Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reciprocal Regulation of SOCS 1 and SOCS3 Enhances Resistance to Ionizing Radiation in Glioblastoma Multiforme

Purpose: The expression of suppressors of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1) and SOCS3 genes is dysregulated in several solid tumors, causing aberrant activation of cell growth and survival signaling pathways. In this study, we analyzed SOCS1 and SOCS3 gene expression in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and studied the role of each protein in GBM cell signaling and radiation resistance. Experimental Design: SOCS1 and SOCS3 gene expression was analyzed in 10 GBM cell lines by reverse transcription-PCR and Western blotting. SOCS3 expression was also studied in 12 primary GBM tissues by immunohistochemistry. The methylation status of the SOCS1 and SOCS3 loci was determined by methylation-specific PCR. Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)-mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation in GBM cell lines overexpressing SOCS1 or lacking SOCS3 was determined by phosphorylated-specific Western blotting. Radiation responses in SOCS1-positive and SOCS3-deficient GBM cell lines and fibroblasts from wild-type and SOCS1 or SOCS3 knockout mice were studied in a clonogenic survival assay. Results: All GBM cell lines tested lacked SOCS1 expression, whereas GBM cell lines and primary GBM tumor samples constitutively expressed SOCS3. SOCS1 gene repression was linked to hypermethylation of the SOCS1 genetic locus in GBM cells. Reintroduction of SOCS1 or blocking SOCS3 expression sensitized cells to radiation and decreased the levels of activated ERK MAPKs in GBM cells. Conclusions: SOCS1 and SOCS3 are aberrantly expressed in GBM cell lines and primary tissues. Altered SOCS gene expression leads to increased cell signaling through the ERK-MAPK pathway and may play a role in disease pathogenesis by enhancing GBM radioresistance.
Patella Height After High Tibial Osteotomy With Internal Fixation and Early Motion

The purpose of this study was to compare the incidence of patella infera in patients after high tibial osteotomy treated with either postoperative immobilization or internal fixation and early range of motion. A retrospective review of 98 patients with high tibial osteotomy was done at the authors' institution. Thirty-three patients who had secondary procedures such as concomitant ligamentous reconstruction with early motion were excluded. Therefore, 69 knees in 65 patients remained in the study cohort. Group A consisted of 32 patients (34 knees) treated with postoperative immobilization, whereas Group B included 33 patients (35 knees) treated with internal fixation and early motion. The preoperative and postoperative Insall-Salvati index, Blackburne-Peel index, and angular alignment were determined for each group. Between Groups A and B, the differences in the Insall-Salvati index and the Blackburne-Peel index were statistically significant, although the difference in angular correction was not significant. With rigid fixation and early motion the Insall-Salvati index showed that there was less postoperative shortening of the patellar tendon. The relationship of the patella to the remainder of the knee was affected less adversely as evidenced by the Blackburne-Peel index. High tibial osteotomy with internal fixation and early range of motion should result in a better knee and ease the subsequent performance of a total knee arthroplasty.
Genre Based Analysis of Acknowledgement Texts Written by Pakistani Writers

The aim of this study is to analyze and describe the structure of acknowledgement texts written by Pakistani authors in the light of two-tier genre model presented by Giannoni (2002). The corpus of this study, consisting of 3 samples, has been taken from the books written by Pakistani authors through convenient sampling technique. Analysis of the corpus shows that the acknowledgements written by Pakistani authors of books do not conform to the said model and vary in structure construction process and linguistic choices which are affected by cultural expectations, social norms and socio-cultural conventions. The analysis also shows that Pakistani acknowledgements are different from the acknowledgements from other cultures. Plus, Pakistani acknowledgements have been observed to be complex and dynamic in nature and characterized by hybridism. The study concludes that the acknowledgement writing is a matter of serious concern for Pakistani authors and shows intensified and strong sense of indebtedness and gratitude.
Investigating interaction with a ring form factor

