Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluating the therapeutic effect of Diallyl disulfide compared to that of Alderonate on Glucocorticoids induced osteoporosis in rats: Biochemical and histomorphometric analysis

Introduction: The prevalence of Glucocorticoids (GC) use made Glucocorticoid induced osteoporosis (GIO) an important form of secondary osteoporosis. Bisphosphonates (Alderonate) are considered as pharmacological agents in prevention and treatment of GIO. Garlic containing Diallyl disulfide (DAS) has received special attention for its beneficial effects as an antioxidant. The present study attempted to evaluate the Alendronate, DAS, and the combination of Alderonate and DAS effect on bone gene expression of RANKL and OPG, serum biochemical parameters [Ca, P, alkaline phosphatase (ALP)] and histological assessment of tibia in animal model of GIO. Material and Method: Fifty pathogen albino male rats were allocated in five groups:Control group(C), Methyl prednisolone group (M), methyl prednisolone Aldenronate group (A) Methyl prednisolone Diallyl disulfide (D), Diallyl disulfide Alendronate Methyl prednisolone (AD) group.Gene expression studies, biochemical parameters, histological and morphometric studies were assessed for all animals. Results: Among the study groups, Methyl prednisolone exposure provoked decrease in OPG (0.26±0.16) increase in RANKL (3.57±.39) gene expression, decrease in serum ALP(85.38±6.3),Ca(6.41±0.89), P(1.9 ±0.35) levels and decrease in trabecular thickness (57.01±23.22). Alderonate and Dially disulfide concomitant administration was shown to increase OPG(2.84 ±0.53)and decrease in RANKL (0.63 ± 0.27) gene expression, increase serum ALP(187.75±24.93),Ca(10.330 ±.69)and P(3.16 ±0.43) levels,increase trabecular thickness(154.7±31.7)(p < 0.001). Conclusion: Diallyl disulfide can add advantage to Alderonate in treatment of glucocorticoid induced osteoprosis.
The investigation of prospective mathematics teachers’ non-algebraic solution strategies for word problems

This study aims to investigate the non-algebraic solution strategies that prospective mathematics teachers use to solve word problems and their thought process while they were solving the problems. A total of 76 prospective mathematics teachers were asked to solve two word problems without using algebraic solutions and, then, clinical interviews were conducted with a sub-sample of 20 participants. The solutions used by the participants were analysed according to the type and frequency of the strategy. The results show that prospective mathematics teachers did not use various non-algebraic solutions for word problems and that they used the guess and check strategy most often. According to the findings obtained from the interviews, it was found that the participants tended to rely on solutions that used algebraic equations related to the problem while producing solution strategies. Furthermore, the participants were found to have a limited understanding of how to interpret the algebraic equations within their context, the difference between algebraic and non-algebraic solutions, and problem-solving strategies, which prevented the participants from producing alternative solution strategies.
Bortezomib: the evidence of its clinical impact in multiple myeloma

Introduction: Multiple myeloma is a relatively common and incurable form of hematologic malignancy for which there is currently no single standard therapy. Bortezomib inhibits the 20S proteasome involved in the degradation of intracellular proteins, induces apoptosis, reverses drug resistance in multiple myeloma cells, and influences their microenvironment by blocking cytokine circuits, cell adhesion and angiogenesis in vivo. Aims: The objective of this review is to evaluate the evidence for the use of bortezomib in the treatment of multiple myeloma. Evidence review: In patients with relapsed multiple myeloma bortezomib significantly prolongs overall survival and time to progression, and improves response rates, duration of response, and quality of life compared with oral high-dose dexamethasone. Although the incidence of grade 4 adverse events was similar, grade 3 events and herpes zoster infections occur more frequently in patients treated with bortezomib than with high-dose dexamethasone. Evidence from a pharmacoeconomic study indicates that the benefits of bortezomib compared to thalidomide plus best standard care may be achieved at a reasonable cost. Clinical value: Bortezomib is a valuable treatment option in the management of relapsed multiple myeloma that improves survival and delays disease progression compared with oral high-dose dexamethasone treatment, albeit with an increased incidence of some adverse events such as grade 3 thrombocytopenia and neutropenia.
An empirical study of intuition and its context

