Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The influence of social determinants on sexual risk among out-of-school African American female adolescents

Formative research was conducted to understand the social determinants of HIV risk among African American female adolescents as part of a systematic adaptation of an evidence-based behavioral HIV prevention intervention, the Women’s CoOp. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted between November 2008 and April 2009 with 20 African American female adolescents aged 16–18 who reported engaging in sex, using alcohol or other drugs, and dropping out of school. All interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and coded for key themes and emergent content patterns. The findings indicate that while female adolescents are knowledgeable about HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), myriad social factors relate to their level of risk. Interpersonal relationships, primarily with older boyfriends and friends, played a pivotal role in their decision-making regarding sex risk behavior, substance use, and educational attainment. A lack of viable employment opportunities, exacerbated by the lack of a high school education, resulted in some young women trading sex to make money. In addition, violence, victimization, and gang involvement are pervasive in their communities. Out-of-school African American female adolescents face a plethora of issues that are directly and indirectly related to their sex risk behaviors and consequently their HIV/STI risk. To reach a vulnerable population disproportionately affected by HIV and other STIs, these factors must be addressed in prevention interventions, when feasible. The findings were incorporated into the intervention adaptation that is currently being tested in a randomized controlled trial.
Effect of adding extracted hesperetin, naringenin and pectin on egg cholesterol, serum traits and antioxidant activity in laying hens

In this study three feed additives (hesperetin, naringenin and pectin) for laying hens were investigated on their influence on the egg yolk cholesterol, serum traits and antioxidant activities in hens. Additives were extracted from citrus and grapefruit peels and contained 31.5% crude hesperetin, 39% crude naringenin and 60% galacturonic acid (pectin). Eighty 30-week-old Leghorn laying hens were randomly assigned to four groups and received, for two months, a control diet or diets with 0.05% hesperetin, 0.05% naringenin or 0.5% pectin. All additives reduced the egg yolk cholesterol level significantly. Feeding diets with added flavonoids (hesperetin and naringenin) increased the yolk weight and the ratio of yolk weight/egg weight and the blood serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was elevated. Total antioxidation capacity, the level of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances and superoxide scavenging capacity in the naringenin group were greater than in the control group. Supplemented flavonoids reduced the serum cholesterol level significantly, while serum triglyceride concentration in the naringenin and pectin groups was reduced. Addition of flavonoids resulted in an enhanced cholesterol level in excreta. The results of this study indicated that intake of hesperetin, naringenin and pectin extracted from citrus and grapefruit peel in laying hens diet, may exhibit positive effects.
Category specificity in the medial temporal lobe: A systematic review

Theoretical accounts of medial temporal lobe (MTL) function ascribe different functions to subregions of the MTL including perirhinal, entorhinal, parahippocampal cortices, and the hippocampus. Some have suggested that the functional roles of these subregions vary in terms of their category specificity, showing preferential coding for certain stimulus types, but the evidence for this functional organization is mixed. In this systematic review, we evaluate existing evidence for regional specialization in the MTL for three categories of visual stimuli: faces, objects, and scenes. We review and synthesize across univariate and multivariate neuroimaging studies, as well as neuropsychological studies of cases with lesions to the MTL. Neuroimaging evidence suggests that faces activate the perirhinal cortex, entorhinal cortex, and the anterior hippocampus, while scenes engage the parahippocampal cortex and both the anterior and posterior hippocampus, depending on the contrast condition. There is some evidence for object‐related activity in anterior MTL regions when compared to scenes, and in posterior MTL regions when compared to faces, suggesting that aspects of object representations may share similarities with face and scene representations. While neuroimaging evidence suggests some hippocampal specialization for faces and scenes, neuropsychological evidence shows that hippocampal damage leads to impairments in scene memory and perception, but does not entail equivalent impairments for faces in cases where the perirhinal cortex remains intact. Regional specialization based on stimulus categories has implications for understanding the mechanisms of MTL subregions, and highlights the need for the development of theoretical models of MTL function that can accommodate the differential patterns of specificity observed in the MTL.
Supplementation of L-carnitine in pigs: Absorption of carnitine and effect on plasma and tissue carnitine concentrations

