Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Efficacy of local application of an Unani formulation in acne vulgaris

Background and Objectives: Buthūr-i-Labaniyya (Acne vulgaris) is affecting up to 80% of adolescents and many adults at different stages of life. It is one of the commonest skin disorders which appears on cheeks and nose as white eruptions that seems like solidified milk drops. These eruptions are treated by drugs having properties of tajfīf wa taḥlīl (desiccant and resolving), as mentioned by Ibne Sina. Daood Antaki in his book Tazkira Oolulalbab recommends the local application of a paste of Shonīz (nigella sativa), Naushādar (ammonium chloride) and Būra Armani mixed with Sirka (vinegar) for effective treatment of Acne vulgaris. Methods: The study was observational self comparison before and after treatment, conducted in the OPD of the hospital which is part of the National Institute of Unani Medicine, Bangalore. The duration of study was one year. 40 Female patients with combination of comedones, papules, pustules and nodules were recruited for this purpose. The test drug, Shonīz, Būra Armani, Naushadar powder, mixed with sirka were applied locally for one month with taqlīl-i-ghidhā tadābīr (low calorie index diet). All subjects were assessed on the basis of changes in subjective and objective parameters. Results: The response of test drugs was statistically highly significant (P < 0.01) by using ANOVA repeated measure test, there was also relief in subjective parameters. Subjects reported a reduction of 82.6%, 80.9%, 66.6% in tenderness, itching and irritation respectively. Interpretation and Conclusion: The present study reveals that the test drug formulation is safe and effective in treating Acne vulgaris if used along with low calorie index diet. No side effects of drugs were reported, therefore the trial formulation can be recommended to manage Acne vulgaris of mild to severe degree as a therapy.
Biological characterization of the antiproliferative potential of Co(II) and Sn(IV) coordination compounds in human cancer cell lines: a comparative proteomic approach

Abstract Background: The discovery of cisplatin’s antitumor activity led to a great interest in the potential application of coordination compounds as chemotherapeutic agents. It is essential to identify new compounds that selectively inhibit tumor proliferation, evading secondary effects and resistance associated with chemotherapeutics. Methods: The in vitro antiproliferative potential of an organotin(IV) compound was evaluated using colorectal and hepatocellular carcinoma, mammary gland adenocarcinoma cell lines, and human fibroblasts. Tumor cell death was evaluated by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry for the Sn(IV) compound and also for a Co(II) compound bearing 1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione as ligand. Comparative proteomic analysis for both compounds was assessed in the colorectal cancer cell line. Results: The Sn(IV) compound presented a high cytotoxic effect in colorectal and hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines (IC50 of 0.238±0.011 μM, 0.199±0.003 μM, respectively), and a lower cytotoxicity in human fibroblasts. Both compounds induced cell apoptosis and promoted the overexpression of oxidative stress-related enzyme superoxide dismutase [Cu-Zn] (SODC). The Co(II) compound induced a decreased expression of anti-apoptotic proteins (translationally-controlled tumor protein and endoplasmin), and the Sn(IV) compound decreased expression of proteins involved in microtubule stabilization, TCTP, and cofilin-1. Conclusions: Our data reveals a high in vitro antiproliferative potential against cancer cell lines and a moderate selectivity promoted by the Sn(IV) compound. Proteomic analysis of Sn(IV) and Co(II) compounds in the colorectal cancer cell line allowed an insight to their mechanisms of action, particularly by affecting the expression of proteins typically deregulated in cancer, and also suggesting a promising therapeutic potential for both compounds.
Accidental Poisoning by Paraquat: Report of Two Cases in Man

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Endocervical stromal sarcoma

2002). In this case, the inhibin level was not measured, but immunohistochemistry showed strong staining with inhibin (Yao et al. 2003). Measurement of the serum inhibin level could have expedited the diagnosis and treatment. The serum inhibin B level measured postoperatively was (17 pg/ml) within the normal limits. There have been case reports of granulosa cell tumours presenting with secondary amenorrhoea and infertility associated with elevated inhibin B levels. However, in contrast with our report, presentation was associated with low FSH and normal LH levels (Kurihara et al. 2004; Krishnan et al. 2003; Sakamoto et al. 1998). Inhibin may be produced by other ovarian tumours (Burger et al. 2001; Meyer et al. 2000) and present similarly. Lappöhn et al. (1989) reported the only other case of a GCT with a raised LH and normal FSH, but in the presence of a low oestradiol. Following surgery, this patient’s LH level returned to normal but her serum FSH level was raised, suggestive of the perimenopausal transition. This had presumably been masked by high serum inhibin levels from the granulosa cell tumour. The existence of an occult ovarian tumour must be considered when a patient presents with secondary amenorrhoea. The unusual finding of an isolated elevated LH should be further investigated by measuring serum inhibin levels. An elevated inhibin may alert us of the presence of an ovarian tumour. Because of the propensity of granulosa cell tumours to recur many years after the initial diagnosis, prolonged follow-up with physical examination and serum inhibin should be undertaken.
Patterns of Neuropsychological Functioning Among Patients With Multi-Infarct and Alzheimer's Dementia: A Comparative Analysis

