Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Different Psychoactive Substances on Serum Biochemical Parameters

Background: Psychoactive substances affect mainly central nervous system and brain function causing changes in behavior. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of different psychoactive substances on serum biochemical parameters. Patients and Methods: The study included 324 drug dependents, and 69 controls. The patient group was determined according to DSM-IV (The diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, fourth edition) criteria. All patients and control subjects were tested for routine biochemical parameters and urine toxicology parameters for psychoactive substance use. Cases and controls with accompanying diseases like diabetes, cancer, metabolic disorders etc. are excluded from the study. Moreover, an association between urine toxicology results and changes in biochemical parameters was evaluated for statistical significance. Results: There was a statistically significant difference in the Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase (GGT), uric acid, creatinine, urea, albumin, Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST) medians between the dependent and control groups (P < 0.05). We found a statistically significant difference in sodium and albumin levels between the opium-dependent and control groups (P < 0.05). In the benzodiazepin dependent group, we found a significant difference in GGT, urea, glucose, sodium, T protein, and AST levels (P < 0.05). Moreover, a statistically significant difference was observed in triglyceride and GGT levels between the ethyl glucuronide and control groups (P < 0.05). Conclusions: In psychoactive substance dependents, serum routine biochemistry parameters can be used to predict the need for intensive monitoring and treatment programs.
Preparation and Characterization of Thermoresponsive Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic acid)-Grafted Hollow Fe3O4/SiO2 Microspheres with Surface Holes for BSA Release

Thermoresponsive P(NIPAM-AA)/Fe3O4/SiO2 microspheres with surface holes serving as carriers were prepared using p-Fe3O4/SiO2 microspheres with a thermoresponsive copolymer. The p-Fe3O4/SiO2 microspheres was obtained using a modified Pickering method and chemical etching. The surface pore size of p-Fe3O4/SiO2 microspheres was in the range of 18.3 nm~37.2 nm and the cavity size was approximately 60 nm, which are suitable for loading and transporting biological macromolecules. P(NIPAM-AA) was synthesized inside and outside of the p-Fe3O4/SiO2 microspheres via atom transfer radical polymerization of NIPAM, MBA and AA. The volume phase transition temperature (VPTT) of the specifically designed P(NIPAM-AA)/Fe3O4/SiO2 microspheres was 42.5 °C. The saturation magnetization of P(NIPAM-AA)/Fe3O4/SiO2 microspheres was 72.7 emu/g. The P(NIPAM-AA)/Fe3O4/SiO2 microspheres were used as carriers to study the loading and release behavior of BSA. This microsphere system shows potential for the loading of proteins as a drug delivery platform.
Transduction of Cellular Sequence by a Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1-Derived Vector

ABSTRACT During studies examining the rate of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) mutation in a single cycle of replication, the 5′ long terminal repeat of one progeny provirus was found to contain an insertion of 147 bp including an entire tRNA 3 Lys sequence as well as an additional 66 bp insertion of nonviral origin. Database searches revealed that 65 of 66 bp aligned with the human CpG island sequence found on chromosomes 6, 14, and 17. Therefore it seems probable that it is of human cellular sequence origin and was transduced by HIV-1. This is the first demonstration that HIV-1 can capture a cellular sequence. The site of integration of the parental provirus was mapped to chromosome 1p32.1. Sequence with homology to the transduced CpG island was not found on chromosome 1, suggesting that the transduced cellular sequence was not linked to the site of viral integration.
Myocardial Creatine Levels Do Not Influence Response to Acute Oxidative Stress in Isolated Perfused Heart

Background Multiple studies suggest creatine mediates anti-oxidant activity in addition to its established role in cellular energy metabolism. The functional significance for the heart has yet to be established, but antioxidant activity could contribute to the cardioprotective effect of creatine in ischaemia/reperfusion injury. Objectives To determine whether intracellular creatine levels influence responses to acute reactive oxygen species (ROS) exposure in the intact beating heart. We hypothesised that mice with elevated creatine due to over-expression of the creatine transporter (CrT-OE) would be relatively protected, while mice with creatine-deficiency (GAMT KO) would fare worse. Methods and Results CrT-OE mice were pre-selected for creatine levels 20–100% above wild-type using in vivo 1H–MRS. Hearts were perfused in isovolumic Langendorff mode and cardiac function monitored throughout. After 20 min equilibration, hearts were perfused with either H2O2 0.5 µM (30 min), or the anti-neoplastic drug doxorubicin 15 µM (100 min). Protein carbonylation, creatine kinase isoenzyme activities and phospho-PKCδ expression were quantified in perfused hearts as markers of oxidative damage and apoptotic signalling. Wild-type hearts responded to ROS challenge with a profound decline in contractile function that was ameliorated by co-administration of catalase or dexrazoxane as positive controls. In contrast, the functional deterioration in CrT-OE and GAMT KO hearts was indistinguishable from wild-type controls, as was the extent of oxidative damage and apoptosis. Exogenous creatine supplementation also failed to protect hearts from doxorubicin-induced dysfunction. Conclusions Intracellular creatine levels do not influence the response to acute ROS challenge in the intact beating heart, arguing against creatine exerting (patho-)physiologically relevant anti-oxidant activity.
Wavelet sample entropy: A new approach to predict termination of atrial fibrillation

