Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mutations in the HFE gene and their interaction with exogenous risk factors in hepatocellular carcinoma.

The possible role of iron in facilitating the development of liver cancer is still debated. The aims of this study were to define the prevalence of the mutations 845G --> A and 187C --> G (C282Y and H63D) in the HFE gene associated with hereditary hemochromatosis in Italian patients with hepatocellular carcinoma occurring in cirrhosis and to analyze the interaction between these mutations and other established risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma. The HFE gene mutations, performed by polymerase chain reaction, were analyzed in 81 patients (63 males, 18 females) with hepatocellular carcinoma. None of the patients had a phenotype compatible with homozygous hereditary hemochromatosis. Interaction between HFE mutations and exogenous risk factors was analyzed by collecting information on alcohol consumption, hepatitis B and C virus infections, and iron status at the time of diagnosis of chronic liver disease. This analysis was performed only in males to rule out gender influence on patients' iron status by using the case-only approach specifically designed to estimate departure from multiplicative risk ratios under the assumption of independence between genotype and environmental exposure. The prevalence of the C282Y mutation was significantly higher in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma than in normal controls (8.6% vs 1.6%, P < 0.03). At univariate analysis, iron overload was significantly associated with both HFE mutations (P < 0.0001), whereas ongoing hepatitis B virus infection was associated with the C282Y mutation (P < 0.05). By multivariate analysis, a trend for an increased risk of being positive for hepatitis virus markers (OR 2.9, CI 95% 0.9-9.5) and of having been alcohol abusers (OR 3, CI 95% 0.7-14) was observed in patients heterozygous for the HFE mutations. These data indicate that the prevalence of the main mutation associated with hereditary hemochromatosis is significantly higher in cirrhotic Italian patients with hepatocellular carcinoma compared to a normal population and suggest that heterozygotes for HFE mutations exposed to hepatitis virus infections or who had been alcohol abusers could have an increased risk of developing cirrhosis and later liver cancer than people without the mutations exposed to the same risk factors.
Pulsatile luteinizing hormone secretion in the neonatal male rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta).

In an attempt to establish whether the gonadotrophic hormones are secreted in a pulsatile mode during neonatal development in the rhesus monkey, four infantile males were bilaterally gonadectomized at 1-2 weeks of age. Sequential blood samples were taken 22-36 days later from each animal every 10 min for 3-4 h during the light phase of the 24-h light : darkness cycle and circulating LH concentrations were determined by radioimmunoassay. Plasma concentrations of this gonadotrophin fluctuated dramatically and in an apparently rhythmic fashion with peaks recurring at approximately hourly intervals. These findings indicate that the neonatal stage of ontogeny the hypothalamic-hypophysial apparatus which governs gonadotrophin secretion in this species is capable of generating a pulsatile or episodic pattern of LH release.
Daily Hassles, Uplifts, and Time Use in Individuals With Bipolar Disorder in Remission

Although life stress has been shown to trigger relapse in bipolar disorder, little is known about how bipolar patients perceive daily hassles or their positive counterparts, uplifts. We used the experience sampling method to investigate the daily experience of hassles and uplifts in 38 patients with remitted bipolar disorder and 38 healthy controls. Largely because of current unemployment, patients were more often alone and at home and spent less time working and more time in passive leisure activities. Contrary to expectations, the groups did not differ in total frequencies or appraisals of events. Within the patient group, however, those patients with current depressive symptoms and more previous depressive episodes experienced negative events as more stressful. These findings are consistent with hypothesized processes linking depressive symptoms to the generation of stressful conditions or to the reactivation of negative cognitive schemas.
Hepatoprotective effect of carob against acute ethanol-induced oxidative stress in rat

The present study was undertaken to determine whether subacute treatment with aqueous extract of carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) pods (AECPs) protects against ethanol (EtOH)-induced oxidative stress in rat liver. Animals were divided into four groups: control, carob, EtOH and EtOH + carob. Wistar rats were intraperitoneally pretreated with AECP (600 mg/kg body weight (bw)) during 7 days and intoxicated for 6 h by acute oral administration of EtOH (6 g/kg bw) 24 h after the last injection. We found that acute administration of EtOH leads to hepatotoxicity as monitored by the increase in the levels of hepatic marker aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase as well as hepatic tissue injury. EtOH also increased the formation of malondialdehyde in the liver, indicating an increase in lipid peroxidation and depletion of antioxidant enzyme activities as superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase. Subacute carob pretreatment prevented all the alterations induced by EtOH and returned their levels to near normal. Importantly, we showed that acute alcohol increased hepatic and plasmatic hydrogen peroxide and free iron levels. The carob pretreatment reversed EtOH effects to near control levels. These data suggest that carob could have a beneficial effect in inhibiting the oxidative damage induced by acute EtOH administration and that its mode of action may involve an opposite effect on plasma and tissue-free iron accumulation. Indeed, carob can be offered as a food additive to protect against EtOH-induced oxidative damage.
Tissue culture-propagated orf virus vaccine protects lambs from orf virus challenge

