Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Severity of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Between Black and White Patients

Abstract Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a relatively common problem with potentially serious health consequences. The purpose of this study was to identify whether race has any effect on the severity of OSA. Our hypothesis was that OSA, when present, is more severe in black patients than white patients. This cross-sectional study was performed at Truman Medical Centers, a teaching hospital affiliated with University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Medicine (Kansas City, MO). Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to establish if race was predictive of apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) score when controlling for age, sex, and body mass index. The analysis included 280 patients with complete data for each of the variables in the model. Race (the primary predictor of interest) did not significantly predict AHI score (P = 0.172), and neither did age (P = 0.783). Men had higher AHI scores than women (P < 0.001), and higher body mass index was associated with higher AHI score (P < 0.001). There were more black women in the sample population than white women (P = 0.043). Black patients were also more likely to have hypertension (P = 0.037). This study suggests that race is not a predictor of OSA severity after controlling for age, sex, and body mass index. There is a need for more studies to examine the prevalence of OSA in different races.
Clinical Feature of Extranodal Presentation of Non Hodgkin Lymphoma in Head and Neck

Non Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) constitutes 5% of all head & neck cancer. The incidence of it has been increased over the last four decades. One of main characteristic of NHL is extranodal presentation that has different pattern in various part of world. A retrospective was designed in a tertiary referral center. It has been done between January 1996 and March 2006. All clinical and pathological characteristics were evaluated. 129 patients were included in this study, 89 male and 49 female. The mean age was 49 year. The most common site of involvement was Waldeyer's ring and the most common presenting symptom was cervical mass. 48% of patients had lymphadenopathy and 12% had B symptom. The most common histologic type was diffuse large cell lymphoma. In our series male to female ratio was 2.2 that are more than other studies . it seems that extranodal presentation is more common in Iranian patients than other population.
Selective loss of estrogen receptor β in malignant human colon

Epidemiological data suggest a protective effect for estrogen replacement therapy on colon cancer. The estrogen receptor (ER) is required for the action of estrogen. The ER-β isoform is functionally similar to ER-α but has a distinct pattern of expression and transcriptional response to selective estrogen response modulators. Our goal was to investigate the presence of ER-α and ER-β in normal and malignant colon tissue. Human colon cancer tissue and adjacent normal colon tissue were harvested from five male and six female patients undergoing segmental colon resection for colon cancer. Western blot analysis revealed very low levels of ER-α protein in tumor and normal colon tissue. In both male and female patients, malignant colon tissue showed a selective loss of ER-β protein expression when compared to normal colon tissue in the same patient. Semiquantitative reverse transcription-PCR revealed no difference in ER-β mRNA levels between normal and malignant colon tissue. Malignant transformation of the colon is associated with a marked diminution of ER-β protein expression, possibly through a posttranscriptional mechanism.
HIV Clinical Trials: Important Concepts and Questions

Abstract: The interpretation of HIV clinical trials can be challenging. To reach an appropriate conclusion about the validity of study results, a reader should have a clear understanding of how trial characteristics can influence results in powerful and sometimes contradictory ways. These factors include, but are not limited to, subtleties of data analysis and study design, the means by which risk is assessed, characteristics of the study population, and the impact of antiretroviral treatment history on the results. Recognizing the characteristics and pitfalls inherent in HIV clinical trial design and execution is crucial to understanding the clinical significance and importance of a specific study's findings. Our goal in this article is to describe some of the more problematic areas in HIV clinical trial design using examples from the literature.
Class III β-Tubulin Mediates Sensitivity to Chemotherapeutic Drugs in Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer

First line therapy for non–small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) commonly includes combination therapy with a tubulin-binding agent (TBA) and a DNA-damaging agent. TBAs suppress microtubule dynamics by binding to the β-tubulin subunit of α/β-tubulin, inducing mitotic arrest and apoptosis. Up-regulation of class III β-tubulin (βIII-tubulin) has been implicated in clinical resistance in NSCLC, ovarian and breast tumors treated in combination with a TBA and DNA-damaging agent. To investigate the functional significance of βIII-tubulin in resistance to both these classes of agents, small interfering RNA (siRNA) was used to silence the expression of this isotype in two NSCLC cell lines, NCI-H460 and Calu-6. Reverse transcription-PCR and immunoblotting showed that βIII-siRNA potently inhibited the expression of βIII-tubulin, without affecting the expression of other major β-tubulin isotypes. Clonogenic assays showed that βIII-siRNA cells were significantly more sensitive to TBAs, paclitaxel, vincristine, and vinorelbine, and for the first time, DNA-damaging agents, cisplatin, doxorubicin, and etoposide compared with controls. Cell cycle analysis of H460 βIII-siRNA cells showed reduced accumulation at the G2-M boundary and an increase in the sub-G1 population in response to TBA treatment compared with control cells. Importantly, βIII-siRNA cells displayed a significant dose-dependent increase in Annexin V staining when treated with either paclitaxel or cisplatin, compared with controls. These findings have revealed a novel role for βIII-tubulin in mediating response to both TBA and DNA-damaging agent therapy and may have important implications for improving the targeting and treatment of drug-refractory NSCLC. [Cancer Res 2007;67(19):9356–63]
Effects of cell-cell crosstalk on gene expression patterns in a cell model of renal cell carcinoma lung metastasis

The median survival rate of patients with metastatic renal carcinoma is approximately 10 to 12 months, with up to 50% of patients developing metastases in the lung parenchyma. The molecular basis for metastatic development remains unclear. In the present study, we used renal cell carcinoma (RCC) cells and bronchial epithelial cells, representing metastasis target organ cells, conditioned medium and co-culture models to identify specific gene expression changes responsible for cancer cell viability in a metastatic microenvironment. RCC cell proliferation and migration increased when the culture was supplemented with conditioned medium from lung fibroblasts or pleural epithelial cells. Healthy epithelial cells were, in turn, also stimulated with conditioned medium from RCC cell lines. The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), interleukin (IL)-6, and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) signaling pathways were identified as deregulated upon cell-cell interaction. Thus, cell-cell communication may contribute to the development of the metastatic niche. The identified deregulated signaling pathways may be considered as potential therapeutic targets in metastatic renal carcinoma.
An RSA-Like Scheme for Multiuser Broadcast Authentication in Wireless Sensor Networks

For network users roaming in a wireless sensor network (WSN), they can broadcast queries to WSNs to obtain the latest sensed data from sensor nodes using their mobile devices. In such a scenario, each sensor node has to verify the validity of every query sent from users. In this paper, RSA-like public key cryptography is employed to design a mechanism for multiuser broadcast authentication in WSNs. Within the proposed scheme, the use of certificates becomes optional. When users broadcast queries to WSNs, each sensor node can verify every query immediately without buffering any one. As a result, the energy cost for verifying a query by a sensor node is very small. Furthermore, our scheme provides enough scalability and security. The quantitative analyses show that our scheme is efficient in terms of storage and computational overheads.
A Phase I/II Study of Continuous Intra-arterial Chemotherapy Using an Implantable Reservoir for the Treatment of Liver Metastases from Breast Cancer: A Japan Clinical Oncology Group (JCOG) Study 9113

BACKGROUND Liver metastasis from breast cancer has a poor prognosis. While there are some reports of good response rates of hepatic metastasis from breast cancer by hepatic intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy, no phase I study including pharmacokinetic analysis has been reported. We performed a phase I/II study of intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy using adriamycin and 5-fluorouracil to find the maximum tolerated dose and response rate in patients with advanced or recurrent breast cancer. METHODS A hepatic arterial catheter with an access port was inserted into the proper hepatic artery. Patients received 30 mg/m2 adriamycin on days 1 and 8 and 100 mg/m2 5-fluorouracil at level 1, 200 mg/m2 at level 2,300 mg/m2 at level 3 and 400 mg/m2 at level 4 continuously from day 1 through day 14 every 28 days. At least two cycles were required before evaluation. Twenty-eight patients were entered into this study and 26 patients were evaluable. Seventeen patients had hepatic metastasis only, although nine patients had additional metastasis to other sites. RESULTS Dose-limiting toxicity of thrombocytopenia and neurotoxicity occurred at level 4. Leukocytopenia (ECOG grade 3-4) was observed in five (19%), thrombocytopenia in three (12%) and anemia in two (8%) patients. There were 11 catheter-related complications which were not dose dependent. Seven out of 13 evaluable patients (54%) responded at level 3. The median duration of response was 5.8 months (range, 1-23+) and median survival was 25.3 months (range, 6.2-54.7+). CONCLUSION Hepatic arterial infusion therapy appears to be safe and effective but catheter-related complications must be overcome before starting a phase III trial.
The complete mitochondrial genome of the Clarias fuscus (Siluriformes, Clariidae)

