Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Risk factors for basal cell carcinoma in a Mediterranean population: role of recreational sun exposure early in life.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the role of pigmentary traits, different patterns of sun exposure, artificial sources of UV radiation, and lifestyle-related factors on the risk of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) in a Mediterranean population from central-southern Italy. DESIGN Hospital-based case-control study. SETTING A referral dermatological hospital in Rome, Italy. PATIENTS A convenience sample of 166 case patients with histologically confirmed BCC and 158 cancer-free control subjects with minor dermatological conditions observed between March 1995 and June 1997. RESULTS In the multivariate analysis, the mean number of weeks per year spent at the beach before the age of 20 years was significantly associated with BCC. A dose-response trend was found for subjects who had spent 3 to 4 (odds ratio, 1.8; 95% confidence interval, 0.8-4.4), 5 to 8 (odds ratio, 3.7; 95% confidence interval, 1.5-9.0), or more than 8 (odds ratio, 4.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.9-10.5) weeks per year at the beach (P =.01 for trend). There was a significant association with the presence of actinic keratoses or solar lentigines, whereas no effect was found for skin type, history of sunburns, exposure to nonsolar UV radiation, and lifestyle-related habits such as cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, and coffee drinking. Subjects reporting a family history of skin cancer had an extremely increased risk of BCC. CONCLUSION The definite association with recreational sun exposure during childhood and adolescence and the strong relation with family history of skin cancer suggest that genetic predisposition and peculiar exposure patterns to UV radiation are key independent risk factors for the development of BCC in a southern European population.
The Effect of Analgesic Technique on Postoperative Patient-Reported Outcomes Including Analgesia: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND:The effect of postoperative analgesia on patient-reported outcomes, such as quality of life, quality of recovery, and patient satisfaction, has not been systematically examined. These outcomes are assessed from the patient's perspective and are recognized as valid and important end-points in clinical medicine and research. We performed a systematic review to examine the effect of postoperative analgesia on patient-reported outcomes. METHODS:The National Library of Medicine's Medline and the Cochrane Library databases were searched for the past decade (Jan, 1996 to Jun 1, 2006). Additional Medline searches for specific outcomes (i.e., satisfaction, quality of life, and quality of recovery) were also conducted. RESULTS:Regional analgesic techniques provide statistically superior analgesia compared with systemic opioids. There are insufficient data to determine if the type of analgesic technique, degree of analgesia, and presence of side effects may influence quality of life, quality of recovery, satisfaction, and length of stay, due in part to some significant methodologic issues. CONCLUSIONS:Although there are data suggesting that improved postoperative analgesia leads to better patient outcomes, there is insufficient evidence to support subsequent improvements inpatient-centered outcomes such as quality of life and quality of recovery. Modest reductions in pain scores do not necessarily equate to clinically meaningful improved pain relief for the patient. Further studies are needed to develop validated patient-reported instruments and to assess the effect of analgesic techniques on patient-reported outcomes in the perioperative period.
Brain Levels of NADH and NAD+ Under Hypoxic and Hypoglycaemic Conditions In Vitro

The effects of hypoxia and hypoglycaemia on the redox state in vitro have been studied. NADH and NAD+ were extracted simultaneously from superfused cerebral cortex slices and assayed by bioluminescence. The results show a nonsignificant increase in NADH and the redox ratio in „mild hypoxia,” whereas „severe hypoxia” produced an increase of over 200% in NADH and in the NADH/NAD+ ratio. When the glucose in the incubation medium was reduced from its control value of 10 mM to 0.5 mM, significant decreases in NADH and the redox ratio to 60% of control value were observed. Further decreasing the glucose to 0.2 mM gave lower levels of NADH and the redox ratio (40% of control). The effects on the redox state of alternative substrates to glucose were also tested. Re placement of glucose by 10 mM pyruvate decreased the NADH by 77% and the NADH/NAD+ ratio by 79%. Replacement of glucose with 10 mM lactate gave decreases of 70% and 71%, respectively, whereas in the presence of 15 mM 2‐deoxyglucose and 5 mM glucose, the NADH was decreased by 56% and the ratio by 50%. The results are discussed in relation to levels of creatine phosphate and ATP, as well as evoked action potentials, observed from parallel studies.
A human-driven and evanescent screen for personal information presentation

