Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
c‐myc amplification is an independent prognostic factor in postmenopausal breast cancer

The c‐myc proto‐oncogene was analyzed in 311 cases of primary breast cancer, in 8% of which it was found to be amplified, usually at moderately increased copy number (2‐5 copies). The adjacent pvt gene was co‐amplified with c‐myc in all tumors analyzed. C‐myc amplification was significantly correlated to a high S‐phase fraction and to amplification of the c‐erbB‐2 proto‐oncogene. Weak relationships were found between c‐myc amplification and the presence of lymph‐node metastasis, advanced stage, DNA non‐diploidy and premenopausal status, but not tumor size, estrogen receptor or progesterone receptor status, or int‐2 amplification. C‐myc amplification, and especially a high gene copy number (>5 copies), was significantly related to early recurrence and death in breast cancer, a relationship seen in both the lymph‐node‐negative and node‐positive subcategories. A particularly strong correlation with poor clinical outcome was seen in postmenopausal patients (p > 0.0005), an association which persisted in multivariate survival analysis. We conclude that the activation of c‐myc is indeed associated with rapidly growing and progressive breast cancer. Gene amplification, on the other hand, is relatively infrequent and occurs mostly at low copy number, implying that tumors are heterogeneous with respect to cell clones harboring c‐myc amplification. An immunohistochemical assessment would more accurately illustrate the importance of c‐myc activation in human breast cancer. However, the obvious instability of the c‐myc transcript and translate suggests that c‐myc is not a suitable prognostic marker for routine purposes. © 1992 Wifey‐Liss, Inc.
[Cytokine responses after lobectomy: a prospective randomized comparison of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery and minimal incision thoracotomy].

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE The cytokine network plays a pivotal role in inducing acute-phase inflammatory and immunologic responses to surgical trauma. Whether lesser release of cytokines by mini-invasive operation can reduce acute-phase responses and better preserve immune functions needs to be explored. This prospective randomized study was to compare the effects of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) and minimal incision thoracotomy (MIT) on serum levels of cytokines after lobectomy for clinical early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS From Mar. 2004 to Dec. 2006, 47 consecutive patients with early stage NSCLC (tumor size was <or=6 cm as showed on CT scan) were recruited and randomized into VATS group (n=24) and MIT group (n=23). Two patients in VATS group were excluded for conversion to posterolateral thoracotomy because of uncontrolled bleeding and dense pleural adhesion; 1 in MIT group was excluded for intraoperative blood transfusion. Serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-6, and IL-10 were measured by cytometric bead array (CBA) before operation and at 4, 24, and 48 h after operation. RESULTS The serum levels of TNF-alpha, IL-2 and IL-4 were low after operation in both groups, and there were no significant differences between the 2 groups. Both IL-6 and IL-10 reached peak serum concentration (C max) at 4 h after operation: the C max of IL-6 was (91.0+/-63.9) ng/L in VATS group and (84.2+/-53.1) ng/L in MIT group (P=0.732)û the C max of IL-10 was (12.6+/-8.1) ng/L in VATS group and (16.3+/-11.2) ng/L in MIT group (P=0.235). The changes in serum concentration of IL-6 and IL-10 in the 2 groups among the 4 time points were not significant (F=0.143, P=0.708 for IL-6; F=0.000, P=0.996 for IL-10). CONCLUSIONS Compared with MIT, VATS major lung resection can't reduce postoperative release of cytokines. The clinical significance of these findings remains to be fully elucidated.
First-order equations of motion for manipulators with modified viscous damping model

Some properties of first-order equations of motion, described originally by Jain and Rodriguez, with a viscous damping model are presented in this paper. The equations arise from a manipulator mass decomposition and are applicable for serial manipulators. In contrast with classical viscous damping model the modified viscous damping model takes into account both kinematic and mechanical parameters of the manipulator. The proposed approach is shown for a 2-DOF planar manipulator and a 3-DOF spatial robot arm.
Diagnosis of Hepatic Fibrosis and Cirrhosis by Transient Elastography in HIV/Hepatitis C Virus-Coinfected Patients

