Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of 21-Gene Breast Cancer Assay on Treatment Decision for Patients with T1-T3, N0-N1, Estrogen Receptor-Positive/Human Epidermal Growth Receptor 2-Negative Breast Cancer: Final Results of the Prospective Multicenter ROXANE Study.

BACKGROUND The ROXANE Italian prospective study evaluated the impact of the 21-gene Recurrence Score (RS) results on adjuvant treatment decision for patients with early breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS Nine centers participated. Physicians used the RS test whenever unsure about adjuvant treatment recommendation for patients with estrogen receptor-positive/human epidermal growth receptor 2-negative, T1-T3, N0-N1 early breast cancer. Pre-RS and post-RS treatment recommendations were collected. RESULTS A total of 251 patients were included. N0 patients (61%) showed higher grade (p < .001) and higher Ki67 (p = .001) and were more frequently progesterone receptor negative (p = .012) as compared with N1 patients. RS results were as follows: <11, n = 63 (25.1%); 11-25, n = 143 (57%); and ≥26, n = 45 (17.9%). Higher RS was found in N0 vs. N1 patients (p = .001) and in cases of G3 (p < .001) and higher Ki67 (p < .001). The rate of change in treatment decision was 30% (n = 75), mostly from chemotherapy (CT) plus hormone therapy (CT + HT) to hormone therapy (HT; 76%, n = 57/75). The proportion of patients recommended to CT + HT was significantly reduced from pre-RS to post-RS (52% to 36%, p < .0001). CT use reduction was more evident for N1 patients (55% to 27%) than for N0 patients (50% to 42%) and was observed only in cases of RS ≤17. CONCLUSION Physicians predominantly used the 21-gene assay in N0 patients with a more aggressive biology or in N1 patients showing more indolent biology. In this selected patient population, the use of RS testing led to a 30% rate of change in treatment decision. In the N1 patient subgroup, the use of RS testing contributed to reduce CT use by more than half. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE This study shows that, even in a context in which physicians recommend a high proportion of patients to endocrine treatment alone before knowing the results of the Recurrence Score (RS) assay, the use of the RS test, whenever uncertainty regarding adjuvant treatment recommendation is present, significantly contributes in further reducing the use of chemotherapy, especially for N1 patients.
Maternal Metabolic Demands Caused by Pregnancy and Lactation: Association with Productivity and Offspring Phenotype in High-Yielding Dairy Ewes

Simple Summary This study assessed the effects of metabolic load imposed by pregnancy and lactation on productivity and offspring performance in high-yielding dairy sheep. Productivity was assessed in terms of offspring and maternal milk yield, metabolic profile, and body condition. Our results show that maternal productivity and lamb body weight and growth are not compromised by pregnancy and lactation because dairy sheep, when appropriately managed, seem to be able to cover metabolic demands of pregnancy and high milk production without losing productivity. Abstract Pregnancy and lactation, especially when concurrent, create a rather metabolically demanding situation in dairy ruminants, but little is known about their effects on offspring phenotype and milk yield. Here, we evaluated the impact of pregnancy and lactation on the metabolic traits and productive performance of Lacaune dairy sheep and their offspring. Productive performance was measured in terms of milk yield, body weight (BW), body condition score (BCS), and size. Productivity was assessed during mid-pregnancy (75 ± 5 d) and late pregnancy (142 ± 4 d) and at 52 ± 5 d in the postpartum period. During pregnancy, high-yielding ewes had higher BW, BCS, plasma glucose, cholesterol, β-OHB, and NEFA than low-yielding ewes, but lower levels of lactate and urea. High-yielding animals had lower BCS after lambing, but their lambs showed greater growth. Productivity during lactation was affected by ewe age and parity: Mature ewes (but not maiden sheep) whose BCS increased steeply during pregnancy yielded more milk in the subsequent lactation than those whose BCS did not increase. Lamb BW and size were positively associated with milk yield in the subsequent lactation. Mature ewes had higher yields than maiden sheep, and mature ewes with multiple pregnancies produced more milk than those with singleton pregnancies. Ewes with male singleton pregnancies also showed higher yield than those with female singletons. These results demonstrate that high-yielding dairy sheep, when appropriately fed and managed, can adequately cover the metabolic demands of pregnancy and high milk production (even when concurrent) without losing productivity.
Protein and Quality Characterization of Complete and Partial Near-Isogenic Lines of Waxy Wheat

