Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Smokers’ strategies across social grades to minimise the cost of smoking in a period with annual tax increases: evidence from a national survey in England

Objectives To assess associations between smokers’ strategies to minimise how much their smoking costs and cost of smoking among smokers across three social grades during a period of annual tax increases in England. Design Repeat cross-sectional. Setting England, May 2012–December 2016. Participants 16 967 adult smokers in 56 monthly surveys with nationally representative samples. Measures and analysis Weighted generalised additive models assessed associations between four cost-minimising strategies (factory-made and roll-your-own (RYO) cigarette consumption levels, illicit and cross-border purchases) and cost of smoking (£/week). We adjusted for inflation rate, age, gender and secular and seasonal trends. Results Cost of smoking did not increase above the rate of inflation. Factory-made cigarette consumption decreased, while proportion of RYO and, to a much lesser extent, illicit and cross-border purchases increased. These trends were only evident in lowest social grade. Cost of smoking was 12.99% lower with consumption of 10 fewer factory-made cigarettes (95% CI −13.18 to −12.80) and 5.86% lower with consumption of 10 fewer RYO cigarettes (95% CI −5.66 to −6.06). Consumption levels accounted for 60% of variance in cost. Cross-border and illicit tobacco purchases were associated with 9.64% (95% CI −12.94 to −6.33) and 9.47% (95% CI −12.74 to −6.20) lower costs, respectively, but due to low prevalence, accounted for only 0.2% of variation. Associations were similar across social grades, although weaker for illicit and cross-border purchases and stronger for consumption in higher social grades compared with lower social grades. Conclusion During a period of annual tax increases, the weekly cost of smoking did not increase above inflation. Cost-minimising strategies increased, especially among more disadvantaged smokers. Reducing cigarette consumption and switching to RYO tobacco explained a large part of cost variation, while use of illicit and cross-border purchasing played only a minor role.
Sorption of Acid Black 1 dye onto bentonite – equilibrium and kinetic studies

Abstract The present study shows sorption capacity of bentonite from the Slovak Jelšový Potok deposit for the anionic dye (Acid Black 1) from aqueous solutions and uses it as an effective and economical adsorbent for the removal of anionic dye. The laboratory experiments were carried out in batch method at 3 different sorbent doses (20, 10 and 5 g L−1) and an initial concentration of dye ranging from 1 to 1,000 mg L−1. The adsorption equilibria data were fitted by Freundlich, Langmuir, Dubinin–Radushkevich and Temkin isotherms. The Langmuir equation provided the best description for the sorption, indicating that adsorption occurred on a mono-layered surface. The maximum sorption capacity of bentonite has been estimated as 31.29 mg g−1. Moreover, the results showed that non-linear method could be a better way to obtain the isotherm parameters. The pseudo-first- and pseudo-second-order equations have been applied for the determination of time effect on sorption/removal of dye from solution. The highest determination coefficient values were observed for the pseudo-second-order model, suggesting chemical character of the adsorption process. Acid Black 1 was probably bound through chemisorption by forming hydrogen bonds between the Si-OH and Al-OH groups in the bentonite and the -NH, -NH2 and -OH groups in the dye.
Glucosinolates of Lepidium graminifolium L. (Brassicaceae) from Croatia

Abstract The glucosinolate (GSL) profiles (inflorescence, stem, root, and fruit) of the wild-growing plant Lepidium graminifolium L. (Brassicaceae) from Croatia was established by LC-MS analysis. During this investigation, we confirmed the presence of benzyl- (1), 3-methoxybenzyl- (2), 4-hydroxybenzyl- (4), 4-methoxyindol-3-ylmethyl- (7) GSLs and reported for the first time in the plant the presence of (2 R)-hydroxybut-3-enyl- (11), (2S)-hydroxybut-3-enyl- (12), but-3-enyl- (13), and 2-phenylethyl- (14) GSLs. Finally, 3-hydroxybenzyl GSL (3) was isolated for the first time from L. graminifolium inflorescence and characterised by spectroscopic data interpretation. Graphical Abstract
Fluorescence-activated cell sorting to reveal the cell origin of radioligand binding

