Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Active for Life After Cancer: a randomized trial examining a lifestyle physical activity program for prostate cancer patients

Background: Active for Life After Cancer is a randomized trial evaluating the efficacy of a 6‐month group‐based lifestyle physical activity program (Lifestyle) for prostate cancer patients to improve quality of life (QOL) including physical and emotional functioning compared to a group‐based Educational Support Program and a Standard Care Program (no group).
Impact of Age on the Male Reproductive System from the Pathologist’s Perspective

Age, and in particular young age, can significantly impact the response to toxicants in animals and can greatly influence the interpretation of tissue changes by the toxicologic pathologist. Although this applies to multiple organ systems, the current review focuses on the male reproductive system. When performing microscopic evaluation of male reproductive organs, the toxicologic pathologist must be aware of the dynamic changes in histomorphology, predominantly driven by timed hormonal alterations, at various life stages. Specific challenges pathologists face are understanding the appearance of male reproductive tissues throughout the neonatal, infantile, and juvenile developmental periods, recognizing when normal looks abnormal during tissue development, defining sexual maturity, and working with high interanimal variability in maturation rate and histologic appearance in developing large laboratory animals, such as nonhuman primates, dogs, and pigs. This review describes postnatal development of the male reproductive system in the rat, demonstrates how assessing toxicity during a defined window of postnatal development in the rat may improve definition of toxicant timing and targets, and discusses challenges associated with the interpretation of toxicity in immature large animal species. The emphasis is on key age-related characteristics that influence the interpretation of tissue changes by the toxicologic pathologist.
Maturational changes in intracellular high energy phosphate transport in rat brain

MATURATIONAL changes in intracellular high energy phosphate (HEP) transport in brain were investigated in rats in vivo using “P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) diffusion spectroscopy and saturation transfer experiments. The diffusivities of phosphocreatine (PCr) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in adult brain were significantly higher than in newborn pup brain. The estimated diffusion lengths of PCr and ATP were similar in adult and newborn pup brain. The findings indicate firstly that the faster diffusivities of HEP effectively compensates for the higher energy demands in adult brain and secondly that ATP diffusion appears sufficient for brain HEP transport without need for a PCr shuttle mechanism.
The PARP family: insights into functional aspects of poly (ADP‐ribose) polymerase‐1 in cell growth and survival

PARP family members can be found spread across all domains and continue to be essential molecules from lower to higher eukaryotes. Poly (ADP‐ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP‐1), newly termed ADP‐ribosyltransferase D‐type 1 (ARTD1), is a ubiquitously expressed ADP‐ribosyltransferase (ART) enzyme involved in key cellular processes such as DNA repair and cell death. This review assesses current developments in PARP‐1 biology and activation signals for PARP‐1, other than conventional DNA damage activation. Moreover, many essential functions of PARP‐1 still remain elusive. PARP‐1 is found to be involved in a myriad of cellular events via conservation of genomic integrity, chromatin dynamics and transcriptional regulation. This article briefly focuses on its other equally important overlooked functions during growth, metabolic regulation, spermatogenesis, embryogenesis, epigenetics and differentiation. Understanding the role of PARP‐1, its multidimensional regulatory mechanisms in the cell and its dysregulation resulting in diseased states, will help in harnessing its true therapeutic potential.
Exogenous nonphysiologic vs physiologic lipids. Divergent mechanisms for correction of permeability barrier dysfunction.

