Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characteristics of condom and lubricant use among a nationally representative probability sample of adults ages 18-59 in the United States.

INTRODUCTION Although most Americans have used condoms and/or lubricant during sex, little is known about the context of sexual events that involve the use of such products outside of experimentally manipulated studies. AIMS To assess, in a nationally representative study of men and women in the United States ages 18-59, the characteristics of condom and lubricant use during participants' most recent sexual event and the relationship of their condom and lubricant use to event-level ratings of sexual quality. METHODS Data are from the National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior, which involved the administration of an online questionnaire to a nationally representative probability sample of the U.S. adults. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Sociodemographic items: event-level items related to sexual behavior, condom use, lubricant use, and participants' perceptions of their arousal, pleasure, ease of erection or lubrication, and pain associated with sex. RESULTS During their most recent sexual experience, 27.5% of men (N = 237) and 22.3% of women (N = 175) reported using a condom. More than twice as many women as men were unsure whether the condom was lubricated (26.6% vs. 11.4%) and the material it was made of (23.6% vs. 8.9%). Participants consistently rated sex to be arousing and pleasurable whether or not they used condoms or lubricant. No significant differences were found in regard to men's ratings of the ease of their erections based on condom and lubricant use. CONCLUSIONS Although some have concerns about how condoms or lubricants may impact their enjoyment of sex, in a nationally representative sample of men and women ages 18-59, ratings of sex were largely quite high, with few differences based on condom and lubricant use. Women, more often than men, reported being unsure about the type of condom and lubricant used, which has implications for patient education.
Histological structure and hormonal profile of pituitary and thyroid glands affected by castration and iodine supplementation in male rabbits

This study aims to evaluate the effects of castration and iodine supplementaion on the histological structure of pituitary and thyroid glands and their related hormones in NZW male rabbits. Animals were randomly divided into two groups. The first group was supplemented with iodine as potassium iodide at a level of 400 ppm, while the other was control. Each group was divided into two subgroups; the first subgroup was bilaterally castrated (BC) after testicles descended using banding technique, while the other served as an intact (INT) control. Plasma luteinizing hormone (LH) concentrations were increased (P KEY WORDS: castration, iodine, pituitary and thyroid hormones, histology, rabbits Egyptian Journal of Biology Vol.3(2) 2001:38-47
Triglyceride concentration and waist circumference influence alcohol-related plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 activity increase in black South Africans

We investigated the association between alcohol consumption and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 activity (PAI-1act) and fibrinogen concentration in a black South African population presenting with lower PAI-1act and higher fibrinogen than what is typically observed in white populations. We, furthermore, wanted to investigate the effect of urbanization, sex, central obesity, increased triglycerides, 4G/5G polymorphism (PAI-1 only) and BMI on the association of alcohol with PAI-1act and fibrinogen. Data from 2010 apparently healthy, randomly collected black South African volunteers from the Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiological (PURE) study were cross-sectionally analyzed. Alcohol consumption was recorded using quantitative food frequency questionnaires and fasting blood samples were collected for biochemical analysis including PAI-1act and fibrinogen. Heavy alcohol consumption is associated with significantly increased PAI-1act, in the total population as well as in the women separately, and tended to be so in men. This alcohol-related PAI-1act increase was observed in volunteers with increased triglycerides and central obesity but not in volunteers with normal levels and waist circumference. Urbanization, the 4G/5G polymorphism and BMI did not affect the association of alcohol with PAI-1act. Moderate alcohol consumption is associated with decreased fibrinogen concentration. Sex and level of urbanization did not affect the association of alcohol with fibrinogen. Fibrinogen decreased in normal and overweight volunteers but not in obese and centrally obese volunteers following moderate alcohol consumption. Triglyceride levels and waist circumference influence alcohol-related PAI-1act increase potentially through modulating adipocyte and triglyceride-induced PAI-1 production. Obesity prevented alcohol-related fibrinogen decrease possibly by counteracting the anti-inflammatory effect of moderate alcohol consumption.
Multipotent Stem Cells from Umbilical Cord: Cord Is Richer than Blood!

