Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Language impairment and comorbid vulnerabilities among young people in custody

BACKGROUND While the prevalence of language and communication difficulties among young people in custody is well established, holistic understanding of the complexity and co-occurrence of additional vulnerabilities among this population are rare. METHODS Ninety-three young people in a young offenders institution in England were assessed using the Comprehensive Health Assessment Tool, the Test of Word Knowledge, and a range of additional assessments of communication, cognition, and neurodevelopmental difficulties. RESULTS Forty-seven percent of the young people demonstrated an aspect of language skills significantly below the population average, with more than one in four identified as having impairment. Only one in four of those with an impairment had previously accessed speech and language services. Language needs were associated with difficulties with social communication and nonverbal cognition, as well as higher risk of self-harm and substance misuse. CONCLUSIONS Earlier identification of language difficulties requires routine assessment of young people at risk of engagement in offending behavior. Where language difficulties are identified, holistic assessments of needs should be undertaken. There is a need for speech and language therapy provision within youth justice services, as well as in other services accessed by young people at risk of engagement in offending.
Transarterial embolization as neo‐adjuvant therapy pretransplantation in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Neo‐adjuvant transarterial therapies are commonly used for patients with HCC in the waiting list for liver transplantation (LT) to delay tumour progression, however, their effectiveness is not well‐established. We studied the effect of pre‐LT transarterial therapies on post‐LT HCC recurrence, using the explanted liver histology to assess therapeutic efficacy and the predictors of response to these therapies.
Genotypic Characterization of UL23 Thymidine Kinase and UL30 DNA Polymerase of Clinical Isolates of Herpes Simplex Virus: Natural Polymorphism and Mutations Associated with Resistance to Antivirals

ABSTRACT The molecular mechanisms of herpes simplex virus (HSV) resistance to antiviral drugs interfering with viral DNA synthesis reported so far rely on the presence of mutations within UL23 (thymidine kinase [TK]) and UL30 (DNA polymerase) genes. The interpretation of genotypic antiviral resistance assay results requires the clear distinction between resistance mutations and natural interstrain sequence variations. The objectives of this work were to describe extensively the natural polymorphism of UL23 TK and UL30 DNA polymerase among HSV-1 and HSV-2 strains and the amino acid changes potentially associated with HSV resistance to antivirals. The sequence analysis of the full-length UL23 and UL30 genes was performed. Ninety-four drug-sensitive clinical isolates (43 HSV-1 and 51 HSV-2) and 3 laboratory strains (KOS, gHSV-2, and MS2) were studied for natural polymorphism, and 25 clinical isolates exhibiting phenotypic traits of resistance to antivirals were analyzed for drug resistance mutations. Our results showed that TK and DNA polymerase are highly conserved among HSV strains, with a weaker variability for HSV-2 strains. This study provided a precise map of the natural polymorphism of both viral enzymes among HSV-1 and HSV-2 isolates, with the identification of 15 and 51 polymorphisms never previously described for TK and DNA polymerase, respectively, which will facilitate the interpretation of genotypic antiviral-resistant testing. Moreover, the genotypic characterization of 25 drug-resistant HSV isolates revealed 8 new amino acid changes located in TK and potentially accounting for acyclovir (ACV) resistance.
Directed forgetting deficits in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy: An information processing perspective

Although mesial temporal lobe brain damage is frequently associated with memory loss, it is unclear whether the deficit results entirely from a disruption in the processing of relevant information or whether it also reflects interference from irrelevant information. Directed forgetting is one procedure that can be used, along with standard tests of memory, to investigate this distinction. Seventeen patients with a diagnosis of complex–partial seizures of temporal lobe origin and 17 healthy volunteers were compared on lexical decision, free recall, and recognition tests in a directed-forgetting paradigm. These tests created a memory profile to measure the influence of task relevant and irrelevant information in implicit and explicit memory. Compared with healthy volunteers, the patients were significantly impaired on the memory tasks overall [F(5,25) = 5.01, p < . 01]. Specifically, directed forgetting in lexical decision and recognition both discriminated between the groups [stepdown F(1,26) = 6.84, η2 = . 26, p < . 05 and stepdown F(1,25) = 5.36, η2 = . 13, p < . 05, respectively]. The results suggest that interictal memory performance in temporal lobe epilepsy may be disrupted in part because of a deficit in the differential processing of task relevant and task irrelevant information, particularly at retrieval. (JINS, 1999, 5, 549–555.)
A recursive analysis technique for multi-dimensionally infinite Markov chains

