Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
[Reproductive risk factors associated with breast cancer in Colombian women].

INTRODUCTION As of 1992, breast cancer has been the second cause of death in Columbian women, with a rising trend in mortality due to this type of neoplasm (average annual rate 4.5*/100.000 inhabitants). Information about potential risk factors for breast cancer in Latin American countries is scarce. The objectives of the project were to test the breastfeeding protection against breast cancer and to establish the reproductive factors associated with breast cancer in Columbia. METHODS A hospital case-control study was carried out from July 1995 to March 1996 in Bogotá, Columbia, using paring by age groups. The study population consisted of 171 histopathologically confirmed cases and 171 controls. Reproductive history and sociodemographic data were collected through a questionnaire, and logistic regression models were used for statistical analysis of the data. RESULTS The following associated factors were found as principal results: nuli-parousness as compared with women with over 3 children (OR=3.35 CI 1.40-8.0), age at first birth (OR=1.83 CI 0.70- 4.80), breast cancer history, breastfeeding the first child (OR=0.09 CI 0.01-0.64 for 1-11 months) and with a highly significant trend for accumulated breastfeeding above 24 months (p=0.001). CONCLUSIONS This study indicates the importance of focusing on the promotion of prolonged breastfeeding by women identified as being at higher risk, and confirms that socio-economic level can determine life styles and reproductive events among women (such as breastfeeding time); this could explain the increase in breast cancer mortality in Latin American countries, similar to that in developed countries in terms of fertility and risk factors for breast cancer. The epidemiological information produced by this study will be useful for planning and carrying out early diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer in women identified as being at high risk of this disease.
CBCT and Cephalometric Analysis of the TMJ Complex after Treatment Using a MARA Appliance

7 Introduction . 10 Hypothesis.10 Materials and Methods . 11 Data Collection . 11 Lateral Cephalometric Images . 12 3D CBCT Images . 15 Metric Analysis of Images . 16 Mandibular Length . 17 Mandibular Condyle Volume . 17 Sample Size . 19 Experimental Control . 19 Statistical Analysis . 19 Results . 20 Lateral Cephalometric Images . 21
Progressive Hard-Mining Network for Monocular Depth Estimation

Depth estimation from the monocular RGB image is a challenging task for computer vision due to no reliable cues as the prior knowledge. Most existing monocular depth estimation works including various geometric or network learning methods lack of an effective mechanism to preserve the cross-border details of depth maps, which yet is very important for the performance promotion. In this paper, we propose a novel end-to-end progressive hard-mining network (PHN) framework to address this problem. Specifically, we construct the hard-mining objective function, the intra-scale and inter-scale refinement subnetworks to accurately localize and refine those hard-mining regions. The intra-scale refining block recursively recovers details of depth maps from different semantic features in the same receptive field while the inter-scale block favors a complementary interaction among multi-scale depth cues of different receptive fields. For further reducing the uncertainty of the network, we design a difficulty-ware refinement loss function to guide the depth learning process, which can adaptively focus on mining these hard-regions where accumulated errors easily occur. All three modules collaborate together to progressively reduce the error propagation in the depth learning process, and then, boost the performance of monocular depth estimation to some extent. We conduct comprehensive evaluations on several public benchmark data sets (including NYU Depth V2, KITTI, and Make3D). The experiment results well demonstrate the superiority of our proposed PHN framework over other state of the arts for monocular depth estimation task.
Reliability and validity of Questionnaire for Neurobehavioral Disability following traumatic brain injury

