Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Expression of trefoil peptides (TFF1, TFF2, and TFF3) in gastric carcinomas, intestinal metaplasia, and non‐neoplastic gastric tissues

Trefoil factor family (TFF) domain peptides consist of three members that play a role in intestinal mucosal defence and repair, and in tumourigenesis. The role of the three TFF members in the gastric carcinogenesis cascade remains poorly defined. This study examined seven gastric cell lines, 50 gastric cancers and their adjacent non‐cancer tissues, and tissues from 40 non‐cancer patients, in order to elucidate the chronology of TFF expression in various stages of gastric carcinogenesis. TFF expression was determined by RT‐PCR, immunohistochemistry, and western blot. Aberrant expression of TFF1, TFF2, and TFF3 was frequently detected in gastric cell lines. Specifically, TFF1 was detected in all non‐cancer patients, but was detected in only 50% of gastric cancer and 66% of adjacent normal tissues. TFF2 expression was demonstrated in 87.5% of non‐cancer patients, 34% of gastric carcinomas, and 58% of adjacent non‐cancer tissues. There was a significant correlation between TFF1 and TFF2 expression in gastric cancer and adjacent non‐cancer tissues (p<0.001). By contrast, TFF3 was detected in 25% of non‐cancer patients and showed a predilection for areas with intestinal metaplasia (p=0.005). Sixty‐two per cent of gastric cancers and 24% of neighbouring non‐cancer tissues showed TFF3 expression. Immunoreactivity against TFF3 was demonstrated in goblet cells of intestinal metaplasia and within the cytoplasm and nuclei of tumour cells. Progressive loss of TFF1 and TFF2, together with the induction of TFF3, is likely to be involved in the early stage of the multi‐step gastric carcinogenesis pathway. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Latent Structure of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Taxometric Analysis

Objective: To test whether the latent structure of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is best understood as categorical or dimensional in samples of 1774 children (aged 6–12 years) and 1222 adolescents (aged 13–17 years) drawn from an Australian epidemiological study. Method: Two taxometric procedures (MAXEIG and MAMBAC) examined ADHD symptom measures assessed by diagnostic interview and parental ratings. Results: Consistent with behavioural genetic research, findings fail to support the view that a latent category underpins ADHD. Conclusions: ADHD is best modelled as a continuum among both children and adolescents, and no discrete dysfunction can therefore be assumed to cause it. The placement of the diagnostic threshold should therefore be decided on pragmatic grounds (e.g. impairment or need for treatment).
Glutathione S-transferases in rat olfactory epithelium: purification, molecular properties and odorant biotransformation.

The olfactory epithelium is exposed to a variety of xenobiotic chemicals, including odorants and airborne toxic compounds. Recently, two novel, highly abundant, olfactory-specific biotransformation enzymes have been identified: cytochrome P-450olf1 and olfactory UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT(olf)). The latter is a phase II biotransformation enzyme which catalyses the glucuronidation of alcohols, thiols, amines and carboxylic acids. Such covalent modification, which markedly affects lipid solubility and agonist potency, may be particularly important in the rapid termination of odorant signals. We report here the identification and characterization of a second olfactory phase II biotransformation enzyme, a glutathione S-transferase (GST). The olfactory epithelial cytosol shows the highest GST activity among the extrahepatic tissues examined. Significantly, olfactory epithelium had an activity 4-7 times higher than in other airway tissues, suggesting a role for this enzyme in chemoreception. The olfactory GST has been affinity-purified to homogeneity, and shown by h.p.l.c. and N-terminal amino acid sequencing to constitute mainly the Yb1 and Yb2 subunits, different from most other tissues that have mixtures of more enzyme classes. The identity of the olfactory enzymes was confirmed by PCR cloning and restriction enzyme analysis. Most importantly, the olfactory GSTs were found to catalyse glutathione conjugation of several odorant classes, including many unsaturated aldehydes and ketones, as well as epoxides. Together with UGT(olf), olfactory GST provides the necessary broad coverage of covalent modification capacity, which may be crucial for the acuity of the olfactory process.
The Impact of Alienation Through Neutralization on Students’ Academic Dishonesty

