Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genotype Frequencies of 50 Polymorphisms for 241 Japanese Non-cancer Patients

This paper lists the genotype frequencies of 50 polymorphisms of 37 genes (ALDH2, ADRB2, ADRB3, COMT, CD36, CXCR2, CCND1, COX2, CYP2A6, CYP17, CYP19, IGF1, IL-1A, IL-1B, IL-1RN, IL-1R1, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, LEP, Le, L-myc, MPO, MTR, MTHFR, MAO-A, NQO1, OGG1, p53, p73, Se, SRD5A2, TGF-B, TNF-A, TNF-B, XPD, and XRCC1) and 6 sets of combined genotype frequencies for 241 non-cancer Japanese outpatients. Though the genotype frequencies of 25 polymorphisms have already been reported in our previous papers, 15 polymorphisms (CD36 A52C, CXCR2 C785T, CCND1 G870A, IGF1 C/T at intron 2 and G2502T, IL-1A 46-bp VNTR, IL-1R1 C-116T, IL-6 Ins/Del 17C, IL-8 A-278T and C74T, IL-10 T-819C, LEP A-2548G, SRD5A2 2-bp VNTR, XPD Lys751Gln, and XRCC1 Arg399Gln) and six sets of combined genotype frequencies (IL-1B C-31T and IL-1A C-889T, IL-1B C-31T and IL-1RN 86-bp VNTR, IL-1B C-31T and IL-1R1 C-116T, TNF-A G-308A and TNF-B A252G, SRD5A2 Val89Leu and 2-bp VNTR, and XRCC1 Arg399Gln and XPD Lys751Gln) were reported in this paper for the first time for Japanese. Although microarray technology will produce this kind of information in near future, this is the first document that reports the genotype/allele frequencies among Japanese for an archival purpose.
Survival of Patients on the Kidney Transplant Wait List: Relationship to Cardiac Troponin T

Patients waiting for a kidney transplant have high mortality despite careful preselection. Herein, we assessed whether cardiac troponin T (cTnT) can help stratify risk in patients selected for kidney transplantation. cTnT levels were measured in all kidney transplant candidates but the results were not used for patient selection. Among 644 patients placed on the kidney waiting list from 9/2004 to 12/2006, 61% had elevated cTnT levels (>0.01 ng/mL). Higher levels related to diabetes, longer time on dialysis, history of cardiovascular disease and low serum albumin. High cTnT also related to cardiac anomalies, including left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), wall motion abnormalities and stress‐inducible ischemia by dobutamine echo (DSE). However, 54% of patients without these cardiac findings had elevated cTnT. Increasing cTnT levels were associated with reduced survival (HR = 1.729, CI (1.25–2.39), p = 0.01) independently of low serum albumin (0.449 (0.24–0.83), p = 0.011) and history of stroke (3.368 (1.47–7.73), p = 0.0004). The results of the DSE and/or coronary angiography did not relate significantly to survival. However, high cTnT identified patients with abnormal echo findings and poor survival. Wait listed patients with normal cTnT have excellent survival irrespective of other factors. In contrast, high cTnT levels are strongly predictive of poor survival in the kidney transplant waiting list.
Comparison of bronchial reactivity and peak expiratory flow variability measurements for epidemiologic studies.

