Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Production of Hydrogen Peroxide by Polyphenols and Polyphenol-rich Beverages under Quasi-physiological Conditions

To investigate the ability of the production of H2O2 by polyphenols, we incubated various phenolic compounds and natural polyphenols under a quasi-physiological pH and temperature (pH 7.4, 37°C), and then measured the formation of H2O2 by the ferrous ion oxidation-xylenol orange assay. Pyrocatechol, hydroquinone, pyrogallol, 1,2,4-benzenetriol, and polyphenols such as catechins yielded a significant amount of H2O2. We also examined the effects of a metal chelator, pH, and O2 on the H2O2-generating property, and the generation of H2O2 by the polyphenol-rich beverages, green tea, black tea, and coffee, was determined. The features of the H2O2-generating property of green tea, black tea, and coffee were in good agreement with that of phenolic compounds, suggesting that polyphenols are responsible for the generation of H2O2 in beverages. From the results, the possible significances of the H2O2-generating property of polyphenols for biological systems are discussed.
Fgf10 overexpression enhances the formation of tissue‐engineered small intestine

Short bowel syndrome (SBS) is a morbid and mortal condition characterized in most patients by insufficient intestinal surface area. Current management strategies are inadequate, but tissue‐engineered small intestine (TESI) offers a potential therapy. A barrier to translation of TESI is the generation of scalable mucosal surface area to significantly increase nutritional absorption. Fibroblast growth factor 10 (Fgf10) is a critical growth factor essential for the development of the gastrointestinal tract. We hypothesized that overexpression of Fgf10 would improve the generation of TESI. Organoid units, the multicellular donor tissue that forms TESI, were derived from Rosa26rtTA/+, tet(o)Fgf10/– or Fgf10Mlc‐nlacZ‐v24 (hereafter called Fgf10lacZ ) mice. These were implanted into the omentum of NOD/SCID γ‐chain‐deficient mice and induced with doxycycline in the case of tet(o)Fgf10/–. Resulting TESI were explanted at 4 weeks and studied by histology, quantitative RT–PCR and immunofluorescence. Four weeks after implantation, Fgf10 overexpressing TESI was larger and weighed more than the control tissues. Within the mucosa, the villus height was significantly longer and crypts contained a greater percentage of proliferating epithelial cells. A fully differentiated intestinal epithelium with enterocytes, goblet cells, enteroendocrine cells and Paneth cells was identified in the Fgf10‐overexpressing TESI, comparable to native small intestine. β‐Galactosidase expression was found in both the epithelium and the mesenchyme of the TESI derived from the Fgf10LacZ duodenum. However, this was not the case with TESI generated from jejunum and ileum. We conclude that Fgf10 enhances the formation of TESI. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Subcutaneous Low-Molecular-Weight Heparin Fragmin Versus Intravenous Unfractionated Heparin in the Treatment of Acute Non Massive Pulmonary Embolism: An Open Randomized Pilot Study

Summary Low-molecular-weight heparins have been extensively investigated in the treatment of deep venous thrombosis but limited data are available concerning their use in pulmonary embolism. In an open, pilot, randomized study, we compare the safety and efficacy of Fragmin, a low-molecular-weight heparin with those of unfractionated heparin in 60 patients with non massive pulmonary embolism (Miller Index < 20). Thirty one patients received unfractionated heparin intravenously and 29 received a fixed dose of 120 Anti-Xa IU/kg of Fragmin administered subcutaneously twice a day for 10 days. There was no pulmonary embolism recurrence nor major bleeding in either group during the treatment period. The decrease in pulmonary vascular obstruction on perfusion lung scan between day 0 and day 10 was 17 ± 13% in the Fragmin group and 16 ± 13% in the heparin group (NS). These results indicate that Fragmin may be a safe and effective treatment of submassive pulmonary embolism.
Large-Scale Network Coupling with the Fusiform Cortex Facilitates Future Social Motivation

