Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neurocognitive impairment in unaffected siblings of youth with bipolar disorder

Background There is growing evidence for the familiality of pediatric bipolar disorder (BPD) and its association with impairments on measures of processing speed, verbal learning and ‘executive’ functions. The current study investigated whether these neurocognitive impairments index the familial risk underlying the diagnosis. Method Subjects were 170 youth with BPD (mean age 12.3 years), their 118 non-mood-disordered siblings and 79 non-mood-disordered controls. Groups were compared on a battery of neuropsychological tests from the Wechsler Intelligence Scales, the Stroop Color Word Test, the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), the Rey–Osterrieth Complex Figure (ROCF), an auditory working memory Continuous Performance Test (CPT) and the California Verbal Learning Test – Children's Version (CVLT-C). Measures were factor analyzed for data reduction purposes. All analyses controlled for age, sex and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Results Principal components analyses with a promax rotation yielded three factors reflecting: (1) processing speed/verbal learning, (2) working memory/interference control and (3) abstract problem solving. The CPT working memory measure with interference filtering demands (WM INT) was only administered to subjects aged ⩾12 years and was therefore analyzed separately. BPD youth showed impairments versus controls and unaffected relatives on all three factors and on the WM INT. Unaffected relatives exhibited impairments versus controls on the abstract problem-solving factor and the WM INT. They also showed a statistical trend (p=0.07) towards worse performance on the working memory/interference control factor. Conclusions Neurocognitive impairments in executive functions may reflect the familial neurobiological risk mechanisms underlying pediatric BPD and may have utility as endophenotypes in molecular genetic studies of the condition.
Reading anxiety and writing anxiety in dyslexia: Symptomatic and asymptomatic adolescents

The main purpose of this study is to investigate levels of reading and writing anxieties in Polish secondary grammar school students with and without symptoms of developmental dyslexia. The participants were 105 students (63 girls and 42 boys) with symptoms of developmental dyslexia and 142 students (103 girls and 39 boys) without symptoms of developmental dyslexia. The results show that students with developmental dyslexia symptoms suffer from significantly higher levels of skill-specific anxieties. Apart from that, their self-perceived assessment of FL skills, as well as final FL grades, are significantly lower. These results are attributed to the interaction of anxiety generated by the acquisition of FL skills, and consequences of this learning deficit, of cognitive and affective nature.
Confirmation Procedure for Determination of the E . coli O 157 : H 7 Presence in the Environmental Materials

Survival of a single strain E. coli serotype O157:H7, isolated from milk in Poland, was examined in water environment (water, bottom-shore sediments and in muddy water over sediments) at 6°C and 24°C. Pathogenic bacteria were not detected (direct plating method) in water within 32 and 51 days of incubation at 6°C and within 21 and 32 days of incubation at 24°C (except water from one of the rivers, where the disappearance of serotype O157:H7 was noticed only after 54 incubation days). The target bacteria survived in muddy water 49-65 days at 6°C and 26-60 days at 24°C. Bacteria died at the slowest rate in bottom-shore sediments. The disappearance of the enterohemorrhagic serotype in these environmental materials was noticed only after 73-100 (6°C) and 30-60 (24°C) incubation days. The obtained results evidently indicate the existence of possible hazards connected with relatively long survival periods of pathogenic bacteria in water environment. The bottom-shore sediments in particular can be a reservoir of this bacteria.
Prevalence and comorbidity of depression, anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorders among Saudi secondary school girls, Taif Area, KSA.

BACKGROUND Previous Saudi studies have shown the psychiatric comorbidity among adolescent girls. This article was done to assess the prevalence and comorbidity of psychiatric disorders among secondary school girls in Taif area. METHODS A cross-sectional multistage cluster-sampling methodology was carried out on 1024 secondary school female students. Psychometric evaluation of students was carried out using the Beck depression inventory, Castello and Comery Anxiety scale and Obsessive - compulsive disorder scale. RESULTS Out of the 1024 participants, 42.9%, 54.9%, and 23.1% had significant depression, anxiety and obsessive compulsive symptoms, respectively. In addition, 64.7% of them had symptoms of the three studied disorders. A highly significant positive correlation was found between depression score and both anxiety and OC symptoms scores and between anxiety score and OC symptoms score. CONCLUSIONS There is a need for a national intervention program for promotion of adolescent mental health. The program should include screening of students using the psychometric scales.
Inhibition of tumor growth in a human neuroblastoma xenograft model with TNP-470.

