Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
UK smokers' and ex-smokers' reactions to cigarettes promising reduced risk.

AIMS This study evaluated the impact of exposure to information about a novel cigarette claiming to reduce exposure to tobacco toxins ('potential reduced exposure product' cigarette or PREP-C) on smokers' and ex-smokers' perceptions of PREP-C, on quit interest among smokers and on interest in resuming smoking among ex-smokers. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS A random digit-dialed telephone survey was conducted in the United Kingdom with 500 current smokers and 106 ex-smokers who had quit within the last 2 years. INTERVENTION The interviewer described a novel cigarette that claimed to significantly reduce exposure to smoke toxins. MEASUREMENTS Respondents' interest in purchasing the PREP-C, beliefs about its safety and risk reduction and smokers' quit interest, as measured by stage of change, before and after exposure to PREP-C information. FINDINGS Among smokers, 76.5% were interested in purchasing PREP-C; interest did not vary by stage of change. Almost all smokers (90.6%) thought PREP-C was safer than regular cigarettes, with 5.4% indicating that the health risks were equivalent to not smoking at all. Exposure to PREP-C description did not change quit interest. Among ex-smokers, 5.6% believed PREP-C carried no health risk and 7.1% expressed purchase interest. CONCLUSIONS Smokers and ex-smokers interpreted claims of reduced toxin exposure as reduced health risk and responded positively towards PREP-Cs. With the increasing introduction of PREP-Cs world-wide, evaluation of these products and their claims on quitting among smokers and on relapse among ex-smokers is a matter of public health urgency.
Changes in cortical excitability and blood lactate after a fatiguing hand-grip exercise

Abstract Excitability of primary hand motor cortex (PHMC), evaluated with transcranial magnetic stimulation by using the “1 mV resting motor threshold” method, and capillary blood lactate were measured at the end, as well as 5 and 10 min after a fatiguing hand-grip exercise. The relation between blood lactate and the amplitudes of motor-evoked potentials showed a significant direct proportionality. Blood lactate seems to exert a protective role on PHMC against fatigue reduction during extremely intensive isometric exercises.
Antisocial symptoms decrease to normal levels in long-term abstinence.

BACKGROUND We have previously shown highly elevated antisocial symptoms and measures of social deviance proneness and antisocial disposition in long-term abstinent alcohol dependence versus non-substance-abusing controls (NSAC). Current antisocial symptoms were reduced to subdiagnostic levels in long-term abstinence; however, the number of current symptoms was not measured beyond its being subdiagnostic. METHODS Here we measured social deviance proneness, antisocial disposition, and both lifetime and current antisocial symptoms in short-term and long-term abstinent substance-dependent and NSAC samples. RESULTS Lifetime antisocial symptoms (and diagnoses) and social deviance proneness and antisocial disposition were highly elevated in both short- and long-term abstinence, replicating earlier findings. Current antisocial symptoms were dramatically reduced in long-term versus short-term abstinent samples, close to levels in controls. In contrast, social deviance proneness and antisocial disposition remain highly elevated in long-term abstinence. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that antisocial behavior is reduced in extended abstinence, despite continued elevated social deviance proneness an antisocial disposition. This suggests a top-down model in extended abstinence, whereby executive control inhibits deviance-prone tendencies.
Relating vehicle-level and network-level reliability through high-level fault injection

This paper presents some recent results to improve the evaluation of reliability due to network connections in automotive environments. Evaluation is based on the adoption of performance thresholds aiming at detecting performance loss at particular types of fault occurrence. For this activity we modeled the vehicle network at the functional level and then integrated it into a complete vehicle model describing both electronic and mechanical behavior; in this way, it is possible to build an automated fault injection environment to forecast the effects of faults at the network level on the vehicle dynamics. Furthermore, an on-line threshold manager permits to interrupt a single simulation when a fault activates an error threshold, reducing the overall campaign simulation time.
Development of 16S rRNA-Gene-Targeted Group-Specific Primers for the Detection and Identification of Predominant Bacteria in Human Feces

