Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Longevity of popes and artists between the 13th and the 19th century.

Longevity has increased steadily through history. Life expectancy at birth was a brief 25 years during the Roman Empire, it reached 33 years by the Middle Ages and raised up to 55 years in the early 1900s. 1 In the Middle Ages, the average life span of males born in landholding families in England was 31.3 years and the biggest danger was surviving childhood. 2 Once children reached the age of 10, their life expectancy was 32.2 years, and for those who survived to 25, the remaining life expectancy was 23.3 years. Such estimates reflected the life expectancy of adult males from the higher ranks of English society in theMiddle Ages, 3 and were similar to that computed for monks of the Christ Church in Canterbury during the 15th century. 4
Concurrent chemotherapy and adjuvant extended field irradiation after radical surgery for cervical cancer patients with lymph node metastases

The purpose of this retrospective study was to report our experience with concurrent chemotherapy and adjuvant extended field irradiation after radical surgery for cervical carcinoma patients with common iliac node and/or multiple pelvic lymph nodes metastases. We studied 25 patients with FIGO stage IB–IIB (IB, 3; IIA, 15; and IIB, 7) cervical carcinoma who underwent radical surgery and had histologically confirmed involvement of common iliac nodes and/or multiple (≥ 2) pelvic lymph nodes. These patients received the first cycle of systemic chemotherapy 2 weeks after radical surgery. Then, they received pelvic and extended field irradiation (40–45 Gy) with weekly cisplatinum (30 mg/m2). They were then given five more cycles of consolidation chemotherapy. Survival curves were generated by the Kaplan–Meier method. The 3-year progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival rates were 63% and 76%, respectively. The PFS rates with multiple pelvic node and common iliac node metastases were 69% and 61%, respectively. The pelvic recurrence rate was 8% (2/25) and that for distant metastases was 32% (8/25). No patient's treatment failed in the para-aortic region. The median interval from the surgery to the recurrence was 14 months (range, 5–29 months). Nineteen (76%) patients experienced grades 1–2 and four (16%) experienced grades 3–4 neutropenia. Fifteen patients (60%) experienced grades 1–2 and one (4%) experienced grades 3–4 gastrointestinal toxicity. Concurrent chemotherapy and adjuvant extended field irradiation after radical surgery achieved good local control with acceptable toxicity. However, subsequent distant metastasis was still the predominant form of treatment failure even after consolidation chemotherapy.
Topological Phase Transition in a Molecular Hamiltonian with Symmetry and Pseudo-Symmetry, Studied through Quantum, Semi-Quantum and Classical Models

The redistribution of energy levels between energy bands is studied for a family of simple effective Hamiltonians depending on one control parameter and possessing axial symmetry and energy-reflection symmetry. Further study is made on the topological phase transition in the corresponding semi-quantum and completely classical models, and finally the joint spectrum of the two commuting observables $(H=E,J_z)$ (also called the lattice of quantum states) is superposed on the image of the energy-momentum map for the classical model. Through these comparative analyses, mutual correspondence is demonstrated to exist among the redistribution of energy levels between energy bands for the quantum Hamiltonian, the modification of Chern numbers of eigenline bundles for the corresponding semi-quantum Hamiltonian, and the presence of Hamiltonian monodromy for the complete classical analog. In particular, as far as the band rearrangement is concerned, a fine agreement is found between the redistribution of the energy levels described in terms of joint spectrum of energy and momentum in the full quantum model and the evolution of singularities of the energy-momentum map of the complete classical model. The topological phase transition observed in the present semi-quantum and the complete classical models are analogous to topological phase transitions of matter.
Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography Can Provide Useful Information for Differentiating Thymic Epithelial Tumors

