Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mucosal Impedance Measurements Differentiate Pediatric Patients With Active Versus Inactive Eosinophilic Esophagitis

Background and Aims: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a chronic disorder in children that requires continued assessment of disease activity, involving repeated sedation, endoscopy, and biopsy analysis. We investigated whether mucosal impedance measurements can be used to monitor disease activity in pediatric patients with EoE. Methods: We measured mucosal impedance at 3 locations in the esophagus in pediatric patients (1–18 years old; 32 with active EoE, 10 with inactive EoE, 32 with nonerosive reflux disease [NERD]) and 53 children with symptoms but normal findings from histologic analyses (controls) undergoing routine esophagogastroduodenoscopy at the Vanderbilt Pediatric Gastroenterology Clinic. Pathologists reviewed biopsies per routine protocol, determined eosinophilic density, and graded spongiosis on an ordinal visual scale. Mucosal impedance measurements were compared within patient groups. The primary outcome was correlation of mucosal impedance measurements with disease activity, based on severity of spongiosis and eosinophil counts. Results: Mucosal impedance measurements were significantly lower in patients with active EoE at 2, 5, and 10 cm above the squamo-columnar junction (median values of 1069, 1368, and 1707, respectively) compared to patients with inactive EoE (median values of 3663, 3657, and 4494, respectively), NERD (median values of 2754, 3243, and 4387), and controls (median values of 3091, 3760, and 4509) (P < 0.001 for all comparisons to patients with active EoE). We found inverse correlations between mucosal impedance measurements and eosinophil count (P < 0.001), and spongiosis severity (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Mucosal impedance measurements may provide immediate information about mucosal inflammation in children. Patients with active EoE have significantly lower mucosal impedance values than patients with inactive EoE, NERD, or controls; mucosal impedance measurements correlate inversely with eosinophil counts and spongiosis severity. Mucosal impedance is a promising rapid and less-invasive method to monitor EoE activity in pediatric patients with EoE; it could reduce costs and risks of disease monitoring.
Pediatric endonasal dacryocystorhinostomy: A multicenter series of 116 cases

ABSTRACT We report our experience with pediatric endonasal dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR). Multicenter, retrospective, noncomparative study. Cases of pediatric endonasal DCR during 2006–2011 were included from six oculoplastic units. Patients over the age of 16 years were excluded. The outcomes of pediatric endonasal DCR are presented. Indication for surgery, demographics, previous interventions, intraoperative or postoperative complications, follow-up duration, and success rate (defined as significant improvement of epiphora) were evaluated. In total, 116 endonasal DCRs were performed for 103 patients. The mean follow-up period was 8 months (range 3 months to 4 years), with 1 patient lost to follow-up. There were 48 males (mean age 5 years and 9 months) and 50 females (range of 4 months to 16 years), with a total of 98 cases of congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction (CNLDO) (84.5%) and 18 cases of acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction (ANLDO) (15.5%). Previous interventions included probing 75.9% (88/116), massaging 43.1% (50/116), and intubation 39.7% (46/116). There were no intraoperative complications. There was one case of postoperative pyogenic granuloma. There were no cases of postoperative infection and postoperative hemorrhage. Ninety percent of procedures were considered successful. Complete symptom resolution was observed in 78% (90/116), significant improvement in 12% (14/116), partial improvement in 2% (2/116), and no improvement in 8% (9/116). In our series, we demonstrated that endonasal DCR is a safe operation and has an overall success rate of 90% for pediatric NLDO.
Diagnosing Psychopathy through Emotional Regulation Tasks: Heart Rate Variability versus Implicit Association Test