Abstract We present the complete mitochondrial genome of the Clarias fuscus in this study. The mitochondrial genome is 16,525 bp in length and consists of 13 protein-coding genes, two rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes and a control region. The nucleotide compositions of the light strand are 31.17% of A, 27.54% of C, 25.34% of T, and 14.95% of G. With the exception of ND6 and eight tRNA genes, all other mitochondrial genes are encoded on the heavy strand. All the protein-coding genes begin with an ATG initiation codon except for COXІ with GTG. Five types of termination codons revealed are TAA (COXІ, ATP8, ND4L), T (ND2, ND3, ND4, COXП, Cytb), AGG (COXШ), TA (ATP6), and TAG (ND1, ND5, ND6). Most genes are either abutted or overlapped and many features keep consistent with the other vertebrates.
3D modeling and parameterization of the left ventricle in echocardiographic images using deformable superquadrics

This paper proposes a new method for the quantitative analysis of the mobility of the left ventricle LV, based on a 3D dynamic model. One superquadric is used as the 3D global model. For data acquisition, an electromechanical device that allows acquiring the volume of images using 60 cross-sections in a rotational cylindrical 3D symmetry is adapted to an echograph. The images are filtered and later, they are segmented by a specialist. This processing provides images where the internal and external structures are already known. Finally, the 3D superquadrics model is used and we minimize the energy of the quadratic error using the method of descending gradient for several variables. We capture the geometrical and mathematical parameters when the model is adjusted to actual data. After, it is necessary to compute the medical parameters as: LVV, LV mass, stroke volume, ejection fraction, and cardiac output, etc. We propose new measures allowing the observation of the variations of the parameters in function of time. For example, in the calculation of the LVV, the results give a small error of 2% by respect on a manual segmentation made by the specialist. That demonstrates a good adjustment to the 3D volume images to the LV.
Pharmaceutical Standardization of a Novel Anti Leukemic Ayurvedic Herbomineral Formulation

The aim of this pharmaceutical study was to develop standard manufacturing process of Leukchem 14, a novel herbo-mineral formulation, which was designed for the treatment of Leukemia. The drug consists in specific proportions of dried powders of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera Dunal.) root, Bilwa (Aegle marmelos Carr.) fruit pulp, Guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia (Willd) Miers. ) stem, Haridra (Curcuma longa Linn.) rhizome, Kanchanar (Bauhinia variegata Blume) stem bark and Triphala and mineral drugs viz. Samaguna Kajjali (black sulphide of purified Mercury) and Shuddha Manahshila (purified Realgar). By adopting the principles of Kharaliya Rasayana, the homogenous mixture was prepared with these drugs, which was further levigated with fresh cow urine and decoction of Manjishtha (Rubia cordifolia Linn.) root respectively each three times in three batches. During the procedures of Shodhana and Bhavana, there were various physicochemical changes were observed. In first step, 317.82, 319.25, and 318.0 g of weight with the Bhavana of Gomutra was obtained from 306.50 g of basic homogenous mixture of herbal Churna, Kajjali and Shuddha Manahshila in I, II, and III batches respectively. In second step, 244.79, 241.72, and 243.00 g of Leukchem 14 with the Bhavana of Manjishtha Kwatha was obtained from 200 g of Gomutra Bhavita materials in I, II, and III batches respectively. The percentage increase in weight was observed after levigation with both the media progressively, 3.87 % by cow urine and 21.59% by Manjishtha Kwatha. At the end of Pharmaceutical study, dark brown coffee coloured powder was obtained.
What Lessons Can Be Learned from the Austrian Events?

