Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Frequency weightings of hand-transmitted vibration for predicting vibration-induced white finger.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate the performance of four frequency weightings for hand-transmitted vibration to predict the incidence of vibration-induced white finger (VWF). METHODS In a longitudinal study of vibration-exposed forestry and stone workers (N=206), the incidence of VWF was related to measures of vibration exposure expressed in terms of 8-hour frequency-weighted energy-equivalent root-mean-square (rms) acceleration magnitude [A(8)] and years of follow-up. To calculate A(8), the rms acceleration magnitudes of vibration were weighted by means of four frequency weightings: (i) W(h) (the frequency weighting specified in ISO 5349-1:2001); (ii) W(h-bl) (the band-limiting component of W(h)); (iii) W(hf) (a frequency weighting based on finger vibration power absorption); and (iv) W(hT) (a frequency weighting based on a Japanese study of VWF prevalence). The relations of VWF to alternative measures of vibration exposure were assessed by the generalized estimating equations (GEE) method to account for the within-subject dependency of the observations over time. RESULTS Data analysis with a GEE logistic model and a measure of statistical fit suggested that calculating A(8) by weighting the tool rms accelerations with W(h-bl)gave better predictions of the cumulative incidence of VWF than the other alternative measures of daily vibration exposure. Values of A(8) derived from the currently recommended ISO frequency weighting Wh produced poorer predictions of the incidence of VWF than those obtained with frequency weightings W(hf)or W(hT). CONCLUSIONS This prospective cohort study suggests that measures of daily vibration exposure which give relatively more weight to intermediate and high frequency vibration are more appropriate for assessing the probability of VWF.
Epidemiologic observations on Parkinson's disease

We determined age-specific and age-adjusted incidence rates and mortality rates of idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) in a cohort of men followed for 29 years. Since enrollment in 1965, the Honolulu Heart Study has followed 8,006 American men of Japanese or Okinawan ancestry. Rescreening of the entire cohort, completed in 1994, included attempts to detect all prevalent and incident cases of PD, parkinsonism, and related conditions. PD incidence rates and age-incidence patterns were similar to rates previously published for Caucasian men in Europe and the United States, and were higher than incidence rates published for Asian men living in Asian nations. Prevalence patterns appeared to correspond more closely to patterns observed in developed nations than in Asian nations. PD was associated with markedly increased mortality that appeared to result from effects of both absolute age and disease duration. There was no firm evidence for differences in birth cohort risks of PD. These data may have implications for maturational and environmental theories of PD etiology. NEUROLOGY 1996;46: 1044-1050.
A Novel Role for SIRT3 in Regulating Mediators Involved in the Terminal Pathways of Human Labor and Delivery1

ABSTRACT Preterm birth remains the major cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity, mediated largely by an inflammatory process. The sirtuin (SIRT) family of cellular regulators has been implicated as key inhibitors of inflammation. We have previously reported a role for SIRT1, SIRT2, and SIRT6 in regulating inflammation-induced prolabor mediators. In this study, we determined the effect of term labor and pro-inflammatory cytokines on SIRT3, SIRT4, SIRT5, and SIRT7 expression in human myometrium. Functional studies were also used to investigate the effect of small interfering RNA (siRNA) knockdown of SIRTs in regulating inflammation-induced prolabor mediators. Western blot analysis and qRT-PCR were used to determine SIRT3, SIRT4, SIRT5, and SIRT7 mRNA and protein expression in human myometrium. Small interfering RNA knockdown of SIRT3 in myometrial primary cells determined its role in response to inflammatory stimuli IL1B and TNF. SIRT3 mRNA and protein expression levels were significantly lower in term laboring myometrium compared with term nonlaboring myometrium. There was no effect of labor on SIRT4, SIRT5 or SIRT7 protein expression. The pro-inflammatory cytokines IL1B and TNF significantly decreased levels of SIRT3 mRNA and protein expression. SIRT3 knockdown by siRNA significantly augmented IL1B- and TNF-stimulated IL6, CXCL8, and CCL2 mRNA expression and release; PTGS2 mRNA expression and subsequent PGF2alpha release; the mRNA expression and secretion of the adhesion molecule ICAM1 and the extracellular matrix remodeling enzyme MMP9; and nuclear factor kappa B1 (NFkappaB1) transcriptional activity. In human myometrium, SIRT3 expression decreases with term labor and regulates the mediators involved in the terminal effector pathways of human labor and delivery through the NFkappaB1 pathway.
A MATHEMATICAL MODEL OF RAT VENTRICULAR CARDIOMYOCYTE WITH ANOVEL DESCRIPTION OF INTRACELLULAR AND T-TUBULAR Ca2+ DYNAMICS

