Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antiphospholipid (Hughes) Syndrome

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a disorder of recurrent vascular thrombosis and pregnancy losses associated with persistently positive anticardiolipin (aCL) or lupus anticoagulant (LA) tests. A variety of abnormalities of the skin, cardiac valves, central nervous system and other organ systems, as well as thrombocytopenia, have been described, but the frequency of their occurrence is uncertain. Many patients with APS have clinical and laboratory features found in other autoimmune disease, particularly systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Such patients are defined as having “secondary” APS to distinguish them from patients with features of APS alone (“primary” APS). However, the clinical and laboratory features of APS appear to be the same in either circumstance. Unique animal models have been developed that provide insights into pathogenesis and treatment of the disorder. Several studies have shown that these antibodies enhance thrombus formation, activate endothelial cells and cause pregnancy loss in mice. A variety of mechanisms have been proposed that these antibodies induce such as expression of adhesion molecules, ICAM-1, VCAM-1, E and P-selectin on endothelial cells, and these will have a procoagulant effect. Investigators have also reported that antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) enhance platelet activation and aggregation in-vitro. Recent publications have shown that complement activation (more specifically C3 and C5) is required in aPL-mediated thrombosis and pregnancy loss. Other groups have suggested that pregnancy loss may be due to aPL inhibition of the anticoagulant effects of annexin V. Genetic analyses and modelling studies strongly support a genetic basis for disease in families with the APS and suggest an autonomic dominant model of inheritance. HLA studies have suggested associations with DR7, DR4, DRw53, DQw7, and C4 null alleles. Correct identification of patients with APS is important, because prophylactic anticoagulant therapy can prevent thrombosis from recurring, and treatment of affected women during pregnancy can improve foetal and maternal outcome.
The feasibility of establishing correction factors to adjust self-reported estimates of obesity.

BACKGROUND This study examines the feasibility of developing correction factors to adjust self-reported measures of body mass index (BMI) to more closely approximate measured values. DATA AND METHODS Data are from the 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey (subsample 2), in which respondents were asked to report their height and weight, and were subsequently measured. Regression analyses were used to determine which socio-demographic and health characteristics were associated with the discrepancies between self-reported and measured values. The sample was then split into two groups. In the first, self-reported BMI and the predictors of the discrepancies were regressed on measured BMI. Correction equations were generated using all predictor variables that were significant at the p < 0.05 level. These correction equations were then tested in the second group to derive estimates of sensitivity, specificity and obesity prevalence. Logistic regression was used to examine relationships between self-reported, measured and corrected BMI and obesity-related health conditions. RESULTS Corrected estimates provide more accurate measures of obesity prevalence, mean BMI and sensitivity levels (percentage correctly classified). In almost all cases, associations between BMI and health conditions are more accurate when based on corrected versus self-reported values.
PARENTAL BEREAVEMENT: THE CRISIS OF MEANING

This descriptive study used qualitative methods to look at two aspects of the search for meaning in parental bereavement - the search for cognitive mastery and the search for renewed purpose. One hundred and seventy-six bereaved parents answered open-ended questions about the experience of their child's death and the meaning of their life since the death. For most parents, the child's death precipitated a severe crisis of meaning and initiated a search for meaning that involved both cognitive mastery and renewed purpose. Those parents who were able to find meaning in the death cited connections with people, the memory of the child, and positive gains resulting from the trauma. The great majority of parents believed that their lives since the death of the child had meaning. Meaning came from connections with people, activities, beliefs and values, personal growth, and connections with the lost child. Implications for grief counseling are discussed.
Markviss málörvun - forspá um lestur

