Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Measuring Secondary Traumatic Stress Symptoms in Military Spouses With the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist Military Version

Abstract Little research to date has examined secondary traumatic stress symptoms in spouses of military veterans. This study investigated the presence and severity of posttraumatic stress symptoms in a sample of 227 Army National Guard veterans and secondary traumatic stress symptoms among their spouses. The veterans completed the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Checklist Military Version (PCL-M) (Weathers et al., 1993) to determine the probable prevalence rate of posttraumatic stress symptoms. A modified version of the PCL-M was used to assess secondary traumatic stress symptoms in the spouses. A confirmatory factor analysis showed that the modified version of the PCL-M used to assess secondary traumatic stress symptoms in spouses fits using the same four-factor PTSD structure as the PCL-M for veterans. This study provides initial evidence on the underlying symptom structure of secondary traumatic stress symptoms among spouses of traumatic event victims.
Secondary Victimization: Domestic Violence Survivors Navigating the Family Law System

This qualitative study explored the experiences of 22 domestic violence survivors attempting to negotiate safe post-separation parenting arrangements through the Australian family law system. Their allegations of violence put them at odds with a system that values mediated settlements and shared parenting. Skeptical responses, accusations of parental alienation, and pressure to agree to unsafe arrangements exacerbated the effects of post-separation violence. Core themes in the women’s narratives of engagement with the family law system—silencing, control, and undermining the mother–child relationship—mirrored domestic violence dynamics, suggesting the concept of secondary victimization as a useful lens for understanding their experiences.
Zika virus impairs growth in human neurospheres and brain organoids

Zika virus tested in human brain organoids The pernicious and resilient Aedes mosquito is rapidly spreading Zika virus (ZIKV) through the Americas. ZIKV infection mostly causes mild disease, but in some patients, nervous system involvement is indicated. A particular worry is an observed correlation between infection of mothers in the first trimester of pregnancy and microcephaly in newborns. Garcez et al. tested the effects of ZIKV compared with dengue virus infection on human neural stem cells grown as organoids. ZIKV targeted the human brain cells, reduced their size and viability in vitro, and caused programmed cell death responses. Science, this issue p. 816 Zika virus infection in cell culture models damages human neural stem cells to limit growth and cause cell death. Since the emergence of Zika virus (ZIKV), reports of microcephaly have increased considerably in Brazil; however, causality between the viral epidemic and malformations in fetal brains needs further confirmation. We examined the effects of ZIKV infection in human neural stem cells growing as neurospheres and brain organoids. Using immunocytochemistry and electron microscopy, we showed that ZIKV targets human brain cells, reducing their viability and growth as neurospheres and brain organoids. These results suggest that ZIKV abrogates neurogenesis during human brain development.
α/β− and γ/δ TCR+ lymphocyte infiltration in necrotising choroidal melanomas

AIM To detect specific tumour infiltrating T cells (TIL) carrying antigen specific MHC-I restricted receptor genes on necrotising and non-necrotising malignant melanomas and to correlate the findings with clinical data. METHODS α/β− and γ/δ− TIL were determined by immunohistochemical staining in melanomas of patients with known follow up of more than 10 years. An antigen retrieval method was used to determine variable genes δ1 and γ1 on TCR+ cells by an anti-TCR Vδ1 and anti-CrγM1, and of Vα and Vβ TCR+ by an anti-pan-TCR+α/β antibody. RESULTS Intratumoral TIL were present in 86 of 113 (76.1%) necrotising melanomas (NMM)v 21 of 100 (21%) in non-necrotising melanomas (MM); of these, Vα/β− TCR+ cells were present in 52 of 74 (70.3%) TIL harbouring NMMv four of 21 (19%) MM; Vγ1 in 29 of 74 (39.2%) NMM v two of 21 (10%) MM; and Vδ1 in 39 of 74 (52.7%) NMM v three of 21 (14%) MM. Extratumoral lymphocytic infiltration was seen in 86 (76.1%) NMM including Vα/β TCR+ cells in 10 (11.6%) cases, v five (5%) MM cases with no Vα/β TCR+ cells detected. Vγ1 and Vδ1 TCR+ cells were not found in extratumoral infiltrates. CONCLUSIONS In NMM, the median survival was 69.3 (range 6–237) months, 19 of 74 patients (25.7%) survived 5 years, and mortality was associated with advanced stage (p<0.001), patient age (p<0.023), and extent of necrosis (p<0.048). Survival was increased with evidence of Vγ1 and Vδ1 TCR+ cells (p<0.026).
Intelligent Understanding of User Interaction in Image Segmentation

