Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Involvement of EAT/mcl-1, a bcl-2 related gene, in the apoptotic mechanisms underlying human placental development and maintenance.

The EAT/mcl-1 gene was isolated during the early differentiation of a retinoic acid-induced human embryonal carcinoma cell line to the trophectoderm lineage. EAT/mcl-1, a bcl-2 related gene, is involved in the genetic pathway of apoptosis; this suggests a role for apoptosis and the involvement of this gene in early placental development. In the current investigation, we analysed expression of EAT/mcl-1 at the mRNA level by Northern blot analysis and in situ hybridization, as well as at the protein level, by immunoblot analysis and immunohistochemistry. Our results identified constant expression of this gene in the placenta throughout pregnancy as well as a shift in its localization from the cytotrophoblast in the first trimester to the syncytiotrophoblast in the third trimester. In addition, there was an inverse correlation between EAT/mcl-1 expression and TaT-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick-end labelling (TUNEL) reactivity in trophoblasts in the first trimester. These results suggest a role for EAT/mcl-1 in both early placental development in regulating trophoblast differentiation as well as a role for this gene in placental maintenance in regulating the process of trophoblast turnover.
Use of the kalamazoo essential elements communication checklist (adapted) in an institutional interpersonal and communication skills curriculum.

BACKGROUND This study examined the psychometric properties of the Kalamazoo Essential Elements Communication Checklist (Adapted) (KEECC-A), which addresses 7 key elements of physician communication identified in the Kalamazoo Consensus Statement, in a sample of 135 residents in multiple specialties at a large urban medical center in 2008-2009. The KEECC-A was used by residents, standardized patients, and faculty as the assessment tool in a broader institutional curriculum initiative. METHODS Three separate KEECC-A scores (self-ratings, faculty ratings, and standardized patient ratings) were calculated for each resident to assess the internal consistency and factor structure of the checklist. In addition, we analyzed KEECC-A ratings by gender and US versus international medical graduates, and collected American Board of Internal Medicine Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (PSQ) scores for a subsample of internal medicine residents (n = 28) to examine the relationship between this measure and the KEECC-A ratings to provide evidence of convergent validity. RESULTS The KEECC-A ratings generated by faculty, standardized patients, and the residents themselves demonstrated a high degree of internal consistency. Factor analyses of the 3 different sets of KEECC-A ratings produced a consistent single-factor structure. We could not examine the relationship between KEECC-A and the PSQ because of substantial range restriction in PSQ scores. No differences were seen in the communication scores of men versus women. Faculty rated US graduates significantly higher than international medical graduates. CONCLUSION Our study provides evidence for the reliability and validity of the KEECC-A as a measure of physician communication skills. The KEECC-A appears to be a psychometrically sound, user-friendly communication tool, linked to an expert consensus statement, that can be quickly and accurately completed by multiple raters across diverse specialties.
Young’s modulus and indirect morphological analysis of Bi2Se3 nanoribbons by resonance measurements

An electrostatically induced resonance behaviour of individual topological insulator Bi2Se3 nanoribbons grown by a catalyst free vapour–solid synthesis was studied in situ by scanning electron microscopy. It was demonstrated that the relation between the resonant frequencies of vibrations in orthogonal planes can be applied to distinguish the nanoribbons with rectangular cross-sections from the nanoribbons having step-like morphology (terraces). The average Young’s modulus of the Bi2Se3 nanoribbons with rectangular cross-sections was found to be 44 ± 4 GPa.
Arginine 197 of the cholecystokinin‐A receptor binding site interacts with the sulfate of the peptide agonist cholecystokinin

