Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clinical Usefulness of X-Ray Findings for Non-specific Low Back Pain in Korean Farmers: FARM Study

Objective To elucidate the association between non-specific low back pain (NSLBP) and spinal X-ray findings in Korean farmers: Farmers' Cohort for Agricultural Work-Related Musculoskeletal disorders (FARM) study. Methods A total of 835 farmers (391 males, 444 females; mean age, 56.6±7.4 years) without red-flag signs of specific LBP were recruited. Presence of LBP more than one week or once a month with more than moderate degree of pain severity during the last year was assessed with a binary questionnaire (yes or no). Spinal degenerative changes were classified into disc height change (DHC) of L4-5 and L5-S1 (grade 0–5) and osteophyte formation of L5 (grade 0–5) by a radiologist based on X-ray findings. Additionally, spondylolisthesis, scoliosis and spondylolysis were assessed. Results General prevalence of NSLBP was 40.7%, revealing a higher incidence of NSLBP in female and younger farmers compared to male and older farmers (χ2=23.3, p<0.001; χ2=4.54, p<05, respectively). Among X-ray findings, DHC (L5–S1) grade 4 revealed significantly higher relative risk of NSLBP compared to grade 0 (odds ratio, 5.00; 95% confidence interval, 2.05–12.20) after adjusting age and sex, while other X-ray findings were not associated with NSLBP. Conclusion The NSLBP of Korean farmers was significantly related to lumbar disc degenerative changes, suggesting clinical usefulness of X-ray findings in assessing LBP in farmers.
Regulatory T Cells + the Presence of Foxp3 Anergic State in hi CD73 hi Acquire an FR4 T Cells + Arthritogenic Self-Reactive CD4

Rheumatoid arthritis develops in association with a defect in peripheral CD4 + T cell homeostasis. T cell lymphopenia has also been shown to be a barrier to CD4 + T cell clonal anergy induction. We therefore explored the relationship between clonal anergy induction and the avoidance of autoimmune arthritis by tracking the fate of glucose-6-phosphate isomerase (GPI)-reactive CD4 + T cells in the setting of selective T cell lymphopenia. CD4 + T cell recognition of self-GPI peptide/MHC class II complexes in normal murine hosts did not lead to arthritis and instead caused those T cells to develop a Folate receptor 4 hi CD73 hi anergic phenotype. In contrast, hosts selectively depleted of polyclonal Foxp3 + CD4 + regulatory T cells could not make GPI-speciﬁc CD4 + T cells anergic and failed to control arthritis. This suggests that autoimmune arthritis develops in the setting of lymphopenia when Foxp3 + CD4 + regulatory T cells are insufﬁcient to functionally inactivate all autoreactive CD4 + T cells that encounter self-Ag. The Journal of Immunology , 2012, 188: 000–000.
Current Bacterial Speciation and Antibiotic Resistance in Deep Infections After Operative Fixation of Fractures

Objectives: Infection after fracture fixation is a major source of morbidity. Information regarding bacterial speciation and antibiotic resistance is lacking. We attempted to determine the speciation and drug resistance profiles associated with fracture fixation infections. Design: Retrospective study. Setting: Level I trauma center. Patients: Two hundred eleven patients with 214 infections underwent surgery for postoperative infection from December 2006 to December 2010. Deep postoperative infections within 12 months of fixation were included. Intervention: None. Main Outcome Measurements: Incidence of each bacterial species and rate of clinically relevant resistance in Staphylococcus aureus, gram-negative rod (GNR), and Enterococcus species. The effect of timing of infection presentation and location of fracture on bacterial speciation was also investigated. Results: Fifty-six percent of infections had S. aureus present, with 58% of those (32% of all infections) being methicillin-resistant S. aureus. Thirty-two percent of infections had at least one GNR present, with only 4% of those being multidrug resistant. We found a marked increase in the rate of GNR infections of the pelvis, acetabulum, and proximal femur (63%) compared with other locations (27%), which was statistically significant (P = 0.0002). Conclusions: At our center, S. aureus and GNR are most often found in deep postoperative infections after fixation. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus is common in this population. Our GNR rate is high, but resistance in this group was low. The proportion of GNR infections in the pelvis, acetabulum, and proximal femur was high even in closed fractures. These data provide a modern snapshot of orthopaedic infections after fracture fixation and might be useful in designing future studies and protocols for antibiotic prophylactic treatment. We are considering the use of aminoglycosides in the treatment of closed fractures of the pelvis, acetabulum, and proximal femur. Level of Evidence: Prognostic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Frequent altered expression of fragile histidine triad protein in human colorectal adenomas.