Background:Chronic hepatitis C in HIV-infected patients is an increasing cause of death dependent on the development of liver fibrosis, which is currently assessed by liver biopsy despite its limitations. Liver stiffness measurement, a new noninvasive method, allows the evaluation of liver fibrosis. The aim of this prospective study was to assess the accuracy of liver stiffness measurement for the detection of fibrosis and cirrhosis in HIV/hepatitis C virus (HCV)-coinfected patients and to compare its accuracy with other noninvasive methods. Methods:We studied 72 consecutive HIV patients with chronic hepatitis C who had a simultaneous liver biopsy and liver stiffness measurement by transient elastography (FibroScan; Echosens, Paris, France) for the assessment of liver fibrosis. Results:Liver stiffness values ranged from 3.0 to 46.4 kilopascal. Liver stiffness was significantly correlated to fibrosis stage (Kendall τ-b = 0.48; P < 0.0001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve of liver stiffness measurement was 0.72 for F ≥ 2 and 0.97 for F = 4. For the diagnosis of cirrhosis, AUROC curves of liver stiffness measurement were significantly higher than those for platelet count (P = 0.02), aspartate aminotransferase (AST)/alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ratio (P = 0.0001), Aspartate aminotransferase-to-Platelet Ratio Index (APRI) (P = 0.01), and FIB-4 (P = 0.004). Conclusion:Liver stiffness measurement is a promising noninvasive method for the assessment of fibrosis in HIV-infected patients with chronic HCV infection. Its use for the follow-up of these patients should be further evaluated.
Drivers of Weak Wage Growth in Advanced Economies

Since the global financial crisis, advanced-economy wage growth has been generally low relative to past recoveries, especially after accounting for the evolution of labour market conditions over this period. This paper investigates a variety of potential explanations for this weakness, drawing on findings from the literature as well as analysis of recent labour market data in advanced economies. Overall, we find that much of the unexplained weakness is likely explained by alternative measures of labour market slack—particularly the rise of involuntary part-time work. In addition, changing inflation dynamics and a number of structural factors may also be contributing to the weakness. These factors include weaker bargaining power of workers due to lower unionization rates, increased firm concentration, restrictive labour mobility practices, greater labour market reform and changing demographic factors. Other factors, such as migration and technological change, may also be affecting advanced-economy wage growth, but the direction and magnitude of these impacts are more ambiguous. Identifying and quantifying the causal effects that the factors examined in this note may have on advanced-economy wage growth is beyond the scope of our analysis. However, our review of international evidence does help to recognize likely drivers of the observed weakness in wage growth and lays the foundation for future work examining certain factors in more detail.
Bidirectional Neurones in the Cervical Enlargement of the Cat Spinal Cord with Axons Descending to Sacral Segments and Ascending to the Cerebellum and the Lateral Reticular Nucleus

Neurones located in cervical segments (C6/C7) of the spinal cord were investigated electrophysiologically in cats deeply anaesthetized with α‐chloralose. Extracellular recordings of antidromic action potentials were performed in order to establish whether long descending propriospinal neurones projecting to sacral segments could have collateral axonal branches ascending to supraspinal centres. The effects of stimulation of the lateral reticular nucleus (LRN) and the inferior cerebellar peduncle (restiform body, RB), as well as the thirteenth thoracic (Th13) and sacral (S1/S2) segments of the spinal cord were tested in 93 cells. Two main groups of cells were identified: 54% of the total sample were classified as purely propriospinal and 46% as bidirectional neurones. Various patterns of projections, as well as the ipsi‐, contra‐ or bilateral courses of axons in the lateral funiculi of the spinal cord, enabled several types of neurones to be distinguished within the above groups. Comparison between particular types showed no significant difference with respect to location in the grey matter (predominantly Rexed's laminae VII‐VIII) and the conduction velocities of descending axons. However, the mean axonal conduction velocities of branches ascending to LRN and/or RB were significantly lower in comparison to those measured for spinal collaterals. The hypothetical function of the neurones examined is discussed. Since the same information can be conveyed simultaneously by these branching neurones to lower spinal segments and supraspinal centres, an integrative role in the system of motor control is suggested.
Advanced ultrasonic diagnosis of extremity trauma: the FASTER examination.