Background: Nowadays, the assessment of psychopathy relies on semistructured interviews plus file reviews. In order to improve the predictive validity of psychopathy at the individual level, tools that are not based on the rating of signs and symptoms are in great need. Sampling and Methods: The present study was conducted in a representative sample of 204 Spanish sentenced inmates. These inmates have served at least 6 months of their sentence at the Pereiro de Aguiar (Ourense, Spain) penitentiary. Psychopathy signs and symptoms were scored through interview and file review. The Implicit Association Test (IAT) and heart rate variability (HRV) experiments were also conducted. The Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) was performed as a control measure. Results: Spectral HRV indices were able to detect psychopathic inmates at a significant level, while IAT experiments and the IGT could not discriminate them. HRV indices showed a more significant difference when assessing the affective-interpersonal dimensions of psychopathy. Conclusions: An HRV experiment is better than IAT in order to detect psychopathy in a representative sample of Spanish inmates.
Conformational Change in the Structure of Wheat Proteins During Mixing in Hard and Soft Wheat Doughs

CONFORMATIONAL CHANGE IN THE STRUCTURE OF WHEAT PROTEINS DURING MIXING IN HARD AND SOFT WHEAT DOUGHS Sahar Jazaeri Advisor: University of Guelph, 2013 Prof. Koushik Seetharaman This thesis describes an investigation of the mechanistic differences of hard and soft wheat varieties in the course of dough formation. These two classes of wheat exhibit dissimilar end-use, as hard wheat flour is known for its bread making attributes, whereas soft wheat flour is suitable for cake and cookie production. This difference is related to the grain hardness, protein content and property of gluten, in addition to chemical interactions that are occurring during dough making. Covalent and hydrophobic interactions, as well as hydrogen bond formation, are the main interactions that take place during dough mixing. However, the contribution of each interaction in dough formation of hard and soft wheat is not known. One variety of hard and one variety of soft wheat flour were mixed to their optimum hydration level (500 BU), as determined by farinograph. The extent of covalent interactions of gluten proteins during dough mixing was examined by monitoring changes in the solubility of flour proteins in a 2% Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate (SDS) media. Moreover, the contribution of thiol groups to covalent bond was examined by measuring the changes in the accessible thiols throughout the mixing. Lower extractability of proteins and accessible thiols of hard wheat dough, compared to soft wheat dough, indicated the predominant role of covalent interactions in hard wheat dough. The complementary results from Size Exclusion High Performance Liquid Chromatography (SE-HPLC) indicated that covalent interaction of hard wheat dough primarily occurs between Low Molecular Weight (LMW) and High Molecular Weight (HMW) gluten proteins, whereas this interaction mainly occurs among LMW proteins in soft wheat doughs. Fewer hydrophobic interactions in hard wheat dough in compare with soft wheat measured by Front-face fluorescence spectroscopy indicated that this interaction is more dominant in soft wheat dough. Study of the conformational change in secondary structure of protein (indirect approach to monitor hydrogen bond) by fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy showed that β-sheets are formed in both varieties at their optimum dough strength. In hard wheat dough this structure resulted mainly from disulfide linkages, whereas in soft wheat dough this structure is more likely the result of hydrophobic interactions.
Salivary Visfatin Concentration in Response to Non-surgical Periodontal Therapy.

INTRODUCTION Visfatin is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that has been associated with several immunomodulating processes. The relationship between visfatin and periodontitis has been the subject of a few studies that have described visfatin as an inflammatory marker for periodontitis. However, studies on visfatin as a potential therapeutic target in periodontal diseases are scarce. In the present study, we evaluated the alterations in salivary visfatin levels in response to non-surgical periodontal treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty individuals with moderate to severe chronic periodontitis and twenty periodontally healthy individuals were selected for this study according to clinical parameters. Patients with chronic periodontitis were treated by non-surgical periodontal therapy. Clinical parameters were recorded and saliva samples were obtained from the control group and test group before (T1 group) and one month after periodontal treatment (T2 group). Salivary visfatin concentrations were measured by standard enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Statistical analysis was performed with the statistical software SPSS, version 18. RESULTS Visfatin was detectable in all samples. T1 and control groups were significantly different in terms of clinical parameters and visfatin levels. Visfatin concentrations were reduced significantly after non-surgical periodontal therapy. Periodontal treatment also resulted in significant reductions of all clinical parameters with the exception of clinical attachment level. CONCLUSION The results demonstrated that salivary levels of visfatin are reduced after non-surgical periodontal therapy to the levels comparable with those found in healthy individuals. Therefore, the salivary visfatin level may have the potential to be a target marker for assessment of responses to non-surgical periodontal therapy. However, more studies with larger sample sizes are necessary to validate these findings.
Recent Development of Vegetal Tannins in Corrosion Protection of Iron and Steel

