Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Seeking sex on the Internet and sexual risk behaviour among gay men using London gyms

ObjectiveTo examine the association between seeking sex on the Internet and sexual risk behaviour among gay men in London. MethodsIn January–February 2000, gay men in London gyms were asked to complete self-administered questionnaires concerning use of the Internet, history of sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and recent unprotected anal intercourse (UAI). Internet sex seekers were compared with other men, also with Internet access, who did not seek sex in this way. ResultsOf 743 gay men included in the analysis (121 HIV-positive, 465 HIV-negative, 157 never-tested), 80.9% (601) had access to the Internet. Among those who had access, 34.4% (207) had used the Internet to find a sexual partner; this did not vary significantly by HIV status (P = 0.3). Internet sex seekers were more likely to have had an STD (HIV-negative men, 26.9 versus 17.5%, P = 0.04) or gonorrhoea (HIV-positive men, 22.2 versus 5.8%, P = 0.04) in the previous year than other men with Internet access. HIV-negative Internet sex seekers were also more likely to report non-concordant UAI in the previous 3 months [23.1 versus 11.8%; adjusted odds ratio (aOR), 1.9; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.2–3.5;P = 0.01]. HIV-positive Internet sex seekers were more likely to report UAI with another positive man (37.8 versus 7.4%; aOR, 7.9; 95% CI, 1.8–34.6;P = 0.006). ConclusionSeeking sex on the Internet was associated with recent STD and high-risk sexual behaviour among HIV-positive and -negative gay men in London. The contribution of seeking sex on the Internet to the recent increase in high-risk behaviour among London gay men merits further investigation.
Analysis of the specificity of bacterial immunoglobulin A (IgA) proteases by a comparative study of ape serum IgAs as substrates

Immunoglobulin A (IgA) proteases are bacterial enzymes with substrate specificity for human serum and secretory IgAs. To further define the basis of this specificity, we examined the ability of IgA proteases of Clostridium ramosum, Streptococcus pneumoniae (EC 3.4.24.13), Neisseria meningitidis (EC 3.4.21.72), and Haemophilus influenzae (EC 3.4.21.72) to cleave serum IgAs of gorillas, chimpanzees, and orangutans. All enzymes cleaved the IgAs of the three apes despite differences in ape IgA1 hinge sequence relative to the human prototype. To directly compare the ape and human hinge cleavage sites, the sites were identified in eight ape IgA digests. This analysis confirmed that ape proteins were all cleaved in the IgA hinge region, in all but one case after proline residues. The exception, C. ramosum protease, cleaved gorilla and chimpanzee IgAs at peptide bonds having no proline, but the scissile bonds were in the same hinge location as the Pro-221-Val-222 cleaved in human IgA1. These data indicate that proline is not an invariant substrate requirement for all IgA proteases and that the location of the scissile bond, in addition to its composition, is a critical determinant of cleavage specificity.
Interaction between Fenofibrate and Warfarin

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the potentiation of warfarin's anticoagulation effect, which occurred in two patients, was due to an interaction with fenofibrate. CASE SUMMARY: Two patients developed significant potentiation of the anticoagulant effect of warfarin while receiving fenofibrate. In one patient we followed published guidelines to test the potential interaction, including rechallenge twice, and measurements of factors II, V, and VII and liver enzymes to ensure the authenticity of the interaction. We confirmed the interaction by noting that the international normalized ratio (INR) increased with rechallenge, the clotting factor concentrations decreased in concert with the INR, and no other laboratory or clinical factors accounted for this potentiation of the oral anticoagulant affect DISCUSSION: We previously developed criteria specifically for determining the strength of inferred causation in reports of drug interactions with oral anticoagulants; these criteria were adapted from previously described principles of causality assessment. Our observations in two patients suggest a “highly probable” potentiating interaction between fenofibrate and warfarin. Our data do not allow us to draw definitive conclusions on a mechanism of interaction, but fenofibrate is an oral antilipemic agent, similar to clofibrate, that has been described as potentiating oral anticoagulants by affecting coagulation factor synthesis, likely by altering receptor synthesis. Our finding of lower concentrations of coagulation factors suggests a similar mechanism for fenofibrate. Recent data suggest that lipid lowering is effective for primary and secondary prevention of cardiac events. One might therefore expect to see an increase in the use of the various lipid-lowering agents in patients who receive long-term anticoagulation. Our results indicate that the potential for an exaggerated anticoagulant effect occurs within 5–10 days in patients treated with fenofibrate who are receiving long-term anticoagulation with warfarin. CONCLUSIONS: Fenofibrate potentiates the effect of warfarin. Serial monitoring of the INR, at least three times per week, is therefore strongly recommended when initiating fenofibrate therapy in patients receiving warfarin.
The Anatomy of the Tibial Intramedullary Canal