In this note, we study interaction with a finger worn ring, focusing on interaction enabled by the ring form factor. We report on 2 user studies, the first (n=13) investigating preferences for different interactions, whilst the second (n=7) explores usage contexts and applications. Twelve different ways of interacting with a ring were evaluated, including e.g. changing the placement of the ring on the fingers and moving the ring along or around a finger. Based the study results, the practical usability and concerns with each of the ring interactions is discussed. Whereas the concept was generally well received, the main concerns related to false positives, losing the ring e.g. when changing finger, and limitations from the rigid size of the form factor.
Prevalent enteric adenovirus variant not detected by commercial monoclonal antibody enzyme immunoassay

A commercial monoclonal antibody enzyme immunoassay for the detection of enteric adenovirus type 40 and 41 (Ad40 and Ad41) in stool specimens was evaluated. Twenty-one stool specimens from children with gastroenteritis, with adenovirus particles visible by electron microscopy, and reference strains Ad40 Dugan and Ad41 Tak were tested by Ad40- and Ad41-specific and adenovirus group-reactive immunoassays. All stool specimens tested positive in the group-reactive immunoassay. However, only six specimens, containing isolates of Ad40 strain Hovi-X, an Ad40 genomic variant, and Ad41 strain Tak, reacted with the specific immunoassay, besides the reference strains. Fifteen stool specimens determined by restriction analysis to contain a genomic variant of Ad41 were negative by specific immunoassay. The positions of restriction site differences from the prototype strain Ad41 Tak were analyzed, and four mutations were mapped within the hexon gene; two others may occur in the fiber gene. The Ad41 genomic variant not detected by the enteric test is presently the most frequent cause of local adenoviral gastroenteritis. Highly specific monoclonal antibodies can fail to detect genomic variants of enteric adenoviruses, probably because of alteration of external neutralizable epitopes under immunological pressure to vary.
Comparison of the CBA-H and SF-36 for the screening of the psychological and behavioural variables in chronic dialysis patients

The aim of the study was to perform an analysis of the emotional reactions, perception of stressful life and behavioural changes related to Haemodialysis (HD) in order to identify those variables that can improve lifestyle and the adherence to treatment. Some psychometric assessment, such as the Cognitive Behavioural Assessment, Hospital Form, (CBA-H) and the Health Survey (SF-36), which provides two indexes: the Physical Component Score (PCS) and the Mental Component Score (MCS), are suitable to assess a patient’s psychological and behavioural style and their health-related quality of life. The study involved 37 Italian out-patients with end-stage renal disease under HD therapy. We calculated the Spearman correlation between variables of CBA-H, SF-36, age and time on HD. We also performed a multivariate linear regression using the CBA-H variables as predictors and PCS and MCS as dependent variables. From the CBA-H, 95% of participants self-reported psychological characteristics comparable to Type A personality, which identifies an anxious, hyperactive and hostile subject. Physical limitations were found to be directly proportional to the time on dialysis (rs = -0.42). The condition of perceived stress worsens the state of mental health (rs = -0.68) and general health perception (rs = -0.44). The condition of vital exhaustion correlates both the PCS and the MCS (p<0.01) with possible outcomes of physical and mental illness. The psychological wellbeing of a dialyzed patient could be due to the combination of several factors, including life parameters, the positive perception of psychosocial outcomes, and the perceived quality of life. A multidisciplinary team (neurologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, and nurses) is essential to plan effective psychological and psychotherapeutic interventions to improve a mind-body integration.
The Effects of Non-Contingent Feedback on the Incidence of Plateau at V̇O2max.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of non-contingent feedback in the form of heart rate (HR) on the incidence of plateau at V̇O2max. Ten physically active males (age 24.8 yrs ± 4.2; mass 81.4 ± 9.0 kg; stature 1.80 ± 0.11 m, V̇O2max 53.2 ± 5.8 ml·kg-1.min-1) who were V̇O2max testing naïve but were cognisant as to the heart rate responses to exercise completed four incremental tests to volitional exhaustion, separated by ~72 h for the determination of V̇O2max and gas exchange threshold. The first trial served as a familiarisation with the remaining three being experimental conditions where HR was presented in a screen projection as either the actual response (HR-A) or 10 b·min-1 higher than recorded (HR-H) or 10 b·min-1 lower (HR-L). Throughout all trials V̇O2 was recorded on a breath-by-breath basis with plateau criteria of ≤ 50 ml·min-1. RESULTS A significant difference was observed for Δ V̇O2 over the final two consecutive 30s sampling periods between HR-A, both HR-L and HR-H (p = 0.049) and for the incidence of plateau response between condition (p = 0.021). An additional significant difference was observed for sub-maximal Δ V̇O2 responses between HR-A and HR-H (p = 0.049) and HR-A and HR-L (p = 0.006). Non-significant differences were observed for all other criteria. These data indicate that when presented with non-contingent feedback in the form of HR, that the perceptually orientated pacing schema becomes disrupted promoting a sparing of the finite anaerobic capacity to compensate for the imbalance between the afferent signal and perception of effort.
Employee advocacy in Africa: the role of HR practitioners in Malawi

