Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Patterns of second malignant neoplasms in children

A search of the records of 10 pediatric oncology centers revealed 102 children with more than one malignant neoplasm. In this group of 102 patients, all pediatric cancers were seen as initial lesions, but Wilms' tumor and retinoblastoma were over‐represented and leukemia and brain tumors under‐represented. Survival variation as well as tumor susceptibility may be responsible for this disproportion. Osteosarcomas and chondrosarcomas were the most frequent second malignant neoplasms (SMN). Embryonal tumors were rare as SMN and adult‐type tumors (carcinomas) appeared at earlier than expected ages, whether arising after irradiation or not related to that form of therapy. Radiation was associated with 69 SMN, genetic disease accounted for 27 SMN and both conditions were noted in 15 SMN. In the group of 21 patients for whom neither radiation nor a known genetic disorder could be implicated, there were three with colon carcinoma and glioma and five with leukemia or lymphoma and glioma. These combinations may reflect new tissue‐specific hereditary cancer syndromes.
THE GENDER SYSTEM AND INTERACTION

▪ Abstract The gender system includes processes that both define males and females as different in socially significant ways and justify inequality on the basis of that difference. Gender is different from other forms of social inequality in that men and women interact extensively within families and households and in other role relations. This high rate of contact between men and women raises important questions about how interaction creates experiences that confirm, or potentially could undermine, the beliefs about gender difference and inequality that underlie the gender system. Any theory of gender difference and inequality must accommodate three basic findings from research on interaction. (a). People perceive gender differences to be pervasive in interaction. (b). Studies of interaction among peers with equal power and status show few gender differences in behavior. (c). Most interactions between men and women occur in the structural context of roles or status relationships that are unequal. These s.
Rapid detection of acute kidney injury by urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin after cardiopulmonary bypass surgery.

OBJECTIVE To determine the accuracy of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) in early detection of acute kidney injury (AKI) after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) surgery by comparing with serum creatinine. STUDY DESIGN Descriptive study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY Department of Chemical Pathology and Endocrinology, AFIP in collaboration with AFIC/ NIHD, Rawalpindi, from April to December 2011. METHODOLOGY Eighty eight patients undergoing CPB surgery in AFIC/NIHD were included by consecutive sampling. Blood samples of subjects for serum creatinine analysis were drawn pre-operatively, 4 h, 24 h and 48 h after CPB surgery. Spot urine samples for NGAL were collected at 4 h after CPB surgery. Urine samples were analyzed on Abbott ARCHITECT i2000SR analyzer whereas serum creatinine samples were measured on Beckman UniCel® DxC 600 Synchron® Clinical System. RESULTS Out of 88 patients, 11 (13%) cases developed AKI 4 h postoperatively. Urinary NGAL increased markedly at 4 h postoperatively as compared to serum creatinine which showed rise at 24 - 48 h after cardiac surgery. Analysis of urine NGAL at a cutoff value of 87 ng/ml showed area under the curve of 0.91 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.83 - 0.96] with sensitivity of 90.9% (95% CI 58.7 - 98.5) and specificity of 98.7% (95% CI 92.9-99.8). There was a positive correlation of 4 h urine NGAL and serum delta creatinine at 48 h, which was statistically significant (rs = 0.33, p = 0.001). CONCLUSION The study demonstrated that levels of urine NGAL in patients suffering from AKI increased significantly at 4 h as compared to serum creatinine levels. Urine NGAL is an early predictive biomarker of AKI after CPB.
Assessing and Mapping Reading and Writing Motivation in Third to Eight Graders: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective

The twofold aim of this study was to substantiate the validity of the Self-Regulation Questionnaire-Reading Motivation and Self-Regulation Questionnaire-Writing Motivation for third to eight graders and to map motivational trends in elementary and secondary education students’ academic and recreational reading and writing. More specifically, we adopted the innovative and coherent theoretical framework of the Self-Determination Theory to study qualitatively different motives for reading and writing and to examine the relationships between them. In total, 2,343 students from third to eighth grade were involved. Based on confirmatory factor analyses, a two-factor model, distinguishing between autonomous and controlled motivation, for academic and recreational reading and writing was confirmed in all grades. Furthermore, the scales were reliable, and the measurement models were invariant across students’ gender and their general achievement level. Despite the absence of strong invariance for the measurement models across each of the different grades, we found evidence that students within the same grade level (i.e., middle elementary, upper elementary, and lower secondary grade) interpreted the SRQ-Reading and Writing scale items in a conceptually similar way. Factor correlations confirmed the interrelatedness of reading and writing motives, as well as strong associations between students’ motivation to read and write in either academic and recreational contexts. Finally, concerning the motivational trends, the present results advert to a significant decline of students’ autonomous motivation to read and write, both in and outside school. Accordingly, we point out that the late elementary and the lower secondary grades are crucial phases to engage students in motivating literacy activities. In light of these alarming results, we recommend future experimental research studies to focus on evaluating the effectiveness of instructional reading and writing activities that foster students’ innate need for autonomy, competence, and relatedness.
Diagnostic laparoscopy in gynecologic disorders.

A clinical analysis of 3015 consecutive cases of diagnostic laparoscopy performed from June 1974 to May 1985 was done. Infertility was the leading indication (68.1%). The pelvic abnormalities were found in 84.5% of 2053 infertile patients. Tubal occlusion and pelvic adhesion were the most common abnormalities. With regard to the tubal patency, there was agreement between laparoscopic and hysterosalpingographic findings in 77.5% of 1267 infertile patients. In 54.5% of 244 patients with suspected ectopic pregnancy, the diagnosis was confirmed. The error in prelaparoscopic diagnosis of obscure pelvic mass was 31% and unwarranted surgery was avoided in 18.3% following laparoscopy.
Chloride conductance in normal and myotonic muscle fibres and the action of monocarboxylic aromatic acids

1. Cable parameters, component conductances, excitability and membrane potentials in isolated external intercostal fibre bundles at 38° C from normal and myotonic goats were measured in normal and low‐chloride Ringer, and in the presence of monocarboxylic aromatic acids that produce myotonic responses in mammalian muscle.
In vitro activity of pyronaridine against field isolates and reference clones of Plasmodium falciparum.

Pyronaridine, a 9-substituted 1-aza-acridine, was assayed for in vitro activity against clinical and field isolates as well as characterized clones of Plasmodium falciparum. The in vitro antimalarial activity of pyronaridine was compared to activities of standard antimalarials against multidrug-resistant isolates of P. falciparum from eastern and northern Thailand using an assay based on the inhibition of schizont maturation. Isolates from eastern Thailand (n = 30) were susceptible to pyronaridine (IC50 8.40 nM), mefloquine (IC50 6.97 nM), and amodiaquine (IC50 12.7 nM) and resistant to chloroquine (IC50 361 nM), quinine (IC50 388 nM), and pyrimethamine (IC50 11,800 nM). The isolates from northern Thailand (n = 7) showed no statistical difference in susceptibility to pyronaridine (IC50 10.1 nM), amodiaquine (IC50 7.29 nM), and mefloquine (IC50 5.48 nM); however, isolates were significantly more susceptible to chloroquine (IC50 167 nM), quinine (IC50 248 nM), and pyrimethamine (IC50 1,980 nM). These data suggest a lack of cross-resistance between pyronaridine and either chloroquine, quinine, or pyrimethamine. Using the same assay system the in vitro activity of pyronaridine was evaluated against isolates from treatment failures of mefloquine or enpiroline from eastern Thailand. The IC50 values for mefloquine against five recrudescent isolates were significantly higher (IC50 16.4 nM) than the field isolates collected from the same region (IC50 6.97 nM); however, there was no significant difference in the pyronaridine susceptibility between the isolates from the field study (IC50 8.89 nM) and the isolates from the treatment failures (IC50 8.40 nM). These observations suggest a lack of cross-resistance to mefloquine following treatment failure with either mefloquine or enpiroline. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Hsp90 Is Essential for Restoring Cellular Functions of Temperature-sensitive p53 Mutant Protein but Not for Stabilization and Activation of Wild-type p53

