Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Molecular characterization of commonly used cell lines for bone tumor research: A trans‐European EuroBoNet effort

Usage of cancer cell lines has repeatedly generated conflicting results provoked by differences among subclones or contamination with mycoplasm or other immortal mammalian cells. To overcome these limitations, we decided within the EuroBoNeT consortium to characterize a common set of cell lines including osteosarcomas (OS), Ewing sarcomas (ES), and chondrosarcomas (CS). DNA fingerprinting was used to guarantee the identity of all of the cell lines and to distinguish subclones of osteosarcoma cell line HOS. Screening for homozygous loss of 38 tumor suppressor genes by MLPA revealed deletion of CDKN2A as the most common event (15/36), strictly associated with absence of the CDKN2A (p16) protein. Ten cell lines showed missense mutations of the TP53 gene while another set of nine cell lines showed mutations resulting in truncation of the TP53 protein. Cells harboring missense mutations expressed high levels of nuclear TP53, while cell lines with nonsense mutations showed weak/absent staining for TP53. TP53wt cell lines usually expressed the protein in 2–10% of the cells. However, seven TP53wt osteosarcomas were negative for both mRNA and protein expression. Our analyses shed light on the correlation between immunohistochemical and genetic data for CDKN2A and TP53, and confirm the importance of these signaling pathways. The characterization of a substantial number of cell lines represents an important step to supply research groups with proven models for further advanced studies on tumor biology and may help to make results from different laboratories more comparable. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
HPV status‐independent association of alcohol and tobacco exposure or prior radiation therapy with promoter methylation of FUSSEL18, EBF3, IRX1, and SEPT9, but not SLC5A8, in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is an aggressive malignancy with more than half a million people being diagnosed with the disease annually. Within the last 2 decades, the human papillomavirus (HPV) has been found to be associated with this malignancy. More recently, HPV‐infected HNSCC has been found to exhibit higher levels of global DNA methylation. In a recent study, we identified five tumor suppressive genes (IRX1, EBF3, SLC5A8, SEPT9, and FUSSEL18) as frequently methylated in HNSCC biopsies using a global methylation analysis via restriction landmark genomic scanning. In this study, we verify these genes as valid methylation markers in two separate sets of HNSCC specimens. By using the available clinical information linked to the patient specimens, we found a strong association between promoter methylation of FUSSEL18, IRX1, and EBF3 and prior radiation therapy (P < 0.0001) irrespective of HPV status. Also, promoter methylation of FUSSEL18 and SEPTIN9 was found to correlate significantly with exposure to alcohol and tobacco (P = 0.021). Importantly, in this study, we preliminarily show a trend between HPV16 positivity and specific target gene hypermethylation of IRX1, EBF3, SLC5A8, and SEPT9. If replicated in a larger study, the HPV status may be a patient selection biomarker when determining the most efficacious treatment modality for these different subsets of patients (e.g., inclusion or exclusion of epigenetic therapies). Equally notable and independent of HPV status, hypermethylation of the promoters of a subset of these genes in recurrences especially in the setting of prior radiation or in the setting of alcohol and tobacco use might help guide adjunctive inclusion or exclusion or epigenetic therapy. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A survey of sensor devices: use in sports biomechanics

Abstract This paper examines the use of sensor devices in sports biomechanics, focusing on current frequency of use of Electromyography (EMG) device preferences. Researchers in the International Society of Biomechanics in Sports were invited to participate in an online survey. Responses on multiple sensor devices highlighting frequency of use, device features and improvements researchers sought in acquisition and analysis methods were obtained via an online questionnaire. Results of the investigation showed that the force platform is the most frequently used device, with inertial measurement units and EMG devices growing in popularity. Wireless functionality and ease of use for both the participant and the practitioner proved to be important features. The main findings of the survey demonstrated need for a simple, low power, multi-channel device which incorporates the various sensors into one single device. Biomechanists showed they were looking for more availability of wireless sensor devices with acquisition and analysis features. The study found there is a need to develop software analysis tools to accompany the multi-channel device, providing all the basic functions while maintaining compatibility with existing systems.
Speech Pathology: An Applied Behavioral Science.

