Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The watchful waiting management option for older men with prostate cancer: state of the science.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To summarize the recent literature and report the issues and controversies surrounding watchful waiting as a management option for prostate cancer. DATA SOURCES All recent, published articles describing the experience, outcomes, and quality of life of men undergoing watchful waiting and the psychoeducational interventions tested in this population. DATA SYNTHESIS The outcomes of men living with prostate cancer often do not vary greatly from men who are cured from the disease through radical prostatectomy or brachytherapy. Limited intervention studies have been aimed at improving these outcomes among those who have chosen watchful waiting. CONCLUSIONS A paucity of information remains surrounding interventions to support men undergoing watchful waiting for prostate cancer. A consensus must be reached on who is most appropriate for watchful waiting. Watchful waiting does not mean doing nothing. Men who undergo watchful waiting should be assured that it is an active, deliberate process, not an opportunity to be overlooked by the healthcare system. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING Future nursing care and research must concentrate on understanding the experience of men who are undergoing watchful waiting and interventions to improve outcomes in this population.
Cellular effects of high-intensity focused continuous wave ultrasound alone and in combination with X-rays

Purpose : To investigate the cellular effects of 1.1 MHz high-intensity focused continuous wave (CW) ultrasound alone and in combination with X-rays. Materials and methods : V79 cells were exposed to ultrasound of different intensities for 30 s (non-hyperthermic conditions). In the combined treatments, cells were exposed to ultrasound (63 W/cm 2) either before or after 2 Gy X-irradiation. Cellular effects studied were clonogenic survival, DNA strand breaks (pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, DNA precipitation assay) and membrane integrity (morphological analysis). Results : With increasing ultrasound intensity, cell survival decreased in a dose-dependent manner as the induction of DNA strand breaks, the fraction of cells with lost membrane integrity and cell lysis increased. In the treatments with combined exposures, the regimen with X-rays before ultrasound had a nearly additive effect on cell kill, whereas the reverse regimen with ultrasound exposure before X-irradiation resulted in a synergistic effect (p < 0.012). Conclusions : High-intensity focused CW ultrasound induces an intensity-dependent reduction in clonogenic survival in V79 cells, which seems to depend on both DNA and membrane damage. Combined exposures of ultrasound and X-rays resulted in a synergistic reduction in cell survival when cells were exposed to ultrasound before X-rays but not for the reverse regimen. Thus, a larger fraction of the repairable sublethal cell damage induced by an initial ultrasound exposure was rendered non-repairable by a subsequent X-ray exposure than if the reverse treatment order was used.
Involvement of G Protein-coupled Receptor Kinase 5 in Homologous Desensitization of the Thyrotropin Receptor (*)

Homologous desensitization of G protein-coupled receptors involves agonist-dependent phosphorylation of receptors by G protein-coupled receptor kinases (GRKs). To identify GRK(s) that play a role in homologous desensitization of the thyrotropin (TSH) receptor, thyroid cDNA was amplified by polymerase chain reaction using degenerate oligonucleotide primers from highly conserved regions in GRK family. GRK5 is found in the predominant isoform expressed in the thyroid. Rat GRK5 cDNA was then isolated, which encodes a 590-amino acid protein with 95% homology to human and bovine homologs. Northern blot identified GRK5 mRNA of 3, 8, and 10 kilobases with highest expression levels in lung > heart, kidney, colon > thyroid. In functional studies using a normal rat thyroid FRTL5 cells, overexpression of GRK5 by transfecting the plasmid capable of expressing the sense GRK5 RNA suppressed basal cAMP levels and augmented the extent of TSH receptor desensitization, whereas suppression of endogenous GRK5 expression by transfecting the antisense GRK5 construct increased basal cAMP levels and attenuated the extent of receptor desensitization. Although exogenously overexpressed GRK6 also enhanced TSH receptor desensitization, we conclude that GRK5, the predominant GRK isoform in the thyroid, appears to be mainly involved in homologous desensitization of the TSH receptor.
Serpin peptidase inhibitor, clade A member 3 (SERPINA3), is overexpressed in glioma and associated with poor prognosis in glioma patients