Fragile histidine triad (FHIT) gene is involved in deletions on the short arm of chromosome 3 in various human cancers. We found that 47% of colorectal adenomas, which is a higher frequency than that of K-ras, showed altered expression of the Fhit protein by Western blot analysis. The amount of Fhit protein was inversely correlated with the degree of dysplasia. Importantly, 27% of low-grade dysplastic adenomas showed altered expression of Fhit protein. Additionally, expression of human Fhit protein in human colon carcinoma cell line SW480 exhibited a marked inhibition of growth and rendered SW480 cells highly susceptible to undergo apoptosis compared with control cells. These findings suggest that altered expression of the FHIT gene is a quite early aberration in the development of colorectal tumors and that Fhit protein may act as a tumor suppressor.
Aspect Extraction and Aspect Terms Expansion in Chinese Reviews Using Cluster Semi-Supervised Expansion Model

Aspect extraction is one of the most important tasks for text mining. Semi-supervised methods have been proposed to solve this problem. However, the seed terms have to be given in advance in these methods. The current methods categorize the aspects without expanding more aspects terms. And most of the methods are based on English corpus, there is a great space for the research on the aspect extraction method of Chinese Corpus. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a cluster semi-supervised expansion model to obtain aspect seed terms by clustering algorithm. The purpose of aspect seed terms is to find more aspect terms. Experimental results using Chinese reviews from three types of restaurants(coffee, hotpot, barbecue) show that the proposed method is indeed able to perform the task more effectively.
Is Financial Communication on Euronext Brussels linked to Ownership Structure

The aim of this research is to study the financial communicationâ€™s quality of firms quoted on the NYSE Euronext in Brussels and to find a link with the ownership structure. To reach this goal we use two techniques. First of all, we build an analysis grid of annual report in order to get a score for each company of our sample. Then we use a Logit model in order to regress the probability of having a good quality score of financial communication with ownership structure variables and other control variables. The results show that concentration capital in the hands of institutional investors and families tend to push companies to disclose financial information of higher quality in their annual report. The size of the firm and its level of debts also seem to have a positive impact.
Long-term natural history of hemorrhagic moyamoya disease in 42 patients.

OBJECT The purpose of this study was to delineate the long-term natural history of hemorrhagic moyamoya disease (MMD). METHODS A retrospective review was conducted among 42 patients suffering from hemorrhagic MMD who had been treated conservatively without bypass surgery. The group included four patients who had undergone indirect bypass surgery after an episode of rebleeding. The follow-up period averaged 80.6 months. The clinical features of the first bleeding episode and repeated bleeding episodes were analyzed to determine the risk factors of rebleeding and poor outcome. Intraventricular hemorrhage with or without intracerebral hemorrhage was a dominant finding on computerized tomography scans during the first bleeding episode in 29 cases (69%). During the follow-up period, 14 patients experienced a second episode of bleeding, which occurred 10 years or longer after the original hemorrhage in five cases (35.7%). The annual rebleeding rate was 7.09%/person/year. The second bleeding episode was characterized by a change in which hemisphere bleeding occurred in three cases (21.4%) and by the type of bleeding in seven cases (50%). After rebleeding the rate of good recovery fell from 45.5% to 21.4% and the mortality rate rose from 6.8% to 28.6%. Rebleeding and patient age were statistically significant risk factors of poor outcome. All four patients in whom there was indirect revascularization after the second bleeding episode experienced a repeated bleeding episode within 8 years. CONCLUSIONS The occurrence of rebleeding a long time after the first hemorrhagic episode was not uncommon. Furthermore, the change in which hemisphere and the type of bleeding that occurred after the first episode suggested the difficulty encountered in the prevention of repeated hemorrhage.
The number of genes encoding repeat domain-containing proteins positively correlates with genome size in amoebal giant viruses

