Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Pilot Study To Define Chemical Coping in Cancer Patients Using the Delphi Method.

BACKGROUND "Chemical coping" is a commonly used term in the pain and palliative care literature, but is heterogeneously defined. We conducted a Delphi survey among palliative care and pain specialists internationally to identify a consensus definition for "chemical coping with opioids" and warning signs for chemical coping. METHODS This Delphi survey consisted of two rounds on the following: (1) concepts and definition related to chemical coping, (2) warning signs for chemical coping, and (3) demographics. Consensus in this study was defined as agreement by a minimum of 70% of the experts. RESULTS Participating in the first round were 14/19 (74%) physicians; 12/14 (86%) participated in the second round. The international experts reached the following consensus definition for chemical coping with opioids (92% agreement): "The use of opioids to cope with emotional distress, characterized by inappropriate and/or excessive opioid use. " They also identified depression (consensus 93%); psychiatric disease (86%); a history of substance abuse (86%); a positive score for the Cut-down, Annoyed, Guilty, and Eye-opener (CAGE) alcoholism screening test (79%); a history of alcoholism (79%); and a history of smoking (71%) as important warning signs for chemical coping. CONCLUSION Our expert panel reached a consensus definition for chemical coping and related warning signs, which may help clinicians and researchers to identify patients at risk of opioid misuse.
The hypothalamic‐pituitary‐thyroid axis in major depression

We investigated the capacity of several thyroid‐axis measures to distinguish between depressed and control subjects and determined whether these variables were related to antidepressant treatment response. We studied 105 subjects who fulfilled the DSM‐III‐R criteria for a current major depressive episode and 41 volunteers with no current mental disorder. The following thyroid‐axis variables were measured: difference between T4 levels at 09.00 hours and 13.00 hours; baseline TSH; maximal TSH response to 400 μg TRH (Δmax TSH); and presence of a blunted Δmax TSH. The T4 difference variable alone distinguished between depressed and control subjects. In multivariate analyses, T4 difference and Δmax TSH were independently related to antidepressant‐treatment outcome, and predicted a modest proportion (14%) of the variance in outcome. The relationship between these two variables and treatment outcome was particularly strong in depressed male subjects who were receiving desipramine, for whom they accounted for 36% of the variance in treatment outcome. The T4 difference variable both distinguished between depressed and control subjects and was related to treatment outcome. Although this finding requires replication, it is consistent with other reports of the usefulness of thyroid‐axis indices measured at different times of day in depressed patients.
Chemical cleavage of polyomavirus major structural protein VP1: identification of cleavage products and evidence that the receptor moiety resides in the carboxy-terminal region

As a first step toward identifying the various functional regions of the polyomavirus major capsid protein VP1, we used recently developed methods for the chemical cleavage of proteins and the available polyomavirus sequence data to devise a scheme to produce large, identifiable peptides and generate a cleavage map of VP1. Formic acid (75%) was found to cleave VP1 at only two sites, producing three peptides of apparent molecular weights of 29,000, 16,000, and 2,000. The order of peptides in intact VP1 was determined by recleavage of partial products and was found to be 29,000, 16,000, and 2,000. Two-dimensional peptide mapping studies of 125I-labeled VP1 formic acid peptides established that the limit products of formic acid digestion contained mutually exclusive sets of labeled peptides when either trypsin or chymotrypsin was used and that together the formic acid peptides contained all of the 125I-labeled tryptic and chymotryptic peptides found in VP1. Iodosobenzoic acid (IBA) digestion produced four peptides separable by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, with apparent molecular weights of 12,000, 8,000, 7,000, and 5,000. The approximate positions of the IBA peptides in the VP1 sequence were determined by cleavage of formic acid fragments with IBA. The number of peptides produced, their respective sizes, and their order in the intact VP1 molecule agree with predictions made from available sequence data, both for formic acid cleavage and IBA cleavage. In addition, the numbers of 125I-labeled tryptic peptides produced from digestion of VP1 formic acid peptides also agree with predictions made from the sequence information. These data establish with reasonable certainty that the peptides produced by formic acid cleavage and IBA cleavage of VP1 are indeed those predicted. Antibodies raised against spontaneously produced, previously undefined polypeptides resulting from degradation of VP1 reacted exclusively with the formic acid peptides derived from the C-terminal portion of VP1. These antibodies inhibited hemagglutination and neutralized polyomavirus virions. We interpret this to mean that at least some of the antigenic determinants of the receptor moiety reside in this portion of the VP1 sequence.
Upregulation of Nestin Protects Podocytes from Apoptosis Induced by Puromycin Aminonucleoside

