Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cancer in the economically disadvantaged

ANCER is a very liberal phenomenon. It tends to C strike its victims regardless of race, color, creed, or economic status. In the drama of life, cancer may be seen as a major protagonist opposing a humanity which is struggling for survival. In some early primitive civilizations the disease was looked upon as a mysterious and dreaded act of punishment by an angry God against a sinful people. Treatment accordingly often took the form of prayers and incantations. Death was the expected and almost uniform outcome. Similarities may be noted between such early primitive people and certain disadvantaged subgroups of the American population today in regard to attitude and approach to cancer. ’ It is well known that cancer is the second most common cause of death among Americans. In 1989 more than I million Americans develop cancer and about 500,000 die from the disease. In 1900, one of five patients with cancer survived in this country. Because of advances in diagnosis and treatment, today one of two cancer patients survive. Progressively increasing survival is the god, with an eye toward wiping out cancer in the coming decades. Although to date survival improvements have been achieved almost exclusively through the development and application of techniques of early diagnosis and adequate treatment of tumors by forms of local therapy such as surgery and radiation, it is well known that the most profound advances await the discovery of the fundamental causes of cancer and all changes which occur within the host once the cancer process is initiated. Once this level of understanding is achieved, it is anticipated that we will be close to deriving the concepts that will lead to cancer prevention and control. Some Americans have a higher mortality and lower survival from cancer and in general do not enjoy the same health status as the mainstream of American society. Logically if we could identify this group of Americans who do not do as well and determine the underlying rea-
Requirement for DARPP‐32 in mediating effect of dopamine D2 receptor activation

It is well documented that dopamine and dopamine D1 agonists convert the protein phosphatase‐1 inhibitor, DARPP‐32, from its dephosphorylated, inactive form into its Thr34‐phosphorylated, active form, and that these effects on DARPP‐32 constitute essential components of the mechanism by which dopamine and D1 agonists achieve their biological effects. In contrast to dopamine and D1 agonists, dopamine D2 agonists dephosphorylate and inactivate DARPP‐32. Here we have examined the possibility that the biological effects of dopamine D2 receptor agonists might also involve DARPP‐32. For this purpose, we have examined regulation of the activity of the electrogenic ion pump Na+,K+‐ATPase, an established target for dopamine signalling. We have found that dopamine D1 agonists and dopamine D2 agonists inhibit Na+,K+‐ATPase activity in dissociated cells from the mouse neostriatum and that, in each case, the effect is abolished in cells from mice deficient in DARPP‐32. We conclude that DARPP‐32 may play an obligatory role in dopaminergic signalling mediated both by D1 receptors and by D2 receptors.
Bcl‐xL and Bcl‐2 expression in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

Inhibition of apoptosis, or programmed cell death, may be critical both in the development of cancer and in determining response to therapy. The authors examined the expression of two related apoptotic inhibitors, Bcl‐2 and Bcl‐xL, in pretreatment biopsies from a series of 42 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. The observed pattern of apoptotic inhibitor expression was compared with that of the p53 gene product, another factor implicated in carcinogenesis and therapeutic responsiveness.
Sexual behaviour survey in a rural area of northwest Tanzania

Objective:Little is known about variations in patterns of sexual behaviour in different countries, cultures, and subpopulations that determine the spread of HIV-1. Quantitative studies are required to improve understanding.Methods:To assess reported patterns of sexual behaviour, we administered a standardized questionnaire to 416 men and 498 women aged 15–49 years from a rural population in northwest Tanzania.Results:Reported levels of sexual activity were highest in men and among younger age groups. The number of sexual partners and number of sex acts per unit of time were strongly correlated: men reported 10 times as many lifetime partners than women. Frequency of sexual partner exchange plateaued earlier in women (by age 25 years) than in men (by age 35 years). For the great majority, age of first intercourse was 1 5 years or younger; older subjects were older at first intercourse and had fewer lifetime partners than younger subjects.Conclusions:This age-related pattern suggests that more recent birth cohorts have behaviour patterns that increase the risk of sexually transmitted infectious agents such as HIV. Preventive education programmes should be targeted at young adults, who adopt higher risk profiles of frequent partner exchange linked with first intercourse at an early age.
In vitro susceptibilities of Campylobacter-like organisms to twenty antimicrobial agents

