Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Men's time, women's time--sex differences in biological time structure.

Almost all physiological functions of human beings exhibit biological rhythms (Reinberg and Smolensky 1983-a). Many physiological variables such as body temperature and adrenal steroid hormone show circadian rhythms, whose period of about 24 hours. The menstruation cycle of adult women is a representative circamensual rhythm, a rhythm with a period of about 28 days (Blomquist and Holt, 1992). Serum testosterone concentrations display a cycle of change over a period of about a year, i.e., a circannual rhythm. Such rhythms are observed in all living organisms, and are thought to be closely related to their evolution. They are influenced by cyclic environmental changes caused by the earth’s rotation period and the period of revolution around the sun. Biological rhythms are the result of the process of adaptation of living organisms to changes in the external environment since life first began. It has already been discovered that the circadian rhythms of physiological functions of both plants and animals are regulated by endogenous biological clocks. In the last decade, researchers in the field of molecular biology have identified genes responsible for biological clock (for example, frq gene and per gene) in Drosophilia and Neurospora (Rensing, 1996). Molecular biology studies have also revealed that endogenous biological clocks play an important role in the process of adaptation and evolution of living organisms. In this paper, the authors briefly review scientific findings regarding sex differences in biological time structure from the standpoint of physiological anthropology.
Current Aspects and Survival Statistics Related to Resectability inPancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is one of the most common malignant disease of the pancreas having its origin in the ductal epithelium. With an increasing incidence, it is considered one of the most aggressive human tumours. It has a high degree of lethality, survival at 5 years being reported to be up to 4%. This poor outcome is due to both a low specificity of onset symptoms (e.g. the disease is usually diagnosed in advanced stages) and also to a lack of tumour markers in order detects the presence of the tumour in the early stage, as well as the absence of effective non-surgical treatment modalities. Up to now, surgery is the only treatment modality that can provide a greater chance of survival, but unfortunately is an option only for about 15% of patients. The resections for the pancreatic cancer have entered the therapeutic arsenal for almost 70 years, but despite hundreds of reports written about this topic, there is no unanimity on the effectiveness of the resection. In this way, we will describe here some current aspects and survival numbers related to resectability in the pancreatic cancer.
Characterization of biofilms in drug-sensitive and drug-resistant strains of Candida albicans

Abstract In this study, we investigated the biofilm formation in strains of Candida albicans susceptible (CO23) or resistant to fluconazole (CO23RFLC) or micafungin (CO23RFK). The effect of drug resistance on biofilm formation was investigated through the cell surface hydrophobicity and the mannan content. Moreover, biofilm formation was evaluated after 24, 48 and 72 hours with crystal violet assay, dry weight, as well as scanning electron microscopy. Our results showed an increase in hydrophobicity, polysaccharides content, metabolic activity and dry weight. Observation of sensitive and resistant strains confirmed the differences in cell morphology. Finally, the expression of genes involved in biofilm formation, such as HWP1 and EFG1, evaluated with relative real-time RT-PCR. Resistant strains proved to up- regulate the expression of HWP1. These results demonstrated the existence of important differences between drug-susceptible and drug-resistant strains biofilm of C. albicans.
A single camera stereographic imaging system for tracking upper limb motions

A single camera stereographic imaging system was designed, built and tested for the intended application of tracking upper limb motion. The system consisted of a camera, quad-mirror system and image acquisition and processing software. This paper describes the design methods used and the testing of the system. Design methods included geometry optimisation and testing consisted of proof-of-concept trials. Preliminary results show that the concept is sound.
Seasonal variability of aerosol optical depth over indian subcontinent

