Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stimulation of bone formation and prevention of bone loss by prostaglandin E EP4 receptor activation

Bone remodeling, comprising resorption of existing bone and de novo bone formation, is required for the maintenance of a constant bone mass. Prostaglandin (PG)E2 promotes both bone resorption and bone formation. By infusing PGE2 to mice lacking each of four PGE receptor (EP) subtypes, we have identified EP4 as the receptor that mediates bone formation in response to this agent. Consistently, bone formation was induced in wild-type mice by infusion of an EP4-selective agonist and not agonists specific for other EP subtypes. In culture of bone marrow cells from wild-type mice, PGE2 induced expression of core-binding factor α1 (Runx2/Cbfa1) and enhanced formation of mineralized nodules, both of which were absent in the culture of cells from EP4-deficient mice. Furthermore, administration of the EP4 agonist restored bone mass and strength normally lost in rats subjected to ovariectomy or immobilization. Histomorphometric analysis revealed that the EP4 agonist induced significant increases in the volume of cancellous bone, osteoid formation, and the number of osteoblasts in the affected bone of immobilized rats, indicating that activation of EP4 induces de novo bone formation. In addition, osteoclasts were found on the increased bone surface at a density comparable to that found in the bone of control animals. These results suggest that activation of EP4 induces bone remodeling in vivo and that EP4-selective drugs may be beneficial in humans with osteoporosis.
Functional Characterization of a Nucleoside-Derived Drug Transporter Variant (hCNT3C602R) Showing Altered Sodium-Binding Capacity

A novel cloned polymorphism of the human concentrative nucleoside transporter hCNT3 was described and functionally characterized. This variant consists of a T/C transition leading to the substitution of cysteine 602 by an arginine residue in the core of transmembrane domain 13. The resulting hCNT3C602R protein has the same selectivity and affinity for natural nucleosides and nucleoside-derived drugs as hCNT3 but much lower concentrative capacity. The insertion of the transporter into a polarized membrane seems unaffected in the variant. In a preliminary survey of a typical Spanish population, this variant showed an allelic frequency of 1%. The functional impairment of the hCNT3C602R polymorphism is attributable to the presence of an arginine rather than the loss of a cysteine at position 602, because an engineered hCNT3 protein with a serine residue at this position (hCNT3C602S) and hCNT3 have similar kinetic parameters. The sodium activation kinetic analysis of both transporters revealed a variation in the affinity for sodium and a shift in the Hill coefficient that could be consistent with a stoichiometry of 2:1 and 1:1 sodium/nucleoside, for hCNT3 and hCNT3C602R, respectively. In conclusion, the presence of an arginine residue in the core of transmembrane domain 13 is responsible for the different sodium affinity showed by the polymorphic transporter compared with the reference transporter. Individuals with the hCNT3C602R variant might show a lower nucleoside and nucleoside analog concentrative capacity, which could be clinically relevant.
Comparison of 5‐year outcomes of paclitaxel‐eluting and endeavor zotarolimus‐eluting stents in New York

To evaluate long‐term outcomes in patients undergoing either paclitaxel‐eluting stents (PES) or endeavor zotarolimus‐eluting stents (E‐ZES) placement and to assess comparative effectiveness of PES vs. E‐ZES in different “off‐label” and “high‐risk” patient subgroups.
Overweight and Obesity in Kaoma and Kasama Rural Districts of Zambia:Prevalence and Correlates in 2008-2009 Population Based Surveys