Abstract Background We examined the usefulness of fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) in predicting the World Health Organization (WHO) histologic type and Masaoka stage of thymic epithelial tumors. Methods A total of 73 patients with thymic epithelial tumors who underwent preoperative FDG-PET were included. Relationships between the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) and WHO histologic type and the Masaoka stage of the tumor were examined. Differences in SUVmax between the various groups were calculated. To avoid the effect of the tumor size on SUVmax, the ratio of SUVmax to tumor size (SUVmax/T) was also examined. Results There was a significant relationship between SUVmax and WHO histologic type. SUVmax of high-risk thymomas (types B2 and B3) was significantly higher than that of low-risk thymomas (types A, AB, and B1). SUVmax of thymic carcinomas was also significantly higher than those of the low-risk and high-risk groups. The relationship between the SUVmax/T and WHO histologic type showed more significant results. SUVmax and SUVmax/T showed higher values in patients with advanced Masaoka stage disease than in those with early-stage disease. Conclusions FDG-PET can provide useful information for differentiating thymic epithelial tumors. The SUVmax/T is more useful than the SUVmax for differentiating between low-risk and high-risk thymomas.
ELSA 2016 Cohort: Alcohol, Tobacco, and Marijuana Use and Their Association with Age of Drug Use Onset, Risk Perception, and Social Norms in Argentinean College Freshmen

The transition from high school to college is a high-risk stage for the initiation and escalation of substance use. Substance use and its associated risk factors have been thoroughly described in developed countries, such as the United States, but largely neglected in Argentina, a South American country with patterns of a collectivist culture. The present cross-sectional study describes the occurrence of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use and the association between these behaviors and the age of onset of substance use and cognitive (i.e., risk perception) and social (i.e., prescriptive) variables in a large sample of Argentinean college freshmen (n = 4083, 40.1% men; mean age = 19.39 ± 2.18 years). The response rate across courses was ≥90% and was similarly distributed across sex. Participants completed a survey that measured substance use (alcohol [with a focus on heavy drinking and binge drinking behaviors], tobacco, and marijuana), age of onset of the use of each substance, perceived risk associated with various substance use behaviors, prescriptive norms associated with substance use, and descriptive norms for alcohol use (AU). The results indicated that AU is nearly normative (90.4 and 80.3% with last year and last month use, respectively) in this population, and heavy drinking is highly prevalent (68.6 and 54.9% with heavy episodic and binge drinking, respectively), especially among those with an early drinking onset (97.8 and 93.6% with last year and last month use and 87.8 and 76.3% with heavy episodic and binge drinking, respectively). The last-year occurrence of tobacco and marijuana use was 36 and 28%, respectively. Early substance use was associated with the greater use of that specific substance. The students overestimated their same-sex friend’s AU, and women overestimated the level of AU of their best male friend. At the multivariate level, all of the predictors, with the exception of the parents’ prescriptive norms, significantly explained the frequency of marijuana and tobacco use and frequency of hazardous drinking. Overall, despite important cultural and contextual differences between Argentina and the United States, our findings suggest that certain vulnerability factors have a similar influence across these cultural contexts.
Stem cell factor contributes to tumorigenesis of mast cells via an autocrine/paracrine mechanism

Mastocytosis is a disease accompanied by the abnormal expansion and accumulation of mast cells. Although the D816V mutation is detected in most cases of systemic mastocytosis, the mutation is rarely observed in other forms of mastocytosis, such as cutaneous mastocytosis and mast cell leukemia/sarcoma, for which the mechanism of tumorigenesis remains unknown. In this study, we demonstrated a novel mechanism of mast cell tumorigenesis via SCF autocrine/paracrine release. SCF was highly expressed in a WT KIT‐expressing HRMC line, contributing to the phosphorylation of KIT. Neutralization of external SCF using a neutralizing antibody or suppression of SCF production by RNA interference inhibited the growth of HRMC cells, indicating the essential role of SCF in cell proliferation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to determine the significant contribution of SCF autoproduction to neoplastic proliferation of mast cells. These results indicate the possibility that targeting SCF production may become a novel treatment for mast cell malignancies.
Antileptospiral agglutinins produced in rabbits.

