Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Structure-efficiency relationship in derivatives of stilbene. Comparison of resveratrol, pinosylvin and pterostilbene.

OBJECTIVES Oxidative stress is related to a number of autoimmune diseases, e.g. rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, etc. The main source of pathologically working reactive oxygen species (ROS) are activated polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL). OBJECTIVE There are some papers comparing structure - pharmacological efficiency relationship of vegetal substances from the stilbenoid group. We compared the effect of trans-resveratrol, which is well-known by its antioxidative activity, with the effect of pinosylvin and pterostilbene. METHODS Luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence (CL) was used to study the antioxidative action. The effect was observed in whole blood and in isolated PMNL. The concentrations of substances tested were 0.01-100 microM. Due to the different abilities of luminol and isoluminol to pass through the cell membrane, we studied the effect of the substances tested on intracellular and extracellular ROS. To stimulate the production of ROS we used phorbol-myristate-acetate (PMA), which activates PMNL via protein kinase C. RESULTS Resveratrol, pinosylvin and pterostilbene inhibited significantly the CL of whole blood and extra- and intracellular CL of isolated PMNL in a dosedependent manner. Depending on different functional groups of the stilbene molecule, resveratrol inhibited CL of whole blood and isolated PMNL, whereas pinosylvin influenced mainly intracellular CL and pterostilbene extracellular CL. CONCLUSION The presence of different functional groups in the molecules of stilbenoids influence their antioxidative effect. Modification of these functional groups may result in derivatives with required antioxidative properties, targeting mainly extracellular ROS which are responsible for tissue damage during chronic inflammation.
The Time Course for Processing Vowels and Lexical Tones: Reading Aloud Thai Words

Three naming aloud experiments and a lexical decision (LD) experiment used masked priming to index the processing of written Thai vowels and tones. Thai allows for manipulation of the mapping between orthography and phonology not possible in other orthographies, for example, the use of consonants, vowels and tone markers in both horizontal and vertical orthographic positions (HOPs and VOPs). Experiment 1 showed that changing a vowel between prime and target slowed down target naming but changing a tone mark did not. Experiment 1 used an across item-design and a different number of HOPs in the way vowels and tones were specified. Experiment 2 used a within-item design and tested vowel and tone changes for both 2-HOP and 3-HOP targets separately. The 3-HOP words showed the same tone and vowel change effect as Experiment 1, whereas 2-HOP items did not. It was speculated that the 2-HOP result was due to the variable position of the vowel affecting priming. Experiment 3 employed a more stringent control over the 2-HOP vowel and tone items and found priming for the tone changes but not for vowel changes. The final experiment retested the items from Experiment 3 with the LD task and found no priming for the tone change items, indicating that the tone effect in Experiment 3 was due to processes involved in naming aloud. In all, the results supported the view that for naming a word, the development of tone information is slower than vowel information.
Insulin‐like growth factor type 1 receptor signaling in the cells of oligodendrocyte lineage is required for normal in vivo oligodendrocyte development and myelination

Insulin‐like growth factor‐I (IGF‐I) has been shown to be a potent agent in promoting the growth and differentiation of oligodendrocyte precursors, and in stimulating myelination during development and following injury. To definitively determine whether IGF‐I acts directly on the cells of oligodendrocyte lineage, we generated lines of mice in which the type 1 IGF receptor gene (igf1r) was conditionally ablated either in Olig1 or proteolipid protein expressing cells (termed IGF1Rpre‐oligo‐ko and IGF1Roligo‐ko mice, respectively). Compared with wild type mice, IGF1Rpre‐oligo‐ko mice had a decreased volume (by 35–55%) and cell number (by 54–70%) in the corpus callosum (CC) and anterior commissure at 2 and 6 weeks of age, respectively. IGF1Roligo‐ko mice by 25 weeks of age also showed reductions, albeit less marked, in CC volume and cell number. Unlike astrocytes, the percentage of NG2+ oligodendrocyte precursors was decreased by ∼13% in 2‐week‐old IGF1Rpre‐oligo‐ko mice, while the percentage of CC1+ mature oligodendrocytes was decreased by ∼24% in 6‐week‐old IGF1Rpre‐oligo‐ko mice and ∼25% in 25‐week‐old IGF1Roligo‐ko mice. The reduction in these cells is apparently a result of decreased proliferation and increased apoptosis. These results indicate that IGF‐I directly affects oligodendrocytes and myelination in vivo via IGF1R, and that IGF1R signaling in the cells of oligodendrocyte lineage is required for normal oligodendrocyte development and myelination. These data also provide a fundamental basis for developing strategies with the potential to target IGF‐IGF1R signaling pathways in oligodendrocyte lineage cells for the treatment of demyelinating disorders. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Marriage and labor market discrimination in Japan.

