Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pemetrexed Plus Cisplatin or Pemetrexed Plus Carboplatin for Chemonaïve Patients with Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma: Results of the International Expanded Access Program

Introduction: Previously published results from a randomized phase III study of pemetrexed plus cisplatin in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) demonstrated a significant survival benefit and higher response rate compared with cisplatin. Although pemetrexed was under review by regulatory agencies, an International Expanded Access Program (EAP) provided more than 3000 mesothelioma patients with access to single-agent pemetrexed or pemetrexed in combination with cisplatin or carboplatin in 13 countries. This manuscript reports the safety and efficacy data from the nonrandomized open-label study in chemonaïve patients receiving pemetrexed plus platinum under the EAP. Methods: Patients with histologically confirmed MPM, not amenable to curative surgery, received pemetrexed 500 mg/m2 in combination with either cisplatin 75 mg/m2 or carboplatin AUC 5, once every 21 days with standard premedication. Efficacy data were recorded at the end of study participation. Results: A total of 1704 chemonaïve patients received pemetrexed plus cisplatin (n = 843) or pemetrexed plus carboplatin (n = 861) and were evaluated for safety. The efficacy evaluable population consisted of 745 patients in the pemetrexed plus cisplatin group and 752 patients in the pemetrexed plus carboplatin group for whom physician-reported tumor response was available. The pemetrexed plus cisplatin group demonstrated a response rate of 26.3% compared with 21.7% for the pemetrexed plus carboplatin group, with similar 1-year survival rates (63.1% versus 64.0%) and median time to progressive disease (7 months versus 6.9 months). The most common grade 3/4 hematologic toxicity was neutropenia in 23.9% of the pemetrexed plus cisplatin group and 36.1% of the pemetrexed plus carboplatin group. Conclusion: This large EAP confirmed the activity of pemetrexed plus cisplatin and pemetrexed plus carboplatin in chemonaïve patients with MPM, demonstrating clinically similar time to progressive disease and 1-year survival rates.
PEROXIDASE-LINKED ASSAY FOR DETECTION OF ANTIBODIES AGAINST BOVINE LEUKOSIS VIRUS

A peroxidase linked assay (PLA) was designed to screen bovine sera for the presence of specific antibodies against bovine leukosis virus (BLV). Out of 201 samples of bovine sera analyzed, 52.2% were considered positive by PLA, 26.4% by AGID, and 38.9% by ELISA. Western blotting analyses excluded 27 samples found to be positive by PLA. PLA showed 100% of sensitivity when compared with AGID and ELISA. Specificity was 64.8% and 78%, respectively (kappa coefficients were 0.70 and 0.83). These findings indicate that PLA can be used as an alternative method for the diagnosis of BLV infection in cattle.
Convergence speed of distributed consensus and topology of the associated information spread

Results for estimating the convergence rate of non-stationary distributed consensus algorithms are provided, on the basis of qualitative (mainly topological) as well as basic quantitative information (lower-bounds on the matrix entries). The results appear to be tight in a number of instances and are illustrated through simple as well as more sophisticated examples. The main idea is to follow propagation of information along certain spanning trees which arise in the communication graph.
Clinicopathological profile of cutaneous lymphomas--a 10 year retrospective study from south India.

This is a retrospective study of cutaneous lymphomas (CL) seen over a ten year period. (January '88-December '97) in Christian Medical College & Hospital, Vellore, S. India. The aims of the study were to describe the clinicopathological profile of CL and correlate it with results of immunophenotyping. Thirty three patients were included of whom 31 had non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and two Hodgkin's disease. REAL scheme was used for classification. In the NHL group there were 20 patients with cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL), 7 with cutaneous B cell lymphoma (CBCL), 1 with anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) and 3 patients were unclassifiable. Mycosis fungoides was the most common CTCL (55.5%). Three (15%) of patients had subcutaneous panniculitic T cell lymphoma (SPTL). The duration of the disease was significantly longer (P < .05) in patients with MF as compared to non MF CTCL and CBCL. One patient with Sezary's syndrome was HTLV 1 positive. There was no difference in survival (p = 0.86) after diagnosis in the three main groups.
SHORT COMMUNICATION maternal thyroid dysfunction and c- fos and c- jun expression in rat placenta.

