Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association of the IGF1/pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A system and adipocytokine levels with the presence and the morphology of carotid plaques in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with stable glycaemic control.

OBJECTIVE Pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) has been implicated in the atherosclerotic process through regulation of local expression of IGF1. In type 2 diabetes mellitus, glycaemic control has been involved in PAPP-A expression. We compared PAPP-A, IGF1, inflammatory markers and adiponectin concentrations in type 2 diabetic patients with and without carotid plaques and evaluated the relationship between these serum parameters and ultrasound carotid markers of atherosclerosis. METHODS We studied 125 consecutive type 2 diabetic patients. Clinical data, metabolic variables, hemostatic factors (plasma type-1 plasminogen activator inhibitor, fibrinogen), high-ultrasensitive C reactive protein (hsCRP), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-6, adiponectin, IGF1 and PAPP-A were determined. Patients were classified into two groups according to the presence of carotid plaques on ultrasound. Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and morphology of carotid plaques were evaluated. RESULTS The mean age was 61.5+/-7.3 years and the mean glycated hemoglobin of 6.8+/-0.9%. A total of 60% presented carotid plaques. Both groups were homogeneous in anthropometric data, biochemical determinations and hemostatic factors. Adiponectin, hsCRP, TNF-alpha and IL-6 were similar in both groups. No differences were observed in serum PAPP-A (0.46 (0.22-0.86) vs 0.38 (0.18-0.66) mIU/l and in SDS IGF1 (-0.34+/-1.38 vs -0.67+/-1.35)) in patients with and without carotid plaques respectively. PAPP-A and IGF1 were not correlated with IMT. CONCLUSIONS Serum PAPP-A and IGF1 do not appear to be useful serum biomarkers for carotid atherosclerosis in type 2 diabetic patients with stable glycemic control, despite scientific evidence of their local role in atherosclerosis.
Se75-Selenomethionine for Visualization of the Pancreas by Isotope Scanning1

excerpt With recent advances in instrumentation (1) and the development of new localizing materials, isotope scanning has been applied to the visualization of lesions of the thyroid, kidneys, brain, liver, spleen, and bone. The addition of the pancreas to this growing list has awaited the development of a suitably labeled pancreas-specific compound. We have previously reported (2) animal distribution studies of a new agent, Se75-selenomethionine, with sufficient pancreas specificity to be useful for scanning. The present report deals with the clinical applications of this compound. The pancreas uptake of amino acids has been recognized for some time (3). This uptake is a reflection of the rapid rate of synthesis of the digestive enzymes. From 5 to 10 per cent of most amino acids are found in the pancreas within an hour after administration. Unfortunately none of the elements in the structure of amino acids (C, H, N, O, and S) have isotopes with properties suitable for scanning. Externally labeled amino ac.
Comparative Anthelmintic Efficacy of Pineapple and Neem Leaves in Broiler Chickens Experimentally Infected with Ascaridia galli

A study was carried out in broiler chicken for comparative anthelmintic efficacy of neem and pineapple leave powder with piperazin hydrate for treatment of experimental Ascaridia galli infection. The affected birds had lower levels of Hb, PCV, Ca and P. The profile changed after treatment with neem and pineapple leave powder which was comparable to that observed after treatment with piperazine hydrate. Neem and pineapple leave powder treatment caused cent percent evacuation of the worms on 28 and 56 th th
American Lives: Looking Back at the Children of the Great Depression

To what degree is the course of human life prefigured by the childhood and adolescent years? Clausen draws on 60 years of research from this long-term inquiry into human lives to answer this question. He demonstrates that "adolescent planful competence", a combination of self-confidence, dependability and an investment in intellectual matters has a significant and continuing influence on many aspects of our adult lives, even into old age. Over 300 youngsters born in the 1920s in California's Bay area were studied intensively through their school years and periodically followed up since then. Although the many developments in their lives could not have been forseen, classifications made from data available for their adolescent years enabled Clausen and his colleagues to make predictions of the paths their lives would take. Clausen shows how study members who, during their teenage years, displayed a high degree of planful competence, made more realistic choices early in life and were selected for more promising opportunities as adults than others. Other aspects of personality, appearance and social background also had long-term consequences, but adolescent planful competence proved far more potent than any other measure in indicating how lives would change, and who would experience essential stable, as opposed to crisis-ridden, lives.
Activation of the erythropoietin receptor in human skeletal muscle.