The knowledge of the binding sites of G protein‐coupled cholecystokinin receptors represents important insights that may serve to understand their activation processes and to design or optimize ligands. Our aim was to identify the amino acid of the cholecystokinin‐A receptor (CCK‐AR) binding site in an interaction with the sulfate of CCK, which is crucial for CCK binding and activity. A three‐dimensional model of the [CCK‐AR‐CCK] complex was built. In this model, Arg197 was the best candidate residue for a ionic interaction with the sulfate of CCK. Arg197 was exchanged for a methionine by site‐directed mutagenesis. Wild‐type and mutated CCK‐AR were transiently expressed in COS‐7 cells for pharmacological and functional analysis. The mutated receptor on Arg197 did not bind the agonist radioligand 125I‐BH‐[Thr, Nle]‐CCK‐9; however, it bound the nonpeptide antagonist [3H]‐SR27,897 as the wild‐type receptor. The mutant was ≅1,470‐ and 3,200‐fold less potent than the wild‐type CCK‐AR to activate G proteins and to induce inositol phosphate production, respectively. This is consistent with the 500‐fold lower potency and 800‐fold lower affinity of nonsulfated CCK relative to sulfated CCK on the wild‐type receptor. These data, together with those showing that the mutated receptor failed to discriminate nonsulfated and sulfated CCK while it retained other pharmacological features of the CCK‐AR, strongly support an interaction between Arg 197 of the CCK‐AR binding site and the sulfate of CCK. In addition, the mutated CCK‐AR resembled the low affinity state of the wild‐type CCK‐AR, suggesting that Arg 197‐sulfate interaction regulates conformational changes of the CCK‐AR that are required for its physiological activation.
Hospital Costs of Nosocomial Infections: A Prospective Three-Month Study In a Community Hospital

Abstract A prospective three-month study of the hospital costs associated with nosocomial infections was done in a 390-bed, 30-bassinet community-teaching hospital early in 1978. All hospital charges for diagnostic and therapeutic services required by nosocomial infections, and added length of stay due to the infections, were recorded. During the study period 123 infections occurred in 104 patients (a 2.7% incidence, considering the 4,485 patients discharged during this time). The average length of stay was prolonged 3.0 days for all nosocomial infections; this accounted for about half of the $636 average hospital charges for each nosocomial infection. The 65 nosocomial urinary tract infections prolonged the length of stay an average of 0.6 days and the total hospital charges were $146 for each infection, leading us to believe that the proportion of nosocomial infections at any given site may greatly alter the “average” cost of nosocomial infections. Our data from a community hospital show a shorter prolongation of length of stay and lower hospital costs when compared with the few other studies in the literature.
Low frequency of the TEL/AML1 fusion gene in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in Spain

We report on a series of Spanish patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in whom the t(12;21) [TEL/AML1] translocation could not be identified with two sensitive techniques: reverse transcript‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) and fluorescence in‐situ hybridization (FISH). 101 cases were analysed: 38 children (29 B‐cell precursor; nine T‐cell precursor) and 63 adults (48 B‐cell precursor; 15 T‐cell precursor). Specific RT‐PCR to amplify the TEL/AML1 fusion transcript was negative in all 101 cases. Moreover, all 38 paediatric samples were also negative by interphase FISH analysis for the presence of the TEL/AML1 fusion. These results suggest the existence of geographic/race variations in the genotype of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL).
Managerial perspectives on risk and risk taking

This paper explores the relation between decision theoretic conceptions of risk and the conceptions held by executives. It considers recent studies of risk attitudes and behavior among managers against the background of conceptions of risk derived from theories of choice. We conclude that managers take risks and exhibit risk preferences, but the processes that generate those observables are somewhat removed from the classical processes of choosing from among alternative actions in terms of the mean (expected value) and variance (risk) of the probability distributions over possible outcomes. We identify three major ways in which the conceptions of risk and risk taking held by these managers lead to orientations to risk that are different from what might be expected from a decision theory perspective: Managers are quite insensitive to estimates of the probabilities of possible outcomes; their decisions are particularly affected by the way their attention is focused on critical performance targets; and they .
Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Lyase Regulates Sensitivity of Human Cells to Select Chemotherapy Drugs in a p38-Dependent Manner