Abstract The neurobehavioral disability recognized in traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a severe sequela, but there is no appropriate classification due to its various manifestations. In the present study a questionnaire for a simple investigation of this disability was prepared, and its reliability and validity verified. The survey was conducted on 72 patients with TBI by the caregiver of each patient. As a result, good reliability was indicated by the split‐half method (coefficient of reliability: 0.95, obtained using Spearman–Brown correction formula). The total score of the questionnaire had a significant correlation with the total score of the simultaneously conducted Japanese version of Neuropsychiatry Inventory at the 0.01 level (Spearman's rank correlation, 0.47). It also had a significant correlation with the total score of the simultaneously conducted Japanese version of the Dysexecutive Questionnaire at the 0.05 level (Spearman's rank correlation, 0.36). Six factors constituting this neurobehavioral disability were extracted from a factor analysis of the questionnaire survey. These factors are angry outburst, avolition, deficits of sympathy, depressed mood, discourse deficits, and degradation of appearance. Each factor indicated good internal consistency (Cronbach α, 0.86–0.94). The present results indicate that this questionnaire has good reliability and validity, therefore it can be a significant indicator in TBI neurobehavioral disability study.
Proteasome stress leads to APP axonal transport defects by promoting its amyloidogenic processing in lysosomes

ABSTRACT Alzheimer disease (AD) pathology includes the accumulation of poly-ubiquitylated (also known as poly-ubiquitinated) proteins and failures in proteasome-dependent degradation. Whereas the distribution of proteasomes and its role in synaptic function have been studied, whether proteasome activity regulates the axonal transport and metabolism of the amyloid precursor protein (APP), remains elusive. By using live imaging in primary hippocampal neurons, we showed that proteasome inhibition rapidly and severely impairs the axonal transport of APP. Fluorescence cross-correlation analyses and membrane internalization blockage experiments showed that plasma membrane APP does not contribute to transport defects. Moreover, by western blotting and double-color APP imaging, we demonstrated that proteasome inhibition precludes APP axonal transport by enhancing its endo-lysosomal delivery, where β-cleavage is induced. Taken together, we found that proteasomes control the distal transport of APP and can re-distribute Golgi-derived vesicles to the endo-lysosomal pathway. This crosstalk between proteasomes and lysosomes regulates the intracellular APP dynamics, and defects in proteasome activity can be considered a contributing factor that leads to abnormal APP metabolism in AD. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper. Summary: Proteasome inhibition induces rapid and significant reductions of APP axonal transport towards synapses due to increased cell body amyloidogenic processing of APP in lysosomes.
Reliability of an adherence monitoring sensor embedded in an oral appliance used for treatment of obstructive sleep apnoea

The aim of this study was to test whether digitally registered use of a mandibular advancement device (MAD) by a built-in thermal sensor was reliable compared to a self-reported diary of MAD use. Eighty consecutive patients referred to a specialist outpatient sleep medicine clinic (HUS) were recruited. Patients of both genders, aged from 25 to 70 years with a diagnosis of mild, moderate or severe, were included. All participants signed a written informed consent when they received the MAD. For the purpose of this reliability study, we found it sufficient to include the first 30 nights of MAD use in the reliability analysis. At the 30th night follow-up visit, the self-reported diary with duration of MAD use was returned and data on the duration of MAD use with the built-in sensor were retrieved. From a total of 2400 nights, complete data from both methods were retrieved for 2108 nights (84.6%). Missing data were largely a result of missing self-reported diaries, whereas technical failure occurred in 6 nights (0.002%). The relative reliability was very high with ICC3,1 0.847, and the absolute reliability for digitally registered MAD usage was calculated to -0.17 (95% CI: 1.47 to -1.81) hours in decimal conversion. Objectively collected data from built-in thermal sensors in MADs are as reliable as those of the self-report assessments. This opens new possibilities for more accurate measurements of MAD adherence.
"Reading is power!" critical literacy in practice: a formative experiment using critical literacy to address issues of gender inequity with a fifth grade class

