Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Isolation and characterization of spontaneous wheat germ agglutinin-resistant human melanoma mutants displaying remarkably different metastatic profiles in nude mice.

Spontaneous wheat germ agglutinin (WGA)-resistant mutants of the MeWo human malignant melanoma line were isolated after sequential selection in increasingly toxic concentrations of WGA, without prior mutagenesis. They were isolated in an attempt to obtain "membrane glycosylation mutants" having significantly altered metastatic properties when grown in nude mice, and to characterize the biochemical (oligosaccharide) changes associated with altered metastatic behavior. The lines were assessed for their sensitivity to other lectins, membrane glycoprotein profiles, ploidy levels, and their ability to produce "artificial" metastases in nude mice after i.v. inoculation. One mutant, called 70-W, manifested a 3- to 4-fold resistance to WGA compared with wild-type cells. When inoculated into NIH Swiss nude mice, 70-W cells not only produced extensive lung colony formation but also showed an extraordinary ability to disseminate widely and extensively in a clinical fashion to many extrapulmonary sites such as the subcutis, mesentery, muscle, and brain. Moreover the majority of these metastases were deeply pigmented facilitating visual identification of very small visceral metastases. A second mutant called 3S5 was isolated and found to be highly resistant to WGA (greater than 20-fold resistance). This line was virtually devoid of metastatic ability and was found by biochemical analysis to be phenotypically similar to the class I WGA resistant non-metastatic mutants previously isolated from the highly metastatic murine tumor MDAY-D2 which are known to be deficient in sialic acid and galactose. The similarity between these and earlier results using lectin resistant mutant rodent cell lines strongly suggests that sialylated glycoconjugates contribute to the metastasis of both animal and human tumors of different tissue origin. These new spontaneously derived WGA resistant MeWo mutants should be valuable new tools for the study of human tumor progression in vivo and factors involved in metastasis, especially the contribution of oligosaccharide moieties of cell surface glycoconjugates.
Fatores contribuintes de acidentes ocorridos em interseções de três ramos em Portugal: elementos da consistência geométrica

Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal, atraves do financiamento da bolsa de doutoramento SFRH/BD/62458/2009 e do projeto UI 4047 – 2014: PEst-OE/ECI/UI4047/2014.
Management of chronic venous disorders of the lower limbs - guidelines according to scientific evidence.

Disclaimer Due to the evolving field of medicine, new research may, in due course, modify the recommendations presented in this document. At the time of publication, every attempt has been made to ensure that the information provided is up to date and accurate. It is the responsibility of the treating physician to determine the best treatment for the patient. The authors, committee members, editors, and publishers cannot be held responsible for any legal issues that may arise from the citation of this statement. Rules of evidence Management of patients with chronic venous disorders has been traditionally undertaken subjectively among physicians, often resulting in less than optimal strategies. In this document, a systematic approach has been developed with recommendations based upon cumulative evidence from the literature. Levels of evidence and grades of recommendation range from Level I and Grade A to Level III and Grade C. Level I evidence and Grade A recommendations derive from scientifically sound randomized clinical trials in which the results are clear-cut. Level II evidence and Grade B recommendations derive from clinical studies in which the results among trials often point to inconsistencies. Level III evidence and Grade C recommendations result from poorly designed trials or from small case series.1, 2 Meta-analysis Meta-analyses are included in the present document but there should be caution as to their possible abuse. Certain studies may be included in a meta-analysis carelessly without sufficiently understanding of substantive issues, ignoring relevant variables, using heterogenous findings or interpreting results with a bias.3 It has been demonstrated that the outcomes of 12 large randomized controlled trials were not predicted accurately 35% of the time by the meta-analyses published previously on the same topics.4
Pharmacology of systemically administered domoic acid in mice.

