Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influence of menopause on mood: a systematic review of cohort studies

Objective This systematic evidence review evaluates the independent influence of the menopausal transition on mood including depression, anxiety, and other psychological symptoms. Methods Community-based, prospective cohort studies of mid-life women transitioning through menopause that assessed at least one mood symptom on two or more occasions were identified by searches of MEDLINE (1966–2007) and PsycINFO (1974–2007) databases. Articles were selected based on predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Each study was quality-rated by three authors; poor quality studies were excluded. Results Nine studies met inclusion criteria. They varied broadly in design, outcome measures, statistical methodology, and in consideration of and adjustment for important confounders. Five found no association between the menopausal transition and depression, negative mood, major depressive disorder, other psychological symptoms, and general mental health. Three found that women entering or completing the menopausal transition were more likely than premenopausal women to be depressed. One found that well-being increased from the early to late menopausal transition. Conclusion There is no demonstrated pattern of an adverse independent influence of the menopausal transition on mood symptoms in mid-life women. However, the available studies are too methodologically diverse to be definitive.
Quality of life and health status of dyads of women with lung cancer and family members.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To describe and compare the quality of life (QOL) and health status of dyads of women with lung cancer and their family members and to explore the correlates of family members' QOL. RESEARCH APPROACH Descriptive, cross-sectional. SETTING Interview, self-report. PARTICIPANTS 51 dyads consisting of women with lung cancer and their family members. METHODOLOGIC APPROACH One-time assessment of family members' and patients' QOL, health status, and demographics and patients' clinical characteristics. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES Family and patient QOL and health status. FINDINGS QOL of the dyads was not significantly related. Poorer physical QOL of family members was associated with older age, comorbid conditions, less education, and alcohol use. Poorer emotional QOL of family members was associated with younger age, depressed mood, and not being a spouse. Fifty-nine percent of family members had comorbid conditions. Significantly more family members continued to smoke and use alcohol. CONCLUSIONS The QOL of family members of patients with lung cancer is diminished when their own health status is compromised. Further study is needed. INTERPRETATION Additional study is needed to identify family members at risk for diminished QOL and with compromised health status because these factors might affect ability to support patients with lung cancer.
Paediatric HIV/AIDS in Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

OBJECTIVES To determine the clinical features, modes of transmission and outcome of HIV infection in children. DESIGN A descriptive study involving prospective HIV antibody screening. SETTING Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, a referral centre. SUBJECTS Four hundred and one consecutive children aged three days to 17 years presenting with features of immunosuppression from January 1996 to October 2001. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES HIV seroprevalence and outcome in infected children. RESULTS Twenty percent of the children studied were HIV seropositive. More females than males were HIV seropositive (p = 0.004). The probable mode of infection was vertical in 66, blood transfusion in 12 and sexual contacts in four; two children whose mothers were HIV seropositive had previously been transfused with unscreened blood. Of the presenting clinical features, weight loss or failure to thrive, persistent diarrhoea, and skin diseases were highly sensitive and specific with high positive predictive values. Marasmus was the only type of protein energy malnutrition seen in the infected children. Seven patients were discharged against medical advice and 26 were lost to follow up. Thirty seven (46.3%) died within four months of diagnosis mainly from pneumonia and septicaemia. Four patients are still being followed up and only one is receiving antiretroviral drugs. CONCLUSION HIV infection is a cause of morbidity and mortality in Nigerian children and the main mode of infection is vertical. The presence of any combination of persistent diarrhoea, weight loss/failure to thrive and skin manifestations should arouse suspicion and could be used as a screening test for symptomatic HIV infection in Nigerian children.
Time-variant spectral peak and notch detection in echolocation-call sequences in bats