UNLABELLED Background and Procedure High-risk neuroblastoma disease features are correlated with tumor vascularity, suggesting that angiogenesis inhibitors may be a useful addition to current therapeutic strategies. We therefore examined the efficacy of TNP-470 (TAP Pharmaceuticals, Deerfield, IL) in human neuroblastoma xenograft models. RESULTS Tumor growth rate was markedly inhibited in mice receiving TNP-470 administered alone with a treatment to control ratio (T/C) at day 21 = 0.4 (P <.001). TNP-470 also significantly inhibited tumorigenicity when administered shortly after xenograft inoculation (T/C at day 30 = 0.1, P <.001) and when administered following cyclophosphamide (T/C at day 35 = 0.1, P <.001). CONCLUSIONS These data show that TNP-470 is a potent inhibitor of human neuroblastoma growth both alone and when given with conventional chemotherapy, suggesting that it may be a useful adjunctive therapy for high-risk neuroblastoma patients.
The Conversion of Cortisone to Cortisol and Prednisone to Prednisolone in Man [Abridged]

basis of a comparative study of human and animal thyroid carcinomas, I have suggested that medullary carcinoma is a parafollicular cell tumour of the thyroid (Williams 1966). The parafollicular cell is a second type of thyroid epithelial cell which lies between the follicular epithelium and the basement membrane in a situation analogous to that of the Kulchitsky cell. The parafollicular cell in the sheep has been shown by Falck et al. (1964) to contain 5hydroxytryptamine. Thirdly, a single case report of a patient with a 'solid' carcinoma of the thyroid and the carcinoid syndrome has been recorded (Moertel et al. 1965); the 5-HIAA excretion was raised. Finally, we have been estimating 5-HIAA excretion in patients with medullary carcinoma. So far one of the 3 patients tested showed an elevated level, 25 mg/24 hours. This patient did not have any diarrhcea. It has been known for some years that serotonin is not the sole explanation of the carcinoid syndrome, and recent work from Sjoerdsma's laboratory provides evidence that carcinoid tumours contain kallikrein, an enzyme which acts on a globulin substrate to produce bradykinin or other similar vasoactive polypeptides (Oates et al. 1964). The exact roles played by kinins and by serotonin in the causation of the carcinoid syndrome are not clear, but it is likely that the kinins play a major role. Kinins and serotonin are found together in a number of situations in nature, so that as parafollicular cells can make serotonin, it is likely that they and their tumours are also capable ofproducing kinins. In conclusion, I suggest that medullary carcinoma of the thyroid is a tumour allied to the carcinoid group of tumours, and that it may on occasions produce 5-hydroxytryptamine or its precursor, 5-hydroxytryptophan. Patients with widespread medullary carcinoma not infrequently have severe unexplained diarrhoea, and sometimes facial flushing. The most likely explanation for this is the production by the tumour of a kinin polypeptide acting on smooth muscle. Preliminary experiments on an extract of one tumour support this conclusion.
Home monitoring of within-breath respiratory mechanics by a simple and automatic forced oscillation technique device

Spirometry is the gold standard to determine the presence of airflow obstruction, but it requires volitional participation and needs qualified supervision. The forced oscillation technique (FOT) measures respiratory input impedance (Zrs) during spontaneous breathing and it could be useful for unsupervised monitoring of airway obstruction. We developed a FOT device for home monitoring of Zrs which transmits the data through the Internet. Its accuracy, stability and reliability were evaluated in a pilot study measuring the Zrs in the unsupervised self-measurements of five healthy subjects. Finally, to explore the applicability of the concept, 36 consecutive daily home measurements were recorded from one healthy subject and one chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patient. The accuracy of the device fulfilled FOT guidelines, and the reliability test showed a mean discrepancy of resistance of 0.10 ± 0.01 cmH2O s L−1. The data from the healthy subjects demonstrated high repeatability in assessing Zrs. The measurements on the healthy subjects and the patient with COPD suggest the feasibility of unsupervised FOT measurements. The healthy subjects showed minimal daily variations in Zrs, whereas the patient with COPD had large differences in mean values and important fluctuations over day-to-day measurements. The results of the pilot study demonstrate that unsupervised home monitoring of Zrs using the FOT yields accurate and reproducible data. It could provide new insights into the dynamics of airway obstruction and improve the understanding and management of obstructive diseases.
Global population genetic dynamics of a highly migratory, apex predator shark

