Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Translocation carcinomas of the kidney after chemotherapy in childhood.

PURPOSE Children who survive cancer are at more than 19-fold increased risk of developing another malignancy. Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) occurring as a secondary malignancy is uncommon. Translocation RCC, bearing TFE3 or TFEB gene fusions, are recently recognized entities for which risk factors have not been identified. PATIENTS AND METHODS We describe the clinical, pathologic, cytogenetic, and molecular data on six translocation RCCs that arose in five young patients who had received chemotherapy. RESULTS The ages at time of diagnosis of the RCC ranged from 6 to 22 years. Histologically, these tumors showed typical features previously described for translocation RCCs. At the molecular level, three tumors contained the ASPL-TFE3 fusion, two contained Alpha-TFEB, and one contained PRCC-TFE3. The intervals between chemotherapy and the diagnosis of RCC ranged from 4 to 13 years. The indications for the antecedent chemotherapy were varied and included acute promyelocytic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia with t(9;11), bilateral Wilms' tumor, systemic lupus erythematosus, and conditioning regimen of bone marrow transplant for Hurler's syndrome. Only the latter patient had also received radiation. Hence, among 39 genetically confirmed translocation RCCs in our personal experience, six (15%) have arisen in patients who had received cytotoxic chemotherapy. CONCLUSION Cytotoxic chemotherapy may predispose to the development of renal translocation carcinomas.
Multiple sites for double‐strand breaks in whole meiotic chromosomes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

We present a scheme for locating double‐strand breaks (DSBs) in meiotic chromosomes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, based on the separation of large DNA molecules by pulsed field gel electrophoresis. Using a rad50S mutant, in which DSBs are not processed, we show that DSBs are widely induced in S. cerevisiae chromosomes during meiosis. Some of the DSBs accumulate at certain preferred sites. We present general profiles of DSBs in chromosomes III, V, VI and VII. A map of the 12 preferred sites on chromosome III is presented. At least some of these sites correlate with known ‘hot spots’ for meiotic recombination. The data are discussed in view of current models of meiotic recombination and chromosome segregation.
Enzymatic formation of unnatural aromatic polyketides by chalcone synthase.

Substrate specificity of recombinant chalcone synthase (CHS) from Scutellaria baicalensis (Labiatae) was investigated using chemically synthesized aromatic and aliphatic CoA esters. It was demonstrated for the first time that CHS converted benzoyl-CoA to phlorobenzophenone (2,4,6-trihydroxybenzophenone) along with pyrone by-products. On the other hand, phenylacetyl-CoA was enzymatically converted to an unnatural aromatic polyketide, phlorobenzylketone (2, 4,6-trihydroxyphenylbenzylketone), whose structure was finally confirmed by chemical synthesis. Furthermore, in agreement with earlier reports, S. baicalensis CHS also accepted aliphatic CoA esters, isovaleryl-CoA and isobutyryl-CoA, to produce phloroacylphenones. In contrast, hexanoyl-CoA only afforded pyrone derivatives without formation of a new aromatic ring. It was noteworthy that both aromatic and aliphatic CoA esters were accepted in the active site of the enzyme as a starter substrate for the complex condensation reaction. The low substrate specificity of CHS thus provided further insight into the structure and function of the enzyme.
Effects of confinement on physiological and psychological responses and expression of interleukin 6 and brain derived neurotrophic factor mRNA in primiparous and multiparous weaning sows

Objective The present study aimed to investigate whether the long-lasting, recurrent restricting of sows leads to the physiological and psychological reaction of discomfort. Methods Sows (Large White) that had experienced restricting for about 0.5 or 3 years and age-matched sows kept in a group housing system (loose sows) were compared. Pupillary light reflex parameters were measured at the weaning stage. Immediately after slaughter, blood samples were taken to measure serum cortisol levels, and the brain was dissected, gene expression in the hippocampus, frontal cortex and hypothalamus was analyzed. Results The serum cortisol levels were higher in the confined sows than in the loose sows. The full maturity, but not the young adolescent, confined sows had longer latency time in the onset of pupil constriction than their loose counterparts. Real-time polymerase chain reaction analyses revealed an increased expression of interleukin 6 mRNA in the hippocampus and decreased expression of brain derived neurotrophic factor mRNA in hippocampus and hypothalamus and to a lesser extent in the frontal cortex of the full maturity confined sows, compared with the full maturity loose sows. Conclusion Taken together, these data indicated that recurrent restricting stress in full maturity sows leads to the physiological and psychological reaction of discomfort.
Ad-blocking: A Study on Performance, Privacy and Counter-measures

