Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Age, education and gender effects on neuropsychological functions in healthy Indian older adults

It is essential to use culturally appropriate, sensitive and specific tests that reflect true cognitive performance. However, several factors including age, education and gender can influence neuropsychological test performance. Objective To examine the effects of age, education and gender on neuropsychological function in older adults using measures of global cognitive screening, attention, working memory, executive functions, memory, construction, language and parietal focal signs. Methods This is a cross sectional normative study of 180 community-dwelling normal older adults. All participants were screened with the Hindi Mental Status Examination (HMSE), Everyday Activities Scale for India (EASI), Edinburgh handedness inventory (EDI) and MINI Screen, and followed by a detailed neuropsychological assessment. Results Stepwise regression analysis revealed that education was associated with better performance on all the neuropsychological tests. Females performed significantly better on measures of memory. Further, most of the illiterate subjects, including low educated participants, refused to cooperate on measures of executive functioning. Conclusion Education was found to be the strongest determinant of neuropsychological test performance followed by age and gender. Our study demonstrates that Indian healthy normal older adults with low education perform poorly on measures of planning and working memory. Traditional measures of planning and working memory should be avoided or used cautiously in the presence of low education. There is an urgent need to develop tasks for measuring executive functions, especially in low educated Indian older adults.
Bovine veneral vibriosis: cure of genital infection in females by systemic immunization

Cure of female cattle with venereal vibriosis by systemic immunization with killed Campylobacter fetus cells in incomplete Freund adjuvant was investigated. Heifers infected in the cervicovaginal area with a cloned population of C. fetus venerealis were vaccinated subcutaneously 14 and 24 days thereafter with the infecting strain in incomplete Freund adjuvant. Six of eight vaccinated heifers were free of infection 25 to 48 days postinfection. One of the cured animals had an intercurrent infection which precluded interpretation of a vaccine effect. All controls remained infected 48 to 51 days postinfection, when the experiment was terminated. In vaccinated animals, agglutination titers against whole cells of the infecting strain reached peaks varying from 1,280 to 20,480 in serum and from 20 to 5,120 in cervicovaginal mucus (CVM) within days 24 to 32 postinfection. No consistent relationship was noted between levels of whole cell antibodies in serum and those in CVM. Evidence for the occurrence of antigenic variation in the organism after vaccination was sought by comparing the agglutinability of the infecting strain and CVM isolates in serum and CVM extracts. Serum samples of most cured heifers agglutinated whole cells prepared from isolates of the respective heifers to the same extent as cells of the infecting strain. In the corresponding comparisons, those from noncured animals agglutinated isolates to lower titers. CVM extracts from one cured animals agglutinated isolates derived from the same or closely spaced CVM samples to titers comparable with those obtained with the infecting strain. In the remaining animals, CVM extracts which agglutinated the infecting strain produced lower or undetectable reactions with corresponding isolates. It is proposed that the elimination of infection is dependent upon opposing responses of host and parasite, of which the degree of antigenic alteration in the infecting strain and the rate of mobilization and the concentration of specific antibodies in the genital secretions are key factors.
Age‐Related Changes in Intranasal Air Conditioning in the Elderly

Objectives/Hypothesis: Elderly patients frequently complain about the feeling of a dry nose and recurrent crusting probably due to age‐related degenerative effects of the nasal mucosa. Data on intranasal air conditioning in elderly patients are missing. The aim of the study was to compare intranasal heating and humidification of respiratory air in elderly subjects and a younger control group. Additionally, rhinomanometrical and rhinometrical data were examined.
Depression of tetanic force induced by loaded shortening of frog muscle fibres.

