Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Leukocyte cell‐derived chemotaxin 2 antagonizes MET receptor activation to suppress hepatocellular carcinoma vascular invasion by protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B recruitment

Leukocyte cell‐derived chemotoxin 2 (LECT2) has been shown to act as a tumor suppressor in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the underlying mechanism has not yet been completely defined. Here, we employ a LECT2‐affinity column plus liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry to identify LECT2‐binding proteins and found that MET receptor strongly interacted with LECT2 protein. Despite the presence of hepatocyte growth factor, the LECT2 binding causes an antagonistic effect to MET receptor activation through recruitment of protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B. The antagonistic effect of LECT2 on MET activation also mainly contributes to the blockage of vascular invasion and metastasis of HCC. Furthermore, serial deletions and mutations of LECT2 showed that the HxGxD motif is primarily responsible for MET receptor binding and its antagonistic effects. Conclusion: These findings reveal a novel, specific inhibitory function of LECT2 in HCC by the direct binding and inactivation of MET, opening a potential avenue for treating MET‐related liver cancer. (Hepatology 2014;59:974‐985)
Supporting stress management for women undergoing the early stages of fertility treatment: a cluster-randomized controlled trial.

AIM The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a support program for the stress management of women undergoing fertility treatment to reduce stress related to infertility and treatment. METHODS We randomly assigned seven institutions into an experimental group (four institutions, n = 96) and a control group (three institutions, n = 44) using cluster randomization. The women in the experimental group were asked to continue stress management homework for 3 months. A nurse provided feedback on the homework every month. Those in the control group were given only the booklet. The primary outcomes were the risk ratios of "depression" and "anxiety" according to the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. The secondary outcomes were "health status" from the Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form 36-item Health Survey (SF-36) v2 and "satisfaction" from the Visual Analogue Scale. We excluded 15 women who became pregnant and performed an intention-to-treat analysis of 125 women. RESULTS There were no differences in the incidence of depression and anxiety between the experimental and control groups. There were significant interaction effects between the program and time in the scores of the two subscales of SF-36 and the summary. There was no difference in satisfaction. The use of ovulation-enhancing agents showed that the scores of "role functioning physical" and "physical component summary" in the non-use subgroup were higher at 2 and 3 months in the experimental group, compared to the control group. CONCLUSIONS Positive effects of the support program were observed on two subscales of the SF-36 in the subgroup that did not use ovulation-enhancing agents.
Toward integrated services for dementia: a formal carer perspective

Purpose – Policy has identified the need for integrated dementia services for older people. However, the role of the formal carer within an integrated framework of service delivery has not been well articulated in practice. The aim of this paper is to understand the experiences of formal carers working with the context of an integrated dementia service by exploring findings from a research‐based evaluation.Design/methodology/approach – The evaluation captured the experiences of formal carers working within the service via observations, semi‐structured interviews and focus groups.Findings – Working with an integrated service brings about individual, social and organisational challenges to the role of the formal carer, in terms of: delivering flexibility and responsiveness, providing continuity of care, ensuring cross‐organisational working and acquiring skills, knowledge and expertise.Originality/value – To facilitate the successful delivery of integrated care, the emerging role of the formal carer needs t.
Implementing peer tutoring in a graduate medical education programme

Background: In modern times, peer tutoring methods have been explored in health care education for over 30 years. In this paper, we report our experience of implementing a peer‐tutoring approach to Clinical Skills Laboratory (CSL) training in the Graduate Entry in Medicine Programme (GEM) at University College Cork.
Submicron Particle Monitoring of Paving and Related Road Construction Operations

