Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Agricultural injury in California migrant Hispanic farm workers.

BACKGROUND Agriculture is among the most hazardous industries in the United States. METHODS A longitudinal study of injury among migrant Hispanic farm workers residing in six Northern California Migrant Family Housing Centers (MHCs) during the 1997 harvest season was conducted. Participants completed an initial interviewer-administered work-and-health questionnaire at the beginning of the harvest season addressing the preceding year; there were three periodic follow-up surveys. RESULTS There were 1,201 adult farm workers (participation 85.2%) who completed the initial questionnaire. Of these, 837 (69.7%) completed the final follow-up survey. There were 86 agricultural injuries (incidence 9.3/100 full-time equivalent employees (FTEs), 95% CI 7.5-11.5/100 FTE). Increased risk for agricultural injury occurred among women paid piece-rate (RR 4.9, 95% CI 1.8-12.8). Sprains and strains were most common (31%), followed by lacerations (12%). CONCLUSIONS Agricultural injury experience in this cohort is comparable to that of agricultural workers in other U.S. settings. Increased risk among women paid piece-rate suggests further study and potential policy changes regarding payment regimens. Heterogeneity of injury in this population presents a major prevention challenge. In view of high frequency of strain and sprain injuries, ergonomic interventions deserve further study.
Perception and Production of Singleton and Geminate Stops in Japanese: Implications for the Theory of Acoustic Invariance

Abstract The theory of relational acoustic invariance claims that there are stable acoustic properties in speech signals that correspond to a phonological feature, and that the perception system utilizes these acoustic properties for stable perception of a phoneme. The present study examines whether such an invariance exists in native listeners' perception of Japanese singleton and geminate stops despite variability in speaking rate and word length, and whether this perception corresponds to production. Native Japanese listeners identified singleton and geminate stops in continua of 3- and 4-mora words spoken at different speaking rates. Results indicated that the perception boundary is well predicted by a linear function with two variables: durations of stop closure and the (C)V(C)CV portion (with the contrasting stops underlined) of the 3- and 4-mora words. In addition, these two variables were in a consistent relationship for both perception and production of words containing 2-4 moras. The results support the relational acoustic invariance theory.
3D‐Printed Atsttrin‐Incorporated Alginate/Hydroxyapatite Scaffold Promotes Bone Defect Regeneration with TNF/TNFR Signaling Involvement

High expression levels of pro‐inflammatory tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α within bone defects can decelerate and impair bone regeneration. However, there are few available bone scaffolds with anti‐inflammatory function. The progranulin (PGRN)‐derived engineered protein, Atsttrin, is known to exert antagonistic effects on the TNF‐α function. Hence, this study investigates whether 3D‐printed Atsttrin‐incorporated alginate(Alg)/hydroxyapatite(nHAp) scaffolds can facilitate bone healing through affecting the TNF/TNFR signaling. A 3D bioprinting system is used to fabricate Atsttrin‐Alg/nHAp composite scaffolds, and the Atsttrin release from this scaffold is characterized, followed by evaluation of its efficacy on bone regeneration both in vitro and in vivo. The 3D‐printed Atsttrin‐Alg/nHAp scaffold exhibits a precisely defined structure, can sustain Atsttrin release for at least 5 days, has negligible cytotoxicity, and supports cell adhesion. Atsttrin can also attenuate the suppressive effects of TNF‐α on BMP‐2‐induced osteoblastic differentiation in vitro. The 3D‐printed Atsttrin‐Alg/nHAp scaffold significantly reduces the number of TNF‐α positive cells within wound sites, 7 days after post‐calvarial defect surgery. Additionally, histological staining and X‐ray scanning results also show that the 3D‐printed Atsttrin‐Alg/nHAp scaffold enhances the regeneration of mice calvarial bone defects. These findings thus demonstrate that the precise structure and anti‐inflammatory properties of 3D‐printed Atsttrin‐Alg/nHAp scaffolds may promote bone defect repair.
Photoplethysmogram signal based biometric recognition using linear discriminant classifier

