Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Erythropoietin and myocardial protection: what's new?

Erythropoietin (EPO), the principal hematopoietic cytokine produced by the kidney and the liver in fetuses, regulates mammalian erythropoiesis and exhibits diverse cellular effects in non‐hematopoietic tissues. The introduction of recombinant human EPO (rhEPO) has marked a significant advance in the management of anemia associated with chronic renal failure. At the same time, experimental studies have unveiled its potential cardioprotective actions. As with other preconditioning agents, administration of exogenous rhEPO can confer myocardial protection against ischemia–reperfusion injury, in terms of reduction in cellular apoptosis and necrosis as well as improvement in myocardial functional recovery. The purpose of this study is to review current information regarding the various protocols used to investigate the effects of rhEPO administration as well as its cardioprotective properties. We also address the potential mechanisms underlying the protective effects of EPO. A better understanding of these mechanisms is essential for the development of clinical applications and the design of novel therapeutical strategies.
Efficacy of different excimer laser techniques in the management of recurrent corneal erosions.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE To investigate the efficacy of two excimer laser techniques for recurrent corneal erosions (RCEs). PATIENTS AND METHODS Of 100 patients with RCEs not responding to common treatments, 50 received transepithelial (group 1) and 50 received subepithelial (group 2) treatment of 20 pulses of a 193-nm excimer laser (170 J/cm(2)). Postoperative follow-up occurred at 4 and 52 weeks. Outcome measures were frequency of RCEs, haze formation, and refractive changes. RESULTS At first follow-up, 7 patients (14%) in each group displayed recurrence. At second follow-up, 12 patients in group 1 (24%) and 10 patients in group 2 (20%) had RCE. Follow-up recurrence risk was 6% to 27% in both groups at 4 weeks and 13% to 38% in group 1 and 10% to 34% in group 2 at 52 weeks. The spherical equivalent remained unaffected in group 1, but a statistically significant change was observed in group 2. CONCLUSION Excimer laser treatment (transepithelial and subepithelial) of RCEs can be performed successfully on the intact epithelium without adjunct therapy or pain. The transepithelial technique is a simple and relatively painless way to reduce the rate of RCE and is equivalent to the well-established subepithelial treatment.
Childhood Trauma, Temperament, and Character in Subjects With Major Depressive Disorder and Bipolar Disorder

Abstract In nonclinical samples, childhood trauma (CT) has been found to negatively affect temperament/character traits. In major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD), abnormal personality traits have been found to impair clinical course/treatment outcome. Although a link between CT and MDD/BD is firmly established, no previous studies explored the relationship between CT and temperament/character in these populations. We investigated this issue in a preliminary sample of inpatients with MDD (n = 29) or BD (n = 50). We assessed CT (sexual/physical/emotional abuse, physical/emotional neglect) (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire), personality traits (Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised version), and illness severity (Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale). We found significant (p < 0.01) associations between emotional neglect, emotional abuse, physical neglect, and low self-directedness (SD). Potential underlying mechanisms are discussed. Because low SD has been previously associated with illness severity and poor outcome, the relationship between CT and low SD might partly explain the well-known negative impact of CT on course and outcome of MDD/BD.
Oxidative Stress in Mild and Moderate COPD: Assessment of OxidantAnti-Oxidant Imbalance.

Mild COPD is an asymptomatic disease but as oxidant antioxidant imbalance increases the severity of the disease also increases. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the oxidant antioxidant imbalance in mild and moderate COPD groups. The present study included 73 patients with COPD out of which 32 were of Mild impairment and 41 were suffering from Moderate COPD. The results indicated that the mean BMI of Moderate COPD group was lower as compared to Mild COPD group. The lung functions namely FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC % and FEV1% Predicted were significantly reduced in Moderate COPD group. The serum levels of antioxidant enzymes were significantly lower in Moderate COPD group as compared to Mild COPD group SOD units/mgm of serum protein(9.19±0.09 Vs 8.95±0.08 P<0.01) ; Catalase units/mgm of serum protein(8.95±0.06 Vs 8.88±0.07 P<0.01) ; GPX nmol NADPH oxidized/min/mgm of serum proteins(54.32± 0.38 Vs 52.95± 0.32 P<0.01 respectively). The mean Pack Years in Moderate COPD group is more thus indicating smoking induced Oxidant Anti-Oxidant imbalance in disease severity as compared to Mild COPD group in which the Pack Years were less. In present study in COPD patients MDA correlated inversely with SOD (r=-0.744,p=0.01),Catalase(r=0.346,p=0.01),GPX(r=- 0.682,p=0.01),FEV1(r=-0.446,p=0.05) and FEV1% Predicted(r=-0.567,p=0.01) The present study indicates that severity of oxidative stress is associated with lung function decline and also decrease in the anti oxidant enzymes levels which in part also contribute to disease severity.
STUDY OF HEAVY METAL POLLUTION IN MANGROVE SEDIMENTS REFERENCE TO MARINE ENVIRONMENT ALONG THE COASTAL AREAS OF PAKISTAN

