Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
[Subtypes of specific language impairment in Spanish-speaking children: a cluster analysis of linguistic features].

INTRODUCTION Specific language impairment (SLI) can be viewed as a continuum with different subtypes depending on the combination of deficits and strengths in each of the components of linguistic behavior. AIM. To analyze the phenomenological profiles in a correlative series of Spanish children in order to facilitate their endophenotypic differentiation and the choice of strategies of intervention. PATIENTS AND METHODS 86 referred children, aged 4 to 9 years, with a mean non-verbal intelligence quotient of 93 (range 72-114) and accomplishing clinical criteria of SLI. Apart from clinical interview and neurological examination, a protocol of questionnaires and tests was used in all subjects in order to measure their formal (phonological, syntactic, lexical) and functional (semantic and pragmatic) linguistic abilities. A cluster analysis of variables was used in order to investigate SLI subtypes. RESULTS In the total sample, a 24% of whole series have a pure phonological expressive disorder. 55% of subjects have mixed receptive/expressive disorders; from these, the most pervasive subtype is due to verbal agnosia (11%), but more frequently observed subtypes affect syntax reception and expression combined to difficulties in phonological programming (36%) or in lexical retrieval (8%). Furthermore, 21% of the total sample present with difficulties in pragmatic use of language even if their formal linguistic abilities and non-verbal behavior are normal. CONCLUSIONS Our empirical approach confirms that the admitted SLI subtypes in international literature applies to Spanish-speaking children for endophenotyping and intervention-planning purposes.
Bitter taste receptor gene polymorphisms are an important factor in the development of nicotine dependence in African Americans

Context: Bitter sensitivity varies among individuals and ethnic groups partly due to polymorphisms in taste receptor genes (TAS2Rs). Although previous psychophysical studies suggest that taste status plays a role in nicotine dependence (ND), genetic evidence is lacking. Objectives: To determine whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in TAS2R16 and TAS2R38 are associated with ND and if the effects differ by sex and ethnicity. Design, setting, and participants: 2037 individuals from 602 nuclear families of African American (AA) or European American (EA) origin were recruited from the US mid-south states during 1999–2004. Main outcome measures: ND was assessed by three measures: indexed Smoking Quantity (SQ), Heaviness of Smoking Index (HSI), and the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND). Peripheral blood samples were obtained for DNA extraction and genotyping. Results: The TAS2R38 taster haplotype PAV was inversely associated (p = 0.0165), and the non-taster haplotype AVI was positively associated (p = 0.0120), with SQ in AA smokers. The non-taster haplotype was positively associated with all ND measures in AA female smokers (p = 0.01∼0.003). No significant associations were observed in the EA sample. Conclusions: TAS2R38 polymorphisms are an important factor in determining ND in AAs. Heightened oral sensitivity confers protection against ND. Conversely, decreased sensitivity represents a risk factor for ND, especially in AA females. Together, our findings suggest that taster status plays a role in governing the development of ND and may represent a way to identify individuals at risk for developing ND, particularly in AA smokers.
Intention-to-treat analysis of Spetzler-Martin grades IV and V arteriovenous malformations: natural history and treatment paradigm.