Leikskolabornum var fylgt eftir lokaar sitt i leikskola og fyrsta ar grunnskolans. Þatt toku þrir argangar barna, samtals 160 born. Gert var tilraunarliki þar sem hopum var skipt eftir leikskolum og argongum. Kennararnir Helga Friðfinnsdottir, Sigrun Love og Þorbjorg Þoroddsdottir aðloguðu arið 1988 danska kennsluhandbok i hljoðkerfisvitund að islenskum aðstaeðum og gafu henni nafnið Markviss malorvun. Verkefnin i henni voru aetluð blonduðum bekkjum barna og byrjað a auðveldum verkefnum sem siðan foru stigþyngjandi. Fyrsti argangur barnanna sem her toku þatt fekk ekki Markvissa malorvun, sem annar og þriðji argangur fengu. A sinu siðasta leikskolaari fekk annar argangurinn kennslu i Markvissri malorvun, born i oðrum leikskolanum a hefðbundinn hatt en i hinum fengu bornin verkefni sem voru betur sniðin að getu þeirra. Skipt var i þrja getuhopa. Fyrir þriðja arganginn voldu kennarar i baðum leikskolum að nota tilsniðnu verkefnin. Niðurstoður leiddu i ljos að Markviss malorvun efldi hljoðkerfisvitund, hvort sem kennslan var hefðbundin eða verkefnum hagað i samraemi við hljoðkerfisvitund nemenda. Bornin sem fengu tilsniðnu kennsluna lasu betur i lok fyrsta bekkjar en þau þekktu lika fleiri bokstafi i upphafi siðasta vetrar i leikskola. Vaeri valið tolfraeðilega hvaða breytur spaðu best um lestrargetu við lok fyrsta bekkjar kom i ljos likan sem innihelt bokstafaþekkingu, malþroska og aldur og skýrði 54% af dreifingu a lestrargetu. Frekari rannsokna a forspa um lestrargetu er þorf og i þessari rannsokn voknuðu spurningar um kynjamun, t.d. hvort drengjum gagnist Markviss malorvun betur en stulkum. Skorun við aðra faerni vakti einnig spurningar um eðli hljoðkerfisvitundar.
Cytokine expression in the alkali-burned cornea.

PURPOSE This study investigated the cytokine expression profile in alkali-burned mouse corneas, in order to elucidate the mechanisms of corneal damage and repair. METHODS The cytokines expressed in alkali-burned corneas were identified by polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), then quantitated using ELISA. Based on the ELISA results, immunohistochemical analyses were performed to localize cytokine expression. RESULTS Among the ten cytokines examined, IL-1 (IL-1 beta), IL-6, IL-10 and TNF-alpha mRNA were expressed in alkali-burned corneas. Quantitation revealed that IL-alpha and IL-6 were strongly induced in the early stages of alkali burn, peak production of IL-1 alpha (53.2 pg/cornea) and IL-6 (23.6 pg/cornea) occurring at days 3 and 7, respectively. The production of IL-10 and TNF-alpha was not significantly elevated during the 42 day period after burn. Immunohistochemical analyses revealed that both IL-1 alpha and IL-6 were mainly localized in regenerating epithelial basal cells. CONCLUSIONS IL-1 alpha and IL-6 levels in the cornea are dramatically elevated in the regenerated epithelium during the early stages of alkali burn, and may play an important role in associated corneal damage and repair.
Silencing of HIV-1 Gene Expression by Sirnas in Transduced Cells

The RNA interference (RNAi) phenomenon is a recently observed process in which the introduction of a double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) into cells causes the specific degradation of an mRNA containing the same sequence. To study dsRNA-mediated gene interference targeted to the env gene (NL4-3: 7490-7508) in HIV-1 infected cells, we constructed tandem-type and hairpin-type siRNA expression vectors, which were under the control of two U6 promoters. We also constructed lentiviral-based siRNA expression vectors for further assessment of their antiviral activity in transduced cells. At both the transient plasmid and lentiviral-mediated RNA expression levels, the siRNA encoding the env fragment exhibited sequence-specific suppression of target gene expression and strongly inhibited (≥90%) HIV-1 infection in the cells, as compared to the antisense RNA expression vector. Targeting the HIV-1 env gene with siRNAs encoding the env gene fragment (7490–7508) might be an effective strategy for gene therapy applications in HIV-1/AIDS treatment and management.
Experience with grid therapy.