We determined MICs of 20 antimicrobial agents for 50 representative strains of four subgroups of Campylobacter-like organisms (CLOs) by agar dilution. Ampicillin, gentamicin, doxycycline, tetracycline, ceftriaxone, rifampin, spectinomycin, nalidixic acid, and chloramphenicol were active against all strains of CLOs. Most CLO strains (83%) were inhibited by 4 micrograms of sulfamethoxazole per ml and by 8 micrograms of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole per ml. Of type 1 strains, 28% were resistant to 8 micrograms of erythromycin per ml. In addition, cross resistance between erythromycin and clindamycin was always present. Type 1 strains exhibited a broad distribution of MICs of metronidazole and streptomycin, whereas all type 2 strains were uniformly susceptible to metronidazole and resistant to streptomycin. Unlike type 1 and 3 strains, type 2 CLOs were susceptible to cephalothin and penicillin G and highly resistant to streptomycin. The type 3 strain was uniquely resistant to cefazolin. The majority of strains were not inhibited by cefoperazone; and all were resistant to trimethoprim. In contrast to Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter fetus subsp. fetus, all CLOs tested were susceptible to 0.5 microgram of rifampin per ml.
Reduction of apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease expression after transient global cerebral ischemia in rats: implication of the failure of DNA repair in neuronal apoptosis.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE To clarify the relationship between apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease (APE/Ref-1), a multifunctional protein in the DNA base excision repair pathway, and delayed neuronal cell death associated with apoptosis, we examined the expression of APE/Ref-1 before and after transient global ischemia in rats. METHODS Global ischemia was induced by bilateral common carotid artery occlusion and hypotension. Expression of the APE/Ref-1 protein was evaluated by Western blot and immunohistochemical analyses. Apoptosis after global ischemia was observed by DNA electrophoresis and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated uridine 5'-triphosphate-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining. RESULTS Immunohistochemistry showed the nuclear expression of APE/Ref-1 in the control brains. Nuclear immunoreactivity of APE/Ref-1 was significantly decreased 2 days after 10 minutes of ischemia in the hippocampal CA1 subregion. Western blot analysis of a sample from the normal brains showed a characteristic 37-kDa band, which was reduced in the hippocampal CA1 subregion after ischemia. A significant amount of DNA fragmentation was observed at 3 days but not at 1 day after ischemia. Double staining with APE/Ref-1 and TUNEL clearly showed that the neurons that lost APE/Ref-1 immunoreactivity became TUNEL positive. CONCLUSIONS Our data provide evidence that APE/Ref-1 decreased in hippocampal CA1 neurons after transient global ischemia and that this reduction precedes DNA fragmentation, which is destined to cause apoptosis. Our results suggest the possibility that a decrease of APE/Ref-1 activity and the failure of DNA repair may underlie the mechanism of apoptosis after transient focal ischemia.
Peptides Selected for Binding to a Virulent Strain of Haemophilus influenzae by Phage Display Are Bactericidal

ABSTRACT Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is an obligate parasite of the oropharynx of humans, in whom it commonly causes mucosal infections such as otitis media, sinusitis, and bronchitis. We used a subtractive phage display approach to affinity select for peptides binding to the cell surface of a novel invasive NTHi strain R2866 (also called Int1). Over half of the selected phage peptides tested were bactericidal toward R2866 in a dose-dependent manner. Five of the clones encoded the same peptide sequence (KQRTSIRATEGCLPS; clone hi3/17), while the remaining four clones encoded unique peptides. All of the bactericidal phage peptides but one were cationic and had similar physical-chemical properties. Clone hi3/17 possessed a similar level of activity toward a panel of clinical NTHi isolates and H. influenzae type b strains but lacked bactericidal activity toward gram-positive (Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus) and gram-negative (Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Salmonella enterica) bacteria. These data indicate that peptides binding to bacterial surface structures isolated by phage display may prove of value in developing new antibiotics.
Raised Serum Immunoreactive Trypsin in the Haemorrhagic Shock and Encephalopathy Syndrome

