Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Expression of DJ-1 in Endometrial Cancer: Close Correlation With Clinicopathological Features and Apoptosis

Objectives DJ-1 was originally cloned as a putative oncogene capable of transforming NIH3T3 cells in cooperation with H-Ras or c-Myc, which has been implicated in the pathogenesis of some solid tumors. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression and clinical significance of DJ-1 in endometrial cancer and study its effect on cell proliferation and apoptosis in endometrial cancer Ishikawa cells. Methods Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting were performed to determine the DJ-1 expression in 100 surgical specimens of endometrial cancer tissues, paired tumor-adjacent tissues, and 30 surgical specimens of normal endometrium tissues. The proliferation variety of endometrial cancer Ishikawa cells was determined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium assay after transfecting the interference plasmid pGPU6/GFP/neo-DJ-1-shRNA into Ishikawa cells. Real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting were used to evaluate the effect of interference plasmid on target gene expression. Apoptosis rate was determined by flow cytometry. Results DJ-1 expression in endometrial cancer tissues was higher than in tumor-adjacent tissues and normal endometrial tissues. At the same time, it was associated with signs of cancer progression, including differentiation, myometrial invasion depth, and presence of lymph node metastasis. Knocking down DJ-1 promoted the apoptosis of Ishikawa cells. Conclusions High DJ-1 expression seems to be negatively correlated with apoptosis. Meanwhile, it may be part of the mechanisms for the development, invasion, and metastasis in endometrial cancer.
Surgical and endovascular treatment of spinal dural arteriovenous fistulas: long-term disability assessment and prognostic factors.

OBJECT The authors assessed clinical outcomes of patients with treated spinal dural arteriovenous fistulas (DAVFs) and investigated prognostic factors. METHODS Thirty consecutive patients with spinal DAVFs were treated at the authors' institution during the past 15 years: seven underwent surgery; seven underwent surgery after failed embolization: and 16 underwent embolization alone. The outcomes of gait and micturition disability, were analyzed. Follow up averaged 3.4 years (range 1 month-11.8 years). Age, duration of symptoms, pre- and postintervention magnetic resonance (MR) imaging findings, and preintervention disability were correlated with outcome. Seventeen patients (57%) experienced improved gait, 12 (40%) were unchanged, and one (3%) was worse. In 11 patients (37%) micturition function was improved, in 15 (50%) it was unchanged, and in four (13%) it was worse. Gait disability, as measured by the Aminoff-Logue Scale, was significantly improved after treatment, from 3.4+/-1.4 (average +/- standard deviation) to 2.7+/-1.5 (p = 0.007). Mean micturition disability scores decreased, but not significantly, from 1.9+/-1 to 1.6+/-1.1 (p = 0.20). Preintervention gait disability was not associated with improvement except for patients with Aminoff-Logue Scale Grade 4 disability (eight of nine improved; p = 0.024). For patients treated within 13 months of symptom onset, mean micturition disability decreased (p = 0.035). No association was found between clinical improvement and age, a symptom duration less than 30 months, or pre- and postintervention MR imaging-documented spinal cord edema. CONCLUSIONS Spinal DAVF treatment significantly improved patients' mean gait disability score by almost one grade at last follow up. The mean micturition disability score was not significantly improved, unless treatment was performed within 13 months of symptom onset. Longer and more uniform follow-up study is needed to determine if improved and stabilized clinical outcomes are sustained.
Marker Clip Placement following Directional, Vacuum-assisted Breast Biopsy