Knowledge of genetic connectivity dynamics in the world's large‐bodied, highly migratory, apex predator sharks across their global ranges is limited. One such species, the tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier), occurs worldwide in warm temperate and tropical waters, uses remarkably diverse habitats (nearshore to pelagic) and possesses a generalist diet that can structure marine ecosystems through top‐down processes. We investigated the phylogeography and the global population structure of this exploited, phylogenetically enigmatic shark by using 10 nuclear microsatellites (n = 380) and sequences from the mitochondrial control region (CR, n = 340) and cytochrome oxidase I gene (n = 100). All three marker classes showed the genetic differentiation between tiger sharks from the western Atlantic and Indo‐Pacific ocean basins (microsatellite FST > 0.129; CR ΦST > 0.497), the presence of North vs. southwestern Atlantic differentiation and the isolation of tiger sharks sampled from Hawaii from other surveyed locations. Furthermore, mitochondrial DNA revealed high levels of intraocean basin matrilineal population structure, suggesting female philopatry and sex‐biased gene flow. Coalescent‐ and genetic distance‐based estimates of divergence from CR sequences were largely congruent (dcorr = 0.0015–0.0050), indicating a separation of Indo‐Pacific and western Atlantic tiger sharks <1 million years ago. Mitochondrial haplotype relationships suggested that the western South Atlantic Ocean was likely a historical connection for interocean basin linkages via the dispersal around South Africa. Together, the results reveal unexpectedly high levels of population structure in a highly migratory, behaviourally generalist, cosmopolitan ocean predator, calling for management and conservation on smaller‐than‐anticipated spatial scales.
Genetic factors are major determinants of phenotypic variability in a mouse model of the DiGeorge/del22q11 syndromes

The del22q11 syndrome is associated with a highly variable phenotype despite the uniformity of the chromosomal deletion that causes the disease in most patients. Df1/+ mice, which model del22q11, present with reduced penetrance of cardiovascular defects similar to those seen in deleted patients but not with other del22q11-like findings. The reduced penetrance of cardiovascular defects is caused by the ability of mutant embryos to recover from a fourth pharyngeal arch artery growth abnormality that is fully penetrant in early embryos. Here we show that genetic background has a major effect on penetrance of cardiovascular defects by affecting this embryonic recovery process. This effect could not be explained by allelic variation at the haploid locus, and it is likely to be caused by genetic modifiers elsewhere in the genome. We also show that genetic factors control extension of the Df1/+ phenotype to include thymic and parathyroid anomalies, establishing the Df1 mouse as a model for the genetic analysis of three major features of human del22q11 syndrome. We found that in Df1/+ mice, as in human patients, expression of the heart and thymic phenotypes are essentially independent from each other, suggesting that they may be controlled by different genetic modifiers. These data provide a framework for our understanding of phenotypic variability in patients with del22q11 syndrome and the tools for its genetic dissection.
Major liver resections for hepatocellular carcinoma on cirrhosis: Early and long‐term outcomes

Since the lack of donors, liver resections continue to be the treatment of choice for cirrhotic patients with good liver function and resectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Moreover, over the past 2 decades, an increasing number of major hepatic resections have been performed. The aim of this study is to evaluate short‐ and long‐term outcomes of 55 cirrhotic patients undergoing major hepatic resection with particular attention to the survival of the patients with gross portal vein invasion or large size tumors. Twenty‐two patients (40%) required intra‐ or post‐operative blood transfusion. Medium tumor size was 66.6±29.2 mm; 7 patients had large size (> 10 cm) HCCs. A single node was present in 38 cases (69.1%). There was a gross portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) in 13 patients (23.6%). Resection was non‐curative in 4 cases. In‐hospital mortality and morbidity rates were 5.5% and 30.9%, respectively. The overall and disease‐free survival rates were 36.2% and 42.8%, respectively. Overall 5‐year survival rates of patients with large size tumors was 17.1%. Ten patients with a gross PVTT had an R0 resection with a 26.6% 5‐year survival rate. In conclusion, major hepatic resections for HCC can be performed with low mortality and morbidity rates. HCCs with PVTT or greater than 10 cm in size have very limited options of treatment; the favorable long‐term results of our study suggest that they should undergo surgery if a radical resection can be achieved. (Liver Transpl 2004;10:S64–S68.)
Quality Assurance for Postgraduate Programs: Design of a Model Applied on a University in Chile

The quality of Education in Chile is a controversial topic that has been in the public debate in the last several years. To ensure quality in graduate programs, accreditation is compulsory. The current article presents a model to improve the process of self-regulation. The main objective was to design a Model of Quality Assurance for Postgraduate Programs in order to constitute a theoretical, mathematical, and informatics reference that would optimize the processes of self-regulation, self-evaluation, and accreditation of master and doctorate programs from the Universidad Catolica de la Santisima Concepcion, Chile. This descriptive research is based on a mixed methods approach. The proposal was intended through theoretical and empirical references related to the accreditation systems. The analysis process was conducted with key informants, and the informatics instrument was created and validated through expert judgment. After the analysis, the model was optimized considering the expert’s suggestions. As a result of the optimization process, a matrix of eight dimensions was obtained and it is available online in order to be used by the heads of postgraduate programs. Finally, a model with four main stages was achieved in order to install a self-regulation and a self-evaluated culture that leads to accreditation as evidence of the quality of postgraduate programs.
Mental stress detection using heart rate variability and morphologic variability of EeG signals