Many studies have explored the role of TSPO (18 kDa translocator protein) as a marker of neuroinflammation using single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) or positron emission tomography (PET). In vivo imaging does not allow to determine the cells in which TSPO is altered. We propose a methodology based on fluorescence-activated cell sorting to sort different cell types of radioligand-treated tissues. We compared left/right hippocampus of rats in response to a unilateral injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) or saline. We finally applied this methodology in human samples (Alzheimer's disease patients and controls). Our data show that the pattern of TSPO overexpression differs across animal models of acute neuroinflammation. LPS induces a microglial expansion and an increase in microglial TSPO binding. CNTF is associated with an increase in TSPO binding in microglia and astrocytes in association with an increase in the number of microglial binding sites per cell. In humans, we show that the increase in CLINDE binding in Alzheimer's disease concerns microglia and astrocytes in the presence of a microglial expansion. Thus, the cellular basis of TSPO overexpression is condition dependent, and alterations in TSPO binding found in PET/SPECT imaging studies cannot be attributed to particular cell types indiscriminately.
Prior History and Incidence of Cancer Impacts on Cardiac Prognosis in Hospitalized Patients With Heart Failure.

BACKGROUND Heart failure (HF) and cancer (CA) are becoming increasingly prevalent as the population ages. We aimed to evaluate prior history and occurrence of CA and its prognostic impact on HF.Methods and Results:Consecutive hospitalized HF patients (n=2,103) were divided into 2 groups according to prior history of CA: non-prior-CA group (n=1,828) and prior-CA group (n=275). Compared with the non-prior-CA group, the prior-CA group were older, and had higher prevalence of chronic kidney disease, anemia, and atrial fibrillation (P<0.05). In contrast, sex, other comorbidities, levels of natriuretic peptide and ejection fraction were comparable between groups. We focused on newly diagnosed CA after discharge for HF. In the follow-up period (median 623 days), 114 (6.2%) patients in the non-prior-CA and 17 (6.2%) patients in the prior-CA groups were newly diagnosed as having CA. Additionally, 83 (3.9%) CA-related patient deaths occurred (median 776 days). In the Kaplan-Meier analysis (median 1,037 days), not only all-cause death but also cardiac event rate was significantly higher in the prior-CA group than in the non-prior-CA group (log-rank P<0.01). In the Cox proportional hazard analysis, CA history was a predictor of cardiac event rate (HR 1.450, 95% CI 1.134-1.822), as well as all-cause death (HR 2.483, 95% CI 2.034-3.030). CONCLUSIONS Prior-CA history was associated with high cardiac event and mortality rates. CA is notable comorbidity in HF patients.
Association of gene mutations with time‐to‐first treatment in 384 treatment‐naive chronic lymphocytic leukaemia patients

This study correlated somatic mutation results and known prognostic factors with time‐to‐first treatment (TTFT) in 384 treatment‐naïve (TN) chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) patients to help determine disease‐specific drivers of early untreated CLL. CLL DNA from either peripheral blood or bone marrow underwent next generation targeted sequencing with a 29‐gene panel. Gene mutation data and concurrent clinical characteristics, such as Rai/Binet stage, fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH), ZAP70/CD38, karyotype and IGHV mutation, status were analysed in univariable and multivariable analyses to identify associations with TTFT. TTFT was defined as time from diagnosis to initial treatment. In univariable analyses, mutated ATM (P < 0·001), NOTCH1 (P < 0·001) and SF3B1 (P = 0·002) as well as unmutated IGHV (P < 0·001), del(11q) (P < 0·001) and trisomy 12 (P < 0·001) by hierarchal FISH and advanced Rai (P = 0·05) and Binet (P < 0·001) stages were associated with shorter TTFT. Importantly, del(17p), mutated TP53 and complex karyotype were not associated with shorter TTFT. In a reduced multivariable analysis, mutated ATM (P < 0·001) and unmutated IGHV status (P < 0·001) remained significant, showing their importance in early leukaemogenesis. High‐risk prognostic markers such as del(17p), mutated TP53 and complex karyotype, were not correlated with TTFT, suggesting that these abnormalities have limited roles in early disease progression but are more important in relapsed CLL.
A systematic scoping review of research on Black participants in the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network.

