Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High prevalence of colorectal cancer in HLA-B27 transgenic F344 rats with chronic inflammatory bowel disease.

BACKGROUND/AIMS Transgenic rats expressing the human major histocompatibility class I molecule HLA-B27 develop a spontaneous multisystem disease that includes a chronic colitis resembling ulcerative colitis. The availability of this phenotype in B27 transgenic rats of 2 different inbred strains provided the opportunity to inquire whether colorectal neoplasia, which occurs with increased frequency in humans with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), would develop in either or both rat genetic backgrounds. METHODS Clinical and histologic evaluation of B27 transgenic rats with chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) on the F344 and LEW inbred backgrounds. RESULTS In B27 transgenic rats on an inbred F344 background, hyperplastic lesions evolved in the setting of chronic colitis, with a high frequency of colorectal polyp formation and frequent histologic progression from adenoma to adenocarcinoma. In contrast, no neoplasia occurred in B27 transgenic rats on an inbred LEW background, despite similar colitis. CONCLUSION A high incidence of spontaneous colorectal neoplasia occurs in a line of B27 F344 rats that shares some features of both sporadic and inflammatory bowel disease-associated human colorectal cancer. This represents a novel example of spontaneous colorectal neoplasia in rodents that is not based on germline modification of one or more already-identified cancer-related genes.
Restart-Based Security Mechanisms for Safety-Critical Embedded Systems

Many physical plants that are controlled by embedded systems have safety requirements that need to be respected at all times - any deviations from expected behavior can result in damage to the system (often to the physical plant), the environment or even endanger human life. In recent times, malicious attacks against such systems have increased - many with the intent to cause physical damage. In this paper, we aim to decouple the safety of the plant from security of the embedded system by taking advantage of the inherent inertia in such systems. In this paper we present a system-wide restart-based framework that combines hardware and software components to (a) maintain the system within the safety region and (b) thwart potential attackers from destabilizing the system. We demonstrate the feasibility of our approach using two realistic systems - an actual 3 degree of freedom (3-DoF) helicopter and a simulated warehouse temperature control unit. Our proof-of-concept implementation is tested against multiple emulated attacks on the control units of these systems.
Activation of HydA(DeltaEFG) requires a preformed [4Fe-4S] cluster.

The H-cluster is a complex bridged metal assembly at the active site of [FeFe]-hydrogenases that consists of a [4Fe-4S] subcluster bridged to a 2Fe-containing subcluster with unique nonprotein ligands, including carbon monoxide, cyanide, and a dithiolate ligand of unknown composition. Specific biosynthetic gene products (HydE, HydF, and HydG) responsible for the biosynthesis of the H-cluster and the maturation of active [FeFe]-hydrogenase have previously been identified and shown to be required for the heterologous expression of active [FeFe]-hydrogenase [Posewitz, M. C. , et al. (2004) J. Biol. Chem. 279, 25711-25720]. The precise roles of the maturation proteins are unknown; the most likely possibility is that they are directed at the synthesis of the entire 6Fe-containing H-cluster, the 2Fe subcluster, or only the unique ligands of the 2Fe subcluster. The spectroscopic and biochemical characterization of HydA(DeltaEFG) (the [FeFe]-hydrogenase structural protein expressed in the absence of the maturation machinery) reported here indicates that a [4Fe-4S] cluster is incorporated into the H-cluster site. The purified protein in a representative preparation contains Fe (3.1 +/- 0.5 Fe atoms per HydA(DeltaEFG)) and S(2-) (1.8 +/- 0.5 S(2-) atoms per HydA(DeltaEFG)) and exhibits UV-visible spectroscopic features characteristic of iron-sulfur clusters, including a bleaching of the visible chromophore upon addition of dithionite. The reduced protein gave rise to an axial S = (1)/(2) EPR signal (g = 2.04 and 1.91) characteristic of a reduced [4Fe-4S](+) cluster. Mossbauer spectroscopic characterization of (57)Fe-enriched HydA(DeltaEFG) provided further evidence of the presence of a redox active [4Fe-4S](2+/+) cluster. Iron K-edge EXAFS data provided yet further support for the presence of a [4Fe-4S] cluster in HydA(DeltaEFG). These spectroscopic studies were combined with in vitro activation studies that demonstrate that HydA(DeltaEFG) can be activated by the specific maturases only when a [4Fe-4S] cluster is present in the protein. In sum, this work supports a model in which the role of the maturation machinery is to synthesize and insert the 2Fe subcluster and/or its ligands and not the entire 6Fe-containing H-cluster bridged assembly.
Cancer-related health disparities in women.

