Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Anti-TNFα agents curb platelet activation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Background Cardiovascular disease is important in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Tissue factor (TF) is expressed upon platelet activation and initiates coagulation. Anti-tumour necrosis factor-α (TNFα) agents seem to decrease RA-associated cardiovascular events. We investigated whether (1) TNFα activates human platelets and (2) TNFα pharmacological blockade modulates the platelet-leucocyte reciprocal activation in RA. Design The expression of platelet TNFα receptors has been assessed by flow cytometry and immunogold electron microscopy. Platelet and leucocyte activation has been assessed also in the presence of antibodies against the TNFα receptors 1 and 2 and of infliximab. TF expression, binding to fibrinogen and phosphatidylserine exposure, has been assessed by flow cytometry, TF activity by coagulation time and by endogenous thrombin generation. Markers of platelet and leucocyte activation have been assessed in 161 subjects: 42 patients with RA, 12 with osteoarthritis, 37 age-matched and sex-matched patients with chronic stable angina and 70 age-matched and sex-matched healthy subjects. Results TNFα elicited the platelet activation and the expression of TF, which in turn prompted thrombin generation and clot formation. Inhibition of the TNFα-induced activation restricted platelet ability to activate leucocytes and to induce leucocyte TF. TNFα inhibition did not influence platelet activation induced by collagen, ADP or thrombin receptor activating peptide-6. Platelets of patients with RA were more activated than those of controls. Activation was reduced in patients treated with TNFα inhibitors. Conclusions TNFα-dependent pathways control platelet activation and TF expression in RA. Further studies will verify whether the protective effect of TNFα inhibitors on cardiovascular events involves their ability to modulate platelet function.
Oral pH-modified release budesonide for treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, collagenous and lymphocytic colitis

Background: Budesonide is a glucocorticoid with high topical glucocorticoid activity and low systemic availability. Oral pH-modified release budesonide has been investigated for the treatment of various inflammatory intestinal diseases. Objective: To summarise the investigational data of oral pH-modified release budesonide for the treatment of Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, collagenous colitis and lymphocytic colitis. Methods: Assessment of all published (full paper or meeting abstract) clinical studies with oral pH-modified release budesonide for the treatment of inflammatory intestinal diseases. Results/conclusion: Oral pH-modified release budesonide induces remission in mild-to-moderately active Crohn's disease of the ileum and/or ascending colon. This drug is useful to replace conventional systemic glucocorticoids in patients with ileocoecal Crohn's disease. Open-label studies showed efficacy in ulcerative colitis, but this finding has to be confirmed in controlled trials. Oral pH-modified release budesonide is also effective for the treatment of collagenous colitis and lymphocytic colitis.
Clinicopathologic correlation of successfully treated choroidal neovascularization lying within the notch of a large serous retinal pigment epithelial detachment.

We report the histopathologic features of a successfully treated serous retinal pigment epithelial detachment (RPED) with accompanying choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in a 74-year-old woman with agerelated macular degeneration (AMD). These findings were correlated with antemortem fluorescein and indocyanine green (ICG) angiographic studies. Histopathologic studies showed that the serous RPED represented a separation of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and its basal lamina from the remainder of the Bruch membrane with no intervening CNV. Laser photocoagulation had successfully closed the accompanying sub-RPE (Gass type 1, presumed intra-Bruch) choroidal neovascular membrane. The RPED resolved, leaving a fairly well-preserved RPE monolayer, which reapposed the Bruch membrane, allowing retention of very good vision for 21 months. Additionally, in an area of drusen resorption, only small calcific deposits remained and there was no remaining basal laminar deposit. Only a limited number of previous reports describe histopathologic correlative studies with recent fluorescein and ICG angiography in eyes with CNV associated with AMD. In this study, we report, to our knowledge, the first such case of an eye successfully treated with laser photocoagulation for a serous RPED with CNV and resorption of accompanying drusen.
Hereditary male pseudohermaphroditism associated with an unstable form of 5 alpha-reductase.