Black individuals experience a disproportionate burden of substance-related disabilities and premature death relative to other racial/ethnic groups, highlighting the need for additional research. The National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network (CTN), a research platform for multisite behavioral, pharmacological, and integrated trials designed to evaluate the effectiveness of substance use treatments in community settings with diversified patient populations, provides a wealth of research knowledge on substance use. Although CTN trials have enrolled over 5,000 Black individuals since its inception in 2000, there has been no synthesis of the findings, discussion of the implications, or suggestions for future research for Black individuals. Members of the Minority Interest Group of the CTN conducted a scoping review of published research on Black participants in CTN trials. Studies were included if the sample was more than 75% Black and/or specific findings pertaining to Black participants were reported. The review yielded 50 articles, with studies that mostly focused on baseline characteristics, followed by substance use treatment outcomes, HIV/risky sex behaviors, retention, comorbid conditions and measurement issues. This review highlighted the importance of several issues that are critical to understanding and treating substance misuse among Black people, such as the characteristics of Black people entering treatment, measurement equivalence, and engaging/retaining adolescents and young adults in treatment. There is still a continued need to identify the most effective treatments for Black individuals who use substances. The CTN offers several untapped opportunities to further advance research on Black individuals who use substances (e.g., secondary analyses of publicly available data). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
Evaluation of USPSTF Lung Cancer Screening Guidelines Among African American Adult Smokers.

Importance The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends low-dose computed tomography screening for lung cancer. However, USPSTF screening guidelines were derived from a study population including only 4% African American smokers, and racial differences in smoking patterns were not considered. Objective To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of USPSTF lung cancer screening eligibility criteria in a predominantly African American and low-income cohort. Design, Setting, and Participants The Southern Community Cohort Study prospectively enrolled adults visiting community health centers across 12 southern US states from March 25, 2002, through September 24, 2009, and followed up for cancer incidence through December 31, 2014. Participants included African American and white current and former smokers aged 40 through 79 years. Statistical analysis was performed from May 11, 2016, to December 6, 2018. Exposures Self-reported race, age, and smoking history. Cumulative exposure smoking histories encompassed most recent follow-up questionnaires. Main Outcomes and Measures Incident lung cancer cases assessed for eligibility for lung cancer screening using USPSTF criteria. Results Among 48 364 ever smokers, 32 463 (67%) were African American and 15 901 (33%) were white, with 1269 incident lung cancers identified. Among all 48 364 Southern Community Cohort Study participants, 5654 of 32 463 African American smokers (17%) were eligible for USPSTF screening compared with 4992 of 15 901 white smokers (31%) (P < .001). Among persons diagnosed with lung cancer, a significantly lower percentage of African American smokers (255 of 791; 32%) was eligible for screening compared with white smokers (270 of 478; 56%) (P < .001). The lower percentage of eligible lung cancer cases in African American smokers was primarily associated with fewer smoking pack-years among African American vs white smokers (median pack-years: 25.8 [interquartile range, 16.9-42.0] vs 48.0 [interquartile range, 30.2-70.5]; P < .001). Racial disparity was observed in the sensitivity and specificity of USPSTF guidelines between African American and white smokers for all ages. Lowering the smoking pack-year eligibility criteria to a minimum 20-pack-year history was associated with an increased percentage of screening eligibility of African American smokers and with equitable performance of sensitivity and specificity compared with white smokers across all ages (for a 55-year-old current African American smoker, sensitivity increased from 32.2% to 49.0% vs 56.5% for a 55-year-old white current smoker; specificity decreased from 83.0% to 71.6% vs 69.4%; P < .001). Conclusions and Relevance Current USPSTF lung cancer screening guidelines may be too conservative for African American smokers. The findings suggest that race-specific adjustment of pack-year criteria in lung cancer screening guidelines would result in more equitable screening for African American smokers at high risk for lung cancer.
Relationship between Parental Socialization, Emotional Symptoms, and Academic Performance during Adolescence: The Influence of Parents’ and Teenagers’ Gender

