Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Owner assessment of therapeutic interventions for canine atopic dermatitis: a long-term retrospective analysis.

BACKGROUND Canine atopic dermatitis is a frequent diagnosis in veterinary medicine; however, the long-term prognosis for canine atopic dermatitis has not been evaluated in a systematic fashion. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES To compare the relative efficacy of commonly used therapies for canine atopic dermatitis in two groups of dogs over 5 and 10 year time periods. ANIMALS Dogs were identified from the medical record database of a privately owned veterinary dermatology practice in the USA. METHODS Clients completed a four-part, 28-question, Internet-based survey. Surveys were included in the analysis if one entire section was completed. Each question was completed independently of the answers to other questions. RESULTS Several respondents failed to complete all questions. Some respondents answered similar questions with contradictory answers. Each question was analysed individually. A total of 136 owner surveys were completed, 39 from the 10 year and 97 from the 5 year study dogs. Eighty-five of 135 respondents indicated that their pet was receiving some form of medical therapy for atopic dermatitis at the time of the survey. Thirty of 90 respondents (33.3%) indicated that their dog improved during a dietary trial. Five dogs met the study's definition for clinical cure. All five of these dogs had been treated with allergen-specific immunotherapy. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE This study revealed that clients believe antihistamines can be a useful part of multimodal therapy for canine atopic dermatitis. The results also demonstrated that a significant number of canines benefited from dietary modification. In addition, allergen-specific immunotherapy was the only treatment to induce true clinical remission of atopic dermatitis.
Macromolecular transport across the superficial layer of articular cartilage.

OBJECTIVE To study the role of the superficial layer of articular cartilage in the transport of macromolecular solutes. DESIGN The articular cartilage of intact bovine carpal bones was incubated with(125)I-labeled bovine serum albumin, human IgG, or horse ferritin for 4 hours. Quadruplicate samples were first incubated with polymorphonuclear neutrophil elastase for 30 minutes to remove the outermost layer covering the articular surface. The rates of exchange of each macromolecule from excised tissue explants in the absence of a concentration gradient were measured at six different time points. The results were expressed as the fraction of radioactive protein exiting the cartilage per mm(2)of tissue, or as picomoles of labeled solute per mm(2). RESULTS Exchange rates correlated well with molecular mass, and no apparent differences were detected between intact and elastase-treated tissues. However, when the results were expressed in terms of the total number of molecules within the tissue, it was apparent that IgG molecules accumulated in the intact cartilage in larger than expected numbers. This finding was not observed in experiments using elastase-treated tissue. CONCLUSION These observations suggest that the outermost surface layer does not constitute a barrier to the transport of macromolecules into the deeper zones of the tissue. The higher IgG accumulation observed in intact cartilage suggests that the acidic outer layer of cartilage exhibited attractive interactions, probably ionic in nature, with the cationic fraction of IgG. These observations may relate to our previous work demonstrating that the sequestered immune complexes in the superficial zone of articular cartilage in rheumatoid arthritis, and in the antigen-induced arthritis model, are formed because pre-existing antibody normally present in cartilage irreversibly traps antigen within the tissue.
Evaluation of parents/guardian knowledge about the bruxism of their children: Family knowledge of bruxism.

BACKGROUND/AIM Bruxism is the habitual, involuntary grinding or clenching of the teeth that affects both children and adults. The aim of the present study was to assess the level of knowledge parents/guardians have about the bruxism of their children. MATERIALS AND METHODS A cross-sectional epidemiological study was developed for 221 parents/guardians of patients of the pediatric dentist in the Faculty of Dentistry of the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil. A previously tested questionnaire, based on the criteria of the American Association of Sleep Medicine (AASM), was used to collect data from the participants in the waiting room of the clinics involved. Descriptive analysis was elaborated and the chi-squared test was applied (level of significance of 5%) using statistical software SPSS 17.0. RESULTS The majority of the participants were mothers of the patients (84.2%). The mean age of the parents/guardians was 36.6 years. The mean age of children was 7.6 years. In total, 76.6% of the mothers, 40.2% of the fathers, and 48% of the children reported having bruxism. The participants believed that bruxism was associated with emotional factors (63.8%) and/or mystical factors (20.4%). The majority reported having sought help from doctors (54.4%), followed by mystics (20.4%) and dentists (19.1%). A statistically significant association was found between bruxism and children with restless sleep (P < 0.001) and in cases where both the parents and children were affected by bruxism (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION Families require greater clarification regarding the factors that trigger bruxism.
d
 -Cycloserine: Effects on Long-Term Retention of a Conditioned Response and on Memory for Contextual Attributes

