Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MRI enhancement and microvascular density in gliomas. Correlation with tumor cell proliferation.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES Angiogenesis and proliferation activity are important indicators of tumor behavior in human gliomas. The authors studied how tumor enhancement in MR imaging and intratumoral vascular density were correlated with cell proliferation in cerebral gliomas. METHODS The authors studied retrospectively 62 cerebral gliomas. Patients were examined before surgery with contrast-enhanced MR imaging. Microvessel density and the cell proliferation rate of tumor specimens were measured immunohistochemically using factor VIII and MIB-1 antibodies. Contrast enhancement of the tumors was evaluated by two radiologists. RESULTS Contrast enhancement was observed in 45 tumors and was correlated with histologic cell proliferation (P = 0.0007) and microvessel density (P = 0.01). There was also a correlation between tumor vascular density and the cell proliferation rate (r = 0.51, P < 0.0001). Histologic tumor grade was associated with vascular density (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Lesion enhancement on preoperative contrast-enhanced MR imaging correlates with vascularity and proliferation activity of gliomas. The additional correlation between tumor vascularity and proliferation suggests that intratumoral microvessel density could be useful in estimating tumor proliferation.
Do Improvements in Government Quality Necessarily Reduce the Incidence of Sudden Stops ?

Sudden stops, or large reversals in capital inflows, have been linked to a number of financial crises in emerging market countries. Given their potentially devastating consequences, academics and policymakers have placed great emphasis on analyzing the causes of financial vulnerability. This task has become even more important with increasing financial globalization. A large literature has developed emphasizing the importance of institutions and governance in promoting growth and reducing economic volatility. This paper finds, however, that the effect of government quality on the incidence of costly sudden stops is in fact non-linear. Initial improvements in governance actually increase the incidence of costly sudden stops. A possible explanation is that improved governance encourages capital inflows that can overwhelm banking systems in countries with weak institutions. Eventually, however, improving institutions does reduce the frequency of sudden stops, allowing countries to enjoy the benefits of financial globalization without all the risks. JEL Classification: F32, F36, F41. Keyword(s): Sudden stops, capital flows, institutions. _____________ * Correspondence: Adam Honig, Department of Economics, Campus Box 2201, Amherst College. Amherst, MA 01002-5000. Email, ahonig@amherst.edu. Phone: (413) 542-5032. Fax: (413) 542-2090.
Immunization with cross-conserved H1N1 influenza CD4+ T-cell epitopes lowers viral burden in HLA DR3 transgenic mice

The emergence of the pandemic H1N1 strain of influenza in 2009 was associated with a unique w-shaped age-related susceptibility curve, with higher incidence of morbidity and mortality among young persons and lower incidence among older persons, also observed during the 1918 influenza pandemic. Pre-existing H1N1 antibodies were not cross-reactive with the prior seasonal vaccine, forcing influenza experts to scramble to develop a new vaccine specific for the pandemic virus. We hypothesized that response to T-cell epitopes that are cross-conserved between pandemic H1N1 and the 2008 seasonal influenza vaccine strains might have contributed to partial protection from clinical illness among older adults, despite the lack of cross-reactive humoral immunity. Using immunoinformatics tools, we previously identified hemagglutinin and neuraminidase epitopes that were highly conserved between seasonal and pandemic H1N1. Here, we validated predicted CD4+ T-cell epitopes for their ability to bind HLA and to stimulate interferon-γ production in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from a cohort of donors presenting with influenza-like illness during the 2009 pandemic and a separate cohort immunized with trivalent influenza vaccine in 2011. A limited-epitope heterologous DNA-prime/peptide-boost vaccine composed of these sequences stimulated immune responses and lowered lung viral loads in HLA DR3 transgenic mice challenged with pandemic 2009 H1N1 influenza. Cross-priming with conserved influenza T-cell epitopes such as these may be critically important to T cell-mediated protection against pandemic H1N1 in the absence of cross-protective antibodies.
WNT-1 expression in basal cell carcinoma of head and neck. An immunohistochemical and confocal study with regard to the intracellular distribution of beta-catenin.