The aim of this paper is to measure the concentration of heavy metals (Cd, Co, Pb, Cr, Zn, Cu & Fe) in Mangrove sediments. The concentrations of heavy metals (Cd, Co, Pb, Cr, Zn, Cu & Fe) were measured in different samples of in different Mangroves sediments along the coastal areas of Pakistan and was found that concentration of heavy metals in the Mangrove sediments near to Lyari and Malir river discharge points are at much higher level than the Mangrove sediments of Port Qasim area which are not according to WHO standard and are very are very serious health hazardous. In addition to point sources, possible reasons of non point sources were also discussed.
5 Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Gynecologic Cancers

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is introduced in many gynecologic cancers such as cervical and ovarian cancer. The aim of using neoadjuvant chemotherapy is to reduce the tumor size prior to the principle treatment, either radiation or surgery. The benefit of reducing tumor size can increase the operability and decrease the morbidity in many types of gynecologic cancers. Besides this, neoadjuvant chemotherapy might control the micrometastatic disease to decrease the distant metastasis (Benedetti-Panici et al., 1998; Buda et al., 2005; Chua, 2010). On the other hand, in patients who did not respond to chemotherapy, however, the administration of neoadjuvant chemotherapy risks delaying the principle treatment. In this chapter, literature pertaining to neoadjuvant chemotherapy for gynecologic cancer will be presented in five parts, categorized by types of cancers; cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, vulvar cancer, and vaginal cancer.
Rotavirus Infection Is Not Associated with Small Intestinal Fluid Secretion in the Adult Mouse

ABSTRACT In contrast to humans, adult but not infant small animals are resistant to rotavirus diarrhea. The pathophysiological mechanism behind this age-restricted diarrhea is currently unresolved, and this question was investigated by studying the secretory state of the small intestines of adult mice infected with rotavirus. Immunohistochemistry and histological examinations revealed that rotavirus (strain EDIM) infects all parts of the small intestines of adult mice, with significant numbers of infected cells in the ilea at 2 and 4 days postinfection. Furthermore, quantitative PCR revealed that 100-fold more viral RNA was produced in the ilea than in the jejuna or duodena of adult mice. In vitro perfusion experiments of the small intestine did not reveal any significant changes in net fluid secretion among mice infected for 3 days or 4 days or in those that were noninfected (37 ± 9 μl · h−1 · cm−1, 22 ± 13 μl · h−1 · cm−1, and 33 ± 6 μl · h−1 · cm−1, respectively) or in transmucosal potential difference (4.0 ± 0.3 mV versus 3.9 ± 0.4 mV), a marker for active chloride secretion, between control and rotavirus-infected mice. In vivo experiments also did not show any differences in potential difference between uninfected and infected small intestines. Furthermore, no significant differences in weight between infected and uninfected small intestines were found, nor were any differences in fecal output observed between infected and control mice. Altogether, these data suggest that rotavirus infection is not sufficient to stimulate chloride and water secretion from the small intestines of adult mice.
Changes in the Ganglioside Long‐Chain Base Composition of Rat Cerebellar Granule Cells During Differentiation and Aging in Culture