ABSTRACT For the detection and identification of predominant bacteria in human feces, 16S rRNA-gene-targeted group-specific primers for the Bacteroides fragilis group, Bifidobacterium, the Clostridium coccoides group, and Prevotella were designed and evaluated. The specificity of these primers was confirmed by using DNA extracted from 90 species that are commonly found in the human intestinal microflora. The group-specific primers were then used for identification of 300 isolates from feces of six healthy volunteers. The isolates were clearly identified as 117 isolates of the B. fragilis group, 22 isolates of Bifidobacterium, 65 isolates of the C. coccoides group, and 17 isolates of Prevotella, indicating that 74% of the isolates were identified with the four pairs of primers. The remaining 79 isolates were identified by 16S ribosomal DNA sequence analysis and consisted of 40 isolates of Collinsella, 24 isolates of the Clostridium leptum subgroup, and 15 isolates of disparate clusters. In addition, qualitative detection of these bacterial groups was accomplished without cultivation by using DNA extracted from the fecal samples. The goal for this specific PCR technique is to develop a procedure for quantitative detection of these bacterial groups, and a real-time quantitative PCR for detection of Bifidobacterium is now being investigated (T. Requena, J. Burton, T. Matsuki, K. Munro, M. A. Simon, R. Tanaka, K. Watanabe, and G. W. Tannock, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 68:2420-2427, 2002). Therefore, the approaches used to detect and identify predominant bacteria with the group-specific primers described here should contribute to future studies of the composition and dynamics of the intestinal microflora.
In Vitro Selection of RNA Molecules That Inhibit the Activity of Ricin A-chain*

The cytotoxin ricin disables translation by depurinating a conserved site in eukaryotic rRNA. In vitroselection has been used to generate RNA ligands (aptamers) specific for the catalytic ricin A-chain (RTA). The anti-RTA aptamers bear no resemblance to the normal RTA substrate, the sarcin-ricin loop (SRL), and were not depurinated by RTA. An initial 80-nucleotide RNA ligand was minimized to a 31-nucleotide aptamer that contained all sequences and structures necessary for interacting with RTA. This minimal RNA formed high affinity complexes with RTA (K d = 7.3 nm) which could compete directly with the SRL for binding to RTA. The aptamer inhibited RTA depurination of the SRL and could partially protect translation from RTA inhibition. The IC50of the aptamer for RTA in an in vitro translation assay is 100 nm, roughly 3 orders of magnitude lower than a small molecule inhibitor of ricin, pteroic acid, and 2 orders of magnitude lower than the best known RNA inhibitor. The novel anti-RTA aptamers may find application as diagnostic reagents for a potential biological warfare agent and hold promise as scaffolds for the development of strong ricin inhibitors.
Government-sponsored labour-market training and output growth - cyclical, structural and globalization influences

Empirical work on the effects of government-sponsored labour-market training programs (LTPs) has been largely focused on the unemployment-exit and employment-entry probabilities of program participants using micro-level data. This paper seeks to add to the current literature by providing broad cross-country evidence on whether or not additional public-sector resources allocated to LTPs contributes to raising output growth and per-capita incomes. Using data from OECD countries during 1989-2009 and GMM estimation, we find evidence suggesting that on average labour-market training programs are growth-enhancing. The positive growth-effect of LTP-spending is found to be stronger the more favourable are business-cycle conditions, the larger is the magnitude of structural shocks at country level and the greater is the scale of opening-up of markets at the global level.
Adaptor Protein Cerebral Cavernous Malformation 3 (CCM3) Mediates Phosphorylation of the Cytoskeletal Proteins Ezrin/Radixin/Moesin by Mammalian Ste20-4 to Protect Cells from Oxidative Stress*