OBJECTIVES This article synthesizes information about cancer in 9 populations of minority women: Mexican American, Puerto Rican, Cuban American, African American, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, American Samoan, American Indian, and Alaska Native. METHODS Cancer registry data, social indicators, government sources, and published articles were searched for information on the background and cancer experience of these 9 racial/ethnic groups. RESULTS Approximately 35 million women in these racial/ethnic groups live in the United States, and their numbers are increasing rapidly. Since 1992, incidence rates for major cancer sites have slowed or decreased among these groups, but declines in mortality have not occurred or have been smaller than for Whites. Gaps in early detection have narrowed, but minority women still lag behind Whites. Smoking and obesity remain common in these populations. CONCLUSIONS More culturally appropriate interventions and research are needed, and these efforts must involve the community and raise the quality of health services.
Utility of Tissue Culture for Detection of Toxoplasma gondii in Vitreous Humor of Patients Diagnosed with Toxoplasmic Retinochoroiditis

ABSTRACT Laboratory recovery and confirmation of the etiologic agent in necrotizing retinochoroiditis are problematic. Tissue culture and intraocular antibody titers were compared as adjuncts to clinical diagnosis for toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis: the correlations were 91 and 67%, respectively. Isolation of Toxoplasma gondii may establish a definitive diagnosis in patients with toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis.
How common is familial cancer?

BACKGROUND Family history of a disease may point to its heritable or environmental etiology. It can be described by the proportion of the familial disease, i.e. same disease in two or more family members. A family history always needs to be specified as to the number of generations covered and their ages. PATIENTS AND METHODS Proportions of site-specific familial cancers (familial proportions) were calculated using the Swedish Family-Cancer Database, the largest dataset of its kind in the world, with cancers from the Swedish Cancer Registry. Familial proportions refer to the offspring population up to age 72 years when their parents or siblings were diagnosed with a concordant (same) cancer. RESULTS A total of 34 cancer sites and 205 638 cases were covered. Prostate cancer showed the highest familial proportion of 20.15%, followed by breast (13.58%) and colorectal (12.80%) cancers. Salivary gland cancers showed the lowest familial proportion of 0.15%, but bone, laryngeal, anal, connective tissue and other genital cancers also remained <1%. The familial proportion depended on the prevalence of the particular cancer and on its familial risk. CONCLUSIONS The derived familial proportions can justifiably be used in statements 'X% of the patients had a family history of the cancer'.
Visualización de modelos de sociedades de agentes

Uno de los objetivos mas importantes en la Economia consiste en encontrar un modelo del comportamiento global de un sistema economico, derivado a partir de grupo de interacciones sencillas entre individuos que buscan satisfacer sus objetivos particulares. La respuesta clasica en teoria economica consiste en definir agentes economicos como entidades que conocen a la perfeccion el entorno de la economia en el que se desenvuelven, incluyendo el estado cognitivo de los demas agentes economicos. Este modelo, sin embargo, no es minimamente realista en confirmar el comportamiento efectivo en un sistema economico, por lo que ha sido historicamente sujeto a criticas e impugnaciones [7]. Los estados de desequilibrio y la no optimalidad son una realidad en el comportamiento social, y la base del modelo -la omnisciencia de los agentes economicoses sin duda imposible. Un punto de vista radicalmente opuesto para constituir modelos de interaccion entre agentes economicos proviene de incluir la incertidumbre en el mismo modelo de interaccion entre los agentes. La economia sigue siendo constituida por agentes economicos que efectuan interacciones sencillas entre si, pero dichas interacciones asumen la forma de un juego, y por lo tanto tienen incluida la incertidumbre de desconocerse la eleccion de estrategias entre los agentes. De esa manera, el comportamiento social se produce como estado emergente del conjunto de interacciones con incertidumbre. El proposito de la linea de invesigacion que incluye a este trabajo es demostrar en que medida es posible confirmar algunas propiedades del comportamiento economico colectivo a partir de una simulacion de la conducta de un gran conjunto de agentes decisores. De esa manera, el comportamiento social queda definido como epifenomeno de la microeconomia, lo cual justifica su estudio en terminos de las ciencias de la complejidad [2, 5].
PROCESSAMENTO DIGITAL DE SINAIS E INTELIGÊNCIA COMPUTACIONAL APLICADOS AOS SINAIS ULTRASSÔNICOS

