Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Physical activity versus alcohol consumption among teenagers in chosen middle schools from cities central and south-western Poland.

BACKGROUND Alcohol consumption is becoming increasingly popular among teenagers in Poland and affects younger and younger people. Many government promotional campaigns are aimed at reducing this phenomenon. There is an opinion that encouraging young people to practice sports and promoting a healthy lifestyle through sports and physical recreation could be helpful in solving this problem. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between physical activity declared by the Junior High Schools students and alcohol consumption. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study was carried out on a group of 450 students from six Junior High Schools from central and south-western Poland. The Core Questions Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) - extended by authors of this paper with the descriptive part on the declared level of physical activity - was used to survey the teenagers. RESULTS Physical activity is an important factor influencing alcohol consumption and consumption frequency by Junior High Schools students. The study has shown that physical activity is related to alcohol consumption declared by the Junior High Schools students - the number of days they drink alcohol and the number of days when they are drunk, particularly girls. In fact, girls are more prone to consuming large amounts of alcohol and get drunk, especially when they belong to a group of physically passive subjects. The lowest alcohol consumption has been observed in Junior High Schools students, who had declared irregular physical activity, but the highest and the most frequent one has been observed in students, who had declared physical passivity. The students, mostly boys, who declared the regular physical activity (they most commonly practiced sports), had not abstained from alcohol, especially beer and had got drunk often. CONCLUSIONS The physical activity may be an important factor in preventing excessive alcohol consumption. Participation in physical activity is beneficial especially to girls, since when they remain physically passive, they often turn to alcohol. However, one should take into account the type of physical activity and the nature of the effort, as the authors of similar studies point out.
Positive contrast visualization of iron oxide‐labeled stem cells using inversion‐recovery with ON‐resonant water suppression (IRON)

In proton magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) metallic substances lead to magnetic field distortions that often result in signal voids in the adjacent anatomic structures. Thus, metallic objects and superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO)‐labeled cells appear as hypointense artifacts that obscure the underlying anatomy. The ability to illuminate these structures with positive contrast would enhance noninvasive MR tracking of cellular therapeutics. Therefore, an MRI methodology that selectively highlights areas of metallic objects has been developed. Inversion‐recovery with ON‐resonant water suppression (IRON) employs inversion of the magnetization in conjunction with a spectrally‐selective on‐resonant saturation prepulse. If imaging is performed after these prepulses, positive signal is obtained from off‐resonant protons in close proximity to the metallic objects. The first successful use of IRON to produce positive contrast in areas of metallic spheres and SPIO‐labeled stem cells in vitro and in vivo is presented. Magn Reson Med 58:1072–1077, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Evidence of hysteresis in propofol pharmacodynamics

It is commonly assumed that loss of responsiveness and recovery of responsiveness occur at similar concentrations of propofol. However, the ‘conscious’ and ‘anaesthetised’ conditions produced by general anaesthetics may behave as two bistable states. We hypothesised that loss of responsiveness and recovery of responsiveness occur at different propofol concentrations. Propofol was administered to 19 healthy volunteers by effect‐site target‐controlled infusion using increasing and decreasing stable concentration steps of 7 min. Propofol serum concentrations were measured from venous blood samples at the end of each 7‐min step. A long step of 14 min was performed at loss of responsiveness. At this step, propofol concentrations were measured at 7 and 14 min. Propofol concentrations measured at loss of responsiveness and recovery of responsiveness were 2.6 (1.2–4.7) μg. ml−1 and 1.6 (0.6–3.3) μg. ml−1, respectively (p < 0.001). Propofol plasma concentration and the corresponding bispectral index values measured at minute 7 and minute 14 of the long step performed at loss of responsiveness were 2.6 (1.2–4.7) vs. 2.6 (1.3–4.3) at recovery of responsiveness, (p = 0.96) and 61.2 (49.0–77.0) vs. 58.4 (45.0–74.0), (p = 0.058), respectively. Loss of responsiveness and recovery of responsiveness appear to occur at different propofol concentrations. However, it is possible that, if equilibration was not achieved between plasma and effect‐sites at the end of each 7‐min step, the higher concentrations found at loss of responsiveness compared with those observed during recovery of responsiveness could be explained by a possible bias in estimations of the effect‐site concentrations of propofol by the Schnider model, rather than neural inertia.
Oxidative stress in industrial fungi

