Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Crush intraoperatory analysis in craniopharyngioma

Intraoperative smear cytology provides a rapid and reliable intraoperative diagnosis and guidance to the neurosurgeon during surgical resection and lesion targeting. It also helps the surgeon to monitor and modify the approach at surgery. The aim of this article was a clinicopathological and cytomorphological intraoperative crush smear correlation in craniopharyngioma. Thirty craniopharyngiomas were included in this study. Twenty‐seven cases were adaCP and only three cases were papCP. This series included 16 (53%) males and 14 (47%) females adult patients, aged from 15 to 86 years (median, 49 year). Two cases were frank errors, 12 cases showed partial correlation, 5 cases showed incomplete typing of the cell type, and 7 cases discrepancy in type of tumors. The percent error was 14%. Correlations with clinical details and radiological findings were helpful in improving the accuracy rate. Smear technique is a fairly accurate, relatively safe, rapid, simple, easily reproducible, and cost‐effective tool to diagnose brain tumors. Smear cytology is of great value in intraoperative consultation of central nervous system pathology. The cytological aspects and smear patterns disclose important complementary diagnostic information for the histopathological examination. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Double‐strand break repair by Ku70 requires heterodimerization with Ku80 and DNA binding functions

Heterodimers of the 70 and 80 kDa Ku autoantigens (Ku70 and Ku80) activate the DNA‐dependent protein kinase (DNA‐PK). Mutations in any of the three subunits of this protein kinase (Ku70, Ku80 and DNA‐PKcs) lead to sensitivity to ionizing radiation (IR) and to DNA double‐strand breaks, and V(D)J recombination product formation defects. Here we show that the IR repair, DNA end binding and DNA‐PK defects in Ku70−/− embryonic stem cells can be counteracted by introducing epitope‐tagged wild‐type Ku70 cDNA. Truncations and chimeras of Ku70 were used to identify the regions necessary for DNA end binding and IR repair. Site‐specific mutational analysis revealed a core region of Ku70 responsible for DNA end binding and heterodimerization. The propensity for Ku70 to associate with Ku80 and to bind DNA correlates with the ability to activate DNA‐PK, although two mutants showed that the roles of Ku70 in DNA‐PK activation and IR repair are separate. Mutation of DNA‐PK autophosphorylation sites and other structural motifs in Ku70 showed that these sites are not necessary for IR repair in vivo. These studies reveal Ku70 features required for double‐strand break repair.
Human resource management activities on the front line: A nursing perspective

Objective: To identify the practical human resource management (HRM) issues that may impact on job satisfaction, nurse retention and ultimately quality of patient care of the nurse unit manager’s (NUM) role. Background: NUMs are in the unique position within the healthcare industry to impact upon and effect large numbers of people, including nurses, doctors, patients and their families, and processes on a daily basis. More effective HRM practices could improve performance in terms of staff satisfaction, positive patient outcomes and the cost effectiveness of staff retention. Method: Two focus groups, one group of nine NUMs and one group of five staff nurses, were conducted at an Australia public hospital. A descriptive phenomenological approach informed data generation and data analysis. Results: The NUMs reported that they were not adequately trained in the skills required to effectively manage staff conflict such as manipulation and bitterness, requiring disciplinary intervention on an ongoing basis. The consequences included reduced staff morale, decreased staff satisfaction, increased stress to the NUM and ultimately retention issues for both the NUM and Unit staff. Conclusion: This study highlights the potential impact of inadequate implementation and understanding of HRM policy and practice by NUMS on the front line. Further research is required to understand why this phenomenon exists and how it can be remedied.
Empirical Study to Find Factors Influencing e-Filing Adoption in India

During assessment year 2004-2005, Income Tax Department of Government of India has shifted to new paradigm by introducing an emerging e-government service - e-filling (online tax filing). This government-to-citizens (G2C) service has significant benefits for both- government as well as for taxpayers in terms of cost effective, convenient, time saving, accuracy, fast, secure, more productive and efficient. While several benefits incurred in e-filing, all the taxpayers of country many not be able to realize these benefits due to several factors. A large number of taxpayers still prefer pen and paper based tax filing or take help of intermediaries (e.g. tax consultant) in order to file return. In developing country like India, internet and technology is still out of reach of many citizens and people are not technologically matured to utilize full potentiality of internet and technology. The purpose of this study is to investigate the underlying factors that influence citizens' intensions to adopt e-filing in the Indian context. Quantitative approach is used in this study to investigate adoption factors and total 349 questionnaires were received and 294 were found valid to analyze. Participants in the survey were Indian citizens who file their taxes to Indian authorities. The proposed e-filing integrated adoption model is built on prior theories - Technology adoption model (TAM), Diffusion of Innovation (DOI), Perceived characteristics of innovating (PCI), Web trust theory and perceived risk, Web service quality. The result of the analysis showed that perceive usefulness (PU), perceived ease-of-use (PEOU), compatibility, service quality, trust of the internet, trust of the government, result demonstrability, service quality and social influence are found to be significant predictors of citizens' intention to use e-filing. This study has established a comprehensive research model integrating major theories and dimensions of adoption. The study may assist government or other concern authorities to understand citizens' behavior and their perceptions towards E-fling system and other e-government services too. The study suggests that upgrading e-filing system services will improve taxpayers' compliance that will improve the intention of taxpayers positively to use it. Future research might employ a larger sample to generalize to the whole country. Furthermore, qualitative research like interview with selected taxpayers can cater other factors related to efficiency and effectiveness of e-filing.
Spironolactone Use in Heart Failure Patients With End‐Stage Renal Disease on Hemodialysis: Is It Safe?