Levin and colleagues (1) have described ten infants with a new fulminating illness with high mortality which they have called the haemorrhagic shock and encephalopathy syndrome (HSE). Among the biochemical findings were raised serum immunoreactive trypsin (IRT) concentrations and a,-antitrypsin concentrations which, with one exception, were within or at the lower limit of the given reference range. This prompted the authors to suggest that the consequences of abnormal proteolytic activity might account for some of the clinical manifestations. Our investigations show that abnormally high circulating trypsin concentrations occur in infants with acute illnesses other than HSE, and we suggest an explanation for these findings. We describe here three infants, the first with classical features of HSE, the second, aged 3% months, with Reyes Syndrome (post mortem diagnosis) who was anuric until his death 4 days after admission, and the third, aged 8 months, who presented with renal failure due to endotoxic shock.
Theoretical and experimental investigation of the fast- and slow-scale instabilities of a DC-DC converter

We use an exact formulation based on nonlinear maps to investigate both the fast-scale and slow-scale instabilities of a voltage-mode buck converter operating in the continuous conduction mode and its interaction with a filter. Comparing the results of the exact model with those of the averaged model shows the shortcomings of the latter in predicting fast-scale instabilities. We show the impact of parasitics on the onset of chaos using a high-frequency model. The experimentally validated theoretical results of this paper provide an improved understanding of the dynamics of the converter beyond the linear regime and this may lead to less conservative control design and newer applications.
Assessment of ovarian reserve - should we perform tests of ovarian reserve routinely?

Sir, We read with much interest the article by Abha Maheshwari et al. (2006), in which they examined the predictive power of currently available tests of ovarian reserve and question the value of routinely subjecting women to them. We do not agree with their conclusions that current evidence does not justify their routine use because these tests cannot predict the likelihood of pregnancy. The assessment of ovarian reserve is a pivotal key in our workup and counselling of all subfertile couples. We have found that young women with diminished ovarian reserve (as assessed by clomiphene citrate challenge test) undergoing superovulation and intrauterine insemination have half the pregnancy rate of their counterparts with adequate ovarian reserve. Nevertheless, these women have good chances of getting pregnant by means of in vitro fertilization (Magendzo et al., 2006). In the case of woman undergoing IVF/ICSI, although increasing the starting dose of gonadotrophins does not seem to improve the number of retrieved oocytes of women with diminished ovarian reserve, this information provides the couple with more elements to make thoughtful decisions about their treatment. We agree with Maheshwari et al. (2006) that, nowadays, we do not have the perfect test to measure ovarian reserve, but its assessment by whatever test the clinician prefers directs the timing of pro-fertility treatments and, more importantly, provides a better tool to counsel subfertile couples.
Effects of different loads and carrying systems on selected biomechanical parameters describing walking gait.

The effects of two different systems on selected biomechanical parameters of walking gait, while carrying loads of varying magnitude, were investigated. Ten healthy males who were not regularly engaged in carrying tasks walked a distance of 20 m for ten trials for each of the following five conditions: (i) normal walking without any external load; (ii) 20% and (iii) 40% body weight carried using a backpack system; and (iv) 20% and (v) 40% body weight carried using a doublepack system which distributed the load equally between the front and back of the subjects. The experimental set-up consisted of a Kistler force platform interfaced to a Tektronix 4051 Graphic Calculator, two super 8 mm movie cameras and a photoelectric timing system. Force data (417 Hz) were obtained for ten trials along with side- and rear-view film data (100 fps) for three of the trials for each of the subject conditions. In addition, selected aspects of foot-position data were acquired from a minimum of six footprints from one trial f.
Patellar tendon shortening after treatment of patellar instability with a patellar tendon medialization procedure