Agglutinating antibodies produced in an adult rabbit in response to intravenous injections of live Leptospira sp. (serotype biflexa, strain Waz), consisted of a 19S component (present at day 6 after inoculation) and a 7S component (present at day 6 after inoculation). Both 19S and 7S antibodies persisted in the serum until the conclusion of the observations (day 216). The 19S antibody was completely destroyed by 2-mercaptoethanol but the 7S antibody was only partially sensitive to 2-mercaptoethanol.The serum proteins present in the 19S and 7S serum fractions were determined by immunoelectrophoresis and cellulose acetate electrophoresis. Elution of the serum components from cellulose acetate membranes directly confirmed that the beta-migrating IgM was the 19S serum component with leptospiral agglutinating activity and that gamma-migrating IgG was the 7S serum component with antileptospiral agglutinating activity.
The sound of actions as reflected by mismatch negativity: rapid activation of cortical sensory–motor networks by sounds associated with finger and tongue movements

In order to explore the activation dynamics of the human action recognition system, we investigated electrophysiological distinctions between the brain responses to sounds produced by human finger and tongue movements. Of special interest were the questions of how early these differences may occur, and whether the neural activation at the early stages of processing involves cortical motor representations related to the generation of these sounds. For this purpose we employed a high‐density EEG set‐up and recorded mismatch negativity (MMN) using a recently developed novel multideviant paradigm which allows acquisition of a high number of trials within a given time period. Deviant stimuli were naturally recorded finger and tongue clicks, as well as control stimuli with similar physical features but without the clear action associations (this was tested in a separate behavioural experiment). Both natural stimuli produced larger MMNs than their respective control stimuli at ∼ 100 ms, indicating activation of memory traces for familiar action‐related sounds. Furthermore, MMN topography at this latency differed between the brain responses to the natural finger and natural tongue sounds. Source estimation revealed the strongest sources for finger sounds in centrolateral areas of the left hemisphere, suggesting that hearing a sound related to finger actions evokes activity in motor areas associated with the dominant hand. Furthermore, tongue sounds produced activation in more inferior brain areas. Our data suggest that motor areas in the human brain are part of neural systems subserving the early automatic recognition of action‐related sounds.
Detection of Human Metapneumovirus in Hospitalized Children with Acute Respiratory Tract Infections in Sulaimani Province, Iraq

Background: Human Metapneumovirus (hMPV) is a member of Paramyxoviridae family. It is an important viral pathogen of respiratory tract infections among children. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine the incidence of hMPV infections among children less than 5 years of age with respiratory tract infections at the pediatric hospital in Sulaimani city of Iraq. Also, this study aims to evaluate the different diagnostic methods for the detection of this virus. Method: Nasopharyngeal swabs and throat swabs were collected from 300 hospitalized children with respiratory infections under 5 years of age between April 2011 and March 2012. Each sample was used for hMPV detection by conventional reverse transcriptase (RT-PCR) and direct fluorescent assay (DFA). A questionnaire which was designed for acute respiratory tract infections among hospitalized children was also included. Results: Human Metapneumovirus was detected in 16% by RT-PCR and 14.7% by DFA. Autumn – winter period was the most common season for hMPV infections with its peak occurrence in January and February. Conclusions: hMPV is an important pathogen associated with RTIs in children. RT-PCR is highly sensitive and specific for the detection of hMPV than antigen detection methods used for the diagnosis of hMPV viruses.
Signalling and the Design of the Antonine Wall

Surveys by the writer in Britain and Germany have recently revealed a consistent pattern of Roman frontier communications in which each system's minor installations were sited so as to be able to see, and thus to signal to, their nearest fort, whilst the forts themselves could be linked to form a unified chain. But, until recently, the Antonine Wall appeared so different that it seemed unlikely that it operated in the same way. Comparing the two British Walls, both share the basic framework of a rampart and ditch and the change from stone to turf construction, on the northern system, is mere detail, but differences in the garrison installations did seem to have been of operational importance. For example, the inter-fort spacings of the Antonine Wall were much shorter, varying from 1.56 to 3 Roman miles, as against 6 to 9 on Hadrian's Wall – producing 17 known (including Carriden) and several suspected forts in c. 40½ Roman miles, as opposed to 16 in 80 Roman miles on the southern Wall. Moreover, many Antonine Wall forts were too small to have held a full auxiliary unit and there seemed to be no sign of a fortlet and turret system.
Frequency-Dependence and Anisotropy of AC Losses of Bi2223/Ag and YBCO-Coated Conductors