Abstract Large-scale functional networks, as identified through the coordinated activity of spatially distributed brain regions, have become central objects of study in neuroscience because of their contributions to many processing domains. Yet, it remains unclear how these domain-general networks interact with focal brain regions to coordinate thought and action. Here, we investigated how the default-mode network (DMN) and executive control network (ECN), two networks associated with goal-directed behavior, shape task performance through their coupling with other cortical regions several seconds in advance of behavior. We measured these networks’ connectivity during an adaptation of the monetary incentive delay (MID) response-time task in which human participants viewed social and nonsocial images (i.e., pictures of faces and landscapes, respectively) while brain activity was measured using fMRI. We found that participants displayed slower reaction times (RTs) subsequent to social trials relative to nonsocial trials. To examine the neural mechanisms driving this subsequent-RT effect, we integrated independent components analysis (ICA) and a network-based psychophysiological interaction (nPPI) analysis; this allowed us to investigate task-related changes in network coupling that preceded the observed trial-to-trial variation in RT. Strikingly, when subjects viewed social rewards, an area of the fusiform gyrus (FG) consistent with the functionally-defined fusiform face area (FFA) exhibited increased coupling with the ECN (relative to the DMN), and the relative magnitude of coupling tracked the slowing of RT on the following trial. These results demonstrate how large-scale, domain-general networks can interact with focal, domain-specific cortical regions to orchestrate subsequent behavior.
Childhood maternal care is associated with DNA methylation of the genes for brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and oxytocin receptor (OXTR) in peripheral blood cells in adult men and women

Abstract In adults, reporting low and high maternal care in childhood, we compared DNA methylation in two stress-associated genes (two target sequences in the oxytocin receptor gene, OXTR; one in the brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene, BDNF) in peripheral whole blood, in a cross-sectional study (University of Basel, Switzerland) during 2007–2008. We recruited 89 participants scoring < 27 (n = 47, 36 women) or > 33 (n = 42, 35 women) on the maternal care subscale of the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) at a previous assessment of a larger group (N = 709, range PBI maternal care = 0–36, age range = 19–66 years; median 24 years). 85 participants gave blood for DNA methylation analyses (SequenomR EpiTYPER, San Diego, CA) and cell count (Sysmex PocH-100i™, Kobe, Japan). Mixed model statistical analysis showed greater DNA methylation in the low versus high maternal care group, in the BDNF target sequence [Likelihood-Ratio (1) = 4.47; p = 0.035] and in one OXTR target sequence Likelihood-Ratio (1) = 4.33; p = 0.037], but not the second OXTR target sequence [Likelihood-Ratio (1) < 0.001; p = 0.995). Mediation analyses indicated that differential blood cell count did not explain associations between low maternal care and BDNF (estimate = −0.005, 95% CI = −0.025 to 0.015; p = 0.626) or OXTR DNA methylation (estimate = −0.015, 95% CI = −0.038 to 0.008; p = 0.192). Hence, low maternal care in childhood was associated with greater DNA methylation in an OXTR and a BDNF target sequence in blood cells in adulthood. Although the study has limitations (cross-sectional, a wide age range, only three target sequences in two genes studied, small effects, uncertain relevance of changes in blood cells to gene methylation in brain), the findings may indicate components of the epiphenotype from early life stress.
[Value of plasma growth differentiation factor-15 in diagnosis and evaluation of type 2 diabetic nephropathy].