Abstract Curiously, in viruses, the virion volume appears to be predominantly driven by genome length rather than the number of proteins it encodes or geometric constraints. With their large genome and giant particle size, amoebal viruses (AVs) are ideally suited to study the relationship between genome and virion size and explore the role of genome plasticity in their evolutionary success. Different genomic regions of AVs exhibit distinct genealogies. Although the vertically transferred core genes and their functions are universally conserved across the nucleocytoplasmic large DNA virus (NCLDV) families and are essential for their replication, the horizontally acquired genes are variable across families and are lineage-specific. When compared with other giant virus families, we observed a near–linear increase in the number of genes encoding repeat domain-containing proteins (RDCPs) with the increase in the genome size of AVs. From what is known about the functions of RDCPs in bacteria and eukaryotes and their prevalence in the AV genomes, we envisage important roles for RDCPs in the life cycle of AVs, their genome expansion, and plasticity. This observation also supports the evolution of AVs from a smaller viral ancestor by the acquisition of diverse gene families from the environment including RDCPs that might have helped in host adaption.
PARACEST MRI with improved temporal resolution

PARAmagnetic Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer (PARACEST) is a novel contrast mechanism for MRI. A PARACEST MRI methodology with high temporal resolution is highly desired for in vivo MRI applications of molecular imaging. To address this need, a strategy has been developed that includes a long selective saturation period before each repetition of a Rapid Acquisition with Relaxation Enhancement (RARE) pulse sequence. This strategy is suitable for the application of PARACEST contrast agents to environments with long T1 relaxation times. An alternative strategy uses short selective saturation periods before the acquisition of each k‐space trajectory to maintain steady state conditions, which can be implemented with a Fast Low Angle Shot (FLASH) pulse sequence. These short saturation periods lengthen the total scan time as compared to the first approach but compensate for the loss in PARACEST contrast related to T1 relaxation. Both approaches have been demonstrated in vitro and in vivo with significantly improved temporal resolutions as compared to a conventional gradient‐echo PARACEST method without sacrificing CNR efficiency. These demonstrations also adopted a strategy for measuring the PARACEST effect that only requires selective saturation at a single MR frequency, which further improves temporal resolution for PARACEST detection. Magn Reson Med 61:399–408, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Acceptability and impact of pet visitation on a pediatric cardiology inpatient unit.

We evaluated the effectiveness of a pet visitation program in helping children and their families adjust to hospitalization on a pediatric cardiology ward. Thirty-one pet visits were observed and followed by interviews with patients and parents. Analysis of data suggested that pet visits relieved stress, normalized the hospital milieu, and improved patient and parent morale. The benefit received by the subjects correlated with the amount of physical contact and rapport developed with the visiting animal.
Melatonin decreases matrix metalloproteinase‐9 activation and expression and attenuates reperfusion‐induced hemorrhage following transient focal cerebral ischemia in rats

Abstract: We have previously shown that melatonin reduces postischemic rises in the blood–brain barrier (BBB) permeability and improves neurovascular dysfunction and hemorrhagic transformation following ischemic stroke. It is known that activation of the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of brain edema and hemorrhagic transformation after ischemic stroke. We, herein, investigated whether melatonin would ameliorate MMP‐2 and MMP‐9 activation and expression in a rat model of transient focal cerebral ischemia. Adult male Sprague–Dawley rats were subjected to a 90‐min middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion using an intraluminal filament. Melatonin (5 mg/kg) or vehicle was intravenously injected upon reperfusion. Brain infarction and hemorrhage within infarcts were measured, and neurological deficits were scored. The activity and expression of MMP‐2 and MMP‐9 were determined by zymography, in situ zymography and Western immunoblot analysis. Cerebral ischemia–reperfusion induced increased pro‐MMP‐9 and MMP‐9 activity and expression 24 hr after reperfusion onset. Relative to controls, melatonin‐treated animals, however, had significantly reduced levels in the MMP‐9 activity and expression (P < 0.01), in addition to reduced brain infarct volume and hemorrhagic transformation as well as improved sensorimotor neurobehavioral outcomes. No significant change in MMP‐2 activity was observed throughout the course experiments. Our results indicate that the melatonin‐mediated reductions in ischemic brain damage and reperfusion‐induced hemorrhage are partly attributed to its ability to reduce postischemic MMP‐9 activation and increased expression, and further support the fact that melatonin is a suitable as an add‐on to thrombolytic therapy for ischemic stroke patients.
Diverse Functions of Restriction-Modification Systems in Addition to Cellular Defense

