Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Vertebral fractures in steroid dependent asthma and involutional osteoporosis: a comparative study.

BACKGROUND: Reduced bone mass predisposes patients to the development of vertebral fractures. Measurement of bone mass by non-invasive methods is used to detect patients with involutional osteoporosis at risk from fractures. These methods have not been assessed in patients with steroid dependent osteoporosis. The objective of this study was to assess the value of a predictive fracture threshold value of bone density in patients with steroid dependent asthma. METHODS: Three groups of patients were studied. Group 1 (67 patients) had steroid dependent asthma (mean daily dose of prednisone 11.7 mg) and no vertebral fractures, group 2 (32 patients) had steroid dependent asthma (mean daily dose of prednisone 12 mg) and vertebral fractures, and group 3 (55 patients) were not taking steroids but had involutional osteoporosis and a recent non-traumatic vertebral fracture. Bone mineral density was measured by dual photon absorptiometry and vertebral fractures by radiography of the lumbar spine. A fracture threshold was determined in the two groups with fractures as the 90th percentile of the mean bone mineral density measured in the lumbar spine. RESULTS: Bone mineral density was significantly higher in the steroid dependent group with fractures (group 2) than in group 3 patients, who had involutional osteoporosis and fractures (0.946 (0.18) g/cm2 v 0.830 (0.16) g/cm2). The fracture threshold value was therefore higher for patients with steroid related vertebral fractures (group 2, 1.173 g/cm2) than for those with involutional osteoporosis (group 3, 0.979 g/cm2). Vertebral fractures were more likely to occur in steroid dependent asthmatic patients with bone density above the fracture threshold value (obtained from subjects with involutional osteoporosis) than in subjects in group 3 (34% v 9%). CONCLUSION: Vertebral fractures occur in patients treated with steroids in the presence of higher bone mineral density than is the case with patients with involutional osteoporosis. The findings suggests that the assessment of the efficacy of preventive treatment requires measurement of bone mineral density and radiology.
The development of visual speech perception in Mandarin Chinese-speaking children

ABSTRACT The present study aimed to investigate the development of visual speech perception in Chinese-speaking children. Children aged 7, 13 and 16 were asked to visually identify both consonant and vowel sounds in Chinese as quickly and accurately as possible. Results revealed (1) an increase in accuracy of visual speech perception between ages 7 and 13 after which the accuracy rate either stagnates or drops; and (2) a U-shaped development pattern in speed of perception with peak performance in 13-year olds. Results also showed that across all age groups, the overall levels of accuracy rose, whereas the response times fell for simplex finals, complex finals and initials. These findings suggest that (1) visual speech perception in Chinese is a developmental process that is acquired over time and is still fine-tuned well into late adolescence; (2) factors other than cross-linguistic differences in phonological complexity and degrees of reliance on visual information are involved in development of visual speech perception.
Pathophysiology of weight loss in older persons.

It is now well recognized that a physiological anorexia of aging occurs that is associated with gradual weight loss in older persons [1, 2]. A number of epidemiological studies have shown that weight loss in older persons leads to death (fig. 1) [3–6]. In addition, weight loss has been shown to be associated with hip fracture [7]. When an older person develops a disease, the disease interacts with the propensity for anorexia, leading to severe weight loss and cachexia. The Hebrew physician, Maimorides differentiated between sarcopenia and cachexia: ‘. for wasting which resembles old age (sarcopenia) and wasting which is secondary to fever (cachexia) and wasting which is called doalgashi (starvation)’. The differences between the three forms of weight loss are delineated in table 1. In nursing home residents who were losing weight, it was shown that those who could reverse their weight loss had a much lower mortality rate than those who continued to lose weight [8]. The Cochrane collaboration found that caloric supplementation decreased mortality [9].
Association between p53 gene variants and oral cancer susceptibility in population from Gujarat, West India.