A preliminary study on photoplethysmogram (PPG) based biometry system is presented here. PPG is a physiological signal related to cardiac output and blood flow saturation in body. Recently it is reported that being an automatic physiological phenomenon PPG and other biosignals can be used as biometric parameters for human authentication. In this work, 12 number of features are extracted from filtered PPG and its derivatives and Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) is used for classification over the statistical parameters extracted from the feature set. 100% accuracy is achieved for 15 number of data captured using Biopac MP 45.
Acceptability of Internet Treatment of Anxiety and Depression

Objective: The Internet is increasingly used to deliver treatment programs for common mental disorders. However, little is known about the acceptability of online interventions. The present study used an online survey to explore levels of acceptability of Internet-based treatment programs for anxiety and depression. Methods: Visitors to websites operated by the Clinical Research Unit for Anxiety and Depression (CRUfAD), were invited to complete an online questionnaire during 16 weeks in 2008. Results: Of 1543 people who began the survey, 1104 (72%) Australian health professionals and lay people completed it. Internet treatment programs for people with mild or moderate symptoms were more acceptable than programs for people with severe symptoms. There were no differences between health professionals and non-health professionals in acceptability ratings. As expected, previous users of Internet treatments reported significantly greater acceptability and preference for Internet treatments than non-users. Conclusions: Respondents rated Internet-based treatment programs as acceptable, with higher ratings from previous users. In order to facilitate implementation, program developers need to implement strategies for increasing knowledge about the efficacy and effectiveness of such programs, and engage therapists and consumers in establishing ethical and professional guidelines for their safe and responsible use.
Antigen loss and tumor-mediated immunosuppression facilitate tumor recurrence

Evaluation of: Jensen SM, Twitty CG, Maston LD et al. Increased frequency of suppressive regulatory T cells and T cell-mediated antigen loss results in murine melanoma recurrence. J. Immunol. 189(2), 767–776 (2012). While tumor immunotherapy has seen notable success in recent years, mechanisms that tumors utilize to escape immune responses have provided significant hurdles to maximal clinical benefit. Escape mechanisms such as antigen loss, decreased MHC expression, as well as tumor-mediated suppressive effects on antitumor immune responses, can cause the most potent antitumor immune response to be rendered powerless at the tumor site. In this study, the authors show that the adoptive transfer of tumor antigen-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells combined with tumor cell immunization can elicit regression of established subcutaneous tumors in lymphopenic, but not lymphoreplete, animals. However, using a suboptimal dose of transferred cells followed by vaccination, the authors identify the development of recurrent tumors with reduced antigen expression. These tumors could still be eradicated in similarly treated animals; however, they found that transferred CD4+ T cells from animals with recurrent tumors acquired a suppressive phenotype. This work highlights the importance of understanding mechanisms of tumor escape, particularly underscoring the role of the tumor in modulating antigen-specific immune responses, and the critical importance of finding mechanisms to avoid the development of viable escape variants.
Helicobacter pylori as a Vaccine Delivery System

For more than 10 years a vaccine against Helicobacter pylori has been the elusive goal of many investigators. The need for a vaccine was highlighted when eradication attempts in developing countries were foiled by reinfection rates of 15–30% per annum. In addition, physicians in developed countries were concerned that attempts at total eradication of H. pylori would result in widespread macrolide resistance in both H. pylori and other important pathogens. Although attempts to produce vaccines against H. pylori have failed in their ultimate goal, considerable knowledge has been developed on the pathogenesis and immunology of Helicobacter infections. In this article we describe an alternative use for this new knowledge, i.e. a plan to use live Helicobacter species to deliver vaccines against other organisms. Because of its intimate attachment to the gastric mucosa and long‐term residence there, H. pylori might succeed as an antigen delivery system, a goal which has eluded most other strategies of nonparenteral vaccination.
Improving retrievals of regional fine particulate matter concentrations from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) multisatellite observations

