Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nicotine treatment improves Toll-like receptor 2 and Toll-like receptor 9 responsiveness in active pulmonary sarcoidosis.

BACKGROUND New evidence links nicotine to the regulation of T cell-mediated inflammation via a 7 nicotinic cholinergic receptor activation, and chronic nicotine exposure (smoking) reduces the incidence of granulomatous diseases. We sought to determine whether nicotine treatment was well tolerated while effectively normalizing immune responses in patients with active pulmonary sarcoidosis. METHODS Consenting adults with symptomatic sarcoidosis (n 5 13) were randomly assigned to receive 12 weeks of nicotine treatment plus conventional therapy or conventional therapy alone. Obtained blood cells were evaluated for their responsiveness to selected Toll-like receptor (TLR) and nucleotide oligomerization domain-like receptor ligands and T cell surface marker expression before and after nicotine treatment. Asymptomatic patients (n 5 6) and disease-free subjects (n 5 6) served as comparative control subjects. Adverse events were monitored for the duration of the study. RESULTS Compared with the asymptomatic group, symptomatic patients had impaired peripheral responses to TLR2, TLR4, and TLR9 ligands (anergy) and reduced peripheral populations of CD4 1 FoxP3 1 regulatory T cells (Tregs). Nicotine treatment was associated with restoration of TLR2 and TLR9 responsiveness, and expansion of Tregs, including the CD4 1 CD25 2 FoxP3 1 phenotype. There were no serious adverse events or signs of nicotine dependency. CONCLUSIONS Nicotine treatment in active pulmonary sarcoidosis was well tolerated and restored peripheral immune responsiveness to TLR2 and TLR9 agonists and expansion of FoxP3 1 Tregs, including a specific “preactivated” (CD25 2 ) phenotype. The immune phenotype of patients with symptomatic sarcoidosis treated with nicotine closely resembled that of asymptomatic patients, supporting the notion that nicotine treatment may be beneficial in this patient population.
Properties and localization of a tyrosine phosphorylated form of hexokinase in mouse sperm

Mouse sperm possess a phosphotyrosine‐containing hexokinase type 1 (HK1) that is associated with the plasma membrane fraction of these cells (Kalab et al., 1994; J. Biol Chem 269:3810–3817.). This apparent plasma membrane association appears unique, since somatic HK1 is normally cytoplasmic or bound to the outer mitochondrial membrane via contact sites with a voltage‐dependent anion channel (porin) through a porin‐binding domain. In male germ cells, three cDNA clones have been described that encode unique HK1 isoforms (HK1‐sa, HK1‐sb, HK1‐sc) that do not contain porin binding domains (Mori et al., 1993: Biol Reprod 49:191–203). This suggests that these proteins might not be localized to the outer mitochondrial membrane and could have alternative functions in germ cells and/or sperm. We demonstrate in the mouse that male germ cells and sperm could potentially express four HK1 isoforms (HK1‐sa, HK1‐sb, HK1‐sc, and the somatic HK1). At the protein level, at least one of the HK1 isoforms becomes phosphorylated on tyrosine residues during spermatogenesis. Treatment of sperm membrane fractions to dissociate the phosphotyrosine‐containing HK1 (pY‐mHK1) yields results demonstrating that pY‐mHK1 has properties of an integral membrane protein. Indirect immunofluorescence using a monoclonal antibody to HK1 demonstrates specific staining both in the head and tail regions of sperm. Surface biotinylation of intact sperm followed by precipitation with either polyclonal HK1 antiserum or with avidin‐Sepharose suggests that pY‐mHK1 possesses an extracellular domain. These results suggest that mouse sperm contain at least one HK1 isoform that is present on the sperm head, has an extracellular domain, and behaves as an integral membrane protein. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Protective effect of smoking against pterygium development in men: a nationwide longitudinal cohort study in South Korea