OBJECT In this study the authors quantified a subgroup of patients with Spetzler-Martin Grades IV and V arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) recommended for complete, partial, or no treatment, and calculated the retrospective hemorrhage rate for these lesions. METHODS Between July 1997 and May 2000, 73 consecutive patients with Grades IV and V AVMs were evaluated prospectively by the cerebrovascular team at Barrow Neurological Institute. Treatment recommendations given to the patients or referring physicians were classified as complete treatment, partial treatment, and no treatment. Retrospectively, the hemorrhage rates associated with these treatment groups were also calculated. In the prospective portion of the study (the intention-to-treat analysis), no treatment of the AVM, was recommended for 55 patients (75%) and partial treatment was recommended for seven patients (10%). Aneurysms associated with an AVM were obliterated by surgical or endovascular treatment in seven patients (10%), and complete surgical removal was recommended for four patients (5%). The overall hemorrhage rate for Grades IV and V AVMs was 1.5% per year. The annual risk of hemorrhage was 10.4% among patients who previously had received incomplete treatment, compared with patients without previous treatment. CONCLUSIONS The hemorrhage risk of 1.5% per year, which was associated with Grades IV and V AVMs appears to be lower than that reported for Grades I through III AVMs. The authors recommend that no treatment be given for most Grades IV and V AVMs. No evidence indicates that partial treatment of an AVM reduces a patient's risk of hemorrhage. In fact, partial treatment may worsen the natural history of an AVM. The authors do not support palliative treatment of AVMs, except in the specific circumstances of arterial or intranidal aneurysms or progressive neurological deficits related to vascular steal. Complete treatment is warranted for patients with progressive neurological deficits caused by hemorrhage of the AVM. This selection process plays a significant role in the relatively low combined morbidity and mortality rates for Grade IV and Grade V AVMs (17 and 22%, respectively) reported by the cerebrovascular group in both retrospective and prospective studies.
Rap1 controls activation of the αMβ2 integrin in a talin‐dependent manner

The small GTPase Rap1 and the cytoskeletal protein talin regulate binding of C3bi‐opsonised red blood cells (RBC) to integrin αMβ2 in phagocytic cells, although the mechanism has not been investigated. Using COS‐7 cells transfected with αMβ2, we show that Rap1 acts on the β2 and not the αM chain, and that residues 732–761 of the β2 subunit are essential for Rap1‐induced RBC binding. Activation of αMβ2 by Rap1 was dependent on W747 and F754 in the β2 tails, which are required for talin head binding, suggesting a link between Rap1 and talin in this process. Using talin1 knock‐out cells or siRNA‐mediated talin1 knockdown in the THP‐1 monocytic cell line, we show that Rap1 acts upstream of talin but surprisingly, RIAM knockdown had little effect on integrin‐mediated RBC binding or cell spreading. Interestingly, Rap1 and talin influence each other's localisation at phagocytic cups, and co‐immunoprecipitation experiments suggest that they interact together. These results show that Rap1‐mediated activation of αMβ2 in macrophages shares both common and distinct features from Rap1 activation of αIIbβ3 expressed in CHO cells. J. Cell. Biochem. 111: 999–1009, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Low-Complexity Detection Based on Belief Propagation in a Massive MIMO System

A very large MIMO system has a potential to achieve extremely-high system throughput. In general, however, algorithms detecting spatially-multiplexed signals require the complexity proportional to the cubed number of antenna elements in the least case. Thus, the implementation of an antenna array with an order of 100 elements becomes very difficult. In this paper, we focus on the algorithm which is based on belief propagation and implementable with the second-order calculations. The simulation results show that the algorithm provides very good BER performance in MIMO spatial multiplexing when the number of antenna elements is 100 and reasonably low complexity in comparison to the MMSE spatial filtering.
Effect-based and chemical analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in smoked meat: a practical food-monitoring approach

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are generated by heat treatment and smoke curing of meat, pose a risk to human health. At present, the determination of these unwanted contaminants requires costly, time-consuming chemical analysis of smoked meat. An alternative is effect-directed high-throughput bioassays, which could also be used as a pre-screening method. The authors recently adapted the in vitro chemical-activated luciferase gene expression (CALUX) assay as a rapid, sensitive, and inexpensive screening technique for compounds such as dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls, and PAHs. The aim of the present study was to apply a practical approach under realistic conditions. Custom-made meat samples produced under defined conditions with different PAH levels were analysed using this bioassay and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) to determine the influence of different smoking conditions (temperature and duration) on PAH levels. It was found that cold smoking for up to 6 h did not result in strong PAH contamination, whereas hot (65°C) and longer smoking times caused a considerable increase in both the bioassay response and the levels of 31 individually determined PAHs. The response in the effect-based bioassay was in good agreement with the values of chemical analysis. The bioassay made it possible to determine accurately the degree of contamination. The results show that this assay is suitable for high-throughput screening for unknown levels of toxicologically relevant PAHs in meat samples and is sensitive enough to differentiate between different PAH levels generated under various smoking conditions. Effect-based screening techniques, therefore, provide a new instrument for official food monitoring.
‘Integration without transparency’? Reliance on the space to think in the European Council and Council