Background: Nestin is an intermediate filament protein widely used as a marker of stem cells or progenitor cells. Nestin is also highly expressed in the glomerular podocyte, a type of terminally differentiated epithelial cell. Little is known about the significance of nestin in podocytes. Methods: Puromycin aminonucleoside (PAN) was injected into the rats to produce a PAN nephrosis model. Transmission electronic microscopy and terminal dUTP nick end-labeling assay were used to examine the podocyte foot process (FP) effacement and apoptosis, respectively. A mouse podocyte cell line was cultured and incubated with PAN. Immunoblot was used to examine the level of nestin expression both in vivo and in vitro. Enhanced green fluorescence protein-tagged plasmids containing nestin shRNA were transfected into the cultured podocytes to silence nestin expression. F-actin arrangement within cultured podocytes was investigated by immunofluorescence, while the apoptosis rate was examined by both Hoechst stain and flow cytometry. Results: In the PAN-induced rat nephrosis model, podocyte nestin expression was increased in the absence of apparent podocyte apoptosis, even though the FP was significantly effaced. In the cultured mouse podocytes, PAN upregulated nestin expression in a time-dependent manner within 24 h of treatment. Notably, no significant apoptosis occurred, however knocking down nestin expression resulted in a remarkable derangement of actin cytoskeleton and an increase in apoptosis in the cultured podocytes 24 h after being incubated with PAN. Conclusions: Upregulation of nestin expression during PAN nephrosis could protect podocytes from apoptosis and that this process is mediated by maintaining the regular arrangement of actin cytoskeleton.
The interaction model of client health behavior: application to the study of community‐based elders

The Interaction Model of Client Health Behavior (IMCHB) was used to direct a systematic and comprehensive description of community-based elders. The abstract concepts, constructs, factors, and variables described by one element of the model were able to account for 54% of the variance in elders' health status and 47% of the variance in their well-being. The model, as operationalized in this study, pointed to clear demographic, social, and health profiles that identified the elder at risk for decreased health, well-being, and self-care potential. The IMCHB would appear to be a useful framework with which to establish an empirical base on which nursing interventions could be developed.
Regional Cerebral Blood Flow in Children From 3 to 5 Months of Age

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Understanding the relationship between brain and behavior in early childhood requires a probe of functional brain development. We report the first large study of regional CBF by use of arterial spin-labeling in young children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cerebral blood flow by use of arterial spin-labeling was measured in 61 healthy children between the ages of 3 and 5 months. Blood flow maps were parcellated into 8 broadly defined anatomic regions of each cerebral hemisphere. RESULTS: There was no sex effect; however, group analysis demonstrated significantly greater CBF in the sensorimotor and occipital regions compared with dorsolateral prefrontal, subgenual, and orbitofrontal areas (P < .0001). A significant age effect was also identified, with the largest increase in blood flow between 3 and 5 months occurring in the following regions: orbitofrontal (P < .009), subgenual (P < .002), and inferior occipital lobe (P = .001). CONCLUSIONS: These results are consistent with prior histologic studies demonstrating regional variation in brain maturation and suggest that arterial spin-labeling is sensitive to regional as well as age-related differences in CBF in young children.
Regulation of Alternative Splicing by the ATP-Dependent DEAD-Box RNA Helicase p72

ABSTRACT Although a number of ATP-dependent RNA helicases are important for constitutive RNA splicing, no helicases have been implicated in alternative RNA splicing. Here, we show that the abundant DEAD-box RNA helicase p72, but not its close relative p68, affects the splicing of alternative exons containing AC-rich exon enhancer elements. The effect of p72 was tested by using mini-genes that undergo different types of alternative splicing. When the concentration of p72 was increased in transient transfections, the inclusion of enhancer-containing CD44 alternative exons v4 and v5 increased using a mini-gene that contained these exons and their flanking introns inserted into a β-globin gene. Other types of alternative splicing were not impacted by altering p72 concentrations. Mutation of the p72 helicase ATP-binding site or deletion of the carboxy-terminal region of the protein reduced the ability of the transfected protein to affect CD44 variable exon splicing. Use of in vitro extracts overexpressing p72 indicated that p72 becomes associated with complexes containing precursor RNA. Helicases have been implicated both in altering RNA-RNA interactions and in remodeling RNA-protein complexes. CD44 exon v4 contains a potential internal secondary structure element that base pairs the 5′ splice site with a region inside the exon located between enhancer elements. Mutations that destroyed this complementarity modestly increased inclusion in the absence of p72 but still responded to increasing p72 concentration like the wild-type exon, suggesting that p72 might have effects on protein-RNA interactions. In agreement with this hypothesis, p72 was not able to restore the inclusion of an exon mutated for its major enhancer element. Our results suggest that RNA helicases may be important alternative splicing regulatory factors.
Blue-light reflectance imaging of macular pigment in infants and children.

