Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of Vγ/Jβtrans‐rearrangements in paediatric patients undergoing chemotherapy

The frequency of the hybrid Vγ/Jβtrans‐rearrangement in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) was analysed in a transversal study of paediatric patients (n = 210) with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and solid tumours (ST). Different amounts of DNA were used as the template for a nested polymerase chain reaction to evaluate the frequency of hybrid Vγ/Jβ genes, using silver‐stained gels. The frequency of the rearrangement was evaluated in groups before, during and after therapy. A greatly increased frequency of Vγ/Jβtrans‐rearrangement was found in PBLs of both groups of patients during exposure to chemotherapeutic agents compared with patients before chemotherapy. In patients who had finished treatment, the frequency of the rearrangement fell promptly to the baseline levels in ST but showed a slow decrease in ALL in those in whom increased levels could be found until 4 years after the end of treatment. We hypothesize that the chemotherapeutic agents are able to induce the Vγ/Jβtrans‐rearrangement, but this is transient in most cases. The exact relationship between the persistence of the rearrangement and the occurrence of secondary leukaemia remains to be determined.
Expression and regulation of an FMRFamide‐related neuropeptide gene family in Caenorhabditis elegans

FMRFamide (Phe‐Met‐Arg‐Phe‐NH2) and related peptides (FaRPs) have been found throughout the animal kingdom, where they are involved in many behaviors. We previously identified 22 genes comprising the flp gene family that encodes FaRPs in Caenorhabditis elegans; in this paper we report the identification of another flp gene, flp‐23. As a first step toward determining their functional roles in C. elegans, we examined the cell‐specific expression pattern of the flp gene family. Of the 19 flp genes examined, each gene is expressed in a distinct set of cells; these cells include interneurons, motor neurons, and sensory neurons that are involved in multiple behaviors, as well as supporting cells, muscle cells, and epidermal cells. Several flp genes show sex‐specific expression patterns. Furthermore, we find that expression of two flp genes changes in response to the developmental state of the animal. Many neurons express multiple flp genes. To investigate how flp genes are regulated in different neuronal subtypes, we examined flp expression in a small, well‐defined subset of neurons, the mechanosensory neurons. Mutations in the unc‐86 and mec‐3 genes, which are necessary for the production and differentiation of the mechanosensory neurons, result in the complete loss of flp‐4, flp‐8, and flp‐20 expression in mechanosensory neurons. Collectively, these data indicate that members of the flp gene family are likely to influence multiple behaviors and that their regulation can be dependent on the developmental state of the organism. J. Comp. Neurol. 475:540–550, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Evaluating the Environmental Consequences of Swedish Food Consumption and Dietary Choices

In recent years, a growing interest from consumers to know the origins and contents of foods has put alternative choices, such as organic foods and dietary changes, on the agenda. Dietary choices are important to address, as many studies find that activities related to food production account for nearly 20–30% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Nonetheless, while GHG emissions are important, often other environmental impact categories are not considered in the assessment of the sustainability of different foods, diets and choices. This study aims to quantify the implications of dietary choices for Swedish food consumption on a broad range of environmental impact categories using life cycle assessment to provide insight into the impacts, and potential tradeoffs, associated with certain food products and dietary choices. Scenarios are used to assess the implications of diets with reduced meat, increased Swedish food consumption, increased organic foods, vegan and semi-vegetarian diets. The results indicate that tradeoffs could be possible with certain dietary choices. Increasing Swedish food production and consumption may lead to lower impacts for all impact categories by reducing imports, although limitations in growing season and availability of foods in Sweden allows only for minor increases. The results also indicate that large reductions of greenhouse gas emissions are possible by reducing meat consumption, i.e., by halving meat consumption and through vegan and vegetarian diets. Nonetheless, an increase in vegetable, legume and fruit products may lead to a potential increase in human and ecosystem toxicity. Diets based on nutritional guidelines, show reductions in all impact categories, as these guidelines call for an increase in vegetables and fruits and a reduction in meat consumption. An increase in organic foods showed no significant change in climate impact, although toxicity potential was reduced significantly. Increasing consumption of organic foods may also lead to a reduction in biodiversity damage potential, and if all food is produced organically, it risks increasing eutrophication and land use.
Levels of enzymes of the direct oxidative pathway of carbohydrate metabolism in mammalian tissues and tumours.

