Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rationale, design and methods of the OSCAR study: observational study on cognitive function and systolic blood pressure reduction in hypertensive patients

Data from several recent clinical trials have suggested a beneficial effect of antihypertensive medications on preservation of cognitive function. Eprosartan, an angiotensin type‐1 receptor antagonist (ARA) with dual action on both pre‐ and postsynaptic angiotensin type 1 receptors, may be effective in the control of SBP and the prevention of cognitive decline. The OSCAR (Observational Study on Cognitive function And SBP Reduction) study is an international longitudinal observational study with a duration of 6 months intended to examine the impact of the ARA eprosartan on cognitive function (assessed using the Mini‐Mental State Examination [MMSE]) and control of systolic blood pressure (SBP) in a large international population of hypertensive patients managed in a standard primary care setting. A total of 100 000 hypertensive patients, aged ≥50 years and with SBP of >140 mmHg will be recruited by more than 20 000 primary care physicians in 27 countries. These patients will receive eprosartan 600 mg once a day for 6 months. The MMSE, a globally validated cognitive screening test, will be performed at baseline, and after 6 months of treatment. After the first month of monotherapy, eprosartan treatment may, at the absolute discretion of individual investigators, be supplemented with other antihypertensive medications for the remainder of the study. The primary outcome indices are the mean relative change in MMSE score and the absolute change from baseline in SBP in the study population as a whole and in subsets of patients according to various factors among them: ethnicity, comorbidities (i.e. target organ damage, diabetes), baseline cognitive level and baseline blood pressure level. The secondary objectives are to identify factors influencing SBP and MMSE changes. The OSCAR trial is the first international observational study focusing on MMSE in a wide international cohort of hypertensive patients. The results are expected in 2007.
Shear stress and flow-mediated dilation: all shear responses are not created equally.

since the introduction of brachial artery reactivity testing in 1992 by Celermajer et al. ([1][1]), the measurement of endothelial function with the use of high-frequency ultrasonography of the brachial artery has proven to be an effective research tool for the assessment of cardiovascular risk ([16
The severe end of the spectrum: Hypoplastic left heart in Potocki‐Lupski syndrome

Potocki‐Lupski syndrome (PTLS) is a recently described microduplication syndrome associated with duplication 17p11.2, including the RAI1 gene. Features of PTLS include hypotonia, feeding difficulties, failure to thrive, developmental delay and behavioral abnormalities including autistic spectrum disorder, anxiety, and inattention. Cardiovascular anomalies were not recognized as a feature of duplication 17p11.2 until 2007 when noted in over 50% of a clinically characterized cohort. We report a patient with hypoplastic left heart syndrome whose diagnosis of PTLS was delayed until a genetic evaluation at age 4 years because of severe expressive language impairment. We suggest that array comparative genomic hybridization be performed in infants with severe congenital heart defects. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Supplier Behavior in Capacity Investment Competition: An Experimental Study

Many manufacturers ensure supply capacity by using more than one supplier and sharing their capacity investment costs via supplier development programs. Their suppliers face competitive pressure from peers despite the reduced capacity investment cost. Although standard game theory makes clear prediction that cost sharing increases the suppliers' capacity choice and supply chain profit, the complex decision environment of capacity competition makes it interesting to test whether the theory predictions are robust and, if not, whether systematic deviations occur. We present a laboratory experiment study. The experiment data show that supplier subjects invested in higher capacities than what our theoretical analysis predicted, resulting in profit loss for the supply chain. Our econometric analysis indicates that the subjects are bounded rational and their concern for relative standing may be the potential driver of capacity over‐investment. Based on the experimental findings, we study a modified cost‐sharing mechanism that adapts to the behavioral biases. Its performance is validated in a second experiment.
Identification of the satA gene encoding a streptogramin A acetyltransferase in Enterococcus faecium BM4145

Enterococcus faecium BM4145, a clinical isolate from urine, was resistant to streptogramin group A antibiotics by inactivation. The strain harbored a plasmid containing a gene, satA, responsible for this resistance; this gene was cloned and sequenced. It encoded SatA, a protein deduced to be 23,634 Da in mass and homologous with a new family of chloramphenicol acetyltransferases described in Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus. The similarity of SatA to other acetyltransferases, LacA (thiogalactoside acetyltransferase) and CysE (serine acetyltransferase) from E. coli, and to two putative acetyltransferases, NodL from Rhizobium leguminosarum and Urf1 from E. coli, was also observed in a region considered to be the enzyme's active site. Acetylation experiments indicated that acetyl coenzyme A was necessary for SatA activity and that a single acetylated derivative of pristinamycin IIA was produced. Other members of the streptogramin A group such as virginiamycin M and RP54476 were also substrates for the enzyme. We conclude that resistance to the streptogramin A group of antibiotics in E. faecium BM4145 is due to acetylation by an enzyme related to the novel chloramphenicol acetyltransferase family.
Twenty years' experience with the Medtronic Hall valve.