Background: The adaptor protein cerebral cavernous malformation 3 (CCM3) is involved in cell death. Results: Ezrin/radixin/moesin (ERM) proteins are phosphorylated after oxidative stress, and this requires CCM3 and the ERM kinase Mst4. Conclusion: CCM3 is necessary for ERM protein phosphorylation after stress, which enhances survival. Significance: This is a novel, functionally significant pathway that protects cells from death. While studying the functions of CCM3/PDCD10, a gene encoding an adaptor protein whose mutation results in vascular malformations, we have found that it is involved in a novel response to oxidative stress that results in phosphorylation and activation of the ezrin/radixin/moesin (ERM) family of proteins. This phosphorylation protects cells from accidental cell death induced by oxidative stress. We also present evidence that ERM phosphorylation is performed by the GCKIII kinase Mst4, which is activated and relocated to the cell periphery after oxidative stress. The cellular levels of Mst4 and its activation after oxidative stress depend on the presence of CCM3, as absence of the latter impairs the phosphorylation of ERM proteins and enhances death of cells exposed to reactive oxygen species. These findings shed new light on the response of cells to oxidative stress and identify an important pathophysiological situation in which ERM proteins and their phosphorylation play a significant role.
In Vivo Visualization of Vascular Patterns of Rotator Cuff Tears Using Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound

Background Hypoxia and decreased blood supply have been proposed as risks for tendon rupture. Visualization of the vascularity of intact and torn rotator cuffs would be useful for improving treatments for rotator cuff tear. Purpose To assess vascularity inside a tendon or an adjacent rotator cuff insertion point in patients differing in age and extent of damage to the tendon. Study Design Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods Ten volunteers (all men) and 15 patients (10 men, 5 women) consented to participate in the study. Contrast agent for enhanced ultrasound was injected intravenously. Enhanced ultrasound images of the torn cuff and the contralateral shoulder were recorded for 1 minute. Four small regions of interest, the articular and bursal sides of the tendon and the medial and lateral sides of the bursa, were studied in all shoulders. Results There was a significant decrease in blood flow in the intratendinous region in elderly subjects compared with young subjects, but age had no effect on blood flow in bursal tissue. Blood flow in ruptured rotator cuffs did not differ from that in intact rotator cuffs. The intraclass correlation coefficient for intraobserver reproducibility was 0.82 (95% confidence interval: 0.77-0.86). Conclusions The findings of this investigation were the hypovascular pattern in intratendinous tissue compared with the subacromial bursa, the age-related decrease in intratendinous vascularity, and the hypovascular pattern in the tendon, regardless of rupture of the tendon. Clarification of vascular patterns inside or around the torn ends of a rotator cuff will assist in the development of successful treatments for torn rotator cuffs.
Acrylamide in Romanian food using HPLC-UV and a health risk assessment

The aim of this study was to investigate the level of acrylamide from coffee, potato chips and French fries in Romanian food. According to the European Food Safety Authority, coffee beans, potato chips and French fries have the highest levels of acrylamide. For this survey, 50 samples of coffee beans, 50 samples of potato chips and 25 samples of French fries were purchased from different producers from the Romanian market. Acrylamide levels have been quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography with a diode array detector (HPLC-DAD) method, using water as mobile phase. Health risk assessment was achieved by computing the average daily intake, hazard quotient, cumulative risk, carcinogenic risk and cancer risk. For coffee, potato chips and French fries, acrylamide was not shown to pose a health risk in Romanian food.
A Longitudinal Evaluation of Thyroid Function in Critically III Surgical Patients