We have developed interactive tools for graph-based segmentation of natural images, in which the user guides object delineation by drawing strokes (markers) inside and outside the object. A suitable arc-weight estimation is paramount to minimize user time and maximize segmentation accuracy in these tools. However, it depends on discriminative image properties for object and background. These properties can be obtained from some marker pixels, but their identification is a hard problem during delineation. Careless arc-weight re-estimation reduces user control and drops performance, while interactive arc-weight estimation in a step before interactive object extraction is the best option so far, albeit it is not intuitive for nonexpert users. We present an effective solution using the unified framework of the image foresting transform (IFT) with three operators: clustering for interpreting user interaction and determining when and where arc weights need to be re-estimated; fuzzy classification for arc-weight estimation; and marker competition based on optimum connectivity for object extraction. For validation, we compared the proposed approach with another interactive IFT-based method, which computes arc weights before extraction. Evaluation involved multiple users (experts and nonexperts), a dataset with several natural images, and measurements to quantify accuracy, precision, efficiency (user time and computation time), and user control, being some of them novel measurements, proposed in this work.
The anterior buccal gland of the Rat: A mucous salivary gland which develops as a branch of stensen's duct

Examination of serial histologic sections of the head and neck regions of rats at selected age intervals from 14 days in utero to 100 days postnatally revealed that at 16 days in utero, a second salivary gland arises from the rudimentary parotid (Stensen's) duct. This gland develops more rapidly than the parotid gland; its acini are essentially mature prior to weaning, preceding parotid acini in this respect by several days. All cells of the secretory units of the mature gland stain positively with both alcian blue and periodic acid‐Schiff, indicating that the gland is of pure mucous type. The body of the gland occupies a space lateral and mostly superior to the maxillary buccal sulcus, nestled beneath the anterior bulge of the masseter muscle, near the point where the buccal and mandibular marginal branches of the facial nerve cross paths. It is the only salivary gland in the buccal wall anterior to the third molar; hence, the proposed name of anterior buccal gland. These observations suggest: (1) Samples of rat parotid saliva collected proximally and distally to the junction of the ducts of the parotid and anterior buccal glands are likely to differ significantly in the quality and quantity of mucosubstances which they contain. (2) The divergent differentiation of two branches of the same glandular primordium in this instance implies differences in the inductive qualities of their respective mesenchymal beds.
Enhanced liver targeting of 5-fluorouracil using galactosylated human serum albumin as a carrier molecule

The objective of this study was to develop a liver-specific antihepatocarcinoma agent. The galactosylated human serum albumin 5-fluorouracil conjugate (GHSA-5-FU) was prepared and tested for its chemical characteristic, biodistribution and primary cytotoxicity. The matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) was applied to determined the molar ratio (moles of 5-FU/mole of G-HSA and moles of galactose/mole of HSA) of the conjugate. The liver targeting ability of GHSA-5-FU labeled by 131I was evaluated by measuring the total radioactivity in organs after i.v. administration in mice and rabbits, and the cytotoxicity of the conjugate was assayed by MTT method. The results showed that the molar ratio of galactose to HSA was 50, and the 5-FU to GHSA was 15. Liver uptake in rabbits and mice peaked within 5–20 min after injection. The radioactivity (counts/g tissue) of the conjugate in the liver was several times higher than those in the other organs. The conjugate showed strong cytotoxicity, but no significant cytotoxicity difference was found between GHSA-5-FU and free 5-FU.
Treatment with pegylated interferon and ribavarin in HCV infection with genotype 2 or 3 for 14 weeks: A pilot study

