Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Aggression in US soldiers post-deployment: Associations with combat exposure and PTSD and the moderating role of trait anger.

Anger and aggression are among the most common issues reported by returning service members from combat deployments. However, the pathways between combat exposure and anger and aggression have not been comprehensively characterized. The present study aimed to characterize the relationship between trait anger, combat exposure, post-deployment PTSD, and aggression. U.S. Army soldiers (N = 2,420) were administered anonymous surveys assessing combat exposure, current PTSD symptoms and aggression, as well as trait anger items 3 months after returning from deployment to Afghanistan. PTSD symptom levels were related to aggression at higher levels of trait anger, but not evident among soldiers who had lower levels of trait anger. The pathway from combat exposure to PTSD, and then to aggression, was conditional upon levels of trait anger, such that the pathway was most evident at high levels of trait anger. This was the first study to our knowledge that concurrently modeled unconditional and conditional direct and indirect associations between combat exposure, PTSD, trait anger, and aggression. The findings can be helpful clinically and for developing screening protocols for combat exposed Soldiers. The results of this study suggest the importance of assessing and managing anger and aggression in soldiers returning from combat deployment. Anger is one of the most common complaints of returning soldiers and can have debilitating effects across all domains of functioning. It is imperative that future research efforts are directed toward understanding this phenomenon and developing and validating effective treatments for it.
Caspase-3 is actively involved in okadaic acid-induced lens epithelial cell apoptosis.

Phosphorylation and dephosphorylation are important cellular events regulating major metabolic activities such as signal transduction, gene expression, cell cycle progression, and apoptosis. It is well documented that okadaic acid, a potent inhibitor of protein phosphatase-1 (PP-1) and -2A (PP-2A), can induce apoptosis in a variety of cell lines. Our recent studies have revealed that in the immortal rabbit lens epithelial cell line, N/N1003A, inhibition of PP-1, but not PP-2A, leads to rapid apoptosis of the lens epithelial cells. This induction of cell death is associated with up-regulated expression of a set of genes, including the tumor-suppressor gene, p53, and the proapoptotic gene, bax. In the present study, we demonstrate that inhibition of PP-1 by okadaic acid in the primary cultures of rat lens epithelial cells also leads to apoptotic death. Moreover, we show that the cysteine protease, caspase-3, is important in the execution of okadaic acid-induced apoptosis. Treatment of the primary cultures of rat lens epithelial cells with 100 nM okadaic acid up-regulates expression of caspase-3 at the mRNA, protein, and enzyme activity levels. Inhibition of the caspase-3 activity with a chemically synthesized inhibitor prevents okadaic acid-induced apoptosis in rat lens epithelial cells. Similar results are also observed in the immortal cell line N/N1003A. Furthermore, stable expression of the mouse gene encoding lens alphaB crystallin inhibits okadaic acid-induced apoptosis, and this inhibition is associated with repression of the okadaic acid-induced up-regulation of caspase-3 activity. Taken together, these results demonstrate that caspase-3 is actively involved in okadaic acid-induced lens epithelial cell apoptosis.
An approach for development of age-, gender-, and ethnicity-specific thyrotropin reference limits.

BACKGROUND The use of age- and ethnicity-specific thyrotropin (TSH) reference limits decreases misclassification of patients with thyroid dysfunction. Developing such limits requires TSH measurements in different subpopulations. METHODS We determined, in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III, the TSH median, 2.5th and 97.5th centiles as a function of age, and anti-thyroid antibodies (ABs) in specific racial/ethnic groups (REGs) designated as non-Hispanic Whites, non-Hispanic Blacks, and Mexican Americans, as classified by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Directive 15. We compared TSH limits of a thyroid disease-free population (n = 15,277) to a reference population (n = 13,344) formed by exclusion of AB+ subjects and TSH >10 mIU/L or <0.1 mIU/L. With quantile regression, we examined the effect of age, REG, gender, body weight, and urinary iodine concentration on TSH reference limits in the AB- population. RESULTS AB status did not affect the 2.5th centile and median TSH in any REG or the 97.5th centile in Blacks. The average 97.5th centile of the disease-free Whites and Mexican Americans was 1.0 mIU/L higher than the reference population group. The TSH 2.5th, 50th, and 97.5th centiles increased with age and were lower in Blacks than in Whites or Mexican Americans. Women had lower 2.5th and 50th centiles than males. From these data, we developed equations to predict subpopulation-specific TSH reference limits. CONCLUSIONS Our study provides a method to determine TSH limits in individual patients of different ages, gender, and REG criteria whose AB status is uncertain and it will enable clinicians to better classify patients within their subpopulation-specific TSH reference range.
Reduced expression of antimicrobial PLUNC proteins in nasal polyp tissues of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a disease characterized by inflammation of the nasal mucosa and paranasal sinuses. This inflammation may result in part from decreased epithelial barrier and innate immune responses, leading to frequent bacterial and fungal colonization. The objectives of this study were to investigate the expression of innate immune proteins of the palate lung and nasal epithelium clone (PLUNC) family in patients with CRS.
Functional analysis of the osteoarthritis susceptibility-associated GDF5 regulatory polymorphism.