Thyroid hormone alterations (known as the "sick-euthyroid syndrome") are common following major surgery, but the time course for appearance and recovery from these alterations has not previously been longitudinally studied in a large group of surgical patients. The authors prospectively studied 59 patients undergoing major surgery (coronary artery bypass grafting, pneumonectomy, or subtotal colectomy). Compared with preoperative values, the mean serum T4, T3, free T3, and TSH concentrations decreased significantly (p less than 0.05) following surgery. Serum reverse T3 and T3 resin uptake index increased, while free T4 levels remained unchanged. These changes were seen within 6 hours of surgery and normalized by 1 week after surgery. Although the serum TSH response to TRH was normal before and after surgery in 56 of the 59 patients, the maximal TRH-induced increase in serum TSH and the integrated serum TSH response to TRH were suppressed in the early perioperative period. This postoperative TSH suppression correlated with elevated postoperative plasma dopamine concentrations (r = 0.57, p less than 0.05). Three patients with compensated primary hypothyroidism were detected in the study and represent the first documentation of serial thyroid hormone and TSH levels in hypothyroid patients undergoing major surgery. These patients had similar changes in thyroid hormone values compared with euthyroid patients. The serum TSH response to TRH was suppressed into the normal range in two of these patients on the day following surgery. The authors conclude that the sick-euthyroid syndrome occurs within a few hours of major surgery and remits with convalescence. Postoperative decreases in serum TSH may mask the diagnosis of hypothyroidism. Surgical consultants should be aware of these rapid postoperative changes so that thyroid function tests are properly interpreted in patients who have undergone major surgery.
Religious support and religious struggle as predictors of quality of life in alkoholics anonymous: Moderation by duration of abstinence

The aim of the study was to analyze the connection between religious comfort and struggle and quality of life in Alcoholics Anonymous. The intera ction effect of the length of abstinence and religious variables on the quality of life was test ed as well. The participants were 100 members of an Alcoholics Anonymous group. We used the Religiou s Comfort and Strain Scale by Yali, Exline, Wood, and Worthington and the Quality of Life Quest ionnaire for Adults by Schalock and Keith. The correlation analysis showed that Religious Comfo rt c rrelated positively while fear–guilt and negative emotions towards God correlated negatively with quality of life in the AA group. Duration of abstinence played a moderating role: partic ipants in the long abstinence period group with high religious comfort showed the highest level of quality of life.
Do Pregnant Women Report Use of Dispensed Medications?

Surveillance of drug safety in pregnancy often draws on administrative prescription registries. Noncompliance in the use of prescribed medication may be frequent among pregnant women owing to their fear of fetotoxic side effects. To estimate compliance in the use of prescription drugs dispensed during pregnancy, we compared prescription data from the North Jutland Prescription Database with information on drug use provided by pregnant women to the Danish National Birth Cohort (DNBC), which is a health interview survey. We used the North Jutland Prescription Database to identify all prescription drugs dispensed during pregnancy for the 2,041 women who were enrolled in the DNBC in the County of North Jutland, Denmark. Compliance was defined as the probability of reporting drug use in DNBC after purchasing a dispensed prescription drug. The overall compliance to drugs purchased within 120 days before the interview was 43% (95% confidence interval = 40–46). Drugs used for treating chronic diseases, for example, beta-blockers, insulin, thyroid hormones, and diuretic and antiepileptic drugs, were always reported to be used, but compliance was low for drugs used for local or short-term treatment such as antihistamines, antibiotics, antacids, nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drugs, and gynecologic drugs. Thus, for the latter drug groups the prescription database may provide an incomplete identification of exposure. Neither data source is unbiased regarding actual drug intake. Nevertheless, our results indicate that for some drug groups risk assessment studies based on prescription data may produce false negative results as a result of noncompliance.
Patients' Experience of Shared Decision Making Using an Online Patient Decision Aid for Osteoarthritis of the Knee--A Service Evaluation.

