Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of a new p16INK4A ELISA test and a high‐risk HPV DNA test for cervical cancer screening: Results from proof‐of‐concept study

p16INK4a, a cell cycle regulation protein, accumulates in abnormal epithelial cells infected with high‐risk human papilloma virus (HPV). In immunostaining studies, p16INK4a has shown potential as a marker of high grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and invasive cervical cancer. To evaluate its potential use in cervical cancer screening, we conducted a feasibility study to compare the performance of a new enzyme linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA) for p16INK4a (mtm laboratories, Heidelberg, Germany) to that of the Hybrid capture 2™ (hc2) test for high‐risk HPV DNA for the detection of CIN3. Three hundred and nineteen women were referred from Western Washington Planned Parenthood clinics for colposcopy examination and cervical biopsy because of abnormal Pap test results. Cervical samples were obtained from study participants for p16INK4a ELISA, liquid‐based cytology and hc2. The order (first and second) for obtaining samples for cervical cytology and p16INK4a ELISA changed with every other subject. Concentrations of p16INK4a protein were higher when the sample was taken before the cytology. The sensitivity of p16INK4a ELISA (concentration ≥ 8 units/ml) taken as first sample was 90.0% for CIN3, and the sensitivity of HC2 taken as a second sample was 85%. In the same group, the specificity of p16INK4a ELISA (46.9%) was slightly better than hc2 (35.4%) Results from this proof‐of‐concept study suggest that p16INK4a ELISA has a similar sensitivity and slightly better specificity for CIN3 compared to hc2. These findings support proceeding with a larger study with samples from a population of women presenting for routine cytology screening. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Occurrence of certain cuticular structures confirms functionality of dorsal abdominal scent glands in Acanthosomatidae (Heteroptera: Pentatomoidea)

Abstract Elasmucha ferrugata (Fabricius, 1787) (Heteroptera: Acanthosomatidae) provides maternal care of eggs and larvae. Adults of both sexes have functional anterior dorsal abdominal scent glands (DAGs). Study of all internal and external cuticular structures of DAGs revealed that no DAGs are fully functional in the 1st larval instar, and very probably they are only slightly functional in the 2nd instar. Median and posterior DAGs are undoubtedly not functional in adults. There exists sexual dimorphism in the number of multicellular glandular units in anterior glands in adults. The occurrence of cuticular ductules of these units proves these to be functional glands. This is best considered in combination with the findings of a well-developed evaporatorium. Developed cuticular intima of the gland reservoir and/or the nearly closed ostiole or ostiolar scar bears no information about the functionality of the gland.
Prevalência de osteoporose em mulheres na pós-menopausa e associação com fatores clínicos e reprodutivos

