Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Circulating Adiponectin Levels and Expression of Adiponectin Receptors in Relation to Lung Cancer: Two Case-Control Studies

Background: Decreased circulating levels of adiponectin, an adipocyte-secreted hormone and endogenous insulin sensitizer, have been associated with several obesity-related malignancies. Thiazolidinedione administration, which increases adiponectin levels, decreases risk for lung cancer. Whether circulating adiponectin levels are associated with lung cancer and/or whether adiponectin receptors are expressed in lung cancer remains unknown. Methods: We conducted a case-control study of 85 patients with incidental, histologically confirmed lung cancer and 170 healthy controls matched by gender and age. In a separate study, archival lung specimens from 134 cancerous and 8 noncancerous tissues were examined for relative expression of adiponectin receptors AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 using immunohistochemistry. Results: Tobacco smoking, heavy alcohol intake and education were all associated with lung cancer risk, whereas serum adiponectin levels were not significantly different between cases and controls (multiple logistic regression, odds ratio per SD of adiponectin among controls: 1.13, 95% confidence interval: 0.64–2.02). Adiponectin levels were significantly lower (odds ratio: 0.25, 95% confidence interval: 0.10–0.78) among patients with advanced compared to those with limited disease stage. Expression of adiponectin receptors was apparent only in the cancerous lung tissue (64.2% AdipoR1 and 61.9% AdipoR2 in cancerous vs. 0% among noncancerous tissue). Specifically, AdipoR1 was expressed in all disease types, but no difference was noted with disease stage, whereas AdipoR2 was mainly expressed in the non-small cell carcinomas and more prominently in the advanced disease stage (80%). Conclusions: Circulating adiponectin levels are not different in cases of this malignancy – which seems to be unrelated to obesity and insulin resistance – compared to their healthy controls, though hormonal levels were significantly lower in advanced versus limited lung cancer. Both adiponectin receptors were expressed in cancerous lung tissue, but not in normal control tissue and there was a differential expression by disease stage. These findings should be further explored, especially in the context of the recently reported protective effect of thiazolidinediones in diabetic patients with lung cancer.
Training Peer Counselors to Promote and Support Exclusive Breastfeeding in Bangladesh

Exclusive breastfeedingis rare in Bangladesh. About 90% ofwomen have home deliveries, so the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative has no mechanism to reach them. Mother support groups do not exist, and community healthworkers do not have time to promote and support exclusive breastfeeding. To provide this kind of support at the community level, an area in Dhakawas selected for a peer-counselinginterv ention program. Usingcertain selection criteria, 1 woman from each community was trained as a peer counselor. The trainingw as based on the World Health Organization/United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund 40-hour breastfeedingcounselingcourse and related books. Counselingskills were taught usingdemonstrations and role play, followed by practical trainingin the project area. The intervention was very successful, as 70% of the mothers in the project area breastfed their infants exclusively for 5 months compared to only 6% in the control area. The authors describe the peer counseling training, strategies used for peer counseling visits, and lessons learned.
Application of steady state kinetics to the estimation of synthesis rate and turnover time of tissue catecholamines.

A method of measuring the rate of synthesis of catecholamines in various tissues takes advantage of the steady state relationship in which the rate of catecholamine formation is equal to the rate of efflux. After tyrosine hydroxylase is blocked with α-methyltyrosine, the brain levels of norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine and the NE levels in various peripheral tissues of rats and rabbits decline exponentially. The rate of synthesis of the catecholamines is calculated from the product of the rate constant of amine decline and the normal catecholamine level. The value for heart NE yielded by this method is almost identical with that obtained from the decline in radioactivity after labeling with dl -H3-NE. The application of this method to studies in the rat shows that the turnover time for NE in heart, salivary gland and iris is about 12 hr, compared to 6 hr for brain NE, 3 hr for brain dopamine and 2 hr for NE in the cervical sympathetic ganglia. In the rabbit hypothalamus, NE is formed five times more rapidly than in the midbrain, though the turnover times are almost identical. This suggests that the rate of synthesis might be similar in each adrenergic unit and that variations in rates of synthesis in different brain areas are a function of the number of neurons per gram of tissue.
Multi-agent coordination for DER in MicroGrid

