Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The varicella zoster virus vasculopathies: Clinical, CSF, imaging, and virologic features

NEUROPATHOLOGY OF BRAIN DEATH IN THE MODERN TRANSPLANT ERA To the Editor: In this interesting article, Wijdicks and Pfeifer again review the neuropathologic findings in brain dead patients. They also acknowledge that improved organ transplant processes have shortened the required time to brain fixation in autopsies. It is true that the classic description of the “respirator brain” occurred when organ transplant protocols were not fully developed. We would like to add some remarks about the neuropathologic findings in the spine in brain death (BD). By the use of short latency somatosensory evoked potential (SEPs) in brain dead patients stimulating the median nerve, we found in one case no somatosensory components after P9 N9–Erb potential in any of the cephalic and non-cephalic derivations. This patient had an intracerebral hemorrhage and had been diagnosed brain dead 26 hours before the SEPs study. Based on the SEPs assessment, we concluded that the somatosensory electrical conduction was blocked at the level of the brachial plexus, and that no impulse transmission passed through the cervical spine segments. Cardiac arrest occurred within 38 hours after withdrawal of support when organ harvesting was completed. Brain and spine were fixated in this case about 45 hours after BD diagnosis. The neuropathologic study confirmed that severe necrosis affected all cervical spine segments. Wijdicks and Pfeifer reported that moderate to severe neuronal ischemic changes involved midbrain in 37%, pons in 41%, and medulla in 40% of cases. Walker et al. reported that the cervicomedullary junction was necrotic in about half of their brain dead patients. Moreover, Chiappa emphasized that the region of the cervicomedullary junction is considered an interphase between extracranial and intracranial blood supply, which might explain functional activity in this region for some time after the onset of BD syndrome. In the future, it would be interesting to perform neuropathologic studies of the spine in brain dead patients and correlate autopsy findings with time on the ventilator until cardiac arrest occurs after BD diagnosis. This may also help to explain the presence of spontaneous and reflex movements in brain dead patients. Calixto Machado, Julius Korein, La Habana, Cuba
Preventing heavy alcohol use in adolescents (PAS): cluster randomized trial of a parent and student intervention offered separately and simultaneously.

AIMS To evaluate the effectiveness of two preventive interventions to reduce heavy drinking in first- and second-year high school students. DESIGN AND SETTING Cluster randomized controlled trial using four conditions for comparing two active interventions with a control group from 152 classes of 19 high schools in the Netherlands. PARTICIPANTS A total of 3490 first-year high school students (mean 12.68 years, SD=0.51) and their parents. Intervention conditions (i) Parent intervention (modelled on the Swedish Örebro Prevention Program) aimed at encouraging parental rule-setting concerning their children's alcohol consumption; (ii) student intervention consisting of four digital lessons based on the principles of the theory of planned behaviour and social cognitive theory; (iii) interventions 1 and 2 combined; and (iv) the regular curriculum as control condition. Main outcome measures Incidence of (heavy) weekly alcohol use and frequency of monthly drinking at 10 and 22 months after baseline measurement. FINDINGS A total of 2937 students were eligible for analyses in this study. At first follow-up, only the combined student-parent intervention showed substantial and statistically significant effects on heavy weekly drinking, weekly drinking and frequency of drinking. At second follow-up these results were replicated, except for the effects of the combined intervention on heavy weekly drinking. These findings were consistent across intention-to-treat and completers-only analyses. CONCLUSIONS Results suggest that adolescents as well as their parents should be targeted in order to delay the onset of drinking, preferably prior to onset of weekly drinking.
IL-28 Elicits Antitumor Responses against Murine Fibrosarcoma

