Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Thyroid cancer incidence patterns in the United States by histologic type, 1992-2006.

BACKGROUND The increasing incidence of thyroid cancer in the United States is well documented. In this study, we assessed the incidence patterns by histologic type according to demographic and tumor characteristics to further our understanding of these cancers. METHODS We used the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program for cases diagnosed during 1992-2006 to investigate patterns for the four major histologic types of thyroid cancer by gender, race/ethnicity, and age as well as registry, tumor stage, and size. RESULTS Among women, papillary thyroid cancer rates were highest among Asians (10.96 per 100,000 woman-years) and lowest among blacks (4.90 per 100,000 woman-years); follicular cancer rates did not vary substantially by race/ethnicity (p-values >0.05), medullary cancer rates were highest among Hispanics (0.21 per 100,000 woman-years) and whites (0.22 per 100,000 woman-years), and anaplastic rates were highest among Hispanics (0.17 per 100,000 woman-years). Among men, both papillary and follicular thyroid cancer rates were highest among whites (3.58 and 0.58 per 100,000 man-years, respectively), medullary cancer rates were highest among Hispanics (0.18 per 100,000 man-years), and anaplastic rates were highest among Asians (0.11 per 100,000 man-years). Racial/ethnic-specific rates did not vary notably across registries. In contrast to age-specific rates of papillary thyroid cancer that peaked in midlife (age 50), especially pronounced among women, rates for follicular, medullary, and anaplastic types continued to rise across virtually the entire age range, especially for anaplastic carcinomas. Female-to-male incidence rate ratios among whites decreased with age most steeply for the follicular type and least steeply for the medullary type; it was <1 until the very oldest ages for the anaplastic type. CONCLUSION We conclude that the similar age-specific patterns and lack of geographical variation across the SEER racial/ethnic groups indicate that detection effects cannot completely explain the observed thyroid cancer incidence patterns as variation in the amount or quality of healthcare provided has been shown to vary by SEER racial/ethnic groups, gender, and age. We find that the variations in age-specific patterns by gender and across histologic types are intriguing and recommend that future etiologic investigation focus on exogenous and endogenous exposures that are experienced similarly by racial/ethnic groups, more strongly among women, and distinctively by age.
The EuCARD High Field Magnet Project

In the EC FP7 program EuCARD (European Coordination for Accelerator Research & Development) the subject of work-package 7 is High Field Magnets. The aim of the HFM work-package is to develop technologies for magnets in the range 13 T-20 T for accelerator applications like HL-LHC and HE-LHC. The work-package foresees construction of a 13 T dipole with an aperture of 100 mm, an HTS dipole insert with ΔB = 6 T, an HTS current link and a helical undulator. The work-package has 12 European partners and the funding is shared between the EC and the partners. This contribution describes the aims of the work-package, the status of the work and the structure of the collaboration.
Biportal Endoscopic Lumbar Decompression for Lumbar Disk Herniation and Spinal Canal Stenosis: A Technical Note

Abstract Background and Study Aims Endoscopic lumbar diskectomy through the interlaminar window is gaining recognition. Most of the literature describes these endoscopic procedures using specialized uniportal multichannel endoscopes. However, a single portal limits the motion of the instruments and obscures visualization of the operating field. To overcome this limitation, we propose a new technique that utilizes two portals to access the spinal canal. The biportal endoscopic lumbar decompression (BELD) technique uses two portals to treat difficult lumbar disk herniations and also lumbar spinal stenoses. Patients and Methods Seventeen patients were treated with BELD for 11 lumbar disk herniations and 6 lumbar spinal stenoses. Preoperative back and leg visual analog scale (VAS-B and VAS-L, respectively) scores and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) were recorded and compared with corresponding values on final follow-up. Results There was an average follow-up of 14 months. For the disk herniation group, preoperative VAS-L (7.8750 ± 1.24) and ODI (51.73 ± 18.57) was significantly different from follow-up postoperative VAS-L (0.87 ± 0.64, p = 0.000) and ODI (9.37 ± 4.83, p = 0.001). For the stenosis group, preoperative VAS-B (6.17 ± 1.94), VAS-L(7.83 ± 1.47), and ODI (63.27 ± 7.67) were significantly different from follow-up postoperative values (2.5 ± 1.04, p = 0.022; 2.00 ± 1.67, p = 0.001; 24.00 ± 6.45, p = 0.000, respectively). One patient underwent revision microdiskectomy for incomplete decompression. Conclusions BELD can achieve a similar decompression effect as microdiskectomy and unilateral laminotomy for bilateral decompression with a smaller incision than tubular diskectomy.
Distinctions between the dementia in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis with Frontotemporal Dementia and the dementia of Alzheimer's disease