Multi-agent system (MAS) is one of the most exciting and the fastest growing domains in agent oriented technology which deals with modeling of autonomous decision making entities. This paper presents an application of MAS for distributed energy resource (DER) management in a MicroGrid. MicroGrid can be defined as low voltage distributed power networks comprising various distributed generators (DG), storage and controllable loads, which can be operated as interconnected or as islands from the main power grid. By representing each element in MicroGrid as an autonomous intelligent agent, multi agent modeling of a MicroGrid is designed and implemented. JADE framework is proposed for the modeling and reliability of the MicroGrid is confirmed with PowerWorld Simulator. Further, the FIPA contract net coordination between the agents is demonstrated through software simulation. As a result, this paper provides a MicroGrid modeling which has the necessary communication and coordination structure to create a scalable system. The optimized MicroGrid management and operations can be developed on it in future.
Gemfibrozil Alone and in Combination With Lovastatin for Treatment of Hypertriglyceridemia in NIDDM

Hypertriglyceridemic patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) have an increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and acute pancreatitis. To examine the potential of hypolipidemic drugs for therapy of lipoprotein abnormalities in NIDDM, 10 patients maintaining marked (plasma triglycerides >500 mg/dl) and 6 with moderate (plasma triglycerides 250–500 mg/dl) hypertriglyceridemia, despite good glycemic control, were studied in two phases. In the first phase, gemfibrozil alone (600 mg twice daily) was compared with a placebo, and in the second phase a combination of gemfibrozil and lovastatin (20 mg twice daily) was compared with gemfibrozil alone in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study. In markedly hypertriglyceridemic patients, gemfibrozil reduced plasma triglycerides by 52% and very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-chol) by 55% and increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol by 23% compared with a placebo. However, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-chol) levels increased (42%), and LDL apolipoprotein B (apoB) levels remained unchanged. Addition of lovastatin to gemfibrozil effectively reduced total cholesterol (25%), LDL-chol (30%), and LDL-apoB (19%). Lovastatin further reduced plasma triglycerides (11%) and VLDL-chol (27%). However, in moderately hypertriglyceridemic patients, gemfibrozil or the combination therapy did not seem to offer benefits over the previously reported study with lovastatin alone. Glycemic control was maintained throughout the study. In conclusion, the beneficial effects of the combination therapy on lipoprotein levels in markedly hypertriglyceridemic NIDDM patients could decrease the risk of development of both acute pancreatitis and CHD.
Expression of cyclooxygenase-2 is associated with p53 accumulation in premalignant and malignant gallbladder lesions.

AIM To examine the relationship between cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) overexpression and p53 accumulation in gallbladder carcinoma and its precursor lesions. METHODS Sixty-eight gallbladder tissue samples comprising 14 cases of normal gallblader epithelium, 27 cases of dysplasia (11 low-grade dyplasia and 16 high-grade dysplasia) and 27 adenocarcinomas were evaluated by immunohistochemistry for COX-2 expression and p53 accumulation. The relationship among COX-2 expression, p53 accumulation and clinicopathological characteristics was analysed. RESULTS COX-2 was expressed in 14.3% of normal gallbladder epithelium, 70.3% of dysplastic epite hlium, and 59.2% of adenocarcinomas. When divided into low- and high-grade dysplasia, COX-2 was positive in 5 (45.4%) cases of low-grade and 14 (87.5%) of high-grade dysplasia (P = 0.019). Accumulation of p53 was detected in 5 (31.2%) cases of high-grade dysplasia and in 13 (48.1%) of carcinomas. No p53 accumulation was found in normal epithelium or low-grade dysplasia. COX-2 overexpression was observed in 17 of 18 (94.4%) cases with p53-accumulation in comparison with 20 (40.0%) out of 50 cases without p53 accumulation (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION The significant differences in COX-2 expression among normal epithelium, low-grade dysplasia and high-grade dysplasia suggest that overexpression of COX-2 enzyme is an early event in gallbladder carcinogenensis. Furthermore, since accumulation of p53 correlates with COX-2 expression, COX-2 overexpression observed in gallbladder high-grade dysplasia and carcinoma might be partly due to the dysfunction of p53.
Estudo da Proporção Áurea em pacientes jovens Classe II, divisão 1 tratados ortodonticamente