Background: Overweight and obesity (overweight/obesity) is associated with hypertension. Low- and middleincome countries are experiencing an obesity epidemic. There is growing evidence that the epidemic is on the increase in urban settings of developing countries. However, there is scanty information on the magnitude of this epidemic and its correlates in rural settings. The objective of the current study was to establish levels of overweight/obesity and its correlates in rural areas of Zambia. Designing interventions based on the correlates for overweight/obesity to reduce its prevalence may in turn lead to a reduction in the prevalence of hypertension. Methods: Cross sectional studies using a modified WHO Stepwise questionnaire were conducted. Logistic regression analyses were used to determine factors that were associated with overweight/obesity. Unadjusted odds ratios (OR) and adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and their 95% confidence intervals are reported. Results: Totals of 895 participants from Kaoma and 1198 from Kasama took part in the study. Altogether, 7.6% of the participants were overweight and 2.5% were obese, with a combined prevalence of overweight/obesity of 10.1%. Factors that were independently associated with overweight/obesity were sex, education, vegetable consumption, smoking and hypertension. Female participants were 78% (AOR=1.78, 95% CI [1.46, 2.17]) more like to be overweight/ obese compared to males. Participants with secondary or higher education level were 2.04 (95% CI [1.56, 2.67]) times more likely to be overweight/obese compared to participants with lower levels of education. Participants who consumed vegetables 5 to 7 days in a week were 35% (AOR=1.35, 95% CI [1.06, 1.72]) more likely to be overweight/ obese compared to participants who ate vegetables less than 5 days in a week. Non smokers were 2.06 (95% CI [1.42, 2.98]) times more likely to be overweight/obese than smokers. Participants who were non hypertensive were 30% (AOR=0.70, 95% CI [0.59, 0.82]) less likely to be overweight/obese compared to participants who were hypertensive. Conclusions: Prevalence of overweight/obesity was low and this is the time to start instituting interventions to control the obesity epidemic in rural districts of Zambia.
Nasal levels of soluble IL‐33R ST2 and IL‐16 in allergic rhinitis: inverse correlation trends with disease severity

Serum levels of IL‐16, IL‐33 and the decoy receptor of IL‐33, soluble ST2, are elevated in allergic rhinitis. Recent studies show that IL‐16, soluble ST2 or anti‐IL‐33 reduce type 2 cytokines (such as IL‐5) and eosinophilia in murine models of allergic asthma or allergic rhinitis respectively.
Recombinant Newcastle Disease Virus as a Vaccine Vector

ABSTRACT A complete cDNA clone of the Newcastle disease virus (NDV) vaccine strain Hitchner B1 was constructed, and infectious recombinant virus expressing an influenza virus hemagglutinin was generated by reverse genetics. The rescued virus induces a strong humoral antibody response against influenza virus and provides complete protection against a lethal dose of influenza virus challenge in mice, demonstrating the potential of recombinant NDV as a vaccine vector.
Biochemical composition and physicochemical properties of broccoli flours

The objective of this research was to study the biochemical composition and physicochemical properties of three different flours prepared from broccoli crop remains. Florets, leaves and stalks of broccoli were dried at 60°C, and the flours obtained were analysed for proximate composition, amino acid profile, fatty acid composition, and physicochemical properties. The florets flour showed the highest protein content (22.41 g/100 g dry weight); ash was higher in leaves flour (14.67 g/100 g dry weight), and the lipid content was similar in the flours of leaves and stalks. The stalks flour had high crude fibre content and low protein content. All flours presented a high water absorption index. Tyrosine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, proline and valine were found in larger concentration. The most abundant fatty acids in the lipids were linolenic acid (C18:3n3), palmitic acid (C16:0) and linoleic acid (C18:2n6). Broccoli flours prepared in this study are good source of nutrients and could be utilized as dietary supplements.
Insulin stimulates glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene expression through cis-acting DNA sequences.

Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase [GAPDH; D-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate:NAD+ oxidoreductase (phosphorylating), EC 1.2. 1.12] mRNA levels are induced by physiologic concentrations of insulin in cultured 3T3-F442A adipocyte and H35 hepatoma cell lines. To examine the mechanism by which insulin regulates GAPDH mRNA levels in these two insulin-sensitive tissues, we have isolated a functional human GAPDH gene. When stably transfected and expressed in 3T3-F442A preadipocytes and H35 hepatoma cells, the intact human GAPDH gene is induced 10-fold by insulin in 3T3-F442A adipocytes and 3-fold by insulin in H35 hepatoma lines, which is similar to the induction obtained with the endogenous gene. A human GAPDH-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase construct, containing sequences -487 to +20 of the human gene fused to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene, is regulated by insulin in stably transfected 3T3 adipocytes and stably or transiently transfected H35 hepatoma cell lines, whereas the Rous sarcoma virus-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase fusion protein is not. Thus, the inductive effect of insulin on human GAPDH gene expression is mediated through cis-acting sequences located between -487 and +20 of the human GAPDH gene.
Engineering Exchanges