BACKGROUND The WNT gene family is a group of developmental genes involved in cell growth regulation, differentiation and organogenesis in both vertebrates and invertebrates. These genes are also involved in oncogenesis: beta-catenin, a component of the WNT pathway, has been reported to be involved in the genesis of numerous human cancers. WNT-1 pathway signaling is mediated via interactions between beta-catenin, a multifunctional protein playing an important role in cell-to-cell adhesion and gene expression, and members of the LEF-1/TCF family of transcription factors. The WNT signal stabilizes beta-catenin protein and determines its accumulation in the cytoplasm and nucleus. MATERIALS AND METHODS In order to evaluate the role of WNT-1 in the neoplastic progression of basal cell carcinoma (BCC), an immunohistochemical and confocal study of its expression and its correlation with beta-catenin distribution was performed in 46 selected cases of BCCs of the head and neck region. RESULTS While normal skin showed a WNT-1-positive staining only of the cutaneous annexa and a few cells in the basal/parabasal layers, the areas of de-differentiated BCCs showed a high granular positive staining (50-80% of cells). On the other hand, normal skin was characterized by an intense membranous staining for beta-catenin, with a progressive displacement of the signal toward the periphery of the cells. In BCC the absence of membrane localization and cytosolic staining for beta-catenin were detected in de-differentiated cases. A significant correlation (by Pearson's analysis) between overexpression of WNT-1 and free pools of beta-catenins was observed in these tumors. CONCLUSION According to these data, the potential role of the WNT-1 gene in BCC seems to correlate with its ability to induce elevated cytoplasmic beta-catenin levels, suggesting that the WNT-1 gene can activate an intracellular signaling pathway involved in the process of cell transformation.
KARİYER YÖNETİMİ ARAÇLARI OLARAK MENTORLUK VE KOÇLUK

Donem ProjesiKARIYER YONETIMI ARACLARI OLARAK MENTORLUK VE KOCLUK Nezihe Yasar PALANKOKAnkara UniversitesiSosyal Bilimler EnstitusuInsan Kaynaklari Yonetimi ve Kariyer Danismanligi Anabilim DaliDanisman: Yrd. Doc. Dr. Metin PIŞKINBu calismanin amaci, kariyer yonetimi araclari olarak kocluk ve mentorlugu incelemektir. Kocluk ve mentorluk kavramlarinin bugunku anlamini kazanana kadarki gelisimi oncelikle arastirilmistir. Dolayisiyla, kocluk ve mentorluk ilkelerinin yonetimin farkli alanlarindaki uygulamalari, boylece elde edilen yararlar ve kocluk ve mentorluk surecinde taraflarin rolleri ele alinmis ve orneklenmistir.Ust duzey yoneticiler ve ozellikle insan kaynaklari yoneticileri, yalnizca ise alma, egitim, oryantasyon, performans degerlendirme ve sosyal haklara egilmekle kalmiyor, kariyer gelisiminin karmasik sorunlarina, is doyumuna ve yetersiz ve dusuk duzeydeki performansin altinda yatan nedenlere de egiliyor. Bu baglamda, kocluk yaklasimlari genellikle performans sorunlarinin cozumu ile ust duzey yoneticilerin kariyer danismanligi icin kullanilirken; mentorluk yaklasimlari yonetici yetistirmek, takim kurmak ve yeni gelenlerin yeteneklerini gelistirmek icin kullanilmaktadir.Sonuc olarak kocluk ve mentorluk, isletmenin amaclarini gerceklestirmesi yonunde insan kaynaklarini desteklemekte ve boylece isletmenin insan kaynaklarinin verimliligini arttirmaktadir. Verimlilikteki artis da isletmenin rekabet gucunun artmasina onculuk etmektedir.
An epidemiologic comparison of high school sports injuries sustained in practice and competition.