Objective The present study aimed to evaluate the association between smoking and incident pterygium in adult Korean men. Design A retrospective nationwide longitudinal cohort. Setting National Health Insurance database of South Korea. Participants This study included Korean men (age range: 40–79 years) registered in the Korea National Health Insurance Service database from 2002 through 2013. We compared HRs for pterygium between 90 547 current/past and 90 547 never-smokers via 1:1 propensity-matched analysis. Primary outcome measure Incident cases of pterygium were identified from the database. Results Pterygium developed in 5389 (6.0%) never-smokers and 3898 (4.3%) past/current smokers (P<0.001). The incidence of pterygium per 1000 person-years in never-smokers and in past/current smokers was 6.5 and 4.7, respectively (age-adjusted HR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.70 to 0.76). This protective effect was more pronounced among current smokers than among past smokers (for current smokers: HR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.65 to 0.71 and for past smokers: HR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.80 to 0.90). A longer duration of smoking and higher amounts of cigarette consumption were associated with a lower incidence of pterygium. Conclusions Longitudinally, cigarette smoking was associated with a reduced risk of pterygium, and this protective effect was more pronounced among current smokers than among past smokers.
Surgical Fixation of Rib Fractures

 Class I: Prospective randomized controlled trial.  Class II: Prospective clinical study or retrospective analysis of reliable data. Includes observational, cohort, prevalence, or case control studies.  Class III: Retrospective study. Includes database or registry reviews, large series of case reports, expert opinion.  Technology assessment: A technology study which does not lend itself to classification in the above-mentioned format. Devices are evaluated in terms of their accuracy, reliability, therapeutic potential, or cost effectiveness.
Mind–body practices for patients with cardiac disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Due to new treatment modalities in the last decades, a decline in cardiovascular deaths has been observed. There is an emerging field of secondary prevention and behavioural programmes with increased interest in the use of mind–body practices. Until now, these have not been established in cardiovascular disease treatment programmes. Design We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of the available evidence on the effectiveness of mind–body practices for patients with diagnosed cardiac disease. Methods We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs), published in English, reporting mind–body practices for patients with diagnosed cardiac disease. EMBASE, MEDLINE, Pubmed, Web of Science, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and PsycINFO were searched up to July 2013. Two reviewers independently identified studies for inclusion and extracted data on study characteristics, outcomes (Quality of Life, anxiety, depression, physical parameters and exercise tolerance) and quality assessment. Standardized effect sizes (Cohen’s d) were calculated comparing the outcomes between the intervention and control group and random effects meta-analysis was conducted. Results We identified 11 unique RCTs with an overall low quality. The studies evaluated mindfulness-based stress reduction, transcendental meditation, progressive muscle relaxation and stress management. Pooled analyses revealed effect sizes of 0.45 (95%CI 0.20–0.72) for physical quality of life, 0.68 (95%CI 0.10–1.26) for mental quality of life, 0.61 (95%CI 0.23–0.99) for depression, 0.52 (95%CI 0.26–0.78) for anxiety, 0.48 (95%CI 0.27–0.69) for systolic blood pressure and 0.36 (95%CI 0.15–0.57) for diastolic blood pressure. Conclusions Mind–body practices have encouraging results for patients with cardiac disease. Our review demonstrates the need for high-quality studies in this field.
Amyloid Goiter: Clinicopathological Assessment of Two Cases and Review of Literature

Amyloid goiter (AG) is a rare but well-established disease entity that may occur in a number of conditions. In the following article, we will report two cases of AG. Both patients were young males: 28 & 24 years old, presented with rapidly enlarging thyroid gland manifested with pressure effects (dyspnea and hoarseness of voice). Provisional clinical diagnosis was malignant thyroid neoplasm. One of the patients was markedly hypothyroid while the other was euthyroid. Histopathological evaluation revealed extracellular deposition of deep pink homogenous material that was confirmed as amyloid with congo red. Patient in case 1 was primary localized AG while patient in case 2 was systemic amyloidosis secondary to interstitial pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) that was first manifested by AG. The main aims of the article were to describe histopathological features of amyloidosis of the thyroid gland and to raise awareness of AG to be included in the differential diagnosis in patients presented with rapidly enlarging goiter with mass effects.
Intraperitoneal Bupivacaine Does Not Attenuate Pain Following Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

