Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diet, health and globalization: five key questions

The present paper explores possible implications of the globalization of the food system for diet and health. The paper poses five key questions to clarify the relationship between food and globalization. The first question is what is globalization. The paper suggests that it is helpful to distinguish between economic, political, ideological and cultural processes. Globalization is also marked by internal oppositional dynamics: there are re-localization and regional tendencies which counter the global. The second question is whether there is anything new about globalization. Food has been a much traded commodity for millennia. The paper concludes that what is new about the current phases of globalization is the pace and scale of the change, and the fact that power is being concentrated into so few hands. New marketing techniques and supply-chain management consolidate these features. The third question is who is in control of the globalization era and who benefits and loses from the processes of globalization. It is argued that modern food economies are hypermarket rather than market economies, with power accruing to the distributor more than has been recognized. The fourth question concerns governance of the food system. Historically, systems of local and national government have regulated the food supply where appropriate. Now, new international systems are emerging, partly using existing bodies and partly creating new ones. The final question is of the future. Globalization is a value-laden area of study, yet its implications for dietary change and for health are considerable. The paper argues that dimensions of change can be discerned, although it would be rash to bet on which end of each dimension will emerge as dominant in the 21st century.
Atrial Fibrillation Ablation Strategies for Paroxysmal Patients: Randomized Comparison Between Different Techniques

Background—Whether different ablation strategies affect paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) long-term freedom from AF/atrial tachyarrhythmia is unclear. We sought to compare the effect of 3 different ablation approaches on the long-term success in patients with paroxysmal AF. Methods and Results—One hundred three consecutive patients with paroxysmal AF scheduled for ablation and presenting in the electrophysiology laboratory in AF were selected for this study. Patients were randomized to pulmonary vein antrum isolation (PVAI; n=35) versus biatrial ablation of the complex fractionated atrial electrograms (CFAEs; n=34) versus PVAI followed by CFAEs (n=34). Patients were given event recorders and followed up at 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 months postablation. There was no statistical significant difference between the groups in term of sex, age, AF duration, left atrial size, and ejection fraction. At 1 year follow-up, freedom from AF/atrial tachyarrhythmia was documented in 89% of patients in the PVAI group, 91% in the PVAI plus CFAEs group, and 23% in the CFAEs group (P<0.001) after a single procedure and with antiarrhythmic drugs. Conclusion—No difference in terms of success rate was seen between PVAI alone and PVAI associated with defragmentation. CFAEs ablation alone had the smallest impact on AF recurrences at 1-year follow-up. These results suggest that antral isolation is sufficient to treat most patients with paroxysmal AF.
A Fault-Tolerant Series-Resonant DC–DC Converter

The series-resonant dc-dc converter (SRC) is widely used as power supply for telecommunications, wireless power transfer for electrical vehicle, and high-voltage power supplies. Recently, it became very popular in solid-state transformer application, where fault tolerance is a highly desired feature and it is obtained through redundancy. This letter proposes a reconfiguration scheme for the SRC for the case of failure in one semiconductor, which could drastically reduce the need of redundancy. Using the proposed scheme, the full-bridge based SRC can be reconfigured in a half-bridge topology, in order to keep the converter operational even with the failure [open circuit (OC) or short circuit (SC)] of one switch. As a drawback of this technique, the output voltage drops to half of its original value. Therefore, a novel reconfigurable rectifier based on the voltage-doubler topology is proposed as a solution to keep the output voltage constant after the fault. To verify the feasibility of the proposed scheme, the converter is tested experimentally in a 700-600 V prototype with 10 kW of output power. An insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) SC fault is tested and the results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Calcineurin Regulates Nuclear Factor I Dephosphorylation and Activity in Malignant Glioma Cell Lines*

