Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sex differences in weight perception and nutritional behaviour in adults with cystic fibrosis.

INTRODUCTION Good nutritional status in cystic fibrosis (CF) is associated with improved clinical status and survival. In some conditions where dietary and pharmacological treatment are important (e.g. diabetes), a combination of eating disorders and failure of treatment compliance has been reported. Cases of eating disorders have been reported in CF. Societal pressures on young women to remain slim may compromise optimum clinical management as women are content to remain underweight. OBJECTIVE To determine whether women have different perception of their weight than men with CF and whether this manifests in different nutritional behaviour. METHODS Confidential postal questionnaire to 1870 adults with CF in 1994 known to the Association of Cystic Fibrosis Adults (UK). Participants were asked their own weight and height, and their perception of their weight. Very underweight was defined as < 85% ideal body weight, underweight as 85-94%, normal weight as 95-104%, overweight as 105-114% and very overweight as 115% and over. RESULTS A significantly higher proportion of women than men who are very underweight (29% vs. 11%) or underweight (41% vs. 15%) saw themselves as being of normal weight or overweight. Conversely, a significantly higher proportion of men than women who were normal weight (42% vs. 19%) saw themselves as underweight. All P-values < 0.01. A significantly higher proportion of people who perceived themselves to be underweight were taking oral or enteral food supplements compared with those who did not (77% vs. 30%, P < 0.05). Multiple logistic regression showed that perception of self as underweight was the strongest predictor of taking oral or enteral food supplements (adjusted odds ratio 2.42), even after adjustment for age, sex, overall severity score, body mass index, and seeing a dietitian in the last year. CONCLUSION Young women with CF tend to overestimate their weight, and young men with CF underestimate their weight when compared with their actual body weight. Perception of self as underweight is reflected in nutritional behaviour, being a significantpredictor of taking oral and enteral food supplements. People working with young patients with CF should be aware of these sex differences in weight perception, and work with young women and young men with CF to achieve a realistic perception of body weight and realistic nutritional goals. There is a need for further research into body image, weight perception, eating behaviour and adherence to pancreatic enzyme supplementation and oral and enteral food supplementation in young patients with CF.
Do changes in spheno-occipital synchondrosis after rapid maxillary expansion affect the maxillomandibular complex?

AIM This was to evaluate changes in spheno-occipital synchondrosis one year after rapid maxillary expansion (RME), in order to assess the influence that any change might have on sagittal and vertical skeletal cephalometric variables. MATERIALS AND METHODS Patients were selected consecutively and grouped into: Group 1 comprised 30 Caucasian patients (13 m; 17 f) undergoing RME therapy; after active expansion therapy, the Haas expander was worn as passive retainer for an average of 7 months. Group 2 as control included 14 untreated subjects (6 m, 8 f), matched by age, sex and vertebral skeletal maturity (CVM method, stages 1-3). Six cephalometric variables concerning spheno-occipital synchondrosis were studied: N-S-Ba; SOS-Ba; SOS-S; S-Ba; Ba-N; S-N; nine skeletal variables for sagittal and vertical evaluation were also checked. T-test was used for comparing the 2 groups data. RESULTS A statistically-significant opening of the spheno-occipital synchondrosis and increase of the posterior cranial base length (Ba-SOS) were found between group 1 and 2. After 1 year, these modifications in spheno-occipital syncondrosis produced no change in the anteroposterior or vertical skeletal parameters examined. CONCLUSION After RME there were statistically significant effects on spheno-occipital synchondrosis length and cranial base angle; however, these changes in the mid-term did not affect the vertical or sagittal parameters of the skeletal maxillomandibular complex.
Opioid Prescribing by Nurse Practitioners in Medicare Part D: Impact of State Scope of Practice Legislation

Many state legislatures restrict nurse practitioner (NP) scope of practice as a way of addressing patient safety concerns. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of state NP scope of practice laws on the prescription of oxycodone and hydrocodone containing medications by NP and MD/DO/PA prescribers to Medicare Part D beneficiaries. Using the Medicare Part D public use file, we analyzed oxycodone and hydrocodone containing prescriptions per Medicare Part D beneficiary by prescriber type, NP state scope of practice, and geographic variables. Our results demonstrate that the state scope of practice variable had the same effect, in identical direction and significance, on NP opioid prescribing patterns as it had on MD/DO/PA prescribers, a group to whom NP scope of practice laws do not apply. Thus, scope of practice in this study was not an exclusive predictor of NP practice and prescribing.
Simvastatin Inhibits Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition Through Induction of HO-1 in Cultured Renal Proximal Tubule Cells.