The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of 14 weeks of treatment in patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 2 or 3 who achieve early virological response (EVR). In a noncontrolled multicenter trial, 122 treatment‐naive patients received 1.5 μg/kg pegylated interferon alfa‐2b subcutaneously once weekly and 800 to 1,400 mg/d ribavirin based on body weight. Treatment was stopped at week 14 in patients with EVR, defined as undetectable HCV RNA at weeks 4 and 8. Patients without EVR were assigned to 24 weeks of treatment. The primary end point was sustained virological response (SVR), defined as undetectable HCV RNA 24 weeks after end of treatment. Among the 122 patients, 95 (78%) had EVR and received 14 weeks of treatment. The remaining 27 (22%) were treated for 24 weeks. SVR was obtained in 85 (90%) of 95 patients in the 14‐week treatment group and 15 of (56%) 27 in the 24‐week treatment group. Altogether, SVR was obtained in 100 of 122 patients (82%; 95% CI, 75%‐89%). SVR after 14 weeks of treatment was achieved more frequently among genotype 3a patients with low viral load compared with high viral load (98% vs. 79%; P = .019). Logistic regression analysis showed that absence of bridging fibrosis/cirrhosis was the only independent predictor of SVR. In conclusion, patients with genotype 2 or 3 and EVR obtained a high SVR after 14 weeks of treatment. The results need to be confirmed in a randomized, controlled study before this treatment approach can be recommended, particularly for patients with genotype 3 and high viral load or severe fibrosis. (HEPATOLOGY 2004;40: 1260–1265.)
Evaluation of a commercial diagnostic PCR for the identification of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli

Aims: DuPont Qualicon recently developed a new PCR assay for the identification of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli. We evaluated the selectivity and utility of this assay compared with a PCR method already in use in our laboratory. Methods and Results: A group of 133 Campylobacter isolates from poultry carcass rinse samples were screened using the commercial PCR and standard PCR. Identical results were found for 89·5% (119/133) of the isolates. However, 10·5% (14/133) gave conflicting results suggesting mixed cultures. These 14 strains were retested by both PCR methods. Of these, 78·6% (11/14) showed identical results for both PCR methods after retesting; the results for the remaining 21·4% (3/14) again indicated mixed cultures. Conclusions, Significance and Impact of Study: The new multiplex PCR is a rapid and accurate alternative to more conventional PCR methods. The persistence of mixed Campylobacter cultures noted in this study suggests certain strains may be very difficult to isolate clonally by standard culture methods.
A novel method for the analysis of multiple sequence variants by hybridisation to oligonucleotides.

Predicting the reassociation behaviour of oligonucleotides is required for PCR primers and for allele specific oligonucleotides (ASOs) in genetic analyses. Theoretical predictions are unreliable and we have developed an experimental approach using arrays of oligonucleotides differing in length and representing different positions in the gene. Oligonucleotides are synthesised on the surface of a glass plate through a linker which leaves the oligonucleotides covalently attached to the glass (1). The experiments described in this paper were all carried out using standard microscope slides. The masks used to direct the reagents during coupling were made as follows: Lengths of silicone rubber tubing (1 mm o.d., Altec Ltd.) were with silicone rubber cement ('CAF4', Rh6ne-Poulenc) to micFoscope slides, to form a 'U' shaped cavity when clamped against a derivatised microscope slide, into which the coupling solution was introduced through a syringe 1). Standard oligonucleotide synthesis reagents and conditions were used (2). Except in the positions of the mismatched bases, the array in 1 was laid down using a mask which most of the the slide. this the oligonucleotides at the 3' or 5'
Magnetic resonance angiography study of a normal mouse brain for creating a three-dimensional cerebral vasculature atlas and software for labeling vessels

In our lab, we are studying a mouse model of Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT), a genetic disorder that leads to ArterioVenous Malformations (AVMs) in brain. Using this mouse model and the technique of Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA), we are pursuing the goal of tracking AVMs to determine a classification system that stratifies AVMs by longitudinal evolution. Before this work can occur, we need to build a three-dimensional (3D) MRA Atlas for a healthy normal mouse brain for comparison. The 3D atlas we have built presents the vascular structure for the healthy normal mouse brain using a graphical software tool.
POD for Real-Time Simulation of Hyperelastic Soft Biological Tissue Using the Point Collocation Method of Finite Spheres

