Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lifestyle behavior counseling for women patients among a sample of California physicians.

BACKGROUND Physical inactivity, poor diet, excessive alcohol consumption, and smoking are modifiable risk factors associated with development of chronic diseases. Although the prevalence of diseases associated with these detrimental lifestyle behaviors is high among women in the United States, they may not receive adequate counseling from physicians. METHODS To predict physicians' lifestyle counseling practices, we assessed personal, professional, and health behavior characteristics from responses to a self-administered survey of breast cancer risk reduction practices. Subjects were California physicians identified through AMA Masterfile, in family practice, internal medicine, or obstetrics/gynecology, who were asked to report the percentages of women patients they counseled on physical activity, diet, alcohol, and smoking. RESULTS Of 1647 eligible physicians, 822 (50.0%) responded. Fifty-six percent reported counseling at least 75% of patients about physical activity, 54.6% about diet, and 44.8% about alcohol. More than three quarters (78.7%) counseled at least 75% of patients about smoking. In logistic regression analyses, woman gender, family practice, and internal medicine specialties emerged as significant predictors of counseling for all lifestyle behaviors. Older age was associated with dietary and alcohol counseling. Race/ethnicity was associated only with smoking counseling, and country of medical school was associated with counseling for physical activity and smoking. Sources of new medical knowledge emerged as predictors for all types of counseling, whereas physicians' own level of physical activity only predicted counseling about physical activity. CONCLUSIONS Physicians' personal, professional, practice, and health behavior characteristics were associated with reported lifestyle counseling of women patients. Results reveal important directions for future physician-based interventions to improve counseling.
Exercise does not necessarily influence the phase of the circadian rhythm in temperature in healthy humans

Seventeen healthy adults exercised for 30 min (70% V O 2max ), at different times of the day and night throughout a 24 h period. The effect on the phase of core temperature rhythm was assessed by comparing the rhythms on the day immediately before and immediately after the day of exercise with the participants living normally on these 2 days. Assessments were made upon data that had been corrected for the thermogenic effects of sleep and activity. When exercise was performed in the period between 4 h before and 1 h after the temperature minimum, there was a phase delay of 1.03 - 0.78 h (mean - s ; n = 6); when performed between 3 and 8 h after the temperature minimum, there was a phase advance of 1.07 - 1.23 h ( n = 9). Both means were significantly different from zero (Student's one-sample t -tests: P ≪ 0.05). Performed at other times, exercise had no significant effect on the phase of the temperature rhythm. The phase changes were not significantly different from those previously observed by us in sedentary individuals exposed to domestic lighting. We conclude that the amount of physical activity has very little effect on the body clock.
Interferon Expression in the Pancreases of Patients With Type I Diabetes

We have used a reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) protocol to examine the expression of cytokines in the pancreases and islets of patients with type I diabetes. We detect a significant increase in the level of expression of interferon (IFN)-α in the pancreases of the diabetic patients as compared with the control pancreases. In contrast, IFN-β was detected at comparable levels in both groups, while IFN-γ was detected in three of four control pancreases and one of four pancreases from the diabetic individuals. The IFN-α cDNAs generated by the RT-PCR were cloned and sequenced to determine which α-subtypes were being expressed. We found that the repertoire of subtypes was quite limited in any one individual (diabetic or not), although each individual was different with respect to the pattern of subtypes expressed. We also examined these pancreases for the expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1α, IL-2, IL-4, and IL-6. We found no detectable expression of TNF-α or IL-2 in any pancreases, and the expression of the other cytokines was variable, with no pattern emerging from the comparison of the diabetic and nondiabetic individuals. We conclude that, of the cytokines examined, only IFN-α was significantly increased in the diabetic patients, a result that is consistent with the possibility that this cytokine is directly involved in the development of type I diabetes.
Gender Differences in Blood Lead and Hemoglobin Levels in Andean Adults with Chronic Lead Exposure