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate protein composition and its effects on flour quality and physical dough test parameters using waxy wheat near-isogenic lines. Partial waxy (single and double nulls) and waxy (null at all three waxy loci, Wx-A1, Wx-B1, and Wx-D1) lines of N11 set (bread wheat) and Svevo (durum) were investigated. For protein composition, waxy wheats in this study had relatively lower albumins-globulins than the hard winter wheat control. In the bread wheats (N11), dough strength as measured by mixograph peak dough development time (MDDT) (r = 0.75) and maximum resistance (Rmax) (r = 0.70) was significantly correlated with unextractable polymeric protein (UPP), whereas in durum wheats, moderate correlation was observed (r = 0.73 and 0.59, respectively). This may be due to the presence of high molecular weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS) Dx2+Dy12 at the Glu-D1 locus instead of Dx5+Dy10, which are associated with dough strength. Significant correlation of initial loaf volume.
Molecular and genetic analysis of a compound heterozygote for dysprothrombinemia of prothrombin Tokushima and hypoprothrombinemia.

The molecular and genetic basis of a compound heterozygote for dys- and hypoprothrombinemia was analyzed. Abnormal nucleotide sequences of the human prothrombin gene were screened by PCR-single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) with endonuclease digestion and mutated primer-mediated PCR-RFLP. A single nucleotide substitution responsible for dysprothrombinemia of prothrombin Tokushima was detected, as were three polymorphisms. The mutation for hypoprothrombinemia was detected by PCR-single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) with endonuclease digestion in exon 6, near MboII-RFLP and NcoI-RFLP. Sequencing of PCR-amplified genomic DNA revealed a single base insertion of thymine (T) at position 4177. The resulting frameshift mutation caused both an altered amino acid sequence from codon 114 and a premature termination codon (i.e., TGA) at codon 174 in exon 7. Because exon 7 encodes the kringle 2 domain preceding the thrombin sequence, this frameshift leads to the null prothrombin phenotype. The inheritance of the hypoprothrombinemia gene from the father to the proband was proved by PCR-SSCP with endonuclease digestion and mutated primer-mediated PCR-RFLP.
Increased use of police and health-related services among those with heavy drinkers in their lives in New Zealand.

AIMS To report population estimates of service use because of someone else's drinking in New Zealand, investigate whether greater exposure to heavy drinkers relates to greater service use and examine demographic predictors of such service use. METHODS A general population survey of respondents aged 12-80 years was conducted in New Zealand. The sample size was 3,068 and response rate 64%. Respondents' use of police and health-related services because of someone else's drinking were measured along with self-reports of heavy drinkers in their lives, demographic variables and own drinking. RESULTS Ten percent of New Zealanders reported having called the police at least once in the past 12 months because of someone else's drinking-corresponding to 378,843 New Zealanders making at least one call to police. Almost 7% of the sample, representing 257,613 New Zealanders, reported requiring health-related services at least once for the same reason. CONCLUSIONS There are considerable numbers of New Zealanders requiring intervention from police or health-related services due to the effects of someone else's drinking. Further, increased exposure to heavy drinkers among respondents predicted increased service use. Heavy drinkers place increased burden on police and health-related services, not only because of directly attributable effects but because they impact others.
Differential scanning calorimetry characterization of rabbit brain membrane fractions.