Our knowledge of what determines intuitive decision making is still in its early stages, although there is an increasing interest in intuition in the last decade. In order to fill this gap, this study examines the differential contribution made by different perspectives on context (decision, environment and firm) toward explaining intuition. The results indicate that the characteristics specific to the firm and to the environment appear to be more significant to intuition than does the nature of the decision; and that the impact of contextual variables vary from one dimension to another.
Anesthesiologists, Anesthetics, and Cancer metastasis

Journal of Anaesthesiology Clinical Pharmacology | April-June 2014 | Vol 30 | Issue 2 Onco-anesthesia remains challenging in view of issues related to major surgical procedures, associated impact of concomitant cancer therapy like chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and co-morbidities. Curative surgical resection is the mainstay treatment modality for potentially curable solid tumors. Surgery is associated with body stress response, which have metabolic, neuroendocrine, hematological, and inflammatory/ immunological responses (cytokine stress responses, suppressed cell-mediated immunity). [1-3] These are the major factors for perioperative immune suppression and provide a milieu for possible tumor cell proliferation leading to metastases. [1-6] Other surgical factors include residual minimal disease and dissemination of tumor cells during surgery. [3,6] The impact of pain, blood transfusion, hypothermia, hypoxic episodes, organ hypoperfusion, hyperglycemia, anesthetic drug, and technique for cancer recurrence has been reported. [7-9] These adverse response during curative surgical management requires perioperative physicians, including anesthesiologists, surgeons, and oncologists, to maintain homeostasis against the consequences of both cancer and tissular attrition. [10] The balance between the metastatic potential of the tumor and the anti-metastatic host defenses is the decisive factor for the risk of metastasis. [11,12]
Effects of Non-starch Polysaccharide-degrading Enzymes on Nutrient Digestibility, Growth Performance and Blood Profiles of Growing Pigs Fed a Diet Based on Corn and Soybean Meal

Two experiments with growing pigs were conducted to investigate the effects of two distinct multienzyme preparations on nutrient digestibility, growth performance and blood profiles. In Exp. 1, a total of 96 pigs () were utilized in a 42-day performance and digestibility trial using four dietary treatments: CON (control diet), ENDO (control+0.10% Endopower), NSPase1 (control+0.10% NSPase) and NSPase2 (control+0.20% NSPase). Endopower was a commercial multienzyme preparation which contained -galactosidase, galactomannase, xylanase and -glucanase. NSPase mainly contained -1,6--galactosidase, -1,4-mannanase and -1,4-mannosidase. There were six replication pens per treatment with four pigs per pen. Pigs fed NSPase1 diet had a higher ADG (p0.05). Compared with CON, apparent digestibility of DM was increased (p) were housed in individual metabolism crates and randomly assigned to 1of 4 treatments (same as Exp. 1) within a Latin square design. Enzyme supplementations improved the majority of apparent ileal amino acid digestibilities (p
Comparison of the time courses of insulin and the portal signal on hepatic glucose and glycogen metabolism in the conscious dog.

To investigate the temporal response of the liver to insulin and portal glucose delivery, somatostatin was infused into four groups of 42-h-fasted, conscious dogs (n = 6/group), basal insulin and glucagon were replaced intraportally, and hyperglycemia was created via a peripheral glucose infusion for 90 min (period 1). This was followed by a 240-min experimental period (period 2) in which hyperglycemia was matched to period 1 and either no changes were made (CON), a fourfold rise in insulin was created (INS), a portion of the glucose (22.4 mumol.kg-1.min-1) was infused via the portal vein (Po), or a fourfold rise in insulin was created in combination with portal glucose infusion (INSPo). Arterial insulin levels were similar in all groups during period 1 (approximately 45 pM) and were 45 +/- 9, 154 +/- 20, 43 +/- 7, and 128 +/- 14 pM during period 2 in CON, INS, Po, and INSPo, respectively. The hepatic glucose load was similar between periods and among groups (approximately 278 mumol.kg-1.min-1). Net hepatic glucose output was similar among groups during period 1 (approximately 0.1 mumol.kg-1.min-1) and did not change significantly in CON during period 2. In INS net hepatic glucose uptake (NHGU; mumol.kg-1.min-1) was -3.8 +/- 3.3 at 15 min of period 2 and did not reach a maximum (-15.9 +/- 6.6) until 90 min. In contrast, NHGU reached a maximum of -13.0 +/- 3.7 in Po after only 15 min of period 2. In INSPo, NHGU reached a maximum (-23.6 +/- 3.5) at 60 min. Liver glycogen accumulation during period 2 was 21 +/- 10, 84 +/- 17, 65 +/- 16, and 134 +/- 17 mumol/gram in CON, INS, Po, and INSPo, respectively. The increment (period 1 to period 2) in the active form of liver glycogen synthase was 0.7 +/- 0.4, 6.5 +/- 1.2, 2.8 +/- 1.0, and 8.5 +/- 1.3% in CON, INS, Po, and INSPo, respectively. Thus, in contrast to insulin, the portal signal rapidly activates NHGU. In addition, the portal signal independent of a rise in insulin, can cause glycogen accumulation in the liver.
Predicting binge-drinking behaviour using an extended TPB: examining the impact of anticipated regret and descriptive norms.