This study identified activities and sources that contribute to ultrafine and other submicron particle exposure that could trigger respiratory symptoms in highway repair workers. Submicron particle monitoring was conducted for paving, milling, and pothole repair operations in a major metropolitan area where several highway repair workers were identified as symptomatic for respiratory illness following exposures at the 2001 World Trade Center disaster site. Exposure assessments were conducted for eight trades involved in road construction using a TSI P-Trak portable condensation particle counter. Direct readings near the workers’ breathing zones and observations of activities and potential sources were logged on 7 days on 27 workers using four different models of pavers and two types of millers. Average worker exposure levels ranged from 2 to 3 times background during paving and from 1 to 4 times background during milling. During asphalt paving, average personal exposures to submicron particulates were 25,000–60,000, 28,000–70,000, and 23,000–37,000 particles/ cm3 for paver operators, screed operators, and rakers, respectively. Average personal exposures during milling were 19,000–111,000, 28,000–81,000, and 19,000 particles/cm3 for the large miller operators, miller screed operators, and raker, respectively. Personal peak exposures were measured up to 467,000 and 455,000 particles/cm3 in paving and milling, respectively. Several sources of submicron particles were identified. These included the diesel and electric fired screed heaters; engine exhaust from diesel powered construction vehicles passing by or idling; raking, dumping, and paving of asphalt; exhaust from the hotbox heater; pavement dust or fumes from milling operations, especially when the large miller started and stopped; and secondhand cigarette smoke. To reduce the potential for health effects in workers, over 40 recommendations were made to control exposures, including improved maintenance of paver ventilation systems; diesel fume engineering controls; reduced idling; provision of cabs for the operators; and improved dust suppression systems on the milling machine. [Supplementary materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene for the following free supplemental resource: a PDF file containing recommendations for controlling fumes and dust during road repair and a report on an investigation of the New York City Department of Transportation road repair operations. ]
Hepatocyte‐specific high‐mobility group box 1 deletion worsens the injury in liver ischemia/reperfusion: A role for intracellular high‐mobility group box 1 in cellular protection

High‐mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is an abundant chromatin‐associated nuclear protein and released into the extracellular milieu during liver ischemia‐reperfusion (I/R), signaling activation of proinflammatory cascades. Because the intracellular function of HMGB1 during sterile inflammation of I/R is currently unknown, we sought to determine the role of intracellular HMGB1 in hepatocytes after liver I/R. When hepatocyte‐specific HMGB1 knockout (HMGB1‐HC‐KO) and control mice were subjected to a nonlethal warm liver I/R, it was found that HMGB1‐HC‐KO mice had significantly greater hepatocellular injury after I/R, compared to control mice. Additionally, there was significantly greater DNA damage and decreased chromatin accessibility to repair with lack of HMGB1. Furthermore, lack of hepatocyte HMGB1 led to excessive poly(ADP‐ribose)polymerase 1 activation, exhausting nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide and adenosine triphosphate stores, exacerbating mitochondrial instability and damage, and, consequently, leading to increased cell death. We found that this was also associated with significantly more oxidative stress (OS) in HMGB1‐HC‐KO mice, compared to control. Increased nuclear instability led to a resultant increase in the release of histones with subsequently more inflammatory cytokine production and organ damage through activation of Toll‐like receptor 9. Conclusion: The lack of HMGB1 within hepatocytes leads to increased susceptibility to cellular death after OS conditions. (Hepatology 2014;59:1984–1997)
Immediate occlusal loading of immediately placed implants supporting fixed restorations in completely edentulous arches: a 1-year prospective pilot study.

BACKGROUND The aims of this pilot study were to evaluate the efficacy of treatment consisting of the immediate loading of implants placed immediately after tooth extraction in full-arch restorations and to compare the clinical and radiographic outcomes of implants placed in healed versus postextraction sites in the same group of patients. METHODS Twenty-three patients who needed full-arch restorations were treated. One hundred forty-four implants were placed: 59 after tooth extraction (test group) and 85 in healed sites (control group). Within 48 to 72 hours of implant placement, nine maxillary and 15 mandibular arches received screw-retained fixed prostheses, consisting of a titanium framework fabricated with a computer-aided design and manufacturing techniques and composite resin teeth. The insertion torque for implants was >or=30 Ncm. Implant stability measurements (ISQ) and radiographs of the marginal bone level (MBL) change were performed at prosthesis delivery and after 1 year. RESULTS One implant in the test group and one implant in the control group failed, giving a cumulative success rate of 98.6%; the prosthesis survival rate was 100%. At the 1-year follow-up, no statistically significant difference was found between the control and test sites with respect to MBL change (0.47 +/- 0.18 mm versus 0.57 +/- 0.27 mm) or mean ISQ values (62.24 +/- 1.92 versus 61.34 +/- 2.15). CONCLUSION These preliminary data suggest that immediate loading of implants placed immediately after extraction may be a viable treatment option for edentulous arches when implants are stable at insertion and are rigidly splinted with screw-retained titanium-resin prostheses.
In the Eye's Mind: Vision and the Helmholtz-Hering Controversy