Abstract To justify the limited publicity of their sessions, members of the European Council and Council regularly argue that they require a ‘space to think’. This article analyses the relative success of the plea for this ‘space to think’ in both legislative (Council) and non-legislative (European Council and Council) modes of decision-making. We consider the concept of the ‘space to think’ as well as the manner in which it is integrated into the theories of new intergovernmentalism and intergovernmental union. We then analyse how the European Council and Council have developed the ‘space to think’ in their daily practices. We find that, while the limited progress of transparency lends partial support to the new intergovernmentalism and intergovernmental union, the drivers underpinning the ‘space to think’ are not limited to non-legislative decision-making but are also increasingly found in the legislative procedure.
Neutralization of heparin-related saccharides by histidine-rich glycoprotein and platelet factor 4.

Heparin and heparin oligosaccharides prepared by nitrous acid depolymerization were fractionated by affinity chromatography on immobilized antithrombin and by gel chromatography. The anticoagulant activities of high affinity heparin of Mr greater than or equal to 7,800 could be readily neutralized by the plasma protein histidine-rich glycoprotein (see also Lijnen, H.R., Hoylaerts, M., and Collen, D. (1983) J. Biol. Chem. 258, 3803-3808), whereas oligosaccharides falling below 18 saccharide units (Mr 5,400) became increasingly resistant to neutralization. An octasaccharide with characteristic marked ability to accelerate the inactivation of Factor Xa by antithrombin retained greater than 50% of its activity even at a histidine-rich glycoprotein/oligosaccharide molar ratio of 500:1. Histidine-rich glycoprotein, like the platelet-derived heparin neutralizing protein platelet factor 4 (Lane, D.A., Denton, J., Flynn, A.M., Thunberg, L. and Lindahl, U. (1984) Biochem J. 218, 725-732), therefore requires interaction with saccharide sequences in addition to the antithrombin-binding pentasaccharide of heparin in order to efficiently express its antiheparin activity. Heparan sulfate isolated from pig intestinal mucosa (HS I, Mr approximately 20,000) and from human aorta (HS II, Mr approximately 40,000) exhibited anti-Factor Xa activities of 180 and 20 units/micromol [corrected], respectively. A fraction corresponding to about 5% of HS I bound with high affinity to immobilized antithrombin and contained all of the anticoagulant activity of the starting material. While these heparan sulfates were readily neutralized by platelet factor 4, they were relatively resistant to neutralization by histidine-rich glycoprotein, although complete neutralization could be attained in the presence of molar excess of this protein. These findings may be of importance in relation (a) to the functional role of endogenous anticoagulant polysaccharides at the vascular wall and (b) to clinical situations in which heparin or heparin-related compounds are administered as exogenous anticoagulants.
Diagnosis of IgE‐mediated allergy in the upper respiratory tract

A statistical analysis was made of data concerning diagnosis of IgE‐mediated allergy in the upper respiratory tract in 292 patients. A study was made of skin test total and specific IgE (RAST). X‐sinus red blood investigation and cytology of nasal smear. It appears that screening for the presence of an IgE‐mediated allergy in the upper respiratory tract can be performed efficiently with a limited number of skin tests frye grass, timothy, buch, house dust mine and man. In this study a greater number of skin tests (15 instead of 5) yielded little additional information (in 2% of the patients). A rather poor correlation between skin test and RAST was found.
Examination of discrepancies between subjective and objective memory with latent factors of the geriatric depression scale