ABSTRACT Dishonesty is a phenomenon that is often encountered in educational institutions. It indicates the existence of cheating done by students in the academics. One of the strong assumptions about the phenomenon of dishonesty in students in academics is the existence of alienation that causes students’ self-confidence to be low and encourage students to be dishonest. This article aims to determine the effect of alienation on academic dishonesty of second-grade students in vocational high school accounting skill competence through neutralization as an intervening variable the using General Alienation Scale, Neutralization Scale, and Cheating Scale and a development indicator. Subjects in this study were 218 students with data collection methods in the form of questionnaires and interviews. The results show that alienation does not directly affect student academic dishonesty, but has an indirect effect on student academic dishonesty through neutralization
Impacts of Late School Entry on Children's Cognitive Development in Rural Northwestern China—Does Preprimary Education Matter?

This article estimates the causal effect of primary school entry age on children's cognitive development in rural northwestern China, using data on nearly 1,800 primary school aged children from the Gansu Survey of Children and Families. Instrumental variable estimates, exploiting the discontinuity structure in children's school entry age around the enrolment cut-off date, indicate that a 1-year delay in school entry reduces children's scores on a cognitive ability test administered when they were aged 9–12 by 0.11–0.16 standard deviations (of the distribution of test scores). The negative late-school-entry effect is significantly larger in villages with no preprimary schools. It also persists as children advance to higher grades. These findings suggest that delayed school entry, even if it may be rural parents' rational response to resource constraints, can be harmful for children's cognitive development in developing areas with underdeveloped preprimary school systems.
IgM antibodies identified by a DTT‐ameliorated positive crossmatch do not influence renal graft outcome but the strength of the IgM lymphocytotoxicity is associated with DR phenotype*

A positive crossmatch that is rendered negative by treating the serum with the IgM‐reducing agent dithiothreitol (DTT) is generally reported not to influence short‐term renal graft outcome. Its effect on long‐term (3 years) cadaveric and live‐donor transplant function, however, is less clear. We evaluated the effect of IgM antibodies in a DTT‐ameliorated positive crossmatch (DTT‐APXM) on long‐term renal graft outcome in 1290 consecutive cadaveric renal transplants (8‐year survival) and 384 live‐donor renal transplants (7‐year survival) from patients transplanted between 1990 and 1999. The data show that 1‐ and 8‐year graft survival for cadaveric renal transplants in patients with IgM antibodies (n=72) (DWFG censored=91% and 65%; DWFG not censored=90% and 60%) was not significantly different from the group without IgM antibodies (n=1218) (DWFG censored=92% and 71%; DWFG not censored=87% and 55%) (log‐rank=0.25 for DWFG censored, log‐rank=0.92 for DWFG not censored). The one‐ and seven‐year graft survival for live‐donor renal transplants in patients with IgM antibodies seen in a DTT‐APXM (n=22) (DWFG censored=95% and 83%; DWFG not censored=95% and 66%) was not significantly different from the group without IgM antibodies (n=362) (DWFG censored=94% and 81%; DWFG not censored=92% and 73%) (log‐rank=0.61 for DWFG censored, log‐rank=0.89 for DWFG not censored). DR phenotype was found to be associated with the strong (>40% cell death) IgM reactivity in both black and white patients. In white patients, DR2 was more frequently seen with a strong IgM crossmatch (48.2%) than in molecularly typed controls (28.5%) (P<0.03) and concomitant with that DR increase, DR4 was decreased in white patients (6.8%) compared with controls (25.5%) (P<0.02). In black patients with strong IgM reactivity, DR6 was increased in patients (46.1%) compared with controls (20.5%) (P=0.07) and concomitant with that DR6 increase, DR5 was decreased in frequency in black patients (7.6%) compared with controls (41%) (P<0.03). These data show that long‐term graft survival in renal transplantation is not negatively influenced by the presence of donor‐reactive lymphocytotoxic antibodies in the crossmatch ameliorated by serum DTT treatment. They also suggest that the strength of the IgM antibody response is regulated in part by certain gene (s) of the DR region.
Internalisation of International Investment Agreements in Public Policymaking: Developing a Conceptual Framework of Regulatory Chill

