Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Occupational therapists' experience of working with immigrant clients in mental health care

Abstract Sweden's cultural diversity generates considerable challenges for occupational therapists. The aim of this study was to explore experiences and perceptions of occupational therapists working with immigrant psychiatric clients from the Middle East region. The study included interviews with eight occupational therapists employed in mental health care and working in a variety of settings. The data collection and analysis were carried out in accordance with the grounded theory approach. One core category, “the challenges of the multicultural therapeutic journey—a journey on a winding road” was identified. The core category included three categories: dilemmas in clinical practice, feelings and thoughts, and building cultural bridges, in turn comprising sub-categories and components. The results showed that the many dilemmas influencing effective multicultural occupational therapy were cultural, societal, and professional in nature. The dilemmas influenced feelings and thoughts, in turn influencing both motivation for seeking cultural knowledge and choice of adequate strategies in which the multicultural therapeutic relationship could develop. The results imply that culturally congruent occupational therapy practice needs to be further developed and more research is needed on how cultural issues can be met in occupational therapy practice.
Rational approach to implementation of prostate cancer antigen 3 into clinical care

Prostate cancer antigen 3 (PCA3) encodes a prostate‐specific messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) that serves as the target for a novel urinary molecular assay for prostate cancer detection. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the ability of PCA3, added to measurements of serum prostate‐specific antigen (PSA), to predict cancer detection by extended template biopsy.
JAK2 V617F mutation prevalence in myeloproliferative neoplasms in Pernambuco, Brazil.

BACKGROUND The JAK2 V617F mutation is associated with three myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs): polycythemia vera (PV), essential thrombocythemia (ET), and primary myelofibrosis (PMF). It generates an unregulated clonal hematopoietic progenitor and leads to abnormal increased proliferation of one or more myeloid lineages. Subjects bearing this mutation may present more frequently with complications such as thrombosis and bleeding, and no specific treatment has yet been developed for BCR-ABL-negative JAK2 V617F-negative MPNs. AIMS To determine the prevalence of JAK2 V617F in MPNs in Pernambuco, Brazil, and to compare it with previous studies. MATERIAL AND METHODS 144 blood samples were collected at the Hospital of Hematology of the HEMOPE Foundation and were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism with BsaXI enzymatic digestion. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 88% (46/52) of the patients with PV, 47% (39/81) with ET, and 77% (8/11) with PMF were positive for JAK2 V617F, while more than 35% of the individuals were JAK2 V617F-negative, confirming a high prevalence of this abnormality in MPNs, more frequently with a low mutated allele burden, similar to what has been reported in other Western countries, despite differences among methods used to detect this mutation. Screening for JAK2 V617F may allow specific management of these diseases with JAK2 inhibitors in the future and highlights the need for further studies on the pathogenesis of BCR-ABL-negative JAK2 V617F-negative MPNs.
JNK1/c-fos inhibits cardiomyocyte TNF-alpha expression via a negative crosstalk with ERK and p38 MAPK in endotoxaemia.

