Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Phase II study of the progesterone antagonist mifepristone in patients with untreated metastatic breast carcinoma: a National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group study.

PURPOSE Mifepristone (RU486) is a progesterone receptor (PgR) antagonist that has been shown to be active in some preclinical hormone-dependent breast cancer tumor models and to produce a few responses in patients with pretreated metastatic disease in two small trials. This trial was designed to assess the response rate and toxic effects of mifepristone in a favorable group of women with PgR-positive recurrent breast cancer who had received no prior therapy. METHODS Postmenopausal patients with PgR-positive, bidimensionally measurable disease were eligible provided they had received no other therapy for recurrence. Prior adjuvant hormonal treatment was permitted if a disease-free interval of at least 24 months had been observed. Mifepristone 200 mg was given daily and disease was reassessed every 4 weeks. Standard criteria for tumor response and toxic effects were used. RESULTS A total of 28 patients were registered in the trial: all were eligible and assessable. Three partial responses were noted for an overall response rate of 10.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 2% to 28%). Toxic effects were generally mild to moderate and consisted primarily of nausea, lethargy, anorexia, and hot flashes. CONCLUSION Mifepristone had minimal activity in this optimal group of patients. While there may be reason to conduct some clinical studies with it in combination with antiestrogens on the basis of some preclinical work, our data do not support its use as a single agent in the management of breast cancer.
Falconiformes assemblages in a fragmented landscape of the Atlantic Forest in Southern Brazil

An ecological analysis focused on distribution of Falconiformes, comprising abundance and morphology data, is provided. Samples were collected in a fragmented landscape within the Atlantic Rainforest, southern Brazil, between August and November 2001. Four main types of habitats were pinpointed among the 30 different sampling sites, while eight external morphological traits were employed. Twenty-one Falconiformes species were detected and jackknife estimates for regional richness reached 24.8 ± 2.56 species (p 0.05). Mantel's test for relative abundance and species morphology reveals weak association rates, corroborating the lack of association between matrixes (r = 0.059, p>0.05). Difficulties in the analyses of distribution and species morphology data may have been caused by their generalist character and may be due to the high rate of environment degradation revealed by the regional landscape's mosaic aspect.
Optimal Electrical Stimulus for Prevention of Deep Vein Thrombosis

The most effective electrical stimulus to the calf muscles which prevents stasis in the soleal veins during operation was determined. This was subsequently used in a clinical trial and was shown to produce a 92% relative reduction in the incidence of deep vein thrombosis as determined by the 125I-fibrinogen test.
Relations among Temperament, Self-regulatory Strategies and Gender in Predicting Delay of Gratification

Self-regulation is associated with many positive outcomes, but there is limited information about individual difference regarding children’s spontaneous use of strategies to self-regulate and the relative success of those strategies. In the current study, we examined whether temperament and gender are associated with self-regulation and explored the types of spontaneous strategies children use during Mischel’s delay of gratification protocol. In addition, we investigated whether spontaneous strategy use during the task could moderate the effects of temperament on self-regulation and whether temperament would mediate the effect of gender on self-regulation. Participants were 349 9-year-olds (182 boys, Mage = 9.18, SD = 1.17). Mothers reported on children’s temperament and the Delay of Gratification task was used to assess self-regulation. Both temperament and child’s gender were significantly associated with children’s delay time. Girls were able to delay longer than boys, and children scoring high on activity level were less able to delay. Activity level also mediated the relationship between gender and delay time. Finally, we found an interaction effect between activity level and certain strategies in relation to self-regulatory behavior.
Work-related musculoskeletal symptoms reported by female flight attendants on long-haul flights.