Various membrane fractions have been prepared from rabbit brain synaptosomes by centrifugation on discontinuous sucrose gradients after osmotic shock. These fractions were characterized by electron microscopy (E.M.), SDS-PAGE and GABA binding. The fractions were then studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The calorimetric results indicate that all the fractions studied show thermal transitions at around 60 degrees C which correspond to the "melting" of membrane structures. An additional transition at higher temperature (82 degrees C) seems to be associated with an enrichment in central myelin fragments.
Comparison of Perioperative Complications and Hospitalization Outcomes After Ankle Arthrodesis Versus Total Ankle Arthroplasty From 2002 to 2011

Background: The aim of this study was to analyze a validated, nationally representative admissions database in order to compare perioperative complications and hospitalization outcomes associated with ankle arthrodesis (AAD) versus ankle arthroplasty (TAA). Methods: Using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database from 2002 to 2011, 12 250 patients who underwent AAD and 3002 patients who underwent TAA were identified based on International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes. The demographics, comorbidities, and perioperative outcomes during the index hospital stay were compared between patients who underwent AAD and TAA. Multivariate analysis was performed to adjust for differences in demographics and comorbidities between the 2 groups. Results: Multivariate analysis demonstrated that TAA was independently associated with a decreased risk of blood transfusion (relative risk [RR] = 0.53, P < .001), non–home discharge (RR = 0.70, P < .001), and overall complication (RR = 0.79, P = .03). There were similar rates of pneumonia, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolus, cerebrovascular accident, myocardial infarction, and mortality. TAA was independently associated with a significantly higher hospital charge (difference = $24 431, P < .001). There was no significant difference in the adjusted length of stay between the 2 groups (P = .13). Conclusion: TAA was independently associated with a lower risk of blood transfusion, non–home discharge, and overall complication when compared to AAD during the index hospitalization period. TAA was also independently associated with a higher hospitalization charge, but length of stay was similar between the 2 groups. Until long-term comparative studies are performed, the optimal treatment for end-stage ankle arthritis remains controversial, this study provides greater clarity with regard to hospitalization outcomes after the 2 procedures and shows no significant difference in risk for the majority of medical perioperative complications. Level of Evidence: Level III, comparative series.
The mother and the motherland: Their internal representations among immigrant and non-immigrant adolescents

This paper studies associations between internal representations that adolescents hold for their mothers and internal representations of the country they belong to, and the extent to which such internal representations impact on psychological adjustment. Two studies were conducted: the first with 328 Russian adolescents in Russia, and the second with 178 Jewish adolescent immigrants from Russia in Israel. In both samples, representations of the mother as caring were significantly related to the adolescents' positive attitudes towards their country of living. In addition, the adolescents' positive attitudes towards country of living were significantly related to their psychological adjustment, over and above internal representations of mother. Findings suggest the importance of theories of internal representations for understanding the dynamics of the adolescents' attachment to social objects and their psychological adjustment.
Zinc Absorption Is Not Related to Dietary Phytate Intake in Infants and Young Children Based on Modeling Combined Data from Multiple Studies.

BACKGROUND It is widely understood that the 2 primary factors affecting dietary zinc absorption in adults are the quantities of zinc and phytate in the diet. Although a similar association of absorption to dietary zinc and phytate is presumed to exist in children, to our knowledge, no large-scale examination of the relation of zinc absorption to dietary and growth factors has been conducted. OBJECTIVE The goal was to apply an adult absorption model and related models to data from zinc absorption studies of infants and children in order to determine the nature of the relation of zinc absorption to dietary zinc and phytate, age, body size, and zinc homeostatic variables. METHODS Data from 236 children between 8 and 50 mo of age were obtained from stable-isotope studies of zinc absorption. Statistical and mechanistic models were fit to the data using linear and nonlinear regression analysis. RESULTS The effect of dietary phytate on zinc absorption when controlling for dietary zinc was very small and not statistically discernable (P = 0.29). A 500-mg/d increase in dietary phytate reduced absorbed zinc by <0.04 mg/d. Absorption was observed to vary with age, weight, and height (P < 0.0001) when controlling for dietary zinc. For example, absorption from 6 mg/d of dietary zinc increased by as much as 0.2 mg/d with a 12-mo increase in age. Absorption varied with weight and exchangeable zinc pool size (0.01 < P < 0.05) when controlling for dietary zinc and age. CONCLUSIONS The absence of a detectable phytate effect on zinc absorption raises caution about use of dietary phytate:zinc molar ratios to predict zinc bioavailability and does not support phytate reduction as a strategy to improve zinc status of young children. The effect of age on zinc absorption and the absence of a phytate effect should facilitate estimations of dietary zinc needs in young children.
Trials and errors.