O ensaio ultrassonico tem sido utilizado nos mais distintos ramos industriais, em virtude de suascaracteristicas intrinsecas, como: robustez, inercia aos materiais inspecionados, propagacao em meiossolidos, liquidos e gasosos e por ser um metodo nao destrutivo, com possibilidade de ser nao invasivo. Estetrabalho propoe realizar estudo de tecnicas de processamento digital de sinais e inteligencia computacionalaplicadas aos ensaios ultrassonicos para determinacao de parâmetros de processo, inspecao nao destrutiva ecaracterizacao de materiais. Sao abordadas metodologias empregadas na obtencao dos resultados, os tipos ecaracteristicas dos ruidos existentes, alem de explorar conceitos matematicos e fisicos acerca daTransformada de Fourier, Transformada Wavelet e redes neurais artificiais aplicadas as tecnicas deprocessamento e automatizacao.
Ultrasound Measurements of the Bile Ducts and Gallbladder: Normal Ranges and Effects of Age, Sex, Cholecystectomy, and Pathologic States

Objective The objectives of this study were to determine the normal values and ranges for bile duct and gallbladder measurements, adjusted for demographic data, and to assess the effects of a variety of pathologic states on these values. Methods Four thousand one hundred nineteen abdominal ultrasounds were retrospectively analyzed. The values for the extrahepatic bile duct (EHD), left (LIHD) and right (RIHD) intrahepatic ducts, gallbladder wall thickness, and gallbladder volume in “normal” patients were evaluated with respect to age, sex, ethnicity, and cholecystectomy status. These values were compared using multivariate analysis to those in a variety of diseased states, including cirrhosis, fatty liver, gallstones, sludge, cholecystitis, and biliary obstruction. Results One thousand four hundred eighty-four of the 4119 examinations were classified as normal. The mean EHD, RIHD, LIHD, and gallbladder wall thickness and volume measurements in normal patients were 3.8 ± 1.6 mm, 1.9 ± 1.9 mm, 1.9 ± 1.1 mm, 2.6 ± 1.6 mm, and 242 ± 234 mL, respectively. There were small increases in EHD diameter with age (+0.02 ± 0.11 mm/y, P < 0.001), female sex (+0.3 ± 1.6 mm, P < 0.0001), and cholecystectomy (+1.0 ± 1.6 mm, P < 0.0001) and a small decrease with fatty liver (−0.4 ± 1.6 mm, P = 0.0003). The gallbladder wall was thicker in patients with gallstones (+0.4 ± 1.4 mm, P = 0.0049), sludge (+0.5 ± 1.4 mm, P = 0.0019), and acute cholecystitis (+3.1 ± 1.6 mm, P < 0.0001). With biliary obstruction, the mean EHD, RIHD, LIHD, and gallbladder volume measurements were 6.0 ± 2.1 mm, 4.2 ± 1.4 mm, 4.1 ± 1.4 mm, and 171 ± 207 mL, respectively (P < 0.0001 for all values). Conclusions This study clarifies normal values and ranges for bile duct and gallbladder measurements, adjusted for demographic data, and evaluates these measurements in a variety of common pathologic states.
Diabetes mellitus and breast cancer outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE The goal of this study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the effect of pre-existing diabetes on breast cancer-related outcomes. METHODS We searched EMBASE and MEDLINE databases from inception through July 1, 2009, using search terms related to diabetes mellitus, cancer, and prognostic outcome. Studies were included if they reported a prognostic outcome by diabetes status, evaluated a cancer population, and contained original data published in the English language. We performed a meta-analysis of pre-existing diabetes and its effect on all-cause mortality in patients with breast cancer and qualitatively summarized other prognostic outcomes. RESULTS Of 8,828 titles identified, eight articles met inclusion/exclusion criteria and described outcomes in patients with breast cancer and diabetes. Pre-existing diabetes was significantly associated with all-cause mortality in six of seven studies. In a meta-analysis, patients with breast cancer and diabetes had a significantly higher all-cause mortality risk (pooled hazard ratio [HR], 1.49; 95% CI, 1.35 to 1.65) compared with their nondiabetic counterparts. Three of four studies found pre-existing diabetes to be associated with more advanced stage at presentation. Diabetes was also associated with altered regimens for breast cancer treatment and increased toxicity from chemotherapy. CONCLUSION Compared with their nondiabetic counterparts, patients with breast cancer and pre-existing diabetes have a greater risk of death and tend to present at later stages and receive altered treatment regimens. Studies are needed to investigate pathophysiologic interactions between diabetes and breast cancer and determine whether improvements in diabetes care can reduce mortality in patients with breast cancer.
Physical Therapy Interventions for Patients With Osteoarthritis of the Knee: An Overview of Systematic Reviews

