Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Streptococcal Pharyngitis: Evaluation of Clinical Syndromes in Diagnosis

Although the clinical manifestations of streptococcal pharyngitis have often been described, no single symptom or sign has been found to be present in every case. Reports differ on the ability of investigators to diagnose this illness on clinical grounds.1-7In many cases, the correct clinical diagnosis was uncertain without the aid of bacteriologic procedures. The aims of this study were (a) to identify distinctive syndromes characteristic of this illness; (b) to measure a clinician's ability to recognize streptococcal pharyngitis using throat culture as the diagnostic criterion, and (c) to determine the need for and limitations of throat culture in the diagnosis. During the course of this study, various factors which might influence the clinical diagnosis were evaluated. Methods and Materials Throat cultures were taken in 1,141 cases of acute pharyngitis seen in the private practice of one pediatrician from April, 1956, through April, 1959. Of the cases, 93% occurred
Low-calorie sweeteners in food and food supplements on the Italian market

This study determines the occurrence and concentration levels of artificial low-calorie sweeteners (LCSs) in food and food supplements on the Italian market. The analysed sample set (290 samples) was representative of the Italian market and comprised of beverages, jams, ketchups, confectionery, dairy products, table-top sweeteners and food supplements. All samples were analysed via UPLC-MS/MS. The method was in-house validated for the analysis of seven LCSs (aspartame, acesulfame-K, saccharin, sucralose, cyclamate, neotame and neohesperidin dihydrochalcone) in food and for five LCSs (aspartame, acesulfame-K, saccharin, cyclamate and sucralose) in food supplements. Except for cyclamate in one beverage which exceeded the maximum level (ML) with 13%, all concentrations measured in food were around or below the ML. In food supplements, 40 of the 52 samples (77%) were found to be above the ML, with exceedances of up to 200% of the ML.
Acrylamide in a fried potato dish (rösti) from restaurants in Zurich, Switzerland

ABSTRACT Rösti, a fried potato product, is a large contributor to acrylamide exposure locally in Switzerland. A survey of 55 dishes prepared by 51 restaurants in the city of Zurich showed that the average rösti contained 702 µg/kg acrylamide. By analysing the content of reducing sugars in the potatoes used for frying, it is shown that with simple measures, the exposure to acrylamide could easily be reduced by factor 2 or more, while even improving the culinary experience. Though rösti is a typical dish in the German-speaking areas in Switzerland, the result may be of general interest for fried potato products which are popular in large areas of Central Europe.
Analysis and risk assessment of 4(5)-methylimidazole in brown colored foods and beverages

ABSTRACT In this study, the 4(5)-methylimidazole (4(5)-MI) levels in various 144 brown coloured foods and beverages were determined. The brown coloured foods and beverages were 62 processed sauces, 40 coffee, 9 caramel syrups, 18 red ginseng juice and 15 Japanese apricot fruit juice. The amount of 4(5)-MI in brewed coffee (1821.3 ng/g) was the highest level among the samples. The 4(5)-MI concentration in processed sauce (47.6 ng/g) was the lowest level among the samples. The levels of 4(5)-MI in various samples were found as follows: 47.6–1748.5 ng/g in processed sauces, 64.1–1821.3 ng/g in commercial coffee, 115.5–491.9 ng/g in caramel syrups, 91.0–854.1 ng/g in red ginseng juice and 137.6–587.4 ng/g in Japanese apricot fruit juice. Based on the 4(5)-MI levels, the estimated daily intake (EDI) and chronic daily intake (CDI) were calculated. EDI and CDI of red ginseng juice was the highest among all samples, and they were 1618.6 and 1256.8 ng/kg bw/day, respectively.
Incidence and risk factors for breast cancer subtypes in three distinct South‐East Asian ethnic groups: Chinese, Malay and natives of Sarawak, Malaysia

