Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Positive correlation between motion analysis data on the LapMentor virtual reality laparoscopic surgical simulator and the results from videotape assessment of real laparoscopic surgeries.

PURPOSE We studied the construct validity of the LapMentor, a virtual reality laparoscopic surgical simulator, and the correlation between the data collected on the LapMentor and the results of video assessment of real laparoscopic surgeries. MATERIALS AND METHODS Ninety-two urologists were tested on basic skill tasks No. 3 (SK3) to No. 8 (SK8) on the LapMentor. They were divided into three groups: Group A (n=25) had no experience with laparoscopic surgeries as a chief surgeon; group B (n=33) had <35 experiences; and group C (n=34) had ≥35 experiences. Group scores on the accuracy, efficacy, and time of the tasks were compared. Forty physicians with ≥20 experiences supplied unedited videotapes showing a laparoscopic nephrectomy or an adrenalectomy in its entirety, and the videos were assessed in a blinded fashion by expert referees. Correlations between the videotape score (VS) and the performances on the LapMentor were analyzed. RESULTS Group C showed significantly better outcomes than group A in the accuracy (SK5) (P=0.013), efficacy (SK8) (P=0.014), or speed (SKs 3 and 8) (P=0.009 and P=0.002, respectively) of the performances of LapMentor. Group B showed significantly better outcomes than group A in the speed and efficacy of the performances in SK8 (P=0.011 and P=0.029, respectively). Analyses of motion analysis data of LapMentor demonstrated that smooth and ideal movement of instruments is more important than speed of the movement of instruments to achieve accurate performances in each task. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that the average score of the accuracy in SK4, 5, and 8 had significant positive correlation with VS (P=0.01). CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrated the construct and predictive validity of the LapMentor basic skill tasks, supporting their possible usefulness for the preclinical evaluation of laparoscopic skills.
Intergenerational transmission of education in China: Pattern, mechanism, and policies

This paper has three objectives. First, we present the mobility pattern for intergenerational education persistence. Second, we estimate the effect of parental education on children education by using instruments generated by the Chinese Cultural Revolution, and further explore the mechanisms of this causal relationship. Third, this study aims to investigate the impact of two education reforms on intergenerational transmission of education, including the Compulsory Education Law and college expansion reform. Although mobility seems increasing for the newer generation, the lowest mobility is found in rural areas for the lowest-educated group. Fathers' education has a significant impact on children education through the nurture effect, which is almost entirely driven by father's income. Finally, we find that popularizing compulsory education did not have a expected effect on increasing mobility. Moreover, the college expansion policy indeed reduces the intergenerational education mobility in urban areas, but this effect is not found in rural areas.
International responses to human trafficking: The Ghanaian experience

Human trafficking in this era has been conceptualized as a global event that is likened to slavery because of the inhumane treatment that the victims go through. The scope and the criminal aspect of it demands police initiative to curb the menace. The current researcher used semi-structured qualitative interview, direct observation, and review of documents to gather data from Ghana Police Service and some anti-human trafficking institutions in Ghana to identify the nature, scope and responses to reduce or eradicate this menace that has detrimental effect on the people of Ghana, as a case study. Contemporarily, in terms of origin, destination and transit of people to engage in this criminal act, the menace put Ghana into Tier Two Watch-List classification in 2015 on the international level. Human trafficking in Ghana was characterized as violence, debt bondage, exploitation, deprivation of the freedom of the victims, and confiscation of travelling and other documents. The study revealed that the government of Ghana had put in only a minimal effort to curb the menace, and that the trafficking of people had created a security concern that the police must be apt to control. There is a recommendation that the Government of Ghana puts in maximal effort to educate the people and equip the Police service in Ghana to enable the service take tough action to ensure the maximum implementation of the regulations against human trafficking. Key words: Human trafficking, Ghana, policing, inhumane treatment, criminalization, border crime.
Increased putamen and callosal motor subregion in treatment-naïve boys with Tourette syndrome indicates changes in the bihemispheric motor network.

