Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Histopathological findings for cervical lesions in Malaysian women.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to determine the histopathological features and cell morphology of various cervical lesions observed among Malaysian women. METHODOLOGY A retrospective study was conducted to evaluate 77 cervical cases collected from the histopathology laboratory of Ipoh hospital from 1st January, 2005, to 31st December, 2006. RESULTS Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) was found in 33 (42%) cases, CIN III accounting for 27%, and CIN I, CIN II and CIN II-III 5% each. The highest rate for CIN cases was 43% in the 41-50 year age group and the lowest rate was 6% in the group aged 61-70 years. Non-keratinizing and metastatic squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) accounted for 16% and 13%, respectively, the combination being second in majority (29%), followed by adenocarcinoma (17%). The histopathological results showed CIN I to be characterized by mild papillary projections of the epithelium with some degree of nuclear enlargement, pleomorphism, mild koilocytosis, bionucleated cells and a low nucleo-cytoplasmic ratio. CIN II demonstrated typical squamous epithelium with disorganization of the lower part of the epithelium accompanied by nuclear hyperchromatism, an increased nucleo-cytoplasmic ratio, and scanty mitotic figures. CIN III was characterized by pleomorphic nuclei, atypical cells with mitotic figures, nucleo-cytoplasmic ratio, anisokaryosis and hyperchromasia. CONCLUSION Lesions related to cervical cancer showed tumor progression correlating with histopathological changes in cell morphology.
Prevalence of denture-related oral lesions among patients attending College of Dentistry, University of Dammam: A clinico-pathological study

Background: Heterogeneous groups of oral lesions are likely to develop among denture wearers. The objectives of this study were to determine the exact prevalence of oral lesions among denture wearers attending the clinics of the College of Dentistry, University of Dammam. Materials and Methods: All denture wearers attending the dental clinics in the period between January 2012 and April 2013 were included in this study. Of the total 210 patients, 166 (79%) were males and 44 (21%) were females. Comprehensive oral examination was performed for all patients. Any denture-induced lesion was biopsied. Data collected were analyzed using SPSS program. Results: Oral lesions were found in 20.5% of the cases under study (43 out of the total 210 denture wearers). Denture-induced fibrous hyperplasia was the most common type of lesion detected (41.9%). A significant correlation (P = 0.004) was found between the type of denture and oral lesions in this study. Conclusion: The prevalence of denture-induced oral lesions was found to differ significantly from that reported in other studies. The diversity of these lesions among different studies depends on the quality and materials of dentures delivered, the techniques used, and the methods of patients' instructions adopted.
Mechanical Properties and In Vitro Degradation of Sputtered Biodegradable Fe-Au Foils

Iron-based materials proved being a viable candidate material for biodegradable implants. Magnetron sputtering combined with UV-lithography offers the possibility to fabricate structured, freestanding foils of iron-based alloys and even composites with non-solvable elements. In order to accelerate the degradation speed and enhance the mechanical properties, the technique was used to fabricate Fe-Au multilayer foils. The foils were annealed after the deposition to form a homogeneous microstructure with fine Au precipitates. The characterization of the mechanical properties was done by uniaxial tensile tests. The degradation behavior was analyzed by electrochemical tests and immersion tests under in vitro conditions. Due to the noble Au precipitates it was possible to achieve high tensile strengths between 550 and 800 MPa depending on the Au content and heat treatment. Furthermore, the Fe-Au foils showed a significantly accelerated corrosion compared to pure iron samples. The high mechanical strength is close to the properties of SS316L steel. In combination with the accelerated degradation rate, sputtered Fe-Au foils showed promising properties for use as iron-based, biodegradable implants.
Ammonia Reduces Intracellular Asymmetric Dimethylarginine in Cultured Astrocytes Stimulating Its y+LAT2 Carrier-Mediated Loss