In a previous publication from this laboratory (Dickens & Glock, 1951), data ofa semi-quantitative nature were given on the distribution of enzymes of the direct oxidative pathway of carbohydrate metabolism in several mammalian tissues. Apart from this work, however, and the quantitative data of Horecker & Smyrniotis (1951) on the 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase activities ofsome acetonedried tissues, the distribution of the enzymes of this pathway has not been systematically investigated in animal tissues. Following the development of quantitative methods of assay of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (Glock & McLean, 1953) and of methods for quantitatively estimating the breakdown of ribose 5-phosphate, the enzyme activity levels in these consecutive stages of the direct oxidative pathway have been determined in a variety of normal mammalian tissues and tumours. The results are reported in the present paper.
Sasangin diagnosis questionnaire: test of reliability.

BACKGROUND The concept of Sasang Constitutional Medicine (SCM) has been in existence in Traditional Korean Medicine for more than 100 years. It is of great importance that the Sasang constitution type be determined accurately before any therapeutic treatment. OBJECTIVES Reliability analyse were carried out to evaluate the Sasangin Diagnosis Questionnaire (SDQ). DESIGN The data were collected through multi-center research in collaboration with the Departments of SCM in the nine Korean Colleges of Oriental Medicine. The internal consistency test and the test-retest method were applied in the reliability analysis. SUBJECTS The test-retest data of 88 respondents were used to analyze the reliability. The internal consistency reliability analysis was carried out using the data collected from 423 respondents. RESULTS The test-retest reliability was examined using the Pearson's correlation coefficients, which ranged from 0.44 to 0.74. The chi-square test results showed that there were five independent items in the retest that demanded careful attention. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient showed that all items were acceptable. CONCLUSIONS All the categories of SDQ can be accepted as being reliable scales.
Isopropyl Alcohol Inhalation: Alternative Treatment of Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting

BackgroundThe mechanisms for postoperative nausea and vomiting are numerous and pathways not well elucidated. Although many medications have been developed to help prevent postoperative nausea and vomiting, the search for better approaches to recovery treatment continues. ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of isopropyl alcohol (IPA) inhalation for treatment of postoperative nausea and vomiting for patients who have general anesthesia for a surgical procedure. MethodParticipants were recruited from an urban hospital on the East Coast of the United States. Participants were assigned to an experimental or control group and IPA inhalation was compared to the standard anti-emetic treatment for rescue treatment in the immediate postoperative period. Postoperative nausea and vomiting was rated using a descriptive ordinal scale. ResultsThe results of this study show IPA to be effective and that there was no significant difference between the standard treatment protocol and treatment with IPA. Treatment with IPA was significantly more cost effective than standard drug treatment. DiscussionFurther research is recommended to evaluate the length of effectiveness, standard dose needed, most effective mode of inhalation, and factors blocking IPA effectiveness.
Convenience of Serum for Visceral Leishmaniasis Diagnosis by PCR

ABSTRACT In this retrospective study, the usefulness of a PCR performed on serum for primary diagnosis and monitoring of Mediterranean visceral leishmaniasis (MVL) was assessed. In the case of primary diagnosis of MVL, the serum PCR showed a sensitivity of 97% and a specificity of 95%, with positive and negative predictive values of 94 and 97%, respectively.
Darwin, Tinbergen, and the Evolution of Comparative Cognition

Darwin and Tinbergen represent two enduring contrasts in comparative cognitive psychology: in the types of behaviors studied and the kinds of explanations sought. Darwin encouraged the search for human-like behaviors in animals as evidence for evolutionary continuity of mental processes. Tinbergen encouraged the careful causal analysis of animal behaviors as such and eschewed interpretations in terms of anthropomorphic processes. The Darwinian program has reemerged in contemporary research on comparative cognition. Its development and relationship to other areas of behavioral biology are traced. In using behavior as a window onto the animal mind, it is important to remember the lessons of Tinbergen and like-minded behaviorists in psychology. Several of the challenges that arise in attempting to show that other species share complex cognitive processes with humans are discussed in the light of the contrast represented by Darwin and Tinbergen, as are examples of how these approaches are being productively integrated.
Posttranscriptional deregulation of signaling pathways in meningioma subtypes by differential expression of miRNAs.