The growing number of public policy measures challenged through investorâ€ state dispute settlement has raised critiques that international investment agreements could lead governments to avoid introducing new policy measures out of a fear that these could be challenged by foreign investors, often referred to as â€˜regulatory chillâ€™. While the body of work on regulatory chill is still in its infancy, there is a need to interrogate extant studies to better understand the state of the knowledge and the methodological approaches being employed to produce an evidence base. Grounded in a critical review of the existing literature, this paper develops a conceptual framework of regulatory chill, identifying it as one possible policy response wherein investment agreements are internalised by policy makers as considerations during their policy decisionâ€ making. Three distinct bodies of work were identified in the literature which helped to populate this framework, including analysis of investment treaty language and awards, interviews with policy makers to explore internalisation of such treaties, and case studies of suspected regulatory chill policy responses. The conceptual framework is intended to help drive forward a cohesive research agenda on regulatory chill that can underpin the ongoing investment treaty reform.
The influence of the intervertebral disc on stress distribution of the thoracolumbar vertebrae under destructive load.

OBJECTIVE To compare the influence of normal and degenerative discs on stress distribution of the thoracolumbar vertebrae under destructive load, explore the biomechanical background and clinical meaning and provide theoretical basis for clinical diagnosis and treatment. METHODS A mechanical model of thoracolumbar motion segment of normal and degenerative discs was built with a three dimensional finite element method and three stresses of vertical compression, compressive flexion and distractive flexion were comparatively analyzed. RESULTS With vertical compression and compressive flexion loads, the thoracolumbar motion segment of the normal disc showed that the central part of the upper and lower end-plates of the vertebrae and the central part of the trabecular bone adjacent to the end-plate were loaded with the most intensive stresses, meanwhile, the postero-lateral part of the annulus fibrosus was concentrated with stresses. Degenerative disc showed that the stress distribution of the trabecular bone was relatively averaged, the stresses of the central part adjacent to the end-plate were low, while at the same time, the stresses of the peripheral part were elevated relatively. With distraction flexion load, the stresses of the cortex bone, trabecular bone, end-plate and annulus fibrosus of the thoracolumbar vertebrae of degenerative discs were low, meanwhile, the stresses of the posterior structure of the vertebral body were relatively elevated compared with that of normal discs. CONCLUSIONS There is difference in influence between normal and degenerative discs on the stress distribution of the thoracolumbar vertebrae with destructive load. The transferring way of load is changed after disc degeneration.
Treadmill training for hindlimb transplanted rats

Functional improvement is an important concern for a composite allograft with motor function. As the procedure of rat composite limb transplantation is a well‐established model, we focused on the effects of rehabilitation using this model. We performed the rat hindlimb transplantation in syngenic combination using a modified method confirming the processes of vessel anastomosis step‐by‐step that maintains good vascular patency. We studied the impact of treadmill training on hindlimb transplantated rats using Rodent Robot 3000 (Robomedica). Functional recovery was evaluated electro‐physiologically after training. All transplants were conducted successfully. The “drop foot” condition improved in rats that were subjected to a training program. However, there were no significant differences in muscle atrophy improvement or denervation potential as determined by electromyography. This study is the first to detail the effects of rehabilitation on rat limb transplantation. This model is useful for the study of functional improvement for limb transplantation. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. Microsurgery 2007.
Gamma Knife surgery for skull base chordomas and chondrosarcomas.

