Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Acute and chronic ecotoxicity of carbaryl with a battery of aquatic bioassays

ABSTRACT The ecotoxic effects of carbaryl (carbamate insecticide) were investigated with a battery of four aquatic bioassays. The nominal effective concentrations immobilizing 50% of Daphnia magna (EC50) after 24 and 48 h were 12.76 and 7.47 µg L−1, respectively. After 21 days of exposure of D. magna, LOECs (lowest observed effect concentrations) for cumulative molts and the number of neonates per surviving adult were observed at carbaryl concentration of 0.4 µg L−1. An increase of embryo deformities (curved or unextended shell spines) was observed at 1.8 and 3.7 µg L−1, revealing that carbaryl could act as an endocrine disruptor in D. magna. Other bioassays of the tested battery were less sensitive: the IC50-72h and IC10-72h of the algae Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata were 5.96 and 2.87 mg L−1, respectively. The LC50-6d of the ostracod Heterocypris incongruens was 4.84 mg L−1. A growth inhibition of H. incongruens was registered after carbaryl exposure and the IC20-6d was 1.29 mg L−1. Our results suggest that the daphnid test sensitivity was better than other used tests. Moreover, carbaryl has harmful and toxic effects on tested species because it acts at low concentrations on diverse life history traits of species and induce embryo deformities in crustaceans.
The Effects of Heavy Training on Two In Vitro Assessments of Cell‐Mediated Immunity in Conditioned Athletes

This study examined the effects of heavy training on cell-mediated immunity in highly trained runners. Ten men [mean age, 29.8 years; mean maximal oxygen intake (VOZmax), 65.3 ml/[kg . min]; personal best 10-km race time, 31 min, 43 s] were evaluated following 3 weeks of normal baseline training (B1), 3 weeks of deliberately heavy training (HT), and another 3 weeks of baseline training (B2). At each laboratory evaluation, the subjects ran on a treadmill for 30 min at 80% of VOZmax. Antecubital samples of venous blood were taken immediately before and 5 and 30 min after exercise. Cell-mediated immune function was assessed by two in vitro measurements: (a) stimulation of lymphocyte proliferation with the mitogens phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and concanavalin (Con-A), and (b) assessment of subpopulations of lymphocytes [B cells, T cells, helper cells (CD4+ or H), and suppressor cells (CD8+ or S)]. Following HT, resting blood samples indicated trends for increased proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and a decrease in the H/S ratio compared with values for B1. Submaximal exercise did not alter proliferation at either B1 or B2. The acute bout of HT exercise produced a significant 18% suppression of PHA-induced lymphocyte proliferation, with a similar but not significant 12% suppression of Con-A response. However, the exercise-induced decrease of the H/S ratio was larger at B1 and B2 than following HT. Thus, we conclude that the apparent impact of heavy training on cell-mediated immunity is strongly dependent on the chosen in vitro measure of immune function.
The health‐promoting school in Wales: an overview

This paper charts the progress of the health‐promoting school concept in Wales from a pilot project to a key component of mainstream health‐promotion activity. The paper particularly focuses on Wales’ participation in the European Network of Health‐Promoting Schools and on the current initiative, the Welsh Network of Healthy School Schemes. It also identifies the key lessons learned from the work in Wales, including the need to gain the support of the schools’ senior management, to appoint an enthusiastic school co‐ordinator and to plan clearly a limited number of actions, with achievable timescales.
Prevalence of anti-hepatitis A antibodies, hepatitis B viral markers and anti-hepatitis C antibodies among persons with intellectual disability in institutions in Israel

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of antibodies to hepatitis A, B and C in persons with intellectual disability in residential care in Israel and especially to determine the need for immunisation against hepatitis A. Four residential care centres were chosen from 53 centres housing 6022 persons. A total of 251 participants was tested and the prevalence of anti-hepatitis A virus was 91%, of hepatitis B surface antigen was 5.2%, its corresponding anti-HBs was 57% and of anti-hepatitis C virus was 0.8%. It is concluded that active immunisation against hepatitis B should be continued in this population, but only each new person who enters the residential care centres from home should be vaccinated against hepatitis A.
Guidelines for assessing clinical competence