Efforts to promote women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) require a clearer understanding of the experience of social identity threat outside academic contexts. Although social identity threat has been widely studied among students, very little research has examined how the phenomenon occurs naturalistically among working professionals in ways that could undermine productivity and well-being. The present research employed daily diary methodology to examine conversations with colleagues as triggers of social identity threat among a sample of 44 male and 52 female working engineers. Results of multilevel modeling revealed that (1) women (but not men) reported greater daily experiences of social identity threat on days when their conversations with male (but not female) colleagues cued feelings of incompetence and a lack of acceptance, and (2) these daily fluctuations of social identity threat predicted daily levels of mental exhaustion and psychological burnout. The implications for social identity threat in working professionals are discussed.
Toxoplasma Encephalitis in Patients with the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

Among 504 cases of AIDS diagnosed between 1983 and 1990, there were 86 patients (17%) with toxoplasma encephalitis (TE). All were symptomatic at the time of diagnosis. General signs such as fever, neck stiffness, or headache were present in 87.2%, and 75.6% had focal signs. The primary means of diagnosis was computerized tomographic scanning, revealing 169 lesions of which 80% were immediately contrast-enhancing. All patients had IgG antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii either before (74 of 75 evaluable patients) or at the time of diagnosis of TE (73 of 75). Elevated antibody titers were present in 44% of evaluable patients, compared to 11% of patients with AIDS and other opportunistic infections. Initial treatment was pyrimethamine plus sulfonamides in 65 patients, and pyrimethamine plus clindamycin in 12 patients, with other combinations or no treatment accounting for the remainder. Life-table analysis of the time to discontinuation of treatment because of suspected side effects suggested that sulfadiazine was significantly more toxic, with 48% of patients experiencing an interruption in treatment after 30 days, than pyrimethamine (12%) or clindamycin (24%). The 30-day mortality rate was 12%, and median survival was 310 days after diagnosis, 530 in patients treated with zidovudine and 190 days in those not so treated. Of 82 evaluable patients, 16 relapsed once and 4 of these more than once. The risk of relapse was 27% 1 year after diagnosis of a first episode of TE.
Decreased survival with increasing prevalence of full-body, radiographically defined osteoarthritis in women.

The relation between full-body, radiographically defined osteoarthritis and survival was examined in a cohort of 296 women aged 42-76 years (mean age, 57.1 years). These women were a random sample of women with very low body burdens of radium who were part of a larger cohort of women first employed in the US radium dial-painting industry between 1915 and 1945. At entry into the study between 1957 and 1982, these women had a clinical examination, and full-body radiographs were taken. Fifty-five joints (18 joint groups) of the hands, feet, cervical spine, lumbar spine, pelvis, and knees in each woman were graded for osteoarthritis by the method of J. H. Kellgren and J. S. Lawrence (Ann Rheum Dis 1957; 16:494-502). Through 1985, 18.6% (n = 55) of the women died. Cox regression showed a decreased survival for women with an increasing number of joint groups affected with osteoarthritis after adjusting for age at examination (hazard ratio = 1.45 for each increase in 3.1 joint groups (1 standard deviation) affected with osteoarthritis, 95% confidence interval 1.12-1.87). Further adjustment for a history of diabetes, smoking, alcohol use, and body mass index only slightly altered the risk. Similar results were obtained for the number of joints with osteoarthritis and the number of structures (e.g., left hand and right hand) with osteoarthritis. These results suggest that an increasing prevalence of full-body radiographic osteoarthritis is associated with decreased survival independent of age and several comorbid conditions related to osteoarthritis.
Histologic Change of the Meniscus and Cartilage Tissue After Meniscal Suture