Abstract A field study of the prevalence of lead (Pb) intoxication was conducted in 158 adults (67 men and 91 women) living at 2,500-2,800 meters in Ecuadorian Andean villages with high Pb contamination from local small-scale Pb-glazing cottage industries. Venous blood samples showed mean blood lead (PbB) levels of 34.5 μg/dL (SD 22.2) for men and 27.0 μg/dL (SD 18.4) for women; this difference was significant (t-test, p = 0.022; Mann-Whitney U, p = 0.044). An ANOVA showed no significant main effect for gender (F = 0.118, p = 0.782) or age (F = 2.479, p = 0.117), and no significant gender-by-age interaction (F = 0.273, p = 0.602). In the Pb-glazing study group, 39% of the men had PbB levels ≥40 μg/dL, while 41 % of the women had PbB levels ≥ 30 μg/elL (the WHO health-based biological limits). A reference group of 39 adults (24 men and 15 women) had a mean PbB level of 5.9 μg/dL (SD 2.8; range: 1.8–16.8), significantly different from that of the 158 subjects in the study group (t-test, p < 0.0001). The difference in mean PbB levels of men (6.8 μg/dL) and women (4.7 μg/dL) in the reference group was significant (t-test, p = 0.026; Mann-Whitney U, p = 0.019). The mean altitude-corrected hemoglobin levels in the study group were lower than normal, 11.3 g/dL for men and 10.9 g/dL for women.
CTLA‐4Ig–Induced T Cell Anergy Promotes Wnt‐10b Production and Bone Formation in a Mouse Model

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory autoimmune disease characterized by severe joint erosion and systemic osteoporosis. Chronic T cell activation is a hallmark of RA, and agents that target the CD28 receptor on T cells, which is required for T cell activation, are being increasingly used as therapies for RA and other inflammatory diseases. Lymphocytes play complex roles in the regulation of the skeleton, and although activated T cells and B cells secrete cytokines that promote skeletal decline, under physiologic conditions lymphocytes also have key protective roles in the stabilization of skeletal mass. Consequently, disruption of T cell costimulation may have unforeseen consequences for physiologic bone turnover. This study was undertaken to investigate the impact of pharmacologic CD28 T cell costimulation blockade on physiologic bone turnover and structure.
Matrix Metalloproteinases Cleave Connective Tissue Growth Factor and Reactivate Angiogenic Activity of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor 165*

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a potent angiogenic mitogen, plays a crucial role in angiogenesis under various pathophysiological conditions. We have recently demonstrated that VEGF165, one of the VEGF isoforms, binds connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and that its angiogenic activity is inhibited in the VEGF165·CTGF complex form (Inoki, I., Shiomi, T., Hashimoto, G., Enomoto, H., Nakamura, H., Makino, K., Ikeda, E., Takata, S., Kobayashi, K. and Okada, Y. (2002) FASEB J. 16, 219–221). In the present study, we further examined the susceptibility of the VEGF165·CTGF complex to matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-1, -2, -3, -7, -9, and -13), ADAMTS4 (aggrecanase-1), and serine proteinases, and evaluated the recovery of the angiogenic activity of VEGF165 after the treatment. Among the MMPs, MMP-1, -3, -7, and -13 processed CTGF of the complex into the major NH2- and COOH-terminal fragments, whereas VEGF165 was completely resistant to the MMPs. On the other hand, elastase and plasmin cleaved both CTGF and VEGF165 of the complex, but they were completely resistant to ADAMTS4. By digestion of the immobilized VEGF165·CTGF complex with MMP-3 or MMP-7, both NH2- and COOH-terminal fragments of CTGF were dissociated and released from the complex into the liquid phase. The in vitro angiogenic activity of VEGF165 blocked in the VEGF165·CTGF complex was reactivated to original levels after CTGF digestion of the complex with MMP-1, -3, and -13. Recovery of angiogenic activity was further confirmed by in vivoangiogenesis assay using a Matrigel injection model in mice. These results demonstrate for the first time that CTGF is a substrate of MMPs and that the angiogenic activity of VEGF165 suppressed by the complex formation with CTGF is recovered through the selective degradation of CTGF by MMPs. MMPs may play a novel role through CTGF degradation in VEGF-induced angiogenesis during embryonic development, tissue maintenance, and/or pathological processes of various diseases.
Pain after epithelial removal by ethanol-assisted mechanical versus transepithelial excimer laser debridement.