Maternal serum screening for Down's syndrome in early pregnancy. BMJ 1988;297:883-7. 3 Crossley JA, Aitken DA, Connor JM. Prenatal screening for chromosome abnormalities using maternal serum chorionic gonadotrophin, alpha-fetoprotein and age. Prenat Diagn 1991;11: 83-101. 4 Wald NJ, Kennard A, Densem JW, Cuckle HS, Chard T, Butler L. Antenatal maternal serum screening for Down's syndrome: results of a demonstration project. BMJ 1992;305:391-4. 5 Haddow JE, Palomaki GE, Knight GJ, William J, Pulkkinen A, Canick JA et al. Prenatal screening for Down's syndrome with use of maternal serum markers. N Engl J Med 1992;327: 588-93. 6 Berry E, Aitken DA, Crossley JA, Connor JM. Biochemical screening for chromosome abnormalities: five years' experience of routine screening in the West of Scotland. J Med Genet 1993;30:339. 7 Royal College of Physicians. Prenatal diagnosis and genetic screening. Contnnuntity and service implications. London: Royal College of Physicians, 1989. 8 Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Scientific Advisory Committee Working Party. Biochentical detectioni of Downi's syndrome. London: RCOG, 1993. 9 Wald NJ, Wald K, Smith D. The extent of Down's syndrome screening in Britain in 1991. Lancet 1 992;340:494-5. 10 Spencer K, Coombes EJ, Mallard AS, Milford Ward A. Free beta human chorionic gonadotrophin in Down's syndrome screening: a multicentre study in its role compared with other biochemical markers. Ann Clin Biochem 1992;29:506-18. 11 Spencer K, Macri JN, Aitken DA, Connor JM. Free beta hCG as first-trimester marker for fetal trisomy. Lancet 1992;339:1480. 12 Wald NJ, Stove R, Cuckle HS, Grudzinskas JG, Barkai G, Brambati B, et al. First trimester concentrations of pregnancy associated plasma protein A and placental protein 14 in Down's syndrome. BMJ 1992;305:28-9. 13 Aitken DA, McCaw G, Crossley JA, Berry E, Connor JM, Spencer K et al. First-trimester biochemical screening for fetal chromosome abnormalities and neural tube defects. Prenat Diagn (in press).
Effects of Enzymatic Degradation after Loading in Temporomandibular Joint

Synovial fluid of the joint decreases friction between the cartilage surfaces and reduces cartilage wear during articulation. Characteristic changes of synovial fluid have been shown in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). OA is generally considered to be induced by excessive mechanical stress. However, whether the changes in synovial fluid precede the mechanical overloading or vice versa remains unclear. In the present study, our purpose was to examine if the breakdown of joint lubrication affects the frictional properties of mandibular condylar cartilage and leads to subsequent degenerative changes in TMJ. We measured the frictional coefficient in porcine TMJ by a pendulum device after digestion with hyaluronidase (HAase) or trypsin. Gene expressions of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), type II collagen, and histology were examined after prolonged cyclic loading by an active pendulum system. The results showed that the frictional coefficient increased significantly after HAase (35%) or trypsin (74%) treatment. Gene expression of IL-1β, COX-2, and MMPs-1, -3, and -9 increased significantly in enzyme-treated TMJs after cyclic loading. The increase in the trypsin-treated group was greater than that in the HAase-treated group. Type II collagen expression was reduced in both enzyme-treated groups. Histology revealed surface fibrillation and increased MMP-1 in the trypsin-treated group, as well as increased IL-1β in both enzyme-treated groups after cyclic loading. The findings demonstrated that the compromised lubrication in TMJ is associated with altered frictional properties and surface wear of condylar cartilage, accompanied by release of pro-inflammatory and matrix degradation mediators under mechanical loading.
ECG biometrie template protection based on secure sketch scheme