In this poster, we present our work in progress dealing with an evanescent screen concept referred to as BreathScreen. BreathScreen is an ephemeral surface for projections enabled by breath clouds produced by human beings in arctic weather conditions or by an electric vaporizer. Our work entails preliminary observations from experiments with BreathScreen and introduces possibilities for the presentation of personal information and pragmatic challenges for implementation.
Effect of Corporate Entrepreneurship on Performance of Food Fortification Companies in Kenya

Corporate entrepreneurship is the process of generating, developing and implementing new ideas and behaviors by a company. The environment that business operates is volatile intensifying global competition and rapid technological progress. Better quality and service are no longer enough to give competitive advantage. However once companies embrace corporate entrepreneurship it influences competitive advantage. The need for corporate entrepreneurship has arisen from a variety of environmental pressing problems including, required changes, innovations, and improvements in the market place to avoid stagnation and decline. Therefore this study sought to investigate the effect of corporate entrepreneurship determinants in the performance of food fortification companies in Kenya. The study was conducted using descriptive method. Statistical population included managers and employees of food fortification industries. Data was collected using questionnaires. Statistical population included managers and employees of food fortification companies. From the study, it was found out that organizations should have clear policies, goals and objectives supports performance in food fortification companies. Also, it was found out that, rewards incentive given to employees who come up with new products promotes performance in fortification companies in Kenya which was highly rated. Finally, it was found out that corporate entrepreneurial management and Corporate entrepreneurial incentives increase performance in food fortification companies in Kenya.
Form and Substance in Cyberspace

In this Response to the preceding article by Joe Sims and Cynthia Bauerly, A. Michael Froomkin defends his earlier critique of ICANN. This Response first summarizes the arguments in Wrong Turn In Cyberspace, which explained why ICANN lacks procedural and substantive legitimacy. This Response focuses on how the U.S. government continues to assert control over the domain name system, and how this control violates the APA, the nondelegation doctrine as articulated by the Supreme Court in Carter Coal, and public policy. Professor Froomkin then proposes that ICANN's role be more narrowly focused away from policy making towards true standard-making and technical coordination.
Glutamine synthetase expression as a valuable marker of epilepsy and longer survival in newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme.

BACKGROUND Glutamine synthetase (GS) is an astrocytic enzyme catalyzing the conversion of glutamate and ammonia to glutamine. Its up-regulation has been related to higher tumor proliferation and poor prognosis in extra-cerebral tumors. We have previously reported a GS deficiency in patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) who also developed epilepsy, which is a favorable prognostic factor in glioma. Here, we investigated the prognostic value of GS expression in patients with GBM with or without epilepsy and its correlation with survival. METHODS We conducted a clinical and histopathological study on 83 (52 males) consecutive patients with newly diagnosed GBM. Immunohistochemical expression of GS was scored semi-quantitatively on the basis of cell number, staining intensity, and distribution of immunoreactive cells. Several clinical and neuropathological variables were analyzed in relation to survival and GS expression. RESULTS Median age at diagnosis was 62 years. At the last evaluation, with a median follow-up of 11.5 months (range, 1.5-58 months), 5 patients (6%) were still alive and 78 (94%) were dead. GS expression patterns in neoplastic cells were inversely correlated to the presence of epilepsy (P < .0001 for intensity and P < .009 for homogeneity of GS distribution, respectively). Univariate analysis showed that RPA score, epilepsy, O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGM)T status, application of Stupp protocol, and GS intensity pattern had a significant impact on survival. Absent/low intensity of GS expression was significantly associated with a longer survival in both uni- (19 vs 8 months; P < .0005) and multivariate (P = .003) analyses. CONCLUSIONS Absent/low-intensity GS expression pattern represents a valuable biomarker of both epilepsy and overall survival in GBM.
A general framework for collecting and analysing the tracking data of cruise passengers at the destination