OBJECTIVE Erythropoietin receptor (EPOR) expression in non-hematological tissues has been shown to be activated by locally produced and/or systemically delivered EPO. Improved oxygen homeostasis, a well-established consequence of EPOR activation, is very important for human skeletal muscle performance. In the present study we investigate whether human skeletal muscle fibers and satellite cells express EPOR and if it is activated by exercise. DESIGN AND METHODS Ten healthy males performed 65 min of cycle exercise. Biopsies were obtained from the vastus lateralis muscle and femoral arterio-venous differences in EPO concentrations were estimated. RESULTS The EPOR protein was localized in areas corresponding to the sarcolemma and capillaries. Laser dissection identified EPOR mRNA expression in muscle fibers. Also, EPOR mRNA and protein were both detected in human skeletal muscle satellite cells. In the initial part of the exercise bout there was a release of EPO from the exercising leg to the circulation, possibly corresponding to an increased bioavailability of EPO. After exercise, EPOR mRNA and EPOR-associated JAK2 phosphorylation were increased. CONCLUSIONS Interaction with JAK2 is required for EPOR signaling and the increase found in phosphorylation is therefore closely linked to the activation of EPOR. The receptor activation by acute exercise suggests that signaling through EPOR is involved in exercise-induced skeletal muscle adaptation, thus extending the biological role of EPO into the skeletal muscle.
Correlates of increased lean muscle mass in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

OBJECTIVE Muscle mass plays an important role in determining cardiovascular and metabolic risks in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). In addition, whether lean mass influences carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) in PCOS has not been assessed. DESIGN Prospective investigation. METHODS Ninety-five women with PCOS were age- and weight-matched to 90 ovulatory controls. All women had dual X-ray absorptiometry for lean, fat and bone mass, and bone mass density (BMD). Serum testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin, insulin, and glucose and carotid IMT were determined. Free androgen index (FAI) and insulin resistance (by QUICKI) were calculated. RESULTS In PCOS, waist circumference and insulin were higher and QUICKI lower than in controls (P<0.01). Trunk fat mass, % trunk fat, and lean mass were higher in PCOS compared to controls (P<0.01), while total bone mass and BMD were similar. IMT was increased in PCOS (P<0.01) but only 15% of PCOS patients had abnormal (> or = 0.9 mm) values. Lean mass correlated with fat parameters, insulin, QUICKI, and FAI, but not with total testosterone; and after adjustments for insulin and QUICKI, lean mass still correlated with fat mass (P<0.01) but not FAI. Lean mass correlated with IMT (P<0.01), but this was dependent on insulin. However, excluding those patients with abnormal IMT values, IMT correlated with lean mass independently of insulin. Bone mass correlated with lean and fat mass, but not with insulin or androgen. PCOS patients with 'pathological' IMT values had higher % trunk fat, lean mass, and insulin, lower QUICKI, and higher testosterone and FAI compared with those with normal IMT. CONCLUSION Lean mass is increased in PCOS, while bone mass is similar to that of matched controls. The major correlates of lean mass are fat mass and insulin but not androgen. Lean mass also correlated with IMT, and although influenced by insulin, small changes in IMT may partially reflect changes in muscle mass, while clearly abnormal values relate to more severe abnormalities of PCOS.
Increased motor cortical facilitation and decreased inhibition in Parkinson disease