OBJECTIVE Single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs143383 (T to C) in the 5'-untranslated region (5'-UTR) of GDF5 has recently been reported to be associated with osteoarthritis (OA) susceptibility, with lower expression of the risk-associated T allele observed in vitro and in vivo. The in vivo studies were performed on cartilage tissue from OA patients. The present study was undertaken to expand the analysis of the effect of this SNP on GDF5 allelic expression to more joint tissue types, to investigate for cis and trans factors that interact with the SNP, and to examine novel cis-acting GDF5 regulatory polymorphisms. METHODS Tissue samples were collected from OA patients undergoing joint replacement of the hip or knee. Nucleic acid was extracted, and, using rs143383 and an assay that discriminates and quantifies allelic expression, the relative amount of GDF5 expression from the T and C alleles was measured. Additional common variants in the GDF5 transcript sequence were interrogated as potential regulatory elements using allelic expression and luciferase reporter assays, and electrophoretic mobility shift assays were used to search for trans factors binding to rs143383. RESULTS We observed a consistent allelic expression imbalance of GDF5 in all tissues tested, implying that the functional effect mediated by rs143383 on GDF5 expression is joint-wide. We identified a second polymorphism, located in the 3'-UTR of GDF5, that influenced allelic expression of the gene independent of rs143383. Finally, we observed differential binding of deformed epidermal autoregulatory factor 1 (DEAF-1) to the 2 alleles of rs143383. CONCLUSION These findings show that the OA susceptibility mediated by polymorphism in GDF5 is not restricted to cartilage, emphasizing the need to consider the disease as involving the whole joint. The existence of an additional cis-acting regulatory polymorphism highlights the complexity of the regulation of expression of this important OA susceptibility locus. DEAF-1 is a trans-acting factor that merits further investigation as a potential tool for modulating GDF5 expression.
Generation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific recombinant antigens and evaluation of the clinical value of antibody detection for serological diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis.

Rapid diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) infection is critical in clinical practice. To establish an effective serological diagnostic technique, we generated the several Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB)-specific immunogenic antigens and evaluated the clinical benefits of detection of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM antibodies raised against these target antigens for the diagnosis of patients with active TB. The genes encoding the MTB-specific antigens 6-kDa early secretory antigenic target of MTB (ESAT-6), 10-kDa culture filtrate protein (CFP-10), ESX-1 substrate protein C (ESPC), 14KD/38KD and ESAT-6/14KD/38KD, were amplified from the MTB genome by PCR. Prokaryotic vectors were constructed for the expression of the individual MTB antigens. The target recombinant protein was expressed in Escherichia coli (BL21/DE3) and purified using immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC). An ELISA based immunoassay was set up using these target antigens for the diagnosis of active TB. The detection samples included 98 patients with active TB and 102 healthy control volunteers. The cutoff OD value for IgG and IgM antibodies was selected according to a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. The sensitivity, specificity and positive likelihood ratio were also determined. We successfully cloned, expressed and purified the ESAT-6, CFP-10, ESPC, 14KD/38KD and ESAT‑6/14KD/38KD recombinant antigens of MTB. The mean levels of IgG antibodies were significantly higher in patients with pulmonary TB compared with control groups. The target MTB-specific antigens can distinguish a TB infection from a non-TB infection, showing significant difference in statistics (P<0.001). The sensitivity of the IgG test ranged from 69.4% (ESAT-6) to 77.6% (ESAT-6/14KD/38KD) in the active TB patients; the specificity of assays varied from 78.4% (CFP-10) to 90.2% (14KD+38KD) in the healthy control groups. The IgM antibody test can not distinguish a TB infection from a non-TB healthy control. In conclusion, clinical use of the ESAT-6, CFP-10, ESPC, 14KD/38KD and ESAT-6/14KD/38KD antigens based on serodiagnostic IgG assay is of significant value for the rapid diagnosis of TB and for the discrimination between active TB patients and healthy controls.
Trailer Loading Stress in Horses: Behavioral and Physiological Effects of Nonaversive Training (TTEAM)

