Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Leishmania major: a clone with low virulence for BALB/c mice elicits a Th1 type response and protects against infection with a highly virulent clone.

BALB/c mice are highly susceptible to infection with Leishmania major and generally develop a severe, nonhealing form of disease following parasite inoculation. As opposed to protective Th1 type immune responses which develop in resistant strains of mice, BALB/c mice develop predominant Th2 type responses characterized by the production of high levels of IL-4, but only low levels of IFN-gamma. However, BALB/c mice will develop resistance and Th1 type responses following the inoculation of very low numbers of L. major promastigotes. In this study, we have examined the effects of parasite virulence on the immune response and disease phenotype in susceptible BALB/c mice. Two clones of L. major were isolated which differed with respect to their in vitro growth rates as promastigotes and their virulence for mice. One rapidly growing clone, L.m. F1, was highly virulent in BALB/c mice and produced nonhealing infections characterized by predominant Th2 type responses. In contrast, a slow-growing clone, L.m. S2, was less virulent in BALB/c mice and produced self-healing infections at parasite doses equivalent to those which produced progressive disease with the more virulent clone. Mice which healed infections with the L.m. S2 clone developed responses characterized by elevated production of IFN-gamma and were resistant to a challenge infection with the virulent L.m. F1 clone. These results suggest that the virulence of individual parasite clones may influence both the course of disease and the phenotype of the immune response which develops during infection.
Multi-input transformer coupled DC-DC converter for PV-wind based stand-alone single-phase power generating system

Hybrid PV-wind based stand-alone systems have evolved as a promising solution for rural deployment where access to electrification is not viable. The conventional approach for the integration of multiple renewable sources and energy storage elements involves using dedicated single-input converters for each source and requires more number of converter stages leading to considerable reduction in reliability and efficiency of the system. In order to address this issue, a novel transformer coupled dual-source dc-dc converter followed by a conventional full bridge inverter is proposed. Transformer coupled half-bridge boost converter is used for harnessing power from wind, while bidirectional converter is used for harnessing power from PV along with battery charging/discharging control and a single-phase inverter for feeding ac loads. The proposed converter architecture has reduced number of power conversion stages, less component count and losses as compared to the existing stand-alone schemes. These features improve the efficiency and reliability of the scheme. A suitable control strategy is proposed to operate the proposed converter in different modes. Analytical and simulation studies are carried out to ascertain the viability of the scheme.
The effects of mental fatigue on cricket-relevant performance among elite players

ABSTRACT This study investigated the effects of a mentally fatiguing test on physical tasks among elite cricketers. In a cross-over design, 10 elite male cricket players from a professional club performed a cricket run-two test, a Batak Lite reaction time test and a Yo-Yo-Intermittent Recovery Level 1 (Yo-Yo-IR1) test, providing a rating of perceived exertion (RPE) after completing a 30-min Stroop test (mental fatigue condition) or 30-min control condition. Perceived fatigue was assessed before and after the two conditions and motivation was measured before testing. There were post-treatment differences in the perception of mental fatigue (P < 0.001; d = −7.82, 95% CIs = −9.05–6.66; most likely). Cricket run-two (P = 0.002; d = −0.51, 95% CIs = −0.72–0.30; very likely), Yo-Yo-IR1 distance (P = 0.023; d = 0.39, 95% CIs = 0.14–0.64; likely) and RPE (P = 0.001; d = −1.82, 95% CIs = −2.49–1.14; most likely) were negatively affected by mental fatigue. The Batak Lite test was not affected (P = 0.137), yet a moderate (d = 0.41, 95% CIs = −0.05–0.87) change was likely. Mental fatigue, induced by an app-based Stroop test, negatively affected cricket-relevant performance.
Quality of Life Profiles and Changes in the Course of Maintenance Treatment Among 1,015 Patients With Severe Opioid Dependence