Twenty, eight-day-old specific pathogen-free (SPF) lambs were vaccinated by a single scarification approximately 4 cm in length on the inner right thigh with a double-pronged applicator. The titre of live virus in the vaccine was 107.2 TCID50/ml and the estimated dose per lamb was 0.04 ml. Three months and six months later 10 of the vaccinated lambs and five agematched unvaccinated control specific pathogen free lambs were challenged by a single scarification with virulent virus on the inner left thigh in the same way. After the vaccination all 20 lambs developed lesions characteristic of orf virus infection that had largely resolved four weeks later, when they all had reciprocal ELISA antibody titres ≥3200 that persisted in all but one of them until they were challenged. After the challenge, the development of lesions in the vaccinated and unvaccinated sheep was compared daily for four weeks by means of a clinical scoring system. Both groups of vaccinated lambs had significantly lower (P<0.01) total clinical scores after challenge at three months and six months than the unvaccinated lambs.
The association between strenuous physical activity and obesity in a high and low altitude populations in southern Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVES To assess the relationship between obesity and strenuous physical activity in Saudi nationals living at high and low altitude. DESIGN Cross-sectional randomized study. SUBJECTS A total of 437 healthy adult Saudi nationals born and living permanently at high altitude (3150 m) and 468 healthy adult Saudi nationals born and living permanently at relatively low altitude 500 m). MEASUREMENTS Body Mass Index (Weight (kg)/height (m2)) strenuous activity scores using Lipid Research Clinic Questionnaire. Resting radial pulse rate (beats/min). RESULTS Strenuous physical activity was significantly and inversely associated with obesity in men at both high (chi 2 = 7.13, P < 0.05) and low (chi 2 = 6.14, P < 0.05) altitude but there was no clear trend for women at either altitude. The lack of association between strenuous physical activity and obesity in women was attributed to the low and homogeneous levels of strenuous physical activity. CONCLUSION Strenuous physical activity should be encouraged as strategy directed towards weight reduction in obese as well as prevention of obesity in Saudi high and lowlanders.
Genetic variation in organisms with sexual and asexual reproduction

Abstract The genetic variation in a partially asexual organism is investigated by two models suited for different time scales. Only selectively neutral variation is considered. Model 1 shows, by the use of a coalescence argument, that three sexually derived individuals per generation are sufficient to give a population the same pattern of allelic variation as found in fully sexually reproducing organisms. With less than one sexual event every third generation, the characteristic pattern expected for asexual organisms appear, with strong allelic divergence between the gene copies in individuals. At intermediary levels of sexuality, a complex situation reigns. The pair‐wise allelic divergence under partial sexuality exceeds, however, always the corresponding value under full sexuality. These results apply to large populations with stable reproductive systems. In a more general framework, Model 2 shows that a small number of sexual individuals per generation is sufficient to make an apparently asexual population highly genotypically variable. The time scale in terms of generations needed to produce this effect is given by the population size and the inverse of the rate of sexuality.
Septic arthritis due to Streptococcus pneumoniae in Nottingham, United Kingdom, 1985-1998.

Pneumonia and meningitis are the 2 most frequent manifestations of Streptococcus neumoniae infection. Pneumococcal septic arthritis is considered to be relatively uncommon. Between 1985 and 1998, 32 (8. 2%) of 389 cases of septic arthritis seen in the 2 hospitals in Nottingham, United Kingdom, were due to S. pneumoniae. Six of 7 children with pneumococcal septic arthritis were aged <2 years. Of the 25 adults, 20 (80%) were aged >60 years, 11 (44%) had concomitant pneumococcal infection elsewhere, and 23 (92%) had articular or nonarticular diseases and/or other risk factors. In the elderly, a lack of febrile response was striking. S. pneumoniae was isolated from blood and joint cultures in >70% of cases, and gram-positive diplococci were seen in the joint fluids of 90% of patients. The mean duration of antimicrobial therapy for adults was twice as long as that for children. Eight (32%) of the adults died.
Test pattern for supply current test of open defects by applying time-variable electric field

Test input vectors for a supply current test method are discussed which is used for detecting open defects in CMOS ICs. In the test method, time-variable electric field is applied from the outside of ICs so as to vary the voltage at a floating node. To generate excessive supply current by the induced voltage change at the floating node, test pattern must be provided so that a conducting path from V/sub DD/ to GND can be generated in the faulty circuit. In this paper, the requirements are denoted to be satisfied as a test input vector of the test method. Also, it is shown that test pattern of functional tests based on stuck-at fault models can be used for the open defect detection method. Furthermore, the experimental results in this paper promise that high fault coverage can be achieved by applying the subset of the stuck-at test pattern to the detection of open defects.
Coping with terminal illness: the experience of attending Specialist Palliative Day Care.