Performance analysis of multiserver systems with multiple classes of jobs often has a common source of difficulty: the state space needed to capture the system behavior grows infinitely in multiple dimensions. For example, consider two processors, each serving its own M/M/1 queue, where one of the processors (the "donor") can help the other processor (the "beneficiary") with its jobs, during times when the donor processor is idle [5, 16] or when some threshold conditions are met [14, 15]. Since the behavior of beneficiary jobs depends on the number of donor jobs in system, performance analysis of beneficiary jobs involves a two dimensionally infinite (2D-infinite) state space, where one dimension corresponds to the number of beneficiary jobs and the other dimension corresponds to the number of donor jobs. Another example is an M/M/2 queue with two priority classes, where high priority jobs have preemptive priority over low priority jobs (see for example [1, 3, 4, 8, 10, 11, 12, 17] and references therein). Since the behavior of low priority jobs depends on the number of high priority jobs in system, performance analysis of low priority jobs involves 2D-infinite state space, where each dimension corresponds to the number of each class of jobs in system. As we will see, when there are <i>m</i> priority classes, performance analysis of the lowest priority classes involves <i>m</i> dimensionally infinite state space.
Mediators and moderators in early intervention research

Aim: The goal of this paper is to provide clarification with regard to the nature of mediator and moderator variables and the statistical methods used to test for the existence of these variables. Particular attention will be devoted to discussing the ways in which the identification of mediator and moderator variables may help to advance the field of early intervention in psychiatry.
Truncated mammalian Notch1 activates CBF1/RBPJk-repressed genes by a mechanism resembling that of Epstein-Barr virus EBNA2

The Notch/Lin-12/Glp-1 receptor family participates in cell-cell signaling events that influence cell fate decisions. Although several Notch homologs and receptor ligands have been identified, the nuclear events involved in this pathway remain incompletely understood. A truncated form of Notch, consisting only of the intracellular domain (NotchIC), localizes to the nucleus and functions as an activated receptor. Using both an in vitro binding assay and a cotransfection assay based on the two-hybrid principle, we show that mammalian NotchIC interacts with the transcriptional repressor CBF1, which is the human homolog of Drosophila Suppressor of Hairless. Cotransfection assays using segments of mouse NotchIC and CBF1 demonstrated that the N-terminal 114-amino-acid region of mouse NotchIC contains the CBF1 interactive domain and that the cdc10/ankyrin repeats are not essential for this interaction. This result was confirmed in immunoprecipation assays in which the N-terminal 114-amino-acid segment of NotchIC, but not the ankyrin repeat region, coprecipitated with CBF1. Mouse NotchIC itself is targeted to the transcriptional repression domain (aa179 to 361) of CBF1. Furthermore, transfection assays in which mouse NotchIC was targeted through Gal4-CBF1 or through endogenous cellular CBF1 indicated that NotchIC transactivates gene expression via CBF1 tethering to DNA. Transactivation by NotchIC occurs partially through abolition of CBF1-mediated repession. This same mechanism is used by Epstein-Barr virus EBNA2. Thus, mimicry of Notch signal transduction is involved in Epstein-Barr virus-driven immortalization.
Blinding in Physical Therapy Trials and Its Association with Treatment Effects: A Meta-epidemiological Study