Cruise passengers’ behaviour at the destination is a rather poorly investigated phenomenon. The single exit/entry point and the relatively brief visiting time, which characterize cruise passengers’ experience at their destinations, make the use of GPS technology particularly suitable for the analysis of such a relevant phenomenon. The aim of this research is to propose a general framework for collecting and analysing GPS tracking data relating to cruise passengers’ behaviour at their destination. The main prerequisites and research stages for the implementation of surveys on cruise passengers will be described and a set of tools and measures for the analysis of GPS tracking data will be proposed, together with their potential applications. As examples of case studies, two surveys performed in the ports of Palermo and Dubrovnik will be described and the main results of the collated information will be presented. Improving our understanding of the behaviour of cruise passengers at their destination is particularly relevant for the management of tourism destinations, given the challenges that this growing phenomenon is posing for many port destinations in the Mediterranean.
Progesterone Receptors as Neuroendocrine Integrators

Intracellular progesterone receptors (PRs) are ligand-inducible transcription factors that mediate the majority of the effects of progesterone (P) on neuroendocrine functions. During the past decade, evidence has accumulated which suggest that PRs can also be activated independently of P, by signals propagated through membrane-bound receptors to the interior of cells. The activation of PRs by this type of "cross-talk" mechanism has been implicated in the physiological regulation of several important neuroendocrine processes, including estrous behavior and periovulatory hormone secretions. We review evidence that both ligand-dependent and ligand-independent activation of PRs occurs in central neurons and in anterior pituitary cells and that the convergence and summation of these signals at the PR serves to integrate neural and endocrine signals which direct several critically important neuroendocrine processes. An integrative function for PRs is reviewed in several physiological contexts, including the display of lordosis behavior in female rodents, the neurosecretion of gonadotropin-releasing hormone surges, secretion of preovulatory gonadotropin surges, and release of periovulatory follicle stimulating hormone surges. The weight of evidence indicates that cross talk at the intracellular PR is an essential component of the integrative mechanisms that direct each of these neuroendocrine events. The recurrence of PR's integrative actions in several different physiological contexts suggests that other intracellular steroid receptors similarly function as integrators of neural and endocrine signals in other neuroendocrine processes.
Performance of a cross dipole antenna dedicated to biological telemetry

The needs in biological telemetry relevance grow up for many years. In order to establish a communication in the SRD frequency band (863-870MHz) between a battery-less RFID tag dedicated to be implanted in a mouse and an external reader, the performance of a cross dipole antenna used as emitting antenna is presented in this paper. This evaluation takes into account the mouse body and the cage. To make our test, we also designed a phantom model of the mouse body. Compared to a loop antenna, this solution is less influenced by the phantom presence. Moreover it allows us to cover the critical configuration where the mouse raised on its hind paws (to feed for example) what is not possible with a simple dipole antenna. Measurements of the Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) levels have been done to evaluate the performance of this antenna which possesses a measured impedance bandwidth of 8.6%.
Melatonin Influences Interleukin‐12 and Nitric Oxide Production by Primary Cultures of Rheumatoid Synovial Macrophages and THP‐1 Cells a