Previously we had shown that ammonia stimulates nitric oxide (NO) synthesis in astrocytes by increasing the uptake of the precursor amino acid, arginine via the heteromeric arginine/glutamine transporter y+LAT2. Ammonia also increases the concentration in the brain of the endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide synthases (NOS), asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), but distribution of ADMA surplus between the intraastrocytic and extracellular compartments of the brain has not been studied. Here we tested the hypothesis that ammonia modulates the distribution of ADMA and its analog symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) between the two compartments of the brain by competition with arginine for the y+LAT2 transporter. In extension of the hypothesis we analyzed the ADMA/Arg interaction in endothelial cells forming the blood-brain barrier. We measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and mass spectrometry (MS) technique the concentration of arginine, ADMA and SDMA in cultured cortical astrocytes and in a rat brain endothelial cell line (RBE-4) treated with ammonia and the effect of silencing the expression of a gene coding y+LAT2. We also tested the expression of ADMA metabolism enzymes: protein arginine methyltransferase (PRMT) and dimethylarginine dimethyl aminohydrolase (DDAH) and arginine uptake to astrocytes. Treatment for 48 h with 5 mM ammonia led to an almost 50% reduction of ADMA and SDMA concentration in both cell types, and the effect in astrocytes was substantially attenuated by silencing of the Slc7a6 gene. Moreover, the y+LAT2-dependent component of ammonia-evoked arginine uptake in astrocytes was reduced in the presence of ADMA in the medium. Our results suggest that increased ADMA efflux mediated by upregulated y+LAT2 may be a mechanism by which ammonia interferes with intra-astrocytic (and possibly intra-endothelial cell) ADMA content and subsequently, NO synthesis in both cell types.
Induction of interleukin-1 and tumor necrosis factor alpha in brain cultures by human immunodeficiency virus type 1

Cytokines such as interleukin-1 (IL-1) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) are produced by leukocytes and play a role in immune responses. They also function in normal brain physiology as well as in pathological conditions within the central nervous system, where they are produced by brain macrophages (microglia) and brain astrocytes. In this study, we document the ability of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) to induce TNF alpha and IL-1 in primary rat brain cultures. While productive infection did not occur in these cells, it was not required for cytokine induction. Using monocyte/macrophage-tropic (JRFL) and T-cell-tropic (IIIB) strains of HIV-1, we were able to induce cytokines in both microglia and astrocytes. In addition to whole virus, recombinant envelope proteins also induced these cytokines. The induction of IL-1 and TNF alpha could be blocked by a panel of antibodies recognizing epitopes in the gp120 and gp41 areas of the envelope. Soluble recombinant CD4 did not block TNF alpha and IL-1 production. If TNF alpha and IL-1 can be induced in brain tissue by HIV-1, they may contribute to some of the neurologic disorders associated with AIDS.
Effective cryopreservation of human embryonic stem cells by the open pulled straw vitrification method.

BACKGROUND Human embryonic stem (ES) cells originate from the inner cell mass of the blastocyst, and retain in culture the properties of pluripotent cells of the early embryo. The study aim was to determine whether the open pulled straw (OPS) vitrification method, which is highly effective for the cryopreservation of embryos, might be also efficient for human ES cells. METHODS AND RESULTS All human ES cell clumps that were vitrified by the OPS method could be recovered upon thawing, and gave rise to ES cell colonies after plating. Vitrified colonies were significantly smaller and showed an increased level of background differentiation compared with control colonies. However, these unwanted effects could be overcome by additional cultivation of the colonies for 1 and 2 days respectively. The vitrified human ES cells were cultivated for prolonged periods and retained the properties of pluripotent cells, including a normal karyotype, expression of the transcription factor Oct-4 and surface markers that are characteristic to human ES cells. When grafted into SCID mice, the vitrified cells gave rise to teratomas containing derivatives of all three embryonic germ layers. CONCLUSIONS Vitrification by the OPS method is reliable and effective for the cryopreservation of human pluripotent embryonic stem cells.
Penile traction therapy and Peyronie’s disease: a state of art review of the current literature