Spironolactone is used in the treatment of cardiovascular disease, but is contraindicated in renal dysfunction due to the risk of hyperkalemia. It is not known if patients with end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) on hemodialysis are at the same risk for hyperkalemia. The objective of this study was to systematically review the evidence evaluating the incidence of hyperkalemia with spironolactone use in ESRD patients on hemodialysis.
Nutrient profiling for regulatory purposes

In this paper, I first provide definitions of nutrient profiling and of a nutrient profile model. I set out the purposes of nutrient profiling: both general and specific. I give two examples of nutrient profile models that have been developed for regulatory purposes by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in the UK and the WHO for its European Region – the UK FSA/Ofcom and the WHO-Euro models – and compare the way the models are constructed and function, how they have been developed, the extent to which they have been tested and validated and their use in regulation. Finally I draw some conclusions about the future use of nutrient profiling for regulatory purposes. I argue that its full potential has yet to be realised and give some reasons why. I pose some urgent research questions with respect to nutrient profiling.
Population-Genomic Insights into Variation in Prevotella intermedia and Prevotella nigrescens Isolates and Its Association with Periodontal Disease

High-throughput sequencing has helped to reveal the close relationship between Prevotella and periodontal disease, but the roles of subspecies diversity and genomic variation within this genus in periodontal diseases still need to be investigated. We performed a comparative genome analysis of 48 Prevotella intermedia and Prevotella nigrescens isolates that from the same cohort of subjects to identify the main drivers of their pathogenicity and adaptation to different environments. The comparisons were done between two species and between disease and health based on pooled sequences. The results showed that both P. intermedia and P. nigrescens have highly dynamic genomes and can take up various exogenous factors through horizontal gene transfer. The major differences between disease-derived and health-derived samples of P. intermedia and P. nigrescens were factors related to genome modification and recombination, indicating that the Prevotella isolates from disease sites may be more capable of genomic reconstruction. We also identified genetic elements specific to each sample, and found that disease groups had more unique virulence factors related to capsule and lipopolysaccharide synthesis, secretion systems, proteinases, and toxins, suggesting that strains from disease sites may have more specific virulence, particularly for P. intermedia. The differentially represented pathways between samples from disease and health were related to energy metabolism, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, and amino acid metabolism, consistent with data from the whole subgingival microbiome in periodontal disease and health. Disease-derived samples had gained or lost several metabolic genes compared to healthy-derived samples, which could be linked with the difference in virulence performance between diseased and healthy sample groups. Our findings suggest that P. intermedia and P. nigrescens may serve as “crucial substances” in subgingival plaque, which may reflect changes in microbial and environmental dynamics in subgingival microbial ecosystems. This provides insight into the potential of P. intermedia and P. nigrescens as new predictive biomarkers and targets for effective interventions in periodontal disease.
Coronary microvascular dysfunction due to essential thrombocythemia and policythemia vera: The missing piece in the puzzle of their increased cardiovascular risk?

Myeloproliferative neoplasms are most commonly associated with venous thrombosis. Up to 60% of patients experience a thrombotic event in their lifetimes, including stroke or myocardial infarction. It is unclear whether pathogenetic factors linking essential thrombocythemia (ET) and polycythemia vera (PV) to thrombotic complications do play a role in the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). We aimed to assess coronary flow reserve (CFR) as a marker of coronary microvascular function in asymptomatic patients with ET and PV. Fifty‐two patients with ET (M/F 13/39, age 61 ± 7 years) and 22 patients with PV (M/F 13/9, age 60.4 ± 13 years) without clinical evidence of heart disease, and 50 controls matched for age and gender were studied. None had CAD. All control subjects were asymptomatic with no history of heart disease. CFR in the left anterior descending coronary artery was detected by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography, at rest, and during adenosine infusion. In patients with ET and PV, CFR was lower than in controls (2.9 ± 0.94 and 2.2 ± 0.7 vs. 3.8 ± 0.7, P < 0.004 and P < 0.0001 respectively). The prevalence of CFR ≤ 2.5 was higher in patients with ET (20 cases, 38.5%) and PV (15 cases, 68.2%) compared with controls (4.1%) (P < 0.0001). Severe CFR (CFR < 2) impairment was found in eight patients with ET (15.4%), in nine patients with PV (40.9%), and in none of control subjects. The mutation of JAK2 gene was associated with abnormal CFR. Asymptomatic patients with ET and PV have coronary microvascular dysfunction in the absence of clinical conditions suggesting CAD. Am. J. Hematol. 90:109–113, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Linear Combination Test for Hierarchical Gene Set Analysis