Medical organizations responsible for assessing the clinical competence of large numbers of examinees have traditionally used written, oral, and observation‐based examination methods. The results from these examinations form the basis for major professional decisions regarding promotion or privileges of medical students or physicians. In this article, we present a set of guidelines that examining bodies should follow in developing and implementing assessment procedures that are a valid reflection of examinees’ current level of competence and of their ability to perform satisfactorily at the next stage of training or practice. The guidelines are based on our collective experiences as well as the growing literature on assessment of clinical competence. The discussion covers issues that have not been fully addressed in previously published reviews, including identifying the competencies to be tested, selecting appropriate and realistic test methods, dealing with test administration and scoring, and setting s.
The relationship between incidence and report of medication errors and working conditions.

BACKGROUND Medication errors are considered to be a serious threat to patients' safety. Efforts to detect and prevent these errors have increased considerably in recent years. AIM To determine the incidence and reporting rate of medication errors as reported by Iranian nurses and their relationship with work conditions in hospitals under the authority of Iran University of Medical Sciences. METHODS This descriptive-analytical study was carried out in six hospitals. Through a stratified multiple stage sampling, 300 nurses were selected. A researcher-constructed, three-part, self-report questionnaire was used to collect data regarding the nurses' medication errors, medication error reports and their perceived working conditions during the previous 3 months. The data were processed using descriptive statistics and Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance. FINDINGS The mean of medication errors that nurses recalled was 19.5, and the mean of error reporting was 1.3 cases during the previous 3 months. The relationship between error incidence and work conditions as perceived by nurses was statistically significant (df = 3, P ≤ 0.0001); however, there was no significant relationship between reporting the occurred error and nurses' perceived work conditions (df = 3, P ≤ 0.255). CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS The establishment of an efficient reporting system, documentation of errors and removal of obstacles to reporting may result in reduced frequency of medication errors. Considering the relationship between medication error incidence and working conditions, it seems that creating a work condition in which nurses feel more comfortable and decreasing work tensions may pave the way to preventing nursing errors.
IL-2−driven Regulation of NK Cell Receptors With Regard to the Distribution of CD16+ and CD16− Subpopulations and In Vivo Influence After Haploidentical NK Cell Infusion

To characterize natural killer (NK) cell subpopulations during activation, we analyzed the NK cell receptor repertoire and functionality of purified clinical scale CD56+CD3− donor NK cells during stimulation with 1000 U/mL interleukin (IL)-2 for up to 14 days. In a phase I/II trial, we investigated the efficacy and feasibility of nonidentical NK cell infusion in patients with neuroblastoma after haploidentical stem cell transplantation. After IL-2 stimulation, large differences in the distribution of CD16negative and CD16positive subpopulations were found in 12 donors. Thereby, surface expression for all natural cytotoxicity receptors (NCRs) and NKG2D increased. In addition, killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR)+ NK cells were overgrown by KIR− proportion and the homing receptor CD62L was lost during stimulation. NK cell cytotoxicity against K562 and neuroblastoma cells increased and significantly higher cytokine secretion (eg, interferon-γ, tumor necrosis factor-β, macrophage inflammatory protein-1α, macrophage inflammatory protein-1β) was observed after IL-2 stimulation compared with freshly isolated NK cells. However, NK cells of donors showing an initially enhanced cytotoxicity combined with NCRbright and CD69 expression, seemed to be exhausted and did not favor a stimulation period over 9 days. When IL-2–stimulated NK cells were given to transplant recipients, they induced a decrease of peripheral blood NK, in particular of CD56bright-NK cells. Our data indicate that IL-2 stimulation increases the expression of activating receptors and emphasizes mechanisms beside KIR/human leukocyte antigen. Furthermore, the results suggest that the expansion period of purified NK cells has to be individualized to optimize NK cell immunotherapy.
Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocyte Therapy for Metastatic Melanoma: Analysis of Tumors Resected for TIL