CONTEXT More than 7 million US high school students play sports. OBJECTIVE To compare practice and competition injury rates and patterns in 5 boys' sports (football, soccer, basketball, wrestling, and baseball) and 4 girls' sports (soccer, volleyball, basketball, and softball) during the 2005-2006 school year. DESIGN Prospective injury surveillance study. SETTING Injury data were collected from 100 nationally representative United States high schools via High School RIO (Reporting Information Online). PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS Athletes from participating high schools injured while participating in a school-sanctioned practice or competition in one of the above sports. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) Practice and competition injury rates, body site, diagnosis, and severity. RESULTS High school athletes participating in these 9 sports at participating schools sustained 4350 injuries during the 2005-2006 school year, which corresponds to an estimated 1 442 533 injuries nationally. The rate of injury per 1000 athlete-exposures was higher in competition (4.63) than in practice (1.69) (rate ratio [RR] = 2.73, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.58, 2.90). Of all sports, football had the highest competition (12.09) and practice (2.54) injury rates per 1000 athlete-exposures. Compared with injuries sustained during practice, higher proportions of competition injuries were head/face/neck injuries (proportion ratio [PR] = 1.61, 95% CI = 1.34, 1.94), particularly in boys' soccer (PR = 7.74, 95% CI = 2.53, 23.65) and girls' basketball (PR = 6.03, 95% CI = 2.39, 15.22). Competition injuries were more likely to be concussions (PR = 2.02, 95% CI = 1.56, 2.62), especially in boys' soccer (PR = 6.94, 95% CI = 2.01, 23.95) and girls' basketball (PR = 5.83, 95% CI = 2.06, 16.49). Higher proportions of competition injuries caused the athlete to miss more than 3 weeks of play (PR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.08, 1.52), particularly in baseball (PR = 3.47, 95% CI = 1.48, 8.11) and volleyball (PR = 2.88, 95% CI = 1.01, 8.24). CONCLUSIONS Rates and patterns of high school sport injuries differed between practice and competition. Providing athletic trainers with this information is a crucial step in developing the targeted, evidence-based interventions required to effectively reduce injury rates among the millions of high school student-athletes.
Cyclosporin A Toxicity of the Renal Allograft – a Late Complication and Potentially Reversible

Cyclosporin A (CsA) has improved patient and organ graft survival, but the dichotomy of benefit and toxicity is still an issue. In a retrospective analysis of 392 renal transplant recipients we documented CsA nephrotoxicity (striped fibrosis, arteriolar wall hyalinosis) in 28 (7.1%) patients (23 male/5 female) in a follow-up of more than one year post transplantation. Median age at renal transplantation was 41 years (13–60) and the period between transplantation and graft biopsy was 42 months (12–122). Median CsA trough levels (ng/ml) at 12 months post transplantation, at time of graft biopsy and at last follow-up were: 114 (71–265), 130 (78–285), 66 (24–115). The following parameters were assessed at 12 months post transplantation, at time of biopsy and at last follow-up: s-creatinine (µmol/l), Doppler resistive index, systolic and diastolic blood pressure (mm Hg) and the number of antihypertensives. Median s-creatinine at 12 months post transplantation was 150.3 (94.6–247.5), at biopsy 225.4 (121.1–353.6) and at last follow-up 160.0 (106.1–247.5) (p < 0.001 for biopsy vs. last follow-up). Resistive index decreased from 0.70 (0.64–0.88) to 0.68 (0.51–0.84) (p < 0.005), systolic blood pressure from 137 (100–168) to 130 (105–144) (p < 0.05) and the number of patients with more than 4 antihypertensives from 10 to 6 between biopsy and last follow-up, with no acute rejection episodes after modification of immunosuppressive therapy (50% of previous CsA trough level and addition of azathioprine or mycophenolate mofetil). Conclusion: CsA nephrotoxicity occurs late after renal transplantation with increased systolic blood pressure and Doppler resistive index. Reduction of CsA improves renal function, reduces graft resistive index and systolic blood pressure.
Dendritic Cells in the Induction of Protective and Nonprotective Anticryptococcal Cell-Mediated Immune Responses1

