Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Extracranial oligometastases: a subset of metastases curable with stereotactic radiotherapy.

The term oligometastases, introduced in 1995 and detailed more recently, describes an intermediate state of cancer spread between localized disease and widespread metastases. Metastases from solid tumors are regarded as representative of disseminated cancer and are not considered curable, with the rare exception, such as germ cell tumors. By contrast, evidence has emerged that patients with limited metastatic disease, such as liver metastasis from colon or rectal cancer, can be cured by removal of the metastasis, drawing increased focus on the potential for intermediate states of metastatic cancer involvement. The implication of the concept of an oligometastatic state is that metastatic disease may be cured with metastasis-directed therapy. As a further conceptual refinement, Niibe et al have suggested the concept of oligorecurrence to consider patients with a limited number of metastases and controlled primary tumors as a group with an improved prognosis as compared with patients with limited metastasis and uncontrolled primary tumors. The oligometastatic hypothesis is distinct from other potentially important uses of radiotherapy and surgery in metastatic disease, such as consolidation of chemotherapy responses or as an application of the Norton-Simon hypothesis, which predicts that effectiveness of chemotherapy is proportional to the growth rate of the tumor and that the fastest growth rates occur in nonbulky tumors. Aggressive local therapy to metastatic lesions can downsize tumors, and the remaining cells might therefore be more sensitive to chemotherapy. Our review will focus on extracranial oligometastases because intracranial oligometastasis is an established clinical entity where surgery, radiotherapy, and radiosurgery have defined roles supported by phase III randomized trials and detailed outcome analyses.
Effect of Growth Medium on Bacteriocin Production by Lactobacillus plantarum ST194BZ, a Strain Isolated from Boza**

Summary The cell-free supernatant containing bacteriocin ST194BZ, produced by Lactobacillus plantarum ST194BZ, inhibits the growth of Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus sakei, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter cloacae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Strain ST194BZ produces two bacteriocins, viz. ST194BZ(a) of 3.3 kDa and ST194BZ(b) of 14.0 kDa, based on tricine-SDS-PAGE. Reduction in bacteriocin activity was observed after treatment with proteinase K, trypsin and pronase, but not with catalase and a-amylase. A maximum total bacteriocin activity of 12 800 AU/mL was recorded after 14 h in MRS broth. In MRS broth adjusted to pH=5.5, 6.0 or 6.5, an equal level of bacteriocin production of 12 800 AU/mL was recorded. Optimal production (12 800 AU/ mL) was recorded in the presence of tryptone (20 g/L), a combination of tryptone and meat extract (1:0.6), or tryptone and yeast extract (1:0.6). Growth of strain ST194BZ in the presence of 10 or 20 g/L of D-mannose yielded bacteriocin levels of 12 800 AU/mL. In the presence of 30 or 40 g/L of mannose the activity levels doubled to 25 600 AU/mL. No difference in antibacterial activity was recorded when strain ST194BZ was grown in the presence of 2 g/L of K2HPO4 and 2 g/L of KH2PO4. Concentrations of 10, 20 and 50 g/L of KH2PO4 yielded double activity (25 600 AU/mL). Supplementing MRS with 1 g/L or more glycerol inhibited the production of bacteriocin. Growth in the presence of vitamins did not stimulate bacteriocin production. No plasmids were recorded for strain ST194BZ, suggesting that the genes encoding bacteriocin production are located on the genome.
Behavioral Features for Different Haptic-based Biometric Tasks

The science of haptics or haptic technology has received enormous attention in the last decade for multiple applications. A new promising example is the use of haptic-based systems for individual authentication. A user 's behavioral characteristics captured while interacting with a virtual scene are significantly more difficult to compromise than traditional means (i.e. login ID and passwords). Moreover, another advantage is that this technology allows a user not only to gain access to the system but also to continuously verify individual authenticity during the whole session of haptic interaction. Our current haptic-based biometric system for authentication (the BioHaptic system) has integrated a variety of applications: solving a virtual maze, signing a virtual cheque and dialing phone codes on a virtual phone. In this paper, with the use of a 3D visual representation we study: (1) a subset of features with the greatest user-classificatory worth and (2) whether or not such features are dependent on the application used. We believe this study will enhance the success of individual authentication based on human-haptic interactions.
STRUCTURE AND CONDUCT OF THE WORLD RICE MARKET

