Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Shoulder and neck morbidity in quality of life after surgery for head and neck cancer

Quality of life has become a major issue in determining the outcome of treatment in head and neck surgery with curative intent. The aim of our study was to determine which factors in the postoperative care, especially shoulder and neck morbidity, are related to quality of life and how these outcomes compared between patients who had undergone surgery and a control group.
Perceptions among occupational and physical therapy students of a nontraditional methodology for teaching laboratory gross anatomy

This pilot study was designed to assess the perceptions of physical therapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT) students regarding the use of computer‐assisted pedagogy and prosection‐oriented communications in the laboratory component of a human anatomy course at a comprehensive health sciences university in the southeastern United States. The goal was to determine whether student perceptions changed over the course of a summer session regarding verbal, visual, tactile, and web‐based teaching methodologies. Pretest and post‐test surveys were distributed online to students who volunteered to participate in the pilot study. Despite the relatively small sample size, statistically significant results indicated that PT and OT students who participated in this study perceived an improved ability to name major anatomical structures from memory, to draw major anatomical structures from memory, and to explain major anatomical relationships from memory. Students differed in their preferred learning styles. This study demonstrates that the combination of small group learning and digital web‐based learning seems to increase PT and OT students' confidence in their anatomical knowledge. Further research is needed to determine which forms of integrated instruction lead to improved student performance in the human gross anatomy laboratory. Anat Sci Educ 4: 71–77, 2011. © 2011 American Association of Anatomists.
Dermatoglyphics as markers of prenatal disturbances in schizophrenia: a case-control study

Aim: Several studies have reported the importance of dermatoglyphics as markers of a prenatal disturbance in patients with schizophrenia. Due to the fact that finger- and handprints are formed by the end of the second trimester, they may provide clues to disturbances in early development. The aim of this study was to determine specific dermatoglyphical frequencies in a sample of patients with schizophrenia and normal controls. Materials and methods: Fingerprints and palm prints were obtained from 45 schizophrenic patients as well as 45 healthy controls. The dermatoglyphic patterns on the fingers (total finger ridge count [TFRC]) and palms (a-b, b-c, and c-d ridge counts; total a-b ridge count [TABRC]; total c-d ridge count [TCDRC]; and atd angle) were evaluated. Results: There was a significant decrease in both the TABRC (P < 0.01 for males and P < 0.001 for females) and the TCDRC (P < 0.05 for males and P < 0.001 for females) in the schizophrenic group compared with the control group. There was no significant difference in the TFRC in the male schizophrenic group compared with the male control group; however, there was a significant decrease in the TFRC in the female schizophrenic group compared with both the female control (P < 0.005) and male schizophrenic groups (P < 0.003). We found a significant decrease in both the right and left hand a-b and c-d ridge counts in female schizophrenics compared with female controls (P < 0.01 and P < 0.01, respectively), whereas this decrease was not significant with respect to the atd angle. On the other hand, it was determined that the left hand atd angle, a-b ridge count, and c-d ridge count were significantly decreased in male schizophrenics compared with male controls (P < 0.01 for the atd angel, P < 0.01 for the a-b ridge count, and P < 0.05 for the c-d ridge count), while there were no significant differences in the right hand atd angle, a-b ridge count, or c-d ridge count in the male schizophrenics compared with the male controls. Conclusion: The frequencies of specific dermatoglyphic patterns were statistically different between schizophrenics and healthy controls with respect to hand (left or right) and gender. Therefore, dermatoglyphic markers may be indicative of an early disturbance in brain development in schizophrenics and may help elucidate the gender differences which exist in schizophrenia.
Microarray Transfection Analysis of Transcriptional Regulation by cAMP-dependent Protein Kinase*