In this paper, we present a novel quantitative description of intracellular and t-tubular Ca2+ dynamics in a model of rat cardiac ventricular myocyte. In order to simulate recently published data, the model incorporates t-tubular and peripheral dyads and intracellular subspaces, segmentation of the t-tubular luminal volume, reformulation of the inactivation properties of t-tubular and peripheral L-type calcium current (ICa) and a description of exogenous Ca2+ buffer function in the intracellular space. The model is used to explore activity-induced changes of ion concentrations in the intracellular and t-tubular spaces and their role in excitation – contraction coupling in ventricular myocytes.
Hypoxia-responsive expression of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Rv3134c and devR promoters in Mycobacterium smegmatis.

Mycobacterial persistence is a major hindrance in the treatment of tuberculosis. Persistence is thought to result from bacterial adaptation to the prevailing environment within tuberculous lesions and granulomas that are believed to be deficient in oxygen and nutrient supply (Wayne & Sohaskey, 2001). In vitro models of mycobacterial persistence have provided us with valuable insights into the physiological, structural, metabolic and molecular changes that accompany adaptation to oxygen limitation (Wayne & Sohaskey, 2001). A recent global analysis of expression revealed that the expression of more than 100 genes was altered when Mycobacterium tuberculosis was subjected briefly to defined hypoxic conditions (Sherman et al., 2001). Among the induced genes was the devR–devS two-component regulatory system. The genes encoding the DevR–DevS two-component system were first identified and partially characterized in M. tuberculosis (Dasgupta et al., 2000) and found to be well conserved in several mycobacteria including Mycobacterium smegmatis (Zahrt & Deretic, 2001; Tyagi & Sharma, 2002). M. smegmatis exhibits an adaptation response to oxygen limitation that is similar to that of M. tuberculosis (Dick et al., 1998). In fact, the molecular mechanisms involved in the dormancy response are likely conserved in the two species in so far as the involvement of the DevR–DevS genetic system is concerned (Mayuri et al., 2002). The slow growth rate and pathogenicity of M. tuberculosis often pose a hurdle for the study of its physiology. This has prompted the use of a fast-growing, non-pathogenic species, namely M. smegmatis, as a surrogate host. In view of the conservation between the two species of several aspects of the in vitro hypoxia response (Wayne & Sohaskey, 2001; Dick et al., 1998), the transcription machinery (Bashyam et al., 1996), several sigma factor genes (Tyagi & Sharma, 2002) and hypoxic induction of Rv3134c, devR and devS (Sherman et al., 2001; Mayuri et al., 2002), we assessed the suitability of M. smegmatis for studying the regulation of the M. tuberculosis devR–devS promoter.
Macrophage positron emission tomography imaging as a biomarker for preclinical rheumatoid arthritis: findings of a prospective pilot study.