Several signaling pathways that monitor the dynamic state of the cell converge on the tumor suppressor p53. The ability of p53 to process these signals and exert a dynamic downstream response in the form of cell cycle arrest and/or apoptosis is crucial for preventing tumor development. This p53 function is abrogated by p53 gene mutations leading to alteration of protein conformation. Hsp90 has been implicated in regulating both wild-type and mutant p53 conformations, and Hsp90 antagonists are effective for the therapy of some human tumors. Using cell lines that contain human tumor-derived temperature-sensitive p53 mutants we show that Hsp90 is required for both stabilization and reactivation of mutated p53 at the permissive temperature. A temperature decrease to 32 °C causes conversion to a protein conformation that is capable of inducing expression of MDM2, leading to reduction of reactivated p53 levels by negative feedback. Mutant reactivation is enhanced by simultaneous treatment with agents that stabilize the reactivated protein and is blocked by geldanamycin, a specific inhibitor of Hsp90 activity, indicating that Hsp90 antagonist therapy and therapies that act to reactivate mutant p53 will be incompatible. In contrast, Hsp90 is not required for maintaining wild-type p53 or for stabilizing wild-type p53 after treatment with chemotherapeutic agents, indicating that Hsp90 therapy might synergize with conventional therapies in patients with wild-type p53. Our data demonstrate the importance of the precise characterization of the interaction between p53 mutants and stress proteins, which may shed valuable information for fighting cancer via the p53 tumor suppressor pathway.
Mutual information without the influence of phylogeny or entropy dramatically improves residue contact prediction

MOTIVATION Compensating alterations during the evolution of protein families give rise to coevolving positions that contain important structural and functional information. However, a high background composed of random noise and phylogenetic components interferes with the identification of coevolving positions. RESULTS We have developed a rapid, simple and general method based on information theory that accurately estimates the level of background mutual information for each pair of positions in a given protein family. Removal of this background results in a metric, MIp, that correctly identifies substantially more coevolving positions in protein families than any existing method. A significant fraction of these positions coevolve strongly with one or only a few positions. The vast majority of such position pairs are in contact in representative structures. The identification of strongly coevolving position pairs can be used to impose significant structural limitations and should be an important additional constraint for ab initio protein folding. AVAILABILITY Alignments and program files can be found in the Supplementary Information.
No evidence of HPV DNA in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in a population of Southern Brazil.

AIM To investigate the association between human papillomavirus (HPV) and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in southern Brazil. METHODS We studied 189 esophageal samples from 125 patients from three different groups: (1) 102 biopsies from 51 patients with ESCC, with one sample from the tumor and another from normal esophageal mucosa distant from the tumor; (2) 50 esophageal biopsies from 37 patients with a previous diagnosis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC); and (3) 37 biopsies from esophageal mucosa with normal appearance from 37 dyspeptic patients, not exposed to smoking or alcohol consumption. Nested-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with the MY09/11 and GP5/6 L1 primers was used to detect HPV L1 in samples fixed in formalin and stored in paraffin blocks. All PCR reactions were performed with a positive control (cervicovaginal samples), with a negative control (Human Genomic DNA) and with a blank reaction containing all reagents except DNA. We took extreme care to prevent DNA contamination in sample collection, processing, and testing. RESULTS The histological biopsies confirmed the diagnosis of ESCC in 52 samples (51 from ESCC group and 1 from the HNSCC group) and classified as well differentiated (12/52, 23.1%), moderately differentiated (27/52, 51.9%) or poorly differentiated (7/52, 13.5%). One hundred twenty-eight esophageal biopsies were considered normal (51 from the ESCC group, 42 from the HNSCC group and 35 from dyspeptic patients). Nine had esophagitis (7 from the HNSCC and 2 from dyspeptic patients). Of a total of 189 samples, only 6 samples had insufficient material for PCR analysis: 1 from mucosa distant from the tumor in a patient with ESCC, 3 from patients with HNSCC and 2 from patients without cancer. In 183 samples (96.8%) GAPDH, G3PDH and/or β-globin were amplified, thus indicating the adequacy of the DNA in those samples. HPV DNA was negative in all the 183 samples tested: 52 with ESCC, 9 with esophagitis and 122 with normal esophageal mucosa. CONCLUSION There was no evidence of HPV infection in different ESCC from southern Brazil.
Prognostic Value of Immune-Related Genes in the Tumor Microenvironment of Bladder Cancer