The identification of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) sources that are easily obtainable is of utmost importance. Several studies have shown that MSCs could be isolated from umbilical cord (UC) units. However, the presence of MSCs in umbilical cord blood (UCB) is controversial. A possible explanation for the low efficiency of MSCs from UCB is the use of different culture conditions by independent studies. Here, we compared the efficiency in obtaining MSCs from unrelated paired UCB and UC samples harvested from the same donors. Samples were processed simultaneously, under the same culture conditions. Although MSCs from blood were obtained from only 1 of the 10 samples, we were able to isolate large amounts of multipotent MSCs from all UC samples, which were able to originate different cell lineages. Since the routine procedure in UC banks has been to store the blood and discard other tissues, such as the cord and/or placenta, we believe our results are of immediate clinical value. Furthermore, the possibility of originating different cell lines from the UC of neonates born with genetic defects may provide new cellular research models for understanding human malformations and genetic disorders, as well as the possibility of testing the effects of different therapeutic drugs.
A patient-centred instrument for assessment of quality of breast cancer care: results of a pilot questionnaire

Background In several breast cancer research environments, there was a need to develop a questionnaire that would (1) provide data on how breast cancer patients experience healthcare services, (2) address issues corresponding with patients' needs and expectations and (3) produce useful data for quality assessment and improvement projects aimed at breast cancer care. This article describes the first part of the quantitative process of item selection, instrument construction and optimisation based on the results of a pilot questionnaire. Methods Based on qualitative research, a pilot questionnaire with items formulated as “performance” and “importance” statements was developed and sent to all breast cancer patients operated on in the previous 3–15 months in five participating hospitals. Reduction criteria, exploratory factor analysis and reliability analysis were used as part of the process of instrument optimisation. Results Of the 637 questionnaires sent out, 299 (47%) were returned and 276 (43%) were used for analyses. Out of the 72 quality items included in the pilot questionnaire, 42 items did not meet the inclusion criteria for the revised version. The remaining items refer to the factors patient education regarding aspects related to postoperative treatment, services by the breast nurse, services by the surgeon, patient education regarding activities at home and patient education regarding aspects related to preoperative treatment (Cronbach α=0.70–0.89). Conclusions In this study, the number of items to be included in the self-administered questionnaire was reduced. The resulting set of items that determines patients' perceptions on quality of breast cancer care is easy to complete and enables anonymous responses. Further research can be aimed at establishing the reliability of the current questionnaire.
Do Creditors Prefer Smooth Earnings? Evidence from European Private Firms

ABSTRACT: We investigate the interplay between creditor financing and the smoothness of earnings reported by European private firms, and document how heterogeneous debt-contracting infrastructures across Europe moderate this relation. We expect the smoothness of earnings to be positively related to the relative importance of credit providers in our setting. More importantly, we predict this relation to be more pronounced in regimes with higher bankruptcy and contract enforcement costs. Finally, we hypothesize that earnings smoothness is negatively related to the cost of debt of our sample firms. Our large-sample empirical evidence confirms our expectations. While the cross-sectional nature of our setting limits our potential to address endogeneity concerns and, thus, caution is required when interpreting our findings in a causal way, they are consistent with the accounting of European private firms being shaped by creditor incentives and with this link being moderated by the country-level efficiency of th.
Older and (Emotionally) Smarter? Emotional Intelligence as a Mediator in the Relationship between Age and Emotional Labor Strategies in Service Employees

Background/Study Context: The purpose of the current study was to investigate whether age was related to emotional labor strategies (surface and deep acting), and whether emotional intelligence partially explained this relationship. Additionally, employee well-being was examined as an outcome in this model. Methods: A total of 519 participants (age 18–68), working in a variety of service occupations, participated in a cross-sectional survey study. Validated measures for emotional intelligence, emotional labor strategies, positive affectivity, and employee well-being were administered. Results: A structural equation model supported the hypothesis that age was related positively to deep acting and negatively to surface acting, relationships partially mediated by emotional intelligence. Emotional labor strategy, in turn, affected well-being. Conclusion: Implications were discussed in employee selection and employee well-being, particularly in the customer service context. It is recommended that future research investigates how aging is related to emotional labor strategies in other occupations that have different emotional requirements (e.g., negative display rules).
Biological Activities of Fucose-Containing Polysaccharide Ascophyllan Isolated from the Brown Alga Ascophyllum nodosum

A fucose-containing, sulfated polysaccharide ascophyllan was isolated from the brown alga Ascophyllum nodosum. Composition analysis demonstrated that ascophyllan mainly contains uronic acid, xylose, fucose, and sulfate half ester in approximately equimolecular proportions, which are evidently distinct from those of alginate and fucoidan. Ascophyllan inhibited the proliferation of U937 cells in a concentration-dependent manner, and DNA-fragmentation and typical apoptotic nuclear morphological changes were observed in the ascophyllan-treated cells. Furthermore, ascophyllan induced the secretion of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) from mouse macrophage cell line RAW264.7.
The problems of using one-dimensional methods to evaluate multifunctional food and biological antioxidants

