Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Issues Critical to the Successful Application of Cryosurgical Ablation of the Prostate

The techniques of present-day cryosurgery performed with multiprobe freezing apparatus and advanced imaging techniques yield predictable and encouraging results in the treatment of prostatic and renal cancers. Nevertheless, and not unique to cryosurgical treatment, the rates of persistent disease demonstrate the need for improvement in technique and emphasize the need for proper management of the therapeutic margin. The causes of persistent disease often relate to a range of factors including selection of patients, understanding of the extent of the tumor, limitations of the imaging techniques, and failure to freeze the tumor periphery in an efficacious manner. Of these diverse factors, the one most readily managed, but subject to therapeutic error, is the technique of freezing the tumor and appropriate margin to a lethal temperature [Baust, J. G. , Gage, A. A. The Molecular Basis of Cryosurgery. BJU Int 95, 1187–1191 (2005)]. This article describes the recent experiments that examine the molecular basis of cryosurgery, clarifies the actions of the components of the freeze-thaw cycle, and defines the resultant effect on the cryogenic lesion from a clinical perspective. Further, this review addresses the important issue of management of the margin of the tumor through adjunctive therapy. Accordingly, a goal of this review is to identify the technical and future adjunctive therapeutic practices that should improve the efficacy of cryoablative techniques for the treatment of malignant lesions.
O‐Linked glycosylation and functional incompatibility of porcine von Willebrand factor for human platelet GPIb receptors

Abstract: Background: Xenograft rejection is associated with vascular inflammation, thrombocytopenia and the accelerated consumption of coagulation factors. Primary biological incompatibilities of the xenograft in the regulation of clotting appear to amplify pathological processes associated with rejection. The functional incompatibility of porcine von Willebrand factor (vWF) expressed within the xenograft vasculature may heighten interactions with the primate platelet receptor GPIb, hence augmenting formation of platelet microthrombi and vascular injury. Here, we address the functional impact of O‐linked glycosylation of the vWF A1 domain on primate platelet activation.
Modelling Soil Carbon Content in South Patagonia and Evaluating Changes According to Climate, Vegetation, Desertification and Grazing

In Southern Patagonia, a long-term monitoring network has been established to assess bio-indicators as an early warning of environmental changes due to climate change and human activities. Soil organic carbon (SOC) content in rangelands provides a range of important ecosystem services and supports the capacity of the land to sustain plant and animal productivity. The objectives in this study were to model SOC (30 cm) stocks at a regional scale using climatic, topographic and vegetation variables, and to establish a baseline that can be used as an indicator of rangeland condition. For modelling, we used a stepwise multiple regression to identify variables that explain SOC variation at the landscape scale. With the SOC model, we obtained a SOC map for the entire Santa Cruz province, where the variables derived from the multiple linear regression models were integrated into a geographic information system (GIS). SOC stock to 30 cm ranged from 1.38 to 32.63 kg C m−2. The fitted model explained 76.4% of SOC variation using as independent variables isothermality, precipitation seasonality and vegetation cover expressed as a normalized difference vegetation index. The SOC map discriminated in three categories (low, medium, high) determined patterns among environmental and land use variables. For example, SOC decreased with desertification due to erosion processes. The understanding and mapping of SOC in Patagonia contributes as a bridge across main issues such as climate change, desertification and biodiversity conservation.
Trajectories of Unsecured Debt across the Life Course and Mental Health at Midlife

In this paper, we contribute to a growing literature on debt and mental health and ask whether patterns of unsecured debt accumulation and repayment over two decades are associated with depressive symptoms at age 50. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth 1979 Cohort and group trajectory models, we have three key findings. First, we find substantial heterogeneity in debt trajectories across the life course. Second, respondents who report consistently high debt levels across the life course or who cycle in and out of high debt report significantly more depressive symptoms than respondents who hold consistently low levels of debt. These findings hold for both absolute and relative (debt-to-income) debt. Third, we find that the association between debt and depressive symptoms is strongest among respondents with less than a college degree, but we find less evidence for heterogeneity by race in this cohort.
In vivo biocompatibility and analytical performance of intravascular amperometric oxygen sensors prepared with improved nitric oxide-releasing silicone rubber coating.