Cognitive and neuropsychological tests are often employed to help describe the functioning of patients with multi-infarct dementia (MID) or patients with dementia of the Alzheimer's type (DAT). In this study, the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery (HRNB), Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R), and Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS) were completed by 20 MID patients and 62 patients with DAT. Total scores on these measures did not differentiate DAT and MID patients. Contrary to clinical observations, cognitive tasks assessing social judgment did not differentiate between the groups. However, MID patients demonstrated greater variability in test scores. Compared with DAT patients, the MID patients demonstrated better preserved memory as shown on the WMS in comparison to the WAIS-R IQ.
Temperament and character traits in major depressive disorder: a case control study

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) have distinct personality traits, compared with control subjects, although the role of anxiety and positive and negative affects in this finding is unclear. DESIGN AND SETTING: A case-control study enrolling 103 antidepressant-free depressed patients and 103 age and gender-matched controls was conducted at the University Hospital, University of São Paulo. METHODS: The self-reported scales of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and Cloninger’s Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) were applied. Temperament and character traits were compared between groups using multivariate and bivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA and ANOVA). The influence of anxiety and affect was further investigated using ANOVA and mediation analyses. RESULTS: Depressed patients presented higher harm avoidance and lower self-directedness scores than controls. After adjustment for anxiety trait, harm avoidance was no longer significantly different between groups. Mediation analysis revealed that the anxiety trait, but not state-anxiety or affect, fully mediated the influence of group (depressed versus control subjects) on harm avoidance. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings confirm that depressed patients present personality traits distinct from those of controls and suggest that MDD is not directly associated with harm avoidance, but that this effect is fully mediated through the anxiety trait.
Evaluation of Choroidal Thickness in Ankylosing Spondylitis Using Optical Coherence Tomography

We have read with interest the article entitled ‘‘Evaluation of Choroidal Thickness in Ankylosing Spondylitis Using Optical Coherence Tomography’’ by Kola et al. The authors reported that choroidal thickness (CT) was significantly higher in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) compared to healthy controls. These findings provide clues for understanding the effects of AS on the posterior segment of the eye. We would like to share our reservations about the study. The structure of choroid is not uniform and, consequently, measurements of different choroidal regions may show various results. It was shown that foveal, temporal, or superior quadrants of the macula can be thicker compared to central or nasal quadrants. The authors measured CT beneath the foveal area, and other sectors have not been mentioned. Another potential limitation is that the measurement time of the patients was not stated in the article. It has been demonstrated that CT can show diurnal variations up to 20 mm. Ulas et al. revealed that smoking causes significant increase in CT that return to baseline levels after 1 h. There are also other studies presenting the significant effect of smoking on CT. For this reason, we kindly ask the authors to document the smoking habits of the patients and perform the statistical analyses by taking that variable (smoking habit) into consideration. In the study, 54 of 84 AS patients were under antiTNFa therapy during the measurements. Ishikawa et al. revealed that subfoveal CT in Behçet disease– associated uveitis is higher in acute phases and lower in accordance with remission under infliximab treatment. With regard to that finding, we want to ask the authors to take the treatment (anti-TNFa) into consideration in the statistical analyses.
Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention for Substance Use Disorders: A Pilot Efficacy Trial

The current study is the first randomized-controlled trial evaluating the feasibility and initial efficacy of an 8-week outpatient Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP) program as compared to treatment as usual (TAU). Participants were 168 adults with substance use disorders who had recently completed intensive inpatient or outpatient treatment. Assessments were administered pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 2 and 4 months post-intervention. Feasibility of MBRP was demonstrated by consistent homework compliance, attendance, and participant satisfaction. Initial efficacy was supported by significantly lower rates of substance use in those who received MBRP as compared to those in TAU over the 4-month post-intervention period. Additionally, MBRP participants demonstrated greater decreases in craving, and increases in acceptance and acting with awareness as compared to TAU. Results from this initial trial support the feasibility and initial efficacy of MBRP as an aftercare approach for individuals who have recently completed an intensive treatment for substance use disorders.
Problems in the therapy for imported malaria in the United States.

BACKGROUND Errors in the diagnosis of imported malaria are increasingly recognized. However, there are few data on the treatment of malaria in the United States. METHODS Medical records were reviewed for 83 patients with microscopically confirmed malaria at Cook County Hospital, Chicago, Ill, between 1991 and 1999. RESULTS Errors in drug treatment occurred in 25% of patients in this study. The most common error in therapy was the failure to prescribe primaquine to eradicate the liver forms of Plasmodium vivax. Another 5 patients with P vivax received an inappropriate drug regimen. Errors in Plasmodium falciparum therapy occurred in 5 patients. All patients received an inappropriate drug regimen. While the clinical symptoms and signs do not help distinguish the infecting Plasmodium species, the travel history is extremely helpful in guiding drug selection. Non-infectious diseases specialists are more likely to make errors in therapy than are infectious diseases specialists. CONCLUSIONS Despite widely published guidelines on the treatment of malaria, there are frequent errors in the therapy for malaria. A detailed travel history emphasizing the duration and country of travel should be sought. Primaquine should be included in the primary prescription for the treatment of P vivax infection. Improvements in the therapy for malaria can be made with the aid of an infectious diseases specialist and/or a tropical medicine specialist.
Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Computed Tomography in Metastatic Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: Reproducibility Analysis and Observer Variability of the Distributed Parameter Model