Maternal thyroid dysfunction is associated with perturbed fetal brain development and neurological deficits in adulthood in rat and human. To investigate whether these effects occur secondary to placental dysfunction, c- fos and c- jun expression in placenta from normal (euthyroid) and moderately hypothyroid rat dams were investigated by Northern hybridization analysis. In normal placenta, c- fos expression increased by 74 per cent between 16 and 21 days of gestation (dg) whereas c- jun expression declined by 46 per cent. Moderate maternal hypothyroidism depressed placental c- fos expression by 32 per cent at 19 dg, but elevated c- fos and c- jun expression by 139 and 86 per cent, respectively, at 21 dg. Maternal hypothyroidism may therefore induce c- fos/c- jun -related placental dysfunction, but only relatively late in gestation when fetal thyroid function is already established.
Breastfeeding in China.

In China, where breast feeding was almost universal 30-40 years ago, the prevalence of breast feeding has declined rapidly in urban and periurban areas because of 1) separation of the newborn and mother in the hospital, 2) mothers returning to work early and working far from home, 3) perceptions of too little milk, and 4) easy access to substitutes. Studies have revealed that breast-fed babies over 6 months old grow at a slightly lower rate than bottle-fed babies, suggesting that proper weaning foods should be provided after 6 months of age. Breast feeding is associated with lower infant morbidity (lower respiratory infection, gastrointestinal tract infection, eczema, and rickets). Despite their fears to the contrary, Chinese mothers produce an amount of breast milk in the range of that produced by women in Western countries and greater than that produced by women in other developing countries. Studies of the nutritional composition of the milk of Chinese mothers also found that it is adequate for the baby's needs. Research has indicated, however, that the foods offered to the baby during weaning satisfy only about 18% of their caloric needs. Thus, not only does breast feeding need promotion in China, weaning practices also require modification.
A Model for Dynamic Behavior of Ranging Errors in TOA-Based Indoor Geolocation Systems

In TOA based indoor geolocation systems ranging error is a function of the bandwidth of the system and the availability of the direct path between the transmitter and the receiver. With a detected direct path (DDP) condition and UWB transmission, precise range estimates are feasible while in undetected direct path (UDP) conditions large ranging errors occur which can not be cured with the increase of the transmission power or bandwidth. This paper uses Markov chain and the results of measurement calibrated ray tracing with 500 MHz bandwidth in a typical office environment to introduce a novel model for the behavior of the ranging errors observed by a randomly moving mobile terminal in an indoor area. The model divides the behavior of the ranging error into three categories. The first is DDP where the errors are usually small and mainly caused by multipath. The second category, natural UDP (NUDP), is caused by path-loss and exhibits medium ranging errors. The third category, shadowed UDP (SUDP), is caused by objects blocking the direct path and demonstrates very large ranging errors. Parameters of the Markov model are calculated from the results of wideband channel characteristics for different locations of a mobile. Results of the simulated errors from the modeling and the actual errors from the channel profile show close agreement.
Steering of tunneling currents by sub-cycle waveform shaping

We implement a novel parametric waveform synthesizer based on three carrier-envelope-phase-locked femtosecond pulses with tunable commensurate/-incommensurate carrier-frequencies. Directional electron emission asymmetry in such light-fields is shown to cause the generation of tunable Brunel-type sideband radiation.
Cellular adaptation of amino acid transport following intestinal resection in the rat.