The in vivo biocompatibility and analytical performance of amperometric oxygen-sensing catheters prepared with a new type of nitric oxide (NO)-releasing silicone rubber polymer (DACA/N2O2 SR) is reported. The NO-release silicone rubber coating contains diazeniumdiolated secondary amine sites covalently anchored to a dimethylsiloxane matrix. Narrow diameter (0.9 mm, o.d.) silicone rubber tubing coated with this polymer can be employed to construct functional oxygen-sensing catheters that release NO continuously at levels > 1 x 10(-10) mol/cm2-min for more than 20 h. In vivo evaluation of such sensors within the carotid and femoral arteries of swine over a 16-h time period demonstrates that sensors prepared with the new NO-release coating exhibit no significant platelet adhesion or thrombus formation, but control sensors (non-NO release) implanted within the same animals do show a high propensity for cell adhesion and bulk clot formation. Furthermore, the in vivo analytical data provided by sensors fabricated with NO-release coatings (N = 9) are shown to be statistically equivalent to PO2 levels measured in vitro on discrete samples of blood. Control sensors (N = 9) placed within the same animals yield average PO2 values that are statistically different (p < or = 0.05) (lower) from both the levels measured on discrete samples and those provided by the NO-release sensors over a 16-h in vivo monitoring period.
Enhancement of Neurotransmitter Release Induced by Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor in Cultured Hippocampal Neurons

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), like other neurotrophins, has long-term effects on neuronal survival and differentiation; furthermore, recent work has shown that BDNF also can induce rapid changes in synaptic efficacy. We have investigated the mechanism(s) of these synaptic effects on cultured embryonic hippocampal neurons. In the presence of the GABAA receptor antagonist, picrotoxin, the application of BDNF (100 ng/ml) for 1–5 min increased the amplitude of evoked synaptic currents by 48 ± 9% in 10 of 15 pairs of neurons and increased the frequency of EPSC bursts to 205 ± 20% of the control levels. There was no detectable effect of BDNF on various measures of electrical excitability, including the resting membrane potential, input resistance, action potential threshold, and action potential amplitude. In addition, BDNF did not change the postsynaptic currents induced by the exogenous application of glutamate. BDNF did increase the frequency of miniature EPSCs (mEPSCs) (268.0 ± 46.8% of control frequency), however, without affecting the mEPSC amplitude. The effect of BDNF on mEPSC frequency was blocked by the tyrosine kinase inhibitor K252a and also by the removal of extracellular calcium ([Ca2+]o). Fura-2 recordings showed that BDNF elicited an increase in intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]c). This effect was dependent on [Ca2+]o; it was blocked by K252a and by thapsigargin, but not by caffeine. The results demonstrate that BDNF enhances glutamatergic synaptic transmission at a presynaptic locus and that this effect is accompanied by a rise in [Ca2+]c that requires the release of Ca2+ from IP3-gated stores.
Clinical significance of Aspergillus sensitisation in bronchial asthma

Numerous studies have suggested a link between fungal sensitisation and severity of asthma. However, few studies have specifically evaluated the relationship between Aspergillus sensitisation and asthma severity. This study was aimed at investigating the clinical significance of Aspergillus sensitisation in asthma. In this prospective cross‐sectional study, patients with asthma were subjected to pulmonary function test and an intradermal Aspergillus skin test (AST) apart from a detailed clinical history and physical examination. Assessment of asthma severity was carried according to the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) recommendations, Asthma Control Test (ACT) and the mini Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (mini AQLQ). Based on AST, the cases were dichotomised into Aspergillus‐sensitive and AST‐negative groups. There were 417 (193 males, 224 females; mean age, 34 years) asthmatic patients of whom 219 (52.5%) showed Aspergillus sensitisation. The severity of disease as per the GINA criteria and the dose of ICS required for asthma control were similar in the two groups. The Aspergillus‐sensitive group had poorer pulmonary function than the AST‐negative group [AST positive vs. negative: percentage predicted mean (SD) forced expiratory volume in the first second : 73.1(23.8) vs. 77.9(22.7), P = 0.04; mean (SD) FEV1/forced vital capacity (FVC) ratio: 68.2(13.3) vs. 74.3(15.7), P = 0.0001]. The mini AQLQ scores were similar in the two groups. In the ACT, the numbers of patients in the domain pertaining to nocturnal awakenings were significantly higher in the Aspergillus‐sensitive group (P = 0.014). There was a weak association between Aspergillus sensitisation and severity of asthma. Whether Aspergillus sensitisation is causally linked to asthma severity remains to be seen.
RESEARCH OF THE MOTIVATION CONSEQUENCES AT EMPLOYEES WITH A DIFFERENT EDUCATION LEVEL