Glioma is the most common and aggressive human primary tumor in the central nervous system. Despite present clinical advancements, median survival time remains poor in this malignant tumor. Serpin peptidase inhibitor, clade A member 3 (SERPINA3), is a member of the serpin superfamily of protease inhibitors. Its aberrant expression has been observed in various tumors. However, its clinical significance and biological function in glioma remain unclear, especially for the prognosis of glioma patients. In this study, we investigated SERPINA3 expression in glioma tissue samples and its significance in predicting the prognosis of glioma patients. SERPINA3 protein expression was studied by immunohistochemistry, while real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to study SERPINA3 mRNA expression. We found that SERPINA3 was upregulated in glioma tissue at both mRNA and protein levels, compared with noncancerous brain tissues. We also found that high SERPINA3 expression in glioma tissues correlated significantly with advanced World Health Organization grade. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that high SERPINA3 expression was an independent prognostic factor for poor overall survival of glioma patients. Moreover, our findings were further validated by online Oncomine database. Taken together, our results suggest that SERPINA3 plays an oncogenic role in glioma progression and provide an insight into the application of SERPINA3 as a novel predictor of clinical outcomes and a potential biomarker of glioma.
Brics Export Performance: An Ardl Bounds Testing Empirical Investigation

This article aims to investigate the export performance of the BRICS countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. By making use of the bounds testing (ARDL) approach to cointegration for the period from January 2000 to December 2014, the results suggest the existence of asymmetries when considering which variables are relevant in the long run. Export performance relies mainly on: i) foreign demand and commodity prices, in the case of Brazil; ii) real effective exchange rate, foreign demand and commodity prices (Russia); iii) real effective exchange rate and commodity prices (India); iv) real effective exchange rate and foreign demand (China); v) foreign demand (South Africa). The estimated coefficients for the error correction mechanism show higher speed of adjustment for Brazil and China, intermediate speed for India, and lower for Russia and South Africa.
Induction of APOBEC3 In Vivo Causes Increased Restriction of Retrovirus Infection

ABSTRACT APOBEC3 proteins are important cellular factors that restrict infection by a number of viruses, including human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Previously, we found that the mouse APOBEC3 (mA3) restricts infection by mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) in its natural host. Dendritic cells (DCs) are the first in vivo targets of MMTV infection. In this study, we demonstrate that mA3 expressed in target cells restricts MMTV infection in DCs ex vivo and in vivo. By comparing infection of DCs from mA3+/+ and mA3−/− mice with one-hit viruses, we show that mA3 expression in target cells blocked MMTV infection at a postentry step and acted together with virion-packaged mA3 to inhibit infection. Similar results were obtained upon infection of mouse DCs with HIV-1 cores pseudotyped with vesicular stomatitis virus G protein. In addition, treatment of cells or mice with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) caused increased levels of mA3 expression and rendered them resistant to MMTV infection. Alpha interferon treatment had a similar effect. This LPS-induced resistance to infection was seen only in mA3+/+ mice and not in mA3−/− mice, arguing that mA3 is the major anti-MMTV restriction factor that is induced upon DC maturation. Thus, increasing the levels of this intrinsic antiretroviral factor in vivo can lead to increased levels of restriction because of higher levels of both cell-intrinsic as well as virion-packaged APOBEC3.
18F-ASEM, a Radiolabeled Antagonist for Imaging the α7-Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor with PET

The α7-nicotinic cholinergic receptor (α7-nAChR) is a key mediator of brain communication and has been implicated in a wide variety of central nervous system disorders. None of the currently available PET radioligands for α7-nAChR are suitable for quantitative PET imaging, mostly because of insufficient specific binding. The goal of this study was to evaluate the potential of 18F-ASEM (18F-JHU82132) as an α7-nAChR radioligand for PET. Methods: The inhibition binding assay and receptor functional properties of ASEM were assessed in vitro. The brain regional distribution of 18F-ASEM in baseline and blockade were evaluated in DISC1 mice (dissection) and baboons (PET). Results: ASEM is an antagonist for the α7-nAChR with high binding affinity (Ki = 0.3 nM). 18F-ASEM readily entered the baboon brain and specifically labeled α7-nAChR. The in vivo specific binding of 18F-ASEM in the brain regions enriched with α7-nAChRs was 80%–90%. SSR180711, an α7-nAChR–selective partial agonist, blocked 18F-ASEM binding in the baboon brain in a dose-dependent manner, suggesting that the binding of 18F-ASEM was mediated by α7-nAChRs and the radioligand was suitable for drug evaluation studies. In the baboon baseline studies, the brain regional volume of distribution (VT) values for 18F-ASEM were 23 (thalamus), 22 (insula), 18 (hippocampus), and 14 (cerebellum), whereas in the binding selectivity (blockade) scan, all regional VT values were reduced to less than 4. The range of regional binding potential values in the baboon brain was from 3.9 to 6.6. In vivo cerebral binding of 18F-ASEM and α7-nAChR expression in mutant DISC1 mice, a rodent model of schizophrenia, was significantly lower than in control animals, which is in agreement with previous postmortem human data. Conclusion: 18F-ASEM holds promise as a radiotracer with suitable imaging properties for quantification of α7-nAChR in the human brain.
Thymopoietic and Bone Marrow Response to Murine Pneumocystis Pneumonia