1. The ability of rat ileal enterocytes to take up alanine and lysine before and after proximal resection of the small intestine has been assessed using both autoradiographic and dual‐isotope methods of analysis. 2. The length of individual villi was approximately doubled after resection. Alanine uptake measured in the presence or absence of Na, represented per cm2 mucosal surface area, decreased following intestinal resection. 3. Alanine and lysine uptake were confined to villus tip enterocytes in both control and ileal remnants. The net effect of intestinal resection was to increase amino acid uptake calculated per individual villus or per unit length of intestine. 4. Adaptational changes occurring as a result of resection included a shortening of the time needed for enterocytes to reach the stage where they first began to absorb amino acids and a doubling of the rate at which absorption increased during the later stages of enterocyte differentiation. 5. It is suggested that the physiological response to intestinal resection can best be appreciated by studying events taking place within individual enterocytes. The way in which adaptational changes become organized within the mucosa remains to be elucidated.
Health status and intimate partner violence: a cross-sectional study.

STUDY OBJECTIVE We identify health variables associated with a history of intimate partner violence (IPV) using self-reported and laboratory measures. METHODS This study used a cross-sectional design. Participants were a randomized sample of English-speaking women between the ages of 18 and 50 years who presented to a large urban emergency department. Potential participants were screened in the ED for a history of physical abuse and coded as having experienced no IPV (No IPV), as having a recent history of IPV (occurring in the previous 12 months; IPVA), or as having a remote history (most recent occurrence >12 months ago; IPVHx). Participants were interviewed several days later in an outpatient setting regarding demographics, medical care use, and physical and mental health variables. Participants also received urine and blood tests and a pelvic examination. RESULTS Self-reported health was poorest among women reporting IPVA and best among women reporting no IPVA. Women in the IPVA group differed from women with no IPV history with respect to cocaine use (odds ratio [OR] 4.8; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.4 to 17.3), sexually transmitted diseases (OR 5.1; 95% CI 1.5 to 20.3), and nightmare frequency (OR 11.6; 95% CI 2.3 to 83.4). Women reporting IPVHx were more likely to report a history of sexually transmitted diseases than women with no IPV history (OR 4.1; 95% CI 1.6 to 11.4) and had more frequent nightmares (OR 5.0; 95% CI 1.3 to 24.9). Urine and blood tests identified only 2 variables (hemoglobin levels, mean corpuscular volume) that differed significantly between groups by IPV history; these differences were not clinically significant. CONCLUSION Women with a recent history of IPV reported a poorer health status than women with no IPV history; laboratory testing detected few differences.
The early development of the golden hamster (Cricetus auratus).

The present investigations were begun by the late D. M. Samuel of St Bartholo-mew's Hospital Medical College in the summer of 1940. At the time of his death, in November 1943, he had collected a large number of eggs of this rodent at different stages of fertilization and cleavage, and had made many observations on the size of the living eggs. Before his death Samuel had prepared a manuscript on his findings. It has always been intended to complete the work, but only recently has the opportunity arisen to do so.
Heat sensitivity of sensory fibers in carpal tunnel syndrome

Elevations in temperature may produce conduction block in demyelinated neurons. A well‐described phenomenon in multiple sclerosis, it has also been reported in some patients with inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathies. We used carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) as a model to study the effect of heat on nerves with focal demyelination secondary to chronic compression. Compound motor and sensory responses were measured in 12 CTS patients and 12 normal subjects at 32°C and with heating to 42°C. Changes in relative motor response amplitude and area were similar for both normal subjects and CTS patients. In CTS patients, however, sensory response amplitude and area decreased 34.3% and 48.9%, significantly more than the 25.2% and 39.1% reductions in normal subjects (P = 0.021 and P = 0.018 respectively). We hypothesize that these reductions in response amplitude are secondary to the occurrence of heat‐induced conduction block in demyelinated sensory neurons. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Muscle Nerve 22: 37–42, 1999
Adenovirus-mediated gene transfer reconstitutes depressed sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase levels and shortens prolonged cardiac myocyte Ca2+ transients.