Abstract: Changes in the ganglioside long‐chain base (LCB) composition in rat cerebellar granule cells in culture were studied during differentiation and aging. The total native ganglioside mixtures, extracted from the cells maintained in culture up to 22 days, were fractionated by reversed‐phase HPLC, each ganglioside homogeneous in the oligosaccharide chain as well as in the LCB being quantified. Two main LCBs were components of the ganglioside species of cultured cells, the C18:1 LCB and the C20:1 LCB. The content of C20:1 ganglioside molecular species was low and quite constant during differentiation, comprising ∼8% of the total ganglioside species content, the C20:1 LCB appearing to be represented more in the ganglioside of the “b series” (GD1b, GT1b, and GQ1b) than in the “a series” (GM1 and GD1a). During aging in culture, for 8–22 days, the content of the C20:1 species of all gangliosides increased, being more pronounced for GM1 and GD1a.
Role of Islet Glucokinase, Glucose Metabolism, and Insulin Pathway in the Enhancing Effect of Islet Neogenesis-Associated Protein on Glucose-Induced Insulin Secretion

Objective To demonstrate the role of islet glucokinase, glucose metabolism, and intracellular insulin mediators in the enhancing effect of islet neogenesis-associated protein pentadecapeptide (INGAP-PP) on glucose-induced insulin secretion. Methods Islets from normal rats were cultured for 4 days in the absence or presence of 10 &mgr;g/mL INGAP-PP, with/without Wortmannin or LY294002. Islets were incubated with different glucose concentrations to measure insulin secretion and content, hexokinase and glucokinase activity, glucose oxidation and utilization, glucokinase, insulin receptor, insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-1/2, and PI3K concentration and phosphorylation. Results The INGAP-PP significantly increased insulin release at high but not at low glucose concentration, glucokinase activity, glucose metabolism, glucokinase, insulin receptor, IRS-2 and PI3K protein concentration, insulin receptor and IRS-1/2 tyrosine phosphorylation, and the association of p85 with IRS-1. Wortmannin and LY294002 blocked INGAP-PP effect on insulin secretion and glucokinase protein levels in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusions The enhancing effect of INGAP-PP on glucose-induced insulin release could be partly ascribed to its effect on glucokinase activity and glucose metabolism and is mainly mediated by the PI3K/AKT pathway. These results, together with the low hypoglycemia risk associated with the use of INGAP-PP, offer a new alternative for diabetes prevention and treatment.
The role of complement in the acute inflammatory process in the skin and in host–parasite interaction in hamsters inoculated with Leishmania (Leishmania) chagasi

Tecidual reaction at the inoculation site of L. (L.)chagasi promastigotes in hamsters depleted and non‐depleted of complement was studied within 2, 6, 12, 24, 48 and 72 hours of infection. The inflammatory reaction was characterized by early predominance of polymorphonuclear cells (PMN) at 2, 6 and 12 hours of infection, mixed infiltrate of PMN and mononuclear cells (MN) at 24 hours, followed by predominance of MN at 48 and 72 hours after infection. The group depleted of complement showed a higher number of PMN at 2 hours and lower numbers of MN at 72 hours after infection (P<0.0001). In the depleted group the phagocytosis by PMN was lower at 2 and 24 hours and by MN was lower at 24, 48 and 72 hours after infection. Electron microscopy showed extracellular intact and degenerated parasites, and lysed intracellular parasites, in PMN; and, rarely, preserved intracellular parasites in MN at 2, 6 and 12 hours after infection. The groups examined at 24, 48 and 72 hours of infection showed only cellular and parasite debris in mononuclear inflammatory cells. C3b deposits were detected by immunofluorescence in the interstitium and in the cytoplasm of inflammatory cells in non‐depleted group at 2, 6 and 12 hours of infection. No immunoglobulin was detected in either group. Visceralization was detected 240 days after infection. The complement system has an important role in the inflammatory reaction and phagocytosis. The ultrastructural findings showed that the escape of the parasite probably occurs soon after inoculation.
Recurrent cervical cancer presented with lymphangitic carcinomatosis

Lymphangitic carcinomatosis of the lungs secondary to cervical cancer is a rare condition. It still has an unknown pathophysiology and is related to high mortality rates. Diagnosis is often delayed due to the common symptoms of nonproductive cough and dyspnea. There are only 10 cases described in the literature. Most of the reported cases received only supportive care due to low performance status. Only three reported patients received palliative chemotherapy. We describe a case that has successfully received platinum‐based chemotherapy.
Age, time, and cohort effects on functional status and self-rated health in elderly men.