AIMS Myocardial tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) production plays an important role in cardiac dysfunction during sepsis. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of c-Jun NH2-terminal kinases (JNK) signalling in cardiomyocyte TNF-alpha expression during lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation and myocardial function in endotoxaemic mice. METHODS AND RESULTS In cultured neonatal mouse cardiomyocytes, deficiency of JNK1 or selective inhibition of JNK1 signalling by over-expression of a dominant negative mutant of JNK1 enhanced LPS-induced TNF-alpha expression, which was associated with elevations in phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). At the organ level, LPS-induced TNF-alpha expression was significantly increased in JNK1(-/-) compared with wild-type hearts. JNK1 activation by LPS also induced immediate c-fos expression in cardiomyocytes, which was blocked by inhibition of JNK1 signalling. The role of c-fos expression in LPS-induced TNF-alpha expression was investigated in both cultured c-fos(-/-) cardiomyocytes and isolated c-fos(-/-) hearts. Deficiency of c-fos significantly enhanced LPS-induced TNF-alpha expression in cardiomyocytes and isolated hearts. Over-expression of c-fos decreased TNF-alpha expression in LPS-stimulated cardiomyocytes, which was associated with a decrease in phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and p38. In mice with endotoxaemia, deficiency of either JNK1 or c-fos further decreased cardiac function compared with corresponding wild-type controls. CONCLUSION JNK1/c-fos inhibits ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK signalling, leading to decreased cardiomyocyte TNF-alpha expression and improvements in cardiac function during endotoxaemia.
Accessory mental foramina: prevalence, position and diameter assessed by cone-beam computed tomography and digital panoramic radiographs.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the presentation of accessory mental foramina (AMF) on cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and digital panoramic examinations (PAN). STUDY DESIGN Imaging examinations (i.e., CBCT and PAN) of 100 patients (200 hemi-mandibles) were assessed. AMF prevalence, diameter, and location related to adjacent teeth and to the mental foramen (MF) were analyzed. RESULTS On CBCT images, the AMF was observed in 3% of the patients: two unilateral cases and one bilateral case, with mean diameter of 0.93 mm (±0.3); no AMF was identified on PAN. Most AMF were located between the premolars, either superiorly (two cases) or mesially (two cases) to the MF. The mean horizontal distance to the corresponding MF was 2.3 mm (±1.0) and the mean vertical distance was 4.0 mm (±0.7). CONCLUSIONS The results of this study suggest that CBCT is an effective tool for presurgical tridimensional assessment of the neurovascular structures, such as MF and its variations; On the other hand, PAN examinations were not able to show the AMF cases assessed on CBCT.
Evaluation of an Authority Innovation-Decision: Brief Alcohol Intervention for Pregnant Women Receiving Women, Infants, and Children Services at Two Illinois Health Departments

Despite the availability of clinical tools and evidence-based screening recommendations, there has been little discussion regarding screening of prenatal alcohol exposure in community-based settings, including adoption and implementation. This study's aim is to evaluate and validate—through surveys and focus groups—obstacles and challenges that shape efficacious implementation of the BAI at two Illinois health departments. Results suggest that BAI implementation is facilitated by staff perceptions of its benefits, readiness to implement the intervention, and organizational support for it. Limitations of the management information system, ambiguous screening questions, and high case-loads present barriers to effective BAI implementation.
Cyclic Di-AMP Homeostasis in Bacillus subtilis

Background: Bacillus subtilis encodes three diadenylate cyclases. Results: Cyclic di-AMP is essential for the viability of B. subtilis; however, excess c-di-AMP also harms the cells. The activity of the cyclases is subject to regulation. Conclusion: The control of c-di-AMP homeostasis is crucial for B. subtilis. Significance: c-di-AMP is the first essential signaling nucleotide in bacteria. The genome of the Gram-positive soil bacterium Bacillus subtilis encodes three potential diadenylate cyclases that may synthesize the signaling nucleotide cyclic di-AMP (c-di-AMP). These enzymes are expressed under different conditions in different cell compartments, and they localize to distinct positions in the cell. Here we demonstrate the diadenylate cyclase activity of the so far uncharacterized enzymes CdaA (previously known as YbbP) and CdaS (YojJ). Our work confirms that c-di-AMP is essential for the growth of B. subtilis and shows that an excess of the molecule is also harmful for the bacteria. Several lines of evidence suggest that the diadenylate cyclase CdaA is part of the conserved essential cda-glm module involved in cell wall metabolism. In contrast, the CdaS enzyme seems to provide c-di-AMP for spores. Accumulation of large amounts of c-di-AMP impairs the growth of B. subtilis and results in the formation of aberrant curly cells. This phenotype can be partially suppressed by elevated concentrations of magnesium. These observations suggest that c-di-AMP interferes with the peptidoglycan synthesis machinery. The activity of the diadenylate cyclases is controlled by distinct molecular mechanisms. CdaA is stimulated by a regulatory interaction with the CdaR (YbbR) protein. In contrast, the activity of CdaS seems to be intrinsically restricted, and a single amino acid substitution is sufficient to drastically increase the activity of the enzyme. Taken together, our results support the idea of an important role for c-di-AMP in B. subtilis and suggest that the levels of the nucleotide have to be tightly controlled.
Gd‐DTP A‐enhanced lesions in the brain of patients with acute optic neuritis

