Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Role of overexpression of CD151 and/or c‐Met in predicting prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma

It has been reported that tetraspanin CD151 acts as a promoter of metastasis in several tumors and plays an important role in c‐Met/hepatocyte growth factor signaling. However, the role of CD151 alone and coexpression of CD151/c‐Met in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unclear. We found that expression of CD151 was positively related to metastatic potential of HCC cell lines, and modified cells with CD151high showed higher secretion of matrix metalloproteinase 9 and aggressiveness in vitro and higher metastatic ability in vivo. Furthermore, HCC patients with vascular invasion, large tumors, multiple tumors, high tumor‐node‐metastasis stage, and undifferentiated tumor were prone to have higher CD151 expression. The postoperative 3‐, 5‐, and 7‐year overall survival (OS) of patients in HCCs with CD151high were significantly lower than those in the CD151low group, and correspondingly cumulative recurrence rates in HCCs with CD151high were significantly higher than those in the CD151low group. Both CD151 and c‐Met were remarkably overexpressed in HCCs, compared with adjacent nontumorous and normal liver tissues. Pearson correlation analysis showed a slight correlation between CD151 and c‐Met in HCCs. Importantly, the 5‐ and 7‐year OS rates in CD151high/c‐Methigh patients were 50.5% and 37.8%, respectively, significantly lower than those of CD151low/c‐Metlow patients (63.9% and 54.6%, respectively). Five‐ and 7‐year cumulative recurrence rates in CD151high/c‐Methigh patients were 53.3% and 71.9%, respectively, markedly higher than those of CD151low/c‐Metlow patients (39.0% and 52.5%, respectively). Multivariate analysis revealed that CD151 and combination of CD151/c‐Met were independent prognostic indicators for OS and cumulative recurrence. Conclusion: CD151 is positively associated with invasiveness of HCC, and CD151 or combination of CD151/c‐Met is a novel marker in predicting the prognosis of HCC and a potential therapeutic target. (HEPATOLOGY 2008.)
Evaluation of a novel post operative treatment for sinonasal disease in the horse (1996-2007).

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY Results of surgical treatment of sinonasal disease in horses have been reported previously; however, this paper describes the outcome of horses in which a specific post operative treatment protocol was used. OBJECTIVES The objectives of the study were to determine: 1) short- and long-term outcome; 2) complications; and 3) recurrence rates of different disease processes, when horses were treated with a specific treatment protocol. METHODS Medical records of horses presented for surgical treatment of sinonasal disease from 1996-2007 were reviewed. Results and duration of surgical exploration were recorded. Post operatively, the sinus flaps were re-opened with the horses standing and sedated. Number of horses requiring further treatment (debridement and/or lavage), median number of post operative days when the flap was re-opened, median number of times the flap was opened and median duration of hospitalisation were recorded. Short- and long-term survival and complication rates were determined. RESULTS Ninety-one horses were included in the study. The sinus flaps were re-opened with the horses standing a median of 3 days post operatively. Thirty-nine horses (43%) required further treatment at this time and 89 horses (97%) survived to discharge. Incision infection was the most common complication encountered (29%). No horse required a blood transfusion. Recurrence rates were 5% for paranasal sinus cysts, 12% for progressive ethmoid haematoma and 50% for neoplasia. CONCLUSIONS Rapid removal of the primary lesion followed by packing the sinuses and re-evaluating in the standing horse in a more controlled environment offers a safe and effective means to thoroughly assess and treat sinonasal disease. POTENTIAL RELEVANCE Surgical time, intraoperative haemorrhage, long-term complications and recurrence rates of paranasal sinus diseases treated via frontonasal or maxillary sinus flap may be reduced using this technique.
tDCS-Induced Modulation of GABA Levels and Resting-State Functional Connectivity in Older Adults