BACKGROUND/AIM Studies have shown that simvastatin (SIM) inhibits epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a key step in fibrosis, and activates the anti-fibrotic heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) gene in renal proximal tubule cells independent of its lipid-lowering. We tested the hypothesis that SIM inhibits EMT via HO-1-dependent suppression of reactive oxygen species (ROS) release. MATERIALS AND METHODS Renal proximal tubule cells were treated with either 10 μM SIM or 10 ng/ml transforming growth factor-β1 (TGFβ1) or with their combination and promoter activity of the alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) gene, stress fiber formation (markers of EMT), as well as ROS production were determined. HO-1 was manipulated via genetic and pharmacologic means. RESULTS SIM prevented TGFβ1-dependent EMT and ROS production. Inhibition/knockdown of HO-1 reversed, while induction/overexpression of HO-1 emulated beneficial effects of SIM. CONCLUSION SIM, via HO-1, suppresses TGFβ1-dependent ROS production and, hence, EMT. Further evaluation of the anti-fibrotic nature of SIM in the kidney would be useful in the treatment of chronic kidney disease.
Neuronal expression of brain derived neurotrophic factor in the injured telencephalon of adult zebrafish

The reparative ability of the central nervous system varies widely in the animal kingdom. In the mammalian brain, the regenerative mechanisms are very limited and newly formed neurons do not survive longer, probably due to a non‐suitable local environment. On the opposite, fish can repair the brain after injury, with fast and complete recovery of damaged area. The brain of zebrafish, a teleost fish widely used as vertebrate model, also possesses high regenerative properties after injury. Taking advantage of this relevant model, the aim of the present study was to investigate the role of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the regenerative ability of adult brain, after stab wound telencephalic injury. BDNF is involved in many brain functions and plays key roles in the repair process after traumatic brain lesions. It has been reported that BDNF strengthens the proliferative activity of neuronal precursor cells, facilitates the neuronal migration toward injured areas, and shows survival properties due to its anti‐apoptotic effects. BDNF mRNA levels, assessed by quantitative PCR and in situ hybridization at 1, 4, 7, and 15 days after the lesion, were increased in the damaged telencephalon, mostly suddenly after the lesion. Double staining using in situ hybridization and immunocytochemistry revealed that BDNF mRNA was restricted to cells identified as mature neurons. BDNF mRNA expressing neurons mostly increased in the area around the lesion, showing a peak 1 day after the lesion. Taken together, these results highlight the role of BDNF in brain repair processes and reinforce the value of zebrafish for the study of regenerative neurogenesis.
HLA-DR- and CD11c-positive Dendritic Cells Penetrate beyond Well-developed Epithelial Tight Junctions in Human Nasal Mucosa of Allergic Rhinitis

The epithelial barrier of the upper respiratory tract plays a crucial role in host defense. In this study, to elucidate whether there is antigen monitoring by dendritic cells (DCs) beyond the epithelial tight-junction barrier in allergic rhinitis, we investigated the expression and function of tight junctions and characterized DCs in the epithelium of nasal mucosa from patients with allergic rhinitis. In reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, mRNAs of tight-junction proteins occludin, JAM-1, ZO-1, and claudin-1, −4, −7, −8, −12, −13, and −14 were detected in the nasal mucosa. Occludin, JAM-1, and ZO-1 were colocalized in the uppermost layer in the pseudostratified epithelium of the nasal mucosa, whereas claudin-1, −4, and −7 were found throughout the epithelium. In freeze-fracture replicas of the nasal mucosa, continuous tight-junction strands formed well-developed networks. Epithelial barrier function measured by a dye tracer was well maintained in occludin-positive tight junctions in the epithelium of the nasal mucosa. HLA-DR- and CD11c-positive DCs expressed claudin-1 and penetrated beyond occludin in the epithelium of the nasal mucosa with, but not without, allergic rhinitis. These results indicate that DCs may easily access antigens beyond epithelial tight junctions in the human nasal mucosa of allergic rhinitis.
Leucine Biosynthesis in Fungi: Entering Metabolism through the Back Door