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of marker clip placement after 11-gauge directional, vacuum-assisted breast biopsies. During a 9-month period, 150 stereotactic breast biopsies were performed using a directional, vacuum-assisted device and an 11-gauge probe. In 114 cases, a marker clip was deployed at the biopsy site using the through-probe method. In 94 cases, stereotactic coordinates of the clip were obtained and were available for retrospective review. Comparing the coordinates of the lesion with those of the clip, placement errors were calculated. Overall, clip placement was within 5 mm of the lesion in 81 per cent of cases, within 5–10 mm of the lesion in 17 per cent of cases, and >10 mm from the lesion in 2 per cent of cases. Mean total placement error was 4.5 mm. The mean z axis error was 3.2 mm, compared with 0.88 and 2.0 mm for the x and y axes, respectively. Marker clip placement after vacuum-assisted biopsy is an accurate method of localizing the biopsy site should subsequent surgery be required.
Effect of two doses of aspirin on thromboxane biosynthesis and platelet function in patients undergoing coronary surgery

Summary Early post-operative aspirin improves survival in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). However, most patients do not benefit of aspirin after CABG, still remaining at risk of thrombotic events due to insufficient platelet inhibition, specifically via the thromboxane (TX) pathway. We evaluated the effect of two aspirin doses (100 or 325 mg daily, enteric coated formulations) on platelet function and TX biosynthesis in patients after CABG and assessed whether the incidence of residual platelet reactivity could be reduced by the higher dose. Fifty-six patients undergoing CABG were randomly assigned to 100 or 325 mg aspirin daily for five days in a prospective single-centre study. Treatment effect was assessed by measuring either platelet function (light-transmission aggregometry and point-of-care PFA-100®) or TX biosynthesis in collagen-stimulated platelets, serum, urine, and in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-cultured whole blood (WB). An insufficient TX inhibition was observed with 100 mg aspirin but not with the higher dose. The different effect of the two doses was, however, highlighted by either TX (platelet- or serum-derived) or by PFA-100® but not by the other assays. In conclusion, early after CABG, the incidence of residual platelet activity was lower in patients who received 325 mg aspirin. Moreover, evidence was provided that different methods yield different results in the detection of aspirin resistance, rendering them not interchangeable.
The granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G‐CSF) activates Jak/STAT and MAPK pathways in a trophoblastic cell line

Granulocyte colony‐stimulating factor receptor (G‐CSFR) has been found in placenta tissues, although its functional role has not yet been defined. In order to explore the molecular pathways induced by G‐CSF in this tissue, we first reveal the presence of G‐CSFR in the JEG‐3 human trophoblastic cell line and then examined the phosphorylation of Janus tyrosine kinases (Jak), signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) proteins and mitogen‐activated protein kinases (MAPK) after G‐CSF binding to receptors. We showed that Jak1, Jak2, Tyk2, and STAT3 were phosphorylated after incubation with G‐CSF. Phosphorylation of p38 and p44/42 MAPK was also activated by G‐CSF, and specifically blocked in the presence of the corresponding inhibitors. Similar intracellular pathways were induced by G‐CSF in a myeloid leukemia NFS‐60 cell line that was studied in parallel. Conversely to cytokine action in myeloid cells, G‐CSF did not induce a proliferative response in JEG‐3 cells. When the effect of G‐CSF on cellular viability was evaluated, cytokine‐stimulated JEG‐3 cells were protected from foetal serum starvation. In addition, when JEG‐3 cells deprived of serum were incubated at different times in the presence of G‐CSF, a progressive decrease in the percentage of hypodiploid cells was observed. In summary, we identified the molecular pathways activated after G‐CSF binding to trophoblastic cell receptors and showed that G‐CSF behaved as a protective cytokine, which supports JEG‐3 cells survival. J. Cell. Biochem. 103: 1512–1523, 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Effect of Housing Wealth Losses on Spending in the Great Recession

We use panel data on a complete inventory of household spending and assets to estimate the spending response to the sharp and largely unexpected declines in house values that occurred in the Great Recession. Our study complements the existing literature on this topic by relying exclusively on longitudinal micro data on both household wealth and expenditure. Our data span the period 2002-2012, allowing us to separate trends in spending from innovations in response to unexpected wealth changes. We find the marginal propensity to consume out of an unexpected housing wealth change to be six cents per dollar among older American households.
Widespread lipoplex‐mediated gene transfer to vascular endothelial cells and hemangioblasts in the vertebrate embryo