1. Single fibres isolated from the anterior tibialis muscle of Rana temporaria were allowed to shorten against a high load during a 2.5‐4.0 s fused tetanus (1‐3 degrees C) and the maximum force produced at the short length was compared with that recorded during a fixed‐end tetanus at the same overall fibre length. Changes in length of marked, consecutive segments (ca 0.5 mm in length) along the fibre were measured throughout the tetanus using a photoelectric recording system. 2. Loaded shortening (load ca 3/4 of maximum tetanic force) starting from approximately 2.55 microns sarcomere length and ending near slack fibre length depressed the tetanic force by 13 +/‐ 2% (mean +/‐ S.E.M., n = 10) and caused a marked redistribution of sarcomere length along the fibre. Unloaded shortening over the same range caused no force deficit and did not lead to increased dispersion of sarcomere length. 3. Loaded shortening below slack length produced less force depression and less non‐uniformity of sarcomere length than did a corresponding intervention above slack length. 4. The force deficit after loaded shortening, both above and below slack fibre length, was positively correlated (P < 0.005) to the coefficient of variation of the sarcomere length along the fibre. 5. The decrease in active force after loaded shortening, and its relation to increased dispersion of sarcomere length along the fibre, could be simulated closely by a computer model in which the muscle fibre was assumed to consist of eleven discrete segments acting in series with a passive elastic element. 6. Experiments were performed in which the length of an individual segment of the intact muscle fibre was strictly controlled throughout a tetanus. Loaded shortening of such a ‘length‐clamped’ segment caused no force depression during the subsequent isometric phase either above or below slack fibre length. 7. The results suggest strongly that force depression after loaded shortening of a single muscle fibre is attributable to non‐uniform sarcomere behaviour along the fibre. The experimental evidence supports the view that: (i) the myosin cross‐bridges act as independent force generators; and (ii) their steady‐state performance during a tetanus is unaffected by the preceding contractile activity.
Selection of tumor-binding ligands in cancer patients with phage display libraries.

Phage display has been used extensively in vitro and in animal models to generate ligands and to identify cancer-relevant targets. We report here the use of phage-display libraries in cancer patients to identify tumor-targeting ligands. Eight patients with stage IV cancer, including breast, melanoma, and pancreas, had phage-displayed random peptide or scFv library (1.6 x 10(8)-1 x 10(11) transducing units/kg) administered i.v. ; tumors were excised after 30 minutes; and tumor-homing phage were recovered. In three patients, repeat panning was possible using phage recovered and amplified from that same patient's tumor. No serious side effects, including allergic reactions, were observed with up to three infusions. Patients developed antiphage antibodies that reached a submaximal level within the 10-day protocol window for serial phage administration. Tumor phage were recoverable from all the patients. Using a filter-based ELISA, several clones from a subset of the patients were identified that bound to a tumor from the same patient in which clones were recovered. The clone-binding to tumor was confirmed by immunostaining, bioassay, and real-time PCR-based methods. Binding studies with noncancer and cancer cell lines of the same histology showed specificity of the tumor-binding clones. Analysis of insert sequences of tumor-homing peptide clones showed several motifs, indicating nonrandom accumulation of clones in human tumors. This is the first reported series of cancer patients to receive phage library for serial panning of tumor targeting ligands. The lack of toxicity and the ability to recover clones with favorable characteristics are a first step for further research with this technology in cancer patients.
Use of Gleason score, prostate specific antigen, seminal vesicle and margin status to predict biochemical failure after radical prostatectomy.