Gene-set analysis (GSA) aims to identify sets of differentially expressed genes by a phenotype in DNA microarray studies. Challenges occur due to the salient characteristics of the data: (1) the number of genes is far larger than the number of observations; (2) gene expression measurements, especially within each gene set, can be highly correlated; and (3) the number of gene sets that can be examined is large and increasing rapidly. These challenges call for gene-set testing procedures that have both efficiency in computation for large GSAs and high power in the presence of the high correlation. We propose a new GSA approach called Linear Combination Test (LCT), incorporating the covariance matrix estimator of gene expression into the test statistic. The proposed LCT and two other GSA methods, a mod-ification of Hotelling’s T2 using a shrinkage covariance matrix and our SAM-GS (Dinu et. al. 2007), the two methods that have been reported by Tsai and Chen (2009) to perform best in terms of power, are evaluated in simulation studies and a real microarray study. The LCT method is more computationally efficient than the modified Hotelling’s T2 and approximates the superb power of the modified Hotelling’s T2. LCT is slightly faster than SAM-GS, but more powerful, due to incorporating the covariance matrix estimator. An extra step to enhance the interpretation of GSA results is also proposed in the form of a hierarchical LC (HLC) testing procedure, providing scientists useful hierarchical information on gene sets that LCT identified as differentially expressed. Availability: A free R-code to perform LCT-GSA and HLC test is available at http://www.ualberta. ca/~yyasui/homepage.html.
Protein synthesis inhibition before or after stress exposure results in divergent endocrine and BDNF responses disassociated from behavioral responses

This study aimed to assess the effects of anisomycin, a protein synthesis inhibitor, on behavioral responses, brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and TrkB mRNA levels, and circulating corticosterone in rats—when administered before or after initial exposure to a predator scent stress stimulus. Magnitude of changes in prevalence of anxiety‐like behaviors on the elevated plus‐maze and exaggerated startle reaction as well as corticosterone levels and mRNA BDNF and TrkB were compared in rats exposed to predator stress, microinjected with anisomycin before or after stress exposure. Administration of anisomycin before or after stress exposure reduced anxiety‐like behavior in the elevated plus‐maze and reduced the mean startle amplitude 7 days postexposure. Although the behavioral responses were similar when anisomycin was microinjected before or after stress exposure, the levels of mRNAs for BDNF and TrkB, which play a role in modulation of synaptic plasticity and the consolidation process, showed varying responses. Depression and Anxiety 0:1–11, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Sequence of Events in Measles Virus Replication: Role of Phosphoprotein-Nucleocapsid Interactions

ABSTRACT The genome of nonsegmented negative-strand RNA viruses is tightly embedded within a nucleocapsid made of a nucleoprotein (N) homopolymer. To ensure processive RNA synthesis, the viral polymerase L in complex with its cofactor phosphoprotein (P) binds the nucleocapsid that constitutes the functional template. Measles virus P and N interact through two binding sites. While binding of the P amino terminus with the core of N (NCORE) prevents illegitimate encapsidation of cellular RNA, the interaction between their C-terminal domains, PXD and NTAIL is required for viral RNA synthesis. To investigate the binding dynamics between the two latter domains, the PXD F497 residue that makes multiple hydrophobic intramolecular interactions was mutated. Using a quantitative mammalian protein complementation assay and recombinant viruses, we found that an increase in PXD-to-NTAIL binding strength is associated with a slower transcript accumulation rate and that abolishing the interaction renders the polymerase nonfunctional. The use of a newly developed system allowing conditional expression of wild-type or mutated P genes, revealed that the loss of the PXD-NTAIL interaction results in reduced transcription by preformed transcriptases, suggesting reduced engagement on the genomic template. These intracellular data indicate that the viral polymerase entry into and progression along its genomic template relies on a protein-protein interaction that serves as a tightly controlled dynamic anchor. IMPORTANCE Mononegavirales have a unique machinery to replicate RNA. Processivity of their polymerase is only achieved when the genome template is entirely embedded into a helical homopolymer of nucleoproteins that constitutes the nucleocapsid. The polymerase binds to the nucleocapsid template through the phosphoprotein. How the polymerase complex enters and travels along the nucleocapsid template to ensure uninterrupted synthesis of up to ∼6,700-nucleotide messenger RNAs from six to ten consecutive genes is unknown. Using a quantitative protein complementation assay and a biGene-biSilencing system allowing conditional expression of two P genes copies, the role of the P-to-N interaction in polymerase function was further characterized. We report here a dynamic protein anchoring mechanism that differs from all other known polymerases that rely only onto a sustained and direct binding to their nucleic acid template.
The effectiveness of vaccine day and educational interventions on influenza vaccine coverage among health care workers at long-term care facilities.