IL-28 is a recently described antiviral cytokine. In this study, we investigated the biological effects of IL-28 on tumor growth to evaluate its antitumor activity. IL-28 or retroviral transduction of the IL-28 gene into MCA205 cells did not affect in vitro growth, whereas in vivo growth of MCA205IL-28 was markedly suppressed along with survival advantages when compared with that of controls. When the metastatic ability of IL-28-secreting MCA205 cells was compared with that of controls, the expression of IL-28 resulted in a potent inhibition of metastases formation in the lungs. IL-28-mediated suppression of tumor growth was mostly abolished in irradiated mice, indicating that irradiation-sensitive cells, presumably immune cells, are primarily involved in the IL-28-induced suppression of tumor growth. In vivo cell depletion experiments displayed that polymorphonuclear neutrophils, NK cells, and CD8 T cells, but not CD4 T cells, play an equal role in the IL-28-mediated inhibition of in vivo tumor growth. Consistent with these findings, inoculation of MCA205IL-28 into mice evoked enhanced IFN-γ production and cytotoxic T cell activity in spleen cells. Antitumor action of IL-28 is partially dependent on IFN-γ and is independent of IL-12, IL-17, and IL-23. IL-28 increased the total number of splenic NK cells in SCID mice and enhanced IL-12-induced IFN-γ production in vivo and expanded spleen cells in C57BL/6 mice. Moreover, IL-12 augmented IL-28-mediated antitumor activity in the presence or absence of IFN-γ. These findings indicate that IL-28 has bioactivities that induce innate and adaptive immune responses against tumors.
The clinical and histologic criteria that predict metastases from cystosarcoma phyllodes

A retrospective study of 33 patients with cystosarcoma phyllodes was done. Eight of these patients had metastases, and the clinical and histologic criteria predicting the development of metastases were examined. The most reliable predictor was the presence of stromal overgrowth; this appears to be necessary for metastasis to occur. Other useful indicators of clinical behavior were the degree of mitotic activity, nuclear pleomorphism, and infiltrating margins. Based on these data and a literature review, the authors suggest close follow‐up of patients whose primary tumors contain areas of stromal overgrowth because, in all series combined, the risk of metastatic spread in such patients was 72% within 5 years. Among these high‐risk patients, local recurrence is another indication that metastasis is likely.
Public Awareness and Attitudes to Living Organ Donation: Systematic Review and Integrative Synthesis

Background The deceased-donor organ shortage has driven widespread adoption of living-donor transplantation. Yet, public views on living donation are not well understood. This study aims to synthesize studies on public awareness and attitudes toward living organ donation. Methods Electronic databases and reference lists were searched to September 2012. Summary estimates from survey data were obtained by random effects meta-analysis. Qualitative descriptive synthesis of each study was performed. Results Forty-seven studies involving 34,610 respondents were included. The proportion of respondents aware of living organ donation was 76.7% (4 studies, n=3248; 95% confidence interval, 46.2%–97.0%; I2=99.7%). The majority were in favor of living directed donation (85.5% (11 studies, n=15,836; 95% confidence interval, 81.6%–89.6%; I2=98%), with recipient and community benefit as the rationale provided. However, barriers included fear of surgical and health risks, lack of knowledge, respect for cultural norms, financial loss, distrust in hospitals, and avoiding recipient indebtedness. The public voiced concern about possible risks or an obligatory pressure exerted on the donor. Many supported reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses, paid leave, wait-listing priority, health insurance, and donor acknowledgment. There was strong opposition to financial incentives, which they believed risked exploitation and inequity and diminished voluntary altruistic donation. Conclusions The public is generally supportive of living donation and articulated important equity and ethical considerations for protecting the health and safety of living donors. This supports increased public engagement and strengthening of a shared view among professionals and the public in living donation practice and policy.
Relaxation‐Based Point Feature Matching for Vector Map Conflation

With the rapid advance of geospatial technologies, the availability of geospatial data from a wide variety of sources has increased dramatically. It is beneficial to integrate / conflate these multi‐source geospatial datasets, since the integration of multi‐source geospatial data can provide insights and capabilities not possible with individual datasets. However, multi‐source datasets over the same geographical area are often disparate. Accurately integrating geospatial data from different sources is a challenging task. Among the subtasks of integration/conflation, the most crucial one is feature matching, which identifies the features from different datasets as presentations of the same real‐world geographic entity. In this article we present a new relaxation‐based point feature matching approach to match the road intersections from two GIS vector road datasets. The relaxation labeling algorithm utilizes iterated local context updates to achieve a globally consistent result. The contextual constraints (relative distances between points) are incorporated into the compatibility function employed in each iteration's updates. The point‐to‐point matching confidence matrix is initialized using the road connectivity information at each point. Both the traditional proximity‐based approach and our relaxation‐based point matching approach are implemented and experiments are conducted over 18 test sites in rural and suburban areas of Columbia, MO. The test results show that our relaxation labeling approach has much better performance than the proximity matching approach in both simple and complex situations.
Risk of disability and mortality due to overweight in a Finnish population.