Introduction: Studies indicate that different areas of mental, physical, social and daily life functioning need to be considered in order to improve intervention outcomes in substance user patients. The aim of the study was to assess health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients diagnosed with opioid dependence as compared to healthy controls and patients diagnosed with depression and schizophrenia. Methods: A total of 1,015 outpatients diagnosed with opioid dependence were investigated during 12 months of maintenance treatment. HRQOL (MSQoL), addiction (EUROP-ASI), and sociodemographic characteristics were assessed. Results: HRQOL in opioid dependence improved significantly (p < .001), but was lower as compared to that of healthy controls and patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. HRQOL in opioid dependence comprises addiction-specific aspects, most importantly low material satisfaction, physical health, and social stability. Conclusions: HRQOL measurement provides valuable information for course and outcome in opioid dependence treatment.
A relationship between prey density and territory size in non-breeding Eastern Curlews Numenius madagascariensis

Two hypotheses have been proposed to explain the varia-tion in territory size observed within populations. Hypoth-esis I assumes that individuals can assess the local fooddensity; territory size is then determined by the amountof food contained within the territory (Norman & Jones1984, McFarland 1986). Under Hypothesis II, an animaldefends as large an area as possible and the size of theterritory is regulated by intruder pressure from the otheranimals in the population (Myers
The effect of stimulus duration on perception of Turkish vowels in normal-hearing and hearing-impaired children

The objective of the study was to examine the effects of stimulus duration on vowel perception in normal-hearing and hearing-impaired children. For this purpose, 80 semisynthetic vowel stimuli consisting of eight different Turkish vowels with ten different durations were presented to 14 normal-hearing and 15 hearing impaired children, and they were asked to identify the vowel they heard. Thirteen normal-hearing adults served as speaker subjects to get normative data on mean durations of the Turkish vowels. While there was no significant effect of duration on perception in normal-hearing children, perception errors for very short and very long vowels were observed in hearing-impaired children. The most frequent responses as a function of duration showed four different patterns: (1) three vowels were perceived correctly in all durations; (2) two were perceived correctly in middle and longer durations; (3) two were perceived correctly in middle duration; and (4) only one was perceived correctly in short duration. It was concluded that the effects of stimulus duration on vowel perception were determined by natural duration of the vowel in a given language, and unnaturally short and long vowels were misperceived by hearing impaired subjects. Sumario El objetivo del estudio fue examinar el efecto de la duración del estimulo en la percepción de las vocales en niños normoyentes e hipoacúsicos. Para ello, 80 estímulos vocálicos semisintéticos consistentes en ocho diferentes vocales turcas, con 10 duraciones diferentes, fueron presentados a 14 niños normoyentes y 15 hipoacúsicos; se les pidió que identificaran la vocal escuchada. Trece adultos normoyentes sirvieron como hablantes para obtener datos normativos sobre el promedio de duración de las vocales turcas. Aunque que no hubo efecto significativo de la duración en la percepción en los normoyentes, se observaron errores de percepción para vocales muy cortas y muy largas en los hipoacúsicos. Las respuestas más frecuentes en función de la duración presentaron cuatro patrones diferentes: (1) tres vocales fueron percibidas correctamente con todas las duraciones, (2) dos fueron percibidas correctamente con duración media y prolongada, (3) dos fueron percibidas correctamente con duración media y (4) sólo una fue percibida correctamente con duración corta. Se concluyó que los efectos de la duración del estimulo en la percepción de las vocales se determinan por la duración natural de la vocal en una lengua dada y las vocales artificialmente cortas y largas son percibidas erróneamente por los sujetos hipoacúsicos.
Questioning the Need for Informed Consent: A Case Study of California's Experience with a Pilot Newborn Screening Research Project

California provides mandatory newborn screening for disorders that cause irreversible, severe disabilities if not identified and treated early in life. Parental consent is not required. In 2001, the Genetic Disease Branch was mandated to pilot test a new technology that could identify many additional disorders using the same blood specimen already collected. Study participation required informed consent, which was obtained for 47% of births during the study timeframe. The inability of hospitals to carry out the consent procedure for all newborns resulted in denial of testing and missed cases. If informed consent were waived, all newborns could have been tested. Several empirical questions are posed and each is examined from the perspective of society, the parents and the newborn. It is concluded that the legitimate needs of society and the interests of newborns should not be sacrificed to respond to the autonomy interests of the few parents who did not wish their infant to participate in the study, and that in the future, parental consent should be waived for projects evaluating new screening technologies.
Interplay between human papilloma virus infection and p53 gene alterations in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma of an Indian patient population