ABSTRACT CD4+ T cells play a key role in host defense against Pneumocystis infection. To define the role of naïve CD4+ T cell production through the thymopoietic response in host defense against Pneumocystis infection, Pneumocystis murina infection in the lung was induced in adult male C57BL/6 mice with and without prior thymectomy. Pneumocystis infection caused a significant increase in the number of CCR9+ multipotent progenitor (MPP) cells in the bone marrow and peripheral circulation, an increase in populations of earliest thymic progenitors (ETPs) and double negative (DN) thymocytes in the thymus, and recruitment of naïve and total CD4+ T cells into the alveolar space. The level of murine signal joint T cell receptor excision circles (msjTRECs) in spleen CD4+ cells was increased at 5 weeks post-Pneumocystis infection. In thymectomized mice, the numbers of naïve, central memory, and total CD4+ T cells in all tissues examined were markedly reduced following Pneumocystis infection. This deficiency of naïve and central memory CD4+ T cells was associated with delayed pulmonary clearance of Pneumocystis. Extracts of Pneumocystis resulted in an increase in the number of CCR9+ MPPs in the cultured bone marrow cells. Stimulation of cultured bone marrow cells with ligands to Toll-like receptor 2 ([TLR-2] zymosan) and TLR-9 (ODN M362) each caused a similar increase in CCR9+ MPP cells via activation of the Jun N-terminal protein kinase (JNK) pathway. These results demonstrate that enhanced production of naïve CD4+ T lymphocytes through the thymopoietic response and enhanced delivery of lymphopoietic precursors from the bone marrow play an important role in host defense against Pneumocystis infection.
Analisis jalur pengaruh sosialisasi terhadap kepatuhan wajib pajak bumi dan bangunan kota kediri dengan kesadaran sebagai variabel intervening

Pentingnya pajak bagi pembangunan di Indonesia membuat pemerintah terus berupaya meningkatkan penerimaan dari sektor ini. Mengingat semakin banyaknya bangunan baru yang ada di Kota Kediri, menuntut pemerintah dalam hal ini Dispenda Kota Kediri memberikan sosialisasi perpajakan kepada wajib pajak Bumi dan Bangunan yang ada di Kota Kediri. Sehingga diharapkan dapat meningkatkan kepatuhan wajib pajak terhadap peraturan perpajakan yang berlaku. Tujuan dilakukan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui pengaruh sosialisasi yang dilakukan oleh Dispenda Kota Kediri terhadap kepatuhan wajib pajak dengan menggunakan variabel kesadaran sebagai perantara. Teknik pengumpulan data yang digunakan berupa kuesioner yang dibagikan kepada wajib pajak PBB Kota Kediri yang terdaftar di Dispenda Kota Kediri, dan wawancara kepada pihak pegawai Dispenda Kota Kediri. Teknik analisis data menggunakan analisis jalur, untuk mengetahui pengaruh langsung variabel Sosialisasi (X) terhadap variabel Kepatuhan (Y), dan pengaruh tidak langsung, yaitu pengaruh variabel Sosialisasi (X) terhadap variabel Kepatuhan (Y) melalui variabel Kesadaran (Z). Hasil analisis menunjukkan bahwa variabel Sosialisasi berpengaruh secara langsung terhadap variabel Kepatuhan sebesar 19,4%, variabel Sosialisasi berpengaruh secara tidak langsung terhadap variabel Kepatuhan melalui variabel Kesadaran sebesar 38,4%. Sehingga dapat disimpulkan bahwa sosialisasi akan efektif meningkatkan kepatuhan wajib pajak apabila sosialisasi tersebut efektif meningkatkan kesadaran wajib pajak. Kata Kunci : Sosialisasi, Kepatuhan, Kesadaran
Direct measurement of toxicants inhaled by water pipe users in the natural environment using a real-time in situ sampling technique

