Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bile salt export pump is dysregulated with altered farnesoid X receptor isoform expression in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

As a canalicular bile acid effluxer, the bile salt export pump (BSEP) plays a vital role in maintaining bile acid homeostasis. BSEP deficiency leads to severe cholestasis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in young children. Regardless of the etiology, chronic inflammation is the common pathological process for HCC development. Clinical studies have shown that bile acid homeostasis is disrupted in HCC patients with elevated serum bile acid level as a proposed marker for HCC. However, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. In this study, we found that BSEP expression was severely diminished in HCC tissues and markedly reduced in adjacent nontumor tissues. In contrast to mice, human BSEP was regulated by farnesoid X receptor (FXR) in an isoform‐dependent manner. FXR‐α2 exhibited a much more potent activity than FXR‐α1 in transactivating human BSEP in vitro and in vivo. The decreased BSEP expression in HCC was associated with altered relative expression of FXR‐α1 and FXR‐α2. FXR‐α1/FXR‐α2 ratios were significantly increased, with undetectable FXR‐α2 expression in one third of the HCC tumor samples. A similar correlation between BSEP and FXR isoform expression was confirmed in hepatoma Huh7 and HepG2 cells. Further studies showed that intrahepatic proinflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF‐α), were significantly elevated in HCC tissues. Treatment of Huh7 cells with IL‐6 and TNF‐α resulted in a marked increase in FXR‐α1/FXR‐α2 ratio, concurrent with a significant decrease in BSEP expression. Conclusion: BSEP expression is severely diminished in HCC patients associated with alteration of FXR isoform expression induced by inflammation. Restoration of BSEP expression through suppressing inflammation in the liver may reestablish bile acid homeostasis. (HEPATOLOGY 2013)
A Randomized, Double-blind, Vehicle-controlled Trial of Luliconazole Cream 1% in the Treatment of Interdigital Tinea Pedis.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy and safety of luliconazole cream 1% applied once daily for 14 days in patients with interdigital tinea pedis. DESIGN Multicenter, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, vehicle-controlled study. SETTING Private dermatology clinics and clinical research centers in the United States and Central America. PARTICIPANTS Three hundred twenty-two male and female patients ≥12 years of age diagnosed with interdigital tinea pedis. MEASUREMENTS Complete clearance (i.e., clinical and mycological cure), effective treatment, and fungal culture and susceptibility. RESULTS At study Day 42, complete clearance was obtained by a larger percentage (14.0% [15/107] vs. 2.8% [3/107]; p<0.001) of patients treated with luliconazole cream 1% compared with vehicle. Also at Day 42, more luliconazole-treated patients compared with vehicle-treated patients obtained effective treatment (32.7% vs. 15.0%), clinical cure (15.0% vs. 3.7%), and mycologic cure (56.1% vs. 27.1%). Erythema, scaling, and pruritus scores were lower for the luliconazole cream 1% group compared with vehicle on Day 14, Day 28, and Day 42. For all species and the same isolates, the MIC50/90 for luliconazole cream 1% was 6- to 12-fold lower than for other agents tested. No patients discontinued treatment because of a treatment-emergent adverse event. CONCLUSION Luliconazole cream 1% was safe and well-tolerated and demonstrated significantly greater efficacy than vehicle cream in patients with interdigital tinea pedis.
Herbs and grasses as an allochthonous resource in open‐canopy headwater streams