AIMS To investigate the utility of an extended Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), including descriptive norms and anticipated regret, in predicting binge-drinking intentions and behaviour. METHODS A total of 178 undergraduates completed a questionnaire containing measures of TPB variables, descriptive norms, anticipated regret, and previous binge-drinking behaviour. One week later, 104 students completed a measure of binge-drinking behaviour. RESULTS Hierarchical regression demonstrated that attitudes (beta = 0.30, P < 0.001) and anticipated regret (beta = 0.47, P < 0.001) were significant predictors of intentions, with the final equation accounting for 58% of the variance. Hierarchial regression found that intentions (beta = -0.21, P < 0.05) and previous binge-drinking behaviour (beta = 0.36, P < 0.01) predicted current drinking behaviour, accounting for 33% of the variance. CONCLUSIONS The study suggests that modifying attitudes and inducing regret may be effective strategies for reducing binge-drinking intentions among undergraduates, which should reduce subsequent binge-drinking behaviour.
An evaluation of Teaching-Family (Achievement Place) group homes for juvenile offenders.

Juvenile crime is a serious problem for which treatment approach has been found to be reliably effective. This outcome evaluation assessed during and posttreatment effectiveness of Teaching-Family group home treatment programs for juvenile offenders. The evaluation included the original Achievement Place program, which was the prototype for the development of the Teaching-Family treatment approach, 12 replications of Achievement Place, and 9 comparison group home programs. Primary dependent measures were retrieved from court and police files and included number of alleged offenses, percentage of youths involved in those alleged offenses, and percentage of youths institutionalized. Other dependent measures were subjective ratings of effectiveness obtained from the program consumers, including the group home residents. The results showed difference during treatment favoring the Teaching-Family programs on rate of alleged criminal offenses, percentage of youths involved in those offenses, and consumer ratings of the programs. The consumer ratings provided by the youths and their school teachers were found to be inversely and significantly correlated with the reduction of criminal offenses during treatment. There were no significant differences during treatment on measures of noncriminal offenses (e.g., truancy, runaway, and curfew violations). In the posttreatment year, none of the differences between the groups was significant on any of the outcome measures. The results are discussed in terms of measurement and design issues in the evaluation of delinquency treatment programs and in relation to the evaluation; of Teaching-Family group homes by Richard Jones and his colleagues.
EMDR treatment for PTSD and Intellectual Disability: a case study

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a detailed description of an adapted Eye-Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) intervention in the treatment of chronic Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in an individual with moderate-severe Intellectual Disability (ID), blindness, and Mucopolysaccharidosis Hunters Syndrome. Design/methodology/approach – A case study reporting on the implementation of an eight phase EMDR approach adapted for intellectual and sensory requirements. The intervention involved a series of preparatory meetings and four sessions of EMDR. Findings – The intervention was successful in ameliorating most symptoms attributed to a PTSD presentation. Research limitations/implications – The availability of the full breadth of treatment options for PTSD as indicated in National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2005) is questionable in clinical practice with individuals with ID. Appropriate investment in research determining the most efficacious interventions for t.
The Universal Manifold Embedding for Estimating Rigid Transformations of Point Clouds