PURPOSE We determine the importance of clinical and pathological variables for predicting biochemical progression in patients after surgery for specimen confined prostate cancer. We developed a simple scoring algorithm for biochemical progression in node negative cases and tested the algorithm performance on an independent group. MATERIALS AND METHODS Our study included 2,518 patients with pT2N0 or pT3N0 disease treated between 1990 and 1993. Gleason score, preoperative prostate specific antigen (PSA), margin status, extraprostatic extension, seminal vesicle involvement, DNA ploidy and adjuvant treatment were primary variables analyzed univariately. The Cox proportional hazards model was used on 2,000 randomly selected patients to develop a multivariate scoring algorithm for the aforementioned factors to predict biochemical progression-free survival. The final model included Gleason score, preoperative PSA, margin status, seminal vesicle involvement and adjuvant treatment. The prognostic score derived from this model was validated by applying it to the remaining 518 patients. Harrell's measure of concordance (C) was used to compare competing models. RESULTS For patients who did not receive adjuvant therapy the derived score based on the Cox model coefficient was Gleason +1 (PSA 4 to 10), +2 (PSA 10.1 to 20), +3 (PSA greater than 20), +2 (positive seminal vesicle) and +2 (positive margin). The score was reduced by 4 if adjuvant hormonal therapy was given and by 2 for only adjuvant radiotherapy. The 5-year progression-free survival was 94% for scores less than 5, 60% for 10 and 32% for greater than 12 (C = 0. 718). Applying the score to the independent validation data set (518) resulted in 5-year progression-free survival of 96% for scores less than 5, 53% for 10 and 30% for greater than 12 (C = 0.759). CONCLUSIONS Progression-free survival determined by the model score group identified a wide range of risk levels for patients with specimen confined prostate cancer. This simple predictive model allows identification of patients at high risk for cancer progression with specimen confined disease who may be targeted for closer surveillance and adjuvant therapy, while those at lower risk may be simply observed.
M-Mode Echocardiographic Evaluation of Systolic Function, LV Volume and Mass in Children on Growth Hormone Therapy

Since abnormal endogenous growth hormone (GH) secretion in adults is associated with cardiac dysfunction, it is important to ensure that GH therapy in children and adolescents does not cause similar effects. Forty-two growth hormone-deficient children (Group 1) (19 girls, 23 boys) were evaluated. Six girls and seven boys were prepubertal with a mean age of 6.65 yr (range 4.37-9.73 yr). Twenty-nine were pubertal (13 girls, 16 boys), mean age 13.57 yr (range 10.08-16.76 yr). The patients had been on long-term GH therapy for 34.97 +/- 18.78 months with an average weekly dose of 17.61 IU/m2/wk. The mean height SDS was -2.85 +/- 1.22 for boys and -2.5 +/- 0.64 for girls at the onset of therapy, and at the time of examination -1.8 +/- 1.32 for the boys and 1.87 +/- 0.94 for the girls. Thirty-four normal control subjects (Group 2) matched for age, sex and body size were also studied. Left ventricular volume (LV), mass and systolic function [shortening fraction (FS)] were evaluated by two-dimensional guided M-mode echocardiography. Blood pressure was also measured. No differences in blood pressure were observed between patients and controls. There was no correlation of GH dose and duration of therapy with LV measurements. No significant differences were found between Group 1 and Group 2. These observations suggest that long term administration of GH does not produce adverse cardiac effects in GH deficient children. Nevertheless, longer follow-up studies are still needed to confirm the safety of long-term rhGH treatment.
Mutagenic nucleoside analog N4-aminocytidine: metabolism, incorporation into DNA, and mutagenesis in Escherichia coli

N4-Aminocytidine, a nucleoside analog, is strongly mutagenic to various organisms including Escherichia coli. Using E. coli WP2 (trp), we measured the incorporation of [5-3H]N4-aminocytidine into DNA and at the same time measured the frequency of reversion of the wild type, thereby attempting to correlate the incorporation with mutation induction. First, we observed that N4-aminocytidine uptake by the E. coli cells was as efficient as cytidine uptake. High-pressure liquid chromatographic analysis of nucleoside mixtures obtained by enzymatic digestion of isolated cellular DNA showed that the DNA contained [3H]N4-aminodeoxycytidine, corresponding to 0.01 to 0.07% of the total nucleoside; the content was dependent on the dose of N4-aminocytidine. There was a linear relationship between the N4-aminocytosine content in DNA and the mutation frequency observed. These results constitute strong evidence for the view that the N4-aminocytidine-induced mutation in E. coli is caused by the incorporation of this agent into DNA as N4-aminodeoxycytidine. We also found that the major portion of radioactivity in DNA of cells that had been treated with [5-3H]N4-aminocytidine was in the deoxycytidine fraction. We propose a metabolic pathway for N4-aminocytidine in cells of E. coli. This pathway involves the formation of both N4-aminodeoxycytidine 5'-triphosphate and deoxycytidine 5'-triphosphate; the deoxycytidine 5'-triphosphate formation is initiated by conversion of N4-aminocytidine into uridine. In support of this proposed scheme, a cytidine deaminase preparation obtained from E. coli catalyzed the decomposition of N4-aminocytidine into uridine and hydrazine.
Big data business models: Challenges and opportunities