An autopsy study was done to determine the relationship of the tibial plateau and the intramedullary canal of the tibia. Rods were placed in 10 adult anatomic specimen tibias. Computed axial tomography scans were obtained of the proximal tibia at 1 cm, 1.5 cm, 2 cm, and 2.5 cm from the most proximal plateau. Based on these sections, the position of the tibial canal was measured relative to the plateau. The center of the tibial canal on the plateau varied from 28% to 53% of the depth of the tibia from the anterior cortex and from 37% to 56% of the width of the tibia from the medial cortex. Actual measurements ranged from 15 mm anterior to the center to 1.5 mm posterior to the center and 8 mm medial to the center to 4.5 mm lateral. Because of this variability in location of the tibial canal, a mobile stem attachment site on the tibial tray or an offset stem may be beneficial for some patients having total knee arthroplasty.
Potent CD14-mediated signalling of human leukocytes by Escherichia coli can be mediated by interaction of whole bacteria and host cells without extensive prior release of endotoxin

How invading microorganisms are detected by the host has not been well defined. We have compared the abilities of Escherichia coli and lipopolysaccharides (LPS) purified from these bacteria to prime isolated neutrophils for phorbol myristate acetate-stimulated arachidonate release, to trigger respiratory burst in 1% blood, and to increase steady-state levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha mRNA in whole blood. In all three assays, bacteria were > or = 10-fold more potent than equivalent amounts of LPS and could trigger maximal cellular responses at ratios as low as one bacterium per 20 to 200 leukocytes. Both E. coli and LPS-triggered responses were enhanced by LPS-binding protein and inhibited by an anti-CD14 monoclonal antibody and the bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI). However, whereas O polysaccharide did not affect the potency of isolated LPS, intact E. coli carrying long-chain LPS (O111:B4) was less potent than rough E. coli (J5). Furthermore, material collected by filtration or centrifugation of bacteria incubated under conditions used to trigger arachidonate release or chemiluminescence was 5- or 30-fold less active, respectively, than whole bacterial suspensions. Extracellular BPI (not bound to bacteria) inhibited bacterial signalling, but BPI bound to bacteria was much more potent. Taken together, these findings indicate that E. coli cells can strongly signal their presence to human leukocytes not only by shedding LPS into surrounding fluids but also by exposing endotoxin at or near their surface during direct interaction with host cells.
[Staphylococcus aureus septicemia in children: bacterial tolerance to vancomycin and serum bactericidal activity].

PURPOSE To evaluate the susceptibility and of strains of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from children with septicemia, and to evaluate the importance of the serum bactericidal test. METHODS Seventeen children with Staphylococcus aureus septicemia admitted to the Semi Intensive Care Unit of the Instituto da Criança do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo were studied. Twenty nine tests in the pico and 23 in the nadir of the antibiotics were made. RESULTS Strains of Staphylococcus aureus from hospital origin were resistant to all the antibiotics but vancomycin and pefloxacin. The phenomenon of tolerance was seen in 5 (50%) of the strains that were tested for vancomycin, and 4 of the children had a bad evolution. The serum bactericidal tests showed titles in the pico > or = 1/8 in 55.5% of the observations; in this group the evolution was better. CONCLUSION Strain of Staphylococcus aureus from hospital origin are multiresistant. The phenomenon of antimicrobial tolerance, as well as the serum bactericidal test may be related to a bad therapeutic evolution. The increasing value of the serum bactericidal test as a way to evaluate the therapeutic evolution in severe infections, and the role of the tolerance of the Staphylococcus aureus to vancomycin more studies.
[Comparison of the analgesic effect of interferential current (IFC) and TENS in patients with low back pain].

