Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reliability and validity of the Attitudes to Ageing Questionnaire (AAQ) in older people in Spain

ABSTRACT Background: As ageing is a personal experience, an attitude to ageing questionnaire is essential for capturing the most realistic appraisal of this important stage of life. Our aim was to study the psychometric properties of the Attitudes to Ageing Questionnaire (AAQ) in a sample of Spanish older people. Methods: A total of 242 participants aged 60 years and older were recruited from community centers, primary care centers, and family associations for the mentally ill and dementia. In addition to the AAQ, participants provided information on demographics, self-perception of health, comorbidity, health status (SF-12), depressive symptoms (GDS-30), and quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF and WHOQOL-OLD). Analysis was performed using standard psychometric techniques with SPSS v15.0. Results: No floor and ceiling effects were found, and missing data were low. The internal consistency measured by Cronbach's alpha for AAQ subscales were 0.59, 0.70, and 0.73. Exploratory Factor Analysis produced a three-factors solution accounting for 34% of the variance. A priori expected associations were found between some AAQ subscales with WHOQOL-BREF domains, with WHOQOL-OLD, SF-12, and the GDS-30 indicating good construct validity. In general, AAQ subscales differentiated between participants with lower and higher levels of education, and between a priori defined groups of older people (non-depressed vs. depressed; those with higher vs. lower physical comorbidities, and non-carers vs. carers). Conclusions: The Spanish version of the AAQ questionnaire showed acceptable psychometric properties in a convenience sample of Spanish older people. It is a useful measure of attitude for use with older people in social and clinical services.
Attributions about Entrepreneurship: A Framework and Process for Analyzing Reasons for Starting a Business

Principles from theories of social attribution are used to devise a coding scheme for responses to an open-ended question (Why do you want to start this business? ) asked of nascent entrepreneurs In the Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics (PSED). In the attributional framework used, explanations that involve causes located internal to the person are distinguished from explanations that involve causes external to the person. Second, within the internal/external categories, causes that are presumed to be relatively stable are distinguished from causes that are presumed to be more easily variable. This paper outlines the theoretical arguments that underlie the attributional framework's four-fold classification of answers, describes the issues that arise in the process of coding the respondents' answers, and presents two sets of items (complete with their attributional codings) that can be used to make specific identifications of attributions from the open-ended responses. The attributional framework is compared to more traditional qualitative methods for evaluating the open-ended responses of nascent entrepreneurs. Proposals are made for using the open-ended responses from nascent entrepreneurs In other ways. Suggestions are offered for how the results of the attributional coding scheme might be used in future research.
Isolation of Erwinia chrysanthemi mutants altered in pectinolytic enzyme production

Various mutations in the pectin catabolic pathway of Erwinia chrysanthemi were isolated by selection of Mu‐lac insertions, resulting in expression of the lac genes inducible by pectin degradation products. This approach allowed us to isolate lacZ fusions with the genes pelC, pelD, ogl and pem, encoding pectate lyases PLc and PLd, oligogalacturonate lyase and pectin methytesterase, respectively. Moreover, we obtained mutations affecting the regulation of pectinolytic enzymes; a locus called peel appeared to be involved in induction of pectate tyases and pectin methylesterase. A second locus, called pect, may encode an activator protein acting on pectate lyase production. Both peel and pecL expression are induced in the presence of pectic polymers. The expression of the pem gene was studied in more detail by analysis of the pem‐lacZ fusions. The expression of pem appears to be controlled by the negative regulatory gene kdgR, which controls alt the genes involved in pectin degradation (pem, pel, ogl, kduD, kduf, kdgK, kdgA). This study confirmed that 2‐keto‐3‐deoxy‐gluconate is a key intermediate for the induction of the pectin catabolic pathway. The three genes pem, pelD and pecl were localized in the same region, near the ade‐377 marker on the genetic map of the E. chrysanthemi strain 3937. The pem gene was located more precisely on an 18kb DNA fragment containing the pelADE cluster. However, this 18 kb DNA fragment did not complement the pecl mutation. The pecL mutations were located near the ile‐2 marker on the genetic map of E. chrysanthemi strain 3937.
Autonomously Contracting Human Cardiomyocytes Generated from Adult Pancreatic Stem Cells and Enhanced in Co-Cultures with Myocardial Biopsies

