIDS-defining cancers (NADC) are becoming more frequent. Cancers among HIV-infected individuals in Latin American and the Caribbean have not yet been carefully studied. Methods:Cancer cases among the Caribbean, Central and South American network for HIV Research (CCASAnet) cohort were identified reviewing clinical records and pre-existing databases. Results:There were 406 cancers reported: 331 ADC (224 Kaposi sarcomas and 98 non Hodgkin lymphomas). Most frequent NADC (n = 75) were Hodgkin lymphoma and skin cancers. Seventy-three percent of NADC and 45% of ADC were diagnosed >1 year after HIV diagnosis. Fifty-six percent of ADC occurred before HAART start. Median time from HAART start until cancer diagnosis was 2.5 years for NADC and 0.5 years for ADC (P = <0.001). Within 3372 HAART starters, 158 were diagnosed with 165 cancers (82.4% ADC); 85 cases were previous to or concomitant with HAART initiation. Incidence of cancer after HAART initiation in 8080 person-years of follow-up was 7.2 per 1000 person-years (95% confidence interval = 5.5 to 9.3) for ADC and 2.7 (95% confidence interval = 1.8 to 4.1) for NADC; incidence was higher in the first 2 months, particularly for ADC (47.6). A pre-HAART ADC was a predictor of mortality after adjusting for age, sex, and CD4 at HAART initiation. Conclusions:ADC were the most frequent cancers in this region and were often diagnosed close to HIV diagnosis and HAART start. Incidence of cancer was highest around HAART initiation.
Efficacy of a Technique for Exposing the Mouse Lung to Particles Aspirated from the Pharynx

Recent studies have demonstrated that the mouse lung can be exposed to soluble antigens by aspiration of these antigens from the pharynx. This simple technique avoids the trauma associated with intratracheal instillation. In this study, the pharyngeal aspiration technique was validated for exposing the mouse lung to respirable particles. Using respirable fluorescent amine-modified polystyrene latex beads and beryllium oxide particles, we investigated the localization of aspirated particles within the lung and the relationship between the amount of material placed in the pharynx and the amount deposited in the lung. For exposure, mice were anesthetized with isoflurane in a bell jar, placed on a slant board, and the tongue was gently held in full extension while a 50-µl suspension of particles was pipetted onto the base of the tongue. Tongue restraint was maintained until at least two breaths were completed. Less than a minute after exposure, all mice awoke from anesthesia without visible sequela. There were no significant differences in particle distribution between the left and right side of the lung (p = .16). Particles were widely disseminated in a peribronchiolar pattern within the alveolar region. There was a linear and significant correlation (r 2 = .99) between the amount administered and the amount deposited in the lung. In beryllium-exposed mice, measurable lung beryllium was 77.5 to 88.2% of the administered beryllium. These findings demonstrate that following aspiration of pharyngeal deposited particles, exposures to the deep lung are repeatable, technically simple, and highly correlated to the administered dose.
Reliability of the cervical vertebrae maturation (CVM) method.

OBJECTIVE To assess the reliability of the cervical vertebrae maturation method (CVM). BACKGROUND Skeletal maturity estimation can influence the manner and time of orthodontic treatment. The CVM method evaluates skeletal growth on the basis of the changes in the morphology of cervical vertebrae C2, C3, C4 during growth. These vertebrae are visible on a lateral cephalogram, so the method does not require an additional radiograph. METHODS In this website based study, 10 orthodontists with a long clinical practice (3 routinely using the method - "Routine user - RU" and 7 with less experience in the CVM method - "Non-Routine user - nonRU") rated twice cervical vertebrae maturation with the CVM method on 50 cropped scans of lateral cephalograms of children in circumpubertal age (for boys: 11.5 to 15.5 years; for girls: 10 to 14 years). Kappa statistics (with lower limits of 95% confidence intervals (CI)) and proportion of complete agreement on staging was used to evaluate intra- and inter-assessor agreement. RESULTS The mean weighted kappa for intra-assessor agreement was 0.44 (range: 0.30-0.64; range of lower limits of 95% CI: 0.12-0.48) and for inter-assessor agreement was 0.28 (range: -0.01-0.58; range of lower limits of 95% CI: -0.14-0.42). The mean proportion of identical scores assigned by the same assessor was 55.2 %(range: 44-74 %) and for different pairs of assessors was 42 % (range: 16-68 %). CONCLUSIONS The reliability of the CVM method is questionable and if orthodontic treatment should be initiated relative to the maximum growth, the use of additional biologic indicators should be considered (Tab. 4, Fig. 1, Ref. 24).
Fine‐needle aspiration cytology of large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the lung