BACKGROUND Decreased expression of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+-ATPase of the cardiac myocyte (SERCA2) and abnormal Ca2+ regulation have been independently linked to human heart failure. This study was designed to determine whether expression of a SERCA2 transgene could reconstitute depressed cardiac myocyte SERCA2 levels, augment SR Ca2+ uptake, and shorten prolonged excitation-contraction (EC)-associated Ca2+ transients in neonatal rat cardiac myocytes (NM). METHODS AND RESULTS Cultured NM were treated with phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA), a compound that decreases endogenous SERCA2 expression and results in prolongation of EC-associated Ca2+ transients. PMA-treated NM had a 75% reduction in SERCA2 mRNA and a 40% reduction in SERCA2 protein levels. SERCA2 adenovirus infection increased SERCA2 mRNA expression to 2.5 times control and reconstituted SERCA2 protein levels in PMA-treated cells. This reconstitution was associated with a 32.4% reduction in the time for decline of the Indo-1 Ca2+ transient to half-maximum levels (t(1/2) [Ca2+]i) (P<.05). A 34.5% augmentation of oxalate-facilitated SR Ca2+ uptake was also documented in SERCA2 adenovirus-infected cells (P<.05). CONCLUSIONS Adenovirus-mediated expression of a SERCA2 transgene can reconstitute depressed endogenous SERCA2 levels, shorten prolonged Ca2+ transients, and augment SR Ca2+ uptake. It is conceivable that such an approach might be used in vivo to normalize altered Ca2+ regulation in human heart failure.
Antifungal peptides in marine invertebrates

A majority of terrestrial and marine organisms use to fend off a wide range of microorganisms, including bacteria and fungi by employing “antimicrobial peptides (AMPs)” that are ribosomally synthesized from proteinogenic amino acids. AMPs are a primary component of innate immune mechanisms in marine invertebrates. In contrast, marine sponges seem to contain no AMPs, but often contain nonribosomal peptides consisting of unusual amino acids that exhibit potent cytotoxic and antifungal activity. Most of these peptides are considered to be of symbiotic bacterial origin. Similarly opisthobranch molluscs sequester unusual bioactive nonribosomal peptides from their prey organisms, cyanobacteria. However, roles of these peptides are unknown.
Determining the most important factors for sustainable energy technology selection in Africa: Application of the focus group technique

The supply of sustainable energy is a crucial factor for development in Africa. This is important both for business development and for the supply of energy to households in order to save time and thus enable members of households to be economically active. Without sustainable energy, poverty reduction and economic development in Africa are not achievable. Africa has limited skilled human resources and thus the selection of successful, integrated technological systems is imperative. This study focuses on the identification of factors to be taken into account when identifying the most sustainable technological systems for Africa. Focus groups, using the nominal group technique, can be used successfully in problem definition and first order identification. The purpose of this focus group was to identify the first order factors for the study, which were then used to inform the Delphi study that followed. A pre-existing group of specialists in the energy field was used. During this process, thirty eight factors deemed to be important were identified. The factors were categorized into six clusters, namely: technology factors, social factors, institutional or regulatory factors, site selection factors, economical or financial factors, and achievability by the specific organisation.
Awareness of memory functioning in early Alzheimer's disease: Lessons from a comparison with healthy older people and young adults

To compare awareness of memory in people with early Alzheimer's disease (AD) with older and younger control groups in order to clarify the contributions of disease and ageing. Twenty-one individuals with early AD, 32 older people (OP) and 32 younger people (YP) estimated their performance before and following each of four tests of memory. Those with AD significantly overestimated performance prior to testing, confirming the presence of unawareness for prediction. Their estimates were adjusted for age in a similar way to those of OP, who predicted their performance accurately. Younger people significantly underestimated their performance. Following memory tests, YP and those with AD significantly adjusted their ratings towards greater accuracy but on average those with AD still overestimated. There were variations in post-test ratings from over to under prediction in all three groups. Heightened awareness post-performance may open possibilities of cognitive rehabilitation to consolidate momentary into more long-term awareness, whilst the operation of possible psychosocial influences suggests that emotion oriented interventions to increase acceptance and decrease shame might be helpful.
Perceptions and Receipt of Cancer Screening among African Americans: A Community Networks Program Project

