Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Salivary and serum interleukin 6 and basic fibroblast growth factor levels in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma.

AIM A role of various cytokines has been implicated in the pathogenesis of many carcinomas, and albeit the role of interleukin 6 (IL-6) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in sera has been studied in patients with oral carcinomas, data upon salivary IL-6 and bFGF are lacking. The aim of this study was to evaluate levels of IL-6 and bFGF in the saliva and serum of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma. METHODS Salivary and serum IL-6 and bFGF were evaluated in a group of 33 patients (28 men, 5 women) with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), age range 40-73 years , mean 54.05 years. Control group consisted of 23 healhy participants, mean age 25 years. RESULTS Serum IL-6 and bFGF levels were not significantly different between patients with OSCC and healthy controls. Elevated levels of salivary IL-6 and bFGF in patients with OSCC when compared to the healthy controls were found (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS The conclusion is drawn that higher levels of salivary IL-6 and bFGF in patients with OSCC might originate from the local production, probably from carcinoma cells.
The role of hybridization in the colonization of newly opened habitats

For a long time the role of hybridization in ecological and evolutionary process has been underestimated in the animal kingdom. In contrast, the number of studies reporting successful hybridization has increased tenfold in the last decades. It has often been reported that the establishment of hybrids has been connected with their abilities to colonize new and extreme environments. The aim of this thesis was to evaluate which processes lead to frequently observed hybrid establishment in the Daphnia longispina species complex. Daphnia are cyclical parthenogens with an asexual and a sexual phase of reproduction, during which hybrids are produced. Hybrids of this species complex are known to be less successful in sexual reproduction compared to their parental species. As Daphnia mainly survive winter by producing sexual resting eggs, the main focus was set on how hybrids survive winter and reach high abundances in spring. Therefore, Daphnia individuals were sampled during spring over six consecutive years and monthly during one year in ten shallow lakes strongly affected by winter. Using microsatellite data the following three scenarios were tested: 1) recurrent hybridization events, 2) survival as asexual females during winter and 3) establishment of hybrids via migrants. Furthermore, several experimental surveys were performed to find possible traits that facilitate the dominance of a “successfully hybrid” clone, as observed in one of the tested lakes in two consecutive years. A mathematical model was created to evaluate various possible traits that might facilitate the establishment of hybrids. In the spring samples high levels of linkage disequilibrium and observed heterozygosity were found in hybrids, indicating that they mainly survive as asexual females during winter. Enhanced survival of asexual females in hybrids was confirmed in the Experiment exposing hybrids and parental species to winter conditions. In addition, the mathematical model confirmed that an enhanced overwintering as asexual females can lead to an establishment of hybrids. Interestingly, field data showed that cold winters resulted in lower numbers of hybrid genotypes in the following spring suggesting a selection of hybrids with high capabilities to survive winter. In the mathematical model hybrids dominated the community during cold winters, while warm winters could lead to the loss of such an advantage. Low migration rates and high genetic differentiation in hybrids compared to the parental species suggest that migration of hybrids could be excluded. Overall the results of my thesis suggest that an enhanced parthenogenetic reproduction of Daphnia hybrids during winter can facilitate their successful establishment. Furthermore, such an advantage depends on the severity of the winter.
Age and seasonal effects on predator‐sensitive foraging in squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus): a field experiment

A field experiment was conducted to examine the effect of perceived predation risk on the use of foraging areas by juvenile and adult primates under different conditions of local food abundance. Wild squirrel monkeys, Saimiri sciureus, were observed in an experiment conducted during the dry and the wet seasons at a site in Eastern Amazonia, Brazil. Animals were presented with feeding platforms that differed in food quantity and exposure to aerial predators through varying vegetative cover. In the dry season, juveniles and adults chose platforms based solely on food quantity. However, in the wet season, juveniles foraged preferentially on high‐reward platforms only if cover level also was high (i.e., potentially offered greater concealment from predators). In contrast, adults showed the same pattern of platform use regardless of season. These results indicate that age and local resource availability based on seasonality affect whether primates forage in a predator‐sensitive manner. Juveniles may be more sensitive to predation risk when foraging, and individuals may take fewer risks when resource abundance is high in their environment. Am. J. Primatol. 69:1–15, 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effect of HIV infection on atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance.