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the world rice market through a Structure-Conduct-Performance (SCP) framework utilizing annual data from 1970 to 2007. Since World War Two, the world rice market has been very unstable, with rice prices experiencing volatile swings in both rice price and rice availability. Therefore, a SCP framework can provide crucial insight into the world rice market for policy makers. Also, this paper describes the effects of total production, export rice price, and real exchange rate for exporting countries on total export volume from an export supply model standpoint. On the basis of these results, it is evident that market power exists in the international rice market with respect to supply elasticity and an exporting country’s currency exchange rate greatly determines that country’s competitiveness as a net rice exporter relative to other rice producers.
El comercio y la cartografía del Mar del Sur: consecuencias en España y América

La expansion castellana y portuguesa por el Mar del Sur provoco el surgimento de un mercado global, y la aparicion de una cartografia al servicio del poder y del comercio, que afectaria las respectivas metropolis y tambien la propia economia de las colonias ultramarinas.
Type IV Neonatal Early-Onset Group B Streptococcal Disease in a United States Hospital

ABSTRACT Group B streptococcus (GBS) serotypes causing neonatal disease vary by geographic region. Surveillance at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, revealed a case of neonatal early-onset sepsis caused by type IV GBS. Neonatal type IV disease occurs in the Middle East but has not recently been described in U.S. infants.
From e-learning to games-based e-learning: using interactive technologies in teaching an IS course

The e-phenomenon has profoundly changed many aspects of society and, inevitably, has a commensurate impact on higher education. E-learning has now evolved from a marginal form of education to a commonly accepted alternative to traditional face-to-face education. The term can cover different delivery models ranging from courses that are delivered fully online to courses that provide some face-to-face interaction and some online provision. Within this continuum, interactive technologies can play a significant role in engaging the learner and providing a rich learning experience. This paper examines the e-phenomenon as it relates to e-learning and how different interactive technologies, such as visualisations and simulation games, can be used to enrich the learning experiences of students with different learning styles. The theory is related to the teaching of Information Systems (IS) in a postgraduate MSc Management of eBusiness course that uses a range of interactive technologies.
A Weakening of the Odd Hadwiger's Conjecture

Gerards and Seymour (see [10], p. 115) conjectured that if a graph has no odd complete minor of order l, then it is (l − 1)-colourable. This is an analogue of the well-known conjecture of Hadwiger, and in fact, this would immediately imply Hadwiger's conjecture. The current best-known bound for the chromatic number of graphs with no odd complete minor of order l is $O(l \sqrt{\log l})$ by the recent result by Geelen, Gerards, Reed, Seymour and Vetta [8], and by Kawarabayashi [12] later, independently. But it seems very hard to improve this bound since this would also improve the current best-known bound for the chromatic number of graphs with no complete minor of order l. Motivated by this problem, in this note we show that there exists an absolute constant f(k) such that any graph G with no odd complete minor of order k admits a vertex partition V1, . , V496k such that each component in the subgraph induced on Vi (i ≥ 1) has at most f(k) vertices. When f(k) = 1, this is a colouring of G. Hence this is a relaxation of colouring in a sense, and this is the first result in this direction for the odd Hadwiger's conjecture. Our proof is based on a recent decomposition theorem due to Geelen, Gerards, Reed, Seymour and Vetta [8], together with a connectivity result that forces a huge complete bipartite minor in large graphs by Böhme, Kawarabayashi, Maharry and Mohar [3].
Indolent CD8‐positive lymphoid proliferation of acral sites: identifying the sheep in wolf's clothing

