Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gastrin levels in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of patients with lung cancer: comparison with patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

BACKGROUND: The gastrin gene is known to be expressed in all classes of bronchogenic carcinomas. Furthermore, high levels of gastrin have been reported in both the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and serum of patients with lung cancer. Based on these preliminary data a study was conducted to evaluate the usefulness of gastrin measurements in the diagnosis and staging of lung cancer. METHODS: Thirty-five patients with lung cancer (26 non-small cell (NSCLC) and nine small cell (SCLC)) and 25 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease underwent fibreoptic bronchoscopy and BAL. Gastrin levels were determined in both BAL fluid and the serum and compared with each other and with staging. RESULTS: No difference was found between the gastrin levels in the BAL fluid or serum of the study groups. There was no correlation with the stage in NSCLC and no correlation was found between the gastrin levels in the serum and the BAL fluid. A significant difference was seen in gastrin levels in BAL fluid between extensive and limited SCLC (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: There is no evidence of clinical usefulness for gastrin measurements in lung cancer.
Mental health services use among school-aged children with disabilities: the role of sociodemographics, functional limitations, family burdens, and care coordination.

OBJECTIVE To examine the use of mental health services and correlates of receiving services among community-dwelling children with disabilities, ages 6 to 17 years. STUDY DESIGN Data are from the 1994 and 1995 National Health Interview Survey Disability Supplements (NHIS-D), conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics. The study sample is 4,939 children with disabilities, representing an estimated eight million children with disabilities nationwide. Parents of children under 16 years of age reported (17-year-olds self-reported) on health, emotional and behavioral problems, mental health services use, and who, if anyone, coordinated the child's health care. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Among disabled children with poor psychosocial adjustment (11.5 percent), only 11.8 percent received mental health services in the past year. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed service use was associated with poor psychosocial adjustment; communication, social, and learning-related functional impairments; public health insurance; and financial family burdens. Younger and black disabled children were less likely to receive mental health services. The odds of service use were greater with the involvement of a health professional in coordinating care, in contrast to no one or family only. Moreover, children with disabilities were more likely to use outpatient mental health services if their care was jointly coordinated by a family member and a health professional, compared to a health professional working alone. In contrast to inpatient and outpatient care, race and family burden were not associated with the likelihood of mental health counseling in special education school settings. CONCLUSIONS Findings indicate that only two in five disabled children with poor psychosocial adjustment receive mental health services. Differences by age, race, and insurance coverage suggest that inequalities to access exist. However, the school setting may be one in which some barriers to mental health services for disabled children are reduced. The study also shows that the involvement of health professionals in care coordination is associated with greater access to mental health care for disabled children. These findings underscore the importance of engaging both health care professionals and the family in the care process.
Ocular biometry and refraction in Mongolian adults.

OBJECTIVE To describe the variation in ocular biometry and its association with refraction in adult Mongolians. METHODS The study included 1800 subjects, aged 40 years or more, who were selected in two Mongolian provinces-Hövsgöl and Omnögobi-to participate in this population survey. Axial length (AL) and its components, as well as noncycloplegic autorefraction and corneal power (CP), were measured. RESULTS Of those selected, 1617 subjects (90.0%) were examined. Mean +/- SD of AL was 23.13 +/- 1.15 mm. There was a very small but significant increase in mean AL with age (0.05 mm per decade, P = 0.03). Autorefraction was performed on 620 of 675 subjects of those examined in Omnögobi. The age and gender standardized prevalences of myopia (< -0.5 D), emmetropia, hyperopia (> +0.5 D), astigmatism (< -0.5 D of cylinder) and anisometropia (>1.0 D difference between eyes) were 17.2%, 49.9%, 32.9%, 40.9%, and 10.7%, respectively. Prevalence of myopia showed no clear trend with increasing age, whereas hyperopia, astigmatism, and anisometropia all increased monotonically. Multiple regression models revealed that AL (P < 0.001) and VCD (P < 0.001) were the strongest determinants of refractive error. CONCLUSIONS In this cross-sectional study of adult Mongolians, a much lower prevalence of myopia was found than in other East Asian populations studied to date. The mean AL differed little between age groups, in marked contrast to data on Chinese people.
Epoxyquinol B, a Naturally Occurring Pentaketide Dimer, Inhibits NF-κB Signaling by Crosslinking TAK1