Fungi are amongst the most industrially important microorganisms in current use within the biotechnology industry. Most such fungal cultures are highly aerobic in nature, a character that has been frequently referred to in both reactor design and fungal physiology. The most fundamentally significant outcome of the highly aerobic growth environment in fermenter vessels is the need for the fungal culture to effectively combat in the intracellular environment the negative consequences of high oxygen transfer rates. The use of oxygen as the respiratory substrate is frequently reported to lead to the development of oxidative stress, mainly due to oxygen-derived free radicals, which are collectively termed as reactive oxygen species (ROS). Recently, there has been extensive research on the occurrence, extent, and consequences of oxidative stress in microorganisms, and the underlying mechanisms through which cells prevent and repair the damage caused by ROS. In the present study, we critically review the current understanding of oxidative stress events in industrially relevant fungi. The review first describes the current state of knowledge of ROS concisely, and then the various antioxidant strategies employed by fungal cells to counteract the deleterious effects, together with their implications in fungal bioprocessing are also discussed. Finally, some recommendations for further research are made.
How Efficient are the Current U.S. Beer Taxes

This paper examines the status of current beer taxes in the U.S. by questioning how far away the present beer taxes are from the optimal taxes. Following the estimation of tax elasticity, I estimate the lifetime discounted costs that a heavy drinker levies on others through: 1) Years of life lost; 2) Social insurance system; 3) Drunk driving accidents; and 4) Forgone income taxes. The optimal level of beer tax ranges from 17.15 percent to 47.5 percent of the price per drink. Even the conservative estimates suggest that current beer taxes comprise only 16 percent of the external costs.
Aberrant NK cell associated marker (CD56 and CD57) expression in chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is one of the commonest leukemias that has been reported extensively throughout the literature. The characteristic phenotype includes co‐expression of CD5 and CD23, along with dim expression of light chain and CD22/CD79b, with lack of FMC7. The immunophenotypic scoring system given by Matutes has been used to differentiate CLL from non‐CLL chronic lymphoproliferative disorders. Various aberrancies have been described in CLL cases, including abnormal (dim or bright) expression of B cell markers and lineage infidel T cell, myelomonocytic, or rarely Natural killer (NK) cells markers. However, the aberrant co‐expression of CD56 and CD57 has not yet been reported.
Clinical, biochemical, immunological and virological profiles of, and differential diagnosis between, patients with acute hepatitis B and chronic hepatitis B with acute flare

Background and Aim: In areas with high or intermediate endemicity for chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, it is difficult to distinguish acute hepatitis B (AHB) from chronic hepatitis B with an acute flare (CHB‐AF) in patients whose prior history of HBV infection has been unknown. The present study aimed to screen laboratory parameters other than immunoglobulin M antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (IgM anti‐HBc) to discriminate between the two conditions.
Inhibitory Effect of Aspirin on Cholangiocarcinoma Cells

Aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs reduce the risk of cancer due to their anti-proliferative and apoptotic effects, which are the important mechanisms for their anti-tumor activity. Here, the effect of aspirin on human cholangiocarcinoma cells (KKU-214) and the underlying mechanisms of its action were explored. Cell proliferation was measured by sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay, while cell cycle distribution and apoptosis were determined by flow cytometry. Western blotting was used to explore protein expression underlying molecular mechanisms of anti-cancer treatment of aspirin. Aspirin reduced cell proliferation in a dose- and time-dependent manner, and altered the cell cycle phase distribution of KKU-214 cells by increasing the proportion of cells in the G0/G1 phase and reducing the proportion in the S and G2/M phases. Consistent with its effect on the cell cycle, aspirin also reduced the expression of cyclin D1 and cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (Cdk-4), which are important for G0/G1 cell cycle progression. Treatment with aspirin led to increased induction of apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. Further analysis of the mechanism underlying the effect of this drug showed that aspirin induced the expression of the tumor-suppressor protein p53 while inhibiting the anti-apoptotic protein B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2). Correspondingly, the activation of caspase-9 and -3 was also increased. These findings suggest that aspirin causes cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, both of which could contribute to its anti-proliferative effect.
Systematic design approach for optimized resonantly enhanced Mach-zehnder Modulators

A systematic design approach using the developed numerical model for the investigation of any arbitrary electrooptic modulator configuration is described, and its application to the simulation and synthesis of resonantly enhanced Mach-Zehnder modulators (RE-MZMs) is demonstrated. The tool is implemented using equivalent circuit model using transmission lines, lumped elements, and N-port S-parameters. The numerical tool is used to simulate the modulation enhancement factor and radio frequency (RF) return loss of a number of theoretically and experimentally demonstrated examples. Finally, the design tool is used to synthesize a new optimized RE-MZM. This RE-MZM is fabricated and measured, and predicted results are compared.
Improving the Packet Delivery Performance for Concurrent Packet Transmissions in WSNs