OBJECTIVE To detect the plasma level of growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) in patients of type 2 diabetic nephropathy and assess its value in diagnosis and evaluation of type 2 diabetic nephropathy. METHODS Thirty type 2 diabetic patients with normoalbuminuria, 20 with microalbuminuria, and 30 with macroalbuminuria, diagnosed according to Mogensen's criteria, were examined for plasma GDF-15 level using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS The patients with macroalbuminuria had significantly higher plasma GDF-15 level than those with microalbuminuria and normoalbuminuria [1773.9 (1099.1-2357.4) pg/ml vs 864.0 (636.1-994.3) pg/ml and 704.5 (548.8-975.8) pg/ml, respectively, P<0.01], and patients with microalbuminuria had higher GDF-15 level than those with normoalbuminuria (P>0.05). Plasma GDF-15 level was found to increase early in the stage of mild renal dysfunction (60≤GFR<90 ml·min(-1)·1.73 m(-2)) with a median level of 999.5 (769.2-1372.1) pg/ml. Partial correlation analysis showed that plasma GDF-15 level was positively correlated with diabetic durations, mAlb, BUN and sCr (r=0.246, 0.493, 0.390, and 0.471, respectively, P<0.05), and negatively with eGFR (r=-0.438) and Alb (r=-0.397) (P<0.01). Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that a high plasma GDF-15 level was an independent risk factor for increased mAlb. In the diagnosis of renal dysfunction (eGFR<90 ml·min(-1)·1.73 m(-2)), the area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC) of GDF-15 was 0.801, significantly higher than that of mAlb (0.717, P<0.05). With the cut-off value of 733.78 pg/ml, plasma GDF-15 level had a sensitivity of 88.1% and a specificity of 58.1% for renal dysfunction diagnosis. CONCLUSION In patients with type 2 diabetic nephropathy, plasma GDF-15 level increases with the Mogensen stage, and as a independent risk factor for increased mAlb, it is significantly correlated with mAlb and eGFR, and serves, suggesting its value in early diagnosis, evaluation and prediction of the outcomes of type 2 diabetic nephropathy.
Representativeness in population-based studies: A detailed description of non-response in a Danish cohort study

Background: Decreasing rates of participation in population-based studies increasingly challenge the interpretation of study results, in both analytic and descriptive epidemiology. Consequently, estimates of possible differences between participants and non-participants are increasingly important for the interpretation of study results and generalization to the background population. Methods: An age-specific, population-based cohort of 1,198 individuals was examined at age 40, 45, 51, and 60. Participants were compared with non-participants and when possible also with the background population using a wide range of detailed information on somatic and mental health collected at each examination, including data from a clinical examination, biochemical measurements, questionnaires, interviews, and public registers. Results: Participation rates were higher than 80% at examinations at age 40, 45, and 51, but decreased to 65% at age 60. At the baseline investigation at age 40, analyses indicated that participants were representative of the cohort as well as the background population. However, the mortality rate was higher among non-participants in the succeeding 20 years. Among living cohort members at the 60-year examination, non-participants had lower socioeconomic status, higher hospitalization rate, and a worse overall health profile than participants. Conclusions: The detailed data presented reinforce the contention that the health profile of non-participants is typically worse than that of participants. The results also indicate that while data from public registers give easily accessible information about non-participants, these crude proxy measures of health may not be enough to document representativeness.
Study of the Immunological Effect of Bee Venom on Chronic Diseases in Human

This study was performed on thirty (30) patients who were received bee venom therapy intradermaly in a dose of 300 μg/ml twice weekly for 12 months, preceded by rush immunotherapy schedule for one week. All patients received bee venom therapy in VACSERA. Evaluation of our patients during the follow up period was based on hematological, biochemical, and immunological investigations. to evaluate the effectiveness of bee venom in treating chronic Hepatitis C virus ( HCV) results revealed a highly significant increase in the mean platelets, white blood cells (WBCs ) and lymphocytes level, while there was no significant changes in the Hb or RBC or the granulocytes count. there was significant decrease in liver enzyme including alanine transferase ( ALT) and Aspartate amino transferase (AST) Immunological investigation of HCV, Immunoglobulin-G (IgG), and Immunoglobulin-E ( IgE ) was applied on all patients Pretreatment then at 6 months and 12 months post-treatment with bee venom . revealed a highly significant decrease in the IgE level and a highly significant increase in the IgG level after 6 month and 12 month of Treatment Determination of HCV RNA by RT-PCR showed But of 30 patients 11 patients (37 %) were negative and markedly decreased in 16 patients (53 %), while 3 patients (10 %) show no decrease in the RTPCR results after12 month of bee venom injection.
Non-psychiatric health problems among psychiatric inpatients with intellectual disabilities.