Among the recent technics in the treatment of cancer is the use of a perforated grid in radiation therapy. This paper is a report of 10 cases treated by this method. Kohler (1) was the first to report on the use of a grid in x-ray therapy in 1909. The literature contains no other reference to this form of treatment until 1933, when Liberson (2), unaware of the previous report, developed the same idea. He found that the skin could tolerate larger doses and would recover more quickly when the radiation was delivered through a grid. Haring (3), Grynkraut (4), Goldfeder (5), Jolles (6), and Jolles and Koller (7) have all written on some phase of this form of therapy. Two years ago Marks (8) demonstrated his results with massive doses through a grid and aroused interest in this new procedure. He administered as much as 1,200 r daily for twenty treatments, using a grid which was placed in exactly the same position for each treatment. Although the ports were large, the skin usually healed without complications a.
Lack of apparent receptor reserve at postsynaptic 5-hydroxytryptamine1A receptors negatively coupled to adenylyl cyclase activity in rat hippocampal membranes.

Previous studies have demonstrated the existence of a large receptor reserve for agonists at somatodendritic 5-hydroxytryptamine1A (5-HT1A) serotonin receptors in the raphe nuclei of the rat. 5-HT1A agonists with anxiolytic properties (e.g., buspirone, gepirone, and ipsapirone) display full intrinsic activity at these receptors but are partial agonists at postsynaptic 5-HT1A receptors, which suggests that the latter sites may be devoid of a receptor reserve. In the present studies, this was directly determined by examining the relationship between receptor occupancy and response at postsynaptic 5-HT1A receptors, in rat hippocampus, mediating the inhibition of forskolin-stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity, using the method of partial irreversible receptor inactivation. Rats were treated with vehicle or the irreversible antagonist N-ethoxycarbonyl-2-ethoxy-1,2-dihydroquinoline (EEDQ), and 24 hr later hippocampi were removed for saturation analysis of [3H]8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)-tetralin (8-OH-DPAT) binding to 5-HT1A receptors or for adenylyl cyclase assays. EEDQ (1 and 6 mg/kg) dose-dependently reduced the maximal number of [3H]8-OH-DPAT binding sites by 68.5 and 80%, respectively, without altering the Kd. Concentration-response curves were generated for inhibition of forskolin-stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity by 5-HT and the selective 5-HT1A agonist N,N-dipropyl-5-carboxamidotryptamine (DP-5-CT). EEDQ treatment dose-dependently reduced the maximal inhibitory effect of 5-HT [percentage of inhibition: control, 23.6; EEDQ (1 mg/kg), 13.4; EEDQ (6 mg/kg), 8.9], without altering either the slope factor (1.01) or the EC50 (96.4 nM). Analogous results were obtained with DP-5-CT [percentage of maximal inhibition: control, 24.1; EEDQ (1 mg/kg), 15.2; EEDQ (6 mg/kg), 10.7), again without changes in slope factor (0.89) or EC50 (9.9 nM). Analysis of double-reciprocal plots of equieffective concentrations of agonist, followed by calculation of fractional receptor occupancy, revealed a linear relationship between receptor occupancy and response for both 5-HT and DP-5-CT (i.e., an absence of receptor reserve). The receptor specificity of the effect of EEDQ was demonstrated in two ways. First, it was shown that pretreatment of rats with the selective 5-HT1A partial agonist BMY 7378 (10 mg/kg) before EEDQ afforded substantial protection (about 75%) against loss of the inhibitory effect of DP-5-CT on forskolin-stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity. Second, EEDQ did not alter the inhibition of forskolin-stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity induced by the adenosine A1 receptor agonist phenylisopropyladenosine (PIA). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Bluetooth low energy technologies for applications in health care: proximity and physiological signals monitors

Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is an exciting technology for health care applications. The big advantage over previous wireless technologies are its explicit low power design that allows deployment of such devices over many months or even years without the need to change batteries. This is especially critical in home health monitoring where compliance can often not be assumed. Here we describe the design of two Bluetooth Low Energy devices based on the BLE112 module from BlueGiga.
Détection de structure géométrique dans les nuages de points. (Geometric structure detection in point clouds)