Objetivo: verificar se o tratamento ortodontico com a tecnica Bioprogressiva de Ricketts provocou alteracoes beneficas ou nao nas proporcoes aureas avaliadas. Material e metodos: Resultados: Conclusao: durante o tratamento ortodontico em questao, a maior parte das proporcoes faciais iniciais que nao apresentavam valores proximos da proporcao divina, aproximaram-se dos valores considerados como ideais, havendo uma melhora estetica da face. a avaliacao cefalometrica mostrou que as proporcoes aureas (A-1/1-Pm; Xi-6/Xi-Pm e 6-1/6-PTV) apresentaram diferenca significativa entre os valores pre e pos tratamento e as proporcoes (FH-A/A-PM e Xi-Co/Xi-Pm) nao apresentaram nenhuma alteracao significativa entre o inicio e final dos tratamentos ortodonticos realizados neste estudo. Quatro proporcoes (FH-A/A-Pm; A-1/1-Pm; Xi-6/Xi-Pm; e 6-1/6-PTV) apresentaram aproximacao do valor aureo enquanto uma (Xi-Co/Xi-Pm) se distanciou desse valor. A terceira proporcao (Xi-6/Xi-Pm) foi a que apresentou o melhor restabelecimento em comparacao com o valor aureo. foram realizadas 54 telerradiografias em norma lateral, com as quais se obteve os cefalogramas antes e pos-tratamento ortodontico completo de uma amostra composta por 27 pacientes de ambos os generos, portadores de ma oclusao Classe II, divisao 1. Eles apresentaram uma media de idade de 10,5 e 16,5 anos no inicio e no final do tratamento ortodontico, respectivamente.
The doubly eclipsing quintuple low-mass star system 1SWASP J093010.78+533859.5

Our discovery of 1SWASP J093010.78+533859.5 as a probable doubly eclipsing quadruple system containing a contact binary with P~0.23 d and a detached binary with P~1.31 d was announced in 2013. Subsequently Koo et al. confirmed the detached binary spectroscopically and identified a fifth set of static spectral lines at its location, corresponding to a further non-eclipsing component of the system. Here we present new spectroscopic and photometric observations, allowing confirmation of the contact binary and improved modelling of all four eclipsing components. The detached binary is found to contain components of masses 0.837(8) and 0.674(7) M_sol, with radii of 0.832(18) and 0.669(18) R_sol and effective temperatures of 5185(-20,+25) and 4325(-15,+20) K respectively, the contact system has masses 0.86(2) and 0.341(11) M_sol, radii of 0.79(4) and 0.52(5) R_sol respectively, and a common T_eff of 4700(50) K. The fifth star is of similar temperature and spectral type to the primaries in the two binaries. Long-term photometric observations indicate the presence of a spot on one component of the detached binary, moving at an apparent rate of approximately one rotation every two years. Both binaries have consistent system velocities around -11 to -12 km/s, which match the average radial velocity of the fifth star, consistent distance estimates for both subsystems of d=78(3) and d=73(4) pc are also found, and (with some further assumptions) of d=83(9) pc for the fifth star. These findings strongly support the claim that both binaries (and very probably all five stars) are gravitationally bound in a single system. The consistent angles of inclination found for the two binaries (88.2(3) and 86(4) degrees) may also indicate that they originally formed by fragmentation (~9-10 Gyr ago) from a single protostellar disk and subsequently remained in the same orbital plane.
Audio-Visual Speech Processing System for Polish with Dynamic Bayesian Network Models