In recent years, penile traction therapy (PTT) has gained considerable interest as a novel nonsurgical treatment option for men with Peyronie’s disease (PD) and short penises. The current published literature suggests that selected cases of PD may benefit from a conservative approach with PTT, resulting in increased penile length and reduction of penile deformity. It appears to be safe and well tolerated but requires a great deal of patient compliance and determination. This article reviews the current literature pertaining to the use of PTT in men with PD, short penises and in the setting of pre- and postprosthesis corporal fibrosis.
Significance of Rat Mammary Tumors for Human Risk Assessment

We have previously indicated that the ideal animal tumor model should mimic the human disease. This means that the investigator should be able to ascertain the influence of host factors on the initiation of tumorigenesis, mimic the susceptibility of tumor response based on age and reproductive history, and determine the response of the tumors induced to chemotherapy. The utilization of experimental models of mammary carcinogenesis in risk assessment requires that the influence of ovarian, pituitary, and placental hormones, among others, as well as overall reproductive events are taken into consideration, since they are important modifiers of the susceptibility of the organ to neoplastic development. Several species, such as rodents, dogs, cats, and monkeys, have been evaluated for these purposes; however, none of them fulfills all the criteria specified previously. Rodents, however, are the most widely used models; therefore, this work will concentrate on discussing the rat rodent model of mammary carcinogenesis.
EXPOSURE TO ENVIRONMENTAL TOBACCO SMOKE INDUCES ANGIOGENESIS AND LEUKOCYTE TRAFFICKING IN LUNG MICROVESSELS

Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is known to contribute to and exacerbate inflammatory diseases of the lung such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. The effect of ETS on angiogenesis and leukocyte recruitment, both of which promote lung inflammation, was investigated using lung tissue from mice exposed to aged and diluted sidestream cigarette smoke or fresh air for 12 weeks and transplanted into dorsal skin-fold chambers in nude mice. Lung tissue from mice exposed to cigarette smoke for 12 weeks exhibited significantly increased vascular density (angiogenesis) associated with selectin-mediated increased intravascular leukocyte rolling and adhesion compared to fresh air–exposed lung tissue by intravital microscopy. Further, neutrophils from nicotine-exposed mice displayed significantly increased rolling and adhesion compared to control neutrophils in microvessels of nicotine-exposed lungs versus control lung microvessels, suggesting that nicotine in cigarette smoke can augment leukocyte-endothelial interactions. ETS-induced angiogenesis and leukocyte trafficking may play a key role in airway recruitment of inflammatory cells in ETS-associated disorders such as COPD bronchitis or asthma.
Increased training complexity reduces the effectiveness of brief working memory training: evidence from short-term single and dual n-back training interventions

ABSTRACT N-back training has recently come under intense scientific scrutiny due to reports of training-related improvements in general fluid intelligence. As of yet, relatively little is known about the effects of short-term n-back training interventions, however. In a pretest-training-posttest design, we compared brief dual and single n-back training regimen in terms of training gains and transfer effects relative to a passive control group. Transfer effects indicated that, in the short-term, single n-back training may be the more effective training task: At the short training duration we employed, neither training group showed far transfer to specific task switch costs, Stroop inhibition costs or matrix reasoning indexing fluid intelligence. Yet, both types of training resulted in a reduction of general task switch costs indicating improved cognitive control during the sustained maintenance of competing task sets. Single but not dual n-back training additionally yielded near transfer to an untrained working memory updating task.
A field study of the effects of asynchronous groupware support on process improvement groups

Process improvement (PI) groups have been among the main change instruments of widely adopted and publicized organizational development approaches such as total quality management and business process re-engineering. Asynchronous groupware tools, such as electronic messaging systems, have found widespread use in organizations yet very little field research exists on how PI groups are affected by such tools. We try to fill this gap with a field study of the effects of asynchronous groupware support on seven PI groups in two New Zealand organizations. Our study indicates that, while not having perceived negative effects on group effectiveness, asynchronous groupware support was perceived as increasing process adoption, hierarchy suppression, departmental heterogeneity and contribution length and decreasing discussion duration, cost and interaction in PI groups. We argue that, based on these findings, the use of asynchronous groupware tools is likely to be beneficial in PI projects, particularly where a large number of PI groups proposing incremental process changes is conducted.
Liver Stiffness as a Predictor of Esophageal Varices Requiring Therapy in HIV/Hepatitis C Virus-Coinfected Patients With Cirrhosis

