Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
L'appellation ''jeûne thérapeutique'' est-elle fondée ou usurpée ? : éléments de réponse d'après une revue de bibliographie chez l'animal et chez l'homme

Le jeune est une pratique millenaire, etroitement liee aux fluctuations des disponibilites alimentaires ou motivee par des raisons traditionnelles, religieuses, politiques. Dans un cadre therapeutique, le jeune en tant que pratique benefique pour la sante est sujet a controverses. Le but de cette revue de bibliographie etait de determiner si l'appellation ''jeune therapeutique'' etait fondee ou usurpee, en s'aidant de modeles animaux, jeunes religieux et de protestation exclus. Le jeune a pris une place importante sous diverses formes dans l'histoire de la prescription therapeutique. Les progres des connaissances medicales, auxquels il a participe dans une certaine mesure, en ont limite l'usage. Quelques rares exemples persistent dans la medecine conventionnelle, dans le cadre de prises en charge de pathologies specifiques et moyennant precaution. Dans la medecine non conventionnelle, plusieurs jeunes prolonges dits therapeutiques, aux sensibilites differentes, ont en commun de s'adresser a de nombreuses maladies chroniques. Leurs contre-indications sont rares et leurs mecanismes d'action restent hypothetiques. Seules quelques indications ont fait l'objet d'une evaluation ciblee et publiee. Insuffisante en termes de niveau de preuve, cette evaluation necessiterait d'etre plus rigoureuse pour juger de l'utilite reelle de ces pratiques et en determiner le bien-fonde. L'etude du jeune en intention de traiter s'accompagne toutefois d'importantes difficultes methodologiques. En consequence, bien que la reponse a la question ne puisse etre univoque, la majeure partie du ''jeune therapeutique'' releve de la croyance non scientifiquement prouvee.
EdDSA for more curves

The original specification of EdDSA was suitable only for finite fields Fq with q mod 4 = 1. The main purpose of this document is to extend EdDSA to allow finite fields Fq with any odd q. This document also extends EdDSA to support prehashing, i.e., signing the hash of a message. Keywords: Signatures, elliptic curves, Edwards curves, Ed25519, Curve41417, Ed448-Goldilocks, Ed521
On the Parametrization of All Decentralized Stabilizing Controllers

A parametrization of all decentralized stabilizing controllers is provided in terms of a single parameter Q that is constrained to satisfy a finite number of quadratic equations. The results are presented in a general algebraic framework and apply to linear time-invariant systems. Implications of this parametrization for simultaneously stabilizing control are also discussed.
Stone Age Detective's Paradise: Investigating the Mysteries of Culture and Mind

Dunbar, Robin, Knight, Chris, & Power, Camilla, eds. The Evolution of Culture: An Interdisciplinary View. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1999. ix + 257 pp. including chapter references, index, tables, illustrations. $55.00 cloth; $24.00 paper.
Neuroblastoma in early childhood: A rare case report and review of literature

Neuroblastoma is an extremely rare pediatric neoplasm whose prognosis becomes poor and poor as the age advances. It can be sporadic or nonfamilial in origin. It is primarily a tumor of abdominal origin from where it metastasis to lymph nodes, liver, intracranial and orbital sites, and central nervous system. There is no standard dental treatment protocol for the management of neuroblastoma due to its poor survival rate and rarity. However, dental treatment may follow the protocol of preventive and restorative. Surgicals should be performed under supervision as it may trigger metastasis. We report a rare case of neuroblastoma in a 3-year-old child presenting classical oral manifestations such as bilateral palatal swelling, rolled border ulcer on the posterior part of hard palate adjacent to primary molars, and bilateral proptosis.
Validation of a new tracer model of non-steady-state glucose kinetics

Measurement of hepatic glucose production under non-steady-state conditions requires the use of a model. Moreover it is not possible to measure hepatic glucose production independently. In this paper we generate a dualtracer data base for model development and validation. A new non-linear, physiologically-based model of non-steady-state glucose kinetics is proposed and it is shown to perform better than the classical models of Steele and Radziuk. The new structure is thus a candidate model to describe the impulse response for reconstructing hepatic glucose production by deconvolution.
Ceramide in Lipid Particles Enhances Heparan Sulfate Proteoglycan and Low Density Lipoprotein Receptor-related Protein-mediated Uptake by Macrophages*