In this letter, we investigate the properties of packet collisions in IEEE 802.15. 4-based wireless sensor networks when packets with the same content are transmitted concurrently. While the nature of wireless transmissions allows the reception of a packet when the same packet is transmitted at different radios with (near) perfect time synchronization, we find that in practical systems, platform specific characteristics, such as the independence and error of the crystal oscillators, cause packets to collide disruptively when the two signals have similar transmission powers (i.e., differences of <;2 dBm). In such scenarios, the packet reception ratio (PRR) of concurrently transmitted packets falls below 10%. Nevertheless, we empirically show that the packet corruption patterns are easily recoverable using forward error correction schemes and validate this using implementations of RS and convolutional codes. Overall, our results show that using such error correction schemes can increase the PRR by more than four-fold.
Macrosomic newborns of non-diabetic mothers: anthropometric measurements and neonatal complications

Objective To assess the association of anthropometric measurements with neonatal complications in macrosomic newborns of non-diabetic mothers. Design Retrospective cohort study. Patients All liveborn, singleton, full term newborns with birth weight ≥4000 g born to non-diabetic mothers at a tertiary medical centre in 1995–2005 (n=2766, study group) were matched to the next born, healthy, full term infant with a birth weight of 3000–4000 g (control group). Exclusion criteria were multiple birth, congenital infection, major malformations and pregnancy complications. Intervention Data collection by file review. Outcome measures Complication rates were compared between study and control groups and between symmetric and asymmetric macrosomic newborns, defined by weight/length ratio (WLR), Body Mass Index and Ponderal Index. Results The 2766 non-diabetic macrosomic infants identified were matched to 2766 control infants. The macrosomic group had higher rates of hypoglycaemia (1.2% vs 0.5%, p=0.008), transient tachypnoea of the newborn (1.5% vs 0.5%, p<0.001), hyperthermia (0.6% vs 0.1%, p=0.012), and birth trauma (2% vs 0.7%, p<0.001), with no cases of symptomatic polycythaemia, and only one case of hypoglycaemia. Hypoglycaemia was positively associated with birth weight. It was significantly higher in the asymmetric than the symmetric macrosomic newborns, defined by WLR (1.7% vs 0.3%, p<0.001). Conclusions Macrosomic infants of non-diabetic mothers are at increased risk of neonatal complications. However, routine measurements of haematocrit and calcium may not be necessary. Symmetric macrosomic infants (by WLR) have a similar rate of hypoglycaemia as normal-weight infants. Thus, repeat glucose measurements in symmetric macrosomic infants are not justified.
Identification of pyruvate kinase type M2 as potential oncoprotein in squamous cell carcinoma of tongue through microRNA profiling

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are noncoding RNAs with specific regulatory role in gene expression. Recent reports suggested their involvement in human malignancies. Currently, there is no information concerning miRNA expression and functions in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of tongue. In this study, we evaluated the expression patterns of 156 mature miRNAs in tongue SCC using Taqman‐based microRNA assays. Of these 156 miRNAs, miR‐133a and miR‐133b were significantly reduced in tongue SCC cells in comparison with the paired normal epithelial cells. Tongue SCC cell lines transfected with miR‐133a and miR‐133b precursors displayed reduction in proliferation rate. In addition, the number of apoptotic cells was increased in response to the introduction of precursors. Computational target gene prediction suggested that both miR‐133a and miR‐133b are targeting transcript of pyruvate kinase type M2 (PKM2), a potential oncogene in solid cancers. In tongue SCC cell lines, PKM2 expression was reduced in response to miR‐133a and miR‐133b precursors transfection. Immunohistochemical staining results of tongue SCC tissues suggested that PKM2 was overexpressed in tongue SCC and was associated with the downregulation of miR‐133a and miR‐133b. Our results suggested that aberrant reduction of miR‐133a and miR‐133b was associated with the dysregulation of PKM2 in SCC of tongue. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Risk factors for ESRD in HIV-infected individuals: traditional and HIV-related factors.