We determined the incidences of the estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) subtypes among breast cancer cases in Sarawak, Malaysia and their correlation with various risk factors in the three ethnic groups: Chinese, Malay and native. Subtype status was ascertained for 1,034 cases of female breast cancer (93% of all cases diagnosed since 2003), and the age‐standardized incidence rates (ASRs) of each subtype were inferred. Case–case comparisons across subtypes were performed for reproductive risk factors. We found 48% luminal A (ER+/PR+/HER2−), 29% triple‐negative (ER−/PR−/HER2−), 12% triple‐positive (ER+/PR+/HER2+) and 11% HER2‐overexpressing (ER−/PR−/HER2+) subtypes, with ASRs of 10.6, 6.0, 2.8 and 2.8 per 100,000, respectively. The proportions of subtypes and ASRs differed significantly by ethnic groups: HER2‐positive cases were more frequent in Malays (29%; 95% CI [23;35]) than Chinese (22%; [19;26] and natives (21%; [16;26]); triple‐negative cases were less frequent among Chinese (23%; [20;27]) than Malays (33%; [27;39]) and natives (37%; [31;43]). The results of the case–case comparison were in accordance with those observed in western case series. Some uncommon associations, such as between triple‐negative subtype and older age at menopause (OR, 1.59; p < 0.05), were found. The triple‐negative and HER2+ subtypes predominate in our region, with significant differences among ethnic groups. Our results support the idea that the risk factors for different subtypes vary markedly. Westernized populations are more likely to have factors that increase the risk for the luminal A type, while risk factors for the triple‐negative type are more frequent in local populations.
Optimization of consumer acceptability and sensory characteristics for marinated broiler breast meat.

In the present study, the effects of marination on the quality of poultry breast meat deboned at various times postmortem (PM) were investigated. One of the specific goals was to optimize the processing conditions between deboning time, tumbling duration, and poultry breast meat tenderness, with the objective of developing specific recommendations on processing practices adopted by the poultry industry. Broiler breast (Pectoralis major) muscles deboned at 0.25, 1.5, 3, 6, and 24 h PM were vacuum tumbled with 20% solution added containing 1% salt and 0.45% sodium tripolyphosphate for either 15 or 30 min. Meat quality measurements including marination uptake, retention, cooking loss, instrumental texture, sensory descriptive analysis, and consumer acceptance were performed. Results indicated that acceptable tenderness was achieved for marinated treatments deboned at 3 h or later PM. Fillets deboned at shorter PM were rated tough by consumers. Marination duration had very little effect on the quality of the meat processed. Practical Application: For the poultry industry to maximize consumer acceptance for marinated broiler breast meat, this research will be of benefit. Various qualities of broiler breast meat such as tenderness and water-holding capacities were examined under different marination conditions.
Small median tumor diameter at cure threshold (<20 mm) among aggressive non‐small cell lung cancers in male smokers predicts both chest X‐ray and CT screening outcomes in a novel simulation framework

The effectiveness of population‐wide lung cancer screening strategies depends on the underlying natural course of lung cancer. We evaluate the expected stage distribution in the Mayo CT screening study under an existing simulation model of non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) progression calibrated to the Mayo lung project (MLP). Within a likelihood framework, we evaluate whether the probability of 5‐year NSCLC survival conditional on tumor diameter at detection depends significantly on screening detection modality, namely chest X‐ray and computed tomography. We describe a novel simulation framework in which tumor progression depends on cellular proliferation and mutation within a stem cell compartment of the tumor. We fit this model to randomized trial data from the MLP and produce estimates of the median radiologic size at the cure threshold. We examine the goodness of model fit with respect to radiologic tumor size and 5‐year NSCLC survival among incident cancers in both the MLP and Mayo CT studies. An existing model of NSCLC progression under‐predicts the number of advanced‐stage incident NSCLCs among males in the Mayo CT study (p‐value = 0.004). The probability of 5‐year NSCLC survival conditional on tumor diameter depends significantly on detection modality (p‐value = 0.0312). In our new model, selected solution sets having a median tumor diameter of 16.2–22.1 mm at cure threshold among aggressive NSCLCs predict both MLP and Mayo CT outcomes. We conclude that the median lung tumor diameter at cure threshold among aggressive NSCLCs in male smokers may be small (<20 mm).
NOS2 enhances KRAS‐induced lung carcinogenesis, inflammation and microRNA‐21 expression