PURPOSE: to evaluate the prevalence of osteoporosis in climacteric women and analyze the influence of general and reproductive risk factors on bone mineral density. METHODS: a cross-sectional study with the evaluation of the 473 hospital records of climacteric women followed up at the Menopause Outpatient Facility of CAISM/Unicamp, between 03/28/2000 and 04/17/2001. These women were at least 12 months in amenorrhea and presented the results of a bone densitometry study performed at the Nuclear Medicine Department of HC/Unicamp. The following variables were evaluated: age, color, body mass index, level of education, smoking, use of medication, age at menopause, parity, use and length of hormone replacement therapy and its effect on bone mineral density. Statistical analyses were performed using logistic regression ajusted by age and hormone replacement therapy use. RESULTS: the mean age of the studied women was 53.9 years (± 7.1 SD) with mean age at menopause being 45.9 years (± 6.9 SD). Osteoporosis occurred in 14.7% and osteopenia in 38% of the cases in the lumbar vertebrae (L2-L4 interspace) and in 3.8 and 32.7% in the femur, respectively. Logistic regression adjusted to age and hormone therapy showed an association between the following variables: level of education, age at menopause and body mass index. CONCLUSION: there was a high prevalence of osteoporosis and osteopenia in the studied population. Advanced age, lower level of education, late menarche, early menopause and lower body mass index were identified as risk factors for developing decreased bone mass in the studied population.
Including climate change in pest risk assessment: the peach fruit fly, Bactrocera zonata (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Abstract Bactrocera zonata (Saunders) is one of the most harmful species of Tephritidae. It causes extensive damage in Asia and threatens many countries located along or near the Mediterranean Sea. The climate mapping program, CLIMEX 3.0, and the GIS software, ArcGIS 9.3, were used to model the current and future potential geographical distribution of B. zonata. The model predicts that, under current climatic conditions, B. zonata will be able to establish itself throughout much of the tropics and subtropics, including some parts of the USA, southern China, southeastern Australia and northern New Zealand. Climate change scenarios for the 2070s indicate that the potential distribution of B. zonata will expand poleward into areas which are currently too cold. The main factors limiting the pest's range expansion are cold, hot and dry stress. The model's predictions of the numbers of generations produced annually by B. zonata were consistent with values previously recorded for the pest's occurrence in Egypt. The ROC curve and the AUC (an AUC of 0.912) were obtained to evaluate the performance of the CLIMEX model in this study. The analysis of this information indicated a high degree of accuracy for the CLIMEX model. The significant increases in the potential distribution of B. zonata projected under the climate change scenarios considered in this study suggest that biosecurity authorities should consider the effects of climate change when undertaking pest risk assessments. To prevent the introduction and spread of B. zonata, enhanced quarantine and monitoring measures should be implemented in areas that are projected to be suitable for the establishment of the pest under current and future climatic conditions.
Measures and indicators for assessing impact of interventions integrating nutrition, health, and early childhood development

When implementing interventions integrating nutrition, health, and early childhood development, evaluation studies of effectiveness that assess the intermediate and ultimate impacts on the four domains of food and nutrition, family care, health, and child development are needed. Such studies should demonstrate impact, both benefits and potential harms, and understand mechanisms through which impact has been achieved. This article reviews and suggests measures and indicators suitable for use in evaluation studies of effectiveness of integrated interventions for children under 5 years of age. Within each of the four domains, multiple constructs and subconstructs were considered. For each construct and subconstruct, we identified measures and indicators, using several search processes, and reviewed them in relation to validity, responsiveness to intervention inputs and activities, equivalence in constructs and items across contexts with appropriate adaptation, and feasibility for use in effectiveness studies. Suggested measures and indicators for each domain, construct, and subconstruct are tabulated and described. We discuss the strengths and weaknesses of measures and indicators across domains and constructs, further research establishing validity, and guidance on adaptation of measures to particular contexts.
The copolymer P(HEMA-co-SS) binds gluten and reduces immune response in gluten-sensitized mice and human tissues.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Copolymers of hydroxyethyl methacrylate and styrene sulfonate complex with isolated gliadin (the toxic fraction of gluten) and prevent damage to the intestinal barrier in HLA-HCD4/DQ8 mice. We studied the activity toward gluten and hordein digestion and biologic effects of poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate-co-styrene sulfonate (P(HEMA-co-SS)). We also investigated the effect of gliadin complex formation in intestinal biopsy specimens from patients with celiac disease. METHODS We studied the ability of P(HEMA-co-SS) to reduce digestion of wheat gluten and barley hordein into immunotoxic peptides using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The biodistribution and pharmacokinetic profile of orally administered P(HEMA-co-SS) was established in rodents using tritium-labeled polymer. We assessed the capacity of P(HEMA-co-SS) to prevent the immunologic and intestinal effects induced by a gluten-food mixture in gluten-sensitized HLA-HCD4/DQ8 mice after short-term and long-term administration. We measured the effects of gliadin complex formation on cytokine release ex vivo using intestinal biopsy specimens from patients with celiac disease. RESULTS P(HEMA-co-SS) reduced digestion of wheat gluten and barley hordein in vitro, thereby decreasing formation of toxic peptides associated with celiac disease. After oral administration to rodents, P(HEMA-co-SS) was predominantly excreted in feces, even in the presence of low-grade mucosal inflammation and increased intestinal permeability. In gluten-sensitized mice, P(HEMA-co-SS) reduced paracellular permeability, normalized anti-gliadin immunoglobulin A in intestinal washes, and modulated the systemic immune response to gluten in a food mixture. Furthermore, incubation of P(HEMA-co-SS) with mucosal biopsy specimens from patients with celiac disease showed that secretion of tumor necrosis factor-α was reduced in the presence of partially digested gliadin. CONCLUSIONS The copolymer P(HEMA-co-SS) reduced digestion of wheat gluten and barley hordein and attenuated the immune response to gluten in a food mixture in rodents. It might be developed to prevent or reduce gluten-induced disorders in humans.
The Ah receptor in stem cell cycling, regulation, and quiescence

