Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Obtaining informed consent in Bangladesh.

To the Editor: Informed consent is essential for research involving human subjects. However, little is known about whether researchers manage to communicate to potential study participants the required information as outlined in the Helsinki Declaration.1 The potential participants in a developing country may be illiterate and may have limited experience with medical care and research. The researchers' communication skills are particularly important in such situations.2 Only a few empirical studies have addressed this issue.3 We studied informed consent among pregnant women participating in a community-based study of iron supplementation. The study was conducted in rural Bangladesh in 1998 and involved .
Uterine fibroids: A clinical review

This review discusses recent advances in the understanding of the aetiology of these tumours, their major clinical features and both their medical and surgical management. Special attention is given to medical advances using luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) analogues, and new surgical techniques of laser and hysteroscopic resection.
The efficacy of inactivated Escherichia coli autogenous vaccines against the E. coli peritonitis syndrome in layers

ABSTRACT Autogenous Escherichia coli vaccines to prevent the E. coli peritonitis syndrome (EPS) in laying hens are often used in the field, although their effectiveness has not been demonstrated yet. Therefore, in this study, which consisted of two experiments, their efficacy was assessed. In the first experiment, the EPS-inducing ability of three E. coli isolates originating from bone marrow of hens that died due to EPS and with different Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis patterns, was examined by intravenous inoculation of the isolates in 17-week-old brown layers. Based on the results one isolate was chosen for the preparation of the vaccines and for homologous challenge and another one for heterologous challenge performed in the second experiment. In the named experiment, groups of laying hens which had been vaccinated intramuscularly at 14 and 18 weeks of age with inactivated vaccine either formulated as aqueous suspension or as water-in-oil emulsion were homologously or heterologously challenged per aerosol at 30 weeks of age. The vaccines contained ≥108.2 formaldehyde-inactivated colony-forming units (cfu) of E. coli per hen dose in 0.5 ml. The estimated E. coli challenge dose uptake ranged from 105.8 to 106.5 cfu per hen. Groups consisted of 18 hens each and were housed in separate isolators from 27 weeks of age. Control groups were included in this experiment, which was ended eight days after challenge. Vaccinations had no effect on body growth and both vaccine types induced (almost) complete protection against homologous challenge, while protection against heterologous challenge was inconclusive.
Coenzyme Q(10) in male infertility: physiopathology and therapy.

Both the bioenergetic and the antioxidant role of CoQ(10) suggest a possible involvement in sperm biochemistry and male infertility. CoQ(10) can be quantified in seminal fluid, where its concentration correlates with sperm count and motility. It was found that distribution of CoQ(10) between sperm cells and seminal plasma was altered in varicocele patients, who also presented a higher level of oxidative stress and lower total antioxidant capacity. The effect of vericocelectomy on partially reversing these biochemical abnormalities is discussed. The redox status of coenzyme Q(10) in seminal fluid was also determined: an inverse correlation was found between ubiquinol/ubiquinone ratio and hydroperoxide levels and between this ratio and the percentage of abnormal sperm forms. After the first in vitro observations CoQ(10) was administered to infertile patients affected by idiopathic asthenozoospermia, originally in an open label study and then in three randomized placebo-controlled trials; doses were around 200-300 mg/day and treatment lasted 6 months. A significant increase in the concentration of CoQ(10) was found, both in seminal plasma and sperm cells. Treatment also led to a certain improvement in sperm motility. In one of the studies there was also a decrease in plasma levels of follicle stimulating horhone (FSH) and luteinizine horhone (LH). Administration of CoQ(10) may play a positive role in the treatment of asthenozoospermia, possibly related to not only to its function in the mitochondrial respiratory chain but also to its antioxidant properties. Further studies are needed in order to determine whether there is also an effect on fertility rate.
Cord blood mononuclear cells prevent neuronal apoptosis in response to perinatal asphyxia in the newborn lamb

Asphyxia at the time of birth is a significant cause of death or disability in newborns. There is very limited treatment available for these newborns. Autologous umbilical cord blood (UBC) mononuclear cells reduce clinical markers of brain damage following perinatal asphyxia. Autologous UBC mononuclear cells reduce neuroinflammation and neuronal apoptosis within the brain following perinatal asphyxia. Autologous UBC mononuclear cells administered 12 h after perinatal asphyxia are neuroprotective, and a well‐tolerated and feasible treatment for infants following hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy.
Role of carica Papaya Leaf Product in Improving the Platelet Count in Patients with Dengue Fever