BACKGROUND Micro (mi)RNAs are key regulators of gene expression and offer themselves as biomarkers for cancer development and progression. Meningioma is one of the most frequent primary intracranial tumors. As of yet, there are limited data on the role of miRNAs in meningioma of different histological subtypes and the affected signaling pathways. METHODS In this study, we compared expression of 1205 miRNAs in different meningioma grades and histological subtypes using microarrays and independently validated deregulation of selected miRNAs with quantitative real-time PCR. Clinical utility of a subset of miRNAs as biomarkers for World Health Organization (WHO) grade II meningioma based on quantitative real-time data was tested. Potential targets of deregulated miRNAs were discovered with an in silico analysis. RESULTS We identified 13 miRNAs deregulated between different subtypes of benign meningiomas, and 52 miRNAs deregulated in anaplastic meningioma compared with benign meningiomas. Known and putative target genes of deregulated miRNAs include genes involved in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition for benign meningiomas, and Wnt, transforming growth factor-β, and vascular endothelial growth factor signaling for higher-grade meningiomas. Furthermore, a 4-miRNA signature (miR-222, -34a*, -136, and -497) shows promise as a biomarker differentiating WHO grade II from grade I meningiomas with an area under the curve of 0.75. CONCLUSIONS Our data provide novel insights into the contribution of miRNAs to the phenotypic spectrum in benign meningiomas. By deregulating translation of genes belonging to signaling pathways known to be important for meningioma genesis and progression, miRNAs provide a second in line amplification of growth promoting cellular signals. MiRNAs as biomarkers for diagnosis of aggressive meningiomas might prove useful and should be explored further in a prospective manner.
Antibiotic susceptibility of Streptococcus pyogenes isolated from throat cultures of healthy children aged between 5-15 years

Streptococcus pyogenes is one of the most important causes of bacterial pharyngitis. Asymptomatic carriage of this organism especially among schoolchildren is a common issue. Study of the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of the flora strains, as clinical indicators, are useful for treatment of streptococcal infections. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and resistance pattern of S. pyogenes isolates detected from throat of healthy children in Tehran. After filling a questionnaire including general information, from preschoolers, primary school students and school age children referring to the follow up center of the Ali-Asghar hospital of pediatrics, throat samples were collected from 5-15 year old eligible children by a sterile cotton swab. Then the samples were immediately seeded onto %5 sheep blood agar media. The plates were streaked and incubated appropriately after transferring to the laboratory. Biochemical and serological identification of isolates were done and then Antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of all identified isolates was determined by the disk diffusion method. Finally, Penicillin, Erythromycin and clindamycin MICs were determined by the E-test method for all isolates.The total number of423 sample swabs were collected during a period of 6 months, showing the carriage rate of %5.7(n=24). Using chi-square test showed that there were no significant differences in carriage rates between the age sub groups (p=0.095). All isolates were sensitive to Penicillin, Cefotaxime, Erythromycin, Vancomycin, Azithromycin and Clindamycin. The rate of intermediate sensitivity and resistance to Tetracycline was 25 and 12.5%, respectively. Two isolates had intermediate sensitivity to each of the agents Oflxacin and Chloramphenicol. The MIC level of Penicillin for all isolates were ≤0.016 µg/ml, and MIC level of clindamycin and erythromycin for all isolates were ≤0.25 µg/ml, which were in sensitive range.It is concluded that in contrast to the published reports about rising penicillin MIC and resistance to erythromycin, Penicillin remains the first choice of drug for streptococcal infections and also macrolides and lincosamides can be considered as the alternative choice of drug in allergic patients.
Low‐dose broad‐band UVA in morphea using a new method for evaluation

Until recently, various therapies for localized scleroderma have been used with limited success. Recently, phototherapy, with or without psoralen, was proposed as a successful treatment modality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of broad‐band low‐dose ultraviolet A (UVA) phototherapy in patients with localized scleroderma, using a new method for evaluation. Twelve patients complaining of morphea were exposed to UVA irradiation at a dose of 20 J/cm2 3 times per week for 20 sessions. Selected covered plaques served as internal controls. The efficacy of therapy was judged clinically by sequential inspection and palpation. In biopsy specimens from exposed and covered plaques stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H & E) and Masson trichrome stains, the concentration of collagen per dermal surface area was measured with the use of a computerized image analyzer. All patients reported remarkable softening of skin lesions, confirmed by sequential palpatory assessment. A significant reduction in the mean concentration of collagen per surface area was detected in the plaques exposed to UVA (the P value being 0.007, P<0.01), whereas in the covered plaques the difference was not statistically significant (the P value being 0.10, P>0.05). The conclusion is that low‐dose broad‐band UVA phototherapy is a very effective and safe treatment modality for localized scleroderma.
Componentwise classification and clustering of functional data