PURPOSE While the role of the macular pigment carotenoids in the prevention of age-related macular degeneration has been extensively studied in adults, comparatively little is known about the physiology and function of lutein and zeaxanthin in the developing eye. We therefore developed a protocol using a digital video fundus camera (RetCam) to measure macular pigment optical density (MPOD) and distributions in premature infants and in children. METHODS We used blue light reflectance to image the macular pigment in premature babies at the time of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) screening and in children aged under 7 years who were undergoing examinations under anesthesia for other reasons. We correlated the MPOD with skin carotenoid levels measured by resonance Raman spectroscopy, serum carotenoids measured by HPLC, and dietary carotenoid intake. RESULTS We enrolled 51 infants and children ranging from preterm to age 7 years. MPOD correlated significantly with age (r = 0.36; P = 0.0142), with serum lutein + zeaxanthin (r = 0.44; P = 0.0049) and with skin carotenoid levels (r = 0.42; P = 0.0106), but not with dietary lutein + zeaxanthin intake (r = 0.13; P = 0.50). All premature infants had undetectable macular pigment, and most had unusually low serum and skin carotenoid concentrations. CONCLUSIONS Our most remarkable finding is the undetectable MPOD in premature infants. This may be due in part to foveal immaturity, but the very low levels of serum and skin carotenoids suggest that these infants are carotenoid insufficient as a consequence of low dietary intake and/or severe oxidative stress. The potential value of carotenoid supplementation in the prevention of ROP and other disorders of prematurity should be a fruitful direction for further investigation.
DIFFERENTIATION BETWEEN TWO SALT MARSH BEETLE ECOTYPES: EVIDENCE FOR ONGOING SPECIATION

Abstract The plausibility of trait divergence under divergent natural selection in the presence of gene flow in natural populations is a contentious issue in evolutionary research. Its importance lies in the fact that this process is thought to be one of the key triggers in ecological speciation in which a species splits into ecologically distinct forms when separate niches are occupied. In this study we demonstrate strong genetic divergence at the IDH1 locus between pond- and canal-inhabiting individuals of the salt marsh beetle Pogonus chalceus from the Guérande salt fields. Moreover, wing size, a trait that has a heritable basis in this species, was significantly larger in the pond populations, which is in concordance with the unstable nature of this habitat. The relationship between IDH1 allele frequencies and wing size variation was consistent with patterns seen across western European populations. By means of neutral allozymes and microsatellites we detected a small but significant degree of sexual isolation between ecotypes. We conclude that speciation is ongoing and that divergence reflects a balance between selection and gene flow.
Factor structure and psychometric properties of a French and German shortened version of the Behavioural Inhibition System/Behavioural Activation System scales

The Behavioural Inhibition System/Behavioural Activation System scales (BIS/BAS scales) constitute one of the most prominent questionnaires to assess individual differences in sensitivity to punishment and reward. However, some studies questioned its validity, especially that of the French and German translations. The aim of the present study was to re‐evaluate the psychometric characteristics of the BIS/BAS scales in a large sample of French‐ and German‐speaking young Swiss men (N = 5872). Results showed that factor structures previously found in the literature did not meet the standards of fit. Nine items had to be removed to achieve adequate fit statistics in confirmatory factor analysis, yielding a shortened version with four factors: one BIS factor comprising five items and three BAS factors, namely Reward Reactivity, Drive and Fun Seeking, each comprising two items. Convergent validity and group invariance analyses suggest that the shortened BIS/BAS scales constitute a valid and reliable instrument. Researchers interested in assessing individual differences in BIS and BAS reactivity in French‐ and German‐speaking individuals should avoid using the BIS/BAS scales as originally specified. The shortened version may be a sound alternative at least in samples of young adults. Its shorter format may be particularly suited for surveys with constraints on questionnaire length. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
From Neural Stem Cells to Myelinating Oligodendrocytes

The potential to generate oligodendrocytes progenitors (OP) from neural stem cells (NSCs) exists throughout the developing CNS. Yet, in the embryonic spinal cord, the oligodendrocyte phenotype is induced by sonic hedgehog in a restricted anterior region. In addition, neuregulins are emerging as potent regulators of early and late OP development. The ability to isolate and grow NSCs as well as glial-restricted progenitors has revealed that FGF2 and thyroid hormone favor an oligodendrocyte fate. Analysis of genetically modified mice showed that PDGF controls the migration and production of oligodendrocytes in vivo. Interplay between mitogens, thyroid hormone, and neurotransmitters may maintain the undifferentiated stage or result in OP growth arrest. Notch signaling by axons inhibits oligodendrocyte differentiation until neuronal signals--linked to electrical activity-trigger initiation of myelination. To repair myelin in adult CNS, multipotential neural precursors, rather than slowly cycling OP, appear the cells of choice to rapidly generate myelin-forming cells.
TCP Congestion Control Beyond Bandwidth-Delay Product for Mobile Cellular Networks