Ganga basin extends 2000 km E-W and about 400 km N-S and is bounded by Himalayas in the north. This basin is unequivocally found to be affected by high aerosols optical depth (AOD) (>0.6) throughout the year. Himalayas restricts movement of aerosols toward north and as a result dynamic nature of aerosol is seen over the Ganga basin. High AOD in this region has detrimental effects on health of more than 460 million people living in this part of India besides adversely affecting clouds formation, monsoonal rainfall pattern and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Severe drought events (year 2002) in Ganga basin and unexpected failure of monsoon several times, occurred in different parts of Indian subcontinent. Significant rise in AOD (18.7%) over the central part of basin (Kanpur region) have been found to cause substantial decrease in NDVI (8.1%) since 2000. A negative relationship is observed between AOD and NDVI, magnitude of which differs from region to region. Efforts have been made to determine general distribution of AOD and its dominant departure in recent years spatially using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data. The seasonal changes in aerosol optical depth over the Indo-Gangetic basin is found to very significant as a result of the increasing dust storm events in recent years.
Effects of Ion Atomic Number on Single-Event Gate Rupture (SEGR) Susceptibility of Power MOSFETs

The relative importance of heavy-ion interaction with the oxide, charge ionized in the epilayer, and charge ionized in the drain substrate, on the bias for SEGR failure in vertical power MOSFETs is experimentally investigated. The results indicate that both the charge ionized in the epilayer and the ion atomic number are important parameters of SEGR failure. Implications on SEGR hardness assurance are discussed.
Determining the impact of the major prognostic factors in breast cancer

The paper presents a mathematical model of prognostic factors in breast cancer, accomplished for a determined period of 60 months. The study was conducted on a group of patients selected from all of the patients with breast cancer treated in the Clinic of Oncology-Radiation of Emergency Hospital “St. Spiridon” Iasi in a period of 3 years. Survival data specific for each prognostic factor was processed, from which resulted the survival curves at 5 years. Each resulting curve was approximated by a polynomial function. The prognostic score model, determined through the multifactorial analysis, assigns each patient a characteristic function of survival, with the possibility of calculating a specific value for a time moment selected as the reference.
Pharmacoeconomics of the management of acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) impose a significant burden on society in terms of morbidity, mortality, reduced quality of life and healthcare expenditure. New generations of antibiotics are used to treat exacerbations, and other modes of delivery involving home support are being implemented. The optimal strategy to manage exacerbations on pharmacoeconomic grounds depends on issues such as diagnosis of an exacerbation and safety, effectiveness and costs of available alternatives. This review outlines the state of the art of pharmacoeconomic knowledge of the management of acute COPD exacerbations. It presents estimates of the level and distribution of costs associated with exacerbations and reports on the cost-effectiveness or cost-utility of antimicrobial therapy and other approaches to the management of exacerbations.
A randomized controlled trial of chronic vagus nerve stimulation for treatment of medically intractable seizures

Article abstract—Preliminary reports have suggested that chronic, intermittent stimulation of the vagus nerve (VNS) is an alternative treatment for patients with medically refractory seizures. We performed a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of adjunctive VNS in patients with poorly controlled partial seizures. An implanted, programmable pacemaker-like device was connected to two stimulating electrodes wrapped around the left vagus nerve. One hundred fourteen patients were randomized to receive 14 weeks of high-level stimulation (presumed therapeutic dose) or low-level stimulation (presumed subtherapeutic dose) using a blinded, parallel study design. Seizure frequency was compared with a 12–week baseline. Mean reduction in seizure frequency was 24.5% for the “high stimulation group versus 6.1% for the 'low” stimulation group (p = 0.01). Thirty-one percent of patients receiving high stimulation had a seizure frequency reduction of ≤50%, versus 13% of patients in the low group (p = 0.02). Treatment emergent side effects were largely limited to a transient hoarseness occurring during the stimulation train. One patient with no previous history of cardiac disease experienced a myocardial infarction during the third month of vagal stimulation. VNS may be an effective alternative treatment for patients who have failed antiepileptic drug therapy and are not optimal candidates for epilepsy surgery.
Serum autoantibodies against human oxidized low-density lipoproteins are inversely associated with severity of coronary stenotic lesions calculated by Gensini score.

