Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Frequency of soy food consumption and serum isoflavone concentrations among Chinese women in Shanghai

Abstract Objective: The food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) can be an efficient tool to evaluate dietary intake in large, population-based studies, especially for specific foods. The objective of this study was to validate the assessment of soy and isoflavone (daidzein and genistein) intakes, measured by an FFQ, by comparing intakes with serum isoflavone concentrations. Design and setting: Soy and isoflavone intakes and serum isoflavone concentrations were determined as part of a case–control study of dietary factors and risks of benign breast disease and breast cancer. The FFQ, administered during an in-person interview, included six soy-specific line items. Blood was drawn within one week of FFQ completion. Subjects: In total, 1823 women living in Shanghai, People's Republic of China. Results: In this population, soybean milk, fresh bean curd and other bean foods were eaten once per week, and fermented bean curd, fried bean curd puff and soybeans were eaten less than once per week. A significant linear trend (P > 0.01) in serum isoflavone concentrations across increasing categories of soy and isoflavone intakes was observed, indicating that soy and isoflavone intakes, measured by the FFQ, well distinguished serum isoflavone concentrations. Linear trends were also observed in both case and control groups in stratified analyses, suggesting little differential bias by case–control status. Conclusions: The results suggest that the FFQ provides a useful marker of soy food consumption and isoflavone exposure in this population.
The Problem of Disproportional Representation of Students from Minority Races in Special Education.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of integrating culturally responsive instruction (CRI) into a course hosted by the school of education at a higher education institution. The study participants were pre-service teachers who completed a pre-course survey and a post-course survey designed to discern their views on the factors that contribute to the disproportionality problem in schools. The participants were also asked to write and subsequently alter lesson plans to reflect their knowledge of CRI. The discussions and activities included in this project aimed to develop responsive instructional approaches with the ability to reshape the curriculum. The positive influence of this project is clear based on the participants’ responses and the quality of their altered lesson plans. The results based on qualitative and quantitative methods are discussed.
Characterizing Drought Effects on Vegetation Productivity in the Four Corners Region of the US Southwest

The droughts striking the Colorado Plateau, where the Hopi Tribe and Navajo Nation Native American reservation lands are located, and their impacts have appeared slowly and relatively unnoticed in conventional national drought monitoring efforts like the National Drought Monitor. To understand the effect of drought-based drivers on vegetation productivity in the Hopi Tribe and Navajo Nation reservation lands, an assessment approach was developed integrating climate, land cover types, and topographical data with annual geospatially explicit normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI)-related productivity from 1989 to 2014 derived from 15-day composite multi-sensor NDVI time series data. We studied vegetation–environment relationships by conducting multiple linear regression analysis to explain the driver of vegetation productivity changes. Our results suggest that the interannual change of vegetation productivity showed high variability in middle elevations where needleleaf forest is the dominant vegetation cover type. Our analysis also shows that the spatial variation in interannual variability of vegetation productivity was more driven by climate drivers than by topography ones. Specifically, the interannual variability in spring precipitation and fall temperature seems to be the most significant factor that correlated with the interannual variability in vegetation productivity during the last two and a half decades.
Policy Uncertainty and Textual Disclosure

We study how policy uncertainty influences textual disclosure in the U.S. from 1996 to 2015. Consistent with incentives for voluntary disclosure, we find that policy uncertainty increases textual disclosure quantity, as evident in disclosure length, but lowers textual readability and increases the tone of uncertainty and negativity. We also document that the negative impact on readability subsides when firms are subject to tough external monitoring. Finally, we provide evidence implying that investors perceive such disclosure to be valuable, as evident in cheaper equity financing costs under economic policy uncertainty.
Long‐lasting up‐regulation of orexin receptor type 2 protein levels in the rat nucleus accumbens after chronic cocaine administration

Hypothalamic orexin (hypocretin) neurons project to the key structures of the limbic system and orexin receptors, both orexin receptor type 1 (OXR1) and type 2 (OXR2), are expressed in most limbic regions. Emerging evidence suggests that orexin is among important neurotransmitters that regulate addictive properties of drugs of abuse. In this study, we examined the effect of psychostimulant cocaine on orexin receptor protein abundance in the rat limbic system in vivo. Intermittent administration of cocaine (20 mg/kg, i.p., once daily for 5 days) caused a typical behavioral sensitization response to a challenge cocaine injection at a 14‐day withdrawal period. Repeated cocaine administration at the same withdrawal time also increased OXR2 protein levels in the nucleus accumbens while repeated cocaine had no effect on OXR1 and orexin neuropeptide (both orexin‐A and orexin‐B) levels in this region. In contrast to the nucleus accumbens, OXR2 levels in the frontal cortex, the ventral tegmental area, the hippocampus, and the dorsal striatum (caudate putamen) were not altered by cocaine. Remarkably, the up‐regulated OXR2 levels in the nucleus accumbens showed a long‐lasting nature as it persisted up to 60 days after the discontinuation of repeated cocaine treatments. In contrast to chronic cocaine administration, an acute cocaine injection was insufficient to modify levels of any orexin receptor and peptide. Our data identify the up‐regulation of OXR2 in the nucleus accumbens as an enduring molecular event that is correlated well with behavioral plasticity in response to chronic psychostimulant administration. This OXR2 up‐regulation may reflect a key adaptation of limbic orexinergic transmission to chronic drug exposure and may thus be critical for the expression of motor plasticity.
Breast cancer stem cells: are we ready to go from bench to bedside?