Cette these s'inscrit dans la problematique generale de l'inference geometrique. Etant donne un objet qu'on ne connait qu'a travers un echantillon fini, a partir de quelle qualite d'echantillonage peut-on estimer de maniere fiable certaines de ses proprietes geometriques ou topologique? L'estimation de la topologie est maintenant un domaine assez mur. La plupart des methodes existantes sont fondees sur la notion de fonction distance. Nous utilisons cette approche pour estimer certaines notions de courbure dues a Federer, definies pour une classe assez generale d'objets non lisses. Nous introduisons une version approchee de ces courbures dont nous etudions la stabilite ainsi que calcul pratique dans le cas discret. Une version anisotrope de ces mesures de courbure permet en pratique d'estimer le lieu et la direction des aretes vives d'une surface lisse par morceaux echantillonnee par un nuage de point. En chemin nous sommes amenes a etudier certaines proprietes de regularite de la fonction distance, comme le volume de l'axe median. Un defaut des methodes qui utilisent la fonction distance est leur extreme sensibilite aux points aberrants. Pour resoudre ce probleme, nous sortons du cadre purement geometrique en remplacant les compacts par des mesures de probabilite. Nous introduisons une notion de fonction distance a une mesure, robuste aux perturbations Wasserstein (et donc aux points aberrants) et qui partage certaines proprietes de regularite et de stabilite avec la fonction distance usuelle. Grâce a ces proprietes, il est possible d'etendre de nombreux theoremes d'inference geometrique a ce cadre.
Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation During the Last Glacial Maximum

The circulation of the deep Atlantic Ocean during the height of the last ice age appears to have been quite different from today. We review observations implying that Atlantic meridional overturning circulation during the Last Glacial Maximum was neither extremely sluggish nor an enhanced version of present-day circulation. The distribution of the decay products of uranium in sediments is consistent with a residence time for deep waters in the Atlantic only slightly greater than today. However, evidence from multiple water-mass tracers supports a different distribution of deep-water properties, including density, which is dynamically linked to circulation.
Genotoxic damage in auto body shop workers

Some studies have shown increased DNA damage among car painters, but other professionals working in auto body and paint shops have not been extensively assessed. The aim of this study was to assess DNA damage in different types of auto body shop workers by measuring micronucleus (MN) levels in exfoliated buccal cells. The mean number of cells with MN per 2000 exfoliated buccal cells was analyzed in three groups of male workers: auto body repair technicians, painters, and office workers (control group). All participants answered a questionnaire inquiring about age, smoking habits, alcohol consumption, work practices, occupational exposure time, job activities, and use of protective equipment. The mean number of cells with MN was 3.50 ± 1.50 in auto body painters, 3.91 ± 2.10 in auto body repair technicians, and 0.80 ± 0.78 in office workers, with a significant difference between the control group and the two other groups (p = 0.0001). Age, occupational exposure time, use of protective masks, alcohol consumption, and smoking habit did not affect MN results. The findings indicate that technicians and painters working in auto body shops are at risk for genotoxic damage, while office workers seem to be protected.
Role of acid and duodenogastroesophageal reflux in gastroesophageal reflux disease.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Acid and pepsin are known to cause esophagitis. However, the role of duodenogastroesophageal reflux (DGER) in producing esophageal mucosal injury across the spectrum of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is controversial. METHODS Twenty controls (13 men; mean age, 41 years), 30 patients with GERD (15 men; mean age, 41 years), and 20 patients with Barrett's esophagus (17 men; mean age, 58 years) were studied. Twenty-four-hour ambulatory acid and bilirubin measurements were obtained with Bilitec 2000 using a glass pH electrode and fiberoptic sensor. RESULTS Percentage times pH was < 4, bilirubin level was > or = 0.14, and fasting gastric bile acid concentrations showed a graded increase across the GERD spectrum. Esophageal exposure to both acid and DGER was the most prevalent reflux pattern (100% in patients with complicated and 89% in patients with uncomplicated Barrett's esophagus, 79% in patients with esophagitis, and 50% in patients without esophagitis). The majority (70%-91%) of DGER episodes occurred in an acidic environment (pH < 4). Linear regression analysis found a significant correlation (r = 0.73; P < 0.01) between percentage time pH was < 4 and percentage time bilirubin absorbance level was > or = 0.14. CONCLUSIONS Both acid and DGER show a graded increase in severity across the GERD spectrum. Acid and DGER occur simultaneously in the majority of the reflux episodes.
Phase Field Simulation of Segregation of the Bi-Riched Phase in Cu/Sn-Bi/Cu Solder Interconnects under Electric Current Stressing

