Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Radial glia express aromatase in the injured zebra finch brain

Estrogens have neurotrophic and neuroprotective properties. The synthesis of estrogen occurs via the expression of aromatase. Previous studies have shown that injury to the vertebrate brain results in a rapid and dramatic up‐regulation of aromatase expression in astrocytes around the lesion. As part of experiments examining injury‐induced glial aromatization, we identified aromatase in radial glia of the zebra finch brain. Adult female zebra finches received a penetrating injury to the right hippocampus. Twenty‐four hours after lesioning, birds were administered bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) and sacrificed 2 hours, 1 day, or 7 days later. We determined the distribution of aromatase and BrdU labeling by using immunocytochemistry. Radial aromatase was localized to cells lining the lateral ventricle adjacent to the lesioned hippocampus. Injury also induced a dramatic accumulation of newly generated cells labeled with BrdU around the lesion. BrdU labeling was strongly associated with aromatase‐positive radial fibers, suggesting the migration of newly generated cells along these fibers. In the songbird brain, estrogen supports neuronal recruitment and promotes the survival and addition of new neurons. The presence of aromatase in radial glia provides a mechanism of estrogen delivery to postmitotic cells. Radial aromatization may be a key feature in the repair of the vertebrate brain following neural injury. J. Comp. Neurol. 475:261–269, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The C3435T Polymorphism of MDR1 and Susceptibility to Adult Glioma

Introduction: The multidrug resistance-1 (MDR1) gene encodes a pump that prevents potentially carcinogenic substances from crossing the blood-brain barrier. We compare adult glioma cases and controls for the C3435T polymorphism that has been associated with reduced MDR1 expression. Methods: Adult glioma in the San Francisco Bay area and population-based controls were identified between 1991–1994 and 1997–1999. Genotyped cases (n = 458) and controls (n = 528) were compared using logistic regression controlling for age, gender and ethnicity, with later stratification by ethnicity, gender and histology. Results: With CC as the referent, the TT genotype was nonsignificantly less frequent among cases compared to controls (OR, 0.87; 95% CI: 0.6, 1.2). After stratification, only male glioblastoma was associated with TT genotype (OR, 0.51; 95% CI: 0.3, 1.0). Conclusions: Although the C3435T polymorphism does not appear to be associated with other types of glioma, we cannot rule out that this MDR1 polymorphism may be associated with glioblastoma among men.
Medical teachers in Australian hospitals: knowledge, pedagogy and identity

iii Declaration . v Acknowledgements . vi Glossary . vii Abbreviations . viii Chapter One An Introduction to Medical Education, the Literature and the Thesis . 1 1. Medical education: Institutions and social influences . 2 1.1 The Australian medical education landscape . 3 1.2 The University of Melbourne setting . 5 1.3 The hospital-based medical teacher in Melbourne . 5 2. Medical teaching and the literature . 8 2.1 Conceptualisations of teaching in the education literature. 9 2.2 Conceptualisations of medical teaching . 12 2.3 The concept of ‘teacher identity’ . 15 3. The approach to ‘pedagogy’ in this study . 18 4. Summary and outline of chapters . 19 Chapter Two Methodology . 23 1. The rationale for a qualitative approach . 24 2. Establishing trustworthiness . 27 2.1 Triangulation . 27 2.2 Reflexivity . 28 2.3 Considerations of dependability and transferability . 29 3. Sampling and recruiting processes . 30 3.1 The participants . 31 3.2 The Sites . 31 3.3 The Teachers . 31 3.4 Sample Size . 32 3.5 Recruitment . 33 4. Collecting and managing data . 35 4.1 Recording and identification . 36 4.2 The observations . 36 4.3 The interviews . 39 4.4 Field Notes . 41 4.5 Transcribing and data processing . 42
Lysogenic Strains of Lactic Acid Streptococci and Lytic Spectra of Their Temperate Bacteriophages