Processes that regulate quiescence, self‐renewal, and differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are not well understood. Owing, in part, to the ability of xenobiotic ligands to have persistent effects on the immune system in experimental animals, there has been much work to define a physiological role of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and its relationship to human disease. Persistent AhR activation by dioxin, a potent agonist, results in altered numbers and function of HSCs in mice. HSCs from AhR−/− knockout (KO) mice are hyperproliferative and have an altered cell cycle. Aging KO mice show characteristics consistent with premature bone marrow exhaustion. We propose that the increased proliferation of HSCs lacking AhR expression or activity is a result of loss of quiescence, and as such, AhR normally acts as a negative regulator to curb excessive or unnecessary proliferation. Similarly, prolonged and/or inappropriate stimulation of AhR activity may compromise the ability of HSCs to sense environmental signals that allow these cells to balance quiescence, proliferation, migration, and differentiation. These data and others support a hypothesis that deregulation of AhR function has an important role in HSC regulation and in the etiology and/or progression of certain hematopoietic diseases, many of which are associated with aging.
The Potential for Error With Use of Inverse Dynamic Calculations in Gait Analysis of Individuals With Lower Limb Loss: A Review of Model Selection and Assumptions

Lower limb joint kinetics are among the most commonly reported values after instrumented gait analysis and are typically estimated via inverse dynamic calculations. These calculations require, among other things, the selection of a link-segment model that is representative of the subject being tested. In applying inverse dynamics calculations to a standard link-segment model, several assumptions are commonly made in an effort to simplify the calculations. These assumptions regarding the link-segment model are derived from conventional anatomy and physiology and therefore may not be valid when applied to individuals with lower limb loss because their unique anatomical characteristics and the design of lower limb prosthetic componentry may not be accurately accounted for. This article reviews the validity of applying these common assumptions to the analysis of individuals with lower limb loss, with the goal of enabling prosthetists to better judge the quality and accuracy of empirical research findings by furthering their understanding of inverse dynamic theory and its application to the quantitative gait analysis of individuals with lower limb loss.
Multicenter Study on Clinical Evaluation of Disposable Syringes Pre-loaded with Growth Hormone (Genotropin KabiQuick)

A short term multicenter study on evaluation of the usefulness, acceptability and tolerability of Genotropin KabiQuick (GKQ) was carried out in 36 patients with classical growth hormone (GH) deficiency. Of 36 patients or their parents, 32 (88.9%) evaluated GKQ as superior in preparative procedure to the conventional injection syringe system. Thirty (83.3%) including all of the 6 self-injection patients evaluated that dosing with GKQ was easier. Thirty-two (88.9%) said that GKQ could be handled in a more sanitary condition. Twenty-six (72.2%) felt that the handling of GKQ was easier. The average time needed for each injection with GKQ was 4.0•}3. 2 min. which was significantly shorter than that with the conventional system (7.8•}6.2 min). Ten, twelve and thirteen patients complained that GKQ gave more, equal and less pain respectively. Nineteen (52.8%) commented that the plunger of GKQ was hard to push. Twenty-two (61.1%) preferred GKQ and 5 (13.9%) reverted to the conventional system for future treatment. Doctors concerned with this study assessed that GKQ was useful in 27 patients (75%), but not useful in 2 patients (5.6%). It is concluded that GKQ is an easy handling device which provides quick, safe and sterile daily injections for patients or parents, but an easily movable plunger, a smaller size device and a lower dose-system GKQ are requested for further improvement.
Resource depletion, pollen coupling, and the ecology of mast seeding