This book on speech pathology covers an area unfamiliar to many physicians. Use of the word pathology in reference to this subject is somewhat controversial and perhaps unacceptable to those considering that this discipline deals with abnormal anatomy and histology. Nonetheless, the designation is becoming increasingly accepted by virtue of common usage. In view of the expanded knowledge in all medical behavioral fields, one wonders whether a single author should attempt writing this type of comprehensive book. The risks exist of exposure to only one man's bias and of being top-heavy in some areas and spotty in others. Happily, Perkins has successfully skirted these pitfalls and achieved the reasonable goal that he established, namely, to presenting an overview of speech pathology particularly in relation to other health professions. In this regard, the book will serve as a valuable reference for physicians concerned with communicative disorders. The text has two sections,
Autoantibodies against stress‐induced phosphoprotein‐1 as a novel biomarker candidate for ovarian cancer

Detection of autoantibodies against tumor‐associated antigens (TAA) has recently been shown to be a powerful tool for early detection of various cancers. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of using autoantibodies against TAA as novel biomarkers by a proteomics‐based approach in patients with ovarian cancer. We used two‐dimensional differential gel electrophoresis analysis of immuno‐precipitated tumor antigens (2D‐DITA) to compare the levels of autoandibodies in pretreatment and posttreatment sera of patients with ovarian cancers. The identified autoantibodies were validated by SYBR Green real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC). We further evaluated the level of autoantibody in sera of 68 ovarian cancer patients by an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The autoantibody directed against stress‐induced phosphoprotein‐1 (STIP‐1) emerged as a novel biomarker candidate for ovarian cancer. SYBR Green PCR and IHC confirmed that the STIP‐1 mRNA and protein expression levels were significantly up‐regulated in ovarian cancers compared with normal and benign tumors (P = 0.003 and P < 0.001, respectively). A preliminary ELISA study showed that the serum levels of anti‐STIP‐1 autoantibodies were significantly elevated in ovarian cancer patients compared with healthy controls (P = 0.03). The results suggest that 2D‐DITA is a useful tool to detect autoantibodies and that STIP‐1 is a potential biomarker candidate for ovarian cancers. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Methods for the economic evaluation of health care programmes

Public health in the Victorian era had two major concerns: housing conditions and sanitation. These two elements were seen as crucial in improving the health status of the population. This Victorian notion of public health was, therefore, centred upon the prevention rather than cure ofdisease. The early years ofthis century saw a narrowing of this Victorian vision with an increased emphasis on personal hygiene and individual action in the prevention of disease. Thus there was a shift in the focus of disease prevention from society as a whole to its individual members. This influenced the role of public health doctors whose administrative responsibilities were increasing as they assumed responsibility for municipal hospitals. These administrative and preventive roles brought public health doctors into conflict with family doctors about the scope and objectives of public health. The establishment of the National Health Service, which left public health doctors in charge ofa range of community services, only served to heighten the conflicts within the medical profession about the role of public health within a socialised medical system. The emergence of the social work profession created a further area of conflict. Although the 1974 reorganisation of the NHS created the specialty of community medicine, thereby providing public health doctors with a career structure similar to that of other specialties within medicine, the role of the new specialty was emasculated. The fledgling specialty was given the responsibility for planning and coordinating health care delivery within local areas. However, few resources were provided and little opportunity has arisen for the new community physicians to implement their plans. The provision of a medicalised career structure has done little to overcome the negative image of community medicine within the rest of the medical profession. This book presents an historical view of the development of one branch of the medical profession. Using archival material supplemented by interviews with community physicians, Jane Lewis shows how 'public health' and 'preventive medicine' have been supplanted as the central concern of medicine by curative and acute specialties. The much vaunted current policies of prevention and community care have not served to rescue community medicine from languishing in obscurity. This book provides an interesting account of the development of the medical 355
Transplant tourism and compensated kidney donation: A survey of opinions amongst Swedish medical students

Abstract Objective: Transplant tourism and proposals for regulated compensated donation are reactions to the global scarcity in kidneys. These areas raise unique ethical challenges in medical education and clinical practice. We aimed to elucidate the opinions of soon-to-be physicians on transplant tourism, and compensated donation. We investigated how these opinions are formed, if they are interrelated, and their impact on encounters with patients. Design and Methods: a 14 item survey was developed using cognitive interviewing techniques, and distributed to the graduating class at Linköping Medical University. Spearman's correlation coefficient and Pearson's chi-square test were employed to investigate significant associations. Results: The response rate was 43/47 (92%). The majority were strongly (64%), or somewhat (29%) against transplant tourism. Those with strong negative positions on transplant tourism were significantly (p<0.05) more likely to dissuade patients from pursuing it. More students expressed support for regulated compensation from a clinical perspective (34%) as compared with support from an ethical perspective (15%). Conclusions: The opinions of young physicians on transplant tourism are a significant indicator for their clinical approach. Young physicians balance competing ethical responsibilities such as respect for autonomy against concerns for kidney vendors in the developing world. Clinical and policy scenarios, similar to those used in this survey are useful tools for students to explore challenging ethical issues within their medical education, to provide appropriate guidance for patients and empower them through health education.
Characterization of primary wilms tumor cultures as an in vitro model