d-Cycloserine (DCS), a partial agonist of the glycine recognition site of the N-methyl d-aspartate receptor, has beneficial effects on learning and memory. In order to investigate its potential to influence learning and memory of both the response and the stimulus attributes of training, male Sprague-Dawley albino rats were trained in a one-trial inhibitory avoidance task following an acute intraperitoneal injection of DCS (3 mg/kg) or an equal volume of saline. In order to measure memory for stimulus attributes, testing involved a context shift paradigm, in which subjects are tested in either the environment of training or a different one. Good memory for the contextual attributes of training is indicated by poor performance in the alternate context. Retention was assessed either 1, 7, or 14 days after training. At 1 day, Saline subjects were affected by a change in context, while DCS subjects were not. In subjects tested 1 week following training, Saline subjects were no longer affected by a change in context, in that they performed the avoidance response in both contexts. This indicates the forgetting of stimulus attributes in Saline subjects. DCS subjects did show the context shift effect at 1 week, indicating the retention of stimulus attributes. Finally, Saline subjects demonstrated the context shift rebound at 14 days, while DCS subjects performed equivalently in both contexts. Taken together, these data suggest that DCS may enhance retention of fear and slow the forgetting of stimulus attributes.
E-mentoring: A Model and Review of the Literature

With the growth of technology and greater use of virtual teams, organizations have increasingly begun to use ementoring for socializing, training, and developing individual employees via technology. Despite the growing importance of e-mentoring, relatively little research has examined its process or effectiveness. Therefore, we: 1) provide a framework for understanding the e-mentoring process, 2) review the e-mentoring literature, and 3) present hypotheses to generate additional research on e-mentoring. As technology develops, the use of e-mentoring and, thus, the need to better understand it will grow.
Does Poverty Cause Environmental Degradation? Evidence from Developing Countries

ABSTRACT Environmental quality has been decreasing in most countries in the world. With poverty is the primary attribute of most developing countries, this study aims to examine the effect of poverty on environmental deterioration by using panel data of 50 developing countries for the period between 2001 and 2014. Utilizing the generalized method of moments, findings establish that poverty is among the principal sources of environmental damage across the countries. Therefore, the efforts to reduce environmental degradation must be comprehensive enough and the priority of environmental policies should in the first place, targeting poverty reduction.
Role of matrix metalloproteinases in non‐healing venous ulcers

Chronic venous ulceration (CVU) of the lower limbs is a common condition affecting 1% of the adult population in Western countries, which is burdened with a high complication rate and a marked reduction in the quality of life often due to prolonged healing time. Several metalloproteinases (MMPs) such as MMP‐9 together with neutrophil gelatinase‐associated lipocalin (NGAL) appear to be involved in the onset and healing phases of venous ulcer, but it is still unclear how many biochemical components are responsible for prolonged healing time in those ulcers. In this study, we evaluate the role of MMP‐1 and MMP‐8 in long lasting and refractory venous ulcers. In a 2‐year period we enroled 45 patients (28 female and 17 male, median age 65) with CVU. The enroled population was divided into two groups: group I were patients with non‐healing ulcers (ulcers that had failed to heal for more than 2 months despite appropriate treatments) and group II were patients with healing ulcers (ulcers in healing phases). MMP‐1 and MMP‐8 were measured in fluids and tissues of healing and non‐healing ulcers by means of enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blot analysis, respectively. In particular the patterns of the collagenases MMP‐1 and MMP‐8 in healing wounds were distinct, with MMP‐8 appearing in significantly greater amounts especially in the non‐healing group. Our findings suggest that MMP‐1, and MMP‐8 are overexpressed in long lasting CVU. Therefore, this dysregulation may represent the main cause of the pathogenesis of non‐healing CVU.
Changes in the use of radiation therapy for early classical Hodgkin lymphoma in adolescents and young adults: implications for survival and second malignancies