Introduction: The death of 5 children in Austria below the age of 6 years due to posttonsillectomy haemorrhage in 2006 and 2007 led to an intensive discussion on the potential life-threatening risks of tonsil surgery. On this occasion, a consensus paper with clear recommendations for tonsil surgery was released by the Austrian Societies of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery and Paediatrics followed by a nationwide multicentre study. Methods: All consecutive tonsillectomies, tonsillotomies and adenoidectomies performed in public hospitals in Austria within 9 months were assessed. Data on all participating patients were collected via an online questionnaire requesting patient characteristics, surgery details and postoperative haemorrhage. A strict definition for postoperative bleeding episodes with 7 severity grades was applied. Every bleeding episode after extubation was counted as postoperative bleeding event. Results: The study population - all younger than 18 years of age - consisted of 6,765 patients (tonsillectomy 2,080, 31%; tonsillotomy 1,292, 19%; adenoidectomy 3,393, 50%). Postoperative haemorrhage episodes were reported in 15% after tonsillectomy and in 2.3% after tonsillotomy, with the risk increasing parallel to age. Multiple bleeding episodes were recorded in one fourth of all tonsillectomy bleedings, but were rare after tonsillotomy. Surgical revision under general anaesthesia was necessary in 4.2% after tonsillectomy and in 0.9% after tonsillotomy. Discussion: As the incidence of tonsillectomy in children younger than 6 years has declined following the recommendations of the consensus paper issued in 2007, tonsillotomy has become more frequent in this age group. Overnight hospital admission and observation is suggested for all patients experiencing postoperative haemorrhage, as the occurrence of one minor bleeding doubled the risk of a second severe bleeding.
Modeling Nymphoides architecture: A morphological analysis of Nymphoides aquatica (Menyanthaceae).

UNLABELLED PREMISE OF THE STUDY Species in the aquatic genus Nymphoides have inflorescences that appear to arise from the petioles of floating leaves. The inflorescence-floating leaf complex can produce vegetative propagules and/or additional inflorescences and leaves. We analyzed the morphology of N. aquatica to determine how this complex relates to whole plant architecture and whether whole plant growth is sympodial or monopodial. • METHODS We used dissections, measurements, and microscopic observations of field-collected plants and plants cultivated for 2 years in outdoor tanks in south Florida, USA. • KEY RESULTS Nymphoides aquatica had a submerged plagiotropic rhizome that produced floating leaves in an alternate/spiral phyllotaxy. Rhizomes were composed of successive sympodial units that varied in the number of leaves produced before the apex terminated. The basic sympodial unit had a prophyll that subtended a renewal-shoot bud, a short-petioled leaf (SPL) with floating lamina, and an inflorescence; the SPL axillary bud expanded as a vegetative propagule. Plants produced either successive basic sympodial units or expanded sympodia that intercalated long-petioled leaves between the prophyll and the SPL. • CONCLUSIONS Nymphoides aquatica grows sympodially, forming a rhizome composed of successive basic sympodia and expanded sympodial units. Variations on these types of sympodial growth help explain the branching patterns and leaf morphologies described for other Nymphoides species. Monitoring how these two sympodial phases are affected by water depth provides an ecologically meaningful way to assess N. aquatica's responses to altered hydrology.
Targeting Müller cell-derived VEGF164 to reduce intravitreal neovascularization in the rat model of retinopathy of prematurity.