The clinical entity of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis with Frontotemporal Dementia (ALS‐FTD) has only recently been recognized as an important neurodegenerative disease. As in isolated FTD, the behavioral and personality changes in ALS‐FTD might be more characteristic than its cognitive changes. We aimed to characterize the behavioral and cognitive deficits in ALS‐FTD, and contrast this profile with that of the most common form of dementia, AD, to assist ALS clinicians in recognizing the syndrome early in its course. Specifically, we hypothesized that a modified version of the Frontal Behavioral Inventory (FBI‐mod), a brief questionnaire self‐administered by a caregiver, along with just a few cognitive tests, would be clinically useful in distinguishing the dementia in ALS‐FTD from the dementia of AD. We administered a battery of neuropsychological tests to 15 patients who met established criteria for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis with Frontotemporal Dementia and to 30 patients who met established criteria for probable Alzheimer's disease. The FBI‐mod was completed by caregivers. We found that the FBI‐mod, age‐corrected Z scores for the Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE), a test of delayed recall, and a word fluency measure together discriminated between ALS‐FTD and AD. ALS‐FTD was characterized by more abnormal FBI scores and poor word fluency, in the presence of relatively normal overall cognitive status (MMSE) and/or delayed recall.
A Proposed Model for Endometrial Serous Carcinogenesis

Endometrial serous carcinomas constitute no more than 10% of endometrial adenocarcinomas, but frequently present at an advanced stage and have a significantly worse prognosis than the more common low-grade and intermediate-grade endometrioid adenocarcinomas. The neoplasm's potential for rapid tumor progression and the high mortality that is associated with advanced-stage disease underscore the importance of understanding endometrial serous carcinogenesis so that its precancers can be diagnosed and an effective therapeutic intervention can be administered. In this study, the authors summarize the current state of knowledge on endometrial serous carcinogenesis and propose a model for its development based on recent work from our group and published data from other researchers. In this model, endometrial serous carcinoma arises predominantly in the resting endometrium, manifesting first as p53 immunoreactive, morphologically normal endometrial cells (p53 signatures), evolving to endometrial glandular dysplasia (which is the first morphologically identifiable precursor lesion), then to serous endometrial intraepithelial carcinoma (a carcinoma with a noninvasive growth pattern in the uterus but which is not infrequently associated with extrauterine disease), and finally into fully developed serous carcinoma. Endometrial glandular dysplasia is a lesion, which can be diagnosed by routine microscopic evaluation, whose ablation or removal may potentially offer the opportunity to prevent the development of the associated malignancy. The diagnostic criteria, practical applicability, and evidentiary basis for the delineation of this lesion are studied.
BEHAVIORAL APPROACH ON PUBLIC SECTOR MANAGEMENT

The concept of public administration evolved along with the increasing demands of improving public services, especially the quality of public employees. This condition requires a behavioral approach in managing the motivation of public employees who are able to encourage job satisfaction and extra-role behavior. However, research on the concept of public sector motivation (PSM) on the attitudes and behavior of public employees provides inconsistent results. This study aims to examine the effect of PSM on job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) on public sector’s employees in Central Java. Using survey-based quantitative analysis, this study provides empirical evidence about the effect of PSM on job satisfaction and OCB. The findings of this study contribute to the public administration literature by providing guidance in encouraging employees behavior and positive behavior in the context of public organizations.
From Programs to Systems: Deploying Implementation Science and Practice for Sustained Real World Effectiveness in Services for Children and Families