OBJECTIVE--To investigate the effect of overweight on premature mortality and work disability in young and middle aged Finns. DESIGN--Prospective cohort study based on data collected in the multiphasic health examinations by the Social Insurance Institution of Finland from 1966 to 1972 and follow up until 1982. SETTING--34 Communities throughout Finland. SUBJECTS--12,053 Women and 19,076 men who were employed and aged 25-64 at baseline. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Mortality and work disability pensions from all and specified causes. RESULTS--Body mass index was a weak predictor of death but a strong predictor of early work disability, which increased linearly with body mass index. After adjustment for age, geographical region, occupation, and smoking the relative risks of work disability for women and men with a body mass index greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 were, respectively, 2.0 (95% confidence interval 1.8 to 2.3) and 1.5 (1.3 to 1.7) when compared with those of subjects with body mass index less than 22.5 kg/m2. The increased risks were due to an excess of cardiovascular and musculoskeletal diseases but not of mental diseases. One fourth of all disability pensions from cardiovascular and musculoskeletal causes in women and half as many in men could be attributed to overweight (body mass index greater than 25 kg/m2) alone. CONCLUSIONS--Though modest overweight has little impact on mortality it predicts severe functional impairment. A considerable proportion of work disability pensions could probably be prevented by efficient weight control.
Pregnant teenagers' knowledge and use of emergency contraception

Emergency contraception is an effective way to prevent pregnancy from occurring after unprotected sexual intercourse. The authors report a descriptive study of pregnant teens in Devon, England, which examined the awareness and use of emergency contraception, and its potential for preventing unwanted teenage pregnancy. Findings are based upon interviews conducted with 167 pregnant women aged 13-19 years between August 1992 and January 1994. 57% were attending for a National Health Service termination 8-12 weeks pregnant, while 43% were attending booking appointments at hospital antenatal clinics 16-17 weeks pregnant. 12% of pregnancies were planned, 73% were unplanned, and in 25 pregnancies the teen was equivocal at the time of conception about preventing pregnancy. 81% of teenagers had heard of emergency contraception, although 88% did not obtain it. Of the 16 teens who did obtain postcoital contraception, the approach failed in 11 cases, one woman took the pills incorrectly, and four failed to take the pills.
Time-dependent risk reduction of ventricular tachyarrhythmias in cardiac resynchronization therapy patients: a MADIT-RIT sub-study.

AIMS Data on the time-dependent benefit of cardiac resynchronization therapy with defibrillator (CRT-D) compared with a dual-chamber implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) to reduce death or ventricular tachycardia (VT) or ventricular fibrillation (VF) are limited. We aimed to evaluate the time-related risk of death or sustained VT or VF in patients receiving CRT-D vs. ICD in the MADIT-RIT trial. METHODS AND RESULTS Kaplan-Meier survival analyses and multivariate Cox regression models were utilized to compare the incidence and the risk of death or sustained VT/VF in the CRT-D and ICD subgroups by the elapsed time after device implantation (6 months). Of the ICD (n = 742) and CRT-D (n = 757) patients enrolled, the risk of death was lower in CRT-D vs. in ICD early after device implantation [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.42, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.17-1.03, P = 0.058] and beyond 6 months of follow-up (HR = 0.39, 95% CI: 0.21-0.73, P = 0.004), with the 6-month interaction P = 0.899. The overall risk of sustained VT/VF was reduced in CRT-D vs. ICD patients (HR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.52-1.03, P = 0.07). However, the risk was similar in the first 6 months (HR = 1.00, 95% CI: 0.62-1.62, P = 0.988), and a lower risk emerged 6 months after CRT-D implantation (HR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.38-0.88, P = 0.011), with the 6-month interaction P = 0.059. CONCLUSION The reduced mortality risk of CRT-D compared with an ICD alone began early after device implantation and was sustained during long-term follow-up; the reduced risk for ventricular tachyarrhythmias did not emerge until 6 months after device implantation. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00947310.
Evaluation of Sexual Risk Behavior Among Study Participants in the TDF2 PrEP Study Among Heterosexual Adults in Botswana