SUMMARY Restriction-modification (R-M) systems are ubiquitous and are often considered primitive immune systems in bacteria. Their diversity and prevalence across the prokaryotic kingdom are an indication of their success as a defense mechanism against invading genomes. However, their cellular defense function does not adequately explain the basis for their immaculate specificity in sequence recognition and nonuniform distribution, ranging from none to too many, in diverse species. The present review deals with new developments which provide insights into the roles of these enzymes in other aspects of cellular function. In this review, emphasis is placed on novel hypotheses and various findings that have not yet been dealt with in a critical review. Emerging studies indicate their role in various cellular processes other than host defense, virulence, and even controlling the rate of evolution of the organism. We also discuss how R-M systems could have successfully evolved and be involved in additional cellular portfolios, thereby increasing the relative fitness of their hosts in the population.
Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 long terminal repeat variants from 42 patients representing all stages of infection display a wide range of sequence polymorphism and transcription activity

Despite extensive in vitro studies identifying a myriad of cellular transcription factors that bind the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 5' long terminal repeat (LTR), the relative contribution of these factors to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 replication in infected individuals remains obscure. To address this question, we investigated 478 proviral quasispecies derived from uncultured peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 42 patients representing all stages of infection. In addition to highly conserved TATA box, SP-1, and NF-kappaB sites, the Ets core and an adjacent 5'-ACYGCTGA-3' motif were extremely conserved. Importantly, the most frequent naturally occurring length polymorphism (MFNLP) duplicated 5'-ACYGCTGA-3' motifs in LTRs in which this same motif was disrupted or in LTRs in which a single point mutation to the Ets core ablated binding of c-Ets 1 and another factor distinct from both c-Ets 1 and Elf 1. The MFNLP's location was precise (position -121) and surprisingly frequent (38% of patients) and demarcated LTR Nef-coding sequences from LTR noncoding sequences that appear to be evolving independently. Aside from these features, we found no definitive clinical or transcription phenotype common to all MFNLP LTRs. We also found previously described and novel point polymorphisms, including some conferring TAR-dependent and TAR- independent Tat unresponsiveness, and showed that differential binding of nuclear factor(s) to a TCTAA TATA box variant may be the mechanism for the latter.
Diphyllobothriasis: fish tapeworm disease in the circumpolar north.

Although fish tapeworm infections in arctic and subarctic residents are often attributed to the cestode Diphyllobothrium latum, other Diphyllobothrium species are frequently responsible. D. dendriticum, for example, occurs throughout the circumpolar area at high latitudes beyond the range of D. latum. Several additional species are also implicated in human infections in northern communities bordering the Pacific: D. ursi from northern Canada and Alaska, D. dalliae from Alaska and Siberia, and D. klebanovskii from Siberia. Routine diagnosis of diphyllobothriasis by coprology does not allow designation of the Diphyllobothrium species involved as their eggs cannot be differentiated and identification of the proglottids from adult worms requires a taxonomic specialist. On the other hand, relevant information on the Diphyllobothrium species most likely to infect the inhabitants of a particular region can be derived from a knowledge of the fish consumed. Larvae of D. dendriticum occur predominantly in salmonid fishes (e.g. arctic char, salmon, trout, whitefish), and this parasite has never been found in pike and perch, the usual intermediate hosts of D. latum. Conversely, D. latum is rarely found in salmonids. D. ursi and D. klebanovskii predominantly occur in Pacific salmon, and D. dalliae in Alaskan blackfish. Species other than D. latum probably constitute transitory intestinal infections in humans, usually lasting for only a few months. Although many carriers are asymptomatic, overt clinical manifestations of diphyllobothriasis can include diarrhea, epigastric pain, nausea and vomiting. There are no reports of anaemia associated with any of the northern species except D. latum. Effective control for diphyllobothriasis originating from D. latum has been achieved in many areas by a combination of selective drug therapy and improved sewage treatment. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Effect of Eupatorium adenophorum Spreng leaf extracts on the mustard aphid, Lipaphis erysimi Kalt: A scanning electron microscope study

