Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms mediate the relationship between traumatic experiences and drinking behavior among women attending alcohol-serving venues in a South African township.

OBJECTIVE South Africa has high rates of traumatic experiences and alcohol abuse or dependence, especially among women. Traumatic experiences often result in symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and PTSD has been associated with hazardous drinking. This article examines the relationship between traumatic events and hazardous drinking among women who patronized alcohol-serving venues in South Africa and examines PTSD as a mediator of this relationship. METHOD A total of 560 women were recruited from a Cape Town township. They completed a computerized assessment that included alcohol consumption, history of traumatic events, and PTSD symptoms. Mediation analysis examined whether PTSD symptoms mediated the relationship between the number of traumatic event categories experienced (range: 0-7) and drinking behavior. RESULTS The mean Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test score in the sample was 12.15 (range: 0-34, SD = 7.3), with 70.9% reaching criteria for hazardous drinking (AUDIT > 8). The mean PTSD score was 36.32 (range: 17-85, SD = 16.3),with 20.9% meeting symptom criteria for PTSD (PTSD Checklist with 20.9% meeting symptom criteria for PTSD (PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version ≥ 50). Endorsement of traumatic experiences was high, including adult emotional (51.8%), physical (49.6%), and sexual (26.3%) abuse; childhood physical (35.0%) and sexual (25.9%) abuse; and other types of trauma (83%). All categories of traumatic experiences, except the "other" category, were associated with hazardous drinking. PTSD symptoms mediated 46% of the relationship between the number of traumatic categories experienced and drinking behavior. CONCLUSIONS Women reported high rates of hazardous drinking and high levels of PTSD symptoms, and most had some history of traumatic events. There was a strong relationship between traumatic exposure and drinking levels, which was largely mediated by PTSD symptoms. Substance use interventions should address histories of trauma in this population, where alcohol may be used in part to cope with past traumas.
Impact of Sociocultural & Skill Related Factors for Success of Micro Entrepreneurs

Microenterprise plays a crucial role in the economic development of any economy. The present study measures micro entrepreneurial success in terms of sociocultural and skill related factors of Indian micro entrepreneurs. A set of four dimensions likeeducation, prior experience, communication and leadership skills of micro entrepreneurs, is identified from prior research works. A survey is used to collect data of all four dimensions following its degree of influence of these dimensions on micro entrepreneurial success in Jharkhand state. Finally, a multiple regression analysis is carried out to examine the relationship between these four dimensions and micro-entrepreneurial success.
Bovine parathyroid hormone: minimum chain length of synthetic peptide required for biological activity.

Several fragments representing progressively shorter segments of the amino terminal region of bovine parathyroid hormone have been prepared by solid-phase peptide synthesis and bioassayed in the in vitro rat kidney adenyl cyclase assay and the in vivo chick hypercalcemia assay. These studies have denned the minimum chain length required for activity. The synthetic amino terminal 1-34 peptide was highly potent (80% on a molar basis of the natural hormone in vitro and 130% in vivo). It was found that deletion of the amino terminal residue (alanine) resulted in a marked decrease in activity and removal of the second residue (valine) at the amino terminus completely abolished activity in both assay systems. Greater shortening was tolerated at the carboxyl terminus. Peptide 1-27 was still active in the in vitro assay; deletion of residue 27 led to loss of biological activity in both assays. (Endocrinology 93: 1349, 1973)
SCL-90 Assessed Psychopathology in Pathological Gamblers

The SCL-90 was administered to 68 pathological gamblers receiving behavioural treatment for uncontrollable gambling to assess the degree of psychopathology present within this recently recognized psychiatric category. Consistent with the literature, pathological gamblers were characterized by high depression, t-test analyses showed pathological gamblers obtained significantly higher scores on all scales than those of normal controls. Five of the scale scores were similar to, and the remainder, with the exception of Depression, were signficantly lower than those of psychiatric outpatients. Results indicate the presence of increased psychopathology in pathological gamblers.
Aluminium chloride-induced toxicity in zebrafish larvae.