A combination of multiplatform satellite observations and statistical data analysis are used to improve the correlation between estimates of PM2.5 (particulate mass with aerodynamic diameter less that 2.5 µm) retrieved from satellite observations and ground-level measured PM2.5. Accurate measurements of PM2.5 can be used to assess the impact of air pollution levels on human health and the environment and to validate air pollution models. The area under study is California's San Joaquin Valley (SJV) that has a history of poor particulate air quality. Attempts to use simple linear regressions to estimate PM2.5 from satellite-derived aerosol optical depth (AOD) have not yielded good results. The period of study for this project was from October 2004 to July 2008 for six sites in the SJV. A simple linear regression between surface-measured PM2.5 and satellite-observed AOD (from MODIS [Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer]) yields a correlation coefficient of about 0.17 in this region. The correlation coefficient between the measured PM2.5 and that retrieved combining satellite observations in a generalized additive model (GAM) resulted in an improved correlation coefficient of 0.77. The model used combinations of MODIS AOD, OMI (Ozone Monitoring Instrument) AOD, NO2 concentration, and a seasonal variable as parameters. Particularly noteworthy is the fact that the PM2.5 retrieved using the GAM captures many of the PM2.5 exceedances that were not seen in the simple linear regression model. Implications: Particulate Mass (PM) in the air is a concern because of its effect on climate and human health. PM concentrations retrieved from satellite observations of aerosol optical depth can provide broad regional coverage that is not attained by surface sites. The techniques developed in this paper have resulted in greatly improved correlations between PM retrieved from satellite observations and PM from surface measurements in areas where the correlation is typically low. These improved retrievals can be used to fill in the gaps between surface sites and validate air quality models that are used for air quality forecasts and epidemiological studies. Supplemental Materials: Supplemental materials are available for this paper. Go to the publisher's online edition of the Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association for information on the effects of grid size and MODIS data quality flags on the GAM results. The coefficients for the GAMs used in this study are also listed.
Preferential Interaction of Sentrin with a Ubiquitin-conjugating Enzyme, Ubc9*

Sentrin is a ubiquitin-like molecule that has been shown to interact with the death domains of Fas and tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNFR1), PML, Rad51, Rad52, and RanGAP1. We have reported previously that sentrin can be conjugated to other proteins in a manner analogous to protein ubiquitination (Kamitani, T., Nguyen, H. P., and Yeh, E. T. H. (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272, 14001–14004). Furthermore, the conserved C-terminal Gly-Gly residues are required for sentrinization to occur. To identify enzymes which play a role in sentrinization, the yeast two-hybrid system was used to screen a human placenta cDNA library using sentrin as bait. A strong positive interacting clone was found to contain a cDNA insert encoding the ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme, Ubc9. The interaction between sentrin and Ubc9 required the ubiquitin domain and the C-terminal Gly-Gly residues of sentrin. This interaction appears to be specific because sentrin could only interact weakly with UbcH5B, but could not interact with HHR6B, UbcH6 nor E2-EPF. In vitro translated sentrin could be precipitated by a GST-Ubc9 fusion protein, but not by glutathione S-transferase. A β-mercaptoethanol-sensitive Ubc9-sentrin conjugate could also be identified in the in vitro binding assay. Substitution of the conserved cysteine residue of Ubc9 by serine abolished the formation of the Ubc9-sentrin conjugate. Taken together, Ubc9 is a strong candidate to be the key conjugating enzyme in the sentrinization pathway.
Efficacy and Safety of Oral Lacosamide as Adjunctive Therapy in Adults with Partial‐Onset Seizures

Summary: Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of lacosamide when added to 1 or 2 antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) in adults with uncontrolled partial‐onset seizures, and assess plasma concentrations of concomitant AEDs to determine any potential for drug interactions.
Variabilite genetique des comportements sociaux chez les bovins domestiques de race limousine (bos taurus l. )