The properties of 5alpha-reductase have been compared in genital skin fibroblasts cultured from five patients from three families (Los Angeles, Dallas, and Dominican Republic) in which hereditary male pseudohermaphroditism has been established to result from deficient conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone. Despite the fact that 5alpha-reductase was immeasurable in a homogenate of epididymis removed from one of the Los Angeles patients, 5alpha-reductase activity was normal in intact fibroblasts and fibroblast extracts from both patients from the Los Angeles family. Although the apparent K(m) for testosterone was also near normal, the apparent K(m) for NADPH in these mutants is elevated some 40-fold above normal. Furthermore, the enzyme is not protected against denaturation at 45 degrees C by concentrations of NADPH that stabilize normal 5alpha-reductase, and in intact fibroblasts from these patients (but not from controls), enzyme activity decreases promptly when protein synthesis is inhibited. We conclude that the mutation in this family results in an unstable enzyme. In contrast 5alpha-reductase activity in fibroblast extracts from a patient from the Dominican Republic family is similar to that previously described in two members of the Dallas family, namely total enzyme activity is low at the optimal pH for the normal reaction, and the apparent K(m) for testosterone is some 20-fold higher than that of the controls. We conclude that the mutations in the Dallas and Dominican Republic families are similar and result in low activity of the enzyme as the result of a decreased affinity for testosterone.Thus, two distinct types of mutations can produce male pseudohermaphroditism due to deficient dihydrotestosterone formation.
EFEITOS DO PROGRAMA “P.E.S.O” (PROMOÇÃO DE ESTILO DE VIDA SAUDÁVEL NA OBESIDADE) SOBRE VARIÁVEIS ANTROPOMÉTRICAS, HEMODINÂMICAS E BIOQUÍMICAS

O estudo objetivou conhecer o efeito da pratica de atividade fisica e a orientacao dietetica sobre variaveis antropometricas, bioquimicas e hemodinâmicas em usuarios de uma Unidade Basica de Saude em Vitoria - ES. A intervencao compreendeu um programa de treinamento fisico e orientacao dietetica supervisionados por profissionais de Educacao Fisica e de Nutricao, no periodo de 11 meses e os dados foram coletados em tres momentos. A amostra final foi constituida por 14 sujeitos obesos (Indice de Massa Corporal > 30 kg/m2). Os resultados evidenciaram que houve reducao significante das variaveis antropometricas (peso corporal, IMC, percentual de gordura corporal e RCQ) e da frequencia cardiaca. As variaveis bioquimicas mostraram reducao nao significante. Concluiu que a intervencao proposta beneficiou principalmente as medidas antropometricas favorecidas pela reducao da ingestao calorica.
Effect of Age on Human Brain Serotonin (S‐1) Binding Sites

The effect of age on the binding of [3H]5‐hydroxytryptamine ([3H]5‐HT, serotonin) to postmortem human frontal cortex, hippocampus, and putamen from individuals between the ages of 19 and 100 years was studied. One high‐affinity binding site was observed in adult brains, with a mean KD of 3.7 nM and 3.2 nM for frontal cortex and hippocampus, respectively, and 9.2 nM for putamen. Decreased binding capacities (Bmax) with age were detected in frontal cortex and hippocampus. In putamen a decrease in affinity was noted. Postmortem storage did not significantly contribute to the age‐related changes. No significant sex differences were detected. [3H]5‐HT binding was also studied in brains from human neonates. The specific binding was 1.5–3 times lower than in adult frontal cortex and putamen, and Scatchard analysis suggested more than one binding site. In infant hippocampus a single binding site was observed and except for a premature individual, the binding capacity approximated adult values.
Biosurfactant production by a soil pseudomonas strain growing on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