OBJECT The purpose of this study was to evaluate radiosurgical outcomes in skull base chordomas and chondrosarcomas, and to determine which tumors are appropriate for stereotactic radiosurgery as adjuvant therapy following maximum tumor resection. METHODS Thirty-seven patients (48 lesions) were treated using Gamma Knife surgery (GKS); 27 had chordomas, seven had chondrosarcomas, and three had radiologically diagnosed chordomas. The mean tumor volume was 20 ml, and the mean maximum and marginal doses were 28 and 14 Gy, respectively. The mean follow-up period was 97 months from diagnosis and 59 months from GKS. RESULTS The actuarial 5- and 10-year survival rates after GKS were 80 and 53%, respectively. The actuarial 5- and 10-year local tumor control (LTC) rates after single or multiple GKS sessions were 76 and 67%, respectively. All patients with low-grade chondrosarcomas achieved good LTC. A tumor volume of less than 20 ml significantly affected the high rate of LTC (p = 0.0182). No patient had adverse radiation effects, other than one in whom facial numbness worsened despite successful tumor control. CONCLUSIONS As an adjuvant treatment after resection, GKS is a reasonable option for selected patients harboring skull base chordomas or chondrosarcomas with a residual tumor volume of less than 20 ml. Dose planning with a generous treatment volume to avoid marginal treatment failure should be made at a marginal dose of at least 15 Gy to achieve long-term tumor control.
Association of Venous Thromboembolism With Hormonal Contraception and Thrombophilic Genotypes

OBJECTIVE: To investigate associations between combined hormonal contraception and progestogen-only contraception and risks of venous thromboembolism by progestogen and carriership of genetic hemostatic variations. METHODS: This was a case–control study in Sweden carried out between 2003 and 2009, which included 948 patients with venous thromboembolism and 902 individuals in a control group, all aged 18–54 years. Information was obtained by telephone interviews and DNA analyses of blood samples. Radiologic referrals were used for case ascertainment. For comparisons, odds ratios were estimated by unconditional logistic regression analysis adjusting for smoking, body mass index (BMI), and immobilization. RESULTS: The odds ratio (OR) for current use of combined hormonal contraception was 5.3 (95% confidence interval [CI] 4.0–7.0). Desogestrel combinations had the highest OR (11.4, 95% CI 6.0–22.0). The OR for injection of medroxyprogesterone acetate was 2.2 (95% CI 1.3–4.0). In users of combined hormonal contraception with the factor V Leiden mutation, the OR was 20.6 (95% CI 8.9–58). In women who used progestogen-only contraception and carried the factor V Leiden mutation, the OR was 5.4 (95% CI 2.5–13). CONCLUSION: Risks of venous thromboembolism in association with combined hormonal contraception vary by type of progestogen and independently of BMI and smoking. Thrombophilic genotypes such as factor V Leiden increase risks of venous thromboembolism in users of combined hormonal contraception. Except for injection of medroxyprogesterone acetate, progestin-only contraception seems to be the least thrombogenic hormonal contraception for women carrying genetic hemostatic variations. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II
Changes in inspiratory muscle electrical activity and upper airway resistance during periodic breathing induced by hypoxia during sleep.

We hypothesized that: the balance of electrical activities between the upper airway and chest wall inspiratory muscles affects upper airway inspiratory caliber, and at low levels of central respiratory neural efferent activity, an imbalance between the electrical activities of these 2 inspiratory muscle groups exists that results in a decreased upper airway caliber. These hypotheses were tested during periodic breathing induced by mild hypoxemia in NREM sleep in 9 healthy male subjects. In 6 subjects during periodic breathing as central respiratory neural activity decreased, the tonic and phasic EMG activity of the upper airway inspiratory muscles decreased at a rate greater than that of the chest wall EMG activity. When the ratio of upper airway to chest wall EMG activity decreased below a critical level, which was reproducible across subjects, upper airway inspiratory resistance increased hyperbolically. Resistance at peak inspiratory flow increased from 4.10 +/- 0.97 (mean +/- SEM) to 48.70 +/- 21.00 cmH2O/L/s as tidal volume decreased from 0.79 +/- 0.12 to 0.20 +/- 0.02 L during periodic breathing in these subjects. In the 3 remaining subjects, the ratio of the upper airway to chest wall EMG activity did not decrease below the critical level as the activity of both muscle groups decreased during periodic breathing, and upper airway resistance did not increase. We conclude that within the confines of this study the nonlinear activation of upper airway and chest wall inspiratory muscles contributed to fluctuations in upper airway resistance observed during periodic breathing in sleep. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Financial Frictions, Volatility, and Skewness