We present a closed form solution to the problem of registration and detection of dense 3-D point clouds undergoing unknown rigid deformations. The solution is obtained by adapting the general framework of the universal manifold embedding (UME) to the case where the deformations the object may undergo are rigid. The UME nonlinearly maps functions (e.g., images, 3D models) related by geometric transformations of coordinates to the same linear subspace of some Euclidean space. Therefore registration, matching and classification are solved as linear problems in a lower dimensional space. In this paper we extend the UME framework to the special case where it is a-priori known that the geometric transformations are rigid (e.g. pose change of a 3-D rigid object). We further demonstrate the applicability of the methodology for the registration of 3-D point clouds. In the case where point correspondences are unknown, the majority of existing methods for registering 3-D point clouds are based on iteratively finding a transformation which minimizes some distance between the object and a model. The method proposed in this paper is notably different as registration is performed using a closed form solution that employs the UME low dimensional representation of the shapes to be registered.
Weight-shifting mobiles: two-dimensional gravitational displays in mobile phones

In this paper, we present a novel type of haptic display for usage in mobile phones. It changes the gravitational properties of the device by shifting an internal weight along two axes. Its utility is explored in a performance study, in which users were estimating positions of the device's actuated center of gravity. The users also participated in qualitative studies: A questionnaire that assessed the perceived quality of interacting with the device, and an interview in which they described their experiences with the weight-shifting mobile. Furthermore, this paper suggests three domains of application in which the system may be of benefit: Augmenting digital content with physical mass, ambient displays, and haptically augmented wayfinding.
The N-Terminal Domain of ERK1 Accounts for the Functional Differences with ERK2

The Extracellular Regulated Kinase 1 and 2 transduce a variety of extracellular stimuli regulating processes as diverse as proliferation, differentiation and synaptic plasticity. Once activated in the cytoplasm, ERK1 and ERK2 translocate into the nucleus and interact with nuclear substrates to induce specific programs of gene expression. ERK1/2 share 85% of aminoacid identity and all known functional domains and thence they have been considered functionally equivalent until recent studies found that the ablation of either ERK1 or ERK2 causes dramatically different phenotypes. To search a molecular justification of this dichotomy we investigated whether the different functions of ERK1 and 2 might depend on the properties of their cytoplasmic-nuclear trafficking. Since in the nucleus ERK1/2 is predominantly inactivated, the maintenance of a constant level of nuclear activity requires continuous shuttling of activated protein from the cytoplasm. For this reason, different nuclear-cytoplasmic trafficking of ERK1 and 2 would cause a differential signalling capability. We have characterised the trafficking of fluorescently tagged ERK1 and ERK2 by means of time-lapse imaging in living cells. Surprisingly, we found that ERK1 shuttles between the nucleus and cytoplasm at a much slower rate than ERK2. This difference is caused by a domain of ERK1 located at its N-terminus since the progressive deletion of these residues converted the shuttling features of ERK1 into those of ERK2. Conversely, the fusion of this ERK1 sequence at the N-terminus of ERK2 slowed down its shuttling to a similar value found for ERK1. Finally, computational, biochemical and cellular studies indicated that the reduced nuclear shuttling of ERK1 causes a strong reduction of its nuclear phosphorylation compared to ERK2, leading to a reduced capability of ERK1 to carry proliferative signals to the nucleus. This mechanism significantly contributes to the differential ability of ERK1 and 2 to generate an overall signalling output.
Therapeutic effect of treatment with polyclonal or monoclonal antibodies to alpha-fetoprotein that have been conjugated to daunomycin via a dextran bridge: studies with an alpha-fetoprotein-producing rat hepatoma tumor model.