Objective The aim of this study was to examine whether blinding of participants, assessors, health providers, and statisticians have an effect on treatment effect estimates in physical therapy (PT) trials. Design This was a meta-epidemiological study. Randomized controlled trials in PT were identified by searching the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews for meta-analyses of PT interventions. Assessments of blinding in PT trials were conducted independently following established guidelines. Results Three hundred ninety-three trials and 43 meta-analyses that included 44,622 patients contributed to this study. Only a quarter of the trials were adequately blinded (n = 80; 20%). Most individual components of blinding as well as what they were blinded to were also poorly reported. Although trials with inappropriate blinding of assessors and participants tended to underestimate treatment effects when compared with trials with appropriate blinding of assessors and participants, the difference was not statistically significant (effect size, −0.07; 95% confidence interval, −0.22 to 0.08; effect size, −0.12; 95% confidence interval, −0.30 to 0.06, respectively). Conclusions The lack of statistical significance between blinding and effect sizes should not be interpreted as meaning that an impact of blinding on effect size is not present in PT. More empirical evidence in a larger sample is needed to determine which biases are likely to influence reported effect sizes of PT trials and under which conditions.
Growth and Sporulation of Bacillus subtilis Mutants Blocked in the Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex

Two “ACE” mutants of Bacillus subtilis which require acetate for growth on glucose minimal medium have been isolated. They do not grow with acetoin, 2,3-butanediol, fatty acids, isoleucine, lipoic acid, malic acid, pyruvic acid, succinic acid, thiamine, or valine, but respond somewhat to glutamate or citrate. The mutants lack the activity of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex; they excrete pyruvate and later acetoin. They grow in nutrient sporulation medium (NSMP) to one-half the normal turbidity and do not sporulate subsequently. When acetate is added to NSMP (at the optimal concentration of 0.07 m), the ACE mutants grow to the normal turbidity and then sporulate normally. Growth but not sporulation is restored in NSMP upon addition of 2,3-butanediol, citrate, glucose, glutamate, glycerol, or ribose, but not upon addition of acetoin, malate, oxaloacetate, pyruvate, and several other compounds. After growth in NSMP has stopped, the mutants incorporate uracil only at a very low rate, which can be increased by the addition of acetate, citrate, or glutamate. Furthermore, the metabolism of acetoin is prevented after growth has stopped but can be restored by the addition of acetate. All these results can be explained by a lack of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) resulting from the deficiency in acetylcoenzyme A. In fact, after growth of the ACE mutants had stopped, the NADH concentration was at the borderline of measurability, whereas it increased significantly upon addition of glucose. The growing standard strain contains, at the same bacterial turbidity, at least 20 times more NADH (230 pmole/optical density unit at 600 nm) than the nongrowing ACE mutants. The isolated spores, obtained after growth in NSMP plus acetate, can be initiated to germinate in the presence of either l-alanine or the combination of l-asparagine, fructose, glucose, and potassium; addition of acetate is not required and has no effect.
Effect of Surface-Active Pseudomonas spp. on Leaf Wettability

Different strains of Pseudomonas putida and P. fluorescens isolated from the rhizosphere and phyllosphere were tested for surface activity in droplet cultures on polystyrene. Droplets of 6 of the 12 wild types tested spread over the surface during incubation, and these strains were considered surface active; strains not showing this reaction were considered non-surface active. Similar reactions were observed on pieces of wheat leaves. Supernatants from centrifuged broth cultures behaved like droplets of suspensions in broth; exposure to 100°C destroyed the activity. Average contact angles of the supernatants of surface-active and non-surface-active strains on polystyrene were 24° and 72°, respectively. The minimal surface tension of supernatants of the surface-active strains was about 46 mN/m, whereas that of the non-surface-active strains was 64 mN/m (estimations from Zisman plots). After 6 days of incubation, wheat flag leaves sprayed with a dilute suspension of a surface-active strain of P. putida (WCS 358RR) showed a significant increase in leaf wettability, which was determined by contact angle measurements. Increasing the initial concentration of bacteria and the amount of nutrients in the inoculum sprayed on leaves reduced the contact angles from 138° on leaves treated with antibiotics (control) to 43° on leaves treated with surface-active bacteria. A closely related strain with no surface activity on polystyrene did not affect leaf wettability, although it was present in densities similar to those of the surface-active strain. Nutrients alone could occasionally also increase leaf wettability, apparently by stimulating naturally occurring surface-active bacteria. When estimating densities of Pseudomonas spp. underneath droplets with low contact angles, it appeared that populations on leaves treated with a surface-active strain could vary from about 104 to 106 CFU cm−2, suggesting that the surface effect may be prolonged after a decline of the population. The possible ecological implications are discussed.
Temporal and Spatial Expression of a Polygalacturonase during Leaf and Flower Abscission in Oilseed Rape and Arabidopsis1