"Many Japanese firms have engaged in the practice of compulsory retirement upon a female employee's marriage. In 1966, this practice was ruled as being contrary to provisions in Japan's Civil Code. [The authors] have specified and estimated a model of the economic determinants of age at marriage in order to analyze the effect that this discrimination has had on nuptiality in Japan. [The] results indicate that on average, after accounting for an upward trend, women who married after the 1966 court decision married about one year younger than women who married before 1966. " It is also found that age at marriage is influenced by several socioeconomic variables, including wife's wage and educational level, husband's income and educational level, and wife's family background. Data are from a 1975 survey of women aged 20-59 who were living in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
Social Anxiety and Onset of Drinking in Early Adolescence

The present study examines several types of social anxiety that may be associated with the onset of alcohol use in middle school students, and whether the relationship differs by sex and grade. Students in the seventh and eighth grades (N = 2,621) completed the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents and a measure of lifetime drinking via schoolwide surveys. Distinct aspects of social anxiety were associated with higher and lower rates of onset of alcohol use. A high level of fear of negative evaluation was associated with drinking initiation in boys and girls, while girls who reported no social anxiety or distress in new situations were more likely than other groups to have started drinking by early adolescence. Youths with either very low or very high levels of generalized anxiety had higher rates of drinking than youths with scores in between. These findings suggest that the relationship between social anxiety and initiation of alcohol use is complex and varies by type of anxiety symptomatology.
Nonoperative Management of Pediatric Grade 1 Open Fractures With Less Than a 24-Hour Admission

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the results of nonoperative management of pediatric grade 1 open fractures treated either in the emergency room only or with a less than 24-hour admission. Methods: A retrospective chart review was done on all patients with this type of injury who were treated by nonoperative modalities in the emergency room and who were admitted for no more than 24 hours for administration of intravenously administered antibiotics. Our population included 25 patients who were followed up until healing was confirmed clinically and radiographically. Results: One patient with persistent serosanguineous drainage from the wound site and fever was admitted for 48 hours of intravenously administered antibiotics for presumed infection. That patient went on to heal both clinically and radiographically without further complication. Therefore, our infection rate was 4.0%. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the safe nonoperative treatment of grade 1 open fractures in our pediatric population. This management eliminates any possible anesthetic risk as well as significantly decreases the cost of caring for these patients in the health care system. Level of Evidence: This study was a retrospective case series and thus is classified as level IV evidence.
Thrombomodulin Modulates the Mitogenic Response to Thrombin of Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells

Summary Thrombin interacts with its receptor and thrombomodulin on endothelial cells. We evaluated the respective roles of these two proteins on human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) growth by comparing thrombin, S195A (a mutant thrombin in which the serine of the charge stabilizing system had been replaced by alanine), and the receptor activating peptide (TRAP). Thrombin and TRAP induced DNA synthesis (half maximal cell proliferation with 5 nM and 25 μM, respectively), whereas S195A thrombin was inactive, inferring that growth is mediated through the thrombin receptor. Surprisingly, cells stimulated by TRAP exhibited a maximal proliferation twice greater than that obtained with thrombin. Combination of thrombin and TRAP resulted in a mitogenic response higher than by thrombin alone, but lower than by TRAP alone. The role of thrombomodulin was evaluated by adding an anti-thrombomodulin antibody, which prevents formation of the thrombin-thrombomodulin complex. Antibody did not interfere with cell proliferation induced by TRAP, but enhanced that induced by thrombin. We conclude that formation of the thrombin-thrombomodulin complex restrains HUVEC proliferation mediated through the thrombin receptor.
District-randomized phased implementation: strengthening the evidence base for cotrimoxazole for HIV-positive tuberculosis patients.