The influence of suturing on cell infiltration into the meniscus and surrounding tissue is not well known. Histologic changes in the meniscus after suturing and prediction of histologic changes using magnetic resonance imaging were studied. Forty knees in 20 mongrel dogs were studied using four types of 4–0 suture material: nonabsorbable monofilament, nonabsorbable braided, absorbable monofilament, and absorbable braided. Each type of suture material was used for meniscal suture on eight knees each. The other eight knees were not subjected to meniscal suture. Specimens obtained at 1 and 3 months were studied by magnetic resonance imaging and light microscopic analysis. The maximum width of change of meniscal tissue was measured. Changes from the nonabsorbable suture group were smaller than that of the absorbable suture group in magnetic resonance imaging. Histologic changes as seen by light microscope were larger in the absorbable group than in the nonabsorbable group at 1 and 3 months after surgery. Injury was found in the articular cartilage of the femoral condyle in the nonabsorbable braided suture group. Histologic changes were significantly greater when changes in magnetic resonance imaging signal intensity were larger. The current study showed that nonabsorbable monofilament suture material results in the least damage to the meniscus and surrounding tissue.
Congenital Postural Scoliosis

SIR,-In reply to Dr. W. P. U. Jackson's letter (25 September, p. 759) with reference to our paper on idiopathic hypercalciuria (21 August, p. 449), we agree that our patient may have some "obligatory urinary calcium loss," since he was found to excrete about 220 mg. per day after one year on an intake of 200 mg. per day. Unfortunately, we do not know what a normal subject would do under these circumstances. The problem of what comes first, the hypercalciuria or the overabsorption of calcium from the gut, must still be a matter of opinion, since no published experiments seem to provide a clear answer yet. Because we find a great degree of dependence of the urinary calcium on dietary intake in this patient and in other unpublished studies, we think that in most cases primary gut overabsorption seems more probable than a hypothetical mechanism by which increased urinary calcium losses send a message to the gut telling it to absorb more calcium. The only likely messenger, the level of ionized calcium in the plasma, does not seem to be usually responsible, since it may be high, normal, or low in conditions when idiopathic calcium overabsorption is present. Furthermore, hypercalciuria is not uncommonly associated with normal, or even decreased, intestinal absorption of calcium in immobilization, thyrotoxicosis, and secondary carcinoma involving bone. It is clear that the " general bodily principle " of Jackson and Dancaster does not operate in any of these cases. One main object of our paper was perhaps not made clear enough. It is that lowcalcium diet is good treatment for most cases of idiopathic hypercalciuria and so far has shown no long-term complications. We illustrated this by describing a 5-year follow-up in a patient who had been carefully studied and who manifested an extreme degree of the metabolic defect. We assume that the value of such treatment would be denied by Jackson and Dancaster' and again by Jackson,' whose patients all went into strongly negative calcium balance on low-calcium intakes with small, in some instances negligible, reduction in urine-calcium excretions. We do not know why their results were quite different from ours. -We are, etc., C. E. DENT. LYAL WATSON. University College Hospital Medical School, London W.C. 1.
An Encounter-Based Analysis of the Nature of Teaching and Learning in a 3rd-Year Medical School Clerkship

Background: Much of medical education has shifted from the hospital to ambulatory settings where each student works with a preceptor. Purpose: Our objectives were to describe the nature of community-based learning and to explore how learning experiences vary by type of health care visit. Methods: This prospective study used both paper- and computer-based documentation systems to collect information on student-patient-preceptor encounters. A consecutive sample of 3rd-year medical students contributed data on 1 full clinical day each week as they rotated through a required 8-week family medicine clerkship. The main measures of interest included patient age, gender, health care visit type (acute, acute exacerbation of chronic, chronic, and health maintenance), method of learning in history taking and physical examinations (observing preceptor, being observed by preceptor, performing unobserved, or working jointly with preceptor), content of physical examinations, amount of preceptor feedback, and preceptor teaching content. Results: Sixty-three students contributed data on 4,083 patient encounters. The majority of visits concerned acute complaints (37.7%) or health maintenance (26.4%). Many encounters involved students conducting the cardiovascular and pulmonary exams (33.2% each); fewer encounters involved neurologic (6.9%), gynecological (4.5%), and genitourinary (2.2%) exams. Students reported being observed performing histories and physical exams in 4% and 6% of encounters respectively. The most common student experiences were performing histories and performing physical exams unobserved during acute visits, which accounted for 65.8% and 52.4% of encounters overall. Conclusions: This system is useful for determining educational content and processes that occur in ambulatory settings. Important differences were found in teaching and learning by type of health care visit. This factor can and should be used when considering how students meet educational objectives in community-based ambulatory settings.
The relative importance of service features in explaining customer satisfaction