In the Eye's Mind discusses the controversies regarding vision between Herman von Helmholtz and Ewald Hering that took place between 1840 and 1920. These two German physicians, pioneers and giants in the fields of physiological optics and visual physiology, were founders of schools of research and teaching in Germany at a time when there was a highly competitive atmosphere setting the stage for a rapid expansion of knowledge in all scientific fields. This book centers around their research and, from this, their interpretation of vision, especially visual or spatial perception and color vision. Helmholtz invented the ophthalmoscope in 1851. This, and his research in muscle metabolism and conservation of energy, established him as the Wunderkind of German science and medicine. His genius expressed itself in physiology, physiological optics, and physics. Hering is best remembered in ophthalmology for his research and investigation into oculomotor physiology and his law of reciprocal innervation
Insulin‐like growth factor 2 mRNA‐binding protein 1 (IGF2BP1) is an important protumorigenic factor in hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocarcinogenesis is a stepwise process. It involves several genetic and epigenetic alterations, e.g., loss of tumor suppressor gene expression (TP53, PTEN, RB) as well as activation of oncogenes (c‐MYC, MET, BRAF, RAS). However, the role of RNA‐binding proteins (RBPs), which regulate tumor suppressor and oncogene expression at the posttranscriptional level, are not well understood in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here we analyzed RBPs induced in human liver cancer, revealing 116 RBPs with a significant and more than 2‐fold higher expression in HCC compared to normal liver tissue. We focused our subsequent analyses on the Insulin‐like growth factor 2 messenger RNA (mRNA)‐binding protein 1 (IGF2BP1) representing the most strongly up‐regulated RBP in HCC in our cohort. Depletion of IGF2BP1 from multiple liver cancer cell lines inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis in vitro. Accordingly, murine xenograft assays after stable depletion of IGF2BP1 reveal that tumor growth, but not tumor initiation, strongly depends on IGF2BP1 in vivo. At the molecular level, IGF2BP1 binds to and stabilizes the c‐MYC and MKI67 mRNAs and increases c‐Myc and Ki‐67 protein expression, two potent regulators of cell proliferation and apoptosis. These substrates likely mediate the impact of IGF2BP1 in human liver cancer, but certainly additional target genes contribute to its function. Conclusion: The RNA‐binding protein IGF2BP1 is an important protumorigenic factor in liver carcinogenesis. Hence, therapeutic targeting of IGF2BP1 may offer options for intervention in human HCC. (Hepatology 2014;59:1900–1911)
A picture tells 1000 words: learning teamwork in primary care

Background: Teamwork and patient centredness are frequently articulated concepts in medical education, but are not always explicit in the curriculum. In Ireland, recent government policy emphasises the importance of a primary care team approach to health care. We report on an appraisal of a newly introduced community‐based student attachment, which focused on teamwork.
Respuestas cardiovasculares al NaCl hipertónico inyectado en la región anteroventral del tercer ventrículo de ratas con hipertensión e insulinorresistencia inducidas por fructosa

