Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Constitutive Activation of Retinoic Acid Receptor β2 Promoter by Orphan Nuclear Receptor TR2*

The orphan nuclear receptor TR2 functions as a constitutive activator for the endogenous retinoic acid receptor β2 (RARβ2) gene expression in P19 embryonal carcinoma cells and for reporters driven by the RARβ2 promoter in COS-1 cells. The activation of RARβ2 by TR2 is mediated by the direct repeat-5 (DR5) element located in the RARβ2promoter. Furthermore, cAMP exerts an enhancing effect on the activation of RARβ2 by TR2, which is mediated by the cAMP response element located in the 5′-flanking region of the DR5. The constitutive activation function-1 (AF-1) of TR2 is mapped to amino acid residues 10–30 in its N-terminal A segment. A direct molecular interaction occurs between CREMτ and TR2, detected by co-immunoprecipitation, which is mediated by the N-terminal AB segment of TR2. In gel mobility shift assays, TR2 competes with P19 nuclear factor binding to the RARβ2 promoter, and TR2 and CREMτ bind simultaneously to this DNA fragment. The role of TR2 in the early events of RA signaling process is discussed.
Efficacy of naltrexone and acamprosate for alcoholism treatment: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND Renewed interest in medications to prevent relapse in alcoholics (i.e., antidipsotropics) resulted in approval by the Food and Drug Administration of naltrexone to treat alcohol dependence. Acamprosate, although not approved in the United States, is used in alcoholism treatment in many other parts of the world. In the absence of studies that compare the effects of these medications, we used a meta-analytic approach to the literature to compare their efficacy in alcoholism treatment. METHODS All published placebo-controlled trials of naltrexone or acamprosate for alcohol dependence were examined, and, when suitable, data were extracted for calculation of a mean effect size. A sample of studies of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors for treatment of major depression conducted over the last two decades served as a comparator for the antidipsotropics. RESULTS Both antidipsotropics exerted significant, but modest, effects on treatment retention and/or drinking outcomes. There was significant variability among the studies for the measure on which the largest effect was exerted by each of these medications. Based on limited comparisons of the two medications, there appears to be no statistical difference in their efficacy in the treatment of alcohol dependence. In contrast, there was a consistent effect of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors on depressive symptoms in major depression, which was significantly greater than the effects observed for the antidipsotropics. CONCLUSIONS Both naltrexone and acamprosate are efficacious in reducing alcohol consumption in alcoholics. However, their specific role in alcoholism treatment remains to be more clearly defined. New approaches to the use of these medications and development of new medications are needed if pharmacotherapy is to play a substantial role in the treatment of alcoholism.
Postoperative High-Dose Steroids Do Not Improve Mid-Term Survival With Native Liver in Biliary Atresia

OBJECTIVE:Postoperative adjuvant steroid treatment is reported to improve jaundice-free survival in biliary atresia (BA) patients and to reduce the need for early liver transplantation. However, evidence of all retrospective studies is very limited, although high-dose corticosteroids were favored. The aim of this dosage finding study was to test the most promising corticosteroid protocol in a smaller but representative series, in order to optimize the settings of upcoming prospective and long-term multicenter studies.METHODS:Our prospective single-center and open-labeled pilot study on high-dose steroids included 49 consecutive BA patients. Basic data of the study group were not different from 29 controls. In the study group, 20 consecutive patients were treated after the Kasai with methylprednisolone (10 mg/kg day 1 to 5 and 1 mg/kg day 6 to 28). RESULTS:Overall survival with native liver was 63% after 6 months and 31% after 2 yr, with no statistical difference between the study and control groups. After 2 yr, 27% of all patients were still jaundice-free. With regard to predictive parameters, we found, 6 months after the Kasai, bilirubin <20 μmol/L as highly sensitive (97%) and specific (93%) for jaundice-free survival with native liver.CONCLUSIONS:In contrast to previous reports, this pilot study shows that high-dose steroid pulses after Kasai procedure are not effective in postoperative adjuvant therapy protocols and should be avoided in upcoming multicenter steroid studies. Therefore, we recommend extended and randomized multicenter studies to pre-evaluate the supposed effectiveness of alternative steroid protocols, by comparing, 6 months after the Kasai procedure, the number of patients with normal bilirubin.
Patient-Specific Oscillometric Blood Pressure Measurement: Validation for Accuracy and Repeatability

