Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A simple spectrophotometric method for the determination of methyldopa using p-chloranil in the presence of Hydrogen Peroxide

A simple, rapid and sensitive spectrophotometric method has been developed for the determination of methyldopa in pharmaceutical formulations. The method is based on the reaction between tetrachloro-p-benzoquinone (p-chloranil) and methyldopa, accelerated by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), producing a violet-red compound (λmax = 535 nm) at ambient temperature (25.0 ± 0.2 0C). Experimental design methodologies were used to optimize the measurement conditions. Beer’s law is obeyed in a concentration range from 2.10 x 10-4 to 2.48 x 10-3 mol L-1 (r = 0.9997). The limit of detection was 7.55 x 10-6 mol L-1 and the limit of quantification was 2.52 x 10-5 mol L-1. The intraday precision and interday precision were studied for 10 replicate analyses of 1.59 x 10-3 mol L-1 methyldopa solution and the respective coefficients of variation were 0.7 and 1.1 %. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of methyldopa in commercial brands of pharmaceuticals. No interferences were observed from the common excipients in the formulations. The results obtained by the proposed method were favorably compared with those given by the Brazilian Pharmacopoeia procedure at 95 % confidence level.
The effect of hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, and their treatment on parameters of oxidative stress and antioxidant status

Abstract Background: Free radical-mediated oxidative stress has been implicated in the etiopathogenesis of several autoimmune disorders. Also, there is growing evidence supporting the role of reactive oxygen species in the pathogenesis of thyroid disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, and their treatments on the metabolic state of oxidative stress, and antioxidant status markers. Methods: A total of 20 newly diagnosed patients with overt hypothyroidism due to Hashimoto's thyroiditis, 20 patients with overt hyperthyroidism due to Graves' disease, and 20 healthy subjects as the control group were enrolled in the study. Fasting blood samples (12 h), taken at the initiation, after the 30th and 60th day of therapy were analyzed for malondialdehyde, nitrite, vitamin E, vitamin A, β-carotene, ascorbate, and myeloperoxidase and superoxide dismutase activity. No patient presented additional risk factors for increased reactive oxygen species levels. Results: Malondialdehyde, nitrite, vitamin E, and myeloperoxidase activity increased in patients with hypothyroidism. After 2 months, the levels of nitrite and vitamin E were reduced to control levels by treatment. The patients with hyperthyroidism had increased levels of malondialdehyde and myeloperoxidase activity in comparison with the controls. Treatment with propylthiouracil attenuated these increments after 1 month. Conclusions: Our results reveal an increased generation of reactive oxygen species and impairment of the antioxidant system in patients with hyperthyroidism, and particularly in patients with hypothyroidism. These findings indicate that thyroid hormones have a strong impact on oxidative stress and the antioxidant system. Clin Chem Lab Med 2008;46:1004–10.
Update in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease 2007.

There is intense scientific and clinical interest in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which is reflected in the increasing number of articles in scientific journals on this topic. There have been advances in our understanding of the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and assessment and in the applications of current treatments in COPD, but not in the development of new treatments for COPD, particularly those that might retard or reverse its progression.
Gastrin‐Releasing Peptide System in the Spinal Cord Controls Male Sexual Behaviour

The lumbar spinal cord contains local neural circuits that are important in regulating male sexual behaviours, but the molecular mechanisms underlying these systems remain elusive. Gastrin‐releasing peptide (GRP) is a member of the bombesin‐like peptide family first isolated from the porcine stomach. Despite extensive pharmacological studies on the activity of bombesin‐like peptides administered to mammals, little is known about the physiological functions of GRP in the spinal cord. We review recent findings on a system of neurones in the upper lumbar spinal cord, within the recently reported ejaculation generator, projecting axons containing GRP to the lower lumbar spinal cord and innervating regions known to control erection and ejaculation.
Constitutive ERK MAPK Activity Regulates Macrophage ATP Production and Mitochondrial Integrity1

A unique feature of human alveolar macrophages is their prolonged survival in the face of a stressful environment. We have shown previously that the ERK MAPK is constitutively active in these cells and is important in prolonging cell survival. This study examines the role of the ERK pathway in maintaining mitochondrial energy production. The data demonstrate that ATP levels in alveolar macrophages depend on intact mitochondria and optimal functioning of the electron transport chain. Significant levels of MEK and ERK localize to the mitochondria and inhibition of ERK activity induces an early and profound depletion in cellular ATP coincident with a loss of mitochondrial transmembrane potential. The effect of ERK suppression on ATP levels was specific, since it did not occur with PI3K/Akt, p38, or JNK suppression. ERK inhibition led to cytosolic release of mitochondrial proteins and caspase activation. Both ERK inhibition and mitochondrial blockers induced loss of plasma membrane permeability and cell death. The cell death induced by ERK inhibition had hallmarks of both apoptotic (caspase activation) and necrotic (ATP loss) cell death. By blocking ERK inhibition-induced reactive oxygen species, caspase activation was prevented, although necrotic pathways continued to induce cell death. This suggests that mitochondrial dysfunction caused by ERK inhibition generates both apoptotic and necrotic cell death-inducing pathways. As a composite, these data demonstrate a novel mitochondrial role for ERK in maintaining mitochondrial membrane potential and ATP production in human alveolar macrophages.
Endocrine disruption effects of p,p′‐DDE on juvenile zebrafish