Omission of radiation therapy (RT) in adolescents and young adults (AYA) with early classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) may affect survival and risk of second malignancies (SMN). Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database we found reduction in RT use from 60.8% among 2614 cases from 1995 to 2002 to 52.9% among 2542 cases from 2003 to 2010, p < 0.001. Survival at 5 years with and without RT was 95.1% vs. 93.3%, p = 0.013 for 1995–2002 and 97.7% vs. 96.4%, p = 0.021 for 2003–2010. Omission of RT was affected by 2003–2010 era, race-ethnicity, income and education and independently increased the risk of death (hazard ratio 1.34, p = 0.011). The cumulative risk of SMN at 150 months was 3.3% vs. 3.0% (p = 0.87) while the risk of death without SMN (competing risk) was 5.7% vs. 8.8% for RT and no-RT patients, respectively (p = 0.0009). Omission of RT for early cHL in AYA may increase mortality without reduction in SMN.
Influence of Kernel Age on Fumonisin B1Production in Maize by Fusarium moniliforme

ABSTRACT Production of fumonisins by Fusarium moniliforme on naturally infected maize ears is an important food safety concern due to the toxic nature of this class of mycotoxins. Assessing the potential risk of fumonisin production in developing maize ears prior to harvest requires an understanding of the regulation of toxin biosynthesis during kernel maturation. We investigated the developmental-stage-dependent relationship between maize kernels and fumonisin B1 production by using kernels collected at the blister (R2), milk (R3), dough (R4), and dent (R5) stages following inoculation in culture at their respective field moisture contents with F. moniliforme. Highly significant differences (P ≤ 0.001) in fumonisin B1production were found among kernels at the different developmental stages. The highest levels of fumonisin B1 were produced on the dent stage kernels, and the lowest levels were produced on the blister stage kernels. The differences in fumonisin B1production among kernels at the different developmental stages remained significant (P ≤ 0.001) when the moisture contents of the kernels were adjusted to the same level prior to inoculation. We concluded that toxin production is affected by substrate composition as well as by moisture content. Our study also demonstrated that fumonisin B1 biosynthesis on maize kernels is influenced by factors which vary with the developmental age of the tissue. The risk of fumonisin contamination may begin early in maize ear development and increases as the kernels reach physiological maturity.
Endocytic sequestration of the B cell antigen receptor and toll-like receptor 9 in anergic cells