Oscillometric devices are widely used for automatic cuff blood pressure (BP) measurement. These devices estimate BP from the oscillometric cuff pressure waveform using population average methods. Hence, the devices may only be accurate over a limited BP range. The objective was to evaluate a new patient-specific method, which estimates BP by fitting a physiologic model to the same waveform. One-hundred and forty-five cardiac catheterization patients and normal adults were included for study. The oscillometric cuff pressure waveform was obtained with an office device, while reference BP was measured via brachial artery catheterization or auscultation, during baseline and/or nitroglycerin administration. Fifty-seven of the subject records were utilized for refining the patient-specific method, while the remaining 88 subject records were employed for evaluation. The precision errors for all BP levels of the patient-specific method ranged from 6.3 to 7.6 mmHg. These errors were significantly lower than those of the office device (by 29% on average) in subjects with high pulse pressure (>50 mmHg) while being comparable to those of the device in subjects with normal pulse pressure (<50 mmHg). The bias and precision of the differences in repeated estimates for all BP levels of the patient-specific method ranged from 0.1 to 1.1 and 2.1 to 5.9 mmHg, respectively. These precision differences were significantly lower than those of the office device (by 64% on average). The patient-specific method may afford more accurate automatic cuff BP measurement in patients with large artery stiffening while limiting the number of required cuff inflations/deflations per measurement.
Prognostic Factors for Survival in Extensive Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer (ED-SCLC): The Importance of Smoking History, Socioeconomic and Marital Statuses, and Ethnicity

Background: We investigated whether independent prognostic factors for overall survival (OS) in non-small cell lung cancer such as ethnicity, smoking history, socioeconomic, and marital statuses are also applicable to extensive stage small cell lung cancer (ED-SCLC). Methods: SCLC patients diagnosed from 1991 to 2005 from 3 Southern California counties were identified. Prognostic factors for ED-SCLC patients were evaluated by univariate and multivariate analysis. Results: Of the 4782 SCLC patients analyzed, only 2.5% of the patients were never-smokers and 71.7% of patients presented with ED-SCLC. By multivariate analysis, a positive smoking status was a statistically significant poor prognostic factor for OS in ED-SCLC patients (versus never-smoker; hazard ratio [HR] = 1.310; p = 0.0125), in addition low socioeconomic status (SES) (from the lowest to the highest SES score; ptrend = 0.0128) and being unmarried (versus married; HR = 1.179; p < 0.0001). Asian ethnicity was a favorable prognostic factor in ED-SCLC (versus Caucasian; HR = 0.785; p = 0.0076). Female gender was another independent favorable prognostic factor (versus male; HR = 0.823; p < 0.0001). Conclusions: A positive history of smoking, low SES, and being unmarried are independent unfavorable prognostic factors for OS in ED-SCLC while Asian ethnicity and female gender are independent favorable prognostic factors for OS in ED-SCLC by multivariate analysis.
Enteroparasitic occurrence in stools from residents in Southwestern region of Saudi Arabia before and during Umrah season.

OBJECTIVE Study of the prevalence of human gastro-intestinal parasitic infections among patients living in Makkah Al-Mukkarmah city before and during Umrah season. METHODS One hundred eighty three stool samples were collected from patients living in Makkah, between the months of March and November 2005. Eighty were collected before the Umrah season began and 103 were collected during the Umrah season. Age, sex, and address were also recorded. Samples were preserved in 10% formol saline. They were examined using the direct smear technique and the formol ether concentration method. RESULTS The results suggest a higher prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections (70.5%) among the patients under study. Entamoeba histolytica/E. dispar and Giardia lamblia were found to be the most common intestinal parasites among patients before and during Umrah. The infection rate was higher in the under 30 age group (74.8%) and in persons living away from the Holy Masjid (77.7%). The prevalence of intestinal parasitoses during Umrah (73.8%) was higher than that before Umrah (66.3%). CONCLUSION The present study suggests that the group of people may underline the significant increase in the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections during Umrah season. This highly significant increase of parasitic infection rate (p=0.018) was elicited when results were compared by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The present data were discussed with previous studies.
Citizens’ policy mood, policies and election outcomes in Italy