SUMMARY After exploring evolutionary aspects of branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis, the review focuses on the extended leucine biosynthetic pathway as it operates in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. First, the genes and enzymes specific for the leucine pathway are considered: LEU4 and LEU9 (encoding the α-isopropylmalate synthase isoenzymes), LEU1 (isopropylmalate isomerase), and LEU2 (β-isopropylmalate dehydrogenase). Emphasis is given to the unusual distribution of the branched-chain amino acid pathway enzymes between mitochondrial matrix and cytosol, on the newly defined role of Leu5p, and on regulatory mechanisms governing gene expression and enzyme activity, including new evidence for the metabolic importance of the regulation of α-isopropylmalate synthase by coenzyme A. Next, structure-function relationships of the transcriptional regulator Leu3p are addressed, defining its dual role as activator and repressor and discussing evidence in support of the self-masking model. Recent data pointing at a more extended Leu3p regulon are discussed. An overview of the layered controls of the extended leucine pathway is provided that includes a description of the newly recognized roles of Ilv5p and Bat1p in maintaining mitochondrial integrity. Finally, branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis and its regulation in other fungi are summarized, the question of leucine as metabolic signal is addressed, and possible directions of future research in this area are outlined.
Dynamic Mechanical Allodynia—One Clinical Sign, Several Mechanisms: Five Illustrative Cases

Pain evoked by tangential movement across the skin is usually defined as dynamic mechanical allodynia (DMA). Some patients complain of DMA as troublesome as spontaneous pain and refer a marked interfering with activities of daily living and sleep. Pathophysiology of DMA is complex and can be related to several mechanisms, both nociceptive and neuropathic. Five exemplificative clinical cases of DMA are presented, each associated to a possible specific mechanism: injured skin DMA, peri‐injured skin DMA, far injury DMA, nerve‐confined DMA and fear DMA (pseudo allodynia). The identification of these subcategories of DMA can stimulate further studies aimed at evaluating the usefulness of a mechanism‐based therapy for the different clinical forms of DMA.
Behavior problems associated with sleep disordered breathing in school-aged children--the Tucson children's assessment of sleep apnea study.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of the current study was to examine prevalence of and relations between a commonly used measure of nighttime breathing problems, the Respiratory Disturbance Index (RDI), and a range of problem behaviors in community children. METHODS Participants were 403 unreferred children aged 6-12 years. Recruitment was completed through public elementary schools. Overnight unattended in-home polysomnography was used to assess sleep and breathing. The RDI was used as the indicator of respiratory events during sleep. The Child Behavior Checklist and the Conners' Parent Rating Scales-Revised were used to assess behavior. RESULTS Prevalence rates for Attention, Cognitive Problems, Aggression, Oppositional behavior, and Social Problems were greatest for subjects with high RDIs. Prevalence for Internalizing behaviors was not greater for those subjects with high RDIs. Hyperactivity was not strongly related to higher RDIs. CONCLUSIONS Behavioral problems may exist in the presence of nocturnal breathing events in unreferred children. Specific patterns of behavioral morbidity have still not been established. Some behaviors, such as hyperactivity, may show differing sensitivity and specificity in relation to the RDI.
Assessing State-of-the-Art Sentiment Models on State-of-the-Art Sentiment Datasets

There has been a good amount of progress in sentiment analysis over the past 10 years, including the proposal of new methods and the creation of benchmark datasets. In some papers, however, there is a tendency to compare models only on one or two datasets, either because of time restraints or because the model is tailored to a specific task. Accordingly, it is hard to understand how well a certain model generalizes across different tasks and datasets. In this paper, we contribute to this situation by comparing several models on six different benchmarks, which belong to different domains and additionally have different levels of granularity (binary, 3-class, 4-class and 5-class). We show that Bi-LSTMs perform well across datasets and that both LSTMs and Bi-LSTMs are particularly good at fine-grained sentiment tasks (i.e., with more than two classes). Incorporating sentiment information into word embeddings during training gives good results for datasets that are lexically similar to the training data. With our experiments, we contribute to a better understanding of the performance of different model architectures on different data sets. Consequently, we detect novel state-of-the-art results on the SenTube datasets.
Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Severely Obese Subjects