Mutant KRAS in lung cancers induces molecular pathways that regulate cellular proliferation, survival and inflammation, which enhance tumorigenesis. Inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS2) upregulation and sustained nitric oxide generation are induced during the inflammatory response and correlate positively with lung tumorigenesis. To explore the mechanistic contribution of NOS2 to KRAS‐induced lung tumorigenesis and inflammation, we used a genetic strategy of crossing NOS2 knockout (NOS2KO) C57BL6 inbred mice with a KRASG12D‐driven mouse lung cancer model. KRASG12D;NOS2KO mice exhibited delayed lung tumorigenesis and a longer overall survival time compared to that of KRASG12D;NOS2WT (wild‐type) controls. Correspondingly, tumors in KRASG12D;NOS2KO mice had reduced tumor cell proliferation in adenomas and carcinomas. NOS2 deficiency also led to markedly suppressed inflammatory response by attenuation of macrophage recruitment into alveoli and within tumor foci. In contrast, FOXP3+ regulatory T cells were increased in tumors from KRASG12D;NOS2KO mice. We further analyzed the expression of microRNA‐21 (miR‐21), an oncogenic noncoding RNA involved in oncogenic Ras signaling, by quantitative reverse‐transcription polymerase chain reaction and in situ hybridization. Lung carcinomas dissected from KRASG12D;NOS2KO mice showed a significantly reduced miR‐21 expression along with decreased tumor cell proliferation, suggesting that NOS2 deficiency could attenuate RAS signaling pathways that transactivate miR‐21 expression. Therefore, deletion of NOS2 decreases lung tumor growth as well as inflammatory responses initiated by oncogenic KRAS, suggesting that both KRAS and NOS2 cooperate in driving lung tumorigenesis and inflammation. Inhibition of NOS2 may have a therapeutic value in lung cancers with oncogenic KRAS mutations.
Retrospective study of neonatal intestinal obstruction in Calabar: Aetiology and outcome

Neonatal intestinal obstruction is the most common surgical emergency in the newborn period. Prompt diagnosis and urgent management improve the chances of a favorable outcome. Aetiology and outcome may vary in different parts of the same country. Objective: To evaluate the aetiology and factors associated with mortality in neonates presenting with intestinal obstruction in University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar, Nigeria. Method: This was a retrospective study of clinical records of neonates presenting with features of intestinal obstruction over an eight year period. The biodata, diagnosis, management and outcome for the neonates were documented. Result : Forty neonates; 26(65%) males and 14(35.5%) females were studied. Imperforate anus was seen in 40% of subjects while Hirschsprung’s disease and intestinal atresia each were seen in 10%. Aetiology could not be determined in about a fifth of the cases. Age less than one week at presentation was significantly associated with a poor outcome. No case had surgical intervention within twenty-four hours of presentation. The overall mortality was 30%, most of these 9 (75%) was due to anorectal malformations. Conclusion: The management and outcome of neonatal intestinal obstruction in our setting is poor. There is urgent need to upgrade our neonatal intensive care services to improve outcome in affected neonates. More Paediatric surgeons are required to reduce the gross inadequacy of expert as this would improve on the surgical intervention time as reported in this study. Key Words : Neonatal intestinal obstruction Hirschprung’s disease
Prognostic value of cetuximab‐related skin toxicity in metastatic colorectal cancer patients and its correlation with parameters of the epidermal growth factor receptor signal transduction pathway: Results from a randomized trial of the GERMAN AIO CRC Study Group

