Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Having Courage: A Lived Experience of Human Becoming

The purposes of this research were to discover the structure of the experience of having courage and to contribute to knowledge about human becoming. Participants were 10 persons with spinal cord injuries. The Parse research method was used to answer the research question, What is the structure of the lived experience of having courage? The central finding of this study is the following structure: The lived experience of having courage is a fortifying tenacity arising with triumph amid the burdensome, while guarded confidence emerges with the treasured. The findings are discussed in relation to human becoming, relevant literature, and future research.
Penetration and metabolism of isoflavones in human skin.

This human study shows that the isoflavone aglycone genistein penetrates significantly better into the skin when it is formulated in a liposomal preparation. The corresponding isoflavone glycoside genistin is not hydrolyzed to the biologically active aglycones upon topical application.
Long-Term Renal Outcomes after Cisplatin Treatment.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Nephrotoxicity remains the dose-limiting side effect of cisplatin, an effective chemotherapeutic agent with applications across diverse tumor types. This study presents data on renal outcomes across multiple tumor types in 821 adults. We report on incidence of AKI, initial and long-term changes in eGFR after cisplatin, and relationships between cumulative dose, initial eGFR, age, sex, and long-term renal function. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS This was a retrospective study of adult patients treated with cisplatin from January 1, 2000 to September 21, 2011 who had survived ≥5 years after initial dose. The Modification of Diet in Renal Disease equation was used to calculate eGFR. AKI was defined as an increase from the baseline creatinine of >25% within 30 days after the first cycle of cisplatin. Chi-squared tests were done to evaluate the relationships between categorical or ordinal variables; ANOVAs or t tests were used to evaluate continuous or categorical variables. Changes in eGFR over time were evaluated in a growth curve model. RESULTS Mean follow-up was 6 years (25th and 75th percentiles, 4 and 9 years). AKI occurred in 31.5% of patients, with a median initial decline in eGFR of 10 ml/min per 1.73 m(2) (25th and 75th percentiles, -41.5 and -23.3 ml/min per 1.73 m(2)). At any time point after the first cycle of cisplatin, <3% of patients progressed to eGFR<29 ml/min per 1.73 m(2), and none were known to be on dialysis. Age was associated with a higher risk for AKI after cisplatin. Compared with age <25 years old, the odds ratios for AKI versus no AKI are 1.22 for >26-44 years old (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.60 to 2.4), 1.54 for >45-65 years old (95% CI, 0.78 to 3), and 2.96 for >66 years old (95% CI, 1.4 to 6.1). The lowest dose categories of cisplatin (≤100 and 101-250 mg/m(2)) are associated with increases in eGFR (P=0.06 and P=0.02, respectively) compared with the highest dose category (>701 mg/m(2)). CONCLUSIONS This is the largest study of adult patients with cancer who received cisplatin for treatment across multiple tumor types. Most patients experience small but permanent declines in eGFR, but none progressed to ESRD requiring hemodialysis.
Influence of passive changes of lung volume on upper airways.

The total upper airway resistances are modified during active changes in lung volume. We studied nine normal subjects to assess the influence of passive thoracopulmonary inflation and deflation on nasal and pharyngeal resistances. With the subjects lying in an iron lung, lung volumes were changed by application of an extrathoracic pressure (Pet) from 0 to 20 (+Pet) or -20 cmH2O (-Pet) in 5-cmH2O steps. Upper airway pressures were measured with two low-bias flow catheters, one at the tip of the epiglottis and the other in the posterior nasopharynx. Breath-by-breath resistance measurements were made at an inspiratory flow rate of 300 ml/s at each Pet step. Total upper airway, nasal, and pharyngeal resistances increased with +Pet [i.e., nasal resistance = 139.6 +/- 14.4% (SE) of base-line and pharyngeal resistances = 189.7 +/- 21.1% at 10 cmH2O of +Pet]. During -Pet there were no significant changes in nasal resistance, whereas pharyngeal resistance decreased significantly (pharyngeal resistance = 73.4 +/- 7.4% at -10 cmH2O). We conclude that upper airway resistance, particularly the pharyngeal resistance, is influenced by passive changes in lung volumes, especially pulmonary deflation.
Influence of various tubal surgeries to serum antimullerian hormone level and outcome of the subsequent IVF-ET treatment