BACKGROUND The provision of supportive and palliative care for people with life-shortening illness has been emphasized throughout Department of Health and National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) cancer guidance. However, the question of whether services are achieving this aim has been sparsely researched to date particularly in relation to Specialist Palliative Day Care (SPDC) services. The current study aims to explore the experiences of patients attending SPDC with regard to coping with a terminal illness. DESIGN AND METHOD The views of 11 patients attending SPDC were explored using semistructured interviews. An exploratory methodology (Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis [IPA]) was used to analyze the data to allow for an in-depth investigation. RESULTS Emerging themes suggest that SPDC provides an environment in which patients are helped to cope with stressors through a sense of self, belonging, acceptance of the reality of death, and a focus on life. CONCLUSIONS This work provides a piece of the puzzle in the exploration of the processes underpinning attendance at SPDC from a patient's perspective. It suggests that SPDC provides an environment in which patients receive help in coping with terminal illness. In such an under researched area it provides an insight regarding SPDC attendance which can be built upon or challenged by future research.
DotComs versus NotComs : Competing on Channel-Centric Value Propositions

Technology-driven commerce channels, such as the Web, possess several unique features that enable the seamless unbundling of traditional channel functions and facilitate innovative business models for the design and delivery of novel retailing value propositions. In the process, they shift the locus of competition from product-related attributes to channel-centric ones. The interaction between firms operating across these differentiated channels involves complex and interesting competitive dynamics, which cannot be captured by isolated models of electronic markets. This paper develops a stylized game-theoretic spatial differentiation model to examine the impact of differences in channel characteristics on competition between the three corresponding categories of firms – pure online firms, pure bricks-and-mortar firms, and hybrid firms which sell both online and offline. In particular, the emphasis is on the impact of technologydriven channel-differentiating parameters including channel flexibility, network externalities and switching costs, on equilibrium outcomes. The features of the equilibrium configuration and its sensitivity to various parameters are also examined. The results provide rich insights into the impact of emerging technologies on the dynamics of competition and their significance for retailing choices. They also suggest useful policy and regulatory prescriptions, and indicate product and context specific business strategies for firms grappling with the choice between bricks, clicks and a hybrid model of commerce.
Customized Topography-Guided Corneal Collagen Cross-linking for Keratoconus.

PURPOSE To compare the efficacy and safety of topography-guided corneal collagen cross-linking (TG-CXL) to conventional corneal CXL (C-CXL) in progressive keratoconus. METHODS In this prospective, nonrandomized clinical trial, 60 eyes of 60 patients were scheduled to receive either TG-CXL (30 eyes with deepithelialization focused on the cone, riboflavin application for 10 minutes, and 30 mW/cm2 pulsed ultraviolet-A irradiance pattern according to topography) or C-CXL (30 eyes treated in accordance with the Dresden protocol). Patients were observed for 1 year postoperatively. Maximum keratometry (Kmax), mean keratometry in the inferior part of the cornea (I index), corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), demarcation line observed in optical coherence tomography, and nerves and cell densities analyzed by confocal microscopy were compared preoperatively and at 1 year postoperatively. RESULTS The difference was significant for both Kmax (P < .01) and I index (P < .01) between the two groups. CDVA improved significantly in the TG-CXL (0.2162 ± 0.2495 logMAR, P < .05) versus the C-CXL (0.2648 ± 0.2574 logMAR, P = .104) group. A stromal demarcation line was observed in both treatment groups, with similar depth at the top of the cone (P = .391), but it was shallower at the surrounding area in the TG-CXL group (P < .0001). Stromal evaluation by confocal microscopy showed less damage and faster healing in the surrounding area than on the cone area in the TG-CXL group. CONCLUSIONS At 1 year postoperatively, TG-CXL seems to be as safe as C-CXL with stronger flattening in Kmax and I index and better improvement in CDVA. TG-CXL induces a biological gradient between the cone and the surrounding area that facilitates nerve and cell recovery. [J Refract Surg. 2017;33(5):290-297. ].
Size effect in shear and punching shear failures of concrete members without transverse reinforcement: Differences between statically determinate members and redundant structures