A wide variety of bioinformatic tools have been described to characterize potential transcriptional regulatory mechanisms based on genomic sequence analysis and microarray hybridization studies. However, these regulatory mechanisms are still experimentally verified using transient transfection methods. Current transfection methods are limited both by their large scale and by the low level of efficiency for certain cell types. Our goals were to develop a microarray-based transfection method that could be optimized for different cell types and that would be useful in reporter assays of transcriptional regulation. Here we describe a novel transfection method, termed STEP (surface transfection and expression protocol), which employs microarray-based DNA transfection of adherent cells in the functional analysis of transcriptional regulation. In STEP, recombinant proteins with biological activities designed to enhance transfection are complexed with expression vector DNAs prior to spotting on microscope slides. The recombinant proteins used in STEP complexes can be varied to increase the efficiency for different cell types. We demonstrate that STEP efficiently transfects both supercoiled plasmids and PCR-generated linear expression cassettes. A co-transfection assay using effector expression vectors encoding the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA), as well as reporter vectors containing PKA-regulated promoters, showed that STEP transfection allows detection and quantitation of transcriptional regulation by this protein kinase. Because bioinformatic studies often result in the identification of many putative regulatory elements and signaling pathways, this approach should be of utility in high-throughput functional genomic studies of transcriptional regulation.
Towards Rehabilitation Robotics: Off-the-Shelf BCI Control of Anthropomorphic Robotic Arms

Advances in neural interfaces have demonstrated remarkable results in the direction of replacing and restoring lost sensorimotor function in human patients. Noninvasive brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are popular due to considerable advantages including simplicity, safety, and low cost, while recent advances aim at improving past technological and neurophysiological limitations. Taking into account the neurophysiological alterations of disabled individuals, investigating brain connectivity features for implementation of BCI control holds special importance. Off-the-shelf BCI systems are based on fast, reproducible detection of mental activity and can be implemented in neurorobotic applications. Moreover, social Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) is increasingly important in rehabilitation robotics development. In this paper, we present our progress and goals towards developing off-the-shelf BCI-controlled anthropomorphic robotic arms for assistive technologies and rehabilitation applications. We account for robotics development, BCI implementation, and qualitative assessment of HRI characteristics of the system. Furthermore, we present two illustrative experimental applications of the BCI-controlled arms, a study of motor imagery modalities on healthy individuals' BCI performance, and a pilot investigation on spinal cord injured patients' BCI control and brain connectivity. We discuss strengths and limitations of our design and propose further steps on development and neurophysiological study, including implementation of connectivity features as BCI modality.
Banqueting in a Northern Arabian Oasis: A Nabataean Triclinium at Dûmat al-Jandal, Saudi Arabia

A large U-shaped building made of stones discovered in 2011 at the top of a promontory in Dûmat al-Jandal (modern Dumat, Saudi Arabia) is interpreted as a vast freestanding open-air Nabataean triclinium. Radiocarbon dating and pottery readings set the main occupation of this triclinium during a relatively short period, between the late first century b.c. and the late first century/early second century a.d. Excavation of the structure reveals pottery dishes and fireplaces regularly distributed throughout the occupation surface. Multidisciplinary studies of the archaeological material (pottery, bone, and plant remains) provide an opportunity to focus on the activities carried out within this type of cultic structure. By comparing the data with that of other studies undertaken in similar Nabataean triclinia found in Petra, Jordan, and Hegra, Saudi Arabia, in particular, this article seeks to give new insights into the question of “ritual meals. ” Moreover, this discovery of a first typical Nabataean building in Dûmat al-Jandal confirms Nabataean control over trade routes north of the Arabian Peninsula at the turn of the Christian era.
Choline Metabolism : Meaning and Significance

Choline is an essential nutrient Choline (Cho), a quaternary amine, is an essential nutrient supplied by the diet (1, 2). Choline uptake and intracellular metabolism during the prenatal period were shown to have a critical role in brain development and cognitive processes (3, 4). Choline is a precursor in several key biochemical pathways as demonstrated below in scheme 1. Scheme 1: Metabolic Fate of Choline
Pharyngeal acid Reflux in Patients with Single and Multiple Otolaryngologic Disorders