BACKGROUND Ultrasound is of proven accuracy in abdominal and thoracic trauma and may be useful for diagnosing extremity injury in situations where radiography is not available such as military and space applications. We prospectively evaluated the utility of extremity ultrasound performed by trained, nonphysician personnel in patients with extremity trauma to simulate remote aerospace or military applications. METHODS Patients with extremity trauma were identified by history, physical examination, and radiographic studies. Ultrasound examination was performed bilaterally by nonphysician personnel, blinded to radiographic results, with a portable ultrasound device using a 10- to 5-MHz linear probe. Images were videorecorded for later analysis against radiography by Fisher's exact test. RESULTS There were 158 examinations performed in 95 patients. The average time of examination was 4 minutes. Ultrasound accurately diagnosed extremity injury in 94% of patients with no false-positive examinations; accuracy was greater in midshaft locations and least in the metacarpal/metatarsals. Soft tissue/tendon injury was readily visualized. CONCLUSION Extremity ultrasound can be performed quickly and accurately by nonphysician personnel with excellent accuracy. Pulmonary ultrasound appears promising; blinded verification of the utility of ultrasound in patients with extremity injury should be performed to determine whether extremity and respiratory evaluation should be added to the FAST examination (the FASTER examination) and to verify the technique in remote locations such as military and aerospace applications.
Millennial ride-share passengers’ pro-sustainable behaviors: norm activation perspective

ABSTRACT Millennials are considered more conscious socially, culturally, and environmentally than previous generations. In addition, ride-sharing has been acknowledged as a means of sustainable consumption, but little empirical research has examined how ride-sharing allows this generational cohort to experience a destination. Drawn on norm activation theory, this paper examines how millennials perceive the wider economic, social, and environmental impacts on a destination of adopting ride-sharing. In a sample of American college students who had used ride-sharing while traveling, our findings indicate that ride-sharing facilitates the activation of travelers’ personal norms and pro-sustainable behaviors. Based on the findings, theoretical and practical implications of this investigation are discussed.
Serum stimulation of CCR7 chemotaxis due to coagulation factor XIIa-dependent production of high-molecular-weight kininogen domain 5

Significance We describe a mechanism of regulating immune cell chemotaxis. We identified in serum a peptide derived from domain 5 of high-molecular-weight kininogen produced by coagulation factor XIIa cleavage that accelerates C-C chemokine receptor 7-mediated chemotaxis. Thus, we present a paradigm in which a humoral peptide functions as a chemotactic cofactor that links inflammation to immunity. Chemokines and their receptors play a critical role in immune function by directing cell-specific movement. C-C chemokine receptor 7 (CCR7) facilitates entry of T cells into lymph nodes. CCR7-dependent chemotaxis requires either of the cognate ligands C-C chemokine ligand 19 (CCL19) or CCL21. Although CCR7-dependent chemotaxis can be augmented through receptor up-regulation or by increased chemokine concentrations, we found that chemotaxis is also markedly enhanced by serum in vitro. Upon purification, the serum cofactor activity was ascribed to domain 5 of high-molecular-weight kininogen. This peptide was necessary and sufficient for accelerated chemotaxis. The cofactor activity in serum was dependent on coagulation factor XIIa, a serine protease known to induce cleavage of high-molecular-weight kininogen (HK) at sites of inflammation. Within domain 5, we synthesized a 24-amino acid peptide that could recapitulate the activity of intact serum through a mechanism distinct from up-regulating CCR7 expression or promoting chemokine binding to CCR7. This peptide interacts with the extracellular matrix protein thrombospondin 4 (TSP4), and antibodies to TSP4 neutralize its activity. In vivo, an HK domain 5 peptide stimulated homing of both T and B cells to lymph nodes. A circulating cofactor that is activated at inflammatory foci to enhance lymphocyte chemotaxis represents a powerful mechanism coupling inflammation to adaptive immunity.
The enhancement of neural stem cell survival and growth by coculturing with expanded sertoli cells in vitro