Domoic acid, a structural analogue of kainic acid, has been identified as the toxin that poisoned people who consumed contaminated blue mussels harvested from eastern Prince Edward Island in December of 1987. To investigate the pharmacology of domoic acid in vivo we injected groups of mice with serial dilutions of extracts of contaminated mussels and verified domoic acid concentrations using high performance liquid chromatography. Mice progressed through a series of behavioural changes that were both reproducible and dose-dependent. These behaviours formed the basis of a rating scale that was used to reliably quantitate domoic acid concentrations as low as 20 micrograms/mL. This scale was then used to compare the relative toxicity of domoic acid contained in four formulations: namely, (1) extracts of contaminated mussels, (2) pure domoic acid, (3) extracts of noncontaminated mussels that were "spiked" with pure domoate, and (4) extracts of the algal source of domoic acid. Interpolation of the resulting dose-response curves produced median toxic dose (TD50) values of 2.9, 3.9, 4.9, and 4.2 mg/kg for the four formulations, respectively. Statistical analysis of these data revealed that curves for all formulations of domoic acid were parallel, but that extracts of contaminated mussels were significantly more potent than any of the other formulations at low and intermediate doses of domoic acid. We further compared domoic acid toxicity with that produced by kainic acid. Dose-response curves for both compounds were statistically parallel and both toxins were equally efficacious. The TD50 values were 3.9 and 31.9 mg/kg for pure domoic acid and kainic acid, respectively. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Augmentation Strategies of Clozapine With Antipsychotics in the Treatment of Ultraresistant Schizophrenia

Background: Approximately 40% to 70% of neuroleptic-resistant schizophrenic patients are nonresponders to clozapine. Several clozapine augmentation strategies have come into clinical practice although often without evidence-based support. Among these strategies, the combined use of clozapine with another antipsychotic has been reported for up to 35% of patients receiving clozapine. Objective: The purposes of the present work were to (1) review the available literature on the efficacy and safety of the clozapine augmentation with another antipsychotic using a MEDLINE search of the literature from 1978 to December 2005 and (2) to propose an operational definition of schizophrenia refractory to clozapine ("ultraresistant schizophrenia") for the implementation and homogenization of future therapeutic trials. Conclusion: Case controls and open clinical trials largely dominate the literature, and there are only 4 double-blind studies of clozapine augmentation with antipsychotics. The results of these studies are somewhat discrepant. Moreover, the heterogeneity of definitions of resistance to clozapine, of outcome measures and of dose and duration of pharmacological trials is a major limitation for drawing conclusions.
Pressure Dependence of Superconductivity in Single-Phase K3C60

The superconducting compound K3C60 (with transition temperature Tc = 19.3 kelvin at ambient pressure), formed as a single phase by reaction of alkali vapor with solids of the icosahedral C60 molecule (buckminsterfullerene), shows a very large decrease of Tc with increasing pressure. Susceptibility measurements on sintered pellets showing bulk superconductivity are reported up to 21 kilobars of pressure, where Tc is already less than 8 kelvin. The results are consistent with a piling up of the density of states at the Fermi level.
Avoiding honest feedback: Discordance between formal evaluations and candid assessments of Kuwaiti PBL students

Background: Problem-based learning (PBL) allows faculty to observe students interact and solve problems. Thus, it represents a prime opportunity to provide authentic feedback on learners’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes. However, we are concerned that PBL faculty do not accurately convey feedback to students. Methods: To assess the difference between formal evaluations and candid assessments of student performance, we conducted a study of 178 preclinical medical students at Kuwait University. We quantitatively compared PBL evaluations of students with candid assessments of students’ competence as obtained from structured interviews with 19 PBL facilitators. We also compared facilitators’ comments on the module evaluations with candid comments solicited during the interviews. Results: We did not find a strong quantitative or qualitative correlation between faculty feedback and their candid impressions of student performance. Thematic analysis of the comments disclosed multiple factors that influenced the accuracy and specificity of faculty feedback. Conclusions: Systematic discrepancies between feedback given to students and actual assessments of their performance can result in false reassurance of competence, which undermines our curricular efforts and prevents the trainee from achieving his or her full potential.
Fuzzy Clustering Analysis in Real Estate Companies in China

This paper applies fuzzy clustering algorithm in classifying real estate companies in China according to some general financial indexes, such as income per share, share accumulation fund, net profit margins, weighted net assets yield and shareholders' equity. By constructing and normalizing initial partition matrix, getting fuzzy similar matrix with Minkowski metric and gaining the transitive closure, the dynamic fuzzy clustering analysis for real estate companies is shown clearly that different clustered result change gradually with the threshold reducing, and then, it’s shown there is the similar relationship with the prices of those companies in stock market. In this way, it’s great valuable in contrasting the real estate companies’ financial condition in order to grasp some good chances of investment, and so on. Keywords—Fuzzy clustering algorithm; Data Ming; Real Estate Company, Financial Analysis
An Estimation of Single Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) Photon Detection Efficiency (PDE) Nonuniformity

An analytical expression estimating the photon detection efficiency (PDE) nonuniformity of single-photon avalanche diodes is derived. The estimation relies upon well-established semiempirical and analytical models and is useful for medium- to high-resolution arrays, as well as for wafer-to-wafer variations. While the only explicit example presented so far is for 1-D estimation based on breakdown voltage variation, the proposed PDE nonuniformity estimation algorithm can be expanded to additional dimensions so as to incorporate spread in technological parameters such as junction depth, well depth, and local defects.
Human fractalkine mediates leukocyte adhesion but not capture under physiological shear conditions; a mechanism for selective monocyte recruitment

Fractalkine is a unique chemokine possessing a long mucin‐like stalk and a transmembrane region that has been proposed to act as an adhesion molecule. We investigated the ability of fractalkine to recruit leukocytes from whole blood, using an immobilized fractalkine fusion protein in the parallel‐plate flow‐chamber assay. Significant adhesion of leukocytes to fractalkine peaked at 2 dynes/cm2 but was minimal at 10 dynes/cm2. In contrast, VCAM‐1 could recruit cells from whole blood at 10 dynes/cm2. Co‐immobilization of fractalkine and VCAM‐1 at 10 dynes/cm2 resulted in a twofold increase in adherent cells compared with VCAM‐1 alone, suggesting that fractalkine can mediate adhesion at high shear if combined with a molecule that can mediate leukocyte tethering. Pretreatment of blood with pertussis toxin eliminated this increase in adhesion, implicating intracellular signaling in fractalkine‐mediated mechanisms of adhesion to co‐immobilized fractalkine/VCAM‐1. Analysis of the cell types recruited to fractalkine alone at low shear, or to fractalkine and VCAM‐1 at 10 dynes/cm2, revealed that monocytes were recruited to fractalkine with the highest specificity. In conclusion, fractalkine is unlikely to act alone at shear forces found in most vascular beds where it most likely co‐operates with tethering molecules, e.g. VCAM‐1, in the recruitment of monocytes.
[Clinical study in prophylactic use of chinese medicine to prevent chemoradiotherapy induced mucositis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma].

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE Oropharyngeal mucositis is the most common acute non-hematology toxicity in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated with radiotherapy, especially in the concomitant chemoradiotherapy of local advanced NPC patients. This study was designed to observe the effect of traditional Chinese medicine against acute oropharyngeal mucositis from chemoradiotherapy in patients with local advanced NPC. METHODS A total of 101 patients in stage III- IVa (Fuzhou 1992) were enrolled into this prospective randomized clinical trial. The cases were divided into treatment group (52 cases) and control group (49 cases). The median doses were 70.31+/-1.21 Gy for the treatment group and 70.78+/-1.95 Gy for the control group, respectively. Chemotherapy was concomitant with radiotherapy [single agent cisplatin (DDP,30 mg/m(2)) 6 times from first to sixth week of radiotherapy duration]. The patients of treatment group took 5-8 times of Chinese medicine daily and those of control group took 5-8 times of Dobell's solution daily.The observation indices included the degree of oropharyngeal and hematological toxicity, radiotherapy duration, and curative effect. RESULTS (1)Oropharyngeal toxicity: there was no 0 degree oropharyngeal toxicity in both groups, I degree toxicity in 29 cases (55.77%) and 2 cases (4.08%), II degree toxicity in 18 cases (34.62%) and 17 cases (30.69%), III degree toxicity in 5 cases (9.62%) and 22 cases (44.89%), IV degree toxicity in 0 case (0%) and 8 cases (16.33%); there was statistical significance of difference between the two groups (P=0.000). (2)Hematological toxicity: there was no IV degree hematological toxicity in both groups. WBC toxicity (Z=-0.604,P=0.546), neutrophilic granulocyte toxicity (Z=-0.226,P=0.821), and platelet toxicity (Z=-0.099,P=0.922) were compared; there was no statistic significance of difference (P >0.05); (3)Radiotherapy duration: The radiotherapy duration of two groups were 49.79+/-1.83 days and 51.00+/-4.46 days; there was no statistic significance of difference (P=0.082). (4)Curative effects: The curative effects of two groups were:complete remission (CR) 76.92% (40/52) and 69.39% (34/49), partial remission (PR) 23.08% (12/52) and 30.61% (15/49); there was no statistical significance of difference (P=0.392). CONCLUSION Chinese medicine was effective in reducing acute oropharyngeal toxicity resulting from chemoradiotherapy in patients with local advanced NPC. Furthermore, the apparent side effects of Chinese medicine in this study have not been observed. Chinese medicine treatment did not affect the short-term clinical outcome.
The role of variability in night-time mean heart rate on the prediction of ventricular arrhythmias and all-cause mortality in implantable cardioverter defibrillator patients.

AIMS This study was to use implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) home monitoring (HM) feature to evaluate the role of mean night-time heart rate (MNHR) in the occurrence of ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) and mortality. METHODS AND RESULTS This study retrospectively analysed clinical and ICD device data in 318 ICD patients. Data of the first 30-day MNHR (recorded 02:00-06:00 am) by HM were collected. The average and standard deviation of 30-day MNHR (AVHR and SDHR, respectively) were then determined in each patient. The primary endpoint was appropriate ICD treatment of VAs. The secondary endpoint was all-cause mortality. During a mean follow-up period of 32 ± 10 months, 179 of the 318 patients (56.3%) experienced VAs, 123 patients (38.7%) were treated by ICD shocks, and 37 patients (11.6%) died. The overall SDHR in this study cohort was 4.5 ± 3.0 bpm. Based on the receiver operating characteristic curve, the cut-off value of SDHR = 3.685 bpm was identified to predict VAs. In the Kaplan-Meier survival, SDHR ≥ 3.685 bpm was associated with increased VAs [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.885; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.362-2.609; P < 0.001], shock events (HR = 1.637; 95% CI = 1.11-2.414; P = 0.013), all-cause mortality (HR = 2.42; 95% CI = 1.266-4.627; P = 0.008), and the combined endpoints (HR = 1.872; 95% CI = 1.365-2.567; P < 0.001). In univariate and multivariate Cox models (adjusting for clinical factors), SDHR ≥ 3.685 bpm was still an independent predictor for all endpoints. CONCLUSION In ICD population, SDHR ≥ 3.685 bpm was an independent predictor for VAs and all-cause mortality.
Cross‐species color banding in ten cases of myeloid malignancies with complex karyotypes

Cross‐species color banding is a multiple‐color fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) technique using probes developed from other animal species. Hybridization to human metaphases produces color banding patterns specific for each homologous chromosome pair. The technique has been evaluated in a complementary manner with G‐banding and chromosome painting in a series of 10 myeloid malignancies with complex or unresolved karyotypes. Color banding detected the majority of chromosomal abnormalities, which had been identified by G‐banding and in each case revealed chromosomal changes that G‐banding had not identified. Painting was necessary to confirm these abnormalities due to the limitation of only seven colors in the color‐banded karyotype. At the same time, painting fortuitously uncovered cryptic abnormalities in 6 of 10 cases that had not been detected by color banding. Insertions were visible by painting only. This study has demonstrated that in the analysis of complex karyotypes, the application of color banding revealed the involvement of the long arm of chromosome 3, indicating a poor risk, in two cases not identified by G‐banding. Therefore, these techniques applied together have revealed cryptic chromosomal abnormalities with prognostic significance, which in some cases may have implications for patient management. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Isometric rate of force development, maximum voluntary contraction, and balance in women with and without joint hypermobility.

OBJECTIVE To determine differences between hypermobile subjects and controls in terms of maximum strength, rate of force development, and balance. METHODS We recruited 13 subjects with hypermobility and 18 controls. Rate of force development and maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) during single leg knee extension of the right knee were measured isometrically for each subject. Balance was tested twice on a force plate with 15-second single-leg stands on the right leg. Rate of force development (N/second) and MVC (N) were extracted from the force-time curve as maximal rate of force development (= limit Deltaforce/Deltatime) and the absolute maximal value, respectively. RESULTS The hypermobile subjects showed a significantly higher value for rate of force development (15.2% higher; P = 0.038, P = 0.453, epsilon = 0.693) and rate of force development related to body weight (16.4% higher; P = 0.018, P = 0.601, epsilon = 0.834) than the controls. The groups did not differ significantly in MVC (P = 0.767, P = 0.136, epsilon = 0.065), and MVC related to body weight varied randomly between the groups (P = 0.921, P = 0.050, epsilon = 0.000). In balance testing, the mediolateral sway of the hypermobile subjects showed significantly higher values (11.6% higher; P = 0.034, P = 0.050, epsilon = 0.000) than that of controls, but there was no significant difference (4.9% difference; P = 0.953, P = 0.050, epsilon = 0.000) in anteroposterior sway between the 2 groups. CONCLUSION Hypermobile women without acute symptoms or limitations in activities of daily life have a higher rate of force development in the knee extensors and a higher mediolateral sway than controls with normal joint mobility.
Onset of surface superconductivity.

We examine the onset of superconductivity in the surface region of a metal. Surface effects are particularly important in systems with a short bulk coherence length {xi}{sub 0}. We show that, to the accuracy of the calculation, the surface transition temperature {ital T}{sub {ital c}{ital S}} equals the bulk transition temperature {ital T}{sub {ital c}{ital B}} if the electron-electron interaction is of the standard BCS form, i.e., a single attractive square well, extending up to some critical energy {omega}{sub 0} much smaller than the Fermi energy {var epsilon}{sub {ital F}}. If one takes into account, in addition, the repulsive part of the interaction extending beyond {omega}{sub 0} up to energies of order {var epsilon}{sub {ital F}}, then one may have {ital T}{sub {ital c}{ital S}}{gt}{ital T}{sub {ital c}{ital B}} in certain cases, although, due to restrictions imposed on the parameter values by various physical conditions, the relative increase of {ital T}{sub {ital c}} is very small, typically 10{sup {minus}3}, at least in the weak coupling limit. However, we also find a considerable gap enhancement, of order 20%, near the surface which could be of interest for critical-current measurements. Therefore we suggest an experimental reexamination of systems with short {xi}{sub 0},more » i.e., superconducting degenerate semiconductors and the new high-{ital T}{sub {ital c}} oxides in confined geometries where the surface-to-volume ratio is non-negligible. « less
On modder labour, commodification of play, and mod competitions

As the boundaries between play and work are becoming increasingly blurred among digital games, avid player labour is increasingly harnessed as a source of revenue. This article focuses on "modders", hobbyists who build on existing retail game titles, and the strategies the game industry uses to motivate and persuade these hobbyists to produce content that most effectively benefits the industry. Special focus is on industry-organized mod competitions that form an area of experimentation where the potentials of free modder labour are tested.