SUMMARY Bats are able to recognize and discriminate three-dimensional objects in complete darkness by analyzing the echoes of their ultrasonic emissions. Bats typically ensonify objects from different aspects to gain an internal representation of the three-dimensional object shape. Previous work suggests that, as a result, bats rely on the echo-acoustic analysis of spectral peaks and notches. Dependent on the aspect of ensonification, this spectral interference pattern changes over time in an object-specific manner. The speed with which the bats' auditory system can follow time-variant spectral interference patterns is unknown. Here, we measured the detection thresholds for temporal variations in the spectral content of synthesized echolocation calls in the echolocating bat, Megaderma lyra. In a two-alternative, forced-choice procedure, bats were trained to discriminate synthesized echolocation-call sequences with time-variant spectral peaks or notches from echolocation-call sequences with invariant peaks or notches. Detection thresholds of the spectral modulations were measured by varying the modulation depth of the time-variant echolocation-call sequences for modulation rates ranging from 2 to 16 Hz. Both for spectral peaks and notches, modulation-detection thresholds were at a modulation depth of ∼11% of the centre frequency. Interestingly, thresholds were relatively independent of modulation rate. Acknowledging reservations about direct comparisons of active-acoustic and passive-acoustic auditory processing, the effectual sensitivity and modulation-rate independency of the obtained results indicate that the bats are well capable of tracking changes in the spectral composition of echoes reflected by complex objects from different angles.
Heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) protects postimplantation murine embryos from the embryolethal effects of hyperthermia

Previous work has shown that there is a positive correlation between the induction of Hsp70 and its transient nuclear localization and the acquisition and loss of induced thermotolerance in postimplantation rat embryos. To determine whether Hsp70 is sufficient to induce thermotolerance in postimplantation mammalian embryos, we used a transgenic mouse in which the normally strictly inducible Hsp70 is constitutively expressed in the embryo under the control of a β‐actin promoter. Day 8.0 mouse embryos heterozygous for the Hsp70 transgene were not protected from the embryotoxic effects of hyperthermia (43°C); however, homozygous embryos, expressing approximately twice as much Hsp70 as heterozygous embryos, were partially protected (increased embryo viability) from the embryolethal effects of hyperthermia. Although the viability of transgenic embryos was significantly increased compared with that of nontransgenic embryos, this protection did not extend to embryo growth and development. To determine whether the failure to achieve a more robust protection was related to the expression of insufficient Hsp70 in transgenic embryos, we undertook experiments to determine whether the level of Hsp70 correlated with the level of thermotolerance induced by various lengths of a 41°C heat shock. A 41°C, 5‐minute heat shock failed to induce Hsp70 or thermotolerance, a 41°C, 15‐minute heat shock induced Hsp70 and a significant level of thermotolerance, while a 41°C, 60‐minute heat shock induced an even higher level of Hsp70 as well as a higher level of thermotolerance. Quantitation of Hsp70 levels indicated that thermotolerance was associated with levels of Hsp70 of 820 pg/μg embryo protein or greater. Subsequent quantitation of the amount of Hsp70 expressed in homozygous transgenic embryos indicated a level of 577 pg/μg embryo protein, that is, a level below that associated with induced thermotolerance. Overall, results presented indicate that Hsp70 does play a direct role in the induction of thermotolerance in postimplantation mouse embryos; however, the level of thermotolerance is dependent on the level of Hsp70 expressed. Dev Dyn 1999;214:159–170. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Interactive relations of blood pressure and age to subclinical cerebrovascular disease

Objective: To examine interactive relations of blood pressure (BP) and age to MRI indices of subclinical cerebrovascular disease in middle-aged to older adults. Methods: One hundred and thirteen stroke-free and dementia-free, community-dwelling adults (ages 54–81 years; 65% men; 91% white) engaged in (1) clinical assessment of resting SBP and DBP; (2) MRI rated for periventricular white matter hyperintensities (WMH) and deep WMH silent brain infarction (SBI) and brain atrophy (i.e. ventricular enlargement and sulcal widening ). Principal components analysis of the MRI ratings yielded a two-component solution – (1) periventricular and deep WMH SBI; and (2) ventricular enlargement, sulcal widening. Results: Relations of SBP, DBP and pulse pressure (PP) (and their interactions with age) to each MRI component were examined in multiple regression analyses adjusted for age, sex, fasting plasma glucose and cholesterol, and antihypertensives. For component 1, results indicated significant interactions of SBP and PP with age (P < 0.05); higher levels of SBP and PP were associated with greater white matter disease and brain infarction at younger ages (⩽68 years). Significant interactions of SBP and DBP with age were also noted for component 2 (P < 0.05); higher levels of BP were associated with greater brain atrophy at younger ages (⩽63 years). Conclusion: Higher BP and PP are associated with greater subclinical cerebrovascular disease most prominently in the ‘young old’. Appropriate management of hypertension and arterial stiffening may be critical to the preservation of brain structure with ageing.
Performance of the ISAAC Questionnaire to Establish the Prevalence of Asthma in Adolescents: A Population-Based Study