Resistance in the horse to trailer loading is a common source of stress and injury to horses and their handlers. The objective of this study was to determine whether nonaversive training based on the Tellington-Touch Equine Awareness Method (TTEAM; Tellington-Jones & Bruns, 1988) would decrease loading time and reduce stress during loading for horses with a history of reluctance to load. Ten horses described by their owners as "problem loaders" were subjected to pretraining and posttraining assessments of loading. Each assessment involved two 7-min loading attempts during which heart rate and saliva cortisol were measured. The training consisted of six 30-min sessions over a 2-week period during which the horse and owner participated in basic leading exercises with obstacles simulating aspects of trailering. Assessment showed heart rate and saliva cortisol increased significantly during loading as compared to baseline (p < .001 and p < .05, respectively). Reassessment after training showed a decrease in loading time (p < .02), reduced heart rate during loading (p < .002), and reduced saliva cortisol as compared to pretraining assessments. Seven "good loaders" also were subject to loading assessment for physiological comparison. Increases in heart rate during loading were significantly higher in the good loaders (p < .001). Nonaversive training simulating aspects of loading may effectively reduce loading time and stress during loading for horses with a history of resistance to trailer loading.
Snoring detection using a piezo snoring sensor based on hidden Markov models

This study presents a snoring detection method based on hidden Markov models (HMMs) using a piezo snoring sensor. Snoring is a major symptom of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). In most sleep studies, snoring is detected with a microphone. Since these studies analyze the acoustic properties of snoring, they need to acquire data at high sampling rates, so a large amount of data should be processed. Recently, several sleep studies have monitored snoring using a piezo snoring sensor. However, an automatic method for snoring detection using a piezo snoring sensor has not been reported in the literature. This study proposed the HMM-based method to detect snoring using this sensor, which is attached to the neck. The data from 21 patients with OSA were gathered for training and test sets. The short-time Fourier transform and short-time energy were computed so they could be applied to HMMs. The data were classified as snoring, noise and silence according to their HMMs. As a result, the sensitivity and the positive predictivity values were 93.3% and 99.1% for snoring detection, respectively. The results demonstrated that the method produced simple, portable and user-friendly detection tools that provide an alternative to the microphone-based method.
Cloning the uteroglobin gene promoter from the relic volcano rabbit (Romerolagus diazi) reveals an ancient estrogen‐response element

To gain further insight on the estrogen‐dependent transcriptional regulation of the uteroglobin (UG) gene, we cloned the 5′‐flanking region of the UG gene from the phylogenetically ancient volcano rabbit (Romerolagus diazi; Rd). The cloned region spans 812 base pairs (bp; −812/−1) and contains a noncanonical TATA box (TACA). The translation start site is 48 bp downstream from the putative transcription initiation site (AGA), and is preceded by a consensus Kozak box. Comparison of the Rd‐UG gene with that previously isolated from rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) showed 93% in sequence identity as well as a number of conserved cis‐acting elements, including the estrogen‐response element (ERE; −265/−251), which differs from the consensus by two nucleotides. In MCF‐7 cells, 17β‐estradiol (E2) induced transcription of a luciferase reporter driven by the Rd‐UG promoter in a similar manner as in an equivalent rabbit UG reporter; the Rd‐UG promoter was 30% more responsive to E2 than the rabbit promoter. Mutagenesis studies on the Rd‐ERE confirmed this cis‐element as a target of E2 as two luciferase mutant reporters of the Rd‐promoter, one with the rabbit and the other with the consensus ERE, were more responsive to the hormone than the wild‐type reporter. Gel shift and super‐shift assays showed that estrogen receptor‐α indeed binds to the imperfect palindromic sequence of the Rd‐ERE. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 79: 337–345, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Physical impairments in cognitively impaired older people: implications for risk of falls