Objective: Minority groups constitute one of the nation’s highest cancer risk groups. Historically, these groups have not been adequately informed about cancer, its prevention and/or treatment. The purpose of this study was to examine participants’ receipt of cancer screening and to explore perceptions of barriers to and facilitators of cancer screening. Methods: A two-part study design consisting of a survey and focus group was conducted among African Americans residents of neighborhoods geographically defined as low-income areas of Chattanooga, Memphis, and Nashville in the state of Tennessee. The survey was administered to 1071 participants, and 12 focus groups were conducted with a total of 112 participants, with both sets of participants being residents of similarly defined underserved communities served by the community health centers. Results: Overall, 51% of surveyed respondents were females; the majority (75%) had a yearly income of less than $25,000; and 67% reported 12 years of education or less. Most surveyed respondents had a family history of cancer. More than 30% and 64% of male respondents over 50 years old did not receive prostate cancer and colorectal cancer screening, respectively; 58% of women 50 years and older were not screened for colorectal cancer; 28% of women over 40 years old did not receive breast cancer screening. Barriers to cancer screening included: lack of information about cancer screening and treatments, cost of cancer treatment and fear. The need for more information about cancer and cancer treatment, as well as the involvement of churches to increase cancer screening awareness was identified as facilitators. Conclusion: This study provides information into the structural and psychological barriers in cancer screening. It describes the self-reported prevalence/frequency of screening among men and women in our target population, and the associated facilitators to screening.
Commercial Lending Concentration and Bank Expertise: Evidence from Borrower Financial Statements

Lending concentration features prominently in models of information acquisition by banks, but empirical evidence on its role is limited. Using bank-level loan exposures, we find banks are less likely to collect audited financial statements from firms in industries and regions in which they have more exposure. These findings are stronger in settings in which adverse selection is acute and muted when the bank lacks experience with an exposure. Our results offer novel evidence on how bank characteristics are related to the type of financial information they use and support theoretical predictions suggesting portfolio concentration reveals a bank's relative expertise.
Field studies of shiftwork: II. Temporal patterns in psychophysiological activation in workers alternating between night and day work.

Abstract Thirteen male typesetters working a weekly rotating day-night shift schedule were studied with respect to circadian variations of catecholamine excretion, oral temperature, self-rated alertness and choice reaction time. Measurements were made in the beginning, middle and end of the night week and during the beginning of the day week. The catecholamine values during night work indicated low levels of arousal without variation over time for oral temperature and alertness circadian variation was pronounced with very late peaks. No significant variation over time was found for choice reaction time. Tendencies towards adjustment (increase) over the night week were seen for catecholamine excretion, body temperature and self-rated alertness. The results were compared with values for permanent nightworkers and it was found that the latter showed high arousal during night work and no adjustment over the night week, i.e. results indicating long term adjustment to night work. It was concluded that the two-s.
Influenza vaccination in patients with haematologic malignancies: analysis of practices in 200 patients in a single center.

GOALS OF WORK Despite recent studies demonstrating immunogenicity and tolerance of influenza vaccine in patients with haematologic malignancies, practices are still heterogeneous. The aim of this study was to analyse practices and factors influencing vaccination in a single centre, in the light of recent literature data. PATIENTS AND METHODS Two hundred patients with haematologic malignancies were included and filled out a standardized questionnaire about influenza vaccination. They were observed prospectively during the epidemic season. MAIN RESULTS Our study revealed a poor uptake of influenza vaccination (vaccinal rate: 25.5%), in particular in patients younger than 65 y and those with no comorbidities. The main reasons for not being vaccinated were: the vaccination was not suggested to patients (53.7%), vaccination was contraindicated by doctors (24.2%), the patient refused it (21.5%). The main reasons for physicians for contraindicating the vaccine were: haematologic malignancy could be worsened by vaccination (33.3%), vaccination could generate illness or asthenia (27.8%), vaccination would not be efficient (16.7%), unknown (22.2%). CONCLUSIONS We believe that a better knowledge by physicians of tolerance and efficiency of the vaccine could enhance the vaccination coverage.