Inclusion of a standardized measurement of airway function is important in epidemiologic studies of asthma to facilitate comparison between different studies. Bronchial reactivity is widely used in such studies, but measurement of peak expiratory flow (PEF) variability has a number of potential advantages. We compared PEF variability with methacholine challenge tests in a community population sample. Subjects selected at random (n = 95) and on the basis of having experienced wheeze in the last 12 months (n = 130) performed a challenge test with methacholine to a maximum dose of 12.25 mumol and made serial PEF recordings every 2 h for a week. PEF variability was expressed as mean daily maximum amplitude as a percentage of the mean (amplitude % mean). Increased bronchial reactivity and PEF variability were arbitrarily defined as values above the 10th or below the 90th percentiles in the random sample. A measurement of amplitude % mean was available from all 225 subjects, whereas only 115 (51%) had a measurable PD20 methacholine. PD20 measurements correlated weakly but significantly with amplitude % mean (r = -0.44, p less than 0.001). Increased values of both bronchial reactivity and PEF variability were related to the presence of respiratory symptoms in the week before testing. Asthma was more strongly related to increased bronchial reactivity than to PEF variability. Both measurements showed a strong association with atopy and the intraclass correlation coefficients (ratio of between-subject to total variance) were similar for both. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Glacial oceanographic contrasts explain phylogeography of Australian bull kelp

The evolutionary effects of Southern Hemisphere Pleistocene oceanographic conditions — marked by fluctuations in sea levels and water temperatures, and redirected currents — are poorly understood. The southeastern tip of Australia presents an intriguing model system for studying the biological impacts of palaeoceanography. In particular, contrasting oceanographic conditions that existed on eastern vs. western sides of the Bassian Isthmus during Pleistocene glacial periods allow for natural comparisons between putative refugial vs. re‐invading populations. Whereas many western Tasmanian marine taxa were likely eliminated by cold subantarctic water during the last glacial period, eastern Tasmanian populations would have persisted in relatively warm temperatures mediated by the ongoing influence of the East Australian Current (EAC). Here we test for the effects of contrasting palaeoceanographic conditions on endemic bull kelp, Durvillaea potatorum, using DNA sequence analysis (COI; rbcL) of more than 100 individuals from 14 localities in southeastern Australia. Phylogenetic reconstructions reveal a deep (maximum divergence 4.7%) genetic split within D. potatorum, corresponding to the ‘eastern’ and ‘western’ geographical regions delimited by the Bassian Isthmus, a vicariant barrier during low Pleistocene sea levels. Concordant with the western region's cold glacial conditions, samples from western Tasmania and western Victoria are genetically monomorphic, suggesting postglacial expansion from a mainland refugium. Eastern samples, in contrast, comprise distinct regional haplogroups, suggesting the species persisted in eastern Tasmania throughout recent glacial periods. The deep east–west divergence seems consistent with earlier reports of morphological differences between ‘western’ and ‘eastern’D. potatorum, and it seems likely that these forms represent reproductively isolated species.
Increased Neonatal Platelet Deposition on Subendothelium under Flow Conditions: The Role of Plasma von Willebrand Factor

In vitro platelet function of umbilical cord blood and neonatal peripheral vein blood from full-term newborns was compared with that of adults. Citrated whole blood was subjected to shear stress (1300 s-1) on subendothelial extracellular matrix (ECM)-coated wells in a cone and plate(let) analyzer. Adhered platelets on the ECM were quantitated by image analyzer. Both umbilical cord and neonatal peripheral blood platelets demonstrated more extensive adhesion than adult platelets, and similar aggregate formation on ECM. The ability of neonatal platelets to form aggregates on ECM was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. Similar activation of neonatal and adult platelets after subjection to shear stress, in the suspension phase, was established by flow cytometry, which showed an increase in fibrinogen binding and a decrease in glycoprotein Ib expression on platelet membrane. The difference in adhesion rates between neonatal and adult platelets was preserved even when the hematocrit level of the neonatal blood was adjusted to that of adults. Reconstitution of neonatal or adult platelet-rich plasma with autologous or heterologous red packed cells yielded no change in adhesion and aggregation. When von Willebrand factor-covered plates were used to prevent deposition of plasma von Willebrand factor on the surface, no difference in platelet adhesion was seen between neonatal and adult blood. In conventional aggregometry assay, the response to ristocetin of washed platelets of either neonatal or adult source was higher on addition of plasma from neonates than from adults. Our data suggest that the extensive neonatal platelet deposition on ECM is mediated by plasma von Willebrand factor, which is known to be more multimerized and, therefore, more active in neonates than in adults. This mechanism may provide balanced primary hemostasis in neonates despite the platelet hyporeactivity to agonists without application of shear stress.
Incomplete transformation of rat cells by a deletion mutant of adenovirus type 5