The capacity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-utilizing bacteria to produce biosurfactants was investigated. Twenty-three bacteria isolated from a soil contaminated with petroleum wastes were able to form clearing zones on mineral salt agar plates sprayed with solutions of PAHs. Naphthalene and phenanthrene were utilized as sole substrates. Biosurfactant production was detected by surface tension lowering and emulsifying activities from 10 of these strains grown in an iron-limited salt medium supplemented with high concentrations of dextrose or mannitol, as well as with naphthalene or phenanthrene. Glycolipid determinations showed that in cultures of Pseudomonas aeruginosa 19SJ on naphthalene, the maximal productivity of biosurfactants was delayed compared with that in cultures grown on mannitol. However, when small amounts of biosurfactants and naphthalene degradation intermediates were present at the onset of the cultivation, the delay was markedly shortened. Production of biosurfactants was accompanied by an increase in the aqueous concentration of naphthalene, indicating that the microorganism was promoting the solubility of its substrate. Detectable amounts of glycolipids were also produced on phenanthrene. This is the first report of biosurfactant production resulting from PAH metabolism.
Polypharmacy : D efinitions , M easurement and S takes I nvolved Review of the L iterature and M easurement T ests

Polypharmacy, defined by the World Health Organisation as "the administration of many drugs at the same time or the administration of an excessive number of drugs" is frequent among the elderly as they often suffer from chronic diseases with concomitant pathologies. If polypharmacy is legitimate in some cases, it can also be inappropriate and in all cases carries the risk of adverse effects or drug interactions. In an ageing society such as ours, polypharmacy is a major public health issue in terms of quality and efficiency of care and health expenditures. It is thus essential to examine the definitions and measurement of polypharmacy.
Smartwatch Wearing Behavior Analysis

Smartwaches are the representative wearable or body-worn devices that provide convenient and easy information access. There is a growing body of research work on enabling novel interaction techniques and understanding user experiences of smartwatches. However, there is still lack of user experience research on wearing behaviors of smartwatches, which is critical for wearable device and service design. In this work, we investigate how college students wear smartwatches and what factors affect wearing behaviors by analyzing a longitudinal activity dataset collected from 50 smartwatch users for 203 days. Our results show that there are several temporal usage patterns and distinct groups of usage patterns. The factors affecting wearing behaviors are contextual, nuanced, and multifaceted. Our findings provide diverse design implications for improving wearability of smartwatches and leveraging smartwatches for behavioral changes.
Motivação intrinseca e extrinseca nas aulas de educação fisica

Este trabalho foi realizado com a finalidade de verificar as tendencias motivacionais (intrinseca e extrinseca) dos alunos em aulas de Educacao Fisica, entendendo-se por motivacao intrinseca, o interesse do individuo pelos aspectos inerentes a atividade e por motivacao extrinseca, executar a tarefa visando recompensas externas a ela. Pretende-se tambem verificar a relacao do motivo de realizacao destes alunos com a tendencia motivacional (intrinseca ou extrinseca) dos mesmos. O motivo de realizacao e considerado importante nas aulas de Educacao Fisica devido aos tipos de tarefas propostas, onde ha oportunidade de vencer desafios e de auto-superacao, implicando em resultados adequados a avaliacao. As tendencias deste motivo sao a expectativa de sucesso, o medo do fracasso 1 (nocao de incompetencia que o individuo tem de si mesmo) e o medo do fracasso 2 (medo das consequencias sociais do fracasso). O referencial teorico deste trabalho fundamenta a pesquisa realizada com 96 alunos de 7a e 8a series de uma escola particular de Campinas/SP, onde sao aplicados dois instrumentos de coleta de dados: um questionario (contendo questoes fechadas e abertas), e um gride de avaliacao do motivo de realizacao. Pelas caracteristicas destes instrumentos, foram necessarias analises quantitativa e qualitativa. Os resultados da pesquisa indicaram que os referidos alunos sao mais motivados intrinsecamente para as aulas de Educacao Fisica e apresentaram maior indice de medo do fracasso 2. Analisando-se as tendencias do motivo de realizacao destes alunos, foi encontrada uma maior expectativa de sucesso nos meninos, enquanto que as meninas demonstraram maior medo do fracasso 2. Nao foi verificada relacao entre as tendencias motivacionais intrinseca e extrinseca e o motivo de realizacao, contradizendo a teoria. Ambas as metodologias utilizadas demonstraram que, de modo geral, os alunos gostam das aulas de Educacao Fisica. Nota-se uma dificuldade no estabelecimento dos limites entre motivacao intrinseca e extrinseca, pois em alguns momentos o mesmo individuo mostra-se motivado intrinseca e em outros, extrinsecamente. O referencial teorico e as discussoes dos resultados da pesquisa de campo enfatizam a importância do predominio e desenvolvimento da motivacao intrinseca para a formacao do individuo, apontando sugestoes para tal. Esta e uma tarefa de co-responsabilidade entre professor e aluno Abstract
Effects of RF exposure of teenagers and adults by CDMA cellular phones