PURPOSE To compare subjective pain responses between two techniques of epithelial removal prior to photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) treatment: ethanol-soaked pledget with mechanical debridement of the epithelium versus excimer laser transepithelial ablation. METHODS Nine patients underwent bilateral PRK. Each had the epithelium in one eye debrided by placing a pledget soaked in 20% ethanol on the cornea for 2 minutes followed by gentle scraping with a blade. The epithelium in the other eye was removed by transepithelial phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK) treatment. For each eye, PRK was initiated immediately after removal of the epithelium. On postoperative day one, each patient was asked to rate the level of pain suffered over the last 24 hours on a scale of 0 (minimal) to 10 (maximal). Data were analyzed in a masked fashion. RESULTS Postoperative day one average pain level in the ethanol-assisted mechanically debrided eyes was 3.0 +/- 2.5 and in the transepithelial PTK eyes was 6.8 +/- 1.8. The difference was statistically significant by Student's t-test (P < .01). All epithelial defects healed within 3 days with no clinically significant difference in healing time between the two techniques. CONCLUSION In preparation for PRK, ethanol-assisted mechanical debridement of the epithelium caused significantly less postoperative pain than epithelial removal using the excimer laser.
Frequent p16-independent inactivation of p14ARF in human melanoma.

BACKGROUND The tumor suppressors p14(ARF) (ARF) and p16(INK4A) (p16) are encoded by overlapping reading frames at the CDKN2A/INK4A locus on chromosome 9p21. In human melanoma, the accumulated evidence has suggested that the predominant tumor suppressor at 9p21 is p16, not ARF. However, recent observations from melanoma-prone families and murine melanoma models suggest a p16-independent tumor suppressor role for ARF. We analyzed a group of melanoma metastases and cell lines to investigate directly whether somatic alterations to the ARF gene support its role as a p16-independent tumor suppressor in human melanoma, assuming that two alterations (genetic and/or epigenetic) would be required to inactivate a gene. METHODS We examined the p16/ARF locus in 60 melanoma metastases from 58 patients and in 9 human melanoma cell lines using multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification and multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect deletions, methylation-specific PCR to detect promoter methylation, direct sequencing to detect mutations affecting ARF and p16, and, in a subset of 20 tumors, immunohistochemistry to determine the effect of these alterations on p16 protein expression. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS We observed two or more alterations to the ARF gene in 26/60 (43%) metastases. The p16 gene sustained two or more alterations in 13/60 (22%) metastases (P = .03). Inactivation of ARF in the presence of wild-type p16 was seen in 18/60 (30%) metastases. CONCLUSION Genetic and epigenetic analyses of the human 9p21 locus indicate that modifications of ARF occur independently of p16 inactivation in human melanoma and suggest that ARF is more frequently inactivated than p16.
Oxidative Deamination of Serum Albumins by (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-O-Gallate: A Potential Mechanism for the Formation of Innate Antigens by Antioxidants

(-)-Epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCG), the most abundant polyphenol in green tea, mediates the oxidative modification of proteins, generating protein carbonyls. However, the underlying molecular mechanism remains unclear. Here we analyzed the EGCG-derived intermediates generated upon incubation with the human serum albumin (HSA) and established that EGCG selectively oxidized the lysine residues via its oxidative deamination activity. In addition, we characterized the EGCG-oxidized proteins and discovered that the EGCG could be an endogenous source of the electrically-transformed proteins that could be recognized by the natural antibodies. When HSA was incubated with EGCG in the phosphate-buffered saline (pH 7.4) at 37°C, the protein carbonylation was associated with the formation of EGCG-derived products, such as the protein-bound EGCG, oxidized EGCG, and aminated EGCG. The aminated EGCG was also detected in the sera from the mice treated with EGCG in vivo. EGCG selectively oxidized lysine residues at the EGCG-binding domains in HSA to generate an oxidatively deaminated product, aminoadipic semialdehyde. In addition, EGCG treatment results in the increased negative charge of the protein due to the oxidative deamination of the lysine residues. More strikingly, the formation of protein carbonyls by EGCG markedly increased its cross-reactivity with the natural IgM antibodies. These findings suggest that many of the beneficial effects of EGCG may be partly attributed to its oxidative deamination activity, generating the oxidized proteins as a target of natural antibodies.
Effects of acute and long‐term typical or atypical neuroleptics on morphine‐induced behavioural effects in mice