Mental stress is one of the major risk factors for many diseases such as hypertension, coronary artery disease, heart attack, stroke, even sudden death. Conventionally, interviews, questionnaires or behavior observation are used to detect mental stress in an individual. In our study, we have investigated objective characteristics, like various short term heart rate variability (HRV) measures and morphologic variability (MV) of ECG signals for detecting mental stress. A number of HRV measures were investigated, both in time domain and frequency domain. Experiments involved 16 recordings of ECG signals during mental stress state and normal state, included in a multi-parameter data base on physionet.org portal. Results revealed that the HRV measures named mHR, mRR, normalized VLF/LF/HF, difference between normalized LF and normalized HF, and SVI are effective metrics for mental stress detection. Better results were obtained by using MV analysis and a decision-support module based on both methods, HRV and MV.
Pathology of the spleen: Report on the workshop of the VIIIth Meeting of the European Association for Haematopathology, Paris 1996

We report here a summary of the workshop on spleen pathology held in Paris in April 1996 as part of the VIII Congress of the European Association of Haematopathology (EAHP). From the cases submitted, three topics emerged which were considered to be of particular contemporary interest. These included primary splenic marginal zone lymphoma and its differential diagnosis, hepatosplenic gd T-cell lymphoma and inflammatory pseudo-tumours. These topics, prefaced by a review of normal splenic histology, which was presented in the main body of the congress, form the basis of this workshop report.
Classification, clinical manifestations, and immunopathological mechanisms of the epithelial variant of paraneoplastic autoimmune multiorgan syndrome: a reappraisal of paraneoplastic pemphigus.

BACKGROUND Recent studies suggest that paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP) is a heterogeneous autoimmune syndrome involving several internal organs and that the pathophysiological mechanisms mediating cutaneous, mucosal, and internal lesions are not limited to autoantibodies targeting adhesion molecules. OBJECTIVE To classify the diverse mucocutaneous and respiratory presentations of PNP and characterize the effectors of humoral and cellular autoimmunity mediating epithelial tissue damage. METHODS We examined 3 patients manifesting the lichen planus pemphigoideslike subtype of PNP. A combination of standard immunohistochemical techniques, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with desmoglein (DSG) baculoproteins, and an immunoprecipitation assay were used to characterize effectors of humoral and cellular autoimmunity in patients with PNP and in neonatal wild-type and DSG3-knockout mice with PNP phenotype induced by passive transfer of patients' IgGs. RESULTS In addition to the known "PNP antigenic complex," epithelial targets recognized by PNP antibodies included 240-, 150-, 130-, 95-, 80-, 70-, 66-, and 40/42-kd proteins but excluded DSG1 and DSG3. In addition to skin and the epithelium lining upper digestive and respiratory tract mucosa, deposits of autoantibodies were found in kidney, urinary bladder, and smooth as well as striated muscle. Autoreactive cellular cytotoxicity was mediated by CD8(+) cytotoxic T lymphocytes, CD56(+) natural killer cells, and CD68(+) monocytes/macrophages. Inducible nitric oxide synthase was visualized both in activated effectors of cellular cytotoxicity and their targets. Keratin 14-positive basal epithelial cells sloughed from the large airways and obstructed small airways. CONCLUSIONS The paraneoplastic disease of epithelial adhesion known as PNP in fact represents only 1 manifestation of a heterogeneous autoimmune syndrome in which patients, in addition to small airway occlusion and deposition of autoantibodies in different organs, may display a spectrum of at least 5 different clinical and immunopathological mucocutaneous variants (ie, pemphiguslike, pemphigoidlike, erythema multiforme-like, graft-vs-host disease-like, and lichen planus-like). We suggest that the more encompassing term "paraneoplastic autoimmune multiorgan syndrome," or PAMS, be applied. The pathophysiological mechanisms of PAMS involve both humoral and cellular autoimmunity responses. Epithelial cell membrane antigens other than DSG1 or DSG3 are targeted by effectors of PAMS autoimmunity. Apoptosis of damaged basal cells mediates epithelial clefting, and respiratory failure results possibly from obstruction of small airways with sloughed epithelial cells.
Energy consumption model for density controlled divide-and-rule scheme for energy efficient routing in wireless sensor networks

In wireless sensor networks WSNs, sensor nodes nodes are equipped with limited energy source. Therefore, efficient energy utilisation of nodes has become a hot research area in WSNs. In this paper, we introduce a new routing technique for WSNs in which, we solve the problem of unbalanced energy utilisation, which causes energy and coverage holes in WSNs. Deployment area is divided into subareas; each subarea logically represents a static cluster. Dividing network field into subfields helps to control coverage hole problem whereas, static clustering helps to avoid energy hole problem. Mathematical formulation of the proposed work is provided to analyse and verify our technique. Simulation results show that our technique balances energy utilisation of the network.