Many cellular phone provocation studies have been conducted since the question of increased health risk from extended usage of cellular phones became a social issue. Internationally, most studies have been conducted regarding the effects of GSM cellular phones on blood pressure and heart rate of adult volunteers. On the other hand, very few provocation studies have been conducted regarding the physiological effects of CDMA phones on teenagers. In this study, two volunteer groups consisting of 21 teenagers and 21 adults were exposed to 300 mW of radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic field emitted by a CDMA cellular phone for half an hour. Physiological parameters such as systolic and diastolic blood pressures, heart rate, respiration rate, and skin resistance were simultaneously measured. All the parameters for both groups were unaffected during the exposure except for decreased skin resistance of the teenager group (P < .0001). For the regrouped 23 male and 19 female subjects, all the parameters for both groups were unaffected during the exposure except for decreased skin resistance of the male subjects (P = .0026). Those resistances at 10 min after the terminated exposure returned to the resistances at rest regardless of the different groups of age and sex. Bioelectromagnetics 27:509–514, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Airway pathology in asthma

This review focuses on the major cellular and structural changes present in the airways and lung parenchyma in asthma in comparison with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in an attempt to underline the possible mechanisms contributing to airflow limitation in these two diseases. Both asthma and COPD are characterized by a thickening of the airway wall and by the presence of an inflammatory process, but the inflammatory cells infiltrating the airway wall differ between the two diseases. In asthma, the most striking feature is the eosinophilic infiltration, whereas, in COPD, it is the CD8 T‐lymphocytic infiltration of the airway wall. In the lung parenchyma, both diseases are characterized by an inflammatory process, whereas destruction and fibrosis of the alveolar walls occur in COPD but not in asthma. These cellular and structural changes may contribute to the development of airflow limitation (that characterizes both asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) by inducing either an increase in resistance or a decrease in driving pressure.
Sellars on the Function of Semantic Vocabulary

This paper examines two explanations Sellars gives, at successive stages of his career, of how semantic vocabulary (paradigmatically ‘means that … ’ and ‘is true if and only if … ’) lets us relate linguistic expressions to extra-linguistic reality. Despite their differences, both explanations reveal a distinctive pragmatist approach. According to Sellars, we do not use semantic vocabulary to describe language-world relations. Rather, our taking language to relate to the world is implicit in the moves (inferential or non-inferential) licensed by our semantic assertions. I argue that Sellars's discussions of the function of semantic vocabulary point to an overlooked position regarding the relation between the concepts of meaning and truth. According to him, the function of meaning ascriptions cannot be explained independently of the function of truth ascriptions. That is because the function of meaning ascriptions essentially involves licensing claims about the world when combined with truth ascriptions. If he is right, this poses a challenge to deflationary accounts of the function of truth talk.
The Bruss-Robertson Inequality: Elaborations, Extensions, and Applications

The Bruss-Robertson inequality gives a bound on the maximal number of elements of a random sample whose sum is less than a specified value, and the extension of that inequality which is given here neither requires the independence of the summands nor requires the equality of their marginal distributions. A review is also given of the applications of the Bruss-Robertson inequality, especially the applications to problems of combinatorial optimization such as the sequential knapsack problem and the sequential monotone subsequence selection problem.
Inhibition of Ca2+/Calmodulin–Dependent Protein Kinase Kinase 2 Stimulates Osteoblast Formation and Inhibits Osteoclast Differentiation