During leaf abscission in oilseed rape (Brassica napus), cell wall degradation is brought about by the action of several hydrolytic enzymes. One of these is thought to be polygalacturonase (PG). Degenerate primers were used to isolate a PG cDNA fragment by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction from RNA extracted from ethylene-promoted leaf abscission zones (AZs), and in turn a full-length clone (CAW471) from an oilseed rape AZ cDNA library. The highest homology of this cDNA (82%) was to an Arabidopsis sequence that was predicted to encode a PG protein. Analysis of expression revealed that CAW471 mRNA accumulated in the AZ of leaves and reached a peak 24 h after ethylene treatment. Ethylene-promoted leaf abscission in oilseed rape was not apparent until 42 h after exposure to the gas, reaching 50% at 48 h and 100% by 56 h. In floral organ abscission, expression of CAW471 correlated with cell separation. Genomic libraries from oilseed rape and Arabidopsis were screened with CAW471 and the respective genomic clones PGAZBRAN and PGAZATisolated. Characterization of these PG genes revealed that they had substantial homology within both the coding regions and in the 5′-upstream sequences. Fusion of a 1,476-bp 5′-upstream sequence ofPGAZAT to β-glucuronidase or green fluorescent protein and transformation of Arabidopsis revealed that this fragment was sufficient to drive expression of these reporter genes in the AZs at the base of the anther filaments, petals, and sepals.
An anaerobic bacterium, Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, uses a consortium of enzymes to scavenge hydrogen peroxide

Obligate anaerobes are periodically exposed to oxygen, and it has been conjectured that on such occasions their low‐potential biochemistry will predispose them to rapid ROS formation. We sought to identify scavenging enzymes that might protect the anaerobe Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron from the H2O2 that would be formed. Genetic analysis of eight candidate enzymes revealed that four of these scavenge H2O2 in vivo: rubrerythrins 1 and 2, AhpCF, and catalase E. The rubrerythrins served as key peroxidases under anoxic conditions. However, they quickly lost activity upon aeration, and AhpCF and catalase were induced to compensate. The AhpCF is an NADH peroxidase that effectively degraded low micromolar levels of H2O2, while the catalytic cycle of catalase enabled it to quickly degrade higher concentrations that might arise from exogenous sources. Using a non‐scavenging mutant we verified that endogenous H2O2 formation was much higher in aerated B. thetaiotaomicron than in Escherichia coli. Indeed, the OxyR stress response to H2O2 was induced when B. thetaiotaomicron was aerated, and in that circumstance this response was necessary to forestall cell death. Thus aeration is a serious threat for this obligate anaerobe, and to cope it employs a set of defences that includes a repertoire of complementary scavenging enzymes.
Knowledge and awareness of forensic odontology among dentists in India: A systematic review

Forensic dentistry involves the processing, review, evaluation, and presentation of dental evidence with the purpose of contributing scientific and objective data to legal processes. The present, systematic review was conducted to assess knowledge and awareness of forensic odontology among dentists in India. A systematic review of relevant cross-sectional studies was conducted regarding the level of knowledge, awareness, and practical application of forensic odontology among dentists in India. Four out of 129 studies were finally included in the present review after conducting a search of both electronic and manual scientific databases. Potential biases were addressed and the relevant data were extracted by the concerned investigators. Almost all the subjects were familiar with the subject of forensic odontology in one of the study reports. Only 12% of dentists were maintaining complete dental records in the findings of another study. Only 4% of dentists reported to have contributed to the identification of victims in a mass disaster in yet another study. The findings of another study revealed that 40% of dental practitioners did not have the expertise to identify child abuse. The results of the present review showed that the knowledge and awareness level of subjects was inadequate and that there is considerable variation in the practice of forensic odontology among dentists. It is necessary to expose dentists to the basic principles and techniques of the subject.
Detection of exercise load‐associated differences in hip muscles by texture analysis