A number of recent papers use the interaction of firm idiosyncratic volatility shocks with firm financial frictions to explain business cycle fluctuations. I argue that a key parameter for these models is the cost of default, as it has a quantitatively first-order effect on the magnitude of the decline in employment and other aggregates in response to idiosyncratic volatility shocks. I use firm-level panel data and a structural model of financial frictions and volatility shocks to assess the role of volatility shocks and the cost of default on firm and aggregate employment over the business cycle. I find that when the cost of default is calibrated to the range of estimates coming from the corporate finance literature, the model reproduces key cross-sectional moments of equity volatility, bond spreads, and employment growth. However, this calibration implies aggregate employment losses driven by shocks to firm idiosyncratic volatility are modest. I propose two additional shocks calibrated using firm-level panel data which could amplify the decline in employment in the context of such a model. First, the decline in employment is amplified when the increase in firm idiosyncratic risk is modeled not only as a positive second moment shock but also a negative third moment shock. Second, a plausible increase in the cost of default over the business cycle can interact with volatility shocks to dramatically reduce aggregate employment.
The protective role of glutamine against acute induced toxicity in rats

Abstract Context: Deltamethrin (DLM) is an insecticide commonly used to protect agricultural crops against pests. QT prolongation with malignant ventricular arrhythmias are amongst the most common cardiovascular complications. DLM intoxication cause decreased level of antioxidant enzymes. Glutamine is the precursor of glutathione which is an antioxidant and has been demonstrated to improve outcome after several critical illnesses. Objective: We hypothesized that glutamine, by means of antioxidant characteristics, may antagonize the cardiotoxic effects of DLM. Materials and methods: All experiments were performed on 8-week-old male Wistar albino rats. The rats were divided into following groups (n = 10); Group I: control, Group II: l-glutamine, Group III: DLM, Group IV: DLM and after 4 h l-glutamine. Total antioxidant status (TAS), total oxidant status (TOS) and parameter analyses were performed in cardiac tissue. Results: We found that TAS was higher and TOS lower in DLM group. We also found that interstitial edema and inflammatory cell infiltration was significantly more frequent in DLM group and QT and QTc of DLM group were higher than others. Discussion: Recent studies have shown that several special amino acids, such as glutamine, glycine, arginine and taurine, exhibit cytoprotective effect on the cardiocyte, and have established the cardioprotective properties of glutamine. Conclusion: In this study, we showed the protective role of glutamine against cardiotoxic effects of DLM in rats. This protective effect was confirmed by showing both tissue level improvement in oxidative stress markers and improvement in prolonged QT interval.
Post-interventional immunosuppressive treatment and vascular restenosis in Takayasu's arteritis.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the outcome of vascular interventions and the effect of post-interventional immunosuppressive treatment on the occurrence of vascular restenosis in patients with Takayasu's arteritis (TA). METHODS Forty-two patients with TA who had undergone vascular intervention and had serial angiographies before and after intervention were enrolled. The demographic and clinical data were collected at the time when the interventions were performed, and the intervention modalities and post-interventional medical treatments were evaluated. RESULTS Sixty-three interventions were performed in 42 patients. Twenty (31.7%) interventions restenosed 24.0 +/- 21.9 months after intervention; the likelihood decreasing as time passed. Estimates of arterial patency after intervention were 90.1% at 1 yr, 75.5% at 2 yr, 68.4% at 3 yr, 61.6% at 5 yr and 49.3% at 10 yr. According to the log rank test, interventions that were performed during the stable stage of the disease (P = 0.039) and those that were followed by treatment with glucocorticoids and immunosuppressive agents (P = 0.044) were independent variables for the maintenance of arterial patency. Their hazard ratios were 0.30 and 0.41, respectively. CONCLUSION Restenosis occurred in 31.7% of TA patients after intervention. A lower restenosis rate was observed when the vascular interventions were performed at the stable stage and when post-interventional immunosuppressive treatment was implemented.