Introduction and objectives. To investigate the hemodynamic sympathetic response evoked by NaCl microinjection into the third ventricle anteroventral brain area (AV3V) in rats long-term fed with high fructose diet. Methods. Twelve male rats received 60% fructose enriched diet for 6 months. Control rats (n=12) received regular diet. Results. Fructose diet increased (P<.01) body weight, plasma glucose, triglycerides, cholesterol, insulin, systolic (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). Basal heart rate (HR) did not change. AV3V microinjection of 2 µL of hypertonic 1.5 M NaCl in fructose fed rats increased SBP 44.64 (3.6) mm Hg, DBP 19.9 (2.4) mm Hg and HR 66.2 (8.4) beats/min over basal values (P<.01). In control rats, smaller responses were observed, SBP increased 28.33 (3.10) mm Hg, DBP 13.0 (1.9) mm Hg and HR 23.0 (5.0) beats/min over basal values (P<.01). Conclusions. Long-term fructose diet in rats induces cardiovascular hyperactivity of AV3V neurons to sodium chloride, and is associated to hypertension and insulinresistance.
A Novel Algorithm for Determining Contact Area Between a Respirator and a Headform

The contact area, as well as the contact pressure, is created when a respiratory protection device (a respirator or surgical mask) contacts a human face. A computer-based algorithm for determining the contact area between a headform and N95 filtering facepiece respirator (FFR) was proposed. Six N95 FFRs were applied to five sizes of standard headforms (large, medium, small, long/narrow, and short/wide) to simulate respirator donning. After the contact simulation between a headform and an N95 FFR was conducted, a contact area was determined by extracting the intersection surfaces of the headform and the N95 FFR. Using computer-aided design tools, a superimposed contact area and an average contact area, which are non-uniform rational basis spline (NURBS) surfaces, were developed for each headform. Experiments that directly measured dimensions of the contact areas between headform prototypes and N95 FFRs were used to validate the simulation results. Headform sizes influenced all contact area dimensions (P < 0.0001), and N95 FFR sizing systems influenced all contact area dimensions (P < 0.05) except the left and right chin regions. The medium headform produced the largest contact area, while the large and small headforms produced the smallest.
Assessment of cerebrocortical areas associated with sexual arousal in depressive women using functional MR imaging.

INTRODUCTION Mental illness is closely related with sexual dysfunction. A number of investigators have reported that depressive women have difficulties in sexual arousal. AIM The purpose of this study was to compare the cerebrocortical regions associated with sexual arousal between the healthy and depressive women using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) based on the blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) technique. METHODS Together with nine healthy women (mean age: 40.3), seven depressive women (mean age: 41.7 years, mean Beck Depression Inventory: 35.6, mean Hamilton Rating Scale Depression-17: 34.9) underwent fMRI examinations using a 1.5T MR scanner (Signa Horizon; GE Medical Systems, Milwaukee, WI, USA). The fMRI data were obtained from seven oblique planes using gradient-echo EPI. Sexual stimulation paradigm began with a 1-minute rest and then 4-minute stimulation using an erotic video film. The brain activation maps and their resulting quantification were analyzed by the statistical parametric mapping (SPM99) program. The number of pixels activated by each task was used as brain activity, where the significance of the differences was evaluated by using independent t-test. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES We measured brain activation areas using BOLD-based fMRI with visual sexual stimulation in healthy volunteers and depressive patients. RESULTS Healthy women were significantly (P < 0.05) activated in the regions of middle occipital gyrus, middle temporal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus, insula, hypothalamus, septal area, anterior cingulate gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus, thalamus, and amygdala by erotic visual stimulation. In comparison with the healthy women, the depressive women gave lower activity, especially in the brain regions of hypothalamus (55.5:3.0), septal area (49.6:8.6), anterior cingulate gyrus (23.5:11.0), and parahippocampal gyrus (18.2:5.8). CONCLUSIONS This preliminary study performed by fMRI gives valuable information on differentiation of the activated cerebral regions associated with visually evoked sexual arousal between healthy and depressive women. In addition, these findings might be useful to understand neural mechanisms for female sexual dysfunction in depressive women.
"e-Praja Suwa Arunalu": A Pilot Study of a Health Information Management System for Public Health Midwives in Sri Lanka