INTRODUCTION Electrotherapy, including theTENS and interferential current (IFC) is one of the most frequently used treatments in physical therapy in patients with low back pain. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of TENS and IFC on pain relief and to compare the analgesic efficacy of the two currents. MATERIAL AND METHODS Sixty patients aged 53.5 ± 12.5, with low back pain, were randomly divided into two groups: IFC (gr. I) and TENS (gr. II). Depending on the groups, patients were given series of ten 20-minute sessions using either IF orTENS currents. In all patients VAS and Laitinen modified scale were taken before and after treatment. RESULTS After 2-weeks therapy there was improvement in the VAS and Laitinen scale (all components) in both groups, except for the part of the Laitinen scale on the reduction of activity in the group II (TENS). There was no statistically significant difference between the TENS and IF groups in reducing the intensity and other aspects of pain (frequency, pain medication and activity limitation) under the influence of therapy (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Interferential current and TENS therapy are effective for pain relief in patients with low back pain. The study showed equal analgesic efficacy of both treatments.
Primate genus Miopithecus: evidence for the existence of species and subspecies of dwarf guenons based on cellular and endogenous viral sequences.

Sequence data from the mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene were combined with endogenous retrovirus sequences to study the position of the genus Miopithecus in the primate tree. The mitochondrial sequences indicated that Miopithecus is a true genus distinct from Cercopithecus, although talapoin monkeys are commonly referred to as dwarf guenons. The existence of two species of dwarf guenons, suggested by differences in coat color, pigmentation, and geographic location, was supported by substantial mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene divergence. In line with the informal proposal of J. Kingdon (1997, "The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals," Academic Press, London), we use the names Miopithecus talapoin for the southern, darker species and Miopithecus ougouensis for the northern, lighter-colored monkeys. Different 12S rRNA gene haplotypes found in M. ougouensis individuals suggest the possible existence of additional subspecies. Simian endogenous retrovirus (SERV) strain 23. 1 proviruses were introduced in the primate germ-line after the Cercopithecinae split from the Colobinae, estimated at around 9-14 million years ago. SERV sequences were used for timing of divergence events in Cercopithecinae and confirmed the close relationship between the genera Cercopithecus and Miopithecus, which was only weakly supported by the more variable mtDNA sequences in a distance analysis, demonstrating the utility of these pseudogenes in phylogenetic grouping.
Paraneoplastic syndromes in lung cancer

Paraneoplastic syndromes are caused by factors produced by cancer cells that often act at a site distant from both the primary site and its metastases. These syndromes are estimated to occur in only 7% to 15% of patients with cancer and are diagnoses of exclusion. If the definition of paraneoplastic syndrome is broadened to include indirect effects of the tumor such as cachexia or the anemia of chronic disease, the incidence is much higher. Lung cancer, particularly small cell lung cancer, is the most common malignancy causing paraneoplastic syndromes. This review focuses on recently published literature on paraneoplastic syndromes associated with lung cancer, including humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy, autoimmune paraneoplastic neurologic syndromes, neuromuscular disorders, and cancer cachexia. It includes advances in both molecular biology and immunology, and in clinical investigation.
Fasting insulin levels influence plasma leptin levels independently from the contribution of adiposity: evidence from both a cross-sectional and an intervention study.

