Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cancer-related anorexia/cachexia (CACS) and oxidative stress (OS): A phase II study with antioxidants, pharmaco-nutritional support, progestagen and anti-COX-2.

8103 Background: CACS/OS play a key role in the progression and outcome of cancer. The conventional treatment based on progestagens shows limited efficacy. An important role may be played by a pharmaco-nutritional support containing EPA. PATIENTS AND METHODS A phase II non randomized study has been designed to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of an innovative approach consisting of: diet with high polyphenols content (400 mg), oral pharmaco-nutritional support enriched with n-3 PUFA (EPA, DHA) 2 cans (237 ml each)/day, medroxyprogesterone acetate 500 mg/day, antioxidant treatment (alpha lipoic acid 300 mg/day + carbocysteine lysine salt 2.7 g/day + vitamin E 400 mg/day + vitamin A 30000 IU/day + vitamin C 500 mg/day), selective COX-2 inhibitor Celecoxib 200 mg/day. The treatment is administered for 16 weeks. The planned accrual is 40 patients. The 1) clinical (stage and ECOG PS), 2) nutritional (Lean Body Mass, LBM, appetite (VAS), resting energy expenditure), 3) laboratory (serum proinflammatory cytokines, CRP and leptin and blood levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidant enzymes) and 4) quality of life (EORTC QLQ-C30, EQ-5D and EQ-5Dvas) parameters have been evaluated. RESULTS 29 patients have been enrolled (16 head and neck, 4 breast; all stage IV). 22 patients are evaluable: 13 patients after 4 months, 17 after 2 months and 22 after 1 month of treatment. As for LBM a mean increase of 1.3 kg (+5.7%) after 1 month (p=ns), 1.4 kg (+5.0%) (p=0.042) after 2 months and 4.4 kg (+17.6%) (p=0.044) after 4 months have been recorded. TNFalpha and IL-6 decreased significantly after 2 months (p=0.029, p<0.0001) and 4 months (p=0.026, p=0.006, respectively). ROS decreased significantly after 1 month(p=0.020), 2 months (p=0.022) and 4 months (p=0.022). The QL evaluation showed a mean increase (improved QL) of 14.9% by EORTC QLQ-C30 and 17.3% by EQ-5Dvas after 1 month. Appetite increased of 22.4% after 1 month. CONCLUSIONS At the interim analysis on the first 22 patients the treatment appears effective for the main parameters studied, safe and achieving an optimal compliance by patients. No significant financial relationships to disclose.
The Flip Side of the Attrition Coin: Faculty Perceptions of Factors Supporting Graduate Student Success

Doctoral attrition consistently hovers around 50% with relevant literature identifying several mediating factors, including departmental culture, student demographics, and funding. To advance this literature, we interviewed 38 graduate faculty advisors in science, engineering, or mathematics disciplines at a research-extensive university to capture their perceptions of factors supporting graduate student success. Using a constant-comparison method, we found that faculty perceptions aligned within three major categories, termed: motivated student behaviors, formative student learning experiences, and essential student knowledge and skills. Student motivation was most prominently represented in findings. This aligns with prior studies showing that faculty tend to identify the cause of graduate student failure as lying within the students themselves and rarely discuss their role or the department’s contribution to attrition. Thus findings offer an opportunity to reflect and improve upon practice. The study also highlights actions graduate students can take to increase success, such as developing collegial relationships and early involvement in research and scholarly writing. We encourage graduate faculty advisors and others to identify ways to help graduate students overcome common obstacles to enduring and succeeding within graduate programs. Faculty perceptions are also examined by discipline and faculty rank, and directions for future research are offered.
Identification of a Membrane Ig-Induced p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Module That Regulates cAMP Response Element Binding Protein Phosphorylation and Transcriptional Activation in CH31 B Cell Lymphomas1

