Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Changes in pain intensity and health related quality of life with Iyengar yoga in nonspecific chronic low back pain: A randomized controlled study

Background: Nonspecific chronic low back (nCLBP) pain is prevalent among adult population and often leads to functional limitations, psychological symptoms, lower quality of life (QOL), and higher healthcare costs. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of Iyengar yoga therapy on pain intensity and health related quality of life (HRQOL) with nCLBP. Aim of the Study: To compare the effect of Iyengar yoga therapy and conventional exercise therapy on pain intensity and HRQOL in nonspecific chronic low back pain. Materials and Methods: Experimental study with random sampling technique. Subjects/Intervention: Sixty subjects who fulfilled the selection criteria were randomly assigned to Iyengar yoga (yoga group, n = 30) and control group (exercise group, n = 30). Participants completed low back pain evaluation form and HRQOL-4 questionnaire before their intervention and again 4 weeks and 6 month later. Yoga group underwent 29 yogic postures training and exercise group had undergone general exercise program for 4 weeks. Statistics: Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to analyze group differences over time, while controlling for baseline differences. Results: Patients in both groups experienced significant reduction in pain and improvement in HRQOL. In visual analogue scale (VAS) yoga group showed reduction of 72.81% (P = 0.001) as compared to exercise group 42.50% (P = 0.001). In HRQOL, yoga group showed reduction of 86.99% (P = 0.001) as compared to exercise group 67.66% (P = 0.001). Conclusion: These results suggest that Iyengar yoga provides better improvement in pain reduction and improvement in HRQOL in nonspecific chronic back pain than general exercise.
A critical role for chromatin in mounting a synergistic transcriptional response to GAL4-VP16

The role of chromatin in mounting a synergistic transcriptional response to GAL4-VP16 was investigated. Strong synergy was observed when chromatin templates were used in vitro. The synergy was severely reduced when naked DNA templates were transcribed. In vivo synergy was strong when nonreplicating templates were used. However, the use of replicating templates, which involved transient disruptions of chromatin, led to strong reductions in synergy. In both of these low-synergy responses, transcription levels were high. We infer that strong synergy has a requirement for chromatin that may be understood in terms of the competition between multiple activator molecules and histone cores for promoter DNA.
Position: prone or supine is the issue of percutaneous nephrolithotomy.

INTRODUCTION The prone position has been considered the only position for percutaneous access to the kidney for the past 25 years, whereas the supine Valdivia position has recently started to gain acceptance, although it was originally described in the late 1980s. Even more recently, the Galdakao-modified supine Valdivia position was described. However, there is no consensus on which is the best position for percutaneous nephrolithotomy, and the choice is currently based on the surgeon's preference. MATERIALS AND METHODS The prone, supine, and modified supine positions are described, pointing out the advantages, disadvantages, and results of each technique. RESULTS A number of potential advantages have been described for the supine over the prone position: less cardiovascular change; no need for patient repositioning (with less associated risk of central and peripheral nervous system injury); less X-ray exposure to the surgeon; and less risk of colonic injury. The recently described Galdakao-modified supine Valdivia position allows for a simultaneous anterograde and retrograde approach to the renal cavities for the one-stage treatment of complex renal stones or concurrent renal and ureteral calculi. Moreover, the use of a flexible ureteroscope allows for Endovision puncture to achieve perfect access to the kidney. CONCLUSIONS The prone position still represents the standard for percutaneous access to the kidney, and other positions should be compared with this position. However, the supine and the modified supine positions have potentially important advantages for both patients and surgeons that need to be investigated in a large randomised trial to define their superiority over the traditional prone position.
Poverty and Land Redistribution: Quasi- Experimental Evidence from South Africa's LRAD program

