Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Judgments, awareness, and the use of snus among adults in the United States.

INTRODUCTION Alternative tobacco products, such as snus, are emerging in the U.S. market. Understanding correlates of awareness and use, particularly judgments about harm and addictiveness, can inform public health communications about these products. METHODS Data were collected from a web panel representative of the U.S. population in March 2013 (N = 2,067). The survey assessed awareness and use of snus among adults. Absolute and comparative snus judgments, intentions, smoking status, and sociodemographic variables were measured. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine associations between these variables and snus awareness and use. RESULTS Nearly 36% of the population was aware of snus, and 5.2% reported ever using snus. Current cigarette smokers were about 4 times more likely as nonsmokers to report snus awareness and use. Sociodemographic correlates of snus awareness and use included being male, employed full time, and younger. Compared with respondents who perceived snus to be as harmful and as addictive as cigarettes, those who perceived snus to be less harmful and less addictive than cigarettes were more likely to have used snus. CONCLUSIONS Current smokers are more likely to be aware of and have used snus. Multiple tobacco product use poses a significant challenge for public health efforts to reduce tobacco-associated morbidity and mortality. Perceptions that snus is less harmful and less addictive compared with cigarettes are associated with snus use. These judgments can inform public health communications about emerging tobacco products and multiple product use.
Bipolar Proximal Femoral Replacement Prostheses for Musculoskeletal Neoplasms

While bipolar proximal femoral replacement prostheses (PFRP) have become a common treatment for tumors of the proximal femur, long-term results are not specified in the literature. The objective was to determine the complication and revision rates of bipolar PFRP and compare them to historical controls of bipolar hemiarthroplasties for nontumor indications. Information was retrospectively collected on 62 patients who received bipolar PFRP with cemented diaphyseal stems for primary or metastatic disease of the proximal femur from 1981 to 2003. Mean followup was 5 years. Twelve of 62 (19%) bipolar PFRPs underwent revision. Aseptic loosening was the most common complication with six (10%) undergoing revision. None were converted to THA due to acetabular erosion. Three patients (5%) had problems with dislocation and three (5%) had deep infections. Mean MSTS functional rating was 71% of normal function. The limb salvage rate was 98% and the 5-year event-free prosthetic survival was 79%. Bipolar PFRPs were found to have higher revision, dislocation, and deep infection rates compared to bipolar hemiarthroplasty for nontumor indications, but a lower rate of conversion to THA due to acetabular erosion. Bipolar PFRPs have good long-term durability with some complications, but are able to preserve the limb and provide good function for patients.Level of Evidence: Level IV, therapeutic study. See Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
TreeFinder: a first step towards XML data mining

In this paper we consider the problem of searching frequent trees from a collection of tree-structured data modeling XML data. The TreeFinder algorithm aims at finding trees, such that their exact or perturbed copies are frequent in a collection of labelled trees. To cope with complexity issues, TreeFinder is correct but not complete: it finds a subset of actually frequent trees. The default of completeness is experimentally investigated on artificial medium size datasets; it is shown that TreeFinder reaches completeness or falls short for a range of experimental settings.
Investigation of the mechanism of tamoxifen-stimulated breast tumor growth with nonisomerizable analogues of tamoxifen and metabolites.