ABSTRACT This article investigates the relationship between changes in Italians’ policy preferences and parties’ and governments’ responsiveness. It analyses whether there is a congruence between citizens’ policy preferences, on one side, and parties’ and governments’ ideological positions on the other. The study represents the first attempt to estimate the Italian ‘policy mood’ adopting a methodology already used for other political systems. We infer public preferences from more than 200 survey questions, administered more than 550 times between 1981 and 2015, which ask respondents to ‘take a side’ on several controversial domestic policy issues. Empirical results sustain the idea that public opinion acts as a thermostat to balance governments’ policy goals; and, at the same time, they provide somewhat stronger evidence for the argument that governments adapt their preferences to changes in public opinion. Finally, it is shown that there is a relationship between citizens’ preferences and their voting choices.
Bevacizumab in temozolomide refractory high-grade gliomas: single-centre experience and review of the literature

Background: Despite multidisciplinary treatment approaches, the prognosis for patients with high-grade glioma (HGG) is poor, with a median overall survival (OS) of 14.6 months for glioblastoma multiforme (GB). As high levels of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF) are found in HGG, targeted anti-antiangiogenic therapy using the humanized monoclonal antibody bevacizumab (BEV) was studied in a series of clinical trials. Still, the discrepancy of BEV’s efficacy with regard to initial clinical and radiological response and its reported failure to prolong survival remains to be explained. Here, we illustrate the effectiveness of BEV in recurrent HGG by summarizing our single-centre experience. Methods: We have retrospectively investigated the effect of BEV in temozolomide refractory HGG in 39 patients treated at the University Hospital of Ulm, Germany. Results: Median duration of BEV treatment was 12.5 weeks; 23% of patients received BEV for more than 6 months and 15% for more than 1 year, until clinical or radiological tumour progression led to discontinuation. Furthermore, Karnofsky performance status increased in 30.6% and steroid dose decreased in 39% of all patients. Conclusions: The review of literature reveals that phase II and III studies support BEV as an effective therapy in recurrent HGG, at least with regard to progression-free survival (PFS), but landmark phase III trials failed to prove benefit concerning OS. Here, we discuss reasons that may account for this observation. We conclude that prolonging PFS with maintenance of neurological function and personal and economic independency justifies the off-label use of BEV.
Anakinra treatment in patients with adult-onset Still’s disease is fast, effective, safe and steroid sparing: experience from an uncontrolled trial

Adult-onset Still’s disease (AOSD) is characterised by a group of clinical and laboratory findings indicating systemic inflammation.1 Recent data support the hypothesis that interleukin 1 is essential in mediating inflammation, particularly in recalcitrant AOSD.2,3 From December 2003 we treated 10 patients with AOSD diagnosed according to proposed criteria.4 Four of these 10 consecutive patients, 4 had refractory AOSD with persistently active disease, despite administration of high-dose steroids. Herein, we report that all four patients rapidly responded to administration of anakinra (100 mg/day) and were promptly weaned from high-dose steroids. Table 1 shows the patients’ demographics, …
Employee silence in the context of unethical behavior at work: A commentary