SUMMARY 1. The organic matter dynamics of streams dominated by herbs and grass on their banks are poorly understood, despite the fact that such streams are common worldwide. Further, herbs and grasses can provide large quantities of detritus to stream food webs, and particularly small streams can be heavily shaded by overhanging vegetation, perhaps limiting in-stream primary production. 2. We quantified the standing crop of edge vegetation and associated macroinvertebrate communities along three headwater streams with herbaceous and grass riparian vegetation on agricultural land in the Piedmont of Maryland, U.S.A. , measured the decomposition of four common species of herbs and grasses using experimental leaf packs, and removed edge vegetation experimentally to determine the effect of shading on benthic algal production. 3. Large standing crops of plant material (average range: 68–276 g ash-free dry mass per m )2 ), composed largely of monocotyledons, were found at all three study streams. These values are similar to those for coarse particulate organic matter in deciduous forested streams in the eastern U.S.A. In addition, diverse assemblages of shredding macroinvertebrates were observed at all three study sites. 4. Decomposition of the herbs was faster than that of the grasses, and both decomposed faster than most deciduous tree leaf litter. The decomposition rates of the herbs and grasses were significantly related to leaf quality as measured by leaf nitrogen content. Macroinvertebrate shredders colonized all experimental leaf packs, and the colonization of the herbs was faster than that of the grasses. 5. The accrual of chlorophyll-a after the removal of shading vegetation was faster than that measured prior to removal as well as that in an unmanipulated control reach. 6. Given that the standing crop of organic matter in streams with herbs and grass along their banks was similar to that in forested streams, that the organic matter was rich in nitrogen and used by detritivores, and riparian shading limited algal growth, we suggest that herbaceous and grass plant material may be an important allochthonous food resource in such systems.
Prevalence of ulnar neuropathy in patients receiving hemodialysis.

BACKGROUND Ulnar neuropathy can cause pain, weakness, and sensory changes in the hand and can result in functional impairment. Patients with end-stage renal disease receiving hemodialysis may be predisposed to ulnar neuropathy by factors such as arm positioning during hemodialysis, underlying polyneuropathy, and upper extremity vascular access. OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence of clinically evident ulnar neuropathy in a cohort of 102 patients with end-stage renal disease receiving hemodialysis. DESIGN All eligible patients in a single dialysis unit were screened for symptoms and signs of ulnar neuropathy. Those with at least 1 symptom or sign underwent nerve conduction studies to confirm the presence of ulnar neuropathy. RESULTS Clinically evident, electrophysiologically confirmed ulnar neuropathy was present in 37 (51%) of the 73 subjects with both screening and nerve conduction study data available. The true prevalence of ulnar neuropathy in this cohort was estimated between 41% and 60%. CONCLUSIONS There is a high prevalence of ulnar neuropathy in patients with end-stage renal disease receiving hemodialysis, which has not been previously recognized. The high prevalence of ulnar neuropathy in this population suggests that preventative efforts are indicated to prevent this functionally limiting complication.
Anxiety, Stress and Motor Learning

The interactive effects of stress and anxiety upon motor learning were examined. 120 Ss (60 high-anxious and 60 low-anxious) were divided into three groups: Control, Stress Early and Stress Late. All groups were given 35 20-sec. trials a day for a period of 2 days on the stabilometer. An electric shock was administered to the two experimental groups early or late in learning. The shock stressor had no effect upon the amount learned in any experimental groups. The results were discussed in relation to drive theory.
Validation of a HPLC method for simultaneous determination of five sunscreens in lotion preparation

The aim of this research was to develop and validate a high‐performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method for simultaneous determination of five sunscreens, namely benzophenone‐3 (B‐3), butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane (BM), octyl methoxycinnamate (OM), octyl salicylate (OS) and homosalate (HS). The separation and quantitative determination was made by HPLC at 40 ±1°C with a gradient elution from 10% to 100% mobile phase B in mobile phase A. The gradient liquid chromatographic system constituted of mobile phase A [acetonitrile : water (10 : 90 v/v)] and mobile phase B [acetonitrile : water (90 : 10 v/v)], at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min−1 and ultraviolet detection at 310 nm. The separation was obtained with two Waters® reversed phase columns: Novapack® C‐18 and Symmetry® C‐18 connected in series. All sunscreens were efficiently separated within 17 min. The coefficient of correlation and average recovery for B‐3, BM, OM, OS and HS were 0.9798 and 98.5%, 0.9672 and 98.8%, 0.9922 and 99.1%, 0.9961 and 98.9% and 0.9909 and 99.4% respectively. The relative standard deviations obtained were between 1.07% and 2.44%. The excipients did not interfere in the analysis. The results showed that the proposed method could be used for rapid and simultaneous determination of B‐3, BM, OM, OS and HS in sunscreen lotions with precision, accuracy and specificity.
Compartmentalized morphogenesis in epithelia: From cell to tissue shape