The tumor microenvironment (TME) is a complex system that plays an important role in tumor development and progression, but the current knowledge about its effect on bladder cancer (BC) is scarce. In this study, we performed a comprehensive analysis of the relationship between the TME and gene expression profiles to identify prognostic biomarkers for BC. The ESTIMATE algorithm was used to calculate immune and stromal scores of BC patients who were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. We found that the immune and stromal scores were associated with clinical characteristics and the prognosis of BC patients. Based on these scores, 104 immune-related differentially expressed genes were identified. Further, functional enrichment analysis revealed that these genes were mainly involved in the immune-related biological processes and signaling pathways. Three prognostic genes were then identified and used to establish a risk prediction model using Cox regression analyses. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis showed that the expression levels of COL1A1, COMP, and SERPINE2 significantly correlated with cancer-specific survival and overall survival of BC patients. Additionally, we validated the prognostic values of these genes using two independent cohorts from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus databases. Finally, the relationships between the three prognostic genes and several immune cells were evaluated using Tumor Immune Estimation Resource, indicating that the expression levels of COL1A1, COMP, and SERPINE2 correlated positively with the tumor infiltration levels of CD4+ T cells and macrophages. In conclusion, the current study comprehensively analyzed the TME and presented immune-related prognostic genes for BC, providing new insights into immunotherapeutic strategies for BC patients.
Evidence for Macromolecular Protein Rings in the Absence of Bulk Water

We have examined the architecture of a protein complex in the absence of bulk water. By determining collision cross sections of assemblies of the trp RNA binding protein, TRAP, we established that the 11-membered ring topology of the complex can be maintained within a mass spectrometer. We also found that the binding of tryptophan enhances the stability of the ring structure and that addition of a specific RNA molecule increases the size of the complex and prevents structural collapse. These results provide definitive evidence that protein quaternary structure can be maintained in the absence of bulk water and highlight the potential of ion mobility separation for defining shapes of heterogeneous macromolecular assemblies.
Low-Threshold Stimulated Emission in ZnO Thin Films Grown by Atomic Layer Deposition

In this study, high-quality ZnO thin films were grown on sapphire substrates by atomic layer deposition (ALD), followed by high-temperature postdeposition annealing. A thin Al2O3 layer was subsequently deposited by ALD on the ZnO surface to reduce detrimental surface states. Photoluminescence measurements conducted in a backscattering configuration at room temperature show that the ZnO film exhibited stimulated emission with a low threshold intensity of 35.1 kW/ cm2. This may be attributed to the high-quality ZnO film and Al2O3 surface passivation layer grown by ALD, as well as the Al doping effect caused by the thermal diffusion of Al from the sapphire into the ZnO. Results show that ZnO films grown by the ALD technique are applicable to next-generation short-wavelength photonic devices.
Clinical and Microbiological Characterization of Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis Caused by Aspergillus lentulus in China

Invasive aspergillosis (IA) due to Aspergillus lentulus is associated with high mortality. In this study, we investigated the clinical and microbiological characteristics of 6 fatal cases of proven or probable IA caused by A. lentulus in China. Underlying immunosuppression, prior antifungal exposure, and intensive care unit (ICU) hospitalization were important risk factors for invasive A. lentulus infection. Phenotypic differences were observed for A. lentulus isolates including slower growth, reduced sporulation, and inability to grow at 48°C, compared with Aspergillus fumigatus complex. ITS sequencing was unable to distinguish A. lentulus from A. fumigatus, but sequencing of the benA, CaM, and rod A loci enabled reliable distinction of these closely related species. Phylogenetic analysis further confirmed that the ITS region had little variation within the Aspergillus section Fumigati while the benA gene offered the highest intraspecific discrimination. Microsatellite typing results revealed that only loci on chromosomes 1, 3, 5, and 6b generated detectable amplicons for identification. All A. lentulus isolates showed in vitro resistance to multiple antifungal drugs including amphotericin B (MIC range 4 to 8 μg/ml), itraconazole (MIC 2 μg/ml), voriconazole (MIC of 4–16 μg/ml), and posaconazole (MIC of 0.5–1 μg/ml). However, MECs for the echinocandin drugs ranged from 0.03–0.25, ≤0.008–0.015, and ≤0.015–0.03 μg/ml for caspofungin, micafungin, and anidulafungin, respectively. A. lentulus is an emerging fungal pathogen in China, causing fatal disease, and clinicians as well as laboratories should be alert to their increasing presence.
Laparoscopic surgery and the systemic immune response.