In this paper we describe a speech processing system for Polish which utilizes both acoustic and visual features and is based on Dynamic Bayesian Network (DBN) models. Visual modality extracts information from speaker lip movements and is based alternatively on raw pixels and discrete cosine transform (DCT) or Active Appearance Model (AAM) features. Acoustic modality is enhanced by using two parametrizations standard MFCC and discrete wavelet transform (DWT) features, extracted for frequency subbands designed in accordance to human perception. An asynchrony between audio and visual modalities is also represented within the DBN model. Our system is evaluated on Audiovisual Speech Corpus of Polish, which contains most popular phrases from polish dialogs, uttered by 24 speakers. Experiments under various clean and noisy conditions confirmed that using double-parametrized audio and visual modalities (either DCT or AAM) with DBN model can reduce the Phrase Recognition Error Rate up to 35% under low signal-to-noise (SNR) conditions, comparing to results from standard audio-only, Hidden Markov Model based system with MFCC parametrization.
Identification of novel molecular prognostic markers for paediatric T‐cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

In the last four decades the survival of patients with newly diagnosed childhood T‐cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (T‐ALL) has improved dramatically. In sharp contrast, relapsed T‐ALL continues to confer a dismal prognosis. We sought to determine if gene expression profiling could uncover a signature of outcome for children with T‐ALL. Using 12 patient specimens obtained before therapy started, we examined the gene expression profile by oligonucleotide microarrays. We identified three genes, CFLAR, NOTCH2 and BTG3, whose expression at the time of diagnosis accurately distinguished the patients according to disease outcome. These genes are involved in the regulation of apoptosis and cellular proliferation. The prognostic value of the three predictive genes was assessed in an independent cohort of 25 paediatric T‐ALL patients using quantitative real‐time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Patients assigned to the adverse outcome group had a significantly higher cumulative incidence of relapse compared with patients assigned to the favourable outcome group (46% vs. 8%, P = 0·029). Five‐year overall survival was also significantly worse in the patients assigned to the adverse outcome group (P = 0·0039). The independent influence of the 3‐gene predictor was confirmed by multivariate analysis. Our study provides proof of principle that genome‐wide expression profiling can detect novel molecular prognostic markers in paediatric T‐ALL.
A Prospective Observational Study of Chronic Prostatitis with Emphasis on Epidemiological and Microbiological Features

Objectives Despite the progress made in recent years in understanding and diagnosing chronic prostatitis (CP) many cases are still underdiagnosed and undertreated for unknown reasons. The purpose of this study is to investigate the epidemiological data of patients with symptoms of CP and to associate data from medical history and clinical examination with the results of laboratory tests. Methods The study population consisted of individuals with reported pelvic discomfort and genital pain with or without lower urinary tract symptoms and sexual dysfunction visiting our department from 03/2009 to 03/2011. Patients underwent Meares-Stamey test (a few cases underwent the two-glass test). Depending on history and specific symptoms, urethral smear and sperm cultures were additionally obtained from several patients. The processes and reading of the samples were performed by a specialist microbiologist, who has not notified the patient record. Results 114 out of 155 patients who finally enrolled into the study had a medical history, 69 had sexual behavior and 72 sexual habits that predispose to chronic prostatitis. The clinical examination was not diagnostic in 43.8% of cases. The urethral smear and sperm culture diagnosed coexistent urethral infection in 22 cases. 54 out of the 72 positive EPS/VB3/PPM cultures grew one, 11 two to three and 5 cultures grew more than three different organisms. Conclusions Findings of this study debate some widely accepted considerations on the etiology and diagnosis of chronic prostatitis and highlight the uncertainties and controversies regarding chronic prostatitis etiology, pathophysiology, presentation and diagnosis.
The effect of body position on the perception of cardiac sensations: an experiment and theoretical implications.