In autoimmune prone murine strains, sequential engagement of the B cell antigen receptor (BCR) on the cell surface and toll-like receptors (TLRs) in late endosomes is necessary and sufficient for secretion of autoantibodies. However, ubiquitous nucleoprotein self-antigens fail to elicit productive TLR activation, and break self-tolerance in anergic DNA-reactive B cells. The mechanisms limiting TLR activation in these cells are largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that in anergic 3H9/Vκ8 and Ars/A1 B cells the normal endocytic transit of both the ligated BCR and TLR9 into late endosomes is abrogated. The BCR and TLR9 arrest together just outside late endosomes, indicating that they enter this compartment along a single, regulated endocytic route. Access to late endosomes could be restored by reversing anergy through several methods, including conferring genetic susceptibility to autoimmunity, complementing proximal BCR signaling or by preventing BCR binding to self-antigen. Downstream of the BCR, JNK, which is activated in naive but not anergic B cells, regulated entry into late endosomes. Restoration of BCR and TLR9 endocytic trafficking rescued TLR9 activation by BCR-captured ligands. These results indicate that B cell anergy is reinforced by the exclusion of both TLRs and their BCR captured ligands from subcellular environments necessary for TLR activation.
Malnutrition is associated with poor rehabilitation outcome in elderly inpatients with hospital-associated deconditioning a prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the association between nutritional status and rehabilitation outcome in elderly inpatients with hospital-associated deconditioning. DESIGN A prospective cohort study. SUBJECTS/PATIENTS One hundred sixty-nine consecutive elderly inpatients diagnosed with hospital-associated deconditioning. METHODS Nutritional status at referral was assessed by the Mini Nutritional Assessment Short Form at the University Medical Center. Body mass index, haemoglobin, albumin, total lymphocyte count, C-reactive protein, cause of malnutrition, and feeding route were also investigated. Primary outcome was Barthel Index score at discharge. RESULTS A total of 148 patients (87.6%) were malnourished, and 21 were at risk for malnutrition. There were no patients with normal nutritional status. Malnourished patients had a lower Barthel Index score at discharge than those at risk for malnutrition. Chronic disease-related malnutrition, oral intake, and parenteral nutrition were associated with the Barthel Index score at discharge. There were significant correlations between the Barthel Index score at discharge and nutritional score, albumin, and total lymphocyte count. In multiple regression analysis, Mini Nutritional Assessment Short Form, albumin, and chronic disease-related malnutrition were significantly associated with the Barthel Index score at discharge. CONCLUSION Most elderly inpatients with hospital-associated deconditioning are malnourished. Nutritional status, albumin, and chronic disease-related malnutrition are associated with poor rehabilitation outcome in hospital-associated deconditioning.
Patient education in gastro-oesophageal reflux disease: a randomized controlled trial

Objectives Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) is chronic, affects 8–20% of the population, impairs quality of life (QoL) and generates substantial health-related costs. Patient education is intended to improve patients' disease-related competency, potentially enabling them to deal more efficiently with their disease, eventually improving QoL and reducing healthcare cost. This study aimed to investigate the effects of a group-based education programme for patients with mild GORD. Methods Patients with GORD were randomly allocated to education (n=102) or control (n=109). The education programme was designed as a structured dialogue conveying medical information about the pathophysiology and prognosis, pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatment of GORD, patients' rights and use of healthcare. Outcomes were measured using general QoL [General Health Questionnaire-30 (GHQ-30)], disease-specific QoL [Digestive Symptoms and Impact Questionnaire (DSIQ)], global QoL and healthcare use at 2 and 12 months after the educational programme. Results No statistically significant differences were found in GHQ-30, DSIQ or global QoL at 2 or 12 months' follow-up between the GORD-education group and controls. In the GORD-education group, patients who had completed primary school education only showed improved QoL at 12 months on both GHQ and DSIQ, whereas patients who had completed advanced schooling showed no change. No difference was found between the groups in their use of healthcare. Conclusion A group-based education programme for patients with mild GORD showed no effect on QoL or use of healthcare. Subgroup analyses showed improved QoL only in patients with primary school education, who had been allocated to GORD education.
Macroprudential policy and foreign interest rate shocks: A comparison of different instruments and regulatory regimes

This paper presents a generic small open economy real business cycle model with banking and foreign borrowing. We incorporate capital requirements, reserve requirements, and loan-to-value (LTV) regulation into this framework, and subject the model to a positive foreign interest rate shock that raises the country risk premium and reduces the supply of foreign funds. The results show that these macroprudential instruments can attenuate the impact of such a shock, and that this attenuation property increases with the strictness of the regulatory regime. Capital requirements and LTV regulation deliver the largest attenuation benefits and are shown to be close substitutes. That being said, capital requirements are shown to be more effective at leaning against the financial cycle whereas LTV regulation is more effective at stimulating the financial cycle. The analysis indicates that capital and reserve requirements can interact such that reserve requirements are most effective when used to supplement existing capital requirement or LTV measures. We find that financial and macroeconomic stability objectives are aligned following a positive foreign interest rate shock such that a macroprudential response to such shocks can be to the benefit of both objectives. Lastly, our results show that capital requirements and LTV regulation exhibit decreasing returns to scale.
Multicenter phase II trial of immunotherapy with the humanized anti-CD22 antibody, epratuzumab, in combination with rituximab, in refractory or recurrent non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