Rat 3Y1 cells were infected with adenovirus type 5 (Ad5) wild type, dl312 (deletion of 902 base pairs between 1.5-4.5 map units), and dl313 (deletion of 2,350 base pairs between 3.5-10.5 map units). After cultivation for 4 weeks, transformed foci appeared in wild type- and dl313-infected cells. No focus was observed in dl312- and mock-infected cells. Foci induced by dl313 were less dense than those induced by wild type. Cell lines (313Y cells) established from dl313-induced foci contained the E1 gene of the dl313 genome (E1a only). Cell lines (5WY cells) established from Ad5 wild type-induced foci contained the E1 gene of wild type (E1a and b). The difference between the transcriptional patterns of the E1 gene in 313Y cells and that in 5WY cells was the same as the difference in dl313- and wild type-infected cells. Colonies were formed in soft agar culture inoculated with 5WY cells, but no colony was formed after inoculation of 313Y cells. The transformed phenotype of 313Y cells was incomplete compared with that in 5WY cells. In nongrowing 3Y1 cells, dl313 and Ad5 wild type induced cellular DNA synthesis but dl312 did not. The above results suggest that the E1a gene is functioning in dl313-infected but not in dl312-infected cells and that such functions as induction of cellular DNA synthesis and transformation of cells are dependent on expression of the Ad5 E1a gene.
Factors associated with the use of a teleconsultation system in Brazilian primary care.

BACKGROUND The Telehealth Network of Minas Gerais (TNMG) is a public telehealth service that provides support to primary healthcare in Minas Gerais, Brazil, performing teleconsultation and tele-electrocardiography. The aim of this study was to assess teleconsultation requests received by the TNMG and to investigate the factors associated with low teleconsultation utilization in most municipalities. MATERIALS AND METHODS A cross-sectional study was carried out including 214 municipalities. Indicators were defined to analyze teleconsultation requests. A structured questionnaire was used to investigate factors associated with teleconsultation utilization, which were analyzed by multivariate analysis through a decision tree algorithm (chi-squared automatic interaction detector) to the entire population of the study and logistic regression for municipalities that had used the system during the analyzed period. RESULTS From May to September 2009, 1,954 teleconsultations were performed. The average number (±standard deviation) of teleconsultations per municipality was 1.71 (±1.50) per month. The majority of the users were located in remote regions with a low Human Development Index. The decision tree showed "conduction of sufficient training" (p=0.0015) as the factor with the greatest positive impact on teleconsultation utilization, followed by "ability to discuss clinical cases outside the teleconsultation system" (p=0.0192). Logistic regression analysis revealed two factors associated with increased use of the system: "complexity of the system" (odds ratio=3.35; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.58-7.09) and whether they considered that the "service helps to solve everyday problems" (odds ratio=4.37; 95% CI, 1.14-16.69). CONCLUSIONS The study of factors associated with the low use of the teleconsultation system of the TNMG may help policy makers define strategies to improve the use of teleconsultation services.
Customer perception of CSR initiatives: its antecedents and consequences