A total of 113 strains of mesophilic strains lactic streptococci of the species Streptococcus lactis, S. lactis subsp. diacetilactis, and S. cremoris, chosen from 291 strains that had been previously classified into six groups on the basis of their sensitivity to 132 virulent phages, were subjected to induction with mitomycin C. Among these strains, 43% produced phages capable of forming plaques of lysis on an indicator strain either spontaneously or after induction. There was a close correlation between the lytic spectra of temperate and virulent phages. Among the strains studied, 25% were shown to be indicator strains. These results emphasized the high probability of development of temperate phages in a starter culture containing mesophilic lactic streptococci and therefore their importance as a cause of accidents in cheese making.
Regulation of IGF binding protein-1 in Hep G 2 cells by cytokines and reactive oxygen species

Lang, Charles H. , Gerald J. Nystrom, and Robert A. Frost. Regulation of IGF binding protein-1 in Hep G2 cells by cytokines and reactive oxygen species. Am. J. Physiol. 276 (Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. 39): G719–G727, 1999. —The liver is a major site of synthesis for insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP)-1. Because IGFBP-1 inhibits many anabolic actions of IGF-I, increases in IGFBP-1 may be partly responsible for the decrease in lean body mass observed in catabolic/inflammatory conditions. This study aimed to determine in Hep G2 cells 1) the sensitivity of IGFBP-1 synthesis to treatment with interleukin (IL)-1, tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a), and IL-6, 2) the ability of reactive oxygen species (ROS) to enhance IGFBP-1 production, and 3) the role of ROS in mediating cytokine-induced increases in IGFBP-1. Hep G2 cells responded to IL-1b, TNF-a, and IL-6 with maximal 8to 10-fold increases in IGFBP-1 production. Although the maximal responsiveness of cells treated with TNF-a and IL-6 was 20–30% less than that with IL-1b, cells demonstrated a similar sensitivity to all cytokines (half-maximal responsive dose of ,10 ng/ml). A low concentration (3 ng/ml) of all three cytokines had an additive effect on IGFBP-1 production. Cytokines also increased IGFBP-1 mRNA. The half-life of IGFBP-1 mRNA was ,4 h and not altered by IL-1b. Incubation with ROS, including H2O2 and nitric oxide (NO) donors, resulted in a relatively smaller increase in IGFBP-1. However, preincubating Hep G2 cells with various free radical scavengers and NO synthase and eicosanoid inhibitors failed to prevent or attenuate cytokine-induced increases in IGFBP-1. Finally, preincubating cells with pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate (PDTC) but not SN50 (inhibitors of nuclear factor-kB activation and nuclear translocation, respectively) attenuated increases in IGFBP-1 induced by IL-1. These results indicate that 1) proinflammatory cytokines directly enhance IGFBP-1 synthesis by stimulating transcription without altering mRNA stability, 2) addition of exogenous ROS also stimulates IGFBP-1 production but to a smaller extent than cytokines, and 3) the cytokine-induced increase in IGFBP-1 production is not mediated by endogenous production of ROS or eicosanoids but appears to at least partially involve a PDTC-sensitive pathway.
A Comparison of Lansoprazole, Omeprazole, and Ranitidine for Reducing Preoperative Gastric Secretion in Adult Patients Undergoing Elective Surgery