Abstract This paper, based on 28 interviews from a range of business leaders and practitioners, examines the current state of big data use in business, as well as the main opportunities and challenges presented by big data. It begins with an account of the current landscape and what is meant by big data. Next, it draws distinctions between the ways organisations use data and provides a taxonomy of big data business models. We observe a variety of different business models, depending not only on sector, but also on whether the main advantages derive from analytics capabilities or from having ready access to valuable data sources. Some major challenges emerge from this account, including data quality and protectiveness about sharing data. The conclusion discusses these challenges, and points to the tensions and differing perceptions about how data should be governed as between business practitioners, the promoters of open data, and the wider public.
Statut nutritionnel de la personne âgée vivant à domicile : prévalence, facteurs associés et conséquences

Peu de donnees ont ete publiees sur le statut nutritionnel des personnes âgees vivant adomicile. Le premier objectif de cette these etait d’evaluer le statut nutritionnel de personnesâgees de 65 ans et plus vivant a domicile et les facteurs associes a cet etat. Le second objectifde la these etait d’etudier la survenue de plusieurs evenements de sante en fonction du statutnutritionnel. Les donnees de deux cohortes prospectives incluant des personnes âgees de 65ans et plus (AMI, n=1002 et E3C, n=9294) ont ete exploitees. Les resultats de cette thesemontrent qu’une proportion non negligeable de personnes âgees vivant a domicile presente unstatut nutritionnel altere. Les individus les plus concernes etaient les plus âges, de genrefeminin, veufs, de niveaux de revenus et scolaire faibles, dements, presentant unesymptomatologie depressive et des incapacites aux activites de la vie quotidienne. Cesindividus avaient de moins bonnes habitudes alimentaires caracterisees par desconsommations faibles de poisson, legumes, fruits, et elevees de biscuits et viennoiseries. Unstatut nutritionnel altere a l’inclusion etait significativement associe a la survenue de diversevenements au cours des 12 ans de suivi: demence, chute, fracture, incapacites, incontinence,institutionnalisation et deces. L’ensemble de ces travaux montre qu’un etat nutritionnel altere,avant que la denutrition ne soit installee, n’est pas rare chez les sujets âges vivant a domicileet que cet etat est associe a la survenue plus frequente d’evenements de sante graves. Cesresultats plaident pour une detection plus active qu’actuellement de ces sujets a risque et pourune prise en charge adaptee.
Risk–Benefit Assessment of Monomethylmercury and Omega-3 Fatty Acid Intake for Ringed Seal Consumption with Particular Emphasis on Vulnerable Populations in the Western Canadian Arctic

Many northern Inuit communities rely on traditional food as major source of nourishment. An essential part of the traditional Arctic diet is marine mammals such as ringed seals or beluga. Being top predators, these animals are often highly contaminated with various toxins. In contrast, some tissues of marine mammals are also characterized by high amounts of n3-PUFAs (omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids). Here, we try to balance the risks associated with the consumption of different tissue types of ringed seals in terms of the neurotoxin monomethylmercury (MMHg) with the benefits of consumption due to high n3-PUFA concentrations. Fetuses are at the highest risk of neurological impairments because MMHg can easily cross the placental barrier. Therefore, women of childbearing age served as an indicator population for especially susceptible subpopulations. We calculated maximal weekly maternal portions sizes if mutual consumption of muscle and blubber tissue or liver and blubber tissue was assumed. Those weekly portion sizes resulted in an estimated overall IQ point gain of infants of 0, whereas the consumption of liver or muscle tissue without blubber could lead to an IQ loss. In contrast to former studies, our data do not generally prohibit the consumption of liver tissue. Instead, our results suggest that a maximal weekly consumption of 125 g liver tissue together with 1 g of blubber tissue is acceptable and does not lead to neurological damages in the long term. Similarly, the consumption of maximal 172 g muscle tissue can be balanced by the mutual consumption of 1 g blubber tissue.
Density functional calculation of transition metal adatom adsorption on graphene