Will those responsible for defining the policy in Malawi or in other similar settings now feel confident to recommend the whole-scale introduction of voluntary counselling and testing with cotrimoxazole prophylaxis for HIV positive tuberculosis patients? Given the very high rates of HIV infection particularly among sputum smear-negative tuberculosis patients is it necessary to wait for the institution of voluntary counselling and testing services in all districts? Should we offer cotrimoxazole to all sputum smear-negative tuberculosis patients unless they are known to be HIV seronegative? How confident are we that it is the cotrimoxazole reducing the death rate rather than rifampicin or even the knowledge by health care staff patient and carer alike of the patients’ HIV status? How do we define the ‘clinical effectiveness’ recommended by WHO and UNAIDS? (excerpt)
A Girl with Tomboy Behavior: Lesson from Misdiagnosis in a Baby with Ambiguous Genitalia

5α-Reductase-2 deficiency is a rare 46,XY disorder of sex differentiation caused by mutations in the 5α-reductase type 2 gene. It presents at birth with variable degree of undervirilization. Here, a baby with 5α-reductase-2 deficiency and misdiagnosis of complete androgen insensitivity syndrome, female sex assignment and early gonadectomy is described. During primary school, the girl developed tomboy behavior. Molecular analysis demonstrated compound heterozygosity for 5α-reductase type 2 gene mutations (exon 2: Q126R; exon 4: H230P). This child underlines the need for adequate endocrine and genetic testing for a definite diagnosis before gender is assigned in children with ambiguous genitalia and surgical interventions are carried out. Inadequate work-up may result in inappropriate gender assignment in infancy with possible inferences on outcome.
Therapeutic effects of substances occurring in higher Basidiomycetes mushrooms: a modern perspective.

This review highlights some of the recently isolated and identified substances of higher Basidiomycetes mushrooms origin that express promising antitumor, immune modulating, cardiovascular and hypercholesterolemia, antiviral, antibacterial, and antiparasitic effects. Medicinal mushrooms have a long history of use in folk medicine. In particular, mushrooms useful against cancers of the stomach, esophagus, lungs, etc. are known in China, Russia, Japan, Korea, as well as the U.S.A. and Canada. There are about 200 species of mushrooms that have been found to markedly inhibit the growth of different kinds of tumors. Searching for new antitumor and other medicinal substances from mushrooms and to study the medicinal value of these mushrooms have become a matter of great significance. However, most of the mushroom origin antitumor substances have not been clearly defined. Several antitumor polysaccharides such as hetero-beta-glucans and their protein complexes (e.g., xyloglucans and acidic beta-glucan-containing uronic acid), as well as dietary fibers, lectins, and terpenoids have been isolated from medicinal mushrooms. In Japan, Russia, China, and the U.S.A. several different polysaccharide antitumor agents have been developed from the fruiting body, mycelia, and culture medium of various medicinal mushrooms (Lentinus edodes, Ganoderma lucidum, Schizophyllum commune, Trametes versicolor, Inonotus obliquus, and Flammulina velutipes). Both cellular components and secondary metabolites of a large number of mushrooms have been shown to effect the immune system of the host and therefore could be used to treat a variety of disease states.
Percutaneous placement of central venous catheters: comparing the anatomical landmark method with the radiologically guided technique for central venous catheterization through the internal jugular vein in emergent hemodialysis patients