This study was performed to investigate the bioavailability of carnitine supplements and their effects on the carnitine status of pigs. Seven groups of young pigs with an average body weight of 10 kg were fed a basal diet or the same diets supplemented with 25, 50, 100, 200, 500 or 1000 mg of L-carnitine per kg for 20 days. Absorption rate of the supplemented carnitine in the small intestine, assessed by the use of titanium dioxide as an indigestible indicator, was greater than 95% for the lower doses (25, 50, 100 mg/kg) and greater than 90% for the higher doses (200, 500, 1000 mg/kg). Supplementation of carnitine caused a dose-dependent increase of free carnitine, acetyl and total carnitine concentrations in plasma, liver, kidney, heart and skeletal muscle. At the highest dose of 1000 mg/kg, plasma and tissue total carnitine concentrations were 3- to 6-fold higher than in the unsupplemented control group. In conclusion, the present study shows that young pigs have a high capacity to absorb carnitine from the diet. It is also shown that plasma and tissue carnitine concentrations in young pigs can be markedly increased by supplementation of carnitine.
Effect of dietary phytate and phytase on proteolytic digestion and growth regulation of broilers

This study was designed to investigate the effect of dietary phytate and phytase on proteolytic digestion and growth signalling in the gastrointestinal tract of broilers. Diets containing phytate phosphorus (2.2 or 4.4 g/kg) with phytase dose rates of 0, 500, or 1,000 FTU/kg were fed to 504 female Cobb chicks for three weeks. Diets containing high phytate reduced the activity of pepsin and trypsin, whereas the inclusion of microbial phytase increased the activity of pepsin, H+K+-ATPase, trypsin and alanyl aminopeptidase. In the intestine, phytate upregulated the mRNA expression of somatostatin, and down-regulated the mRNA expressions of ghrelin and target of rapamycin (TOR). Phytase down regulated the somatostatin gene, and upregulated the genes of ghrelin, TOR, p70 S6 kinase (S6K) and methionyl aminopeptidase. Significant interactions between phytate and phytase on the mRNA expressions of ghrelin, somatostatin and S6K in the jejunum were detected. The results suggest that dietary phytate and phytase can influence the gastrointestinal endocrine and exocrine systems, as well as the peripherally regulatory network of growth in broilers.
Gingival Hyperplasia Caused by Nifedipine

Thirty-four cardiac patients, treated with nifedipine (Adalat, Procardia) during a period of 1 year or more, developed slight to severe gingival epithelial hyperplasia, and five cases presented nodular overgrowth of the gingiva. In terms of histopathologic and clinical morphology, nifedipine-induced gingival hyperplasia is similar to that known to be caused by Phenytoin (Dilantin). Both drugs have the ability to alter calcium metabolism. We believe that the hyperplastic condition is related to calcium imbalance.
Study of Association of C- Reactive Protein with Coronary Collateral Development.