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to determine the prevalence and characteristics of pharyngeal acid reflux (PAR) events in single and multiple otolaryngologic disorders. METHODS: Sixty-seven patients with otolaryngologic symptoms and objective findings and 34 healthy control subjects were studied with an ambulatory 24-hour, 3-site pharyngoesophageal pH monitoring technique. Otolaryngologic diagnosis included isolated Posterior laryngitis (PL) in 28 patients, isolated chronic rhinosinusitis (SIN) in 12, combined PL and SIN (PL+SIN) in 6, PL plus laryngotracheal stenosis (PL+LTS) in 12, and PL plus vocal cord nodules (PL+VCN) in 9. RESULTS: PAR events were documented in 68% of patients with PL, 34% of patients with SIN, 67% of patients with PL+SIN, 67% of patients with PL+LTS, 78% of patients with PL+VCN, and 21% of controls. The prevalence of PAR events in patients with isolated PL as well as those with PL combined with other disorders was significantly higher than that in patients without PL and that in controls. As a group, patients with PL had a greater number of PAR events and acid exposure time than other patients and controls. Distal and proximal esophageal reflux parameters were not significantly different among groups. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of PAR is significantly higher in patients with isolated PL compared to patients with other isolated otolaryngologic disorders and in controls. The prevalence of PAR in isolated otolaryngologic disorders other than PL is similar to that in healthy controls. The prevalence of PAR is significantly higher in patients with both PL and other otolaryngologic disorders than in controls and in patients with isolated otolaryngologic disorders.
CONCURRENT NATURAL AND SEXUAL SELECTION IN WILD MALE SOCKEYE SALMON, ONCORHYNCHUS NERKA

Abstract Concurrent natural and sexual selection have been inferred from laboratory and comparative studies in a number of taxa, but are rarely measured in natural populations. Because the interaction of these two general categories of selection may be complex when they occur simultaneously, empirical evidence from natural populations would help us to understand this interaction and probably give us greater insight into each separate episode as well. In male sockeye salmon, sexual selection for larger body size has been indicated in both deep and shallow water habitats. However, in shallow habitats male sockeye are generally smaller and less deep-bodied than in deep habitats, a difference that has been ascribed to natural selection. We measured concurrent natural and sexual selection in two years on breeding male sockeye salmon with respect to body size, body shape, and time of arrival to the breeding grounds. Natural selection was variable in effect and sexual selection was variable in intensity in these two years. The patterns of selection also appear to be interdependent; areas where predation on spawning adults is not intense have yielded different patterns of sexual selection than those measured here. It appears that some of the body shape differences in sockeye salmon associated with different spawning habitats, which were previously attributed to selective mortality, may be a result of different patterns of sexual selection in the different habitats. Total selection resulting from the combination of both natural and sexual selection was less intense than either natural or sexual selection in most cases. Measurement of concurrent selection episodes in nature may help us to understand whether the pattern of differential sexual selection is common, and whether observed patterns of habitat-related differentiation may be due to differences in sexual selection.
Simultaneous Presentations of Deep Vein Thrombosis and Cerebral Sinus Thrombosis in a Case of Primary Antiphospholipid Syndrome

Antiphospholipid syndrome is characterized with arterial and venous thrombosis. In this article, a 38-year-old man presented with headache and swelling of his left limb, which had lasted for 2 months. Duplex ultrasonography showed thrombosis of the left femoral vein. Cerebral magnetic resonance imaging also showed cerebral sinus thrombosis. Serological examination showed that antiphospholipid syndrome was the underlying disease condition in this patient. Despite adequate anticoagulant therapy, deep vein thrombosis and cerebral sinus thrombosis exacerbated, resulting in inferior vena cava occlusion, papilloedema, and abducent nerve paralysis. Optic canal decompression and cistern-peritoneal shunt operation were performed, following which his neurological symptoms were relieved. The occurrence of cerebral sinus thrombosis as initial presentation of antiphospholipid syndrome is extremely rare and remains a diagnostic challenge. Although the clinical presentation is highly variable, the diagnosis should be considered in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome presenting with recent unusual headaches. Improved diagnosis and treatment strategy may ultimately improve the clinical outcome of these patients.
U.S. Job Flows and the China Shock