ABSTRACT: Because some of the clinical symptoms related to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) synovitis, such as joint morning stiffness and gelling, might be related to the effects exerted by the diurnal rhythmicity of the neurohormone melatonin (MLT) on synovial immune cell activation, we decided to evaluate the influence of MLT on the production of IL‐12 and nitric oxide (NO) on primary cultures of RA synovial macrophages. Synovial macrophages were also prestimulated with lipopolysaccaride (LPS). Results were compared with those obtained on cultured human myeloid monocytic cells (THP‐1). A significant increase in IL‐12 (p= 0.01) was found in media of MLT‐stimulated synovial macrophages versus RMPI‐treated synovial macrophage controls. Interestingly, a significant decrease of IL‐12 (p < 0.0001) was observed in media of synovial macrophages previously activated with LPS and then treated with MLT, when compared to synovial macrophages treated with LPS alone. A significant increase in NO levels (p= 0.01) was found in MLT‐stimulated synovial macrophages versus RMPI‐treated synovial macrophage controls. Interestingly, a nonsignificant increase of NO levels was observed in media of synovial macrophages previously activated with LPS and then treated with MLT, when compared to synovial macrophages treated with LPS alone. Finally, a significant increase in IL‐12 (p= 0.03) and NO (p= 0.002) concentrations was observed in media of MLT‐stimulated THP‐1 cells versus RMPI‐treated controls.
Relationship of milk production, milk expected progeny difference, and calf weaning weight in angus and simmental cow-calf pairs.

Milk EPD, used to predict the milk production potential of a parent's daughters, have been reported by all major cattle breed associations. Our objectives were to determine the relationship of milk EPD of a dam to actual milk production (both fluid and components) and offspring weaning weight. Angus (AN; n = 114) and Simmental (SM; n = 82) cows were machine-milked at approximately 60, 104, and 196 d postpartum after overnight calf removal. In addition, one herd of AN was also milked at approximately 35 and 145 d postpartum. A lactation curve was fitted to these measurements to estimate total milk production during lactation. Simple correlations between 205-d total milk yields (TMY) and adjusted 205-d calf weaning weight (WW) were . 30 (P < .001) and . 47 (P < .001) for AN and SM, respectively. Furthermore, milk EPD was positively correlated to adjusted WW (r = .38 P < .001; r = .39, P < .001) and TMY (r = .32, P < .001; r = .44, P < .001) for AN and SM cows, respectively. A 1-kg change in TMY changed WW by . 014 +/- . 006 kg (P < .001) in AN and by . 032 +/- . 009 kg (P < .001) in SM. A 1-kg change in milk EPD resulted in a 4.85 +/- 1.14 kg change in WW (P < .001) in AN and a 3.74 +/- 1.73 kg (P < .05) change in SM. Corresponding changes in TMY were 42.1 +/- 16.6 kg (P < .01) and 69.3 +/- 16.0 kg (P < .001) for AN and SM, respectively. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
US extended-field-of-view imaging technology.

PURPOSE To develop an ultrasound (US) extended-field-of-view scanning technique that combines the convenience of a real-time scanner with the spatial advantages of a static B-mode scanner and provides a panoramic image in real time without position sensors or cumbersome articulated arms. MATERIALS AND METHODS An image-registration-based position-sensing technique was used to track probe motion and reconstruct a large composite image during real-time scanning. The probe motion (translation and rotation) was estimated by combining multiple local motion vectors. This computationally intensive process required a special programmable image processor. RESULTS Large, resolution-preserved composite images up to 60 cm long were obtained. Measurement accuracy as determined with phantom experiments was better than 5%. The method could be applied to any probe or image format. CONCLUSION In addition to providing a panoramic image to expand diagnostic capabilities, extended-field-of-view US provides a more easily interpretable image and is an effective cross-specialty communication tool.
Sea‐Cage Aquaculture, Sea Lice, and Declines of Wild Fish