Sertoli cells (SCs) have been described as the “nurse cells” of testis to provide essential growth factors and to create a proper environment for the development of other cells (e.g., germinal and neural stem cell). However, the physiological functions of the SCs obtained from different culture conditions are different in a coculturing system, and thus the optimal SC culturing condition should be investigated in vitro. In this paper, primary Sertoli cells were isolated from a 12‐day‐old mouse and expanded in two different culture conditions: a two dimensional (2D) plastic tissue disc and a three dimensional (3D) microcarrier culture system. They were then cocultured with neural stem cells (NSCs) isolated from 14‐day‐old mouse embryos. The metabolic activities of SCs2D (SCs in 2D) and SCs3D (SCs in 3D) and the amount of proteins secreted from two culturing systems were compared. The results show that the metabolic activity and the amount of secreted proteins from SCs3D were higher than both from SCs2D. Three coculturing groups: NSCs+SC2D, NSCs+SC3D, and NSCs +SC‐conditioned medium (SCCM, control group) were also compared regarding cell morphology and the numbers of neurons, neural outgrowths and neurospheres. The quantity of neurons, neural outgrowths and neurospheres were the highest in the NSCs+SC3D group. SCs cultured in the 3D system had a strong trophic effect on NSCs and enhanced their survival and growth. Besides, the mRNA of trophic and nutritive factors such as Glial‐cell‐line‐derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and Interleukin‐1 α (IL‐1 α) secreted by the SCs from both 2D and 3D culture system were analyzed by real time‐PCR and gel assay. The mRNA transcription of GDNF and IL‐1α is more apparent in the 3D culture system than that from the 2D one. The coculturing system of NSCs+SC3D is a promising candidate for future neural stem cell transplantation. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog. , 2012
‘What we were running from is what we're facing again’: examining the paradox of migration as a livelihood improvement strategy among migrant women farmers in the Brong-Ahafo Region of Ghana

ABSTRACT Migration to the Brong-Ahafo Region (BAR) of Ghana is a popular adaptation strategy employed by subsistence farmers in Upper West Region (UWR) in coping with environmental degradation, poverty and food insecurity. Women are migrating, as well as joining their partners in rural farming areas of the BAR in increasing numbers. Most previous research on migration in this context has focused on men. Informed by a Feminist Political Ecology (FPE) perspective, this paper uses a qualitative approach in examining the lived experiences of migrant women. The findings show that migrant women reap limited economic benefits from migration. This is mainly due to economic, structural and cultural barriers that hinder women’s autonomy and their effective utilisation of agricultural and food resources in the migration destination. These findings highlight the need to reassess current laws around land ownership and use in Ghana, to optimise benefits for women. In addition, agricultural intervention programmes should involve both migrant women and men, and take into account cultural contexts. Finally, enabling alternative non-farming livelihoods would empower migrant women economically.
Toxin-Producing Clostridium difficile Strains as Long-Term Gut Colonizers in Healthy Infants