Purpose: To compare the success and immediate complication rates of the anatomical landmark method (group 1) and the radiologically (combined real-time ultrasound and fluoroscopy) guided technique (group 2) in the placement of central venous catheters in emergent hemodialysis patients. Material and Methods: The study was performed prospectively in a randomized manner. The success and immediate complication rates of radiologically guided placement of central venous access catheters through the internal jugular vein (n = 40) were compared with those of the anatomical landmark method (n = 40). The success of placement, the complications, the number of passes required, and whether a single or double-wall puncture occurred were also noted and compared. Results: The groups were comparable in age and sex. The indication for catheter placement was hemodialysis access in all patients. Catheter placement was successful in all patients in group 2 and unsuccessful in 1 (2.5%) patient in group 1. All catheters functioned adequately and immediately after the placement (0% initial failure rate) in group 2, but 3 catheters (7.5% initial failure rate) were non-functional just after placement in group 1. The total number of needle passes, double venous wall puncture, and complication rate were significantly lower in group 2. Conclusion: Percutaneous central venous catheterization via the internal jugular vein can be performed by interventional radiologists with better technical success rates and lower immediate complications. In conclusion, central venous catheterization for emergent dialysis should be performed under both real-time ultrasound and fluoroscopic guidance.
Multi-centers cooperative estimation based fast spectrum sensing

To reduce the huge consumption of traditional sensing, a multi-centers estimation based sensing scheme is proposed in this paper. Firstly, all potential channels are clustered into highly related groups with some channels selected as detecting channels (DCs) using an unsupervised algorithm. In each group, the states of other channels (estimated channels, ECs) are estimated according to their correlations with the DCs and the dependence on history to save sensing time. Specifically, number of groups (Ng) and number of DCs in each group (NDC) can be adjusted jointly to improve sensing performance. Moreover, two Hidden Markov Model (HMM) based estimation methods, namely joint estimation (JE) and cooperative estimation (CE), are formulated. In JE, the DCs are modeled as the observed vectors and utilized jointly to estimate ECs' states. While in CE, each DC estimates ECs' states separately and a weight-based cooperative algorithm is designed to merge their results. Tested with real-world measurement data, results show the reduced sensing consumption is considerable at the expense of slight sensing accuracy loss. On these bases, it is significant to note that NdC should be adjusted according to sensing consumption to optimize performance.
Pattern and clinical characteristics of firearm injuries.

OBJECTIVE To determine the pattern and characteristics of patients admitted with firearm injuries (FAIs) and establish the morbidity and mortality associated with these injuries. DESIGN Retrospective cross-sectional study. SETTING Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), January 2004 to December 2005. SUBJECTS All patients admitted with physically evident firearm injury. RESULTS There were a total of 717 patients recorded with FAIs constituting 0.6% of the total number of patients seen in the casualty. Of these, 421 (58.7%) were admitted and treated as in- patients. A firearm was used in 6.7% of the 6300 assault cases recorded in 2004 and in 9.7% of the 3079 cases recorded in 2005. The increase from 6.7% in 2004 to 9.7% in 2005 was statistically significant (p < 0.05). There were 370 (87.9%) males and 49 (11.6%) females giving a male to female ratio of 7.5:1. The mean age was 29.7 +/- 10.9 years with a range of 3 to 66 years. At least 262 (62.2%) of the 421 admitted FAI casualties were treated under general anaesthesia (GA). The average duration of operation per patient was 2 +/- 1.5 hours. CONCLUSION FAIs are on the increase and affect all age groups but is largely a disease of a young male adult in the 3rd and 4th decade of life. Mortality is higher with increasing age while female victims are fewer but on average six years younger than males. The lower extremities are the commonest target among the survivors. However, abdominal wounds tend to be the most lethal, accounting for greater mortality.
A Regulatory Light Chain of Ciliary Outer Arm Dynein inTetrahymena thermophila *