Adoptive cell transfer of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) can mediate objective tumor regression in 49% to 72% of patients with many long-term durable responses. To undergo treatment a patient must have (1) a resectable tumor from which (2) TIL can be generated that (3) exhibit tumor-specific reactivity. From July 2002 to July 2007, 787 tumors from 402 patients were processed for possible use in the generation of TIL, leading to the eventual treatment of 107 patients (27%). Viable TILs were generated in 376 patients (94%), and active, specific TILs were identified in 269 patients (67%). Patient demographics and tumor characteristics were analyzed for possible prognostic factors for growth and activity. Gastrointestinal-derived TIL grew less frequently, whereas lymph node and lung-derived TIL exhibited specific activity more often. TIL that grew and exhibited specific reactivity were from tumors that were larger in diameter and digests that had a higher percentage of lymphocytes. Despite these considerations, active, specific TIL could be generated from almost any site of metastasis. As more centers begin exploring the use of adoptive transfer with TIL, this compendium may provide a framework for therapeutic decision making and future investigation.
Pesticide residue removal in classic domestic processing of tomato and its effects on product quality

ABSTRACT This study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of several household practices (washing with water or acidic, alkaline, and oxidizing solutions, and peeling) in minimizing pesticide residue contamination of tomatoes, as well as the impact on the quality of the treated fruit. Tests were performed using two systemic fungicides (azoxystrobin and difenoconazole) and one contact fungicide (chlorothalonil). Solid-liquid extraction with low temperature partition (SLE/LTP) and liquid-liquid extraction with low temperature partition (LLE/LTP) were used to prepare the samples for pesticides determination by gas chromatography. Washing the tomatoes with water removed approximately 44% of chlorothalonil, 26% of difenoconazole, and 17% of azoxystrobin. Sodium bicarbonate (5%) and acetic acid (5%) solutions were more efficient, removing between 32 and 83% of the residues, while peeling removed from 68 to 88% of the pesticides. The washing solutions altered some fruit quality parameters, including acidity and chroma, and also caused weight loss. Acetic acid (0.15 and 5%) and hypochlorite (1%) solutions had the greatest effect on these parameters.
Major trauma: a Lean approach to process design

A review of London’s health needs highlighted deficiencies in the treatment and care of major trauma patients, including below optimum rehabilitation. Patients who sustain complex musculoskeletal injuries account for over half of hospital admissions following major trauma. Yet, the evidence suggests a lack of rehabilitation services and inequalities in access for this patient group. A particular area of concern is the transition from the acute setting to other health and social care providers. This study examined the current trauma pathway as experienced by patients with complex musculoskeletal injury and ascertained whether their care and rehabilitation needs were met.
CpG Oligodeoxynucleotide Stimulates Protective Innate Immunity Against Human Renal Cell Carcinoma Xenografted in Nude Mice

Renal cell carcinoma easily develops metastasis, which is highly resistant to a variety of therapies. Oligodeoxynucleotides containing unmethylated CpG motifs (CpG ODN) are potent activators of innate and adaptive immunity. CpG ODN is inclined to be used as vaccine adjuvant or in combination with other therapies to exert antitumor effect mediated by the adaptive immunity. Herein, we examined the antitumor effect of CpG ODN monotherapy and the role of innate immunity on human RCC Caki-1 cells xenografted in nude mice. Our results indicated that the peritumoral subcutaneous injections of CpG ODN1826 once a week resulted in significant inhibition of the growth of Caki-1 xenografts compared with the control groups, and the survival of tumor-bearing mice were also prolonged significantly. When cytotoxicity of splenic cells from host mice was assessed, it was found that CpG ODN1826 significantly promoted the cytotoxicities of splenocytes targeting primary Caki-1 cells or YAC-1 cells, indicating that the activity of natural killer cells in tumor-bearing nude mice was enhanced by CpG ODN1826 monotherapy. The serum concentrations of interleukin-12 were increased in mice treated with CpG ODN1826. Thus, CpG ODN1826 monotherapy induces significant inhibitory effects on the growth of human RCC xenografted in athymic immunodeficient mice, and the tumor-bearing mice achieves long-term survival, which might be attributed to enhanced innate immunity.
Gender Differences in Mental Rotation Across Adulthood