Several epoxyquinoids interfere with NF-κB signaling by targeting IKKβ or NF-κB. We report that epoxyquinol B (EPQB), classified as an epoxyquiniod, inhibits NF-κB signaling through inhibition of the TAK1 complex, a factor upstream of IKKβ and NF-κB. cDNA microarray analysis revealed that EPQB decreased TNF-α-induced expression of NF-κB target genes. EPQB covalently bound to a recombinant TAK1-TAB1 fusion protein in vitro, and inhibited its kinase activity. Furthermore, in vitro/in situ treatment with EPQB resulted in a ladder-like hypershift of TAK1 protein bands. We reported recently that EPQB crosslinks proteins via cysteine residues by opening its two epoxides, and our current results suggest that EPQB inhibits NF-κB signaling by crosslinking TAK1 itself or TAK1 through other proteins.
Narrow-band AP latencies in normal and recruiting human ears.

Derived narrow-band action potential latencies increase monotonically with decreasing central frequency, and can be interpreted as reflecting the traveling wave delay in the cochlea. It was found that, for recruiting human ears with average flat hearing losses around 40 dB, this accumulating latency increase was smaller than for normal ears. A comparison of 15 normal ears and 37 recruiting ears showed, however, that in only half of the recruiting ears this difference was significant. These recruiting ears were therefore divided in two groups based on the waveform of the narrow-band action potential AP, which correlated well with the subdivision according to latency. The findings have been explained on the basis that latency of the narrow-band APs is not determined solely by the mechanical traveling-wave delay, but also by the response time of the (second? ) cochlear filter. When this filter broadens, one expects a decrease in its impulse response time. Since this impulse response time. Since this impulse response depends on the sum of the high- and low-frequency slope values of the cochlear filter, one expects only a latency decrease when the steep high-frequency slope also becomes more shallow. A support for the influence of the response times of the cochlear filter is found in the narrow-band AP latencies for restricted cochlear losses (e.g., in a 4-kHz noise dip). It appears that the latency in that area actually is shorter than for the higher central frequencies, a fact which cannot be explained solely on the basis of a traveling wave phenomenon.
Reprogramming of Intestinal Glucose Metabolism and Glycemic Control in Rats After Gastric Bypass

Glucose Control Goes Out on a Limb Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, a surgical procedure used to induce weight loss in morbidly obese patients, often leads to permanent remission of diabetes, even when patients regain weight. Studying a rat model, Saeidi et al. (p. 406; see Perspective by Berthoud) found that the surgically reconfigured intestinal segment (the Roux limb) underwent an adaptive response characterized by increased glucose uptake and utilization, apparently triggered by exposure to undigested nutrients. As a result of this change, the intestine provided a major tissue for whole-body glucose control. Whether the same adaptive response occurs in the human intestine remains to be examined. The intestine can adopt a role in glucose control after surgery, possibly explaining why the surgery cures diabetes. [Also see Perspective by Berthoud] The resolution of type 2 diabetes after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) attests to the important role of the gastrointestinal tract in glucose homeostasis. Previous studies in RYGB-treated rats have shown that the Roux limb displays hyperplasia and hypertrophy. Here, we report that the Roux limb of RYGB-treated rats exhibits reprogramming of intestinal glucose metabolism to meet its increased bioenergetic demands; glucose transporter-1 is up-regulated, basolateral glucose uptake is enhanced, aerobic glycolysis is augmented, and glucose is directed toward metabolic pathways that support tissue growth. We show that reprogramming of intestinal glucose metabolism is triggered by the exposure of the Roux limb to undigested nutrients. We demonstrate by positron emission tomography–computed tomography scanning and biodistribution analysis using 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-d-glucose that reprogramming of intestinal glucose metabolism renders the intestine a major tissue for glucose disposal, contributing to the improvement in glycemic control after RYGB.
Y chromosome microchimerism in rheumatic autoimmune disease