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the relative importance of various service‐quality dimensions in explaining customer satisfaction; and to examine whether this assessment is affected by the measurement instrument that is used.Design/methodology/approach – A new (“servicescape”) model for directly measuring the physical and the interactive features of a service is proposed and tested against the SERVQUAL measurement model and Nordic conceptualisation. Data are collected from a structured questionnaire survey of 434 passengers at the port of Piraeus in Greece.Findings – The findings reveal that the widely used SERVQUAL instrument fails to fully capture the role of “tangibles” in determining overall customer satisfaction in the service under examination. The new proposed “servicescape model” attaches more importance to the role of physical environmental attributes than has been reported in most previous studies.Practical implications – Service providers should pay more attention to the physic.
Incidence and prognostic impact of high-risk HPV tumor infection in cervical esophageal carcinoma.

BACKGROUND Cervical esophageal carcinoma (CEC) is an uncommon malignancy. Limited data supports the use of definitive chemoradiotherapy (CRT) as primary treatment. Furthermore, the role of human papillomavirus (HPV) tumor infection in CEC remains unknown. This study retrospectively analyzes both outcomes of CEC patients treated with CRT and the incidence and potential role of HPV tumor infection in CEC lesions. METHODS A total of 37 CEC patients were treated with definitive CRT at our institution between 1987 and 2013. Of these, 19 had tumor samples available for high-risk HPV (types 16 and 18) pathological analysis. RESULTS For all patients (n=37), 5-year overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and loco-regional control (LRC) rates were 34.1%, 40.2%, and 65.6%, respectively. On pathological analysis, 1/19 (5.3%) patients had an HPV-positive lesion. CONCLUSIONS Definitive CRT provides disease-related outcomes comparable to surgery. Moreover, HPV tumor infection in CEC is uncommon and its prognostic role is unclear. Our data contribute to the construction of an anatomical map of HPV tumor infection in squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) of the upper aerodigestive tract, and suggest a steep drop in viral infection rates at sites distal to the oropharynx, including the cervical esophagus.
PREVALENCE OF CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS IN RURAL POPULATION OF NELLORE DISTRICT

Estimation of prevalence of risk factors of cardiovascular disease is important to design preventive programmes. This cross-sectional study was carried out in a port area population to assess the prevalence of traditional cardiovascular risk factors. The study included 500 participants (males/females-120/380). The blood pressure serum cholesterol and random blood glucose were assessed. Information on smoking, alcohol intake, dietary habits and physical activity was collected using pretested questionnaire. The overall prevalence of prehypertension, hypertension, diabetes, prediabetes and hypercholestremia were 24%, 22.4%, 5.8%, 5.2% and 20.8% respectively. Most of the personnel undertook moderate or heavy exercise. A higher proportion of individuals with prehypertension had clinical and behavioral risk factors such as hyperglycemia, hypercholesterol and adverse dietary practices like saturated fat and added salt intake. The prevalence of prehypertension and its association with hypercholesterolemia and hyperglycemia in this moderately physically active population indicates an urgent need for targeted interventions to reduce the cardiovascular risk.
Is ovarian and adrenal venous catheterization and sampling helpful in the investigation of hyperandrogenic women?

objective To audit our practice of performing ovarian and adrenal venous catheterization and sampling in hyperandrogenic women who fail to suppress their elevated androgen levels following a 48‐h low‐dose dexamethasone suppression test (LDDST). We considered the technical success rate of catheterization, the extra information obtained in addition to the standard biochemical tests and imaging findings, and the impact of sampling on management decisions.