BACKGROUND p53 gene variants i.e. 16 bp duplication in intron 3, Arg72Pro in exon 4 and G>A in intron 6 have been reported to modulate susceptibility to various malignancies. Therefore, the present study evaluated the role of these p53 polymorphisms in oral cancer susceptibility in a population from Gujarat, West India. METHOD Genotype frequencies at the three p53 loci in 110 controls and 79 oral cancer cases were determined by the PCR-RFLP method. RESULTS Heterozygous individuals at exon 4 showed protection from developing oral cancer. Homozygous wild and heterozygous individuals at intron 3 and those heterozygous at exon 4 in combination appeared to be at lowered risk. Furthermore, carriers of the 16 bp duplication allele at intron 3, proline allele at exon 4 and G allele at intron 6 were protected from oral cancer development. CONCLUSION p53 polymorphisms, especially Arg72Pro in exon 4 could significantly modify the risk of oral cancer development in Gujarat, West Indian population.
Videoconferencing for Continuing Medical Education: From Pilot Project to Sustained Programme

Videoconferencing has been used to provide distance education for medical students, physicians and other health-care professionals, such as nurses, physiotherapists and pharmacists. The Dalhousie University Office of Continuing Medical Education (CME) has used videoconferencing for CME since a pilot project with four sites in 1995–6. Since that pilot project, videoconferencing activity has steadily increased; in the year 1999–2000, a total of 64 videoconferences were provided for 1059 learners in 37 sites. Videoconferencing has been well accepted by faculty staff and by learners, as it enables them to provide and receive CME without travelling long distances. The key components of the development of the videoconferencing programme include planning, scheduling, faculty support, technical support and evaluation. Evaluation enables the effect of videoconferencing on other CME activities, and costs, to be measured.
Biliary and renal excretions of cefpiramide in Eisai hyperbilirubinemic rats

Eisai hyperbilirubinemic mutant rats (EHBRs) with conjugated hyperbilirubinemia were recently derived from Sprague-Dawley rats (SDRs). The pharmacokinetic characteristics of the beta-lactam antibiotic cefpiramide (CPM), which is mainly excreted into bile, were investigated in 10- and 20-week-old EHBRs and were compared with those in 20-week-old healthy SDRs. The pharmacokinetic parameters of CPM after an intravenous administration of 20 mg/kg of body weight were estimated for each rat by noncompartmental methods. When compared with age-matched healthy SDRs, significant decreases (by approximately 30%) in the systemic clearance of CPM were observed in 20-week-old EHBRs. The biliary clearance of CPM in 20-week-old EHBRs markedly decreased to less than 10% of that in age-matched healthy SDRs, while total urinary recovery of unchanged CPM increased to threefold and renal clearance doubled. However, no significant differences in any of the pharmacokinetic parameters of CPM were observed between the two groups of EHBRs. There were no significant differences among the three groups in the steady-state volume of distribution of CPM. The present study indicates that hyperbilirubinemia induces an increase in the urinary excretion ability of CPM in return for a reduction in the biliary excretion.
Temporospatial patterns of apoptosis in chick embryos during the morphogenetic period of development.

We examined the temporospatial pattern of naturally occurring apoptosis in chick embryos to five days of incubation (H.H. stages 1-25; Hamburger and Hamilton, 1951) using TUNEL labeling. The initial TUNEL-positive structure was the embryonic shield at stage 1. Apoptotic cells became ubiquitously present within embryos by stage 3, which is early in gastrulation. Until stage 6, TUNEL-positive cells were restricted to the headfold region. In embryos of stages 7-8, most cell death was localized at the most anterior neural plate. TUNEL-positive neural plate, notochord and somites appeared at stage 9. Otic and optic regions became TUNEL-positive at stage 11. The aggregation of cells from which the tail bud arises contains apoptotic cells from stage 11 onwards. At stage 16, scattered TUNEL-positive cells appeared in the branchial arches. Three streams of apoptotic neural crest cells in the cranial region became most clearly visible at stage 18. The secondary neural tube from which caudal structures develop contains apoptotic cells at stage 14. Apoptotic cells are present in the branchial arches and lateral body wall for extended periods, stages 16-25 and 25 respectively. At stages 24-25, intense positive regions of cell death were confined to the caudal regions of the arches, to limb and tail buds and to the lateral body wall, the latter in relation to body wall closure. The new findings in this study are discussed along with past studies to provide the temporospatial pattern of cell death during early chick development.
Leiodermatolide, a novel marine natural product, has potent cytotoxic and antimitotic activity against cancer cells, appears to affect microtubule dynamics, and exhibits antitumor activity