This special issue of the German Journal of Human Resource Management reflects and reinforces the growing global interest in organizational studies of employee silence. Attention to this multidimensional concept has been steady since its introduction as the withholding of expressed evaluations of work circumstances to persons able to effect change with two initial dimensions - quiescent silence (fear and anger-based) and acquiescent silence (futility and resignation-based) - following unjust events (Pinder & Harlos, 2001). However, an unprecedented confluence of trends across law, justice, and governance worldwide underlies current strong concern about employee silence of ethical issues in organizations, including how we understand (un)ethical work behavior and protection for employees, organizations, and society. To sustain interest and impact, rigorous and relevant research is needed. This calls for intellectual diversity and open-mindedness to spur studies of employee silence while resisting paradigmatic isolation or privilege, concept proliferation and confusion, level-of-analysis slippage (e.g., equating employee silence with organizational silence), and other challenges. Advancing employee silence-ethics linkages depends on expanding theories using multiperspective, integrative approaches and testing models that span social, cognitive, and emotional elements in processes of silence. Better knowledge of employee silence promises a more healthy and motivated workforce, more successful and sustainable organizations, and more vibrant and engaged societies.
Bank Profitability and Risk-Taking Under Low Interest Rates

The aim of this paper is to investigate the impact of the unusually low interest rate environment on the soundness of the US banking sector in terms of profitability and risk-taking. Using both dynamic and static modeling approaches and various estimation techniques, we find that the low interest rate environment indeed impairs bank performance and compresses net interest margins. Nonetheless, banks have been able to maintain their overall level of profits, due to lower provisioning, which in turn may endanger financial stability. Banks did not compensate for their lower interest income by expanding operations to include trading activities with a higher risk exposure.
Urinary catecholamine levels and response to group cognitive behaviour therapy in depression.

AIM The aim was to investigate whether high catecholamine (CA) excreters would respond less well to a group cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) treatment for depression than others. METHOD A sample of 70 adults with depression symptoms participated in a 12-week course of group CBT. Participants' 24 hour urinary catecholamine levels at pre-therapy and post-therapy were used to classify them as High (N = 10); Low (N = 33) or Mixed (N = 27) according to a cut-off one standard deviation above a published mean for healthy adults. Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and cognitions questionnaire (Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire; Beck Hopelessness Scale and Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale) were used. RESULTS Repeated measures ANOVA analyses showed an equal rate of mood improvement in all three groups over the course of CBT, despite the fact that the High excreters were on average more depressed throughout the study. Changes in depression symptoms were mirrored by improvements in cognitive measures in the three catecholamine groups. CONCLUSION This study indicates that adults showing a biological marker of depression (elevated catecholamine levels) are equally able to benefit from CBT treatment as adults without this marker.
Molecular-based haplotype analysis of the beta 2-adrenergic receptor gene (ADRB2) in Japanese asthmatic and non-asthmatic subjects.

BACKGROUND The beta2-adrenergic receptor gene (ADRB2) is a target molecule of beta2-agonists. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the ADRB2 are related to the effectiveness of beta2-agonists. However, there are some discrepancies in the results of pharmacogenetic studies of ADRB2 among different ethnic groups. The aims of this study were to determine the ADRB2 haplotypes and diplotypes in Japanese asthmatic and non-asthmatic subjects and to examine their relation to asthma and to compare these results with previous studies done in other ethnic groups. METHODS Complete sequences for 3 kb promoter and 1.2 kb structural regions of ADRB2 were analyzed in 48 Japanese asthmatics and 100 controls, and haplotypes and diplotypes of SNPs were analyzed. RESULTS Fifteen SNPs including a novel one in -839 were observed. Allele frequencies for all SNPs were similar between asthmatics and controls. We also identified 42 haplotypes and 54 diplotypes of ADRB2 in a Japanese population. The frequencies were similar between the two groups. They were classified into 17 and 23 types, respectively, according to Drysdale's haplotype-organization system, and a significant ethnic difference was observed between the Japanese and Caucasian populations. CONCLUSIONS The frequencies of SNPs and ADBR2 haplotypes in Japanese are different from those in Caucasians and African Americans. These divergences might imply the need for independent pharmacogenetic studies for ADBR2 in each ethnic group.
The ‘dry’ non‐eczematous skin associated with atopic eczema *