Background: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is characterized by a short hospital stay. Hence, pain control on the day of surgery is increasingly important. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of intraperitoneal bupivacaine on pain relief following laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Methods: Sixty patients undergoing elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy were prospectively randomized into 2 groups. Following removal of the gallbladder, group A received 100 mg of bupivacaine in 50 cc of saline, installed into the gallbladder bed and right subphrenic space. Group B received saline without bupivacaine. Pain was assessed using a visual/analog scale at fixed-time intervals. Results: No significant difference occurred in the average pain levels between the groups at 1, 2, 4, and 14 hours postsurgery. The average analgesic requirement was lower in the bupivacaine group, but this did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion: Application of intraperitoneal bupivacaine did not attenuate pain following laparoscopic cholecystectomy, and no role exists for its routine use.
Evaluating the Relation Between Coding Standard Violations and Faults Within and Across Software Versions ∗ Cathal Boogerd

In spite of the widespread use of coding standards and tools enforcing their rules, there is little empirical evidence supporting the intuition that they prevent the introduction of faults in software. In previous work, we performed a pilot study to assess the relation between rule violations and actual faults, using the MISRA C 2004 standard on an industrial case. In this paper, we investigate three different aspects of the relation between violations and faults on a larger case study, and compare the results across the two projects. We find that 10 rules in the standard are significant predictors of fault location.
Prediagnosis smoking, obesity, insulin resistance, and second primary cancer risk in male cancer survivors: National Health Insurance Corporation Study.

PURPOSE Smoking, obesity, and insulin resistance are well-known risk factors for cancer, yet few epidemiology studies evaluate their role as risk factors for a second primary cancer (SPC). PATIENTS AND METHODS We identified 14,181 men with a first cancer from the National Health Insurance Corporation Study cohort. We obtained data on fasting glucose level, body mass index (BMI), and smoking history from an enrollment interview (1996). We obtained SPC incidence data for 1996 through 2002 from the Korean Central Cancer Registry. We used the standard Poisson regression model to estimate the age- and multivariate-adjusted relative risk (RR) for SPCs in relation to smoking history, BMI, and insulin resistance before diagnosis. RESULTS We observed 204 patients with SPC. The overall age-standardized incidence rate of SPC was 603.2 occurrences per 100,000 person-years, which was about 2.3 times higher than that of first cancer in the general male population. Multivariate regression revealed that lung (RR, 3.69; 95% CI, 1.35 to 10.09) and smoking-related (RR, 2.02; 95% CI, 1.02 to 4.03) SPCs were significantly associated with smoking. Obese patients (BMI > or = 25 kg/m2) had significantly elevated RRs for colorectal (RR, 3.45; 95% CI, 1.50 to 7.93) and genitourinary (RR, 3.61; 95% CI, 1.36 to 9.54) SPCs. Patients with a fasting serum glucose concentration > or = 126 mg/dL had a higher RR for hepatopancreatobiliary (RR, 3.33; 95% CI, 1.33 to 8.37) and smoking-related (1.93; 95% CI, 1.01 to 3.68) SPCs. CONCLUSION Prediagnosis smoking history, obesity, and insulin resistance were risk factors for several SPCs. These findings suggest that more thorough surveillance and screening for SPCs is needed for the cancer survivors with these risk factors.
Anticipated longevity among lay people screened for cardiovascular risk factors: A cross-sectional questionnaire study

Background: In terms of mental health and quality of life previous studies have largely failed to show long-term effects of cardiovascular risk information. Such information may still have an impact of a more subtle nature. We aimed to explore the potential impact of cardiovascular risk information on lay people’s anticipations of their own longevity. Methods: In 2002 11,284 Norwegians were invited to take part in a health survey. Participants (n = 6,845) received comprehensive written information about their personal risk factors for cardiovascular disease. About six months later we selected 752 high risk and 996 low risk individuals for a cross-sectional survey. Participants were mailed a questionnaire and informed about the life expectancy for women and men in Norway. Subsequently they were asked whether they expected to live longer, shorter than or approximately as long as the mean figures. Results: The response rate was 75% (n = 1,314). Whereas 210 respondents (16%) expected to live shorter than the mean, 198 (15%) expected to live longer. In a multivariate regression model high risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) was associated with lower anticipated longevity (odds ratio 2.4, 95% confidence interval 1.7—3.3). Other predictors of low anticipation were use of lipid lowering drugs and a family history of heart attack before the age of 60. Higher age, male sex, better education and good self-reported health were associated with high anticipations. Conclusions: A CVD risk label was only moderately associated with lay people’s anticipated longevity. The majority expected to live as long as the mean, regardless of risk status.
Clinical Significance of Tissue Factor–Exposing Microparticles in Arterial and Venous Thrombosis