BACKGROUND Physical distress resulting from medical problems has been found to cause increased behaviour problems in patients with intellectual disabilities (ID). Despite this fact, little has been documented on the medical problems of individuals with ID admitted for inpatient psychiatric care. We conducted an exploratory investigation based on a retrospective chart review of the medical problems and medications for 198 people with ID who had been admitted to a specialised inpatient psychiatric unit. Most patients were referred for admission because of aggressive, disruptive and self-injurious behaviours. The average length of stay was 17.6 days. METHODS We tallied the total number of medical problems and medications listed in the patients' discharge summaries. Because longer stays are disruptive, costly and associated with greater overall impairment, we examined the relationship between length of stay and frequency of discharge medical diagnoses. We also assessed whether or not the number of psychoactive medications correlated with the number of medical diagnoses. The effects of other demographic and diagnostic variables on rates of medical diagnoses and medications were also evaluated, including gender, age group (16-25, 26-45, 46-60, >60), level of ID (mild, moderate or severe ID) and diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder or Down syndrome (DS). RESULTS Inpatients with a higher number of medical diagnoses had longer lengths of stay (Spearman r = +0.32, P < 0.0001). There was a significant correlation between number of psychoactive medications and number of medical problems (Spearman r = +0.32, P < 0.0001). The most frequent medical comorbidity was constipation, reported in 60% of the inpatients (n = 118), while gastro-esophageal reflux disease was identified in 38% (n = 75). Older inpatients had an increased number of medical problems, as might be expected, but a diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder, gender and level of ID had no detectible effect on rates of either medical diagnoses or medications. There were only 13 inpatients with DS; in this modest sample, it was found that they had higher rates of osteoarthritis, cardiac problems, hearing loss, hypothyroidism and sleep apnoea than peers without DS, as is consistent with previous findings on overrepresented conditions in this trisomy. CONCLUSIONS In the present study, individuals with ID admitted for inpatient psychiatric care exhibited high rates of medical problems, and these were associated with duration of inpatient stay. Based on these findings, further investigation of the effects of medical problems on behaviour among individuals with ID admitted for inpatient psychiatric care is warranted.
Antenatal Transabdominal Ultrasound Detection of Cleft Lip and Palate in Western Australia from 1996 to 2003

Objective To determine the frequency of detection of cleft lip with or without cleft palate and isolated cleft palate from antenatal ultrasound examinations conducted on mothers of infants born with cleft lip and/or palate and isolated cleft palate in Western Australia from 1996 to 2003. Design Review of patient records and purpose-designed questionnaire sent to parents of children born with cleft lip and/or palate and isolated cleft palate. Results There were 308 infants born with cleft lip and/or palate and isolated cleft palate in the study period. Of the 293 parents, 218 responses were available for the study (70.7%), and 2.9 ± 1.8 SD antenatal ultrasound scans were performed on 216 women. No such scans were performed on two women. Cleft lip and/or palate was detected in 22.2% of cases. There was no detection prior to 15 weeks gestational age in the 137 women screened. Between 15 and 19 weeks gestational age, 174 scans detected 30 cases. Between 20 and 29 weeks gestational age, 84 scans detected 11 cases. Between 30 and 40 weeks gestational age, 66 scans detected 7 cases. The detection rate for bilateral cleft lip and/or palate was 44.4% and for unilateral cleft lip and/or palate, 40.6%. Detection rate for isolated cleft lip was 33.3%. Antenatal ultrasound failed to detect any infants with an isolated cleft palate (n = 95). The rate of detection of cleft lip and/or palate increased through the study period. Conclusions The rate of detection of cleft lip and/or palate in Western Australia is comparable to that for referral centers worldwide and is increasing. The rate of detection of the various types of cleft anomalies using antenatal ultrasound ranged from 0% to 44%.
Heat-Killed Mycobacterium bovis-Bacillus Calmette Guerin-Suppressed Total Serum IgE Response in Ovalbumin-Sensitized Newborn Mice

To determine the impact of bacillus Calmette Guerin (BCG) vaccination on IgE production in ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized newborn mice, four groups (I, II, III, IV) of BALB/c mice were immunized on the first day of life with live BCG, killed BCG, BCG diluent, and saline, respectively. No injection was applied to mice in group V (control). All mice except group V were sensitized and challenged with OVA in the fourth and sixth weeks, respectively, and serum total IgE levels were determined at 8 weeks, 2 weeks after the second OVA challenge. IgE levels of all groups were significantly higher than the control group except for group II (p = 0.95). Mice in group II showed significantly lower IgE values than group IV and I (p = 0.007 and p = 0.003, respectively). We concluded that heat-killed BCG may downregulate IgE response to OVA in newborn mice.
Release and properties of endothelium‐derived relaxing factor (EDRF) from endothelial cells in culture