The point collocation method of finite spheres (PCMFS) is used to model the hyperelastic response of soft biological tissue in real time within the framework of virtual surgery simulation. The proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) model order reduction (MOR) technique was used to achieve reduced-order model of the problem, minimizing computational cost. The PCMFS is a physics-based meshfree numerical technique for real-time simulation of surgical procedures where the approximation functions are applied directly on the strong form of the boundary value problem without the need for integration, increasing computational efficiency. Since computational speed has a significant role in simulation of surgical procedures, the proposed technique was able to model realistic nonlinear behavior of organs in real time. Numerical results are shown to demonstrate the effectiveness of the new methodology through a comparison between full and reduced analyses for several nonlinear problems. It is shown that the proposed technique was able to achieve good agreement with the full model; moreover, the computational and data storage costs were significantly reduced.
Incidence and Risk Factors of Chronic Daily Headache in Young Adolescents: A School Cohort Study

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the incidence and risk factors of chronic daily headache (CDH) and its major subtypes in young adolescents. METHODS: A field cohort of 3342 adolescents aged 13 to 14 was established in 3 middle schools in Taitung, Taiwan, from 2005 to 2007. Participants without CDH at baseline were annually followed up for 1 to 2 years using the same questionnaires, including the Adolescent Depression Inventory and Pediatric Migraine Disability Assessment. The neurologists made the headache diagnoses based on clinical interviews and headache diaries. The person-time incidence rates and risk factors of incident CDH and its subtypes (ie, chronic migraine [CM] and chronic tension-type headache [CTTH]) were calculated by using Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS: The cohort completed 5586 person-years (PYs) of follow-up. Sixty-three subjects (21 boys/42 girls) developed incident CDH with an incidence rate of 1.13 per 100 PYs, including 37 with CM (0.66 per 100 PYs) and 22 with CTTH (0.39 per 100 PYs). Thirty-three subjects (52%) had a baseline diagnosis of migraine. The independent risk factors for incident CDH included female gender, acute family financial distress, obesity, higher headache frequency, and a baseline diagnosis of migraine. A higher headache frequency was the only identical risk factor for CDH, CM, and CTTH. A baseline diagnosis of migraine and obesity were significant predictors for both CM and CDH. Female gender was a significant predictor for both CTTH and CDH. CONCLUSIONS: Incident CDH was common in young adolescents. Some risk factors for incident CM and CTTH were different.
DNA methylation array analyses to identify HYAL2 methylation in peripheral blood as a marker for the detection of early breast cancer.

26 Background: Early detection is crucial to improve the survival rate and quality of life of breast cancer (BC) patients. Changes in DNA methylation in peripheral blood could be associated with malignancy at early stage. We aim to identify BC-associated DNA methylation signatures in peripheral blood. METHODS We identified a BC-associated differentially methylated locus by genome-wide investigation using Illumina 27K Methylation Assay. Two validation studies and replications in leucocytes and T cells were carried out using MassARRAY. The RNA expression levels were measured by real-time PCR. RESULTS The methylation level of CpG site cg27091787 in hyaluronoglucosaminidase 2 gene (HYAL2) in peripheral blood was significantly lower in BC cases than in controls (discovery round, 72 BC case and 24 controls, p = 2.61 × 10-9 adjusted for cell-type proportions; first validation round,338 BC case and 507 controls, p < 0.0001; second validation round,189 BC case and 189 controls, p < 0.0001). Compared to the highest quartile, the lowest quartile of cg27091787 methylation was associated with a more than 40-fold increased risk of BC (p < 0.0001). In addition to cg27091787, the decreased methylation of a 650 bp CpG island shore of HYAL2 was also associated with BC. Moreover, the expression and methylation of HYAL2 in leucocytes were inversely correlated (p = 0.006). To note, the BC-associated decreased HYAL2 methylation was replicated in T cell fraction (p = 0.034). The cg27091787 methylation level enabled a powerful discrimination of early stage BC cases from healthy controls (area under curve (AUC) = 0.88), and was also robust for the detection of BC in younger women (AUC = 0.87). CONCLUSIONS Validating the epigenome-wide study by independent cohorts, we have revealed a strong association between decreased HYAL2 methylation in peripheral blood and BC. Our results have given an answer to the debate on the origin of BC-associated differential methylation in blood, which is not only because of the change of cell type proportions, but more importantly due to altered methylation in specific blood cell fragments, like in T cells. And thus, we provide a promising blood-based marker for the detection of early BC.
Determinants of Plasma Homocysteine in Relation to Hematological and Biochemical Variables in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction

Background: Elevated plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) is a risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD), but the mechanism is not known. This study evaluates the determinants and associations of tHcy in patients presenting with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Methods: Plasma concentration of tHcy, protein C, protein S, and antithrombin were measured in 210 (177 males and 33 females) patients with first AMI and 167 (87 males and 80 females) controls. Serum vitamin B12, folate, creatinine, lipid profile, fasting glucose, full blood count and red cell folate were determined. Creatinine clearance was calculated using the modification of diet in renal disease formula. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to determine the associations of tHcy. Results: Mean tHcy was higher in male than female patients. On logistic regression analysis, the most important determinants of tHcy in the patients were age, creatinine, creatinine clearance, vitamin B12 and red cell folate. When study patients were compared with the controls, tHcy, fasting glucose and serum creatinine were significantly higher, while creatinine clearance and HDL cholesterol were significantly lower in the study patients. Logistic regression analysis showed significant association of tHcy with AMI, odds ratio = 1.39, in the presence of other confounding factors. Conclusions: Our results show that tHcy is a significant risk factor for CAD in our patient population. The determinants in the patients are age, glomerular filtration rate and the status of vitamins B12 and folate. The above determinants should be kept in mind when using tHcy as a risk factor for CAD.
Improved High Resolution TOA Estimation for OFDM-WLAN Based Indoor Ranging

This letter presents three novel approaches, namely peak detection, modified maximum peak-to-leaking ratio detection and channel frequency response (CFR) reconstruction, in order to improve the high resolution TOA estimation technique when using OFDM-based WLAN preamble. Computer simulations show that all the proposed approaches outperform the state-of-the-art in the WINNER A1 LOS channel. Moreover, the proposed approaches demonstrate their advantages in WARP2 board based Wi-Fi testbed.
A convex formulation for path analysis in structural equation modeling

Path analysis is a special problem in Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) where its model describes causal relations among measured variables in a form of multiple linear regression. This work presents an alternative estimation formulation for a special case problem in path analysis as a convex framework by relaxing an equality constraint of the original problem. Under a condition on problem parameters, we show that, our optimal solution is low rank and provides an estimate of the path matrix of the original problem. To solve our estimation problem in a convex framework, we apply the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) algorithm which is suitable for large-scale implementation. The performance of this algorithm is demonstrated in numerical experiments.
Murine Coronavirus Spike Glycoprotein Mediates Degree of Viral Spread, Inflammation, and Virus-Induced Immunopathology in the Central Nervous System

Abstract The mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) spike glycoprotein is a major determinant of neurovirulence. We investigated how alterations in spike affect neurovirulence using two isogenic recombinant viruses differing exclusively in spike. S4R, containing the MHV-4 spike gene, is dramatically more neurovirulent than SA59R, containing the MHV-A59 spike gene (J. J. Phillips, M. M. Chua, E. Lavi, and S. R. Weiss, 1999, J. Virol. 73, 7752–7760). We examined the contribution of differences in cellular tropism, viral spread, and the immune response to infection to the differential neurovirulence of S4R and SA59R. MHV-4 spike-mediated neurovirulence was associated with extensive viral spread in the brain in both neurons and astrocytes. Infection of primary hippocampal neuron cultures demonstrated that S4R spread more rapidly than SA59R and suggested that spread may occur between cells in close physical contact. In addition, S4R infection induced a massive influx of lymphocytes into the brain, a higher percentage of CD8+ T cells, and a higher frequency of MHV-specific CD8+ T cells relative SA59R infection. Despite this robust and viral-specific immune response to S4R infection, infection of RAG1−/− mice suggested that immune-mediated pathology also contributes to the high neurovirulence of S4R.