OBJECTIVE To assess the performance of the Medtronic Hall valve (Medtronic, Inc, Minneapolis, Minn) in one institution over a 20-year period. METHODS Since 1979, Medtronic Hall valves have been used in 1766 procedures (736 aortic, 796 mitral, and 234 double). Patients were followed up prospectively at 6- to 12-month intervals for a total of 12,688 follow-up years. Anticoagulation data (international normalized ratio) were recorded for all patients (approximately 95,000 observations). RESULTS Linearized rates of valve-related late death for aortic, mitral, and double valve replacement were 0.8%/y, 0.9%/y, and 1.1%/y, respectively. Risk factors for late mortality were (relative risk) diabetes (1.9), decade of age (1.6), concomitant coronary artery bypass grafting (1.4), hypertension (1.3), non-sinus rhythm (1.3), large valve size (1.1), valve regurgitation (1.3), and male sex (1.2). For aortic, mitral, and double valve replacement, linearized rates (percent per year) of adverse events were valve thrombosis 0.04, 0.03, and 0.0; all thromboembolism 2.3, 4.0, and 3.4; stroke 0.6, 0.8, and 0.6; major hemorrhage 1.2, 1.4, and 1.6; and prosthetic endocarditis 0.4, 0.4, and 0.7. Risk factors for thromboembolism were (relative risk) mitral valve replacement (1.9), diabetes (1.8), hypertension (1.5), and history of embolism (1.4). CONCLUSION At 20 years the Medtronic Hall valve demonstrates excellent durability, good hemodynamic performance, and very low thrombogenicity, with a valve thrombosis rate lower than those reported for bileaflet designs. With this prosthesis, both survival and thromboembolic events are predominantly determined by patient risk factors.
Protective Effects of Chronic Lithium Treatment against Spatial Memory Retention Deficits Induced by the Protein Kinase AII Inhibitor H-89 in Rats

We have previously shown that infusion of the PKAII inhibitor H-89 in the CA1 area of the hippocampus impaired spatial memory retention. There is some evidence suggesting the neuroprotective effects of chronic lithium administration including its ability to attenuate a deleterious effect of chronic stress on spatial memory in rats. In the present study, we investigated whether chronic administration of lithium can improve memory as well as influence the inhibitory effect of H-89 on spatial memory retention. Male albino rats were treated systemically with lithium (600 mg/l) for 4 weeks and then trained for 4 days in the Morris water maze. Testing the animals 48 h later showed a significant reduction in escape latency (p < 0.05) and travel distance (p < 0.05) compared to the controls. In separate experiments, the rats were similarly treated with lithium for 4 weeks, followed by similar training for 4 days and then immediately infused bilaterally with vehicle or 5 µmol/l H-89 into the CA1 region of the hippocampus. Animals were then tested 48 h after H-89 infusion in order to assess their spatial memory retention. The lithium treatment caused a significant reduction in escape latency (p < 0.001) and travel distance (p < 0.001) compared to H-89-treated animals. The data suggest that lithium treatment for 4 weeks improved spatial memory retention and that lithium pretreatment prevented or reversed the H-89-induced spatial memory deficits.
Investigating the Development of a Global Measure of Organizational Justice

Acknowledgements Chapter 1: Introduction. 1 Chapter 2: Study 1. 18 Procedure. 19 Results. 23 Preliminary Item Selection. 23 Overall Dimensionality. 24 Measurement Stability Across Subgroups. 31 Discussion. 37 Chapter 3: Study 2. 43 Procedure. 43 Results. 44 Discussion. 48 Chapter 4: General Discussion. 50 References. 57 Appendix A. 67 Appendix B. 73 Appendix C. 77 Tables. 83 Figures. 138 Vita. 156
What are Chinese immigrant parents' concerns with their children's education?