Objective: To identify the changes in motor cortical facilitatory and inhibitory circuits in Parkinson disease (PD) by detailed studies of their time courses and interactions. Methods: Short-interval intracortical facilitation (SICF) and short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) were measured with a paired-pulse paradigm using transcranial magnetic stimulation. Twelve patients with PD in both ON and OFF medication states and 12 age-matched healthy controls were tested. The first experiment tested the time course of SICF in PD and controls. The second experiment tested SICI at different times corresponding to SICF peaks and troughs to investigate whether SICI was affected by SICF. Results: SICF was increased in PD OFF state and was reduced by dopaminergic medications. The reduction in SICF from the OFF to ON state correlated with the improvement in PD motor signs. SICI was reduced in PD OFF state and was only partially normalized by dopaminergic medications. At SICF peaks, improvement in SICI with medication correlated with improvement in PD motor sign. Principal component analysis showed that variations of SICF and SICI were explained by the same principal component only in the PD OFF group, suggesting that decreased SICI in the OFF state is related to increased SICF. Conclusions: Motor cortical facilitation is increased and inhibition is decreased in PD. Increased cortical facilitation partly accounts for the decreased inhibition, but there is also impairment in synaptic inhibition in PD. Increased cortical facilitation may be a compensatory mechanism in PD.
Low-dose propranolol and exercise capacity in postural tachycardia syndrome

Objective: To determine the effect of low-dose propranolol on maximal exercise capacity in patients with postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS). Methods: We compared the effect of placebo vs a single low dose of propranolol (20 mg) on peak oxygen consumption (VO2max), an established measure of exercise capacity, in 11 patients with POTS and 7 healthy subjects in a randomized, double-blind study. Subjects exercised on a semirecumbent bicycle, with increasing intervals of resistance to maximal effort. Results: Maximal exercise capacity was similar between groups following placebo. Low-dose propranolol improved VO2max in patients with POTS (24.5 ± 0.7 placebo vs 27.6 ± 1.0 mL/min/kg propranolol; p = 0.024), but not healthy subjects. The increase in VO2max in POTS was associated with attenuated peak heart rate responses (142 ± 8 propranolol vs 165 ± 4 bpm placebo; p = 0.005) and improved stroke volume (81 ± 4 propranolol vs 67 ± 3 mL placebo; p = 0.013). In a separate cohort of POTS patients, neither high-dose propranolol (80 mg) nor metoprolol (100 mg) improved VO2max, despite similar lowering of heart rate. Conclusions: These findings suggest that nonselective β-blockade with propranolol, when used at the low doses frequently used for treatment of POTS, may provide a modest beneficial effect to improve heart rate control and exercise capacity. Classification of evidence: This study provides Class II evidence that a single low dose of propranolol (20 mg) as compared with placebo is useful in increasing maximum exercise capacity measured 1 hour after medication.
Pretreatment EEG in childhood absence epilepsy

Objective: In children with newly diagnosed childhood absence epilepsy (CAE), determine pretreatment EEG features and their associations with baseline neuropsychological function and short-term treatment outcome. Methods: In a multicenter, randomized clinical trial, patients with CAE underwent a pretreatment, 1-hour video-EEG and neuropsychological testing with freedom-from-failure and seizure-freedom (SF) outcome assessed at the 16- to 20-week visit. Results: Detailed evaluation of the pretreatment EEG was possible for 99.8% of participants (445/446). Median time to first seizure was 6.0 minutes (range 0–59 minutes), median number of seizures was 5 (range 1–60), and median seizure duration was 10.8 seconds (range 3.3–77.6 seconds). Median duration of shortest seizure per EEG was 7.5 seconds (range 3.0–77.6 seconds). Seizure frequency was not associated with baseline measures of attention, executive function, or treatment outcome. Presence of a seizure lasting ≥20 seconds was noted in 29% of subjects (129/440); these children had higher median omissions T score on the Conners Continuous Performance Test (56.3 vs 51.6, p = 0.01). Patients with a shortest seizure of longer duration were more likely to demonstrate treatment success by both freedom-from-failure (p = 0.02) and SF (p = 0.005) criteria, even after controlling for age, treatment group, and number of seizures, with good predictive value (area under the curve 78% for SF). Conclusions: CAE is reliably and quickly confirmed by EEG. Occurrence of a seizure ≥20 seconds, but not overall seizure frequency, was associated with differential baseline measures of attention. Patients whose shortest pretreatment EEG seizure was longer in duration were more likely to achieve SF, regardless of treatment.
Radical prostatectomy findings in patients in whom active surveillance of prostate cancer fails