The activity of antioxidants in foods and biological systems is dependent on a multitude of factors, including the colloidal properties of the substrates, the conditions and stages of oxidation and the localisation of antioxidants in different phases. When testing natural antioxidants in vitro, it is therefore important to consider the system composition, the type of oxidisable substrate, the mode of accelerating oxidation, the methods to assess oxidation and how to quantify antioxidant activity. Antioxidant effectiveness is also determined by the heterogeneity and heterophasic nature of the system, the type of lipid substrate, including its physicochemical state and degree of unsaturation, the types of initiators, notably transition metals, other components and their possible interaction. For this reason there cannot be a short-cut approach to determining antioxidant activity. Each evaluation should be carried out under various conditions of oxidation, using several methods to measure different products of oxidation. Because most natural antioxidants and phytochemicals are multifunctional, a reliable antioxidant protocol requires the measurement of more than one property relevant to either foods or biological systems. Several recent studies on natural phytochemical compounds produced conflicting results because non-specific one-dimensional methods were used to evaluate antioxidant activity. There is a great need to standardise antioxidant testing to minimise the present chaos in the methodologies used to evaluate antioxidants. Several methods that are more specific should be used to obtain chemical information that can be related directly to oxidative deterioration of food and biological systems.
Cutting Edge: Contribution of Lung-Resident T Cell Proliferation to the Overall Magnitude of the Antigen-Specific CD8 T Cell Response in the Lungs following Murine Influenza Virus Infection1

Following influenza virus infection, CD8 T cells encounter mature, Ag-bearing dendritic cells within the draining lymph nodes and undergo activation, programmed proliferation, and differentiation to effector cells before migrating to the lungs to mediate viral clearance. However, it remains unclear whether CD8 T cells continue their proliferation after arriving in the lungs. To address this question, we developed a novel, in vivo, dual-label system using intranasal CFSE and BrdU administration to identify virus-specific CD8 T cells that are actively undergoing cell division while in the lungs. With this technique we demonstrate that a high frequency of virus-specific CD8 T cells incorporate BrdU while in the lungs and that this lung-resident proliferation contributes significantly to the magnitude of the Ag-specific CD8 T cell response following influenza virus infection.
Questioning the added value of Luminex single antigen beads to detect C1q binding donor HLA-specific antibodies.

Luminex single antigen bead (SAB) technology enables highly sensitive and rapid characterization of immunoglobulin G (IgG) human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-specific antibodies. It is widely used to determine antibody compatibility for renal transplantation and to aid the diagnosis of antibody-mediated rejection and response to therapy. HLA-specific antibodies may contribute to allograft rejection through a variety of mechanisms, including activation of the classical complement pathway, endothelial cell activation, and recruitment of Fc-dependent effector cells. Of these, complement-mediated cytotoxicity has long been associated with hyperacute rejection and, more recently, antibody-mediated rejection for which the deposition of the complement component C4d on peritubular capillaries is a diagnostic marker. In the standard SAB assay, patient serum is incubated with microbeads coated with purified HLA proteins. Human leukocyte antigenYspecific IgG antibody binding is then detected using a fluorescent anti-IgG detection antibody. Increasing levels of donor HLA-specific antibodies detected by this assay predict inferior long-term graft outcome, but not all patients with IgG donor-specific HLA antibodies (DSA) have a poor graft outcome (1, 2). This observation is consistent with the notion that HLA antibodies with the same specificity may differ in their ability to cause graft injury, and this variability may be related to differences in complement fixing activity. In an effort to improve the clinical utility of the IgG
miR‐370 suppresses HBV gene expression and replication by targeting nuclear factor IA

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major health problem worldwide. The roles of microRNAs in the regulation of HBV expression are being increasingly recognized. In this study, we found that overexpression of miR‐370 suppressed HBV gene expression and replication in Huh7 cells, whereas antisense knockdown of endogenous miR‐370 enhanced HBV gene expression and replication in Huh7 cells and HepG2.2. 15 cells. Further, we identified the transcription factor nuclear factor IA (NFIA) as a new host target of miR‐370. Overexpression and knockdown studies showed that NFIA stimulated HBV gene expression and replication. Importantly, overexpression of NFIA counteracted the effect of miR‐370 on HBV gene expression and replication. Further mechanistic studies showed that miR‐370 suppressed HBV replication and gene expression by repressing HBV Enhancer I activity, and one of the NFIA binding site in the Enhancer I element was responsible for the repressive effect of miR‐370 on HBV Enhancer I activity. Altogether, our results demonstrated that miR‐370 suppressed HBV gene expression and replication through repressing NFIA expression, which stimulates HBV replication via direct regulation on HBV Enhancer I activities. Our findings may provide a new antiviral strategy for HBV infection. J. Med. Virol. 89:834–844, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Perceptions of neighborhood safety and physical activity among youth: the CLAN study.