The purpose of this research study was to explore the ways a fifth-grade teacher and her students engaged in critical literacy to address issues of gender inequity. Additionally, this study worked to examine the ways teacher and student understandings of critical literacy related to gender shift during a unit of study. An additional purpose was to determine what factors enhanced or inhibited the ability of the teacher to use critical literacy with her students to address issues of gender inequity. The theoretical framework used to guide this study drew from feminist theory and critical literacy. The study included one fifth-grade teacher and her class of 21 students, with an emphasis on six focus students from her classroom. A formative experiment approach was used to conduct this study. Multiple data sources were utilized including audio recording, fieldnotes, student and teacher interviews, a card and book sort activity, and a focus group session with the 6 focus students. A critical literacy framework based on the dimensions of critical literacy as described by Lewison, Flint, and Van Sluys (2002) was used to analyze the data related to both teacher and students. Findings indicated that the teacher took specific instructional approaches that allowed her to use critical literacy with students, which included: (a) use and selection of literacy resources, (b) engage students in critical conversations, (c) explicitly teach and model, and (d) merge standards with critical literacy practices. Students also engaged in critical literacy in specific ways, which included: (a) make personal and real world connections, (b) take risks, (c) engage in critical conversations, and (d) identify hidden messages. Findings also suggest that teacher and student understandings of critical literacy increased and understandings of gender shifted. Factors that enhanced the teacher’s ability to engage in critical literacy were identified. These included: (a) the teacher’s leadership qualities and (b) support from teammates/school personnel. Factors that inhibited the teacher’s ability to engage in critical literacy were also identified. These included: (a) the teacher’s learning curve related to critical literacy and gender, (b) time, and (c) issues of discomfort. Administration was a factor that both enhanced and inhibited the teacher’s ability to use critical literacy to address issues of gender inequity with her students. The findings from this study have implications for research and practice. Specifically, additional research using formative experiments need to be conducted. Teachers need to work to foster critical conversations among students related to issues of gender inequity, create an environment where students feel safe to take risks when discussing such topics, and recognize the importance of helping students understand the ways hidden messages about gender in texts influence their thinking.
Barriers to implementing an integrated care pathway for the last days of life in nursing homes.

AIM this paper explores the barriers that needed to be overcome during the process of implementing an integrated care pathway for the last days of life as a way of developing quality end-of-life care in nursing homes. METHODS an action research methodology underpinned the study. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected in eight nursing homes before, during and after the implementation of the care pathway. FINDINGS six main barriers were identified: a lack of knowledge of palliative care drugs and control of symptoms at the end of life; lack of preparation for approaching death; not knowing when someone is dying or understanding the dying process; lack of multidisciplinary team working in nursing homes; lack of confidence in communicating about dying; some nursing homes are not ready or able to change. These findings highlight a functional 'rehabilitative' culture that may not be so appropriate in the current context of nursing home care, and one that makes implementing an integrated care pathway for the last days of life less straightforward than in other settings. CONCLUSION it cannot be presumed that the implementation of a care pathway for the last days of life in nursing homes is straightforward. This study suggests that an action research framework was extremely useful in highlighting and overcoming some obstacles when developing evidence-based practice. Action at both local and public policy level is required to fully address barriers that prevent quality end-of-life care in nursing homes.
Intracortical connectivity of architectonic fields in the somatic sensory, motor and parietal cortex of monkeys

Anterograde and retrograde transport methods were used to study the corticocortical connectivity of areas 3a, 3b, 1, 2, 5, 4 and 6 of the monkey cerebral cortex. Fields were identified by cytoarchitectonic features and by thalamic connectivity in the same brains. Area 3a was identified by first recording a short latency group I afferent evoked potential. Attempts were made to analyze the data in terms of: (1) routes whereby somatic sensory input might influence the performance of motor cortex neurons; (2) possible multiple representations of the body surface in the component fields of the first somatic sensory area (SI).
Meningiomas: role of vascular endothelial growth factor/vascular permeability factor in angiogenesis and peritumoral edema.