Masting, the highly variable and synchronous production of seeds across a population of perennial plants, is an ecologically important, but still poorly understood, phenomenon. While much is known about the fitness benefits of masting and its effects on seed consumers and trophic interactions, less is understood about the proximate mechanisms of masting. The resource budget model (RBM) posits that masting requires more resources than plants can gain in a single year. Individual plants store resources until a threshold is reached and then produce seeds, which depletes resources so that plants cannot reproduce again for 2 or more years. Individuals are synchronized by pollen coupling or environmental forcing. We review the assumptions of these models and assess the extent to which they are consistent with general patterns in plant populations. We discuss the implications of the RBM for how plants respond to changes in the external environment. Overall, the RBM is a likely cause of synchrony in many, but not all, masting species. This mechanistic hypothesis also leads to specific, but not always intuitive, expectations about how plant resources affect mast seeding.
Origin and evolution of the Italian subterranean termite Reticulitermes lucifugus (Blattodea, Termitoidae, Rhinotermitidae)

Abstract The Holarctic genus Reticulitermes shows seven species within the Mediterranean Basin. While phylogeny and systematics at continental level has been deeply investigated, a few studies concentrated on local ranges. To gain a clearer picture of the diversity and evolution of the Italian species Reticulitermes lucifugus, we analyzed the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase II (COII) gene marker in newly collected colonies across the Peninsula. Data were gathered with all R. lucifugus sequences available from previous studies; COII sequences of the closely related Iberian taxa were also added to the data set. Maximum-likelihood, median-joining and statistical parsimony network elaborations on the resulting 119 colonies all agreed in indicating that: (i) the Sardo-Corsican subspecies R. lucifugus corsicus, strictly related to Southern Italian populations (including the Sicilian ones), is phylogenetically closer to the Iberian Reticulitermes grassei; and (ii) R. lucifugus lucifugus peninsular populations are structured into three clusters. The phylogenetic relationships and the biogeography of extant taxa suggest a scenario in which R. lucifugus ancestors colonized the Italian region through the Sardo-Corsican microplate during its Oligocene-Miocene anticlockwise rotation. Moreover, well after the colonization took place, northward range expansion might have produced the presently observed genetic diversity, as inferred from haplotype and nucleotide diversity estimates. On the whole, this study highlights the evolution of Italian Reticulitermes taxa and supports the importance of a wide taxon sampling especially when dealing with organisms easily dispersed by human activities.
Pancreas-specific deletion of Prox1 affects development and disrupts homeostasis of the exocrine pancreas.

BACKGROUND & AIMS The exocrine portion of the pancreas functions in digestion and preserves pancreatic homeostasis. Learning how this tissue forms during embryogenesis could improve our understanding of human pancreatic diseases. Expression of the homeobox gene Prox1 in the exocrine pancreas changes throughout development in mice. We investigated the role of Prox1 in development of the exocrine pancreas in mice. METHODS Mice with pancreas-specific deletion of Prox1 (Prox1(ΔPanc)) were generated and their pancreatic tissues were analyzed using immunohistochemistry, transmission electron microscopy, histologic techniques, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, immunoblotting, and morphometric analysis. RESULTS Loss of Prox1 from the pancreas led to multiple exocrine alterations, most notably premature acinar cell differentiation, increased ductal cell proliferation, altered duct morphogenesis, and imbalanced expression of claudin proteins. Prox1(ΔPanc) mice also had some minor alterations in islet cells, but beta-cell development was not affected. The exocrine congenital defects of Prox1(ΔPanc) pancreata appeared to initiate a gradual process of deterioration that resulted in extensive loss of acinar cells, lipomatosis, and damage to ductal tissue in adult mice. CONCLUSIONS Pancreas-specific deletion of Prox1 causes premature differentiation of acinar cells and poor elongation of epithelial branches; these defects indicate that Prox1 controls the expansion of tip progenitors in the early developing pancreas. During later stages of embryogenesis, Prox1 appears to regulate duct cell proliferation and morphogenesis. These findings identify Prox1 as an important regulator of pancreatic exocrine development.
Genotype Analysis of Giardia lamblia Isolated From Children in Ahvaz, Southwest of Iran

