Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of aggressive periodontitis in school attendees in Uganda.

AIM The prevalence and severity of early onset periodontitis (EOP) among students attending secondary schools in two regions of Uganda was studied. MATERIAL AND METHODS 690 students (393 males and 297 females) aged 12-25 years (mean 17 years), representing a range of tribal groups, were recruited from six schools in the peri-urban Central and rural Western regions of Uganda. The study subjects were clinically examined in field conditions by a single calibrated examiner to measure gingival recession and probing depth at six sites per tooth, with subsequent calculation of clinical periodontal attachment level for each site. Subjects exhibiting >or= 4 mm of clinical periodontal attachment loss at approximal surfaces of one or more teeth were classified with EOP. A structured written questionnaire obtained demographic characteristics of the study subjects. RESULTS 199 (28.8%) study subjects showed clinical features of EOP, of which 16 (2.3%) subjects exhibited generalized EOP, 29 (4.2%) localized EOP, and 154 (22.3%) incidental EOP. The percentage of EOP-affected males was significantly higher than females (33.8% vs. 22.2%, P < 0.001). EOP prevalence tended to increase with increasing age, but no association was found between EOP prevalence and socioeconomic status or residency in urban vs. rural areas of Uganda. Molars and mandibular incisors generally demonstrated the highest occurrence of >or= 4 mm attachment loss. Clinical periodontal attachment loss of >or= 5 mm was mainly seen at first molars and incisors, suggesting that these two tooth types are first affected with attachment loss. Approximal tooth surfaces showed greater probing depth and attachment loss than buccal and lingual surfaces. Gingival recession was most prevalent at mandibular anterior teeth, whereas gingival margin coronal to CEJ was most frequently observed at second molars and maxillary incisors. CONCLUSION A relatively high prevalence of EOP (28.8%) was found in young Ugandan school attendees, with 6.5% of these showing severe disease. EOP in Uganda was significantly more prevalent in males than females, and most frequently characterized by approximal involvement of molars and mandibular incisors. Etiologic and predisposing factors associated with the high occurrence of EOP in Uganda, as well as therapeutic and preventive measures of the disease in this population, remain to be delineated.
Tumour phospholipid metabolism

Following the impetus of early clinical and experimental investigations, in vivo and in vitro MRS studies of tumours pointed in the eighties to the possible significance of signals arising from phospholipid (PL) precursors and catabolites as novel biochemical indicators of in vivo tumour progression and response to therapy. In the present decade, MRS analyses of individual components contributing to the 31P PME (phosphomonoester) and PDE (phosphodiester) resonances, as well as to the 1H ‘choline peak’, have reinforced some of these expectations. Moreover, the absolute quantification of these signals provided the basis for addressing more specific (although still open) questions on the biochemical mechanisms responsible for the formation of intracellular pools of PL derivatives in tumours, under different conditions of cell proliferative status and/or malignancy level. This article is aimed at providing an overview on: (a) quantitative MRS measurements on the contents of phosphocholine (PCho), phosphoethanolamine (PEtn) and their glycerol derivatives [glycerol 3‐phosphocholine (GPC) and glycerol 3‐phosphoethanolamine (GPE)] in human tumours and cells (with particular attention to breast and brain cancer and lymphomas), as well as in normal mammalian tissues (including developing organs and rapidly proliferating tissues); (b) possible correlations of MRS parameters like PEtn/PCho and PCho/GPC ratios with in vitro cell growth status and/or cell tumorigenicity; and (c) current and new hypotheses on the role and interplay of biosynthetic and catabolic pathways of the choline and ethanolamine cycles in modulating the intracellular sizes of PCho and PEtn pools, either in response to mitogenic stimuli or in relation to malignant transformation. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Helminths and the modulation of mucosal inflammation

Purpose of review Inflammatory bowel disease is an emerging illness associated with socioeconomic development. The current epidemic of immune-mediated diseases may result from our loss of exposure to parasitic worms (helminths). This review summarizes some of the recent findings showing that helminths induce regulatory circuits that could prevent and treat inflammatory bowel disease. Recent findings Inflammatory bowel disease appears to result from a dysregulated immune response. Although genes influence the risk of inflammatory bowel disease, it seems that critical changes in our environment have permitted its expression. One such change is the eradication of helminths. Helminths can impede interleukin-12, interferon gamma, and tumor necrosis factor α release and promote interleukin-10, transforming growth factor β, and regulatory T-cell production. Helminths can prevent and reverse intestinal inflammation in animal models of inflammatory bowel disease. In clinical studies of patients with inflammatory bowel disease, exposure to the helminth Trichuris suis reduces disease activity. Summary If harboring helminths protects against immune-mediated disease, then these animals must be viewed in a new light. Are there "good" helminths in addition to bad? Instead of being detestable objects marked for eradication, helminths should be viewed as useful animals that may produce important compounds helpful for therapy of human disease.
HLA‐DR3, DQ2 homozygosity in two patients with insulin‐dependent diabetes mellitus superimposed with ulcerative colitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis

Abstract. Two unrelated young males with the unusual simultaneous presence of insulin‐dependent diabetes mellitus, ulcerative colitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis are reported. Both patients manifested homozygosity for the DR3‐DQw2 (DQB*0201) HLA genotypes. We believe that homozygosity for this genotype may predispose for this type of multi‐organ autoimmune disease.
Multi-port converter for solar powered hybrid vehicle

In this paper a novel Multi-port converter interfacing a photovoltaic array, battery and a DC load is proposed It is composed of a two uni-directional DC port for interfacing photovoltaic array and DC load, and a bi-directional DC port for interfacing battery. Compared to the traditional stand-alone photovoltaic power system, this system shows the advantages of better protection and more efficient control on charge/discharge of the battery. Furthermore, it can make better use of solar energy and realize energy management of the system The key point of energy management for the system is to control the bi-directional converter efficiently, where bi-directional voltage and current must be controlled. In this paper, the control strategy of bi-directional converter is proposed, which operates at three operation modes: Buck (charge battery), Boost (discharge battery), and shut-down (SD). Maximum power point tracking control is used to extract the maximum power from the Photovoltaic array. Single power processing stage with multiple power ports offers an opportunity to make the whole system simpler, compact and more efficient. Finally, a simulation of 250 W and 5 hp converter is built to verify the theoretical analysis and the control strategies. The simulation is tested for variable irradiance and variable load.
Expression profile of orphan receptor tyrosine kinase (ROR1) and Wilms' tumor gene 1 (WT1) in different subsets of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Recent molecular investigations have demonstrated over-expression of a large number of tumor associated antigens (TAAs) in a variety of malignancies. Over-expression of ROR1 gene, a member of the receptor tyrosine kinase family, has recently been reported in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Wilms' tumor gene 1 (WT1) has long been known as a universal TAA expressed in a variety of solid and hematopoietic malignancies. In the present study, the expression profile of ROR1 and WT1 was investigated in different immunophenotypic subsets of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) patients. RT-PCR method was used to determine the ROR1 and WT1 genes expression in bone marrow (BM) and peripheral blood (PB) samples from 51 newly diagnosed Iranian B-ALL patients. Isolated tumor cells from all patients were immunophenotyped by flow cytometry. Based on immunophenotypic results, our B-ALL patients were classified in four differentiation subsets; Pro-B (n = 7), Pre-B I (n = 29), Pre-B II (n = 13) and Immature/mature B-ALL (n = 2). Although ROR1 was over-expressed in more mature subsets (16.7%, 42.9%, 45.5% and 100%, respectively), WT1 was more represented in immature subsets of B-ALL patients (57.1%, 64.3%, 38.5% and 0%, respectively). Comparison of the frequency of ROR1 and WT1 positive samples at each immunophenotypic subtype revealed statistically significant difference only in Pre B I subtype (p = 0.02). Our results suggest that expression of ROR1 and WT1 in B-ALL is associated with the differentiation stage of the leukemic cells.
Drug information from pharmacies: desire for more spontaneous information.

* From the Department of Social Pharmacy, University of Kuopio, Finland. Supported by the Finnish Cultural Foundation Elli Turunen Fund, the Association of Finnish Pharmacies, and the National Agency for Welfare and Health. Address correspondence to: Marja Airaksinen, Department of Social Pharmacy, University of Kuopio, P.O. Box 1627, SF-70211 Kuopio, Finland. non-prescription drugs to the public. Over 90% of the pharmacy turnover comes from drugs. Only personnel with a qualification in pharmacy are allowed to dispense medicines (i.e., pharmacists, with a 5-year university degree, and assistant pharmacists, with a 2.5-year university diploma). Since 1983, the law has required an active pharmacy involvement in assurance of proper drug use. The shift from a passive role (information only upon request) to a more active and spontaneous role takes time. According to a study conducted in 1985, every second patient on antibiotic therapy received some information from their pharmacist, mostly about the length of therapy, regularity of use and incompatibilities with foods and other drugs.13 Dispensing labels based on the information provided by physicians on the prescription are supposed to contain dosage instructions and the purpose of the medication. However, physician compliance is rather poor: a recent study showed that the purpose of medication was included on only 43% of prescriptions. '4 The first computerized patient information system was launched in 1986. It consisted mainly of brief instructions on using the drug without any explanations. In 1988, when the data for this study were collected, this system was available in about 10% of pharmacies. A
Voices from the British Studies Classroom

This Briefing forms part of a wider research project which explores the culture learning processes of international students attending a credit-bearing British Studies module in part completion of a foundation/access programme in the UK. It draws on three sets of in-depth student interviews and 15 classroom observations used to triangulate findings to reveal that the module presents partial representations of Britishness through discussion of factual information that neglects the affective dimension of learning. From this, students are seen to construct generalisations about the host culture which the module fails to address despite claims to the development of intercultural competence.
The physiologic and behavioral effects of oral and intranasal midazolam in pediatric dental patients.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to compare the safety and effectiveness of oral and intranasal midazolam in healthy children by evaluating their physiological and behavioral responses. METHODS Regimen A patients received 0.5 mg/kg oral midazolam with an intranasal saline spray placebo at their first appointment and 03 mg/kg intranasal midazolam with an oral midazolam placebo at their second appointment. Regimen B patients received the medications in the reverse order at each appointment. Physiological parameters and behavior ratings were recorded. RESULTS There were no significant differences in physiologic parameters in the 2 treatment groups, except for significantly lower oxygen saturation in the oral group at t=20 minutes (P=.03) The oral group showed significantly lower crying scores at t=5 minutes (P=.02), and lower overall behavior scores at t=papoose and t=5 minutes (P=.04 and .03, respectively). Oral sedations were given ratings by providers of "effective" and "very effective" significantly more than intranasal sedations (P<.05). CONCLUSIONS Both regimens have similar behavioral outcomes, with the oral group having improved crying and overall behavior early in the appointment, Oral sedations were considered to be more effective by providers than intranasal sedations. Clinically significant desaturations occur in both regimens, indicating the need for operators to recognize and respond to the need for airway correction according to American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry guidelines.
Sodium‐Lithium Countertransport and Blood Pressure: The Gubbio Population Study

The relation of red blood cell sodium-stimulated lithium countertransport to blood pressure (BP) and prevalence of hypertension was assessed in univariate and multivariate analyses for 2,748 men and women aged 25–74 years who participated in the baseline examination of the Gubbio Population Study in north central Italy. Since age-specific countertransport values were consistently higher for men than women, all analyses were done for men and women separately. In simple correlation analyses, countertransport was significantly related to systolic and diastolk BP in both sexes (r values 0.107–0.163). In age-adjusted analyses, countertransport was significantly related to BP level of both men and women not receiving antihypertensive treatment; mean levels were high for hypertensive persons receiving antihypertensive therapy compared with normotensive persons. Age-adjusted prevalence rates of hypertension were progressively higher for both sexes in successively higher quintiles of countertransport, almost twice as high for those in the highest quintile compared with those in the lowest quintile. Correspondingly, age-adjusted logistic regression analyses showed countertransport to be related significantly to prevalence of hypertension for both men and women (p < 0.001). Since age, body mass index, plasma total cholesterol, uric acid, glucose, urinary sodium/potassium excretion, pulse, and (for men) daily alcohol intake also were significantly correlated with BP, and in some instances with countertransport, relation of countertransport to BP was also assessed in multivariate analyses with control for these variables. For men and women, multiple logistic coefficients for the relation of countertransport to prevalence of hypertension were significant (p < 0.05) or borderline significant (0.05<p < 0.10); a person with a high countertransport value was 1.3–1.9 times more likely to be hypertensive than a person with a low value. These findings indicate that the cross-sectional relation between countertransport and hypertension generally remains significant with control for other traits known to be related to hypertension. However, prospective data are lacking as to whether countertransport is an independent risk factor for incidence of hypertension. Such data are needed for further clarification of the relation of high countertransport to the etiology of hypertension.
Characterization of a Myeloid Tyrosine Phosphatase, Lyp, and Its Role in the Bcr-Abl Signal Transduction Pathway*

The Bcr-Abl protein-tyrosine kinase is implicated in the development of chronic myeloid leukemia. The potential role of protein-tyrosine phosphatase in the regulation of Bcr-Abl signaling was explored. First, expression patterns of tyrosine phosphatases in leukemic cell lines were investigated using degenerate primers for reverse transcription-PCR followed by cloning and sequencing of the cDNA. Distinct patterns of distribution of phosphatase were found in erythroid and myeloid leukemic cell lines. Whereas some phosphatases were ubiquitously expressed, others were limited to specific cell types. Surprisingly, a previously cloned “lymphocyte-specific” phosphatase, Lyp, was frequently detected in a number of myeloid cell lines as well as normal granulocytes and monocytes. Lyp was localized to the cytosol, and overexpression of Lyp caused reduction in the phosphorylation levels of multiple proteins in KCL22 chronic myeloid leukemia blast cells including Cbl, Bcr-Abl, Erk1/2, and CrkL. Co-expression of Lyp and Bcr-Abl in Cos-7 cells resulted in decreased levels of Bcr-Abl, Grb2, and Myc. Overexpression of Lyp markedly suppressed anchorage-independent clonal growth of KCL22 cells. Taken together, the data suggest that Lyp may play an antagonistic role in signaling by the Bcr-Abl fusion protein.
Entrepreneurship and the determinants of firm survival within regions: human capital, growth motivation and locational conditions

Abstract Despite a growing body of research on firm survival, little is known about the factors impacting upon survival rates at a micro-spatial level. This study, therefore, analyses firm survival across local environments in the context of a peripheral region; namely, the case of Wales in the UK. It examines how theories relating to human capital, growth motivation and locational conditions may explain survival within a region. Drawing on data of survival patterns for a cohort of firms, it is found that each of the three theories at least partly explain firm survival, with it being clear that human capital relating to the experience of entrepreneurs, as well as the growth motivation of their firms resulting from the strategic choices they make, impact upon rates of survival. It is also found that the local environment contributes to the likelihood of survival. In particular, it is found that locational factors have a potential influence on the human capital allocated to enterprises, as well as how this capital is utilised via growth motivation. This suggests that not only do locational factors contribute to differing rates of entrepreneurship, but that such factors also impact on the durability of firms over time.
PERCEPTUAL, MOTOR AND ATTENTIONAL DEFICITS IN SEVEN‐YEAR‐OLD CHILDREN: NEUROLOGICAL AND NEURODEVELOPMENTAL ASPECTS

This study presents the results of neurological assessments of a representative sample of seven‐year‐old Swedish children with perceptual, motor and attentional deficits and their controls (N=141). Among those children diagnosed as suffering from minimal brain dysfunction (MBD), the majority showed neurodevelopmental deviations indicative of the ‘clumsy child syndrome’. However, 20 per cent had slight signs of choreoathetosis, diparesis, hemiparesis or ataxia. Other associated neurodevelopmental deviations are considered. The correlation between neurological findings and background factors is discussed: the MBD group had higher scores for various ‘organic’ background factors than the comparison children, and the children with neurological syndromes had somewhat higher scores than the remaining children with MBD. The difficulties in distinguishing MBD from mental retardation, cerebral palsy and childhood psychoses is clearly illustrated. Long‐term follow‐up will indicate the prognostic significance of these findings.
Differential requirement of perforin and IFN‐γ in CD8 T cell‐mediated immune responses against B16.F10 melanoma cells expressing a viral antigen

Perforin‐mediated lysis and secretion of IFN‐γ belong to the key effector functions of CD8 T cells. To compare the anti‐tumor activity of these two mechanisms, we used B16.F10 melanoma cells (B16GP33) expressing the cytotoxic T cell epitope GP33 and T cell receptor transgenic (TCR‐tg) mice specific for GP33 and deficient in perforin or IFN‐γ. B16GP33 tumor cells, injected either i. v. to induce experimental metastases or s. c. , were similarly controlled in both wild‐type and perforin‐deficient, but not in IFN‐γ‐deficient TCR‐tg mice. A similar result was obtained when the therapeutic efficacy of adoptively transferred TCR‐tg effector cells from these mice was examined in the corresponding perforin‐ or IFN‐γ‐deficient C57BL / 6 hosts. Criss‐cross experiments further revealed that IFN‐γ production by the host strongly influenced the efficiency of the adoptively transferred effector cells. In contrast to the potent ability of GP33‐specific effector cells to mediate B16GP33 tumor regression without perforin, GP33‐specific memory cells, induced with recombinant vaccinia virus expressing GP33, failed to control B16GP33 tumor growth in the absence of perforin. In conclusion, our data demonstrate a crucial role for IFN‐γ in B16GP33 tumor cell elimination in vivo and indicate a differential requirement of perforin by effector versus memory CD8 T cells in anti‐tumor immunity.
Adenovirus-mediated gene transfer to human fetal lung ex vivo.

Gene therapy of the fetus or newborn infant is a potentially useful approach for prevention or treatment of specific lung diseases. To begin to address issues such as efficiency, duration, and cellular distribution of transgene expression, we studied transduction of human lung cells by recombinant, replication-deficient adenovirus containing the lacZ gene driven by the beta-actin promoter and cytomegalovirus enhancer (H5.010CBlacZ). Human fetal lungs of 20- to 24-wk gestation received approximately 10(11) viral particles by instillation into a major bronchus, and the tissue was cultured as explants in serum-free Waymouth's medium. beta-galactosidase staining (X-gal) was detected by 24 h in defined regions of treated tissue and localized to epithelial cells of airways and terminal saccules. beta-galactosidase activity in homogenate of treated tissue was maximal 3-5 days after exposure to virus, ranging from 0.2 to 1.5 A420.min-1.mg protein-1 in four experiments (control values were approximately 0.001). When virus was added directly to lung explants in culture, beta-galactosidase was expressed in most of the peripheral cells and rarely in interior cells, the level of activity was dose dependent between 10(8) and 10(11) viral particles/ml, and transgene expression was sustained for at least 28 days. Treatment of isolated cultured cells with virus resulted in equivalent staining of both epithelial cells and fibroblasts. We conclude that fetal lung cells are efficiently transduced by recombinant adenovirus, indicating the feasibility of gene therapy in the infant or fetus. Cultured fetal lung may be useful for testing gene constructs being considered for therapy.
A method of facial expression recognition based on LBP fusion of key expressions areas

For facial expression recognition, the LBP feature is an important way of texture feature, but usually the whole of image is taken as extracting area, ignoring to extract the key areas of facial expression. In order to solve this problem, based on previous LBP feature extraction method, as well as the division of facial motion unit, we put forward a kind of expression recognition method using the fusion feature of key facial areas expression based on LBP, by dividing into several parts: eyes, eyebrows, between-eyebrow, nose, mouth, then we get the key areas of expression to extracted features independently, at the meaning time to hold global facial features, features of the whole facial is also extracted. After that we combine this two different features together and get a new feature which is called combine feature fused key expression ares. The features combined then classified by SVM and NN to recognize different expressions. This article carries on the experiment in JAFFE database, the results show that the method of facial expression recognition rate obtained obvious ascension.