Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Solitary Versus Multiple Carcinoid Tumors of the Ileum: A Clinical and Pathologic Review of 68 Cases

It is well known that small intestinal carcinoid tumors may occur as solitary or multiple lesions. However, the biologic significance of multiple carcinoid tumors has not been clearly defined. The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical and pathologic features and prognosis of patients with solitary versus multiple carcinoid tumors of the ileum. Sixty-eight patients, including 50 with solitary and 18 with multiple carcinoid tumors, were included in the study. Hematoxylin and eosin-stained slides from routinely processed tumor resection specimens of the ileum were evaluated for a variety of histologic features such as tumor size, depth of invasion, tumor stage, and venous, perineural, and lymphovascular invasion. Follow-up and clinical data, such as patient age, gender, presenting complaints, presence of synchronous or metachronous malignancies, and presence of the carcinoid syndrome, were obtained and the results were compared between the two patient groups. Fifty patients with solitary carcinoid tumors (male/female ratio, 27:23) and 18 patients with multiple tumors (male/female ratio, 7:11) were identified. Patients with multiple carcinoid tumors were significantly younger than patients with solitary tumors at the time of diagnosis (55 years vs 63 years, p = 0.006). There was a high association between multiple carcinoid tumors and the carcinoid syndrome (4 of 18 vs 1 of 50, p = 0.004) as compared with patients with solitary carcinoid tumors. There was also an association between tumor multiplicity and venous invasion, but this relationship was not statistically significant (p = 0.07). The follow-up period was similar for both groups (mean 36 months, median 26 months, range 1–139 months). A significantly higher proportion of patients with multiple carcinoid tumors were either alive with disease or died of disease (56%) compared with those with solitary carcinoid tumors (18%, p = 0.002), and this relationship persisted in multivariate analysis (p = 0.02). Overall, no significant differences were observed between these two patient groups with respect to other clinicopathologic features such as tumor size, depth of invasion, presence of distant metastases, lymphatic or perineural invasion, or presence of an associated malignancy (p >0.05). In conclusion, we found that patients with multiple carcinoid tumors are younger, have a significantly greater risk of developing the carcinoid syndrome, and have a poorer prognosis than patients with solitary tumors.
Autonomous Surface Vehicle Measurements of the Ocean’s Response to Tropical Cyclone Freda

AbstractOn 31 December 2012, an instrumented autonomous surface vehicle (ASV; Wave Glider) transiting across the Pacific from Hawaii to Australia as part of the Pacific Crossing (PacX) project came very close (46 km) to the center of a category 3 Tropical Cyclone (TC), Freda, experiencing winds of up to 37 and significant wave heights close to 10 m. The Wave Glider was instrumented for surface ocean–lower atmosphere (SOLA) measurements, including atmospheric pressure, surface winds and temperature, sea surface temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, fluorescence (chlorophyll-a and turbidity), and surface-wave directional spectra. Such measurements in close proximity to a tropical cyclone are rare. This study presents novel observations of the ocean’s response in three quadrants of TC Freda, collected from the instrumented glider. Evolution of the wind, the directional wave field, the sea surface temperature, and the Stokes drift profile (calculated from the wave directional spectrum) as Freda passed near.
T cells that are autoreactive to beta2-glycoprotein I in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome and healthy individuals.

OBJECTIVE To identify the T cells responsive to beta2-glycoprotein I (beta2GPI) that mediate antiphospholipid antibody production in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). METHODS In vitro proliferative responses and anti-beta2GPI antibody production induced by beta2GPI were examined in peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) cultures from 12 APS patients, 13 systemic lupus erythematosus patients without APS, and 12 healthy donors. RESULTS Peripheral blood T cells from all subjects failed to respond to beta2GPI in its native form. In contrast, reduced beta2GPI was able to stimulate T cells not only from all 12 patients with anti-beta2GPI antibodies, but also from 10 of 25 individuals without anti-beta2GPI antibodies. The specificity of the responses to beta2GPI was confirmed by activation of the reduced beta2GPI-primed T cells by recombinant beta2GPI in secondary cultures. Characterization of the T cell response induced by beta2GPI revealed that the response was associated with the presence of the DR53-associated alleles, the responding T cells were CD4+ and restricted by HLA class II, and antigenic peptides were located in domains IV and/or V. Anti-beta2GPI antibody production was induced specifically in anti-beta2GPI antibody-positive patients, in PBMC cultures with reduced beta2GPI. Anti-beta2GPI antibodies produced in vitro recognized beta2GPI immobilized with cardiolipin or beta2GPI coated on "high-binding" polystyrene plates. CONCLUSION These results strongly suggest that CD4+ and HLA class II-restricted T cells responsive to beta2GPI are involved in the production of antiphospholipid antibodies in APS patients.
Fibrinogen Level and Bleeding Risk During Catheter-Directed Thrombolysis Using Tissue Plasminogen Activator