Many internet ventures rely on advertising for their revenue. However, users feel discontent by the presence of ads on the websites they visit, as the data-size of ads is often comparable to that of the actual content. This has an impact not only on the loading time of webpages, but also on the internet bill of the user in some cases. In absence of a mutually-agreed procedure for opting out of advertisements, many users resort to ad-blocking browser-extensions. In this work, we study the performance of popular ad-blockers on a large set of news websites. Moreover, we investigate the benefits of ad-blockers on user privacy as well as the mechanisms used by websites to counter them. Finally, we explore the traffic overhead due to the ad-blockers themselves.
Fast Edge-Aware Denoising by Approximated Patch Geodesic Paths

Patch-based denoising, while effective, requires expensive pairwise patch comparisons. We present a novel fast patch-based denoising technique based on patch geodesic paths (PatchGPs). PatchGPs treat image patches as nodes and patch differences as edge weights for computing the shortest (geodesic) paths. The distance defined by the PatchGP can then be used as a similarity metric for image denoising. We first show that, for natural images, PatchGPs can be approximated by minimum hop paths (MHPs) that correspond to Euclidean line paths connecting two patch nodes. The denoising kernel is constructed using patches along discretized MHP search directions. We apply a weight propagation scheme to robustly and efficiently compute the path distance for each MHP. Our technique handles noise at multiple scales by analyzing the noise distribution (through wavelet decomposition) at each scale. Experiments show that our approach maintains the high quality of patch-based denoising but is a few orders of magnitude faster. We also demonstrate how PatchGP can be used for fast Bayer pattern (raw) denoising and image detail enhancement.
Destruction, Catharsis, and Emotional Release in Human-Robot Interaction

The intersection between social, technical, and economic factors biases new product development to focus on utilitarian value. However, objects that serve alternative goals, behaviors and emotions have accompanied humankind for millennia. This article speculates about robotic objects for one non-utilitarian behavior and its implications: destruction. Robots and objects for destruction have a shared history of embodiment and heavily rely on their embodiment for interaction. Yet the topic of destruction is not very common in the field of human-robot interaction (HRI). Thus, we (1) present a survey of ethnographic investigations that show modes of HRI related to destruction, and (2) develop speculative concepts of interaction that demonstrate these ideas in HRI. By exemplifying a broad range of speculative uses of destruction in HRI and grounding it in literature, we hope this theoretical and conceptual article will bring a fresh perspective on alternative interactions with robots.
Involvement of Toll-like Receptors 2 and 4 in Cellular Activation by High Mobility Group Box 1 Protein*

High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) protein, originally described as a DNA-binding protein that stabilizes nucleosomes and facilitates transcription, can also be released extracellularly during acute inflammatory responses. Exposure of neutrophils, monocytes, or macrophages to HMGB1 results in increased nuclear translocation of NF-κB and enhanced expression of proinflammatory cytokines. Although the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) has been shown to interact with HMGB1, other putative HMGB1 receptors are known to exist but have not been characterized. In the present experiments, we explored the role of RAGE, Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2, and TLR 4, as well as associated kinases, in HMGB1-induced cellular activation. Culture of neutrophils or macrophages with HMGB1 produced activation of NF-κB through TLR 4-independent mechanisms. Unlike lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which primarily increased the activity of IKKβ, HMGB1 exposure resulted in activation of both IKKα and IKKβ. Kinases and scaffolding proteins downstream of TLR 2 and TLR 4, but not TLR/interleukin-1 receptor (IL-1R)-independent kinases such as tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 2, were involved in the enhancement of NF-κB-dependent transcription by HMGB1. Transfections with dominant negative constructs demonstrated that TLR 2 and TLR 4 were both involved in HMGB1-induced activation of NF-κB. In contrast, RAGE played only a minor role in macrophage activation by HMGB1. Interactions of HMGB1 with TLR 2 and TLR 4 may provide an explanation for the ability of HMGB1 to generate inflammatory responses that are similar to those initiated by LPS.
Reducing Teachers' Psychological Distress through a Mindfulness Training Program