Acid aspiration syndrome of induction of anesthesia is a life-threatening complication whose severity is affected by both pH and volume of the aspirated gastric juice. We compared the effects of two proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), lansoprazole and omeprazole, and an H2 blocker, ranitidine, on gastric secretion in a prospective, randomized, double-blind fashion in 200 adult patients of ASA physical status I under-going elective surgery. The patients were divided into eight groups (n = 25 each) according to their premedication. The patients received lansoprazole-lansoprazole (Group L-L), lansoprazole-placebo (Group L-P), placebo-lansoprazole (Group P-L), omeprazole-omeprazole (Group O-O), omeprazole-placebo (Group O-P), placebo-omeprazole (Group P-O), placebo-ranitidine (Group P-R), or placebo-placebo (Group P-P) as the first and second medications. The dose of the study drug was 30 mg for lansoprazole, 150 mg for ranitidine, and 80 mg for omeprazole. The first medication was administered orally at 9:00 PM on the night before surgery and the second at 5:30 AM in the morning on the day of surgery. Each patient fasted overnight and took the drug with 20 mL of water. After tracheal intubation, gastric fluid was aspirated via an orogastric tube and the volume and pH of the aspirate were measured. The pH of the aspirated gastric fluid was higher in Groups P-R, L-L, P-L, O-O, and O-P than in Group P-P (P < 0.05). The volume of the gastric contents was similar in Groups P-O and P-P, and the other groups had smaller gastric volume than Group P-P (P < 0.05). Gastric fluid from patients in Group P-R was the least acidic (pH 6.1 +/- 1.2) and had the least volume (0.09 +/- 0.06 mL/kg). Group L-L was comparable with Group P-R in both pH and volume, whereas Groups P-L and O-O were similar to Group P-R only in volume. The proportion of patients at risk according to the traditional criteria (pH <2.5 and volume >0.4 mL/kg) was significantly lower in Groups L-L (0%), P-L (4%), O-O (4%), and P-R (0%) than in Group P-P (48%) (P < 0.05). We concluded that two consecutive doses of lansoprazole or a morning dose of ranitidine seemed to be the most effective preanesthetic medication for reducing gastric acidity and volume. (Anesth Analg 1996;82:832-6)
A population-based study on deaths by drowning incidents in Turkey

The aim of this study is to find the numbers of deaths by drowning incidents by using online search engines and online newspaper reports for all age groups covering five years (2007–2011) in Turkey, in order to conduct a population-based study for the first time in Turkey and to identify the risk factors associated with deaths from drowning. This is a web-based, descriptive, retrospective study on the deaths caused by unintentional drowning incidents. In the period of the study, 3216 persons died from drowning in Turkey; 84.0% (2703 persons) were males, and 16.0% (513 persons) were females. Death rates from drowning in overall years were 0.89; 1.44 for males, and 0.28 for females per 100,000. For persons aged between 10–19 years, the death rate was the highest with 1.76 deaths per 100,000 people. The drowning rate in provinces and districts (1.01 per 100,000) was almost twice than that in towns and villages (0.53 per 100,000) and 75.7% of all deaths were in natural water environments such as fresh/still water, and the sea. As the first population-based study on drowning, this study presents vital information to build preventative strategies and policies against drowning incidents, which threaten public health in Turkey.
Digital today, cognitive tomorrow

Enterprises and governments are rapidly becoming digital as they seek to capture the cost savings, agility, and collaboration enabled by cloud, analytics, mobile, and social technologies. However, digital is not the destination. Rather, it is laying the foundation for a much more profound transformation to come. The technologies required for cognitive systems not just artificial intelligence (AI), but a broad spectrum of capabilities that include natural language processing, human-computer interaction, deep learning, neural nets, and more have made exponential advances in recent years.
The Role of Radiotracer Imaging in the Diagnosis and Management of Patients with Breast Cancer: Part 1—Overview, Detection, and Staging*

Breast cancer is the most common non-skin type of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer mortality in women. Advances in diagnosis and treatment have led to declines in mortality, despite an increase in breast cancer incidence. An advancing array of both local and systemic therapy options has led to increasingly individualized treatment. Imaging plays a key role in detecting breast cancer and directing its therapy. This continuing education article, part 1 in a 2-part series, provides a comprehensive review of current and future radiotracer imaging methods applied to breast cancer, in the context of breast cancer management strategies and other nonnuclear imaging methods. Part 1 of the review provides an overview of clinical and biologic considerations in breast cancer and covers radionuclide imaging for detection and staging. Part 2 will cover radionuclide imaging of breast cancer response to therapy, other clinical indications for radionuclide breast cancer imaging, and future directions, including molecular imaging.
CDKN2A mutations in melanoma families from Uruguay

Background Familial melanoma, a cluster of several cases within a single family, accounts for approximately 10% of cases of melanoma. Hereditary melanoma is defined as two or more first‐degree relatives having melanoma. A member of a melanoma‐prone family has a 35–70‐fold increased relative risk of developing a melanoma. Genetic susceptibility is linked to the major susceptibility genes CDKN2A and CDK4, and the minor susceptibility gene MC1R.
Diterpenoids and flavonoids from the fruits of Vitex agnus‐castus and antioxidant activity of the fruit extracts and their constituents