BACKGROUND: Dengue is one of the most important arthropod-borne viral infection of humans in terms of both illness and death. Millions of people are vulnerable to dengue(Estimated 50-100 million per year). Dengue is caused by Dengue virus(DENV)1-4 through AedesAegyptimosquitoe as the predominant vector. It is important torecognise and differentiate the clinical signs and symptoms, alterations in the laboratory parameters in Dengue Fever. Decrease in platelet count is an important finding that develops later after the febrile episode. The treatment of Dengue feveris mainly supportive and symptomatic. No specific treatment is available for dengue associated thrombocytopenia. In several Asian countries Carica Papaya has been used extensively for improving platelet count. AIM: To evaluate the effect of carica papaya leaf extract on platelet count in patients of dengue fever with thrombocytopenia. METHODS: 100 cases of confirmed dengue infection were studied. The subjects were randomized in to two groups,control and study group. Cases were followed-up daily for the clinical and laboratory parameters.They were managed according to the standard guidelines. Study group received Carica papaya leaf extract 500mg three times daily for five days and control group received placebo capsules in same frequency. Platelet count of both the groups were monitored daily and compared. RESULTS:The result showed that there was a significant increase (p<0.01) in platelet count in study group as compared to the control group. Thrombocytopenia associated complications were minimal in study group than the control group. Need for platelet transfusion was less in study group than control group. CONCLUSION: The study concluded that use of Carica papaya leaf extract in patients with thrombocytopenia has improved the platelet count significantly and helped in preventing the complications associated with thrombocytopenia.
Insertion/deletion polymorphism in the angiotensin-converting enzyme gene in myocardial infarction survivors.

INTRODUCTION Insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene influenced the plasma concentration of the ACE, and is D allele have been repetitively suggested as a risk factor for myocardial infarction (MI). MATERIAL AND METHODS Two hundert thirty six male myocardial infarction survivors under 65 years and with body mass index and total plasma cholesterol levels under 95% of the Czech population were included in the study. As control group, 302 male controls (1% randomly selected group from the Czech population) were genotyped. I/D polymorphism in the ACE gene was determined using polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS The prevalence of the I/I, I/D and D/D genotypes was 0.218, 0.494 and 0.288, in the control group, and 0.178, 0.538 and 0.284, in the myocardial survivors, respectively. The male Czech population has the similar frequency of insertion and deletion alleles compared to other Caucasian populations. The frequencies of the alleles and genotypes of the ACE gene did not differ significantly between MI survivors and a control sample of the Czech population. CONCLUSION It was shown that the I/D polymorphism in the gene for ACE is not a genetic risk factor for myocardial infarction in the Czech population.
Retinal Circuitry Balances Contrast Tuning of Excitation and Inhibition to Enable Reliable Computation of Direction Selectivity

Feedforward (FF) inhibition is a common motif in many neural networks. Typically, excitatory inputs drive both principal neurons and interneurons; the interneurons then inhibit the principal neurons, thereby regulating the strength and timing of the FF signal. The interneurons introduce a likely nonlinear processing step that could distort the excitation/inhibition (E/I) ratio in the principal neuron, potentially degrading the reliability of computation in the circuit. In the retina, FF inhibition is an essential feature of the circuitry underlying direction selectivity (DS): glutamatergic bipolar cells (BCs) provide excitatory input to direction-selective ganglion cells (DSGCs) and GABAergic starburst amacrine cells (SACs), and the SACs then provide FF inhibition onto DSGCs. Robust DS computation requires a consistent synaptic E/I ratio in the DSGC in various visual conditions. Here, we show in mouse retina that the E/I ratio is maintained in DSGCs over a wide stimulus contrast range due to compensatory mechanisms in the diverse population of presynaptic BCs. BC inputs to SACs exhibit higher contrast sensitivity, so that the subsequent nonlinear transformation in SACs reduces the contrast sensitivity of FF inhibition to match the sensitivity of direct excitatory inputs onto DSGCs. Measurements of light-evoked responses from individual BC synaptic terminals suggest that the distinct sensitivity of BC inputs reflects different contrast sensitivity between BC subtypes. Numerical simulations suggest that this network arrangement is crucial for reliable DS computation. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Properly balanced excitation and inhibition are essential for many neuronal computations across brain regions. Feedforward inhibition circuitry, in which a common excitatory source drives both the principal cell and an interneuron, is a typical mechanism by which neural networks maintain this balance. Feedforward circuits may become imbalanced at low stimulation levels, however, if the excitatory drive is too weak to overcome the activation threshold in the interneuron. Here we reveal how excitation and inhibition remain balanced in direction selective ganglion cells in the mouse retina over a wide visual stimulus range.
Öğretmen Adaylarının Öğretim Elemanlarının Demokratik Davranışlarına İlişkin Algıları (Kars İli Örneği)