PurposeIn recognising the weakness of trade unions and the lack of an institutional framework designed to enforce employee rights in an African context, the purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which human resource (HR) practitioners are perceived to play the role of employee advocate.Design/methodology/approachThe quantitative data set is derived from a sample of 305 respondents (95 HR practitioners, 121 line managers and 89 employees) from Malawi.FindingsDespite the challenges of the context, HR practitioners are perceived by key stakeholders (including line managers and employees) to be playing the role of employee advocate. Standard multiple regression results indicate that the main factor contributing to the perception that HR practitioners are playing this role is their contribution to “motivating employees”. Research limitations/implicationsThe study was conducted in Malawi. Further research is necessary to explore the generalisability of the findings to other contexts.Originality/valueThe findings provide an empirical base for future studies which explore perceptions of the employee advocacy role undertaken by HR practitioners in Africa.
Normative values for the Health Assessment Questionnaire disability index: benchmarking disability in the general population.

OBJECTIVE The Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) disability index (DI) has been commonly used in rheumatology to quantify functional disability in patient groups, but current general population values of this index are not available. This study was undertaken to establish normative values for the HAQ DI in a general population and to analyze its correlates. METHODS The HAQ DI (range of scores 0-3) was measured in a random sample of 1,530 adults in the Central Finland District. Prevalence rates of disability by strata of age, sex, education level, body mass index (BMI), and health behaviors (including smoking and exercise habits) were calculated. Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficient and ordinary least squares regression were used to analyze the data. RESULTS The estimated population mean HAQ DI was 0.25 (95% confidence interval 0.22-0.28), and 32% of respondents had at least some disability. Both for men and for women, functional disability increased exponentially with age. The HAQ DI was correlated with pain (r = 0.58) and global self assessment (r = 0.61). The prevalence of disability decreased with increasing number of years of education, lower BMI, and increasing frequency of physical exercise. CONCLUSION Almost one-third of the general population has some functional disability. Functional disability is associated in part with lifestyle choices and increases with age in a nonlinear manner. The normative values of the HAQ DI that we have presented could be used as a reference benchmark for clinical and epidemiologic studies using this measure of disability.
Cardiovascular Risk in Women With Premature Ovarian Insufficiency Compared to Premenopausal Women at Middle Age.