The functionalization of graphene (a single graphite layer) by the addition of transition metal atoms of Mn, Fe and Co to its surface has been investigated computationally using density functional theory. In the calculation, the graphene surface supercell was constructed from a single layer of graphite (0001) surface separated by vertical vacuum layers 2 nm thick. We found that the center of the hexagonal ring formed by carbon from graphene is the most stable site for Mn, Fe, Co to stay after optimization. The calculated spin-polarized band structures of the graphene encapsulating the Mn adatom indicate that the conduction bands are modified and move down due to the coupling between the Mn atom and graphene. For Fe adsorbed on the graphene surface, it is semi-half-metallic, and the spin polarization P is found to be 100%. The system of Co adatom on graphene exhibits metallic electronic structure due to the density of states (DOS) peak at the band center with both majority and minority spins. Local density of states analyses indicate a larger promotion of 4s electrons into the 3d state in Fe and Co, resulting in lower local moments compared to an Mn adatom on the graphite surface.
Production of P‐glycoprotein from the MDR1 upstream promoter is insufficient to affect the response to first‐line chemotherapy in advanced breast cancer

Multidrug resistance, the phenomenon by which cells treated with a drug become resistant to the cytotoxic effect of a variety of other structurally and functionally unrelated drugs, is often associated with the expression of P‐glycoprotein, an efflux membrane pump coded by the MDR1 (ABCB1) gene. Transcription from MDR1 can start at 2 promoters: a well‐characterized downstream promoter and an as yet uncharacterized upstream promoter (USP). We have previously determined that the USP is activated in some drug‐resistant cell lines, in primary breast tumors and in metastatic epithelial cells isolated from the lymph nodes of breast cancer patients. In this study, we report the cloning and characterization of the MDR1 USP and studied its association with chemotherapy response in breast cancer patients. Deletion analysis indicated that a nearby endogenous retroviral long terminal repeat is not responsible for promoter activation, and that the region within the first 400 nucleotides upstream from the transcription start point contained all the elements necessary for promoter activity in drug‐resistant cells. We identified an element recognized by the transcription factor NF‐IL6 (activated upon interleukin‐6 exposure) which is necessary for promoter activity in drug‐resistant cells and plays a role in the activation of the promoter in response to interleukin‐6 in breast cancer MCF‐7 cells. Although transcripts from this promoter are associated with translating polyribosomes, their low abundance makes the amount of synthesized P‐glycoprotein insufficient to affect the response to first‐line chemotherapy in patients with advanced breast cancer. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effect on cognition of galanthamine administered for neuromuscular block reversal in octogenarians undergoing cataract surgery.

BACKGROUND The purpose of the study was to determine the possible effect of the cholinesterase inhibitor, galanthamine, on cognition when administered to antagonise neuromuscular blockade after anaesthesia. METHODS The Wechsler Memory Scale was used to assess cognition before and after cataract surgery, carried out under general anaesthesia, in forty-five octogenarian patients. At the end of the operation, in order to reverse residual neuromuscular blockade, patients were randomly assigned to receive either galanthamine, acting on central and peripheral receptors, or neostigmine--a drug without central activity. RESULTS The differences between the Wechsler Memory Scale scores obtained from both groups were not statistically significant; however, patients who received galanthamine experienced more side effects (e.g. nausea, vomiting, dysphoria) and had lower scores in memory tests performed immediately after surgery. Reduction of galanthamine doses did not improve the situation. CONCLUSIONS In octogenarians, impaired organ function as well as changes in body composition, are factors which affect the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of drugs.