OBJECTIVE To conduct a prospective pilot study to determine whether macrophage targeting by 11C-(R)-PK11195 positron emission tomography (PET) can visualize subclinical synovitis in arthralgia patients who have anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPAs). METHODS Twenty-nine arthralgia patients who were positive for ACPAs but did not have clinical arthritis were studied. High (spatial)-resolution 11C-(R)-PK11195 PET scans of the hands and wrists were performed. For all metacarpophalangeal, proximal interphalangeal, and wrist joints (i.e., 22 joints per patient), tracer uptake was scored semiquantitatively (0-3 scale) by 2 observers who were blinded with regard to the clinical data. Patients were followed up prospectively for 24 months to investigate the development of clinical arthritis. RESULTS Overall agreement and kappa values for the readings of the 2 observers were, respectively, 97% and 0.91 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.74-1) at the patient level and 99% and 0.81 (95% CI 0.65-0.96) at the joint level. In 4 patients, at least 1 and as many as 5 PET-positive joints (score≥1) were found at baseline. Within 2 years of followup, 9 patients had developed clinical arthritis. This included all 4 patients with positive findings on the 11C-(R)-PK11195 scan, who developed clinical arthritis in the hand/wrist region, as identified on PET scans. Of the 5 remaining arthritis patients with negative findings on PET scans, 2 developed arthritis in the hand joints and 3 developed arthritis at locations outside the field of view of the PET scanner. CONCLUSION Subclinical arthritis in ACPA-positive arthralgia patients could be visualized by 11C-(R)-PK11195 PET scanning and was associated with development of arthritis within 2 years of followup. This indicates that 11C-(R)-PK11195 PET may be useful in determining arthritis activity in the preclinical phase of RA.
The Impact of Body Weight on Ovarian Cancer Outcomes

Background Obesity is a known risk factor and poor prognostic factor for many comorbidities including cancer. However, the influence of body mass index (BMI) on ovarian cancer outcomes is inconclusive. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of BMI and weight changes on survival in patients with advanced ovarian cancer after primary treatment. Methods All patients with a diagnosis of advanced epithelial ovarian cancer from January 2000 to December 2007 undergoing primary cytoreductive surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy were identified. Patients were divided into 3 categories: underweight/normal weight (BMI, <25 kg/m2), overweight (BMI, 25–30 kg/m2), and obese (BMI, >30 kg/m2). Adjusted hazard ratios for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were calculated via Cox proportional hazards models. Results One hundred ninety-eight patients met the inclusion criteria. For all patients, the mean BMI was 26 kg/m2 (range, 16.4–49.1 kg/m2), with 43% of patients being classified as normal weight, 29% overweight, and 28% as obese. Median 5-year OS was 48.2 months (95% confidence interval, 16.4–49.1 months), and no differences in OS were noted between BMI groups. Unadjusted median PFS for patients with normal weight was 13.7 months, compared with 15.5 and 17.9 months for the overweight and obese groups. Adjusted analysis of BMI over time indicates a trend of increased risk for patients who gain weight in the 6 months after primary therapy on disease progression (hazard ratio, 1.68; 95% confidence interval, 0.87–3.26). Conclusions After adjustment for confounders, such as stage, grade, histology, age, and debulking status, data suggest a trend toward a shorter PFS in patients with a normal BMI. However, OS was not significantly related to BMI, and weight change in the 6 months after completion of treatment had no effect on PFS or OS. Further research should be directed at elucidating relationships between weight and cancer biology.
Should men with idiopathic obstructive azoospermia be screened for genitourinary tuberculosis?

Objective: Infertility may be the sole manifestation of genitourinary tuberculosis (TB) and men with idiopathic obstructive azoospermia are often screened for TB using semen polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. We assessed the benefits of such screening. Design: Totally, 100 infertile men with idiopathic obstructive azoospermia were screened with a kit-based PCR for semen TB. Confirmatory tests for TB were performed in PCR positive men before administering anti-tubercular therapy (ATT) for 6 months. Semen analysis was repeated to assess benefits of treatment. Results: Seven subjects (7%) had positive semen PCR for TB. Four of them had other clinical evidence of TB (history and physical signs) and were administered ATT. None had any improvement in semen parameters. No subject had any other laboratory evidence of TB and no other subject (96%) was administered ATT. Conclusions: Screening for TB using semen PCR did not identify any men who would have been missed on clinical evaluation and is thus not indicated in men with idiopathic obstructive azoospermia.
Follicular lymphoma of the pancreas: a case report and proposed new strategies for diagnosis and surgery of benign or low-grade malignant lesions of the head of the pancreas.