Arterial wall sphingomyelinase (SMase) has been proposed to be involved in atherogenesis. SMase modification of lipoproteins has been shown to occur in atherosclerotic lesions and to facilitate their uptake by macrophages and foam cell formation. To investigate the mechanism of macrophage uptake enhanced by SMase, we prepared lipid emulsions containing sphingomyelin (SM) or ceramide (CER) as model particles of lipoproteins. SMase remarkably increased the uptake of SM-containing emulsions by J774 macrophages without apolipoproteins. The emulsion uptake was negatively correlated with the degree of particle aggregation by pretreatment with SMase, whereas the uptake of CER-containing emulsions was significantly larger than SM-containing emulsions, indicating that enhancement of uptake is due to the generation of CER molecules in particles but not to the aggregation by SMase. Heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) and low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP) were crucial for CER-enhanced emulsion uptake, because heparin or lactoferrin inhibited the emulsion uptake. Confocal microscopy also showed that SMase promoted both binding and internalization of emulsions by J774 macrophages, which were almost abolished by lactoferrin. Apolipoprotein E further increased the uptake of CER-containing emulsions compared with SM-containing emulsions. These findings suggest the generation of CER in lipoproteins by SMase facilitates the macrophage uptake via HSPG and LRP pathways and plays a crucial role in foam cell formation. Thus, CER may act as an important atherogenic molecule.
Prominence of symptoms and level of stigma among depressed patients in Calcutta.

A pilot study of 29 patients for research on clinical depression employed the framework of cultural epidemiology to examine illness-related experience, meaning, behaviour with a Bengali version of the explanatory Model Interview Catalogue (EMIC). This report examined patterns of distress and stigma with reference to the most troubling patient-specified symptom. All subjects were psychiatric outpatients in the Institute of Psychiatry, Calcutta, and met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)-IV criteria for a major depressive episode. Only 5 patients (17.2%) identified sadness as the most troubling problem, and 48.3% specified pains and other somatic symptoms instead. An internally consistent stigma scale with Cronbach's alpha of . 67, comprised 13 items, was used to assess stigma. In addition to the scale score for each subject, the contribution of each item was reported and compared. A suggestive, though not significantly lower value of the stigma score for patients reporting somatic symptoms as most troubling, compared with sadness, was consistent with findings from prior studies showing a positive relationship between the magnitude of depression and stigma. These findings are discussed with reference to their impact on recognition and help seeking among patients, and recognition and management of depression by general practitioner. Culturally distinctive presentations and social contexts of depression and other mental illnesses should be addressed in professional training and public health communications.
Effect of the Secure Programming Clinic on Learners’ Secure Programming Practices

- In order to improve the abilities of students to write robust programs (“secure programming”) without adding new classes or material in existing classes, a Secure Programming Clinic that functions analogously to an English writing clinic has been developed. This paper reports on preliminary results from an instance of the clinic at a large university. Given the statistics obtained from this trial, the clinic improved the students’ secure programming behavior and helped students develop a deeper understanding of secure programming concepts.
Increased reporting of occupational hearing loss: workers' compensation in Washington State, 1984-1998.

BACKGROUND Workers' compensation claims for hearing loss increased two-fold during 1984-1991 in Washington State. METHODS This population-based descriptive study examined 27,019 claims filed during 1984-1998 and accepted for hearing loss, in the workers' compensation jurisdiction that covers nearly all non-federal workers in Washington State. RESULTS The number of claims increased 12-fold during 1984-1998. The annual incidence reached 2.6/1,000 workers statewide, and 70/1,000 in the most impacted industry. The increase involved all ages over 35 years, especially claimants over 65 years. Only 4% of providers accounted for 66% of claims. Most claimants (90%) received permanent partial disability compensation. In 1998, identifiable costs exceeded $57 million dollars. CONCLUSIONS The striking increase in claims is probably largely due to reporting phenomena unrelated to current work circumstances. However, occupational hearing loss is probably much more common than usually recognized, and contemporary workers may still face substantial risk for hearing loss.
LA MEMORIA A BREVE TERMINE NELLA SORDITÀ: UNA RIDEFINIZIONE DELLO SPAN DI MEMORIA?