BACKGROUND Detection of atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) is a cervical cytologic finding that is suggestive but not definitive of squamous intraepithelial lesions (SILs). METHODS We examined the risk, characteristics, and progression of ASCUS in women with and without human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Cervical Papanicolou (Pap) test and colposcopy data were obtained at the first 10 semiannual visits for the HIV Epidemiology Research study of 774 HIV-infected and 480 demographically similar, HIV-uninfected women in the United States. Multiple logistic regression models and Cox proportional hazards models were utilized. RESULTS ASCUS was more common among HIV-infected women (odds ratio [OR], 1.6 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.3-2.0] to 2.6 [95% CI, 1.9-3.6]) after adjustment for human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and other risk factors (e.g., race, condyloma, and prior Pap test result). Among women with normal Pap test results at enrollment, the cumulative incidence of ASCUS was 78% among HIV-infected women and 38% among HIV-uninfected women. HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected women with ASCUS did not differ by prevalence of indices of inflammation (inflammation on Pap test and leukocytes on cervical gram stain). HPV infection, including high risk types, was more common among HIV-infected women with ASCUS. Among women with ASCUS, 60% of HIV-infected and 25% of HIV-uninfected women developed SILs (P < .01). Compared with HIV-infected women with higher CD4+ lymphocyte counts, HIV-infected women with CD4+ lymphocyte counts < 200 cells/microL were more likely to present subsequently with a SIL detected by Pap test (OR, 1.7; 95% CI, 0.8-3.6). CONCLUSIONS Higher risk of SIL following the appearance of ASCUS among HIV-infected women, especially women with low CD4+ lymphocyte counts, supports the need for follow up with colposcopy and histologic examination, as indicated, to allow early detection and treatment of SIL.
Activity-dependent PI(3,5)P2 synthesis controls AMPA receptor trafficking during synaptic depression

Significance Defects in biosynthesis of the signaling lipid phosphatidylinositol 3,5-bisphosphate [PI(3,5)P2] are associated with profound neurodegeneration and early mortality in both humans and mice. However, surprisingly little is known about the functions of this lipid in cells, including neurons, where its loss has the most dramatic impact. Prompted by the striking localization of mammalian homolog of yeast vacuole segregation mutant (Vac14), part of the PI(3,5)P2 synthesis complex, to excitatory synapses, we developed new tools to measure and manipulate PI(3,5)P2 synthesis in hippocampal neurons. We find that dynamic changes in PI(3,5)P2 synthesis impose bidirectional changes on synaptic strength by regulating AMPA-type glutamate receptor trafficking and that activity-dependent regulation of this lipid is crucial for enduring forms of synaptic depression, findings that implicate PI(3,5)P2-dependent signaling as a critical synaptic regulatory pathway. Dynamic regulation of phosphoinositide lipids (PIPs) is crucial for diverse cellular functions, and, in neurons, PIPs regulate membrane trafficking events that control synapse function. Neurons are particularly sensitive to the levels of the low abundant PIP, phosphatidylinositol 3,5-bisphosphate [PI(3,5)P2], because mutations in PI(3,5)P2-related genes are implicated in multiple neurological disorders, including epilepsy, severe neuropathy, and neurodegeneration. Despite the importance of PI(3,5)P2 for neural function, surprisingly little is known about this signaling lipid in neurons, or any cell type. Notably, the mammalian homolog of yeast vacuole segregation mutant (Vac14), a scaffold for the PI(3,5)P2 synthesis complex, is concentrated at excitatory synapses, suggesting a potential role for PI(3,5)P2 in controlling synapse function and/or plasticity. PI(3,5)P2 is generated from phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate (PI3P) by the lipid kinase PI3P 5-kinase (PIKfyve). Here, we present methods to measure and control PI(3,5)P2 synthesis in hippocampal neurons and show that changes in neural activity dynamically regulate the levels of multiple PIPs, with PI(3,5)P2 being among the most dynamic. The levels of PI(3,5)P2 in neurons increased during two distinct forms of synaptic depression, and inhibition of PIKfyve activity prevented or reversed induction of synaptic weakening. Moreover, altering neuronal PI(3,5)P2 levels was sufficient to regulate synaptic strength bidirectionally, with enhanced synaptic function accompanying loss of PI(3,5)P2 and reduced synaptic strength following increased PI(3,5)P2 levels. Finally, inhibiting PI(3,5)P2 synthesis alters endocytosis and recycling of AMPA-type glutamate receptors (AMPARs), implicating PI(3,5)P2 dynamics in AMPAR trafficking. Together, these data identify PI(3,5)P2-dependent signaling as a regulatory pathway that is critical for activity-dependent changes in synapse strength.
The impact of coronary artery disease on outcomes after liver transplantation