Teachers constitute one of the professional collectives most affected by psychological problems. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study is to examine the efficacy of a mindfulness training programme to reduce psychological distress in a group of teachers. The sample comprised 68 teachers of Secondary School Education, from various public schools; half of them formed the experimental group, and the another half the control group. The levels of psychological distress were measured, in both groups, by the Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R) before and after the application of the programme. Statistical analysis shows the significant reduction of three general measures of psychological distress (Global Severity Index, Positive Symptom Distress Index, and Positive Symptom Total), as well in all its dimensions (somatization, obsessive-compulsive, interpersonal sensibility, depression, anxiety, hostility, phobic anxiety, paranoid ideation, and psychoticism), in the experimental group compared with the control group. Follow-up measures show that these results were maintained for four months after termination of the intervention in the experimental group. Los docentes constituyen uno de los colectivos profesionales más afectados por problemas de tipo psicológico. El objetivo de este estudio cuasi-experimental es examinar la eficacia de un programa de entrenamiento en mindfulness para reducir el malestar psicológico en un grupo de docentes. La muestra estuvo constituida por 68 profesores de Educación Secundaria, de varios centros públicos; la mitad de ellos formaron el grupo control, y la otra mitad el grupo experimental. Los niveles de malestar psicológico fueron evaluados, en ambos grupos, mediante el Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R) antes y después de aplicación del programa. Los análisis estadísticos muestran la reducción significativa en las tres medidas generales de malestar psicológico (Índice de Severidad Global, Índice de Distrés de Síntomas Positivos y Total de Síntomas Positivos), así como en todas sus dimensiones (somatización, obsesión-compulsión, sensibilidad interpersonal, depresión, ansiedad, hostilidad, ansiedad fóbica, ideación paranoide y psicoticismo), en el grupo experimental en comparación con el grupo control. Medidas de seguimiento mostraron que estos resultados se mantuvieron transcurridos cuatro meses tras la finalización de la intervención en el grupo experimental.
Bio-functional legumes with nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, and industrial uses

To help or prevent certain health problems and adequately feed people, there is a need for added contributions from legumes. Legumes produce primary and secondary metabolites and other phytochemicals such as nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and industrial products. In addition, legumes such as hyacinth bean seed contain nearly 10% more fiber while winged bean contains three times more fiber than common bean. The potential breast cancer fighting chemical known as kievitone is found in hyacinth bean but not in common bean nor soybean. Both agmatine and isovitexin are potential combatants of microbial organisms in mammals including humans. Agmatine and isovitexin are not found in soybean nor common bean, however they exist in winged bean. Studies regarding value added traits such as the bio-functional and biologically active components of legumes have only recently begun because most specialty phytochemicals are extracted from other plant sources. Not only can bio-functional legumes provide healthy food constituents for use as nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, and pesticidals, but they can increase healthy food resources worldwide. Bio-functional legumes have been used in the past primarily for forage, pasture, minor food, green manuring, and erosion control. Current uses include these previously mentioned plus some fairly new ones such as hyacinth bean used as an ornamental and wildlife food. The future for these common bean relatives is for use in the health markets as new medicines or nutraceuticals and to provide farmers with additional crop production as phytopharmaceutical or nutraceutical crops.
Epidermal growth factor receptor pathway gene expressions and biological response of glioblastoma multiforme cell lines to erlotinib.

BACKGROUND Erlotinib, an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor, exerts highly variable antiproliferative effects on human glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) cells in vitro and in vivo. As these effects are independent of EGFR baseline expression levels, more complex genetic signatures may form the molecular basis of the erlotinib-sensitive and erlotinib-resistant GBM phenotypes. The aim of the current study was to determine which genes within the EGFR signaling pathway are candidates for mediating the cellular response of human GBM towards erlotinib. MATERIALS AND METHODS Complementary (c)RNAs from cell lines selected to represent the sensitive, intermediately responsive and resistant phenotypes, respectively, were hybridized to CodeLink Human Whole Genome Bioarrays. RESULTS Expression analysis of the prospectively selected 244 genes whose products constitute the EGFR signaling pathway identified five genes the expression of which significantly correlated with phenotype. Functional annotation analysis revealed one (STATI) and two (FKBP14, RAC1) genes conclusively associated with sensitivity and resistance to erlotinib, respectively. Moreover, two additional genes (PTGER4, MYC) were unexpectedly found to be associated with sensitivity. The gene expressions were confirmed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. CONCLUSION Five genes within the EGFR signaling pathway may modulate GBM response to erlotinib, which further emphasizes the importance of this pathway for the biology of GBM.
Maternal Age and Trajectories of Risky Alcohol Use: A Prospective Study

BACKGROUND No prospective study of maternal alcohol use has focused on age at transition to motherhood as a predictor of trajectories of risky drinking. The goal of this study was to examine the impact of maternal age at first birth on trajectories of alcohol use beyond recommended levels over a 17-year span. METHODS Pregnant women (N = 456) were recruited at an urban prenatal clinic. The women (13 to 42 years old; 64% African American, 36% White) were interviewed about alcohol use during pregnancy and at 6, 10, 14, and 16 years postpartum. Growth mixture modeling (GMM) was used to identify trajectories of risky drinking. Maternal age at first birth was then regressed onto trajectory class membership. RESULTS The GMM on maternal alcohol use identified 3 groups of mothers as a function of alcohol use before, during, and after the pregnancy. The majority of mothers (66%) were identified as having low-risk trajectories of alcohol use over the 17-year span. However, 2 groups were in the higher-risk categories, with 23% identified as being in a long-term high-risk trajectory, and 11% in a short-term high-risk trajectory group. Maternal age at first birth predicted membership in a high-risk group: Younger mothers were more likely to be classified into a long-term high-risk alcohol use group. CONCLUSIONS Younger mothers were more likely to engage in risky drinking early in pregnancy, continuing 6 to 14 years postpartum. These results can help physicians target mothers who are likely to exceed current NIAAA guidelines of abstinence during pregnancy, and no more than 7 drinks per week in the postpartum.
Proteomic analysis of mouse soleus muscles affected by hindlimb unloading and reloading