ABSTRACT Background: Cognitively impaired older people fall twice as often as their cognitively intact counterparts. There is, however, limited information on factors that increase the risk of falls in this population. This study aimed to determine whether a group of cognitively impaired older people (CIG) perform worse than a matched group of cognitively intact older people (NCIG) on a profile of physical performance and mobility tests. Methods: One hundred and thirty-eight cognitively impaired and 276 age and gender matched cognitively intact community-dwelling older adults (>60 years) took part in the study. Participants completed a detailed physical performance battery from which composite fall risk scores were derived. Falls were measured prospectively for 12 months with monthly falls diaries, telephone calls, and by regularly contacting participants’ “person responsible. ” Results: The CIG performed worse than the NCIG in tests of reaction time, muscle strength (grip and quadriceps), balance (sway on floor, sway on foam, controlled leaning balance and near tandem standing ability), and mobility (sit to stand, timed up and go (TUG) and steps required to turn 180 degrees). The CIG had significantly higher composite fall risk scores than the NCIG and fell significantly more during follow-up (Multiple falls (2+): CIG 43%; NCIG 21%). Conclusions: Fall risk in the CIG was significantly increased due to multiple physical impairments. Physical profiles provide a means of quantifying the extent of impairment in older people with cognitive impairment and potential direction for targeting interventions for reducing fall risk.
Action-based graphical password: “Click-a-Secret”

This paper relates to a novel graphical system named “Click-a-Secret” that allows entering a secret through interactions with an image. Seamless modifications of the image will create a new image and derive corresponding secret. In this article, we will focus on access control related applications. However, other usages are possible in various cryptographic systems (e.g.: secret key to encrypt data, etc.). It is well known that humans use long-term memory for storing pictures therefore leading to better recall of images compared to text. This leads to improved memorization of graphical passwords.
Bicarbonate secretion in interlobular ducts from guinea‐pig pancreas.

1. The transport of HCO3‐ across the luminal membrane of pancreatic duct cells was studied by monitoring the luminal pH of isolated guinea‐pig interlobular ducts after microinjection of an extracellular fluoroprobe, the dextran conjugate of 2'7'‐bis(2‐carboxyethyl)‐5(6)‐carboxyfluorescein (BCECF‐dextran). Luminal Cl‐ concentration was also measured by microfluorometry following microinjection of the dextran conjugates of 6‐methoxy‐N‐(4‐aminoalkyl)quinolinium bromide (ABQ‐dextran) and Cl‐NERF (Cl‐NERF‐dextran). 2. When HCO3‐/CO2 was admitted to the bath, a transient acidification of the duct lumen was observed, followed by a marked alkalinization. The latter was abolished when the luminal Cl‐ concentration was reduced to 25‐35 mM by replacement with glucuronate and may, therefore, be attributed to Cl(‐)‐HCO3‐ exchange at the luminal membrane. 3. Secretin, forskolin and acetylcholine stimulated HCO3‐ secretion into the lumen even when the luminal Cl‐ concentration was reduced to approximately 7 mM. Furthermore, agonist‐evoked HCO3‐ secretion was not inhibited by luminal glibenclamide, dihydro‐4,4'‐diisothiocyanostilbene‐2,2'‐disulphonic acid (H2DIDS) or 5‐nitro‐2‐(3‐phenylpropylamino)‐benzoic acid (NPPB). These observations are not easily reconciled with HCO3‐ transport across the luminal membrane being mediated by Cl(‐)‐HCO3‐ exchange in parallel with a Cl‐ conductance. 4. Agonist‐stimulated HCO3‐ secretion was blocked by omitting Na+ from the bath but not by addition of N‐methyl‐N‐isobutylamiloride (MIA) or bafilomycin A1. This supports our previous conclusion that HCO3‐ entry into duct cells from the extracellular fluid requires Na+ but is not dependent on Na(+)‐H+ exchange or vacuolar‐type H(+)‐ATPase activity. 5. The three actions of secretin on guinea‐pig pancreatic duct cells described in this and the accompanying paper ‐ stimulation of a relatively Cl(‐)‐insensitive luminal HCO3‐ efflux pathway, stimulation of basolateral Na(+)‐HCO3‐ cotransport, and lack of effect on intracellular pH‐ require the current model of pancreatic HCO3‐ secretion to be modified.
Anterior ischemic optic neuropathy secondary to interferon alfa.