Myocardial regeneration with artificially applied cardiomyocytes is emerging as a promising issue of significant scientific and clinical impact. Nevertheless the source of cells for human cardiomyocyte differentiation especially from adult tissue is still unclear. We hypothesized that human pancreatic stem cells may differentiate into cardiomyocyte-like cells and may increase in number when co-cultured with myocardial tissue. Adult stem cells were harvested from pancreatic tissue of patients undergoing operative procedures including the pancreas. The cells were selected, cultured and passaged. To promote self-differentiation into cardiomyocytes, human pancreatic stem cells were co-cultered with biopsies of human myocardium. After co-culture and breeding, cells were phenotyped as well with respect to RNA, protein and cardiomyocyte specificity at the electron-microscopic level. Pancreatic stem cells have already differentiated spontaneously into cardiomyocyte-like cells performing netlike cell clusters with rare but distinct multilocular cellular autonomous contractions with a frequency of about 20 beats per minute. The number of contracting areas however could be enhanced by co-culture with human myocardial biopsies. On RNA and protein levels as well as in electron-microscopy evidence for cardiomyocyte specificity is shown. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report demonstrating the feasibility of generating autonomously contracting cardiomyocyte-like cells from adult human pancreatic stem cells and their enhancement by myocardial co-culture. This procedure might prove to be an alternative source and method for myocardial regenerative medicine.
Mental Health Problems of Men Attending District- Level Clinical Psychology Services in South Africa

Over a 1-yr. period, 70 men attended district level clinical psychology services in Msunduzi, South Africa. The mean age was 35.9 yr. , and 80% had secondary education. Only 65.7% attended of their own accord. 51% were unemployed, 71.4% had financial problems, 44.3% admitted to substance abuse, 74.3% reported relationship problems, and 14.3% admitted to being violent toward their partners, suicidal ideation was the commonest referral problem, while mood disorder was the most frequent diagnosis. Clinicians estimated that 75.7% of these men had low self-esteem. 45.8% (34) perceived their partner as disengaged, enmeshed, or oppressive.
A reliable and adaptive AODV protocol based on cognitive routing for Ad hoc networks

Ad hoc network is one sort of multi-hop, self-organization and dynamically changing network. The Ad hoc On-Demand Distance Vector (AODV) protocol is an on-demand protocol specialized for mobile ad hoc network. Future network should have cognitive characters and the collection of elements that make up the network observes network conditions and then, using prior knowledge gained from previous interactions with the network, plans, decides and acts on this information. This document is devoted to the development of cognitive routing techniques for Ad hoc network in order to improve reliability and efficiency of AODV protocol. We propose an idea called “first fast second reliable (FFSR)” which ensures data packages could be transferred in the shortest and the most reliable mode. The proposed routing metrics base on the cognition of each node and all nodes in cognitive Ad hoc networks collect message about the whole networks periodically. Preliminary simulations were provided and the result shows the performance enhancements of the AODV in cognitive Ad hoc networks.
Nonmucinous Biliary Epithelium Is a Frequent Finding and Is Often the Predominant Epithelial Type in Mucinous Cystic Neoplasms of the Pancreas and Liver