BACKGROUND AND DESIGN Although barrier function requires cholesterol, free fatty acids, and ceramides, applications of one or two of these lipids to damaged skin impedes barrier recovery, while equimolar mixtures allow normal recovery. Both incomplete and complete mixtures appear to be internalized within the epidermal nucleated layers, followed by the secretion of abnormal vs normal lamellar body contents, respectively. We compared the ability of complete physiologic lipid mixtures vs a nonmetabolized hydrophobic lipid, petrolatum, to repair the barrier and the requirement for intracellular processing of these lipids within the epidermis. RESULTS Neat petrolatum, which remains restricted to the stratum corneum, produces more rapid improvement in barrier function than the solvent-dispersed physiologic lipids, and its effects are not altered by coapplication of either monensin or brefeldin A (both from Sigma Chemical Co, St Louis, Mo), known inhibitors of exocytosis and organellogenesis, respectively. In contrast, the physiologic lipids enter the nucleated layers in substantial amounts and require longer to produce barrier recovery. Whereas monensin blocks their ability to facilitate barrier recovery, the physiologic lipids overcome brefeldin A-induced delays in barrier recovery, bypassing the subcellular site of brefeldin A blockade, normalizing both lamellar body contents and intercellular bilayers. CONCLUSIONS While petrolatum remains restricted to the stratum corneum, physiologic lipid mixtures influence barrier recovery after transport to subjacent, nucleated layers, followed by internalization, apparent transport to the distal Golgi apparatus, and incorporation into nascent lamellar bodies.
Incidence and Risk Factors for Health-Care Associated Infections after Hip Operation.

BACKGROUND Hip operation reduces pain and improves mobility and quality of life for more than 300,000 people annually, most of whom are more than 65 years old. Substantial increases in surgical volume are projected between 2005 and 2030 in primary total (174%) and revision (137%) procedures. This projection demands that the impact of increasing age on the relative risk of health-care associated infections (HAI) after hip surgical procedures be assessed. Our aim was to examine the incidence and risk factors of HAI among patients who underwent hip operations between 2006 and 2012. PATIENTS AND METHODS This secondary analysis included data from patients 18 years old or older and having a hip prosthesis procedure in three New York City hospitals between 2006 and 2012. Procedures were categorized as total or partial hip replacements or revision and re-surfacing procedures. Outcomes of interest were blood stream infections (BSI), urinary tract infections (UTI), or surgical site infections (SSI). Patients in whom an infection developed during the hospital visit in which the hip procedure occurred were counted as cases. RESULT Of 2021 patients, approximately 11% (n = 218) had an HAI. There was no difference in infection rates by admission year despite an increase in surgical volume. SSI was associated with younger age, previous hospitalization, and hip revision surgical procedure whereas UTI and BSI were associated with older age, greater co-morbidity, longer pre-operative length of stay and intensive care unit stay, (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION HAI after hip operation affected approximately one in 10 patients over a 7-year period in three high-volume hospitals. SSI occurred least frequently, predominantly among patients who underwent revision surgery (without previous SSI), were younger, and had a history of previous hospitalization. Infections such as BSI and UTI, although rare, occurred more frequently and in patients with more co-morbidities, longer pre-operative length of stay, and who required higher level care. Further research to understand these unexpected findings and target interventions is warranted.
Changes to radiotherapy utilisation in Western NSW after the opening of a local service

In 2011, the first radiotherapy centre in Western NSW Local Health District (WNSWLHD) was opened in the city of Orange. Prior to this, patients travelled outside the health service, primarily to Sydney, to receive treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate if the establishment of the new rural radiotherapy service has changed the demographic profile, cancer type, treatment intent and number of patients treated.
A Comparative Study on Endoscopy Treatment in Rectal Carcinoid Tumors

Background: To investigate the advantages and disadvantages of various endoscopic resection methods for rectal carcinoid tumors. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 3 types of endoscopic resection techniques for rectal carcinoid tumors was performed. The surgical time and the complication rate were compared between 30 patients who underwent conventional endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR), cap-assisted endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR-C), or endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). All rectal carcinoid tumors were under 1 cm and were treated in our center between January 2002 and January 2008. Results: Ten patients underwent each surgical approach. All cases were pathologically diagnosed as rectal carcinoid tumors. One-time complete resection rates using the conventional EMR, EMR-C, and ESD were 80%, 100%, and 100%, respectively. The operation time ranged from 5 to 53 minutes for the conventional EMR group, from 4 to 7 minutes for the EMR-C group, and from 16 to 35minutes for the ESD group. The average follow-up time for the 30 patients was 18.43±9.76 months. There were no recurrent or metastatic cases. Conclusions: Endoscopic resection for rectal carcinoid tumors below 1 cm was safe. Considering the clinical efficacy, surgical time, and intraoperative complication rate, EMR-C may be the best endoscopic excision method.
Budget Transparency and Legislative Budgetary Oversight