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether low fibrinogen levels (fibrinogen level <1.5 g/L) during catheter-directed thrombolysis are associated with an increased bleeding risk. Methods: A retrospective review was performed on patients undergoing extremity arterial or venous thrombolysis between 2005 and 2013. Results: Patients in the low fibrinogen group were younger (P = .006) and had a higher number of venous occlusive events (P = .004). The low fibrinogen group received a larger dose of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA; P = .009) and had a longer duration of thrombolysis (P = .010). The rates of major bleeding were not significantly different (P = .139). Univariate analysis showed that larger total dose and longer duration of tPA infusion were associated with increased bleeding complications (P < .01 and P = .03). Conclusion: A fibrinogen level <1.5 g/L during thrombolysis was not associated with an increased bleeding risk. However, larger dose and longer duration of thrombolysis were associated with increased bleeding risk.
Light‐induced exocytosis in cell development and differentiation

Calcium‐dependent exocytosis of fluorescently labeled single secretory vesicles in PC12 cells and primary embryonic telencephalon cells can be triggered by illumination with visible light and imaged by TIRF or epifluorescence microscopy. Opsin 3 was identified by quantitative PCR expression analysis as the putative light receptor molecule for light‐induced exocytosis. In primary chicken telencephalon cells, light‐induced exocytosis is restricted to a specific period during embryonic development, and involves fusion of rather large vesicles. Strictly calcium‐dependent exocytosis starts after a delay of a few seconds of illumination and lasts for up to 2 min. We analyzed the frequency, time course and spatial distribution of exocytotic events. Exocytosis in PC12 cells and telencephalon cells occurs at the periphery or the interface between dividing cells, and the duration of single secretion events varies considerably. Our observation strongly supports the idea that light induced exocytosis is most likely a mechanism for building plasma membrane during differentiation, development and proliferation rather than for calcium‐dependent neurotransmitter release. J. Cell. Biochem. 97: 1393–1406, 2006. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
PCR detection of leptospiral carriers among seronegative horses

WE recently published a short communication about bovine leptospirosis demonstrating that, although serology was an acceptable screening tool for leptospirosis on a herd basis, it was not a good predictor for detecting bovine carriers at an individual level, since 50 per cent of the cows that were shedding leptospires in urine, using PCR, were seronegative (Otaka and others 2012). Considering these data, we have decided to compare serology with PCR in a broader study conducted in horses. The clinical syndrome of leptospirosis …
Role of RacC for the Regulation of WASP and Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase during Chemotaxis of Dictyostelium*

WASP family proteins are key players for connecting multiple signaling pathways to F-actin polymerization. To dissect the highly integrated signaling pathways controlling WASP activity, we identified a Rac protein that binds to the GTPase binding domain of WASP. Using two-hybrid and FRET-based functional assays, we identified RacC as a major regulator of WASP. RacC stimulates F-actin assembly in cell-free systems in a WASP-dependent manner. A FRET-based microscopy approach showed local activation of RacC at the leading edge of chemotaxing cells. Cells overexpressing RacC exhibit a significant increase in the level of F-actin polymerization upon cAMP stimulation, which can be blocked by a phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase inhibitor. Membrane translocation of PI 3-kinase and PI 3,4,5-trisphosphate reporter is absent in racC null cells. Cells overexpressing dominant negative RacC mutants and racC null cells move at a significantly slower speed and show a poor directionality during chemotaxis. Our results suggest that RacC plays an important role in PI 3-kinase activation and WASP activation for dynamic regulation of F-actin assembly during Dictyostelium chemotaxis.
Associations between bovine coronavirus and bovine respiratory syncytial virus infections and animal performance in Swedish dairy herds