Patients with osteoarthritis of the knee are commonly treated by physical therapists. Practice should be informed by updated evidence from systematic reviews. The purpose of this article is to summarize the evidence from systematic reviews on the effectiveness of physical therapy for patients with knee osteoarthritis. Systematic reviews published between 2000 and 2007 were identified by a comprehensive literature search. We graded the quality of evidence across reviews for each comparison and outcome. Twenty-three systematic reviews on physical therapy interventions for patients with knee osteoarthritis were included. There is high-quality evidence that exercise and weight reduction reduce pain and improve physical function in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. There is moderate-quality evidence that acupuncture, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, and low-level laser therapy reduce pain and that psychoeducational interventions improve psychological outcomes. For other interventions and outcomes, the quality of evidence is low or there is no evidence from systematic reviews.
Quantitative steganalysis of least significant bit matching revisited for consecutive pixels

Abstract. Least significant bit matching revisited (LSBMR) steganography uses two adjacent pixels as an embedding unit to conceal secret messages. In each unit, the modification probability of the first pixel is twice the modification probability of the second pixel, thereby causing an asymmetric effect on the statistical distribution of pixel difference in LSBMR for consecutive pixels (LSBMRCP). On the basis of the analysis of this asymmetric effect, a fast steganalytic feature is deduced and an embedding rate estimating method that employs an iteration strategy is proposed. Experimental results show that the steganalytic feature can effectively detect LSBMRCP steganography and that the detection performance is superior to the methods proposed by Tan and Xiong et al. Moreover, the embedding rate estimating method is so accurate that the order of magnitude of prediction error is maintained at 10−2, measured by the mean absolute error, median absolute difference, and interquartile range, thus indicating that the proposed method significantly outperforms the method proposed by Tan.
FAST: A second generation program analysis system

FAST (Fortran Analysis System) implements a powerful set of analysis capabilities on Fortran source language programs. Its implementation was accomplished through the integration of existing software systems and by the use of modern language system development tools. The result is an order of magnitude reduction in effort of implementation coupled with a sizable increase in system capabilities. The use of a general purpose, commercially available data management system as a data handler and data correlator was a dominant factor in both reduction in effort of implementation and generation of additional power and flexibility in the analysis capabilities offered by FAST. FAST implements a capability for systematically qualified program analyses which is unique among existing program analyzers. This capability should be particularly useful in the program maintenance environment.
Inhibited apoptosis of synovial fluid lymphocytes in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis is associated with increased expression of myeloid cell leukemia 1 and XIAP proteins.