Resistance to cisplatin is a common problem that limits its usefulness in cancer therapy. Molecular genetic studies in the model organism Dictyostelium discoideum have established that modulation of sphingosine kinase or sphingosine-1-phosphate (S-1-P) lyase, by disruption or overexpression, results in altered cellular sensitivity to this widely used drug. Parallel changes in sensitivity were observed for the related compound carboplatin but not for other chemotherapy drugs tested. Sensitivity to cisplatin could also be potentiated pharmacologically with dimethylsphingosine, a sphingosine kinase inhibitor. We now have validated these studies in cultured human cell lines. HEK293 or A549 lung cancer cells expressing human S-1-P lyase (hSPL) show an increase in sensitivity to cisplatin and carboplatin as predicted from the earlier model studies. The hSPL-overexpressing cells were also more sensitive to doxorubicin but not to vincristine or chlorambucil. Studies using inhibitors to specific mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) show that the increased cisplatin sensitivity in the hSPL-overexpressing cells is mediated by p38 and to a lesser extent by c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase MAPKs. p38 is not involved in vincristine or chlorambucil cytotoxicity. Measurements of MAPK phosphorylation and enzyme activity as well as small interfering RNA inhibition studies show that the response to the drug is accompanied by up-regulation of p38 and c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase and the lack of extracellular signal-regulated kinase up-regulation. These studies confirm an earlier model proposing a mechanism for the drug specificity observed in the studies with D. discoideum and support the idea that the sphingosine kinases and S-1-P lyase are potential targets for improving the efficacy of cisplatin therapy for human tumors.
Nitric oxide metabolite changes in gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity; the effects of antioxidant vitamins

Introduction: Nitric oxide (NO) has some important roles in endothelial functioning and renal hemodynamics. Based on previous studies, NO function is different in both genders. Probably, antioxidant vitamins, as free radical scavengers, have some protective effects on renal injury. Objectives: This study aims to search the possible antioxidant effects on nitrite level in both sexes. Materials and Methods: The rats were divided into 8 groups each including both male and female ones; The categories include 1) gentamicin treated, 2) gentamicin and vitamin E-treated, 3) gentamicin and vitamin C-treated, 4) gentamicin plus vitamin E and C treated. Nine days after administering drugs, blood samples were collected from the heart. The level of urea, creatinine (Cr), and nitrite were measured in the animals serum. Also, nitrite level was measured in the homogenized kidney tissue. Results: Gentamicin, in male and female rats enhanced serum urea and Cr levels significantly at the level of P<0.05. In the presence of the vitamins E and C individually urea and Cr levels decreased significantly too. After GM administration serum nitrite level was higher in female than male rats at the statistically significant level. Vitamin E increased serum nitrite level in male and female rats in comparison with GM group. Similarly, the vitamins enhanced kidney nitrite level which was significantly higher in male than female animals. Conclusion: This study shows that administrating vitamin E and C could individually have stronger effect on nitrite more prominently among male rats.
The mediating effects of situational control on social support and mood following a stressor: a prospective study of dementia caregivers in their natural environments.

OBJECTIVES The present study examined, prospectively and within the context of stress experienced in the natural environment, whether situational control served as a mediator between perceived social support and caregiver's mood. METHODS Data came from baseline assessments of individuals participating in health promotion interventions for women caregivers. Participants were 49 female caregivers of dementia patients who monitored their own acute psychological states during the day. RESULTS Results revealed that although the occurrence of a situational stressor increased negative mood, greater perceived support reduced the detrimental impact of a stressor on negative mood. Moreover, path analyses revealed that changes in situational control partially mediated the relationship between perceived support and stress-induced negative mood changes. However, changes in control did not serve as a mediator in analyses focused on happiness. DISCUSSION Results suggest that caregivers with greater perceived support were less emotionally reactive to stress occurring in their natural environments because of, in part, sustained or increased situational control.
Psychological factors and survival in the cardiac arrhythmia suppression trial (CAST): a reexamination.