OBJECTIVE To report the occurrence of anterior ischemic optic neuropathy as a complication of treatment with interferon alfa and to consider the possible underlying mechanisms for this association. DESIGN Description of the clinical findings in two patients with this condition. SETTING A neuro-ophthalmology referral center. PATIENTS Two patients, ages 40 and 51 years, undergoing treatment with interferon alfa for malignant neoplasms experienced sudden bilateral, sequential visual loss with disc-related field defects and segmental optic disc edema. INTERVENTIONS Treatment with aspirin and prednisone in one patient. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Visual acuity, color vision, Goldmann perimetry testing, and fundus photography. RESULTS Visual loss was mild and generally nonprogressive. The interval between initiating treatment with interferon alfa and onset of anterior ischemic optic neuropathy was similar to that of interferon-associated vascular retinopathy. CONCLUSION Anterior ischemic optic neuropathy may complicate treatment with interferon alfa. The underlying pathogenesis is probably multifactorial.
Are contrast sensitivity functions impaired in insulin dependent diabetics without diabetic retinopathy?

PURPOSE To confirm the influence of multilevel metabolic disturbance of insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) on the vision even before the onset of the other changes routinely evaluated by ophthalmologists. METHODS Contrast sensitivity functions (CSFs) were estimated using the VCTS 6500 board. The standardised measurement procedure was performed. The value of the threshold contrast sensitivity was obtained for five spatial frequencies (1.5-3-6-12-18 c/deg). Other data was collected (duration of diabetes, BCVA, funduscopy, fluoresceine angiography, HbA1C). The study group consisted of 48 IDDM patients (94 eyes) without diabetic retinopathy and with Snellen BCVA > 1.0. The control group (56 normals, 98 eyes) was age and BCVA matched. RESULTS Highly statistically significant decrease of the CSFs in all spatial frequencies in the study group was obtained. Correlation between duration of the diabetes and impaired degree of CSFs was present in the middle spatial frequency. No significant changes in CSFs were found among patients with pathological value of glycated hemoglobin HbA1c (> 7.8%). CONCLUSIONS If compared with routinely used Snellen visual acuity, the CSFs are more complex descriptors of the subjects vision abilities. IDDM has an influence on these sensitive functions, especially during examination in the middle spatial frequency of 6 and 12 c/deg, before disturbing visual acuity and before changes in the retinal morphology. Decrease of CSFs was influenced mainly by the patients' age and partially (in the middle spatial frequency) by the IDDM duration.
Outcome of patients with rheumatoid arthritis: cross-sectional study of a single-center real-world inception cohort.

BACKGROUND Tight control of disease activity is the recommended target of therapy for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). OBJECTIVES To determine the outcome of RA with respect to disease activity and the rate of remission, as measured by the DAS-28, in a real-world inception cohort. METHODS We conducted an observational cross-sectional study of a single-center real-world inception cohort of 101 consecutive patients being treated for RA in 2009-2010 in a rheumatology outpatient clinic. Patients were managed at the discretion of the attending rheumatologist with the goal of achieving remission. DAS-28 scores were calculated and analyzed by clinical and treatment variables derived from the medical files. RESULTS Mean patient age was 58.6 +/- 13.4 years and mean duration of disease 10.7 +/- 7.9years. Disease remission (DAS-28 < 2.6) was achieved in 26.7% of patients and low disease activity (> 2 .6 DAS-28 < 3.2) in 17%. Monotherapy with a conventional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (C-DMARD, 21% of patients at last follow-up) was associated with a significantly lower mean DAS-28 score and C-reactive protein level than combined C-DMARD treatment (79% of patients), and with shorter disease duration than combined treatment with C-DMARDs or C-DMARD(s)+biological DMARD (40% of patients). Rheumatoid factor and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide positivity had no effect on DAS-28 scores. Time from diagnosis was inversely correlated with DAS-28 scores. CONCLUSIONS The achievement of low disease activity and remission in a significant portion of our inception cohort of patients with RA suggests that the treat-to-target strategy is feasible and effective in routine clinical practice.