Abstract Objective: To compare the influence of various tubal surgeries to ovarian reserve via serum level of antimullerian hormone (AMH) and the subsequent in vitro fertilization and embryo transplantation (IVF-ET) outcome in patients with simple tubal infertility. Study design: A prospective cohort study was conducted on 134 IVF cycles undegone by 26 and 34 cases with bilateral and unilateral salpingectomy, respectively, 23 cases with bilateral oviducts interrupted in the proximal and 51 cases with bilateral oviducts obstruction without intervention as controls. Results: Serum AMH displayed its great superiority to traditional markers of ovarian reserve in correspondence with antral follicles count and decisive effect for the number of oocytes retrieved after stimulation in each group. No significant differences on ovarian reserve and responsiveness or IVF-ET outcome existed among four groups comparable on essential characteristics, except for numerically higher clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate after various tubal surgeries versus no intervention for bilateral oviducts obstruction. Especially, bilateral salpingectomy precursed the statistically highest implantation rate (51.0% versus 28.0%, 39.1%, 30.4%) and numerically best IVF outcome. Conclusion: Tubal surgical procedures have some beneficial effect for improving IVF outcome without significant impact on ovarian reserve or responsiveness. Bilateral salpingectomy appears to be an appropriate procedure before IVF treatment for bilateral salpingitis, especially hydrosalpinx.
Living alone: One-person households in Asia

BACKGROUND The one-person household (OPH) is the fastest-growing type of household in many regions of the world, but no systematic work on it has been done outside of Europe and North America. This special collection consists of ten articles that examine the livingalone phenomenon in Asia. OBJECTIVE This paper summarizes their findings, highlights unique features found in Asia, and discusses the implications of the increase in OPH in Asia for individuals’ well-being and societies’ resource distribution. METHODS Census data are used for an international comparison of the prevalence of one-person households. RESULTS The papers reveal vast heterogeneity across regions and within nations. While widows remains a major group of OPH, the rising prevalence of OPH in Asia is mainly fueled by the increase of young urban adults who live alone as a consequence of delayed or declining marriage, increasing divorce, and increasing geographic mobility. Many of them are working class individuals or migrant workers. The impact of living alone varies by cultural, demographic, and policy contexts. The papers identify groups that are potentially vulnerable to social isolation and financial distress and challenge the generally negative stereotypes of the OPH living arrangement. 1 Department of Sociology and Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore. E-Mail: ariywj@nus.edu. sg. 2 Department of Social Sciences, the Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong Kong. E-Mail: adamkl@ied.edu. hk. Yeung & Cheung: Living alone: One-person households in Asia 1100 http://www.demographic-research.org CONCLUSIONS OPH will continue to increase in Asia in the next few decades due to the rapid aging trend, declining marriage and fertility rates, and increase in divorce and migration. More theoretical development and empirically-based work is needed to understand the complexity and impact of such a living arrangement.
A molecular mimic of phosphorylated prolactin markedly reduced tumor incidence and size when DU145 human prostate cancer cells were grown in nude mice.