We report here a method that allows fast, efficient, and low‐cost screening for gene function in the vascular system of the vertebrate embryo. Through intracardiac delivery of nucleic acids optimally compacted by a specific cationic lipid, we are able to induce in vivo endothelial cell‐specific gain‐of‐function during development of the vascular network in the chick embryo. When the nucleic acids are delivered during the period of intraembryonic hematopoiesis, aortic hemangioblasts, the forerunners of the hematopoietic stem cells known to derive from the aortic endothelium, are also labeled. Similarly, we show that siRNA could be used to induce loss‐of‐function in vascular endothelial cells. This gene transfer technique was also applied to the mouse embryo with a high efficiency. The present method allows large‐scale analysis and may represent a new and versatile tool for functional genomics. Developmental Dynamics 235:105–114, 2006. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Depression and Heart Disease: Therapeutic Implications

The consequences of depression and coronary artery disease (CAD) were reviewed in the literature. The comorbidity of depression and CAD results in an increased cardiovascular mortality. We reviewed possible explanations for this increased morbidity, which include: toxicity of tricyclic antidepressants that can cause cardiac arrhythmias, abnormalities in platelet function leading to increased platelet aggregation due to abnormalities in serotonin in the platelet (an abnormality that possibly causes depression in the central nervous system), diffuse atherosclerosis causing central nervous system abnormalities including depression (vascular depression), as well as the possibility that depressed patients are less compliant with their medications and physician-directed health recommendations. Recent reports of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) causing a reduced cardiovascular mortality may be related to serotonin platelet abnormalities in depressed patients that are effectively treated by SSRIs (SADHART and ENRICHD trial). It is possible that these trials reveal a mechanism of depression that also effects platelet function and can be improved with SSRI therapy, suggesting a preferential therapeutic pathway for the treatment of depressed patients with CAD.
COLONY: a program for parentage and sibship inference from multilocus genotype data

Pedigrees, depicting genealogical relationships between individuals, are important in several research areas. Molecular markers allow inference of pedigrees in wild species where relationship information is impossible to collect by observation. Marker data are analysed statistically using methods based on Mendelian inheritance rules. There are numerous computer programs available to conduct pedigree analysis, but most software is inflexible, both in terms of assumptions and data requirements. Most methods only accommodate monogamous diploid species using codominant markers without genotyping error. In addition, most commonly used methods use pairwise comparisons rather than a full‐pedigree likelihood approach, which considers the likelihood of the entire pedigree structure and allows the simultaneous inference of parentage and sibship. Here, we describe colony, a computer program implementing full‐pedigree likelihood methods to simultaneously infer sibship and parentage among individuals using multilocus genotype data. colony can be used for both diploid and haplodiploid species; it can use dominant and codominant markers, and can accommodate, and estimate, genotyping error at each locus. In addition, colony can carry out these inferences for both monoecious and dioecious species. The program is available as a Microsoft Windows version, which includes a graphical user interface, and a Macintosh version, which uses an R‐based interface.
Functional analysis of the isoforms of an ABI3-like factor of Pisum sativum generated by alternative splicing

At least seven isoforms (PsABI3-1 to PsABI3-7) of a putative, pea ABI3-like factor, originated by alternative splicing, have been identified after cDNA cloning. A similar variability had previously only been described for monocot genes. The full-length isoform, PsABI3-1, contains the typical N-terminal acidic domains and C-terminal basic subdomains, B1 to B3. Reverse transcriptase-PCR analysis revealed that the gene is expressed just in seeds, starting at middle embryogenesis; no gene products are observed in embryo axes after 18 h post-imbibition although they are more persistent in cotyledons. The activity of the isoforms was studied by yeast one-hybrid assays. When yeast was transformed with the isoforms fused to the DNA binding domain of Gal4p, only the polypeptides PsABI3-2 and PsABI3-7 failed to complement the activity of Gal4p. Acidic domains A1 and A2 exhibit transactivating activity, but the former requires a small C-terminal extension to be active. Yeast two-hybrid analysis showed that PsABI3 is able to heterodimerize with Arabidopsis thaliana ABI5, thus proving that PsABI3 is functionally active. The minimum requirement for the interaction PsABI3–AtABI5 is the presence of the subdomain B1 with an extension, 81 amino acids long, at their C-terminal side. Finally, a transient onion transformation assay showed that both the active PsABI3-1 and the inactive PsABI3-2 isoforms are localized to nuclei. Considering that the major isoforms remain approximately constant in developing seeds although their relative proportion varied, the possible role of splicing in the regulatory network of ABA signalling is discussed.
Symptom perception during acute bronchoconstriction.

