Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Barriers to health care access among undocumented migrant women in Norway

The aim of this study was to explore undocumented migrant women's subjective experiences of their health conditions and access to health care. The study is based on eight qualitative interviews with undocumented migrant women and eight qualitative interviews with health personnel at a health center for undocumented migrants in Oslo. The women were recruited by self-selection from patients at the health center. Both the women and the health professionals related the women's health problems to their living conditions. Even though all of the women had extremely difficult living situations, their living conditions varied. Some lived in an apartment with a partner. Some had to move among the homes of various friends and had to be out all day while those friends were at work. The women with paid work had more structured daily lives than the others, with living situations that gave them some opportunities for rest and privacy. Domestic work in the black market for labor was associated with health problems due to the heavy and repetitive tasks performed while cleaning private homes. Limited rights to health care, fear of being reported, financial difficulties and poor language skills were mentioned as barriers to health care. These barriers lead to delay in seeking medical care and use of alternative health-seeking strategies. Factors that indirectly affected the health of the women included a lack of knowledge of both their rights and the available services in Norway. The pregnant women were unaware of their right to receive prenatal care.
The Prognostic Value of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor, Urokinase Plasminogen Activator and Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 in Node-Negative Breast Cancer

The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and the plasminogen activator system play an essential role in solid tumor angiogenesis and in tumor invasion and metastasis. In the present study we investigated the relationship between patient outcome and levels of VEGF, urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) in tumor cytosols of 196 node-negative primary invasive breast cancer patients who did not receive any adjuvant therapy. The median follow-up was 65 months. VEGF, uPA and PAI-1 were measured by commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Cox's univariate analysis showed that pT (p=0.0007), uPA (p=0.0156) and PAI-1 (p=0.0015) had a significant impact on relapse-free survival, whereas VEGF did not have any prognostic value (p=0.18). Bivariate analysis showed significant interactions between uPA and PAI-1 (p=0.0035) and between VEGF and PAI-1 (p=0.006). Our study confirms that uPA and PAI-1 cytosol levels can be considered as prognostic factors for relapse-free survival in node-negative breast cancer. Moreover, the interaction between VEGF and PAI-1 warrants further investigation into the relationship between the biomarkers of angiogenesis and those of the protease cascade.
Confidence Interval for DNA/mRNA Concentration by Real-Time PCR

In a previous paper in this journal (1), three of us (P.V., C.O. and E.M.) suggested the use of Fieller’s theorem (2) to estimate the confidence interval for DNA and mRNA concentrations by real-time PCR. The theorem provides a general methodology for constructing interval estimates for ratios of random variables; in (1) Fieller’s theorem was applied to the particular case of an inverse estimate from a straight line model. However, some biochemist colleagues observed that in biochemical applications the Delta method (3) is commonly used to compute confidence intervals in inverse regression. The aim of the present tutorial paper is two-fold: to discuss the relationship between the two methods when applied to the problem of inverse regression, and to show their own graphical interpretation.
An Ex Vivo Investigation into the Effects of Chemical Solvents on the Debond Behaviour of Ceramic Orthodontic Brackets

The problems of ceramic bracket debond have been well documented. A peppermint oil material has been marketed previously as a debonding agent. This study assessed ex vivo the effects of peppermint oil application on the debond behaviour of ceramic brackets compared with ethanol and acetone which are recognized softening agents. Intrigue brackets were bonded to 100 extracted premolar teeth. Groups of 20 bonded teeth were then placed in a test solution, control (distilled water), peppermint oil (5 minutes and 1 hour), acetone (1 hour), and ethanol (1 hour). The teeth were debonded using an Instron Universal Testing Machine and debond forces recorded. The site of bond failure along with the adhesive remnant index was recorded for each tooth. One hour placement in peppermint oil produced the lowest mean and maximal debond forces (77 and 114 N, respectively). Weibull analysis showed that the probability of failure at 100 N was increased for the 1-hour peppermint group at 88 per cent compared with 52 per cent for the control. Placement in peppermint oil produced the lowest levels of retained resin. There was no evidence of enamel fracture with any of the groups, but bracket fracture remained a problem. Index words: Ceramic Brackets, Chemical Solvents, Debond.
An Analysis of the Skeletal Relationships in a Group of Young People with Hypodontia