CONTEXT Primary pancreatic lymphoma is a rare form of extranodal lymphoma originating in the pancreas. The present report describes a case of follicular lymphoma of the pancreas with unique CT and MRI findings. CASE REPORT A 58-year-old male complained of sudden abdominal pain, and routine ultrasonography detected an 8 cm hypoechoic tumor in the head of the pancreas. The 3D image generated using multi-cholangiography and virtual duodenography provided the information necessary for a laparotomy. The tumor was enucleated for diagnosis. Follicular lymphoma is quite rare in the pancreas and gastrointestinal tract. A considerable number of pancreatic lymphoma subtypes have been reported. The expression "pancreatic lymphoma" has been used to describe both primary lymphoid neoplasms originating in the pancreatic parenchyma and tumors invading from a peri-pancreatic lymphadenopathy. The present case belongs to the latter, which might explain the unique imaging findings and histological type. These subtypes display different imaging findings and different clinical characteristics. In the future, primary pancreatic lymphoma should be discussed separately depending on the subtype. CONCLUSION We propose a new subtype of primary pancreatic lymphoma. Multi-cholangiography and virtual duodenography provided the information necessary for a laparotomy in the present case. Enucleation is indicated for benign and low-grade malignant tumors of the pancreas, even if the tumor is located in the head of the pancreas.
The role of executive functions in social impairment in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by socio-communicative impairments. Executive dysfunction may explain some key characteristics of ASD, both social and nonsocial hallmarks. Limited research exists exploring the relations between executive function and social impairment in ASD and few studies have used a comparison control group. Thus, the objective of the present study was to investigate the relations between executive functioning using the Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning (BRIEF), social impairment as measured by the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), and overall autistic symptomology as measured by the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) in children and adolescents with and without ASD. Seventy children and adolescents diagnosed with ASD and 71 typically developing controls were included in this study. Findings showed that behavioral regulation executive processes (i.e., inhibition, shifting, and emotional control) predicted social function in all children. However, metacognitive executive processes (i.e., initiation, working memory, planning, organization, and monitoring) predicted social function only in children with ASD and not in typically developing children. Our findings suggest a distinct metacognitive executive function-social symptom link in ASD that is not present in the typical population. Understanding components of executive functioning that contribute to the autistic symptomology, particularly in the socio-communicative domain, is crucial for developing effective interventions that target key executive processes as well as underlying behavioral symptoms.
Modèle multi-bulles pour cavitation. Equation d'évolution pour la pression

Ce travail de these porte sur la modelisation de la cavitation, phenomene par lequel se forment des bulles quasi vide dans un liquide en depression. L'etude de la cavitation a donne lieu dans la litterature a plusieurs modeles. La quasi totalite de ces modeles font abstraction des interactions entre les bulles et de l'augmentation de la pression qui en resulte dans certaines phases d'evolution de la cavitation, comme l'ont observe experimentalement Franc et al. (1995) et de Ohl (2002). Dans notre travail nous proposons un nouveau modele d'evolution de la taille des bulles, dans lequel deux bulles non identiques sont localisees dans un volume en expansion controlee. La presence de deux bulles introduit une instabilite dans laquelle l'echange de vide apparait comme un degre de liberte supplementaire. Notre modele inclut la possibilite pour de nombreuses petites bulles de disparaitre ou non selon que leur rayon est inferieur ou pas au rayon critique. Selon ce modele il peut y avoir de nombreux collapses de petites bulles des l'apparition de la cavitation, ce qui est conforme a l'observation experimentale d'un bruit dans la zone d'apparition de la cavitation Buogo et al. (2002). Le modele revele la pression comme une inconnue du probleme pour laquelle nous avons pu mettre en evidence une equation d'evolution independante de celle de la masse volumique. La comparaison de la taille des bulles et de la pression en fonction du temps obtenue avec le modele est en bon accord avec les mesures effectuees en 2002 par Ohl.
Occupational therapy admissions: professionalization and personality.