Cagin gereklerine uygun ve nitelikli insan gucunun temellerini atan ogretmenlerinyetistirilmesi surecinde hazirlanan donanimli ogrenme ortamlarinda ogretimelamanlarinin ogretmen adaylarina karsi tutumlari arzu edilen ogretmen ozelliklerinin olusmasini saglayabilir. Davies (1999) demokratik bir yasam anlayisininolusabilmesi,egitim sistemlerinin ve ortamlarinin demokratik olusuna baglamaktadir.Ogrenme ortaminin fiziki, sosyal, psikolojik, teknik ozellikleri istendikdavranislarin olusmasinda buyuk bir role sahip oldugu aciktir. Gunumuz ogretmen egitiminde amac; ozgur dusunebilen, ogrenme sorumluluklari alabilen, ogrenme ortamlarinda katilimci rol ustlenen, elestiriler yapabilen ve elestirilere acik olabilen,ogrendikleri arasinda neden-sonuc iliskisi kurabilen ve ogrendiklerini sorgulayabilen,bilgiyi yaratici bicimde kullanabilen, ogrendiklerini yansitabilen, ogrendikleriyle problem cozebilen, demokratik tutum ve davranislari kazanmis iyi donanimli ogretmenadaylari yetistirmektir. Egitim fakultelerinde ozellikle isi "ogretmen yetistirmek" olanogretim elemanlarinin da oncelikle ogretmen adaylarina kazandiracaklari bu ozelikleri kendilerinde bulundurmalari gerekmektedir (Şen ve Erisen, 2002). Bu noktadan hareketle arastirmada, ogretim elemanlarinin demokratik tutumlarina iliskin ogretmen adaylarinin algilari tespit edilmeye calisilmistir. Bu arastirmanin amaci ise ogretmen egitiminde olusturulan ogrenme ortamlarindaogretim elemanlarinin demokratik tutumlarinin tespitini yaparak cesitli degiskenleracisindan farklilasip farklilasmadigini belirlemektir.Arastirmanin yontemi, “Ogretim Elemanlarinin Demokratik Tutumlarina IliskinOgretmen Adaylarinin Algilamalari (Kars Il Ornegi)” belirlemek amaciyla taramayontem kullanilmistir. Tarama yontemi; olaylarin, objelerin, varliklarin, kurumlarin,gruplarin ve cesitli alanlarin ne oldugunu betimlemeye ve aciklamaya calisan,incelemelerdir. Bunlar nedir? sorusuna cevap bulmaya yoneliktirler. Bu arastirmadagenel tarama modeli kullanilmistir.Arastirmanin calisma grubunu 2010-2011 akademik yili bahar yariyilinda Kafkas Universitesi Egitim Fakultesi’ndeki Sinif Ogretmenligi, Sosyal Bilgiler Ogretmenligi, Turkce Ogretmenligi, Okul Oncesi Ogretmenligi ve Fen Bilgisi Ogretmenliginde 1. , 2. ,3. ve 4. siniflarina kayitli olan 1700 ogretmen adayi olusturmaktadir. Veri toplamada, Duman ve Koc (2004) tarafindan hazirlanan “Ogretim Elemanlarinin Demokratik Tutum ve Davranislarina Iliskin Ogretmen Adaylarinin Algilamalari” anket formu kullanilmistir. Likert tipinde hazirlanan anket iki bolumden olusmaktadir. Birinci bolumde ogretmen adayi ve ogretim elemanlarina iliskin demografik ozellikler yeralirken, ikinci bolumde ogretim elemanlarinin demokratik tutum ve davranislari ne duzeyde gosterdiklerine yonelik ifadeler yer almaktadir. Olcme aracindan elde edilen verilerin analizinde SPSS18.00 istatistik analiz programinda veri girisi yapilarak arastirma problem tespiti icin degiskenlerin ozelliklerine gore analizler yapilmistir. Anahtar Sozcukler: Ogretmen egitimi, demokratik egitim, demokratik tutum.
Reprimo tissue-specific expression pattern is conserved between zebrafish and human