Aim: To investigate the complex interplay between human papilloma virus (HPV) infection and p53 gene alteration in 92 head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and 28 leukoplakia samples from eastern India. Methods: DNA isolated from the patient samples was subjected to HPV detection, loss of heterozygosity (LOH) analysis of the chromosome 17p region harbouring p53, genotyping at the p53 codon 72 locus and sequencing of the entire p53 gene to identify somatic mutations. Codon 72 heterozygotes carrying the p53 mutation were further cloned and resequenced to identify the allele harbouring the mutation. Results: HPV positivity in the HNSCC samples was 69%; 21% of the HNSCC were found to harbour p53 mutations in the coding region of the gene. The absence of the p53 mutation in HPV positive tumours was statistically significant compared to the HPV negative tumours (p = 0.01), but the same did not hold true for p53 LOH (p = 1.0). Among the germline p53 codon 72 heterozygotes, the Pro allele was preferentially lost (p = 0.02) while the Arg allele was mutated in the majority of cases. The risk of HPV mediated tumourigenesis increased with the increase in number of Arg alleles at the codon 72 locus. Conclusion: It is proposed that genetic and epigenetic alteration of p53 follow distinct pathways during the development of HNSCC from normal epithelium via dysplasia. The p53 mutation and HPV mediated p53 inactivation possibly constitute two independent pathways of tumourigenesis.
Minority MMR Overrepresentation and Special Education Reform

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) panel recommendations are examined critically in view of past and current classification and placement practices for exceptional students. The NAS panel emphasis on instructional validity is strongly endorsed. However, the NAS panel was perhaps naive in certain other recommendations, particularly those dealing with use of biomedical data and learning-process assessment. Special problems in mild mental retardation and inaccurate interpretation of overrepresentation phenomena are discussed, as well as the use of prereferral interventions, cross categorical programming, application of an outcomes criterion, and expansion of regular education options for mildly handicapped students, including prereferral services.
Increased interleukin-13 expression in patients with sarcoidosis

Background: Sarcoidosis is a systemic granulomatous disorder of unknown origin. Lymphocytic inflammation is dominated by expression of Th1 type cytokines such as tumour necrosis factor α (TNFα). Interleukin 13 (IL-13) is a Th2 cytokine which is expressed by CD4+ T cells and has been shown to suppress TNFα in human blood monocytes. The role of IL-13 as a possible anti-inflammatory cytokine in sarcoidosis was investigated. Methods: mRNA expression of IL-13, IL-4, IL-10, and TNFα in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid cells and peripheral mononuclear blood cells (PBM) of 18 patients with sarcoidosis and nine healthy controls was assessed using RT-PCR. In addition, IL-13 protein levels in BAL cell culture supernatants from 12 patients and all controls were measured and immunocytochemistry of IL-13 protein was performed in BAL fluid cells of eight patients. TNFα concentrations were measured with and without stimulation with recombinant human (rh) IL-13, rhIL-10, and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Results: IL-13 mRNA expression was significantly increased in BAL cells and PBM of patients compared with controls (p<0.05). No significant difference was found in IL-4 mRNA or IL-10 mRNA expression in BAL fluid cells or PBM between the two groups. TNFα mRNA expression was significantly higher in BAL fluid cells of patients than controls (p<0.05). IL-13 protein levels in BAL cell culture supernatants were slightly raised in half the patients investigated but in only two controls. Immunocytochemistry detected IL-13 protein in alveolar macrophages of patients. IL-13 led to decreased TNFα concentrations (p<0.05). Conclusions: IL-13 expression is increased in BAL cells and PBM in sarcoidosis and IL-13 is secreted from BAL cells. Alveolar macrophages may be the cellular source. These data suggest that IL-13 might have an anti-inflammatory effect by acting on TNFα.
Double-Blind Study of OM-85 in Patients with Chronic Bronchitis or Mild Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Background: Interventions against acute exacerbations (AEs) of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are increasingly called for to reduce morbidity, mortality and costs. OM-85, a detoxified immunoactive bacterial extract, has been shown to prevent recurrent exacerbations of bronchitis and COPD. Objectives: It was the aim of this study to demonstrate the protective effect of OM-85 against recurrent bronchitic exacerbations in patients with chronic bronchitis or mild COPD. The primary end point was the mean rate of AEs occurring within the study period. Methods: This double-blind multi-centre study enrolled adult outpatients >40 years old of both sexes with a history of chronic bronchitis or mild COPD at the time of an AE. The treatment consisted of one capsule of OM-85 or placebo per day for 30 days, followed by three 10-day courses for months 3, 4 and 5, with a 6-month study duration and monthly control visits. Results: One hundred and forty-two patients were treated with OM-85 and 131 received placebo. By the end of the treatment period, the mean number of AEs in the OM-85 group was 0.61 per patient versus 0.86 per patient in the placebo group (–29%; p = 0.03). The difference between treatments was most notable in patients with a history of current or past smoking (–40%; p < 0.01). No serious adverse events were attributed to the medication and no significant laboratory changes were reported. Conclusions: OM-85 significantly reduced the frequency of AEs in patients with a history of chronic bronchitis and mild COPD and was well tolerated. This study confirms the findings of previous trials conducted in elderly patients with chronic bronchitis or COPD.
Visual depictions of female genitalia differ depending on source