During development, embryonic tissues are shaped in a species‐specific manner. Yet, across species, general classes of tissue remodeling events occur, such as tissue infolding and tissue elongation. The spatiotemporal control of these morphogenetic processes is responsible for the organization of different body plans, as well as for organogenesis. Cell morphogenesis in a mesenchyme contributes to the shaping of embryonic tissues. Epithelial cells, despite that they need to maintain an apicobasal organization, play an equally important role during morphogenesis. Moving from apical to basal, we review compartmentalized cellular rearrangements underlying tissue remodeling in Drosophila and compare them with those found in other organisms. Contractile activity at the apical surface triggers tissue folding and invagination. The regulation of adhesion at adherens junctions controls polarized neighbor exchange during intercalation and tissue elongation. Basolateral protrusive activity underlies other cases of intercalation. These localized cell shape changes are spatially regulated by developmental signals. Some signals define a local change in cell behavior (e.g., apical constriction), others orient a dynamic process in the plane of the tissue (e.g., junction remodeling). Developmental Dynamics 232:685–694, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effect of catch‐and‐release angling on growth of largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides

Catch-and-release angling is popular in many parts of the world and plays an increasingly important role in management of recreational fisheries. Although the magnitude of catch-and-release mortality is well documented for many species, potential sublethal effects have been little studied. An experiment was conducted to assess directly the effects of catch-and-release angling on growth of largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides Lacepede. Angling mortality was 0.00 ± 0.092% for largemouth bass caught on plastic grubs. There was no difference (P ¼ 0.57) in weight gain between caught and uncaught fish over a 40-day angling and recovery period. Although catch-and-release angling appears to have no effect on largemouth bass growth, previous studies documented sublethal effects on growth and reproduction in other species, suggesting that the occurrence and magnitude of sublethal effects vary among species.
Probiotics in allergic rhinitis

Abstract Probiotics are live microorganisms used as supplementary food, usually lactic acid bacteria that can change either the composition and/or the metabolic activities of the gut microbiota modulating the immune system in a way that benefits the person's health. Aim: to review the use of Probiotics (Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium) in allergic rhinitis patients. Materials and Methods: Pubmed original articles were used as data source. Results: results indicate that probiotics, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium appear to prevent allergy recurrences, alleviate the severity of symptoms and improve the quality of life of patients with allergic rhinitis. This happens because of the immune system modulation through the induction of cytokine production which cause a dominant TH1 response in allergic patients by modulating the TH1/TH2 balance effect. Conclusion: The use of probiotic bacteria could be an effective and safe way to prevent and/or treat allergic rhinitis, but its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Therefore, clinical studies using probiotics and dietary intervention should be the focus of future research to enable a more widespread use.
An Assignment Theory of Foreign Direct Investment

