Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Risk models predicting survival after reduced‐intensity transplantation for myelofibrosis

To define a prognostic model for predicting outcome of reduced‐intensity allogeneic stem cell transplantation (RIC‐ASCT) for myelofibrosis we evaluated 150 homogenously treated patients and developed a new risk score for overall survival (OS). In a multivariate Cox model for OS, only JAK2 V617F wild‐type, age ≥57 years and constitutional symptoms were independently predictive for OS (Hazard Ratio: 2·02; 2·43 and 2·80 respectively). Depending on the presence of one, two or all of these factors, HR of death was 3·08; 4·70 and 16·61 respectively (P < 0·001). This score was compared to the Lille, Cervantes, International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS), dynamic IPSS (DIPSS) and modified European Blood and Marrow Transplantation Group (EBMT) scores. Lille score correlated significantly with OS but discriminated poorly between the intermediate and high‐risk groups (5‐year OS 56% and 51% respectively). IPSS and DIPSS correlated significantly with OS but differences between intermediate‐1 and intermediate‐2 groups were not significant (5‐year OS 78% vs. 78% and 70%, 60% respectively). Modified EBMT and Cervantes models did not predict OS post‐ASCT. In conclusion, a simple model which includes: age, JAK2 V617F‐status and constitutional symptoms can clearly separate distinct risk groups and can be used in addition to the Lille model to predict OS after RIC‐ASCT for myelofibrosis.
Rotation direction change hastens motion sickness onset in an optokinetic drum.

BACKGROUND Many stationary subjects who view the patterned interior of a rotating cylinder (optokinetic drum) experience motion sickness (MS) symptoms. An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of rotation direction change on MS onset and severity. It was predicted that intermittently changing rotation direction would hasten MS onset due to an increased degree of visual/vestibular sensory conflict. METHODS There were 12 individuals who participated in the experiment (4 men, 8 women, mean age = 24.4 yr). Subjects viewed the interior of an optokinetic drum that rotated at 5 rpm (30 degrees x s(-1)). Drum rotation was either consistently in the same direction or rotation direction changed every 30 s. Eight MS symptoms were assessed at 2-min intervals using a subjective scale (0 = none, 1 = slight, 2 = moderate, 3 = severe). RESULTS Overall, MS onset was fastest when drum rotation direction changed. Specific MS symptoms significantly affected were dizziness, stomach awareness, and nausea. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that a lack of correlation between the sensed and expected effects of motion alone can lead to MS. These results cannot be accounted for by a lack of correlation between sensed and expected gravitational vertical given that these were held constant across conditions.
El derecho a conocer los orígenes biológicos versus el anonimato en la donación de gametos.

The right to know one’s biological origins has more and more acceptance as a fundamental right, from doctrine to international law, especially since the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989 under the framework of the United Nations. This right may clash with existing legislation on assisted reproduction techniques, and in particular with those that allow anonymous donation of male and female gametes, as is the case of Spain. This article discusses the arguments for and against the anonymity of donors, to conclude that it should be respected the right to know his/her biological origins of children conceived with donated gametes, and therefore a legal change should be done, as occurs in Europe. Palabras clave: derecho a conocer los orígenes, anonimato de donantes de gametos, técnicas de reproducción humana asistida
The Differences in Chemical Composition, Physical Quality Traits and Nutritional Values of Horse Meat as Affected by Various Retail Cut Types

The effects of retail cut type on chemical, quality and nutritional characteristics of horse meat were studied. Jeju female breed horses (n = 9) at 32-mo-old were slaughtered and the carcasses at 24 h post-mortem were fabricated into 10 retail cuts including: tender-loin, loin, strip-loin, shoulder-chuck-roll, shoulder-clod, top-round, outside-round, brisket, short-plate-brisket, and shank. The results revealed that all of parameters (chemical, meat quality and nutritional composition) examined significantly (p<0.05) differed between the cuts. The chemical composition range (minimum to maximum) of cuts was found as such: moisture 65.06% to 71.69%; protein 19.07% to 21.28%; collagen 1.40% to 2.45%; fat 2.56% to 12.14% and cholesterol 55.76 to 79.50 mg/100 g. Shoulder-chuck-roll had the highest pH and water-holding capacity, while top-round had the highest cooking loss. Shear force ranged between the cuts from 2.80 kg/cm2 to 4.98 kg/cm2. The Cu, Fe, and Zn contents ranged between the cuts from 1.52 mg/kg to 2.75 mg/kg, 21.25 mg/kg to 30.85 mg/kg, and 16.51 mg/kg to 40.42 mg/kg, respectively. Additionally, most of the cuts studied showed favorable polyunsaturated fatty acid/saturated fatty acid, n-3/n-6 and essential amino acid/non-essential amino acid ratios.
Inferior lead discordance in ventricular arrhythmias: A specific marker for certain arrhythmia locations

Most idiopathic ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) originate from the outflow tracts and are characterized by an inferior axis on the 12‐lead ECG. A group of patients will exhibit inferior lead discordance (ILD), demonstrating a positive QRS in lead II with negative QRS in III or the opposite finding.
Drug diffusion front movement is important in drug release control from swellable matrix tablets.