1 Klein I, Sarkadi B, Varadi A. An inventory of the human ABC proteins. Biochim Biophys Acta 1999; 1461:237–62. 2 Holland IB. ABC transporters, mechanisms and biology: an overview. Essays Biochem 2011; 50:1–17. 3 Haslam IS, El-Chami C, Faruqi H et al. Differential expression and functionality of ATP-binding cassette transporters in the human hair follicle. Br J Dermatol 2015; 172:1562–72. 4 Terunuma A, Jackson KL, Kapoor V et al. Side population keratinocytes resembling bone marrow side population stem cells are distinct from label-retaining keratinocyte stem cells. J Invest Dermatol 2003; 121:1095–103. 5 Terunuma A, Kapoor V, Yee C et al. Stem cell activity of human side population and a6 integrin-bright keratinocytes defined by a quantitative in vivo assay. Stem Cells 2007; 25:664–9. 6 Ohyama M, Terunuma A, Tock CL et al. Characterization and isolation of stem cell-enriched human hair follicle bulge cells. J Clin Invest 2006; 116:249–60. 7 Terunuma A, Cross JW, Dyke M et al. Behavior of human foreskin keratinocytes expressing a hair follicle stem cell marker CD200. J Invest Dermatol 2008; 128:1332–4. 8 Pfutzner W, Terunuma A, Tock CL et al. Topical colchicine selection of keratinocytes transduced with the multidrug resistance gene (MDR1) can sustain and enhance transgene expression in vivo. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2002; 99:13096–101.
Follow-up Study of Physical Growth of Children Who Had Excessive Weight Gain in First Six Months of Life

The aim of this study was to determine whether excessive weight gain in the first six weeks, three months, or six months of life was correlated. with overweight and obesity at the age of 6 to 8 years. One hundred and thirty eight infants with excessive weight gain in the first six months of life, 53 children with slow weight gain, and 33 children with an average weight gain were re-examined at the age of 6, 7, or 8 years. The mean height and weight of children who had gained weight rapidly in infancy were significantly higher than those of children who had gained weight slowly; those of infants whose weight gain had been average fell in between. The number of obese children in the rapid-weight-gain group was significantly higher than that of the combined average and slow-weight-gain groups. The rapidity of weight gain in infancy was a better guide to the risk of overweight in later childhood than the weight of the parents.
Insights into cancer metastasis from a clinicopathologic perspective: Epithelial‐Mesenchymal Transition is not a necessary step

Epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) has been implicated as the critical event initiating cancer invasion and metastasis. After disseminating through the circulation, the malignant cells have been proposed to undergo subsequent mesenchymal‐epithelial transition (MET) to form secondary tumors. However, strong evidence from human tumor specimens for this paradigm is lacking. In carcinomas, cancers derived from epithelial tissues, epithelial morphology and gene expression are always retained to some degree. While mesenchymal transdifferentiation may be involved in the pathogenesis of carcinosarcomas, even in these neoplasms, as well as in germ cell tumors capable of multilineage differentiation, the mesenchymal phenotype does not facilitate metastatic progression. Indeed, most cancers invade and travel through lymphatic and blood vessels via cohesive epithelial migration, rather than going through the EMT‐MET sequence. EMT gene expression is also consistently associated with high histologic grade and while the transcription factors, Snail, Slug and Twist have traditionally been thought of as inducers of EMT, under certain conditions, they also mediate dedifferentiation and maintenance of the stem cell state. In various malignancies, including basal‐like breast cancer and colorectal cancer, the genetically unstable, undifferentiated phenotype predicts early metastatic spread and poor prognosis. This article discusses some of the controversies surrounding differentiation and metastasis from a clinicopathologic perspective and presents evidence that the epithelial phenotype is maintained throughout the process of cancer metastasis.
Adverse effects of arsenic exposure on the mammary glands of adult female rats.