BACKGROUND Despite an increasing number of studies, findings of structural brain alterations in patients with Tourette syndrome are still inconsistent. Several confounders (comorbid conditions, medication, gender, age, IQ) might explain these discrepancies. In the present study, these confounders were excluded to identify differences in basal ganglia and corpus callosum size that can be ascribed more probably to Tourette syndrome per se. METHODS High-resolution T1-weighted structural magnetic resonance images of 49 boys with Tourette syndrome were compared with those of 42 healthy boys. The groups were matched for IQ and age (9 to 15 years). Boys with comorbid conditions and previous treatment were excluded. Volumes of gray and white matter, cerebrospinal fluid as well as the size of the basal ganglia, the thalamus, the corpus callosum and its subregions were estimated. RESULTS The left and right putamen and subregion 3 of the corpus callosum were larger in boys with Tourette syndrome than in healthy controls. No differences were found in volumes of caudate nucleus, globus pallidus or thalamus of each hemisphere or in total callosal size and its other subregions. CONCLUSIONS Bilateral enlargement of the putamen may reflect dopaminergic dysfunction or neuroimmunologic alterations (PANDAS) underlying Tourette syndrome. The larger callosal motor subregion 3 might be a consequence of daily tic activity. Previous divergent volumetric findings might be ascribed to confounding variables like comorbid conditions or medication, or to different imaging methods.
Extracellular Concentrations of Cocaine and Dopamine Are Enhanced During Chronic Cocaine Administration

Abstract: Chronic cocaine administration produces significant increases in cocaine‐induced locomotor activity and stereotypy. In vivo microdialysis procedures were used to monitor extracellular dopamine (DA) and cocaine concentrations in the nucleus accumbens (N ACC) and cocaine concentrations in plasma of animals that received chronic or acute cocaine treatments. Following a cocaine challenge injection, concentrations of both cocaine and DA increased to significantly higher levels over time in animals that had received daily cocaine injections for 10 or 30 days than in control animals that received daily injections of saline. Concentrations of cocaine and DA in the N ACC reached maximum levels in the first 30 min following a challenge injection of cocaine. The maximum cocaine concentrations of 10‐ and 30‐day chronic animals were, respectively, 186% and 156%, whereas the maximum DA concentrations were 264% and 216% above the maximum values observed in acute control animals. The results indicate that reverse tolerance effects observed following chronic cocaine administration may in part be accounted for by increased cocaine concentrations. Furthermore, chronic cocaine administration (over a 10‐ or 30‐day period) increased the concentration of cocaine detected in plasma above control levels following a challenge injection. The increase in brain concentrations of cocaine in chronic animals is apparently due to increased concentrations of cocaine in plasma. A physiological change occurs in the periphery as a result of chronic cocaine administration that increases cocaine concentrations in plasma, increases extracellular cocaine levels in the brain, and increases the extracellular concentration of DA in the N ACC.
Peptidergic agonists of activity-dependent neurotrophic factor protect against prenatal alcohol-induced neural tube defects and serotonin neuron loss.

INTRODUCTION Prenatal alcohol exposure via maternal liquid diet consumption by C57BL/6 (B6) mice causes conspicuous midline neural tube deficit (dysraphia) and disruption of genesis and development of serotonin (5-HT) neurons in the raphe nuclei, together with brain growth retardation. The current study tested the hypothesis that concurrent treatment with either an activity-dependent neurotrophic factor (ADNF) agonist peptide [SALLRSIPA, (SAL)] or an activity-dependent neurotrophic protein (ADNP) agonist peptide [NAPVSIPQ, (NAP)] would protect against these alcohol-induced deficits in brain development. METHODS Timed-pregnant B6 dams consumed alcohol from embryonic day 7 (E7, before the onset of neurulation) until E15. Fetuses were obtained on E15 and brain sections processed for 5-HT immunocytochemistry, for evaluation of morphologic development of the brainstem raphe and its 5-HT neurons. Additional groups were treated either with SAL or NAP daily from E7 to E15 to assess the potential protective effects of these peptides. Measures of incomplete occlusion of the ventral canal and the frequency and extent of the openings in the rhombencephalon were obtained to assess fetal dysraphia. Counts of 5-HT-immunostained neurons were also obtained in the rostral and caudal raphe. RESULTS Prenatal alcohol exposure resulted in abnormal openings along the midline and delayed closure of ventral canal in the brainstem. This dysraphia was associated with reductions in the number of 5-HT neurons both in the rostral raphe nuclei (that gives rise to ascending 5-HT projections) and in the caudal raphe (that gives rise to the descending 5-HT projections). Concurrent treatment of the alcohol-consuming dams with SAL prevented dysraphia and protected against the alcohol-induced reductions in 5-HT neurons in both the rostral and caudal raphe. NAP was less effective in protecting against dysraphia and did not protect against 5-HT loss in the rostral raphe, but did protect against loss in the caudal raphe. CONCLUSIONS These findings further support the potential usefulness of these peptides for therapeutic interventions in pregnancies at risk for alcohol-induced developmental deficits. Notably, the ascending 5-HT projections of the rostral raphe have profound effects in regulating forebrain development and function, and the descending 5-HT projections of the caudal raphe are critical for regulating respiration. Protection of the rostral 5-HT-system may help prevent structural and functional deficits linked to abnormal forebrain development, and protection of the caudal systems may also reduce the increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome associated with prenatal alcohol exposure.
Kynurenic Acid and Xanthurenic Acid Excretion After Tryptophan Loading in Actinic Reticuloid