Swellable controlled release devices of buflomedil pyridoxalphosphate in hydroxypropyl methylcellulose were prepared, and their swelling and release behavior was investigated. The drug release as a function of time was investigated for various system parameters. Three distinct fronts were observed during the swelling and release processes, i.e., a swelling, a drug diffusion, and an erosion front. The drug diffusion front could be readily determined due to the drug's yellow color. The relative positions of the fronts and the drug release rate were studied as functions of the initial porosity and the molecular weight of the polymer carrier. It was shown that the drug diffusion front best describes the overall release behavior of the system. The fractional drug release was a strong function of the dissolved drug gel layer thickness, which separates the diffusion front from the erosion front. The effect of drug solubility was also investigated by altering the pH and the ionic strength of the dissolution medium. It was shown that as drug solubility increased, the undissolved drug gel layer thickness decreased, again showing the importance of the movement of the diffusion front in controlling the overall release.
[Vertebral body stenting. A method for repositioning and augmenting vertebral compression fractures].

UNLABELLED Purpose of the study was to demonstrate the effectiveness of expanding a fractured vertebral body by transpedicular dilatation and stenting. 7 human cadaveric vertebral bodies from L2 to L5 underwent axia compression until a vertebral burst fracture was provoked. Then, by bilateral transpedicular approach, balloon-catheters were introduced, which were armed with stents, usually used for angioplasty. The catheters were inflated with radiolucent fluid and the stents expanded under radiologic control. After expansion, the balloon was deflated and removed, the stents resting inside the vertebral body, holding their inflated shape. Then, the resulting hole was filled with an injectable biodegradable calcium-phosphate. CT-scans were performed after destruction and after expansion. Morphology before and after expansion was judged, using 3-D reconstructions. Vertebral body strength was measured before destruction and after treatment with an Instron testing machine. RESULTS Vertebral body shape could be restored. Also impressed central parts of the bony endplate could be elevated by using a convergent approach through the pedicles. There was no collapse of the vertebral body after removing the catheter-balloons The vertebral body strength could be restored up to a physiologic level. This procedure gives new perspectives in the treatment either of osteoporotic compression or traumatic vertebral fracture. By using CT-guided technique, it could be performed by a minimally invasive approach percutaneously.
Practical Evaluation of Static Analysis Tools for Cryptography: Benchmarking Method and Case Study

The incorrect use of cryptography is a common source of critical software vulnerabilities. As developers lack knowledge in applied cryptography and support from experts is scarce, this situation is frequently addressed by adopting static code analysis tools to automatically detect cryptography misuse during coding and reviews, even if the effectiveness of such tools is far from being well understood. This paper proposes a method for benchmarking static code analysis tools for the detection of cryptography misuse, and evaluates the method in a case study, with the goal of selecting the most adequate tools for specific development contexts. Our method classifies cryptography misuse in nine categories recognized by developers (weak cryptography, poor key management, bad randomness, etc.) and provides the workload, metrics and procedure needed for a fair assessment and comparison of tools. We found that all evaluated tools together detected only 35% of cryptography misuses in our tests. Furthermore, none of the evaluated tools detected insecure elliptic curves, weak parameters in key agreement, and most insecure configurations for RSA and ECDSA. This suggests cryptography misuse is underestimated by tool builders. Despite that, we show that it is possible to benefit from an adequate tool selection during the development of cryptographic software.
Gene transfer of NK4, an angiogenesis inhibitor, induces CT26 tumor regression via tumor‐specific T lymphocyte activation