Hypodontia is the developmental absence of one or more teeth, excluding the third molars (Goodman et al., 1994). The prevalence in the general population is between 3·5 and 6·5 per cent (Brook, 1974), whilst a survey of 6000 orthodontic patients gave a prevalence of 4·3 per cent, with the lower second premolar followed by the upper lateral incisor being the most frequently missing teeth (Rose, 1966). The absence of one or two teeth is relatively common, but severe hypodontia (six or more missing teeth) is rarer and may be associated with a syndrome such as ectodermal dysplasia (Hobkirk and Brook, 1980). Previous cephalometric studies of these patients have shown a reduced lower face height and increased overbite (Woodworth et al., 1985; Dermaut et al., 1986), together with a number of other dentofacial features, some agreeing and some contradictory. Whilst Woodworth et al. (1985) found a reduced lower face height, Roald et al. (1982) found that the lower face height was normal. Direct comparisons between studies is complicated by the varying severity of hypodontia of the sample groups, in addition to the cephalometric analysis used (Sarnas and Rune, 1983; Woodworth et al., 1985;Yuksel and Ucem, 1997). A recent study (Yuksel and Ucem, 1997) subdivided their group of patients according to the location of the absent tooth and investigated the effect of the site of location of hypodontia on dentofacial features. Comprehensive management of hypodontia is best undertaken in interdisciplinary clinics, and these have been established in a number of centres for diagnosis, treatment planning and co-ordination of treatment (Hobkirk et al., 1994). A dedicated clinic for patients with hypodontia has run for 5 years at Newcastle Dental Hospital, with over 150 new patients seen. The most significant presenting complaints were poor appearance and lack of function. On clinical examination, in addition to the expected reduction in tooth number and variations in tooth morphology, there was a clinical perception that patients had a reduced lower face height and increased overbite. The objectives of the present study were thus to examine the dentofacial features of a group of patients with hypodontia, in particular whether cephalometric analysis confirmed the clinical perception of reduced lower face height and to determine the relationship of these facial features with different numbers of missing teeth.
Diagnosis of CHF – Often a Trap in Itself

JRAAS 2000;1 (suppl 1):7-11 Summary The increasing clinical burden of congestive heart failure (CHF) is exacerbated by our limited abilities in clinically identifying the various aetiologies of the condition, such as the differentiation between systolic and diastolic heart failure. This denies appropriate therapy to a substantial proportion of patients, particularly outside specialised centres, and can even lead to the use of potentially deleterious interventions. The development of practically applicable definitions of the various types of CHF, combined with the rationalisation of diagnostic techniques, has helped both primary and secondary care physicians to target therapies appropriately to specific patient groups. This should reduce the number of misdiagnoses, thus minimising the proportion of patients falling through the net of effective CHF management, and thereby improving clinical outcomes and the quality-of-life of those affected.
Prestack imaging by coupled linearized inversion

In the context of structural imaging of geological settings the determination of the subsurface velocity model is the most crucial step. For this determination, the results of prestack depth migration of seismic data can be used. However, in case of important lateral velocity variations in the subsurface, the image quality obtained by prestack depth migration is not sufficient for interpretation (used for a subsequent update of the velocity model) and for checking the correctness of the velocity model. We propose to substitute prestack depth migration by Prestack Imaging by Coupled Linearized Inversion (PICLI). This approach yields improved images without altering the important kinematic information contained in prestack migrated images. The PICLI method is computationally more expensive than prestack depth migration and contains notably the solution of a huge size linear system, on which ordinary conjugate gradient methods are ineffective. An adequate change of the scalar product in model space leads to a preconditioned conjugate gradient algorithm which gives in a few iterations the solution of this huge inverse problem.
Detection of Cytokeratin 19 mRNA and CYFRA 21–1 (Cytokeratin 19 Fragments) in Blood of Tunisian Women with Breast Cancer