Embryos at shield stage and larvae at protruding mouth stage were exposed to different concentrations of aluminium chloride (AlCl3 ) for 72 h with the purpose to analyse their phenotype and lethality. After 24, 48 and 72 h of treatment, higher toxicity of the metal was observed on larvae with minimal lethal concentration of 0.25, 0.20 and 0.08 mm, respectively, while for embryos the corresponding values were 40, 25 and 16 mm. We observed pericardial oedema and alteration of heart rate in 50% of larvae after 48 h of exposure to 100 μm. In larvae exposed to the same concentration, there was also a neurological injury at the level of glial cells, with the number of glial fibrillary acidic protein-positive cells being significantly reduced. This study confirms the toxic nature of this metal and shows that aluminium could also interestingly represent a cardiotoxin in addition to its neurotoxic ability.
Effects of level of processing at encoding and types of retrieval task in mild cognitive impairment and normal aging

A total of 16 young (M = 27.25 years), 13 healthy elderly (M = 75.38 years), and 10 older adults with probable mild cognitive impairment (MCI; M = 78.6 years) carried out a task under two different encoding conditions (shallow vs. semantic) and two retrieval conditions (free recall vs. recognition). For the shallow condition, participants had to decide whether the first or last letter of each word in a list was “E. ” For the semantic condition, they had to decide whether each word represented a concrete or abstract entity. The MCI group was only able to benefit from semantic encoding to the same extent as the healthy older adults in the recognition task, whereas the younger and healthy older adults benefited in both retrieval tasks. These results suggest that the MCI group required cognitive support at retrieval to make effective use of semantic processing carried out at encoding. In the discussion, we suggest that adults with MCI engage more in deep processing, using the semantic network, than hitherto thought.
CD52 expression in T-cell large granular lymphocyte leukemia – Implications for treatment with alemtuzumab

Few reports on the successful treatment of T-cell large granular lymphocyte (LGL) leukemia with the humanized anti-CD52 monoclonal antibody alemtuzumab are emerging in the literature. The expression of CD52 by LGLs has not been previously investigated. Using semi-quantitative 2- and 3-color flow cytometry, we documented the expression of CD52 in 100% of abnormal cells in T-cell LGL leukemia (n = 11) and natural killer (NK) cell LGL leukemia (n = 2), and showed no significant difference in CD52 expression between T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia (PLL) and T-cell LGL leukemia. Higher CD52 expression has been noted in responders to alemtuzumab in T-cell PLL and in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a B-cell disorder. The strong and consistent expression of CD52 shown here highlights the potential role of alemtuzumab in the treatment of refractory T-cell LGL leukemia and possibly aggressive NK cell leukemia.
From culture to symptom: Testing a structural model of “Chinese somatization”

“Chinese somatization” has been frequently discussed over the past three decades of cultural psychiatry, and has more recently been demonstrated in cross-national comparisons. Empirical studies of potential explanations are lacking, however. Ryder and Chentsova-Dutton (2012) proposed that Chinese somatization can be understood as a cultural script for depression, noting that the literature is divided on whether this script primarily involves felt bodily experience or a stigma-avoiding communication strategy. Two samples from Hunan province, China—one of undergraduate students (n = 213) and one of depressed psychiatric outpatients (n = 281)—completed the same set of self-report questionnaires, including a somatization questionnaire developed in Chinese. Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that Chinese somatization could be understood as two correlated factors: one focusing on the experience and expression of distress, the other on its conceptualization and communication. Structural equation modeling demonstrated that traditional Chinese cultural values are associated with both of these factors, but only bodily experience is associated with somatic depressive symptoms. This study takes a first step towards directly evaluating explanations for Chinese somatization, pointing the way to future multimethod investigations of this cultural script.
Elimination of Self-Peptide Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I Reactivity in NOD and β2-Microglobulin-Negative Mice

Nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice and β2-microglobulin-gene–ablated mice (β2M –/–) show impaired presentation of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and self-peptides, structures now recognized as critical for T-cell education to endogenous peptides. The naturally occurring NOD class I presentation abnormality appears to be attributable to, in part, a quantitative defect in the production of Tap-1 mRNA; Tap-1 with Tap-2 normally functions as a transporter for stable self-peptide and class I assembly. This study attempts to reverse NOD and β2M –/– mouse autoreactivity by introduced or reestablished syngeneic class I presentation. Introduction of MHC class I and self-peptides on syngeneic MHC class I-matched cells specifically prevented diabetes in NOD mice and eliminated in vitro class I–directed T-cell autoreactivity in NOD and β2M –/– mice. Reestablishment of endogenousclass I and self-peptide presentation in NOD mice was achieved with two well-described cures for the NOD mouse, complete Freund's adjuvant and mouse hepatitis virus. Both treatments induced Tap-1 mRNA, reestablished class I presentation of endogenous antigens, and eliminated in vitro and in vivo T-cell autoreactivity of self-peptides in the class I groove. These results substantiate a therapeutic role of self-peptide complexed with class I for T-cell education and suggest that some well-described NOD treatments may work, in part, through reestablishment of tolerance through class I and self-peptide.
How and when feedback works in psychotherapy: Is it the signal?

Abstract Objective: Monitoring of ongoing psychotherapy is of crucial importance in improving the quality of mental health care, and feedback (FB) about patients’ progress has been established as a viable means. The essential feature of FB models is that patient progress is measured continuously through therapy. Aim: This study investigated the effect of receiving a warning signal when a patient is not achieving expected improvement (not-on-track), monitored with the Norwegian version of the patient FB system OQ®-Analyst. Method: Patients from six psychiatric clinics in Southern Norway (N = 259) were randomized to FB or no feedback (NFB). Results: For the total sample, the FB effects appeared early (session three). Receiving a warning signal did not change the slope of patients’ progress after the signal was given (FB versus NFB). FB seemed to be more effective with more severely distressed patients, although insignificant. Therapists indicated that the graphs imaging patient progress, and the accompanying discussion with the patient, were the most important aspects of FB. Conclusions: The use of OQ®-Analyst should be recommended in psychotherapeutic settings in Norway. Given the inconsistent results regarding the effect of warning signals, definitive conclusions about their effect may depend upon how and for whom it is used.
Does performance information affect politicians ’ attitudes to spending and organizational reform ?

Performance information systems have been widely adopted by national and local governments. This development has been argued to assist elected politicians in deciding on important questions of resource allocation and organizational reform, potentially creating a system of performance-based budgeting where decision-makers reward high-performers and punish low-performers. Others have argued, however, that politics will continue to undermine these efforts but also that inherent ambiguity of performance information–for instance that low performance signals a need for more resources–makes this unrealistic (Moynihan 2008). Empirically based knowledge of this is limited, however, and existing work relies on case studies or cross-sectional survey data unable to fully control for contextual factors. The aim of this study is to examine the impact of performance information on politicians’ attitudes toward spending and organizational reform. We did this by conducting a randomized survey experiment among all Danish city councillors, in which the treatment group was exposed to a weak information treatment concerning whether their municipality performed above, below, or around the national average within a highly salient policy area. We found, first, that performance information does not have one general effect on politicians’ attitudes but that it depends on the level of performance reported. Second, information on performance both above and below–but not around– the national average leads to attitudes of increased spending, which indicates that lessons from performance information are ambiguous. Third, only high performance makes politicians less favorable to undertaking organizational reform. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications.
Risk of endocrine complications in cancer patients treated with immune check point inhibitors: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND We performed a meta-analysis of the risk of endocrine adverse events associated with immune check point inhibitors. METHODS Eligible studies included randomized trials of cancer patients on immune checkpoint inhibitors; describing events of hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, hypophysitis and adrenal insufficiency. RESULTS A total of ten clinical trials were eligible for the meta-analysis. The relative risk of all-grade hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, hypophyisitis and adrenal insufficiency were 8.26 (95% CI: 4.67-14.62; p < 0.00001), 5.48 (95% CI: 1.33-22.53; p = 0.02); 22.03 (95% CI: 8.52-56.94; p < 0.00001), 3.87 (95% CI: 1.12-13.41; p = 0.03), respectively. CONCLUSION Our meta-analysis has demonstrated that the use of immune check point inhibitors is associated with an increased risk of hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, hypophysitis and adrenal insufficiency compared with control.
Expression of p16 Protein and Hypermethylation Status of Its Promoter Gene in Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma of the Head and Neck