Very little research has attempted to describe normal human variation in female genitalia, and no studies have compared the visual images that women might use in constructing their ideas of average and acceptable genital morphology to see if there are any systematic differences. The objective of the present work was to determine if visual depictions of the vulva differed according to their source so as to alert medical professionals and their patients to how these depictions might capture variation and thus influence perceptions of ‘normality’. A comparative analysis was conducted by measuring (a) published visual materials from human anatomy textbooks in a university library, (b) feminist publications (print and online) depicting vulval morphology and (c) online pornography, focusing on the most visited and freely accessible sites in the UK. Post hoc tests showed that labial protuberance was significantly less (p<0.001, equivalent to approximately 7 mm) in images from online pornography compared to feminist publications. All five measures taken of vulval features were significantly correlated (p<0.001) in the online pornography sample, indicating a less varied range of differences in organ proportions than the other sources where not all measures were correlated. Women and health professionals should be aware that specific sources of imagery may depict different types of genital morphology and may not accurately reflect true variation in the population, and consultations for genital surgeries should include discussion about the actual and perceived range of variation in female genital morphology.
Relationship between age and intraocular pressure: the Blue Mountains Eye Study

This study aimed to assess the influence of age on intraocular pressure (IOP) in a general population. The Blue Mountains Eye Study assessed 3654 residents aged 49+ years during 1992−1994. Intraocular pressure was measured using Goldmann applanation tonometry. Subjects with glaucoma, those currently on glaucoma medications and those with a history of cataract surgery were excluded. The IOP was reliably measured in 3260 subjects. Mean IOP was 16.0 mmHg with no significant difference found between men and women (P < 0.89). In univariate analyses, age was positively associated with IOP (P < 0.05). Systolic blood pressure (SBP) was strongly positively associated with IOP (P < 0.001). After adjusting for SBP, there was a trend for IOP to decrease with increasing age (P < 0.051). After further adjusting for other potential confounders (diabetes, glaucoma family history and myopia), age was no longer significantly associated with intraocular pressure (P < 0.29). In summary, no evidence was found of an independent age affect on IOP.
Conceptualising social media support for tacit knowledge sharing: physicians' perspectives and experiences