Cytokeratin 19 (CK19) is an acidic protein of 40 kDa that is part of the cytoskeleton of epithelial cells. It is highly expressed by all epithelial cells and represents a useful indicator of epithelial differentiation. The soluble fragment of CK19 (CYFRA 21–1) can be a useful circulating tumor marker and can be detected in the serum of cancer patients. The development of metastasis in patients with cancer of epithelial origin is due to the migration of tumor cells from the original tumor to distant organs. In order to detect micrometastasis in patients with breast cancer, we evaluated and compared CK19 gene expression using RT-PCR in blood samples collected from 80 healthy women and 80 patients with localized or metastatic breast cancer. The concentration of the soluble CK19 fragment CYFRA 21–1 was measured in serum of all study subjects by radioimmunoassay employing specific monoclonal antibodies. The relationship between the expression of this molecular marker and clinical stage, tumor differentiation and CK19 mRNA transcripts was investigated. We found that CK19 mRNA expression in blood (as a direct index of the presence of circulating tumor cells) was not correlated with CYFRA 21–1.
Reliability and Discriminant Validity of HER2 Gene Quantification and Chromosome 17 Aneusomy Analysis by Real-Time PCR in Primary Breast Cancer

There is an increasing demand for the evaluation of HER2 status in breast cancer. In this study, sections from fixed tissues and triton extracts of tissue homogenates were obtained from 163 malignant breast tumors and analyzed in parallel using immunohistochemistry combined with fluorescence in situ hybridization, as gold standard tests, and an ELISA test (c-erbB2/c-neu Rapid Format ELISA, Oncogene Research Products, USA). Tumor DNA was employed to evaluate two quantitative PCR methods: the HER2/neu DNA Quantification Kit (Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Germany), which uses the gastrin chromosome 17 reference gene, and our recently developed Oncolab qPCR assay, where both a chromosome 17 gene (somatostatin receptor type II (SSTR2)) and a non-chromosome 17 reference gene (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate deshydrogenase (GAPDH)) were used to detect an increase in HER2 gene copy number and to evaluate the aneusomy of chromosome 17, respectively. By IHC/FISH and ELISA, HER2 was overexpressed in 27 (16.6%) and 24 (14.7%) samples, respectively. With the Roche and Oncolab qPCR assays, 29 (17.8%) samples showed a ratio of HER2/gastrin ≥2.0 and 26 (16.0%) showed a ratio of HER2/SSTR2 ≥2.0, respectively. In samples presenting HER2/SSTR2 <2.0 and HER2/GAPDH ≥2.0, which was indicative of a chromosome 17 polysomy, we observed a modest increase in HER2 protein expression. Complete agreement between the four methods for HER2 status determination was obtained for 154 (94.5%) samples. Overall, these results demonstrate that quantitative PCR is a reliable method for analyzing HER2 status and chromosome 17 polysomy. (Int J Biol Markers 2006; 21: 20-9)
Evaluation of soluble solids of curry soup containing coconut milk by near infrared spectroscopy

The aim of this research was to do a feasibility study of near infrared spectroscopy to evaluate soluble solids of curry soup containing coconut milk. The soup samples were collected from mixing tanks, water adjusting tanks, an ultra-high temperature process line and laminated cartons. There were also soluble solids adjusted samples by adding or reducing coconut sugar where the curry was made from the same recipe as in the processing line but increasing 30, 60 and 90% coconut sugar and reducing 30, 60 and 90% coconut sugar from normal. There were 119 samples in total. Sample was scanned with an FT-NIR spectrometer. A prediction model for soluble solids was established using near infrared spectral data in conjunction with partial least squares regression. When validated using a set of test samples, the model developed using spectra pretreated by min-max normalization in the range 9403.8–6094.3 cm , provided a coefficient of determination (r), root mean square error of prediction, bias and ratio of performance to interquartile of 0.92, 1.0 Brix, 0.1 Brix and 2.4, respectively. It showed the potential of using near infrared spectroscopy to evaluate soluble solids in curry soup. With further development using more natural samples, a more robust model could be achieved to evaluate soluble solids in curry soup in a processing factory.
Agreement between Observers: Its Measure on a Quantitative Scale