We conducted a needs analysis amongst 16 Public Health Midwives (PHMs) in Sri Lanka and found that they spend most of their time on managing health records. We developed an electronic Health Information Management System (HIMS) to help them with their work. The HIMS was designed so that it could accept data from the PHMs, and generate reports which could be used by the PHMs themselves as well as by their supervisors. The HIMS was tested by a group of 16 PHMs in a remote area in the Rathnapura district. Mini-laptops with the software were distributed to the PHMs and they were given the necessary training. They started entering historical data from the registers into the system by themselves. Nearly 10,000 public health records were generated in the first three months. In a subsequent survey, all the PHMs gave positive answers indicating that they were happy with the pilot project and that they would like to continue using it to enhance their service. The system seems to be a practical solution for the field activities of PHMs in Sri Lanka. The knowledge gained from this study would be useful for future e-Health implementations in the public health sector of Sri Lanka. DOi: http://dx.doi. org/10.4038/sljbmi.v3i2. 4737 Sri Lanka Journal of Biomedical Informatics 2012; 3 :40-46
Discrete and Dual Tree Wavelet Features for Real-Time Speech/Music Discrimination

The performance of wavelet transform-based features for the speech/music discrimination task has been investigated. In order to extract wavelet domain features, discrete and complex orthogonal wavelet transforms have been used. The performance of the proposed feature set has been compared with a feature set constructed from the most common time, frequency and cepstral domain features such as number of zero crossings, spectral centroid, spectral flux, and Mel cepstral coefficients. The artificial neural networks have been used as classification tool. The principal component analysis has been applied to eliminate the correlated features before the classification stage. For discrete wavelet transform, considering the number of vanishing moments and orthogonality, the best performance is obtained with Daubechies8 wavelet among the other members of the Daubechies family. The dual tree wavelet transform has also demonstrated a successful performance both in terms of accuracy and time consumption. Finally, a real-time discrimination system has been implemented using the Daubhecies8 wavelet which has the best accuracy.
Effect of station-specific alerting and ramp-up tones on firefighters' alarm time heart rates

ABSTRACT A number of long-term health effects are suffered by emergency responders, some influenced by psychological stress and fatigue. This study explored if stress and fatigue can be reduced by changing the method by which firefighters are alerted to emergency responses. Over several months, the method by which responders at a fire department were alerted was altered. Firefighter heart rates were measured first with standard alerting as a control (phase 1: all stations alerted simultaneously, with high-volume tones). The department then implemented station-specific (phase 2) and gradual volume ramp-up (phase 3) tone alerting, and heart rate increases were compared. The Fatigue Severity Score was used to examine firefighter fatigue, and the department administered a follow-up survey on personnel preferences. Individual heart rate increases (Δbpm) ranged from 2–48 bpm. Median increases were 7 bpm (IQR 4–11 bpm) during phase 1 (72.2% of alarms Δbpm<10), 7 bpm (IQR 5–12 bpm) during phase 2 (60.7% of alarms Δbpm<10), and 5 bpm (IQR 3–8 bpm) during phase 3 (82.7% of alarms Δbpm<10). The difference in medians was lower for phases 1 and 2 than for phase 3 (p = 0.0069), and more alarms in phase 3 resulted in increases of <10 bpm than in phase 2 (p = 0.0089). The Fatigue Severity Scale showed little variability: median scores 7 in phase 1, 8 in phase 2, and 7 in phase 3. Firefighters reported a strong preference for the “ramp-up” tones, and were roughly evenly divided between preferring alerting all stations simultaneously 24/7 (40% rating this 4 or 5 on a five-point Likert scale), station-specific alerting 24/7 (47.5%), or all stations during the day but station-specific at night (40%). Ramp-up tones were perceived as the best method to reduce stress during the day and overnight. Small but significant decreases in the amount of tachycardic response to station alerting are associated with simple alterations in alerting methods. Station-specific and ramp-up tones improve perceived working conditions for emergency responders.