Mucinous cystic neoplasms (MCNs) can occur in the pancreas and liver. Classically, these cystic lesions are lined by columnar mucinous epithelium with underlying ovarian-type stroma. It has been proposed that cysts with ovarian-type stroma and nonmucinous epithelium be considered separate entities in both the pancreas and liver. Using a series of 104 pancreatic and 32 hepatic cases, we aimed to further characterize the epithelium present in MCNs. Mucinous epithelium was defined as pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia–like columnar cells with pale pink/clear apical mucin. Epithelial cells ranging from flat to cuboidal to short columnar without obvious mucin or goblet cells were classified as nonmucinous/biliary epithelium. A mixture (at least 5%) of mucinous and nonmucinous/biliary epithelium was noted in 81%. Almost half (47%) of the cases had abundant (>50%) nonmucinous/biliary epithelium. Of the 71 cases with ⩽50% nonmucinous/biliary epithelium, 8 cases demonstrated high-grade dysplasia (7 pancreas, 1 liver) and 14 demonstrated invasive adenocarcinoma (11 pancreas, 3 liver). Conversely, of the 58 cases with >50% nonmucinous/biliary epithelium, not a single case of high-grade dysplasia (P=0.007) or invasive carcinoma (P<0.001) was identified. In summary, nonmucinous/biliary epithelium frequently occurs in MCNs of the pancreas and liver. As mucinous and nonmucinous/biliary epithelia often occur together, there does not appear to be enough evidence to regard cases with predominantly nonmucinous/biliary epithelium as separate entities. Our findings suggest that mucinous change is a “progression” phenomenon in MCNs of the pancreas and liver, and only when abundant mucinous epithelium is present is there a risk of progression to malignancy.
The Increasing Usage of Professional Contingent Workers: A Review

In recent years there has been phenomenal growth in the market for a temporary, or contingent, labor force in the United States. While total employment in the labor market during the ten years between 1986 and 1996 grew by 1.7 percent, in the same period, employment in temporary services grew 10.3 percent. Furthermore, the growth among professional contingent workers (PCW) has been rapid. Evident from the growth of payroll among the technical, managerial, and professional segment of the temporary service industry, the payroll share of PCW has increased significantly, both in absolute size as well as proportionally, relative to all other segments.
Identification of Common Variants in the SHBG Gene Affecting Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin Levels and Breast Cancer Risk in Postmenopausal Women

Background: Circulating levels of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) are inversely associated with breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women. Three polymorphisms within the SHBG gene have been reported to affect SHBG levels, but there has been no systematic attempt to identify other such variants. Methods: We looked for associations between SHBG levels in 1,134 healthy, postmenopausal women and 11 tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in or around the SHBG gene. Associations between SHBG SNPs and breast cancer were tested in up to 6,622 postmenopausal breast cancer cases and 6,784 controls. Results: Ten SNPs within or close to the SHBG gene were significantly associated with SHBG levels as was the (TAAAA)n polymorphism. The best-fitting combination of rs6259, rs858521, and rs727428 and body mass index, waist, hip, age, and smoking status accounted for 24% of the variance in SHBG levels (natural logarithm transformed). Haplotype analysis suggested that rs858518, rs727428, or a variant in linkage disequilibrium with them acts to decrease SHBG levels but that this effect is neutralized by rs6259 (D356N). rs1799941 increases SHBG levels, but the previously reported association with (TAAAA)n repeat length appears to be a consequence of linkage disequilibrium with these SNPs. One further SHBG SNP was significantly associated with breast cancer (rs6257, per-allele odds ratio, 0.88; 95% confidence interval, 0.82-0.95; P = 0.002). Conclusion: At least 3 SNPs showed associations with SHBG levels that were highly significant but relatively small in magnitude. rs6257 is a potential breast cancer susceptibility variant, but relationships between the genetic determinants of SHBG levels and breast cancer are complex. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2008;17(12):3490–8)
Relationships of serum insulin-like growth factor I concentrations to growth, composition, and reproductive traits of swine.

Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) is a peptide hormone that has been shown to be involved in metabolic regulation of growth and reproduction in livestock species. The objectives of this study were to quantify concentrations of IGF-I in growing pigs and determine whether IGF-I concentration can be used as a predictor of growth, composition, and reproductive traits. Forty male and 60 female pigs, divided equally between two locations, were weighed and bled at 3-wk intervals from 6 to 21 wk of age. At each sampling, two blood samples were collected via jugular venipuncture at an interval of at least 1 h. Serum was separated and IGF-I concentration determined via RIA. Pigs were weighed at each sampling date. Backfat and longissimus muscle area were measured with the use of B-mode ultrasound and adjusted to 100 kg. Age at puberty and first-parity litter size were measured on gilts. Effects of age, sex, location, and pig within sex x location on log-transformed IGF-I concentrations were determined by analyzing data as a split-plot. Performance traits were fitted to a model including the effects of IGF-I concentration, sex, location, and interactions. The IGF-I concentrations increased (P < .05) from 3 to 18 wk of age before dropping at 21 wk of age. Concentrations increased more rapidly in males than in females and differed significantly between sexes from 12 to 21 wk of age. Repeatability of IGF-I concentration was . 29 +/- . 02; IGF-I concentrations of samples collected at 6 wk were not correlated with those at later ages. Correlations between IGF-I concentrations of samples at later ages ranged from . 27 to . 51. Heritability of IGF-I concentration was . 27 +/- . 07. There was a tendency for weight to be affected by a sex x age interaction (P = .09). Weight of boars exceeded weight of gilts only at 21 wk (111.4 +/- 1.1 vs 107.1 +/- .8 kg). Regressions of weight on IGF-I concentrations were positive at all ages but greatest at 6 wk. The IGF-I concentration did not affect backfat thickness, longissimus area, percentage of lean, age at puberty, or litter size.
Oral health promotion among adults with diabetes in Finland.

OBJECTIVES In the present community trial, changes in oral health among adults with diabetes in Finland were assessed in three differing intervention groups and in a control group. The goal of intervention was to promote periodontal health. METHODS The study population comprised of 120 adults with diabetes, who were regular patients at the Salo Regional Hospital Diabetes Clinic in Salo, Finland. All underwent periodontal examination in 1999 and 2001. The percentage of dropouts was 4%. Outcome measures were visible plaque, presence of calculus, and the Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs (CPITN) index calculated for each tooth separately. Oral-health-related factors were determined by a questionnaire. Intervention based on the recommended treatment interval was carried out in the following groups: diabetes nurse-letter-reminder group (n = 26), diabetes nurse-reminder group (n = 31), letter-reminder group (n = 30), and a control group (n = 28). RESULTS A significant decrease occurred in the visible plaque index between 1999 and 2001 in all groups, and in calculus index in the diabetes-nurse-reminder group and in the letter-reminder group. During the study period, only in the control group, the CPITN index codes 3 and 4, calculated for each tooth separately, increased. CONCLUSION These positive results emphasize the potential of existing health-care actions for promoting periodontal health. With minimal recourse demands, it was possible to increase oral health behaviors and periodontal health among patients with diabetes.
Unintentional Childhood Poisoning in the Sharon Area in Israel: A Prospective 5-Year Study

Objectives: To study the epidemiology and risk factors for unintentional exposure to poisoning among the Jewish and the Arab population in the Sharon area in Israel. Methods: We prospectively evaluated visits to the pediatric emergency department because of unintentional poisoning exposure, at the Meir General Hospital. We collected demographic data, substance exposure data, and the clinical outcome of the poisoning. Results: During the 5 years of the study, 502 children were evaluated for unintentional poisoning, 84% Jewish and 16% Arabs; 88.5% occurred in children younger than 5 years, with a peak incidence at the age of 2 years (39.5%). Medications including hormones, vitamins, and antibiotics were the most common cause of exposure. Most children (95%) had no symptoms or abnormal findings on physical examination (84%), and most (85%) were discharged after several hours of observation. However, children of Arab origin presented with severe clinical manifestations because of a high rate of pesticide poisoning. There was 1 death from organic phosphate poisoning. Conclusion: Exposure to poisoning is commonly encountered in children. Pesticides exposure is more common in the Arab community and is usually associated with more severe clinical manifestations. Educational preventive programs are mandatory.
Amine Weak Bases Disrupt Vesicular Storage and Promote Exocytosis in Chromaffin Cells