The cAMP response element (CRE) binding protein (CREB) is emerging as a key regulatory factor of gene transcription in B lymphocytes; however, the postreceptor pathways that regulate CREB activity and CRE-dependent gene transcription remain largely undefined. We investigated B cell Ag receptor (BCR)-mediated phosphorylation and activation of CREB in the surface IgM+ CH31 B cell lymphoma, which undergoes Ag-dependent cell death. The activity of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) was increased in response to BCR ligation. Phosphorylation of CREB on serine 133, a modification that positively regulates its trans-activation, was concomitantly increased. Inhibition of p38 MAPK by pretreating CH31 B cells with the highly specific bicyclic imidazole inhibitor, SB203580, reduced BCR-induced CREB phosphorylation. BCR cross-linking also led to increased MAPK-activated protein kinase-2 activity, an enzyme that lies immediately downstream from p38 MAPK; MAPK-activated protein kinase-2 immune complexes phosphorylated a peptide substrate containing the CREB serine 133 phosphoacceptor motif. Given the role of CREB in regulating junB gene expression in mature B lymphocytes, we examined whether p38 MAPK activity was necessary for CRE-dependent junB transcription in CH31 B cells. BCR ligation led to increased junB mRNA levels, which were significantly reduced in CH31 B cells pretreated with SB203580. Activation of a CRE-dependent junB promoter/chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter gene by the BCR was also blocked by SB203580. Similarly, inhibition of p38 MAPK in surface IgM+ WEHI-231 B cell lymphomas resulted in reduced BCR-induced junB mRNA expression and junB promoter activation. The results implicate a p38 MAPK pathway in BCR-mediated CREB phosphorylation and junB transcriptional activation in B cell lymphomas.
Genetics of heat‐curability of killer virus of yeast

The cytoplasmically inherited M double‐stranded (ds) RNA genome segment of killer virus of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is heat‐curable in some yeast strains but not in others. Temperature sensitivity is conferred on both M1 and M2 dsRNA satellite virus segments by the L‐A‐HN allele of the killer helper virus genome, but not by the L‐A‐H allele. Both diploidy and mating type heterozygosity of the host cell are also correlated with increased virus curability.
Establishment and reliability test of a "Vertigo Council Diagnosis Questionnaire" for patients with chronic vestibular dysfunction: preliminary study.

OBJECTIVES This study aims to establish a "Vertigo Council Diagnosis Questionnaire" for patients with chronic vestibular dysfunction and show the reliability of this questionnaire. MATERIALS AND METHODS A "Vertigo Council Diagnosis Questionnaire" consisting of 10 questions was prepared by 15 specialist physicians and analyzed for reliability using the "translation-back-translation" method. RESULTS When all the items of our questionnaire were evaluated, the content validity ratio ranged from 0.6 to 0.87, and the content validity index was 0.676. The conformity ratio between the real diagnosis and the diagnosis based on the questionnaire was 63.19%, and the kappa was 0.441 (moderate). No significant difference was found between the first and second responses to any of the questions (p>0.05). There was no significant difference between question conformity (conformity between the first and second responses) and diagnostic conformity (conformity between the real diagnosis and the diagnosis based on the questionnaire) (p>0.05) in any of the questions. No relationship was found between diagnostic conformity and sociodemographic data (age, sex, education, occupation) (p>0.05). CONCLUSION Our study results suggest that, in Turkish patients, diagnosis of vertigo should be based on face-to-face interviews, and clinical and laboratory evaluations rather than a questionnaire.
The impact of nutritional status on the prognoses of patients with advanced head and neck cancer

Malnutrition has been recognized as a poor prognostic indicator for cancer treatment–related morbidity and mortality in general, and it is reported to affect 30–50% of all patients with head and neck cancer. In this study, the correlation of nutritional status with 3‐year survival was studied prospectively in 64 patients with T2–T4 carcinomas of the head and neck who were treated surgically with curative intent; the surgery was often followed by radiotherapy.
Comparison of Anthropometry to Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry: A New Prediction Equation for Women