Background: In vitro studies have shown that C-reactive protein (CRP) attenuates nitric oxide production and inhibits angiogenesis, which may result in impaired collateral development. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between CRP levels and the extent of coronary collaterals. Materials and methods: A total of 100 patients who had a stenosis of >95% in any major coronary artery in angiograms were included in the study. The CRP was measured from a venous blood sample with a high-sensitivity assay. Collaterals of the epicardial coronary arteries were then studied and graded in a scale of 0 - 3 according to Rentrop classification. Results: Mean age was 49.6 years and 86% were male. The mean CRP level was found 15.57 ±12.85 mg/L in grade 0 (n =25 ), 11.38± 11.11 mg/L in grade I( n=20 ), 9.22± 10.15 mg/L in grade II ( n=34 ) and 8.97±8.44 mg/L in grade III (n =21) collateral group. The mean CRP values reduced significantly (p<0.05) as the Rentrop collateral grade increased which indicated that patients with a higher grade of collaterals significantly had less CRP. Subjects with a higher grade of collaterals were significantly less likely to have diabetes mellitus [odds ratio (OR): 0.53, 95%; CI: 0.13, 0.91] or acute coronary syndrome [ odds ratio (OR) :0.67 , 95%; CL 0.43, 0.95] or higher CRP values [odds ratio (OR) 0.56 per 10 unit increase, 95%; CL 0.22, 0.92] but they were more likely to have higher number of vessels with significant stenosis [odds ratio (OR) : 1.59 ; 95% CI: 1.34, 1.87]. After adjusting for age, gender, clinical presentation with acute coronary syndrome, diabetes mellitus and the number of vessels with significant stenosis, each 10-unit increase in CRP values corresponded to 39% reduced- odds of having a higher collateral grade ( OR: 0.61, 95%: CL0.1 1,0.68). Conclusion: It may be concluded that elevated levels of CRP are significantly and inversely associated with angiographically visible coronary collateral development assessed by Rentrop classification. Keywords: Coronary artery disease; C-reactive protein; Coronary colletarals DOI: 10.3329/cardio.v3i1. 6423 Cardiovasc. j. 2010; 3(1): 26-32
Investigations on the kinetics of the concentration of deoxynivalenol (DON) and on spoilage by moulds and yeasts of wheat grain preserved with sodium metabisulfite (Na2S2O5, SBS) and propionic acid at various moisture contents

Unground wheat kernels contaminated with 2.09 mg deoxynivalenol (DON) per kg dry matter were stored for up to 56 days at moisture contents of 15, 17.5 and 20% to study the alterations of DON concentration when the wheat was stored either unsupplemented or supplemented with 5 g sodium metabisulfite (Na2S2O5, SBS), 10 g propionic acid (PA) or 5 g SBS plus 10 g PA per kg. SBS addition alone or in combination with PA reduced the DON contamination to 1.2–4.3% of the initial DON concentration while DON concentration of unsupplemented and wheat batches supplemented only with PA varied inconsistently or remained unchanged. The SBS-related DON reduction was paralleled by a concomitant increase in the concentration of the non-toxic reaction product DON sulfonate. In contrast to the unsupplemented wet-stored controls, SBS addition prevented the growth of moulds and yeasts when added alone or in combination with PA. In conclusion, for the conditions examined, the wet preservation of DON-contaminated wheat with SBS seems to be promising as an on-farm detoxification measure.
Risk factors for impaired gonadal function in female Hodgkin lymphoma survivors: final analysis of a retrospective multicenter joint study from Italian and Brazilian Institutions

Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is one of the most common types of cancer in the young and one of the most curable forms of cancer. Therefore, there has been an increasing interest in the study of long‐term morbidities. The aims of the present study were to evaluate the prevalence and risk factors for impaired gonadal function in a retrospective cohort of 238 HL female survivors from Italy and Brazil and to analyse the role of oral contraceptives (OC) and GnRH‐analogues. Besides data collection from HL databases, a specific questionnaire was administered to collect data on gonadal function. The median age at diagnosis was 25 years and the median follow‐up was 7 years. Overall, 25% of the patients developed impaired gonadal function. Older age at diagnosis, front‐line therapies containing alkylating agents and more than one treatment were independent risk factors, whereas the use of OC or GnRH‐a reduced independently the risk of impaired gonadal function. The fertility rate among fertile survivors was low when compared with the general population. We confirmed that older age, type of front‐line chemotherapy and a higher number of therapies are associated with gonadal function impairment in terms of infertility and premature menopause in female HL survivors. Also, the use of GnRH‐a or OC was independently identified as a protective factor. Further prospective studies are needed to better understand the barriers to parenthood in HL survivors. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Clinical Research and Practice with Battered Women

Studies of treatment efficacy provided by process and outcome research with battered women is much less well developed than research on the treatment of batterers. Although there are more than 16 commonly used models, there is little clinical research that addresses their efficacy. This article gives an overview of the theoretical richness that has evolved over the past 20 years and provides a review of process and outcome research on treatment for battered women. The consequent awareness suggests the need for a more integrated model for clinical practice and research. The themes of this article are threefold: (a) more clinical practice research using a multimethod approach, (b) more explicit focus on women of color and immigrant women, and (c) more theoretical and philosophical integration of treatment approaches. The purpose is to focus attention on the need for an integrated approach to practice and research that will inform and guide practitioners.
The Effect of Acculturation on Patterns of Hispanic Substance Use in Washington State