We develop an assignment theory to analyze the volume and composition of foreign direct investment (FDI). Firms conduct FDI by either engaging in greenfield investment or in cross-border acquisitions. Cross-border acquisitions involve firms trading heterogeneous corporate assets to exploit complementarities, while greenfield FDI involves building a new plant in the foreign market. In equilibrium, greenfield FDI and cross-border acquisitions co-exist, but the composition of FDI between these modes varies with firm and country characteristics. Firms engaging in greenfield investment are systematically more efficient than those engaging in cross-border acquisitions. Furthermore, most FDI takes the form of cross-border acquisitions when factor price differences between countries are small, while greenfield investment plays a more important role for FDI from high-wage into low-wage countries. These results capture important features of the data.
Association of Hyperglycemia, Glucocorticoids, and Insulin Use with Morbidity and Mortality in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Background: Studies of pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) patients have shown a significant association of morbidity and mortality with hyperglycemia. We retrospectively evaluated the degree of hyperglycemia as well as its correlation with glucocorticoid and insulin use and assessed its association with hospital length of stay (LOS) and mortality. This study preceded the initiation of a standard glycemic control protocol. Methods: We examined medical records at Kosair Children's Hospital for all PICU admissions from 2008 of patients without diabetes mellitus. Critical illness hyperglycemia (CIH) was defined by having three or more peak glucose values greater than thresholds of 110, 140, 180, and 200 mg/dl. These patients were evaluated for glucocorticoid, insulin use, and outcome measures. Results: We evaluated the eligible 1173 admissions, where 10.5% of these patients reached the highest threshold (200 mg/dl) of CIH. Glucocorticoids were used in 43% of these patients, with dexamethasone being the most common (58%). There was a significant correlation between glucocorticoids and higher peak glucose values, where 81% of the patients who were above the 200 mg/dl cutoff level were treated with glucocorticoids. Only 36.8% in that group were also treated with insulin. Patients at the 200 mg/dl cutoff had the highest median PICU and total hospital length of stays (4 and 10 days, respectfully). Mortality was associated with increasing glucose levels, reaching 18.7% among patients above the 200 mg/dl cutoff. Conclusion: Hyperglycemia was prevalent in the PICU and was associated with increased morbidity, as characterized by increased LOS and increased mortality. Glucocorticoid use was prevalent among patients exhibiting hyperglycemia. Insulin use was uncommon.
Depression, depressive symptoms, and rate of hippocampal atrophy in a longitudinal cohort of older men and women

Background Several studies have reported smaller hippocampal volume (HcV) in depression patients; however, the temporality of the association remains unknown. One proposed hypothesis is that depression may cause HcV loss. This study evaluates whether previous depression and recent depressive symptoms are associated with HcV and HcV loss. Method We used a prospective cohort of older adults (n = 1328; age = 65–80 years) with two cerebral magnetic resonance imaging examinations at baseline and 4-year follow-up. Using multivariable linear regression models, we estimated, in stratified analyses by gender, the association between indicators of history of depression and its severity (age at onset, recurrence, hospitalization for depression), proximal depressive symptoms [Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale], baseline antidepressant use, and the outcomes: baseline HcV and annual percentage change in HcV. Results At baseline, women with more depressive symptoms had smaller HcV [−0.05 cm3, 95% confidence interval (CI) −0.1 to −0.01 cm3 per 10-unit increase in CES-D scores]. History of depression was associated with a 0.2% faster annual HcV loss in women (95% CI 0.01–0.36%). More baseline depressive symptoms and worsening of these symptoms were also associated with accelerated HcV loss in women. No associations were observed in men. Treatment for depression was associated with slower HcV loss in women and men. Conclusions While only concomitant depressive symptoms were associated with HcV, both previous depression and more proximal depressive symptoms were associated with faster HcV loss in women.
Hematopoietic Expression of Oncogenic BRAF Promotes Aberrant Growth of Monocyte-Lineage Cells Resistant to PLX4720