Introduction: Disuse muscle atrophy, induced by prolonged space flight, bed rest, or denervation, is a common process with obvious changes in slow‐twitch soleus muscles. Methods: Proteomic analysis was performed on mouse soleus subjected to hindlimb unloading (HU) and hindlimb reloading (HR) to identify new dysregulated proteins. Results: Following HU, the mass and cross‐sectional area of muscle fibers decreased, but they recovered after HR. Proteomic analyses revealed 9 down‐regulated and 7 up‐regulated proteins in HU, and 2 down‐regulated and 5 up‐regulated proteins in HR. The dysregulated proteins were mainly involved in energy metabolism, protein degradation, and cytoskeleton stability. Among the dysregulated proteins were fatty acid binding protein 3, α‐B crystalline, and transthyretin. Conclusions: These results indicate that muscle atrophy induced by unloading is related to activation of proteolysis, metabolic alterations toward glycolysis, destruction of myofibrillar integrity, and dysregulation of heat shock proteins (HSPs). The dysregulated proteins may play a role in muscle atrophy and the recovery process. Muscle Nerve 52: 803–811, 2015
Anabolic steroids.

The term "anabolic steroids" refers to testosterone derivatives that are used either clinically or by athletes for their anabolic properties. However, scientists have questioned the anabolic effects of testosterone and its derivatives in normal men for decades. Most scientists concluded that anabolic steroids do not increase muscle size or strength in people with normal gonadal function and have discounted positive results as unduly influenced by positive expectations of athletes, inferior experimental design, or poor data analysis. There has been a tremendous disconnect between the conviction of athletes that these drugs are effective and the conviction of scientists that they aren't. In part, this disconnect results from the completely different dose regimens used by scientists to document the correction of deficiency states and by athletes striving to optimize athletic performance. Recently, careful scientific study of suprapharmacologic doses in clinical settings - including aging, human immunodeficiency virus, and other disease states - supports the efficacy of these regimens. However, the mechanism by which these doses act remains unclear. "Anabolism" is defined as any state in which nitrogen is differentially retained in lean body mass, either through stimulation of protein synthesis and/or decreased breakdown of protein anywhere in the body. Testosterone, the main gonadal steroid in males, has marked anabolic effects in addition to its effects on reproduction that are easily observed in developing boys and when hypogonadal men receive testosterone as replacement therapy. However, its efficacy in normal men, as during its use in athletes or in clinical situations in which men are eugonadal, has been debated. A growing literature suggests that use of suprapharmacologic doses can, indeed, be anabolic in certain situations; however, the clear identification of these situations and the mechanism by which anabolic effects occur are unclear. Furthermore, the pharmacology of "anabolism" is in its infancy: no drugs currently available are "purely" anabolic but all possess androgenic properties as well. The present review briefly recapitulates the historic literature about the androgenic/anabolic steroids and describes literature supporting the anabolic activity of these drugs in normal people, focusing on the use of suprapharmacologic doses by athletes and clinicians to achieve anabolic effects in normal humans. We will present the emerging literature that is beginning to explore more specific mechanisms that might mediate the effects of suprapharmacologic regimens. The terms anabolic/androgenic steroids will be used throughout to reflect the combined actions of all drugs that are currently available.
The Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center questionnaire on health problems: a new approach to prospective monitoring of illness and injury in elite athletes

Background Little information exists on the illness and injury patterns of athletes preparing for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Among the possible explanations for the current lack of knowledge are the methodological challenges faced in conducting prospective studies of large, heterogeneous groups of athletes, particularly when overuse injuries and illnesses are of concern. Objective To describe a new surveillance method that is capable of recording all types of health problems and to use it to study the illness and injury patterns of Norwegian athletes preparing for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Methods A total of 142 athletes were monitored over a 40-week period using a weekly online questionnaire on health problems. Team medical personnel were used to classify and diagnose all reported complaints. Results A total of 617 health problems were registered during the project, including 329 illnesses and 288 injuries. At any given time, 36% of athletes had health problems (95% CI 34% to 38%) and 15% of athletes (95% CI 14% to 16%) had substantial problems, defined as those leading to moderate or severe reductions in sports performance or participation, or time loss. Overuse injuries represented 49% of the total burden of health problems, measured as the cumulative severity score, compared to illness (36%) and acute injuries (13%). Conclusions The new method was sensitive and valid in documenting the pattern of acute injuries, overuse injuries and illnesses in a large, heterogeneous group of athletes preparing for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.