Background. The epidemiology of asthma has been investigated with questionnaires, such as the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood protocol. Aim. To investigate the performance of the questions of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood questionnaire to diagnose asthma in adolescents. Methods. This is a population-based cross-sectional study of adolescents in the Syndrome of Obesity and Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease study. The validity of the asthma symptoms of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood protocol was assessed by calculating sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative posttest probabilities, and Youden's Index, taking as a gold standard the history of a medical diagnosis of asthma. Risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), adjusting for sex and age, were calculated using Cox regression model. Results. In total, 575 adolescents were investigated. Overall, 28.7% reported a lifetime medical diagnosis of asthma, and 40.0% reported at least one episode of wheezing. Ever wheezing had the highest sensitivity (80.6%) for the diagnosis of asthma, compared with the other ISAAC questions. Adolescents who reported ever wheezing were about 8 times more likely (adjusted RR: 8.3; 95% CI: 4.9–14.2) to have ever had asthma, independent of age and sex. Symptoms within the last 12 months (wheezing, cough without cold or respiratory infection, sleep disturbed due to wheezing, wheezing due to exercise, speech limited due to wheezing) had specificity of 92.0% or higher. Dry cough at night without cold or respiratory infection was the strongest independent predictor of asthma (adjusted RR: 8.8; 95% CI: 6.1–12.7). Conclusions. Ever wheezing is the most sensitive indicator of the diagnosis of asthma but falsely identifies a portion of adolescents as asthmatic. Symptoms of asthma in the last 12 months, such as cough without cold or respiratory infection, are rarely positive in the absence of a lifetime asthma diagnosis. The combination of ever wheezing for screening and the presence of other symptoms within the past 12 months to confirm the diagnosis could be an effective strategy to identify the prevalence of asthma in communities.
Imaging serotonin and dopamine transporters with 123I-beta-CIT SPECT: binding kinetics and effects of normal aging.

UNLABELLED [123I]beta-carbomethoxy-3-beta-(4-iodophenyl)-tropane (CIT) is a useful ligand for dopamine transporters (DATs) and serotonin transporters (5-HTTs). Previous SPECT studies have shown a state of sustained equilibrium in the striatum on day 2 after injection that allows quantification of striatal DATs using a simple ratio of specific-to-nondisplaceable binding. The aim of this study was to investigate the kinetics of [123I]beta-CIT uptake in the thalamus, hypothalamus, and midbrain, areas known to contain 5-HTTs in high densities. METHODS SPECT with a triple-head camera was performed on 16 healthy volunteers (13 women, 3 men; mean age [+/-SD], 32 +/- 11 y) after intravenous bolus injection of 130 +/- 20 MBq (3.5 +/- 0.5 mCi) [123I]beta-CIT. Two individuals were scanned 1, 2, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, and 24 h after injection, and the remaining 14 were scanned 4, 7, 10, 20, and 24 h after injection. Values from 19 previously examined healthy volunteers (8 women, 11 men; mean age, 52 +/- 20 y) were included in the analysis to study the age dependency of beta-CIT binding in striatal and 5-HTT-rich brain areas in a larger control sample. RESULTS Peak uptake 4 h after injection, followed by stable uptake until 10 h and a slow decrease until 24 h, was observed in the thalamus-hypothalamus region. Activity in the midbrain-pons region peaked 2 h after injection. Because of a concomitant slow but steady decline of uptake in reference regions starting 4 h after injection, a higher stability of binding ratios for 5-HTT-rich brain areas was observed on day 2, suggesting that a state of transient equilibrium is reached between 20 and 24 h but that conditions are only close to transient equilibrium between 4 and 10 h after injection for 5-HTT-rich brain areas. In addition to an age-related decline of striatal [123I]beta-CIT binding of 6.6% per decade, a significant age-associated decrease of beta-CIT binding of 3-4% per decade was found in 5-HTT-rich brain areas. The decline of beta-CIT binding in these regions may be explained, at least in part, by a loss of monoamine transporters with age but may also be related to age-associated morphologic changes. CONCLUSION [123I]beta-CIT appears to be a suitable ligand for imaging serotonin transporters with SPECT. However, careful age matching is warranted for [123I]beta-CIT SPECT studies of 5-HTT changes in patients with neuropsychiatric disorders.
Positive association of schizophrenia to JARID2 gene