Since the discovery of breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) more than 10 years ago, a body of exciting research has developed. The intrinsic properties of BCSCs, including self‐renewal and the ability to give rise to heterogeneous progeny, make BCSCs a likely source of tumour initiation, heterogeneity, progression and metastasis. BCSCs are also inherently resistant to conventional therapies and are therefore thought to contribute to disease recurrence. In this review, we will focus on both the challenges and recent advances in the characterization of BCSCs with respect to phenotype, molecular signature and their role in the behaviour of the different molecular subtypes of breast cancer. Of most importance is our ability to translate our growing knowledge base into the development of targeted therapies with the goal of reducing adverse outcomes in breast cancer patients.
Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging findings in patients with right ventricular outflow tract premature contractions.

AIMS To assess prospectively the value of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in patients with apparently idiopathic premature contractions arising from the right ventricular outflow tract. METHODS We compared magnetic resonance imaging scans in 19 patients (13 males and six females, mean age 44 years) with frequent (> 100 per hour), monomorphic (left bundle branch block and inferior axis morphology) extrasystoles, and in 10 volunteers (four males and six females, mean age 36.7 years) without structural heart disease. Magnetic resonance imaging studies (1 or 1.5 Tesla) included spin-echo and gradient-echo sequences in the standard planes. The presence of structural and dynamic abnormalities of the right and left ventricles, such as reduced wall thickness, systolic bulging, and decreased systolic thickening, were evaluated. In addition, end-diastolic diameters of the right ventricular outflow tract were measured in the transverse plane. RESULTS The dimensions of the right ventricular outflow tract were wider in patients with extrasystoles compared to the control group. Mean anteroposterior and transverse diameters were 39.6 +/- 4.6 mm vs 29.9 +/- 4.8 mm (P < 0.01) and 27.5 +/- 3.8 mm vs 20.5 +/- 2.5 mm (P < 0.01), respectively. Wall motion and morphological abnormalities were present in 16/19 (84%) patients, and were confined to the anterolateral wall in 15/16 cases. All normal subjects had normal magnetic resonance imaging findings (P = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging revealed that in patients with idiopathic right ventricular outflow tract premature contractions there was a higher rate of morphological and functional abnormalities of the right ventricular outflow tract than in the normal subjects. Large studies and long follow-up are needed to confirm whether these findings could help identify a localized form of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy, and its clinical significance.
DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION II Deep Brain Stimulation for Dystonia

Within the past few years, there has been a renaissance of functional neurosurgery for the treatment of dystonic movement disorders. In particular, deep brain stimulation (DBS) has widened the spectrum of therapeutical options for patients with otherwise intractable dystonia. It has been introduced only with a delay after DBS became an accepted treatment for advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD). In this overview, the authors summarize the current status of its clinical application in dystonia. Deep brain stimulation for dystonia has been developed from radiofrequency lesioning, but it has replaced the latter largely in most centers. The main target used for primary dystonia is the posteroventral globus pallidus internus (GPi), and its efficacy has been shown in generalized dystonia, segmental dystonia, and complex cervical dystonia. The optimal target for secondary dystonias is still unclear, but some patients appear to benefit more from thalamic stimulation. The improvement of dystonia with chronic DBS frequently is delayed, in particular concerning tonic dystonic postures. Because more energy is needed for stimulation than in other movement disorders such as PD, more frequent battery replacements are necessary, which results in relatively higher costs for chronic DBS. The study of intraoperative microelectrode recordings and of local field potentials by the implanted DBS electrodes has yielded new insights in the pathophysiology of dystonia. Larger studies are underway presently to validate the observations being made.
Stabilization and Enhancement of the Antiapoptotic Activity of Mcl-1 by TCTP