The migration and segregation of Bi atoms in Cu/Sn-Bi/Cu solder interconnects under electric current stressing usually induce the formation of Bi-riched layers at the anode side, which can cause the failure of solder interconnects easily. In our study, the microstructure evolution of the eutectic Sn-Bi solder in a Cu/Sn-Bi/Cu flip chip solder joint and a right-angle Cu/Sn-Bi/Cu solder interconnect is simulated by phase field method. Further, the phase field equation is coupled with the Laplace equation governing the electric potential to simulate the segregation of the Bi-riched phase in Cu/Sn-Bi/Cu solder interconnects, in which the Bi-riched phase and Sn-riched phase inhomogeneously distribute. The coarsening behavior of the eutectic microstructure can also be seen in the simulation results, and the phases grow and become coarse along multiple directions in the flip chip solder interconnect compared with that in the right-angle solder interconnect. Under electric current stressing, Bi atoms migrate towards the anode side, while Sn atoms move in the opposite direction, and finally a segregated layer of Bi-riched phase is formed at the anode side, which is consistent with the experimental studies. The phase separation first occurs near the bottom corner of the right-angle solder interconnect. Moreover, the inhomogeneity of microstructures can influence the current density distribution, and the electromigration and segregation of the Bi-riched phase can induce the increase of both the voltage and resistance.
The Cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid (caBIG): pioneering an expansive network of information and tools for collaborative cancer research.

he Cancer Research Center of Hawaii v as invited in the sum— mu of 2003 top u ti Ipate in thc cancu Biomedical Informat ics Grid (caBIG). The project was initiated by the National Cancer Institute’s Centerfor Bioinformatics (NCICB). Its ambitious goal is to build a network for cancer-related biomedical informatics that will ultimately enable information to be shared easily between cancer researchers. The NCICB believes that successful completion of the project ill serve as a model for ho all biomedical research can be streamlined to serve the needs of patients. study participants. care providers and researchers more effectively.
An Influenza Prevention Campaign: The Employee Perspective

While the benefits of vaccinating health care workers against influenza are known, the number of vaccinated employees remains inadequate. This article describes survey results from 999 Advocate employees. Statistically significant differences were identified in receiving the influenza vaccine based on age, recommendation of the flu vaccine to others, working environment, and race. The major reason identified for receiving the vaccine was to stay healthy. The most common reason cited for not receiving the vaccine was receiving the vaccine before and getting sick anyway. Results of the study were used to refine education and communication strategies, improving the employee vaccination program.
Regional and Historical Influences on Exotic Plant Invasions

Alliaria petiolata is an herbaceous biennial herb that was introduced to New England over a century ago, and has since spread across North America. A. petiolata frequently grows along forest edges, but can also invade intact forest communities, an unusual ability for an invasive plant. Much is known about A. petiolata’s ecology at the scale of the local ecosystem, but there has been little work on the importance of spatial, temporal, and environmental factors at the regional scale. The studies presented here are based on field surveys of A. petiolata in the Connecticut Valley and Berskshire Valley ecoregions of western Massachusetts. A history of human impact from agricultural land use could be playing a role in the distribution of A. petiolata in these ecoregions. The goal of the studies is to determine the historical, geographic, and environmental influences on A. petiolata’s occurrence and performance and to draw lessons for thinking about invasive plants on the regional scale. The survey included 175 roadside, forested plots, across the two ecoregions, and across areas with wooded and cleared pre-introduction land cover. Data on A. petiolata occurrence and abundance, community structure, and soil moisture was collected in the field. Additional site-specific data on land fragmentation, climate, and geology was obtained using GIS datalayers from MassGIS. Multiple logistic regression and MANOVAs were used to determine which factors had the greatest impact on A. petiolata occurrence and abundance. Results show that A. petiolata has a higher occurrence in the Berkshire Valley than in the Connecticut Valley that cannot be accounted for by environmental differences between the ecoregions. There are no differences between ecoregions in abundance. Pre-introduction land use history does not appear to have a significant effect on A. petiolata distribution at the regional scale. Latitude stands out as an important environmental variable, as A. petiolata is more prevalent in more southern sites. This is most likely related to the history of invasion rather than climate-related factors, which were taken into account. Among other environmental variables, different factors appeared to be important for the different processes of establishment at a site, establishment in the forest understory, and abundance in the understory. These findings lead to the general conclusion that history and geography, in addition to environment, are important considerations in studying plant invasions at the regional scale.