In quality control programs related to biological markers, the statistical analysis focuses on the assessment of repeatability (within-observer) and reproducibility (between observers). To fulfil this goal when the outcome is measured on a nominal or ordinal scale, the most widely used statistical tool is Cohen’s kappa coefficient (1, 2). When the outcome is measured on a quantitative continuous scale, the pivotal quantity to be employed is the difference between the two determinations to be compared. Some authors (3-6) use correlation coefficients (BravaisPearson or Spearman) as synthetic indexes to assess performance within a laboratory or among different laboratories. This note aims to show that the use of the BravaisPearson correlation coefficient in the present context is almost never appropriate and to introduce an alternative, proper tool that does not appear to be widely used among biologists. We start by giving some background definitions and then proceed to show the inappropriateness of the correlation coefficient by means of some examples, introducing in the subsequent section of this note the concordance correlation coefficient and discussing its rationale (7). An appendix with the methodological derivation of this index, together with a more formal presentation of its features, will complete the note.
Molecular Characterization of Breast Cancer Aggressiveness

The post-genomic (or post-sequencing) era holds the promise of a better understanding and cure of human diseases affecting millions of individuals today, such as cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. Knowledge of the sequence, structure and organization of our genome is leading to the development of genomewide analytical techniques that give us a broad picture of the structure and activity of our genes during pathological processes. This is providing us with potent tools for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying diseases, for exploring an unprecedented range of new potential drug targets, and for the molecular classification, diagnosis and prediction of drug sensitivity and risk of recurrence. As always during the transfer of biological knowledge to medicine and industry, extensive technical developments and support implementations are needed, as well as acquaintance of the operators with the new algorithms and bioinformatics that accompany new analytical tools. This paper will focus on the recent developments in the field of genomewide gene expression profiling of breast cancer as it is proposed today for prognostic and predictive purposes, with contributions derived from the experience acquired in our laboratory.
Cellular Imaging at 1.5 T: Detecting Cells in Neuroinflammation using Active Labeling with Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide

The ability to visualize cell infiltration in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a well-known animal model for multiple sclerosis in humans, was investigated using a clinical 1.5-T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner, a custom-built, high-strength gradient coil insert, a 3-D fast imaging employing steady-state acquisition (FIESTA) imaging sequence and a superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) contrast agent. An “active labeling” approach was used with SPIO administered intravenously during inflammation in EAE. Our results show that small, discrete regions of signal void corresponding to iron accumulation in EAE brain can be detected using FIESTA at 1.5 T. This work provides early evidence that cellular abnormalities that are the basis of diseases can be probed using cellular MRI and supports our earlier work which indicates that tracking of iron-labeled cells will be possible using clinical MR scanners.
Serum HER-2 Extracellular Domain: Relationship with Clinicobiological Presentation and Prognostic Value before and after Primary Treatment in 701 Breast Cancer Patients