ABSTRACT Mcl-1 is one Bcl-2 family member that plays a pivotal role in animal development. The extremely labile nature of the Mcl-1 protein itself and the fact that the Mcl-1 level is a critical determinant in various cell survival pathways suggest that cellular processes that regulate Mcl-1 stability are as important as those that regulate Mcl-1 synthesis. Although transcriptional stimulation of Mcl-1 synthesis in response to various stimuli has been well documented, regulation of Mcl-1 stability has been hardly explored. In this study, we identified that the translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP) was one cellular factor that interacted with Mcl-1 and modulated Mcl-1 stability. While overexpression of TCTP augmented the protein stability of Mcl-1, knockdown expression of TCTP by RNA interference destabilized Mcl-1. Furthermore, TCTP stabilized Mcl-1 through interfering with Mcl-1's degradation by the ubiquitin-dependent proteasome degradation pathway, and the TCTP binding-defective mutant of Mcl-1 (K257V) was much more susceptible to degradation and manifested a compromised antiapoptotic activity. Taken together, these results suggest that TCTP modulates Mcl-1's antiapoptotic activity by modulating its protein stability. The possible mechanism(s) involved in TCTP's modulation process is discussed.
The role of early development in mammalian limb diversification: A descriptive comparison of early limb development between the natal long‐fingered bat (Miniopterus natalensis) and the mouse (Mus musculus)

Comparative embryology expands our understanding of unique limb structures, such as that found in bats. Bat forelimb digits 2 to 5 are differentially elongated and joined by webbing, while the hindlimb digits are of similar length in many species. We compare limb development between the mouse and the Natal long‐fingered bat, Miniopterus natalensis, to pinpoint the stage at which their limbs begin to differ. The bat forelimb differs from the mouse at Carollia stage (CS) 14 with the appearance of the wing membrane primordia. This difference is enhanced at CS 15 with the posterior expansion of the hand plate. The bat hindlimb begins to differ from the mouse between CS 15 and 16 when the foot plate undergoes a proximal expansion resulting in digit primordia of very similar length. Our findings support recent gene expression studies, which reveal a role for early patterning in the development of the bat limb. Developmental Dynamics 238:965–979, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Mining High-Complexity Motifs in Glycans: A New Language To Uncover the Fine Specificities of Lectins and Glycosidases

Knowledge of lectin and glycosidase specificities is fundamental to the study of glycobiology. The primary specificities of such molecules can be uncovered using well-established tools, but the complex details of their specificities are difficult to determine and describe. Here we present a language and algorithm for the analysis and description of glycan motifs with high complexity. The language uses human-readable notation and wildcards, modifiers, and logical operators to define motifs of nearly any complexity. By applying the syntax to the analysis of glycan-array data, we found that the lectin AAL had higher binding where fucose groups are displayed on separate branches. The lectin SNA showed gradations in binding based on the length of the extension displaying sialic acid and on characteristics of the opposing branches. A new algorithm to evaluate changes in lectin binding upon treatment with exoglycosidases identified the primary specificities and potential fine specificities of an α1–2-fucosidase and an α2–3,6,8-neuraminidase. The fucosidase had significantly lower action where sialic acid neighbors the fucose, and the neuraminidase showed statistically lower action where α1–2 fucose neighbors the sialic acid or is on the opposing branch. The complex features identified here would have been inaccessible to analysis using previous methods. The new language and algorithms promise to facilitate the precise determination and description of lectin and glycosidase specificities.
Subclinical disease as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

BACKGROUND The primary aim of the present study was to determine the relation between measures of subclinical cardiovascular disease and the incidence of clinical cardiovascular disease among 5201 adults 65 years of age or older who were participating in the Cardiovascular Health Study. METHODS AND RESULTS A new method of classifying subclinical disease at baseline examination in the Cardiovascular Health Study included measures of ankle-brachial blood pressure, carotid artery stenosis and wall thickness, ECG and echocardiographic abnormalities, and positive response to the Rose Angina and Claudication Questionnaire. Participants were followed for an average of 2.39 years (maximum, 3 years). For participants without evidence of clinical cardiovascular disease at baseline, the presence of subclinical disease compared with no subclinical disease was associated with a significant increased risk of incident total coronary heart disease including CHD deaths and nonfatal MI and angina pectoris for both men and women. For individuals with subclinical disease, the increased risk of total coronary heart disease was 2.0 for men and 2.5 for women, and the increased risk of total mortality was 2.9 for men and 1.7 for women. The increased risk changed little after adjustment for other risk factors, including lipoprotein levels, blood pressure, smoking, and diabetes. CONCLUSIONS The measurement of subclinical disease provides an approach for identifying high-risk older individuals who may be candidates for more active intervention to prevent clinical disease.
Assessing Criterion Validity of Using Internet Searches as a Measure of Public Attention