Reduced expression of the p16 gene product (protein), an inhibitor of cyclin-D-dependent protein kinase which regulates cell cycle at the G1/S boundary, is implicated in tumor progression in various neoplasms. Hypermethylation of the p16 promoter gene has recently been suggested to be one of the reasons for the reduced protein expression. To explore the role of p16 in the biological behavior of adenoid cystic carcinomas (ACC), we investigated the immunohistochemical expression of p16 protein in 38 ACC tumors (32 primary, 3 recurrent, and 3 metastatic tumors) and the methylation status of its promoter gene. We also examined their relationships to the histological grade of malignancy. Positive reaction of p16 protein was demonstrated in the nuclei of luminar cuboidal cells in areas with tubular patterns. The reactions were reduced in the areas with solid or large cribriform patterns. The levels of p16 expression correlated with the histological grade of malignancy. Recurrent or metastatic tumors did not differ with respect to histological grades from the original tumor except for 1 case, in which p16 expression was reduced compared to the primary tumor. Methylation-specific PCR demonstrated the hypermethylation status of the p16 promoter gene in 4 of 22 primary tumors (21%), all of which showed negative or low expression of the p16 protein. The study indicated that p16 expression was reduced in ACC cases of higher histological grade of malignancy and that hypermethylation of its promoter gene may be involved in its process in some cases.
Long-term effect of surgical and non-surgical periodontal treatment. A 5-year clinical study.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the long-term (5 yr.) effect of surgical and non-surgical periodontal treatment. 16 patients with advanced periodontal disease participated in the study- All patients were subjected to initial treatment comprising supra- and subgingival scaling and instruction in performing proper oral hygiene. Modified Widman flap surgery was always employed in a quadrant in both the maxilla and mandible. Reverse bevel flap surgery or root planing under local anesthesia were used in the contralteral quadrants. During the 1st 2 wk after surgery or root planing the patients rinsed twice daily with 0.2% chlorhexidine digluconate They were then recalled for professional tooth cleaning once every 2nd wk for the 1st yr. every 3rd month during the 2nd yr, and every 6th month during the last 3 yr. Subgingival scaling was performed at each recall appointment during the last 4 yr. Surgical as well as non-surgical treatment resulted in a considerable reduction in probing pocket depth which was maintained during the 5-yr observation period. A small gain of probing attachment (0.0-0.4 mm) was assessed 3 months after treatment for all procedures, but after 5 yr a small loss of attachment (0.0-0.2 mm) bad occurred in surgically treated areas, whereas a gain of 0.3 mm was maintained in the areas treated with root planing. The changes in bone level were minute following both surgical and non-surgical treatment. Less than 5% of the tooth surfaces exhibited a loss of probing attachment of more than 2 mm or a loss of alveolar bone of 15% or more of the “normal” bone height alter 5 yr. The number of deteriorating sites in each individual did not correlate with the level of self-performed oral hygiene.
Acute bovine viral diarrhea virus infection inhibits expression of interferon tau-stimulated genes in bovine endometrium†