Inhibitors are employed predominantly for corrosion control in closed systems, as a cost-efficiently alternative to the use of high corrosion-resistant materials. Due to the environmental requirements that are currently imposed on the development of cleaner inhibitors, vegetal tannins, a class of natural, non-toxic, biodegradable organic compounds that can be obtained at reduced cost has been proposed. This review relates recent uses of several vegetal tannins in corrosion protection, particularly as corrosion inhibitors of iron and steel in acidic and near neutral media. Several methods of inhibition efficiency evaluations along with their action mechanisms are discussed. The present review presents some important patents in the development of vegetal tannins in corrosion protection of iron and steel. In many industries, the need to use constructional mate- rials safely, but cost-effectively, is a primary consideration. Frequently, physical requirements can be satisfied easily, but corrosion effects seriously complicate the selection of suitable materials. Generally, increased corrosion-resistance can only be obtained at increased cost. However, the actual material-related costs incurred in a project will depend on the corrosivity of the environment concerned, the required design life, the physical requirements of the material, and the readily available stocks. In some cases, appearance may also dictate the use of a more expensive material. The costs and problems associated with corrosion-resistant materials means that, in many cases, the use of corrosion inhibitors is a prac- tical and economic alternative. Industrial use of corrosion inhibitors is, therefore, now broad based and extensive. Proper surface preparation is the key to obtaining good performance by a surface coating. The major problem in preparing a metal surface is the removal of all mill scale and associated contaminants from the substrate. Common metals and alloys are protected from corrosion principally by painting schemes in applications such as manufacturing, structure protection, and automobile fabrications. Paint life depends on various factors such as the metallic substrate, the selected painting scheme and the paint-substrate interphase. In automobile and manufacturing industries, where plain steel generally is painted, a wash primer coat is typically used to increase the adherence and to improve the anti- corrosive quality of painting films. These primers, known as reaction primers are formulated basically with phosphoric acid (H3PO4) and zinc chromate (ZnCrO4) in alcohol medium, where polyvinyl butyral participates as a ligand of the reaction product.
Assessment of a Nutritional Rehabilitation Model in Two Modern Broilers and Their Jungle Fowl Ancestor: A Model for Better Understanding Childhood Undernutrition

This article is the first in a series of manuscripts to evaluate nutritional rehabilitation in chickens as a model to study interventions in children malnutrition (Part 1: Performance, Bone Mineralization, and Intestinal Morphometric Analysis). Inclusion of rye in poultry diets induces a nutritional deficit that leads to increased bacterial translocation, intestinal viscosity, and decreased bone mineralization. However, it is unclear the effect of diet on developmental stage or genetic strain. Therefore, the objective was to determine the effects of a rye diet during either the early or late phase of development on performance, bone mineralization, and intestinal morphology across three diverse genetic backgrounds. Modern 2015 (Cobb 500) broiler chicken, 1995 Cobb broiler chicken, and the Giant Jungle Fowl were randomly allocated into four different dietary treatments. Dietary treatments were (1) a control corn-based diet throughout the trial (corn–corn); (2) an early phase malnutrition diet where chicks received a rye-based diet for 10 days, and then switched to the control diet (rye–corn); (3) a malnutrition rye-diet that was fed throughout the trial (rye–rye); and (4) a late phase malnutrition diet where chicks received the control diet for 10 days, and then switched to the rye diet for the last phase (corn–rye). At 10 days of age, chicks were weighed and diets were switched in groups 2 and 4. At day 20 of age, all chickens were weighed and euthanized to collect bone and intestinal samples. Body weight, weight gain, and bone mineralization were different across diet, genetic line, age and all two- and three-way interactions (P < 0.05). Overall, Jungle Fowl were the most tolerant to a rye-based diet, and both the modern and 1995 broilers were significantly affected by the high rye-based diet. However, the 1995 broilers consuming the rye-based diet appeared to experience more permanent effects when compared with the modern broiler. The results of this study suggest that chickens have a great potential as a nutritional rehabilitation model in human trials. The 1995 broilers line was an intermediate genetic line between the fast growing modern line and the non-selected Jungle Fowl line, suggesting that it would be the most appropriate model to study for future studies.
Perceived Control Mediates Effects of Socioeconomic Status and Chronic Stress on Physical Frailty: Findings From the Health and Retirement Study