We estimate the impact on consumption of South Africa's Land Redistribution for Agricultural Development (LRAD) program, which provides capital and other forms of assistance to beneficiaries to enable market-assisted transfers of property rights from large landowners to the rural poor. Counterfactual outcomes are derived by screening out applicants with low probability of admission into the program, and then non-parametrically matching beneficiaries to applicants that are still in the pipeline to receive assistance. We find that land transfers associated with LRAD lead to very strong benefits for program participants. Accounting for heterogeneity in the length of exposure to the program, we estimate treatment effects of the program that peak at approximately 275 Rand per capita monthly consumption. Assuming a discount rate of 5%, this estimate translates to a discounted gain in monthly per capita consumption of about 50% after three years of exposure to the program.
Mitotic crossovers between diverged sequences are regulated by mismatch repair proteins in Saccaromyces cerevisiae

Mismatch repair systems correct replication- and recombination-associated mispaired bases and influence the stability of simple repeats. These systems thus serve multiple roles in maintaining genetic stability in eukaryotes, and human mismatch repair defects have been associated with hereditary predisposition to cancer. In prokaryotes, mismatch repair systems also have been shown to limit recombination between diverged (homologous) sequences. We have developed a unique intron-based assay system to examine the effects of yeast mismatch repair genes (PMS1, MSH2, and MSH3) on crossovers between homologous sequences. We find that the apparent antirecombination effects of mismatch repair proteins in mitosis are related to the degree of substrate divergence. Defects in mismatch repair can elevate homologous recombination between 91% homologous substrates as much as 100-fold while having only modest effects on recombination between 77% homologous substrates. These observations have implications for genome stability and general mechanisms of recombination in eukaryotes.
The role of interleukin-1 in disease.

The interleukin-1 family consists of three structurally related polypeptides. The first two are interleukin-1α and interleukin-1β, each of which has a broad spectrum of both beneficial and harmful biologic actions, and the third is interleukin-1-receptor antagonist, which inhibits the activities of interleukin-1. Among the properties of the two forms of interleukin-1 (α and β) is the ability to induce fever, sleep, anorexia, and hypotension. Interleukin-1 stimulates the release of pituitary hormones, increases the synthesis of collagenases, resulting in the destruction of cartilage, and stimulates the production of prostaglandins, leading to a decrease in the pain threshold. Interleukin-1 has also been .
The dilemma of unmodified electroconvulsive therapy.

Chittaranjan Andrade, M.D.; Nilesh Shah, D.P.M. , M.D., D.N.B.; and Prathap Tharyan, M.D., M.R. C.Psych. “It’s a small, small world. ” Although it has been many years since I first heard that Disney staple, never before has it been as true as in the current era of rapid transportation and instant communication. On a lecture tour last year to India with Max Fink, M.D., I became aware of an Indian Supreme Court case involving electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Unequaled in efficacy for the treatment of severe and psychotic depression, catatonia, and other psychotic disorders, ECT remains mired in controversy throughout the world. The following commentary by Dr. Chittaranjan Andrade and coauthors is thoughtful and illuminating. East meets West. —A.J.G.
Dystrophin‐dependent and ‐independent AQP4 pools are expressed in the mouse brain

In a recent study, we demonstrated that in the plasma membrane AQP4 is organized into several distinct large multisubunit complexes. In this study, we analysed whether these pools are similarly affected in dystrophin‐deficient mice and immunolocalized the sites of dystrophin‐dependent and ‐independent AQP4 pools. Western blot performed on two‐dimensional Blue Native/SDS‐PAGE membranes indicated that, among the AQP4 pools, it was mainly a large multisubunit complex that was specifically affected in dystrophin‐deficient mice (DP71 and mdx3cv mice). This dystrophin‐dependent AQP4 pool was immunolocalized in perivascular astrocytes, since it was found to be significantly altered in both types of dystrophin‐deficient mice. Dystrophin‐independent pools were immunolocalized in the granular cell layer of the cerebellum and in the subpial endfoot layer and ependymal cells in the brain. These data provide a better understanding on the association between AQP4 and the dystrophin‐glycoprotein complex in the central nervous system. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis

The frequency of patients diagnosed with cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) has increased due to the expanded use of noninvasive brain imaging methods. The aim of this study was to assess the correlations between the location and extent of venous sinus impairment, clinical presentation during the acute phase, recanalization, the presence of parenchymal lesions, and clinical outcome after 3 to 4 months in patients with CVST. In a retrospective study, clinical and magnetic resonance imaging data from a cohort of 51 consecutive patients with CVST (mean age 33.1 ± 15.4 years) were collected and analyzed. Good clinical outcome after 3 to 4 months, which was assessed using the modified Rankin scale, significantly negatively correlated with a thrombosis location in the left transverse, left sigmoid, or superior sagittal sinus (P = .022, P = .045, and P = .046, respectively) and positively correlated with recanalization (P = .048). The clinical outcome was significantly more favorable in the females with gender-specific risk factors than in the males (P = .029). In conclusion, successful recanalization substantially helps to achieve good clinical outcome in patients with CVST.
Modelling respiratory infection control measure effects

SUMMARY One of the most pressing issues in facing emerging and re-emerging respiratory infections is how to bring them under control with current public health measures. Approaches such as the Wells–Riley equation, competing-risks model, and Von Foerster equation are used to prioritize control-measure efforts. Here we formulate how to integrate those three different types of functional relationship to construct easy-to-use and easy-to-interpret critical-control lines that help determine optimally the intervention strategies for containing airborne infections. We show that a combination of assigned effective public health interventions and enhanced engineering control measures would have a high probability for containing airborne infection. We suggest that integrated analysis to enhance modelling the impact of potential control measures against airborne infections presents an opportunity to assess risks and benefits. We demonstrate the approach with examples of optimal control measures to prioritize respiratory infections of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), influenza, measles, and chickenpox.
Vitamin E Deficiency Neuropathy in Children with Fat Malabsorption Studies in Cystic Fibrosis and Chronic Cholestasis a

University of Colorado School of Medicine Denver, Colorado 80262 Children 's Hospital Research Foundation Cincinnati, Ohio Children's Hospital Medical Center Columbus, Ohio University of California at San Francisco School of Medicine San Francisco, California Children's Hospital Medical Center Los Angeles, California Yale University School of Medicine New Haven, Connecticut Mayo clinic Rochester, Minnesota Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons New York, New York i
Effect of apomorphine on growth hormone, prolactin, luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone levels in human serum.

ABSTRACT Apomorphine hydrochloride was administered sc to 12 adult men on 23 occasions. In doses of 0.75–1.0 mg, apomorphine-HCl increased the concentration of growth hormone (GH) in serum above 10 ng/ml in all 12 subjects; peak values occurred at 30–60 min following injection. The increase was antagonized in the 4 subjects pretreated with chlorpromazine. Apomorphine decreased serum prolactin (PRL) levels in 4 subjects but only in a dose of 1.0 or 1.5 mg; the compound failed to decrease chlorpromazineinduced elevated levels of PRL. The drug had no effect on serum LH or FSH. These results are compatible with modulation of GH secretion by a dopaminergic mechanism. Further studies are needed to determine the reliability and potential clinical usefulness of apomorphine as an agent to stimulate GH secretion.
Can habitat specialisation maintain a mosaic hybrid zone in marine bivalves