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) has been shown to be involved in malignant behaviors, such as invasion and metastasis, in different tumors. Hence, HGF could be a target molecule for control of the malignant potential of cancer. NK4 is a competitive antagonist for HGF and exerts an antitumor activity, not only by HGF antagonism but also by antiangiogenesis. Here, we studied the participation of cellular immunity in CT26 tumor regression by NK4 gene transfer. In vivo experiments showed that NK4‐induced inhibition of subcutaneous tumor growth (as demonstrated in immunocompetent BALB/c mice) was weakened in T lymphocyte‐deficient nude mice. In addition, the immunocompetent BALB/c mice that had shown complete regression of CT26‐NK4 tumors generated an immune memory against repeated challenge with the same tumor antigen. Immunohistochemistry of tumor‐infiltrating lymphocytes showed that the ratio of CD8/CD4 in CT26‐NK4 tumors was significantly higher than that in control tumors. Also, the presence of tumor‐specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) was demonstrated by cytotoxicity assays. Depletion of CD8+ T lymphocytes markedly abrogated the antitumor activity of NK4. However, NK4 had no direct effect on the in vitro cellular immune system. Taken together, these data indicate that NK4 expression by gene transfer, at the tumor site, triggers tumor‐specific CTL activation, resulting in complete CT26 tumor regression in vivo. This action was considered to be due to apoptosis induced by NK4's potent antiangiogenic and HGF antagonistic effects. © 2009 UICC
Increased Inflammation, Impaired Bacterial Clearance, and Metabolic Disruption after Gram-Negative Sepsis in Mkp-1-Deficient Mice1

MAPKs are crucial for TNF-α and IL-6 production by innate immune cells in response to TLR ligands. MAPK phosphatase 1 (Mkp-1) deactivates p38 and JNK, abrogating the inflammatory response. We have previously demonstrated that Mkp-1−/− mice exhibit exacerbated inflammatory cytokine production and increased mortality in response to challenge with LPS and heat-killed Staphylococcus aureus. However, the function of Mkp-1 in host defense during live Gram-negative bacterial infection remains unclear. We challenged Mkp-1+/+ and Mkp-1−/− mice with live Escherichia coli i.v. to examine the effects of Mkp-1 deficiency on animal survival, bacterial clearance, metabolic activity, and cytokine production. We found that Mkp-1 deficiency predisposed animals to accelerated mortality and was associated with more robust production of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-10, greater bacterial burden, altered cyclooxygenase-2 and iNOS expression, and substantial changes in the mobilization of energy stores. Likewise, knockout of Mkp-1 also sensitized mice to sepsis caused by cecal ligation and puncture. IL-10 inhibition by neutralizing Ab or genetic deletion alleviated increased bacterial burden. Treatment with the bactericidal antibiotic gentamicin, given 3 h after Escherichia coli infection, protected Mkp-1+/+ mice from septic shock but had no effect on Mkp-1−/− mice. Thus, during Gram-negative bacterial sepsis Mkp-1 not only plays a critical role in the regulation of cytokine production but also orchestrates the bactericidal activities of the innate immune system and controls the metabolic response to stress.
Health beliefs, perceived self-efficacy, and breast self-examination among Thai migrants in Brisbane.

BACKGROUND Women in Thailand have a relatively low risk of developing breast cancer; however, death rates from breast cancer are increasing. Rates in many migrant groups are also known to be on the increase. Little is known about breast cancer screening, particularly breast self-examination (BSE), among Thai migrant women in other countries. In Australia, non-English-speaking-background migrants are known to be low users of preventive health services. AIMS To investigate, using the health belief model (HBM) and self-efficacy as a theoretical framework, the use of BSE in a recent migrant group, Thai women in Australia, and to identify sociodemographic variables that influence the women's regular use of BSE. METHODS In 1998, a cross-sectional study was conducted among 145 Thai women in Brisbane recruited through a snowball-sampling method, which used personal contacts and key persons within the Thai community. The study was approved by the University Human Ethics Review Committee. Data were collected through designed closed-ended questions. RESULTS Only 25% of the women performed BSE regularly. HBM indices were strongly associated with BSE. Beliefs in high personal susceptibility to breast cancer strongly increased the likelihood of BSE. After adjusting for potential confounding factors, cues or triggers to undertake BSE and self-efficacy, or the ability to do BSE were found to be important determinants of regular BSE. Study limitations, including data collection methods, are discussed. CONCLUSION A low percentage of women practised BSE regularly. The HBM is a useful framework for identifying factors influencing the use of BSE. Strategies that increase the confidence of women to undertake preventive health behaviour or increase self-efficacy are likely to increase their regular screening for breast cancer.
Angiogenesis in the human corpus luteum: simulated early pregnancy by HCG treatment is associated with both angiogenesis and vessel stabilization.