Ciliary beat frequency is primarily regulated by outer arm dyneins (22 S dynein). Chilcote and Johnson (Chilcote, T. J., and Johnson, K. A. (1990)J. Biol. Chem. 256, 17257–17266) previously studied isolated Tetrahymena 22 S dynein, identifying a protein p34, which showed cAMP-dependent phosphorylation. Here, we characterize the molecular biochemistry of p34 further, demonstrating that it is the functional ortholog of the 22 S dynein regulatory light chain, p29, in Paramecium. p34, thiophosphorylated in isolated axonemes in the presence of cAMP, co-purified with 22 S dynein and not with inner arm dynein (14 S dynein). Isolated 22 S dynein containing phosphorylated p34 showed ∼70% increase in in vitro microtubule translocation velocity compared with its unphosphorylated counterpart. Extracted p34 rebound to isolated 22 S dynein from either Tetrahymena orParamecium but not to 14 S dynein from either ciliate. Binding of radiolabeled p34 to 22 S dynein was competitive with p29. Phosphorylated p34 was not present in axonemes isolated from a mutant lacking outer arms. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis followed by phosphorimaging revealed at least five phosphorylated p34-related spots, consistent with multiple phosphorylation sites in p34 or perhaps multiple isoforms of p34. These new features suggest that a class of outer arm dynein light chains including p34 regulates microtubule sliding velocity and consequently ciliary beat frequency through phosphorylation.
Histological and Ultrastructural Examinations of Porcine Tonsils

The histology and ultrastructure of porcine tonsils were studied. The porcine tonsils were lymphoepithelial organs situated at the opening of both the digestive and respiratory tracts. The tonsil of the soft palate in the oropharyngeal tract and the paraepiglottic tonsil in the laryngopharynx were mainly consisted of secondary lymphoid follicles encapsulated by connective tissue. The stratified squamous epithelia covering the tonsils and their crypts were frequently heavily infiltrated by lymphoid cells. The pharyngeal and tubal tonsils (TT) were situated in the nasopharyngeal tract. The cells of the pseudostratified columnar epithelia of the pharyngeal and TT were loosely connected, with large intercellular space. They consisted of scattered lymphoid follicles, aggregations of lymphoid cells and diffuse lymphoid tissues. Many high endothelial venules, specialized for the diapedesis of lymphoid cells into the tonsillar tissue, were detected in the four porcine tonsils. Therefore, the overall structures of the tonsils (the tonsil of the soft palate, the paraepiglottic tonsil, the pharyngeal and the TT) reflect their immune functionality in the oral and intranasal immunity. Anat Rec, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Excimer laser photorefractive keratectomy for patients with contact lens intolerance caused by dry eye.

AIMS/BACKGROUND: To evaluate epithelial wound healing and visual outcome of excimer laser photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) performed on high myopic eyes with contact lens intolerance due to dry eye. METHODS: PRK was performed on two groups of patients with non-Sjogren's dry eye: group A (-6 D to -9.5 D, 11 patients, 17 eyes) and group B (-11.5 D to -19.5 D, 11 patients, 16 eyes) in an attempt to eliminate the use of contact lenses (CL). The intended correction was full in group A and 10 D in group B. RESULTS: Uncorrected visual acuity in group A was better than 20/40 in 12 (80.0%) of 15 eyes at 6 months and in 10 (90.9%) of 11 eyes at 1 year. Fourteen (92.8%) of 17 eyes in group A and four (25.0%) of 16 eyes in group B achieved refraction within plus or minus 1 D of the intended correction at 6 months. Re-epithelialisation was complete in 4 days, and epithelial cell area and permeability returned to the preoperative level within 1 month in all cases. All patients in group A were able to eliminate CL, whereas in group B, one patient needed spectacles for residual myopia and two patients resumed CL use because of regression. One eye with severe subepithelial scar formation and one eye with macular haemorrhage were observed in group B. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that PRK is effective for patients with high myopia (-6 D to approximately -10 D) and CL intolerance due to dry eye. Further studies are required to improve predictability and to prevent complications in PRK for very high myopia (> -10 D).