U praksi se mogu opaziti neke zajednicke karakteristike posljedica motiviranosti “prosjecnih” zaposlenika razlicitih razina obrazovanja. Cilj istraživanja bio je utvrditi postoji li jedinstveni skup međusobno povezanih specificnih stavova i znacajki kao posljedica radne motiviranosti prema kojemu bi se mogli razlikovati ljudi razlicitih razina strucne spreme. S tom namjerom ispitan je „snowball“ uzorak od 193 ispitanika. Konstruiran je Upitnik stavova i znacajki strucne spreme (SZSS) prema kojemu bi se mogli razlikovati ljudi razlicitih razina strucne spreme. Instrument je pokazao nisku, ali zadovoljavajucu pouzdanost za sve njegove dimenzije. Na temelju rezultata faktorske analize dobivene su tri latentne dimenzije koje se nalaze u osnovi stavova i znacajki prema kojima bi se mogli razlikovati ljudi razlicitih razina strucne spreme, a to su: eksternalna atribucija/racionalizacija neuspjeha, cijenjenost posla te procjena drugih ljudi koji tumace ukupno 39% ukupne varijance. Upitnik statisticki znacajno razlikuje ispitanike u odnosu na strucnu spremu u dimenzijama eksternalna atribucija/racionalizacija neuspjeha te cijenjenost posla.
Empirical study on Chinese tourists’ perceived trust and intention to use biometric technology

ABSTRACT This paper presents a theoretical model based on the Technology Acceptance Model combined with a perceived trust model. SPSS 23 and Amos 22 were used to analyze Chinese tourists’ responses regarding use of biometric technology in hotels and to assess whether their perception of trust – measured through five potential factors – affected their intention to use it. Chinese tourists traveling in Macau were recruited, and three types of biological identification technology were discussed. A total of 600 questionnaires were sent out, and 583 effective questionnaires were recovered. The results that in addition to perceived ease of use, other factors affected visitors’ perceptions of trust. The degrees of effectiveness, however, differed between the three biological identification technologies. Fingerprint technology was revealed to be the most trusted and accepted biometric technology.
The Power of Personal Narratives in Crime Prevention and Reentry: Process Evaluation of the Seattle Police Department’s IF Project

ABSTRACT With thousands of ex-offenders entering communities every week, reentry is at the forefront of agendas for legislators and correctional administrators. The IF Project, founded in 2008 in Washington State, seeks to foster crime prevention and successful reentry through the use of offender narratives. This paper reports results from an evaluation of the IF Project comprised of process and outcome elements including: 1) Development of an IF Project “tool-kit” describing program structure, components and content; and 2) Pilot of a pre/post survey instrument to understand how the program is perceived by participants. Results from analyses of surveys and observation of the IF Project workshops including 68 adult participants is presented. Future steps in evaluating the IF Project are discussed.
Immigrant Children in Transcultural Spaces: Language, Learning, and Love

Today, the American education system faces a number of trends ranging from standardization to increasing student diversity. While scholars, educators, and families are working towards reconciling how to embrace the diversity within the parameters of existing mandates, the perspective of children is often missing. Immigrant Children in Transcultural Spaces: Language, Learning, and Love by Marjorie Faulstich Orellana brings children to the forefront of educational discussions by asking:
Impact of feeding 2-hydroxy-4-(methylthio)butanoic acid and DL-methionine supplemented maize–soybean–rapeseed meal diets on growth performance and carcase quality of broilers