BACKGROUND This study examined changes in the luteal vasculature throughout the menstrual cycle and during simulated pregnancy with human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) in the human. METHODS Endothelial cell and pericyte area were assessed by quantitative immunocytochemistry for CD34 and alpha-smooth muscle actin respectively, taking into consideration the dynamics of lutein cell hypertrophy and atrophy throughout the cycle and after HCG treatment. Endothelial cell proliferation was detected by Ki-67/CD34 dual staining and a proliferation index was obtained. The molecular regulation of angiogenesis was studied by examining changes in vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) immunostaining. RESULTS The early luteal phase is associated with intense angiogenesis, as indicated by high endothelial cell proliferation, and by the mid-luteal phase a mature vasculature was apparent, as shown by maximal endothelial cell and pericyte areas. During the late luteal phase, decreased endothelial proliferation, endothelial cell and pericyte area indicated vascular regression. HCG treatment induced a second burst of total and endothelial cell proliferation and a concomitant increase in endothelial cell and pericyte areas. VEGF protein was expressed throughout the luteal phase and a significant increase was found after HCG treatment. CONCLUSION Luteal rescue with HCG is associated with a second wave of angiogenesis and vascular stabilization.
Hidden Financial Costs in Treatment for Childhood Cancer: An Australian study of Lifestyle Implications for Families Absorbing Out-of-Pocket Expenses

Purpose The impact of out-of-pocket expenses on five domains of family lifestyle were explored: social, assets, credit, utilities, and charity. Methods Using a cross-sectional survey, 100 parents of pediatric cancer patients reported on the types of out-of-pocket expenses incurred and the perceived lifestyle impact of meeting those expenses. Results Eighty percent of the sample reported a minimum of five different out-of-pocket expenses (total mean value = AUS$19,064; approximately US$9,723). The majority reflected travel, accommodation, and communication costs, use of work-related entitlements, and changes in paid employment. In lifestyle terms, the area of greatest impact was found for the social domain, such as cancelling vacations and giving up recreational pleasures and social expenditure. Those families living furthest from the major cancer treatment center reported the greatest range of out-of-pocket expenses and subsequent lifestyle impact. While there were few differences as a function of cancer type, results suggested that families most vulnerable to financial distress tended to be those whose child had spent relatively longer on treatment. Conclusions In meeting out-of-pocket expenses, parents primarily seek ways to “trim the fat” off existing family expenditure. While all families may incur extra expenses, parents of patients located a significant distance from the cancer treatment center remain especially vulnerable (despite increased government allowances). Creative solutions for addressing some expenses may include applications of telemedicine to augment outreach services.
Identification of downstream-initiated c-Myc proteins which are dominant-negative inhibitors of transactivation by full-length c-Myc proteins

The c-myc gene has been implicated in multiple cellular processes including proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. In addition to the full-length c-Myc 1 and 2 proteins, we have found that human, murine, and avian cells express smaller c-Myc proteins arising from translational initiation at conserved downstream AUG codons. These c-Myc short (c-Myc S) proteins lack most of the N-terminal transactivation domain but retain the C-terminal protein dimerization and DNA binding domains. As with full-length c-Myc proteins, the c-Myc S proteins appear to be localized to the nucleus, are relatively unstable, and are phosphorylated. Significant levels of c-Myc S, often approaching the levels of full-length c-Myc, are transiently observed during the rapid growth phase of several different types of cells. Optimization of the upstream initiation codons resulted in greatly reduced synthesis of the c-Myc S proteins, suggesting that a "leaky scanning" mechanism leads to the translation of these proteins. In some hematopoietic tumor cell lines having altered c-myc genes, the c-Myc S proteins are constitutively expressed at levels equivalent to that of full-length c-Myc. As predicted, the c-Myc S proteins are unable to activate transcription and inhibited transactivation by full-length c-Myc proteins, suggesting a dominant-negative inhibitory function. While these transcriptional inhibitors would not be expected to function as full-length c-Myc, the occurrence of tumors which express constitutive high levels of c-Myc S and their transient synthesis during rapid cell growth suggest that these proteins do not interfere with the growth-promoting functions of full-length c-Myc.
Comparison of Adverse-Event Profiles of Intravenous Low-Molecular-Weight Iron Dextran and Iron Sucrose in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients

Background: Both erythropoiesis-stimulating agents and iron treatments are underutilized in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. Studies to evaluate safety profiles of various intravenous iron preparations are limited in PD patients compared to hemodialysis. No study in the literature compared safety of low-molecular-weight iron dextran (LMW-ID) with that of iron sucrose in PD patients. We aimed to compare adverse-effect profiles of LMW-ID and iron sucrose with varying dosing schedules in PD patients with a hope to foster use of parenteral iron solutions in PD patients. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patient charts and included patients who were administered iron sucrose or LMW-ID parenterally. Sociodemographic characteristics, clinical features, and pertinent laboratory data were collected. Adverse events which were deemed to be related to infusion of parenteral iron were recorded. We double-checked both physician records and nursing documents for observed adverse events. Results: A total of 167 chronic PD patients were included in the study, and 92 patients were administered LMW-ID, whereas 75 patients were administered iron sucrose. Only one adverse event occurred in a patient who was administered 500 mg iron sucrose in a single infusion. Conclusions: This study showed the comparable safety of LMW-ID in varying doses over that of iron sucrose in PD patients.