ABSTRACT: The metabolism of L‐tryptophan (TRP) before and after an oral loading dose of 20 mg/Kg body weight was studied in three patients with actinic reticuloid (AR) and four healthy male volunteers. The preload mean plasma TRP concentrations and mean 24‐hour urinary excretions of TRP in the AR group were significantly lower than in the control group. After oral TRP administration, plasma TRP concentrations increased normally in AR, thereby excluding defective intestinal absorption. The mean preload and postload excretions of kynurenic acid (KA), xanthurenic acid (XA), 5‐hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5HIAA), and 3‐indoleacetic acid (3IAA) were not significantly different between the two groups. We conclude that KA, which has been shown to have phototoxic properties in vitro, is not altered primarily in AR, and that the reported abnormalities of TRP metabolism are most tikely the consequence of the severe photosensitivity in this disorder.
Dynamics of Knowledge Spillovers from Patents to Entrepreneurship: Evidence Across Entrepreneurship Types

Using data across U.S. states over a recent decade, this paper uniquely uses three qualitatively different measures of entrepreneurship to examine the knowledge flows from patents, paying attention to the dynamic nature of such influences. We find that there are significant variations in the effects of knowledge flows across entrepreneurship types and, in general, these effects are not immediate. The greatest positive effect of knowledge spillovers is on startup entrepreneurship and the resulting magnitude grows somewhat over time. The spillovers are modest on overall entrepreneurship, while entrepreneurs who were previously employed see more immediate benefits. These findings are generally robust. (JEL L26, O33, O51, M21)
Review of computerized decision support systems for oral anticoagulation management

Computerized decision support systems (CDSS) are available to assist clinicians in the therapeutic management of oral anticoagulation. We report the findings relating to CDSS for oral anticoagulation management of a primary‐care‐based systematic review which largely focused on near‐patient testing. Seven papers were reviewed which covered four different systems. The methodology of these papers was generally poor, although one randomized controlled trial showed improved therapeutic control associated with computerized management compared with human performance.
Elevated plasma lipoprotein(a) and coronary heart disease in men aged 55 years and younger. A prospective study.

