Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
IMMUNOLOGICAL STUDIES IN ULCERATIVE COLITIS

The incidence and height of antibody titers to colon, assayed by indirect hemagglutination with a heat stable colon extract from germ free rats, is significantly higher in sera from patients with ulcerative colitis than in those from healthy controls or from patients with amebic liver abscess or dysentery. While sera from ulcerative colitis patients and controls are indistinguishable in regard to incidence and height of antibody titers to Forsman antigen, Staphylococcus aureus S 209, Clostridium difficile, and several common strains of E. coli, they have elevated titers and increased incidence of antibodies to a heat stable antigen of E. coli O14. Patients with amebic dysentery have normal titers of such antibodies. Absorption of patients' sera with E. coli O14 antigen inhibits the colon directed hemagglutination reaction in approximately 30% of the cases tested. Likewise, the anti-E. coli O14 reaction can sometimes be inhibited with the colon extract. Other E. coli strains and other bacteria are inactive or have only weak inhibitory activity. Hemagglutination inhibition experiments show that germ free rat colon and E. coli O14 contain common structures, depicted by antibodies in the patients' sera. This pattern of reactivity closely resembles that seen in rats made autoimmune to colon by injection of newborn rabbit colon. E. coli O14 is known to carry a heterogenetic antigen present in lower concentration (or activity) in most Enterobacteriaceae. Hemagglutination inhibition experiments with rabbit antisera to E. coli O14 suggest that the antigen common for E. coli O14 and colon is related to this heterogenetic antigen. The findings imply that this antigen, which is constantly present in low concentrations in the human colon, may give rise to anticolon antibody formation in ulcerative colitis through breakage of tolerance. Since this antigen is present in healthy individuals as well, additional factors are required to explain the induction of anti-colon autoimmunity in ulcerative colitis.
Exposure to aflatoxins in Japan: risk assessment for aflatoxin B1

The intake of total aflatoxins (AFT) and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) from food in Japan was estimated from AFT and AFB1 concentration and frequency data in 24 foods (884 samples) from a 3-year retail market survey from the summer of 2004 to the winter of 2006, and by food consumption data from the National Health and Nutrition Survey performed in 2005. The AFT and AFB1 survey revealed that peanut, peanut products, cocoa, chocolate, pistachio, white pepper, red pepper, almond, job's tears, buckwheat and corn grits are considered to be contributors of AFT (or AFB1) intake in Japan (maximum AFB1 (AFT) levels ranged from 0.21 to 28.0 µg kg−1 (from 0.21 to 9.0 µg kg−1)) in AFT-contaminated food. A probabilistic approach using the Monte Carlo method was carried out to simulate an estimate of the AFT (or AFB1) intake distributions in each age group in Japan. In this study, AFB1 intake ranged from 0.003 to 0.004 ng kg−1 body weight day−1 (from lower to upper limits), and the potential risk for cancer using a formula devised by the Joint Food and Agricultural Organization/World Health Organization (FAO/WHO) Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) was estimated at 0.00004–0.00005 person/year/100,000 persons, even though this was in the higher levels (95.0th percentile) of the consumer population. The results suggest that the current dietary intake of AFB1 in Japan has no appreciable effect on health.
Concentrations of undeclared allergens in food products can reach levels that are relevant for public health

Food products can become contaminated with food allergens due to cross-contact. Precautionary ‘may contain’ labelling may alert to the possible presence of an allergen, but guidance for such labelling is lacking. As a result, allergy information on the packaging may not be reliable and allergic consumers might be at risk of allergic reactions after consuming unlabelled, but indeed contaminated, products. Recently, a cow's milk protein allergic patient experienced a severe allergic reaction to a dark chocolate product containing undeclared milk proteins. This case induced the authors to investigate to what extent allergen concentrations of unlabelled products reach levels that are of public health relevance. The concentrations of milk proteins in the complaint sample and a collection of products of other batches and brands purchased from different stores were analysed. Together with appropriate threshold and food consumption data, the risks of allergic reactions and the severity of these reactions within the adult milk-allergic population were determined using probabilistic risk assessment techniques. The results show that milk protein concentrations in unlabelled products reach levels that may elicit allergic reactions in up to 68% of the adult allergic consumers. Therefore, concentrations of allergens in unlabelled products could reach levels that are of public health relevance. Application of probabilistic risk assessment can be an aid in revealing the public health consequences of undeclared allergens in food, in risk management decision-making and developing guidance in terms of risk-based concentration limits for precautionary labelling.
Smoking addiction and the risk of upper‐aerodigestive‐tract cancer in a multicenter case–control study