While narghile water pipe smoking has become a global phenomenon, knowledge regarding its toxicant content and delivery, addictive properties, and health consequences is sorely lagging. One challenge in measuring toxicant content of the smoke in the laboratory is the large number of simplifying assumptions that must be made to model a “typical” smoking session using a smoking machine, resulting in uncertainty over the obtained toxicant yields. In this study, we develop an alternative approach in which smoke generated by a human water pipe user is sampled directly during the smoking session. The method, dubbed real-time in situ sampling (RINS), required developing a self-powered portable instrument capable of automatically sampling a fixed fraction of the smoke generated by the user. Instrument performance was validated in the laboratory, and the instrument was deployed in a field study involving 43 ad libitum water pipe use sessions in Beirut area cafés in which we measured inhaled nicotine, carbon monoxide (CO), and water pipe ma’ssel-derived “tar. ” We found that users drew a mean of 119 L of smoke containing 150 mg of CO, 4 mg of nicotine, and 602 mg of ma’ssel-derived “tar” during a single use session (mean duration = 61 min). These first direct measurements of toxicant delivery demonstrate that ordinary water pipe use involves inhaling large quantities of CO, nicotine, and dry particulate matter. Results are compared with those obtained using the Beirut method smoking machine protocol.
Pituitary-Adrenal Response to Ether Vapor in the Weanling Animal: Characterization of the Inhibitory Effect of Glucocorticoids on Adrenocorticotropin Secretion

ABSTRACT: The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is hyporesponsive to stimuli during early life in the rat. Once the adrenocortical response is established, failure to terminate the corticosterone (B) rise is evident after certain stressors, such as ether. The purpose of this study was 2-fold: 1) to investigate the B and ACTH response to ether vapor in young animals and 2) to test the ability of glucocorticoids to inhibit the ether ACTH-stimulated secretion in weanling animals. Rats aged 14, 18, and 25 d and adult rats were subjected to ether vapor for 3 min. Plasma was collected for B and ACTH determination by RIA at 0, 5, 15, 30, 60, and 120 min after ether exposure. Maximum B levels were observed at different times after exposure: 15 min in the adult and 30 min in the younger animals. In addition, B levels were significantly elevated at 60 min in the d 25 and d 18 rats compared with the adult (d 25 = 672.4 ± 28.9, d 18 = 744.6 ± 31.7, adult = 323.2 ± 8.7 mol/L ± SEM; d 25 = 23.3 ± 1.0, d 18 = 25.8 ± 1.1, adult = 11.2 ± 0.3 μg/dL ± SEM). The B delay observed in the younger animals was not due to a delayed ACTH response because maximal ACTH values were observed 5 min after ether exposure in all ages (d 14 = 21.9 ± 4.8, d 18 = 35.8 ± 21.3, d 25 = 82.01 ± 16.5, adult = 98.9 ± 25.2 χ 10−12 mol/L ± SEM). However, in the d 25 rats the ACTH level remained significantly elevated 30 min after the ether vapor challenge (5 min = 86.9 ± 25.2, 30 min = 61.8 ± 4.8, 60 min = 15.3 ± 4.1 χ 10−12 mol/L ± SEM). The delay to return to resting ACTH levels was consistent with the time delay observed for the B release from the adrenal. However, a rapid increase of plasma steroid achieved with an acute administration of the glucocorticoid cortisol suppresses ACTH release effectively (d 25 = 74%, adult = 70%). Unlike the fast feedback in the adult, the cortisol-induced ACTH inhibition in the weanling animal appears to require a greater cortisol rate of increase (d 25 versus adult = 118.6 versus 71.73 mol/L/min, 4.3 versus 2.6 μg/dL/min) and a longer time before basal ACTH levels are achieved (d 25 versus adult = 30 versus 15 min). We conclude that in the weanling rat the inability to rapidly terminate the adrenocortical response after ether vapor results from a combination of adrenal and pituitary and/or brain factors that result in decreased responsiveness to negative feedback even when the rate of steroid is high. Thus, the weaning period represents a distinct phase of the organization of the rat developing stress axis.
Image cytometry as a discriminatory tool for cytologic specimens obtained by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography

Routine brush cytology is relatively insensitive for the diagnosis of biliary and pancreatic malignancy. Sensitivity can be improved by measuring DNA and proliferation. The goal of this study was to assess the discriminatory capacity of image cytometry using pancreaticobiliary brush cytology specimens obtained during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). Analysis included morphometry, DNA quantification, and characterization of nuclear chromatin distribution and condensation.
Overcoming the Barriers to the Diffusion of Sustainability Reporting in Italian LGOs: Better Stick or Carrot?