Reprimo (RPRM), a member of the RPRM gene family, is a tumor-suppressor gene involved in the regulation of the p53-mediated cell cycle arrest at G2/M. RPRM has been associated with malignant tumor progression and proposed as a potential biomarker for early cancer detection. However, the expression and role of RPRM, as well as its family, are poorly understood and their physiology is as yet unstudied. In this scenario, a model system like the zebrafish could serve to dissect the role of the RPRM family members in vivo. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that RPRM and RPRML have been differentially retained by most species throughout vertebrate evolution, yet RPRM3 has been retained only in a small group of distantly related species, including zebrafish. Herein, we characterized the spatiotemporal expression of RPRM (present in zebrafish as an infraclass duplication rprma/rprmb), RPRML and RPRM3 in the zebrafish. By whole-mount in situ hybridization (WISH) and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), we demonstrate that rprm (rprma/rprmb) and rprml show a similar spatiotemporal expression profile during zebrafish development. At early developmental stages rprmb is expressed in somites. After one day post-fertilization, rprm (rprma/rprmb) and rprml are expressed in the notochord, brain, blood vessels and digestive tube. On the other hand, rprm3 shows the most unique expression profile, being expressed only in the central nervous system (CNS). We assessed the expression patterns of RPRM gene transcripts in adult zebrafish and human RPRM protein product in tissue samples by RT-qPCR and immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining, respectively. Strikingly, tissue-specific expression patterns of the RPRM transcripts and protein are conserved between zebrafish and humans. We propose the zebrafish as a powerful tool to elucidate the both physiological and pathological roles of the RPRM gene family.
Latency and relative frequency of response in psychophysical discrimination.

The relation between response latency and probability is discussed with particular reference to differences between mean times for correct and incorrect responses in difficult two-choice discriminations. The predictions of some finite Markov chain models for this situation are considered, and possible modifications of these simple systems which may bring about features of observed data are discussed. Some results, in the form of curves of the latency—probability relation, are presented from earlier work and new discrimination experiments. These data are discussed in relation to theoretical interpretations based on a particular stochastic model which describes psychophysical discrimination in terms of the accumulation of units contributing to the overt response.
Choice and control as experienced by Chinese and Scottish childbearing women in Scotland.

OBJECTIVE to provide some insights as to how women's childbearing experiences might be improved. DESIGN a qualitative comparative approach. SETTING maternity units in Scotland. METHOD two case comparison, four tape-recorded semi-structured interviews with each of ten Chinese and ten Scottish women, and one unstructured interview with 45 health workers, women's relatives and friends. This study was set against the background of existing literature and the author's personal experience as a midwife in both Chinese and Scottish societies and as a Chinese mother having her first baby in Scotland. FINDINGS the issues of 'choice' and 'control' in childbearing regulated the social relationships between women, women's bodies, their babies, health workers, obstetric technology and the wider social context. Although the Chinese and Scottish women under investigation were in Scotland, their different cultural backgrounds gave them different expectations, choices and experiences. These differences are further examples of the social and cultural construction of choice and control. CONCLUSION 'choice' and 'control' offered some new dimension for the women to achieve; for the health workers and society to facilitate a new dynamic and stimulating childbearing experience. Women's bodies' cues, their babies and their feeling of being in control could be important in the management and their experience of care.
Dynamic $R_{\mathrm {ON}}$ of GaN-on-Si Lateral Power Devices With a Floating Substrate Termination

Dynamic ON-resistance (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mathrm {R_{ON}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) of 650-V GaN-on-Si lateral power devices with a floating Si-substrate termination is investigated. Compared with the grounded substrate termination, the floating substrate could deliver smaller dynamic <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mathrm {R_{ON}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> under higher drain bias (> 400 V) switching operation, but leads to larger dynamic <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mathrm {R_{ON}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> under low-drain bias (< 400 V). The underlying physical mechanisms are explained by the tradeoff between charge storage in the Si substrate and electron trapping effect in the GaN buffer layer.
The Functional Consequences of Cross-talk between the Vitamin D Receptor and ERK Signaling Pathways Are Cell-specific*