AC transport losses in YBCO-coated conductor and Bi2223/Ag were measured by use of an electrical method. The measurements were carried out at 77 K, with the frequency of ac transport currents ranging from 45 to 3800 Hz. The dependence of ac losses on frequency and the dc background magnetic field were also presented and analyzed. It is found that ac losses of high-temperature superconductor tapes decrease with the frequencies below a specific value and increase with the frequencies above this turning point. It is also found that the existence of Ni-W substrate makes the YBCO-coated conductor have smaller losses under dc background magnetic field up to 80 mT than under self-field.
Physiology of the read–write genome

Discoveries in cytogenetics, molecular biology, and genomics have revealed that genome change is an active cell‐mediated physiological process. This is distinctly at variance with the pre‐DNA assumption that genetic changes arise accidentally and sporadically. The discovery that DNA changes arise as the result of regulated cell biochemistry means that the genome is best modelled as a read–write (RW) data storage system rather than a read‐only memory (ROM). The evidence behind this change in thinking and a consideration of some of its implications are the subjects of this article. Specific points include the following: cells protect themselves from accidental genome change with proofreading and DNA damage repair systems; localized point mutations result from the action of specialized trans‐lesion mutator DNA polymerases; cells can join broken chromosomes and generate genome rearrangements by non‐homologous end‐joining (NHEJ) processes in specialized subnuclear repair centres; cells have a broad variety of natural genetic engineering (NGE) functions for transporting, diversifying and reorganizing DNA sequences in ways that generate many classes of genomic novelties; natural genetic engineering functions are regulated and subject to activation by a range of challenging life history events; cells can target the action of natural genetic engineering functions to particular genome locations by a range of well‐established molecular interactions, including protein binding with regulatory factors and linkage to transcription; and genome changes in cancer can usefully be considered as consequences of the loss of homeostatic control over natural genetic engineering functions.
The cephalic neural crest of amniote vertebrates is composed of a large majority of precursors endowed with neural, melanocytic, chondrogenic and osteogenic potentialities

In the amniote embryo, the neural crest (NC) has the unique capacity to give rise to neuronal and glial cells in the peripheral nervous system (PNS), melanocytes and mesenchymal cells including those forming the head skeleton and connective tissues. In the trunk, mesenchymal cells are derived from the mesoderm. The question was raised whether the NC-derived head mesenchyme arises from a lineage separate from the neural-melanocytic one, or if both skeletogenic and neural-melanocytic derivatives originate from a common putative stem cell in the early cephalic NC. We discuss here these issues and present experimental data that provide evidence for the multipotency of NC cells (NCC), focusing on those at the origin of the craniofacial skeleton. Recent work of in vitro clonal culture revealed that the vast majority (92% of clonogenic cells) of the cephalic quail NCC are capable to yield osteoblasts together with neurones, glial cells and melanocytes. A common pluripotent progenitor for chondrocytes, osteocytes, neurones, glial cells, melanocytes and myofibroblasts has been identified and is present in the early cephalic NC at the frequency of 7 to 13 % of clonogenic cells depending on the environmental conditions. Together with recent reports that multipotent NC-related progenitors persist in adult tissues in rodents and humans, these results reinforce a stem cell model for the generation and maintenance of NC-derived lineages during embryogenesis and in adult tissue homeostasis.
Effectiveness of EEG Biofeedback as Compared with Methylphenidate in the Treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Cinical Out-Come Study