BACKGROUND The nonsteroidal anti-estrogen tamoxifen (TAM) is the front-line endocrine treatment for breast cancer, but disease recurrence is common. Treatment failure may occur because tumors become insensitive to TAM. Alternatively, resistance may occur because tumors become stimulated rather than inhibited by TAM. TAM-stimulated growth of MCF-7 human breast tumors has been observed in athymic mice after prolonged treatment with TAM. PURPOSE Our purpose was to examine the mechanism of treatment failure by determining whether TAM-stimulated tumors acquire the ability to excrete TAM and its anti-estrogenic metabolites or to convert them to estrogenic compounds with weakened antiestrogenic activity. METHODS We used high-pressure liquid chromatography to quantitate TAM and its metabolites in serum and tumors from ovariectomized athymic mice and in MCF-7 cells grown in vitro. We treated tumor-bearing mice with subcutaneous sustained-release preparations of estradiol, TAM, or a nonisomerizable (fixed-ring) analogue and then assessed the activity of these compounds on TAM-inhibited parental MCF-7 tumors and on TAM-stimulated MCF-7 TAM tumors. RESULTS We found negligible differences in intratumoral TAM levels between TAM-inhibited parental MCF-7 tumors and TAM-stimulated MCF-7 TAM variants. We did not detect metabolite E (Met E), an estrogenic TAM metabolite, in serum or tumors. Using MCF-7 cells in vitro, we determined that the (Z) isomer of Met E, the form directly produced by TAM metabolism, must be present in the cell at a concentration of over 1000 ng/g to overcome growth inhibition by physiological levels of TAM and antiestrogenic metabolites, but the (E) isomer of Met E was effective at 10 ng/g. We reasoned that conversion of Met E from the (Z) (a weak estrogen) to (E) isomer (a potent estrogen) would be required if formation of Met E were responsible for TAM-stimulated growth. However, fixed-ring TAM, which can only form (Z) Met E, was shown to be as capable as TAM of initiating and maintaining anti-estrogen-stimulated growth of MCF-7 tumors in athymic mice. CONCLUSION Metabolism and isomerization of TAM to estrogenic compounds is not the mechanism of TAM-stimulated growth in our model. IMPLICATION Other potential mechanisms for TAM-stimulated growth, such as estrogen receptor mutation, must be investigated so that effective strategies can be devised to control breast cancer once therapy fails.
Criteria for deciding cost-effectiveness for expensive new anti-cancer agents.

Sarcomatoid squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix is a rare tumor. Only 16 cases have so far been reported in literature. We report here one such tumor occurring in a 54-year-old postmenopausal woman. Our case report describes the clinical, pathological, and PET scan characteristics of this tumor. The patient was treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy and is disease free at 6-months follow-up.
Role of hemorrhage in the induction of systemic inflammation and remote organ damage: Analysis of combined pseudo‐fracture and hemorrhagic shock

This study was performed to analyze the role of hemorrhage‐induced hypotension in the induction of systemic inflammation and remote organ dysfunction. Male C57/BL6 mice (6‐ to 10‐week old and 20–30 g) were used. Animals were either subjected to pseudo‐fracture [PF; standardized soft‐tissue injury and injection of crushed bone, PF group: n = 9], or PF combined with hemorrhagic shock (HS + PF group: n = 6). Endpoint was 6 h. Systemic inflammation was assessed by IL‐6 and IL‐10 levels. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) and NF‐κB activity in the lung and liver tissue were obtained to assess remote organ damage. The increases of systemic cytokines are similar for animals subjected to PF and PF + HS (IL‐6: 189 pg/ml ± 32.5 vs. 160 pg/ml ± 5.3; IL‐10: 60.3 pg/ml ± 15.8 vs. 88 pg/ml ± 32.4). Furthermore, the features (ALT; NF‐κB) of liver injury are equally elevated in mice subjected to PF (76.9 U/L ± 4.5) and HS + PF (80 U/L ± 5.5). Lung injury, addressed by MPO activity was more severe in group HS + PF (2.95 ng/ml ± 0.32) than in group PF (1.21 ng/ml ± 0.2). Both PF and additional HS cause a systemic inflammatory response. In addition, hemorrhage seems to be associated with remote affects on the lung. © 2010 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 29:270–274, 2011
COMPOSIÇÃO FLORÍSTICA E CARACTERÍSTICAS ECO DE UM CERRADÃO EM NOVA OLINDA, CE

Objetivou-se, neste estudo, analisar a composicao floristica de uma area de Cerradao em Nova Olinda, CE, bem como identificar algumas caracteristicas ecologicas das especies. Foram realizadas excursoes mensais para coleta do material botânico. A caracterizacao das sindromes de dispersao foi baseada nas caracteristicas morfologicas dos frutos ou sementes e com o auxilio da literatura especializada. Foram encontradas 72 especies, distribuidas em 55 generos e 33 familias. Caesalpiniaceae e Myrtaceae apresentaram as maiores riquezas especificas. A vegetacao foi delimitada em estratos, sendo o componente arboreo representado por 30 especies, o arbustivo por 18, o herbaceo por 4 e as trepadeiras por uma unica especie. A sindrome de dispersao predominante foi zoocoria, com 69% das especies. Do total de especies amostradas, 24% foram registradas apenas em areas de Cerrado, enquanto as outras ocorreram tambem em outros tipos vegetacionais adjacentes, principalmente na Caatinga. O Cerrado estudado apresentou uma riqueza taxonomica similar aos das areas continuas e superiores aos encontrados em outras areas disjuntas. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.14295/cad.cult. cienc.v14i1. 980
OCORRÊNCIA, ABUNDÂNCIA E DIVERSIDADE DA ICTIOFAUNA NA PESCA DO CAMARÃO SETE-BARBAS, NA REGIÃO DE PENHA, SC