Although previous studies on tobacco and alcohol and the risk of upper‐aerodigestive‐tract (UADT) cancers have clearly shown dose‐response relations with the frequency and duration of tobacco and alcohol, studies on addiction to tobacco smoking itself as a risk factor for UADT cancer have not been published, to our knowledge. The aim of this report is to assess whether smoking addiction is an independent risk factor or a refinement to smoking variables (intensity and duration) for UADT squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) risk in the multicenter case–control study (ARCAGE) in Western Europe. The analyses included 1,586 ever smoking UADT SCC cases and 1,260 ever smoking controls. Addiction was measured by a modified Fagerström score (first cigarette after waking up, difficulty refraining from smoking in places where it is forbidden and cigarettes per day). Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for UADT cancers with addiction variables were estimated with unconditional logistic regression. Among current smokers, the participants who smoked their first cigarette within 5 min of waking up were two times more likely to develop UADT SCC than those who smoked 60 min after waking up. Greater tobacco smoking addiction was associated with an increased risk of UADT SCC among current smokers (OR = 3.83, 95% CI: 2.56–5.73 for score of 3–7 vs. 0) but not among former smokers. These results may be consistent with a residual effect of smoking that was not captured by the questionnaire responses (smoking intensity and smoking duration) alone, suggesting addiction a refinement to smoking variables.
Expression differences between African American and Caucasian prostate cancer tissue reveals that stroma is the site of aggressive changes

In prostate cancer, race/ethnicity is the highest risk factor after adjusting for age. African Americans have more aggressive tumors at every clinical stage of the disease, resulting in poorer prognosis and increased mortality. A major barrier to identifying crucial gene activity differences is heterogeneity, including tissue composition variation intrinsic to the histology of prostate cancer. We hypothesized that differences in gene expression in specific tissue types would reveal mechanisms involved in the racial disparities of prostate cancer. We examined 17 pairs of arrays for AAs and Caucasians that were formed by closely matching the samples based on the known tissue type composition of the tumors. Using pair‐wise t‐test we found significantly altered gene expression between AAs and CAs. Independently, we performed multiple linear regression analyses to associate gene expression with race considering variation in percent tumor and stroma tissue. The majority of differentially expressed genes were associated with tumor‐adjacent stroma rather than tumor tissue. Extracellular matrix, integrin family and signaling mediators of the epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) pathways were all downregulated in stroma of AAs. Using MetaCore (GeneGo) analysis, we observed that 35% of significant (p < 10−3) pathways identified EMT and 25% identified immune response pathways especially for interleukins‐2, ‐4, ‐5, ‐6, ‐7, ‐10, ‐13, ‐15 and ‐22 as the major changes. Our studies reveal that altered immune and EMT processes in tumor‐adjacent stroma may be responsible for the aggressive nature of prostate cancer in AAs.
Demographic, socioeconomic, disease history, dietary and lifestyle cancer risk factors associated with alcohol consumption