PURPOSE A multicenter, single-arm study examining efficacy and toxicity of epratuzumab combined with rituximab was conducted in patients with recurrent or refractory non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS Sixty-five patients were enrolled; 34 patients with follicular lymphoma (FL), 15 patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), and 16 patients with other lymphomas. The patients had received a median of two prior therapies (range, 1 to 4); 23% had received rituximab. Epratuzumab was given at 360 mg/m2 intravenously over 60 minutes followed by infusion of 375 mg/m2 rituximab, weekly for 4 consecutive weeks. RESULTS Combination therapy was well tolerated without greater toxicity than rituximab alone. The objective response (OR) rate was 47% (30 of 64) in assessable patients (46%; 30 of 65 in all patients), being highest in FL (64%; 21 of 33) and DLBCL (47%; seven of 15), and with 24% (eight of 33) and 33% (five of 15) achieving complete response (CR) or complete response unconfirmed (CRu) in these two groups, respectively. Two of six patients with marginal zone lymphoma responded to treatment (one CR). There was a trend for the response rates to be higher in patients with low prognostic index scores (statistically significant with respect to the Follicular Lymphoma International Prognostic Index score in FL patients), with 12 FL patients and three DLBCL patients in groups 0 to 1 having OR (CR/CRu) rates of 83% (33%) and 100% (100%), respectively. The median duration of response was 16 months for FL, with five patients currently progression free for 18 months to 30 months, and 6 months for DLBCL, with two patients currently progression free for 12 months and 18 months. CONCLUSION Epratuzumab combined with rituximab was well tolerated, demonstrating promising antilymphoma activity that warrants additional study.
European guidelines for validating non-formal and informal learning

for the back cover These European guidelines on validating non-formal and informal learning result from more than two years’ cooperation between European countries in the cluster on recognition of learning outcomes and the Education and training 2010 process. While referring to the common European principles on identifying and validating non-formal and informal learning, adopted by the Council of Ministers in 2004, these guidelines provide expert advice to be used voluntarily by stakeholders at national and local levels. The aim is to contribute to developing diverse and high quality, cost-efficient validation approaches in Europe, thus supporting lifelong and lifewide learning.
Lupus Anticoagulant Activity Is Frequently Dependent on the Presence of β2-Glycoprotein I

Summary Antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) are defined by anticardioli-pin antibody (aCL) ELISA and prolongation of phospholipid dependent coagulation assays (lupus anticoagulant; LAC). For the binding of aCL to cardiolipin a cofactor, β2-glycoprotein I (β2-GPI), is necessary. We have investigated whether the same cofactor is essential for LAC activity. Plasma from 6 LAC positive patients and 3 controls was depleted from β2-GPI by means of affinity chromatography. From the 6 LAC positive plasmas, 4 became LAC negative (tested with dRWT) when β2-GPI was depleted and became positive again when purified β2-GPI (200 μg/ml) was added. A dose response curve showed that addition of 50 μg/ml β2-GPI to β2-GPI deficient patient plasma, led to a positive dRWT. Depletion of, and addition of β2-GPI to plasma from controls had no effect on the dRWT. Measurement of β2-GPI plasma levels in 19 LAC positive patients, 40 LAC negative patients and 15 controls showed no difference in β2-GPI levels. These results show that a combination of aPL and β2-GPI is essential not only for binding to cardiolipin, but also for LAC activity and imply that low β2-GPI levels (<50 μg/ml) can lead to false negative LAC tests. These observations may lead to new insights in the pathophysiological complications associated with aPL.