Background: Nuclear factor I (NFI) phosphorylation controls the expression of glial genes associated with migration. Results: NFI is dephosphorylated and activated by a cleaved form of calcineurin in malignant glioma cells. Conclusion: NFI transcriptional activity in malignant glioma is regulated in part by calcineurin. Significance: Regulation of NFI by calcineurin provides a novel approach to control the expression of genes associated with migration/infiltration in malignant glioma. Malignant gliomas (MG), including grades III and IV astrocytomas, are the most common adult brain tumors. These tumors are highly aggressive with a median survival of less than 2 years. Nuclear factor I (NFI) is a family of transcription factors that regulates the expression of glial genes in the developing brain. We have previously shown that regulation of the brain fatty acid-binding protein (B-FABP; FABP7) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) genes in MG cells is dependent on the phosphorylation state of NFI, with hypophosphorylation of NFI correlating with GFAP and B-FABP expression. Importantly, NFI phosphorylation is dependent on phosphatase activity that is enriched in GFAP/B-FABP+ve cells. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation, we show that NFI occupies the GFAP and B-FABP promoters in NFI-hypophosphorylated GFAP/B-FABP+ve MG cells. NFI occupancy, NFI-dependent transcriptional activity, and NFI phosphorylation are all modulated by the serine/threonine phosphatase calcineurin. Importantly, a cleaved form of calcineurin, associated with increased phosphatase activity, is specifically expressed in NFI-hypophosphorylated GFAP/B-FABP+ve MG cells. Calcineurin in GFAP/B-FABP+ve MG cells localizes to the nucleus. In contrast, calcineurin is primarily found in the cytoplasm of GFAP/B-FABP-ve cells, suggesting a dual mechanism for calcineurin activation in MG. Finally, our results demonstrate that calcineurin expression is up-regulated in areas of high infiltration/migration in grade IV astrocytoma tumor tissue. Our data suggest a critical role for calcineurin in NFI transcriptional regulation and in the determination of MG infiltrative properties.
Technical Note: On the use of cylindrical ionization chambers for electron beam reference dosimetry

Purpose: To investigate the use of cylindrical chambers for electron beam dosimetry independent of energy by studying the variability of relative ion chamber perturbation corrections, one of the main concerns for electron beam dosimetry with cylindrical chambers. Methods: Measurements are made with sets of cylindrical and plane‐parallel reference‐class chambers as a function of depth in water in 8 MeV and 18 MeV electron beams. The ratio of chamber readings for similar chambers is normalized in a high‐energy electron beam and can be thought of as relative perturbation corrections. Data are plotted as a function of mean electron energy at depth for a range of depths close to the phantom surface to R80, the depth at which the ionization falls to 80% of its maximum value. Additional, similar measurements are made in a Virtual Water® phantom with cylindrical chambers at the reference depth in a 4 MeV electron beam. Results: The variability of relative ion chamber perturbation corrections for nominally identical cylindrical Farmer‐type chambers is found to be less than 0.4%, no worse than plane‐parallel chambers with similar specifications. Conclusions: This work discusses several issues related to the use of plane‐parallel ion chambers and suggests that reference‐class cylindrical chambers may be appropriate for reference dosimetry of all electron beams. This would simplify the reference dosimetry procedure and improve accuracy of beam calibration.
Altered calcium dynamics in cultured cerebellar cells from IP3Rl-deficient mice

Intracellular calcium release in response to bath-applied quisqualate or caffeine was examined in cerebellar primary cultures of type-1-inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate-receptor (IP3R1)- deficient mice. Under [Ca2+]o-free conditions, calcium release in response to 10 μM quisqualate was significantly reduced in Purkinje cells, but was unaffected in granule cells, suggesting that different subtypes of IP3 receptors contribute to the metabotropic glutamate response in these cells. In addition, calcium release in response to 10 mM caffeine under [Ca2+]o-free conditions was not impaired in cerebellar cells, suggesting that IICR and CICR are independently regulated in cerebellar cells. Moreover, in both wild-type and homozygous mutant mice, CICR in granule cells was ∼6 times greater than in Purkinje cells.
Altered fibrin clot properties in patients with chronic heart failure and sinus rhythm: a novel prothrombotic mechanism