The aim of the present investigation was to determine whether leptinemia is only a reflection of the status of fat stores or if insulinemia has a significant influence over leptin levels. Study 1 focused on the association between fasting plasma insulin and leptin in subjects of the Quebec Family Study who were first classified as either high- or low-insulin individuals and were then individually matched on the basis of fat mass (FM). In Study 2, 19 men and 23 women took part in a 15-week weight loss program that consisted of drug therapy (fenfluramine, 60 mg/day) or placebo coupled to an energy-restricted diet (-2930 kJ/day). Body weight, FM, and fat-free mass (assessed by underwater weighing) as well as visceral and sc abdominal and mid-thigh adipose tissue measured by computed tomography were assessed before and after weight loss. Blood samples were drawn and analyzed for fasting plasma insulin and leptin before and after weight loss. In Study 1, significant positive associations were noted between log10 transformed fasting insulin and leptin in both men (r = 0.55, P < 0.0001) and women (r = 0.48, P < 0.0001). Moreover, after having carefully matched high-insulin to low-insulin individuals on the basis of FM, significantly lower leptin levels were observed in the low-insulin groups, in men (5.5 vs. 8.1 ng/mL, P < 0.05) as well as in women (18.7 vs. 24 ng/mL, P < 0.05). Results from Study 2 showed significant reductions of body weight, FM, fat-free mass, visceral abdominal tissue, sc abdominal tissue, and mid-thigh adipose tissue levels in men and women in response to the weight loss protocol. Moreover, the decrease in fasting plasma insulin was the only significant correlate of changes in fasting plasma leptin levels during weight loss, even after corrections for changes in FM in both men (r = 0.50, P < 0.05) and women (r = 0.46, P < 0.05). These results suggest that in a population characterized by a wide range of adiposity hyperinsulinemia has the potential to modulate leptin levels beyond what can be explained by total adiposity. Moreover, this relation also seems to exist in a dynamic setting (i.e. during weight loss) because changes in insulin were independent predictors of the changes in leptinemia in both men and women after correction for changes in FM.
Global quantitative proteomics reveals novel factors in the ecdysone signaling pathway in Drosophila melanogaster

The ecdysone signaling pathway plays a major role in various developmental transitions in insects. Recent advances in the understanding of ecdysone action have relied to a large extent on the application of molecular genetic tools in Drosophila. Here, we used a comprehensive quantitative SILAC MS‐based approach to study the global, dynamic proteome of a Drosophila cell line to investigate how hormonal signals are transduced into specific cellular responses. Global proteome data after ecdysone treatment after various time points were then integrated with transcriptome data. We observed a substantial overlap in terms of affected targets between the dynamic proteome and transcriptome, although there were some clear differences in timing effects. Also, downregulation of several specific mRNAs did not always correlate with downregulation of their corresponding protein counterparts, and in some cases there was no correlation between transcriptome and proteome dynamics whatsoever. In addition, we performed a comprehensive interactome analysis of EcR, the major target of ecdysone. Proteins copurified with EcR include factors involved in transcription, chromatin remodeling, ecdysone signaling, ecdysone biosynthesis, and other signaling pathways. Novel ecdysone‐responsive proteins identified in this study might link previously unknown proteins to the ecdysone signaling pathway and might be novel targets for developmental studies. To our knowledge, this is the first time that ecdysone signaling is studied by global quantitative proteomics. All MS data have been deposited in the ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD001455 (http://proteomecentral.proteomexchange.org/dataset/PXD001455).
[Ostearticular tuberculosis. Study of 53 cases].