The classification of pulmonary neuroendocrine neoplasms is particularly controversial. Large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) has emerged as a separate entity among pulmonary endocrine neoplasms and the criteria for its histologic diagnosis are now well‐described. However, cytologic diagnosis presents more difficulties and to the authors' knowledge, few cytologic studies concerning the entity have been published to date. The objective of the current study was to describe the cytologic features of LCNEC in an attempt to distinguish it from other pulmonary carcinomas.
Protective Potential of Glimepiride and Nerium oleander Extract on Lipid Profile, Body Growth Rate, and Renal Function in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats

This study aimed to assess the protective potential of glimepiride and Nerium oleander extract on lipid profile, body growth rate, and renal function in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. The animals were divided into control and experimental groups. The experimental group was rendered diabetic by intraperitoneal injection of a single dose of 50 mg/kg body weight streptozotocin. Rats with glucose levels >200 mg/dl were subdivided into 3 sub-groups. Rats in the first sub-group remained without treatment and were considered diabetic. Those in the second and third subgroups were orally administered 0.1 mg/kg body weight daily glimepiride and 250 mg/kg body weight daily Nerium oleander extract, respectively, for 4 weeks. In the streptozotocin- induced diabetic rats, serum triglycerides and cholesterol were significantly increased whereas body growth rate was markedly decreased compared to the controls. In contrast to uric acid and creatinine, urea concentrations were markedly elevated. Treatment of diabetic rats with glimepiride or plant extract improved all of these parameters, indicating their antidiabetic efficacy.
Associations of Fibrinogen, Factor VII and PAI-1 with Baseline Findings among 10,500 Male Participants in a Prospective Study of Myocardial Infarction

Summary The contribution of coagulation factors and fibrinolytic variables to the development of ischaemic arterial disease is still not clearly established. The PRIME study is a prospective cohort study of myocardial infarction in men aged 50-59 years and recruited from three MONICA field centers in France (Lille, Strasbourg and Toulouse) and the center in Northern Ireland (Belfast). Baseline examination included measurement of plasma fibrinogen, factor VII, and PAI-1 activity in over 10,500 participants. We investigated the associations of these haemo-static variables with cardiovascular risk factors, prevalent atherosclerotic disease and geographical area. Fibrinogen level increased with age, smoking, waist-to-hip ratio, LDL-cholesterol, and it decreased with educational level, leisure physical activity, alcohol intake and HDL-cholesterol. Factor VII activity increased with body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, triglycerides, HDL- and LDL-cholesterol. PAI-1 activity increased with body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, triglycerides, alcohol intake, smoking, and decreased with leisure physical activity. PAI-1 level was higher in diabetic subjects than in subjects without diabetes. Cardiovascular risk factors explained 8%, 9%, and 26% of the total variance in fibrinogen, factor VII, and PAI-1, respectively. Compared with participants without prevalent cardiovascular disease, those with previous myocardial infarction (n = 280), angina pectoris (n = 230), or peripheral vascular disease (n = 19) had significantly higher levels of fibrinogen, but those with stroke (n = 67) had not. PAI-1 activity showed a similar pattern of association. The odds ratio for cardiovascular disease associated with a rise of a one standard deviation in fibrinogen and PAI-1 was 1.31 (95% confidence interval: 1.20 to 1.42, p <0.001) and 1.38 (95% confidence interval: 1.27 to 1.49, p <0.001), respectively. After adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors, these associations were attenuated but remained highly significant. There was no significant association between factor VII activity and prevalent cardiovascular disease. Fibrinogen level and, to a lesser extent, factor VII and PAI-1 activity were higher in Northern Ireland than France after adjustment for the main cardiovascular risk factors. These geographical variations are consistent with the 2 to 3-fold higher incidence of myocardial infarction in Northern Ireland than France. Our results provide further epidemiological evidence for a possible role of fibrinogen and PAI-1 in the pathogenesis of coronary heart disease.
Induction of the heat shock response reduces mortality rate and organ damage in a sepsis‐induced acute lung injury model