Pancreatic cancer, the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States, has a negative prognosis because metastasis occurs before symptoms manifest. Leiodermatolide, a polyketide macrolide with antimitotic activity isolated from a deep water sponge of the genus Leiodermatium, exhibits potent and selective cytotoxicity toward the pancreatic cancer cell lines AsPC‐1, PANC‐1, BxPC‐3, and MIA PaCa‐2, and potent cytotoxicity against skin, breast and colon cancer cell lines. Induction of apoptosis by leiodermatolide was confirmed in the AsPC‐1, BxPC‐3 and MIA PaCa‐2 cells. Leiodermatolide induces cell cycle arrest but has no effects on in vitro polymerization or depolymerization of tubulin alone, while it enhances polymerization of tubulin containing microtubule associated proteins (MAPs). Observations through confocal microscopy show that leiodermatolide, at low concentrations, causes minimal effects on polymerization or depolymerization of the microtubule network in interphase cells, but disruption of spindle formation in mitotic cells. At higher concentrations, depolymerization of the microtubule network is observed. Visualization of the growing microtubule in HeLa cells expressing GFP‐tagged plus end binding protein EB‐1 showed that leiodermatolide stopped the polymerization of tubulin. These results suggest that leiodermatolide may affect tubulin dynamics without directly interacting with tubulin and hint at a unique mechanism of action. In a mouse model of metastatic pancreatic cancer, leiodermatolide exhibited significant tumor reduction when compared to gemcitabine and controls. The antitumor activities of leiodermatolide, as well as the proven utility of antimitotic compounds against cancer, make leiodermatolide an interesting compound with potential chemotherapeutic effects that may merit further research.
Programmed Necrotic Cell Death Induced by Complement Involves a Bid-Dependent Pathway1

The membrane attack complex (MAC) of the complement system induces a necrotic-type cell death. Earlier findings suggested that Bcl-2 protects cells from MAC-induced necrosis. Here we examined the involvement of Bid, a proapoptotic protein, in MAC-induced cytotoxicity. Bid knockout (Bid−/−) mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEF) and primary fibroblasts were damaged by complement but to a significantly lower extent than wild-type (WT) fibroblasts. Bid silencing with small interfering RNA duplexes led to elevated resistance of mouse fibroblasts, human K562, and Jurkat cells to lysis by complement. Bid−/− MEF were also resistant to toxic doses of streptolysin O, melittin, and A23187. Analysis of complement protein deposition on fibroblasts demonstrated that less complement C3 and C9 bound to Bid−/− than to WT cells, even though expression of the membrane complement inhibitors Crry and CD59 was relatively reduced on Bid−/− cells. Bid was rapidly cleaved in WT MEF subjected to lytic doses of MAC. Pretreatment of the cells with the pan-caspase inhibitor z-Val-Ala-Asp(OMe)-fluoromethylketone reduced Bid cleavage and cell lysis. These results indicate that complement MAC activates two cell death pathways, one involving caspases and Bid and one that is Bid-independent.
Association Of Demographic Factors With CD4+ Cell Counts And Disease Progression In HIV-Infected Individuals

Background: Highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) has dramatically improved survival for HIV-infected individuals. Although HAART is considered the standard of care in the United States, differences in disease progression exist among ethnic groups of HIV-infected individuals. The Hawaii Sero-Positivity and Medical Management (HSPAMM) program is one of only a few national databases with a large number of HIV-infected individuals of Asian! Pacific Islander (API) ethnicity. In this study, we characterize the association of ethnicity with disease progression among HIV-infected individuals living in Hawaii. Methods: A retrospective study ofHSPAMM participants from January 1989 to November 2002. Differences in survival among HIV-infected individuals who reported being on HAART were examined by ethnicity, income, and initial CD4+ cell counts using Kaplan Meier survival analysis and Cox proportional hazards analysis to adjust for
Immunohistochemical study of oral lichen planus associated with hepatitis C virus infection, oral lichenoid contact sensitivity reaction and idiopathic oral lichen planus.