BACKGROUND The relationship between autoantibodies against human oxidized low-density lipoprotein (anti-oxLDL) and the progression of atherosclerotic diseases is unclear. This study aimed to investigate the association between serum anti-oxLDL titers and the severity and extent of coronary stenotic lesions. METHODS We measured the titers of IgG anti-oxLDL by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 154 consecutive patients undergoing coronary angiography for suspected coronary heart disease (CHD). The severity and extent of coronary stenotic lesions were evaluated on coronary angiography findings by Gensini score. RESULTS The anti-oxLDL titers were significantly lower in 117 patients with CHD than those in 37 controls (p<0.01). The serum anti-oxLDL titers were significantly correlated to serum levels of globulin (r = 0.405), conjugated bilirubin (r = 0.280), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (r = 0.238), homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (r = -0.267), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (r = -0.230), triglyceride (r = -0.207), advanced glycation end products (AGEs) (r = -0.200), and malondialdehyde (r = -0.165). However, only HDL cholesterol and AGEs remained independent predictors of the anti-oxLDL titers after adjusting for confounders. Multivariate regression analysis showed that the anti-oxLDL titers, as well as serum levels of hs-CRP, fasting glucose, and albumin, were significantly associated with Gensini scores. CONCLUSIONS Titers of anti-oxLDL are inversely associated with complicated proatherogenic metabolic risk factors, and the severity of coronary stenotic lesions calculated by Gensini scores, supporting a protective role for anti-oxLDL against the progression of atherosclerosis.
La relation d’aide dans une fratrie avec une personne handicapée

L’article presente une reflexion theorique sur la relation d’aide dans une fratrie comprenant une personne handicapee. Apres avoir evoque la specificite du lien fraternel, qui est, dans la configuration des liens familiaux, un lien horizontal, l’auteur, psychologue clinicienne, montre que la relation d’aide s’inscrit tres tot dans la construction du lien fraternel avec une personne en situation de handicap. Pour plusieurs raisons, les freres et sœurs vont occuper une fonction d’aidant pour l’enfant, puis l’adolescent et l’adulte handicape, fonction qui peut aujourd’hui etre etablie sur le plan juridique pour les personnes majeures. L’article interroge les repercussions de cette relation d’aide aussi bien sur la fratrie que sur les personnes en situation de handicap elles-memes et conclut sur la necessite de prendre davantage en compte, a l’avenir, le point de vue des personnes handicapees.
Running head : Unpacking Time Online Unpacking Time Online : Connecting Internet and MMO use with Psychosocial Well-being

By unpacking different forms of Internet and MMO use, the present study adopts a nuanced approach to examine the connections between online activities and psychosocial well-being. It combined self-reported survey data with unobtrusive behavioral data from server logs of a large virtual world, EverQuest II. Over 5,000 players were surveyed about how they use the Internet, their specific activities in the virtual world, and their psychosocial well-being. In-game communication networks were also constructed and analyzed. The results showed support for both time displacement and social augmentation effects for various activities. Whether Internet and MMO use were associated with negative or positive outcomes was largely dependent on the purposes, contexts and individual characteristics of users. The results suggest that Internet use and game play have significant nuances and should not be considered as monolithic sources of effects.
SPITZER OBSERVATIONS OF MF 16 NEBULA AND THE ASSOCIATED ULTRALUMINOUS X-RAY SOURCE

We present Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph observations of the ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX) NGC 6946 X-1 and its associated nebula MF 16. This ULX has very similar properties to the famous Holmberg II ULX, the first ULX to show a prominent infrared [O iv] emission line comparable to those found in active galactic nuclei. This paper attempts to constrain the ULX spectral energy distribution (SED) given the optical/UV photometric fluxes and high-resolution X-ray observations. Specifically, Chandra X-ray data and published Hubble optical/UV data are extrapolated to produce a model for the full optical to X-ray SED. The photoionization modeling of the IR lines and ratios is then used to test different accretion spectral models. While either an irradiated disk model or an O-supergiant plus accretion disk model fits the data very well, we prefer the latter because it fits the nebular parameters slightly better. In this second case the accretion disk alone dominates the extreme-UV and X-ray emission, while an O-supergiant is responsible for most of the far-UV emission.
Effects of ethanol treatment of proliferation and differentiation in a head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cell line.