Others have demonstrated the presence of an autocrine prolactin (PRL) growth loop in the normal human prostate. In this study we have used three human prostate cancer cell lines but have focused on the androgen-independent human prostate cancer cell line, DU145, to ask: (a) whether this autocrine growth loop is maintained beyond the loss of androgen sensitivity in the progression of prostate cancer; and (b) whether interruption of this growth loop by a PRL receptor antagonist, an S179D mutant PRL, could inhibit the formation of DU145-derived tumors. The autocrine loop was examined in most detail in the DU145 cell line but was demonstrated to be functional in all three of the lines by the reversible inhibition of growth in vitro by the S179D PRL receptor antagonist. To investigate the effect of S179D PRL on the growth of DU145 tumors in nude mice two sets of experiments were performed. In the first set, Alzet minipumps containing no PRL, wild-type (WT) PRL, or the S179D PRL (the last two delivering 4.56 microg/24 h and 4.26 microg/24 h, respectively), were implanted s.c. on day 1. On day 4, 5 x 10(6) DU145 cells were injected s.c. in the hindquarter. On day 22, the animals were killed, tumors were removed, measured, and subsequently fixed and processed for histological confirmation of tumor formation. The incidence of tumors in the no-PRL control group was 9/11 animals (82%). In the animals treated with WT PRL, the incidence was 8/10 (80%), whereas in the animals treated with the S179D PRL, the incidence was markedly reduced to 3/11 (27%). Although WT PRL had no effect on the incidence of tumors, the average size of the tumors increased from 25.8 +/- 5.99 mm(3) in controls to 66.66 +/- 18.06 mm(3) in WT PRL-treated animals. In the second set of experiments, 5 x 10(6) DU145 cells were injected on day 1. On day 18, Alzet minipumps containing no PRL, WT PRL, or S179D PRL were implanted. On day 42, the animals were killed and the tumors processed as before. S179D PRL caused a reduction in tumor size from 1731 +/- 283 mm(3) in the no-PRL controls to 1031 +/- 295 mm(3), whereas WT PRL slightly increased the size to 2118 +/- 630 mm(3). We conclude that PRL is used as an autocrine growth factor by human prostate cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo and that interruption of this growth loop in vivo inhibits tumor initiation and the growth of well-established tumors.
Anterograde Interlocked Nailing of Distal Femoral Fractures After Gunshot Wounds

Standard treatment for distal femoral fractures has been with blade plate or condylar screw plate devices. Excellent fixation is obtained, but bone grafting is required and the procedure exposes the fracture site. More recently, indirect methods of reduction have been initiated to limit the devascularization of the fracture site. Anterograde interlocked nailing has the advantage of using an incision far from the fracture site, and the technique is familiar to most surgeons. It can be performed regardless of the degree or length of comminution. Thirty-eight patients 16–50 years of age who underwent anterograde interlocked nailing for fractures of the distal femur were retrospectively studied. Follow-up averaged 24 months. All patients sustained their injury from a gunshot wound (GSW). Thirty-one had angiograms. The distance from the fracture to the distal screws was <5 cm in all cases. There were five Winquist 2, eight Winquist 3, and 25 Winquist 4 type fractures. In five patients the rod tip was cut off to place the screw holes more distally, and in four patients only three corticies were obtained by the distal locking screws. Early motion was obtained in all patients. Fractures healed at an average of 8.6 weeks. No primary or secondary bone grafts were performed. Three of the six patients positioned laterally had 5° or more of valgus angulation, and five of the 34 patients positioned supine had > 5° of posterior angulation. A method of using smooth Steinman pins as joysticks to control the distal fragment is presented. Anterograde interlocked intramedullary (IM) nailing is an effective means of fixation for distal femur fractures.
Parenteral exposure to high HIV viremia leads to virus‐specific T cell priming without evidence of infection

Previous studies on CTL responses in HIV‐exposed uninfected individuals assumed that the patients were exposed to replicating HIV, but the possibility that the immune responses detected were primed by exposure to a defective virus or viral antigen could not be excluded. Epidemiological and laboratory analysis of a nosocomial outbreak of acute hepatitis B unequivocally allowed the identification of an HIV‐1‐ and HBV‐co‐infected patient with high plasma levels of both viruses, as the source case of the epidemics. This clinical setting provided a natural model for testing the HIV‐specific T cell response in patients exposed to blood from a patient with highly replicating HIV. Parenteral exposure to both viruses led to acute hepatitis B in five subjects without evidence of HIV‐1 infection. Cryopreserved lymphocytes derived from three exposed patients were tested ex vivo in an ELISPOT assay for IFN‐γ release upon stimulation with peptides from structural and non‐structural HIV proteins; one of the patients was also tested with four HLA/class I tetramers. Circulating HIV‐specific CD8 cells were detected by tetramer staining and a high frequency of T cells were able to release IFN‐γ upon stimulation with HIV peptides, showing in vivo T cell priming by HIV. These results unequivocally demonstrate a HIV‐specific cell‐mediated immune response in the absence of infection after exposure to highly replicating HIV.
Slaughter of the innocents. A study of forty-six homicides in which the victims were children.