The cerebral hemispheres of 19 patients with acute monosymptomatic optic neuritis (AMON) were investigated using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and Gadolinium‐DTPA (Gd‐DTPA). Using T1‐weighted and T2‐weighted imaging sequences it was disclosed that 14 of 19 patients had lesions and that enhancement was seen in seven patients. It is known that patients with AMON and silent lesions in the CNS have a highly increased risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) later on. If it is accepted that a silent lesion in patients with AMON does represent a multiple sclerosis (MS) plaque, and that an enhancing silent lesion represents an acute MS lesion, we may hypothesize that the disease process ultimately leading to MS starts long before the first symptom or sign ever appears. It would seem that at least half of the silent lesions in the cerebral hemispheres of patients with AMON had existed before the onset of the AMON, and that the disease actually started before the onset of the AMON.
Hartley Transform Representations of Symmetric Toeplitz Matrix Inverses with Application to Fast Matrix-Vector Multiplication

Representations for inverses of real symmetric Toeplitz matrices involving discrete Hartley transformations are presented which can be used for fast matrix-vector multiplication. In this way, multiplication of a column vector by an inverse real symmetric Toeplitz matrix can be carried out with the help of six Hartley transformations plus two for preprocessing. Besides complexity, stability issues will also be discussed. In particular, it is shown that, for positive definite Toeplitz matrices, the relative error of the computed vector can be estimated by a multiple of the condition number of the matrix.
Exploiting Spatial and Frequency Diversity in Spatially Correlated MU-MIMO Downlink Channels

The effect of self-interference due to the increase of spatial correlation in a MIMO channel has become one of the limiting factors towards the implementation of future network downlink transmissions. This paper aims to reduce the effect of self-interference in a downlink multiuser- (MU-) MIMO transmission by exploiting the available spatial and frequency diversity. The subcarrier allocation scheme can exploit the frequency diversity to determine the self-interference from the ESINR metric, while the spatial diversity can be exploited by introducing the partial feedback scheme, which offers knowledge of the channel condition to the base station and further reduces the effect before the allocation process takes place. The results have shown that the proposed downlink transmission scheme offers robust bit error rate (BER) performance, even when simulated in a fully correlated channel, without imposing higher feedback requirements on the base controller.
Promoting Inquiry-Based Instruction and Collaboration in a Teacher Preparation Program

How mathematics and science teacher educators collaborated to promote the use of high-level tasks and inquiry-based instruction in high school classrooms. Working with a colleague in the School of Arts and Sciences, education professors developed and team-taught a model inquiry-based lesson. Then teacher candidates were asked to design high-level inquiry-based tasks and maintain the level of those tasks as they engaged their peers in similar micro-teaching activities.
Cutaneous Leukocytoclastic Vasculitis: Clinical Experience in 44 Patients

Chronic or recurrent cutaneous leukocytoclastic vasculitis is one of the more difficult therapeutic challenges to the practicing dermatologist. We have used a variety of therapeutic agents to treat 44 patients with leukocytoclastic vasculitis who had chronic or recurrent disease of more than three months' duration. Sixteen cases were classified as urticarial vasculitis based on the major clinical manifestations, while the remaining 28 cases represented various patterns. Effectiveness of treatment was graded according to resolution of lesions, return to normal of abnormal laboratory findings, or the ability to lower the dosage of a second therapeutic agent (usually a corticosteroid). Systemic corticosteroids, azathioprine, and colchicine appeared to be effective in most patients. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents, sulfones, antihistamines, and antimalarials were effective only in sporadic cases. We present an approach to the treatment of this type of disorder.
Lactic dehydrogenase isoenzymes in cerebrospinal fluid associated with hydrocephalus