INTRODUCTION Flight attendants working on long-haul international commercial airline operations exposed to ergonomic stressors are likely to experience work-related musculoskeletal symptoms (WMS). To date, however, no studies investigating the extent of WMS experienced by this specific population have been published. The purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence and severity (frequency, duration, and intensity) of WMS experienced by female flight attendants working on long-haul international flights for one major airline. METHODS A cross-sectional, mailed survey was conducted with female flight attendants randomly selected from a union membership list. Inclusion criteria were female flight attendants who had worked at least one long-haul international flight in the prior 3 mo and had worked at least 75 flight hours in the prior month. A total of 185 eligible flight attendants returned completed questionnaires (63% response rate). WMS in nine body regions were measured by the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Symptom Survey. RESULTS The prevalence of WMS by body region ranged from 50% to 86%. Almost all (97%) of the flight attendants in this study experienced some level of WMS during the past year. The WMS tended to involve more than one body region, and the lower back was the most commonly affected body region. DISCUSSION Female flight attendants working on long-haul international flights at one major airline showed a high prevalence of WMS, suggesting the need for replication studies with other airlines and the need for investigation into the risk factors associated with this substantial problem.
Polymorphisms within the Interleukin‐1 Gene Family and Unexplained Late Intrauterine Fetal Death: A Multi‐center Study

Problem: Interleukin‐1 (IL‐1) mediated inflammatory processes have been proposed to be involved in the pathogenesis of late unexplained intrauterine fetal death (IUFD). We determined whether common polymorphisms within the IL‐1 gene locus can serve as candidate genes for this condition.
Late‐onset Bipolar Illness: The Geriatric Bipolar Type VI

In parallel to considerable progress in understanding and treatment of bipolarity and despite growing interest in old age psychiatry, late‐onset bipolar illness (LOBI) has remained relatively understudied so far, probably in reason of its complexity. To update available data, a systematic review was conducted, focusing on the main issues addressed in literature in regard to this topic. In addition to data on epidemiology, clinical features and treatment, five main issues could be identified: LOBI as secondary disorder, LOBI as expression of a lower vulnerability to the disease, LOBI as subform of pseudodementia, LOBI as risk factor for developing dementia, and LOBI as bipolar type VI (bipolarity in the context of dementia like processes). Levels of available evidence were found to vary according to the addressed issue. Although the concept of bipolar type VI could be criticized for subsuming under one single heading all the four other issues, this concept may be of pragmatic value in helping clinicians to orientate both diagnosis process and treatment decisions. Among others, the question as to whether some forms of bipolar type VI could constitute a special risk factor for developing dementia deserves further investigation. More studies are also needed to better disentangle the effects of age at onset from those of age itself.
A STUDY ON EFFECT OF YOGA AND VARIOUS ASANAS ON OBESITY, HYPERTENSION AND DYSLIPIDEMIA

The effect of Pranayama and certain yogic asanas on parameters of obesity viz. weight reduction (BMI and waist hip ratio), Blood pressure and lipid profile were studied. Our study Included 150 patients after screening inclusion and exclusion criteria for obesity, hypertension and dyslipidemia. The duration of the study was 3 months. Various parameters on demographic and clinical data for these diseases were recorded at the start of the study.75 study group Patients were to attend Yoga camp daily for 3 months. The clinical data was again recorded at the end of the study period of 3 months for comparison. There were significant decrease in the parameters of obesity viz. BMI and WHR, significant improvement in hypertension both systolic and diastolic blood pressure and significant improvement in various lipid profile parameters viz. decrease in total cholesterol, LDL, triglycerides, VLDL and increase in HDL in study group as compared to control group.
Prevalence of high DNA fragmentation index in male partners of unexplained infertile couples

The sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA) parameter DNA fragmentation Index (DFI) is a valuable tool for prediction of fertility in vivo. Clinical data show that a DFI above 30% is associated with very low chance for achieving pregnancy by natural conception or by insemination. Already when DFI is above 20% the chance of natural pregnancy is reduced, this despite normal conventional semen parameters. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of high DFI in male partners of unexplained infertile couples to further identification of male factors contributing to subfertility. Among 212 consecutive men under infertility investigation, 122 cases with the diagnosis ‘unexplained infertility’ were identified. For all but three, SCSA data were available. The percentage of couples with diagnosis ‘unexplained infertility’ in which the male partner has DFI >20% or DFI >30% was calculated. In the group diagnosed with ‘unexplained infertility’ 17.7% of the men (95% CI 10.8–24.5) presented with 20 ≤DFI <30 and 8.4% (95% CI 3.40–13.4) had DFI ≥30%. A significant part of men diagnosed as unexplained infertile according to traditional diagnostic methods has remarkably high degrees of fragmented sperm DNA. Apart from adding to our understanding of biology of infertility our finding has clinical implications. Couples in which the DFI of the male partner is high can avoid prolonged attempts to become spontaneously pregnant or referral for intrauterine insemination, both having low chances of leading to conception.
TESTING RESTRICTIONS IN NONPARAMETRIC EFFICIENCY MODELS

This paper discusses statistical procedures for testing various restrictions in the context of nonparametric models of technical efficiency. In particular, tests for whether inputs or outputs are irrelevant, as well as tests of whether inputs or outputs may be aggregated are formulated. Bootstrap estimation procedures which yield appropriate critical values for the test statistics are also provided. Evidence on the true sizes and power of the proposed tests is obtained from Monte Carlo experiments.
Adenoviral‐Mediated Herpes Simplex Virus Thymidine Kinase Gene Transfer: Regression of Hepatic Metastasis of Pancreatic Tumors

Pancreatic cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Most patients have obvious metastases or locally advanced disease at the time of presentation. Surgical resection does not significantly change the clinical outcome. Combination chemotherapy induces a partial response but overall survival remains low. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of adenovirus-mediated suicide gene transduction as a therapeutic approach for pancreatic cancer. A cell line was established from a murine pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and intrahepatic tumors were generated by inoculation of pancreatic cancer cells into the left lateral liver lobe. Transduction efficiency was characterized in vitro and in vivo. Intrahepatic tumors were treated by intratumoral adenovirus injection in combination with intraperitoneal administration of ganciclovir. Adenovirus-mediated herpes simplex virus (HSV)-thymidine kinase (tk) gene expression followed by ganciclovir treatment was highly efficient in inhibiting pancreatic cancer cell proliferation in vitro. The proliferation of nontransduced cells was significantly reduced in the presence of HSV-tk expressing cells. Intrahepatic inoculation of pancreatic cancer cells leads to successful formation of solid adenocarcinomas in syngeneic recipients. Ad.RSV-tk injection of the tumor followed by intraperitoneal ganciclovir application caused highly significant tumor volume reduction and necrosis. These results indicate that transduction of the HSV-tk gene followed by ganciclovir is highly efficient for growth inhibition of hepatic metastases of pancreatic carcinoma.
Prevention of coronary heart disease in clinical practice. Summary of recommendations of the Second Joint Task Force of European and other Societies on Coronary Prevention.

This summary is taken from the Second Joint Task Force of European and other Societies Recommendations on Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease in Clinical Practice. The second Task Force was convened by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), the European Atherosclerosis Society (EAS) and the European Society of Hypertension (ESH), the societies responsible for the original 1994 Task Force recommendations on coronary prevention (Chairman Professor K Pyorala) and consisted of a writing group, other invited members and specialists, together with representatives of other European societies and organisations as listed in the appendix. The full Task Force first met in November 1997 to review the original recommendations and agree on the principles for revision. The Writing Group then prepared a new draft of the recommendations and the specialist contributions of Professor Daan Kromhout (diet), Professor Kristina Orth-Gomer (socioeconomic, psychosocial factors and behavioural change), Professor Francois Cambi.
Commentary on the recommendations of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists concerning alcohol consumption in pregnancy.