BACKGROUND Despite improvements in survival with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, kidney disease remains an important complication. Few studies have evaluated risk factors associated with the development of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in HIV-infected individuals. We sought to identify traditional and HIV-related risk factors for ESRD in HIV-infected individuals and compare ESRD risk by estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and proteinuria levels. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS 22,156 HIV-infected veterans without pre-existing ESRD receiving health care in the Veterans' Affairs medical system between 1996 and 2004. PREDICTORS Hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypoalbuminemia (serum albumin <3.5 mg/dL), CD4 lymphocyte count, HIV viral load, hepatitis C virus coinfection, proteinuria, and eGFR were identified using the Veterans' Affairs electronic record system. OUTCOMES ESRD was ascertained by the US Renal Data System. RESULTS 366 cases of ESRD occurred, corresponding to 3 cases/1,000 person-years. Hypertension (HR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.5-2.4), diabetes (HR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.3-2.2), and cardiovascular disease (HR, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.7-2.7) were associated independently with ESRD risk in multivariate-adjusted models, as were CD4 lymphocyte count <200 cells/μL (HR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.2-2.0), HIV viral load ≥30,000 copies/mL (HR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.5-2.8), hepatitis C virus coinfection (HR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.5-2.4), and hypoalbuminemia (HR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.8-2.5). Compared with persons without chronic kidney disease, defined as eGFR >60 mL/min/1.73 m(2) and no proteinuria, lower eGFR and higher proteinuria categories were associated jointly with exponentially higher ESRD rates, ranging from 6.6 events/1,000 person-years for persons with urine protein excretion of 30-100 mg/dL and eGFR >60 mL/min/1.73 m(2) to 193 events/1,000 person-years for persons with urine protein excretion ≥300 mg/dL and eGFR <30 mL/min/1.73 m(2). LIMITATIONS Results may not be generalizable to female and nonveteran populations. CONCLUSIONS In HIV-infected persons, ESRD risk appears attributable to a combination of traditional and HIV-related risk factors for kidney disease. Combining eGFR and proteinuria for chronic kidney disease staging is most effective for stratifying the risk of ESRD.
Gender and Graft: A Political Economy Argument about the Influence of Working Women on Political Corruption

ABSTRACT This article proposes a political economy argument for the consistent empirical observation of a negative relationship between working women and corruption: employed women inﬂuence the spending behavior of governments by requiring different public goods than men, thereby increasing the demand for public goods. Barring a signiﬁcant rise in the government budget, fewer resources remain available for rents, lowering the level of corruption. I also argue that countries with a large public sector that have a high percentage of working women are less corrupt than countries with few working women. The robust empirical ﬁndings (136 countries, 20 years) support the hypotheses.
Gene program for cardiac cell survival induced by transient ischemia in conscious pigs

Therapy for ischemic heart disease has been directed traditionally at limiting cell necrosis. We determined by genome profiling whether ischemic myocardium can trigger a genetic program promoting cardiac cell survival, which would be a novel and potentially equally important mechanism of salvage. Although cardiac genomics is usually performed in rodents, we used a swine model of ischemia/reperfusion followed by ventricular dysfunction (stunning), which more closely resembles clinical conditions. Gene expression profiles were compared by subtractive hybridization between ischemic and normal tissue of the same hearts. About one-third (23/74) of the nuclear-encoded genes that were up-regulated in ischemic myocardium participate in survival mechanisms (inhibition of apoptosis, cytoprotection, cell growth, and stimulation of translation). The specificity of this response was confirmed by Northern blot and quantitative PCR. Unexpectedly, this program also included genes not previously described in cardiomyocytes. Up-regulation of survival genes was more profound in subendocardium over subepicardium, reflecting that this response in stunned myocardium was proportional to the severity of the ischemic insult. Thus, in a swine model that recapitulates human heart disease, nonlethal ischemia activates a genomic program of cell survival that relates to the time course of myocardial stunning and differs transmurally in relation to ischemic stress, which induced the stunning. Understanding the genes up-regulated during myocardial stunning, including those not previously described in the heart, and developing strategies that activate this program may open new avenues for therapy in ischemic heart disease.
Preparation of microencapsulated phase-change materials (MCPCMs) by means of interfacial polycondensation

Microcapsules for energy storage and/or heat transfer applications containing phase-change materials (PCMs—including n-pentadecane, n-eicosane and a paraffin wax) were successfully produced by emulsifying the PCMs as small droplets in an aqueous, water-soluble urea-formaldehyde pre-polymer solution substantially free of emulsifier while polymerizing the pre-polymer at the interface by acid-catalyst. The core/shell structured microcapsules were also characterized with size distribution analysis, scanning electron microscopy, FTIR spectrometry and differential scanning calorimetry.