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) modulates human behavior, neuronal patterns, and metabolite concentrations, with exciting potential for neurorehabilitation. However, the understanding of tDCS-induced alterations on the neuronal level is incomplete, and conclusions from young adults, in whom the majority of studies have been conducted, cannot be easily transferred to older populations. Here, we investigated tDCS-induced effects in older adults (N = 48; age range, 50–79 years) using magnetic resonance spectroscopy to quantify GABA levels as well as resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging to assess sensorimotor network strength and interhemispheric connectivity. In a randomized, counterbalanced, crossover design, we applied anodal tDCS (atDCS), cathodal tDCS (ctDCS), and sham tDCS (stDCS) over the left sensorimotor region. We observed a significant reduction of GABA levels after atDCS compared with stDCS, reflecting the preserved neuromodulatory effect of atDCS in older adults. Moreover, resting-state functional coupling was decreased during atDCS compared with stDCS, most likely indicating augmented efficiency in brain network functioning. Increased levels of interhemispheric connectivity with age were diminished by atDCS, suggesting stimulation-induced functional decoupling. Further, the magnitude of atDCS-induced local plasticity was related to baseline functional network strength. Our findings provide novel insight into the neuronal correlates underlying tDCS-induced neuronal plasticity in older adults and thus might help to develop tDCS interventions tailored to the aging brain. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) modulates human behavior, neuronal patterns, and metabolite concentrations, with exciting potential for neurorehabilitation. However, the understanding of tDCS-induced alterations on the neuronal level is incomplete, and conclusions from young adults cannot be easily transferred to older populations. We used a systematic multimodal imaging approach to investigate the neurophysiological effects of tDCS in older adults and found stimulation-induced effects on GABA levels, reflecting augmented local plasticity and functional connectivity, suggesting modulation of network efficiency. Our findings may help to reconcile some of the recent reports on the variability of tDCS-induced effects, not only implicating age as a crucial modulating factor, but detailing its specific impact on the functionality of neural networks.
5. The Sustainable Development Goals, Domestic Resource Mobilization, and the Poor

Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals will require fiscal resources to deliver the floors in social protection, social services and infrastructure embedded in them. A significant portion of these resources is expected to come from tax collection in developing countries. Raising additional revenues domestically, however, may leave a significant portion of the poor with less cash to buy food and other essential goods. The demand for additional resources must be balanced against the competing need to protect poor households from becoming poorer as a result of taxes.
The Effects of Boards Composition, Rewards and Ownerships on Intellectual Capital Efficiency of Banks in Nigeria

This paper examines the impact of corporate governance mechanisms on intellectual capital efficiency (ICE) of Nigerian Banks. The data for the study were generated from the audited financial statements of the sample banks for the period of 11 year (2003 - 2013). The study adopted Value Added Intellectual Co-Efficient (VAIC) methodology which includes three ICE components: human capital efficiency, structural capital efficiency and capital employed efficiency. Corporate governance mechanisms considered in this study are Boards Composition, Managerial Rewards, and Ownership Structure. The study controls for the return on equity and leverage of banks. The regression results show that the corporate governance attributes considered in this study are good indicators of (ICE) because their impact are positively and significantly at less than 1% with R-square of 58% and adj R-square of 55%. Also the two control variables are significantly related with intellectual capital efficiency. This implies that corporate governance have significant impact on ICE of firms in the Nigerian banking industry. Therefore, the study recommends that board should acquire political skills which are necessary to effective governance. In order to improve ICE, board should make it as their responsibility to develop and sustain healthy relationships and maintain open, two-way communication with all constituencies of staff in order to incite their IC towards organization’s success.
[Animal experiment studies of "biological" plate osteosynthesis of multi-fragment fractures of the femur].

In three groups (A, B, C) of 12 sheep each, defined, reproducible comminuted subtrochanteric fractures were produced in three steps without devascularization of the bone: (1) longitudinal biocortical osteotomies limited by bore holes as breakpoints, (2) an external fixator producing a static lateral bending load of 0.20 kN, (3) sudden three-point antero-posterior compression. Sheep in group A were treated with direct reduction and anatomical reconstruction of each fracture according to the principles of the AO/ASIF group and with an angle blade plate. In group B the same plate was used, but no attempt was made to reduce fragments anatomically. Length and alignment were restored with indirect reduction techniques (distraction via external fixator and articulating tension device) only. The treatment applied in group C incorporated the same reduction modes as that in group B, but an experimental plate with point bone contact and unicortical, fixed screws were used. After 4, 8 and 12 weeks of full weight-bearing, the femurs were harvested for radiographic analysis and biomechanical testing. Subjective evaluation of fracture healing by 20 independent orthopaedic trauma surgeons resulted in significantly higher ratings for groups B and C than for group A after 8 (p = 0.07) and 12 weeks (p = 0.09). Density scan measurements showed little change in bone density as a percentage of that on the intact side over 12 weeks (108.1, 105.7, 104.4) in group A, but revealed marked changes in groups B and C (95.7, 117.5, 133.6 and 104.2, 125.6, 120.6), reflecting higher masses of callus. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Effects of a Whatsapp-delivered physical activity intervention to enhance health-related physical fitness components and cardiovascular disease risk factors in older adults.