OBJECTIVE To establish whether elevated lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)], detected as a sinking pre-beta-lipoprotein band on electrophoresis of fresh plasma, is an independent risk factor for the development of premature coronary heart disease (CHD) in men. DESIGN AND SETTING Prospective study of the Framingham offspring cohort. PARTICIPANTS A total of 2191 men aged 20 to 54 years old who were free of cardiovascular disease when they were examined between 1971 and 1975. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Incident CHD (myocardial infarction, coronary insufficiency, angina pectoris, or sudden cardiac death) occurring by age 55 years. RESULTS After a median follow-up of 15.4 years, there were 129 CHD events. The relative risk (RR) estimates (with 95% confidence intervals [CIs]) for premature CHD derived from a proportional hazards model that included age, body mass index, and the dichotomized risk factor covariables elevated plasma Lp(a) level, total cholesterol level of 6.2 mmol/L (240 mg/dL) or more, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) level less than 0.9 mmol/L (35 mg/dL), smoking, glucose intolerance, and hypertension were as follows: elevated Lp(a) level, RR, 1.9 (95% CI, 1.2-2.9), prevalence, 11.3%; total cholesterol level of 6.2 mmol/L or more, RR, 1.8 (95% CI, 1.2-2.7), prevalence, 14.3%; HDL level of less than 0.9 mmol/L, RR, 1.8 (95% CI, 1.2-2.6), prevalence 19.2%; smoking, RR 3.6 (95% CI, 2.2-5.5), prevalence, 46.7%; glucose intolerance, RR, 2.7 (95% CI, 1.4-5.3), prevalence, 2.6%; hypertension, RR, 1.2 (95% CI, 0.8-1.8), prevalence, 26.3%. CONCLUSIONS Elevated plasma Lp(a) is an independent risk factor for the development of premature CHD in men, comparable in magnitude and prevalence (ie, attributable risk) to a total cholesterol level of 6.2 mmol/L (240 mg/dL) or more, or an HDL level less than 0.9 mmol/L (35 mg/dL).
Association of the -1087 IL 10 gene polymorphism with severe chronic periodontitis in Swedish Caucasians.

BACKGROUND Severe forms of periodontitis are suggested to have a genetic basis. OBJECTIVE The aim of the present investigation was to study association of an IL10 gene polymorphism (G to A transition at the -1087 position) with severe chronic periodontitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS Two groups of Swedish Caucasian subjects were included. One group consisted of 60 patients (aged 36-74 years; mean 54.5+/-8.5) with severe and generalized chronic periodontitis. The patients exhibited bone loss >50% at all teeth. Thirty-nine periodontally healthy subjects between 35-78 years of age (mean 51.0+/-10.9) were also recruited. DNA was isolated from peripheral blood cells and genotyping was performed by combination of PCR with restriction endonuclease mapping. RESULTS The proportion of subjects that exhibited the GG genotype was significantly larger in the group with severe periodontitis than in the periodontally healthy group. The difference regarding the occurrence of the GG genotype between the two groups was more conspicuous in non-smokers and yielded an odds ratio of 6.1. The G allele carriage in non-smokers was >90 % in the periodontitis group and was significantly higher than in the healthy controls. CONCLUSION It is suggested that the -1087 IL10 polymorphism in Caucasian subjects of a north European origin is associated with severe chronic periodontitis.
l-Fucose utilization provides Campylobacter jejuni with a competitive advantage

Campylobacter jejuni is a prevalent gastrointestinal pathogen in humans and a common commensal of poultry. When colonizing its hosts, C. jejuni comes into contact with intestinal carbohydrates, including l-fucose, released from mucin glycoproteins. Several strains of C. jejuni possess a genomic island (cj0480c–cj0490) that is up-regulated in the presence of both l-fucose and mucin and allows for the utilization of l-fucose as a substrate for growth. Strains possessing this genomic island show increased growth in the presence of l-fucose and mutation of cj0481, cj0486, and cj0487 results in the loss of the ability to grow on this substrate. Furthermore, mutants in the putative fucose permease (cj0486) are deficient in fucose uptake and demonstrate a competitive disadvantage when colonizing the piglet model of human disease, which is not paralleled in the colonization of poultry. This identifies a previously unrecorded metabolic pathway in select strains of C. jejuni associated with a virulent lifestyle.
Ezrin is a downstream effector of trafficking PKC–integrin complexes involved in the control of cell motility

Protein kinase C (PKC) α has been implicated in β1 integrin‐mediated cell migration. Stable expression of PKCα is shown here to enhance wound closure. This PKC‐driven migratory response directly correlates with increased C‐terminal threonine phosphorylation of ezrin/moesin/radixin (ERM) at the wound edge. Both the wound migratory response and ERM phosphorylation are dependent upon the catalytic function of PKC and are susceptible to inhibition by phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase blockade. Upon phorbol 12,13‐dibutyrate stimulation, green fluorescent protein–PKCα and β1 integrins co‐sediment with ERM proteins in low‐density sucrose gradient fractions that are enriched in transferrin receptors. Using fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy, PKCα is shown to form a molecular complex with ezrin, and the PKC‐co‐precipitated endogenous ERM is hyperphosphorylated at the C‐terminal threonine residue, i.e. activated. Electron microscopy showed an enrichment of both proteins in plasma membrane protrusions. Finally, overexpression of the C‐terminal threonine phosphorylation site mutant of ezrin has a dominant inhibitory effect on PKCα‐induced cell migration. We provide the first evidence that PKCα or a PKCα‐associated serine/threonine kinase can phosphorylate the ERM C‐terminal threonine residue within a kinase–ezrin molecular complex in vivo.
Comprehensive analysis of oncogenic mutations in lung squamous cell carcinoma with minor glandular component.