Purpose - The trend of CSR activities are rising in Pakistan. Also SECP has given a more comprehensive set of guidelines aiming at reinforcing practices of CSR in the Pakistani firms. This institutional backdrop highlights the fact that developing countries of Asian region like Pakistan are catching up with their developed counterparts regarding CSR practices. Design/methodology/approach - Structural equation modeling is used after using different (valid and reliable) instruments to measure latent constructs. - The study has a sample size of 250 "CSR Consumers"; who had some knowledge and awareness of CSR and green image being advertised and or labeled by the company (such as printing ‘Recycled’ or other eco-friendly images/labels on shopping bag, fliers, outlets etc.) and are consumers/customers of such firms. The respondent’s awareness was measured by randomly asking them to recall organizations that might have eco-friendly policies. Findings - The key findings of the study are that perceived fit of culture along with CSR capability radically influences CSR perception within consumer minds and so, subsequently, customer attachment and overall performance of the corporation. The outcomes bestow significant ramifications for marketing and advertising philosophy combined with practice Practical implications - Stakeholders exist in the form of consumers other than employees. So consumer satisfaction must be imparted its fair share of importance. Managers must make sure that initiatives for societal benefit are well accepted and well recognized by consumers in a positive array of light. Corporations enthusiastically involved in initiating CSR activities and forecast a positive income. The study guides managers into not falling this misconception and by recognizing that the fact is that the company managers must only expect higher performance levels once their CSR is in synchronization with the firm’s culture. Originality/value - A number of studies have been conducted about CSR practices in the Indian context for example (Khan and Atkinson, 1987; Krishna, 1992; Arora and Puranik, 2004; Sood and Arora, 2006; Mishra and Suar, 2010) however; there is dearth of research in its neighbouring country Pakistan about CSR practices and consumer perceptions. Therefore, this research aims to fill this gap by examining CSR practices in Pakistan which has similar historical and colonial roots with India. In doing so, this study ascertains the impact of CSR activities conducted on various consumer and corporate related dimensions that incorporate customer loyalty, consumer attachment, and corporate performance.
Chromogranin a Measurement in Neuroendocrine Tumors

Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are rare neoplasms characterized by a low proliferative index and, in some cases, a favorable prognosis. These tumors often overproduce and release biologically active substances that are responsible for severe syndromes. Tumor marker measurement provides the clinician with useful information for the management of NET patients. The substances released by overproducing tumors are currently used as biomarkers, but there is a need for sensitive markers also for the “biochemically silent” NETs. The most effective and reliable blood marker available today is chromogranin A (CgA). Because of its high sensitivity and specificity, this glycoprotein can be used for the diagnosis, prognosis and follow-up of NETs. Furthermore, CgA measurement can be used for monitoring those tumors not overproducing or releasing any hormones or biological amines. This paper is a synthetic review on the value of CgA in NET management and reports our experiences with CgA measurement in NET patients.
Increasing time costs and copayments for prescription drugs: an analysis of policy changes in a complex environment.

OBJECTIVE To estimate the effect of two separate policy changes in the North Carolina Medicaid program: (1) reduced prescription lengths from 100 to 34 days' supply, and (2) increased copayments for brand name medications. DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING Medicaid claims data were obtained from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for January 1, 2000-December 31, 2002. STUDY DESIGN We used a pre-post controlled partial difference-in-difference-in-differences design to examine the effect of the policy change on adults in North Carolina; adult Medicaid recipients from Georgia served as controls. Outcomes examined include medication adherence and Medicaid expenditures. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS Data were aggregated to the person-quarter level. Individuals in HMOs, nursing homes, pregnant, or deceased in the quarter were excluded. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Both policies decreased medication adherence. The days' supply policy had a much larger effect on adherence than did the copayment increase. Total Medicaid spending declined from the days' supply policy, but the copayment policy resulted in a net increase in Medicaid expenditures. CONCLUSIONS Although Medicaid costs decreased with the change in days supply policy, these savings were due to reduced adherence to these chronic medications. Additional research should examine the effect of these policy changes from the perspective of Medicaid enrollees.
Phenotypic analysis of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND/AIMS Tumor may induce local immunosuppression and make the tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) functionally inhibited and lose the antitumor effects. Therefore, we did the phenotypic analysis of TILs in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues. METHODOLOGY Lymphocytes were isolated from paired HCC tissues (TILs) and the corresponding non-tumor liver tissues (non-tumor-liver infiltrating lymphocytes, NILs) of 28 patients and were subjected to flow cytometric analysis. RESULTS Compared with the non-tumor portion, HCC tissues had less intensity of lymphocyte infiltration. TILs had higher CD3+/CD56+ ratio than NILs. Around 70%-90% NILs or TILs expressed the antigen-experienced or memory phenotypes. Around 60%-70% CD4+ or CD8+ NILs and TILs expressed the activation markers CD69 and HLA-DR. However, we found that CD25 is under-expressed in both the CD8+ NILs and TILs. In addition, more percentage of CD4+ CD25+ T cells was detected in the TILs than in the NILs. CONCLUSIONS HCC tissues had less lymphocytes infiltration. Most of infiltrating lymphocytes from the HCC tissues and the corresponding non-tumor liver tissues were activated and expressed antigen-experienced phenotypes. However, the CD25 was underexpressed in the CD8+ TILs and the CD4+ CD25+ T cells were increased in the TILs. These factors might impair the antitumor immunity in HCCs.
Single‐ and Multiple‐Informant Research Designs to Examine the Human Resource Management-Performance Relationship