ElectroCardioGram ECG biometrics has recently been identified as a promising technique to identify subjects. Meanwhile, as ECG related data can reveal other factors like medical disease, the protection of the ECG biometric template is mandatory. The challenge is to guaranty the privacy of the ECG data, while keeping adequate performance results in terms of false acceptance rate and false rejection rate in subject identification. In this work, the focus will be on designing and assessing a secure sketch scheme for protecting ECG template. We show that the proposed scheme preserves the identification performances of the unprotected system while maintaining an acceptable identification speed compared with the fuzzy commitment scheme. Performance evaluation of the investigated method is reported using data from the physionet database.
Differentiating embryonic neural progenitor cells induce blood–brain barrier properties

The blood–brain barrier (BBB) is a multifunctional endothelial interface separating the bloodstream from the brain interior. Although the mature BBB is well characterized, the embryonic development of this complex system remains poorly understood. Embryonic neural progenitor cells (NPC) are a potential inductive cell type populating the developing brain, and their ability to influence BBB properties was therefore examined. When puromycin‐purified brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMEC) were co‐cultured with embryonic NPC in a two‐compartment Transwell system, the BMEC exhibited enhanced barrier properties in the form of increased transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER) and decreased permeability to the small molecule tracer, sodium fluorescein. These changes required the presence of NPC in the early stages of differentiation and were accompanied by alterations in the fidelity of BMEC tight junctions as indicated by occludin, claudin 5, and zonula occluden‐1 redistribution at cell–cell borders. In contrast to the findings with NPC, post‐natal astrocytes elicited a delayed, but longer duration response in BMEC TEER. BMEC co‐culture also suppressed neuronal differentiation of NPC indicating a reciprocal signaling between the two cell populations. This study demonstrates that NPC–BMEC interactions are prevalent and for the first time demonstrates that NPC are capable of inducing BBB properties.
Changes of the corrected QT interval in healthy boys and girls over day and night.

AIMS The study was designed to detect changes in corrected QT intervals over day and night in both sexes in healthy children. METHODS AND RESULTS The corrected QT interval was calculated from 24 h ECGs obtained from 282 healthy children aged 6 months to 18 years. The QTc interval as measured by the 24 h recording differs to the standard ECG measurement which is in average of 40-50 ms shorter. The QTc interval changes little over a 24 h period and is remarkably constant despite significant heart rate changes in healthy children. CONCLUSION The routine ECG-even if the calculated values differ markedly from those obtained over 24 h-seems to be a good screening method for the measurement of corrected QT intervals, because the corrected QT interval is kept constant over the whole day in healthy children.
Long-term results of cryopreserved arterial allograft reconstruction in infected prosthetic grafts and mycotic aneurysms of the abdominal aorta.

PURPOSE This prospective, observational study determined the long-term outcome in patients with abdominal aortic infection (primary or prosthetic graft) who were treated with simultaneous aortic/graft excision and cryopreserved arterial allograft reconstruction. METHODS From April 1992 to March 2000, patients with abdominal aortic infection underwent complete or partial excision of the infected aorta/prosthetic graft and cryopreserved arterial allograft reconstruction. Arterial allografts were harvested from multiple organ donors and cryopreserved at -80 degrees C without rate-controlled freezing. The patients were observed for survival, limb salvage, persistence and/or recurrence of infection, and allograft patency. The results were calculated with life-table methods. RESULTS During the 8-year study period, 28 consecutive patients (27 men, 1 woman; mean age, 64 years) underwent treatment for abdominal aortic infection (23 graft infections, including 7 graft-enteric fistulas and 5 primary aortic infections). Allograft reconstruction was performed as an emergency procedure in 13 patients (46%). The mean follow-up period was 35.4 months (range, 6-101 months). The overall treatment-related mortality rate was 17.8% (17% for graft infection, 20% for primary aortic infection). The overall 3-year survival was 67%. There was no early or late amputation. There was no persistent or recurrent infection, and none of the patients received long-term (> 3 months) antibiotic therapy. Reoperation for allograft revision, excision, or replacement was necessary in four patients (17%) who were available for examination, with no reoperative perioperative death. The 3-year primary and secondary allograft patency rates were 81% and 96%, respectively. CONCLUSION Our experience with cryopreserved arterial allograft in the management of abdominal aortic infection suggests that this technique seems to be a useful option for treating one of the most dreaded vascular complications.