Mutational activation of BRAF leading to expression of the BRAFV600E oncoprotein was recently identified in a high percentage of specific hematopoietic neoplasms in monocyte/histiocyte and mature B-cell lineages. Although BRAFV600E is a driver oncoprotein and pharmacologic target in solid tumors such as melanoma, lung, and thyroid cancer, it remains unknown whether BRAFV600E is an appropriate therapeutic target in hematopoietic neoplasms. To address this critical question, we generated a mouse model expressing inducible BRAFV600E in the hematopoietic system, and evaluated the efficacy of pathway-targeted therapeutics against primary hematopoietic cells. In this model, BRAFV600E expression conferred cytokine-independent growth to monocyte/macrophage-lineage progenitors leading to aberrant in vivo and in vitro monocyte/macrophage expansion. Furthermore, transplantation of BRAFV600E-expressing bone marrow cells promoted an in vivo pathology most notable for monocytosis in hematopoietic tissues and visceral organs. In vitro analysis revealed that MAP–ERK kinase inhibition, but not RAF inhibition, effectively suppressed cytokine-independent clonal growth of monocyte/macrophage-lineage progenitors. However, combined RAF and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibition effectively inhibited cytokine-independent colony formation, suggesting autocrine PI3K pathway activation. Taken together, these results provide evidence that constitutively activated BRAFV600E drives aberrant proliferation of monocyte-lineage cells. Implications: This study supports the development of pathway-targeted therapeutics in the treatment of BRAFV600E-expressing hematopoietic neoplasms in the monocyte/histiocyte lineage. Mol Cancer Res; 11(12); 1530–41. ©2013 AACR.
Maternal attachment script representations: Longitudinal stability and associations with stylistic features of maternal narratives

Abstract To evaluate the temporal stability of maternal attachment representations obtained using a word-prompt task, a sample of mothers (N = 55) was assessed on two occasions, 12 – 15 months apart. Each mother responded to six word-prompt sets on each assessment occasion (4 word-prompt sets were designed to prime secure base themes, 2 word-prompt sets were designed to prime different themes), and the resulting stories were scored in terms of the presence and quality of the secure base scripts evident in each story. The story scriptedness scores (average across four stories) were internally consistent at each assessment (alphas >.85) and the mean difference in scores was not significant across assessments. The cross-time correlation for the composites (aggregates of scores at each age) was positive and significant, r(53) = . 54. Other aspects of maternal stories were also stable (e.g., number of words used, number of sentences per story, use of words from the prompt list). Controlling for stable stylistic features of the stories did not reduce the magnitude of association for scriptedness scores across time. These results suggest that the presence and quality of secure base scripts is a stable aspect of maternal representations of attachment and that the word-prompt task is useful for prompting the script in narrative production.
Adolescents' Prosocial Responses to Ostracism: An Experimental Study

ABSTRACT Ostracism can lead to strong behavioral responses, including diminished prosocial behavior. To date, experimental research examining this effect has only been conducted with adults. The current study consisted of 40 adolescents, half of whom were experimentally ostracized using the Cyberball paradigm. Participants' subsequent levels of pronounced prosocial behavior were measured, and personality traits were examined as possible moderators in participant behavioral responses. Results revealed that, compared to controls, ostracized adolescents showed less prosocial behavior, and this was moderated by having an “open” personality.
Information System Use - Related Activity: An Expanded Behavioral Conceptualization of Individual-Level Information System Use

Despite calls for improving current approaches to conceptualizing and measuring the construct of information system use, theoretical advances in this regard are still insufficient. The present paper proposes to expand the focus of existing conceptualizations that exclusively focus on technology interaction behaviors via the construct of IS use-related activity. Based on task-technology fit and activity theory, IS use-related activity is conceptualized as a second-order aggregate construct that comprises both technology interaction behaviors, as well as activities users undertake to adapt the task-technology-individual system. A multiple-indicators and multiple-causes analysis of data collected from 190 users in 21 organizations is found to support the proposed conceptualization.
Explaining mobile commerce services adoption by different type of customers

Mobile phones have been proclaimed as the new service frontier. Nowadays, in addition to traditional mobile services, new mobile commerce services are ready to be used by customers based on 3G-related technologies. However, little is known about the reasons why different groups of customers adopt mobile commerce services. By means of a sample of 542 Dutch consumers, we analyze the acceptance of these services by four different groups of customers. We finish our work providing interesting conclusions for academics as well as practitioners Key Wordsmobile commerce services acceptance, communication technologies, mobile wireless systems.