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to examine associations between perceptions of neighborhood safety and physical activity among youth. METHODS We completed a cross-sectional study of children age 8 to 9 years (n = 188) and adolescents age 13 to 15 years (n = 346) in areas of varying socioeconomic status in Melbourne, Australia. Parents and adolescents completed questionnaires on perceptions of neighborhood safety. Scores were computed for perceptions of road safety, incivilities, and personal safety of the child or adolescent. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) before or after school, on evenings, and on weekends was recorded using accelerometers. RESULTS There were no associations between parental perceptions of neighborhood safety and children's MVPA outside school hours. Parental perception of personal safety was positively associated with adolescent boys' MVPA after school. Adolescent girls' concern about road safety was negatively associated with their MVPA during evenings and outside school hours. CONCLUSION Perceptions of neighborhood safety might influence physical activity among youth in different ways according to age group and sex.
Inhibition of Cell Growth and Spreading by Stomach Cancer-associated Protein-tyrosine Phosphatase-1 (SAP-1) through Dephosphorylation of p130 cas *

SAP-1 (stomach cancer-associated protein-tyrosine phosphatase-1) is a transmembrane-type protein-tyrosine phosphatase that is abundant in the brain and certain cancer cell lines. With the use of a “substrate-trapping” approach, p130 cas , a major focal adhesion-associated phosphotyrosyl protein, has now been identified as a likely physiological substrate of SAP-1. Expression of recombinant SAP-1 induced the dephosphorylation of p130 cas as well as that of two other components of the integrin-signaling pathway (focal adhesion kinase and p62 dok ) in intact cells. In contrast, expression of a substrate-trapping mutant of SAP-1 induced the hyperphosphorylation of these proteins, indicating a dominant negative effect of this mutant. Overexpression of SAP-1 induced disruption of the actin-based cytoskeleton as well as inhibited various cellular responses promoted by integrin-mediated cell adhesion, including cell spreading on fibronectin, growth factor-induced activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2, and colony formation. Finally, the enzymatic activity of SAP-1, measured with an immunocomplex phosphatase assay, was substantially increased by cell-cell adhesion. These results suggest that SAP-1, by mediating the dephosphorylation of focal adhesion-associated substrates, negatively regulates integrin-promoted signaling processes and, thus, may contribute to contact inhibition of cell growth and motility.
Predictors of Microalbuminuria among Hyperuricemia with Hypertension Patients

Recent epidemiological studies have shown that chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular mortality and morbidity, and shown that the population of CKD has growing recently [1-3]. Because ischemic heart disease remains main cause of mortality, much attentions have to be paid for the awareness and understanding of CKD. One of the important points of the concept of CKD is the fact that the risk of cardiovascular disease increases not only at the end stage renal disease (ESRD) but at the early stage of CKD [2,4,5]. Therefore, early detection and appropriate treatment for CKD could be clinically meaningful. It seems to be reasonable to consider that treatment should start at an earlier stage, leading to a better outcome. However early stage of CKD is unlikely to be diagnosed timely, and easily overlooked. Numerous studies demonstrated that microalbuminuria (MAU), a powerful predictor of glomerular injury, is also a predictor for the development of renal and cardiovascular complications [6-10]. This association is independent of the widely accepted cardiovascular risk factors. Furthermore, the LIFE study demonstrated that the reduction of urinary albumin extraction during treatment translated into a reduction in cardiovascular event [11]. However, reported prevalence of MAU in studied population is highly variable among studies ranging 7 to 58.4% [12-14]. These differences may be explained by prescribed drugs, and researched population. Especially, recent progress in pharmacological therapy showing beneficial effects of blood pressure control may affect the favorite effects on the secretion of MAU.
Amino acid profiles in tumor‐bearing and pair‐fed nontumor‐bearing malnourished rats

To investigate the metabolic and organ changes accompanying growth of a malignant tumor, ten male Fisher 344 rats weighing 150 to 200 g were inoculated subcutaneously with 106 viable MCA sarcoma cells (tumor‐bearing). Ten other rats (controls) were similarly inoculated with saline. Both groups were allowed food and water ad libitum. An additional ten rats (pair‐fed) were inoculated with saline and fed the same mean daily food intake as the tumor‐bearing rats. Thirty‐five days after inoculation the rats were killed by exsanguination. Livers, spleens, and tumors were weighed, and amino acid profiles and biochemical parameters were measured. Liver and spleen weights in tumor‐bearing rats were significantly greater than control rats (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively). Liver weight in pair‐fed rats was significantly less than control rats (P < 0.01), but spleen weight was greater (P < 0.01). Amino acid profiles of tumor‐bearing rats and pair‐fed rats were different from each other and from those of control rats. Branched‐chain amino acids were lowest in tumor‐bearing rats and significantly different from control and pair‐fed rats. Lysine was significantly higher (P < 0.01) and arginine significantly lower (P < 0.05) in tumor‐bearing rats compared with control rats. These different plasma amino acid profiles and changes in serum biochemistry of cachectic tumor‐bearing rats compared with malnourished pair‐fed rats suggest specific tumor effects on host metabolism not mediated solely by anorexia.