ABSTRACT Clostridium difficile is a colonizer of the human gut, and toxin-producing strains may cause diarrhea if the infectious burden is heavy. Infants are more frequently colonized than adults, but they rarely develop C. difficile disease. It is not known whether strains of C. difficile differ in the capacity to colonize and persist in the human gut microbiota. Here, we strain typed isolates of C. difficile that had colonized 42 healthy infants followed from birth to ≥12 months of age by using PCR ribotyping of the 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer region. The isolates were also characterized regarding carriage of the toxin genes tcdA, tcdB, and cdtA/B and the capacity to produce toxin B in vitro. Most strains (71%) were toxin producers, and 51% belonged to the 001 or 014 ribotypes, which often cause disease in adults. These ribotypes were significantly more likely than others to persist for ≥6 months in the infant micobiota, and they were isolated from 13/15 children carrying such long-term-colonizing strains. Ribotype 001 strains were often acquired in the first week of life and attained higher population counts than other C. difficile ribotypes in newborn infants' feces. Several toxin-negative ribotypes were identified, two of which (GI and GIII) were long-term colonizers, each found in one infant. Our results suggest that the toxin-producing C. difficile ribotypes 001 and 014 have special fitness in the infantile gut microbiota. Toxin-producing strains colonizing young children for long time periods may represent a reservoir for strains causing disease in adults.
Primary murine immunoglobulin M responses to certain pneumococcal capsular polysaccharides consist primarily of anti-pneumococcal cell wall carbohydrate antibodies

The antibody induced in mice immunized with a vaccine preparation of type 6 (Danish type 6A) pneumococcal capsular polysaccharide (S6) reacted with several chemically disparate pneumococcal capsular polysaccharides. Equivalent numbers of plaque-forming cells were observed when sheep erythrocytes coated with either S6, type 19 pneumococcal capsular polysaccharide (S19), or the pneumococcal cell wall carbohydrate (PnC) were used to detect the response to S6 or to S19. The addition of exogenous PnC to the plaquing mixtures of spleen cells from S6-, S19-, or PnC-immunized mice inhibited the appearance of most (greater than or equal to 85%) of the plaque-forming cells. Furthermore, the addition of monoclonal antibody specific for the dominant (TEPC 15) idiotype of anti-phosphorylcholine (a component of PnC) antibodies also inhibited the appearance of most of the plaque-forming cells. A suppressed S19 response was induced by priming mice with a low dose of S19 or PnC 3 days before immunization with an optimal dose of S19 (low-dose paralysis). These results demonstrated that most, if not all, of the antibody stimulated by these preparations of S6 and S19 was actually induced by and was specific for PnC.
Cloud Computing Security Threats and Attacks with Their Mitigation Techniques

Cloud computing is a rapidly growing internet technology for facilitating with various services to its consumers. It proposes many striking promises to the general public or big companies like Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and IBM etc. to maintain and upgrade their position in fast-growing cloud computing environment and to enhance their services for a large number of users. However, with the fast development and enticing offerings, many issues associated with this technology also arises which needs to be addressed with security being the strongest barrier to its adoption. Security concerns are an active area of research, which needs to be addressed properly to avoid security threats and attacks which are disasters for both service providers and service consumers. This paper highlights cloud computing architectural principles, cloud computing key security requirements, cloud computing security threats and cloud computing security attacks with their mitigation techniques, and future research challenges.
Cognitive functioning following traumatic brain injury: A five-year follow-up.

OBJECTIVE To describe the long-term prevalence and severity of cognitive deficits following significant (i.e., ventilation required for >24 hours) traumatic brain injury. To assess a comprehensive range of cognitive functions using psychometric measures with established normative, reliability, and validity data. METHODS A group of 71 adults was assessed at approximately five years (mean = 66 months) following injury. Assessment of cognitive functioning covered the domains of intelligence, attention, verbal and visual memory, visual-spatial construction, and executive functions. RESULTS Impairment was evident across all domains but prevalence varied both within and between domains. Across aspects of intelligence clinical impairment ranged from 8-25% , attention 39-62% , verbal memory 16-46% , visual memory 23-51% , visual-spatial construction 38% , and executive functions (verbal fluency) 13% . In addition, 3-23% of performances across the measures were in the borderline range, suggesting a high prevalence of subclinical deficit. CONCLUSIONS Although the prevalence of impairment may vary across cognitive domains, long-term follow-up documented deficits in all six domains. These findings provide further evidence that while improvement of cognitive functioning following significant traumatic brain injury may be possible, recovery of function is unlikely.