The present study was designed to investigate the negative effects of arsenic exposure on mammary glands and hormonal profile of female adult rats. Two different doses of sodium arsenite 100ppm and 200ppm were given in drinking water for 28 days. Dose-dependent decrease was observed in the mean body weight gain in both treated groups as compared to control. A significant decrease (p<0.0001) was observed in the mean weight of mammary glands in treated groups as compared to control. Arsenite treatment also altered the histomorphology of mammary glands. Epithelial cells of lactiferous ducts were no more compactly arranged and became irregular in shape instead of compactly arranged cuboidal cells as in control. Myoepithelial cells were scarcely present in 100ppm and 200ppm treated group as compared to proper layeres in control. Stroma was also disturbed containing irregular, loosely arranged cells in 100ppm and 200ppm treated groups. Dose-dependent decrease (p<0.001) was observed in morphometric measurements of mean epithelial height of lactiferous ducts, nipple epithelium, nuclear diameter and number of terminal end buds. Plasma levels of estradiol and prolactin were significantally decreased (p<0.001) in both treated groups as compared to control. These findings indicate that arsenic is a toxicant which restricts the development and alters the morphology of mammary glands by affecting the estradiol and prolactin levels.
Dental Anxiety and its Association with Behavioral Factors in Children

Background: Dental anxiety is a condition that causes a decrease in population addressability to the dentist with adverse consequences for long-term oral health. Assessment of behavioral factors that correlate with dental anxiety is important for accurate evaluation of dental fear. Its diagnosis in childhood is important for establishing therapeutic management strategies to reduce anxiety and promote oral health. Objective: To determine the prevalence of dental anxiety in a group of Romanian schoolchildren, and assess its correlation with behavioral factors. Methods: This cross-sectional survey included a number of 650 schoolchildren attending public schools, randomly chosen. Data were collected from September 2013 to October 2013. 485 children aged 6–12 years responded the questionnaires and were included in the study (248 female, 237 male). Each subject was asked to independently complete a questionnaire including Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS) and other questions about children behavior towards dental health education and practice. Children having a score of 13 and above were included in the anxious group while those scoring under 13 were placed in the non anxious group. The data collected was processed and analyzed using the SPSS statistical software. Results: The overall prevalence of dental anxiety was 22.68% amongst subjects included in the study. No significant differences in dental anxiety scores between boys and girls were found in this study. Dental anxiety scores decreased with increasing age. Dental anxiety correlated positively with chewing gum use and sweet consumption frequency and negatively with age and dental health education. Conclusions: Prevalence of dental anxiety in the 6–12 year old children of this study was 22.68%. Factors like chewing gum use, sweet consumption frequency, age and dental health education were correlated with dental anxiety.
Telomere length and cognitive function in southern Chinese community-dwelling male elders.

BACKGROUND telomere attrition has been associated with an increased risk of different age-related diseases and is widely accepted as a marker of cellular ageing. On the other hand, it is well known that cognitive function declines with age. The telomere length may therefore act as a marker for the pathway associated with cognitive function. METHODS we examined telomere length and cognitive functions in a community-dwelling Chinese male population aged 65 years and above living in Hong Kong. The telomere length was measured by quantitative real-time PCR in 976 men. Cognitive function was assessed by Chinese (Cantonese) version of Mini-Mental State Exam and Community Screening Interview for Dementia. RESULTS our result showed there was a significant association between telomere length, delayed recall (P = 0.007) and category verbal fluency (P = 0.048). These associations remained significant after adjustment for age and education. Further analysis using a cut-off score for MMSE, three-item recall and word list generation tests suggested that the telomere length was positively correlated with performance in these areas (P = 0.015). CONCLUSION the findings support the association of telomere length and cognitive function and suggested that the telomere length may serve as a biological marker for cognitive decline.
Biochemical findings in a case of parkinsonism secondary to brain tumor

Neuropathological and biochemical studies were performed in a patient with craniopharyngioma and a long history of parkinsonism. Morphological examination revealed atrophy of the substantia nigra without Lewy bodies. Both the caudate and putamen nuclei showed moderate loss of large cells with glial proliferation. There was a notable decrease in dopamine and its metabolites and a reduction in norepinphrine content in both the caudate and putamen nuclei. Less consistent changes were found in serotonin and amino acid levels. Dopamine receptors, evaluated as 3H‐spiperone binding sites, were unchanged in the putamen but decreased to 30% of control values in the caudate. The findings suggest that parkinsonism was caused by the brain tumor, which damaged both the presynaptic dopaminergic nigrostriatal neurons and the postsynaptic dopamine recptors.
The effects of bull urine on puberty and calving date in crossbred beef heifers.