Scientific interest in students’ emotional and psychosocial experiences has been increasing in the last years due to their influence on students’ learning processes and academic performance. The present manuscript tries to go further in the study of the relationship between perceived parenting socialization and academic performance by analyzing not only their direct effects, but also by testing their indirect influence through other variables such as students’ psychological and school maladjustment, especially focusing on gender differences (both of students and parents). The sample comprised 823 students (416 males and 407 females) from the Basque Country (Spain), with ages ranging between 12 and 16 years (M = 13.7, SD = 1.2). Students completed a sociodemographic data form, the PARQ-Control questionnaire, and the BASC-S3 test. Teachers answered an ad hoc question on each student’s academic performance. The data showed that, both for males and females, the same structure of parent–teenager relationship predicted teenagers’ academic performance, via psychological and school maladjustment. However, the intensity of the relationship between parental acceptance and teenagers’ results in all the other factors differed depending on teenagers’ gender. Fathers’ influence was greater in males, and mothers’ influence was higher in females. This study is considered a starting point for a theoretical model predicting academic performance and psychological and school maladjustment among teenagers.
The role of lifetime periods in the organisation of episodic memories

ABSTRACT Research on the nature of episodic memory associations has suggested that episodic memories are associated by conceptual knowledge, where memories cluster around the same content (e.g. memories about the same people) or general-event knowledge, where memories cluster around extended events (e.g. a holiday in London), repeated events (e.g. Sunday walks in the park), or causally related events (i.e. where one event leads to another). Research has also suggested that episodic memories are associated by lifetime periods (e.g. when I was in high school), where memories cluster within lifetime periods. However, it is unclear whether episodic memories can be associated solely by lifetime periods, or if such associations are subordinate to conceptual or general-event associations. To answer this question, we reanalysed a large sample of involuntary memory chains (Mace, J. H., Clevinger, A. M., & Bernas, R. S. (2013). Involuntary memory chains: What do they tell us about autobiographical memory organisation? Memory, 21, 324–335). The results of this analysis suggested that lifetime periods associations are subordinate to conceptual and general-event associations, as lifetime periods were found to cluster within the latter two associations. The potential functions of this organisation are discussed.
Differentiation agents increase the potential AraC therapy of AML by reactivating cell death pathways without enhancing ROS generation

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has a poor prognosis and requires new approaches for treatment. We have reported that a combination of vitamin D‐based cell differentiation agents (doxercalciferol/carnosic acid [D2/CA]) added following the cytotoxic drug arabinocytosine (AraC) increases AML cell death (CD), a model for improved therapy of this disease. Because AraC‐induced CD is known to involve reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, here we investigated if the modulation of cellular REDOX status plays a role in the enhancement of cell death (ECD) by D2/CA. Using thiol antioxidants, such as N‐acetyl cysteine (NAC), we found a significant inhibition of ECD, yet this occurred in the absence of any detectable change in cellular ROS levels. In contrast, NAC reduced the vitamin D receptor (VDR) abundance and its signaling of ECD. Importantly, VDR knockdown and NAC similarly inhibited ECD without producing an additive effect. Thus, the proposed post‐AraC therapy may be compromised by agents that reduce VDR levels in AML blasts.
Efficacy of Vonoprazan for Helicobacter pylori Eradication