OBJECTIVES Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a common mucocutaneous disorder and might be associated to a possible pathogenic relationship with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection or hypersensitivity to dental alloy. We examined the clinical and immunohistochemical features of OLP associated with HCV infection (OLP-HCV), oral lichenoid contact sensitivity reaction (OLCSR), and idiopathic oral lichen planus (iOLP). The immunohistochemical expressions of CD4, CD8, B cells, Class II major histocompatibility complex antigen (HLA-DR), S-100, HSP60, Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and Ki-67 were compared to study the pathogenic differences of the three OLP groups. MATERIALS AND METHODS Three groups of OLP patients, (I) OLP-HCV patients (n = 17), (2) OLCSR patients (n = 10) and (3) iOLP patients (n = 14) were retrieved from clinical records and tissues examined immunohistochemically by the avidin-biotin-complex technique. RESULTS The patients with OLP-HCV showed widespread lesions. The proportion of CD8+ cells was found to be significantly higher in the lamina propria of the OLP-HCV patients and a significantly lower proportion of CD8+ cells of the OLCSR patients was noticed in the epithelium or the connective tissue papillae than in the iOLP patients. There were no significant differences in either the number of CD4+ cells or B cells between the three OLP groups. No significant differences in the number of HLA-DR+ cells were found between the three OLP groups and some OLP-HCV patients showed a significant increase of S-100+ cells in the epithelium compared with iOLP patients. There were no significant differences in either the number of PCNA+ or Ki-67+ cells between the groups. The patients showed similar weak expressions of HSP60 in the three OLP groups. CONCLUSION The different distributions of the CD8+ cells that could have functionally different roles might be related to the distinct pathogenic mechanisms in the three OLP groups.
Reconstitution of a native‐like SH2 domain from disordered peptide fragments examined by multidimensional heteronuclear NMR

The N‐terminal SH2 domain from the p85α subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3′ kinase is cleaved specifically into 9‐ and 5‐kD fragments by limited proteolytic digestion with trypsin. The noncovalent SH2 domain complex and its constituent tryptic peptides have been investigated using high‐resolution heteronuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). These studies have established the viability of the SH2 domain as a fragment complementation system. The individual peptide fragments are predominantly unstructured in solution. In contrast, the noncovalent 9‐kD + 5‐kD complex shows a native‐like 1H‐15N HSQC spectrum, demonstrating that the two fragments fold into a native‐like structure on binding. Chemical shift analysis of the noncovalent complex compared to the native SH2 domain reveals that the highest degree of perturbation in the structure occurs at the cleavage site within a flexible loop and along the hydrophobic interface between the two peptide fragments. Mapping of these chemical shift changes on the structure of the domain reveals changes consistent with the reduction in affinity for the target peptide ligand observed in the noncovalent complex relative to the intact protein. The 5‐kD fragment of the homologous Src protein is incapable of structurally complementing the p85 9‐kD fragment, either in complex formation or in the context of the full‐length protein. These high‐resolution structural studies of the SH2 domain fragment complementation features establish the suitability of the system for further protein‐folding and design studies.
UvA-DARE ( Digital Academic Repository ) On the behavioral economics of crime

This paper examines the implications of the brain sciences’ mechanistic model of human behavior for our understanding of crime. The rational crime model is replaced with a behavioral approach, which proposes a decision model comprising cognitive and emotional decision systems. According to the behavioral approach, a criminal is not irrational but rather ‘ecologically rational’, outfitted with evolutionarily conserved decision modules adapted for survival in the human ancestral environment. Several important cognitive as well as emotional factors for criminal behavior are discussed and formalized, using tax evasion as running example. The behavioral crime model leads to new perspectives on criminal policymaking.
Physical health and recovery in the first 18 months postpartum: does cesarean section reduce long-term morbidity?