BACKGROUND The mutations in oncogenic genes, such as EGFR, ALK, BRAF, HER2, DDR2, RET, and AKT1, defined subsets of non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) with potential sensitivity to targeted therapies. At present, the mutational spectrum, prevalence, and clinicopathologic characteristics in squamous cell carcinomas with minor (<10%) glandular component (SQCC-mGCs) are not well established. METHODS Three hundred ten surgically resected lung squamous cell carcinoma (SQCC) specimens were collected. The histology of all cases was reevaluated using hematoxylin-eosin and immunohistochemistry staining. EGFR, KRAS, HER2, BRAF, PIK3CA, AKT1, and DDR2 mutations, as well as ALK and RET rearrangements, were examined in 310 SQCCs by directed sequencing. RESULTS Ninety-five SQCC-mGCs (30.6%) and 215 pure SQCCs (69.4%) were identified. Of the 95 SQCC-mGCs, 26 (27.4%; 95% CI, 18.7%-37.4%) were found to harbor known oncogenic mutations, including 10 with EGFR, seven with KRAS, three with PIK3CA, one with BRAF, one with HER2, one each with EGFR/PIK3CA and KRAS/PIK3CA double mutations, and two with EML4-ALK fusions. Ten of 215 pure SQCCs (4.7%; 95% CI, 2.3%-8.4%) harbored mutations, including seven with PIK3CA, and each with AKT1, DDR2, and EGFR. No RET rearrangements were detected in SQCCs. SQCC-mGCs had a significantly higher rate of mutations in known oncogenic genes than that in pure SQCCs (27.4% vs 4.7%, P<.001). All KRAS mutations occurred in SQCC-mGCs. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrated that oncogenic mutations in EGFR, KRAS, BRAF, HER2, and ALK were extremely rare or absent in patients with pure SQCC, whereas SQCC-mGC had a relatively high frequency of EGFR, ALK, or KRAS mutations. Prospective identification of these known oncogenic mutations in SQCC-mGC before the initiation of treatment is an essential step to identify which patient could benefit from targeted therapies.
Arterial blood pressure, proteinuria, and renal histopathology in clinically healthy retired racing greyhounds.

BACKGROUND Physiologic peculiarities of Greyhounds as compared to other dogs make interpretation of laboratory results in this breed challenging for veterinarians. Hypertension in retired racing Greyhounds (RRG) can contribute to microalbuminuria (MA), overt proteinuria, and renal histologic lesions. OBJECTIVES To evaluate clinicopathologic findings, hemodynamic status, and renal histology in a population of healthy RRG. ANIMALS RRG presented to Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine for inclusion in a spay and neuter program. METHODS Cross-sectional study. RRG were classified as normotensive (<160 mmHg) or hypertensive (>160 mmHg) based on blood pressure (BP) determinations using Doppler and oscillometric methods. Of the dogs evaluated, 62% (n = 29) were hypertensive and 38% (n = 18) were normotensive. Health status was evaluated using routine clinicopathologic tests (CBC, serum biochemistry, urinalysis) as well as evaluation of fractional excretion of electrolytes and MA determinations. Adequate renal biopsy specimens (n = 15) were evaluated using light, immunofluoresence, and electron microscopy. RESULTS All serum biochemistry results were normal in 45/49 dogs, but MA was more common in hypertensive (84% positive for MA) as compared with normotensive (18% positive for MA) RRG. Observed renal lesions were mild and renal biopsy scores were low in this sample of RRG. CONCLUSIONS Hypertension is common in RRG and might be breed-related. It is associated with MA, but observed renal lesions are mild. Whether or not hypertension and MA in RRG leads to progressive renal damage requires longitudinal study.