OBJECTIVES This study investigated age-related changes in functional status and self-rated health in elderly men, taking into account changes over time and differences between birth cohorts. METHODS The Zutphen Elderly Study is a longitudinal study of men born in the Netherlands between 1900 and 1920. Functional status and self-rated health were measured in 513 men in 1990, in 381 men in 1993, and in 340 men in 1995. Age, time, and cohort effects were analyzed in a mixed longitudinal model. RESULTS Longitudinal analyses showed that during 5 years of follow-up, the proportion of men without disabilities decreased from 53% to 39%, whereas the percentage who rated themselves as healthy decreased from 50% to 35%. Cross-sectional analyses confirmed changes in functional status, suggesting an age effect. Time-series analyses confirmed changes in self-rated health, suggesting a time effect. No birth-cohort effects were found. CONCLUSIONS Functional status deteriorates with age, whereas self-rated health is not related to age in men aged 70 years and older. The observed 5-year decline in self-rated health seemed to be due to a secular trend.
A phase I trial of retroviral BRCA1sv gene therapy in ovarian cancer.

Gene transfer of BRCA1sv (a normal splice variant of BRCA1) into ovarian cancer cells produces growth inhibition in vitro and tumor suppression in nude mouse xenografts. As an initial step toward gene replacement therapy for ovarian cancer, we conducted a Phase I trial to assess the pharmacokinetics and toxicity of i.p. BRCA1sv retroviral vector therapy. Following placement of an indwelling Port-a-Cath in patients, a dose escalation study was performed of four daily i.p. infusions spanning doses from 3 to 300 ml (i.e., 10(10) viral particles) at half-log intervals (23 cycles in 12 patients). Gene transfer and expression were documented by PCR, Southern blot, reverse transcription-PCR, and nuclease protection assays. Pharmacokinetics were assessed by PCR and Southern blots detecting vector DNA, and toxicity was evaluated by clinical exam and fluid analysis. Three of 12 patients developed an acute sterile peritonitis, which spontaneously resolved within 48 h. Plasma and peritoneal antibodies to the retroviral envelope protein were detected only in patients treated with the highest dose levels but not in others, despite repeat dosing for an interval of up to 4 months. Eight patients showed stable disease for 4-16 weeks, and three patients showed tumor reduction with diminished miliary tumor implants at reoperation (two patients) and radiographic shrinkage of measurable disease (one patient). The vector-related complication of peritonitis was observed in three patients but resolved quickly as in preclinical mouse studies. Ovarian cancer may provide an important model for retroviral gene therapy studies due to vector stability, minimal antibody response, and access to tumor by i.p. therapy.
Diagnosability of Crossed Cubes under the Comparison Diagnosis Model

Diagnosability of a multiprocessor system is one important study topic in the parallel processing area. As a hypercube variant, the crossed cube has many attractive properties. The diameter, wide diameter and fault diameter of it are all approximately half of those of the hypercube. The power that the crossed cube simulates trees and cycles is stronger than the hypercube. Because of these advantages of the crossed cube, it has attracted much attention from researchers. We show that the n-dimensional crossed cube is n-diagnosable under a major diagnosis model-the comparison diagnosis model proposed by Malek (1980) and Maeng and Malek (1981) if n/spl ges/4. According to this, the polynomial algorithm presented by Sengupta and Dahbura (1992) may be used to diagnose the n-dimensional crossed cube, provided that the number of the faulty nodes in the n-dimensional crossed cube does not exceed n. The conclusion of this paper also indicates that the diagnosability of the n-dimensional crossed cube is the same as that of the n-dimensional hypercube when n>5 and better than that of the n-dimensional hypercube when n=4.
Mycoplasma pneumoniae Mpn133 is a cytotoxic nuclease with a glutamic acid‐, lysine‐ and serine‐rich region essential for binding and internalization but not enzymatic activity