PURPOSE Specific characteristics of occupational therapy students were examined before and after matriculating through a master's of occupational therapy educational program to see if any characteristics changed during the didactic portion of the program and to see how specific characteristics could be determined using noncognitive variables in occupational therapy education admissions. METHODS This study used a quantitative pre- and post-test design, incorporating volunteer students to take the CPI 260® personality test. All participants signed consent forms prior to the first administration of the CPI 260®. The final tally included 14 occupational therapy students. RESULTS Twenty-five of the 26 characteristics on the CPI 260® were not found to change significantly over time. Only 1 characteristic was found to be significant (p ≤ 0.05), and that was a lower median score on "achievement via conformance. " This was considered to be a positive result, because the profession needs less conformity and more innovation to enhance its professionalization. CONCLUSION This pilot study provides a reasonable indicator that health care professional educational programs should consider the use of noncognitive variables for admissions if they wish to bring individuals into the professions who have specific characteristics. Admission committees can identify specific characteristics they desire and then identify activities that demonstrate that characteristic. A tool to assist in identifying core professionalization activities among OT school candidates is presented.
Relative Information Content of the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder and the Combination of the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit and the Microwave Humidity Sounder

This paper presents the results of a simple information content study between the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit/Microwave Humidity Sounder (AMSU/MHS) and the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS). When a single field of view is considered for both instruments, the AMSU/MHS generally outperforms the ATMS for temperature and moisture information due to its better noise performance. However, when footprint matching is employed to use oversampled ATMS observations, the ATMS consistently shows improvement in temperature and moisture information over the AMSU/MHS.
BP reactivity to public speaking in stage 1 hypertension: Influence of different task scenarios

Abstract Aim. To investigate the blood pressure (BP) reaction to public speaking performed according to different emotionally distressing scenarios in stage 1 hypertension. Methods. We assessed 64 hypertensive and 30 normotensive subjects. They performed three speech tasks with neutral, anger and anxiety scenarios. BP was assessed with the Finometer beat-to-beat non-invasive recording system throughout the test procedure. Results. For all types of speech, the systolic BP response was greater in the hypertensive than the normotensive subjects (all p < 0.001). At repeated-measures analysis of covariate (R-M ANCOVA), a significant group-by-time interaction was found for all scenarios (p ≤ 0.001). For the diastolic BP response, the between-group difference was significant for the task with anxiety scenario (p < 0.05). At R-M ANCOVA, a group-by-time interaction of borderline statistical significance was found for the speech with anxiety content (p = 0.053) but not for the speeches with neutral or anger content. Within the hypertensive group, the diastolic BP increments during the speeches with anxiety and anger scenarios were greater than those during the speech with neutral scenario (both p < 0.001). Conclusions. These data indicate that reactivity to public speaking is increased in stage 1 hypertension. A speech with anxiety or anger scenario elicits a greater diastolic BP reaction than tasks with neutral content.
Alterations in the immunoreactivity for muscarinic acetylcholine receptors and colocalized PKCγ in mouse hippocampus induced by spatial discrimination learning

This study describes changes in the immunoreactivity for muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs) in the hippocampus of mice in relation to spatial discrimination behavior, employing the monoclonal antibody M35 raised against purified bovine mAChR protein. Performance in a hole board in which the animals learned the pattern of 4 baited holes out of 16 holes served as the measure of spatial discrimination learning and memory. Twenty‐six adult male house mice were used, divided into four groups. Three groups served as various controls: group N (naive; blank controls); group H (habituated; animals were introduced to the hole board with all holes baited for 5 consecutive days), and group P (pseudotrained; the animals were admitted to the hole board for 13 consecutive days with all holes baited). The T group (trained) was subjected to the hole board for 5 consecutive habituation days with all holes baited (similar to the H and P groups), followed by 8 successive training days with only four holes baited in a fixed pattern. During the 8 training days, the T group gradually acquired a pattern to visit the baited holes, whereas the P group continued visiting holes in a random fashion. The mice were killed 24 h after the last behavioral session.