It is well known that some features of chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) resemble those of other rheumatic autoimmune diseases, such as systemic sclerosis (SSc), Sjogren's syndrome (SS), and primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). Furthermore, the development of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)-like diseases has been seen in murine models of GVHD.1 The pathogenesis of rheumatic autoimmune diseases is still unknown. One possibility that has been suggested is that these diseases are associated with pregnancy because of their strong female predilection and, especially in SSc, a peak incidence after parturition. In 1996 Bianchi et al reported that fetal cells could survive in the maternal circulation for up to 27 years after parturition, a phenomenon termed fetal microchimerism.2These observations led the hypothesis that persistent fetal …
Family Migration and Labor Force Outcomes: Sex Differences in Occupational Context

Empirical analyses of sex differences in the career consequences of family migration have focused on adjudicating between the human capital and the gender-role explanations but have ignored the potential influence of gender inequality in the structure of the labor market. In this paper we estimate conditional difference-in-difference models with individual-, family- and occupation-level data to test a structural explanation that attributes sex differences in the returns to family migration to occupational sex segregation. Despite using measures of relevant occupational characteristics and occupational fixed effects, our results do not support the structural explanation. Instead, the results add to the body of empirical evidence that is consistent with the gender-role explanation of sex differences in the experience of family migration.
Identification of a 70-base-pair cell cycle regulatory unit within the promoter of the human thymidine kinase gene and its interaction with cellular factors

The promoter of the human thymidine kinase gene contains cis-regulatory elements responsible for its cell-cycle-regulated expression. We report here that a 70-bp region between -133 and -64 is sufficient to confer cell cycle regulation on a heterologous promoter. The 20-bp region between -64 and -83, which contains an inverted CCAAT motif, is important for transcriptional stimulation of this functional unit. The sequence of this CCAAT motif is nearly identical to the consensus sequence for the transcriptional factor CP1. We also examined the specificity and binding activities of cellular factors interacting with the 70-bp fragment. We showed that the cellular factors binding to the 70-bp region are similar during the G1, S, and G2 phases, suggesting that the cell cycle regulatory activity observed must involve processes other than factor binding to the DNA.
Microtensile bond strength of glass fiber posts cemented with self-adhesive and self-etching resin cements.

PURPOSE To evaluate the bond strength of glass fiber posts to intraradicular dentin when cemented with self-etching and self-adhesive resin cements. MATERIALS AND METHODS Forty-eight single-rooted human teeth were decoronated, endodontically treated, post-space prepared and divided into 8 groups (n = 6). The glass fiber posts used were: Exacto (EA) (Angelus) and everStick (ES) (StichTeck), which were cemented with two self-adhesive resin cements: BisCem (BIS) (Bisco) and Rely-X Unicem (UNI) (3M/ESPE), and two self-etching resin cements: Esthetic Cementing System NAC100 (NAC) (Kuraray) and Panavia-F (PAN) (Kuraray). Specimens were thermocycled between 5°C and 55 °C for 1000 cycles and stored in water at 37°C for 1 month. Four 1-mm-thick (in cross section) rods were obtained from the cervical region of the roots. Specimens were then subjected to microtensile testing in a special machine (BISCO; Schaumburg, IL, USA) or a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/min. Microtensile bond strength (μTBS) data were analyzed with two-way ANOVA and Tukey's tests. RESULTS Means (and SD) of μTBS (MPa) were: EA/PAN: 10.3 (4.1), EA/NAC: 14 (5.1) EA/BIS: 16.4 (4.8), EA/UNI: 19.8 (5.1), ES/PAN: 25.9 (6.1), ES/NAC: 29.1 (7), ES/BIS: 28.9 (6), ES/UNI: 30.5 (6.6). ANOVA indicated significant differences among the groups (p < 0.001). Mean μTBS values obtained with ES post were significantly higher than those obtained with EA (p < 0.001). For EA, Tukey's test indicated that higher μTBS means were obtained with the self-adhesive resin cements (BIS and UNI), which were statistically significantly different (p < 0.05) from values obtained with the self-etching resin cements (PAN and NAC). Different cements had no significant effects on the bond strength values of ES post (p > 0.05). μTBS values obtained with ES post were significantly higher than those obtained with EA post irrespective of the resin cement used. CONCLUSION everStick posts resulted in the highest mean μTBS values with all cements. Self-adhesive cements performed well in terms of bond strength.
Multiple Subpial Transection in Patients with Extratemporal Epilepsy