Dysbindin (DTNBP1) is a positional candidate gene for 6p22.3‐linked schizophrenia (SZ). However, so far, no disease‐causing alleles have been identified. DTNBP1 is immediately adjacent to JARID2, a member of the ARID (AT‐rich interaction domain) family of transcription modulators. We have previously suggested that proteins which bind to AT‐rich domains could play a role in SZ pathogenesis. Consequently, we explored the possibility that JARID2 itself could be a candidate gene for 6p22.3‐linked SZ. We used a case control design to analyze single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and insertion/deletion variants affecting AT‐rich domains in both the DTNBP1 and JARID2 genes. Three of the DTNBP1 SNPs analyzed had previously been shown to be associated with SZ. We did not detect any significant difference in allele, genotype or haplotype distribution for any of these DTNBP1 markers. However, we did detect a significant difference in allele distribution for a tetranucleotide repeat polymorphism in the JARID2 gene that affects an AT‐rich domain. A significant increase in short alleles (less than 11 repeats) was found in patients with SZ (χ2 = 7.02; P = 0.008). No other JARID2 marker displayed statistically significant allele and genotype distributions. Our findings suggest that JARID2 should be viewed as a candidate gene for 6p22.3‐linked SZ. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Assessment of Swallowing Sounds by Digital Cervical Auscultation in Children

Objectives: There is a lack of studies regarding swallowing sounds in children 3 to 11 years of age. This study aimed to assess swallowing sounds by digital cervical auscultation in children of this age group without symptoms of oropharyngeal dysphagia. Methods: Digital cervical auscultation was performed in 118 subjects by use of a piezoelectric microphone. The children swallowed 5 mL of liquid and yogurt. The components of perceptual acoustic analysis were discrete initial signal (DIS), main signal of swallowing sound (MS), discrete final signal (DFS), and expiratory return (ER). Duration in seconds was the objective parameter of the swallowing sound signal analyzed. Results: Fifty-six boys and 62 girls were evaluated at a mean (±SD) age of 6.9 ± 2.03 years. A complete DIS-MS-DFS-ER swallowing sequence was found in 60% of the children. There was no significant difference in swallowing sound duration between both food consistencies (p = .189) or between genders either for liquid (p = .327) or yogurt (p = .792). There was no correlation between age and duration of the swallowing sound for liquid or yogurt. Conclusions: We concluded that digital cervical auscultation was able to provide objective information about the swallowing process that could contribute to methodological standardization in children.
Genome-Wide Organization and Expression Profiling of the SBP-Box Gene Family in Chinese Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.)