Aims The aim of this study is to assess the impact of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) on outcomes after liver transplantation. Background Patients considered for liver transplantation are at an increased risk for CAD. Obstructive CAD is a contraindication for liver transplantation at most centres. However, the association between severity of CAD and liver transplantation outcomes remains poorly characterized. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 386 consecutive liver transplantations performed between January 2001 and December 2005 at Northwestern Memorial Hospital (NMH). A comparative analysis was conducted for a national cohort (n = 23 820) from the United Network for Organ Sharing database. Outcome measures included patient and graft survival, rates of acute myocardial infarction and heart failure. Results Patient survival remained similar irrespective of CAD severity or cardiovascular risk index (CRI) in the NMH cohort. The CRI closely correlated with the presence of CAD in the NMH cohort [CRI 0, odds ratio (OR) 0.125, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.02–0.61, P = 0.01; CRI 1, OR 1 reference; CRI ≥2, OR 2.28, 95% CI 1.09–4.75, P = 0.02]. In the national cohort using Cox regression, high (≥2) CRI (reference 0, hazard ratio 1.376, 95% CI 1.271–1.488, P < 0.0001) predicted patient mortality and exceeded established risk factors, including Hepatitis C virus (HCV) (hazard ratio 1.321, 95% CI 1.242–1.403, P < 0.0001), hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (hazard ratio 1.27, 95% CI 1.181–1.370, P < 0.0001) and diabetes (hazard ratio 1.241, 95% CI 1.160–1.326, P < 0.0001). Conclusion Liver transplantation in patients with CAD is not associated with prohibitive risk for cardiac events and patient mortality. Appropriately treated CAD should therefore not represent a contraindication to liver transplantation.
Selective attention in anxiety: Distraction and enhancement in visual search

According to cognitive models of anxiety, anxiety patients exhibit an attentional bias towards threat, manifested as greater distractibility by threat stimuli and enhanced detection of them. Both phenomena were studied in two experiments, using a modified visual search task, in which participants were asked to find single target words (GAD‐related, speech‐related, neutral, or positive) hidden in matrices made up of distractor words (also GAD‐related, speech‐related, neutral, or positive). Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) patients, social phobia (SP) patients afraid of giving speeches, and healthy controls participated in the visual search task. GAD patients were slowed by GAD‐related distractor words but did not show statistically reliable evidence of enhanced detection of GAD‐related target words. SP patients showed neither distraction nor enhancement effects. These results extend previous findings of attentional biases observed with other experimental paradigms. Depression and Anxiety 18:18–28, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Climate influence on Vibrio and associated human diseases during the past half-century in the coastal North Atlantic

Significance Long-term ecological and paleontological data analyses indicate climate change is having an impact on marine eukaryotic communities. However, little is known about effects of global warming on marine prokaryotes, which are, by far, the largest living biomass in world oceans. Here, we report, for the first time to our knowledge, that a warming trend in sea surface temperature is strongly associated with spread of vibrios, an important group of marine prokaryotes, and emergence of human diseases caused by these pathogens. Our results are based on formalin-preserved plankton samples collected in the past half-century from the temperate North Atlantic. Climate change is having a dramatic impact on marine animal and plant communities but little is known of its influence on marine prokaryotes, which represent the largest living biomass in the world oceans and play a fundamental role in maintaining life on our planet. In this study, for the first time to our knowledge, experimental evidence is provided on the link between multidecadal climatic variability in the temperate North Atlantic and the presence and spread of an important group of marine prokaryotes, the vibrios, which are responsible for several infections in both humans and animals. Using archived formalin-preserved plankton samples collected by the Continuous Plankton Recorder survey over the past half-century (1958–2011), we assessed retrospectively the relative abundance of vibrios, including human pathogens, in nine areas of the North Atlantic and North Sea and showed correlation with climate and plankton changes. Generalized additive models revealed that long-term increase in Vibrio abundance is promoted by increasing sea surface temperatures (up to ∼1.5 °C over the past 54 y) and is positively correlated with the Northern Hemisphere Temperature (NHT) and Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) climatic indices (P < 0.001). Such increases are associated with an unprecedented occurrence of environmentally acquired Vibrio infections in the human population of Northern Europe and the Atlantic coast of the United States in recent years.
Local invariants for multi-partite entangled states allowing for a simple entanglement criterion