The role of public-sector organizations (PSOs) in promoting the agenda of sustainability accounting and accountability is not often adequately considered. In the public sector realm, local governments are close to their communities and thus have a particularly important role to play in the pursuit of sustainability goals. Hence, further research is needed to understand if Local Government Organizations (LGOs) are using reporting tools to promote sustainable development. The empirical data showed that the Sustainability Report (SR) is not being as widely used as in past years. Over time, the majority of Italian municipalities have not initiated or continued sustainability reporting due to some barriers including cost reduction, voluntariness, and low SR effectiveness. The findings suggest the popularity of SRs in Italy is falling and the SR tool appears to be “mere trend reporting based on descriptive indicators leading to decreasing interest from internal and external audiences”. The carrot has been unsuccessful. Perhaps the implementation of mandatory requirements could alternatively be used as a stick.
Evictions: A Global Capitalist Phenomenon

Despite its reach and impact, little scholarly attention has been granted to what is becoming a silent social tsunami of our times: evictions. Tens of millions of rental households across the globe, who are too poor to own their own dwellings, are continually exposed to the violence of contemporary capitalism marked by, among other things, a dangerous mix of impoverishment, austerity, debtfarism and speculation. These factors combined have greatly shaped the everyday lives of lowâ€ income people, whose places of survival have become increasingly transformed into places of accumulation. This article uses Matthew Desmond's Pulitzer Prizeâ€ winning book, Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, as a platform for debate. It locates evictions within the broader political economy of capitalist development to elaborate on framings, trends and issues surrounding this dominant mode of displacement â€” beyond the borders of the United States.
Viewing the organization as a social actor: An intentions-based model of firm-level entrepreneurship

ii Dedication . iii Acknowledgments . iv List of Tables. ix List of Figures . x List of Abbreviations . xi Chapter 1: Introduction . 1 Entrepreneurial Orientation and Firm-Level Entrepreneurship . 4 Significant Knowledge Gaps in EO Research . 5 Research Questions . 8 Contributions to the Literature . 10 Summary of Remaining Chapters . 13 Chapter 2: Model Development . 16 Literature Review on Firm-Level Entrepreneurship . 17 Theoretical Foundation . 41 Proposed Theoretical Model and Research Hypotheses . 55 Model Overview . 79 Chapter 3: Method . 81 Sample . 81
The impact of domestic pricing of petrol on economic growth of Nigeria (1970 – 2013)

The study investigated the impact of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) Price on the growth of Nigerian economy as well as the effect of gross domestic investment (GDI), labour employment (LEMP) and lending interest rate (LIR) between 1970 and 2013 on economic growth of Nigeria. The study focused on PMS pricing due to government foot dragging on the deregulation of PMS Price in Nigeria. For this study, secondary data were obtained from Statistical fact sheets of National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) publications. Using the Error Correction Mechanism approach, the study reveals that increase in PMS Price had a negative significant impact on the Nigerian economy (Real GDP) at 5% level of significance. This indicates that 1% rise in PMS price of one year lag leads to 0.7% decrease in Real GDP. That is, increase in energy (PMS) price will negatively impact on the production of the firms, individuals (household) or Government Institutions, which will consequently lead to a fall in real GDP. GDI indicated a positive and significant impact on Real GDP at 5% level of significance, indicating that 1% rise in GDI of one year lag will lead to 8.5% rise in Real GDP. LEMP of one year lag showed a positive and significant impact on Real GDP at 5% level of significance, suggesting that 1% rise in LEMP will lead to 2% increase in Real GDP. Also, LIR of two and three-year lags indicated a negative and significant impact on Real GDP at 5% level of significance, implying that any percentage rise in LIR will lead to a corresponding percentage decrease in Real GDP. Based on the findings, the study concludes that PMS price, GDI, LEMP and LIR are drivers of RGDP in Nigeria. Hence, the study recommends that government should reduce the PMS pump price by deregulating PMS and encourage the private sector to participate actively in the downstream of the petroleum sector in order to create competition in the sector, thereby tackling the continuous rise in PMS pump Price.