The hypothesis underlying the present study was that some of the variability in symptom intensity seen during acute bronchoconstriction may result from varying intensities of several stimuli yielding several sensations that can be identified by specific descriptive expressions (symptoms). A total of 232 subjects inhaled methacholine in doubling concentrations to a 20% decrease in FEV(1), or 64 mg/ml. The study identified the prevalence of dyspnea, nonspecific discomfort associated with the act of breathing, and 10 specific symptom expressions. Each symptom intensity was rated in Borg scale units. The contribution of the specific symptoms to the intensity of dyspnea is illustrated in the following equation (r = 0. 84): Dyspnea = 0.44 + 0.19 Difficult breathing + 0.41 Chest tightness + 0.20 Breathlessness + 0.14 Labored breathing + 0.11 Chest pain. Dyspnea was more intense with broncho-constriction, baseline pulmonary impairment, weight, and sex (being female). Dyspnea was less intense with age (being older) and as airway responsiveness to methacholine increased (p < 0.05 for all factors). Chest tightness and chest pain were at polar extremes on the discrimination scale, i.e., easily discriminated; chest tightness, difficult and labored breathing were not easily discriminated.
Neurologic injuries associated with all‐terrain vehicles and recommendations for protective measures for the pediatric population

Objective To present data and case studies illustrating the danger, especially in the pediatric population, of all-terrain vehicle (ATV) use, and to provide recommendations for pediatricians on how to educate parents concerning ATVs. Design Retrospective review of 33 patients with neurologic injuries sustained in ATV accidents presenting to one institution over a 40-month period. Setting Emergency department and neurosurgery service at Arkansas Children's Hospital and two other hospitals that make up the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Patients All patients (n = 33) who presented between January 1993 and April 1996 at the emergency departments with neurologic injuries sustained in accidents involving either a three- or four-wheel ATV requiring hospitalisation. Interventions Depending on the nature of the injury, various treatments, as described herein. Main outcome measures Demographic measures, the mechanisms of injury, the types of injuries; the current data available regarding the number of injuries nationwide; and the precautionary measures parents should be advised to take. Results Ages ranged from four to 68 years (mean, 18; median, 14), 21 of the patients were <16 years old. The predominant age range was 12 to 15 years; most common mechanisms of injury were being thrown to the ground, striking a tree, and flipping backward. Most injuries were cranial (21) or spinal (11). Nationwide, the proportionate number of injuries are decreasing, but the consequences remain severe. Using a helmet and restricting the use of these vehicles will reduce the number and magnitude of injuries. Conclusions Although perceived as recreational toys, ATVs can be extremely unsafe, especially for children and adolescents; pediatricians should educate parents and patients on the dangers of riding these vehicles.
Battery Management System (BMS) simulation environment for electric vehicles

The wide diffusion of Full and Hybrid Electric Vehicles is stimulating research on electric energy storage systems and Battery Management Systems (BMS). The Battery management system must ensure many complex features such as charge control, battery-capacity monitoring, remaining run-time information and charge-cycle counting. An optimization of the BMS can allow an improvement on security of the vehicle, performance of the engine, energy optimization and extension of the life of the battery. The main objective of this work is to develop a simulation environment based on SystemC to design and optimize the Battery Management System including a lithium-ion battery model and CAN communication interface. The BMS has been validated using real-world scenarios and data.
The Impact of Managers’ Participation in Costing System Design on Their Perceived Contributions to Process Improvement