Bone remodeling, a physiological process characterized by bone formation by osteoblasts (OBs) and resorption of preexisting bone matrix by osteoclasts (OCs), is vital for the maintenance of healthy bone tissue in adult humans. Imbalances in this vital process result in pathological conditions including osteoporosis. Owing to its initial asymptomatic nature, osteoporosis is often detected only after the patient has sustained significant bone loss or a fracture. Hence, anabolic therapeutics that stimulate bone accrual is in high clinical demand. Here we identify Ca2+/calmodulin (CaM)‐dependent protein kinase kinase 2 (CaMKK2) as a potential target for such therapeutics because its inhibition enhances OB differentiation and bone growth and suppresses OC differentiation. Mice null for CaMKK2 possess higher trabecular bone mass in their long bones, along with significantly more OBs and fewer multinuclear OCs. In vitro, although Camkk2−/− mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) yield significantly higher numbers of OBs, bone marrow cells from Camkk2−/− mice produce fewer multinuclear OCs. Acute inhibition of CaMKK2 by its selective, cell‐permeable pharmacological inhibitor STO‐609 also results in increased OB and diminished OC formation. Further, we find phospho‐protein kinase A (PKA) and Ser133 phosphorylated form of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) response element binding protein (pCREB) to be markedly elevated in OB progenitors deficient in CaMKK2. On the other hand, genetic ablation of CaMKK2 or its pharmacological inhibition in OC progenitors results in reduced pCREB as well as significantly reduced levels of its transcriptional target, nuclear factor of activated T cells, cytoplasmic (NFATc1). Moreover, in vivo administration of STO‐609 results in increased OBs and diminished OCs, conferring significant protection from ovariectomy (OVX)‐induced osteoporosis in adult mice. Overall, our findings reveal a novel function for CaMKK2 in bone remodeling and highlight the potential for its therapeutic inhibition as a valuable bone anabolic strategy that also inhibits OC differentiation in the treatment of osteoporosis.
Evidence of a dose-response relationship between urbanicity during upbringing and schizophrenia risk.

BACKGROUND Many studies have demonstrated that an urban birth or upbringing increases schizophrenia risk, but no studies have been able to distinguish between these effects. The objectives of this study were to discriminate the effect of urbanicity at birth from an effect of urbanicity during upbringing, and to identify particularly vulnerable age periods and a possible dose-response relationship between urbanicity during upbringing and schizophrenia risk. METHODS Using data from the Danish Civil Registration System, we established a population-based cohort of 1.89 million people, which included information on place of birth, place of residence during upbringing, and the accumulated number of years lived in each category of the 5-level degree of urbanization during upbringing. Schizophrenia in cohort members and mental illness in a parent or sibling were identified by linkage with the Danish Psychiatric Central Register. RESULTS Individuals living in a higher degree of urbanization than 5 years earlier had a 1.40-fold (95% confidence interval, 1.28-1.51) increased risk, while individuals living in a lower degree of urbanization than 5 years earlier had a 0.82-fold (95% confidence interval, 0.77-0.88) decreased risk of schizophrenia. For fixed urbanicity at the 15th birthday, risk increased with increasing degree of urbanization at birth. Furthermore, the more years lived in the higher the degree of urbanization, the greater the risk. Individuals who lived their first 15 years in the highest category of the 5-level urbanicity had a 2.75-fold (95% confidence interval, 2.31-3.28) increased risk of schizophrenia. CONCLUSION Continuous, or repeated, exposures during upbringing that occur more frequently in urbanized areas may be responsible for the association between urbanization and schizophrenia risk.
Authoritative School Climate, Number of Parents at Home, and Academic Achievement

School climate is widely recognized as an important factor in promoting student academic achievement. The current study investigated the hypothesis that a demanding and supportive school climate, based on authoritative school climate theory, would serve as a protective factor for students living with 1 or no parents at home. Using a statewide sample of 56,508 middle school students from 415 public schools in 1 state, results indicated that student perceptions of disciplinary structure, academic demandingness, and student support all had positive associations with student self-reported grade point average (GPA). In addition, findings showed that academic expectations and student support were more highly associated with GPA for students not living with any parent. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.