BACKGROUND:Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been consistently associated with obesity and insulin resistance. Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a histological entity within NAFLD that can progress to cirrhosis. The exact prevalence of NASH in severe obesity is unknown. It is unclear whether differences in insulin sensitivity exist among subjects with NASH and simple fatty liver.OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the prevalence and correlates of NASH and liver fibrosis in a racially diverse cohort of severely obese subjects.DESIGN:Ninety-seven subjects were enrolled. Liver biopsies, indirect markers of insulin resistance, metabolic parameters, and liver function tests were obtained.RESULTS:Thirty-six percent of subjects had NASH and 25% had fibrosis. No cirrhosis was diagnosed on histology. Markers of hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and the metabolic syndrome but not body mass index were associated with the presence of NASH and fibrosis. Elevated transaminase levels correlated strongly with NASH and fibrosis but 46% subjects with NASH had normal transaminases. Subjects with NASH had more severe insulin resistance when compared to those with simple fatty liver. A signal detection model incorporating AST and the presence of diabetes predicted the presence of NASH while another incorporating ALT and HbA1C predicted the presence of fibrosis.CONCLUSIONS:NAFLD is associated with the metabolic syndrome rather than excess adipose tissue in severe obesity. Insulin resistance is higher in subjects with NASH versus those with simple fatty liver. Statistical models incorporating markers of liver injury and hyperglycemia may be useful in predicting the presence of liver pathology in this population.
Structure‐based virtual ligand screening with LigandFit: Pose prediction and enrichment of compound collections

Virtual ligand screening methods based on the structure of the receptor are extensively used to facilitate the discovery of lead compounds. In the present study, we investigated the LigandFit package on four different proteins (coagulation factor VIIa, estrogen receptor, thymidine kinase, and neuraminidase), a relatively large compound collection of 65,560 unique “drug‐like” molecules and four focused libraries (1950 molecules each). We performed virtual screening experiments with the large database and evaluated six scoring functions available in the package (DockScore, LigScore1, LigScore2, PLP1, PLP2, and PMF). The results showed that LigandFit is an efficient program, especially when used with LigScore1. Similar computations were carried out using focused libraries. In this situation the LigScore1 scoring function outperformed the other ones on three out of the four proteins tested. Even for the difficult neuraminidase case, the LigandFit/LigScore1 combination was still reasonably successful. Assessment of docking accuracy was also performed and again, we found that LigandFit (with DockScore and the CFF parameters) was performing well. On the basis of these results and observed increased enrichments after LigandFit/Ligscore1 screening on focused libraries, we suggest that using this program as a final step of a hierarchical protocol can be very beneficial to assist lead finding. Proteins 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Epigenetic Control of Skeletal Development by the Histone Methyltransferase Ezh2*