We identified Mpn133 as a Ca2+‐dependent cytotoxic nuclease of Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Flow cytometry analysis and immunofluorescence studies revealed the binding and internalization of recombinant Mpn133 (rMpn133) in human airway A549 cells. Amino acid sequence comparisons of Mpn133 with other mycoplasma nucleases demonstrated the presence of a unique glutamic acid‐, lysine‐ and serine‐rich region (EKS region; amino acids 72–110). Deletion of this EKS peptide (rMpn133Δ72–110) abrogated its binding and internalization but not its nuclease activity. The function of the EKS region in host cell trafficking and nuclear localization was reinforced by the successful delivery of EKS‐conjugated mCherry protein into A549 cells. rMpn133, but not rMpn133Δ72–110, induced apoptosis‐like death in A549 cells. This observation suggested a unique role of Mpn133 as an important contributor to M. pneumoniae‐associated life cycle events and as a virulence factor in host‐associated cytopathologies. In addition, the distinct property of the EKS peptide in delivery of proteins, like mCherry, into target cells opens new avenues to the establishment of novel concepts of drug delivery and therapy.
Growing Models from the Bottom Up. an Evaluation-Based Incremental Modelling Method (EBIMM) Applied to the Simulation of Systems of Cities

This paper presents an incremental method of parsimonious modelling using intensive and quantitative evaluation. It is applied to a research question in urban geography, namely how well a simple and generic model of a system of cities can reproduce the evolution of Soviet urbanisation. We compared the ability of two models with different levels of complexity to satisfy goals at two levels. The macro-goal is to simulate the evolution of the systemâ€™s hierarchical structure. The micro-goal is to simulate its micro-dynamics in a realistic way. The evaluation of the models is based on empirical data through a calibration that includes sensitivity analysis using genetic algorithms and distributed computing. We show that a simple model of spatial interactions cannot fully reproduce the observed evolution of Soviet urbanisation from 1959 to 1989. A better fit was achieved when the modelâ€™s structure was complexified with two mechanisms. Our evaluation goals were assessed through intensive sensitivity analysis. The complexified model allowed us to simulate the evolution of the Soviet urban hierarchy.
Ginger extract (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) triggers apoptosis in hepatocarcinogenesis induced rats

Ginger extract has been reported previously by our group to exhibit anticancer and an-tioxidant effects by reducing tumour burden and lipid peroxidation respectively in he-patocarcinogenesis induced rats. The current study examined the expression of pro-apoptotic protein caspase-8 and anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 in hepatocarcinogenesis treated rats. Thirty normal male Wistar rats were divided into 5 groups based on the diet given: i) control (normal rat chow), ii) olive oil, iii) ginger extract (100mg/kg body weight), iv) choline deficient diet + ethionine, CDE (to induce liver cancer) and v) CDE+ ginger extract. Rats were killed at week 8, and liver tissues were excised for immuno-histochemical study to identify pro-apoptotic and anti-apoptotic proteins, caspase-8 and Bcl-2. The observation on H&E staining confirmed the CDE diet induced liver can-cer as indicated by the presence of numerous oval cells. Identification of Bcl-2 expres-sion showed that 91.6% (11/12) of the samples from the CDE group revealed positive staining while treatment with ginger extract however inhibited the expression with only 8.4% (1/12) samples showing positive staining for Bcl-2. As for caspase-8 protein, 41.7% (5/12) of the samples from CDE group showed positive staining, which in-creased to 100% (12/12) with ginger extract treatment. Our findings suggest that gin-ger extract has an anticancer effect by inducing apoptosis in liver cancer cells via up-regulation of the expression of pro-apoptotic protein, caspase-8 and down-regulation of the expression of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2
Prevalence And Intensity of Helminth Infection in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infected Children in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Southeast, Nigeria

Infection by soil-transmitted helminth is not opportunistic infection, however, studies among HIV infected patients (adults and children) showed significantly higher prevalence rates of helminthic infection compared to controls. This study was done to determine the prevalence and intensity of helminthic infection in HIV infected children in Abakaliki. It was a cross sectional study that involved consecutive recruitment of 84 confirmed HIV infected children and equal number of age and gender matched HIV negative children as controls. Stool analysis for both subjects and controls was done, using the Kato-Katz technique. Structured questionnaire was used to obtain socio-demographic information. The prevalence of intestinal helminthiasis in children infected with HIV in the two study centers was 28.6% as against 20.2% observed in controls (difference not significant). Mean parasite intensity of HIV infected subjects was found to be 276.35± 55.34, which was significantly higher than the mean parasite intensity observed in controls (162.35± 55.29), (p = 0.001). In conclusion, this study noted a higher mean parasite intensity of helminth infection in HIV infected children compared to normal population. Regular de-worming exercise for all children, and in particular HIV infected children, is recommended.