ObjectiveTo test the hypothesis that induction of heat shock proteins before the onset of sepsis could prevent or reduce organ injury and death in a rat model of intra-abdominal sepsis and sepsis-induced acute lung injury produced by cecal ligation and perforation. DesignProspective, blind, randomized, controlled trial. SettingUniversity research laboratory. SubjectsOne-hundred forty-two adult Sprague-Dawley rats (weight range 200 to 300 g). InterventionsProduction of intra-abdominal sepsis and exposure to heat stress. Animals were randomly divided into four groups: heated and septic, heated and sham-septic, unheated and septic, and unheated and sham-septic. Measurements and Main ResultsWe evaluated the mortality rate and pathologic changes in lung, heart, and liver at 18 hrs after cecal perforation, at 24 hrs after removal of the cecum, and at 7 days after perforation. Heated animals exhibited a maximum increase in heat shock protein of 72 kilodalton molecular weight protein concentrations in the lungs and heart 6 to 24 hrs after the hyperthermic stress. By 18 hrs after perforation, 25% of the septic, unheated animals had died whereas none of the septic heated animals had died (p < .005). Septic, heated animals showed a marked decrease in 7-day mortality rate (21%) compared with septic unheated animals (69%) (p < .01). Furthermore, septic heated animals showed less histologic evidence of lung and liver damage than septic unheated animals. ConclusionsThese data suggest that thermal pretreatment, associated with the synthesis of heat shock proteins, reduces organ damage and enhances animal survival in experimental sepsis-induced acute lung injury. Although the mechanisms by which heat shock proteins exert a protective effect are not well understood, these data raise interesting questions regarding the importance of fever in the protection of the whole organism during bacterial infection. (Crit Care Med 1994; 22:914–921)
Differential Expression of Mucin Genes in Mammary and Extramammary Paget's Disease

Paget's disease (PD) of the skin is characterized by intraepidermal adenocarcinoma cells, which contain clear cytoplasm and abundant mucin. Nearly all cases of mammary PD (MPD) are associated with underlying ductal carcinoma of the breast, whereas in the majority of cases of extramammary PD (EMPD) no underlying regional malignancy is identified. Mucins are high molecular weight glycoproteins produced by epithelial cells. Different mucin genes are expressed in various types of tissues such as mammary glands, intestinal mucosa, and adnexal structures of the skin. We studied the immunohistochemical expression of apomucin MUC1, MUC2, MUC5AC in MPD, and EMPD. MUC1 is commonly expressed in most cases of PD. MUC5AC is a unique mucin that is exhibited in the majority of cases of EMPD, but not in any MPD. Of the 13 patients with MPD who all had associated breast ductal carcinoma, both Paget cells and underlying ductal carcinoma exhibited the phenotype (MUC1+MUC2−MUC5AC−). This mucin phenotype is also expressed by Toker cells, which have been identified in the epidermis of five of 50 nipples in mastectomies without MPD. Of the three patients with perianal PD who all had associated rectal adenocarcinoma, Paget's cells expressed MUC2 constantly but expressed MUC1 and MUC5AC variably. Seven patients with intraepidermal vulvar PD and two patients with scrotal–penile PD had no identifiable underlying malignancy. Paget cells from all of these nine cases of EMPD expressed a uniform phenotype of mucin (MUC1+MUC2−MUC5AC+). One case of vulvar PD associated with underlying apocrine carcinoma had a phenotype (MUC1+MUC2−MUC5AC−) identical to that of normal apocrine glands. The skin appendage and Bartholin's glands from 20 normal-appearing vulvar skin samples and anal glands from 10 hemorrhoidectomies were also studied. Only Bartholin's gland expressed a mucin phenotype identical to that of intraepidermal EMPD. The results of the present study indicate that 1) MPD may arise from either mammary glands or epidermal Toker cells, 2) intraepidermal EMPD in the anogenital areas may arise from ectopic MUC5AC+ cells originating from Bartholin's or some other unidentified glands, and 3) unique expression of MUC2 in perianal PD indicates its origin from colorectal mucosa. We conclude that the study of mucin gene expression is useful in identifying the histogenesis of PD.
Measuring awareness of financial skills: reliability and validity of a new measure

This paper examines the psychometric properties of a three-part (participant, informant, and performance) Measure for assessing Awareness of Financial Skills (MAFS). The MAFS was administered to 10 seniors with dementia and 25 well-functioning seniors, and their informants. Measures of cognitive functioning, social desirability, neuroticism, and perceived control were administered to each participant to allow for an assessment of validity. Internal consistency estimates for the participant and informant questionnaires were found to be 0.92 and 0.97, respectively. Convergent validity analysis indicated that performance on this measure was related to level of cognitive functioning, with higher level of unawareness associated with decreased cognitive ability. Discriminant validity analysis showed that performance on this measure was not related to social desirability or neuroticism. This study provides evidence that the MAFS is a reliable and valid tool for assessing awareness of financial skills in older adults.