CONTEXT A young age at menopause has been associated with increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. OBJECTIVE To compare the cardiovascular risk profile between women with premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) and premenopausal controls of comparable age. DESIGN Cross-sectional case control study. SETTING Two university medical centers. PARTICIPANTS Women above 45 years of age who were previously diagnosed with POI (n = 83) and premenopausal population controls of comparable age (n = 266). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Blood pressure, body mass index, waist circumference, electrocardiogram, bilateral carotid intima media thickness, estradiol, T, androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, SHBG, insulin, glucose, lipids, TSH, free T4, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide, C-reactive protein, uric acid, creatinine, and homocysteine were measured. Potential associations between POI status and subclinical atherosclerosis were assessed. RESULTS Women with POI exhibited an increased waist circumference (β = 5.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.6, 9.9), C-reactive protein (β = 0.75; 95% CI, 0.43, 1.08), free T4 levels (β = 1.5; 95% CI, 0.6, 2.4), and lower N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (β = -0.35; 95% CI, -0.62, -0.08), estradiol (β = -1.98; 95% CI, -2.48, -1.48), T (β = -0.21; 95% CI, -0.37, -0.06), and androstenedione (β = -0.54; 95% CI, -0.71, -0.38) concentrations compared to controls, after adjusting for confounders. After adjustment, a trend toward increased hypertension (odds ratio = 2.1; 95% CI, 0.99; 4.56) and decreased kidney function was observed in women with POI (creatinine β = 3.5; 95% CI, -0.05, 7.1; glomerular filtration rate β = -3.5; 95% CI, -7.5, 0.46). Women with POI exhibited a lower mean carotid intima media thickness (β = -0.17; 95% CI, -0.21, -0.13) and decreased odds of plaque presence compared to controls (odds ratio = 0.08; 95% CI, 0.03; 0.26). CONCLUSIONS Women with POI exhibited an unfavorable cardiovascular risk profile, including higher abdominal fat, elevated chronic inflammatory factors, and a trend toward increased hypertension and impaired kidney function compared to controls. However, we observed no signs of increased subclinical atherosclerosis in women with POI. Additional studies are required to identify specific determinants of long-term CVD risk in women with POI.
Regulation of red blood cell filterability by Ca 2 1 influx and cAMP-mediated signaling pathways

Oonishi, Tadahiro, Kanako Sakashita, and Nobuhiro Uyesaka. Regulation of red blood cell filterability by Ca21 influx and cAMP-mediated signaling pathways. Am. J. Physiol. 273 (Cell Physiol. 42): C1828–C1834, 1997. —To investigate the mechanism of the regulation of human red blood cell deformability, we examined the deformability under mechanical stress. Washed human red blood cells were rapidly injected through a fine needle, and their filterability was measured using a nickel mesh filter. The decrease in filterability showed a V-shaped curve depending on the extracellular Ca21 concentration; the maximum decrease was achieved at ,50 μM. The decreased filterability was accompanied by no change in cell morphology and cell volume, indicating that the decrease in filterability can be ascribed to alterations of the membrane properties. Ca21 entry blockers (nifedipine and felodipine) inhibited the impairment of filterability under mechanical stress. Prostaglandins E1 and E2, epinephrine, and pentoxifylline, which are thought to modulate the intracellular adenosine 38,58-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) level of red blood cells, improved or worsened the impaired filterability according to their expected actions on the cAMP level of the cells. These results strongly suggest that the membrane properties regulating red blood cell deformability are affected by the signal transduction system, including Ca21-dependent and cAMP-mediated signaling pathways.
Pass or Fail: Economic Incentives to Reduce Salmonella Contamination in Ground Beef Sold to the National School Lunch Program

&NA; Ground beef sold to the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) for distribution to the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) must meet stringent food‐safety standards, specifically, a zero‐tolerance standard for Salmonella. We use a unique data set containing information on Salmonella levels in order to examine the sequential decisions of ground‐beef plants to become registered as AMS suppliers and then bid on contracts to supply the NSLP from 2006 to 2012. We find that plants exploit their competitive advantages in relatively high productivity and strong performance on Salmonella tests when choosing to bid on contracts in a given year. Furthermore, the incentives generated by the zero‐tolerance standard for Salmonella are highly effective: ground beef supplied to the NSLP is 21‐22 percentage points more likely to meet a zero‐tolerance standard for Salmonella than ground beef tested as part of typical meat‐plant inspections.
Clinical characteristics of alcoholism in alcohol-dependent subjects with and without a history of alcohol treatment.