Summary: Multiple subpial transection (MST) was developed to permit the treatment of partial epilepsies that reside in or encroach on eloquent cortex (language and sensorimotor cortex). It was conceived after the discoveries of the columnar organization of neocortex and that expression and spread of seizures utilize the transverse fiber network. Although the technique is simple in principle, it takes a skilled and practiced hand to avoid damage to the neocortical columns and vascular supply. The efficacy in controlling seizures with MST in extra‐temporal epilepsy is similar to that of resective surgery. Activities of daily living are not adversely impacted by MST. MST is a viable alternative to resection in extratemporal epilepsy.
Ceruminolytic effects of docusate sodium: a randomized, controlled trial.

STUDY OBJECTIVE Assessment of the tympanic membrane is often impeded by the presence of cerumen. We compared the ceruminolytic effects of triethanolamine polypeptide and docusate sodium in patients with cerumen. METHODS We conducted a prospective, randomized, controlled, double-blind trial on a convenience sample of cooperative adult and pediatric patients presenting to a university-based emergency department who required removal of cerumen to visualize the tympanic membrane. Structured data collection was performed, and the physician determined whether visualization of the tympanic membrane was partially or totally obscured by cerumen (interobserver agreement, rho=0.79). Patients received intra-aural instillation of 1mL of either docusate sodium or triethanolamine polypeptide in a liquid form. If not completely cleared within 15 minutes, the external ear canal was irrigated with 50 or 100 mL of normal saline solution and additional attempts to visualize the tympanic membrane were made. The main outcome was the proportion of ears in which the tympanic membrane could be totally visualized after ceruminolytic instillation with or without irrigation. This study had 80% power to detect a 40% difference between groups in the proportion of totally visualized tympanic membranes (chi(2) test, alpha=. 05). RESULTS Of 50 enrolled patients, 23 received triethanolamine polypeptide and 27 received docusate sodium. Mean patient age was 40 years (range 1 to 81 years); 35% were female. Groups were similar in age, sex, and proportion of completely obscured tympanic membranes at presentation (78%). The ability to completely visualize the tympanic membrane was significantly greater after treatment with docusate sodium versus triethanolamine polypeptide (81% versus 35%; difference in proportions 47%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 22 to 71) particularly in children aged 5 or less (90% versus 0%; difference in proportions 89%; 95% CI 50 to 100). CONCLUSION Docusate sodium solution is a more effective ceruminolytic than triethanolamine polypeptide, allowing complete or partial visualization of the tympanic membrane in most patients after a single application when followed with irrigation. Use of docusate sodium as a ceruminolytic should be encouraged, particularly in children.
Industrial experiments on pulse corona simultaneous removal of NOx and SO2 from flue gas

The corona-induced simultaneous removal of NO/sub x/ and SO/sub 2/ from flue gas, which is based on the application of narrow voltage pulses to an electrode structure similar to that of an electrostatic precipitator is studied. The free electrons of the corona discharge, having energy up to 20 eV, originate active radicals which lead to the transformation of NO/sub x/ and SO/sub 2/ into their acids, which can be neutralized to salt particulate by adding to the gas a basic compound, such as ammonia or calcium hydroxide. The process has been investigated with a test rig installed in the slipstream of the flue gas duct of a coal thermal power plant. The experiments were performed with three reactor modules of different geometries having a nominal gas flow rate of 1000 Nm/sup 3//h. The voltage pulses, generated with a fast switching experimental device, had a rise front less than 400 ns and a repetition frequency up to 300 Hz. The test results confirm the physical feasibility of the process. <<ETX>>
EVALUATION OF THE SUITABILITY OF POLISH BLACKCURRANT CULTIVARS FOR COMMERCIAL CULTIVATION