Background Thromboembolic complications occur more frequently in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) than in the general population. Formation of a compact fibrin clot resistant to lysis has been shown in arterial and venous thrombosis. Objective To investigate fibrin clot properties in patients with CHF. Method Plasma clot permeability, compaction, turbidity and fibrinolysis were assessed in 36 consecutive patients with stable CHF (30M, 6F; aged 64±10 years, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) 34.9±6.7%) and 36 controls matched for age, sex, cardiovascular risk factors and medication. Exclusion criteria were LVEF >40%, anticoagulant therapy, previous thromboembolic events, atrial fibrillation. Results Clots obtained from plasma of patients with CHF had 23% lower clot permeability (p<0.0001), 13% less clot compaction (p<0.001), 15% faster fibrin polymerisation (p<0.0001) and tended to have prolonged fibrinolysis time (p=0.1) compared with controls. C-reactive protein and fibrinogen were associated inversely with clot permeability (R2=0.84, p<0.0001 and R2=0.79, p<0.0001, respectively) and positively with fibrinolysis time (R2=0.88, p<0.0001 and R2=0.80, p<0.0001, respectively) in patients with CHF. Plasma thrombin–antithrombin complex concentrations were inversely correlated with clot permeability (R2=0.88, p<0.0001) and positively with fibrinolysis time (R2=0.91, p<0.0001). Left atrium diameter, but not LVEF, correlated with fibrinolysis time (R2=0.61, p=0.027). Conclusions Patients with CHF with sinus rhythm are characterised by faster formation of compact plasma fibrin clots, which might predispose to thromboembolic complications.
Enzyme mechanism and catalytic property of beta propeller phytase.

BACKGROUND Phytases hydrolyze phytic acid (myo-inositol-hexakisphosphate) to less-phosphorylated myo-inositol derivatives and inorganic phosphate. Phytases are used in animal feed to reduce phosphate pollution in the environment. Recently, a thermostable, calcium-dependent Bacillus phytase was identified that represents the first example of the beta propeller fold exhibiting phosphatase activity. We sought to delineate the catalytic mechanism and property of this enzyme. RESULTS The crystal structure of the enzyme in complex with inorganic phosphate reveals that two phosphates and four calcium ions are tightly bound at the active site. Mutation of the residues involved in the calcium chelation results in severe defects in the enzyme's activity. One phosphate ion, chelating all of the four calcium ions, is close to a water molecule bridging two of the bound calcium ions. Fluoride ion, which is expected to replace this water molecule, is an uncompetitive inhibitor of the enzyme. The enzyme is able to hydrolyze any of the six phosphate groups of phytate. CONCLUSIONS The enzyme reaction is likely to proceed through a direct attack of the metal-bridging water molecule on the phosphorous atom of a substrate and the subsequent stabilization of the pentavalent transition state by the bound calcium ions. The enzyme has two phosphate binding sites, the "cleavage site", which is responsible for the hydrolysis of a substrate, and the "affinity site", which increases the binding affinity for substrates containing adjacent phosphate groups. The existence of the two nonequivalent phosphate binding sites explains the puzzling formation of the alternately dephosphorylated myo-inositol triphosphates from phytate and the hydrolysis of myo-inositol monophosphates.
Immunogenicity and Safety of H5N1 A/Vietnam/1194/2004 (Clade 1) AS03-Adjuvanted Prepandemic Candidate Influenza Vaccines in Children Aged 3 to 9 Years: A Phase II, Randomized, Open, Controlled Study

Background: The development of vaccines against pandemic influenza viruses for use in children is a public health priority. Methods: In this phase II, randomized, open study, the immunogenicity and reactogenicity of H5N1 A/Vietnam/1194/2004 (NIBRG-14) (clade 1) prepandemic influenza vaccine were assessed in children aged 3 to 5 and 6 to 9 years. Children were randomized to receive 2 doses, given 21 days apart, of A/Vietnam/1194/2004 vaccine containing 1.9 &mgr;g or 3.75 &mgr;g hemagglutinin antigen (HA), adjuvanted with a tocopherol-based oil-in-water emulsion (AS03) containing 11.86 mg (AS03A) or 5.93 mg (AS03B) tocopherol. Control groups received 2 doses of trivalent influenza vaccine (TIV). Humoral immune responses, reactogenicity, and safety were the primary outcome measures; cross-reactivity and cell-mediated responses were also assessed (NCT00502593). Results: Between 49 and 51 children in each age stratum (aged 3–5 and 6–9 years) received H5N1 vaccine, and between 17 and 18 children in each age stratum received TIV. After the second dose, recipients of H5N1 vaccine (1.9 &mgr;g HA/AS03B, 3.75 &mgr;g HA/AS03B, and 3.75 &mgr;g HA/AS03A) achieved humoral antibody titers against the vaccine-homologous strain, which fulfilled the United States influenza vaccines licensure criteria for immunogenicity. With the exception of 1 child, there were no H5N1 immune responses in children who received TIV. The most frequent injection-site event was pain in all groups, and the H5N1 vaccine had a clinically acceptable reactogenicity and safety profile. Exploratory analyses in children aged 3 to 5 years indicated that the induction of CD4+ T-cell responses polarized in favor of a T-helper 1 profile. Conclusions: The results showed that 2 doses of AS03-adjuvanted H5N1 influenza vaccine at antigen-sparing doses of 1.9 &mgr;g or 3.75 &mgr;g HA elicited broad and persistent immune responses with acceptable reactogenicity, and without safety concerns, in children aged 3 to 9 years.
Income and risk of ischaemic heart disease in men and women in a Nordic welfare country.