Abstract: A sea cage, sometimes referred to as a net pen, is an enclosure designed to prevent farm fish from escaping and to protect them from large predators, while allowing a free flow of water through the cage to carry away waste. Farm fish thus share water with wild fish, which enables transmission of parasites, such as sea lice, from wild to farm and farm to wild fishes. Sea lice epidemics, together with recently documented population‐level declines of wild salmon in areas of sea‐cage farming, are a reminder that sea‐cage aquaculture is fundamentally different from terrestrial animal culture. The difference is that sea cages protect farm fish from the usual pathogen‐control mechanisms of nature, such as predators, but not from the pathogens themselves. A sea cage thus becomes an unintended pathogen factory. Basic physical theory explains why sea‐cage aquaculture causes sea lice on sympatric wild fish to increase and why increased lice burdens cause wild fish to decline, with extirpation as a real possibility. Theory is important to this issue because slow declines of wild fish can be difficult to detect amid large fluctuations from other causes. The important theoretical concepts are equilibrium, host‐density effect, reservoir‐host effect, and critical stocking level of farmed fish (stocking level at which lice proliferate on farm fish even if wild fish are not present to infect them). I explored these concepts and their implications without mathematics through examples from salmon farming. I also considered whether the lice‐control techniques used by sea‐cage farmers (medication and shortened grow‐out times) are capable of protecting wild fish. Elementary probability showed that (where W is the abundance of wild fish, W* is the prefarm abundance, F is the abundance of farm fish, and is the ratio of lice per farm fish to lice per wild fish). Declines of wild fish can be reduced by short growing cycles for farm fish, medicating farm fish, and keeping farm stocking levels low. Declines can be avoided only by ensuring that wild fish do not share water with farmed fish, either by locating sea cages very far from wild fish or through the use of closed‐containment aquaculture systems. These principles are likely to govern any aquaculture system where cage‐protected farm hosts and sympatric wild hosts have a common parasite with a direct life cycle.
Comparison of Dynamic Expiratory CT With Bronchoscopy for Diagnosing Airway Malacia: A Pilot Evaluation.

OBJECTIVE To assess the accuracy of dynamic expiratory CT for detecting airway malacia using bronchoscopy as the diagnostic "gold standard. " MATERIALS AND METHODS A computerized hospital information system was used to retrospectively identify all patients with bronchoscopically proven airway malacia referred for CT airway imaging at our institution during a 19-month period. CT was performed within 1 week of bronchoscopy. All patients were scanned with a standard protocol, including end-inspiratory and dynamic expiratory volumetric imaging, using an eight-detector multislice helical CT scanner. For both CT and bronchoscopy, malacia was defined as >/= 50% expiratory reduction of the airway lumen. CT and bronchoscopic findings were subsequently jointly reviewed by the radiologist and bronchoscopist for concordance. RESULTS Twenty-nine patients (12 men and 17 women; mean age, 60 years; range, 36 to 79 years) comprised the study cohort. CT correctly diagnosed malacia in 28 of 29 patients (97%). The most common presenting symptoms were dyspnea in 20 patients (69%), severe or persistent cough in 16 patients (55%), and recurrent infection in 7 patients (24%). The estimated radiation dose (expressed as dose-length product) for the dual-phase study is 508 mGy-cm, which is comparable to a routine chest CT. CONCLUSION Dynamic expiratory CT is a highly sensitive method for detecting airway malacia and has the potential to serve as an effective, noninvasive test for diagnosing this condition.
Perceived Sense of Community, Cognitive Engagement, and Learning Outcomes Among Undergraduate Nursing Students Enrolled in an Internet-Based Learning Course

Internet-based learning environments are a popular instructional delivery method that provides flexibility, easy access, convenience, and self-directed learning. There is concern that Internet-based learning creates a loss of community and lacks the power to fully engage the student, leading to negative learning outcomes. This descriptive, correlational study evaluated the relationship among a perceived sense of community, cognitive engagement, and learner outcomes among undergraduate nursing students enrolled in an Internet-based learning course. A convenience sample of 96 undergraduate nursing students enrolled in an online health informatics course participated in this study. Findings indicated a moderate sense of community and a positive relationship between student engagement and learning outcomes. A variety of group activities such as wikis, blogs, and discussion board were helpful in promoting a sense of community, but students emphasized a desire for more faculty feedback and interaction. Nursing is a collaborative profession where community building is a critical skill; therefore, innovative teaching/learning techniques that promote a sense of belonging and community are needed to improve learning outcomes, prepare students to provide quality patient care, and interact with an interprofessional team.