Abstract Microparticles (MP) are small extracellular vesicles (30–1,000 nm) that are released from activated cells or platelets. Exposure of negatively charged phospholipids and tissue factor (TF) renders MP procoagulant. Normal plasma levels of intravascular TF-exposing MP (TFMP) are low, but their number may rise in pathological conditions, including cancer and infectious disease. Emerging evidence indicates an important role for these circulating TFMP in the pathogenesis of thrombotic complications such as venous thromboembolism and disseminated intravascular coagulation, whereas their contribution to arterial thrombosis is less studied. Despite serious limitations of the currently available assays for measuring TFMP levels or the procoagulant activity associated with TFMP with respect to sensitivity and specificity, the scientific interest in TFMP is rapidly growing because their application as prognostic biomarkers for thrombotic complications is promising. Future advances in detection methods will likely provide more insight into TFMP and eventually improve their clinical utility.
Cigarette smoking and bladder cancer in men: A pooled analysis of 11 case‐control studies

The primary risk factor for bladder cancer is cigarette smoking. Using a combined analysis of 11 case‐control studies, we have accurately measured the relationship between cigarette smoking and bladder cancer in men. Available smoking information on 2,600 male bladder cancer cases and 5,524 male controls included duration of smoking habit, number of cigarettes smoked per day and time since cessation of smoking habit for ex‐smokers. There was a linear increasing risk of bladder cancer with increasing duration of smoking, ranging from an odds ratio (OR) of 1.96 after 20 years of smoking (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.48–2.61) to 5.57 after 60 years (CI 4.18–7.44). A dose relationship was observed between number of cigarettes smoked per day and bladder cancer up to a threshold limit of 15–20 cigarettes per day, OR = 4.50 (CI 3.81–5.33), after which no increased risk was observed. An immediate decrease in risk of bladder cancer was observed for those who gave up smoking. This decrease was over 30% after 1–4 years, OR = 0.65 (0.53–0.79), and was over 60% after 25 years of cessation, OR = 0.37 (0.30–0.45). However, even after 25 years, the decrease in risk did not reach the level of the never‐smokers, OR = 0.20. (0.17–0.24). The proportion of bladder cancer cases attributable to ever‐smoking was 0.66 (0.61–0.70) for all men and 0.73 (0.66–0.79) for men younger than 60. These estimates are higher than previously calculated. Int. J. Cancer 86:289–294, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The effect of an acute fat load on endothelial function after different dietary regimens in young healthy volunteers.

Attention has recently been focused on endothelial function after a single high-fat meal, i.e. on the anticipated direct atherogenic effect of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins. Our study was designed to investigate the effect of a low-fat diet given for four weeks followed by a high-fat diet for another four weeks. At the end of each dietary period, a noninvasive ultrasound investigation of endothelial function of the brachial artery was performed along with laboratory tests. Endothelial function was measured immediately before the dietary load and after three and six hours in 11 healthy volunteers. The results were expressed as percentage of the changes in artery diameter at rest and during hyperemia; the data were processed using computer technology. When compared to the low-fat regimen, the total cholesterol content rose after the high-fat diet from 4.28 mmol/l to 5.15 mmol/l (p<0.05) in the whole group of volunteers. There was no difference between both dietary regimens in baseline triglycerides. The brachial artery dilatation under basal conditions was 5.26+/-2.88 mm after the high-fat diet compared with the value of 3.13+/-3.01 mm (p<0.05) after the low-fat diet. When measured individually endothelial function in the whole group of volunteers in the course of the day, the degree of arterial dilatation after one month on low-fat diet was 3.13+/-3.0%, 3.88+/-2.5% and 5.23+/-3.3% at single measurement. When comparing arterial dilatation at two closest measurements, a non-significant trend, p>0.05 was seen in either case. The following values were obtained after one month on the high-fat diet: 5.26+/-2.9%, 4.47+/-1.7%, and 6.2+/-3.6%; again showing a non-significant trend of p>0.05. In this study, a single high-fat meal at the different dietary regimen did not significantly influence the vasoreactivity of the brachial artery in young volunteers.
Multielement Solid Phase Preconcentration Using a Chelating Resin of Styrene Divinylbenzene Copolymer and Application for the Analysis of Seawater and Fish Otoliths by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS)