Abstract Objective: The purpose of the present study was to examine whether multiple constructs of depressive symptoms explained discrepancies between subjective (SM) and objective memory (OM) in older adulthood. Method: A sub-sample (Range: 65–98 years, N = 606) of the 2000 Wave Panel 3 of the Long Beach Longitudinal Study was used to explore underlying latent factors within the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Results: Four GDS factors were identified (Dysphoria, Vigor/Withdrawal, Cognitive Concerns, and Agitation); the factor solution was tested in a confirmatory factor analysis. Mechanisms of the GDS factors on SM and OM were tested by using structural equation modeling. Dysphoria negatively predicted OM, but not SM, suggesting that people who scored high in Dysphoria might not sense their memory failures although they obviously performed poorly in OM. Cognitive concerns negatively predicted SM, but not OM, suggesting that cognitive concerns were not influential for OM, but negatively affected one's evaluation of SM. Conclusion: The study results have clinical implications since such relationships can be concealed while assessing depressive symptoms as a single GDS factor. Thus, the patterns of the GDS factors, SM, and OM derived from this study can be very useful for clinicians who conduct assessments on depressive symptoms and memory failures.
The Ottawa patient decision aids.

CONTEXT Shared decision-making programs, or patient decision aids, have been developed for difficult decisions in which patients need to consider benefits versus risks. PRACTICE PATTERN EXAMINED Decision aids currently used in practice in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. DATA SOURCES Published studies of patients faced with decisions about hormone therapy, prenatal testing, lung cancer treatments, and anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation; administrative data on distribution of decision aids; and a survey mailed to pulmonologists and surgeons. RESULTS Although most patients considering health care options arrive for counseling with strong predispositions toward a particular option, some are uncertain about their choice and express the need for information, clarification of values, and advice about their options. Decision aids prepare patients for decision making by increasing their knowledge about expected outcomes and personal values. The aids are used in our local centers, and more than 6000 kits have been distributed in Canada, the United States, Europe, and Australia. They primarily affect the decisions of patients who are undecided at baseline and sometimes reduce the proportion of patients who choose more intensive options. CONCLUSION The Ottawa patient decision aids assist patient decision making, particularly among those who are undecided.
The Pharyngeal Organ in the Buccal Cavity of the Male Siamese Fighting Fish, Betta splendens, Supplies Mucus for Building Bubble Nests

The male Siamese fighting fish, Betta splendens, builds a bubble nest on the water surface to care for offspring during the reproductive period. To our knowledge, this study is the first to determine the composition of the bubble nest and to compare the pharyngeal organs of male and female Siamese fighting fish to determine the relationship between the pharyngeal organ and the ability to make bubble nests. Dot blots of the bubble nest probed with periodic acid-Schiff's (PAS) staining and Ponceau S solution revealed that the contents of the nest are glycoprotein rich. Dissection of the heads of Siamese fighting fish showed that the pharyngeal organ is located in the position through which inhaled air passes. The epithelial structure of the pharyngeal organ of the Siamese fighting fish, like that of other teleosts, has numerous wrinkles and papillae. Mucous goblet cells were observed on the epithelium of pharyngeal organs in male and female fish. The pharyngeal organ was found to be larger in male than in female fish. In addition, the epithelium of the pharyngeal organ in male fish has a greater number of mucous goblet cells than that in female fish. In Siamese fighting fish, this sexual dimorphism of the pharyngeal organ suggests that the male fish secretes more glycoprotein-rich mucus to build the bubble nest. Future work will focus on the type of mucous cells found in the epithelium of the pharyngeal organ that contributes to bubble formation and will determine the components of the mucus in the bubble nest.
Randomized controlled trial on prevention of postcesarean infection using penicillin and cephalothin in Brazil