Transcription factors play vital roles in the developmental processes of plants. The SQUAMOSA promoter binding protein (SBP) genes encode a family of plant-specific transcription factors and plays many crucial roles in plant development. In this study, 16 SBP-box gene family members were identified in Ziziphus jujuba Mill. Dongzao (Dongzao), which were distributed over 8 chromosomes. They were classified into seven groups according to their phylogenetic relationships with other SBP-box gene families. Within each group, genes shared similar exon-intron structures and motif locations. The number of exons varied among the groups. We identified 12 homologous gene pairs between Dongzao and Arabidopsis. Expression profiling revealed that ZjSBP02 and ZjSBP14 expressed highly in mature fruits, ZjSBP01 expressed higher in mature leaves than other tissues and the expression level of ZjSBP12 was much higher in the flowers. The transcriptome analysis indicated that ZjSBPs had different expression patterns in various tissues. This study represents the first systematic analysis of the SBP-box gene family in Z. jujuba. The data presented here provides a foundation for understanding the crucial roles of ZjSBP genes in plant growth and development.
Comparison of passive transfer of immunity in neonatal dairy calves fed colostrum or bovine serum-based colostrum replacement and colostrum supplement products.

OBJECTIVE To compare serum total protein (sTP) and serum IgG (sIgG) concentrations In neonatal calves administered colostrum or a bovine serum-based colostrum replacement (CR) product followed by a bovine serum-based colostrum supplement (CS) product. DESIGN Randomized controlled clinical trial. ANIMALS 18 Jersey and 269 Holstein neonatal heifer calves. PROCEDURES 141 calves were given 4 L of colostrum in 1 or 2 feedings (first or only feeding was provided≤2 hours after birth; when applicable, a second feeding was provided between 2 and 12 hours after birth). Other calves (n=146) were fed 2 L of a CR product≤2 hours after birth and then 2 L of a CS product between 2 and 12 hours after birth. Concentrations of sTP and sIgG were measured 1 to 7 days after birth. Data from cohorts on individual farms and for all farms were analyzed. RESULTS Mean sTP and sIgG concentrations differed significantly between feeding groups. In calves fed colostrum and calves fed CR and CS products, mean±SD sTP concentration was 5.58±0.67 g/dL and 5.26±0.54 g/dL, respectively, and mean sIgG concentration was 1,868±854 mg/dL and 1,320±620 mg/dL, respectively. The percentage of calves that had failure of passive transfer of immunity (ie, sIgG concentrations<1,000 mg/dL) was not significantly different between groups. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results suggested that sequential feeding of bovine serum-based CR and CS products to neonatal calves is an alternative to feeding colostrum for achieving passive transfer of immunity.
Effects of dietary carbohydrate level on growth and body composition of juvenile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus×O. aureus

A growth trial was conducted to feed juvenile tilapia (initial weight,9.1 � 0.1g), Oreochromis niloticusO. aureus, isonitrogenous diets for 8 weeks. Six diets were formulated containing 29% crude protein from casein and gelatin, 10% crude fat from soybean oil and re¢ned soybean lecithin and varying levels of corn starch ranging from 6% to 46% at increments of 8%, with corresponding energy to protein (E/P )r a- tios of 35.6, 37.9, 40.2, 42.5, 44.8 and 47.1kJ g � 1 . Weight gain (WG), speci¢c growth rate, feed e⁄- ciency ratio and protein e⁄ciency ratio were signi¢- cantly higher in ¢sh fed diets with starch � 22% (or E/P ratio � 40.2 kJ g � 1 )t han in ¢sh fed diets with 6% or 14% starch (or E/P ratio of 35.6 or 37.9 kJ g � 1 ). No further improvement was measured when dietary starch content increased beyond 22%. Body protein retention showed the same general pattern as WG, and was highest in ¢sh fed the 22% starch diet. Body composition was signi¢cantly aiected by dietary starch level. Fish fed diets with starch � 30% had signi¢cantly higher lipid content than ¢sh fed diets with 6% or 14% starch. Ash content was negatively correlated with starch inclusion level, but moisture and protein contents did not show discernible trends among treatments. Results indicate that hybrid tila- pia can utilize 46% dietary starch without growth re- tardation, while 22% starch in feed for juvenile tilapia containing 29% protein and 10% lipid, or an E/P ratio of 37.9 kJ g � 1 is optimal.