From the n‐hexane fraction of the fruits of Vitex agnus‐castus, two labdane‐type diterpenes, vitetrifolin B and C, were isolated by means of multiple chromatographic separations, together with the previously identified rotundifuran, vitexilactone and the sesquiterpene spathulenol. From the EtOAc fraction, eupatorin was identified for the first time, besides the known casticin, penduletin, vitexin and orientin. The n‐hexane, EtOAc and MeOH–H2O fractions of the MeOH extract of Agni‐casti fructus were subjected to in vitro antioxidant assays. The EtOAc extract displayed a significant concentration‐dependent effect when tested by 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrasyl (DPPH) free radical assay (IC50 = 68 µg/mL) and against the autooxidation of a standard rat brain homogenate (IC50 = 14 µg/mL). The MeOH–H2O fraction was less active with 3643 µg/mL (DPPH test) and IC50 = 125 µg/mL (rat brain homogenate), while the n‐hexane phase proved to be inactive. The main flavonoid constituents of the EtOAc extract, casticin, vitexin and orientin were assayed for antioxidant activity and found that only casticin possesses a marked lipid peroxidation inhibitory effect (IC50 = 0.049 mm) compared with that of the positive control ascorbic acid (IC50 = 0.703 mm). Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Strategic stances and programme performance: assessing outcomes of the US states’ delivery of the child support enforcement programme

ABSTRACT Since being added as an amendment to the Social Security Act of 1975, the US child support enforcement (CSE) programme has provided services to both Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and non-TANF families under the name of reducing expenditures on welfare programmes and securing children’s rights to be protected by their parents. The federal government mandates that states collect five performance measures in the CSE programme: (1) paternity establishment, (2) support order establishment, (3) current collection, (4) arrearage collection, and (5) cost-effectiveness. Implementing federal programmes does not give states full discretion, but there exists room for states to exercise discretion in developing their own strategies to effectively deliver services and improve performance. In this paper, using Miles and Snow’s strategic dimensions (1978) and Boyne and Walker’s later studies (2004), states’ strategic stances are categorized into Analyser, Prospector, and Defender, and the effects of states’ strategic stance and their internal implementation factors on the CSE performance are examined using models estimated with ordinary least square (OLS) regression and seemingly unrelated regression (SUR). The strategy classification is widely studied in private organizations, but it has relevance to current public organizations that seek to achieve improvement in performance. The results of the cross-sectional OLS and SUR models suggest that states having an Analyser stance have a positive relationship to two performance indicators (arrearage collection and Cost-Effectiveness) of the CSE programme, and states with Prospector and Defender stances are particularly significant in predicting high paternity establishment in the CSE programme, but no other performance indicator. Past performance is one of the strongest predictors of all five-performance indicators of the CSE programme. State internal implementation factors show mixed impacts in terms of significance and direction on the performance indicators of all the five models.
Scan posture definition and hip girth measurement: the impact on clothing design and body scanning

Abstract Ergonomic measurement is central to product design and development; especially for body worn products and clothing. However, there is a large variation in measurement definitions, complicated by new body scanning technology that captures measurements in a posture different to traditional manual methods. Investigations of hip measurement definitions in current clothing measurement practices supports analysis of the effect of scan posture and hip measurement definition on the circumferences of the hip. Here, the hip girth is a key clothing measurement that is not defined in current body scanning measurement standards. Sixty-four participants were scanned in the standard scan posture of a [TC]2 body scanner, and also in a natural posture similar to that of traditional manual measurement collection. Results indicate that scan posture affects hip girth circumferences, and that some current clothing measurement practices may not define the largest lower body circumference. Recommendations are made concerning how the hip is defined in measurement practice and within body scanning for clothing product development. Practitioner Summary: The hip girth is an important measurement in garment design, yet its measurement protocol is not currently defined. We demonstrate that body posture during body scanning affects hip circumferences, and that current clothing measurement practices may not define the largest lower body circumference. This paper also provides future measurement practice recommendations.
Assessment of pharmacodynamic vascular response in a phase I trial of combretastatin A4 phosphate.