OBJECTIVES We examined barriers to influenza vaccination among long-term care facility (LTCF) health care workers in Southern California and developed simple, effective interventions to improve influenza vaccine coverage of these workers. METHODS In 2002, health care workers at LTCFs were surveyed regarding their knowledge and attitudes about influenza and the influenza vaccine. Results were used to develop 2 interventions, an educational campaign and Vaccine Day (a well-publicized day for free influenza vaccination of all employees at the worksite). Seventy facilities were recruited to participate in an intervention trial and randomly assigned to 4 study groups. RESULTS The combination of Vaccine Day and an educational campaign was most effective in increasing vaccine coverage (53% coverage; prevalence ratio [PR]=1.45; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.24, 1.71, compared with 27% coverage in the control group). Vaccine Day alone was also effective (46% coverage; PR= 1.41; 95% CI=1.17, 1.71). The educational campaign alone was not effective in improving coverage levels (34% coverage; PR=1.18; 95% CI=0.93, 1.50). CONCLUSION Influenza vaccine coverage of LTCF health care workers can be improved by providing free vaccinations at the worksite with a well-publicized Vaccine Day.
Hepatitis C virus genotypes, reactivity to recombinant immunoblot assay 2 antigens and liver disease

To clarify the relationship between hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes and liver disease, we typed HCV genomes in the sera of 151 blood donors, 180 patients with type C chronic liver disease (CLD), and 30 haemophiliacs residing in Hiroshima, Japan. All of the subjects were positive for anti‐HCV and HCV‐RNA, and were examined for seroreactivity to HCV‐specific antigens. The HCV genotypes were determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with type‐specific primers deduced from the putative core region of the HCV genome. Significantly more (P< 0.001) type II HCV was found in the samples from the CLD patients (80%) than in those from the blood donors (55%). Significantly more (P< 0.001) type III HCV was found in the samples from the blood donors (29.1%) than in those from the CLD patients (11.7%). There was no significant difference in the distribution of the HCV types among the patients with chronic active hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. A four‐antigen recombinant immunoblot assay (RIBA‐2) assay was used to compare the serum samples for their reactivity to a range of structural and nonstructural peptides specific for HCV (5–1–1, C100‐3, C33c, and C22‐3). The frequency of serop‐ositivity to 5–1–1 and C100‐3 was significantly higher (P < 0.001) in type II HCV‐infected blood donors than in type III HCV‐infected donors (68.2% and 65.9% vs. 4.5% and 22.7%, respectively). Among the type III HCV‐infected individuals, the CLD patients had a significantly higher (P<0.01) frequency of seropositivity to 5–1–1 than the blood donors (33.3% vs. 4.5%). These results suggest that type II HCV is more likely than type III HCV to induce clinical disease, and further, that the difference in the extent of synthesis of the viral protein (5–1–1) between these types may play a role in the pathogenicity of HCV. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Release of outer membrane fragments from wild-type Escherichia coli and from several E. coli lipopolysaccharide mutants by EDTA and heat shock treatments

EDTA-induced outer membrane losses from whole cells of wild-type Escherichia coli (O111:B4) and several lipopolysaccharide (LPS) mutants derived from E. coli K-12 D21 were analyzed. EDTA treatment induced losses of LPS (up to 40%), outer membrane proteins OmpA, OmpF/C, and lipoprotein, periplasmic proteins, and phosphatidylethanolamine. The extent of these releases was strain specific. Successively more EDTA was necessary to induce these losses from strains containing LPS with increasing polysaccharide chain length. An additional heat shock immediately following the EDTA treatment had no effect on LPS release, but it decreased the release of outer membrane proteins and reduced the leakage of periplasmic proteins, suggesting that the temporary increase in outer membrane "permeability" caused by Ca2+-EDTA treatment was rapidly reversed by the redistribution of outer membrane components, a process which is favored by a mild heat shock. The fact that the material released from E. coli C600 showed a constant ratio of lipoprotein, OmpA, and phosphatidylethanolamine at all EDTA concentrations tested suggests that the material is lost as specific outer membrane patches. The envelope alterations caused by EDTA did not result in cell lysis.