The mechanisms that provoke the eventual termination of some self paroxysmal fibrillation (PAF) episodes still remain unexplained. The aim of this to discriminate between between the groups of terminating (T registers) and non-terminating (N registers) of PAF episodes by using the ECG. A new technique, called wavelet sample entropy (WSE) is proposed. WSE exploits the combination of wavelet transform properties with regularity measure indexes, as sample entropy (SampEn). Results indicae that terminating episodes present lower mean values of SampEn than the non-terminating episodes. These results are consistent with the fact that fibrillatory activity become slower and more organized prior to termination. Both PAF groups were statistically distinguishable, given that the statistic significance obtained by the t-student test equals to 0.001 and 90% of test signals are correctly classified. This new method could improve the efficiency of traditional discrimination techniques, based on time or frequency analysis, and it could be helpful for a better understanding of atrial fibrillation mechanisms.
Observational study of temperature, moisture, pH and bacteria in straw bedding, and faecal consistency, cleanliness and mastitis in cows in four dairy herds

A study of four dairy farms showed that much of the straw stored for bedding was too wet (over 15 per cent moisture content). Most of the beds, including their top surfaces, were damp (above 75 per cent relative humidity). The temperature of the surface of most of the straw beds was related to the air temperature, many being below 15°C, but below the surface the temperatures of most beds reached between 15°C and 45°C within about a week of their being renewed. Bacterial counts also reached a plateau within one to two weeks. The pH of the top layers of straw was usually between 8.5 and 9.5. Adding lime daily to the top layer of the straw failed to raise the pH to levels at which Escherichia coli and Streptococcus uberis do not survive. Most of the counts of E coil and faecal streptococci in the top layers of straw were above 106 colony-forming units/g. Counts of E coli and S uberis were much higher in the beds of early lactation cows than in those of dry cows. Many of the early lactation cows were heavily and persistently contaminated with faeces. Dry cows were much cleaner. Groups of cows with firmer faeces were also cleaner. The farm with the lowest incidence of mastitis had the cleanest cows and the most satisfactory beds.
Effects of Permafrost Degradation on the Hydrological Regime in the Source Regions of the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, China

: Climate warming has intensiﬁed permafrost degradation, which could have a variety of implications on the hydrological regime in permafrost regions. In this study, we analyzed the effects of permafrost degradation on the hydrological regime via four hydrological variables for 10 unregulated catchments in the source regions of the Yangtze and Yellow rivers. The results demonstrate that catchments with high permafrost coverage are expected to have an increased winter discharge ratio (proportion of winter discharge contribution to total annual ﬂow), a decreased recession coefﬁcient and a decreased ratio of Q max /Q min due to permafrost degradation. However, the great storage effects of lakes and wetlands, which could contribute to more groundwater instead of direct surface discharge, may affect the hydrological effects of permafrost degradation and result in the abnormal performance at catchment scale. The correlation analysis between summer precipitation (July–September) and the following winter discharge (December–February) indicates that permafrost degradation may affect the redistribution of summer precipitation towards the following winter discharge via increasing the soil storage capacity and delaying the release of water into streams in permafrost regions. However, unlike the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions, no signiﬁcant changes for the hydrological regime (four hydrological variables) are detected over the individual periods of records for each catchment. Decreased precipitation in summer seems to reduce the water inﬁltration to supply the groundwater, which weakens the effects of permafrost degradation on the hydrological regime. This study implies that the storage effects of lakes and wetlands and the changes of summer precipitation patterns should be considered in future permafrost hydrological simulations, which have suggested that a large increase in groundwater discharge to streams will likely occur in response to permafrost degradation due to the warming climate in the ideal scenario.
Antifungal susceptibility testing for dermatophytes isolated from clinical samples by broth dilution method in a tertiary care hospital

Purpose: To characterize antifungal susceptibility pattern of different species of dermatophytes isolated from clinical patients in a multispeciality hospital. Method: Micro broth dilution method was used to determine Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for 129 positive samples with reference to CLSI document M38-A2. MIC was done against amphotericin B, fluconazole, ketoconazole, terbinafine, ciclopirox and griseofulvin. Results: The range of MIC was within the normal susceptibility range of the standard strain (Trichophyton mentagrophytes ATCC MYA – 4439) mentioned in CLSI document M-38 A2. Conclusion: No resistant strains were isolated in our study with reference to the standard testing method. None of the isolates have showed abnormal MIC range when compared to MIC of standard strain reported in literature. Hence, the isolates in our study are found to be susceptible to the antifungals used. However, future studies are required to evaluate the effect of drugs upon clinical response.
What do relatives experience when supporting someone in early psychosis?