Maintaining the integrity of differentiated genomes in marine organisms needs efficient isolation mechanisms, because planktonic larval dispersion provides contacts between taxa. Habitat specialisation is interesting in this respect, because it can both prevent interspecific crosses (each taxon reproduces in its own habitat) and eliminate hybrids (typically less fit than a parental taxon in each habitat). The contact zone between smooth-shelled mussels Mytilus edulis and M. galloprovin- cialis in Europe is a good example, as allozyme genotypes typical of both taxa seem to segregate into different habitats. However, allozymes may be selected directly and it is not known whether the same pattern can be extended to the whole genome. Here, we used 6 presumably neutral PCR markers to investigate habitat specialisation, focussing on the Bay of Quiberon, a small region in the midst of the contact zone between the 2 taxa. Confirming allozyme findings, our results indicate that habitat spe- cialisation is apparent at the genomic scale, as M. edulis-like genotypes are found in sheltered or open-sea sites under freshwater influence, whereas M. galloprovincialis-like genotypes occupy exposed sites. Hybrid (or mixed) populations are found in open-sea or sheltered areas without fresh- water influence. Therefore, habitat specialisation does contribute to the interspecific barrier. How- ever, this mechanism seems insufficient to completely prevent the mixing of the 2 genomes, as mixed populations exist and provide opportunity for further hybridisation. Large gametic disequilibria within hybrid populations indicate the existence of restrictions to genetic exchange between the 2 taxa, even within a single habitat. Habitat-independent isolation mechanisms must, therefore, exist in addition.
Herbal Remedies to Treat Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety, fear and worry are all completely natural human feelings. If these feelings occur and endure for an extended period, it affects both physical and mental health. This leads to clinical anxiety disorders. There are many types of treatment available to treat anxiety disorders. This article outlines more common herbal remedies to treat anxiety disorders. Anxiety is an aversive emotional state, in which the feeling of fear is disproportionate to the threat (Weinberger, 2001). Anxiety is implicated in a number of psychiatric disorders, such as depression, panic attacks, phobias, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (Gross and Hen, 2004). Anxiety disorders are the most common class of neuropsychiatric disorders in USA (Kessler et al., 2005) and many other countries (Alonso and Lepine, 2007). The life time prevalence of panic attacks (a form of anxiety disorder) is around 7-9% in most countries and 1% alone in India with the prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder is very high i.e. 8.5% in the general population (WHO, 2001). Anxiety disorders affect 16.6% of population worldwide (Somers et al., 2006) and numerous efforts have been made to understand the pathophysiology of the disease and treatments. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR), anxiety is characterized by a feeling of persistent worry that hinders an individual’s ability to relax [Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Washington D.C.: American Psychiatric Association, 4 2000]. Anxiety disorders are described and classified in DSM and several anxiety disorders share common clinical symptoms such as widespread anxiety, physiological anxiety symptoms, and behavioral disturbances.
Viral Internal Ribosome Entry Site Elements: Novel Ribosome-RNA Complexes and Roles in Viral Pathogenesis

Viruses have multifaceted approaches to ensure that viral genome amplification can be achieved in an efficient and, in some instances, a cell-type-specific manner. To accomplish this task, some viruses encode their own polymerases which selectively amplify the viral genomes; other viruses have evolved a variety of ways to compete directly with the host cell for factors that are needed for viral gene replication and packaging (5). However, there is one piece of macromolecular machinery in the host cell for which all viruses have to compete: the ribosome. Early in infection, the viral mRNAs have to compete with the host, not so much for ribosomes, but for the limited pool of eukaryotic initiation factors (eIFs) that mediate the recruitment of ribosomes to both viral and cellular mRNAs (10). To circumvent this competition, viruses often modify certain eIFs within infected cells so that ribosomes can be recruited selectively to viral mRNAs even though only a limited repertoire of eIFs is present (2). Of course, this strategy implies that such viral mRNAs have structural features that are distinct from most polymerase II-derived host mRNAs. For example, it was a long-standing puzzle how poliovirus, a human picornavirus, can inhibit the translation of capped host cell mRNAs when translation of its own uncapped mRNA remained uninhibited. More than a decade ago, it was discovered that poliovirus, and all other picornaviruses, contain internal ribosome entry site elements, commonly abbreviated as IRES elements, in their 5′ noncoding regions that can directly recruit ribosomal 40S subunits with a reduced set of eIFs (13, 24). The cap binding protein eIF-4E is especially dispensable for IRES activity in most viral IRES-containing mRNAs. Since then, IRES elements have been detected in many positive-stranded viral RNA genomes (9). More recently, IRESs have also been identified in Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus, which contains a DNA genome. Specifically, a polycistronic transcript, found in all latently infected cells, is used to express the v-FLIP (FLICE-inhibitory protein) protein whose function is to counteract fatty acid synthase-induced apoptosis (1, 7). These findings have provided ample evidence that IRES elements have important functions in the viral life cycle, mostly to ensure efficient viral translation when components of the host translation machinery are limited due to virus-induced modification or host-induced antiviral responses, such as the phosphorylation of eIF-2 (9). In this minireview, I will discuss the surprising structural information we have obtained from studies on binary hepatitis C virus (HCV) IRES-40S complexes and the roles of specific canonical initiation and IRES-transacting factors (ITAFs) in translation initiation and in viral pathogenesis. I apologize for not mentioning and citing the many important contributions of other investigators who have made contributions in the viral IRES field. Due to space constraints in this minireview, I needed to focus on a few selected topics.
Comparison of a Commercial H1N1 Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay and Hemagglutination Inhibition Test in Detecting Serum Antibody against Swine Influenza Viruses