The effects of bull urine on the percentage of heifers reaching puberty and on subsequent calving dates were examined with 52 crossbred beef heifers. Heifers were palpated for ovarian condition and classified as prepubertal or pubertal before (Palpation I) and after (Palpation II) eight weekly oronasal treatments with bull urine or water. A larger percentage of urine-treated than water-treated heifers reached puberty during the experimental period (67 vs 32%; P less than .05), supporting the hypothesis that bull urine contains a priming pheromone. Body weight of urine-treated heifers that did not reach puberty by Palpation II was lower than that of water-treated heifers that did not reach puberty (P less than .05), indicating that an association exists between body weight and the response to pheromonal cues in bull urine. There were no treatment differences in pregnancy rate after a 90-d breeding period, and no differences in pregnancy rate between heifers that had reached puberty before the breeding season started and heifers that had not reached puberty. Urine-treated heifers reaching puberty during the experiment calved earlier (P less than .05) in the calving season than did water-treated heifers of the same category. The distribution of these calvings was also different (P less than .01), resulting in a shorter calving season for urine-treated heifers. More heifers that had reached puberty by Palpation II calved in the first 20 d of the calving season that did heifers that had not reached puberty by Palpation II, regardless of treatment group (P = .02). There was a tendency for urine-treated heifers to calve earlier than water-treated heifers, with the exception of urine-treated heifers that had not reached puberty by Palpation II. These data support the hypothesis that there is a priming pheromone in bull urine that can hasten the onset of puberty in beef heifers.
Lying to win-placebos and sport science.

introduce an intrigu-ing Thomas Jefferson quote from 1807 addressing “pious fraud”: “One of the most successful physicians I have ever known has assured me that he used more bread pills, drops of colored water, and powders of hickory ashes, than of all other medicines put together” (quote from reference 6). When it comes to winning at the highest levels of sport, it may be the case that many “sport scientists” have either stretched the truth or simply blatantly lied to an elite athlete in hopes of improving sporting performance. If research is correct and belief effects are indeed pow-erful, should lying to an athlete in hopes of improving performance be considered an acceptable practice? What should we think of sport science “gurus” who confidently administer dubious ergogenic aids they barely understand if the outcome is a victorious athlete? As suggested by Thomas Jefferson, history reveals that physicians have been prescribing placebos for more than 200 years in an attempt to make patients feel better.For the uninitiated, it is easy to overlook how power -ful a belief effect can be and thus the importance of this topic. But consider for a moment the insightful paper published in 1954 by Professor Walter B. Cannon from the Harvard Medical School titled “Voodoo Death. ”
Manual In-line Stabilization Increases Pressures Applied by the Laryngoscope Blade during Direct Laryngoscopy and Orotracheal Intubation

Background:Manual in-line stabilization (MILS) is recommended during direct laryngoscopy and intubation in patients with known or suspected cervical spine instability. Because MILS impairs glottic visualization, the authors hypothesized that anesthesiologists would apply greater pressure during intubations with MILS than without. Methods:Nine anesthetized and pharmacologically paralyzed patients underwent two sequential laryngoscopies and intubations, one with MILS and one without, in random order. A transducer array along a Macintosh 3 laryngoscope blade continuously measured applied pressures, and glottic view was characterized. Results:With MILS, glottic visualization was worse in six patients, and intubation failure occurred in two of these six patients. Maximum laryngoscope pressure at best glottic view was greater with MILS than without (717 ± 339 mmHg vs. 363 ± 121 mmHg, respectively; n = 8; P = 0.023). Other measures of pressure application also indicated comparable increases with MILS. Conclusion:Pressures applied to airway tissues by the laryngoscope blade are secondarily transmitted to the cervical spine and result in cranio-cervical motion. In the presence of cervical instability, impaired glottic visualization and secondary increases in pressure application with MILS have the potential to increase pathologic cranio-cervical motion.