A growing body of research on Hispanic substance use in the United States has found acculturation to result in increased drug use. This study contributes to this research by analyzing the effect of acculturation on Hispanic substance use in Washington State, a state with a rural and dispersed Hispanic population. Findings reveal acculturation to have a strong positive effect on levels of illicit drug use, hard drug use, binge drinking and bender drinking among Hispanics.
Effects of feeding different roughage components to sows in gestation on bacteriological and immunological parameters in colostrum and immune response of piglets

In piglet production, Escherichia coli (E. coli) and the presence of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) were considered as predominant causative agents in the aetiology of important diseases of sows and piglets. The aim of the study was to assess the effects of feeding different roughage sources to sows in gestation on the microbiota and endotoxin concentration in colostrum and on the specific immune response of their piglets. In two trial runs, a total of 144 sows were assigned to one of the six dietary treatments: the Control group receiving a concentrate diet and five groups with a restrictive supply of the control diet in combination with straw (S), hay (H), clover grass silage (GS), maize silage (MS) or Jerusalem artichoke (JA). During lactation no roughage was offered. Colostrum samples were analysed for bacteriological and immunological parameters. Blood samples were taken from two piglets per corresponding litter to examine the concentration of C-reactive protein (CRP) and of specific antibodies to LPS of E. coli (strain J5). Roughage feeding had an effect neither on the total bacterial count nor on the content of E. coli in colostrum of sows. The concentration of LPS in colostrum was reduced in Group MS. The concentration of CRP in the colostrum samples was low and independent of the feeding regime (max. 9.3 µg/ml). However, the administration of roughage components rich in crude fibre (Groups H and S) decreased the level of CRP in colostrum significantly. The analysis of the specific immunoglobulin to LPS of E. coli (strain J5) showed a higher concentration of IgG-anti-LPS in blood serum of piglets from sows of Group JA. The results suggest that the inclusion of selected roughage components may have the potential to affect the immunocompetence of sows and their corresponding piglets.
Perfil dos farmacêuticos e farmácias em Santa Catarina: indicadores de estrutura e processo

The present study aimed to assess structure and process quality indicators in community pharmacies in Santa Catarina (Brazil), and also the profile of pharmacists regarding their attitudes and perceptions of pharmaceutical care and professional satisfaction. A cross-sectional study was performed in 10% of Santa Catarina pharmacies randomly chosen. 258 community pharmacies were surveyed. 88.5% pharmacists were in office in the time of the interview. In average, they were 31 years old (SD=8.1) and mainly women (68%). A ratio of 1.4 (SD=0.7) pharmacists per pharmacy and 3.8 (SD=4.5) assistants existed. Only 11.4% pharmacies had an adequate structure for private caring patients. Despite having an average of more than 2 tertiary drug information sources, most of them were low quality. Activities mentioned by the majority of pharmacists were dispensing (98.2%), recording controlled drugs (90.8%), injections administration (85.1%), and helping patients on cash line (84.2%). Most of pharmacies in Santa Catarina (Brazil) do not have the adequate structure for implementing pharmaceutical care services. Barriers identified to implement those services were not different to those communicated in other countries.
Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) protein hydrolysate in diets for weaning piglets ─ effect on growth performance, intestinal morphometry and microbiota composition

Abstract Salmon protein hydrolysates (SPH) from two different rest raw materials were evaluated in diets for weaning piglets. Four experimental diets were included in the study: a diet based on plant protein with soy protein as the main protein source (Diet PP), a diet based on fishmeal in exchange for soy protein (Diet FM) and two diets in which different SPH replaced fishmeal in the FM diet. The experimental diets were fed to piglets from the day of weaning until 32 d postweaning. In addition to the record of performance data, an intestinal sampling for mucosal morphometry and microbiota 16S rRNA gene sequencing were performed at day 11 on a subset of the animals. The duodenal villi absorption area was significantly larger in piglets receiving Diets SPH compared with Diet PP (p < 0.02). A significant positive correlation between duodenal villi height and average daily gain during the first 11 d postweaning was detected. Only small differences in intestinal microbiota community and no differences in growth performance were detected between the experimental diets. To conclude, SPH seem to be an interesting novel protein source in weanling piglets.
Effect of dietary vegetable oils on the fatty acid profile of plasma lipoproteins in dairy cows