This paper presents results of the experiment aimed at assessing suitability of new Polish blackcurrant cultivars for commercial plantations with mechanical fruit harvesting. The cultivars under assessment were: 'Tisel', 'Tiben', 'Ores', 'Ruben' and 'Tines', bred at the Research Institute of Pomology and Floriculture (RIPF) in Skierniewice, Poland. Their performance was compared with standard cultivars 'Ojebyn' and 'Titania'. A field experiment was established at the Experimental Station in Dąbrowice, near Skierniewice, Central Poland, in the autumn of 2002. Measurements and observations were carried out in 2006-2008. The results showed that the largest bushes were produced by the standard cultivar 'Titania' and the new cultivar 'Tiben'. The other cultivars produced small or medium-size bushes. The earliest to ripen were berries of the cultivar 'Tise1', medium-early ripening were those of 'Tines', 'Ojebyn' and 'Titania while 'Ores', 'Ruben' and 'Tiben' were classified as medium-late ripening cultivars. The new Polish cultivars: 'Tisel', 'Tiben' and 'Ruben', produced considerably higher yields than the standard cultivars. The largest berries were produced by 'Tines' and 'Ruben', medium-sized by 'Ores', 'Tisel' and 'Titania', and the smallest by 'Tiben' and 'Ojebyn'. The effectiveness of fruit collection by the harvester KPS-4b in 2006 ranged from 74.8 to 91.0%, in 2007 from 89.6 to 94.9%, with much higher values in 2008, from 97.3 to 98.8%. The smallest number of shoots damaged by the fruit harvester was recorded for 'Ojebyn' and 'Ores', followed by 'Ruben' and 'Tines', while the greatest damage suffered 'Titania', 'Tiben' and Tisel'. The most resistant to the main fungal diseases were the bushes of 'Tisel', 'Tines', 'Ruben', 'Ores' and 'Titania'.
The Mitochondrial Permeability Transition Augments Fas-induced Apoptosis in Mouse Hepatocytes*

Tumor necrosis factor-α receptor 1 and Fas recruit overlapping signaling pathways. To clarify the differences between tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) and Fas pathways in hepatocyte apoptosis, primary mouse hepatocytes were treated with TNFα or an agonist anti-Fas antibody after infection with an adenovirus expressing an IκB superrepressor (Ad5IκB). Treatment with TNFα induced apoptosis in Ad5IκB-infected mouse hepatocytes, as we previously reported for rat hepatocytes. Ad5IκB plus anti-Fas antibody or actinomycin D plus anti-Fas antibody rapidly induced apoptosis, whereas anti-Fas antibody alone produced little cytotoxicity. The proteasome inhibitor (MG-132) and a dominant-negative mutant of nuclear factor-κB-inducing kinase also promoted TNFα- and Fas-mediated apoptosis. Expression of either crmA or a dominant-negative mutant of the Fas-associated death domain protein prevented TNFα- and Fas-mediated apoptosis. In addition, the caspase inhibitors, DEVD-cho and IETD-fmk, inhibited TNFα- and Fas-mediated apoptosis. In Ad5IκB-infected hepatocytes, caspases-3 and -8 were activated within 2 h after treatment with anti-Fas antibody or within 6 h after TNFα treatment. Confocal microscopy demonstrated onset of the mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT) and mitochondrial depolarization by 2–3 h after anti-Fas antibody treatment and 8–10 h after TNFα treatment, followed by cytochromec release. The combination of the MPT inhibitors, cyclosporin A, and trifluoperazine, protected Ad5IκB-infected hepatocytes from TNFα-mediated apoptosis. After anti-Fas antibody, cyclosporin A and trifluoperazine decreased cytochrome crelease but did not prevent caspase-3 activation and cell-death. In conclusion, nuclear factor-κB activation protects mouse hepatocytes against both TNFα- and Fas-mediated apoptosis. TNFα and Fas recruit similar but nonidentical, pathways signaling apoptosis. The MPT is obligatory for TNFα-induced apoptosis. In Fas-mediated apoptosis, the MPT accelerates the apoptogenic events but is not obligatory for them.
A comparison between LDPE and HDPE cable insulation properties following lightning impulse ageing

Low density polyethylene (LDPE) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) are common materials used within high voltage insulation systems. These materials will be aged after working under high voltage for a long time. The ageing process of these materials may be affected by external factors. The application of repetitive lightning impulse over-voltages is one of these factors and will be considered in this paper. This paper includes the sample preparation process, the ageing of samples under identical conditions and finally the analysis of electrical properties after the ageing process. The obtained results are used to compare the effect of repetitive lightning impulses on these two materials. These results are also used to highlight the possible mechanisms behind the lighting impulse ageing process.