Background: Osteogenic differentiation is initiated by transcriptional and post-transcriptional epigenetic mechanisms. Results: Inhibition of H3K27 methyltransferase EZH2 enhances osteogenic commitment of human mesenchymal progenitors, and its depletion in mouse mesenchymal cells causes multiple skeletal abnormalities. Conclusion: EZH2 is required for skeletal patterning and bone formation. Significance: EZH2-dependent epigenetic mechanisms control osteogenesis both in vitro and in vivo. Epigenetic control of gene expression is critical for normal fetal development. However, chromatin-related mechanisms that activate bone-specific programs during osteogenesis have remained underexplored. Therefore, we investigated the expression profiles of a large cohort of epigenetic regulators (>300) during osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal cells derived from the stromal vascular fraction of adipose tissue (AMSCs). Molecular analyses establish that the polycomb group protein EZH2 (enhancer of zeste homolog 2) is down-regulated during osteoblastic differentiation of AMSCs. Chemical inhibitor and siRNA knockdown studies show that EZH2, a histone methyltransferase that catalyzes trimethylation of histone 3 lysine 27 (H3K27me3), suppresses osteogenic differentiation. Blocking EZH2 activity promotes osteoblast differentiation and suppresses adipogenic differentiation of AMSCs. High throughput RNA sequence (mRNASeq) analysis reveals that EZH2 inhibition stimulates cell cycle inhibitory proteins and enhances the production of extracellular matrix proteins. Conditional genetic loss of Ezh2 in uncommitted mesenchymal cells (Prrx1-Cre) results in multiple defects in skeletal patterning and bone formation, including shortened forelimbs, craniosynostosis, and clinodactyly. Histological analysis and mRNASeq profiling suggest that these effects are attributable to growth plate abnormalities and premature cranial suture closure because of precocious maturation of osteoblasts. We conclude that the epigenetic activity of EZH2 is required for skeletal patterning and development, but EZH2 expression declines during terminal osteoblast differentiation and matrix production.
Dose-rate effects and dose and dose-rate effectiveness factor on frequencies of chromosome aberrations in splenic lymphocytes from mice continuously exposed to low-dose-rate gamma-radiation

Dose-rate effects on chromosome aberrations in the low-dose-rate range have not been evaluated previously. The incidences of chromosome aberrations were analysed in splenic lymphocytes from female specific pathogen-free (SPF) C3H mice that were continuously irradiated with low- or medium-dose-rate (LDR, MDR) 137Cs γ rays from 56 days of age to evaluate the dose-rate effects. The dose–response relationship for the frequency of dicentric chromosome aberration at each dose rate (400 mGy/22h/day, 20 mGy/22h/day and 1 mGy/22h/day) was obtained using age-adjusted multiple linear regression analysis assuming that the relationship can be represented by a linear or linear quadratic model and a test for the difference between the irradiated group and the non-irradiated group. Values of the linear term, shown as the slope, decreased as the dose rate was reduced from 400 mGy/22h/day (18.2 mGy h−1) to 1 mGy/22h/day (0.045 mGy h−1), indicating a positive dose-rate effect in the dose-rate region. The incidences of dicentric chromosomes and translocation for LDR (20 mGy day−1) were compared with those for HDR (890 mGy min−1) irradiation at each total dose to obtain the dose and dose-rate effectiveness factor (DDREF). The DDREFs were 4.5 for dicentrics and 2.3 for translocations at a total dose of 100 mGy based on the chromosome aberration rate. These results will be useful for estimating the risk of LDR radiation exposure and radiation protection.
Long-term surveillance of papillary thyroid cancer patients who do not undergo postoperative radioiodine remnant ablation: is there a role for serum thyroglobulin measurement?

CONTEXT Serum thyroglobulin (Tg) assays are considered fundamental in postoperative surveillance of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) patients. However, the postsurgical profile of Tg levels has never been specifically investigated in patients who do not undergo radioiodine remnant ablation (RRA). OBJECTIVES Our objective was to explore the evolution of Tg levels over time in DTC patients treated with total or near-total thyroidectomy without RRA. DESIGN We retrospectively analyzed 290 consecutively diagnosed cases of low-risk (American Thyroid Association criteria) DTC treated with thyroidectomy alone and followed yearly with neck ultrasonography and serum Tg assays. We compared final Tg values in this group and a matched group of 495 RRA-positive patients. Temporal trends of serial Tg levels were also analyzed in 78 of the RRA-negative patients monitored with a high-sensitivity immunoradiometric assay. RESULTS After follow-up of 2.5-22 yr (median 5 yr), final Tg levels were undetectable (<1 ng/ml) in 274 of 290 RRA-negative patients (95%) and 492 of 495 RRA-positive controls (99%). In the subset of 78 RRA-negative patients, undetectable Tg levels (<0.2 ng/ml) were recorded in 60% at the first postoperative evaluation (3-12 months) and in 79% after 5 yr. Tg levels increased in the single patient who experienced disease recurrence during the observation period. CONCLUSION In most RRA-negative patients, postoperative serum Tg values spontaneously drop to undetectable levels within 5-7 yr after thyroidectomy. Thus, in later phases, Tg assays may be a valuable tool for follow-up even in patients who do not undergo RRA.