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to elucidate the effect of dietary supplementation of soybean oil (SO) and hydrogenated palm oil (HPO) on the transport of fatty acids (FA) within plasma lipoproteins in lactating and non-lactating cows. Three lactating and three non-lactating Holstein cows were used in two different 3 × 3 Latin square experiments that included three periods of 21 d. Dietary treatments for lactating cows consisted of a basal diet (control; no fat supplement) and fat-supplemented diets containing SO (500 g/d per cow) or HPO (500 g/d per cow). For non-lactating cows, dietary treatments consisted of a basal diet (control; no fat supplement) and fat-supplemented diets containing SO (170 g/d per cow) or HPO (170 g/d per cow). Compared with the control and SO diet, HPO addition increased (p < 0.05) the concentration of C16:0, C18:0, C18:2cis-9,12, C18:3cis-9,12,15 and total saturated and polyunsaturated FA in the plasma of lactating cows. In non-lactating cows, the SO addition increased the plasma concentration of C18:1trans-11. In lactating cows, concentrations of C16:0, C18:0 and total saturated FA were increased (p < 0.05) by HPO addition in the high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Total saturated FA were increased (p < 0.05) by HPO in very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL). In non-lactating cows, the concentration of C18:0 was increased (p < 0.05) by HPO in HDL, whereas C18:1trans-11 was increased (p < 0.05) by SO in the low-density lipoprotein. Overall, it was found that distribution and transport of FA within the bovine plasma lipoproteins may be influenced by chain length and degree of unsaturation of dietary lipids. Also, the distribution of individual FA isomers such as C18:1trans-11 and C18:2cis-9,trans-11 may vary depending on the physiological state of the cow (lactating or non-lactating), and are increased in plasma (lactating cows) and the HDL (non-lactating cows) when cows are fed SO.
Serum albumin level at diagnosis of diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma: an important simple prognostic factor

This study compared the value of several simple laboratory parameters with known prognostic models for predicting survival in patients with diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The data of 157 adult patients with DLBCL diagnosed at Rabin Medical Center in 2004–2008 and treated with R‐CHOP immunochemotherapy were retrospectively reviewed. Main clinical features of the cohort were as follows: mean age 63.0 years, 43% male, 63% stage III/IV disease, 28% ECOG performance status >2, 60% elevated lactate dehydrogenase level. Median duration of follow‐up was 6.6 years. The NCCN‐International Prognostic Index (IPI) was found to be a more powerful prognosticator than the IPI. Five‐year overall survival (OS) was 69.6; 73.6% for patients with intermediate NCCN‐IPI and 38.4% for patients with poor NCCN‐IPI. On univariate analysis, pretreatment hemoglobin and albumin levels were significantly associated with survival. By albumin level, 5‐year OS was 77.6 + 4% in patients with >3.5 g/dl and 53 + 7% in patients with <3.5 g/dl (p < 0.001); 5‐year progression‐free survival (PFS) was 69.9% and 50.9%, respectively (p = 0.002). By hemoglobin level, 5‐year OS was 82.9 + 4.5% in patients with >12 g/dl and 58.8 + 5% in patients with <12 g/dl (p = 0.007); 5‐year PFS was 75.5% and 54.1%, respectively (p = 0.008). On multivariate analysis with Cox regression, pretreatment albumin level was a significant independent predictor of OS. Furthermore, 5‐year OS of patients with a high NCCN‐IPI and albumin < 3.5 g/dl was 29.2% compared with 60% in patients with albumin > 3.5 g/dl (p = 0.022). In conclusion, pretreatment albumin level is a strong prognostic factor for OS in patients with DLBCL and can discriminate high‐risk patients for good and poor prognosis. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.