6. Yossepowitch O, Sircar K, Scardino PT, Ohori M, Kattan MW, Wheeler TM, Reuter VE: Bladder neck involvement in pathological stage pT4 radical prostatectomy specimens is not an independent prognostic factor. J Urol. 2002; 168: 2011-5. 7. Ruano T, Meirelles L, Freitas LL, Magna LA, Ferreira U, Billis A: The significance of microscopic bladder neck invasion in radical prostatectomies: pT4 disease? Int Urol Nephrol. 2009; 41: 71-6.
Antithrombotic drugs and risk of hemorrhagic stroke in the general population

Objective: To investigate the relationship between hemorrhagic stroke and use of antiplatelets and warfarin using data from The Health Improvement Network. Methods: A total of 1,797 incident cases of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and 1,340 of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) were ascertained. Density-based sampling was used to select 10,000 controls free from hemorrhagic stroke. Risk of hemorrhagic stroke was evaluated in current users and nonusers of antiplatelets and warfarin. Unconditional logistic regression models were used to adjust for age, sex, calendar year, alcohol, body mass index, hypertension, and health services utilization. Results: Aspirin use was not associated with an increased risk of ICH (odds ratio [OR] 1.06, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.93–1.21), but was associated with a decreased risk of SAH (OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.67–1.00), compared with no therapy. Aspirin use ≥3 years was associated with a decreased risk of SAH (OR 0.63, 95% CI 0.45–0.90) compared with no therapy. Warfarin use was associated with a greatly increased risk of ICH (OR 2.82, 95% CI 2.26–3.53) and a moderately increased risk of SAH (OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.15–2.43) compared with no therapy. International normalized ratio values ≥3 carried a marked risk of ICH (OR 7.01, 95% CI 4.10–11.99). Conclusion: Aspirin is not associated with a risk of ICH compared with no therapy. Chronic low-dose aspirin treatment may have a protective effect on the risk of SAH. Warfarin users in this study cohort were at a much higher risk of ICH than those receiving no therapy, with a marked association with international normalized ratio >3.
Male sex, single nodularity, and young age are associated with the risk of finding a papillary thyroid cancer on fine-needle aspiration cytology in a large series of patients with nodular thyroid disease.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the risk of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) at fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cytology in 34 120 patients. RESULTS False positive and false negative rates of FNA cytology were 1.2 and 1.8% in comparison with the histology in 3406 nodules from 3004 patients who underwent surgery. PTC (901 cases) was more frequent in solitary nodule (SN; 446/13 549, 3.3%) than in multinodular goiter (MNG; 411/19 923, 2%, chi(2)=48.8; P<0.0001), and in males (209/6382, 3.3%) than in females (648/26 945, 2.40%, chi(2)=15.58; P<0.0001). PTC prevalence in Graves' disease (GD; 13/286, 4.5%) and Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT; 31/508, 6.1%) was higher than in SN, this difference being significant in HT (chi(2)=8.7; P=0.003), but not in GD (chi(2)=1.6; P=0.2). Using the multiple logistic regression analysis, independent risk predictors of PTC were determined, which were younger age (odds ratio (OR)=0.97, confidence interval (CI) 0.964-0.974; P<0.0001), male gender (OR=1.44, CI 1.231-1.683; P<0.0001), and SN versus MNG (OR=0.63, CI 0.547-0.717; P<0.0001). The individual risk predictivity was highly improved by including serum TSH in the prediction model, which was measured at FNA in 11 919 patients. CONCLUSION A cytology suspicious or indicative of PTC was associated with younger age, male gender, and solitary versus multiple nodularity. These clinical parameters, together with serum TSH, may allow formulation of an algorithm that could be usefully applied to predict the risk of PTC in individual patients when cytology does not give a diagnostic result.
Four novel RET germline variants in exons 8 and 11 display an oncogenic potential in vitro.