Il tema della Memoria a Breve Termine nella sordita e stato affrontato in letteratura scientifica da numerosi autori, i quali hanno proposto alcune ipotesi talvolta in contrasto tra loro. Argomento importante all'interno di questo ambito di studio e il ruolo della modalita di elaborazione delle informazioni implicata nei processi cognitivi che sottostanno la memoria, in particolare nella Memoria a Breve Termine (MBT) e nella Memoria di Lavoro (Working Memory). Alcune recenti ricerche su popolazione segnante, sorda e udente, hanno riscontrato una riduzione dello span di MBT da 7+/-2, misura standardizzata dello span, a 4+/-1 items. Queste evidenze cliniche hanno portato a discutere i dati emersi in termini di necessita di ridefinizione dell'ampiezza dello span di MBT anche per la popolazione udente non segnante.
Diabetes in Friedreich Ataxia

Diabetes is a common metabolic disorder in patients with Friedreich ataxia. In this Supplement article, we review the clinical data on diabetes in Friedreich ataxia, and the experimental data from rodent and in vitro models of the disease. Increased body adiposity and insulin resistance are frequently present in Friedreich ataxia, but pancreatic β cell dysfunction and death are a conditio sine qua non for the loss of glucose tolerance and development of diabetes. The loss of frataxin function in mitochondria accounts for these pathogenic processes in Friedreich ataxia. Mitochondria are essential for the sensing of nutrients by the β cell and for the generation of signals that trigger and amplify insulin secretion, known as stimulus‐secretion coupling. Moreover, in the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis, pro‐apoptotic signals converge on mitochondria, resulting in mitochondrial Bax translocation, membrane permeabilization, cytochrome c release and caspase cleavage. How and at which level frataxin deficiency impacts on these processes in β cells is only partially understood. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms mediating β cell demise in Friedreich ataxia will pave the way for new therapeutic approaches.
Contact lens-induced papillary conjunctivitis is associated with increased albumin deposits on extended wear hydrogel lenses.

Contact lens papillary conjunctivitis (CLPC) may be a combination of immunological and mechanical responses to contact lenses and their deposits, resulting in a hypersensitivity reaction.1 Enlarged papillae on the tarsal conjunctiva, redness, itching, increased mucus, and decreased contact lens tolerance are typical symptoms. 2 CLPC is a major reason for discontinuing contact lens wear; 3 however, the link between lens deposits, mechanical trauma, the immunological response and ultimate discontinuation of lens wear is still unclear. In view of the known immunological aspects of CLPC, our aim was to determine the levels of human serum albumin (HSA), secretory IgA (sIgA, a constitutive protein) and lactoferrin (a regulated protein) on extended wear contact lenses (EWCL).
Evaluación de la restricción alimenticia sobre el crecimiento compensatorio en alevinos de cachama blanca (Piaractus brachypomus)

El crecimiento compensatorio (CC) es un desarrollo rapido provocado por la hiperfagia alimenticia luego de un periodo de restriccion. A fin de evaluarlo en alevinos de cachama blanca, se emplearon 4559 con peso promedio 17,4 ± 6,1 g y talla de 7,8 ± 1,1 cm, mantenidos a una densidad de 0,6 peces/m2, y se analizaron cinco protocolos de restriccion: T1: control (alimentacion diaria), T2: una semana de restriccion y realimentacion, T3: dos semanas de restriccion y realimentacion, T4: tres semanas de restriccion y realimentacion y T5: cuatro semanas de restriccion y realimentacion. En la mayoria de los parametros productivos evaluados, tasa especifica de crecimiento (TEC), ganancia de peso (GP), factor de condicion (K) y sobrevivencia (%S) no se presentaron diferencias estadisticas significativas (p ≥ 0,05). Sin embargo, el factor de conversion relativo (FCR) en el T3 (3,69) presento diferencias p ≤ 0,05 respecto a los demas tratamientos evaluados. Asimismo, el indice hepatosomatico (IHS) (T4: 0,25 ± 0,02 y T5: 0,22 ± 0,02) e indice viscerosomatico (IVS) (T4: 1,4 ± 0,02 y T5: 1,3 ± 0,027) presentaron diferencias estadisticas en relacion con el grupo control, el cual disminuyo respecto al aumento en el ayuno. Los costos de produccion se redujeron al disminuir la cantidad de concentrado suministrado durante la fase experimental. Se infiere que los alevinos de cachama blanca tuvieron un crecimiento parcial: alcanzaron el peso del grupo control, mas no lo superaron. Implementar este sistema puede beneficiar economicamente al productor y contribuir con la conservacion de los cuerpos de agua.
Contribución del manejo religioso a la calidad de vida y sintomatología depresiva en una muestra de hispanos que tienen un diagnóstico de cáncer