Large efforts have been devoted in the past to understanding size effect in shear failures of members without transverse reinforcement. Experimental works have demonstrated that increasing the size reduces the nominal shear strength provided that the failure mode is brittle. For large specimen sizes where a linear behavior can be assumed between the opening of the shear cracks and the acting shear force, the size effect agrees with linear‐elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM). In this case, the reduction of nominal shear strength is characterized with respect to the specimen size by an asymptotic slope (in double‐log scale) of −1/2. However, such a linear relationship between crack widths and applied shear force is not present in most reinforced concrete structures, where the response is characterized by a nonlinear behavior at a cracked stage. In these cases, the influence of size effect shall be milder, and the slope (in double‐log scale) characterizing it shall be lower than −1/2. In this paper, the influence of size effect on structures characterized by internal redundancy (continuous one‐way members and slabs in case of punching shear with a nonlinear response) is investigated in the frame of the critical shear crack theory. The theory predicts the same influence as LEFM with respect to size effect when a linear behavior can be assumed, but it yields consistently milder influence of size effect for structurally redundant elements with a nonlinear response.
Genetically heterogeneous origins of idiopathic erythrocytosis

Abstract The idiopathic erythrocytosis (IE) group of disorders is defined by an absolute increase in red cell mass and hematocrit without elevation of the megakaryocytic or granulocytic lineages. It is associated with a wide range of serum erythropoietin (Epo) levels and broadly falls into groups of raised/inappropriately normal or low/undetectable Epo levels. A spectrum of molecular defects has been described in association with IE, which reflects the heterogeneity of this disorder. To date the most common identified cause of IE has been mutations in the von Hippel Landau (VHL) protein, which results in aberrant oxygen sensing and dysregulated Epo production. Studying the molecular basis of IE will provide insights into the control of Epo synthesis and Epo-induced signaling pathways.
Utility of a routine medical surveillance program with benzene exposed workers.

BACKGROUND A medical surveillance program of benzene-exposed workers has to be established in such a way as to observe early signs of benzene-induced cytopenia, pancytopenia, or leukemia. This study evaluates the utility of routine medical survey applied to benzene-exposed workers by analyzing the hematological, immunological, and cytogenetic assay results. METHODS The results of a previous study of hematological, immunological, and cytogenetic assays in benzene-exposed workers (up to 15 ppm) are used to discuss medical surveillance program by defining the relationship between various benzene exposure concentrations and toxic endpoints. RESULTS Exposure to benzene concentration lower than 5 ppm does not produce any abnormal hematological measurements. For benzene cumulative exposure above 100 (ppm-years), some blood indices [mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), band neutrophils] show significant differences in comparison to the control group. The incidence of dicentric chromosomes was higher and the level of B-lymphocytes was lower even with workers exposed to 5 ppm of benzene; correlation with exposure indicators was not found. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that peripheral blood indices, although not sensitive enough, are still the most suitable parameters in a health surveillance program applied to benzene-exposed workers. B-lymphocytes could be a promising indicator of the benzene-induced damage. Cytogenetic tests did not prove to be suitable. Further investigation of useful screening tests for health surveillance program of benzene-exposed workers is still required.
Hepatozoon Infection Prevalence in Four Snake Genera: Influence of Diet, Prey Parasitemia Levels, or Parasite Type?

Abstract: Hepatozoon spp. (Apicomplexa: Haemogregarinidae) are the most commonly reported hemoparasites from snakes. Of over 300 Hepatozoon species identified, more than 120 were described from snakes. However, recent genetic assessments have found Hepatozoon lineages recovered from both prey and predators, indicating that diet may play an important role in the infection of final vertebrate hosts. Here 4 different snake genera with different diets were assessed. Hepatozoon spp. prevalence varied greatly between the genera, but only lineages already identified from potential prey, i.e., gecko and lacertid lizards, were recovered from the snakes. Interestingly, the Hepatozoon spp. lineage known from geckos was the most common in the snakes, but this does not reflect their diet. Higher parasitemia levels, reported for some geckos relative to lacertid lizards, may play a role. Alternatively, this lineage may be more effective at parasitizing snakes or may occur, despite being unrecorded, in other vertebrate groups consumed by snakes.
No abnormality in the gene for the G protein stimulatory alpha subunit in patients with bipolar disorder.

BACKGROUND The available evidence for an involvement of the heterotrimeric guanine-nucleotide-binding proteins (G proteins) in bipolar disorder relies primarily on the effects of lithium salts on G protein function and on alterations in the concentration or function of G proteins (most notably Gs-alpha) in peripheral leukocytes and in postmortem tissues of patients with bipolar disorder. METHODS The hypothesis that a mutation in Gs-alpha gene confers an increased susceptibility to bipolar disorder was tested by the following strategies: (1) mutational screening of the Gs-alpha subunit gene coding sequences and promoter sequences by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis in unrelated individuals with bipolar disorder and (2) association and linkage analyses with a common silent exonic polymorphism, using genetic allelic information from American families with at least 1 affected child. For association analysis, the transmission test for linkage disequilibrium was used; for linkage analysis, nonparametric methods were used. RESULTS No structural or regulatory mutations in this gene were found in bipolar disorder; the results of association and genetic linkage were negative. CONCLUSION Our results do not support the speculation that the Gs-alpha protein gene has a role in the genetic predisposition to bipolar disorder.