Abstract The purpose of this study was to assess the accuracy of three recommended anthropometric equations for women and then develop an updated prediction equation using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). The percentage of body fat (%BF) by anthropometry was significantly correlated (r = .896-.929; p < .01) with DXA, but each equation underestimated %BF (3.2-5.6 %BF; p < .01). The following DXA criterion (DC) equation was created: %BF = −6.40665 + 0.41946(S3SF) − 0.00126(S3SF)2 + 0.12515(hip) + 0.06473 (age); (S3SF = sum of triceps, suprailiac, thigh; hip = circumference in cm; age = years). The predicted residual sum of squares (PRESS) R 2 was high (0.86), and the PRESS standard error of estimate (SEE) was low (2.5 %BF) for our sample of 150 women. The DC equation was further crosschecked on a separate sample of women (n = 25) and again showed excellent agreement. The DC equation appears to be a more accurate estimation of %BF in women.
Just be yourself.

And how this book will influence you to do better future? It will relate to how the readers will get the lessons that are coming. As known, commonly many people will believe that reading can be an entrance to enter the new perception. The perception will influence how you step you life. Even that is difficult enough; people with high sprit may not feel bored or give up realizing that concept. It's what just be yourself will give the thoughts for you.
Treatment of acute kidney injury: an update on the management of renal replacement therapy

Purpose of reviewRenal replacement therapy remains the cornerstone of management for the patient with severe acute kidney injury. Although the technology for providing renal replacement therapy has markedly advanced over the past few decades, fundamental issues regarding its management, including timing of initiation, selection of modality and dosing of therapy, remain unresolved. Recent findingsAlthough several retrospective and observational studies of the timing of initiation of renal replacement therapy have suggested improved survival with early initiation of treatment, the design of these studies does not allow definitive conclusions. Recent randomized trials have not demonstrated any benefit with regard to survival or recovery of renal function with continuous renal replacement therapy compared with intermittent hemodialysis. Increased intensity of renal support appears to be associated with improved survival; however more definitive studies are ongoing. SummaryThe optimal management of renal replacement therapy in patients with acute kidney injury remains uncertain. Appropriately designed studies evaluating timing of initiation of therapy need to be undertaken. Current data suggest that modality of therapy does not impact outcome. More intensive renal support may be associated with improved outcomes; however several large randomized controlled trials assessing this question are ongoing.
Biological nitrogen fixation in non-legume plants.

BACKGROUND Nitrogen is an essential nutrient in plant growth. The ability of a plant to supply all or part of its requirements from biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) thanks to interactions with endosymbiotic, associative and endophytic symbionts, confers a great competitive advantage over non-nitrogen-fixing plants. SCOPE Because BNF in legumes is well documented, this review focuses on BNF in non-legume plants. Despite the phylogenic and ecological diversity among diazotrophic bacteria and their hosts, tightly regulated communication is always necessary between the microorganisms and the host plant to achieve a successful interaction. Ongoing research efforts to improve knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying these original relationships and some common strategies leading to a successful relationship between the nitrogen-fixing microorganisms and their hosts are presented. CONCLUSIONS Understanding the molecular mechanism of BNF outside the legume-rhizobium symbiosis could have important agronomic implications and enable the use of N-fertilizers to be reduced or even avoided. Indeed, in the short term, improved understanding could lead to more sustainable exploitation of the biodiversity of nitrogen-fixing organisms and, in the longer term, to the transfer of endosymbiotic nitrogen-fixation capacities to major non-legume crops.
Association of radiographically evident osteoarthritis with higher bone mineral density and increased bone loss with age. The Rotterdam Study.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the relationship of osteoarthritis (OA) to bone mineral density (BMD) and rate of bone loss. METHODS The study group consisted of 2,745 persons (1,624 women) from the general elderly population. Disability was assessed by the Health Assessment Questionnaire. Femoral neck BMD was measured at baseline and, in 1,723 subjects, after 2 years of followup. Knee and hip radiographic OA was assessed on anteroposterior radiographs. RESULTS With the exception of knee radiographic OA in men, radiographic OA was associated with significantly increased BMD (3-8%). BMD increased significantly according to the number of affected sites and the Kellgren score. Radiographic OA was also associated with significantly elevated bone loss with age (in men, only for radiographic OA of the hip). A significant increase in relation to the number of affected sites and the Kellgren score (except with regard to knee OA in men) was found, independent of disability. CONCLUSION Radiographic OA is associated with high BMD and increased rate of bone loss. This suggests a more pronounced difference in BMD earlier in life.
Gene Therapy in Skin: Choosing the Optimal Viral Vector