ABSTRACT Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) can evade host detection by downregulation of interferon signaling pathways. Infection of cows with noncytopathic (ncp) BVDV can cause early embryonic mortality. Upregulation of type I interferon stimulated genes (ISGs) by blastocyst-secreted interferon tau (IFNT) is a crucial component of the maternal recognition of pregnancy (MRP) in ruminants. This study investigated the potential of acute BVDV infection to disrupt MRP by modulating endometrial ISG expression. Endometrial cells from 10 BVDV-free cows were cultured and treated with 0 or 100 ng/ml IFNT for 24 h in the absence or presence of ncpBVDV infection to yield four treatment groups: CONT, ncpBVDV, IFNT, or ncpBVDV+IFNT. ncpBVDV infection alone only upregulated TRIM56, but reduced mRNA expression of ISG15, MX2, BST2, and the proinflammatory cytokine IL1B. As anticipated, IFNT treatment alone significantly increased expression of all 17 ISGs tested. In contrast to the limited effect of ncpBVDV alone, the virus markedly inhibited IFNT-stimulated expression of 15 ISGs tested (ISG15, HERC5, USP18, DDX58, IFIH1, IFIT1, IFIT3, BST2, MX1, MX2, RSAD2, OAS1Y, SAMD9, GBP4, and PLAC8), together with ISG15 secreted protein. Only TRIM56 and IFI27 expression was unaltered. IL1B expression was reduced by the combined treatment. These results indicate that acute ncpBVDV infection may decrease uterine immunity and lead to MRP failure through inhibition of IFNT-stimulated endometrial ISG production. This in turn could reduce fertility and predispose cows to uterine disease, while evasion of the normal uterine immune response by ncpBVDV may contribute to maintenance and spreading of this economically important disease. Summary Sentence BVDV can interrupt pregnancy recognition and evade host detection in the uterine endometrium by downregulation of interferon signaling pathways
Gain-of-function and loss-of-function analyses in vivo of transcriptional factor and cytokine genes using Epstein-Barr virus-based episomal vectors, and their implication to novel strategies of gene therapy and regenerative medicine

Genetic transfer and regulation methodologies in vivo are essential for analysis and manipulation of cells and tissue functions. A variety of such systems have also been applied to basic and preclinical studies on gene therapy and regenerative medicine, etc., while clinical utilization has not been successful enough so far. The gene transfection efficiencies of nonviral vectors are drastically improved by inserting EBV nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1) gene and oriP that are derived from EBV genome into the expression vectors (EBV-based episomal vectors) and combining them with various non-viral transfection vehicles. By means of the multiscale manipulation procedures, we analyzed intracellular distribution of EBNA1 and oriP sequence after transfected an EBV-based episomal vector into mammalian cells, and estimated its implication to the high rate transfection of the EBV-based episomal vectors. Taking advantage of its ability to achieve highly efficient transfecton in vivo, we also applied the EBV-based episomal vector system for in vivo functional analyses of variety of genes, including interleukin-21 (IL-21) and IL-27. Meanwhile, RNA interference (RNAi) offers extremely useful tools for down-regulating expression of specific genes in a variety of organisms. We previously showed RNAi in mammalian organs in vivo, as well as its application to therapeutic molecular targeting of various disorders including malignant melanoma and rheumatoid arthritis. Here we present other examples of functional gene analyses in vivo using the EBV-episomal vector-based transfection and RNAi, and of assessment of their usefulness in control of malignant diseases in animal models. IL-23 is an IL-12 family cytokine and plays a crucial role in Th17 differentiation. We performed systemic transfection of IL-23-encoding EBV-based episomal vector and evaluated concentration of the cytokine in mouse serum. When the plasmid was transfected into the mice with preestablished low-immunogenic tumor, the growth of the tumor was not significantly influenced. Meanwhile, microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (Mitf) gene plays indispensable roles in survival and proliferation of melanoma. We performed electro-poration-mediated knock-down of Mitf expression in vivo in melanoma that was transplanted in syngenic mice. As results, the growth of the tumor was significantly suppressed, while more drastic suppression was achieved when IL-12 gene was co-electrotransfected into the tumor using an EBV-based eipsomal vector. These findings may suggest powerful means for in vivo functional analyses of genes through both gain-of-function- and loss-of-function-based procedures, and propose novel gene therapy and immunotherapy strategies to eradicate malignancies.