It has been suggested that the high prevalence of drug abuse in schizophrenics is related to chronic treatment with typical neuroleptics and dopaminergic supersensitivity that develops as a consequence. Within this context, atypical neuroleptics do not seem to induce this phenomenon. In the present study, we investigated the effects of acute administration or withdrawal from long‐term administration of haloperidol and/or ziprasidone on morphine‐induced open‐field behaviour in mice. In the first experiment, mice were given a single injection of haloperidol (1 mg/kg, i.p.) or several doses of ziprasidone (2, 4 or 6 mg/kg, i.p.) and motor activity was quantified by the open‐field test. The aim of the second experiment was to verify the effects of an acute injection of haloperidol (1 mg/kg) or ziprasidone (6 mg/kg) on 20 mg/kg morphine‐induced behaviours in the open‐field test. In the third experiment, mice were treated with 1 mg/kg haloperidol and/or 2, 4 or 6 mg/kg ziprasidone for 20 days. Seventy‐two hours after the last injection, mice were injected with 20 mg/kg, i.p., morphine and then subjected to the open‐field test. Acute haloperidol or ziprasidone decreased spontaneous general activity and abolished morphine‐induced locomotor stimulation. Withdrawal from haloperidol or ziprasidone did not modify morphine‐elicited behaviours in the open‐field test. The results suggest that withdrawal from neuroleptic treatments does not contribute to the acute effect of morphine in schizophrenic patients.
Strain-Engineered Biaxial Tensile Epitaxial Germanium for High-Performance Ge/InGaAs Tunnel Field-Effect Transistors

The structural, morphological, and energy band alignment properties of biaxial tensile-strained germanium epilayers, grown in-situ on GaAs via a linearly graded InxGa1-xAs buffer architecture and utilizing dual chamber molecular beam epitaxy, were investigated. Precise control over the growth conditions yielded a tunable in-plane biaxial tensile strain within the Ge thin films that was modulated by the underlying InxGa1-xAs “virtual substrate” composition. In-plane tensile strains up to 1.94% were achieved without Ge relaxation for layer thicknesses of 15 to 30 nm. High-resolution x-ray diffraction supported the pseudomorphic nature of the Ge/InxGa1-xAs interface, indicating a quasi-ideal stress transfer to the Ge lattice. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy revealed defect-free Ge epitaxy and a sharp, coherent interface at the Ge/InxGa1-xAs heterojunction. Surface morphology characterization using atomic force microscopy exhibited symmetric, 2-D cross-hatch patterns with root mean square roughness less than 4.5 nm. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic analysis revealed a positive, monotonic trend in band offsets for increasing tensile strain. The superior structural and band alignment properties of strain-engineered epitaxial Ge suggest that tensile-strained Ge/InxGa1-xAs heterostructures show great potential for future high-performance tunnel field-effect transistor architectures requiring flexible device design criteria while maintaining low power, energy-efficient device operation.
Exploration on failure diagnosis of the electrostatic suspended gyro

Based on the conception of optimum estimation and AIC criterion, the time-varying coefficient autoregressive (AR) model is established for the random drift rate of the electrostatic suspended gyro (ESG) by recursive algorithm. The time-varying coefficient with its canonical standard error and mode's residual variance are then discussed. According to the variant of the coefficient and its canonical standard error, we distinguish whether or not there is singular signal (or failure).
System level synthesis of many-core architectures using parallel stream rewriting

When designing the software and hardware architecture of many-core systems with hundreds of processors on a single chip, a central problem is the scheduling and binding of work-items to execution units. We present a novel synthesis flow for applications with highly dynamic and unpredictable behaviour, which is based on the concept of parallel stream rewriting. In our model, tasks are self-timed and do not require explicit book-keeping by a central scheduler, so that also dynamic and recursive tasks can be managed and synchronized by local rewriting operations on the stream. Complex examples, evaluated using an FPGA prototype, show the effectiveness of our approach.
Maternal fish consumption in the nutrition transition of the Amazon Basin: Growth of exclusively breastfed infants during the first 5 years