This study investigated teachers’ experiences of communicating with Chinese immigrant parents. Twenty teachers were recruited for interviews from local schools that had a large enrollment of Chinese immigrant students. Participating teachers reported that Chinese immigrant parents often expect high marks from their children and want to know their child’s ranking in the class. These parents also place pressure on children to achieve parentally-established goals. Participating teachers view a well-rounded education as the purpose of schooling, rather than high marks. They were frustrated by parents’ concern over children’s class ranking, and the parental focus on children’s perceived weaknesses. Teachers also reported that Chinese parents should ease the pressure they place on children, suggesting that parents should encourage children to participate in extra-curricular activities. They also suggested that Chinese parents should be more sensitive to their children’s preferences. Key words: Chinese immigrant parents, teacher-parent communication, culture, parental involvement
Dominance of metastatically competent cells in primary murine breast neoplasms is necessary for distant metastatic spread

We have previously shown, using tumor cell populations genetically tagged by random integrations of plasmid DNA, that metastatically‐competent clonal cell variants have a strong growth advantage within primary tumors over their non‐metastatic counterparts. As a result, primary tumors can become overgrown by the progeny of such cells, a process referred to as “clonal dominance” of primary tumors by metastatically‐competent cells. Because of the well‐known “metastatic inefficiency” of the multi‐step cascade process of spread and growth, clonal dominance within primary tumors may be necessary for distant metastatic spread or increase the probability of its occurrence. To examine this hypothesis mice were inoculated s.c. with mixtures of non‐metastatic and genetically tagged, metastatically‐competent mouse mammary carcinoma cells in defined ratios, but always containing an excess of the unmarked non‐metastatic population. Progressive overgrowth of the metastatic subpopulation was monitored as a function of time by Southern analysis of DNA obtained from mixed primary tumors. This allowed us to evaluate the effects that surgical removal of the primary tumor had before, during and after effective clonal dominance, and what influence this had on the subsequent formation of distant metastases. Surgical removal of primary tumors before metastatic clonal dominance resulted in a low (0‐25%) frequency of lung metastases, whereas removal just 1 or 2 weeks later during or after clonal dominance was achieved resulted in a high (75‐100%) frequency of such metastases. Our results support the hypothesis that dominance of primary tumors by metastatically competent cells may be necessary for distant metastatic spread, and also suggest that clonal interactions play a significant role in modulating the metastatic ability of tumor cells in vivo.
Adaptation and validation of the Distress Scale for Mexican patients with type 2 diabetes and hypertension: a cross-sectional survey

Objectives The aim of this study was to adapt and validate the Distress Scale for Mexican patients with type 2 diabetes and hypertension (DSDH17M). Setting Two family medicine clinics affiliated with the Mexican Institute of Social Security. Participants 722 patients with type 2 diabetes and/or hypertension (235 patients with diabetes, 233 patients with hypertension and 254 patients with both diseases). Design A cross-sectional survey. Methods The validation procedures included: (1) content validity using a group of experts, (2) construct validity from exploratory factor analysis, (3) internal consistency using Cronbach's α, (4) convergent validity between DSDH17M and anxiety and depression using the Spearman correlation coefficient, (5) discriminative validity through the Wilcoxon rank-sum test and (6) test–retest reliability using intraclass correlation coefficient. Results The DSDH17M has 17 items and three factors explaining 67% of the total variance. Cronbach α ranged from 0.83 to 0.91 among factors. The first factor of ‘Regime-related Distress and Emotional Burden’ moderately correlated with anxiety and depression scores. Discriminative validity revealed that patients with obesity, those with stressful events and those who did not adhere to pharmacological treatment had significantly higher distress scores in all DSDH17M domains. Test–retest intraclass correlation coefficient for DSDH17M ranged from 0.92 to 0.97 among factors. Conclusions DSDH17M is a valid and reliable tool to identify distress of patients with type 2 diabetes and hypertension.
Routine administration of a single dose of cisplatin ≥ 75 mg/m2 after short hydration in an outpatient lung-cancer clinic.