1. This experiment was conducted to compare the effectiveness of DL-2-hydroxy-4-(methylthio)butanoic acid (HMTBA) and DL-methionine (DLM) on growth performance and carcase quality of broilers in a 2 × 3 × 2 factorial experimental design including two methionine (Met) sources, three equimolar levels of Met supplementation and two sexes. 2. No difference was observed between the two Met sources in growth performance and muscle deposition from 10 to 49 d. With increasing Met levels, average daily gain was increased in the starter, grower and overall phases, average daily feed intake was increased in the starter phase, and feed:gain ratio was decreased in the grower and overall phases. Met supplementation increased breast muscle content and decreased abdominal fat content. Broilers given HMTBA had breast and thigh muscle coloration that was characterised as superior to those fed DLM. 3. These results indicated that Met supplementation improved growth performance and carcase quality irrespective of the Met sources. Compared to DLM, HMTBA has the same molar bioefficacy for improving the growth performance and carcase quality; however, HMTBA-fed birds had superior meat colour to DLM-fed birds.
Role of autolysin in generating the pneumococcal purpura-producing principle

The results of four studies described in this paper support the idea that pneumococcal autolysin (N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanine amidase) plays a key role in generating the pneumococcal purpura-producing principle (PPP) from the bacterial cell wall. This conclusion is based on the observation that (i) concentrates of pneumococcal cell-free extracts prepared at a pH which is inhibitory to autolysin activity contained significantly less PPP activity than extract concentrates prepared at a pH which is optimal for autolysin activity; (ii) PPP activity was not detectable in concentrates of cell-free extracts prepared from cells which contained ethanolamine in the cell wall, but a normal amount of activity was found in extract concentrates derived from cells containing choline in the cell wall; (iii) PPP activity was not detectable in concentrates of cell-free extracts prepared from an autolysin-defective mutant, but a normal amount of activity was found in extract concentrates derived from the wild-type strains; and (iv) incubation of purified wild-type strain cell walls with pneumococcal autolysin resulted in a significant increase in the amount of purpurogenic activity in the supernatant fluids of the incubation mixtures.
Influence of Two Doses of Irbesartan on Non‐Dipper Circadian Blood Pressure Rhythm in Salt‐Sensitive Black Hypertensives Under High Salt Diet

&NA; The authors examined whether the blockage of angiotensin II receptors by irbesartan (IRB) can reverse the “non‐dipper” circadian rhythm of blood pressure (BP) to a “dipper” pattern in black salt‐sensitive hypertensive patients submitted to a high‐sodium loading. Twelve black salt‐sensitive hypertensive patients (seven men; age, 35–58 years) on a high‐sodium diet (300 mmol Na+ per day) were followed for 8 weeks. A placebo was given during the first 2 weeks, followed by 2 weeks on IRB 150 mg/d, 2 weeks on placebo, and 2 weeks on IRB 300 mg/d. On the last day of placebo, IRB 150 mg/d, and IRB 300 mg/d treatments, 24‐hour BP and urinary 24‐hour excretion of Na+ and potassium were measured. On placebo, ambulatory mean arterial pressure (MAP) was 112 mm Hg ± 2 (24 h), 112 mm Hg ± 2 (daytime), and 111 mm Hg ± 2 (nighttime), showing a clear circadian non‐dipper profile. Versus placebo, IRB 150 mg/d reduced MAP by 4.2 mm Hg ± 1.1 (24 h), 2.6 mm Hg ± 0.8 (daytime) and 6.0 mm Hg ± 1.3 (nighttime; P < 0.05 vs. placebo) and IRB 300 mg/d reduced MAP by 7.8 mm Hg ± 1.4 (24 h), 3.9 mm Hg ± 1.1 (daytime), and 11.8 mm Hg ± 2.1 mm Hg (all P < 0.02 vs. placebo); nighttime/daytime MAP decrease was 0.7 ± 0.8% on placebo, 3.5 ± 2.1% on IRB 150 mg/d, and 7.0 ± 1.2% on IRB 300 mg/d (P < 0.02 for trend). Compared with placebo, IRB significantly increased serum potassium and plasma renin activity and reduced fractional excretion of potassium and plasma aldosterone levels in a dose‐dependent manner. Body weight and urinary sodium excretion did not change throughout the study. It was concluded that the angiotensin receptor blocker IRB can reverse the BP non‐dipper profile in salt‐sensitive hypertensive patients on a high‐salt diet, restoring nocturnal BP decline by a predominantly dose‐dependent reduction of nighttime BP. Although the increment of potassium balance and reduction of aldosterone may account for this effect, it occurs independently of increased natriuresis. It is speculated that blunting of nighttime BP decrease in black salt‐sensitive hypertensive patients may be related to a deficient suppression of the renin‐angiotensin system during the night.
Increase in External Glutamate and NMDA Receptor Activation Contribute to H2O2‐Induced Neuronal Apoptosis