Patellar instability is a multifactorial disorder. Patella alta is strongly associated with patellar instability. We hypothesize that procedures of the patellar tendon such as medialization may shorten the patellar tendon. In this retrospective study, 41 patients with patellar instability were treated operatively with a patellar tendon medialization procedure. Twenty‐eight knees were treated using a modified Roux–Goldthwait method and 16 using a modified Elmslie–Trillat method. The patients were followed 2–7 years after the operation. Pre‐ and post‐operative x‐rays were analyzed with particular emphasis on patellar tendon length, patellofemoral congruence angle and osteoarthritis. The final clinical outcome was assessed using the Lysholm score and clinical examination. In both groups patients were generally satisfied with the result of the operation and there was no significant difference in Lysholm scores at follow‐up. However, patellofemoral osteoarthritic changes increased in both groups compared with the pre‐operative status. The patellar tendon length was reduced in both groups, but significantly, by 7%, in the Roux–Goldthwait group. We conclude that patellar tendon shortens after a Roux–Goldthwait procedure.
Localization of Mitotic Arrest Deficient 1 (MAD1) in Mouse Oocytes During the First Meiosis and Its Functions as a Spindle Checkpoint Protein1

Abstract The present study was designed to investigate the localization of mitotic arrest deficient 1 (MAD1) in mouse oocytes during meiotic maturation and its relationship with kinetochores, chromosomes, and microtubules. Oocytes at various stages during the first meiosis were fixed and immunostained for MAD1, kinetochores, microtubules, and chromosomes. The stained oocytes were examined by confocal microscopy. Some oocytes were treated with nocodazole or Taxol before examination. The anti-MAD1 antibody was injected into the oocytes at the germinal vesicle (GV) stage for examination of chromosome alignment and spindle formation. It was found that MAD1 was present in the oocytes from the GV to prometaphase I stages around the nuclei. When the oocytes reached the metaphase I (M-I) to metaphase II (M-II) stages, MAD1 was mainly localized at the spindle poles. However, MAD1 relocated to the vicinity of the chromosomes when spindles were disassembled by nocodazole or cooling, and the relocated MAD1 moved back to the spindle poles during spindle recovery. Taxol treatment did not affect the MAD1 localization. Although anti-MAD1 antibody injection did not affect nuclear maturation, significantly higher proportions of injected oocytes had misaligned chromosomes when the oocytes reached the M-I to M-II stages. The results of the present study indicate that MAD1 is present in mouse oocytes at all stages during the first meiosis and that it participates in spindle checkpoint during meiosis. However, MAD1 could not check misaligned chromosomes during spindle recovery after the spindles were destroyed by drug or cooling, which caused some chromosomes to scatter in the oocytes.
Mapping Palaeohydrography in Deserts: Contribution from Space-Borne Imaging Radar

Space-borne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) has the capability to image subsurface features down to several meters in arid regions. A first demonstration of this capability was performed in the Egyptian desert during the early eighties, thanks to the first Shuttle Imaging Radar mission. Global coverage provided by recent SARs, such as the Japanese ALOS/PALSAR sensor, allowed the mapping of vast ancient hydrographic systems in Northern Africa. We present a summary of palaeohydrography results obtained using PALSAR data over large deserts such as the Sahara and the Gobi. An ancient river system was discovered in eastern Lybia, connecting in the past the Kufrah oasis to the Mediterranean Sea, and the terminal part of the Tamanrasett river was mapped in western Mauritania, ending with a large submarine canyon. In southern Mongolia, PALSAR images combined with topography analysis allowed the mapping of the ancient Ulaan Nuur lake. We finally show the potentials of future low frequency SAR sensors by comparing L-band (1.25 GHz) and P-band (435 MHz) airborne SAR acquisitions over a desert site in southern Tunisia.
Neurofibrillary axonal pathology in aluminum intoxication