BACKGROUND Cisplatin is a pivotal drug in combined chemotherapy for non-small cell and small-cell lung cancers (NSCLC or SCLC), but its renal toxicity limits its use. Current guidelines recommend 24 h hydration: thus hospitalization is required. The aim of this retrospective study was to confirm the safety of short hydration before giving an intermediate-to-high dose of cisplatin in an outpatient clinic. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients eligible had NSCLC or SCLC and were being treated with a chemotherapy regimen that included cisplatin ≥ 75 mg/m(2). They were given the same short hydration protocol for 1 day. Nephrotoxicity was defined as ≥ grade 1 according to NCIC common toxicity criteria. Predictive factors for nephrotoxicity were analyzed. RESULTS Three hundred and fifty-seven consecutive patients (median age 58 years, range: 25-81) were reviewed. Twenty-one patients (6%) had ≥ grade 1 nephrotoxicity and all except one had grade 1 toxicity according to NCIC criteria for common toxicity (SC < 1,5 N). Predictive factors independently associated with nephrotoxicity included associated co-morbid conditions (hypertension, diabetes, heart disease) (OR = 4.97 CI 95% [1.8-13.7] P = 0.002), initial serum creatinine ≥ 100 μmol/L (OR = 8.3 CI 95% [2.55-27.4] P = 0.0005), and dose cycle of cisplatin ≥ 100 mg/m(2) (OR = 10.8 CI 95% [3.6-32.5] P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION Rapid outpatient administration of a single dose of cisplatin at ≥ 75 mg/m(2) is feasible without a high risk of nephrotoxicity.
Generation of T Cells Specific for the Wild-Type Sequence p53264–272 Peptide in Cancer Patients: Implications for Immunoselection of Epitope Loss Variants1

Alterations in the p53 gene occur frequently and can lead to accumulation of p53 protein in squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck (SCCHN). Since accumulation of p53 is associated with enhanced presentation of wild-type sequence (wt) p53 peptides to immune cells, the development of pan vaccines against SCCHN has focused on wt p53 epitopes. We used the HLA-A2.1-restricted wt p53264–272 epitope to generate CTL from circulating precursor T cells of HLA-A2.1+ healthy donors and patients with SCCHN. Autologous peptide-pulsed dendritic cells were used for in vitro sensitization. CTL specific for the wt p53264–272 peptide were generated from PBMC obtained from two of seven normal donors and three of seven patients with SCCHN. These CTL were HLA class I restricted and responded to T2 cells pulsed with p53264–272 peptide as well as HLA-A2-matched SCCHN cell lines naturally presenting the epitope. Paradoxically, none of the tumors in the three patients who generated CTL could adequately present the epitope; two had a wt p53 genotype and no p53 protein accumulation, while the third tumor expressed a point mutation (R to H) in codon 273 that prevents presentation of the p53264–272 epitope. In contrast, patients who did not generate CTL had tumors that accumulated altered p53 and potentially could present the p53264–272 epitope. These findings suggest that in vivo, CTL specific for the wt p53264–272 peptide might play a role in the elimination of tumor cells expressing this epitope and in immunoselection of epitope-loss tumor cells. Immunoselection of tumors that become resistant to anti-p53 immune responses has important implications for future p53-based vaccination strategies.
Media representations of migrant sex workers from former Soviet Union countries in Turkey

iii ÖZET. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.vii TABLE OF CONTENTS.ix LIST OF TABLES.xiii LIST OF FIGURES.xvi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION.1 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW.16 2.1 Theoretical Perspectives in the Analysis of Migrant Sex Labor in Turkey.19 2.1.1 Traditional Perspectives.21 2.1.1. 1 Migration Perspective.21 2.1.1.2 Criminological Perspective.28 2.1.2 Feminist Perspective.30 2.1. 3 Other Perspectives.37 2.1. 3.1 Medical (Health) Perspective.37 2.1. 3.2 Investigative Journalism.38 2.2 Conclusion.39 CHAPTER 3: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK.41 3.1 Media-policy Relationship Models in Communication Studies.42 3.1.1 The ‘CNN Effect’ Model.43 3.1.2 The ‘Manufacturing Consent’ Model.44 3.1. 3 Wolfsfeld’s ‘Political Contest’ Model.45 3.1. 4 Robinson’s ‘Media-policy Interaction’ Model.45 3.2 Supply Side of Migrant Sex Labor.47 3.3 Demand Side of Sex Labor.52 3.4 Conclusion.61 CHAPTER 4: METHODOLOGY.62 4.1 Stage One: Formulating the Research Question and Research Design.63 4.2 Stage Two: Selecting Research Sample.63 4.2.1 Newspaper Selection.63 4.2.2 Article Selection.67 4.2.2.1 Cumhuriyet.69 4.2.2.2 Hürriyet. 71 4.2.2.3 Milliyet.73 4.2.2.4 Sabah.74 4.2.2.5 Zaman.76
Risk Factors Associated with Impact Severity of Cyberbullying Victimization: A Qualitative Study of Adolescent Online Social Networking