Abstract : The present study aims to investigate the role of extracellular glutamate and NMDA receptor stimulation in the neuronal death induced by a transient exposure to H2O2 of cultured neurons originating from mouse cerebral cortex. Most of the neuronal loss following a transient exposure to H2O2 of cortical neurons results from an apoptotic process involving a secondary stimulation of NMDA receptors, which occurs after H2O2 washout. Indeed, (a) the neurotoxic effect of H2O2 was strongly reduced by antagonists of NMDA receptors, (b) the neurotoxic effect of H2O2 was enhanced in the absence of Mg2+, (c) the protective effect of MK‐801 progressively decayed when it was applied with increasing delay time after H2O2 exposure, and (d), finally, the extracellular concentration of glutamate was increased after H2O2 exposure. The major part of H2O2‐induced neurotoxicity is mediated by the formation of hydroxyl radicals, which might be involved in (a) the delayed accumulation of extracellular glutamate and NMDA receptor activation and (b) the poly(ADP‐ribose) polymerase activation and the related NAD content decrease. The combination of these two mechanisms could lead to both an increase in ATP consumption and a decrease of ATP synthesis. The resulting large decrease in ATP content might be finally responsible for the neuronal death.
Improved Survival of Children With Wilms Tumor

To analyze changes in the overall survival (OS) rate of children with Wilms tumor treated in a single institute over nearly 30 years. This study included 327 children with a newly diagnosed Wilms tumor. Their median age was 3 years, and the male:female ratio was 1.1. Survival rates were analyzed according to the stage of disease, histopathology, and different treatment regimens used between 1972 and 1999. At diagnosis, 51.1% of patients had advanced stage disease. Ten patients had anaplasia, and; 97% (317 patients) of the tumors had favorable histopathology. The 10-year OS rate was 60.6% for the entire group, but varied according to the years in which the patients were treated, the chemotherapy regimen, and stage of disease. Patients treated during the periods of 1972 to 1979, 1980 to 1989, and 1990 to 1999 had 10-year OS rates of 48.5%, 64.3%, and 72.8%, respectively. The 10-year OS rate in children treated with actinomycin only was 36.7% compared with 48% for children treated with the actinomycin-D+vincristine regimen with a 3-month interval, 67% for the actinomycin-D+vincristine regimen with a 1.5-month interval, 54.5% for the poor-risk regimen (actinomycin-D, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, and adriamycin), and 53.4% for the SIOP-9 protocol. Children with stage I to IV disease had 10-year OS rates of 75%, 77.1%, 54.4%, and 30.4%, respectively. The 10-year OS rates for children with stage III and IV disease increased from 46.4% and 13.4% for patients treated between 1972 to 1979 period to 75% and 54.5% for children treated during 1990 to 1999. The 10-year OS rate for children with Wilms tumor improved as treatment strategies evolved, illustrating that pediatric oncology in Turkey is developing parallel to the Western world.
Health economics education in undergraduate medical degrees: an assessment of curricula content and student knowledge

Objective: To define the structure and content of health economics teaching in undergraduate medical degrees in the UK, and identify and quantify differences in student knowledge, with a view to informing the health economics curricula. Methods: Semi-structured interviews with senior teaching staff in three Medical Schools, a review of course documentation, and an online survey to assess student knowledge. The survey was scored and mean scores were compared across medical schools, year of study, and teaching components, including the professional background of the teachers. Results: There was considerable diversity across the medical schools in terms of the content of the health economics education, and in the way that the learning was structured and delivered. Student knowledge was found to vary across medical schools; the school with the most intensive health economics curricula was found to perform marginally better. Students who were taught by health economists scored higher than those who were taught by other professions. Conclusion: The teaching and learning environment and level of student knowledge of health economics was found to differ considerably across medical schools. The delivery of health economics teaching by specialised health economists would appear to be one possible strategy to improve student knowledge.