The persistent organic pollutant p,p′‐DDE, the major metabolite of the insecticide DDT, has displayed evidence of endocrine disruption through the inhibition of androgen binding to androgen receptors in different species. Although p,p′‐DDE was continuously detected in wild fish with abnormal gonad development such as intersex, little is known about its mode of action during gonad development in fish. To elucidate the potential endocrine effects of this pollutant in zebrafish (Danio rerio), juveniles (30 days post hatch) were exposed to p,p′‐DDE during the critical window of sexual differentiation. Fish were exposed to sublethal concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 20 µg l–1 over 14 days and were maintained in control water for an additional 4 months. As core endpoints, the vitellogenin (vtg) concentration was measured at the end of exposure, and sex ratio and the gonadosomatic index were assessed 4 months after the end of exposure. An increase in vtg production in whole body homogenate was observed in fish exposed to 0.2 and 2.0 µg l–1 p,p′‐DDE. No significant differences were displayed in morphological parameters such as the gonadosomatic index of males and females or sex ratio. However, exposed females presented histopathological changes that include the reduction of the number of mature oocytes, which might impair their successful reproduction. These results demonstrate the ability of p,p′‐DDE to cause endocrine disruption in zebrafish exposed during gonad differentiation of juvenile specimens. Furthermore, vtg induction by p,p′‐DDE in juvenile zebrafish arises as a predictive marker for adverse effects of this DDT metabolite on the ovarian function of female zebrafish. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effect of Preserving Paraspinal Muscles on Postoperative Axial Pain in the Selective Cervical Laminoplasty

Study Design. A retrospective clinical study. Objective. To evaluate the effect of preservation of paraspinal muscles attached at the spinous process of C2 or C7 in selective laminoplasty on postoperative axial pain. Summary of Background Data. Several methods of modified laminoplasty such as selective decompression and/or reconstruction of detached paraspinal muscles have been reported. It is still unclear, however, which posterior muscles need to be preserved to reduce postoperative problems. Methods. The study group consisted of 145 patients who underwent cervical laminoplasty. The level of decompression was decided based on preoperative cervical magnetic resonance imaging. The level of detachment of muscle from the spinous process was from 1 cranial to the decompression level and to the same level caudal to the level of decompression. Clinical outcome was evaluated based on improvement ratio of Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score. In addition, the risk factors for postoperative axial pain were examined by multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results. In 113 patients, C2 paraspinal muscles were detached, with elevation of the C3 lamina, and the improvement ratio of JOA score was 56.0%. In 32 patients, the muscles were preserved, without elevation of the C3 lamina, with corresponding ratio of 54.8%. In 112 patients, C7 paraspinal muscles were detached, with elevation of the C7 lamina, and in 33 patients the muscles were preserved; the improvement ratios of JOA score for these groups were 56.7% and 52.4%, respectively. There were no significant differences in clinical outcome among the groups. Older age (odds ratios: 0.17, 95% confidence intervals: 0.04–0.72) and preservation of muscles attached at the C2 spinous process (OR: 0.13, 95% CI: 0.02–0.98) decreased the risk of postoperative axial pain. Conclusion. Muscle-preserving selective laminoplasty yielded clinical outcomes equivalent to those of conventional C3–C7 laminoplasty in cervical compression my elopathy. Preservation of the muscles attached at C2 resulted in reduction of postoperative axial pain.
Birth position, accoucheur, and perineal outcomes: informing women about choices for vaginal birth.