Abstract To assess the economic impact of bovine coronavirus (BCV) and bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) infections, accurate estimates of their associated effects on animal performance are needed. This study aimed to quantify the variation in individual test-day milk yield and somatic cell count, risk of reproductive failure after first service of dairy cows, and risk of death of calves and heifers according to the BCV and BRSV status of the herd. Three types of status were defined for BCV and BRSV infections, based on 1) the dynamics over a 7-mo period of BCV- and BRSV-specific antibody levels in pooled milk of primiparous cows; 2) the possible occurrence of presumably BCV- and BRSV-related clinical outbreaks; and 3) the combination of both pieces of information. A total of 36,184 test days, 2,716 cows with a first service, and 4,104 calves and heifers in 65 Swedish herds were included in the analyses. Animal performance associated with BCV and BRSV infections was quantified using hierarchical mixed generalized and survival models, after adjustment for covariates known to influence the performance under study. A significant reduction in milk yield was observed for cows in presumably BRSV recently infected herds, as well as in herds having a presumably BRSV-related clinical outbreak (of 0.57 and 0.91kg/d, respectively), compared with cows in presumably infection-free herds. There was also a significant increase in somatic cell count (of 12,000 cells/mL) for cows located in herds with a BRSV outbreak. The risk of failure after first service, as well as the risk of death in calf and heifer, was numerically higher in BRSV-infected herds, although this was not statistically significant. In contrast, BCV infection herd status, as defined in the present study, was not significantly associated with any production losses in animals from infected herds compared with those in infection-free herds.
Ultrastructure of the Cell Envelope of Escherichia coli B After Freeze-Etching

The cell envelope of Escherichia coli B was investigated with the freeze-etching technique. A considerable gain in visible structural detail over more conventional electron microscopic techniques was obtained. The inner surface of the plasma membrane revealed a smooth surface sparsely studded with particles measuring from 5 to 10 nm in diameter, whereas the outer surface of the plasma membrane showed many more particles of corresponding diameter. The freeze-etched cell wall appeared to be a multilayered structure. The innermost layer could be observed as a profile studded with closely packed elements of about 10 nm in diameter. External to this layer was a smooth surface bordering the outermost cell wall layer. When frozen in the absence of glycerol the outermost surface observed in the cell wall was smooth, but when grown in the presence of glycerol it had a “wavy” appearance with small particles attached to it. The observations support current concepts on the ultrastructure of the enterobacterial cell envelope.
Online malware defense using attack behavior model

Malware detection is one central topic in cybersecurity, which ideally requires an accurate, efficient and robust (to malware variants) solution. In this work, we propose a hardwareassisted architecture to perform online malware detection with two phases. In the offline phase, we learn the attack model of malware in the form of Deterministic Finite Automaton (DFA). During the runtime phase, we implement a DFA-based detection approach in hardware to check whether a program's execution contains the malicious behavior specified in the DFA. We evaluate our method using real world data of 168 Linux malware samples and 370 benign applications. The results show that our DFA-based approach can recognize malware variants of same family with the potential to detect zero-day attacks. Implemented in hardware, our architecture offers a real time detection with low performance and resource overhead, and more importantly, it cannot be bypassed by malware using sophisticated evasion techniques.
Cell mediated immunity in children with scar-failure following BCG vaccination.