Nas pescarias de arrasto do camarao sete-barbas pela frota artesanal, uma parcela significativa de fauna capturada e constituida por peixes, os quais, geralmente, sao devolvidos mortos ao mar, por nao apresentarem tamanho ou valor comercial. As amostragens da ictiofauna foram efetuadas mensalmente a bordo de barcos da frota artesanal que operam na regiao de Penha, SC, Brasil, durante o periodo de Agosto/2001 a Julho/2002. Foram amostrados 6719 peixes, pertencentes a 22 familias, distribuidas em 37 especies. A ictiofauna apresentou oscilacoes sazonais em numero de exemplares e CPUE. Os indices de riqueza de especies e diversidade apresentaram padroes semelhantes de variacao e os valores de equitabilidade revelaram uma distribuicao uniforme das especies nas areas de coleta.
Morphological and ultrastructural characterization of the coelomocytes in Apostichopus japonicus

The coelomocytes suspended in the coelomic fluid and occurring in the coelomic epithelial layer of the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus (Selenka) (Holothuroidea: Aspidochirota: Stichopodidae) function as mediators of the immune system, trephocytic cells and nutrient transport cells. Types of coelomocytes are characterized based on their morphological and ultrastructural features. Flow cytometry plus light and electron microscopic analyses were conducted in order to characterize the coelomocytes of A. japonicus. Six types of coelomocytes were identified: lymphocytes, morula cells, amoebocytes, crystal cells, fusiform cells and vibratile cells. Within these major categories, several distinctive cell types occurred that might represent developmental stages. The mean +/- SD coelomocyte concentration in the individuals (body length: 10 to 15 cm; weight: 100 to 150 g) was (3.79 +/- 0.65) X 10(6) cells ml(-1). The coelomic fluid contained mainly hyalinocytes (76.69%) and granulocytes (23.31 %).
Pediatric reference intervals for plasma free and total metanephrines established with a parametric approach: Relevance to the diagnosis of neuroblastoma

Urine catecholamines, vanillylmandelic, and homovanillic acid are recognized biomarkers for the diagnosis and follow‐up of neuroblastoma. Plasma free (f) and total (t) normetanephrine (NMN), metanephrine (MN) and methoxytyramine (MT) could represent a convenient alternative to those urine markers. The primary objective of this study was to establish pediatric centile charts for plasma metanephrines. Secondarily, we explored their diagnostic performance in 10 patients with neuroblastoma.
The Lojasiewicz Exponent at an Equilibrium Point of a Standard CNN is 1/2

In the sixties, Łojasiewicz proved a fundamental inequality for vector fields defined by the gradient of an analytic function, which gives a lower bound on the norm of the gradient in a neighborhood of a (possibly) non-isolated critical point. The inequality involves a number belonging to (0, 1), which depends on the critical point, and is known as the Łojasiewicz exponent. In this paper, a class of vector fields which are defined on a hypercube of ℝn, is considered. Each vector field is the gradient of a quadratic function in the interior of the hypercube, however it is discontinuous on the boundary of the hypercube. An extended Łojasiewicz inequality for this class of vector fields is proved, and it is also shown that the Łojasiewicz exponent at each point where a vector field vanishes is equal to 1/2. The considered fields include a class of vector fields which describe the dynamics of the output trajectories of a standard Cellular Neural Network (CNN) with a symmetric neuron interconnection matrix. By applying the extended Łojasiewicz inequality, it is shown that each output trajectory of a symmetric CNN has finite length, and as a consequence it converges to an equilibrium point. Furthermore, since the Łojasiewicz exponent at each equilibrium point of a symmetric CNN is equal to 1/2, it follows that each (state) trajectory, and each output trajectory, is exponentially convergent toward an equilibrium point, and this is true even in the most general case where the CNN possesses infinitely many nonisolated equilibrium points. In essence, the obtained results mean that standard symmetric CNNs enjoy the property of absolute stability of exponential convergence.
Complications of Intranasal Prescription Narcotic Abuse