BACKGROUND Research examining long-term health outcomes for women after childbirth has been limited. The objective of this study was to investigate the natural history of common morbidities in the 18 months after the birth of a first child, and to explore the hypothesis that women who have a cesarean section for a first birth experience less overall morbidity in the postnatal period. METHODS A prospective nulliparous pregnancy cohort study was conducted of 1,507 women recruited in early pregnancy from six public hospitals in Melbourne, Australia (mean gestation 15 weeks). Follow-up questionnaires at 3, 6, 12, and 18 months postpartum included standardized measures of urinary and fecal incontinence, and a symptom checklist asking about common physical health problems. RESULTS At 6, 12, and 18 months postpartum, no statistically significant differences were found in the proportion of women reporting three or more health problems by method of birth. Compared with women who had a spontaneous vaginal birth, women who had a cesarean section were more likely to report extreme tiredness at 6 months postpartum (adjusted OR: 1.39; 95% CI: 1.07-1.82) and at 12 months postpartum (adjusted OR: 1.40; 95% CI: 1.05-1.85), and were more likely to report back pain at 6 months postpartum (adjusted OR: 1.37; 95% CI: 1.06-1.77) and at 12 months postpartum (adjusted OR: 1.41; 95% CI: 1.06-1.87). Women who had a cesarean section were less likely to report urinary incontinence at 3, 6, and 12 months postpartum, respectively (adjusted OR: 0.26; 95% CI: 0.19-0.36; adjusted OR: 0.36; 95% CI: 0.25-0.52; adjusted OR: 0.48; 95% CI: 0.33-0.68). For all other physical health problems the pattern of morbidity did not differ between cesarean section and spontaneous vaginal birth. CONCLUSIONS Physical health problems commonly persist or recur throughout the first 18 months postpartum, with potential long-term consequences for women's health. Cesarean section does not result in women experiencing less overall morbidity in the postpartum period compared with women who have a spontaneous vaginal birth.
12Gb/s duobinary signaling with /spl times/2 oversampled edge equalization

A backplane transceiver in 90 nm CMOS that employs duobinary signaling over copper traces is described. To introduce duobinary signaling into data transfers on printed boards, three techniques are developed: 1) edge equalization for equalizer adaptation; 2) 2/spl times/ oversampled transmitter equalizer for ISI control; and 3) 2b-transition-ensure encoding for clock recovery.
Effect of calcium chloride on abating inhibition due to volatile fatty acids during the start-up period in anaerobic digestion of municipal solid waste

ABSTRACT Biomethanation of municipal solid waste (MSW) is a slow process and the yield of biogas is usually low. The present study was carried out to examine the effect of calcium chloride (CaCl2) on anaerobic digestion of MSW. Three anaerobic digesters with different concentrations of CaCl2, namely sample without additives (Control), sample with 2.5 g/L CaCl2 (R1) and sample with 5 g/L CaCl2 (R2) were studied separately and the significant results are presented. From the experimental results, it was observed that pH decreased with an increase in the dosage of CaCl2. Total solids and volatile solids reduction percentage in digester R2 was considerably lower than Control and R1 digesters. The significant positive correlation with small increments in volatile solids and chemical oxygen demand (COD) reduction were observed with an increase in pH. The cumulative biogas production in all the three digesters (Control, R1 and R2) were observed to be 35.38, 46.46 and 37.56 L, respectively. It was also observed that the volatile fatty acids (VFAs) removal efficiency in digester R1 was the best among all the three digesters. A comparison of the effluent characteristics revealed improvement in the overall performance of the digester R1 amended with 2.5 g/L CaCl2 over the other two digesters.
Measurement and Study of Substrate Specificity of Exoglucosidase Activity in Eutrophic Water

The α- and β-glucosidase activity in natural samples can be readily measured during short incubation times (20 min) by using the artificial substrates 4-methylumbelliferyl-α-d-glucoside and 4-methylumbelliferyl-β-d-glucoside. The apparent Km of both α- and β-glucosidase for these respective substrates is 0.01 μM. The homologous disaccharides maltose and cellobiose competitively inhibit α- and β-glucosidase, respectively. Absolute substrate specificity of the α- and β-glucosidase is observed with respect to the configuration of carbon atoms 1 and 4. Enrichment cultures on either α- and β-glucoside result in increasing activity of the corresponding glucosidase, both in absolute terms and with respect to the other glucosidase.