Helicobacter pylori can infect the gastric mucosa and cause chronic inflammation, resulting in various diseases, including gastric cancer. Eradication of H. pylori in all infected subjects is recommended; however, the number of H. pylori strains with antibiotic resistance has increased, and the eradication rate has decreased. Vonoprazan, a potassium-competitive acid blocker, produces a stronger acid-inhibitory effect than proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). The H. pylori eradication rate with vonoprazan was found to be higher than that with PPIs. The H. pylori eradication rate with vonoprazan-based triple therapy (vonoprazan, amoxicillin, and clarithromycin) was approximately 90% and had an incidence of adverse events similar to that of PPIs. We review the current situation of H. pylori eradication in Japan, the first country in which vonoprazan was made available.
Alternative representation of neural activation in multivariate models of neurovascular coupling in humans.

Background - Neural stimulation leads to increases in cerebral blood flow (CBF), but simultaneous changes in arterial blood pressure (BP) and PaCO2, rule out the use of CBF as a reliable marker of neurovascular coupling (NVC). Methods - Healthy subjects performed repetitive elbow flexion(60 s) with recordings of CBF velocity (CBFV, transcranial Doppler), BP (Finometer) and end-tidal CO2 (EtCO2, capnography). Neural stimulation, BP and PaCO2 on CBFV were expressed with a dynamic multivariate model, using BP, EtCO2, and stimulation [s(t)] as inputs. Two versions of s(t) were considered: a gate function [sG(t)] or an orthogonal decomposition [sO(t)] function. CBFV step responses were extracted for each of the three inputs, providing estimates of dynamic cerebral autoregulation (CA, ARI index), CO2 reactivity (VMRSR) and NVC (STIMSR). Results - In 56 subjects, model generated sO(t), for both were highly significant during stimulation (<10-5), and were correlated with the CBFV change (r=0.73, p = 0.0001). sO(t) explained a greater fraction of CBFV variance ( ~50%) than sG(t) (44%, p= 0.002). CBFV step responses to the three inputs were physiologically plausible, with better agreement for the CBFV-BP step response yielding ARI values of 7.3 for both DH and NDH for sG(t), and 6.9 and 7.4 for sO(t), respectively. Conclusion - A new procedure is proposed to represent the contribution from other aspects of CBF regulation than BP and CO2 in response to sensorimotor stimulation, as a tool for integrated, non-invasive, assessment of the multiple influences of dynamic CA, CO2 reactivity, and NVC in humans.
Saffron (Crocus sativus) in the treatment of gastrointestinal cancers: Current findings and potential mechanisms of action

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers are major causes of cancer‐related mortality worldwide and include malignancies of the GI tract such as the stomach, liver, pancreas, small intestine, colon, and rectum. Promising and selective anticancer effects of pharmacologically active components of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) have been shown in preclinical in vitro and in vivo studies. Saffron and its active components including crocin, crocetin, and safranal exert their anticancer effects through different mechanisms, including induction of apoptosis, influence on the cell cycle, and regulation of host immune response and anti‐inflammatory activities. This review summarizes the recent literature on the chemopreventive properties of saffron in GI cancers to have a better understanding of the potential underlying mechanisms and hence the appropriate management of these malignancies.
Volume of white matter hyperintensities increases with blood pressure in patients with hypertension

Objective Hypertension is a risk factor for development of white matter hyperintensities (WMHs). However, the relationship between hypertension and WMHs remains obscure. We sought to clarify this relationship using clinical data from different regions of China. Methods We analyzed the data of 333 patients with WMHs in this study. All included patients underwent conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination. A primary diagnosis of WMHs was made according to MRI findings. The volume burden of WMHs was investigated using the Fazekas scale, which is widely used to rate the degree of WMHs. We conducted retrospective clinical analysis of the data in this study. Results Our findings showed that WMHs in patients with hypertension were associated with diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, history of cerebral infarct, and plasma glucose and triglyceride levels. Fazekas scale scores for WMHs increased with increased blood pressure values in patients with hypertension. Conclusion This analysis indicates that hypertension is an independent contributor to the prevalence and severity of WMHs.