Background:Liver stiffness (LS) measured by transient elastometry is associated with portal pressure in hepatitis C virus (HCV)-monoinfected patients and could predict the presence of esophageal varices in these subjects. The aim of this study was to assess the ability of LS to predict esophageal varices requiring preventive therapy for bleeding in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients. Methods:One hundred two HIV/HCV-coinfected patients with liver cirrhosis (LS ≥ 14 kPa) underwent an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (UGE) examination. The diagnostic performance of LS for esophageal varices requiring therapy (≥F2 or F1 with red signs or Child-Pugh-Turcotte class C) was assessed by receiver operating receptor characteristic curves. Results:Nineteen patients (19%) harbored varices requiring therapy. LS in patients with and without varices needing treatment was 48 (33-71) kPa and 32 (18-48) kPa (P = 0.004). The area under the receptor operating characteristic curve (95% confidence interval) of LS for the occurrence of varices that should be treated was 0.71 (0.60 to 0.82). There was no cutoff level of LS with good positive predictive value for the presence of varices requiring therapy, but LS of 21 kPa had a negative predictive value of 100%. Twenty-six percent of patients with LS measurement and UGE showed LS <21 KPa. Conclusions:LS is higher in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients with cirrhosis who show esophageal varices requiring therapy than in those who do not. A cutoff value of LS of 21 kPa could be useful to identify patients with very low probability of varices at risk for bleeding. UGE for screening could be spared in these patients until LS increases above 21 kPa.
Re: "Estimation of risk of cancers before occurrence of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in persons infected with human immunodeficiency virus".

Studies linking acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and cancer registries can examine whether the risk for particular cancers increases over time with respect to AIDS onset. Such a finding suggests that increasing immunosuppression related to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) plays a causal role. In these studies, estimating cancer risk among persons with asymptomatic HIV infection during the period before AIDS onset is challenging. AIDS registries identify only those persons who have actually developed AIDS. Because some HIV-infected persons with cancer do not survive their cancer diagnosis to develop AIDS, linkage with AIDS registries will underascertain cancers for the pre-AIDS period. This problem will be serious for cancers with a high mortality rate. We were thus surprised by the results reported by Li et al. (1), who compared registry-based methods for estimating cancer risk in Australians with asymptomatic HIV infection. These authors found that standardized incidence ratios for cancers arising during the 5-year pre-AIDS period, estimated retrospectively from a linkage of AIDS and cancer registries, were similar to those calculated prospectively from a linkage of HIV and cancer registries. They concluded that survival adjustment of the retrospectively derived standardized incidence ratios was not needed.
Evaluation of neural network language models in handwritten Chinese text recognition

Handwritten Chinese text recognition based on over-segmentation and path search integrating contexts has been demonstrated successful, where language models play an important role. Recently, neural network language models (NNLMs) have shown superiority to back-off N-gram language models (BLMs) in handwriting recognition, but have not been studied in Chinese text recognition system. This paper investigates the effects of NNLMs in handwritten Chinese text recognition and compares the performance with BLMs. We trained character-level language models in 3-, 4- and 5- gram on large scale corpora and applied them in text line recognition system. Experimental results on the CASIA-HWDB database show that NNLM and BLM of the same order perform comparably, and the hybrid model by interpolating NNLM and BLM improves the recognition performance significantly.
Do Shareholders Benefit from a Merger: The Case of Compaq and HP Merger

On the 3rd September 2001, Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE: HWP) and Compaq Computer Corporation (NYSE: CPQ) announced a definitive merger agreement to create an $87 billion global technology leader. The aim of this paper is to analyze if Compaq and HP shareholders have benefited from such a merge. Using a modified two factor model, market capitalization and book to market value were found not to add significant value to the shareholders’ post-merger returns. Earnings Per Share (EPS) and the Price Earnings (P/E) ratio dropped in the year following the merger between the two entities, before eventually picking up in later years. While higher post-merger EPS suggest shareholders from the target firm tend to have benefited more than shareholders from the acquiring firm, the post-merger P/E tend to be higher for shareholders from the acquiring company.
Does training on a virtual reality robotic simulator improve performance on the da Vinci surgical system?