OBJECTIVE To find out the incidence of BCG-scar failure, in BCG vaccinated children and assess their in vitro cellular response. DESIGN Four year prospective cohort observational study. SETTING Immunization centers at: (a) State Tuberculosis Center; (b) Tuberculosis Association of Andhra Pradesh; and (c) Niloufer Hospital for Women and Children in Hyderabad. METHODS Healthy children brought to the immunization centers for BCG vaccination and were followed up till 6 months of age for scar failure. These 655 BCG vaccinated children were classified into three groups based on the age at vaccination: (i) 0 day-1 day; (ii) 2 days-30 days; and (iii) 31 days-90 days. Of these children, in vitro leukocyte migration inhibition (LMI) levels against PHA/PPD were investigated in 228 of them. RESULTS Of the 655 children, 591 (90.2%) showed presence of scar. Out of the three groups, number of children belonging to the first group in whom the scar was absent, was highest. Of 591 children with scar, LMI was performed in 34, 110 and 43 of them in the three different age groups, respectively out of whom 88.2%, 87.2% and 86% had positive response (> or = 20%) to PPD. Of 64 children who failed to develop a scar, LMI was performed in 17, 19 and 5 in three different age groups out of whom 88.2%, 94.7% and 80% had positive (> or = 20%) in vitro response to PPD. CONCLUSION Scar failure may occur in 10% of BCG vaccinated and is more common with immunization within 48 hours of life. Failure of formation of BCG-scar at the site of BCG vaccination may not necessarily imply failure of immunization because majority of them do elicit positive in vitro LMI response.
EVALUATION OF SERUM LEVELS OF REDUCED GLUTATHIONE, GLUTATHIONE-S-TRANSFERASE AND NITRIC OXIDE IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS UNDERGOING ADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY

Background: Alteration in oxidative and nitrosative stress as well as antioxidant status is known to occur in carcinogenesis and during treatment of cancer with chemotherapeutic drugs. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the serum levels of reduced glutathione (GSH) glutathione-s-transferase (GST) and nitric oxide (NO • ) in post-operative stage II breast cancer patients undergoing adjuvant chemotherapeutic treatment. Material and Methods: Clinically and histopathologically proven 30 stage II breast cancer patients were selected for the present study. Blood was collected after mastectomy before start of 1 st adjuvant chemotherapy cycle and 3 weeks after receiving 1 st cycle of chemotherapy. 30 healthy controls were
Fluctuation of zonulin levels in blood vs stability of antibodies

AIM To evaluate the measurement of zonulin level and antibodies of zonulin and other tight junction proteins in the blood of controls and celiac disease patients. METHODS This study was conducted to assess the variability or stability of zonulin levels vs IgA and IgG antibodies against zonulin in blood samples from 18 controls at 0, 6, 24 and 30 h after blood draw. We also measured zonulin level as well as zonulin, occludin, vinculin, aquaporin 4 and glial fibrillary acidic protein antibodies in the sera of 30 patients with celiac disease and 30 controls using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay methodology. RESULTS The serum zonulin level in 6 out of 18 subjects was low or < 2.8 ng/mL and was very close to the detection limit of the assay. The other 12 subjects had zonulin levels of > 2.8 ng/mL and showed significant fluctuation from sample to sample. Comparatively, zonulin antibody measured in all samples was highly stable and reproducible from sample to sample. Celiac disease patients showed zonulin levels with a mean of 8.5 ng/mL compared to 3.7 ng/mL in controls (P < 0.0001). Elevation of zonulin level at 2SD above the mean was demonstrated in 37% of celiac disease patients, while antibodies against zonulin, occludin and other tight junction proteins was detected in up to 86% of patients with celiac disease. CONCLUSION Due to its fluctuation, a single measurement of zonulin level is not recommended for assessment of intestinal barrier integrity. Measurement of IgG and IgA antibodies against zonulin, occludin, and other tight junction proteins is proposed for the evaluation of the loss of intestinal barrier integrity.
Cough and angiotensin II receptor antagonists: cause or confounding?