Skin toxicity is a frequent adverse event of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) targeting agents. Occurrence of cetuximab‐induced skin toxicity (Cet‐ST) correlates with better treatment response and longer survival times. Molecular markers predicting Cet‐ST are still missing. This investigation analyzed the value of Cet‐ST for treatment efficacy in a randomized trial comparing cetuximab plus capecitabine/irinotecan to cetuximab plus capecitabine/oxaliplatin as first‐line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. Patient characteristics and molecular parameters (KRAS mutation, EGFR‐FISH, EGFR‐IHC and EGFR intron‐1 polymorphism) of the tumour were correlated with response and Cet‐ST. Cet‐ST grade 0–1 was observed in 31%, grade 2–3 in 69% of patients. Outcome favoured patients with grade 2–3 Cet‐ST with regard to overall response rate (62 vs. 41%), PFS (7.8 vs. 5.2 months) and overall survival (OS) (30.3 vs. 18.0 months). First‐cycle rash was observed in 66% of patients and corresponded with longer survival (30.7 vs. 20.2 months, p = 0.007). Patients without Cet‐ST had a poor outcome (PFS, 1.9 months; OS, 11 months). The correlation of Cet‐ST with survival was specifically evident in patients with KRAS codon‐12‐mutated tumours assumed to be cetuximab resistant. In multivariate analysis of patient characteristics, male gender and younger age were significantly correlated with Cet‐ST. Among molecular parameters, no significant correlation with Cet‐ST was found. Cet‐ST is an early predictor of treatment efficacy in cetuximab‐treated patients. This effect of Cet‐ST is independent of the KRAS mutation status, suggesting that Cet‐ST rather relates to constitutional factors of the patient than alterations of the EGFR pathway in the tumour.
Market Price Effects of Data Security Breaches

ABSTRACT This study examines the impact of reported breaches in computer security using event study analysis. We use the event-study methodology to measure the magnitude of the effect of data security breach events on the behavior of stock markets. Our data come from security breaches spanning a ten-year period and involving various industries. The findings of the study suggest that there exist abnormal negative stock price returns following the announcement of a breach. Such abnormal negative returns persist over the next several years. Moreover, the source of data breach may moderate the price effect; the market tends to punish more heavily those compromises that could have been avoided with reasonable precautions by the breached company.
A polymer coating applied to Salmonella prevents the binding of Salmonella‐specific antibodies

The use of Salmonella as a potential antitumor agent has been investigated, but innate immunity against this bacterium reduces the efficacy of its tumor‐targeting and antitumor activities. The purpose of this study was to investigate the modulation of the tumor‐targeting efficiency of Salmonella enterica serovar choleraesuis by modifying the immune response to these bacteria by coating them with poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH), designated PAH‐S.C. To evaluate this modulation, we used naïve mice and mice immunized with Salmonella to study the role of the preexisting immune response to the antitumor activity of PAH‐S.C. When anti‐Salmonella antibodies were present, the invasion activity, cytotoxicity, and gene transfer of Salmonella was significantly decreased, both in vitro and in vivo. Treatment with PAH‐S.C. resulted in delayed tumor growth and enhanced survival in immunized mice. Furthermore, immunohistochemical studies of the tumors revealed the infiltration of neutrophils and macrophages in immunized mice treated with PAH‐S.C. These results indicate that Salmonella encapsulation effectively circumvented the Salmonella‐specific immune response.
Impact of oral health on quality of life among police personnel in Bengaluru City, India: A cross-sectional survey

Introduction: Oral diseases though rarely life-threatening, it does influence the quality of life (QoL). It can have an impact on the functional, social and psychological well-being of an individual. Hence, there is growing interest in oral health outcomes and its impact on QoL. Objectives: To assess the impact of oral health variables on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among police personnel. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among police personnel (n = 212) in the state intelligence headquarter division in Bengaluru. Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) was used to measure OHRQoL. Dental caries was recorded using World Health Organization 1997 criteria, and periodontal health status was assessed using community periodontal index and loss of attachment. Oral hygiene status was evaluated using simplified oral hygiene index (OHI-S). Correlation between the oral health variables and domains of OHIP was done using the Pearsons correlation coefficient. Results: The prevalence of dental caries and periodontal disease was 43.4% and 68% respectively among the study sample. Oral hygiene status of the personnel was fair with mean score of 2.67 ± 1.4. Domains of functional limitation and physical disability of OHIP-14 significantly correlated with decayed teeth (P < 0.01). Decayed, missing, and filled teeth positively correlated with "physical pain," "physical disability" (P < 0.01), and all other domains (P < 0.05) except social disability. Conclusion: This study demonstrated a significant association between OHIP and oral health variables. The largest impact was related to decay component.
Marriage consummated for 32 Iranian women using therapist-aided exposure therapy: a brief report