This article attempts to evaluate the role the legislative budgetary oversight plays in enhancing budget transparency. This relationship has not been empirically tested so far. For a sample of 93 countries surveyed by International Budget Partnership in 2010, we show that, as expected, legislative budgetary oversight has a positive influence on budget transparency. Besides, the legal system, political competition, and economic level are also found to affect budget transparency. As an additional analysis, we investigate the determinants of legislative budgetary oversight along the budgetary process. In this vein, the type of legislature, legal system, Supreme Audit Institution’s budgetary oversight, economic level, and democratic level determine legislative budgetary oversight.
Comparison of Speaking Rate, Articulation Rate and Alternating Motion Rate in Dysarthric Speakers

Despite recent indications that speaking rate, articulation rate and alternating motion rate (AMR) are sensitive to the influence of neurological disease on speech production in dysarthric speakers, the relationship among these parameters remains largely questionable. In the current study, speech samples were collected from 62 dysarthric speakers and 34 controls while reading a passage. Acoustic analysis investigated speaking rate, articulation rate and AMR and compared these parameters between the dysarthric and control groups and within the control and dysarthric group. The major findings were: (1) Speaking rate, articulation rate and AMR were all markedly lower in dysarthric speakers than in controls. (2) Marked correlations were recognized between speaking rate, articulation rate and AMR in the dysarthric group. (3) Compared with the speaking rate and articulation rate, AMR is characterized as follows: (i) variation was more limited in controls, and (ii) the control group was clearly distinguishable from the dysarthric group. (4) Unlike in controls, AMR in the dysarthric speakers was notably lower than their articulation rate. We therefore conclude that AMR is a more easily detected sign of abnormal articulation than speaking rate and articulation rate.
In Vivo Electrochemical Studies of Dopamine Clearance in the Rat Substantia Nigra: Effects of Locally Applied Uptake Inhibitors and Unilateral 6‐Hydroxydopamine Lesions

Abstract: High‐speed chronoamperometric recordings were used to measure the uptake and clearance of locally applied dopamine (DA) within the substantia nigra (SN) of anesthetized rats. To establish that DA clearance within the SN was mediated primarily by the DA transporter (DAT) rather than the norepinephrine transporter (NET) or the serotonin transporter (SERT), we locally applied uptake inhibitors with different selectivity profiles for the various amine transporters. Nomifensine, a DAT/NET inhibitor, significantly potentiated both the amplitude and the time course of the DA signals. In contrast, neither the selective NET inhibitor desipramine, nor the selective SERT inhibitor citalopram affected the DA signal, suggesting that NET and SERT do not contribute to DA uptake and clearance within the regions of the SN studied over the concentration ranges (1–5 µM) used. In unilaterally 6‐hydroxydopamine‐lesioned rats, the time course of the DA signal was increased in both the lesioned SN and striatum, relative to the unlesioned hemisphere, indicating loss of DAT and decreased DA uptake and clearance. In addition, when identical amounts of DA were injected in the striatum and SN, peak signal amplitudes were larger in the SN, suggesting that the amplitudes are related to the number of DAT sites in a given region of brain tissue. For signals of equivalent amplitudes, clearance rates were lower in the SN than in the striatum, consistent with a lower capacity for DAT‐mediated DA uptake within the SN. These results suggest that the DAT is the major transporter responsible for DA clearance within the rat SN.
Weak Versus Strong Sustainability