TCP does not work well in modern cellular networks because the current congestion-window-based (cwnd-based) congestion control mechanism intimately couples congestion control and packet dispatch, which provides TCP with only indirect control of the effective data rate. The throughput degradation arising from the cwnd-based mechanism is especially serious when the uplink is congested. We describe PropRate, a new rate-based TCP algorithm that directly regulates the packets in the bottleneckbuffer to achieve a trade-off in terms of delay and throughput along a more efficient frontier than conventional cwnd-based TCP variants. To the best of our knowledge, PropRate is the first TCP algorithm that allows an application to set and achieve a target average latency, if the network conditions allow for it. Also, unlike the cwnd-based TCP mechanism, our new rate-based TCP mechanism is significantly more resilient to saturated uplinks in cellular networks. PropRate does not require modifications at the receiver and is amenable to practical deployment in the base stations and proxies in mobile cellular networks.
Tripartite mutualism: facilitation or trade-offs between rhizobial and mycorrhizal symbionts of legume hosts.

UNLABELLED • PREMISE OF THE STUDY Multiple mutualist effects (MMEs) are common in nature, yet we lack a predictive understanding of how two mutualists on the same host will influence each other and whether these effects will be positive or negative. Leguminous plants maintain root symbioses with two nutritional mutualists: rhizobia that fix atmospheric nitrogen and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) that increase phosphorus uptake. Both symbionts receive plant carbon, and host genetic networks that regulate colonization are partially shared by both symbioses; whether these factors generate trade-offs or facilitation between rhizobial and AMF symbionts of legumes is not well known. • METHODS We evaluated host allocation to each symbiont in three settings. First, in situ in a remnant prairie, then in a greenhouse experiment with multiple plant populations, and finally under manipulated rhizobium densities in the greenhouse. • KEY RESULTS In the remnant prairie, rhizobium nodule number and colonization of AMF were positively correlated, and plants with increased nodule number had higher fitness in the field, generating indirect selection on the colonization of AMF. In the greenhouse experiment, allocation to each symbiont was genetically variable among populations, with some suggestion that rhizobium and AMF colonization are positively genetically correlated. Finally, increasing the number of rhizobia in the soil decreased AMF colonization. • CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that trade-offs between plant colonization by rhizobia and AMF are context dependent and might not be common under field conditions, but that physiological and/or genetic drivers couple these two symbioses in nature.
Income and total expenditure on health in OECD countries: Evidence from panel data and Hsiao's version of Granger non-causality tests

Hsiao's version of Granger causality is used to revisit the causal relationship between GDP and aggregate health care spending, which it assumed to be in either or both directions theoretically. For the sample of 22 OECD countries tested over the period 1970-2012 it appears bilateral relationship is widely predominant in vast majority of OECD countries. Interestingly, our results furnish impressive evidence that the optimum lag length of relationship between health care expenditure and GDP is dramatically higher than we have estimated in previous empirical studies and it is around 10.
Flexible effective fragment QM/MM method: Validation through the challenging tests

A new version of the QM/MM method, which is based on the effective fragment potential (EFP) methodology [Gordon, M. et al., J Phys Chem A 2001, 105, 293] but allows flexible fragments, is verified through calculations of model molecular systems suggested by different authors as challenging tests for QM/MM approaches. For each example, the results of QM/MM calculations for a partitioned system are compared to the results of an all‐electron ab initio quantum chemical study of the entire system. In each case we were able to achieve approximately similar or better accuracy of the QM/MM results compared to those described in original publications. In all calculations we kept the same set of parameters of our QM/MM scheme. A new test example is considered when calculating the potential of internal rotation in the histidine dipeptide around the CαCβ side chain bond. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 24: 1410–1420, 2003
Evaluation of the Sports Ankle Rating System in Young, Athletic Individuals with Acute Lateral Ankle Sprains

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the Sports Ankle Rating System and provide the initial validation for its use. As its name implies, this outcomes measurement system is intended for use in assessing the functional outcomes of athletes with ankle injuries. This unique system consists of three distinct instruments: the Quality of Life Measure, the Clinical Rating Score, and the Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation. We began the validation process of the Sports Ankle Rating System with subjects who had sustained lateral ankle sprains because this is the most common injury in sports. The results of this study indicate that the Sports Ankle Rating System is: effective at assessing the impact that an ankle sprain has on an athlete's functional and psychosocial status responsive to changes in an athlete's ankle-related health status, and valid and reliable as tested.