Cyberbullying victimization is associated with a range of emotional and behavioral outcomes for adolescents. However, previous research has shown that this type of victimization does not affect all individuals negatively. The factors that account for individual differences in reactions to the same online experiences are not well understood. Using a qualitative inductive approach, a set of strong themes relating to factors that either increased the severity of impact of cyberbullying victimization or buffered victims against the impact emerged from interviews with 25 adolescents aged 15-24 years. Themes related to publicity, anonymity of perpetrators, features of the medium, presence of bystanders, and individual level factors were identified as potential influences upon impact severity. The implications of these results for further research and for school/university cyberbullying prevention programs for victims, perpetrators, and bystanders are discussed.
Amplified Arctic warming by phytoplankton under greenhouse warming

Significance One of the important impacts of marine phytoplankton on climate systems is the geophysical feedback by which chlorophyll and the related pigments in phytoplankton absorb solar radiation and then change sea surface temperature. Yet such biogeophysical impact is still not considered in many climate projections by state-of-the-art climate models, nor is its impact on the future climate quantified. This study shows that, by conducting global warming simulations with and without an active marine ecosystem model, the biogeophysical effect of future phytoplankton changes amplifies Arctic warming by 20%. Given the close linkage between the Arctic and global climate, the biologically enhanced Arctic warming can significantly modify future estimates of global climate change, and therefore it needs to be considered as a possible future scenario. Phytoplankton have attracted increasing attention in climate science due to their impacts on climate systems. A new generation of climate models can now provide estimates of future climate change, considering the biological feedbacks through the development of the coupled physical–ecosystem model. Here we present the geophysical impact of phytoplankton, which is often overlooked in future climate projections. A suite of future warming experiments using a fully coupled ocean−atmosphere model that interacts with a marine ecosystem model reveals that the future phytoplankton change influenced by greenhouse warming can amplify Arctic surface warming considerably. The warming-induced sea ice melting and the corresponding increase in shortwave radiation penetrating into the ocean both result in a longer phytoplankton growing season in the Arctic. In turn, the increase in Arctic phytoplankton warms the ocean surface layer through direct biological heating, triggering additional positive feedbacks in the Arctic, and consequently intensifying the Arctic warming further. Our results establish the presence of marine phytoplankton as an important potential driver of the future Arctic climate changes.
Pretreatment thrombocytosis as a prognostic factor in women with gynecologic malignancies: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND This study was performed to analyze the prognostic implications of pretreatment or preoperative thrombocytosis in women with gynecologic malignancies. MATERIAL AND METHODS We surveyed 2 medical databases, PubMed and EMBASE, to identified all relevant studies. A total of 14 (n=3,490) that evaluated the link between thrombocytosis and 5-year survival were included. REVMAN version 5.1 was used for our analysis and publication bias was evaluated using the Begg's funnel plot and tested by STATA 11.0. Risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) generated by the random effect model were used to assess the strength of any association. RESULTS 709(20.3%) of the 3,490 patients exhibited thrombocytosis (platelet counts >400? 109/L) at primary diagnosis, and their mortality was 1.62-fold higher compared with the others (RR=1.62, 95%CI= [1.28- 2.05], p<0.0001). Thrombocytosis failed to have a stronger effect on the survival of advanced patients of stages III to IV in our study (n=478, RR=1.29, 95% CI= [1.13-1.48], p=0.0003), nor in women with cervical cancer in stage IB (n=1371, RR= 1.73, 95% CI= [1.71-2.58], p=0.007). In addition, when adjusted for different carcinoma, it was associated with worse prognosis for all except the ones with vulvar cancer (n=201, RR= 0.43, 95% CI= [0.14-1.29], p=0.13). CONCLUSIONS This meta-analysis indicated that thrombocytosis might be associated with a worse prognosis for patients with gynecologic malignancies but without specificity or sensitivity for the ones in advanced stage. When adjusted for different gynecologic malignancies, it showed a significant effect on survival of all except vulvar cancers.