INTRODUCTION Epidemiologic studies have provided evidence that chronic ethanol consumption is an independent risk factor in upper aerodigestive tract cancer, but the underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. METHODS To examine ethanol effects on mucosal keratinocytes in vitro, we used a squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) cell line as a model and, to exclude line specific effects, two other cell lines. The influence of ethanol on proliferation (using [3H]thymidine uptake/cell number), cell cycle distribution, cytokeratin pattern, and growth factor receptor expression (using FACS analyses) was investigated. RESULTS Ethanol increased in a dose dependent manner (tested range 10(-3) M to 10(-10) M) the [3H]thymidine uptake and cell number, with unaltered viability (>95%) in all concentrations. In all tested cell lines, addition of 10(-3) M ethanol caused: (a) a significant increase of cells in the S-phase of the cell cycle; (b) a shift of cytokeratin pattern that suggested inhibition of differentiation; and (c) significant upregulation of EGF, IL-4, and PDGF receptors. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrated an increased proliferation and reduced differentiation induced by ethanol in mucosa derived neoplastic cells, which may enhance further growth of neoplastic cells. These effects may also be involved in the carcinogenesis of upper aerodigestive tract malignancies.
Truncated β-amyloid peptide channels provide an alternative mechanism for Alzheimer’s Disease and Down syndrome

Full-length amyloid beta peptides (Aβ1–40/42) form neuritic amyloid plaques in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients and are implicated in AD pathology. However, recent transgenic animal models cast doubt on their direct role in AD pathology. Nonamyloidogenic truncated amyloid-beta fragments (Aβ11–42 and Aβ17–42) are also found in amyloid plaques of AD and in the preamyloid lesions of Down syndrome, a model system for early-onset AD study. Very little is known about the structure and activity of these smaller peptides, although they could be the primary AD and Down syndrome pathological agents. Using complementary techniques of molecular dynamics simulations, atomic force microscopy, channel conductance measurements, calcium imaging, neuritic degeneration, and cell death assays, we show that nonamyloidogenic Aβ9–42 and Aβ17–42 peptides form ion channels with loosely attached subunits and elicit single-channel conductances. The subunits appear mobile, suggesting insertion of small oligomers, followed by dynamic channel assembly and dissociation. These channels allow calcium uptake in amyloid precursor protein-deficient cells. The channel mediated calcium uptake induces neurite degeneration in human cortical neurons. Channel conductance, calcium uptake, and neurite degeneration are selectively inhibited by zinc, a blocker of amyloid ion channel activity. Thus, truncated Aβ fragments could account for undefined roles played by full length Aβs and provide a unique mechanism of AD and Down syndrome pathologies. The toxicity of nonamyloidogenic peptides via an ion channel mechanism necessitates a reevaluation of the current therapeutic approaches targeting the nonamyloidogenic pathway as avenue for AD treatment.
Pitfalls in immunohistochemical assessment of EGFR expression in soft tissue sarcomas