Functional analysis of gene candidates and testing of novel therapeutics in Wilms tumors (WT) has been hampered by the lack of in vitro model systems. WT are characterized by a spectrum of histological appearances, but published cell lines are mostly derived from rare anaplastic variants or even non‐WT. There has been some success in establishing primary cultures, but these are often poorly characterized or only derived from less frequent WT1 mutant tumors. We report the generation of a set of primary WT‐cell cultures using a simple cultivation protocol. Our cultures could be established after preoperative chemotherapy and irrespective of histological subtypes or genetic alterations. The presence of tumor‐specific genetic alterations validates these cultures as being tumor‐derived. Genetic characterization is of utmost importance as some cultures with similar morphological appearance lacked such alterations and either represent clonal variants or normal cells. By immunohistochemistry, the cells are either epithelial or more mesenchymal, and the latter exhibiting a longer life span with 30 or more passages before undergoing senescence. This may be related to WT being embryonal tumors with a strong differentiation potential that may prevail in vitro. Telomeres progressively shorten with cultivation, but their length does not predict lifespan. hTERT transfection may partly allow establishment of immortalized lines, because 2/7 cultures avoid senescence even in later passages. Importantly, these cells can be efficiently manipulated by transfection, making them a useful model system for in vitro testing. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Methylation of P16, P21, P27, RB1 and P53 genes in odontogenic keratocysts.

BACKGROUND Odontogenic keratocyst (OKC) is a benign neoplasm with an aggressive clinical behavior and a high recurrence rate. Although epigenetic alterations have been reported in different tumors, these events were not investigated in OKC yet. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of methylation in P16, P21, P27, P53 and RB1 genes in OKC tumors. METHODS Methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MSP) was used to evaluate the presence of methylation in 10 samples of OKCs, 10 samples of dental follicles and six samples of normal mucosa. RESULTS The methylation status of the P16 gene was similar among the three groups. In P21 gene, 30% of OKCs were methylated while no methylation could be detected in the other groups. High frequency of P27 methylation (90%) was observed in dental follicles, however, some OKC lesions (10%) and normal mucosa samples (33%) were also methylated. Concerning the RB1 gene, positive results were detected only in dental follicles (40%). No positive result was observed considering P53 gene. CONCLUSIONS Our data show methylation of the promoter of P21 gene in OKCs. In addition, methylation of the P27 and RB1 genes are commonly found in dental follicles. Further studies are necessary to determine the functional relevance of these alterations.
Demographic and social characteristics of the traumatic brain injury model system database

This article presents the following information on the 325 individuals included in the traumatic brain injury (TBI) model system database: (1) demographic and social characteristics; (2) the etiology of TBI (or cause of injury); and (3) the relationship among demographic factors, etiology, and facto
The Intersection of Transformation and Quality in Mental Health Treatment: Implementing the California Learning Collaborative

Recent initiative and reports from the Institute of Medicine and the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health focused on how the quality of care in the United States should be improved for health, mental health and substance use conditions. Change strategies addressing these areas share a common theme—they all require a quality improvement infrastructure that integrates the planning of system changes with implementation and methods to monitor the changes. This paper describes a pilot initiative in California that attempts to address these concerns by implementing formal quality improvement strategies to accelerate transformative change in public mental health systems and builds on the opportunity that arose with the newly established Mental Healthy Services Act. Eight California county mental health agencies participated in a two-year learning collaborative (CLC) designed to improve their quality improvement infrastructure in the areas of project management, measurement of progress and outcomes, and proactive planning for the dissemination of innovation. The background, objectives, and implementation activities of the CLC are discussed as well as preliminary challenges and evaluation strategies.
A randomised controlled trial of two feeding schedules in neonates weighing ≤1750 g

Objectives. To study the incidence of feed intolerance, apnea and hypoglycemia in neonates weighing ≤1750 g given 3 hourly feeds as against 2 hourly feeds. Methods. Ninety-two neonates, weighing ≤1750 g and medically fit to receive feeds, were randomised to receive feeds either at 3 hourly or 2 hourly intervals. Results. The incidence of feed intolerance was not different between 3 hourly and 2 hourly feeding groups [13%vs. 19%, OR 0.69 (95% CI 0.19–2.49)]. The incidence of apnea was 25 and 28%[OR 0.86 (95% CI 0.3–2.48)] and that of hypoglycemia was 21 and 26%[OR 0.75 (95% CI 0.24–2.3)] in 3 hourly and 2 hourly feeding groups, respectively. The incidence of necrotising enterocolitis was also similar (7%) in both the feeding groups. The total nursing time spent on feeding per day was significantly less in 3 hourly group. Conclusions. In comparison to a 2 hourly schedule, a 3 hourly feeding schedule did not decrease the incidence of feed intolerance; it, however, did not increase the incidence of hypoglycemia or apnea. For practical convenience, a 3 hourly feeding schedule may be preferred over 2 hourly schedule in neonates weighing ≤1750 g.
Multiple calcifying hyperplastic dental follicles: comparison with hyperplastic dental follicles.