Data are lacking regarding the association of alcohol consumption with a broad range of other cancer risk factors. Objectives: (i) to assess which sociodemographic, lifestyle and dietary factors were associated with alcohol consumption; (ii) to identify profiles of alcohol consumers by beverage type; (iii) to estimate the number of cancer risk factors accumulated on the individual level according to alcohol consumption. Alcohol and dietary intakes were assessed by six 24 hr records among 29,566 adults of the NutriNet‐Santé cohort. Factors associated with alcohol consumption (nondrinkers (reference)/< 10 g/day/≥ 10 g/day) were assessed by polytomic multivariate logistic regression stratified by gender. Among alcohol consumers, percentages of alcohol brought by each beverage type were compared across sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics using Kruskal‐Wallis rank tests. Several factors were associated with alcohol consumption ≥ 10 g/day in both genders: older age (pmen = 0.02, pwomen < 0.0001), smoking (pmen&women < 0.0001), higher socioprofessional category (pmen&women < 0.0001), higher income (pmen = 0.003, pwomen < 0.0001) and less healthy dietary intakes. Profiles of subjects varied across alcoholic beverage types. Men with history of cardiovascular disease (p = 0.0002) or depression (p = 0.03) and women with history of cirrhosis (p < 0.0001) consumed less alcohol. In women, personal history of cancer was associated with a lower proportion of moderate alcohol users only (< 10 g/day, p = 0.04). In both genders, higher alcohol drinkers clustered more cancer risk factors (median = 5, apart from alcohol) than nondrinkers (median = 4), p < 0.0001. The multiplicity of deleterious lifestyle behaviors combined with alcohol drinking must be taken into account in cancer prevention efforts. Gender‐specific medical advice for people with personal or family history of alcohol‐related diseases, including cancer, should be strengthened.
Validation of the procedure for the simultaneous determination of aflatoxins ochratoxin A and zearalenone in cereals using HPLC-FLD

Method validation for quantitative analysis of aflatoxins (AFs), ochratoxin A (OTA) and zearalenone (ZEA) in cereals using HPLC with fluorescence detector (FLD) is described. Mycotoxins were extracted with methanol : water (80 : 20) and purified with a multifunctional AOZ immunoaffinity column before HPLC analysis. The validation of the analytical method was performed to establish the following parameters: specificity, selectivity, linearity, limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ), accuracy, precision (within- and between-day variability), stability, robustness, measurement of performance, and measurement of uncertainty. Calibration curves were linear (r > 0.999) over the concentration range, from the LOQ to 26, 40 and 400 ng/g for AFs, OTA and ZEA, respectively. LOD and LOQ were 0.0125 and 0.05 ng/g for aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and G1 (AFG1), 0.0037 and 0.015 ng/g for aflatoxin B2 (AFB2) and G2 (AFG2), as well as 0.05 and 0.2 ng/g for OTA and 0.5 and 2 ng/g for ZEA, respectively. The mean recovery values were 77–104% for different concentrations of AFs, OTA and ZEA in spiked cereal samples. Both intra- and inter-day accuracy and precision were within acceptable limits. This method was successfully applied for the simultaneous determination of mycotoxins for 60 cereal samples collected from Malaysian markets. Fifty per cent of the cereal samples were contaminated with at least one of these mycotoxins, at a level greater than the LOD. Only one wheat sample and two rice samples were contaminated with levels greater than the European Union regulatory limits for AFs and OTA (4 and 5 ng/g). The means and ranges of mycotoxins obtained for the cereal samples were 0.4 ng/g and 0.01–5.9 ng/g for total AFs; 0.18 ng/g and 0.03–5.3 ng/g for OTA; and 2.8 ng/g and 2.4–73.1 ng/g for ZEA, respectively. The results indicate that the method is suitable for the simultaneous determination of AFs, OTA and ZEA in cereals and is suitable for routine analysis.
Characteristics of 24 cases of animal hoarding in Spain