Objective:Among participants of a clinical trial to test the efficacy of tenofovir/emtricitabine in protecting heterosexual men and women living in Botswana from HIV infection, the aim was to determine (1) if sexual risk behavior, specifically condomless sex acts and number of sex partners, changed over time, (2) factors associated with condomless sex acts and number of sex partners, and (3) the effect of participant treatment arm perception on risk behavior to address the possibility of risk compensation. Methods:A longitudinal modeling of rates of risk behaviors was used to determine if the rate of condomless sex acts (#acts/person) and rate of sex partners (#partners/person) changed over time and which factors were associated with behavior change. Results:One thousand two hundred participants were analyzed over 1 year. There was a 25% decrease in the rate of sex partners among participants sexually active in the last 30 days. The rate of reported condomless sex acts was greater for males [rate ratio (RR) = 1.34; confidence interval (CI): 1.07 to 1.67] and participants whose sexual debut in years was ⩽15 years of age (RR = 1.65; CI: 1.14 to 2.38) and 16–17 (RR = 1.68; CI: 1.22 to 2.31) compared with those ≥20 years. Rate of reported sex partners was greater for males (RR = 3.67; CI: 2.86 to 4.71) and participants whose age at sexual debut in years was ⩽15 (RR = 2.92; CI: 2.01 to 4.22) and 16–17 (RR = 2.34; CI: 1.69 to 3.24) compared with those ≥20. There was no effect of participant treatment arm perception on risk behavior. Conclusions:Our study of preexposure prophylaxis to prevent HIV infection found no evidence of risk compensation which may have been due to participants' motivations to reduce their risk behaviors and risk-reduction counseling.
Cavin‐2 in oral cancer: A potential predictor for tumor progression

Cavin‐2 (CVN2) affects formation of large caveolae, which are membrane‐rich cholesterol domains associated with several functions in signal transduction. Accumulating evidence suggests that CVN2 is present in many cellular types; however, the molecular mechanisms of CVN2 in cancers and its clinical relevance are unknown. We proposed a mechanism by which CVN2 regulates caveolin‐1 expression leading to slow cellular proliferation by inactivation of the extracellular regulated kinase (ERK) pathway. Quantitative reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction and immunoblot analyses were used to assess the CVN2 regulation mechanism in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed to analyze the correlation between CVN2 expression and clinical behavior in 115 patients with OSCC. A CVN2 overexpressed model of OSCC cells (oeCVN2 cells) was used for functional experiments. CVN2 expression was down‐regulated significantly (P < 0.05) in OSCCs compared with normal counterparts in vitro and in vivo. In addition to the findings that a serum deprivation culture induced up‐regulation of CVN2 and slowed cellular proliferation, oeCVN2 cell growth decreased because of cell‐cycle arrest at the G1 phase resulting from up‐regulated cyclin‐dependent kinase inhibitors (p21Cip1 and p27Kip1) and down‐regulated cyclins (cyclin D1, cyclin E) and cyclin‐dependent kinases (CDK2, CDK4, and CDK6). Interestingly, CVN2 overexpression facilitated caveolin‐1 recruitment and colocalization with each other. We also found decreased ERK phosphorylation levels, an upstream event in cell‐cycle arrest. Clinically, IHC data from primary OSCCs showed high tumoral progression in CVN2‐negative patients with OSCC. CVN2 may be a possible key regulator of OSCC progression via the CVN2/caveolin‐1/ERK pathway and a potential therapeutic target for developing new treatments for OSCCs. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Successful Boosting of a DNA Measles Immunization with an Oral Plant-Derived Measles Virus Vaccine