CONTEXT Most germline-activating mutations of the RET proto-oncogene associated with inherited medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) are localized in exons 10, 11 and 13-15. Four novel RET variants, located in the extracellular domain (p.A510V, p.E511K and p.C531R) coded by exon 8 and in the intracellular juxtamembrane region (p.K666N) coded by exon 11, were identified on the leukocyte DNA from apparently sporadic cases. METHODS Plasmids carrying Ret9-wild-type (Ret9-WT), Ret9-C634R and all Ret9 variants were transfected, and the phosphorylation levels of RET and ERK were evaluated by western blot analyses. The transforming potentials were assessed by the focus formation assay. RESULTS The p.A510V, p.E511K and p.C531R variants were found to generate RET and ERK phosphorylation levels and to have a transforming activity higher than that of Ret9-WT variant, but lower than that of Ret9-C634R variant. Differently, the p.K666N variant, located immediately downstream of the transmembrane domain, and involving a conserved residue, displayed high kinase and transforming activities. Computational analysis predicted non-conservative alterations in the mutant proteins consistent with putative modifications of the receptor conformation. CONCLUSIONS The molecular analyses revealed an oncogenic potential for all the novel germline RET variants. Therefore, the prevalence of exon 8 genomic variations with an oncogenic potential may be higher than previously thought, and the analysis of this exon should be considered after the exclusion of mutations in the classical hotspots. In addition, on the basis of these functional data, it is advisable to extend the genetic screening to all the first-degree relatives of the MTC patients, and to perform a strict follow-up of familial carriers.
Both low and high temperature may increase the risk of stroke mortality

Objective: To examine temperature in relation to stroke mortality in a multicity time series study in China. Methods: We obtained data on daily temperature and mortality from 8 large cities in China. We used quasi-Poisson generalized additive models and distributed lag nonlinear models to estimate the accumulative effects of temperature on stroke mortality across multiple days, adjusting for long-term and seasonal trends, day of the week, air pollution, and relative humidity. We applied the Bayesian hierarchical model to pool city-specific effect estimates. Results: Both cold and hot temperatures were associated with increased risk of stroke mortality. The potential effect of cold temperature might last more than 2 weeks. The pooled relative risks of extreme cold (first percentile of temperature) and cold (10th percentile of temperature) temperatures over lags 0–14 days were 1.39 (95% posterior intervals [PI] 1.18–1.64) and 1.11 (95% PI 1.06–1.17), compared with the 25th percentile of temperature. In contrast, the effect of hot temperature was more immediate. The relative risks of stroke mortality over lags 0–3 days were 1.06 (95% PI 1.02–1.10) for extreme hot temperature (99th percentile of temperature) and 1.14 (95% PI 1.05–1.24) for hot temperature (90th percentile of temperature), compared with the 75th percentile of temperature. Conclusions: This study showed that both cold and hot temperatures were associated with increased risk of stroke mortality in China. Our findings may have important implications for stroke prevention in China.
Hippocampal and entorhinal cortex atrophy in frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer’s disease

Objective: To describe atrophic changes of the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex in frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and compare them with those of AD. Background: The medial temporal lobe shows atrophic changes early in the course of AD, but whether these changes are specific to AD or occur in other degenerative dementias, and to what extent, is unclear. Methods: The authors measured the volumes of the left and right hippocampus and entorhinal cortex from MR images (1.5 T, 2-mm–thick slices) in 12 patients with FTD, 30 with AD, and 30 elderly control subjects. Results: In FTD patients, the left and right hippocampus (16% and 21% tissue loss) and the entorhinal cortex (28% and 27% loss) were more atrophic than the control subjects. Atrophy of the hippocampus in FTD was less severe than in AD, but atrophy of the entorhinal cortex was equally severe. Greater hippocampal and entorhinal cortex atrophy was present in the most severe patients in both groups (as high as a 49% tissue loss). The sensitivity of the hippocampus and the entorhinal cortex to discriminate FTD patients from control subjects was low (49% and 52%, respectively; specificity set at 90%), whereas hippocampal volumes could better differentiate AD patients from control subjects (80% sensitivity). Conclusions: At variance with AD, detectable in vivo atrophy of the hippocampus might not be an early event in FTD. Differential patterns of atrophy might help in the diagnostic process of the degenerative dementias.