Background. There is a need to assess the effects of different antibiotic administration models on infectious complications among women from low‐income populations who undergo cesarean delivery, and the cost benefit. Design. Randomized, blinded controlled clinical trial study of a single preoperative dose of cephalothin, versus a postcesarean scheme for infection prophylaxis, versus no antibiotics. Methods. The setting was a tertiary Brazilian center with 1,500 deliveries annually. Pregnant women (n=600) with an indication for emergency or elective cesarean section were randomly allocated consecutively to one of three groups and treated as follows: Group 1 (n=200), no antibiotics; Group 2 (n=200), the standard antibiotics scheme followed at this center; Group 3 (n=200), a single dose of intravenous cephalothin 2 g, intraoperatively. Main outcome measurements. Prevalences of wound infection, puerperal and postcesarean infections, and costs of antibiotics used. Results. Antibiotics reduced the incidence of puerperal infection, but did not change the percentages of wound and postcesarean infections and no use of antibiotics increased the puerperal infection risk sixfold. Cephalothin reduced the relative risk of puerperal infection by 89% (95% confidence interval: 7–87%). Penicillin reduced it by 78%, but this was not statistically significant. No deaths occurred. The costs of the two schemes were similar (almost US$1.00). Conclusions. Prophylactic cephalothin use was associated with decreased postcesarean puerperal infection and presented a cost benefit.
Communication practices and preferences between orthodontists and general dentists.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate similarities and differences in orthodontists' and general dentists' perceptions regarding their interdisciplinary communication. MATERIALS AND METHODS Orthodontists (N = 137) and general dentists (N = 144) throughout the United States responded to an invitation to participate in a Web-based and mailed survey, respectively. RESULTS The results indicated that orthodontists communicated with general dentists using the type of media general dentists preferred to use. As treatment complexity increased, orthodontists shifted from one-way forms of communication (letters) to two-way forms of communication (phone calls; P < .05). Both orthodontists and general dentists reported that orthodontists' communication regarding white spot lesions was inadequate. When treating patients with missing or malformed teeth, orthodontists reported that they sought input from the general dentists at a higher rate than the general dentists reported (P < .005). CONCLUSIONS Orthodontists' and general dentists' perceptions of how often specific types of media were used for interdisciplinary communication were generally similar. They differed, however, with regard to how adequately orthodontists communicated with general dentists and how often orthodontists sought input from general dentists. The methods and extent of communication between orthodontists and general dentists need to be determined on a patient-by-patient basis.
Wireless capsule endoscopy versus enteroclysis in the diagnosis of small-bowel Crohn's disease

Objectives The aim of this study was to prospectively compare the diagnostic yield of wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE) and enteroclysis in the detection of Crohn's disease (CD) of the small bowel. Methods Twenty-nine patients with known CD (group 1) suspected to have more extensive small-bowel involvement and 26 patients, who were suspected to suffer from CD but did not have an earlier history of it (group 2) were prospectively evaluated with enteroclysis and WCE. Each examiner was blinded to the results of other investigations. Results Enteroclysis was unsuccessful in two patients from group 1 8and six patients from group 2, respectively. In group 1, abnormal findings consistent with CD were detected in 20 patients by using WCE and in 11 patients by using enteroclysis, out of the total 27, at per-protocol analysis (74.1 vs. 40.7%, P<0.05). Of the 11 patients who had ileal CD on enteroclysis, three had more extensive small-bowel disease, which was detected only by WCE. In group 2, WCE showed findings consistent with CD in 13 of 20 patients, in contrast with enteroclysis, which was positive for CD in only six of 20 patients (65 vs. 30%, P<0.05). Three more patients had findings compatible with CD on WCE, but they failed their enteroclysis. Overall, a new diagnosis of CD was made in 16 patients. Conclusion WCE has a higher diagnostic yield than enteroclysis in the detection of CD of the small bowel, both in patients with known and newly suspected CD.