OBJECTIVES In the United Kingdom (UK), the government has set out priorities to support relatives and carers. Despite this, many relatives of people experiencing psychosis continue to feel unsupported by mental health services. This may be due to lack of funding, high caseloads for mental health professionals, or due to a lack of understanding of what relatives experience as a result of their family member's psychosis. This research aimed to explore relatives' experiences of supporting a relative in early psychosis. DESIGN Thematic analysis was used to conduct an in-depth study of relatives' experiences of supporting a family member in early psychosis. METHODS Eligible individuals were recruited via local National Health Service Early Intervention Teams and other carer support agencies. Four focus groups were conducted, each with a range of five to seven participants. RESULTS Four key themes 'reflecting relatives' understanding and management of psychosis were identified: 'Psychosis from the relatives' perspective'; 'Relatives' fight with the mental health 'system'; 'Is anybody listening? Does anyone understand? '; and 'Relatives' coping'. Clinical implications of these themes are discussed. CONCLUSIONS This study has clear implications for improvement in how relatives are supported in the United Kingdom, such as; clearer guidance for staff about confidentiality, treating relatives as partners in care and providing better quality information for relatives. PRACTITIONER POINTS Continue to improve the Care Plan Approach process to include relatives as partners in care. Information available about psychosis needs to be clear and, where possible, clarify the processes and protocols by which services operate and how to access appropriate help. Move away from simplistic rules about confidentiality and formalise procedures to allow relatives and carers access to the information they need, without impeding service users' rights. For example, providing additional training for professionals such as Rethink's 'Carers and Confidentiality' online resource (http://www.carersandconfidentiality.org.uk/). Improved support, supervision and training are needed for staff to deal with relatives' distress and the impact of psychosis. Relatives' experiences of services is more positive in specialist Early Interventions Services for psychosis, than in other health service teams.
Cardiac Glycosides as Novel Inhibitors of Human Ether-a-go-go-Related Gene Channel Trafficking

Direct block of the cardiac potassium channel human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG) by a large, structurally diverse group of therapeutic compounds causes drug-induced QT prolongation and torsades de pointes arrhythmias. In addition, several therapeutic compounds have been identified more recently that prolong the QT interval by inhibition of hERG trafficking to the cell surface. We used a surface expression assay to identify novel compounds that interfere with hERG trafficking and found that cardiac glycosides are potent inhibitors of hERG expression at the cell surface. Further investigation of digitoxin, ouabain, and digoxin revealed that all three cardiac glycosides reduced expression of the fully glycosylated cell surface form of hERG on Western blots, indicating that channel exit from the endoplasmic reticulum is blocked. Likewise, hERG currents were reduced with nanomolar affinity on long-term exposure. hERG trafficking inhibition was initiated by cardiac glycosides through direct block of Na+/K+ pumps and not via off-target interactions with hERG or another closely associated protein in its processing or export pathway. In isolated guinea pig myocytes, long-term exposure to 30 nM of the clinically used drugs digoxin or digitoxin reduced hERG/rapidly activating delayed rectifier K+ current (IKr) currents by approximately 50%, whereas three other cardiac membrane currents—inward rectifier current, slowly activating delayed rectifier K+ current, and calcium current—were not affected. Importantly, 100 nM digitoxin prolonged action potential duration on long-term exposure consistent with a reduction in hERG/IKr channel number. Thus, cardiac glycosides are able to delay cardiac repolarization at nanomolar concentrations via hERG trafficking inhibition, and this may contribute to the complex electrocardiographic changes seen with compounds such as digitoxin.
Home Gardening and Food Security Status of HIV/AIDS Affected Households in Mpophomeni, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa

Abstract Home gardening is one activity being used by government and non-governmental organisations to create self-reliance and independency among HIV/AIDS affected households in developing countries. This study examined the impact of home gardening on the food security status of HIV/AIDS-affected households in the Mpophomeni Township KwaZulu-Natal Province. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and focus group discussion from a purposive sample of 33 HIV/AIDS-affected households, 23 of which are participants of home gardening project and from key informants. The Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) was used to determine household food security status. The result revealed that about 4% of the HIV/AIDS affected households were food secure, 22% were mildly food insecure, 39% were moderately food insecure while 35% were severely food insecure. However, the result of the regression model shows that home gardening is statistically significant in enhancing household food security in the study area. Implication for policy were discussed.
Local Administration of Granulocyte/Macrophage Colony-stimulating Factor Increases the Number and Activation State of Dendritic Cells in the Sentinel Lymph Node of Early-Stage Melanoma