This paper presents the results of pilot data and a main experiment that examine the effect of differing body positions on an individual's awareness of heartbeats. The pilot experiment employed two groups of 12 male subjects each presented 50 Whitehead type heartbeat awareness trials in each of two body positions: seated and standing erect. Subjects were retained if their ability to discriminate on the Whitehead procedure exceeded 70% correct. Results showed that the standing body position led to significantly lower cardiac awareness than when the same subject was tested in a seated position. The pilot was then expanded and replicated with three groups of 7 male subjects, all chosen by performance on a seated discrimination series. Two of the groups made additional discriminations in either a standing or seated position. The third group remained seated in all three phases. Results showed that all three groups discriminated at significantly above chance levels during the initial screening, and the group that sat in all three phases remained much above chance. The other two groups showed significantly lower performance levels in the standing position. Order of presentation seemed to affect performance. These results almost exactly replicated the data obtained in the pilot experiment. Physiological measures showed parallel changes in heart period across phases but no indication of differences in respiration or mean arterial blood pressure. Results of a semantic differential type questionnaire used to evaluate the qualitative aspects of the feedback, and skinfold measures of body type are also reported. The results of these two experiments are analyzed for their theoretical implications which lead in two different directions. Most investigators have assumed the involvement of visceral afferent pathways in the mediation of visceral perception, and this is a clear possibility which, in large part, remains unexplored by systematic investigations. However, the results of a number of experiments are interpreted to indicate that the visceral sensations may be mediated through primary somatosensory pathways. A model for this feedback is discussed.
Innate immunity in the liver

Purpose of review The liver is constantly exposed to large varieties of antigens that are derived from the gastrointestinal tract, including dietary antigens, pathogens, and toxins. Its function as a major immune organ is now being appreciated. The liver lymphocyte population is enriched in macrophages (ie, Kupffer cells), natural killer and natural killer T cells, which constitute the innate immune system. This review will focus on recent advances in the understanding of mechanisms that regulate the hepatic innate immune system because the innate immune system may mediate many chronic liver diseases, including nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Recent findings Hepatic natural killer T cells modulate liver injury by balancing local production of proinflammatory (Th-1) and antiinflammatory (Th-2) cytokines. Hepatic natural killer T cell depletion leads to Th-1 polarization of hepatic cytokine production, increasing tumor necrosis factor alpha and interferon gamma. This potentates lipopolysaccharide-induced hepatotoxicity. The hepatic natural killer T cells themselves are regulated by Kupffer-cell–produced cytokines, dietary factors, and certain neurotransmitters, such as norepinephrine. In leptin-deficient ob/ob mice, an animal model for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, insufficient norepinephrine increases hepatic natural killer T cell apoptosis, depleting hepatic natural killer T cells and inducing proinflammatory cytokine polarization. This contributes to chronic inflammation, increased lipopolysaccharide-induced hepatotoxicity, and insulin resistance in ob/ob mice. Summary Assuming that defects in the hepatic innate immune system that promote Th-1 cytokine polarization are common pathogenic mechanisms for hepatic insulin resistance and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, therapies that inhibit inflammatory activity may be beneficial for these disorders.
Genetic variation within and between strains of outbred Swiss mice

The aim of this survey was to measure levels of genetic variation within and between 5 different strains of outbred Swiss mice. Ten to 15 animals from each strain (NIH, Q(S), ARC, IMVS and STUD) were typed, using allozyme electrophoresis, at 10 gene loci: Mod-1, Idh-1, Gpi-1, Es-1, Es-3, Hbb, Pep-3, Gr-1, Got-2 and Pgm-1. Polymorphic variation in at least one of the 5 strains was detected at all 10 loci. The proportion of polymorphic loci ranged from 0·3 (NIH) to 0·8 (IMVS) with a mean of 0·52. Average expected heterozygosities ranged from 0·08 (NIH) to 0·37 (IMVS) with a mean of 0·21. The inbred strain SWR was, as expected, homozygous at all 10 loci. The amount of allelic substitution between pairs of strains was quantified using Nei's genetic distance, and a dendrogram based on these genetic distances showed a close overall similarity in its branching pattern to the known genealogy of the strains. This survey showed that a considerable degree of genetic variation persists in the 5 strains examined, a level of variation similar to that previously detected by Rice and O'Brien (1980) in 3 other outbred Swiss strains.