BACKGROUND The literature is tentative in establishing links between birth position and perineal outcome. Evidence is inconclusive about risks and benefits of women's options for birth position. The objective of this study was to gain further evidence to inform perinatal caregivers about the effect of birth position on perineal outcome, and to assist birth attendants in providing women with information and opportunities for minimizing perineal trauma. METHODS Data from 2891 normal vaginal births were analyzed. Descriptive statistics were obtained for variables of interest, and cross-tabulations were generated to explore possible relationships between perineal outcomes, birth positions, and accoucheur type. Logistic regression models were used to examine potential confounding and interaction effects of relevant variables. RESULTS Multiple regression analysis revealed a statistically significant association between birth position and perineal outcome. Overall, the lateral position was associated with the highest rate of intact perineum (66.6%) and the most favorable perineal outcome profile. The squatting position was associated with the least favorable perineal outcomes (intact rate 42%), especially for primiparas. A statistically significant association was demonstrated between perineal outcome and accoucheur type. The obstetrician group generated an episiotomy rate of 26 percent, which was more than five times higher than episiotomy rates for all midwife categories. The rate for tear requiring suture of 42.1 percent for the obstetric category was 5 to 7 percentage points higher than that for midwives. Intact perineum was achieved for 31.9 percent of women delivered by obstetricians compared with 56 to 61 percent for three midwifery categories. CONCLUSION Findings contribute to growing evidence that birth position may affect perineal outcome. Women's childbirth experiences should reflect decisions made in partnership with midwives and obstetricians who are equipped with knowledge of risks and benefits of birthing options and skills to implement women's choices for birth. Further identification and recognition of the strategies used by midwives to achieve favorable perineal outcomes is warranted.
Evaluation of MT Systems by TOEFL

Recently, we did some comparative evaluation of the commercial English-to-Japanese MT systems by using the TOEFL, Test of English as a Foreign Language. The passages in the Reading Comprehension part of the Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension section were extracted from a TOEFL guide book [1], and were translated into Japanese by using the MT systems. Then the translated tests were taken by the examinees who are native speakers of Japanese as if they were Japanese comprehension tests. The scores of the tests would reflect the systems' abilities to convey the semantic contents of the input passages to the examinees. This paper describes what we have learned from the experiments.
Paediatric cochlear implantation: the views of parents

The purpose of this study was to understand the parental perspective on paediatric cochlear implantation over time. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with 216 families of children who were implanted at the Nottingham Paediatric Cochlear Implant Programme between 1989 and 2002, and who were attending an appointment during the study period (July 2001–August 2002). The qualitative data revealed that time played an important role in family experiences of paediatric cochlear implantation. Expectations were continually revised throughout the process, as a result of new knowledge and new technological developments. The results show that outcomes are highly individualistic although parents had a shared hope of the implant enabling the child to function in a “hearing world”; that the biggest area of contention is in respect of their child's education; and that parents talked openly about constraints imposed on them by implantation. The vast majority of parents did not regret their decision to proceed with implantation.
A Radially and Axially Extracted Virtual-Cathode Oscillator (Vircator)

Experiments are described in which a 5-¿ 1-MeV pulser drives virtual-cathode systems optimized to emit microwave radiation in the X band. Radiation is extracted both axially in TM modes and radially in TE modes. The threshold for microwave emission is found to be several times the space-charge limited current. The radiating frequency is approximately proportional to the electron beam plasma frequency with a proportional constant of (27¿)1/2. Anode/cathode spacing is varied to demonstrate the frequency tunability of the virtual cathode as a microwave source. The radiation is broad band and frequency chirping is observed. Radiation patterns of the axially extracted radiation are described. The instantaneous efficiency of energy conversion from electrical to microwaves is ~2 percent. External excitation from an external source does not alter microwave generation.
Prognostic and Clinicopathological Significance of ARID1A in Endometrium‐Related Gynecological Cancers: A Meta‐Analysis

The tumor suppressor gene, AT Rich Interactive Domain 1A (ARID1A) mutation has been reported in a variety of cancers, especially the endometrium‐related gynecological cancers, including the ovarian clear cell carcinoma, ovarian endometrioid carcinoma, and uterine endometrioid carcinoma. However, the prognostic value of ARID1A in endometrium‐related gynecological cancers is still inconclusive. Therefore, we performed this meta‐analysis to evaluate the clinical significance of ARID1A in endometrium‐related gynecological cancers. By systematically searching all the relevant studies from Pubmed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science up to September 2016, 11 studies with 1,432 patients were included. All the study characteristics and the prognostic data were extracted. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled using the fixed‐effect or random‐effect model. Our results indicated that negative ARID1A expression predicted shorter Progression free survival (PFS, HR, 1.84; 95%CI, 1.32–2.57, P = 0.000) of patients with endometrium related gynecological cancers, especially the patiently with OCCC and the patients in Japan. Besides, a marginal trend towards the same direction was found in the Overall analysis (OS, HR, 1.34; 95%CI, 0.93–1.93, P = 0.112). Furthermore, the significant correlation was achieved between the negative ARID1A expression and the FIGO stage of endometrium‐related gynecological cancers, but not the other characteristics. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 4517–4525, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Apoptosis as a Therapeutic Target in Cancer and Cancer Stem Cells: Novel Strategies and Futures Perspectives

© 2012 Marchal et al., licensee InTech. This is an open access chapter distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Apoptosis as a Therapeutic Target in Cancer and Cancer Stem Cells: Novel Strategies and Futures Perspectives
Energy‐dependent chromatin accessibility and nucleosome mobility in a cell‐free system.