OBJECTIVE Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)/vascular permeability factor (VPF) is a potent angiogenic growth factor implicated in the tumor angiogenesis/metastasis of a number of human cancers. Activation of receptors for VEGF/VPF is specifically mitogenic to endothelial cells and increases their permeability. Although extensive literature exists regarding VEGF/VPF in human astrocytomas, little is known about its potential biological role(s) in meningiomas. Our interest in meningiomas was initiated by the observation that some meningiomas are extremely vascular and are occasionally associated with a considerable degree of peritumoral brain edema, both potentially related to the biological attributes of VEGF/VPF. METHODS As a first test of this hypothesis, we examined a cohort of 18 meningiomas for expression of VEGF/VPF at the messenger ribonucleic acid and protein levels and correlated expression with pathological characteristics, vascularity, and degree of peritumoral edema. RESULTS The majority of meningiomas expressed VEGF/VPF at both the messenger ribonucleic acid and protein levels. Corresponding serial sections were stained with an endothelial cell marker to obtain a microvascular density count, which positively correlated (P = 0.0005) with expression of VEGF/VPF. Furthermore, meningiomas with a large amount of peritumoral edema, as determined from the preoperative computed tomographic scans or magnetic resonance imaging scans, had elevated expression of VEGF/VPF (P = 0.05). CONCLUSION These data suggest that VEGF/VPF may play a role in both meningioma vascularity and peritumoral edema.
Inducible immune regulation following autoimmune disease in the immune‐privileged eye

The immune‐privileged eye has the potential to induce regulatory immunity along with local mechanisms of immunosuppression. Rodent models of human autoimmune uveoretinitis [experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU)] recover without spontaneous recurrence of uveitis, which differs from uveitis in some humans. This raises the possibility that the mechanism of immune privilege in the rodent eye can reimpose itself during autoimmune uveoretinitis and re‐establish tolerance to autoantigen. To investigate this possibility, we examined the spleens of EAU‐recovered mice for regulatory immunity. We detected regulatory immunity when we adoptively transferred post‐EAU spleen cells into other mice immunized for EAU. We could not detect this regulatory immunity in enucleated mice nor in naive mice. Moreover, unlike the mechanisms of anterior chamber‐associated immune deviation, the suppression was only mediated by post‐EAU CD4+ T cells, which required activation with autoantigen presented by post‐EAU spleen antigen‐presenting cells (APC). Our results demonstrate that when the immune‐privileged ocular microenvironment recovers from an autoimmune response, it has influenced systemic immunity to retinal autoantigen by affecting APC and mediating induction of potential regulatory CD4+ T cells laying in wait in the post‐EAU spleen for restimulation.
The frontal lobes and neurosurgery for psychiatric disorders

The frontal lobe has been the main target for surgical treatment of mental illness over the last 60 years. Initially the surgery was crude and performed on patients with many different psychiatric disorders. Contemporary surgery utilizes stereotactic lesions which interrupt fronto-thalamic and/or fronto-cingulate fibres. The findings of clinical, neurochemical, neuroimaging, neuropsychological and physiological research in this area are summarized. Current advances in clinical neuroscience methods should be used in patients with these lesions to elucidate the neural substrate of post-operative changes and optimize clinical practice.
Energy optimization and bifurcation angles in the microcirculation.

Our purpose was to examine the relationship between bifurcation angle and energy optimization in the arteriolar microcirculation. We measured bifurcation angles and diameters for sequential branches along a third-order feed arteriole (25 microns) in the superfused cremaster muscle of anesthetized (pentobarbital, 70 mg/kg) Golden hamsters (N = 51). Predicted bifurcation angles were calculated using the diameter data in a model designed to minimize total energy or using four different models each designed to minimize a specific energy cost (vessel wall surface area, vascular volume, wall shear stress, power losses), these models each assuming constant viscosity and that branching occurs with perfect space filling (i.e. junction exponent, x, = 3). The range of the predicted bifurcation angles for any model was small (+/- 10 degrees), and they were not different for the sequential junctions along the feed arteriole, where the observed angles significantly decreased in angle along the feed (first junction, 115 +/- 4.4 degrees; second, 88 +/- 5.2 degrees; third, 76 +/- 4.8 degrees; and last, 57 +/- 3.4 degrees). We next corrected for a nonconstant viscosity by using our in vivo tube hematocrit data and a published relationship among diameter, tube hematocrit, and apparent viscosity. Again assuming that x = 3, the total energy minimization model now predicted that the bifurcation angle was always obtuse and not different for the sequential branches along the feed arteriole (first, 125 +/- 3.3 degrees; second, 124 +/- 3.4 degrees; third, 120 +/- 6.6 degrees; and last, 132 +/- 2.7 degrees); the predicted angles were not correlated with the observed angles (r = 0.25). Using the geometric resistance (diameters) and the angles measured in vivo, and assuming constant viscosity, we next calculated the value of chi for each of the bifurcation junctions for each of the four models described above. The average value of x was not equal to 3 for any of the four models. The value of x decreased along the feed arteriole (first to last branch) from 2.7 +/- 0.26 to 1.6 +/- 0.22 (surface) and from 4.2 +/- 0.36 to 2.9 +/- 0.23 (volume), and x increased along the feed from 3.0 +/- 0.35 to 15.5 +/- 2.6 (shear stress) and from 40 +/- 31 to 82 +/- 49 (power loss). These calculations suggest that both changing viscosity and a changing value for the junction exponent are likely important when examining the energy optimization within the arteriolar microcirculation.
CIRCADIAN CLOCK-ASSOCIATED 1 regulates ROS homeostasis and oxidative stress responses