This brief report discusses the effectiveness of therapist-aided gradual exposure therapy for a sample of women suffering from lifelong vaginismus (LLV). Thirty two women who have never been able to have sexual intercourse, performed weekly exposure sessions of vaginal penetration exercises assisted by a female therapist/sexologist, at the (Isfahan) psychosexual clinic. The main outcome measures were the diary kept by the female participants and their partners achieving successful intercourse. After the treatment, all women reported having successful intercourse. This result was maintained during two follow-up sessions over a six-month period. At the second follow-up session, all participants and their spouses revealed a significant decrease in fear scores compared with the pre-treatment (for women and their spouses, t (31) = 15.43, p < 0.00 and t (31) = 13.41, p < 0.00, respectively). Although we had no experimental control group, this therapeutic method demonstrated an effective approach in reducing coital fear and negative beliefs commonly associated with vaginal penetration in women with vaginismus. Further studies that include a control group and greater sample size are warranted to evaluate the efficacy of therapist-aided exposure therapy for treatment of women with LLV.
A novel role for junctional adhesion molecule‐A in tumor proliferation: Modulation by an anti‐JAM‐A monoclonal antibody

To identify new potential targets in oncology, functional approaches were developed using tumor cells as immunogens to select monoclonal antibodies targeting membrane receptors involved in cell proliferation. For that purpose cancer cells were injected into mice and resulting hybridomas were screened for their ability to inhibit cell proliferation in vitro. Based on this functional approach coupled to proteomic analysis, a monoclonal antibody specifically recognizing the human junctional adhesion molecule‐A (JAM‐A) was defined. Interestingly, compared to both normal and tumor tissues, we observed that JAM‐A was mainly overexpressed on breast, lung and kidney tumor tissues. In vivo experiments demonstrated that injections of anti‐JAM‐A antibody resulted in a significant tumor growth inhibition of xenograft human tumors. Treatment with monoclonal antibody induced a decrease of the Ki67 expression and downregulated JAM‐A levels. All together, our results show for the first time that JAM‐A can interfere with tumor proliferation and suggest that JAM‐A is a potential novel target in oncology. The results also demonstrate that a functional approach coupled to a robust proteomic analysis can be successful to identify new antibody target molecules that lead to promising new antibody‐based therapies against cancers.
Hunting for Pirated Software Using Metamorphic Analysis

ABSTRACT In this article, we consider the problem of detecting software that has been pirated and modified. We analyze a variety of detection techniques that have been previously studied in the context of malware detection. For each technique, we empirically determine the detection rate as a function of the degree of modification of the original code. We show that the code must by substantially modified before we fail to reliably distinguish it, and we show that our results offer a significant improvement over previous related work. Our approach can be applied retroactively to existing software and does not require access to the source code, and hence it is both practical and effective.
Secure Graphical One Time Password (GOTPass): An Empirical Study

ABSTRACT The traditional text-based password has been the default security medium for years; however, the difficulty of memorizing secure strong passwords often leads to insecure practices. A possible alternative solution is graphical authentication, which is motivated by the fact that the capability of humans’ memory for images is superior to text, which helps to improve password usability and security. Recently, some implementations of graphical authentication techniques have been deployed in practice. This paper introduces a new hybrid graphical authentication, “GOTPass,” that authenticates by means of a one-time numerical code that needs to be typed in based on a sequence of secret images and a prechosen input format. An important focus for this paper was the security aspects of the graphical password scheme. This paper reports an in-depth analysis of the security evaluation and shows a high resistance capability of GOTPass against common graphical password attacks. Three attacks were simulated (Guessing, Intersection, and Shoulder-surfing), and the results showed that nearly 98% of the 690 attempts failed to compromise the system.