Although gender differences in mental rotation in younger adults are prominent in paper-pencil tests as well as in chronometric tests with polygons as stimuli, less is known about this topic in the older age ranges. Therefore, performance was assessed with the Mental Rotation Test (MRT) paper-pencil test as well as with a computer-based two-stimulus same-different task with polygons in a sample of 150 adults divided into three age groups, 20–30, 40–50, and 60–70 years. Performance decreased with age, and men outperformed women in all age groups. The gender effect decreased with age in the MRT, possibly due to a floor effect. Gender differences remained constant across age, however, in the error rates of the computer-based task.
Comparison of Glioma-associated Antigen Peptide-loaded Versus Autologous Tumor Lysate-loaded Dendritic Cell Vaccination in Malignant Glioma Patients

Dendritic cell (DC) vaccination is emerging as a promising therapeutic option for malignant glioma patients. However, the optimal antigen formulation for loading these cells has yet to be established. The objective of this study was to compare the safety, feasibility, and immune responses of malignant glioma patients on 2 different DC vaccination protocols. Twenty-eight patients were treated with autologous tumor lysate (ATL)-pulsed DC vaccination, whereas 6 patients were treated with glioma-associated antigen (GAA) peptide-pulsed DCs. Safety, toxicity, feasibility, and correlative immune monitoring assay results were compared between patients on each trial. Because of HLA subtype restrictions on the GAA-DC trial, 6/15 screened patients were eligible for treatment, whereas 28/32 patients passed eligibility screening for the ATL-DC trial. Elevated frequencies of activated natural killer cells were observed in the peripheral blood from GAA-DC patients compared with the ATL-DC patients. In addition, a significant correlation was observed between decreased regulatory T lymphocyte (Treg) ratios (postvaccination/prevaccination) and overall survival (P=0.004) in patients on both trials. In fact, Treg ratios were independently prognostic for overall survival in these patients, whereas tumor pathology was not in multivariate analyses. In conclusion, these results suggest that ATL-DC vaccination is associated with wider patient eligibility compared with GAA-DC vaccination. Decreased postvaccination/prevaccination Treg ratios and decreased frequencies of activated natural killer cells were associated with prolonged survival in patients from both trials, suggesting that these lymphocyte subsets may be relevant immune monitoring endpoints for immunotherapy protocols in malignant glioma patients.
Temporal Dynamics of Memory-Related Effects in Older and Young Adults: An Event-Related Potential Study

Priming effects on the identification process were examined in young and older adults by using event-related potentials (ERPs). Animals and artifacts were presented in an ascending sequence of filtered images, half of which had been shown in their complete versions in a previous study phase. Each stimulus was represented by a progressively less filtered image (i.e., more complete) until the whole version was revealed in a sequence of frames. Such a paradigm allowed us to record ERPs prior to, and during, the identification of stimuli. Results showed a dynamic interplay between memory, category, and aging effects. At the moment of identification, young adults elicited larger positivity at parietal sites for previously studied stimuli and this effect was not observed for older adults. For stimuli previously studied, a striking effect was observed in both groups at the level just prior to overt identification. In addition, a frontally distributed priming effect was evident in the elderly. Category-related ERP differences emerged between the two age groups. In particular, younger participants elicited an early positive activation at anterior sites upon seeing stimuli of animals. These results are discussed in relation to current models of recognition memory, categorization, and age-related cognitive decline.
Chromophore Exchange in the Blue Light‐Sensitive Photoreceptor YtvA from Bacillus subtilis