AIMS Cough is one of the most frequent side effects associated with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) but is not thought to be associated with losartan, an angiotensin II receptor antagonist (ARA). This study compares reports of cough with losartan and three ACEIs used in general practice. METHODS Studies have been conducted for losartan, and three ACEIs enalapril, lisinopril and perindopril, using the technique of Prescription-Event Monitoring. Patients were identified using dispensed prescription data. Questionnaires were sent to patients' general practitioners 6 months after the date of first prescription. Cases of cough within the first 60 days of treatment with losartan resulting in withdrawal of the drug were followed up with additional questionnaires. Incidence rates for reports of cough were calculated. In order to reduce the impact of carry-over effects, rate ratios were calculated for first reports of cough between days 8 and 60 using losartan as the index drug. RESULTS The cohort for each drug exceeded 9000 patients. Age and sex distributions and indications for prescribing the four drugs were similar. Cough was the most frequent reason for discontinuation of losartan and the most frequently reported event in the first month of treatment with this drug. When reports of cough between days 1-7 were excluded, rates of cough were significantly higher for the three ACEIs when compared with losartan (rate ratios 1.5, 4.8 and 5.7, all P<0.03). 101 patients had discontinued losartan due to cough. 91% of these had previously been prescribed an ACEI and 86% had previously experienced ACEI cough. CONCLUSIONS Carry-over accounted for the observed excess of reports of cough with losartan. Rates of cough between days 8 and 60 were significantly higher for the three ACEIs compared with losartan. Confounding factors associated with comparative observational cohort studies are discussed.
Core symptoms that discriminate premenstrual syndrome.

OBJECTIVE To identify core symptoms that discriminate premenstrual syndrome (PMS) in prospective daily diary ratings and determine the association of these symptoms with functional impairment. METHODS The study analyzed prospective daily symptom ratings and functional impairment data provided by 1081 women who requested PMS treatment at an academic medical center. The data were obtained before any treatment procedures. A random-split sample design provided separate developmental and validation datasets. Logistic regression was used to identify a reduced set of symptoms that best discriminated PMS. The results were validated in a separate dataset. Optimal cutoff points in the symptom scores were identified for clinical use. RESULTS Statistical modeling identified 6 symptoms that discriminated PMS and not PMS as well as 17 symptoms in daily diary ratings. The identified core symptoms included anxiety/tension, mood swings, aches, appetite/food cravings, cramps, and decreased interest in activities. The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.84 in both models. The sums of the premenstrual symptom scores also discriminated PMS and not PMS and correctly classified 84%-86% of the cases. CONCLUSIONS Six symptoms rated in daily diaries discriminate between PMS and not PMS among women seeking treatment and are significantly associated with functional impairment. The findings suggest that the burden of daily diaries to confirm PMS can be reduced to a smaller number of symptoms that distinguish the patients who meet this requirement. Results also support the concept that a clinical diagnosis of PMS can be developed around a core symptom group.
What It Means to Be Daddy: Fatherhood for Black Men Living Away from Their Children

AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Fathers' Lives in ContextPart 1: The World in Which Black Fathers Live1. "There's No Such Thing as a Good Black Father": Standards of Fatherhood2. Slavery, Civil War, and Reconstruction: Creating a Context for Black Live-Away Fatherhood3. "Times Are Just Going to Get Worse. ": Fathers Chasing the American DreamPart 2: Expectations of Others4. "Just Be There for the Baby": What Fathers Say Others Expect5. "Black Men Can Do Better": What Mothers Say Fathers Do for Their ChildrenPart 3: Being Fathers6.What Fathers Say They Do as Daddies7. Live-Away, but Absent? 8. "Ain't Nothing Like Trying to be a Father and Trying to be a Man": Barriers to Being DaddyConclusion: "Got to Make Fatherhood Work for Us"-The Meaning of Fatherhood for Black Men Who Do Not Live with Their ChildrenNotesBibliographyIndex
Shifting Dominance Within a Montane Vegetation Community: Results of a Climate-Warming Experiment

In experimentally heated plots that each span a soil moisture gradient in a Rocky Mountain meadow, aboveground biomass of Artemisia tridentata (a sagebrush) increased in the drier habitat and that of Pentaphylloides floribunda (a shrub cinquefoil) increased in the wetter habitat relative to control plots. In contrast, aboveground forb biomass decreased in the wet and dry habitats of the heated plots. These results, combined with evidence for enhanced sagebrush seedling establishment rates in the heated plots, suggest that the increased warming expected under an atmosphere with a concentration of carbon dioxide twice that of pre-industrial levels could change the dominant vegetation of a widespread meadow habitat.