Purified monoclonal mouse or polyclonal horse antibodies (Ab) to rat alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) were conjugated with daunomycin via a dextran bridge. The therapeutic effect of these Ab-daunomycin conjugates on an AFP-producing rat hepatoma which was inoculated s.c. in Donryu rats was studied. Tumors (s.c.) and distant metastases were present by 14 days after tumor inoculation and the serum AFP level was 35 micrograms/ml. The injection of the Ab-daunomycin conjugate, started on day 14, significantly prolonged host survival with inoculated controls having a median survival of 25 days compared to 57 and 60 days for the treated groups. In a second study the Ab-daunomycin conjugates were injected i.v. every other day for five times after the surgical resection of the s.c. tumor. There was a slight therapeutic effect with either antibody or daunomycin alone but treatment with the AFP Ab-daunomycin conjugates significantly prolonged survival and 60% of these treated animals were "tumor free" when sacrificed on day 100. Serial quantitation of the concentration of AFP in the serum of the treated tumor-bearing or in the tumor-resected rats correlated with the therapeutic effectiveness of the Ab-daunomycin conjugates. These experiments show that the optimal treatment with specific antibody-drug conjugates will be in hosts where there is a small residual tumor burden such as may exist following resection of a primary tumor mass. They further show that the serial quantitation of serum AFP can be utilized to determine if residual tumor is present following treatment with Ab-daunomycin conjugates.
Evaluation of the dietary intake of homebound elderly and the feasibility of dietary supplementation.

OBJECTIVE The dietary intake of elderly subjects receiving home care services (n = 145) was studied to assess the adequacy of their intake, and their ability to maintain normal body weight. In a second part of the study, the feasibility of providing nutrient supplements to underweight subjects or those with important recent weight loss was evaluated. METHOD For the survey, three 24-hour recalls, height, weight and lifestyle habits were evaluated in a home interview and two follow-up telephone contacts. The effects of dietary supplementation of 14 subjects at risk of malnutrition (underweight or with substantial weight loss) over 12 weeks were evaluated. RESULTS Mean energy intake for the entire group was low (males 1546 kcal; females 1152 kcal) and on average barely covered estimated resting energy expenditure. Recent weight loss was negatively correlated with energy intake among underweight subjects (R = -0.64; p < 0.001). Dietary supplementation resulted in an average increase in daily intake of 390 kcal with an average weight gain of 1.27 kg over the 12-week period. Weight change was directly associated with measures of functional status; hand-grip strength (r = 0.75; p = 0.002) and general well-being score (r = 0.46; p = 0.095). CONCLUSION Homebound elderly were at high risk of inadequate protein and energy intake. Dietary supplementation in high risk individuals was well tolerated and led to modest weight gain and improvements in general well-being.
Revisiting gametocyte biology in malaria parasites

ABSTRACT Gametocytes are the only form of the malaria parasite that is transmissible to the mosquito vector. They are present at low levels in blood circulation and significant knowledge gaps exist in their biology. Recent reductions in the global malaria burden have brought the possibility of elimination and eradication, with renewed focus on malaria transmission biology as a basis for interventions. This review discusses recent insights into gametocyte biology in the major human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum and related species.
Reversal or no reversal: the evolution of the star formation rate–density relation up to z ∼ 1.6

We investigate the evolution of the star formation rate (SFR)–density relation in the Extended Chandra Deep Field South and the Great Observatories Origin Deep Survey fields up to z ∼ 1.6. In addition to the ‘traditional method’, in which the environment is defined according to a statistical measurement of the local galaxy density, we use a ‘dynamical’ approach, where galaxies are classified according to three different environment regimes: group, ‘filament-like’ and field. Both methods show no evidence of an SFR–density reversal. Moreover, group galaxies show a mean SFR lower than other environments up to z ∼ 1, while at earlier epochs group and field galaxies exhibit consistent levels of star formation (SF) activity. We find that processes related to a massive dark matter halo must be dominant in the suppression of the SF below z ∼ 1, with respect to purely density-related processes. We confirm this finding by studying the distribution of galaxies in different environments with respect to the so-called main sequence (MS) of star-forming galaxies. Galaxies in both group and ‘filament-like’ environments preferentially lie below the MS up to z ∼ 1, with group galaxies exhibiting lower levels of star-forming activity at a given mass. At z > 1, the star-forming galaxies in groups reside on the MS. Groups exhibit the highest fraction of quiescent galaxies up to z ∼ 1, after which group, ‘filament-like’ and field environments have a similar mix of galaxy types. We conclude that groups are the most efficient locus for SF quenching. Thus, a fundamental difference exists between bound and unbound objects, or between dark matter haloes of different masses.