The actions of the active metabolite of 1,25-(OH)2D3 (1,25-D) are mediated primarily by the vitamin D receptor (VDR), a member of the nuclear receptor family of ligand-activated transcription factors. Although their ligands cause transcriptional activation, many of the ligands also rapidly activate cellular signaling pathways through mechanisms that have not been fully elucidated. We find that 1,25-D causes a rapid, but sustained activation of ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase) in bone cell lines. However, the effect of ERK activation on VDR transcriptional activity was cell line-specific. Inhibition of ERK activation by the MEK inhibitor, U0126, stimulated VDR activity in MC3T3-E1 cells, but inhibited the activity in MG-63 cells as well as in HeLa cells. VDR is not a known target of ERK. We found that the ERK target responsible for reduced VDR activity in MC3T3-E1 cells is RXRα. MC3T3-E1 cells express lower levels of RXRβ and RXRγ than either HeLa or MG-63 cells. Although overexpression of RXRα in MC3T3-E1 cells increased VDR activity, U0126 further enhanced the activity. In contrast, overexpression of RXRγ stimulated VDR activity but abrogated the stimulation by U0126. Thus, although 1,25-D treatment activates ERK in many cell types, subsequently inducing changes independent of VDR, the effects of treatment with 1,25-D on the transcriptional activity of VDR are RXR isoform-specific. In cells in which RXRα is the VDR partner, the transcriptional activation of VDR by 1,25-D is attenuated by the concomitant activation of ERK. In cells utilizing RXRγ, ERK activation enhances VDR transcriptional activity.
Inhibitory effect of shRNA targeting GPR48 on invasion and metastasis of human cervical carcinoma cell line HeLa.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE GPR48 regulates invasion and metastasis of cancer cells by linking Gs protein to stimulate intracellular signaling pathway and affect actin filament aggregation and the activity of matrix metalloproteinase. This study was to explore the effects of GPR48 short hairpin RNA (shRNA) on GPR48 expression, and invasion and metastasis of cervical carcinoma cell line HeLa. METHODS Plasmids containing two different sequences of human GPR48 mRNA coding region were constructed and transfected into HeLa cells. HeLa cell clones with stable small interfering RNA (siRNA) expression were screened by neomycin resistance. The expression of GPR48 was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blot. In vitro invasive activity was measured by Boyden chamber experiment. GPR48 shRNA-transfected or untransfected HeLa cells were inoculated subcutaneously into nude mice to observe tumor growth and lung metastasis. RESULTS Compared with that in negative shRNA-transfected cells, GPR48 mRNA expression in GPR48 shRNA-transfected cells was downregulated by more than 80% and the number of HeLa cells infiltrated Boyden chamber membrane was decreased (94.4 +/- 15.7 vs. 28.3 +/- 1.5 and 17.6 +/- 1.5, p < 0.01). The depletion of endogenous GPR48 suppressed in vivo metastasis: the number of lung metastases was significantly larger in negative shRNA group than in GPR48 shRNA groups (7.3 +/- 1.8 vs. 1.3 +/- 0.3 and 1.5 +/- 0.4, p < 0.01). CONCLUSION GPR48 shRNA can inhibit in vitro invasion and in vivo metastasis of HeLa cells efficiently.
Genetic control of platelet and plasma monoamine oxidase activity.

Monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity of platelets and plasma from nine pairs of identical (MZ) twins, 11 pairs of fraternal (DZ) twins, and 20 age and sex matched control pairs was measured. Mean intrapair difference in platelet and plasma MAO activity and the variability of intrapair differences increase in the rank order MZ DZ>controls for platelet and plasma enzyme activity, and the heritability of the platelet and plasma enzyme activities are respectively 0.83 and 0.86. The distribution of platelet MAO activity is nonunimodal, indicating the possibility of genetic heterogeneity. Results indicate that genetic factors influence the activity of MAO, an enzyme which influences biogenic amine metabolism and may play a role in depression and other neuropsychiatric illnesses.