Objective To investigate the psychosocial etiology of physical frailty by examining the influence of chronic stress and perceived control. Method Using population-based samples of older adults from the Health and Retirement Study, this study employed structural equation modeling in cross-sectional (N = 5,250) and longitudinal (N = 2,013) samples to estimate the effects of chronic stress and socioeconomic status (SES) on baseline frailty and change in frailty status over 4 years and the extent to which perceived control mediates or moderates effects of chronic stress. Results Perceived control fully mediated effects of chronic stress and partially mediated effects of SES on both baseline frailty and change in frailty. Multigroup analyses revealed that the mediating role of perceived control was consistent across age, gender, and racial/ethnic subgroups. There was no evidence to support a moderating role of perceived control in the chronic stress and frailty relationship. Discussion Findings provide novel evidence for a mediating role of perceived control in pathways linking SES and chronic stress to frailty, further underscoring the importance of psychosocial constructs to the development and progression of frailty in older adults.
Reprogrammed lipid metabolism in bladder cancer with cisplatin resistance

Due to its tendency to recur and acquire chemoresistance quickly, bladder cancer (BC) remains to be an elusive and difficult disease. Patients with recurrent and chemoresistant BC have an extremely poor prognosis. One possible approach that may provide insightful and valuable information regarding resistance mechanisms is looking into the lipid metabolism of BC cells. Metabolism of lipids is essential for cancer cells and is associated with the regulation of a variety of key cellular processes and functions. This study conducted a comparative lipidomic profiling of two isogenic human T24 bladder cancer cell lines, one of which is clinically characterized as cisplatin-sensitive (T24S) and the other as cisplatin-resistant (T24R). Immunohistochemistry analysis revealed that expression of cytosolic acetyl-CoA synthetase 2 (ACSS2) is positively correlated with aggressive BC. Ultra performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) analysis profiled a total of 1,864 lipids and levels of differentially expressed lipids suspected of being associated with cisplatin resistance were determined. In addition, we found that ACSS2 inhibition greatly perturbed levels of metabolites, including CE(18:1), CE(22:6), TG(49:1), and TG(53:2). This study broadens our current knowledge on the links between cisplatin resistance and lipid metabolism in aggressive BC and suggests potential biomarkers for identifying higher-risk patients.
Women's perceptions and experiences of breastfeeding support: a metasynthesis.