We examine the criterion validity of using internet searches as a measure of public attention to United States Supreme Court (USSC) cases. First, we construct a measure of public attention to three cases by comparing relevant search terms in Google Trends to one top search terms of the year, then sum the measure week by week during the period of the research design. To test the measure’s criterion validity, we replicate Scott and Saunders’ (2006) models using their dataset (created by conducting phone interviews of a national sample using random digit dialing) that was designed to assess awareness of USSC decisions. We find that public attention as measured by Google Trends data is predictive of public awareness of USSC decisions for two of their three models. We conclude that using free, publically available big data to measure public attention to USSC cases has criterion validity, and is a valuable tool for researchers studying public policy and process.
Mm19, a Mycoplasma meleagridis Major Surface Nuclease that Is Related to the RE_AlwI Superfamily of Endonucleases

Mycoplasma meleagridis infection is widespread in turkeys, causing poor growth and feathering, airsacculitis, osteodystrophy, and reduction in hatchability. Like most mycoplasma species, M. meleagridis is characterized by its inability to synthesize purine and pyrimidine nucleotides de novo. Consistent with this intrinsic deficiency, we here report the cloning, expression, and characterization of a M. meleagridis gene sequence encoding a major surface nuclease, referred to as Mm19. Mm19 consists of a 1941- bp ORF encoding a 646-amino-acid polypeptide with a predicted molecular mass of 74,825 kDa. BLASTP analysis revealed a significant match with the catalytic/dimerization domain of type II restriction enzymes of the RE_AlwI superfamily. This finding is consistent with the genomic location of Mm19 sequence, which dispalys characteristics of a typical type II restriction-modification locus. Like intact M. meleagridis cells, the E. coli-expressed Mm19 fusion product was found to exhibit a nuclease activity against plasmid DNA, double-stranded DNA, single-stranded DNA, and RNA. The Mm19-associated nuclease activity was consistently enhanced with Mg2+ divalent cations, a hallmark of type II restriction enzymes. A rabbit hyperimmune antiserum raised against the bacterially expressed Mm19 strongly reacted with M. meleagridis intact cells and fully neutralized the surface-bound nuclease activity. Collectively, the results show that M. meleagridis expresses a strong surface-bound nuclease activity, which is the product of a single gene sequence that is related to the RE_AlwI superfamily of endonucleases.
Role of myeloid‐derived suppressor cells in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation

Graft‐versus‐host disease (GVHD) can be a devastating complication for as many as a third of patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo‐HCT). A role for myeloid cells in the amplification of GVHD has been demonstrated; however, less is understood about a potential regulatory role that myeloid cells play or whether such cells may be manipulated and applied therapeutically. Myeloid‐derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are a naturally occurring immune regulatory population that are engaged and expand shortly after many forms of immune distress, including cancer, trauma, and infection. As MDSCs are often associated with chronic disease, inflammation, and even the promotion of tumor growth (regarding angiogenesis/metastasis), they can appear to be predictors of poor outcomes and therefore, vilified; yet, this association doesn’t match with their perceived function of suppressing inflammation. Here, we explore the role of MDSC in GVHD in an attempt to investigate potential synergies that may be promoted, leading to better patient outcomes after allo‐HCT.
Risk of repeated febrile episodes during chemotherapy-induced granulocytopenia in children with cancer: a prospective single center study

Abstract Background: Febrile neutropenia (FN) is a possible complication of antineoplastic chemotherapy. Aim of the study was to estimate the risk of developing fever at the beginning of any neutropenic period based on the previous history of FN. Procedure: The conditional frailty model was used to estimate the risk of developing fever during neutropenia separately for children with acute leukaemia/non-Hodgkin lymphoma (AL/NHL), or solid tumour (ST). The total number of previous FN episodes (PFNE), age, gender, type of tumour, calendar year of granulocytopenic period, phase of treatment, and granulocyte count were included in the model. Results: A total of 901 granulocytopenic periods was observed in 223 children: 306 in 66 AL/NHL and 595 in 157 ST. Fever developed in 328 cases: 125 in 53 AL/NHL and 203 in 92 ST. The PFNE variable was not significantly associated to the risk of fever [hazard ratio (HR) of 0·87, 95% confidence interval (CI) of 0·62–1·22 in children with AL/NHL, and HR of 0·98, 95% CI of 0·70–1·37 in those with ST]. The hazard of FN was significantly affected by the phase of treatment in AL/NHL (P<0·01), and by the level of neutropenia at onset in ST (P<0·01). Conclusions: Previous history of FN does not increase the risk of further febrile episodes in any new subsequent granulocytopenic period. The aggressiveness of chemotherapy and the level of neutropenia at onset are the most important risk factors in children with AL/NHL and with ST respectively.