PURPOSE The primary objective of this study is to determine if training on the Mimic dV-Trainer (MdVT) simulator results in improved ability on the da Vinci surgical system (dVSS) using exercises with inanimate objects. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twelve trainees (MdVT group) and 10 residents and one fellow (dVSS group) were recruited for the study. Each participant in the MdVT group completed one session of five exercises on the dVSS that were scored for timing and accuracy, followed by four training sessions on the MdVT, and concluded with a final session on the dVSS in which the initial exercises were repeated. Improvement on the dVSS exercises was compared with dVSS group who completed four to six training sessions using the same exercises on the dVSS without any simulator training. RESULTS Both groups had similar significant improvements in the Letter Board and String Running exercises for both timing and accuracy. The MdVT group demonstrated significant improvement in the Pattern Cutting and Peg Board times. Only the dVSS group significantly improved in the Knot Tying time and the Peg Board accuracy. CONCLUSION Training with the MdVT provided similar improvement on five exercises performed on the dVSS when compared with training on the dVSS alone. The use of this simulator in resident and student training may help bridge the gap between the safe acquisition of surgical skills and effective performance during live robot-assisted surgery.
Role of epidermal growth factor receptor in vascular structure and function

Purpose of the reviewThe epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a receptor tyrosine kinase with a wide implication in tumor biology, wound healing and development. Besides acting as a growth factor receptor activated by ligands such as EGF, the EGFR can also be transactivated and thereby mediate cross-talk with different signaling pathways. The aim of this review is to illustrate the Janus-faced function of the EGFR in the vasculature with its relevance for vascular biology and disease. Recent findingsOver recent years, the number of identified signaling partners of the EGFR has steadily increased, as have the biological processes in which the EGFR is thought to be involved. Recently, new models have allowed investigation of EGFR effects in vivo, shedding some light on the overall function of the EGFR in the vasculature. At the same time, EGFR inhibitors and antibodies have become increasingly established in cancer therapy, providing potential therapeutic tools for decreasing EGFR signaling. SummaryThe EGFR is a versatile signaling pathway integrator associated with vascular homeostasis and disease. In addition to modulating basal vascular tone and tissue homeostasis, the EGFR also seems to be involved in proinflammatory, proliferative, migratory and remodeling processes, with enhanced deposition of extracellular matrix components, thereby promoting vascular diseases such as hypertension or atherosclerosis.
Loss of BMPR2 leads to high bone mass due to increased osteoblast activity

ABSTRACT Imbalances in the ratio of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) versus activin and TGF&bgr; signaling are increasingly associated with human diseases yet the mechanisms mediating this relationship remain unclear. The type 2 receptors ACVR2A and ACVR2B bind BMPs and activins but the type 2 receptor BMPR2 only binds BMPs, suggesting that type 2 receptor utilization might play a role in mediating the interaction of these pathways. We tested this hypothesis in the mouse skeleton, where bone mass is reciprocally regulated by BMP signaling and activin and TGF&bgr; signaling. We found that deleting Bmpr2 in mouse skeletal progenitor cells (Bmpr2-cKO mice) selectively impaired activin signaling but had no effect on BMP signaling, resulting in an increased bone formation rate and high bone mass. Additionally, activin sequestration had no effect on bone mass in Bmpr2-cKO mice but increased bone mass in wild-type mice. Our findings suggest a novel model whereby BMPR2 availability alleviates receptor-level competition between BMPs and activins and where utilization of ACVR2A and ACVR2B by BMPs comes at the expense of activins. As BMP and activin pathway modulation are of current therapeutic interest, our findings provide important mechanistic insight into the relationship between these pathways in human health.