Dendritic cells (DC) can be divided into three subsets, Langerhans cells, myeloid DC (MDC), and lymphoid DC (LDC), based upon phenotypic and functional differences. We hypothesized that different DC subsets are associated with the development of protective vs nonprotective cell-mediated immune (CMI) responses against the fungal pathogen, Cryptococcus neoformans. To test this, mice were immunized with protective and/or nonprotective immunogens, and DC subsets in draining lymph nodes were assessed by flow cytometry. The protective immunogen (cryptococcal culture filtrate Ag-CFA), in contrast to the nonprotective immunogen (heat-killed cryptococci-CFA), the nonprotective immunogen mixed with the protective immunogen (cryptococcal culture filtrate Ag + heat-killed cryptococci-CFA), or controls, stimulated significant increases in total leukocytes, Langerhans cells, MDC, LDC, and activated CD4+ T cells in draining lymph nodes. The protective immune response resulted in significantly increased levels of anticryptococcal delayed-type hypersensitivity reactivity and activated CD4+ T cells at the delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction site. Draining lymph node LDC:MDC ratios induced by the protective immunogen were significantly lower than the ratios induced by either immunization in which the nonprotective immunogen was present. In contrast, mice given the nonprotective immunogen had LDC:MDC ratios similar to those of naive mice. Our data indicate that lymph node Langerhans cells and MDC are APC needed for induction of the protective response. The predominance of LDC in mice undergoing nonprotective responses suggests that lymph node LDC, like splenic LDC, are negative regulators of CMI responses. In addition to showing DC subsets associated with functional differences, our data suggest that the LDC:MDC balance, which can be modulated by the Ag, determines whether protective or nonprotective anticryptococcal CMI responses develop.
Inflammatory lymphangiogenesis in a rat transplant model of interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy

We have previously reported de novo lymphangiogenesis in human renal allograft nephrectomy specimens that exhibited interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy (IFTA). This study examined whether a similar pathology developed in an experimental model of renal transplantation in the rat. Renal transplants were carried out in rats comprising both isografts (Lewis kidneys → Lewis rats) and allografts (Fisher kidneys → Lewis rats). Animals were immunosuppressed in the immediate postoperative period and sacrificed at 12 months. Experimental readouts included lymphatic vessel number and location, inflammatory cell infiltration, interstitial fibrosis, renal function, blood pressure and proteinuria. Rat allografts demonstrated the characteristic features of IFTA with increased macrophage and T cell infiltration and scattered B cells aggregates. Rat allografts exhibited impaired renal function and proteinuria. Although there was no difference in the number of perivascular lymphatic vessels, there was a striking 18‐fold increase in the number of interstitial lymphatic vessels in renal allografts. Furthermore, the lymphatic vessel number correlated with the extent of interstitial fibrosis. This rat allograft model of IFTA demonstrates a marked increase in the number of interstitial lymphatic vessels and mirrors previous work in failing human renal allografts.
Discontinuation of antidepressants in people with dementia and neuropsychiatric symptoms (DESEP study): double blind, randomised, parallel group, placebo controlled trial

Objective To determine the effect of discontinuing antidepressant treatment in people with dementia and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Design Double blind, randomised, parallel group, placebo controlled trial. Setting Norwegian nursing homes; residents recruited by 16 study centres in Norway from August 2008 to June 2010. Participants 128 patients with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia or vascular dementia, and neuropsychiatric symptoms (but no depressive disorder), who had been prescribed escitalopram, citalopram, sertraline, or paroxetine for three months or more. We excluded patients with severe somatic disease or terminal illness, or who were unable to take tablets or capsules as prescribed. Interventions Antidepressant treatment was discontinued over one week in 63 patients, and continued in 68 patients. We assessed patients at baseline, four, seven, 13, and 25 weeks. Main outcome measures Primary outcomes were score differences between study groups in the Cornell scale of depression in dementia and the neuropsychiatric inventory (10 item version) after 25 weeks. Secondary outcomes were score differences in the clinical dementia rating scale, unified Parkinson’s disease rating scale, quality of life-Alzheimer’s disease scale, Lawton and Brody’s physical self maintenance scale, and severe impairment battery. Results Using a linear multilevel model analysis, we found that the discontinued group had significantly higher scores on the Cornell scale after 25 weeks than the continuation group (difference −2.89 (95% confidence interval −4.76 to −1.02); P=0.003). We saw a similar result in the mean total score for the neuropsychiatric inventory after 25 weeks, but this difference was non-significant (−5.96 (−12.35 to 0.44); P=0.068). We confirmed these results by non-response analysis (>30% worsening on the Cornell scale)—significantly more patients worsened in the discontinuation group than in the continuation group (32 (54%) v 17 (29%); P=0.006). We found no significant differences between the groups for secondary outcomes. Forty seven (37%) patients withdrew from the study early. Conclusions Discontinuation of antidepressant treatment in patients with dementia and neuropsychiatric symptoms leads to an increase in depressive symptoms, compared with those patients who continue with treatment. Trial registration ClinicalTrial.gov NCT00594269, EudraCT 2006-002790-43.
bin2llvm: Analysis of Binary Programs Using LLVM Intermediate Representation