We examined whether specific physical exercise loading is associated with texture parameters from hip muscles scanned with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Ninety‐one female athletes representing five distinct exercise‐loading groups (high‐impact, odd‐impact, low‐impact, nonimpact and high‐magnitude) and 20 nonathletic female controls underwent MRI of the hip. Texture parameters were computed from the MRI images of four hip muscles (gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, iliopsoas and obturator internus). Differences in muscle texture between the athlete groups and the controls were evaluated using Mann‐Whitney U‐test. Significant (P < 0.05) textural differences were found between the high‐impact (triple and high jumpers) and the control group in gluteus medius, iliopsoas and obturator internus muscles. Texture of the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and obturator internus muscles differed significantly between the odd impact (soccer and squash players) and the control group. Textures of all studied muscles differed significantly between the low impact (endurance runners) and the controls. Only the gluteus medius muscle differed significantly between the nonimpact (swimmers) and the controls. No significant difference in muscle texture was found between the high‐magnitude (powerlifters) and the control group. In conclusion, MRI texture analysis provides a quantitative method capable of detecting textural differences in hip muscles that are associated with specific types of long‐term exercise loadings.
Off-target-isocentric approach in non-coplanar Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) planning for lung SBRT treatments.

Purpose Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) has emerged as an efficient alternative to traditional three-dimensional (3D) non-coplanar conformal (3D-NC-C) beams for lung cancer stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) because of its superior dosimetric properties and native ease in planning and treatment delivery. However, patient immobilization in lung SBRT often presents challenging geometrical clearance issues in the execution of large (in excess of 180°) non-coplanar arcs. In this study, we present an off-target-isocentric, non-coplanar VMAT (OTI-NC-VMAT) technique that appears to be simple, dosimetrically robust and allows for ample patient/couch-gantry clearance. We compared this technique to a target-isocentric, non-coplanar VMAT (TI-NC-VMAT) technique and the 3D-NC-C beams for dosimetric evaluations. Methods Nineteen lung cancer patients previously treated with 3D-NC-C SBRT technique at our institution were selected. For each patient, an OTI-NC-VMAT plan and TI-NC-VMAT plan were created and compared to the original 3D-NC-C treatment plan. All of the plans were created for the same prescription dose of 54 Gy total in 3 fractions, covering 95% of the planning target volume (PTV). Nine to ten non-coplanar beams were used for the 3D technique and three non-coplanar arcs were used in both the TI-NC-VMAT and OTI-NC-VMAT plans, with the couch set at ± 20° and 0°, with each arc rotation in excess of 180°. Progressive Resolution Optimizer (PRO) in Varian Eclipse version 11 was used for all of the treatment planning. Conformity Index (CI), conformity number (CN), gradient index (GI), maximum dose at 2 cm away from the PTV (D2cm), mean lung dose (MLD), V20, V5 and mean target dose (MTD) were analyzed for all of the plans. We also performed statistical analysis to examine differences in the dosimetric indices between 3D and VMAT techniques. Results Dosimetric indices CI, CN, GI, V20 and MTD values were similar, within 5%, for all three plans: 3D-NC-C, TI-NC-VMAT and OTI-NC-VMAT. However, both types of VMAT plans were dosimetrically superior to 3D conformal plans in organ-at-risk (OAR) sparing; D2cm, MLD, and V5 values were significantly lower at 6-8%, 9-12% and 26-30% in VMAT plans, respectively. The OTI-NC-VMAT plans showed equivalent plan quality to the TI-NC-VMAT plans and exhibited robust freedom from limiting arc rotation due to potential patient/couch-gantry collision. Conclusions The OTI-NC-VMAT plans appear dosimetrically equivalent to TI-NC-VMAT plans for lung SBRT, while permitting large angle arc selection, free from obstructional limitations. Both OTI-NC-VMAT and TI-NC-VMAT plans were dosimetrically superior to 3D-NC-C plans in terms of organ-at-risk (OAR) sparing.