YtvA from Bacillus subtilis was found as the first prokaryotic phototropin‐like blue‐light‐responsive photoreceptor. It is composed of two domains, the photoactive LOV (light, oxygen, voltage) domain, which binds a flavin mononucleotide (FMN) as a chromophore and a STAS (sulfate transporter/anti‐sigma‐factor antagonist) domain, which generates a physiological signal. Here we present a routine chromophore‐exchange protocol that allows chemically synthesized, structurally modified chromophores instead of the naturally present flavin mononucleotide (FMN) chromophore to be introduced. FMN was exchanged for riboflavin (RF), flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), 7,8‐didemethyl flavin mononucleotide (DMFMN), and 8‐isopropyl flavin mononucleotide (iprFMN). LOV domains reconstituted with new flavins undergo the same photocycle as native YtvA LOV, consisting of triplet formation and covalent binding of the chromophore followed by a thermal recovery of the parent state, albeit with different kinetics and photophysical properties. Interestingly, the iprFMN chromophore, inducing steric hindrances to the protein, exhibits a very fast light‐to‐dark‐conversion and shows a high fluorescence quantum yield (0.4). Incorporation of FAD causes an increase of its fluorescence quantum yield from 0.04 (H2O) to 0.2.
Comparing the Psychometric Properties of Two Measures of Wisdom: Predicting Forgiveness and Psychological Well-Being with the Self-Assessed Wisdom Scale (SAWS) and the Three-Dimensional Wisdom Scale (3D-WS)

Two recently developed scales of wisdom were compared on their abilities to have their dimensional structure replicated and to predict relevant personality (i.e., forgiveness) and life satisfaction (i.e., psychological well-being) variables. One hundred and seventy-six primarily (71%) Australian participants ranging in age from 18 to 68 years (M = 36.60, SD = 12.07) completed an online survey of the Self-Assessed Wisdom Scale (SAWS; Webster, 2003, Journal of Adult Development, 10, 13–22; 2007, International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 65, 163–183), the Three-Dimensional Wisdom Scale (3D-WS; Ardelt, 2003, Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 52B, 15–27), the Heartland Forgiveness Scale (Thompson et al., 2005, Journal of Personality, 73, 313–360), Ryff's (1989, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57, 1069–1081) measure of psychological well-being (PWB), and a measure of social desirability (BIDR; Paulhus, 1984, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 46, 598–609). Results indicated that the dimensional structure of the SAWS, but not the 3D-WS, replicated, and the 3D-WS, but not the SAWS, was contaminated by a social desirability response bias. Both scales predicted equally well PWB and forgiveness in predicted directions. Implications for future use of both scales are discussed.
False Recognition and Source Attribution for Actions of an Emotional Event in Older and Younger Adults

In two experiments recognition of actions of a robbery presented in a video was examined in older and younger adults. In both experiments older adults had more false alarms and showed less accurate recognition than younger adults. In addition, when participants were asked in Experiment 1 to indicate Remember/Know/Guess judgments for actions they considered true, older adults accepted more false actions with Remember judgments. And when participants were asked in Experiment 2 to attribute the source (i.e., perpetrator), the older adults were less able to attribute actions that occurred during the robbery to their correct sources. Furthermore, we found a robust positive correlation between source attribution ability and recognition accuracy. Thus, source-memory deficits may contribute to older adults' false memories in real-life eyewitness situations.
Is Fat Mass Distribution Related to Impaired Mobility in Older Men and Women? Nutrition as a Determinant of Successful Aging: The Quebec Longitudinal Study

It is established that a high level of fat mass (FM) is related to mobility impairment in older adults. However, FM distribution has received very little attention. In this study, 904 well-functioning older adults aged between 68 and 82 years old were recruited to examine the association between waist circumference, trunk FM, leg FM, and mobility. The results show that waist circumference was the only measure of body fat distribution independently associated with mobility (p ≤ .001). Therefore, the use of objective measures of FM distribution may not be necessary to examine the impact of FM distribution on mobility.
Use of microemulsions as vehicles for nucleophilic reagents in cosmetic formulations

The modifications of chemical reactivity induced in the human hair during its treatment with oxidative (H2O2) or reductive (HSO3Na) agents via a micellar or a microemulsion system have been investigated. For this purpose, phase diagrams of micellar solutions and microcmulsions with H2O2 or NaSO3H have been made in order to find out the corresponding areas of solubility. The properties of conductivity, surface tension and light scattering of various monophasic compositions as a function of their water content, have been studied.