BACKGROUND Evaluating the independent effects of psychosocial and physiological factors on survival of cardiac patients is difficult because it requires obtaining extensive physiological and psychosocial data and long-term follow-up of high-risk patients. OBJECTIVES To examine the independent contributions of psychosocial and physiological status to survival of patients who had had myocardial infarction. METHODS The sample consisted of 348 patients in the Cardiac Arrhythmia Suppression Trial who had asymptomatic ventricular arrhythmias after myocardial infarction. Psychosocial status was assessed with the Social Support Questionnaire-6, Social Readjustment Rating Scale, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Self-Rating Depression Scale, Jenkins Activity Survey, and Expression of Anger Scale. Physiological data included measurement of left ventricular ejection fraction; history of previous myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, and diabetes; and results of Holter monitoring. RESULTS At the first follow-up, after the effect of the physiological predictors was controlled for, psychosocial factors were significant independent predictors of survival. Among men in the nonactive medication group (n = 263), higher state anxiety, lower anger outward, more past life events, and lower expectations of future life events were predictors of mortality. Data suggested that the relationship of anger to mortality might differ for men and women. Increases in past life events and depression from baseline to first follow-up were greater among those who died than among those who lived. CONCLUSION Among patients who had asymptomatic ventricular arrhythmias after myocardial infarction, psychological status during the period after infarction contributed to mortality beyond the effect of physiological status. The results reaffirm the critical interrelationship between mind and body for cardiovascular health.
Obesity among adolescents: sedentary leisure time and sleeping as determinants.

BACKGROUND Over the past 30 years, the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents has nearly tripled. Physical inactivity, unbalanced diet, and unhealthy lifestyles may cause lifelong obesity. METHODS A representative, national cross-sectional study was carried out between 2006 and 2007 with 40 middle high schools with 384 classes. We used a three-stage stratified systematic sampling design with a probability proportionate to the size from the northern, middle, southern, and eastern areas in Taiwan. Questionnaires were completed by 8640 students (51.7% boys and 48.3% girls) aged between 13 and 16 years. RESULTS Obesity was identified in 7.2% of the participants and 16.1% were overweight. Using stepwise logistic regression, we found that those whose fathers or mothers were obese, watched television for more than 2 hours/day on weekdays and slept for less than 7.75 hours/day at weekends had a statistically significantly greater risk of obesity (females: ORs = 3.4, 4.2, 1.8, and 4.2, respectively; P < 0.05; boys: ORs = 2.3, 1.7, 1.4, and 1.6, respectively; P < 0.05). CONCLUSION To help prevent obesity, strategies are needed to decrease adolescents sedentary leisure time and help them have sufficient sleep. Nurses can play a key role in health promotion in relation to childhood and adolescent obesity.
Registering eye movements during reading in Alzheimer’s disease: Difficulties in predicting upcoming words

Reading requires the fine integration of attention, ocular movements, word identification, and language comprehension, among other cognitive parameters. Several of the associated cognitive processes such as working memory and semantic memory are known to be impaired by Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This study analyzes eye movement behavior of 18 patients with probable AD and 40 age-matched controls during Spanish sentence reading. Controls focused mainly on word properties and considered syntactic and semantic structures. At the same time, controls’ knowledge and prediction about sentence meaning and grammatical structure are quite evident when we consider some aspects of visual exploration, such as word skipping, and forward saccades. By contrast, in the AD group, the predictability effect of the upcoming word was absent, visual exploration was less focused, fixations were much longer, and outgoing saccade amplitudes were smaller than those in controls. The altered visual exploration and the absence of a contextual predictability effect might be related to impairments in working memory and long-term memory retrieval functions. These eye movement measures demonstrate considerable sensitivity with respect to evaluating cognitive processes in Alzheimer’s disease. They could provide a user-friendly marker of early disease symptoms and of its posterior progression.
High-Efficiency Battery Storage Unit for Renewable Energy DC Micro-Grids