Salisbury. His passion is so ripe it needs must break. Pembroke And when it breaks, I fear will issue thence The foul corruption of a sweet child's death. I 'HE killing of a child is usually a different type Tf I 'HE killing of a child is usually a different type of crime from the killing of an adult. Motive, intent, emotional environment and method are frequently totally dissimilar when the victim is a child of two or three years of age rather than a person of mature years. Forty-six homicides in which the victims were either infants preadolescent children .
Operational Alignment in Hospitals - The Role of Social Capital between IT and Medical Departments

This research examines how business-IT alignment at the operational level in hospitals is constituted and how operational business-IT alignment facilitates value creation. A conceptual model of operational alignment is developed and empirically tested in German hospitals. Conceptualized as cross-functional interconnectedness enabling purposeful collaborative processes between business and IT, it is shown that operational alignment is particularly constituted by strong relations between business and IT, mutual trust and cognitive linkages. Results show a strong impact of cross-functional cooperation on IT business value. Cross-functional cooperation is found to influence value both directly and mediated through the degree to which information systems fit with requirements, working processes, and existing practices of medical de-partments. Overall, it is demonstrated that social capital between business and IT unfolding in effective collaboration at the operational level facilitate the creation of IT business value. The results may motivate practitioners to take measures in order to strengthen social capital and, hence, blur boundaries between business and IT, particularly in hospitals.
The Microbiota, the Immune System and the Allograft

The microbiota represents the complex collections of microbial communities that colonize a host. In health, the microbiota is essential for metabolism, protection against pathogens and maturation of the immune system. In return, the immune system determines the composition of the microbiota. Altered microbial composition (dysbiosis) has been correlated with a number of diseases in humans. The tight reciprocal immune/microbial interactions complicate determining whether dysbiosis is a cause and/or a consequence of immune dysregulation and disease initiation or progression. However, a number of studies in germ‐free and antibiotic‐treated animal models support causal roles for intestinal bacteria in disease susceptibility. The role of the microbiota in transplant recipients is only starting to be investigated and its study is further complicated by putative contributions of both recipient and donor microbiota. Moreover, both flora may be affected directly or indirectly by immunosuppressive drugs and antimicrobial prophylaxis taken by transplant patients, as well as by inflammatory processes secondary to ischemia/reperfusion and allorecognition, and the underlying cause of end‐organ failure. Whether the ensuing dysbiosis affects alloresponses and whether therapies aimed at correcting dysbiosis should be considered in transplant patients constitutes an exciting new field of research.
Phosphatase localization in bacterial chemotaxis: divergent mechanisms, convergent principles

Chemotaxis is the process by which cells sense changes in their chemical environment and move towards more favorable conditions. In divergent species of bacteria, the chemotaxis proteins localize to the poles of the cell and information is transferred to the flagellar motors through the phosphorylation of a soluble protein CheY. Using mathematical models and computer simulation, we demonstrate that phosphatase localization controls the spatial distribution of CheY-P in the cytosol at steady state. Remarkably, the location of the phosphatase is not conserved in different species of bacteria. The sole phosphatase in Escherichia coli is localized with the signaling complex and the primary phosphatase in Bacillus subtilis is localized at the flagellar motors. Despite these alternate pathway structures, both designs minimize differences in the concentration of phosphorylated CheY proximal to each motor unlike a design where the phosphatase is freely diffusing in the cytoplasm. These results suggest that motile bacteria have evolved alternate mechanisms to ensure that each motor receives roughly the same signal at steady state. The hypothesis is that complex networks have evolved to satisfy certain design principles in order to function robustly. While specific mechanisms are different, the underlying principles of phosphatase localization in E. coli and B. subtilis appear to be the same.
Investigations into neuropeptide Y‐mediated presynaptic inhibition in cultured hippocampal neurones of the rat