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the potential contributions of social media in supporting tacit knowledge sharing, according to the physicians’ perspectives and experiences. Design/methodology/approach – Adopting a qualitative survey design, 24 physicians were interviewed. Purposive and snowball sampling were used to select the participants. Thematic analysis approach was used for data analysis. Findings – The study revealed five major themes and over 20 sub-themes as potential contributions of social media to tacit knowledge flow among physicians. The themes included socialising, practising, networking, storytelling and encountering. In addition, with the help of the literature and the supporting data, the study proposed a conceptual model that explains the potential contribution of social media to tacit knowledge sharing. Research limitations/implications – The study had both theoretical (the difficulty of distinguishing tacit and explicit knowledge in practice) and practical limitations (small sample size). The study findings have implications for the healthcare industry whose clinical teams are not always physically co-located but must exchange their critical experiential and tacit knowledge. Originality/value – The study has opened up a new discussion of this area by demonstrating and conceptualising how social media tools may facilitate tacit knowledge sharing.
Association between the DRD2 A1 allele and response to methadone and buprenorphine maintenance treatments

The TaqI A polymorphism (A1) of the dopamine D2 receptor gene (DRD2), although not a specific predictor of opioid dependence, has been strongly associated with high levels of prior heroin use and poor treatment outcomes among methadone maintenance patients. The aims of this study were to confirm these findings via a retrospective analysis of A1 allele frequency in methadone (n = 46) and buprenorphine (n = 25) patients, and non‐opioid‐dependent controls (n = 95). Subjects were genotyped at the DRD2 TaqI A locus using PCR amplification followed by TaqI restriction enzyme digestion and gel electrophoresis. For methadone and buprenorphine subjects, heroin use (prior to treatment), treatment outcomes, and withdrawal occurrence were determined from comprehensive case notes. No significant differences in A1 allele frequency (%) were observed between: methadone (19.6%), buprenorphine (18.0%), and control (17.9%) groups (P > 0.7); successful and poor treatment outcome groups, methadone: 20.0% and 19.2%, respectively (P = 1.0); buprenorphine: 18.4% and 20.0%, respectively (P = 1.0). Also, there were no significant relationships between TaqI A genotype and prior heroin use (P = 0.47). However, among the successful methadone subjects, significantly fewer A1 allele carriers experienced withdrawal than non‐A1 carriers (P = 0.04). In conclusion, the DRD2 genotype effects did not affect opioid maintenance treatment outcomes. This suggests the need for a further prospective investigation into the role of the DRD2 A1 allele in heroin use and response to maintenance pharmacotherapies for opioid dependence. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Intraoperative sentinel lymph node assessment in breast cancer: a comparison of rapid diagnostic method based on CK19 mRNA expression and imprint cytology

Sentinel lymph node biopsy in breast cancer is a routine technique for staging the axilla. The two most common methods of intraoperative histopathological assessment, imprint cytology and frozen section, are hampered by poor sensitivity and lack standardized methodology. The one‐step nuclei acid amplification (OSNA) assay is a rapid quantification of cytokeratin 19 mRNA. This prospective study compared an existing intraoperative imprint cytology protocol with the OSNA system.
Cortical activation during optokinetic stimulation – an fMRI study

Conclusion: Activation of cortical areas related to visual motion processing and control of eye movement, and deactivation of parieto-insular vestibular cortices (PIVC) were revealed by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with small-field optokinetic stimulation (OKS). The results agreed well with those of previous studies, which indicates that the current protocol is reliable enough to be used as a clinical examination. Objectives: To propose an fMRI set-up with OKS that is reliable and simple enough to be performed as a clinical test. Subjects and methods: Ten right-handed healthy volunteers participated in this study. fMRI was used to measure blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal increases (contrast: OKS – rest) and decreases (contrast: rest – OKS) during small-field OKS. Functional images were acquired using a standard clinical scanner operating at a magnetic field strength of 1.5 T. The data were analyzed by statistical parametric mapping (SPM2), and the significance level was set at p<0.001, uncorrected. Results: BOLD signal increases were observed in the visual association area of both hemispheres (BA19) (MT/V5), primary visual cortex (BA17) of the right hemisphere, bilateral superior parietal lobules (BA7), and bilateral frontal eye fields (BA6). Decreases of BOLD signals were observed in the PIVC bilaterally.