Organisms have evolved endogenous biological clocks as internal timekeepers to coordinate metabolic processes with the external environment. Here, we seek to understand the mechanism of synchrony between the oscillator and products of metabolism known as Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) in Arabidopsis thaliana. ROS-responsive genes exhibit a time-of-day–specific phase of expression under diurnal and circadian conditions, implying a role of the circadian clock in transcriptional regulation of these genes. Hydrogen peroxide production and scavenging also display time-of-day phases. Mutations in the core-clock regulator, CIRCADIAN CLOCK ASSOCIATED 1 (CCA1), affect the transcriptional regulation of ROS-responsive genes, ROS homeostasis, and tolerance to oxidative stress. Mis-expression of EARLY FLOWERING 3, LUX ARRHYTHMO, and TIMING OF CAB EXPRESSION 1 affect ROS production and transcription, indicating a global effect of the clock on the ROS network. We propose CCA1 as a master regulator of ROS homeostasis through association with the Evening Element in promoters of ROS genes in vivo to coordinate time-dependent responses to oxidative stress. We also find that ROS functions as an input signal that affects the transcriptional output of the clock, revealing an important link between ROS signaling and circadian output. Temporal coordination of ROS signaling by CCA1 and the reciprocal control of circadian output by ROS reveal a mechanistic link that allows plants to master oxidative stress responses.
Teaching neuroanatomy using computer‐aided learning: What makes for successful outcomes?

Computer‐aided learning (CAL) is an integral part of many medical courses. The neuroscience course at Oxford University for medical students includes CAL course of neuroanatomy. CAL is particularly suited to this since neuroanatomy requires much detailed three‐dimensional visualization, which can be presented on screen. The CAL course was evaluated using the concept of approach to learning. The aims of university teaching are congruent with the deep approach—seeking meaning and relating new information to previous knowledge—rather than to the surface approach of concentrating on rote learning of detail. Seven cohorts of medical students (N = 869) filled in approach to learning scale and a questionnaire investigating their engagement with the CAL course. The students' scores on CAL‐course‐based neuroanatomy assessment and later university examinations were obtained. Although the students reported less use of the deep approach for the neuroanatomy CAL course than for the rest of their neuroanatomy course (mean = 24.99 vs. 31.49, P < 0.001), deep approach for CAL was positively correlated with neuroanatomy assessment performance (r = 0.12, P < 0.001). Time spent on the CAL course, enjoyment of it, the amount of CAL videos watched and quizzes completed were each significantly positively related to deep approach. The relationship between deep approach and enjoyment was particularly notable (25.5% shared variance). Reported relationships between deep approach and academic performance support the desirability of deep approach in university students. It is proposed that enjoyment of the course and the deep approach could be increased by incorporation of more clinical material which is what the students liked most. Anat Sci Educ 10: 560–569. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists.