Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Taekwondo training improves CVD risk factors in obese male adolescents

Background & Study Aim: Prevalence of obesity during growth periods has been increased remarkably worldwide. We placed special emphasis on after-school taekwondo training programs to prevent obesity. The aim of this study was knowledge about the effects of taekwondo training on cardiovascular disease risk factors in obese male adolescents. Material & Methods: Twenty three obese male adolescents who were above the 95 th percentile for body mass index: 29.7±2.26 kg·m −2 , aged 14.0±0.90 years, were randomly assigned to taekwondo training group (TTG, n = 12) and control group (CON, n = 11). Taekwondo training was conducted 60 min a day, 3 days per week for 16 weeks. Blood lipids, blood pressure, and arterial stiffness were measured as cardiovascular disease risk factors. health-related fitness including flexibility, muscle strength, muscle endurance, and cardiorespiratory fitness were measured. Results: Taekwondo training significantly decreased body weight (F=8.667, p<.01), body mass index (F=9.261, p<.05) and improved right brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (F=5.707, p<.05). The values of sit and reach (F=9.436, p<.01), standing long jump (F=11.465, p<.01), sit-ups (F=7.429, p<.01), and peak VO 2 (F=4.513, p<.05) were significantly increased in TTG after 16 weeks of taekwondo training. Conclusions: Our study revealed that taekwondo training improves arterial stiffness as well as health-related fitness. Taekwondo training may be recommended as a sports-based physical activity program for improving cardiovascular health in obese male adolescents.
Gaining Alphabetic Insight : Is Phoneme Manipulation Skill or Identity Knowledge Causal ?

The type of phoneme awareness that supports reading acquisition has been unclear. Phoneme awareness is usually operational zed as skill in manipulating phonemes in blending and segmentation tasks. However, B. Byrne and R. Fielding-Barnsley (1990) argued that phoneme awareness is knowledge of phoneme identities (i.e., recognition of individual phonemes in spoken word contexts). In a double-blind teaching experiment, 48 kindergartners were randomly assigned to identity, manipulation, or language experience programs. Children in the manipulation program made significantly greater gains on tests of blending and segmentation. However, children in the identity program made significantly greater gains on a test of phonetic cue reading, a measure of rudimentary decoding ability. Teaching recognition of particular phonemes in word contexts may help beginners gain insight into the alphabetic principle and apply their insights in early word identification.
Assessing social support, companionship, and distress: National Institute of Health (NIH) Toolbox Adult Social Relationship Scales.

OBJECTIVE The quality of our daily social interactions-including perceptions of support, feelings of loneliness, and distress stemming from negative social exchanges-influence physical health and well-being. Despite the importance of social relationships, brief yet precise unidimensional scales that assess key aspects of social relationship quality are lacking. As part of the National Institute of Health (NIH) Toolbox for the Assessment of Neurological and Behavioral Function, we developed brief self-report scales designed to assess aspects of social support, companionship, and social distress across age cohorts. This article details the development and psychometric testing of the adult NIH Toolbox Social Relationship scales. METHODS Social relationship concepts were selected, and item sets were developed and revised based on expert feedback and literature review. Items were then tested across a community-dwelling U.S. Internet panel sample of adults aged 18 and above (N = 692) using traditional (classic) psychometric methods and item response theory approaches to identify items for inclusion in 5-8 item unidimensional scales. Finally, concurrent validity of the newly developed scales was evaluated with respect to their interrelationships with classic social relationship validation instruments. RESULTS Results provide support for the internal reliability and concurrent validity of resulting self-report scales assessing Emotional Support, Instrumental Support, Friendship, Loneliness, Perceived Rejection, and Perceived Hostility. CONCLUSION These brief social relationship scales provide the pragmatic utility and enhanced precision needed to promote future epidemiological and social neuroscience research on the impact of social relationships on physical and emotional health outcomes.
WORD FREQUENCY EFFECTS ON LEXICAL SELECTION: EVIDENCE FROM A PICTURE–WORD INTERFERENCE (PWI) TASK

Given that a high frequency (HF) word advantage exists in lexical processing, a question arises about the locus of that frequency effect. This locus may be important for AAC research and clinical practice to provide an empirical rationale for graphic symbol-based AAC interfaces. This study’s first specific aim was to identify whether word frequency affects lexical selection using a picture-word interference (PWI) task. Fifty healthy, monolingual, Native American English speakers, between 40 and 64 years of age, participated in the study. Response times (RT) for semantic, phonological, and mixed distractor conditions served as the dependent variable during a PWI task. Data were analyzed using generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs). In all distractor conditions, participants named HF pictures significantly faster than low frequency (LF) pictures. This result revealed that the word frequency effect occurs not only with phonological encoding, but also with lexical selection and interactive processing between these two steps. This finding is at odds with the Discrete Two Stage (DTS) model that states that word frequency selectively affects the phonological encoding. The secondary aim was to determine whether the target item’s frequency interacts with the distractor item’s frequency. HF distractor words had a stronger interference effect on the retrieval of target words than LF distractor words, resulting in a more delayed RT when naming the target pictures in semantic and mixed distractor conditions. However, an interaction effect was observed between target word frequency and distractor frequency only in the mixed distractor condition. A third aim was to determine whether RT analyses provide a more sensitive measurement than error type analysis for healthy adults. No significant word-frequency effect or interaction was found for error type. A high rate of correct responses and the characteristics of the errors as the end product of inefficient word retrieval are considered as main reasons for this negative result. This finding supports the hypothesis that RT is a more sensitive measure than error type for indexing the inefficiencies that affect naming behavior in the PWI task for healthy adults.
Methylphenidate and amphetamine do not induce cytogenetic damage in lymphocytes of children with ADHD.

OBJECTIVE In response to previously published findings of methylphenidate-induced chromosomal changes in children, this study was designed to determine whether methylphenidate- or amphetamine-based drugs induce chromosomal damage (structural aberrations, micronuclei, and sister chromatid exchanges) in peripheral blood lymphocytes of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder after 3 months of continuous treatment. METHOD Stimulant drug-naïve subjects, 6 to 12 years of age, in good overall health, and judged to be appropriate candidates for stimulant therapy based on rigorously diagnosed ADHD using DSM-IV criteria, were randomized into two open-label treatment groups (methylphenidate or mixed amphetamine salts). Each subject provided a blood sample before initiation of treatment and after 3 months of treatment. Pretreatment and posttreatment frequencies of chromosomal aberrations, micronuclei, and sister chromatid exchanges were determined for each subject. RESULTS Sixty-three subjects enrolled in the study; 47 subjects completed the full 3 months of treatment, 25 in the methylphenidate group and 22 in the amphetamine group. No significant treatment-related increases were observed in any of the three measures of cytogenetic damage in the 47 subjects who completed treatment or the 16 subjects who did not. CONCLUSIONS Earlier findings of methylphenidate-induced chromosomal changes in children were not replicated in this study. These results add to the accumulating evidence that therapeutic levels of methylphenidate do not induce cytogenetic damage in humans. Furthermore, our results indicate that amphetamine-based products do not pose a risk for cytogenetic damage in children.
Attraction of Moths of Two Noctuidae Species to Field Traps Baited with a Mixture of two to three Homologous Acetates in Poland

Abstract Field trials of a series of monounsaturated straight-chain acetates, including the (Z)-5-tetradecenyl acetate, (Z)-9-tetradecenyl acetate (pheromone blend A) and (Z)-5-decenyl acetate, (Z)-7-dodecenyl acetate, (Z)-9-tetradecenyl acetate (pheromone blend B), attracted the following species from the title family: Agrotis exclamationis (Linnaeus) and Agrotis segetum (Denis & Schiffermüller), respectively. Cutworms were monitored in the 2016–2017 season with the use of white Delta-type traps and different pheromone dispensers that contained above blends. The identified pheromone components at blend A elicited maximum trap captures when combined in a Z5-14:Ac/Z9-14:Ac-mixture ratio 100:16 at dose of 350 μg. The attractiveness of dispensers with pheromone blend B combined in a Z5-10:Ac/Z7-12:Ac/Z9-14:Acmixture ratio 1:1:1 at dose of 200 μg was the highest. Most kinds of the dispensers tested were similar or more active to the standard lures of the Csalomon company. Pheromone component of the A. exclamationis, (Z)-5-tetradecenyl acetate, was synthesized with a new, simple, and very efficient method in high summary yield and excellent isomeric purity.
THERAPEUTIC EFFECT OF NITAZOXANIDE AND ZINGIBER OFFICINALE IN TREATMENT OF ACUTE TOXOPLASMOSIS GONDII USING MURINE EXPERIMENTAL MODEL By

Toxoplasmosis is a cosmopolitan parasitic disease that impacts enormous population sector. In this work we investigated the antitoxoplamic therapeutic effect of one synthetic drug; nitazoxanide (NTZ) and another agent of plant origin; Zingiber officinale (ginger) as adjuvant to the traditional antotoxoplamic drugs (pyrimethamine & sulphadiazine) on experimental murine toxoplasmosis (RH virulent strain). Animals were classified into 7 groups; GI: Non-infected, nontreated (normal control), GII: Infected non -treated mice (infected control), GIII: Infected & treated by a combination of pyrimethamine & sulphadiazine (drug control), Group IV: Infected & treated by Zingiber officinale GV: Infected & treated by nitazoxanide, GVI: Infected & treated by combination of Zingiber officinale and pyrimethamine & sulphadiazine, Group VII: Infected & treated by combination of Zingiber officinale & nitazoxanide. For assessment of the therapeutic effect of various drug regimens on acute toxoplasmosis, survival rate and intraperitoneal fluid tachyzoite count were calculated. In the present study, Group VI achieved the best results among all studied groups so as to the survival rate increased to 70% and the tachyzoites count reduction rate was up to 72.9% as compared with the infected control mice. Inversely, group IV results were the lowest all over other groups with 20% survival and 33.3% tachyzoite reduction rates respectively. In between, the other groups lied in the grey zone and their corresponding measurements were as following: Group III, Group V and Group VII achieved 60%, 70%; 50, 58% and 40%, 55.5% for survival and tachyzoite reduction rates respectively. These results denote that nitazoxanide could be an acceptable, standardized, characterized, already FDA approved and commercially available substitute to traditional antitoxiplasmic synthetic drug. Also Zingiber officinale would be a safe and beneficial adjuvant treatment that potentiates the antitoxoplasmic action THERAPEUTIC EFFECT OF NITAZOXANIDE AND ZINGIBER OFFICINALE IN TREATMENT OF ACUTE TOXOPLASMOSIS GONDII USING MURINE
The perspectives of adolescents conceived using surrogacy, egg or sperm donation

Abstract STUDY QUESTION What are the perspectives of adolescents conceived using surrogacy, egg or sperm donation regarding their conception and the third party involved? SUMMARY ANSWER The majority of adolescents described feeling indifferent about their conception, and yet simultaneously reported an interest in the third party involved, or were in contact with them. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY There is an assumption that children conceived through reproductive donation will feel negatively about their origins in adolescence. However, little is known about the views of adolescents who have been conceived through different types of reproductive donation. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION Forty-four adolescents, all of whom had been told about their conception in childhood, participated in a semi-structured interview as part of the sixth phase of a longitudinal, multi-method, multi-informant study of assisted reproduction families in the UK. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS All adolescents were aged 14 years, had been conceived using surrogacy (n = 22), egg donation (n = 13) or sperm donation (n = 9) to heterosexual couples, and varied in terms of their information about, and contact with, the third party involved in their conception. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in participants’ homes. Interviews were analysed qualitatively to determine adolescents’ perceptions of their conception, and their thoughts and feelings about the surrogate or donor involved. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE Adolescents were found to feel positive (n = 7), indifferent (n = 32) or ambivalent (n = 5) about their conception. Amongst adolescents not in contact with the surrogate or donor, most were interested (n = 16) in the surrogate or donor, and others were ambivalent (n = 4), or not interested (n = 6) in them. Adolescents in contact with the surrogate or donor expressed positive (n = 14), ambivalent (n = 1) or negative (n = 1) feelings about them. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION Of 56 adolescents invited to take part in the study, 47 consented to take part, giving a response rate of 84%. It was not possible to obtain information from adolescents who do not know about their conception. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS The findings contradict the assumption that children conceived through reproductive donation will feel negatively about their origins in adolescence and suggest that it may be helpful to draw a distinction between adolescents’ feelings about their conception in general, and their feelings about the surrogate or donor in particular. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) This study was funded by the Wellcome Trust [097857/Z/11/Z]. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Increased frequency of chromosome translocations in airline pilots with long-term flying experience

Background: Chromosome translocations are an established biomarker of cumulative exposure to external ionising radiation. Airline pilots are exposed to cosmic ionising radiation, but few flight crew studies have examined translocations in relation to flight experience. Methods: We determined the frequency of translocations in the peripheral blood lymphocytes of 83 airline pilots and 50 comparison subjects (mean age 47 and 46 years, respectively). Translocations were scored in an average of 1039 cell equivalents (CE) per subject using fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) whole chromosome painting and expressed per 100 CE. Negative binomial regression models were used to assess the relationship between translocation frequency and exposure status and flight years, adjusting for age, diagnostic x ray procedures, and military flying. Results: There was no significant difference in the adjusted mean translocation frequency of pilots and comparison subjects (0.37 (SE 0.04) vs 0.38 (SE 0.06) translocations/100 CE, respectively). However, among pilots, the adjusted translocation frequency was significantly associated with flight years (p = 0.01) with rate ratios of 1.06 (95% CI 1.01 to 1.11) and 1.81 (95% CI 1.16 to 2.82) for a 1- and 10-year incremental increase in flight years, respectively. The adjusted rate ratio for pilots in the highest compared to the lowest quartile of flight years was 2.59 (95% CI 1.26 to 5.33). Conclusions: Our data suggests that pilots with long-term flying experience may be exposed to biologically significant doses of ionising radiation. Epidemiological studies with longer follow-up of larger cohorts of pilots with a wide range of radiation exposure levels are needed to clarify the relationship between cosmic radiation exposure and cancer risk.
Pleasure and Displeasure

the means for that unceasing adaptation to modifications within our own organism and in the outside world, that progressive adaptation which constitutes life and which is manifested in experiencing. I referred to intensity, and “actuality” as well, as nonhomogeneous concepts. This is because that higher degree of intensity which is characteristic of striving when its flow is relatively inhibited strikes me as being qualitatively rather different from the intensity, perhaps equal in degree, which is associated with something of weight, of importance. In a way, this might seem selfevident, since the striving, taken as a whole, is different in the two cases. And yet it is difficult for me to see intensity as something phenomenologically different from the qualities “inhibited” and “important”. If this is so, the meaning of process intensity, or “actuality”, will vary according to whether it is based mainly on quantity or mainly on resistance. This can also be expressed by saying that one or the other of the two factors will predominate in bringing the possibilities for activity to realization.
Clinical outcomes and mortality in elderly peritoneal dialysis patients

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the clinical outcomes and identify the predictors of mortality in elderly patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study including all incident peritoneal dialysis cases in patients ≥65 years of age treated from 2001 to 2014. Demographic and clinical data on the initiation of peritoneal dialysis and the clinical events during the study period were collected. Infectious complications were recorded. Overall and technique survival rates were analyzed. RESULTS: Fifty-eight patients who began peritoneal dialysis during the study period were considered for analysis, and 50 of these patients were included in the final analysis. Peritoneal dialysis exchanges were performed by another person for 65% of the patients, whereas 79.9% of patients preferred to perform the peritoneal dialysis themselves. Peritonitis and catheter exit site/tunnel infection incidences were 20.4±16.3 and 24.6±17.4 patient-months, respectively. During the follow-up period, 40 patients were withdrawn from peritoneal dialysis. Causes of death included peritonitis and/or sepsis (50%) and cardiovascular events (30%). The mean patient survival time was 38.9±4.3 months, and the survival rates were 78.8%, 66.8%, 50.9% and 19.5% at 1, 2, 3 and 4 years after peritoneal dialysis initiation, respectively. Advanced age, the presence of additional diseases, increased episodes of peritonitis, the use of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis, and low albumin levels and daily urine volumes (<100 ml) at the initiation of peritoneal dialysis were predictors of mortality. The mean technique survival duration was 61.7±5.2 months. The technique survival rates were 97.9%, 90.6%, 81.5% and 71% at 1, 2, 3 and 4 years, respectively. None of the factors analyzed were predictors of technique survival. CONCLUSIONS: Mortality was higher in elderly patients. Factors affecting mortality in elderly patients included advanced age, the presence of comorbid diseases, increased episodes of peritonitis, use of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis, and low albumin levels and daily urine volumes (<100 ml) at the initiation of peritoneal dialysis.
Mechanisms of Aquaporin-Facilitated Cancer Invasion and Metastasis

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, and its incidence is rising with numbers expected to increase 70% in the next two decades. The fact that current mainline treatments for cancer patients are accompanied by debilitating side effects prompts a growing demand for new therapies that not only inhibit growth and proliferation of cancer cells, but also control invasion and metastasis. One class of targets gaining international attention is the aquaporins, a family of membrane-spanning water channels with diverse physiological functions and extensive tissue-specific distributions in humans. Aquaporins−1,−2,−3,−4,−5,−8, and−9 have been linked to roles in cancer invasion, and metastasis, but their mechanisms of action remain to be fully defined. Aquaporins are implicated in the metastatic cascade in processes of angiogenesis, cellular dissociation, migration, and invasion. Cancer invasion and metastasis are proposed to be potentiated by aquaporins in boosting tumor angiogenesis, enhancing cell volume regulation, regulating cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesions, interacting with actin cytoskeleton, regulating proteases and extracellular-matrix degrading molecules, contributing to the regulation of epithelial-mesenchymal transitions, and interacting with signaling pathways enabling motility and invasion. Pharmacological modulators of aquaporin channels are being identified and tested for therapeutic potential, including compounds derived from loop diuretics, metal-containing organic compounds, plant natural products, and other small molecules. Further studies on aquaporin-dependent functions in cancer metastasis are needed to define the differential contributions of different classes of aquaporin channels to regulation of fluid balance, cell volume, small solute transport, signal transduction, their possible relevance as rate limiting steps, and potential values as therapeutic targets for invasion and metastasis.
Linear field demagnetization of artificial magnetic square ice

We have studied experimentally the states formed in artificial square ice nanomagnet systems following demagnetisation in a rotating in-plane applied magnetic field that reduces to zero in a manner that is linear in time. The final states are found to be controlled via the system's lattice constant, which determines the strength of the magnetostatic interactions between the elements, as well as the field ramping rate. We understand these effects as a requirement that the system undergoes a sufficiently large number of active rotations within the critical field window in which elements may be reversed, such that the interactions are allowed to locally exert their influence if the ground state is to be approached. On the other hand, if quenched disorder is too strong when compared to the interaction strength, any close approach to the ground state is impossible. These results show that it is not necessary for there to be any ac component to the field amplitude that is applied to the system during demagnetisation, which is the method almost exclusively employed in field protocols reported to date. Furthermore, by optimising the parameters of our linear demagnetisation protocol, the largest field-generated ground state domains yet reported are found.