Aluminum chloride injected into the cisterna magna of 3‐to 4‐week‐old rabbits is known to produce neurofibrillary changes in the perikarya and dendrites of neurons of the spinal cord and brainstem. This report calls attention to the early appearance and prominence of neurofibrillary swellings in proximal axons of affected neurons. One and 2 days after intoxication, large axonal swellings containing maloriented neurofilaments were present in the ventral horns. Over the next days and weeks, neurofilaments accumulated in the neuronal perikarya and dendrites. Two months after injection, abnormalities in the cell bodies were less apparent but occasional giant axonal swellings persisted in the ventral horn. This sequence of pathological changes, reflecting disorganization of the neuronal cytoskeleton, may result from an increase in synthesis of neurofilament polypeptides, and impairment in integration of these constituents into the neuronal cytoskeleton, or a defect in the intracellular transport of neurofilaments.
Growth and development in internationally adopted children: extent and timing of recovery after early adversity.

BACKGROUND Following initial adversity, internationally adopted children arrive with significant growth and developmental delays. Post-placement recovery has been widely documented, but little has been known about its extent and timing several years after placement and in children with diverse pre-adoptive experiences. METHODS A total of 289 children adopted from six countries into Spanish families were studied. Growth and psychological development were considered on arrival and after an average of over 3 years. RESULTS Growth and developmental initial delays affected a substantial percentage of the children. Post-adoption recovery seemed quicker and more complete in weight and height than in head circumference and psychological development. Initial and later values were correlated, but growth-development relation on arrival subsequently lost significance. Most of the catch-up happened in the first three post-adoption years. CONCLUSION Adoption offers an impressive opportunity for recovery after previous adversity, although continuity between past and present persists. The improvement is more marked in some areas than in others and more substantial in the first post-adoption years.
Phosphodiesterase-4 as a potential drug target

Phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4) is the predominant enzyme in some specific cell types that is responsible for the degradation of the second messenger, cAMP. Consequently, PDE4 plays a crucial role in cell signalling and, as such, it has been the target of clinical drug development of various indications, ranging from anti-inflammation to memory enhancement. In this review, the fundamental biological role of PDE4 in intracellular signalling, its tissue distribution and regulation are described. The historical development of various chemical classes of PDE4 inhibitors and the challenges that face these inhibitors as therapeutics are also discussed. Finally, recent advances in the structural biology of PDE4 and their complexes with various inhibitors, as well as its potential impact on the rational design of potent and selective PDE4 inhibitors, are presented.
Transmission of whole-body vibration to lower limb during dynamic squat exercise

Whole-body vibration (WBV) exercise has been used for several years to improve neuromuscular performance in athletes or patients. One parameter measured to study the response of the human body to vibration is the transmissibility function. Transmissibility can be determined from the ratio of forces, displacements, velocities or accelerations. Several studies have measured the transmissibility of input vibration delivered by a platform in a standing or flexed position (Avelar et al. 2013) and using different frequencies (Kiiski et al. 2008) and/or amplitudes (Pollock et al. 2010). The majority of these studies have been conducted in a static position. To the best of our knowledge there are no studies that evaluate this physical risk with movement. If movement and vibration exposure are present at the same time, it could be assumed that the movement affects the transmitted dose of vibration throughout the human joints. This could be because movement is a continuous change of position in the human body and it also changes the absorption of energy in the involved segments. So, the aim of this work was to measure the vibration transmissibility (T) according to (1) the movement represented as the relative angle between the segments (u) and its direction, and (2) to measure the excitation frequency of the vibration (v).
Rotor temperature distribution measuring system

The work proposes instrumentation for measuring local temperatures on the surface and in the interior of a rotor. The applied design incorporates up to 12 simultaneous local temperature measurements on arbitrary locations in the rotor. Thus, a realistic 3D thermal distribution picture of the rotor can be obtained. The system characterizes with accuracy of α1. 5 °C, noise immunity under inverter operation, continuous measuring durations of up to 30h and mechanical rigidity for up to 6000 rpm rotor speed. The mechanical assembly is appropriate for laboratory setups since adaptation on the motor are required. Experimental results, conducted on an induction motor and permanent-magnet synchronous motor, are presented to demonstrate system feasibility.