The transfer of knowledge of effective practice, especially into “usual care” settings, remains challenging. This article argues that to close this gap we need to recognize the particular challenges of whole-system improvement. We need to move beyond a limited focus on individual programs and experimental research on their effectiveness. The rapidly developing field of implementation science and practice (ISP) provides a particular lens and a set of important constructs that can helpfully accelerate progress. A review of selected key constructs and distinctive features of ISP, including recognizing invisible system infrastructure, co-construction involving active collaboration between stakeholders, and attention to active implementation, supports for providers beyond education and training. Key aspects of an implementation lens likely to be most helpful in sustaining effectiveness include assisting innovators to identify and accommodate the architecture of existing systems, understand the implementation process as a series of distinct but nonlinear stages, identify implementation outcomes as prerequisites for treatment outcomes, and analyse implementation challenges using frameworks of implementation drivers. In complex adaptive systems, how services are implemented may matter more than their specific content, and how services align and adapt to local context may determine their sustained usefulness. To improve implementation-relevant research, we need better process evaluation and cannot rely on experimental methods that do not capture complex systemic contexts. Deployment of an implementation lens may perhaps help to avoid future “rigor mortis,” enabling more productively flexible and integrative approaches to both program design and evaluation.
Vertebral bone mineral density changes in female rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with low-dose methotrexate.

OBJECTIVE To assess vertebral bone mineral density (BMD) changes in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients taking low-dose methotrexate (MTX). METHODS We evaluated in a 2-year, longitudinal study female RA patients, who had recently started a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD), divided into two groups: group A, receiving MTX, and group B, receiving other DMARDs. Lumbar spine BMD was assessed at baseline and every year; RA activity was assessed every 3 months. RESULTS Sixty-two patients were enrolled in the study; 40 completed the follow-up period: 22 of group A, and 18 of group B. The results after 2 years showed that both groups lost bone significantly vs baseline (p < 0.001) in a comparable fashion: group A (mean +/- SD) -3.9 +/- 4.9% vs group B -3.0 +/- 3.7% (p = NS). The patients who showed active disease lost significantly (p < 0.05) more bone (-5.5 +/- 3.8%) than those with less active disease (-1.1 +/- 3.6%), independently of their DMARD. CONCLUSION Low-dose MTX in RA does not seem to exert relevant effects on trabecular bone.
Content extraction from deep web interfaces

Locating deep websites and information fetching from large amount of hidden links from deep web sites to get useful information has become recent trend now a days. The efficiency of the information retrieval process and the coverage of targeted data has become a challenging issue due to dynamic and voluminous nature of web resources. Thus finding the information related to specific topic or a keyword from largely available web resources enables promising opportunities for information discovery. In this paper we propose a system that finds the links related to specific keyword and then it performs the in-site searching to get the deeply hidden links related to the topic under consideration and further extracts the data underlying these hidden web-links. Ranking is performed on the links derived at the intermediate level to get the most relevant data to keyword. The proposed system aims to efficiently locate and extract the data underlying deep web interfaces.
Immunomagnetic separation for enrichment and sensitive detection of disseminated tumour cells in patients with head and neck SCC