BACKGROUND This pilot study evaluated the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of a 10-week WhatsApp-based intervention aimed at enhancing health-related physical fitness components and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors compared with a face-to-face condition. METHODS Participants (N.=32) were assigned to one of three groups: training group (N.=16), mobile group (N.=7) and control group (N.=9). Training group and mobile group performed the same training program, based on strength training with elastics bands and aerobic exercise, during 10 weeks; only the delivery mode differed. RESULTS The mobile group increased handgrip strength, aerobic capacity and decreased systolic blood pressure and heart rate after exercise though there were no significant differences respect to control group. The training group decreased significantly systolic blood pressure (P=0.038), diastolic blood pressure (P=0.005), mean arterial pressure (P=0.006) and heart rate after exercise (P=0.002), respect to control group. CONCLUSIONS Comparison between training and mobile group showed that WhatsApp-based physical activity intervention was less effective than face-to-face condition. The results indicate that the use of an online social network produced slight changes in some health-related physical fitness components and CVD risk factors.
Spirituality and the recovery of quality of life following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

OBJECTIVE Spirituality has been linked to improved adjustment and functioning in individuals with cancer; however, its effect on quality of life following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has not been well-studied. This study investigated changes in spirituality in hematologic cancer patients recovering from HSCT and relationships between spirituality and dimensions of quality of life following HSCT. METHODS Participants (N = 220) completed measures of two dimensions of spirituality (meaning/peace and religious faith), depression, anxiety, fatigue, pain, and physical and functional well-being prior to transplant and at 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-months posttransplant. RESULTS Meaning/peace declined at 1-month posttransplant and returned to pretransplant levels by 6-months posttransplant, and faith increased from pretransplant to 6-months posttransplant. Mixed-effects linear regression models indicated that greater pretransplant meaning/peace, but not religious faith, predicted less depression, anxiety, and fatigue, and better physical and functional well-being during the 12-months following transplant. CONCLUSIONS The capacity to find meaning and peace may facilitate recovery following HSCT. Results suggest that spirituality may be a resilience factor that could be targeted to improve quality of life for HSCT recipients.
Adults with cerebral palsy: walking ability after progressive strength training

The purpose of this study was to evaluate effects of a progressive strength training programme on walking ability in adults with cerebral palsy. Ten individuals with spastic diplegia (seven males, three females; mean age 31, range 23–44 years) participated twice a week over 10 weeks. Seven individuals with spastic diplegia (four males, three females; mean age 33, range 25–47 years) who did not receive strength training served as controls. All individuals were ambulatory but motor ability ranged from functional walkers to individuals who always required walking aids and used a wheelchair regularly. Significant improvements were seen in isometric strength (hip extensorsp=0.006, hip abductors p=0.01), and in isokinetic concentric work at 30/s (knee extensors p=0.02) but not in eccentric work. Results also showed significant improvements in Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) dimensions D and E (p=0.005), walking velocity (p=0.005), and Timed Up and Go (p=0.01). There was no increase in spasticity for those who underwent strength training. Individuals in the control group did not show any significant improvement in any measured variable. The groups were small, however, and there was no significant difference between the groups in any measured variable. These findings suggest that a 10‐week progressive strength training programme improves muscle strength and walking ability without increasing spasticity.
Contact sensitivity to acrylate compounds in guinea pigs

As report of contact dermatitis in humans due to acrylate compounds have increased considerably in recent years, it was decided in investigate the ability of these chemicals to evoke contact sensitivity skin reactions in guinea pigs. 21 different acrylate and methacrylate compounds were scanned for their ability to induce contact sensitivity, using 5 different sensitization protocols. Contact reaction of varying intensities were produced to all the mono‐, di‐ and triacrylates tested. However, it was not possible to sensitize guinea pigs to any methacrylates. It would appear that guinea pigs cannot be contact sensitized to acrylate chemicals that are substituted on carbon 2.
Multilaboratory Comparison of Streptococcus pneumoniae Opsonophagocytic Killing Assays and Their Level of Agreement for the Determination of Functional Antibody Activity in Human Reference Sera