Recently a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit for detecting antibody against H1N1 swine influenza virus (SIV) has been made available to diagnosticians and veterinary practitioners. Because the hemagglutination inhibition (HI) test has been considered the standard test for SIV serology, diagnostic performance of the new ELISA was evaluated using positive (n = 60) and negative (n = 188) serum samples from young pigs with known status of SIV infection and compared with that of the HI test. Both ELISA and HI test identified all negative animals correctly. None of the serum samples (n = 64) from pigs inoculated with H3N2 SIV was positive by ELISA for SIV antibody. The H1N1 SIV antibody detectable by ELISA appears to develop more slowly in comparison with antibody detectable by HI test. Although antibody was detected by HI test in all inoculated animals (n = 20) by day 7 postinoculation (PI), antibody was detected by ELISA in 0%, 75%, and 100% of the inoculated animals on days 7, 14, and 28 PI, respectively. Discrepancy in test results between the 2 serologic tests appeared to be because of differences in antibody isotypes detected by each test. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay mainly detected IgG antibody, whereas the HI test detects IgM antibody very efficiently as well as IgG antibody. Collectively, the commercial ELISA is highly specific for antibody to H1N1 SIV but may not identify positive animals at the early stage of infection as effectively as the HI test, particularly when SIV is introduced to a naïve swine population.
Craniocervical Extension Improves the Specificity and Predictive Value of the Mallampati Airway Evaluation

BACKGROUND: The modified Mallampati (MMP) classification is a standard airway examination that assesses mouth opening and structures within the oral cavity. Recent data suggest that maximal mouth opening (as measured by interdental distance) is possible only with extension of the craniocervical junction. Because the MMP examination is performed with the head in a neutral position, the airway may appear worse because of submaximal interdental distance. We hypothesized that adding craniocervical extension to the MMP would allow for greater mouth opening, lower scores, and less false positives than the traditional MMP examination. METHODS: Multiple clinicians with at least 1 yr of airway experience evaluated adult airways (n = 60) with the MMP examination (with head in neutral position). The same examination was then repeated with the addition of craniocervical extension (Extended Mallampati Score, EMS). RESULTS: On average, craniocervical extension decreased the MMP class (P < 0.002). The EMS improved specificity from 70% to 80% and positive predictive value from 24% to 31% when compared with the traditional MMP. The sensitivity (83%) was the same for MMP and EMS. CONCLUSIONS: Craniocervical extension improves the specificity and positive predictive value of the MMP airway evaluation while retaining sensitivity of the traditional MMP examination. The introduction of the EMS into clinical practice should be considered.
Comorbidity of ADHD and Dyslexia

Comorbidity of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and reading disorder (RD) is frequent. Comorbid subjects show a neuropsychological profile characterized by failure of various cognitive functions with an additive-effect that can determine more severe functional deficits. Comorbid RD may be a marker for a group of children with ADHD with more severe cognitive deficits, and a worse neuropsychological, academic, and behavioral outcome. The article focuses on the link between RD and ADHD from an epidemiological, genetic, neurofunctional, neuropsychological, and therapeutic perspective and summarizes the characteristics of the comorbid phenotype.