AIMS The aims of the present study were to gain a perspective of patients' experience of an online patient decision aid (PDA) for osteoarthritis of the knee (OA knee) as a method of shared decision making in a Musculoskeletal Clinical Assessment and Treatment Service (MSK CATS). METHODS In the MSK CATS, patients with OA knee discuss their condition and treatment options with the clinician. In the present study, patients, in addition to this discussion, used an online patient decision aid and subsequently completed a questionnaire regarding their experience of both of these processes. RESULTS Most patients felt that both the clinical discussion and the PDA were easy to understand, user friendly, and not biased towards any treatment, but thought that the PDA gave a better understanding of OA knee. Most patients had already decided on their treatment following the clinical discussion alone, but one found that the PDA helped them change their mind about treatment. CONCLUSION The PDA was a useful adjunct to the clinical discussion and could be best used for a selection of patients within the MSK CATS setting at a point where further clinical discussion could take place if necessary.
The Local Aggregate Effects of Minimum Wage Increases

This paper examines the effect of minimum wage changes on local aggregate inflation and consumption growth. The paper utilizes variation in state-level minimum wages across locations and finds that minimum wage increases have a relatively modest effect on both city-level inflation and spending growth over the years following the change. The most noticeable effects are for food consumed at home and away from home—industries that typically employ a large share of low-wage and minimum-wage workers. Interestingly, consumers adjust their real food consumption when minimum wages rise, suggesting that some workers benefit from minimum wage changes.
Gangliosides administration causes sugar moiety‐specific enzymatic changes in brain

Exogenous gangliosides are known to affect the metabolism when administered to the body. To study the mechanism of this effect three types of gangliosides were administered intraperitoneally to mice and the changes in the enzyme activity of the cerebral tissues studied. The effect of GM2 from bovine brain was characterized by a decrease in the activity of various aminopeptidases, while GD3 from cow's milk caused an increase in the activity of sugar‐related enzymes such as sialidase, glucosidase, and fucosidase. GM3 from horse erythrocytes showed intermediate effects between GM2 and GD3. Multivariate analysis showed that the effects of the three gangliosides are clearly separable statistically. These results which demonstrate the sugar moiety‐specificity of gangliosides are discussed in relation to the A and B pathways of ganglioside synthesis.
Variable priming of a docked synaptic vesicle

Significance After synaptic vesicles dock at an active zone on the presynaptic plasma membrane of axon terminals, the vesicles become primed for fusion with the membrane, an essential step in synaptic impulse transmission. We used electron tomography to examine nanometer-scale variations in structural relationships of docked vesicles at the simply arranged active zones of frog neuromuscular junctions. The results, together with prior biochemical and electrophysiological concepts, lead to the hypothesis that priming is regulated by variation in force generated by the shortening and lengthening of macromolecules in the common active zone organelle “active zone material” that links docked vesicles to presynaptic membrane components. Knowledge of mechanisms that regulate synaptic transmission is required for understanding how different synapses accomplish their specialized tasks. The priming of a docked synaptic vesicle determines the probability of its membrane (VM) fusing with the presynaptic membrane (PM) when a nerve impulse arrives. To gain insight into the nature of priming, we searched by electron tomography for structural relationships correlated with fusion probability at active zones of axon terminals at frog neuromuscular junctions. For terminals fixed at rest, the contact area between the VM of docked vesicles and PM varied >10-fold with a normal distribution. There was no merging of the membranes. For terminals fixed during repetitive evoked synaptic transmission, the normal distribution of contact areas was shifted to the left, due in part to a decreased number of large contact areas, and there was a subpopulation of large contact areas where the membranes were hemifused, an intermediate preceding complete fusion. Thus, fusion probability of a docked vesicle is related to the extent of its VM–PM contact area. For terminals fixed 1 h after activity, the distribution of contact areas recovered to that at rest, indicating the extent of a VM–PM contact area is dynamic and in equilibrium. The extent of VM–PM contact areas in resting terminals correlated with eccentricity in vesicle shape caused by force toward the PM and with shortness of active zone material macromolecules linking vesicles to PM components, some thought to include Ca2+ channels. We propose that priming is a variable continuum of events imposing variable fusion probability on each vesicle and is regulated by force-generating shortening of active zone material macromolecules in dynamic equilibrium.