El presente estudio tenia como proposito evaluar la contribucion del manejo religioso en la calidad de vida y la depresion en una muestra de pacientes puertorriquenos que poseen un diagnostico de cancer. La muestra del estudio estuvo compuesta por 70 participantes con cancer. Los instrumentos utilizados en la investigacion fueron el Cuestionario de Evaluacion Funcional de la Terapia y Bienestar Espiritual, el Inventario de Depresion de Beck II (IDB) y la Escala de Medidas de Manejo Religioso. Se realizaron estadisticas descriptivas para los datos sociodemograficos, analisis de correlaciones Pearson r y regresiones multiples. Entre los hallazgos se encontraron correlaciones significativas e inversas entre las variables del IDB, estado fisico y salud, ambiente familiar y social y la espiritualidad. Se realizaron dos modelos de regresion relacionados con depresion y calidad de vida, y se encontro que entre las variables mas significativas se encontraba la espiritualidad, especificamente significado y paz.
Identification of Matrix Metalloproteinase 11 as a Predictive Tumor Marker in Serum Based on Gene Expression Profiling

Purpose: Prognostic markers discovery is a strategy for early diagnosis and individualization therapy for human cancer. In this study, we focus to integrate different methods to identify specific biomarker and elucidate its clinical significance. Experimental Design: A powerful tool named Digital Gene Expression Display online was applied to isolate differentially expressed genes correlated with gastric cancer. Matrix metalloproteinase 11 (MMP11) was selected and confirmed at both mRNA and protein level in 10 cell lines, 123 cases of tumor tissues, and 305 cases of gastric cancer serum specimen by semiquantitative PCR, immunohistochemistry staining, and ELISA techniques, respectively. Results: Our data showed that overexpression of MMP11 at mRNA and protein level was consistently detected in cell lines and primary tumors compared with matched normal tissues. Importantly, serum MMP11 levels were also significantly elevated in gastric cancer patients compared with those of the control subjects (P < 0.001), and the positive expression was well correlated with metastasis in gastric cancer patients (P = 0.009). Furthermore, we have shown that overexpression of MMP11 was associated with the malignant proliferation of AGS cells. Conclusions: Combination of gene expression profiling and specific clinical resource is a promising approach to validate gene expression patterns associated with malignant phenotype. As a secreted protein, MMP11 may play an important role in carcinogenesis and has potential implication as a biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of human cancers including gastric cancer.
In Situ Endpoint Detection by Acoustic Emissions in Chemical–Mechanical Polishing of Metal Overlay

Chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) has been recognized indispensable to achieve the global planarity in removal of metal overlay across the wafer, when the number of interconnecting metal layers and the size of wafer increase and the line rule reduces to nano scale. CMP has to stop at the endpoint when the overlay metal has been removed, or dishing will occur which affects the subsequent lithography in IC manufacturing. An effective in situ endpoint monitoring method essentially improves the yield rate and throughput of CMP. One notices the coefficient of friction between the pad and dielectric layer is distinguishably lower than the one between the pad and the copper overlay, based on that an endpoint monitoring method using acoustic emissions during the chemical mechanical polishing is feasible. The proposed method is tested in the experiment, and the comparison with the previous thermal monitoring technique shows consistent results.
Design principles for the use of simulation as an aid in interventional cardiology training

Learning complex skills through simulation is a goal for training physicians in specialties such as interventional cardiology, where traditional training puts patients at risk. Intuitively, interactive simulation of anatomy, pathology and therapeutic actions should lead to shortening of the learning curve for novice or inexperienced physicians. An accurate recreation of the interactions among anatomy, pathology and therapeutic actions is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for the development of a simulation-based training system. In addition to real-time graphic interactivity coupled with haptic response, a successful training tool will require features of a 'learning system' such as: an embedded curriculum, functionality that allows rehearsal and practice, hypertext links to educational information, personal archiving, and instructor review and testing capabilities. We describe how such a system might look for the field of interventional cardiology, and suggest that designing a simulation with both technical and pedagogical fidelity is essential in developing simulation-based training systems in any field of medicine.
Role of the Arginyl-Glycyl-Aspartic Motif in the Action of Ptr ToxA Produced by Pyrenophora tritici-repentis 1