The abuse of drugs via an intranasal route is an increasingly prevalent pattern of behavior. In the past year, a number of patients received care at our institution for complications resulting from the previously unreported phenomenon of intranasal prescription narcotic abuse. This report describes the clinical manifestations of this form of drug abuse in 5 patients. Their symptoms consisted of nasal and/or facial pain, nasal obstruction, and chronic foul-smelling drainage. Common physical findings were nasal septal perforation; erosion of the lateral nasal walls, nasopharynx, and soft palate; and mucopurulent exudate on affected nasal surfaces. In addition, 2 of the 5 patients had invasive fungal rhinosinusitis, which appears to be a complication unique to intranasal narcotic abuse.
Mechanisms of wavelength tuning in the rod opsins of deep-sea fishes

The main object of this study was to investigate the molecular basis for changes in the spectral sensitivity of the visual pigments of deep–sea fishes. The four teleost species studied, Hoplostethus mediterraneus, Cataetyx laticeps, Gonostoma elongatum and Histiobranchus bathybius, are phylogenetically distant from each other and live at depths ranging from 500 to almost 5000 m. A single fragment of the intronless rod opsin gene was PCR–amplified from each fish and sequenced. The wavelength of peak sensitivity for the rod visual pigments of the four deep–sea species varies from 483 nm in H. mediterraneus and G. elongatum to 468 nm in C. laticeps. Six amino acids at sites on the inner face of the chromophore‐binding pocket formed by the seven transmembrane a‐helices are identified as candidates for spectral tuning. Substitutions at these sites involve either a change of charge, or a gain or loss of a hydroxyl group. Two of these, at positions 83 and 292, are consistently substituted in the visual pigments of all four species and are likely to be responsible for the shortwave sensitivity of the pigments. Shifts to wavelengths shorter than 480 nm may involve substitution at one or more of the remaining four sites. No modifications were found in the derived sequences of these opsins that suggest functional adaptations, such as increased content of hydroxyl‐bearing or proline residues, to resist denaturation by the elevated hydrostatic pressures of the deep sea. Phylogenetic evidence for the duplication of the rod opsin gene in the Anguilliform lineage is presented.
Glycinergic and GABAA-Mediated Inhibition of Somatic Motoneurons Does Not Mediate Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Motor Atonia

A hallmark of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is a potent suppression of postural muscle tone. Motor control in REM sleep is unique because it is characterized by flurries of intermittent muscle twitches that punctuate muscle atonia. Because somatic motoneurons are bombarded by strychnine-sensitive IPSPs during REM sleep, it is assumed that glycinergic inhibition underlies REM atonia. However, it has never been determined whether glycinergic inhibition of motoneurons is indeed responsible for triggering the loss of postural muscle tone during REM sleep. Therefore, we used reverse microdialysis, electrophysiology, and pharmacological and histological methods to determine whether glycinergic and/or GABAA-mediated neurotransmission at the trigeminal motor pool mediates masseter muscle atonia during REM sleep in rats. By antagonizing glycine and GABAA receptors on trigeminal motoneurons, we unmasked a tonic glycinergic/GABAergic drive at the trigeminal motor pool during waking and non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. Blockade of this drive potently increased masseter muscle tone during both waking and NREM sleep. This glycinergic/GABAergic drive was immediately switched-off and converted into a phasic glycinergic drive during REM sleep. Blockade of this phasic drive potently provoked muscle twitch activity in REM sleep; however, it did not prevent or reverse REM atonia. Muscle atonia in REM even persisted when glycine and GABAA receptors were simultaneously antagonized and trigeminal motoneurons were directly activated by glutamatergic excitation, indicating that a powerful, yet unidentified, inhibitory mechanism overrides motoneuron excitation during REM sleep. Our data refute the prevailing hypothesis that REM atonia is caused by glycinergic inhibition. The inhibitory mechanism mediating REM atonia therefore requires reevaluation.
Once-yearly zoledronic acid for treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis.