The paper describes a battery storage unit for small DC micro-grids based on a multi-cell topology. The system consists of a series arrangement of lead-acid type battery cells where each cell is equipped with an individual DC-DC buck converter located directly at the battery terminals. For minimizing the output ripple the cells are operated in interleaved PWM mode. With this the cell-to-cell wiring can be used as output ripple filter avoiding dedicated smoothing coils. The proposed circuit is based on lowvoltage MOSFETs operated at low switching frequencies resulting in 99%+ converter efficiency rates. The control of the unit, furthermore, emulates a virtual output impedance of the battery storage system. This opens an easy possibility for energy management and load leveling of the DC micro-grid by adopting the power consumption of the individual loads according to the actual grid voltage which is used as a load status indicator of the grid.
Identification of organic compounds in landfill leachate treated by advanced oxidation processes

ABSTRACT Landfill leachates are considered to be complex effluents of a variable composition containing many biorecalcitrant and highly toxic compounds. Considering the shortage of studies concerning the treatment of landfill leachates using ozone, as well as its combination with catalysts, the aim of this paper was to identify the organic compounds in this effluent treated with advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) of ozonation (O3), and heterogeneous catalytic ozonation with TiO2 (O3/TiO2) and with ZnO (O3/ZnO). In addition, this study sought to assess the efficiency of the removal of the organic matter present in the leachate. For the pre- and post-AOPs, the leachate was characterized through physicochemical parameters and identification of organic compounds using gas chromatography coupled to the mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The three processes studied (O3, O3/TiO2, and O3/ZnO) presented color removal, turbidity, BOD above 95%, and lower COD removals (19%, 24%, and 33%, respectively). All AOPs studied promoted a similar reduction of organic compounds from leachate, some of which with toxic and carcinogenic potential, such as p-cresol, bisphenol A, atrazine, and hexazinone. In addition, upon the removal of organic matter and organic compounds, the heterogeneous catalytic ozonation processes proved more efficient than the process carried out only with ozone.
The structure of interfibrillar proteoglycan bridges (‘shape modules’) in extracellular matrix of fibrous connective tissues and their stability in various chemical environments

Collagen fibrils in extracellular matrices of connective tissues (tendon, cornea, etc.) are bridged and linked by the anionic glycosaminoglycans (AGAGs) of the small proteoglycans (decoron, etc.). It was proposed that these bridges and ties maintain the collagen fibril dispositions in relation to each other, helping to define tissue shape, and hence called shape modules. This investigation describes chemical and physicochemical conditions in which these structures are stable and what treatments cause their disruption. The effects on fixed and unfixed sections of tendon, cornea, lung and ear from rat, mouse and rabbit of pH, electrolyte concentration, EDTA, mercaptoethanol, hydrogen peroxide, free radicals, periodate, acetylation, urea, nonionic detergent and organic solvents were assessed by staining with Cupromeronic blue or Alcec blue in CEC techniques to localise AGAG bridges or their disintegration products. Ca2+ was not involved in the structures, oxidation/reduction had no effect and Triton X100, a nonionic detergent did not damage them. They were stable between pH 4.5 and 9.5. Periodate as a glycol‐cleaving reagent did not affect them. High concentrations of urea (>2.0 m) and MgCl2 (0.5 m) disrupted the tissues. The combination of Triton and urea at concentrations too low to cause damage separately was disruptive. Free radicals in periodate solutions were damaging. Organic solvents caused collapse and rearrangements of the AGAG filaments. Acetylation caused considerable disruption of shape modules. Dermochondan but not keratan sulphate AGAGs were removed by treatment with NaOH. After fixing with glutaraldehyde only free radical and NaOH treatments were severely disruptive of shape modules. The results are compatible with a previously proposed structure for the shape modules, stabilised by hydrophobic and hydrogen bonding.