BACKGROUND Most clinical alcohol research is carried out on alcoholics who are in treatment, usually inpatients. However, most alcohol-dependent men and women never enter treatment, and even fewer ever receive inpatient care. Thus, some generally accepted data on the clinical course of alcoholism, derived from treatment samples, might not generalize to the entire population of alcohol-dependent individuals. This article characterizes the clinical characteristics of alcohol dependence in three groups of alcoholics, based on their histories of treatment for alcohol problems: those without prior rehabilitation; those with only outpatient approaches or Alcoholics Anonymous (AA); and subjects with an inpatient experience. METHODS Semistructured interviews were administered to 3572 DSM-III-R-defined alcohol-dependent subjects from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism. The clinical patterns were compared across the three groups of alcoholics: Group 1, never-treated (n = 1582; 44%); Group 2, histories of outpatient or AA only (n = 399; 11%); and Group 3, at least one inpatient experience (n = 1591; 45%). RESULTS A progression was shown from Groups 1 to 3 for more general life problems (e.g., unemployment, marital instability); higher rates of additional drug dependencies and psychiatric disorders; and more alcohol-related adverse events. Logistic regression analyses revealed that those with no prior treatment were more likely to be women, Caucasian, and employed, and to report a lower rate of divorce/separation, lower levels of alcohol intake, and fewer alcohol problems. Among those who received help, inpatient care was predicted by an opposite profile. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that studies using data from inpatient populations may give a skewed picture of the clinical characteristics of alcohol dependence.
The Role of Overbilling in Hospitals’ Earnings Management Decisions

Abstract This paper examines the role of overbilling in hospitals’ earnings management choices. Overbilling by hospitals is a form of revenue manipulation that involves misclassifying a patient into a diagnosis-related group that yields higher reimbursement. As overbilling allows hospitals to increase revenues without altering operations, affecting costs, or having to reverse such behavior in the future, I propose and find that overbilling reduces hospitals’ use of managing accruals or cutting discretionary expenditures. Next, I find that hospital managers prefer overbilling to managing accruals (cutting discretionary expenditures) when cutting discretionary expenditures (managing accruals) is constrained, and vice versa. Collectively, my findings suggest that overbilling is an important alternative manipulation tool in hospitals.
Routine diabetes screening in blood donation campaigns.

BACKGROUND Data from the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2011 showed that 20.8% of Malaysians above 30 years have diabetes. 10.1%of them are undiagnosed. Mobile blood drives could complement the public health department efforts in diabetes screening for early detection of the illness. AIMS This study aims to determine the necessity of diabetes screening as a routine screening program during blood donation campaign. METHODS AND MATERIAL Blood donation campaigns which involved the public community between January 2013 and June 2013 were included in this study. Donors above 30-years-old, not known to have diabetes, consented for diabetes screening. Diabetes screening was done by checking random capillary blood sugar (RCBS) levels while performing a Hemoglobin test and ABO grouping. Donors with RCBS of ≥ 7.8 mmol/L were given appointments for oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) to confirm the diagnosis of diabetes. RESULTS A total of 211 diabetes screenings were performed. Mean RCBS was 6 mmol/L. 43(20.4%) donors had RCBS≥ 7.8 mmol/L. 10 donors were later diagnosed to have diabetes (5.0%) and 5 donors were prediabetes (2.5%). 9 donors (4.3%) did not turn up for further investigation. CONCLUSIONS Blood donors are expected to be healthy volunteers. The diabetes prevalence among blood donors (5.0%) is considered low if compared with the prevalence in the whole population (20.8%). However, the number is largely comparable to the prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes in the country (10.1%). Routine diabetes screening during blood donation campaign should be implemented to safeguard donors' health and serve as a public health initiative to improve community health.