1 We have examined the effects of neuropeptide Y (NPY) on synaptic transmission and [Ca2+]i signals in rat hippocampal neurones grown in culture. [Ca2+]i in individual neurones displayed frequent spontaneous fluctuations often resulting in an elevated plateau [Ca2+]i. These fluctuations were reduced by tetrodotoxin (1 μm) or combinations of the excitatory amino acid antagonists 6‐cyano‐7‐dinitroquinoxaline (CNQX) (10 μm) and aminophosphonovalerate (APV) (50 μm), indicating that they were the result of glutamatergic transmission occurring between hippocampal neurones. 2 [Ca2+]i fluctuations were also prevented by Ni2+ (200 μm), by the GABAB receptor agonist, baclofen (10 μm) and by NPY (100 nm) or Y2 receptor‐selective NPY agonists. Following treatment of cells with pertussis toxin, NPY produced only a brief decrease in [Ca2+]i fluctuations which rapidly recovered. 3 Perfusion of hippocampal neurones with 50 mm K+ produced a large rapid increase in [Ca2+]i. This increase was slightly reduced by NPY or by a combination of CNQX and APV. The effects of CNQX/APV occluded those of NPY. NPY had no effect on Ba2+ currents measured in hippocampal neurones under whole cell voltage‐clamp even in the presence of intracellular GTP‐γ‐S. On the other hand, Ba2+ currents were reduced by both Cd2+ (200 μm) and baclofen (10 μm). 4 Current clamp recordings from hippocampal neurones demonstrated the occurrence of spontaneous e.p.s.ps and action potential firing which were accompanied by increases in [Ca2+]4. This spontaneous activity and the accompanying [Ca2+]i signals were prevented by application of NPY (100 nm). When hippocampal neurones were induced to fire trains of action potentials in the absence of synaptic transmission, these were accompanied by an increase in cell soma [Ca2+]i. NPY (100 nm) had no effect on these cell soma [Ca2+]i signals. NPY (100 nm) also had no effect on inward currents generated in hippocampal neurones by micropipette application of glutamate (50 μm). 5 Thus, NPY is able to abolish excitatory neurotransmission in hippocampal cultures through a pertussis toxin‐sensitive mechanism. However, no effect of NPY on Ca2+ influx into the cell soma of these hippocampal neurones could be discerned. These results are consistent with a localized presynaptic inhibitory effect of NPY on glutamate release in hippocampal neurones in culture.
Androgenic-Anabolic Steroid—Induced Body Changes in Strength Athletes

Abstract BACKGROUND: Some strength athletes use androgenic-anabolic steroids (AAS) to improve body dimensions, though the drugs' long- and short-term effects have not been definitively established. OBJECTIVE: This study sought to investigate the short- and long-term effects of AAS self-administration on body dimensions and total and regional body composition. DESIGN: This prospective, unblinded study involved 35 experienced male strength athletes: 19 AAS users (drugs were self-administered) and 16 nonuser controls engaged in their usual training regimens. At baseline, 8 weeks, and 6 weeks after AAS withdrawal (for AAS users) circumferences were measured at 10 sites, and skinfolds measured at 8 sites. To assess differences in AAS regimens, 9 subjects took AAS for 8 weeks (short-AAS) and 10 athletes took AA S for 12 to 16 weeks (long-AAS). Body composition and anthropometry were assessed at baseline, at the end of AAS use, and 6 weeks later. Lean body mass (LBM) was calculated from body weight and percentage fat. Total and regional body composition was measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. RESULTS: AAS use increased users' body weight by 4.4 kg and LBM by 4.5 kg, and produced increases in several circumferences. Percentage of fat decreased (17.0% to 16.0%), but fat mass remained unchanged. Changes persisted 6 weeks after drug withdrawal but were not less than those taken at 8 weeks. Bone-free lean mass of all regional body parts increased in subjects taking AAS, but fat mass was unaffected. Short- and long-term AAS users did not differ in any parameter measured at 8 weeks or after drug withdrawal. CONCLUSION: In AAS users, 8 weeks of self-administered AAS increased body weight, lean body mass, and limb circumferences, but decreased percentage fat compared with controls. Changes remained 6 weeks after drug withdrawal, though for some measurements only partially. AAS stimulated the bone-free lean mass of all body parts, but it did not affect fat mass. Short-term and long-term AAS administration produced comparable effects.