The non‐eczematous but ‘dry’ skin of twelve patients with eczema has been studied and contrasted with skin from similar sites in control subjects of similar age and sex and with patients with autosomal dominant ichthyosis. The areas investigated were examined histologically and by techniques for assessment of the stratum corneum structure and function. The ‘dry’ skin sites demonstrated increased intracorneal cohesion, increased total epidermal thickness, patchy parakeratosis and in places slight hypergranulosis. It is concluded that the dry skin condition of patients with atopic eczema is not autosomal dominant ichthyosis and is probably eczematous in nature.
Use of plastic waste (poly-ethylene terephthalate) in asphalt concrete mixture as aggregate replacement

One of the environmental issues in most regions of Iran is the large number of bottles made from poly-ethylene terephthalate (PET) deposited in domestic wastes and landfills. Due to the high volume of these bottles, more than 1 million m3 landfill space is needed for disposal every year. The purpose of this experimental study was to investigate the possibility of using PET waste in asphalt concrete mixes as aggregate replacement (Plastiphalt) to reduce the environmental effects of PET disposal. For this purpose the mechanical properties of plastiphalt mixes were compared with control samples. This study focused on the parameters of Marshall stability, flow, Marshall quotient (stability-to-flow ratio) and density. The waste PET used in this study was in the form of granules of about 3 mm diameter which would replace (by volume) a portion of the mineral coarse aggregates of an equal size (2.36-4.75 mm). In all prepared mixes the determined 6.6% optimum bitumen content was used. In this investigation, five different percentages of coarse aggregate replacement were used. The results showed that the aggregate replacement of 20% by volume with PET granules would result in a reduction of 2.8% in bulk compacted mix density. The value of flow in the plastiphalt mix was lower than that of the control samples. The results also showed that when PET was used as partial aggregate replacement, the corresponding Marshall stability and Marshall quotient were almost the same as for the control samples. According to most of specification requirement, these results introduce an asphalt mix that has properties that makes it suitable for practical use and furthermore, the recycling of PET for asphalt concrete roads helps alleviate an environmental problem and saves energy.
Effect of waveguide thickness layer on spectral resonance of a Guided Mode Resonance Filter

We demonstrated cost-effective Guided Mode Resonance Filters (GMRFs) that are diffraction gratings with spectrally narrow reflectance peaks due to resonance anomalies and couple incident light into a semi-guided mode in a corrugated waveguide. The GMRF consists of a single high index dielectric layer on a periodically corrugated transparent substrate to couple light. The GMRFs are designed by Fourier Modal Method (FMM), a numerical tool based on rigorous calculations of electromagnetic diffraction theory. In FMM the field is expanded in different regimes with the application of boundary conditions at each interface. GMRFs in polymer materials (polycarbonate) are fabricated by Nano-Imprint Lithography (NIL) from a master silicon-stamp. The master Si-stamp is fabricated by the exposure of Electron Beam Lithography (EBL) on a negative & binary tone resist, Hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ) to make sub-wavelength grating structures. The fabricated gratings are coated by a high refractive index TiO2 amorphous thin layer using Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD). GMRFs are demonstrated both theoretically and experimentally to shift spectral resonance towards longer wavelengths with the increase in TiO2 thickness.
Aid & the ouroborus : US foreign military assistance and human security in Pakistan.

The politics of aid and the effect aid strategies have on recipient populations has been a significant interest area in international politics and economics. While studies of this behaviour have tended to focus on economic or developmental impacts, the security implications of military based aid have enjoyed less attention. It is an important area as the transfer of military capacity from states to allies or allied non-state actors is having resurgence in the midst of new, intersecting proxy conflicts in the Middle East and Europe. This article questions whether military aid strategies can contribute to the conditions of political violence and terrorism that they are ostensibly intended to address. The study uses a structured within-case comparative analysis of two periods of recent Pakistani history in which the state has been both the recipient of massive influxes of US military aid, and a target for embargo from such programs. A modified human security framework is used to assess changes in the security environment for the recipient population in these two time periods with a focus on the frequency and intensity of political violence. It finds that in this particular case, military aid has correlated with the entrenchment of military power and increasing political violence within the recipient state.