Various neurological disorders are associated with specific changes in the level of total lactic dehydrogenase and concentrations of its isoenzymes in the cerebrospinal fluid. We describe the lactic dehydrogenase isoenzyme values in children with hydrocephalus. Cerebrospinal fluid samples collected from 10 patients (2 to 16 mo) with hydrocephalus were analysed for total lactic dehydrogenase activity and lactic dehydrogenase isoenzymes. Findings were compared with those in samples from 15 paediatric patients, with normal results. Mean total lactic dehydrogenase activity in the cerebrospinal fluid was significantly higher in the patients with hydrocephalus (101 ± 23.11 U/L) than in the controls (33.53 ± 5.75 U/L) (p < 0.001). In the control samples, lactic dehydrogenase‐1 was the main fraction, followed by lactic dehydrogenase‐2 and 3; only small concentrations of lactic dehydrogenase‐4 and lactic dehydrogenase‐5 were detected. By contrast, patients with hydrocephalus had lower concentrations of the lactic dehydrogenase‐1 fraction and higher lactic dehydrogenase‐2 and lactic dehydrogenase‐3 concentrations, the differences between these results and those in the control group being statistically significant (p < 0.001). The values for lactic dehydrogenase‐4 and lactic dehydrogenase‐5 were similar in both groups.
Molecular Pathways Epstein-Barr Virus – Associated B-cell Lymphomas : Pathogenesis and Clinical Outcomes

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a ubiquitous human g-herpesvirus that establishes a life-long asymptomatic infection in immunocompetent hosts. It is also found to be frequently associated with a broad spectrum of B-cell lymphomas predominantly seen in immunodeficient patients. Despite many resemblances, these EBV-linked lymphoproliferative disorders display heterogeneity at the clinical and the molecular level. Moreover, EBV-associated lymphoproliferative diseases differ in their differential expression patterns of the EBV-encoded latent antigens, which are directly related to their interactions with the host. EBV-driven primary B-cell immortalization is linked to the cooperative functions of these latent proteins, which are critical for perturbing many important cell-signaling pathways maintaining B-cell proliferation. Additionally, it is used as a surrogate model to explore the underlying mechanisms involved in the development of B-cell neoplasms. Recent discoveries have revealed that a number of sophisticated mechanisms are exploited by EBV during cancer progression. This finding will be instrumental in the design of novel approaches for therapeutic interventions against EBV-associated B-cell lymphomas. This review limits the discussion to the biology and pathogenesis of EBV-associated B-cell lymphomas and the related clinical implications. Clin Cancer Res; 17(10); 3056–63. 2011 AACR.
The role of calcium in the regulation of apoptosis.

Apoptosis (programmed cell death) has gained widespread attention due to its roles in a variety of physiological and pathological processes, yet precisely how apoptosis is regulated by external and internal cues remains unclear. Work from our laboratories and others has implicated alterations in intracellular Ca2+ in apoptosis, and more recent work has defined particular biochemical processes that are targeted by Ca2+ in apoptotic cells. This review will summarize the role of Ca2+ in apoptosis within the context of what is known about the core components of the effector machinery for apoptosis.
Paleoindian demography and the extraterrestrial impact hypothesis

Recently it has been suggested that one or more large extraterrestrial (ET) objects struck northern North America 12,900 ± 100 calendar years before present (calBP) [Firestone RB, et al. (2007) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 104: 16016–16021]. This impact is claimed to have triggered the Younger Dryas major cooling event and resulted in the extinction of the North American megafauna. The impact is also claimed to have caused major cultural changes and population decline among the Paleoindians. Here, we report a study in which ≈1,500 radiocarbon dates from archaeological sites in Canada and the United States were used to test the hypothesis that the ET resulted in population decline among the Paleoindians. Following recent studies [e.g., Gamble C, Davies W, Pettitt P, Hazelwood L, Richards M (2005) Camb Archaeol J 15:193–223), the summed probability distribution of the calibrated dates was used to identify probable changes in human population size between 15,000 and 9,000 calBP. Subsequently, potential biases were evaluated by modeling and spatial analysis of the dated occupations. The results of the analyses were not consistent with the predictions of extraterrestrial impact hypothesis. No evidence of a population decline among the Paleoindians at 12,900 ± 100 calBP was found. Thus, minimally, the study suggests the extraterrestrial impact hypothesis should be amended.
Correlation between growth inhibition and intranuclear doxorubicin and 4'-deoxy-4'-iododoxorubicin quantitated in living K562 cells by microspectrofluorometry.