In November of 1996, the British Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) published an RCOG Guideline consisting of a brief overview with conclusions and recommendations concerning alcohol consumption during pregnancy (see Appendix). On the basis of present knowledge, we believe that some of the conclusions and recommendations may not be sound or may even convey some risk. The first conclusion of the RCOG Guideline states, ‘No adverse effects on pregnancy outcome have been proven with a consumption of less than 120 g of alcohol (around 15 units) per week’. A similar statement is made in the recommendations section. Although it is true that current evidence is not consistent in showing a clear relationship between lower levels of maternal alcohol consumption and adverse effects in the offspring, there are reasonable data that suggest that even low levels of ethanol consumption may be harmful to the fetus. For example, Day et al . (1994) reported a dose– response relationship between several parameters of growth (assessed to 6 years of age) and average daily volume of alcohol consumed during pregnancy. Adverse effects were clearly seen at one drink/day (13 g of ethanol/day), a level that the RCOG Guideline seems to tolerate. The above group (Goldschmidt et al ., 1996) also reported a linear dose–response function between alcohol consumption and deficits on an arithmetic achievement test (the WRAT-R). Threshold effects of about one drink/day were found for the reading and spelling achievement subtests. The RCOG Guideline ends with a recommendation that no more than one drink be consumed/day, but the majority of the paper emphasizes consumption levels on a weekly basis (e.g. 120 g or 15 U/week). We are very concerned that these weekly levels will become the benchmark against which risk is judged. An important factor to consider is whether the weekly …
The solar influence on the probability of relatively cold UK winters in the future

Recent research has suggested that relatively cold UK winters are more common when solar activity is low (Lockwood et al 2010 Environ. Res. Lett. 5 024001). Solar activity during the current sunspot minimum has fallen to levels unknown since the start of the 20th century (Lockwood 2010 Proc. R. Soc. A 466 303–29) and records of past solar variations inferred from cosmogenic isotopes (Abreu et al 2008 Geophys. Res. Lett. 35 L20109) and geomagnetic activity data (Lockwood et al 2009 Astrophys. J. 700 937–44) suggest that the current grand solar maximum is coming to an end and hence that solar activity can be expected to continue to decline. Combining cosmogenic isotope data with the long record of temperatures measured in central England, we estimate how solar change could influence the probability in the future of further UK winters that are cold, relative to the hemispheric mean temperature, if all other factors remain constant. Global warming is taken into account only through the detrending using mean hemispheric temperatures. We show that some predictive skill may be obtained by including the solar effect.
Chromosome 6p21.2, 18q21.2 and human papilloma virus (HPV) DNA can predict prognosis of cervical cancer after radiotherapy

Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) is one of the most important mechanisms for inactivation of tumor‐suppressor genes. Studies of LOH in patients with cervical carcinoma have reported a high frequency of LOH on 3p21.3, 6p21.2, 17p13.1, and 18q21.2. Our study explored whether p53 status, human papilloma virus (HPV), and LOH on chromosome 3p21.3, 6p21.2, 17p13.1, and 18q21.2 are associated with treatment outcome in 65 patients with cervical cancer after radiotherapy. Tumors and normal DNA were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for genetic losses at 10 polymorphic microsatellite loci. The presence of HPV and its type were analyzed by PCR‐based assay using the consensus primers for E6, E7, and L1 region. Mutations of the p53 gene were identified by a single‐strand conformation polymorphism analysis. Chromosomes 3p21.3, 6p21.2, 17p13.1, and 18q21.2 were involved in the LOH in 23.1%, 41.5%%, 33.8%, and 23.1% of the tumors in our study, respectively. HPV‐positive tumors were found in 73.8% of the patients and p53 mutation in 10.8%. The patients with LOH on chromosome 6p21.2 and 18q21.2 survived significantly shorter compared with those without LOH on chromosome 6p21.2 and 18q21.2 in both the overall survival (P = 0.006 and P = 0.007) and the disease‐free survival (P = 0.005 and P = 0.008). The HPV‐negative patients survived significantly shorter compared with the HPV‐positive patients in both the overall survival (P = 0.01) and the disease‐free survival (P = 0.04). According to multivariate analysis, HPV status (P = 0.0004, P = 0.01), LOH on 6p21.2 (P = 0.006, P = 0.02), and LOH on 18q21.2 (in both P = 0.01) is a significant predictor of both overall and disease‐free survival time. The results of our study suggest that absence of HPV infection, LOH on 6p21.2, and LOH on 18q21.2 are the most important determinants of outcome of patients with cervical carcinoma after radiotherapy. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Lysozyme Insensitivity of Bacteria Indigenous to the Oral Cavity of Man