Background: Changes in fish-eating habits due to rapid urbanization in Western Amazon was used as model to investigate whether maternal fish-intake rate impacts on children's weight and height during the first 5 years. Aim: The study examined the growth of 82 breastfed children, and maternal fish consumption (hair mercury concentrations, HHg) during pregnancy and lactation. Subjects and methods: Fish consumption in mothers and children was estimated through HHg. The children were measured and weighed at birth and at 6 (exclusive breastfeeding), 36 and 60 months. Results: Fish consumption rate (HHg) had no significant impact on children's growth at the specified ages (p = 0.35). After 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding, children had the highest proportion of Z-scores <−1 SD; however, weaning (with extended breastfeeding) had a substantial impact in moving up the attained growth at 3 years. The duration of breastfeeding was significantly correlated with attained Z-scores for weight-for-age (r = 0.26; p = 0.02) and weight-for-height (r = 0.22; p = 0.04) but not for height-for-age. At 3 years most children had improved Z-scores (>−1 SD) for height-for-age (70/82), weight-for-age (74/82) and weight-for-height (74/82). At 5 years, all but one child attained Z-scores >−1. Conclusion: The apparently good nutritional status of subjects is more likely due to a well balanced diet composition than to only one dietary protein source–fish.
Second and Higher Moments of Fundamentals: A Literature Review

This literature review outlines the recent progress in fundamental second and higher moments of research. We survey the moments’ existence, formation, and financial market and macroeconomic implications. Research shows that time‐varying volatility and non‐Gaussian shocks exist throughout all measures of fundamentals at both the micro‐ and macro levels. In addition, the granular network among firms helps explain the origin of fundamental second and higher moments. Empirical evidence shows that the moments have strong predictive power on asset prices and macroeconomic variables. We also highlight several areas where more research is needed to better understand the moments.
Are Metatarsal Fractures Indicative of Osteoporosis in Postmenopausal Women?

Patients who sustain low trauma fractures are at a higher risk of osteoporosis. However, there are conflicting data concerning whether metatarsal fractures are also associated with low bone mineral density. The authors retrospectively analyzed data on 68 postmenopausal women who had sustained a low trauma metatarsal fracture. Routine assessment of these patients included identification of risk factors for fracture, height and weight measurement, and measurement of peripheral bone density at the heel by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (Calscan, Demetech AB, Täby, Sweden). Bone density in the patients was compared with manufacturer’s reference database. The mean Z-score for the patients was −0.08. In total, 14 women (20.5% [confidence interval 10.5 to 29.5]) had a Z-score ≤−1, and 1 patient (1.5% [confidence interval −1.4 to 4.4]) had a Z-score ≤−2. Mean T-score in these women was −1.95. Since the number of women with a Z-score ≤−1 was not significantly greater than the 16% that would be expected, and the number of women with a Z-score ≤−2 was not significantly greater than the 2.5% expected, it is concluded that low trauma metatarsal fracture is not a risk factor for low calcaneal bone mineral density. Level of Evidence: Prognostic, Level II
Tumor-Primed Human Natural Killer Cells Lyse NK-Resistant Tumor Targets: Evidence of a Two-Stage Process in Resting NK Cell Activation1

NK cells are defined as those cells that lyse tumor cells without priming. In this study, we show that the preincubation of resting human NK cells with the leukemia cell CTV-1 primes NK cells to lyse NK-resistant cell lines, primary leukemias, and solid tumors even when HLA-matched, allogeneic or autologous. The primed NK cells remained nonresponsive to HLA-C matched and mismatched normal mononuclear cells from multiple donors. CD69, a known NK trigger receptor, was shown to be the predominant trigger on the tumor-primed NK cells because lysis was blocked with the rCD69 protein. The lack of lytic activity against normal hemopoietic cells implied that the ligand for CD69 is tumor restricted, and this was confirmed by experiments using fluorochrome labeled rCD69. It has been recently shown that resting NK cells require prior stimulation with IL-2 before triggering by all known NK-triggering ligands. In this study, we show that a tumor cell can provide the NK priming signal independently of IL-2. These data provide evidence for two NK evasion strategies for tumor cells, namely the prevention of priming (type1 evasion) and failure to trigger (type 2 evasion). Most NK-resistant cell lines are type 1 and fail to prime resting NK cells but are lysed by IL-2-primed NK cells. In contrast, CTV-1 cells prime resting NK cells but fail to trigger (type 2), and coincubation with CTV-1 primes for triggering by type 1 NK-resistant tumor cells. These tumor-activated NK cells lyse a broad spectrum of tumor cells with a degree of specificity never previously reported.