BACKGROUND The inverse relation between ischaemic heart disease (IHD) and income is well known among men, but it remains to be clarified whether the relationship between social gradient and IHD is similar for men and women. The present study explores the associations between income and IHD in men and women in a Nordic country. METHODS We used data from two prospective population studies conducted in Copenhagen. A total of 22 782 subjects, 54% women, with initial examination between 1964 and 1992 were followed until 1996 for hospital admission or death from IHD. We performed survival analyses, taking traditional cardiovascular risk factors into account, and estimated IHD-free life expectancy by household income in men and women. RESULTS During follow-up, 1803 men and 1258 women experienced an event of IHD (21% fatal). The hazards by deciles of income showed a non-linear graded inverse effect of income, with a large group of middle-income in which income was not associated with risk of IHD. The hazard ratio for highest versus lowest deciles was 0.53 (95% CI: 0.44-0.65). The association was attenuated by adjustment for risk factors, but remained statistically significant. The associations were similar for both sexes. Median IHD-free life expectancy for low-income versus high-income groups was reduced by 9.4 and 7.0 years in men and women, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The effect of household income on risk of IHD was graded and similar for men and women. The difference between high and low income, regarding IHD-free life expectancy, was considerable.
Incidence of Early Neonatal Mortality and Morbidity After Late-Preterm and Term Cesarean Delivery

OBJECTIVE. To determine the age-stratified risk of intrapartum and neonatal mortality as well as morbidities of clinical relevance after elective cesarean delivery (ECD). METHODS. This work was a cohort study including 56 549 prospectively recorded late-preterm and term deliveries. We analyzed the effect of cesarean delivery (CD) before the onset of labor on the following multiple neonatal outcomes before hospital discharge, compared with planned vaginal delivery (PVD) and emergency CD: mortality, birth depression, special care admission, and respiratory morbidity. We adjusted for confounders by multivariate analysis and stratified the risk according to gestational age (GA). RESULTS. Mortality and morbidities had a strong GA-related trend with the lowest incidences consistently found between 38 and 40 weeks of gestation independent of delivery mode. Compared with infants delivered via PVD, infants delivered via ECD had significantly higher rates of mortality (adjusted risk ratio [aRR]: 2.1), risk of special care admission (aRR: 1.4), and respiratory morbidity (aRR: 1.8) but not of depression at birth (aRR: 1.1). Compared with emergency CD, newborns delivered via ECD had less depression at birth (aRR: 0.6) and admission to special care (aRR: 0.8), but mortality (aRR: 0.8) and respiratory morbidity (aRR: 1.0) rates were similar. CONCLUSIONS. Gestational age–specific risk estimates are lowest between 38 and 40 weeks and should be included in the informed-consent process. The information should also be used to allow for appropriate preparation with respect to adequate staff and equipment. ECD is consistently associated with increased intrapartum and neonatal mortality, risk of admission, and respiratory morbidity compared with PVD and has no advantage over emergency CD in terms of mortality. Neonatal morbidities are lower after ECD than emergency CD only with term births. Our data provide evidence that ECD should not be performed before term.
Folate intake and squamous-cell carcinoma of the oesophagus in Italian and Swiss men.