Cultured bovine endothelial cells were seeded onto the intimal surface of endothelium‐denuded rings of canine coronary artery. These rings did not previously relax to acetylcholine, substance P, bradykinin, and A23187. After seeding, the same rings relaxed to bradykinin and A23187, but not to acetycholine or substance P. Indomethacin pretreatment did not affect these responses. Cells from the same source were then grown to confluence on microcarrier beads, poured into small columns, and perfused with Krebs+ solution. The perfusate from the columns was bioassayed on endothelium‐denuded rings of coronary artery from either the dog or pig. Challenge of the column in the presence of indomethacin with either bradykinin or A23187 as well as acetylcholine or substance P caused release of a substance that relaxed both types of artery. Its activity half‐life was 6.4 ± 0.4 sec at 37°C and it was hydrophilic and negatively charged. Prostacyclin (PGI2) as a candidate for EDRF was ruled out because (1) indomethacin failed to block its release and (2) the pig coronary artery, although insensitive to PGI2, relaxed to the endothelium‐derived substance. These results show that, in response to a number of dilator drugs, cultured endothelial cells release a vascular relaxing substance (EDRF) that has characteristics similar to the EDRF of normal endothelium. The chemical nature of EDRF awaits clarification.
The impact of PISA in the Spanish society: the case of written press

In the last decade, the results of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) have raised the debate about the quality of the Spanish education system, influencing public opinion and policy decisions. This study aims to analyze the impact the results PISA have had in Spanish society through the articles that appeared in El País (the non-sport newspaper with the biggest circulation in Spain) from 2001 to 2014, attending to the following issues: a) the press subgenres used to talk about PISA and its authorship; b) the evolution of articles from PISA 2001 to PISA 2012; and c) the frequency of use of the skills assessed by PISA as an information point. The results of our study show the great importance of PISA results as indicated by the amount of press coverage, especially since the 2003 edition, which was mostly reflected in descriptive and informative texts. On the other hand, the media´s treatment toward the competences in mathematics, science and reading is shown, with greater relevance to the last in recent years. Finally, we conclude that press coverage has been a great contributor when it comes to conveying the results of PISA to the public, despite the inappropriate use that is sometimes made of the data without considering the limitations of the study.
The next bibliometrics: ALMetrics (Author Level Metrics) and the multiple faces of author impact

La principal meta de este trabajo es fijar el objeto y contenido de una nueva rama de la bibliometria, a la que denominamos ALMetrics (Author-Level Metrics), que esta centrada en el analisis cuantitativo del rendimiento de los autores cientificos a traves de la medicion de todas las dimensiones de su actividad intelectual con los mas variados indicadores metricos. El trabajo se dirige especificamente a listar, definir y clasificar las diferentes metricas que se ofrecen a dia de hoy en los nuevos portales de informacion creados para mostrar la actividad cientifica de los autores. Se agrupan las metricas en siete conjuntos: publicacion, citacion, uso, participacion, valoracion, conectividad social y combinados. Se justifica el nacimiento de esta nueva especialidad bibliometrica en las nuevas tendencias que se avizoran en la evaluacion cientifica, y que nos transportan desde una vieja bibliometria (basada en el analisis de la revista y la utilizacion del factor de impacto como indicador estrella) hacia una nueva bibliometria basada directamente en el analisis de los documentos y los autores a traves de un crisol de indicadores que se alimentan no solo de la avidez de los investigadores por el conocimiento, sino por el reconocimiento
Isoelectronic delta doping in a ZnSe superlattice: Tellurium as an efficient hole trap.

Spatially selective introduction of Te isoelectronic traps into ZnSe-based quantum-well structures allows the probing of this strongly binding center for excitons with direct microscopic insight. In particular, we show how the hole wave function is strongly localized at Te sites to an orbit size comparable to that of the unit cell. The electron wave function, Coulomb bound to the hole, is not measurably altered following the shrinkage of the hole orbit.