A fundamental problem of plant science is to understand the biochemical basis of plant/pathogen interactions. The foliar disease tan spot of wheat (Triticum aestivum), caused byPyrenophora tritici-repentis, involves Ptr ToxA, a proteinaceous host-selective toxin that causes host cell death. The fungal gene ToxA encodes a 17.2-kD pre-pro-protein that is processed to produce the mature 13.2-kD toxin. Amino acids 140 to 142 of the pre-pro-protein form an arginyl-glycyl-aspartic (RGD) sequence, a motif involved in the binding of some animal proteins and pathogens to transmembrane receptor proteins called integrins. Integrin-like proteins have been identified in plants recently, but their role in plant biology is unclear. Our model for Ptr ToxA action predicts that toxin interacts with a putative host receptor through the RGD motif. Mutant clones of a ToxA cDNA, created by polymerase chain reaction such that the RGD in the pro-toxin was changed to arginyl-alanyl-aspartic or to arginyl-glycyl-glutamic, were expressed in Escherichia coli. Extracts containing mutated forms of toxin failed to cause host cell death, but extracts from E. coliexpressing both a wild-type pro-protein cDNA and a control mutation away from RGD were active in cell death development. In competition experiments, 2 mm RGD tripeptide reduced the level of electrolyte leakage from wheat leaves by 63% when co-infiltrated with purified Ptr ToxA (15 μg mL−1) obtained from the fungus, but the control peptide arginyl-glycyl-glutamyl-serine provided no protection. These experiments indicate that the RGD motif of Ptr ToxA is involved with toxin action, possibly by interacting with a putative integrin-like receptor in the host.
Experimental Study on Shear Behavior of Mid-rise Assembled Monolithic Concrete Shear Walls with Varying Axial Compression Ratio

The result showed that the brittle failure was extinct, and the new-type shear walls had good deformability whose ductility factors were over 4.3. The axial compression ratio had significant influence on the mechanical properties of the new-type shear walls. As the increscent of the axial compression ratio, the shear capacity and initial stiffness were improved, but the energy-dissipating capacity became worst.
Potentiation of the antitumor effects of both selective cyclooxygenase-1 and cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors in human hepatic cancer cells by inhibition of the MEK/ERK pathway

The molecular mechanisms behind the anti-neoplastic effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are not completely understood and cannot be explained by the inhibition of the cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes COX-1 and COX-2 alone. We previously reported that both the selective COX-1 inhibitor SC-560 and the selective COX-2 inhibitor CAY10404 exhibit anti-tumor effects in human hepatoma cells. NSAID inhibitors have many COX-independent actions and, among others, the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways are targets for NSAIDs. Here, we examined the role of MEK/ERK1/2 signaling in the anti-neoplastic effects of both selective COX-1 and COX-2 inhibitors in two human hepatoma cell lines. Treatment of hepatoma cells with the selective COX-1 inhibitor SC-560, as well as with the selective COX-2 inhibitor CAY10404, was associated with activation of ERK1/2 in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Treatment with COX-1 and COX-2 inhibitors in the presence of the selective MEK1/2 inhibitor U0126 effectively suppressed ERK1/2 activation and combinations of either SC-560 or CAY10404 with U0126 resulted in synergistic effects on cell growth inhibition and induction of apoptosis. In HuH-6 hepatoma cells the combination-induced apoptosis was associated with caspase-9 and -3 activation, PARP cleavage, release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria into the cytosol and down-regulation of survivin and β-catenin levels. In conclusion, our study showed that growth inhibitory concentrations of selective COX-1 and COX-2 inhibitors increased ERK1/2 phosphorylation in hepatoma cells, and that inhibition of the MEK/ERK signaling pathway potentiates the antitumor activity of both types of inhibitors. Therefore, our results provide preclinical support for a combined chemotherapeutic approach with selective NSAIDs and MEK inhibitors for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.