The infinite dimension of functional data can challenge conventional methods for classification and clustering. A variety of techniques have been introduced to address this problem, particularly in the case of prediction, but the structural models that they involve can be too inaccurate, or too abstract, or too difficult to interpret, for practitioners. In this paper, we develop approaches to adaptively choose components, enabling classification and clustering to be reduced to finite-dimensional problems. We explore and discuss properties of these methodologies. Our techniques involve methods for estimating classifier error rate and cluster tightness, and for choosing both the number of components, and their locations, to optimize these quantities. A major attraction of this approach is that it allows identification of parts of the function domain that convey important information for classification and clustering. It also permits us to determine regions that are relevant to one of these analyses but not the other. Copyright 2012, Oxford University Press.
Students' acceptance of clinical xenotransplantation

The aim of this study was to elucidate undergraduate university students’ views on clinical xenotransplantation. A total of 1875 students from eight faculties at Uppsala University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences answered a questionnaire. Three out of four respondents would be prepared to receive a transplant from an animal on medical grounds if necessary. Forty percent had signed an organ donation card. There was no difference in attitude between those who had signed an allotransplantion card and those who had not. According to gender, age, length of university program, and faculty, results showed that a higher proportion of those who approved were male, young, and studying on programs longer than three years; also, they were more likely to study programs in the Faculties of Agriculture and Pharmacy. At the Medical Faculty, nursing students seemed to be less approving, compared to future biomedical analysts, biomedical scientists, and physicians. The acceptance of xenotransplantation also tended to be positively associated with morally accepting and understanding the use of animals in biomedical research, the approval of euthanasia, the approval of early abortion, and the use of human fetuses in research, as well as clinical testing of humans.
Activation of nuclear factor kappa B in mammary epithelium promotes milk loss during mammary development and infection

We investigated whether nuclear factor kappa B (NF‐κB), which exhibits a regulated pattern of activity during murine mammary gland development, plays an important role during lactation and involution, when milk production ceases and the gland undergoes apoptosis and re‐modeling. We generated a doxycycline inducible transgenic mouse model to activate NF‐κB specifically in the mammary epithelium through expression of a constitutively active form of IKK2, the upstream kinase in the classical NF‐κB signaling cascade. We found that activation of NF‐κB during involution resulted in a more rapid reduction in milk levels and increased cleavage of caspase‐3, an indicator of apoptosis. We also found that activation of NF‐κB during lactation with no additional involution signals had a similar effect. The observation that NF‐κB is a key regulator of milk production led us to investigate the role of NF‐κB during mastitis, an infection of the mammary gland in which milk loss is observed. Mammary gland injection of E. coli LPS resulted in activation of NF‐κB and milk loss during lactation. This milk loss was decreased by selective inhibition of NF‐κB in mammary epithelium. Together, our data reveal that activation of NF‐κB leads to milk clearance in the lactating mammary gland. Therefore, targeting of NF‐κB signaling may prove therapeutic during mastitis in humans and could be beneficial for the dairy industry, where such infections have a major economic impact. J. Cell. Physiol. 222:73–81, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Mild Intraoperative Hypothermia Prolongs Postanesthetic Recovery

Background: Intraoperative hypothermia is common and persists for several hours after surgery. Hypothermia may prolong immediate recovery by augmenting anesthetic potency, delaying drug metabolism, producing hemodynamic instability, or depressing cognitive function. Accordingly, the authors tested the hypothesis that intraoperative hypothermia prolongs postoperative recovery. Methods: Patients undergoing elective major abdominal surgery (n = 150) were anesthetized with isoflurane, nitrous oxide, and fentanyl. They were randomly assigned to routine thermal management (hypothermia) or extra warming (normothermia). Postoperative surgical pain was treated with patient‐controlled analgesia. Fitness for discharge from the post‐anesthesia care unit was evaluated at 20‐min intervals by investigators blinded to group assignment and postoperative core temperatures. Scoring was based on a modification of a previously published system that included activity, ventilation, consciousness, and hemodynamic responses. Patients were considered fit for discharge when they sustained a score of 80% (13 points) for at least two consecutive measurement periods. Results: Morphometric characteristics and anesthetic management were similar in each group. Final intraoperative core temperatures differed by [nearly =] 2 [degree sign] Celsius: 34.8 +/‐ 0.6 versus 36.7 +/‐ 0.6 [degree sign] Celsius (mean +/‐ SD, P < 0.001). Postoperative pain scores and postoperative use of patient‐controlled opioid were similar. Hypothermic patients required [nearly =] 40 min longer (94 +/‐ 65 vs. 53 +/‐ 36 min) to reach fitness for discharge, even when return to normothermia was not a criterion (P < 0.001). Duration of recovery in the two groups differed by [nearly =] 90 min when a core temperature > 36 [degree sign] Celsius was also required (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Maintaining core normothermia decreases the duration of postanesthetic recovery and may, therefore, reduce costs of care.