Background: New targeted cancer treatments acting against growth factor receptors such as the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) necessitate selecting patients for treatment with these drugs. Besides carcinomas, soft tissue sarcomas (STS) express EGFR and might thereby be a promising target for this new therapeutic strategy. Objective: To test and compare different EGFR antibodies to determine the frequency of EGFR expression in STS. Methods: 302 consecutive specimens of STS were examined using the tissue microarray technique. EGFR expression levels were assessed by immunohistochemistry using five different commercially available antibodies. Gene amplification status was measured by fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH). Immunoreactivity and amplification status were correlated with clinicopathological features and follow up data available in 163 cases. Results: EGFR expression frequency ranged between 0.3% and 52.9%, depending on the antibody and scoring method used. In all, 3.5% of the tumours showed egfr gene amplification by FISH, which correlated with EGFR expression for three antibodies. Only one antibody had independent prognostic value in multivariate analysis and correlated with an unfavourable outcome; egfr gene amplification status showed no correlation with clinical features. Conclusions: Frequency of EGFR immunopositivity in STS strongly depends on the antibody used, and only one of five antibodies tested predicted an unfavourable clinical outcome. This indicates that choice of primary antibody and scoring system have a substantial impact on the determination of EGFR immunoreactivity.
Human endothelial cell activation and apoptosis induced by enterovirus 71 infection

Enterovirus 71 (EV71), a neurotropic virus, its infection is transmitted mainly by the oral–fecal route. However, it is unclear how EV71 is disseminated/spread from initial replication sites to the central nervous system. Since endothelial cells form the interface between blood and tissues throughout the body, it is likely that EV71 can infect and then exit endothelial cells to establish infection. In this study, human endothelial cells were examined for susceptibility to EV71 infection using human microvascular endothelial cell line (HMEC‐1 cell). Immunofluorescence assay confirmed EV71 infection of HMEC‐1. Viable viruses were cultured from both the culture supernatant and the cell lysate. Live but not UV‐inactivated EV71 induced HMEC‐1 to secrete IL‐6, macrophage migration inhibition factor, and macrophage chemo‐attractant protein 1, and to express toll‐like receptor 4. In addition, EV71 decreased the viability and increased the apoptosis of HMEC‐1 cells after 36–48 hr of infection. These results demonstrate that EV71 is able to infect, activate, and induce apoptosis of endothelial cells, which may play a role in the pathogenesis of EV71 infection. J. Med. Virol. 74:597–603, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Topological analysis of Hin‐catalysed DNA recombination in vivo and in vitro

In vitro studies have demonstrated that Hin‐catalysed site‐specific DNA inversion occurs within a tripartite invertasome complex assembled at a branch on a supercoiled DNA molecule. Multiple DNA exchanges within a recombination complex (processive recombination) have been found to occur with particular substrates or reaction conditions. To investigate the mechanistic properties of the Hin recombination reaction in vivo , we have analysed the topology of recombination products generated by Hin catalysis in growing cells. Recombination between wild‐type recombination sites in vivo is primarily limited to one exchange. However, processive recombination leading to knotted DNA products is efficient on substrates containing recombination sites with non‐identical core nucleotides. Multiple exchanges are limited by a short DNA segment between the Fis‐bound enhancer and closest recombination site and by the strength of Fis–Hin interactions, implying that the enhancer normally remains associated with the recombining complex throughout a single exchange reaction, but that release of the enhancer leads to multiple exchanges. This work confirms salient mechanistic aspects of the reaction in vivo and provides strong evidence for the propensity of plectonemically branched DNA in prokaryotic cells. We also demonstrated that a single DNA exchange resulting in inversion in vitro is accompanied by a loss of four negative supercoils.
Differential Effects of Normal Aging on Memory for Odor-Place and Object-Place Associations

Odor-place and object-place associative memory were compared in healthy older (over the age of 65) and young (18 to 25 years of age) adults. Twelve spatial locations were defined on a tabletop board. Either six odors or six objects were presented one at a time and each was paired with a location on the board. The participant then was presented with each stimulus individually and asked to place it in its paired location. Older adults showed impaired odor-place associative memory but unimpaired object-place memory compared to young adults. Item recognition memory for the individual stimuli or locations used on the associative memory task was similar in both groups. The results suggest that odor-place associative memory is particularly affected by age-related brain changes.