In this fully updated and revised edition of an original and popular text, Eric Neumayer offers an authoritative contribution to one of the most important questions concerning sustainable development: can natural capital be substituted by other forms of capital? Proponents of weak sustainability maintain that such substitutability is possible, whilst followers of strong sustainability regard natural capital as non-substitutable. This insightful book identifies the critical forms of natural capital in need of preservation and evaluates the most important indicators of weak and strong sustainability.
Gallbladder cancer worldwide: Geographical distribution and risk factors

Gallbladder cancer is a relatively rare neoplasm that shows, however, high incidence rates in certain world populations. The interplay of genetic susceptibility, lifestyle factors and infections in gallbladder carcinogenesis is still poorly understood. Age‐adjusted rates were calculated by cancer registry‐based data. Epidemiological studies on gallbladder cancer were selected through searches of literature, and relative risks were abstracted for major risk factors. The highest gallbladder cancer incidence rates worldwide were reported for women in Delhi, India (21.5/100,000), South Karachi, Pakistan (13.8/100,000) and Quito, Ecuador (12.9/100,000). High incidence was found in Korea and Japan and some central and eastern European countries. Female‐to‐male incidence ratios were generally around 3, but ranged from 1 in Far East Asia to over 5 in Spain and Colombia. History of gallstones was the strongest risk factor for gallbladder cancer, with a pooled relative risk (RR) of 4.9 [95% confidence interval (CI): 3.3–7.4]. Consistent associations were also present with obesity, multiparity and chronic infections like Salmonella typhi and S. paratyphi [pooled RR 4.8 (95% CI: 1.4–17.3)] and Helicobacter bilis and H. pylori [pooled RR 4.3 (95% CI: 2.1–8.8)]. Differences in incidence ratios point to variations in gallbladder cancer aetiology in different populations. Diagnosis of gallstones and removal of gallbladder currently represent the keystone to gallbladder cancer prevention, but interventions able to prevent obesity, cholecystitis and gallstone formation should be assessed. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Clinical research projects at a German medical faculty: follow-up from ethical approval to publication and citation by others

Background: Only data of published study results are available to the scientific community for further use such as informing future research and synthesis of available evidence. If study results are reported selectively, reporting bias and distortion of summarised estimates of effect or harm of treatments can occur. The publication and citation of results of clinical research conducted in Germany was studied. Methods: The protocols of clinical research projects submitted to the research ethics committee of the University of Freiburg (Germany) in 2000 were analysed. Published full articles in several databases were searched and investigators contacted. Data on study and publication characteristics were extracted from protocols and corresponding publications. Results: 299 study protocols were included. The most frequent study design was randomised controlled trial (141; 47%), followed by uncontrolled studies (61; 20%), laboratory studies (30; 10%) and non-randomised studies (29; 10%). 182 (61%) were multicentre studies including 97 (53%) international collaborations. 152 of 299 (51%) had commercial (co-)funding and 46 (15%) non-commercial funding. 109 of the 225 completed protocols corresponded to at least one full publication (total 210 articles); the publication rate was 48%. 168 of 210 identified publications (80%) were cited in articles indexed in the ISI Web of Science. The median was 11 citations per publication (range 0–1151). Conclusions: Results of German clinical research projects conducted are largely underreported. Barriers to successful publication need to be identified and appropriate measures taken. Close monitoring of projects until publication and adequate support provided to investigators may help remedy the prevailing underreporting of research.
Managed care and physicians' provision of charity care.