PURPOSE Clinical evaluation of novel agents that target tumor blood vessels requires pharmacodynamic end points that measure vascular damage. Positron emission tomography (PET) was used to measure the effects of the vascular targeting agent combretastatin A4 phosphate (CA4P) on tumor and normal tissue perfusion and blood volume. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with advanced solid tumors were enrolled onto part of a phase I, accelerated-titration, dose-escalation study. The effects of 5 to 114 mg/m2 CA4P on tumor, spleen, and kidney were investigated. Tissue perfusion was measured using oxygen-15 (15O)-labeled water and blood volume was measured using 15O-labeled carbon monoxide (C15O). Scans were performed immediately before, and 30 minutes and 24 hours after the first infusion of each dose level of CA4P. All statistical tests were two sided. RESULTS PET data were obtained for 13 patients with intrapatient dose escalation. Significant dose-dependent reductions were seen in tumor perfusion 30 minutes after CA4P administration (mean change, -49% at >or= 52 mg/m2; P =.0010). Significant reductions were also seen in tumor blood volume (mean change, -15% at >or= 52 mg/m2; P =.0070). Although by 24 hours there was tumor vascular recovery, for doses >or= 52 mg/m2 the reduction in perfusion remained significant (P =.013). Thirty minutes after CA4P administration borderline significant changes were seen in spleen perfusion (mean change, -35%; P =.018), spleen blood volume (mean change, -18%; P =.022), kidney perfusion (mean change, -6%; P =.026), and kidney blood volume (mean change, -6%; P =.014). No significant changes were seen at 24 hours in spleen or kidney. CONCLUSION CA4P produces rapid changes in the vasculature of human tumors that can be assessed using PET measurements of tumor perfusion.
Women's Role in Household Food Security in Rural Sri Lanka

Food security is a major development issue which has been prioritised in domestic economic policies of many developing countries. Recently, there is an increasing trend of directing food security policies towards empowering women, because, many studies have revealed that women play a significant role in reducing poverty and food insecurity in their households. However, there is a dearth of studies that discusses the women's role in achieving household food security in the context of Sri Lanka, even though women are culturally assigned a huge responsibility in almost all the household tasks including household food management. Hence, this study attempted to analyze the women's role in household food security in Sri Lanka in the rural context. The primary data was gathered from a cross sectional sample survey in Thirappane division in the Anuradhapura district, and the data was collected from 100 households which were selected based on simple random sampling method. To achieve the objectives, both descriptive and econometric methods were used in the data analysis. The study found that women play a strong role in assuring household food security in all three dimensions of food security; they make a significant contribution to farming and thereby household food availability, their contribution to income is crucial in household food access especially in low income households, and their nutritional knowledge is also important inthe proper utilization of food in households. Furthermore, the study estimated a regression model using ordinary least square (OLS) method and could identify that women's income, their nutritional knowledge, and their use of indigenous food management knowledge as important determinants of household food security in rural households. Accordingly, the results suggested that the food security policies in the country should be aimed at empowering women's capacities through income and education to yield better outcomes.
Harmonizing Internationally to Harmonize Internally: Accounting for a Global Exit from the EU's Decision Trap

The joint decision trap concept traditionally explains progress in EU policy-making through dynamics located within the EU's multi-level governance. Yet, with the expansion of global regulatory co-ordination, the EU governance system increasingly interacts with policy-making in international regimes, which influences the internal dynamics of the EU's decision-making. This article seeks to refine the joint decision trap model by introducing global exit mechanisms and illustrating their empirical relevance for the case of accounting standards. The global exit builds on leveraging the outside benefits of global policy, the legitimacy of global standards, and new opportunities for locking in policy preferences through global commitments. Specifically, the accounting case demonstrates the Commission's strategy of ‘harmonizing globally to harmonize internally’ that produced an agreement after decades of stalemate. Moreover, it demonstrates how the global exit enables the Commission to protect internal harmonization despite the growing criticism and calls for the repatriation of regulatory sovereignty.