OBJECTIVE The authors review studies relating to the immune responses evoked by laparoscopic surgery. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA Laparoscopic surgery has gained rapid acceptance based on clinical grounds. Patients benefit from faster recovery, decreased pain, and quicker return to normal activities. Only more recently have attempts been made to identify the metabolic and immune responses that may underlie this clinical success. The immune responses to laparoscopy are now being evaluated in relation to the present knowledge of immune responses to traditional laparotomy and surgery in general. METHODS A review of the published literature of the immune and metabolic responses to laparoscopy was performed. Laparoscopic surgery is compared with the traditional laparotomy on the basis of local and systemic immune responses and patterns of tumor growth. The impact of pneumoperitoneum and insufflation gases on the immune response is also reviewed. CONCLUSIONS The systemic immune responses for surgery in general may not apply to laparoscopic surgery. The body's response to laparoscopy is one of lesser immune activation as opposed to immunosuppression.
Spatial pattern of water bugs (Nepomorpha, Gerromorpha) at different scales in the Szigetköz (Hungary)

In 2003, 26 Heteroptera species (16 aquatic and 10 semiaquatic) were collected from 53 sampling sites in the Szigetköz region in Hungary. Hyocoris cimicoides and Gerris argentatus were the most frequent aquatic and semiaquatic species, respectively. Large differences both in the species number and species composition were observed among the different flood-prevention areas, arm systems and habitats. Strong negative correlation was found between the average number of aquatic species and current velocity, and a strong positive correlation between the average number of aquatic and semiaquatic species and macrophyte density. From a faunistic point of view, the marsh at Arak is the most interesting and valuable site.
A Simple and Efficient Method for Visualizing Individual Cells in vivo by Cre-Mediated Single-Cell Labeling by Electroporation (CREMSCLE)

Efficient methods for visualizing cell morphology in the intact animal are of great benefit to the study of structural development in the nervous system. Quantitative analysis of the complex arborization patterns of brain cells informs cell-type classification, dissection of neuronal circuit wiring, and the elucidation of growth and plasticity mechanisms. Time-lapse single-cell morphological analysis requires labeling and imaging of single cells in situ without contamination from the ramified processes of other nearby cells. Here, using the Xenopus laevis optic tectum as a model system, we describe CRE-Mediated Single-Cell Labeling by Electroporation (CREMSCLE), a technique we developed based on bulk co-electroporation of Cre-dependent inducible expression vectors, together with very low concentrations of plasmid encoding Cre recombinase. This method offers efficient, sparse labeling in any brain area where bulk electroporation is possible. Unlike juxtacellular single-cell electroporation methods, CREMSCLE relies exclusively on the bulk electroporation technique, circumventing the need to precisely position a micropipette next to the target cell. Compared with viral transduction methods, it is fast and safe, generating high levels of expression within 24 h of introducing non-infectious plasmid DNA. In addition to increased efficiency of single-cell labeling, we confirm that CREMSCLE also allows for efficient co-expression of multiple gene products in the same cell. Furthermore, we demonstrate that this method is particularly well-suited for labeling immature neurons to follow their maturation over time. This approach therefore lends itself well to time-lapse morphological studies, particularly in the context of early neuronal development and under conditions that prevent more difficult visualized juxtacellular electroporation.