BACKGROUND A single infusion of intravenous zoledronic acid decreases bone turnover and improves bone density at 12 months in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. We assessed the effects of annual infusions of zoledronic acid on fracture risk during a 3-year period. METHODS In this double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 3889 patients (mean age, 73 years) were randomly assigned to receive a single 15-minute infusion of zoledronic acid (5 mg) and 3876 were assigned to receive placebo at baseline, at 12 months, and at 24 months; the patients were followed until 36 months. Primary end points were new vertebral fracture (in patients not taking concomitant osteoporosis medications) and hip fracture (in all patients). Secondary end points included bone mineral density, bone turnover markers, and safety outcomes. RESULTS Treatment with zoledronic acid reduced the risk of morphometric vertebral fracture by 70% during a 3-year period, as compared with placebo (3.3% in the zoledronic-acid group vs. 10.9% in the placebo group; relative risk, 0.30; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.24 to 0.38) and reduced the risk of hip fracture by 41% (1.4% in the zoledronic-acid group vs. 2.5% in the placebo group; hazard ratio, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.42 to 0.83). Nonvertebral fractures, clinical fractures, and clinical vertebral fractures were reduced by 25%, 33%, and 77%, respectively (P<0.001 for all comparisons). Zoledronic acid was also associated with a significant improvement in bone mineral density and bone metabolism markers. Adverse events, including change in renal function, were similar in the two study groups. However, serious atrial fibrillation occurred more frequently in the zoledronic acid group (in 50 vs. 20 patients, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS A once-yearly infusion of zoledronic acid during a 3-year period significantly reduced the risk of vertebral, hip, and other fractures. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00049829.)
Improved Vaccine Protection from Simian AIDS by the Addition of Nonstructural Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Genes1

An HIV-1 vaccine able to induce broad CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses may provide long-term control of viral replication. In this study we directly assess the relative benefit of immunization with vaccines expressing three structural Ags (Gag, Pol, and Env), three early regulatory proteins (Rev, Tat, and Nef), or a complex vaccine expressing all six Ags. The simultaneous administration of all six Ags during vaccination resulted in Ag competition manifested by a relative reduction of CD8+ T cell and lymphoproliferative responses to individual Ags. Despite the Ag competition, vaccination with all six Ags resulted in a delay in the onset and a decrease in the extent of acute viremia after mucosal challenge exposure to highly pathogenic SIVmac251. Reduced levels of acute viremia correlated with lower post-set point viremia and long-term control of infection. In immunized animals, virus-specific CD4+ T cell and lymphoproliferative responses were preserved during acute viremia, and the maintenance of these responses predicted the long-term virological outcome. Taken together, these results suggest that the breadth of the immune response is probably more important than high frequency responses to a limited number of epitopes. These data provide the first clear evidence of the importance of nonstructural HIV Ags as components of an HIV-1 vaccine.
The Derivation of Optimum Criteria for Use in the Monothermal Caloric Screening Test

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether it is possible to predict a normal outcome of the bithermal caloric test by testing at a single temperature and if so, what criteria are most appropriate to use. Design: A total of 490 patients were considered candidates for the bithermal test and 414 completed the four necessary components, their nystagmus being measured using videonystagmography. Results: Clinical decision analysis revealed that the cool monothermal test does not provide an adequate combination of sensitivity and specificity for us to recommend its clinical use. However, the warm monothermal test offers a sensitivity of 95% with 29% of patients with normal bithermal results having to undergo the bithermal test (specificity = 71%) if a combination of three criteria are used: a normal bithermal caloric test outcome can be anticipated and testing curtailed after the first temperature if (a) the warm monothermal caloric asymmetry (MCA) is <15% and (b) the two warm results are each >8 degrees per sec (°/sec), and (c) any spontaneous nystagmus is <4 °/sec. Conclusions: When appropriate criteria are used, the warm monothermal caloric test offers a performance that is acceptable for routine clinical use, sparing a considerable proportion of patients from unnecessary tests at the cool temperature. We believe that the warm/cool monothermal test difference is probably a consequence of the interrelationship between canal paresis and directional preponderance.
A double beam radiated leaky wave antenna composed of left-handed slab loaded hybrid waveguide using planar technology

A novel leaky wave antenna with double radiation beam composed of left-handed slab loaded hybrid waveguide using planar technology is proposed, and its leaky characteristics are investigated with a method, which the multimode network theory is combined with rigorous mode-matching method. The investigation reveals that the structure supports two leaky modes corresponding to the forward and the backward radiations respectively. It demonstrates that the new leaky wave antenna is of desirable property that can radiate both forward and backward directions simultaneously with quite simple configuration.