Animal hoarding is considered to be an under-reported problem, which affects the welfare of both people and animals. Few published studies on animal hoarding are available in the scientific literature, particularly outside North America. The present study was designed to obtain data on animal hoarding in Spain, with a particular focus on animal welfare issues. Data were obtained retrospectively from 24 case reports of animal hoarding involving a total of 1,218 dogs and cats and 27 hoarders. All cases were the result of legal intervention by a Spanish humane society during the period from 2002 to 2011. Hoarders could be characterised as elderly, socially isolated men and women who tended to hoard only one species (dog or cat). Most cases presented a chronic course of more than five years of animal hoarding. The average number of animals per case was 50, with most animals being dogs. In 75% of cases the animals showed indications of poor welfare, including poor body condition, and the presence of wounds, parasitic and infectious illnesses. Amongst the hoarded animals aggression and social fear were the most commonly reported behaviours. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report on animal hoarding in Spain and one of the first in Europe. Further studies are needed to fully elucidate the epidemiology, cross-cultural differences and aetiology of this under-recognised public health and welfare problem. More research might help to find efficient protocols to assist in the resolution and prevention of this kind of problem.
Effects of Tai Chi and Multimodal Exercise Training on Movement and Balance Function in Mild to Moderate Idiopathic Parkinson Disease

ObjectiveThe primary aim of this study was to investigate the effects of two different patterns of rehabilitation training on movement and balance function in patients with idiopathic Parkinson disease. DesignForty patients with Parkinson disease were randomized into the tai chi group (n = 20) or the multimodal exercise training group (n = 20). Outcome measures were assessed at baseline and after 12 wks of exercise. Balance was assessed using the Berg Balance Scale, and movement was assessed by the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale—Motor Examination, stride length, gait velocity, and Timed Up and Go Test. ResultsThe multimodal exercise training group improved significantly in movement from baseline, and a reduction in balance impairment was observed for the multimodal exercise training group. The questionnaire results after training showed that the multimodal exercise training is easy to learn and adhere to. No major adverse events were noted in both groups. ConclusionsThis multimodal exercise training could improve motion function and benefit balance function in patients with Parkinson disease. The multimodal exercise training is easy to learn and practice.
RE: Evaluation of Stress and Pain in Young Children with Cerebral Palsy During Early Developmental Intervention Programs.

To the Editor: We appreciate the interest in the recently published article, BEvaluation of Stress and Pain in Young Children with Cerebral Palsy during Early Developmental Intervention Programs. [ We are very gladdened by the endorsement of the use of salivary cortisol to assess the stress, but there are two arguments that need to be clarified. First, regarding the pain attributed to early intervention or the procedure itself, infants with cerebral palsy are commonly considered to benefit from early diagnosis and early intervention. However, given the intervention programs_ lack of a uniform standard in clinical practice, there are various treatment methods based on a variety of theoretical constructs and practical experiences used. These intervention programs that aim to improve cognitive, motor, or both outcomes are all classified as early intervention, which includes but is not limited to the treatments mentioned in our study. Our results indicate that at least a few of the early intervention programs can cause some degree of pain; as a result, the therapeutic pain should be noted in pediatric rehabilitation. The second argument is whether flexor withdrawal reflex is the appropriate method of assessing pain sensitivity. The reviewers may have confused the withdrawal reflex with some kind of primitive reflexes. Withdrawal response is a spinal reflex intended to protect the body from possible limb damage, and it presents throughout a person_s lifetime. Researchers usually use it as an objective measure of experimental pain. We agree with the reviewers_ comments that early intervention requires a referral from a medical doctor. Given every treatment has its own advantage and disadvantage, it is the doctor_s responsibility to weigh the pros and cons before making a therapeutic prescription, and our study just offers the doctors some useful information about pain during some types of therapy.
COUP‐TFII in pancreatic adenocarcinoma: Clinical implication for patient survival and tumor progression