ABSTRACT Despite eradication attempts, measles remains a global health concern. Here we report results that demonstrate that a single-dose DNA immunization followed by multiple boosters, delivered orally as a plant-derived vaccine, can induce significantly greater quantities of measles virus-neutralizing antibodies than immunization with either DNA or plant-derived vaccines alone. This represents the first demonstration of an enhanced immune response to a prime-boost vaccination strategy combining a DNA vaccine with edible plant technology.
ness to Social Perception

Ryota Kanai,1,* Bahador Bahrami,1,2,3 Brad Duchaine,4 Agnieszka Janik,5 Michael J. Banissy,1,5 and Geraint Rees1,2 1UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, 17 Queen Square, London WC1N 3AR, UK 2Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, University College London, 12 Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK 3Interacting Minds Project, Institute of Anthropology, Archaeology, Linguistics, Aarhus University, and Centre of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus University Hospital, Norrebrogade 44, Building 10 G, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark 4Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Moore Hall 6207, Hanover, NH 03755, USA 5Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, New Cross, London SE14 6NW, UK
Unsaturated long-chain fatty acids inhibit the binding of oxidized low-density lipoproteins to a model CD36

Transmembrane protein CD36 binds multiple ligands, including oxidized low-density lipoproteins (oxLDLs) and long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs). Our aim was to determine whether LCFAs compete with oxLDLs for binding to CD36. We addressed this issue by examining the inhibitory effect of LCFAs against the binding of Alexa-fluor-labeled oxLDLs (AFL-oxLDL) to a synthetic peptide representing the oxLDL-binding site on CD36 (3S-CD36150–168). All of the unsaturated LCFAs tested, inhibited the binding of AFL-oxLDL to 3S-CD36150–168, albeit to varying degrees. For instance, the concentrations required for 50% inhibition of binding for oleic, linoleic, and α-linolenic acids were 0.25, 0.97, and 1.2 mM, respectively. None of the saturated LCFAs tested (e.g. stearic acid) exhibited inhibitory effects. These results suggest that at least unsaturated LCFAs can compete with oxLDLs for binding to CD36. The study also provides information on the structural requirements of LCFAs for inhibition of oxLDLs–CD36 binding. Graphical Abstract Unsaturated long-chain fatty acids but not saturated ones compete with Alexa-Fluor-labeled oxidized low-density lipoproteins for binding to a synthetic CD36 peptide.
Analysis of chromosome abnormalities in sperm and embryos from two 45,XY,t(13;14)(q10;q10) carriers

Robertsonian translocation t(13q14q) is studied in sperm and embryos of two couples undergoing preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) in which both males are carriers of the translocation. It is already known that the chances of achieving pregnancy for a translocation carrier are directly linked to the number of normal or balanced embryos available for replacement. In our work it was found that the frequency of balanced spermatozoa was almost identical in both patients (74 and 77%), and after PGD, the frequencies of abnormal embryos caused by the translocation were also similar. Sperm chromosome analysis in translocation carriers can provide a reasonable basis for estimating a baseline of chromosome abnormalities to be found in embryos during an assisted reproductive cycle. However, individual factors not linked to the translocation can also produce other chromosome abnormalities (mosaicism, haploidy, polyploidy) and may compromise the chances of achieving a viable pregnancy. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Factors associated with Patient Activation for Self-management among Community Residents with Osteoarthritis in Korea

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to survey patient activation for self-management and to identify factors associated with patient activation for self- management among community residents with osteoarthritis in Korea. Methods: Cross-sectional study design was used. Survey data were collected from 270 community residents with osteoarthritis through direct interviews. Studied factors included patient activation, joint pain, physical function, depression, and general characteristics. Data were analyzed using chi-squared test, t-test and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: The participants’ mean score of patient activation was 56.0±16.61. The mean score of each factor was 10.6±5.89 for joint pain, 5.5±3.56 for physical function, and 19.3±10.01 for depression. The patient activation level was significantly associated with depression and general characteristics such as education, religion, comorbid hypertension, and use of medical clinics (p<.05). Conclusion: The findings suggest that depression, education, religion, comorbid hypertension, and use of medical clinics may be important factors to be considered when developing programs of patient activation for self-management. This is the first study that measured patient activation, and further studies are suggested to find factors associated with patient activation for self-management among community residents with other chronic diseases.