Abstract The aim of this paper is to investigate the impact of managers’ participation in costing system design on their perceived contributions to process improvement. Drawing on the literature on business process management, participative decision-making and self-determination theory, we propose that participation in costing system design fosters managers’ perceived contributions to process improvement through their autonomous motivation for cost management and their perceived usefulness of cost information. Questionnaire data obtained from 170 Belgian managers were used to test the proposed model. The results suggest that participation in costing system design increases managers’ autonomous motivation for cost management and enhances their perceived usefulness of cost information. Managers’ perceived usefulness of cost information is, in turn, positively associated with their perceived contributions to process improvement. The effect of managers’ autonomous motivation for cost management on their perceived contributions to process improvement is, however, not significant. Taken together, our findings imply that contributions to process improvement mainly emerge through informational mechanisms rather than motivational mechanisms triggered by the participation process.
Assessment of Peripheral Vascular Effects of Antimigraine Drugs in Humans

The vascular beds of the forearm and finger can be used to study the peripheral effects of antimigraine drugs under normal and pathologic circumstances. We have investigated the novel antimigraine drug sumatriptan, a selective agonist for 5HT1 receptors. Its antimigraine effect may be attributed, at least in part, to constriction of cranial arteriovenous anastomoses (AVAs). In assessing the peripheral vascular effects of sumatriptan we used a forearm and finger blood flow model. Forearm blood flow (FBF) is mainly determined by resistance vessels, whereas finger blood flow (FiBF) mainly involves skin vessels, which contain many AVAs. Changes in FBF and FiBF can be assessed using venous occlusion plethysmography. Changes in AVA flow are determined by measuring the patency of the vascular beds of the forearm and hand to well-defined radiolabeled microspheres, which are injected into the brachial artery. We report the effects of sumatriptan on FBF, FiBF and AVA flow when administered into the brachial artery of healthy volunteers, and discuss the peripheral vascular effects of therapeutic doses of sumatriptan when given subcutaneously in migraine patients during and between attacks.
Post-crisis Political Normalisation? The 2018 Presidential Elections in the Republic of Cyprus

ABSTRACT This article takes stock of the most recent presidential election in the Republic of Cyprus and connects it to broader currents in post-crisis European political settings. Although the elections took place against a backdrop of improving economic prospects, the crisis has left its political mark in a number of areas we identify that include a growing political fragmentation, the rise of the far right and increased voter abstention. The empirical analysis focuses on the media campaign and draws on a topic-modelling approach to identify and contrast emphasis given to policy issues over the two electoral rounds. The policy themes identified clustered around two dominant dimensions of political conflict: the Cyprus conflict and the economy.
Challenges and Facilitators of Community Clinical Oncology Program Participation: A Qualitative Study

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Successful participation in the National Cancer Institute's Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP) can expand access to clinical trials and promote cancer treatment innovations for patients and communities without access to major cancer centers. Yet CCOP participation involves administrative, financial, and organizational challenges that can affect hospital and provider participants. This study was designed to improve our understanding of challenges associated with CCOP participation from the perspectives of involved providers and to learn about opportunities to overcome these challenges. We conducted five case studies of hospitals and providers engaged with the CCOP. Across organizations, we interviewed 41 key administrative, physician, and nurse informants. We asked about CCOP participation, focusing on issues related to implementation, operations, and organizational support. Challenges associated with CCOP participation included lack of appreciation for the value of participation and poor understanding about CCOP operations, cost, and required workflow changes, among others. Informants also suggested opportunities to facilitate participation: (1) increase awareness of the CCOP, (2) enhance commitment to the CCOP, and (3) promote and support champions of the CCOP. Improving our understanding of the challenges and facilitators of CCOP participation may assist hospitals and providers in increasing and sustaining participation in the CCOP, thus helping to preserve access to innovative cancer treatment options for patients in need.