SYNOPSIS IN INTERLINGUA INSENSIBILITATE A LYSOZYMA DEL PARTE DE BACTERIOS INDIGENE AL CAVITATE ORAL DEL HOMINE. -Esseva constatate que inter 112 culturas pur, representante 13 gruppos de bacterios oral, nulle esseva lysate per lysozyma a concentrationes de 5,50, o 500 μg per ml, secundo essayos turbidimetric. In plus, esseva trovate que le plus numerose bacterios cultivabile ab specimens de debris gingival, de placa dental, e de saliva cresceva in le presentia de 0,5, 5, o 50 μg per ml de lysozyma. Quando specimens de debris gingival esseva incubate con 50 μg per ml de lysozyma, nulle liberation de proteina solubile esseva detegite. Iste datos pare indicar que lysozyma per se exerce pauc effecto super bacterios indigene al cavitate oral del homine.
Pets as Transitional Objects: Their Role in Children's Emotional Development

Children's use of pets as transitional objects and the contributions of pets to children's emotional well-being were examined. The sample included 94 boys and 80 girls in preschool through Grade 5; 70% were current pet owners, and 30% were not pet owners. Each participant was individually interviewed using a structured interview format of 20 questions for current pet owners and three questions for non-pet owners to assess perceptions about the role of friendships between animals and humans, shared activities between children and pets, ways animals and humans communicate love for one another, types of verbal and nonverbal communication and interactions between animals and humans, and ways animals provide love, security, and emotional support to humans. Analysis indicated that children perceive their pets as special friends, important family members, and providers of social interactions, affection, and emotional support. Results are discussed in terms of the parallels between children's use of inanimate transitional objects and their use of pets as transitional objects.
Contrasting microsatellite variation between subalpine and western larch, two closely related species with different distribution patterns

Subalpine larch (Larix lyallii Parl.) and western larch (Larix occidentalis Nutt.) represent two closely related species with contrasting abundance and distribution patterns in Western North America. Genetic diversity at seven informative microsatellite loci was determined for 19 populations of subalpine larch and nine populations of western larch. Contrasting genetic diversity and patterns of population differentiation were observed between the two species. The overall within‐population genetic diversity parameters were lower in subalpine larch (A = 3.2; AP = 3.6; HE = 0.418) than in western larch (AP = 5.51; HE = 0.580), a pattern that is likely related to historical or demographic factors. No evidence of interspecific hybridization was observed. Significantly more population differentiation (θ = 0.15; RST = 0.07), consistent with more restricted gene flow, was observed for subalpine larch as compared to western larch (θ = 0.05; RST = 0.04). Under the assumption of an infinite allele mutation model, 12 of the 19 subalpine larch populations showed signs of deviation from the mutation–drift equilibrium, which suggests Holocene population bottlenecks and fluctuations in effective population size for this species. None of the western larch populations deviated significantly from the mutation–drift equilibrium. For both species, Mantel's test revealed a significant positive relationship between geographical and genetic distances indicative of isolation by distance. A similar geographical structure was detected in both species, suggesting at least two genetically distinct glacial populations in each species. The various implications for gene conservation are discussed.
Theoretical investigation of an air gap tuned superconducting annular ring microstrip antenna

An analytical model is presented to investigate the performances of an annular-ring patch etched on a two layered dielectric substrate, by using a full-wave spectral domain technique in conjunction with the complex resistive boundary condition. Galerkin's method and Parseval's theorem are used to obtain the resonant frequency and bandwidth. Numerical results for the air gap tuning effect on the operating frequency and bandwidth of the high Tc superconducting microstrip antenna are presented. The analysis is validated by comparing the results with a specific example in the literature.