Screening for malignant cells in the blood and bone marrow was introduced as a strategy for the improved detection of tumour spread and may predict the development of distant metastases. The sensitivity of these approaches depends on several factors, including the choice of antibody for immunocytochemistry (ICC) and the number of cells examined. In this study criteria have been defined for scoring cells reactive with a pan‐cytokeratin antibody as tumour, by comparing immunostained cells in clinical samples obtained from head and neck cancer patients and a control group without epithelial malignancy. When leucocyte subfractions are prepared by density gradient separation (DGS) from central venous blood obtained from patients with advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and screened by ICC, epithelial tumour cells sediment preferentially with the mononuclear cells but may also be detected in the granulocyte (GC) fraction. Some cases were found to have more tumour cells in the GC fraction. Similar results were seen in model experiments. To increase the sensitivity of the ICC approach, the efficiency of positive immunomagnetic selection (IMS) using Dynabeads coated with an antibody recognizing the Ber‐EP4 epitope has been compared with negative IMS using anti‐CD45 Dynabeads. Tumour cells were recovered from bone marrow aspirates for 2/17 cases using the positive enrichment technique and for 11/17 patients following negative IMS. These findings justify prospective studies incorporating negative IMS to establish the prognostic significance of these disseminated tumour cells for this group of patients. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Personal Information Privacy Settings of Online Social Networks and their Suitability for Mobile Internet Devices

Protecting personal information privacy has become a controversial issue among online social network providers and users. Most social network providers have developed several techniques to decrease threats and risks to the users’ privacy. These risks include the misuse of personal information which may lead to illegal acts such as identity theft. This study aims to measure the awareness of users on protecting their personal information privacy, as well as the suitability of the privacy systems which they use to modify privacy settings. Survey results show high percentage of the use of smart phones for web services but the current privacy settings for online social networks need to be improved to support different type of mobile phones screens. Because most users use their mobilephones for Internet services, privacy settings that are compatible with mobile phones need to be developed. The method of selecting privacy settings should also be simplified to provide users with a clear picture of the data that will be shared with others. Results of this study can be used to develop a new privacy system which will help users control their personal information easily from different devices, including mobile Internet devices and computers.
The Impact of Posture and Prolonged Cyclic Compressive Loading on Vertebral Joint Mechanics

Study Design. An in vitro biomechanics investigation exposing porcine functional spinal units (FSUs) to submaximal cyclic or static compressive forces while in a flexed, neutral, or extended posture. Objective. To investigate the combined effect of cyclically applied compressive force (e.g., vibration) and postural deviation on intervertebral joint mechanics. Summary of Background Data. Independently, prolonged vibration exposure and non-neutral postures are known risk factors for development of low back pain and injury. However, there is limited basic scientific evidence to explain how the risk of low back injury from vibration exposure is modified by other mechanical factors. This work examined the influence of static postural deviation on vertebral joint height loss and compressive stiffness under cyclically applied compressive force. Methods. Forty-eight FSUs, consisting of 2 adjacent vertebrae, ligaments, and the intervening intervertebral disc were included in the study. Each specimen was randomized to 1 of 3 experimental posture conditions (neutral, flexed, or extended) and assigned to 1 of 2 loading protocols, consisting of (1) cyclic (1500 ± 1200 N applied at 5 Hz using a sinusoidal waveform, resulting in 0.2 g rms acceleration) or (2) 1500 N of static compressive force. Results. As expected, FSU height loss followed a typical first-order response in both the static and cyclic loading protocols, with the majority (∼50%) of the loss occurring in the first 20 minutes of testing. A significant interaction between posture and loading protocol (P < 0.001) was noted in the magnitude of FSU height loss. Subsequent analysis of simple effects revealed significant differences between cyclic and static loading protocols in both a neutral (P = 0.016) and a flexed posture (P < 0.0001). No significant differences (P = 0.320) were noted between pre/postmeasurements of FSU compressive stiffness. Conclusion. Posture is an important mechanical factor to consider when assessing the risk of injury from cyclic loading to the lumbar spine.
Canonical Notch2 signaling determines biliary cell fates of embryonic hepatoblasts and adult hepatocytes independent of Hes1