Skin is an ideal gene therapy target because it is readily accessible and is involved in many pathologic processes. Viruses are the most common gene vectors, however, few comparative studies exist examining their efficacy in skin. This study evaluates adenovirus serotype 5, adeno-associated virus type 2 and 5, MMLV-derived retrovirus, and human immunodeficiency virus-1 derived lentivirus for gene vector activity in human dermal fibroblasts and other skin cell lines. Human immunodeficiency virus-1-based lentiviral vector resulted in over 90% transduction in all cell lines tested. Transduced cells maintained reporter expression over several passages after a single exposure. In contrast, gene activity fell rapidly over cell divisions with adenoviral and adeno-associated vectors. Therefore, lentiviral vectors are the delivery mechanism of choice for long-term therapeutic gene expression in dermal fibroblasts and other skin cell lines, whereas adenoviral or adeno-associated vectors may be preferred for short-term therapy.
Endoscopic Stapes Surgery: A Comparison With Microscopic Surgery.

OBJECTIVE To investigate postoperative audiological outcomes and complication rates for fully endoscopic and microscopic stapes surgery carried out by a single surgeon in one center. PATIENTS All patients having undergone endoscopic and non-endoscopic stapes surgery for otosclerosis from September 2009 to August 2016 under a single surgeon. INTERVENTION(S) Stapedotomy using either an operating microscope or endoscope for visualization. Stapedotomy was carried out using a standard approach. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) Pre- and postoperative audiometry and complications. RESULTS Thirty-four patients who underwent endoscopic stapes surgery and 47 patients who underwent non-endoscopic stapes surgery were included in this study. Seventy-nine percent of both endoscopic and non-endoscopic groups had the average air-bone gap closed to less than 10 dBHL, respectively; the difference was not significant (p = 0.940, χ test). No patients with sensorineural hearing loss, vertigo, or facial nerve paresis were reported. Two of 34 patients (6%) of the endoscopic group had the chorda tympani cut intraoperatively for access compared with 11 of 47 patients (23%) of the non-endoscopic group. Sixteen of 47 patients (34%) required an endaural incision for access in the non-endoscopic group; no endaural incisions were made in the endoscopic group. CONCLUSION Air-bone gap closure and patient complications did not vary significantly between endoscopic and non-endoscopic groups in this study of 34 endoscopic procedures. There is a requirement for further studies with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up periods to fully gauge the safety and effectiveness of this technique.
HOST RACE RADIATION IN THE SOAPBERRY BUG: NATURAL HISTORY WITH THE HISTORY

Evolution by natural selection is remarkably well documented in the diversification of soapberry bug populations on their native and recently introduced host plants. In this century, populations of this native seed‐eating insect have colonized three plant species introduced to North America. Each new host differs in fruit size from the native hosts, providing an unplanned experiment in natural selection of the insect's beak length. In each of three host shifts, beak length has increased or decreased in the direction predicted from fruit size. Furthermore, museum specimens show historical changes consistent with the host shift scenario inferred from beak length values in contemporary populations. The extent to which beak length evolution has been accompanied by evolution in other body size characters differs between the races, suggesting that the evolution has proceeded differently in each case. In all cases, significant evolution has occurred in as little as 20–50 years (40–150 generations), creating a species‐level mosaic of response to simultaneous directional, diversifying, and normalizing selection.
Research of Plane Extraction Methods Based on Region Growing