Chez les ongules, especes fortement gregaires, l'environnement social joue un role determinant dans l'ajustement des reponses individuelles aux variations de l'environnement extra social. Les acteurs de l'environnement social des bovins domestiques sont non seulement la mere, la progeniture et les congeneres, mais egalement l'homme. L'objectif de ce travail est de comprendre la variabilite interindividuelle observee dans l'expression des comportements sociaux que sont la motivation maternelle, l'attraction sociale, et la reactivite a l'homme. Les methodes d'estimation de ce dernier comportement sont validees au cours d'un chapitre methodologique, prelude indispensable pour mener a bien l'etude multidimensionnelle du chapitre principal. Pour cette etude, 560 vaches de race limousine, issues de 21 peres differents, font l'objet d'une approche longitudinale afin d'estimer leur reactivite a l'homme, puis leur motivation a prendre soin de leur progeniture, et enfin leur attraction vers des congeneres. Nos resultats mettent en evidence une influence genetique sur la motivation maternelle et confirment celle sur la reactivite a l'homme. En revanche, la contribution genetique aux differences d'attraction sociale apparait plus faible, ce qui est peut-etre lie a la faible variabilite interindividuelle de ce comportement. De plus, nos resultats tendent a montrer une dependance genetique entre les comportements sociaux etudies. En particulier, les genes qui participent aux differences de motivation maternelle seraient partiellement les memes que ceux participant aux differences de docilite (i. E. Les vaches les plus maternelles semblent mieux tolerer l'homme et les manipulations). La selection de bovins sur leur docilite, en vue de faciliter
Allogenic umbilical cord blood therapy combined with erythropoietin for patients with severe traumatic brain injury: three case reports.

OBJECTIVE To report the safety and efficacy of a novel therapeutic trial with umbilical cord blood (UCB) and concomitant recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO), which was tried for three cases of severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) in rehabilitation. DESIGN Case series. SETTING University hospital setting. PARTICIPANTS Three patients with TBI over 6-months post-injury. INTERVENTIONS Intravascular administration of allogenic UCB and injection of rhEPO, and rehabilitation therapy. OUTCOMES For safety, adverse events, symptom, vital signs, blood chemistry, and hematologic study; for efficacy, modified Barthel index, motor assessment scale, Fugl-Meyer assessment of upper extremity, motor-free visual perception test, mini-mental screening examination, and brain images. RESULTS There were no serious adverse events and the participants showed improvements during the follow-up periods in various aspects. Patient 1 demonstrated improvements in motor and cognitive function. Diffusion tensor images showed increased nerve fibers. Patient 2 displayed improvements in activities of daily living. In Patient 3, neurogenic fever vanished and Brain PET revealed increased glucose metabolism at basal ganglia, thalami, and cerebellum. CONCLUSIONS The allogenic UCB therapy combined with rhEPO in the present study was safe and suggested potential therapeutic efficacy for patients with TBI. Controlled clinical trials are now needed to document efficiacy and safety in a larger patient sample.
Src family‐selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor, PP1, inhibits both FcεRI‐ and Thy‐1‐mediated activation of rat basophilic leukemia cells

Cross‐linking of the surface receptor with high affinity for IgE (FcεRI) by multivalent antigen/immunoglobulin E complexes, as well as aggregation of Thy‐1 glycoprotein by monoclonal antibodies lead in rat basophilic leukemia cells, clone RBL‐2H3, to tyrosine phosphorylation of several cellular proteins, followed by a release of secretory components. To investigate the molecular mechanisms of FcεRI‐ and Thy‐1‐mediated transmembrane signaling and to map a step at which they converge into a common secretory pathway, we used a novel Src family‐selective tyrosine kinase inhibitory, 4‐amino‐5‐(4‐methylphenyl)‐7‐(t‐butyl)pyrazolo[3,4‐d]pyrimidine (PP1), and analyzed its inhibitory activity on cell activation. Here we show that in RBL‐2H3 cells PP1 demonstrates substrate specificity for a Src family kinase Lyn. In immunocomplex kinase assays in vitro, PP1 inhibited the Lyn kinase activity at nanomolar levels without any effect on Syk kinase activity. However, in RBL cells activated via aggregation of FcεRI, phosphorylation of both Syk and Lyn kinases was inhibited. FcεRI‐ and Thy‐1‐mediated early (protein‐tyrosine phosphorylation) and late (release of β‐hexosaminidase) activation events were similarly affected by PP1. The inhibition was specific for membrane receptor‐mediated signaling and was not observed in cells activated by an exposure to pervanadate. The combined data suggest that activation of Lyn is the early activation step at which the FcεRI‐ and Thy‐1‐mediated activation pathways of mast cells and basophils may converge.
Towards an AIDS vaccine: the role of primate models.

AIDS has become a global pandemic comparable in its impact to the great plagues of history; an estimated 30 million people worldwide are infected with HIV, approximately 15,000 people are infected each day, and AIDS is almost 100% fatal when untreated. Although highly effective antiretroviral drugs are available to treat HIV/AIDS, the approximately $10,000 cost per person treated makes the therapy available in only relatively wealthy countries. The development and general dissemination of an effective vaccine against HIV/AIDS is the only possibility of controlling the pandemic in countries where most infections are currently occurring. Efforts to develop a vaccine began immediately after HIV was identified in 1983-84, and led to the production of a first generation of vaccines tested in humans. However, it appears that these first generation vaccines will not confer the necessary protection against HIV, but more will be learned of their potency after the completion of efficacy trials which will probably begin during 1998. The disappointing immunological and protective response of humans to the recombinant env proteins has discouraged many biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies from pursuing the research and development of AIDS vaccines. The author discusses the use of primate models in the study of candidate immunogens which may be developed into vaccines for the protection of humans. Specifically, he considers whether it is possible or necessary to induce sterilizing immunity against SIV or HIV, which immune mechanisms are involved in the protection of vaccinated primates, the role of mucosal immunity in an AIDS vaccine, and the likely components of a program for vaccine development.
Management of atrial fibrillation: discrepancy between guideline recommendations and actual practice exposes patients to risk for complications.

AIMS To assess compliance to guidelines in the management of patients with atrial fibrillation. METHODS AND RESULTS A total of 728 questionnaires were mailed to physicians with the intention of studying 'theoretical' compliance to practice guidelines. A retrospective evaluation of 200 records from consecutive patients hospitalized with atrial fibrillation was performed in order to verify 'actual' compliance to guidelines. The response rate to the questionnaires was 68%. More than 94% of the physicians stated that patients with risk factors for thromboembolic complications and chronic atrial fibrillation should receive long-term warfarin treatment. Of evaluated records, 108 patients were in chronic atrial fibrillation with at least one risk factor for stroke, and with no known contraindication to warfarin. In this group, only 40% received warfarin. Moreover, several other discrepancies were detected as regards the use of antiarrhythmic therapy. CONCLUSION This study reveals a clear discrepancy between recommendations in guidelines and actual practice in patients with atrial fibrillation. The most important finding was a significant under use of thromboembolic prophylaxis in patients at high risk for such events. Implementation and the study of adherence to management guidelines on atrial fibrillation need to be carefully reviewed by surveys of actual clinical practice in order to establish reasonable therapeutic quality.
Evaluation of Bone Volume after Secondary Bone Grafting in Unilateral Alveolar Cleft Using Computer-Aided Engineering

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the initial defect and the outcome of bone grafts for unilateral alveolar cleft. To determine the absorption of the bone graft in patients with unilateral cleft, computer-aided engineering (CAE) with multi-detector row computed tomography (MDCT) was used. MDCT scans of 29 patients were taken immediately preoperatively and at 1 month and 6 months postoperatively. The patients underwent bone grafting between 8 and 14 years of age using iliac crest bone grafts. Three-dimensional models were created in each period, and the defect at the alveolar cleft and volume of the bone graft were determined in each patient using CAE. Cleft volume and success of alveolar bone grafting were significantly correlated (P < .01). Alveolar clefts with cleft palate required more bone volume than those without cleft palate (P < .01), but the resorption rate did not significantly differ between alveolar clefts with and without cleft palate (0.48 ± 0.14 and 0.49 ± 0.18, respectively; P =.93). In conclusion, three-dimensional reconstruction of bone grafts using CAE based on MDCT provides a valuable objective assessment of graft volume.