International trade exposure affects job creation and destruction along the intensive margin (job flows due to expansions and contractions of firms' employment) as well as along the extensive margin (job flows due to births and deaths of firms). This paper uses 1992-2011 employment data from the {universe} of U.S. establishments to construct job flows at both the industry and commuting-zone levels, and then estimates the impact of the `China shock' on each job-flow type. The China shock is accounted for by either the increase in Chinese import penetration in the U.S., or by the U.S. policy change that granted Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status to China. We find that the China shock affects U.S. employment mainly through deaths of establishments. At the commuting-zone level, we find evidence of large job reallocation from the Chinese-competition exposed sector to the nonexposed sector, and establish that the gross employment effects of the China shock are fundamentally different from those of a more general adverse shock affecting the U.S. demand for domestic labor.
Mutualism Between Fire Ants and Mealybugs Reduces Lady Beetle Predation

ABSTRACT Solenopsis invicta Buren is an important invasive pest that has a negative impact on biodiversity. However, current knowledge regarding the ecological effects of its interaction with honeydewproducing hemipteran insects is inadequate. To partially address this problem, we assessed whether the interaction between the two invasive species S. invicta and Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley mediated predation of P. solenopsis by Propylaea japonica Thunbery lady beetles using field investigations and indoor experiments. S. invicta tending significantly reduced predation by the Pr. japonica lady beetle, and this response was more pronounced for lady beetle larvae than for adults. A field investigation showed that the species richness and quantity of lady beetle species in plots with fire ants were much lower than in those without fire ants. In an olfaction bioassay, lady beetles preferred to move toward untended rather than tended mealybugs. Overall, these results suggest that mutualism between S. invicta and P. solenopsis may have a serious impact on predation of P. solenopsis by lady beetles, which could promote growth of P. solenopsis populations.
Toward a History of the Brahmins

To KNOW THE HISTORY OF the brahmins means, to a large degree, knowing the history of Vedic and of Hindu India-at least that of its upper strata and its great tradition. Prima facie, it would not seem to be too difficult to write this type of history, as most of our sources are Sanskrit texts or texts adapted into Skt. , composed or written by brahmins-and all too frequently for brahmins. However, most Skt. works are a-historic or, at least, not especially interested in presenting a chronological account of (parts) of India's history. When we actually encounter history,' such as in the Rajatarangini or in the Gopd1avam? savaji2 of Nepal, the texts do not deal with brahmins in great detail. On this, one has to turn, as generally in the history of India, to the copper plate (and stone) inscriptions of medieval India, mostly written in Sanskrit3 from c. 300 A.D. onwards, occasionally even reaching into the modern period. Although they contain a wealth of data on brahmins, especially on royal donations of land to them, a comprehensive history of the brahmins has yet
Subsyndromal depression in the United States: prevalence, course, and risk for incident psychiatric outcomes