BACKGROUND Dietary folate has been inversely related to the risk of several cancers. However, studies on the role of dietary folate in oesophageal cancer are scanty. PATIENTS AND METHODS Using data from a multicentric case-control study conducted in Italy and Switzerland between 1992 and 1999, we investigated the association between dietary folate intake and oesophageal squamous-cell carcinoma (OSCC) among 351 men with incident, histologically confirmed OSCC and 875 hospital controls admitted for acute, non-neoplastic conditions, unrelated to alcohol and smoking consumption. Intake of folate and other nutrients was computed from a validated food frequency questionnaire. RESULTS The multivariate odds ratios (ORs) of OSCC were 0.68 (95% confidence intervals, CI: 0.46-1.00) for the highest versus the lowest tertile of folate intake, and 0.84 (95% CI: 0.72-0.99) for an increment of folate intake equal to a standard deviation (98 microg/day). The inverse relation was somewhat stronger in strata of high methionine, vitamin B6 and alcohol intake, and did not vary substantially according to age and smoking habits. CONCLUSION Dietary folate was inversely related to OSCC risk in this population with high alcohol consumption and infrequent use of supplements and multivitamins.
Bacterial biofilms in chronic rhinosinusitis; distribution and prevalence

Abstract Conclusion: Biofilms were more prevalent in patients with CRSwNP compared to both CRSsNP and controls, and also on the ethmoid bulla compared to the middle turbinate, supporting a biofilm-related pathogenesis of CRSwNP. Objective: To investigate the prevalence of biofilms in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) compared to patients with chronic rhinosinusitis without nasal polyps (CRSsNP) and controls. To examine the prevalence of biofilms in different anatomical localizations. Study design: Cross-sectional. Methods: This study comprised 27 patients with CRSsNP, 34 patients with CRSwNP, and 25 controls. Biopsies from the middle turbinate, the uncinate process, and the ethmoid bulla were harvested pre-operatively, snap frozen in isopentane, cooled, and stored at −80°C. Prepared with Invitrogens’ Baclight LiveDead kit and investigated with confocal scanning laser microscopy. Results: Biofilms were studied in 33/34 (97%) CRSwNP, 22/27 (82%) CRSsNP, and 14/25 (56%) controls. The difference in point prevalence between patients with CRSwNP vs CRSsNP (p = 0.042, χ2 = 4.12), CRSwNP vs Controls (p < 0.001, χ2 = 15.0), and CRSsNP vs controls (p = 0.047, χ2 = 3.96) were all significant. Biofilms were found in 43/54 (80%) ethmoid bulla, 39/55 (71%) uncinate process, and 31/50 (62%) middle turbinate. The difference between the ethmoid bulla and the middle turbinate locations (p = 0.047, χ2 = 3.93) was significant.
Age at menarche and risk of ovarian cancer: A meta‐analysis of epidemiological studies

Epidemiological studies have reported inconsistent associations between menarcheal age and ovarian cancer risk. To our knowledge, a meta‐analysis for the association between menarcheal age and ovarian cancer has not been reported. Relevant published studies of menarcheal age and ovarian cancer were identified using MEDLINE, EMBASE and Web of Science through the end of April 2012. Two authors (T‐T.G. and Q‐J.W.) independently assessed eligibility and extracted data. We pooled the relative risks (RRs) from individual studies using a random‐effects model and performed heterogeneity and publication bias analyses. A total of 27 observational studies consisting of 22 case–control and five cohort studies were included in our analysis. In a pooled analysis of all studies, a statistically significant inverse association was observed between menarcheal age (for the oldest compared to the youngest category) and ovarian cancer risk (RR = 0.85; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.75–0.97). The pooled RRs of ovarian cancer for the oldest versus the youngest categories of menarcheal age in prospective and case–control studies were 0.89 (95% CI = 0.76–1.03) and 0.84 (95% CI = 0.70–0.99), respectively. Inverse associations between menarcheal age and ovarian cancer risk were observed in most subgroups; however, the significant association was restricted to invasive and borderline serous ovarian cancer. In conclusion, findings from this meta‐analysis support that menarcheal age was inversely associated with the risk of ovarian cancer. More large studies are warranted to stratify these results by different cancer grading and histotype of ovarian cancer.