The initial tumor-draining lymph node, the sentinel lymph node, not only constitutes the first expected site of micrometastasis but also the first point of contact between tumor-associated antigens and the adaptive immune system. A tumor-induced decrease in the frequency and activation state of sentinel lymph node dendritic cells will impair the generation of effective antitumor T-cell responses and increase the likelihood of metastatic spread. Here, we demonstrate that intradermal administration of granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor around the excision site of stage I primary melanoma tumors increases the number and activation state of dendritic cells in the paracortical areas of the sentinel lymph node and enhances their binding to T cells. We conclude that local treatment of melanoma patients with granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor, before surgery, conditions the sentinel lymph node microenvironment to enhance mature dendritic cell recruitment and hypothesize that this may be more conducive to the generation of T-cell–mediated antitumor immunity.
Postural Control During Cascade Ball Juggling

Cascade ball juggling is a complex perceptual motor skill which requires efficient postural stabilization. The aim of this study was to investigate effects of experience (expert and intermediate groups) and foot distance (wide and narrow stances) on body sway of jugglers during three ball cascade juggling. A total of 10 expert jugglers and 11 intermediate jugglers participated in this study. Participants stood barefoot on the force plate (some participants wore a gaze tracking system), with feet maintained in wide and narrow conditions and performed three 40-seconds trials of the three-ball juggling task. Dependent variables were sway mean velocity, amplitude, mean frequency, number of ball cycles, fixation number, mean duration and its variability, and area of gaze displacement. Two-way analyses of variance with factors for group and condition were conducted. Experts’ body sway was characterized by lower velocity and smaller amplitude as compared to intermediate group. Interestingly, the more challenging (narrow) basis of support caused significant attenuation in body sway only for the intermediate group. These data suggest that expertise in cascade juggling was associated with refined postural control.
Polymorphism in the 5'-flanking region of human glutamate-cysteine ligase modifier subunit gene is associated with myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND Human glutamate-cysteine ligase (GCL) is a rate-limiting enzyme for the synthesis of glutathione that plays a crucial role in antioxidant defense mechanisms in most mammalian cells, including vascular cells. Oxidants transcriptionally upregulate GCL genes for glutathione synthesis, providing a protective mechanism against oxidative stress-induced cellular dysfunction. This study examined the hypothesis that variation in the GCL genes may be associated with coronary artery disease in which oxidative stress plays a pathogenetic role. METHODS AND RESULTS We searched for the common variants in the 5'-flanking region of the GCL modifier subunit (GCLM) gene in patients with myocardial infarction (MI). We found a polymorphism (-588C/T) in which the T allele showed lower promoter activity (40% to 50% of C allele) in response to oxidants in the luciferase reporter gene assay. Allele frequencies were determined by polymerase chain reaction-based analysis of restriction fragment length polymorphism in 429 patients with MI and 428 control subjects (as defined by angiography) in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. The frequency of the T polymorphism was significantly higher in the MI group than in the control group (CT and TT genotypes: 31.5% in MI group versus 19.2% in control group; P<0.001). In multiple logistic regression analysis, the T polymorphism was a risk factor for MI independent of traditional coronary artery disease risk factors (odds ratio, 1.98; 95% confidence interval, 1.38 to 2.83; P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that the -588T polymorphism of the GCLM gene may suppress GCLM gene induction in response to oxidants and that it is a genetic risk factor for MI.
High Dynamic Range Image Display With Halo and Clipping Prevention

The dynamic range of an image is defined as the ratio between the highest and the lowest luminance level. In a high dynamic range (HDR) image, this value exceeds the capabilities of conventional display devices; as a consequence, dedicated visualization techniques are required. In particular, it is possible to process an HDR image in order to reduce its dynamic range without producing a significant change in the visual sensation experienced by the observer. In this paper, we propose a dynamic range reduction algorithm that produces high-quality results with a low computational cost and a limited number of parameters. The algorithm belongs to the category of methods based upon the Retinex theory of vision and was specifically designed in order to prevent the formation of common artifacts, such as halos around the sharp edges and clipping of the highlights, that often affect methods of this kind. After a detailed analysis of the state of the art, we shall describe the method and compare the results and performance with those of two techniques recently proposed in the literature and one commercial software.