Background Subsyndromal depression (SD) may increase risk for incident major depressive and other disorders, as well as suicidality. However, little is known about the prevalence, course, and correlates of SD in the US general adult population. Method Structured diagnostic interviews were conducted to assess DSM-IV Axis I and II disorders in a nationally representative sample of 34 653 US adults who were interviewed at two time-points 3 years apart. Results A total of 11.6% of US adults met study criteria for lifetime SD at Wave 1. The majority (9.3%) had <5 total symptoms required for a diagnosis of major depression; the remainder (2.3%) reported ⩾5 symptoms required for a diagnosis of major depression, but denied clinically significant distress or functional impairment. SD at Wave 1 was associated with increased likelihood of developing incident major depression [odds ratios (ORs) 1.72–2.05], as well as dysthymia, social phobia, and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) at Wave 2 (ORs 1.41–2.92). Among respondents with SD at Wave 1, Cluster A and B personality disorders, and worse mental health status were associated with increased likelihood of developing incident major depression at Wave 2. Conclusions SD is prevalent in the US population, and associated with elevated rates of Axis I and II psychopathology, increased psychosocial disability, and risk for incident major depression, dysthymia, social phobia, and GAD. These results underscore the importance of a dimensional conceptualization of depressive symptoms, as SD may serve as an early prognostic indicator of incident major depression and related disorders, and could help identify individuals who may benefit from preventive interventions.
Validation of Submaximal Prediction Equations for the 1 Repetition Maximum Bench Press Test on a Group of Collegiate Football Players

The purpose of the study was to determine the accuracy of 11 prediction equations in estimating the 1 repetition maximum (1RM) bench press from repetitions completed by collegiate football players (N = 69) using 225 lb. The demographic variables race, age, height, weight, fat-free weight, and percent body fat were measured to determine whether these variables increased the accuracy of the prediction equations; race was the most frequently selected variable in the regression analyses. The validity of the prediction equations was dependent upon the number of repetitions performed, i.e., validity was higher when fewer repetitions were completed. Explained variability of 1RM was slightly higher for all 11 equations when demographic variables were included. A new prediction equation was also developed using the number of repetitions performed and the demographic variables height and fat-free weight.
Modulation of the opioid growth factor ([Met5]‐enkephalin)–opioid growth factor receptor axis: Novel therapies for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

The opioid growth factor (OGF)–OGF receptor (OGFr) axis is a constitutively expressed biologic pathway regulating cell proliferation of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). This study investigated modulation of the OGF–OGFr system by (1) exogenous OGF, (2) upregulation of OGFr using imiquimod, or (3) intermittent opioid receptor blockade with a low dose of naltrexone on progression of established SCCHN.
Basal tonic contraction and parameters of oxidative stress in GB muscle strips from human and guinea pigs

Cong P, Xiao Z-L, Biancani P, Behar J. Reactive oxygen species are messengers in maintenance of human and guinea pig gallbladder tonic contraction. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 293: G1244–G1251, 2007. First published September 27, 2007; doi:10.1152/ajpgi.00206. 2007. —The tonic contraction of human and guinea pig gallbladder (GB) is dependent on basal levels of PGE2 and thromboxane A2 (TxA2). The pathway involved in the genesis of these prostaglandins has not been elucidated. We aimed to examine the source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and whether they contribute to the genesis of GB tonic contraction by generating basal prostaglandin levels. Tonic contraction was studied in human and guinea pig GB muscle strips treated with ROS scavengers (Tiron and catalase), apocynin (an inhibitor of NADPH oxidase), and NOX-1 small interference RNA (siRNA). The subunits of NADPH oxidase and their functional roles were determined with specific antibodies in GB muscle cells. ROS scavengers reduced the GB tonic contraction and H2O2 and PGE2 levels. Apocynin also inhibited the tonic contraction. Antibodies against subunits of NADPH oxidase present in GB muscle cells lowered H2O2 and PGE2 levels. NOX-1 siRNA transfection reduced the tonic contraction, NOX-1 expression, and levels of H2O2 and PGE2. Tiron and apocynin inhibited the expected increase in tension and H2O2 levels induced by stretching of muscle strips. H2O2 increased the levels of PGE2 and TxA2 by increasing platelet-activating factor-like lipids that phosphorylate p38 and cPLA2 sequentially. H2O2 generated by NADPH oxidase participates in a signal transduction pathway that maintains the GB tonic contraction by activating PAF, p38, and cPLA2 to generate prostaglandins.