Notch signaling through the Notch2 receptor is essential for normal biliary tubulogenesis during liver development. However, the signaling events downstream of Notch2 critical for this process are less well defined. Furthermore, whether Notch signaling also underlies adult hepatic cell fate decisions is largely unknown. By implementing different genetic mouse models, we provide a comprehensive analysis that defines the role of Notch in cell fate control in the developing and adult liver. We show that cell‐specific activation of Notch2 signaling by a Notch2IC (N2IC) transgene leads to rapid biliary specification of embryonic hepatoblasts, but also—when expressed in up to 6‐month‐old adult livers—rapidly reprograms adult hepatocytes to biliary cells with formation of tubular‐cystic structures. When directed specifically to the adult biliary and facultative liver progenitor cell compartment, Notch2 is capable of inducing a ductular reaction. Furthermore, we characterized the significance of key effectors of canonical Notch signaling during normal development and in N2IC‐expressing models. We demonstrate that tubule formation of intrahepatic bile ducts during embryonic development as well as N2IC‐induced specification and morphogenesis of embryonic hepatoblasts and biliary conversion of adult hepatocytes all critically rely on canonical Notch signaling via recombination signal binding protein (RBP)‐Jκ but do not require Hes1. Conclusion: Notch2 appears to be the main determinant not only of biliary commitment of embryonic hepatoblasts during development but also of biliary reprogramming of adult hepatocytes. Notch2‐dictated cell fates and morphogenesis in both embryonic hepatoblasts and adult hepatocytes rely on canonical Notch signaling but do not require Hes1. Adult liver cells possess a remarkable plasticity to assume new cell fates when embryonic signaling pathways are active. (HEPATOLOGY 2013)
Extensive and coordinated control of allele-specific expression by both transcription and translation in Candida albicans

Though sequence differences between alleles are often limited to a few polymorphisms, these differences can cause large and widespread allelic variation at the expression level. Such allele-specific expression (ASE) has been extensively explored at the level of transcription but not translation. Here we measured ASE in the diploid yeast Candida albicans at both the transcriptional and translational levels using RNA-seq and ribosome profiling, respectively. Since C. albicans is an obligate diploid, our analysis isolates ASE arising from cis elements in a natural, nonhybrid organism, where allelic effects reflect evolutionary forces. Importantly, we find that ASE arising from translation is of a similar magnitude as transcriptional ASE, both in terms of the number of genes affected and the magnitude of the bias. We further observe coordination between ASE at the levels of transcription and translation for single genes. Specifically, reinforcing relationships—where transcription and translation favor the same allele—are more frequent than expected by chance, consistent with selective pressure tuning ASE at multiple regulatory steps. Finally, we parameterize alleles based on a range of properties and find that SNP location and predicted mRNA-structure stability are associated with translational ASE in cis. Since this analysis probes more than 4000 allelic pairs spanning a broad range of variations, our data provide a genome-wide view into the relative impact of cis elements that regulate translation.
Restoration Materials and Secondary Caries Using an In Vitro Biofilm Model

This in vitro study investigated whether restoration materials and adhesives influence secondary caries formation in gaps using a short-term in vitro biofilm model. Sixty enamel–dentin blocks were restored with 6 different restoration materials with or without adhesives (n = 10 per group) with a gap: 1) Clearfil AP-X composite, 2) Clearfil AP-X composite + SE Bond, 3) Clearfil AP-X composite + ProtectBond, 4) Filtek Silorane composite, 5) Filtek Silorane composite + Silorane System adhesive, or 6) Tytin amalgam. Specimens were subjected to an intermittent 1% sucrose biofilm model for 20 days to create artificial caries lesions. Lesion progression in the enamel–dentin next to the different materials was measured in lesion depth (LD) and mineral loss (ML) using transversal wavelength independent microradiography (T-WIM). A regression analysis was used to compare the LD and ML of the different restoration materials at 4 measurement locations: 1 location at the surface of the enamel, 1 location at the wall of the enamel, and 2 locations at the wall of the dentin. A statistically significant effect of AP-X composite with Protect Bond was found for LD and ML at the WallDentin1 location, leading to less advanced wall lesions. An additional finding was that gap size was also statistically significant at the 2 wall locations in dentin, leading to increasing lesion progression with wider gaps. In conclusion, adhesives can influence wall lesion development in gaps. Protect Bond showed significantly less caries progression compared to bare restoration materials or other adhesives in this short-term in vitro biofilm model.