PURPOSE To determine whether knockdown of Müller cell-derived VEGFA-splice variant, VEGF164, which is upregulated in the rat retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) model, safely inhibits intravitreal neovascularization (IVNV). METHODS Short hairpin RNAs for VEGF164 (VEGF164.shRNAs) or luciferase.shRNA control were cloned into lentivectors with CD44 promoters that specifically target Müller cells. Knockdown efficiency, off-target effects, and specificity were tested in HEK reporter cell lines that expressed green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged VEGF164 or VEGF120 with flow cytometry or in rat Müller cells (rMC-1) by real-time PCR. In the rat oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) ROP model, pups received 1 μL subretinal lentivector-driven luciferase.shRNA, VEGFA.shRNA, or VEGF164.shRNA at postnatal day 8 (P8). Analyses at P18 and P25 included: IVNV and avascular retina (AVA); retinal and serum VEGF (ELISA); density of phosphorylated VEGFR2 (p-VEGFR2) in lectin-labeled retinal endothelial cells (ECs; immunohistochemistry); TUNEL staining and thickness of inner nuclear (INL) and outer nuclear layers (ONL) in retinal cryosections; and pup weight gain. RESULTS In HEK reporter and in rMC-1 cells and in comparison to lucifferase.shRNA, VEGFA.shRNA reduced both VEGF120 and VEGF164, but VEGF164.shRNA only reduced VEGF164 and not VEGF120. Compared with luciferase.shRNA, VEGFA.shRNA and VEGF164.shRNA reduced retinal VEGF and IVNV without affecting AVA at P18 and P25. At P25, VEGF164.shRNA more effectively maintained IVNV inhibition than VEGFA.shRNA. VEGFA.shRNA and VEGF164.shRNA reduced pVEGFR2 in retinal ECs at P18, but VEGFA.shRNA increased it at P25. VEGFA.shRNA increased TUNEL+ cells at P18 and decreased ONL thickness at P18 and P25. VEGFA.shRNA and VEGF164.shRNA did not affect pup weight gain and serum VEGF. CONCLUSIONS Short hairpin RNA to Müller cell VEGF164 maintained long-term inhibition of IVNV and limited cell death compared with shRNA to VEGFA.
The effect of education and counseling services given to the primipara mothers during postpartum period on infant care, anxiety level and role of motherhood -

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of scheduled education and counseling services given to the primipara mothers about postpartum infant care, the role of motherhood and anxiety level. This study was planned as a control group research model with pre-post test and it was conducted in Department of Pediatrics of Gulhane Military Medical Faculty The sample of the research consists of 76 primipara mothers (42 control groups-36 study groups ). A Form for Descriptive Charecteristics and The Level of Knowledge of Mother About Infant Care, What Being The Parent of A Baby Is Like Scale, and State- Trait Anxiety Inventory were used while collecting data. Counseling service and education about postpartum infant care was arranged for mothers until baby finished the third month. Most of the mothers in the study and control groups (73.7%) have never had infant care experience before, and 68.4% of the mothers have not received postpartum discharge education. The post- training information points about baby care of the mothers in the study group was found to be higher compared to the control group and the difference between them was found to be statistically meaningful (t=15.163; p
A Randomized, Controlled Trial of a Behavioral Intervention to Reduce Crying among Infants

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of videotaped instruction of a behavioral intervention to reduce crying among newborns. Methods: Mothers of healthy, full-term newborns were recruited from the postpartum unit of a large community hospital for a prospective, randomized, controlled trial of an intervention to reduce infant crying. Mothers participating in the intervention viewed a videotape with instructions involving swaddling, side positioning, white noise, jiggling, and sucking. Mothers in the control group viewed a videotape with instructions for normal newborn care. Intervention was assessed by mean hours per day of infant total crying (fussing, crying, and unsoothable crying) and sleeping as recorded in a diary 3 days a week during the 1st, 4th, 6th, 8th, and 12th weeks of age; the Parenting Stress Index was also used during the 6th and 12th weeks. Results: Fifty-one mother-infant pairs were recruited; 35 completed the study (18 intervention and 17 controls). Sixteen were lost to follow-up. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups in the hours of mean daily total crying or sleeping during the 1st, 4th, 6th, 8th, or 12th weeks of age. For example, during the 6th week of age mean daily total crying was 1.9 hours for infants in the control group versus 2.2 hours for infants in the intervention group (P = .4); sleep was 14.5 hours for infants in the control group versus 14.4 hours for infants in the intervention group (P = .8). During the 12th week mean daily total crying was 1.2 hours for infants in the control group versus 1.8 hours for infants in the intervention group (P = .8) and sleep was 14.1 hours for infants in the control group versus 14.0 hours for infants in the intervention group (P = 1.0). There was no difference between the groups in the Parenting Stress Index during the 6th week of age. Conclusion: The behavioral intervention, when provided via videotape, does not seem to be efficacious in decreasing total crying among normal infants.