Intranuclear drug concentration in cells treated with doxorubicin (DXR) or with 4'-deoxy-4'-iododoxorubicin (IDX) was measured by means of a quantitative microspectrofluorometric technique recently developed by us. Resolution of free and bound drug contributions in fluorescence emission spectra, as collected from a microvolume of single living cell nuclei, provided concentration data with about 10% indetermination. Uptake of DXR and IDX into the nucleus of K562 cells and DXR-resistant K562/DXR cells could then be studied with a sensitive, nondestructive technique. Growth inhibitory concentrations of K562 and K562/DXR cells, when measured with respect to drug content in the medium, differed by a factor of 25 in the case of DXR and by a factor of three in the case of IDX. By contrast, intranuclear drug concentrations measured at corresponding growth inhibitory concentrations are found to be nearly constant, i.e., independent of cellular-resistant phenotype and of anthracycline structure. This result supports an identical mechanism of action for the two drugs, most probably targeted to the nucleus, and ascribes to intracellular transport the different potency of the two drugs in the two cell lines.
Vitamin D and Parkinson's disease—A hypothesis

Parkinson's disease (PD), a common disease of the elderly, is a movement disorder characterized by tremor, akinesia, and loss of postural reflexes, leading to immobility and frequent falls. It results from selective loss (death) of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra region of the brain, largely developed prior to clinical diagnosis, and continuous after diagnosis, despite use of current therapeutic modalities. In PD in the United States the cause and mechanism of continued neuron cell death in the substantia nigra is currently unknown. We hypothesize, based upon several lines of evidence, that documented chronically inadequate vitamin D intake in the United States, particularly in the northern states and particularly in the elderly, is a significant factor in the pathogenesis of PD. This hypothesis implies that dietary aid for prevention and therapy for PD is possible. © 2006 Movement Disorder Society
First report of Navicula jakovljevicii Hustedt (Bacillariophyta) from Hungary: distribution, comparative morphology and a related species

Abstract In Hungary Navicula jakovljevicii was firstly recorded in biofilm of Elodea nuttallii in 2005 in an oxbow of the catchment area of the River Danube. Subsequently, in 2006, N. jakovljevicii was also found in the same oxbow on reed stems as well. In the following years it appeared in another oxbow, suggesting an expanding distribution in the tributaries of the Danube in Hungary. The Hungarian population can be characterised as having mixed morphological features in comparison with other known N. jakovljevicii populations of Europe. When the morphological study was expanded, a similar, but 'giant form' was detect ed in fossil material. We found similarities and a possible connection between N. jakovljevicii and Navicula lucida, a diatom taxon described from a Neogene deposit in the Carpathian Basin. Despite the morphological similarities in the shape, apices, striae pattern and raphe structure of these two species, there are significant differences in valve dimensions: the valves of N. lucida are larger and more heavily silicified than N. jakovljevicii.
Biochemical and pharmacologic studies of dystonia

RECENT ADVANCES in our understanding of the biochemistry and pharmacotherapy of extrapyramidal disease have directed attention to the role of monoamines in normal as well as in disordered motor function. There is compelling eyidence to suggest that dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin act as synaptic mediators in certain pathways within the central nervous system and that they are often modified by centrally active drugs and disease processes. It now appears that alterations in specific monoamine-containing neural systems may lead to a characteristic array of neurological signs, and that in certain cases, these signs may be reversed by agents which act to restore normal monoaminergic function. While these possibilities have been explored most extensively in Parkinson's disease, they may be no less relevant to the study and treatment of the torsion dystonias. During the past decade, there have been several attempts to identify changes in the urinary excretion of monoamines and their major metabolites in patients with torsion dystonia an& other extrapyramidal di~orders.l-~ These studies have often yielded conflicting results. This is hardly surprising in view of the relatively small fraction of amines and amine metabolites in urine which derive from the central nervous system. Evaluation of monoamine metabolite levels in cerebrospinal fluid, on the other hand, may be a more useful approach to the biochemical study of disorders confined to the central nervous system. Several major products of monoamine degradation are measurable in spinal fluid by currently available techniques. Animal studies suggest