Purpose: To determine the clinical correlations and prognostic value of serum HER-2 (sHER-2) before and after primary breast cancer treatment. Methods: sHER-2 from 701 consecutive patients with stage I-III tumors (median follow-up 7.7 years) was assayed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Immuno 1, Bayer Diagnostics). Results: The median pretreatment sHER-2 concentration was 8.30 ng/mL (range 3.15-82.00 ng/mL). Forty-seven patients (6.7%) had sHER-2 concentrations >12 ng/mL (cutoff level). Pretreatment sHER-2 correlated positively with CA 15.3 (p=0.0169), pathological tumor size (p=0.0082), number of invaded lymph nodes (pN, p=0.0160) and histological grading (p=0.0086). Kaplan-Meier analyses indicated that pretreatment sHER-2 was of prognostic value for contralateral breast cancer (p=0.0018), metastasis-free survival (MFS) (p=0.0008) – particularly lung (p=0.0082) and liver metastases (p=0.0035) – and overall disease-specific survival (DSS) (p=0.0020). According to pN status, pretreatment sHER-2 was of prognostic value only for pN-positive patients (p=0.0017). When combined with estradiol or progesterone receptor status, patients with elevated sHER-2 and receptor-negative tumors had a significantly shorter DSS (p<0.0001 for both receptors). Post-treatment sHER-2 also had individual prognostic value for MFS (p=0.0144) and DSS (p=0.0212). In multivariate analysis, only sHER-2 after primary treatment was an independent prognostic variable for MFS and DSS (p=0.0078 and p=0.0058, respectively). Conclusion: sHER-2 elevation in early breast cancer correlates with the principal criteria of tumor aggressiveness, thus permitting selection of patients with a high risk of visceral metastases and contralateral breast tumors. Post-treatment sHER-2 is an independent prognostic factor enabling to identify patients likely to benefit from aggressive adjuvant treatments. (Int J Biol Markers 2004; 19: 14-22)
Carcinoembryonic Antigen in Monitoring of Response to Cetuximab plus FOLFIRI or FOLFOX-4 in Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

First-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer with combinations of cetuximab and irinotecan-based or oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy has shown promising efficacy. The clinical response to such treatment is generally assessed by tumor measurement through imaging. This study was performed to evaluate the correlation between serial changes in imaging results and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels. In 64 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer receiving cetuximab plus FOLFIRI or FOLFOX-4 chemotherapy we retrospectively analyzed the relationship between changes in serum CEA and changes in imaging results throughout the treatment course. Response in terms of serum CEA change was defined as a ≥50% drop in CEA level for more than 4 weeks. The sensitivity and specificity of serum CEA changes after targeted chemotherapy in relation to imaging results were 80.5% (33/41) and 73.9% (17/23), respectively, with a diagnostic accuracy of 78.1% (50/64). The progression-free survival time of responders assessed by serum CEA change was significantly longer than that of nonresponders (p=0.0091). Our results highlight the importance of serum CEA monitoring in assessing the response to targeted chemotherapy and in predicting the prognosis of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. (Int J Biol Markers 2008; 23: 244-8)
Individualized Survival and Treatment Response Predictions for Breast Cancers Using Phospho-EGFR, Phospho-ER, Phospho-HER2/neu, Phospho-IGF-IR/In, Phospho-MAPK, and Phospho-p70S6K Proteins

The development and progression of breast cancer involves the activation of numerous protein kinases, and the change in phosphorylation is a hallmark of protein kinase activation. In this study, we identified a comprehensive profile to predict individual breast cancer patients’ survival and treatment responses using the Random Committee algorithm. The profile incorporated a subset of phosphorylated signal protein expressions and several selected clinical factors of breast cancer. The parameters of our profile were identified by supervised feature selection algorithms, Gain Ratio Attribute Evaluation and Relief. The results showed that the overall accuracy of survival prediction reached 92.3% for individual breast cancer patients with the use of the expression profiles of phospho-EGFR, phospho-ER, phospho-HER2/neu, phospho-IGFIR/In, phospho-MAPK, and phospho-p70S6K plus the selected clinical factors. The results also indicated that the overall accuracy of treatment response prediction was 92.6% with the use of the level of phospho-EGFR, phospho-ER, phosphoHER2/neu, phospho-MAPK, and phospho-p70S6K plus the selected clinical information. The prediction system combines multiple signal protein activation profiles and relevant clinical information, and provides a unique guideline to aid individualized decision-making in the clinical management of breast cancer. (Int J Biol Markers 2007; 22: 1-11)