Background: Giardia lamblia is an enteric protozoan parasite, which infects human and a wide range of vertebrate hosts. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate genotypes of G. lamblia from children fecal samples in Ahvaz, South West of Iran by PCR-RFLP method. Materials and Methods: Fecal samples were collected from 58 children who were positive for G. lamblia. DNA extractions were performed by QIAamp Stool Mini Kit. DNA were evaluated by semi nested PCR-RFLP assay, targeting the glutamate dehydrogenase (gdh) gene, which was used to distinguish within and between genotypes A and B. Results: Fifty samples (86%) were confirmed by semi-nested PCR. Genotype analysis among 50 isolates indicated 5 (10%) and 8 (16%) assemblages AII and B, respectively. Mixed Infections with both assemblages AII and B were also detected in 37 (74%) cases. Conclusions: Current study indicated the molecular characterization of G. lamblia in southwest of Iran. Postulated sources of contamination by accidental discharge of sewage effluent and faecal contamination from animals may contribute to this high rate of mixed infection in the current study. Further studies are needed to underestand the source and route of infection better.
Kombinierte Beurteilung von Ovarialtumoren mit transvaginaler B-Bild- und Farbdoppler-Sonographie

Transvaginal sonomorphologie and colour Doppler measurements were obtained preoperatively in 212 adnexal tumours: 81 premenopausal tumours (13 malignant and 68 benign) and 131 postmenopausal tumours (55 vs 76). Tumours were divided into five different scores according to their sonomorphology [16]. Scores I and II are related to benign tumours. Score V represents typically malignant tumours. Scores III and IV are associated with benign and malignant tumours. If score I and II are considered as benign and score III to V as malignant the sensitivity in pre- and postmenopausal tumours is 90%. However, the specificity is only 56% vs 70% respectively. In order to improve the accuracy, colour Doppler was additionally performed in tumours with sonomorphological score III and IV. The following criteria were tested: minimum resistance index (Rlmin), number of tumour arteries (ART), maximum (Smax) and sum (Ssum) of peak systolic velocities. All criteria showed significant differences between benign and malignant tumours. Tumours of score III and IV were differentiated by colour Doppler with an accuracy between 66% and 81% for premenopausal and 69% to 86% for postmenopausal women. The combination of sonomorphology and colour Doppler increased the accuracy between 84% and 90% with a sensitivity of up to 92% in pre- and 89% in postmenopausal patients. Sequential colour Doppler sonography as a supplement to transvaginal sonography improves tumour differentiation. The limitation of colour Doppler measurements to score III and IV lesions reduced the length of examination time to a reasonable extent.
Teacher perception of burden and willingness to accommodate children with chronic health conditions

Children with chronic health conditions need the support of school staff to flourish socially and academically in educational settings. This study explored teacher experiences and knowledge of the following common paediatric conditions: asthma, food allergies, cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, heart disease and seizure disorder. Participants included 140 elementary education teachers. This study also explored teacher perceptions of willingness and burden in implementing a range of classroom accommodations. Findings revealed that teachers were less willing to implement accommodations that were perceived to be burdensome. In addition, teachers perceived HIV/AIDS and seizure disorder to be among the most challenging conditions, and they reported the least amount of exposure to childhood cancer, heart disease, HIV/AIDS and seizure disorder. Suggestions to enhance the educational experiences of students with chronic illness are provided. Specifically, expanded collaborative roles for school-based mental health practitioners are recommended.