The analysis of programs is an important and well researched topic in information security, specifically for finding bugs in binary programs or analyzing malicious software. Many commonly used techniques rely on dynamic analysis by running samples and monitoring their behavior or are based on the cumbersome and time consuming inspection of plain assembly code. In this paper we present a novel approach for static analysis we are using in bin2llvm, a work-in-progress analysis framework, in order to find and identify cryptographic routines in binary programs. Our approach does not need to run the target of analysis in any way and is based on decompilation of binaries to an intermediate language similar to assembly code, the LLVM Intermediate Representation (IR), by using the open source decompiler Dagger. After decompilation we are able to apply various analysis techniques to the resulting code. These methods can be easily implemented and extended as optimization passes for the LLVM optimizer and can therefore benefit from its extensive API. Although we discovered certain drawbacks and issues with this approach, our results and proof of concept show that IR code is a very suitable target for analyses and it is well worth driving research further into this topic.
Dietary and nutritional factors influencing obesity in Qatari adults and the modifying effect of physical activity.

C l i n M e d International Library Citation: Al-Thani MH, Al-Thani AA, Al-Chetachi WF, Khalifa SAH, Akram H, et al. (2015) Dietary and Nutritional Factors Influencing Obesity in Qatari Adults and the Modifying Effect of Physical Activity. J Obes Weight-Loss Medic 1:007 Received: June 22, 2015: Accepted: September 08, 2015: Published: September 10, 2015 Copyright: © 2015 Al-Thani MH. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Al-Thani et al. J Obes Weight-Loss Medic 2015, 1:1
Analyses of Tomato Fruit Brightness Mutants Uncover Both Cutin-Deficient and Cutin-Abundant Mutants and a New Hypomorphic Allele of GDSL Lipase[C][W][OPEN]

Opposite changes in the cutin polyester component in tomato fruit cuticle mutants lead to increased fruit glossiness. The cuticle is a protective layer synthesized by epidermal cells of the plants and consisting of cutin covered and filled by waxes. In tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) fruit, the thick cuticle embedding epidermal cells has crucial roles in the control of pathogens, water loss, cracking, postharvest shelf-life, and brightness. To identify tomato mutants with modified cuticle composition and architecture and to further decipher the relationships between fruit brightness and cuticle in tomato, we screened an ethyl methanesulfonate mutant collection in the miniature tomato cultivar Micro-Tom for mutants with altered fruit brightness. Our screen resulted in the isolation of 16 glossy and 8 dull mutants displaying changes in the amount and/or composition of wax and cutin, cuticle thickness, and surface aspect of the fruit as characterized by optical and environmental scanning electron microscopy. The main conclusions on the relationships between fruit brightness and cuticle features were as follows: (1) screening for fruit brightness is an effective way to identify tomato cuticle mutants; (2) fruit brightness is independent from wax load variations; (3) glossy mutants show either reduced or increased cutin load; and (4) dull mutants display alterations in epidermal cell number and shape. Cuticle composition analyses further allowed the identification of groups of mutants displaying remarkable cuticle changes, such as mutants with increased dicarboxylic acids in cutin. Using genetic mapping of a strong cutin-deficient mutation, we discovered a novel hypomorphic allele of GDSL lipase carrying a splice junction mutation, thus highlighting the potential of tomato brightness mutants for advancing our understanding of cuticle formation in plants.
Defective Fas ligand production in lymphocytes from MS patients

In the present transectional study, Fas ligand (Fas-L) levels, either in membrane or in soluble form, in cells from multiple sclerosis (MS) patients were investigated. Expression of Fas was evaluated after PHA stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from MS patients with relapsing-remitting or secondary-progressive disease, and in healthy donors. There was statistically significant decreased expression (p = 0.001), as well as release of Fas-L, (p = 0.045) in lymphocytes from MS patients, in comparison with healthy donors. Moreover, levels of Fas-L production were inversely correlated with the EDSS scores of patients in an highly significant way. Impairment of Fas-L release in stimulated PBMC from MS patients might influence the ability to eliminate autoreactive clones in vivo.