CONTEXT Health system changes may be affecting the ability of physicians to provide care with little or no compensation from patients who are uninsured and under-insured and may result in decreased access to physicians for uninsured persons. OBJECTIVE To examine the association between managed care and physicians' provision of charity care. DESIGN The 1996-1997 Community Tracking Study physician survey. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS A nationally representative sample of 10881 physicians from 60 randomly selected communities. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE The number of hours in the month prior to the interview that the physician provided care for free or at reduced fees because of the financial need of the patient. RESULTS Overall, 77.3% of respondents provided an average of 10.3 hours of charity care per month [corrected]. Physicians who derive at least 85% of their practice revenue from managed care plans were considerably less likely to provide charity care and spend fewer hours providing charity care than physicians with little involvement in managed care plans (P = .01). In addition, physicians who practice in areas with high managed care penetration provided fewer hours of charity care than physicians in other areas, regardless of their own level of involvement with managed care (P<.01). Differences in charity care provision were also shown for other important factors, including ownership of the practice and practice arrangements (more charity care occurred in solo and 2-physician practices; P<.01). CONCLUSION Physicians involved with managed care plans and those who practice in areas with high managed care penetration tend to provide less charity care.
Multiple Sclerosis: Associations Between Physical Disability and Depression Are Not Mediated by Self-Reported Physical Activity

This study investigated the interrelatedness of physical disability, physical activity, and depression among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). We hypothesized that self-reported physical activity would mediate the effect of disability on depressive symptoms. Twenty-seven patients with MS (mean age: 49 years; 44.5% females) completed self-rating scales covering sociodemographic variables, intake of antidepressants, physical activity, and symptoms of depression; disability was measured by the Expanded Disability Status Scale. We found a higher level of disability to be significantly associated with more symptoms of depression. While higher reported physical activity was descriptively associated with lower depression scores and unrelated to Expanded Disability Status Scale, physical activity levels did not mediate the effect of disability on depressive symptoms.
Influence of filler loading on dielectric properties of epoxy-ZnO nanocomposites

Experimental investigations into the dielectric properties of epoxy-ZnO nanocomposites at different filler loadings reveal few unique behaviors (at certain filler loadings) and also advantageous characteristics in contrast to the properties obtained for the corresponding microcomposites. Results demonstrate that in nanocomposites, it is possible to achieve lower values of permittivity and tandelta with respect to unfilled epoxy over a wide frequency range. Analysis of the results attributes this interesting observation to the interaction dynamics between the epoxy chains and the ZnO nanoparticles at the interfacial area. The dc volume resistivities and ac dielectric strengths of nanocomposites were also experimentally determined in the present study and the obtained characteristics are found to be different as compared to the results obtained for microcomposites. The volume fraction and nature of the interfaces in the bulk of the composites seem to influence this difference in the examined dielectric properties of the nanocomposites.
Blood‐based neurochemical diagnosis of vascular dementia: a pilot study

Blood‐based tests for the differential diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are under intensive investigation and have shown promising results with regard to Aβ40 and Aβ42 peptide species in incipient AD. Moreover, plasma Aβ40 was suggested as an independent cerebrovascular risk factor candidate. These considerations prompted us to analyse a total of 72 plasma samples in vascular dementias (VAD, n = 15), AD with cerebrovascular disease (AD with CVD, n = 7), AD (n = 15), Parkinson’s disease and Parkinson’s disease dementia (PD/PDD, n = 20) and 15 patients with depression that served as controls (DC) for distinct plasma amyloid‐beta (Aβ) peptide patterns. For the analysis of plasma we used immunoprecipitation followed by the quantitative Aβ‐SDS‐PAGE/immunoblot. For comparison, CSF tau and Aβ1–42 analyses were performed. The major outcome was an increase in Aβ1–40 in plasma of VAD paralleled by a decrease in the ratio of Aβ1–38/Aβ1–40. The ratio Aβ1–38/Aβ1–40 in plasma enabled contrasts of beyond 85% and 80% for discriminating VAD from DC and all other patients, respectively. In CSF, we confirmed the typical CSF biomarker constellation of increased tau and diminished Aβ1–42 levels for AD. The diagnostic accuracy of plasma Aβ1–38/Aβ1–40 for VAD resembled the accuracy of CSF biomarkers for AD. From the presented results, we consider the ratio of plasma Aβ1–38/Aβ1–40 peptides to be a blood‐based biomarker candidate for VAD.