Operant conditioning of the electroencephalographic rhythm (EEG biofeedback) is argued to be an effective method for treating children with ADHD. This study was designed to evaluate whether this method, compared to methylphenidate, achieves an equally effective outcome. Participants were 39 children aged between 7 - 12 years. Thirteen children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were trained to enhance the amplitude of the beta1 activity (15 - 18 Hz) and decrease the amplitude of the theta activity (4 - 8 Hz), and 13 of which were treated with methylphenidate alone. Thirteen healthy children did not receive intervention. Several behavioral, neuropsychological and experimental tests were administered before and after intervention. While behavioral measures were improved by both types of method, methylphenidate was significantly more effective than EEG biofeedback. Response inhibition was improved only by EEG biofeedback. Both EEG biofeedback and methylphenidate were associated with improvements on the variability and accuracy measures of computerized tests. Intellectual ability increased also by both methods. Although averaged effect size for methylphenidate seems to be greater than for EEG biofeedback, the difference was not significant. In conjunction with other studies, these findings demonstrate that EEG biofeedback can significantly improve several behavioral and cognitive functions in children with ADHD, and it might be an alternative treatment for non-responders or incomplete responders to medication as well as for those their parents favor a non-pharmacological treatment.
Intramyocellular and Extramyocellular Lipids Are Associated With Arterial Stiffness.

BACKGROUND Obese and overweight patients are at increased risk of arterial stiffness, and visceral, epicardial and hepatic fat accumulation is associated with cardiovascular disease risk. In general, muscular lipids are stored either in interstitial adipose tissue (extramyocellular lipid (EMCL)) or in lipid droplets within muscle cells (intramyocellular lipid (IMCL)). However, the association between IMCL or EMCL content and arterial stiffness remains unclear. This cross-sectional study aimed to clarify this association. METHODS A total of 237 subjects (18-81 years) were enrolled in this study. The IMCL and EMCL contents of the right vastus lateralis muscle were evaluated by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Arterial stiffness was estimated using brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV). RESULTS There were significant correlations between baPWV and the contents of both IMCL (R = -0.23, P < 0.001) and EMCL (R = 0.53, P < 0.001) in all subjects. The baPWV negatively correlated with IMCL content (R = -0.45, P < 0.001) in females only. In contrast, significant positive correlations were observed between baPWV and EMCL content in both males (R = 0.59, P < 0.001) and females (R = 0.55, P < 0.001). IMCL and EMCL contents contributed independently to baPWV variation after adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, visceral and subcutaneous abdominal fat, upper and lower limb fat, blood pressure, heart rate, and lipid profiles. CONCLUSION These results suggest that IMCL and EMCL contents may be a risk factor for arterial stiffness, and this association differed with gender and age.
Host and Bacterial Factors Contributing to the Clearance of Colonization by Streptococcus pneumoniae in a Murine Model

ABSTRACT Nasopharyngeal colonization is the first step in the interaction between Streptococcus pneumoniae (the pneumococcus) and its human host. Factors that contribute to clearance of colonization are likely to affect the spread of the pneumococcus and the rate of pneumococcal disease in the population. To identify host and bacterial factors contributing to this process, we examined the time course of colonization using genetically modified mice and pneumococci. Severe combined immunodeficient mice remained persistently colonized (>6 weeks). Major histocompatibility complex II-deficient mice, but not μMT mice, were unable to clear colonization and showed a diminished T helper 1 response. Thus, CD4+ T cells, rather than the generation of specific antibody, appear to be required for effective Th1-mediated clearance. In addition, the microbial pattern recognition receptor toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), but not TLR4, was necessary for efficient clearance of colonization. In contrast, no role of complement component 3, inducible nitric oxide synthetase, interleukin 12 (IL-12), or IL-4 could be demonstrated. Expression of the pneumococcal toxin pneumolysin enhanced acute localized inflammatory responses and promoted clearance of colonization in a TLR4-independent manner. We conclude that both innate and CD4+ T-cell-mediated immunity and proinflammatory bacterial factors, rather than a humoral adaptive immune response, are important for clearance of S. pneumoniae from the murine nasopharynx.