Despite the accumulating knowledge of alterations in pancreatic cancer molecular pathways, no substantial improvements in the clinical prognosis have been made and this malignancy continues to be a leading cause of cancer death in the Western World. The orphan nuclear receptor COUP‐TFII is a regulator of a wide range of biological processes and it may exert a pro‐oncogenic role in cancer cells; interestingly, indirect evidences suggest that the receptor could be involved in pancreatic cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of COUP‐TFII in human pancreatic tumors and to unveil its role in the regulation of pancreatic tumor growth. We evaluated COUP‐TFII expression by immunohistochemistry on primary samples. We analyzed the effect of the nuclear receptor silencing in human pancreatic cancer cells by means of shRNA expressing cell lines. We finally confirmed the in vitro results by in vivo experiments on nude mice. COUP‐TFII is expressed in 69% of tested primary samples and correlates with the N1 and M1 status and clinical stage; Kaplan–Meier and Cox regression analysis show that it may be an independent prognostic factor of worst outcome. In vitro silencing of COUP‐TFII reduces the cell growth and invasiveness and it strongly inhibits angiogenesis, an effect mediated by the regulation of VEGF‐C. In nude mice, COUP‐TFII silencing reduces tumor growth by 40%. Our results suggest that COUP‐TFII might be an important regulator of the behavior of pancreatic adenocarcinoma, thus representing a possible new target for pancreatic cancer therapy.
A New Scheme for the Polynomial Based Biometric Cryptosystems

This paper presents a new scheme for the fuzzy vault based biometric cryptosystems which explore the feasibility of a polynomial based vault for the biometric traits like iris, palm, vein, and so forth. Gabor filter is used for the feature extraction from the biometric data and the extracted feature points are transformed into Eigen spaces using Karhunen Loeve (K-L) transform. A polynomial obtained from the secret key is used to generate projections from the transformed features and the randomly generated points, known as chaff points. The points and their corresponding projections form the ordered pairs. The union of the ordered pairs from the features and the chaff points creates a fuzzy vault. At the time of decoding, matching scores are computed by comparing the stored and the claimed biometric traits, which are further tested against a predefined threshold. The number of matched scores should be greater than a tolerance value for the successful decoding of the vault. The threshold and the tolerance value are learned from the transformed features at the encoding stage and chosen according to the tradeoff in the error rates. The proposed scheme is tested on a variety of biometric databases and error rates obtained from the experimental results confirm the utility of the new scheme.
Risk assessment of the lead intake by consumption of red deer and wild boar meat in Southern Spain

The presence of heavy metals in big game meat may pose a risk to human health. The main objective of this paper is to carry out a risk assessment study (using a probabilistic and point-estimate approach) of lead intake by consumption of red deer and wild boar meat in Southern Spain based on Spanish data collected in the period 2003–2006. In general, the concentration levels found for wild boar meat (mean = 1291 µg kg−1) were much higher than those observed in red deer meat (mean = 326 µg kg−1). The results from a point-estimate risk assessment showed that the estimated average intake of lead among different exposure scenarios varied from 0.1 to 6.5 and from 0.3 to 38 µg kg−1 week−1 for red deer and wild boar meat, respectively; and from 0.3 to 35 µg kg−1 week−1 for individuals consuming both red deer and wild boar meat, and that the estimated intake of lead by consumption of big game meat differed significantly between hunters and non-hunters, it being higher for hunters. Besides this, results from the probabilistic risk assessment study corroborated the fact that risk is greater in hunter populations, reaching a maximum in individuals consuming only wild boar and both types of meat, with 0.4% and 0.2% of the population above the provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI), respectively. Likewise, the hunter populations consuming wild boar and both types of big game meat (red deer and wild boar meat) were exposed to the maximum lead level (56 µg kg−1 week−1), which corresponded approximately to 224% of the PTWI. Further data and studies will be needed to give a complete risk estimation in which it will be crucial to consider the contribution to the lead intake level of other foods in the diet of both population groups.
Recovery of an Injured Corticospinal Tract during Early Rehabilitation in a Patient with a Cerebral Infarct.

A 41-year-old, right-handed woman presented with left hemiplegia due to an infarct in the right middle cerebral artery territory (Fig. 1A). She underwent conservative management and was transferred to the rehabilitation department at 1 week after onset. She showed complete weakness of the left extre