A new chelating resin was synthesized by immobilizing 4–(2–thiazolylazo) resorcinol (TAR) on to a styrene divinylbenzene copolymer. This material was examined for on-line solid phase extraction/preconcentration of Cd, Co, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn in seawater and fish otoliths for determination by inductively plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). A volume of 5.0 mL sample solution was loaded on to a mini-column of the resin at 2.0 mL min−1 via a sequential injection system. The optimum pH for multielement preconcentration was around pH 5.5. Recoveries were better than 96% in artificial seawater. Elution was achieved with 1.0 mL of 0.75 mol L−1 HNO3. The resin possesses a large sorption capacity ranging from 82.0 µmol g−1 for Pb to 319 µmol g−1 for Cu. The detection limits (3σ) varied between 0.0016 µg L−1 (Cd) and 0.015 µg L−1 (Zn) for preconcentration of 5.0 mL blank solutions (pH 5.5). Relative standard deviation for three replicate runs was between 0.3% (Cd) and 6% (Zn) at the 1.0 µg L−1 level. The procedure was validated by analysis of a nearshore seawater and a fish otoliths certified reference material, and employed for coastal seawater and estuarine water samples.
Gender, precarious work, and chronic diseases in South Korea.

OBJECTIVE In view of the growing number of nonstandard workers in South Korea, this study examined whether nonstandard workers reported poorer health compared to standard workers and assessed whether there were gender differences in the association between employment status and chronic health outcomes. METHOD Data were taken from a representative-weighted sample of 1,563 men and 1,045 women aged 20-64, from the 2001 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Nonstandard employment included part-time work, temporary work, and day labor. Self-rated health and self-reported chronic disease conditions were used as health measures. MAIN RESULTS Nonstandard employment was significantly associated with higher risk of self-rated health and chronic conditions after adjusting for socioeconomic position (education, occupational class, and income) and health behaviors (cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, regular exercise, and health examinations). However, the pattern in the relation between nonstandard work and specific health problems greatly differed by gender. Among men, nonstandard work arrangements were significantly associated with musculoskeletal disorders (OR 1.97, 95% CI 1.24-3.19) and liver disease (OR 2.83, 95% CI 1.27-6.32). Among women, nonstandard employment was related to mental disorders (OR 3.25, 95% CI 1.40-7.56). CONCLUSION The findings clearly indicate the need for further study of the observed associations, particularly prospective and analytical studies.
Training Adaptations in Skeletal Muscle of Juvenile Diabetics

Skeletal muscles from 12 male, juvenile-onset diabetics (JD) and 13 nondiabetics (ND) were studied to determine the effects of endurance training on mitochondrial enzyme activities, lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity, and the oxidation of lipids (14C-palmityl CoA) in vitro. Ten weeks of endurance running (30 min/day, 5 days/wk) resulted in 11.0 and 12.9% gains in aerobic capacity for the JD and ND groups (P > 0.05), respectively. Both groups showed significant (P < 0.05) increases in muscle LPL, carnitine palmityl transferase, succinate dehydrogenase, and hexokinase activities with training. Though the pretraining capacities for 14C-palmityl CoA oxidation were similar for both ND and JD groups, the diabetics showed a 41% greater improvement in the measurement of muscle lipid oxidation after training than did the ND group. The principal finding of this research was that skeletal muscle of juvenile diabetics who are in moderate insulin balance shows adaptations to endurance training that are similar to those of nondiabetic men.