Plane extraction of point cloud data plays an important role in the three-dimensional scene reconstruction, while region growing algorithm which could separate the points with specific attributes is a typical method to deal with this kind of problem. In this paper, methods of plane extraction based on region growing algorithm are studied, and they are divided into four categories according to the different growing units. The characteristics of all kinds of methods are analyzed, and typical algorithms are tested and compared by experiments. Based on the experimental results, the problems of plane extraction based on region growing are summarized, and the development trends are examined.
In vivo transcriptional analysis of the TATA-less promoter of the Drosophila melanogaster vermilion gene

Transcriptional regulation of the TATA-less promoter of the Drosophila melanogaster vermilion (v) gene was investigated. Developmental Northern (RNA) blot analysis showed that v transcripts accumulate during late embryo, larval, and adult stages. Sequences that control expression in adults were delineated by analyzing a series of 5' and 3' deletion constructions after germ line transformation. These studies defined two regions, -300 to -600 and -60 to -160, relative to the major transcription start site, as important for maximal levels of expression. Analysis of transformants bearing v-lacZ promoter fusions showed that larval expression is fat body specific and that expression depends on sequences located between +19 and +36 downstream of transcription start site. This downstream element can be functionally replaced by a TATA box in vivo. Furthermore, when added to the wild-type v promoter, a TATA element augments the level of v transcription by three- to fivefold.
Accuracy of DaTSCAN (123I‐ioflupane) SPECT in diagnosis of patients with clinically uncertain parkinsonism: 2‐Year follow‐up of an open‐label study

We previously reported on the role of dopamine transporter (DAT) SPECT in the workup of patients with clinically uncertain parkinsonian syndromes (CUPS). The findings of that study supported the use of SPECT imaging with DaTSCAN (123I‐Ioflupane) for accurate diagnosis in this population. We report here the 2‐year follow‐up of the CUPS study, which aimed to validate the results of DaTSCAN imaging and to ascertain whether a second scan could minimize any residual diagnostic uncertainty among those with an inconclusive diagnosis. Eighty‐five of 118 patients (72%) were available at follow‐up. In 8 of 85 patients the neurologist was unable to provide a definite diagnosis (named as inconclusive). At follow‐up, clinical diagnosis agreed with initial DaTSCAN SPECT results in 69 of 77 patients (90%) in whom a specific diagnosis was established. A second SPECT scan was performed if clinical diagnosis at follow‐up differed to that suggested by the initial scan (n = 8) or was inconclusive (n = 8). Among 8 patients whose clinical diagnosis differed to DaTSCAN images, a second scan was performed in 6 (2 refused) and the results supported the final clinical diagnosis in 4. Follow‐up DaTSCAN SPECT helped to establish a diagnosis in 7 of 8 patients (87.5%) with a previously inconclusive diagnosis. DaTSCAN imaging shows a high rate of agreement with clinical diagnosis after 2‐years follow‐up. A second scan at 2 years follow‐up can reduce remaining diagnostic uncertainty that is present even after a prolonged period of observation. © 2007 Movement Disorder Society
DEAD-box protein facilitated RNA folding in vivo

In yeast mitochondria the DEAD-box helicase Mss116p is essential for respiratory growth by acting as group I and group II intron splicing factor. Here we provide the first structure-based insights into how Mss116p assists RNA folding in vivo. Employing an in vivo chemical probing technique, we mapped the structure of the ai5γ group II intron in different genetic backgrounds to characterize its intracellular fold. While the intron adopts the native conformation in the wt yeast strain, we found that the intron is able to form most of its secondary structure, but lacks its tertiary fold in the absence of Mss116p. This suggests that ai5γ is largely unfolded in the mss116-knockout strain and requires the protein at an early step of folding. Notably, in this unfolded state misfolded substructures have not been observed. As most of the protein-induced conformational changes are located within domain D1, Mss116p appears to facilitate the formation of this largest domain, which is the scaffold for docking of other intron domains. These findings suggest that Mss116p assists the ordered assembly of the ai5γ intron in vivo.