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE To analyze the characteristics of bone and joint tuberculosis in a Spanish university hospital. PATIENTS AND METHOD Retrospective study (1984-2006) in a university hospital. All patients had microbiologically and/or histologically proved osteoarticular tuberculosis. Patients with clinical and radiological criteriae, positive tuberculin test responding to antituberculous treatment were not excluded despite negative cultures. RESULTS We attended 53 patients with osteoarticular tuberculosis (35 males/18 females; mean age: 52 years). Bone tuberculosis involved axial skeleton in 37 patients (71%), peripheral distribution in 12 (21%) and both locations in 4 (8%). Mean time to diagnosis was 8 months. Most common involved joints were knee and ankle. An extraarticular involvement was found in 12 patients (22%) and multifocal bone infection in 6 (11%). Risk factors were present in 22 patients (42%), and 15% were immigrants. The diagnosis was established by a positive culture in 40 cases (75%), and 33 (62%) had suggestive histology. Complications of tuberculosis included medullar compression (9.4%), abscess (12%) and fistulae (9.4%). Spine involvement required surgical intervention in 27% and peripheral involvement in 56%. Curation was achieved in 33 patients (62.3%), curation with secuelae in 19 cases (35.9%) and no consolidation of arthrodesis in one case. CONCLUSIONS Bone and joint tuberculosis is still common in our area and should be particularly considered in immigrants. Diagnosis delay is remarkable. Complications are present in one third of patients. Surgical treatment is often required.
Capecitabine and trastuzumab in heavily pretreated metastatic breast cancer.

PURPOSE In human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER-2)-positive advanced breast cancer, taxanes or vinorelbine plus trastuzumab are among the most widely applied options in the first-line setting. We evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of capecitabine plus trastuzumab after anthracycline and docetaxel or vinorelbine failure and prior trastuzumab exposure. PATIENTS AND METHODS Forty consecutive patients were included. Capecitabine was administered at a dose of 1,250 mg/m(2) bid for 14 consecutive days in 3-week cycles, with dose modifications if necessary. Trastuzumab was administered every 3 weeks. Time to progression (TTP) was defined as primary end point. Response was evaluated every 3 months using International Union Against Cancer criteria. RESULTS TTP was a median of 8 months, and overall survival was 24 months. No significant difference was found for second-line and beyond second-line treatment. A complete response (CR) was observed in 2.5%, partial response (PR) in 17.5%, stable disease lasting at least 6 months (SD) in 50%, resulting in a clinical benefit rate (CR + PR + SD > or = 6 months) of 70%. Diarrhea (5%) and hand-foot syndrome (15%) were the only treatment-related adverse events that occurred with grade 3 or 4 intensity. Three patients (7.5%) developed brain metastases while receiving therapy. CONCLUSION Capecitabine plus trastuzumab appears to be an effective and safe option in a heavily pretreated population. Therefore, a direct comparison of this regimen with capecitabine monotherapy in this setting is warranted.
Component surface defect detection based on image segmentation method

This paper presents two iterative selecting threshold method for component surface defect image segmentation based on gray level. Firstly, it makes use of the statistical gray histogram and two iterative selecting threshold method to split the defect area of the component surface image. Secondly, in order to constructing each of the connected region of the defective parts, it adopts morphological closing operation on the image to connecting smaller discontinuous area. Finally, by use of extracting features of the defect region and matching features to detect and identify the pitting defects and scratch defects. Experiments show that the proposed method can effectively detect the main scratch and pitting defects of the component surface image and has fast detection speed, good real-time performance.
Slaughtering sacred cows: Six institutional obstacles to advances in family planning

Abstract In order to capitalise on new opportunities to advance contraceptive and reproductive health choices globally, organisations working in these fields will need to overcome six institutional obstacles. These are: (i) committee management; (ii) over-medicalisation; (iii) fear of risk and controversy; (iv) conferences, meetings, and symposia; (v) obsession with coordination; and (vi) fear of sex. The reproductive health community will require energy, innovative approaches, and a sharp focus on service delivery to address these hurdles that will otherwise slow down and misdirect programmatic momentum. Chinese Abstract 摘 要 为了抓住新的机会促进全球生殖与避孕的健康选择, 在此领域工作的机构将需要克服六个体制性问题。 分别为：(i) 委员会管理；(ii) 过度医疗化； (iii) 惧怕风险与争论；(iv) 讨论，会议与座谈；及(vi)对性的恐惧。 生殖医学界需要活力而创新的态度并密切关注可解决这些障碍的方式，否则会阻碍和误导程序化势头。