BACKGROUND Both peer and professional support have been identified as important to the success of breastfeeding. The aim of this metasynthesis was to examine women's perceptions and experiences of breastfeeding support, either professional or peer, to illuminate the components of support that they deemed "supportive. " METHODS The metasynthesis included studies of both formal or "created" peer and professional support for breastfeeding women but excluded studies of family or informal support. Qualitative studies were included as well as large-scale surveys if they reported the analysis of qualitative data gathered through open-ended responses. Primiparas and multiparas who initiated breastfeeding were included. Studies published in English, in peer-reviewed journals, and undertaken between January 1990 and December 2007 were included. After assessment for relevance and quality, 31 studies were included. Meta-ethnographic methods were used to identify categories and themes. RESULTS The metasynthesis resulted in four categories comprising 20 themes. The synthesis indicated that support for breastfeeding occurred along a continuum from authentic presence at one end, perceived as effective support, to disconnected encounters at the other, perceived as ineffective or even discouraging and counterproductive. A facilitative approach versus a reductionist approach was identified as contrasting styles of support that women experienced as helpful or unhelpful. CONCLUSIONS The findings emphasize the importance of person-centered communication skills and of relationships in supporting a woman to breastfeed. Organizational systems and services that facilitate continuity of caregiver, for example continuity of midwifery care or peer support models, are more likely to facilitate an authentic presence, involving supportive care and a trusting relationship with professionals.
Tiron ameliorates high glucose‐induced cardiac myocyte apoptosis by PKCδ‐dependent inhibition of osteopontin

Tiron functions as an effective antioxidant alleviating the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) or the acute toxic metal overload. Previous studies have shown that cardiac myocyte apoptosis can be effectively inhibited by tiron administration in streptozotocin (STZ)‐induced diabetic rats, primary neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (NRVMs), and H9c2 embryonic rat cardiomyocytes. However, the underlying signalling mechanism is ill‐defined. In the present study, we found that tiron supplementation significantly inhibited apoptosis of high glucose (HG)‐treated NRVMs and the left ventricular cardiomyocytes from STZ‐diabetic rat, accompanied with a reduction of osteopontin (OPN) levels as well as an inhibition of PKCδ phosphorylation. OPN knockdown protected NRVMs against HG‐induced cell apoptosis. In addition, genetic inhibition of PKCδ mitigated HG‐stimulated enhancement of intracellular OPN levels in NRVMs. These findings indicate that ROS‐mediated activation of PKCδ upregulated OPN expression, leading to cardiac myocyte apoptosis. Interfering with ROS/PKCδ pathway by antioxidants such as tiron provides an optional therapeutic strategy for treatment and prevention of apoptosis‐related cardiovascular diseases including diabetic cardiomyopathy.
Functional Gene Polymorphism to Reveal Species History: The Case of the CRTISO Gene in Cultivated Carrots

Background Carrot is a vegetable cultivated worldwide for the consumption of its root. Historical data indicate that root colour has been differentially selected over time and according to geographical areas. Root pigmentation depends on the relative proportion of different carotenoids for the white, yellow, orange and red types but only internally for the purple one. The genetic control for root carotenoid content might be partially associated with carotenoid biosynthetic genes. Carotenoid isomerase (CRTISO) has emerged as a regulatory step in the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway and could be a good candidate to show how a metabolic pathway gene reflects a species genetic history. Methodology/Principal Findings In this study, the nucleotide polymorphism and the linkage disequilibrium among the complete CRTISO sequence, and the deviation from neutral expectation were analysed by considering population subdivision revealed with 17 microsatellite markers. A sample of 39 accessions, which represented different geographical origins and root colours, was used. Cultivated carrot was divided into two genetic groups: one from Middle East and Asia (Eastern group), and another one mainly from Europe (Western group). The Western and Eastern genetic groups were suggested to be differentially affected by selection: a signature of balancing selection was detected within the first group whereas the second one showed no selection. A focus on orange-rooted carrots revealed that cultivars cultivated in Asia were mainly assigned to the Western group but showed CRTISO haplotypes common to Eastern carrots. Conclusion The carotenoid pathway CRTISO gene data proved to be complementary to neutral markers in order to bring critical insight in the cultivated carrot history. We confirmed the occurrence of two migration events since domestication. Our results showed a European background in material from Japan and Central Asia. While confirming the introduction of European carrots in Japanese resources, the history of Central Asia material remains unclear.