OBJECTIVE Inhibited apoptosis of lymphocytes present in synovial fluid (SFL) and persistently infiltrating synovial tissue may be crucial in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Similarly, this may be the case in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Little is known about lymphocyte apoptosis in this disease. Recently, we reported significantly enhanced apoptosis of peripheral blood lymphocytes (JIA-PBL) compared to synovial fluid (JIA-SFL) or healthy lymphocytes, with downregulation of p53 in JIA-SFL. In this study we assessed other possible molecular mechanisms of this phenomenon. METHODS PBL from 31 children with JIA and 26 healthy children were examined. SFL obtained from 18 patients was also studied. Apoptosis was assessed by TdT-mediated dUTP-biotin nick-end labeling (TUNEL) method. Expression of several apoptosis-regulating proteins was analyzed, including myeloid cell leukemia 1 (Mcl-1), cross-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP), FLICE-inhibitory protein (FLIP), or Bcl-xL inhibitors and proapoptotic p53, Bcl-w, Bak, and Bid. RESULTS We found significant overexpression of Mcl-1 and XIAP in JIA-SFL (p < 0.001 and p < 0.02, respectively). Expression of Mcl-1 and XIAP in SFL correlated inversely with the apoptotic index (p < 0.002 and p < 0.01, respectively). FLIP expression was also distinctly higher in SFL than in JIA-PBL; however, the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.061). No statistically significant differences were found in the expression of other proteins between SFL and PBL. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study showing that upregulation of anti-apoptotic Mcl-1 and XIAP proteins, along with downregulation of p53 protein, is correlated with inhibition of JIA-SFL apoptosis.
PROBABILISTIC QUANTIFICATION OF HAZARDS: A METHODOLOGY USING SMALL ENSEMBLES OF PHYSICS-BASED SIMULATIONS AND STATISTICAL SURROGATES

This paper presents a novel approach to assessing the hazard threat to a locale due to a large volcanic avalanche. The methodology combines: (i) mathematical modeling of volcanic mass flows; (ii) field data of avalanche frequency, volume, and runout; (iii) large-scale numerical simulations of flow events; (iv) use of statistical methods to minimize computational costs, and to capture unlikely events; (v) calculation of the probability of a catastrophic flow event over the next T years at a location of interest; and (vi) innovative computational methodology to implement these methods. This unified presentation collects elements that have been separately developed, and incorporates new contributions to the process. The field data and numerical simulations used here are subject to uncertainty from many sources, uncertainties that must be properly accounted for in assessing the hazard. The methodology presented here will be demonstrated with data from the Soufriere Hills Volcano on the island of Montserrat, where there is a relatively complete record of volcanic mass flows from the past 15 years. This methodology can be transferred to other volcanic sites with similar characteristics and where sparse historical data have prevented such high-quality analysis. More generally, the core of this methodology is widely applicable and can be used for other hazard scenarios, such as floods or ash plumes.
Die (innere) Logik des Entscheidens: Zur neurobiologischen Fundierung ökonomischer Entscheidungen

Ziel des Beitrages ist es, die neueren Erkenntnisse der Neurobiologie zum Entscheidungsverhalten von Menschen fur die Entwicklung eines idealtypischen Ablaufplans okonomischer Entscheidungsvorgange einzusetzen, indem die Logik deutlich gemacht wird, die den Aufbau des menschlichen Gehirns bestimmt. Ein solcher Ablaufplan kann dazu beitragen, okonomische Modelle realitatsnaher als bisher formulieren zu konnen, und okonomische Modelle, die bisher eher getrennt voneinander gesehen wurden, als Teil eines groseren Ganzen einzuordnen. Es zeigt sich, dass wesentliche Komponenten einiger viel verwendeter Mo-delle der Okonomik Parallelen in der neurobiologischen und physiologischen Arbeitsweise des Gehirns finden. Dies kann einen Beitrag dazu leisten, Modelle zielgerichteter als bisher zur Losung okonomischer Probleme einzusetzen.