BACKGROUND Multiple calcifying hyperplastic dental follicles (MCHDF) is a rare disorder that is characterized by multiple impacted teeth and enlarged dental follicles that include calcifications. The current lack of information characterizing MCHDF impedes clinicians from making prompt differential diagnoses. We describe five cases of MCHDF and analyze their clinical and histopathological features in an effort to compare MCHDF with hyperplastic dental follicles (HDF) of singly impacted teeth. METHODS Our five cases of MCHDF were examined and clinically/histologically compared with data from 50 singly impacted teeth with HDFs. RESULTS The five patients described in this study were all male. The pattern of impaction varied, but every second molar was impacted in all the patients. Alterations in the number of teeth, such as supernumerary or congenitally missing teeth were observed. Upon microscopic examination, most of the calcifications consisted of basophilic droplets that were fused to one another, and were surrounded by whirling spindle cells. Another type of calcification that was observed less frequently resembled woven bone. These features were consistent with three previously reported cases and observed in HDFs of 20 singly impacted teeth. While the average period of impaction and the time to reach some level of calcification in MCHDFs was shorter than in single calcifying HDFs, the calcification was more generalized in MCHDFs. CONCLUSIONS This study indicates that MCHDF is a separate pathologic entity with exclusive male predilection and earlier calcifications, different to HDF. Further studies are needed to understand the etiology of MCHDFs to provide various options for treatment, and to clarify the mechanisms of eruption.
The impact of maternal obesity on satisfactory detailed anatomic ultrasound image acquisition

Objective. To assess the impact of maternal body mass index (BMI) on ultrasound visualisation of fetal morphology. Study design. Singleton pregnancies undergoing targeted ultrasound fetal anatomic evaluation at 18- to 25-weeks gestation from 1/05 to 12/05 were included. Ultrasound reports and maternal medical records were reviewed for maternal characteristics and documentation of adequatecy of ultrasound visualisation for each organ system was obtained by individual chart review. BMI was divided into normal (18.5–24.9 kg/m2) and obese (>30 kg/m2) groups. Overweight women (BMI 25–29.9 kg/m2) were excluded. Suboptimal visualisation for each organ system was compared between BMI groups. Multivariable analysis controlled for sonographer, physician, US equipment, race, parity, fetal lie, weight and gestational age. Results. Eight hundred fourteen patients were included (Normal = 148, Obese = 666). The frequency of suboptimal visualisation was significantly increased in the obese group for the cardiovascular system SV (50.9% vs. 26.9%, p < 0.0001), facial soft tissue SV (39.1% vs. 19.3%p < 0.0001) and abdominal wall SV (2.7% vs. 0%, p < 0.0001). Suboptimal visualisation declined with advancing gestational age. Conclusions. Suboptimal fetal anatomic visualisation is increased with maternal obesity, but declines with advancing gestational age in both normal weight and obese populations.
The investigation of missing paternal information in birth certificates and low birth weight

Objective. To determine if missing paternal information in birth certificates is associated with an increased risk of low birth weight (LBW). Methods. This was a retrospective single cohort analysis including all live births at our institution between April 1999 and May 2002. We created two study groups, one with father's information complete (FIC) and one with father's information missing (FIM). We utilised a three-tier approach (univariate analysis, multivariate analysis and propensity matching) to determine if FIM was related to LBW. Results. Univariate analysis showed a significant difference in LBW rates between the FIM and FIC groups (14.6 vs. 9.1%, p < 0.001). However, this difference was not observed in the multivariate (odds ratio = 1, p = 0.858, ns) or propensity matching analysis (13.9 vs. 13.8%, p = 0.954, ns). Conclusion. After controlling for LBW risk factors, FIM was not an independent predictor of LBW.
The reliability of an isometric test based on constant perception of effort

To date there is no documented procedure to extrapolate findings of an isometric nature to a whole body performance setting. The purpose of this study was to quantify the reliability of perceived exertion to control neuromuscular output during an isometric contraction. 21 varsity athletes completed a maximal voluntary contraction and a 2 min constant force contraction at both the start and end of the study. Between pre and post testing all participants completed a 2 min constant perceived exertion contraction once a day for 4 days. Intra-class correlation coefficient (R=O.949) and standard error of measurement (SEM=5.12 Nm) concluded that the isometric contraction was reliable. Limits of agreement demonstrated only moderate initial reliability, yet with smaller limits towards the end of 4 training sessions. In conclusion, athlete's na"ive to a constant effort isometric contraction will produce reliable and acceptably stable results after 1 familiarization sessions has