During the last decades, many empirical studies have analysed the relationship between human resource management and firm performance. Despite the call for multiple‐rater designs, a relatively large number of researchers still rely on survey responses provided by a single informant in each organization. Single‐informant designs suffer from a number of problems, especially when the responses provided by different types of raters across firms are pooled into a single dataset prior to assessing their equivalence across raters. Using an illustration of the relationship between high performance work systems and firm performance, in this paper we observe that responses provided by managers holding different positions (human resource managers and sales managers) differ significantly and therefore pooling their responses into a single dataset may result in confusing conclusions. Furthermore, we demonstrate that differences arise in the estimated parameters when a multiple‐key‐informant approach, compared to a single‐informant design, is adopted. For these reasons, data collection using multiple key informants is recommended, based on the assumption that some raters in the firm will be more knowledgeable about the variables of interest than others.
Isolation of a recombination-deficient mutant of Streptococcus lactis ML3

A recombination-deficient mutant of Streptococcus lactis ML3 designated MMS36 was isolated on the basis of its sensitivity to methyl methanesulfonate. This mutant also displayed sensitivity to UV irradiation. The inability of MMS36 to mediate homologous recombination was demonstrated by transduction of plasmid-linked lactose fermenting ability but not chromosomally mediated streptomycin resistance.
Antimicrobial Functions of Spices: Why Some Like it Hot

Although spices have been important for centuries in food preparation throughout the world, patterns of spice use differ considerably among cultures and countries. What factors underlie these differences? Why are spices used at all? to investigate these questions, we quantified the frequency of use of 43 spices in the meat-based cuisines of the 36 countries for which we could locate traditional cookbooks. A total 4578 recipes from 93 cookbooks was analysed. We also compiled information on the temperature and precipitation in each country, the ranges of spice plants, and the antibacterial properties of each spice. These data were used to investigate the hypothesis that spices inhibit or kill food-spoilage microorganisms. In support of this is the fact that spice plant secondary compounds are powerful antimicrobial (i.e., antibacterial and antifungal) agents. As mean annual temperatures (an indicator of relative spoilage rates of unrefrigerated foods) increased, the proportion of recipes containing spices, number of spices per recipe, total number of spices used, and use of the most potent antibacterial spices all increased, both within and among countries. Likewise, the estimated fraction of bacterial species inhibited per recipe in each country was positively correlated with annual temperature. Several alternative hypotheses were considered-that spices provide macronutrients, disguise the taste and smell of spoiled foods, or increase perspiration and thus evaporative cooling; it also is conceivable that spice use provides no benefits. However, none of these four alternatives was well supported by our data. The proximate reason spices are used obviously is to enhance food palatability. But the ultimate reason is most likely that spices help cleanse foods of pathogens and thereby contribute to the health, longevity and reproductive success of people who find their flavors enjoyable.