Scanning electron microscopic study revealed some remarkable adverse effects of Eupatorium adenophorum Spreng leaf extract on cuticular and antennal sensilla of the mustard aphid, Lipaphis erysimi Kalt. The study appears to be the first of its kind in providing evidence on toxic property of the plant on certain agricultural pests, although the indigenous tribes of the region know the insecticidal property of the plant for a long time. The study further provides indications regarding the neurotoxic nature of the leaf extract since it has caused abnormalities in the sensory structures. The presence of prominent swellings in some sensilla and shrinkage in others suggests that the leaf extract affects different systems through different mechanisms. The possible use of the plant as a potential biopesticide against certain insect pests is discussed. Microsc. Res. Tech. 66:31–36, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Genetic Correlation Between Cigarette Smoking and Alcohol Drinking Among Chinese Adult Male Twins: An Ordinal Bivariate Genetic Analysis

Background: Though multiple policies have been implemented, the cigarette control in China is still facing a great challenge. At the same time, alcohol drinking has increasingly become a public health problem. Considering cigarette smoking and alcohol drinking often co-occur, a few studies tested the covariance of these phenotypes. However, the genetic and environmental correlation between them among Chinese population has not been determined. The main aim of this study is to fill this gap. Methods: From the Chinese National Twin Registry, we obtained the data on cigarette smoking and alcohol drinking behaviors. The ordinal bivariate genetic analysis was performed to fit the categorical variables. After identifying the best decomposition among the Cholesky, common, and independent pathway model, we established the most parsimonious submodel. Results: The correlation between current tobacco and alcohol use could be explained by Cholesky model. The shared environmental variances for both phenotypes were dropped to construct the most parsimonious submodel. Furthermore, the most parsimonious submodel showed a moderate correlation (0.32, 95%CI = 0.17 – 0.46) between the genetic components and a negligible non-shared environmental correlation. Conclusion: As the first bivariate genetic analysis on current tobacco smoking and current alcohol drinking in China, this study suggested a common genetic vulnerability to tobacco and alcohol use in male twins. Further studies should be carried out to track the pertinent genes that are related to the comorbidity of smoking and drinking in Chinese population. Another urgent need is to recognize the behavior-specific environmental risk factors.
Biologia Plantarum Xx (x): Xxx-xxx, 20xx Molecular Responses to Drought Stress in Plants

Drought is a severe environmental constraint to plant productivity. Being a multidimensional stress, it triggers a wide variety of plant responses ranging from physiological, biochemical to molecular levels. One of the inevitable consequences of drought stress is an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in different cellular compartments, namely the chloroplasts and mitochondria. This enhanced ROS production is however, kept under tight control by a versatile and cooperative antioxidant system that modulates intracellular ROS content and sets the redox-status of the cell. Furthermore, ROS production under stresses functions as an alarm signal that triggers defence or acclimation. Specific signal transduction pathways involve, e.g., H 2 O 2 as a secondary messenger. ROS signalling under drought is linked to abscisic acid (ABA) and Ca 2+ fluxes. At molecular levels, several drought-responsive genes, transcription factors, aquaporins, late embryogenesis abundant proteins, heat shock proteins, and dehydrins, have been identified. This review discusses the recent understanding on molecular responses and protective mechanisms of drought stress.