ABSTRACT Antibody-mediated killing of Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) by phagocytes is an important mechanism of protection of the human host against pneumococcal infections. Measurement of opsonophagocytic antibodies by use of a standardized opsonophagocytic assay (OPA) is important for the evaluation of candidate vaccines and required for the licensure of new pneumococcal conjugate vaccine formulations. We assessed agreement among six laboratories that used their own optimized OPAs on a panel of 16 human reference sera for 13 pneumococcal serotypes. Consensus titers, estimated using an analysis-of-variance (ANOVA) mixed-effects model, provided a common reference for assessing agreement among these laboratories. Agreement was evaluated in terms of assay accuracy, reproducibility, repeatability, precision, and bias. We also reviewed four acceptance criterion intervals for assessing the comparability of protocols when assaying the same reference sera. The precision, accuracy, and concordance results among laboratories and the consensus titers revealed acceptable agreement. The results of this study indicate that the bioassays evaluated in this study are robust, and the resultant OPA values are reproducible for the determination of functional antibody titers specific to 13 pneumococcal serotypes when performed by laboratories using highly standardized but not identical assays. The statistical methodologies employed in this study may serve as a template for evaluating future multilaboratory studies.
The Influence of Organizational Justice on Job Satisfaction in a Hotel Setting

Perceived organizational justice in the workplace is a primary factor affecting employee job satisfaction and tenure. This paper examined the relationship between organizational justice and job satisfaction of managers, supervisors, and staff in a hotel setting situated in one of the major cities outside Metro Manila, Philippines, namely Metropolitan Cebu. Specifically, it looked into the influence of the three dimensions of organizational justice (distributive, procedural, and interactional) on the hotel employees’ level of job satisfaction with regards to fairness of manager/supervisor to staff relationships, pay, and schedule (among others). A Likert scale survey instrument was administered to select respondents from 13 departments of nine hotels in Metropolitan Cebu, Philippines: Front Office, Food & Beverage, Housekeeping, Sales & Marketing, Human Resources, Maintenance, Kitchen, Finance, Butchery, Engineering, Administration, Security, and the Executive Office. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was applied for data analysis. The results revealed that distributive and interactional justice positively affects employees’ job satisfaction, while procedural justice does not have a significant impact.
The communicating branch of the lateral plantar nerve: A descriptive anatomic study

Since the communicating branch of the lateral plantar nerve has been implicated as a factor in the etiology of Morton's neuroma, a painful perineurofibrosis of a common plantar digital nerve, this project was designed to investigate the anatomy of this communicating branch. Both feet of 40 embalmed human cadavers were dissected to show the frequency of occurrence and anatomical variation of the communicating branch. The communicating branch was present in 66.2% of the feet we studied with no large gender‐based differences. Branches occurred bilaterally in 52.5% of cadavers, while 27.5% had branches unilaterally. The occurrence of this branch does not correlate well with the likelihood of development of Morton's neuroma. Differences in diameter of the communicating branch ranged from less than 0.5 mm to as large as the common plantar digital nerves themselves, about 2 mm. The presence or absence of the communicating branch made no qualitative difference in the diameters of the common plantar digital nerves. There were 60.4% of the communicating branches in this study that had a typically‐described orientation, arising more proximally in the foot from the fourth common plantar digital nerve, while 39.6% of the branches had a reversed orientation, arising more proximally from the third common plantar digital nerve. These reversed branches had a more oblique orientation when compared to the classic branches. Other anatomical variations were noted, including accessory branches that attached to deeper structures in the foot. These data form a basis for further research into the etiology of Morton's neuroma and improved surgical techniques for correcting this condition. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Fetal loss following second trimester amniocentesis. Who is at greater risk? How to counsel pregnant women?

Abstract Objective: The purpose of this retrospective observational cohort study was to determine the impact of certain risk factors on fetal loss, after mid-trimester amniocentesis. Material and methods: Six thousand seven-hundred and fifty-two (6752) consecutive amniocenteses with known pregnancy outcome performed during a 7-year period (2004–2010) were included in this study. Different maternal-, fetal- and procedure-related factors were evaluated in this study. Results: During this 7-year period, 6752 cases who underwent amniocentesis, with complete data available were evaluated for the outcome and risk factors mentioned. Total fetal loss rate (FLR) up to the 24th week was 1.19%. Risk factors associated with increased risk of fetal loss after amniocentesis were maternal age (OR:2.0), vaginal spotting (OR:2.2) and serious bleeding (OR:3.5) during pregnancy, history of 2nd trimester termination of pregnancy (OR:4.0), history of more than three spontaneous (OR:3.0) or surgical first trimester abortions (OR:2.1), fibromas (OR:3.0) and stained amniotic fluid (OR:6.1). Conclusions: Amniocentesis is a safe-invasive procedure for prenatal diagnosis with total FLR of 1.19% in our institution during the study period. The present study has emphasized the significance of certain risk factors for adverse outcome and therefore the need to individualize the risk.