Chromatin structure must be flexible to allow the binding of regulatory proteins and to accommodate different levels of gene activity. Chromatin assembled in a cell‐free system derived from Drosophila embryos contains an activity that hydrolyses ATP to render entire nucleosome arrays mobile. Nucleosome movements, most likely their sliding, occurred even in the presence of the linker histone H1. The dynamic state of chromatin in the presence of the activity and ATP globally increased the accessibility of nucleosomal DNA to incoming proteins. This unprecedented demonstration of energy‐dependent nucleosome mobility identifies a new principle which is likely to be fundamental to the mechanism of chromatin remodelling and the binding of regulatory proteins.
Anal carcinoma: histology, staging, epidemiology, treatment

Our understanding of the pathogenesis and management of squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal has undergone profound change over the last 30 years. Epidemiologic studies have demonstrated that infection with human papillomavirus is most likely responsible for the majority of cases. Primary treatment with concomitant chemotherapy and radiation cures the majority of patients without the need for an abdominoperineal resection. Recent series have demonstrated that approximately one half of patients with a local recurrence after chemoradiation will be cured with salvage surgery. The incorporation of cisplatin into the primary chemoradiation treatment of patients with carcinoma of the anal canal is the focus of current studies.
Got Phished? Internet Security and Human Vulnerability

: A leading cause of security breaches is a basic human vulnerability: our susceptibility to deception. Hackers exploit this vulnerability by sending phishing emails that induce users to click on malicious links that then download malware or trick the victim into revealing personal confidential information to the hacker. Past research has focused on human susceptibility to generic phishing emails or individually targeted spear-phishing emails. This study addresses how contextualization of phishing emails for targeted groups impacts their susceptibility to phishing. We manipulated the framing and content of email messages and tested the effects on users’ susceptibility to phishing. We constructed phishing emails to elicit either the fear of losing something valuable (e.g., course registrations, tuition assistance) or the anticipation of gaining something desirable (e.g., iPad, gift card, social networks). We designed the emails’ context to manipulate human psychological weaknesses such as greed, social needs, and so on. We sent fictitious (benign) emails to 7,225 undergraduate students and recorded their responses. Results revealed that contextualizing messages to appeal to recipients’ psychological weaknesses increased their susceptibility to phishing. The fear of losing or anticipation of gaining something valuable increased susceptibility to deception and vulnerability to phishing. The results of our study provide important contributions to information security research, including a theoretical framework based on the heuristic-systematic processing model to study the susceptibility of users to deception. We demonstrate through our experiment that several situational factors do, in fact, alter the effectiveness of phishing attempts.
Report from the fourth international consensus meeting to harmonize core outcome measures for atopic eczema/dermatitis clinical trials (HOME initiative)

This article is a report of the fourth meeting of the Harmonising Outcome Measures for Eczema (HOME) initiative held in Malmö, Sweden on 23–24 April 2015 (HOME IV). The aim of the meeting was to achieve consensus over the preferred outcome instruments for measuring patient‐reported symptoms and quality of life for the HOME core outcome set for atopic eczema (AE). Following presentations, which included data from systematic reviews, consensus discussions were held in a mixture of whole group and small group discussions. Small groups were allocated a priori to ensure representation of different stakeholders and countries. Decisions were voted on using electronic keypads. For the patient‐reported symptoms, the group agreed by vote that itch, sleep loss, dryness, redness/inflamed skin and irritated skin were all considered essential aspects of AE symptoms. Many instruments for capturing patient‐reported symptoms were discussed [including the Patient‐Oriented SCOring Atopic Dermatitis index, Patient‐Oriented Eczema Measure (POEM), Self‐Administered Eczema Area and Severity Index, Itch Severity Scale, Atopic Dermatitis Quickscore and the Nottingham Eczema Severity Score] and, by consensus, POEM was selected as the preferred instrument to measure patient‐reported symptoms. Further work is needed to determine the reliability and measurement error of POEM. Further work is also required to establish the importance of pain/soreness and the importance of collecting information regarding the intensity of symptoms in addition to their frequency. Much of the discussion on quality of life concerned the Dermatology Life Quality Index and Quality of Life Index for Atopic Dermatitis; however, consensus on a preferred instrument for measuring this domain could not be reached. In summary, POEM is recommended as the HOME core outcome instrument for measuring AE symptoms.