We present local invariants of multi-partite pure or mixed states, which can be easilycalculated and have a straight-forward physical meaning. As an application, we derivea new entanglement criterion for arbitrary mixed states of n parties. The new criterionis weaker than the partial transposition criterion but offers advantages for the study ofmultipartite systems. A straightforward generalization of these invariants allows for theconstruction of a complete set of observable polynomial invariants.
Fifth-year medical students' knowledge of palliative care and their views on the subject.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE While palliative care is becoming more important in today's health system, the major barrier to improving the quality of palliative care appears to be health professionals' lack of knowledge. The objective of this study is to evaluate medical students' knowledge on palliative care and their views on palliative care in clinical practice. METHODS This study was a descriptive, single-center, questionnaire-based survey conducted on fifth-year medical students. Questionnaires were distributed to 250 fifth-year medical students. The standard Palliative Care Knowledge Test was used to assess the level of knowledge in palliative care and a questionnaire was given that included 34 questions about their views on palliative care. The data of the 175 students who answered the questionnaires were evaluated. RESULTS The mean age of the students was 22.7±1.2, and 55.4% of them were male. Approximately 64.6% of the students stated that the education on palliative care was insufficient and 90.3% stated that they did not receive any training on communication skills regarding palliative care patients. Stating that the use of opioids was insufficient in cancer patients were 34.3%, with 54.3% saying that pain management was insufficient. Approximately 61% of them stated that they observed that the primary physicians did not do much and only monitored the disease and were not interested in symptom control, psychosocial support, or rehabilitation. The Palliative Care Knowledge Test results revealed a high percentage of incorrect answers about symptom control. CONCLUSIONS It was observed that medical students trained to become tomorrow's physicians had inadequate knowledge on palliative care; the curriculum had a shortfall on this subject; and health professionals did not pay attention to this subject in clinical practice. The results of our study will provide guidance in preparing the curricula of health professionals and in planning the subjects of postgraduate education.
Indwelling catheter use in home care: elderly, aged 65+, in 11 different countries in Europe.

OBJECTIVE To describe possible differences/patterns in the use of indwelling urinary catheters (IUC) in Europe. DESIGN A prospective, population-based, assessment study. SETTING The target population was 4,455 (random sample of 405 from each of 11 countries) aged 65+ receiving home care. METHODS The clients were assessed by using the Resident Assessment Instrument MDS-HC; epidemiological and medical characteristics of clients and service utilisation were recorded. MEASUREMENTS The frequency of use of IUC related to the patients' activities of daily living (ADL) and cognitive functioning. RESULTS The sample consisted of 4,010 informants: 74% female, with mean age 82.3 +/-7.3 years; men 80.9 +/-7.5 years and female 82.8 +/-7.3 years. A total of 216 (5.4%) clients were using IUC. In Italy 23% were using a catheter compared with 0% in The Netherlands. Catheter use was more common in men than in women (11.5% versus 3.3%). Use of IUC was significantly correlated to certain diseases and symptoms and increase in care burden and formal services. Twenty-six per cent of the informants with indwelling catheters scored three or more on a hierarchical ADL scale (0-6). The clients using IUC in the Nordic countries were less dependent on care than in the other European countries. Models built on multivariate analysis explained 37% of the use of IUC. Tradition and attitudes may explain the differences between the sites. CONCLUSIONS Catheter use is associated with formal or family care burden. The need for nursing home placement ought to be considered in some cases. A stricter criterion for using IUC may be considered in the southern European countries.
What Future Quantitative Social Science Research Could Look Like: Confidence Intervals for Effect Sizes

An improved quantitative science would emphasize the use of confidence intervals (CIs), and especially CIs for effect sizes. This article reviews some definitions and issues related to developing these intervals. Confidence intervals for effect sizes are especially valuable because they facilitate meta-analytic thinking and the interpretation of intervals via comparison with the effect intervals from related prior studies. Several recommendations for the thoughtful use of such CIs are presented.
Differentiation of adipose tissue and muscle in hypophysectomized pig fetuses.

In the present study, fetuses were hypophysectomized (hypox) in utero on d 72 to 74 of gestation with an electrical cauterizing needle. One to six successfully hypox fetuses were removed on d 110 of gestation from each of five gilts. Subcutaneous adipose tissue samples and semitendinosus muscles were obtained from the hypox fetuses and an equal number of control fetuses. Body weights of control fetuses (n = 15; mean +/- SE, 1,195 +/- 33 g) were similar to weights of hypox fetuses (n = 15; 1,179 +/- 67 g). Fat cell size in the middle subcutaneous layer of adipose tissue was increased in hypox fetuses (P less than .01) compared with control fetuses. The number of obvious fat cell clusters (outer layer) in lipid stained sections was reduced (P less than .01) by 50% in hypox fetuses. Histochemical reactions for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, esterase and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activities in middle layer cell clusters were considerably enhanced in sections from hypox fetuses compared with sections from controls. Quantitative analysis of percent light transmittance (Zeiss photometer) through LPL-stained cell clusters indicated an increase (P less than .001) in LPL staining in sections from hypox fetuses when compared with sections from control fetuses. Transverse muscle sections (cryostat) from hypox fetuses failed to show normal patterns (as seen in control muscles) of reactions for acid ATPase, malate dehydrogenase (NAD-dependent), NADH-TR and alpha-glycerol phosphate dehydrogenase (without NAD). The number of muscle fibers that were stained for these enzymes was greatly reduced in hypox fetuses compared with control fetuses. The number of lipid positive fibers was also reduced in hypox fetuses compared with control fetuses. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)