Abstract : The vesicular contents in bovine chromaffin cells are maintained at high levels owing to the strong association of its contents, which is promoted by the low vesicular pH. The association is among the catecholamines, Ca2+, ATP, and vesicular proteins. It was found that transient application of a weak base, methylamine (30 mM), amphetamine (10 μM), or tyramine (10 μM), induced exocytotic release. Exposure to these agents was also found to increase both cytosolic catecholamine and intracellular Ca2+ concentration, as measured by amperometry and fura‐2 fluorescence. Amphetamine, the most potent amine with respect to evoking exocytosis, was found to be effective even in buffer with out external Ca2+ ; however, the occurrence of spikes was suppressed when BAPTA‐acetoxymethyl ester was used to complex intracellular Ca2+. Amphetamine‐induced spikes in Ca2+‐free medium were not suppressed by thapsigargin or ruthenium red, inhibitors of the sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca2+‐ATPase and mitochondrial Ca2+ stores. Atomic absorption measurements of amphetamine‐ and methylamine‐treated vesicles reveal that intravesicular Ca2+ stores are decreased after a 15‐min incubation. Taken together, these data indicate that amphetamine and methylamine can disrupt vesicular stores to a sufficient degree that Ca2+ can escape and trigger exocytosis.
Lentigo maligna melanoma has no better prognosis than other types of melanoma.

We studied 48 patients with lentigo maligna melanoma (LMM) and compared the clinical stage I patients with non-LMM melanoma patients (matched by site and thickness) to see if prognosis differed. There was no significant difference in mortality from melanoma between the two groups (P = .68) after a mean follow-up time of five years (67.5 months for LMM, 60.5 months for non-LMM). In addition, a Cox multivariate analysis of the entire matched group showed that only thickness was significantly associated with death from melanoma (P = .0007) while histology (LMM v non-LMM) did not make a significant contribution (P = .61). Our data suggest that after accounting for primary tumor thickness and site, LMM and non-LMM have the same prognosis and biologic behavior, in contrast to the widely held belief that LMM has a better prognosis than other forms of melanoma.
Visualization of the compartmentalization of glutathione and protein‐glutathione mixed disulfides in cultured cells

Fluorescence microscopy of A549 cells stained with a glutathione (L‐γ‐glutamyl‐Lcysteinylglycine, GSH)‐specific polyclonal antibody displayed uniform staining of the perinuclear cytosol, with the nuclear region apparently lacking GSH staining. This discontinuous staining was confirmed in other cell types and also corroborated in A549 cells stained with the thiol‐reactive dye mercury orange. The selectivity of antibody binding was confirmed by buthionine sulfoximine (BSO)‐dependent inhibition of GSH synthesis. However, confocal visualization of antibody‐stained A549 cells in the z‐plane revealed the majority of the perinuclear staining intensity in the upper half of the cell to be associated with mitochondria, as confirmed by double staining for cytochrome oxidase. Integration of the confocal signals from the nuclear and cytosolic regions halfway down the z‐plane showed that the GSH concentrations of these compartments are close to equilibrium. Confirmation of the relatively high levels of mitochondrial glutathione was provided in cells treated with BSO and visualized in z‐section, revealing the mitochondrial GSH content of these cells to be well preserved in apposition to near‐complete depletion of cytosolic/nuclear GSH. Localized gradients within the cytosolic compartment were also visible, particularly in the z‐plane. The antibody also provided initial visualization of the compartmentalization of protein‐GSH mixed disulfides formed in A549 cells exposed to diamide. Discontinuous staining was again evident, with heavy staining in membrane blebs and in the nuclear region. Using FACS analysis of anti‐GSH antibody‐stained Jurkat T lymhocytes, we also demonstrated population variations in the cellular compliment of GSH and protein‐GSH mixed disulfides, formed in response to diamide. In addition, we showed cell‐cycle variation in GSH content of the cells, with the highest levels of GSH associated with the G2/M mitotic phase of the cell cycle, using double staining with propidium iodide. Similar FACS analyses performed in isolated mitochondria presented a considerable variation in GSH content within mitochondria of uniform granularity from the same preparation.
Intrathecal picrotoxin minimally alters electro‐encephalographic responses to noxious stimulation during halothane and isoflurane anesthesia

Background: Isoflurane and halothane act in the spinal cord to blunt ascending transmission of impulses to the brain resulting from noxious stimulation. Because intrathecal picrotoxin (an antagonist at the gamma‐aminobutyric acid‐A receptor) partially reverses the immobilizing effect of isoflurane and halothane, we hypothesized that the electroencephalographic response to noxious stimulation would likewise be partially reversed by intrathecal picrotoxin.