Objectives:To determine the reproducibility and observer variability of distributed parameter analysis of dynamic contrast-enhanced computed tomography (DCE-CT) data in metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and to compare 2 approaches of region-of-interest (ROI) analyses. Methods:Following ethical approval and informed consent, 17 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma underwent paired DCE-CT examinations on a 64-detector scanner, measuring tumor blood flow (F, mL/100 mL/min), permeability surface area product (PS, mL/100 mL/min), fractional intravascular blood volume (v1, mL/100 mL), and fractional extracellular-extravascular volume (v2, mL/100 mL). Tumor parameters were derived by fitting (i) the ROI-averaged concentration-time curve, and (ii) the median value of parameters from voxel-level concentration-time curves. Measurement reproducibility and inter- and intraobserver variability were estimated using Bland-Altman statistics. Results:Mean F, PS, v1, and v2 are 44.9, 20.4, 7.1, and 34.1 for ROI analysis, and 49.0, 18.7, 6.7, and 34.0 for voxel analysis, respectively. Within-subject coefficients of variation are 38.8%, 49.5%, 54.2%, and 35.9% for ROI analysis, and 15.0%, 35.1%, 33.0%, and 21.0% for voxel analysis, respectively. Repeatability coefficients are 48.2, 28.0, 10.7, and 33.9 for ROI analysis, and 20.3, 18.2, 6.1 and 19.8 for voxel analysis, respectively. Intra- and interobserver correlation coefficient ranged from 0.94 to 0.97 and 0.90 to 0.95 for voxel analysis, and 0.73 to 0.87 and 0.72 to 0.94 for ROI analysis, respectively. Conclusion:Measurements of F and v2 appear more reproducible than PS and v1. Voxel-level analysis improves both reproducibility and observer variability compared with ROI-averaged analysis and may retain information about tumor spatial heterogeneity.
Muscarinic acetylcholine receptor antibodies as a new marker of dry eye Sjögren syndrome.

PURPOSE The authors investigated whether circulating autoantibodies against M(3) muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs) could be a new marker for diagnosis for primary and secondary Sjögren syndrome (SS) dry eye. METHODS Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using both rat exorbital lacrimal gland acinar cell membranes and synthetic 25-mer peptide as antigens was used to determine autoantibodies against acinar cells and M(3) mAChRs. Also, nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity was assessed to determine the biological effect of these autoantibodies in relation to the M(3) mAChR. RESULTS Sera from dry eye primary SS (pSS) or secondary SS (sSS) patients tested by ELISA recognized membrane lacrimal gland acinar cells antigens and the synthetic 25-mer peptide, corresponding to the second extracellular loop of human M(3) mAChRs. Moreover, the IgG fraction and the corresponding affinity-purified anti-M(3) peptide autoantibodies from the same patients were able to activate NOS coupled to lacrimal gland M(3) mAChRs. As controls, IgG and sera from women without dry eye with or without rheumatoid arthritis and from normal control subjects gave negative results on ELISA and biological assay; thus demonstrating the specificity of the reaction. CONCLUSIONS Autoantibodies against mAChR may be considered among the serum factors implicated in the pathophysiology of the development of pSS dry eyes and could be a new marker to differentiate SS dry eyes from non-SS dry eyes.
Determination of 20 coccidiostats in milk, duck muscle and non-avian muscle tissue using UHPLC-MS/MS

In this paper, methods were developed to measure coccidiostats in bovine milk, duck muscle and non-avian species. The methods were validated to the maximum levels and MRLs laid down in European Union legislation. A simple sample preparation procedure was developed for the isolation of coccidiostat residues from bovine, ovine, equine, porcine and duck muscle tissue, based on solvent extraction with acetonitrile and concentration. An alternative method had to be developed for milk samples based on the QuEChERS sample preparation approach because of the high water content in this matrix. Milk samples were adjusted to basic pH with sodium hydroxide and extracted by using a slurry of acetonitrile, MgSO4 and NaCl. Purified sample extracts were subsequently analysed by using UHPLC-MS/MS in a 13.2-min chromatographic run. It was found that the use of rapid polarity switching enabled both negatively and positively charged ions to be analysed from a single injection. By using this approach, solvent usage was reduced significantly and sample throughput improved. The method was validated for the analysis of 20 coccidiostats (arprinocid, clopidol, decoquinate, diclazuril, diaveridine, ethopabate, halofuginone, laidlomycin, lasalocid, maduramicin, monensin, narasin, nequinate, nicarbazin, robenidine, salinomycin, semduramicin, toltrazuril, toltrazuril sulphoxide and toltrazuril sulphone) in muscle and milk. The method is quantitative for toltrazurils, but it cannot be used for confirmation because only the precursor ion is monitored. Accuracy values for muscle ranged from 80% to 125%, while CCα ranged from 2.2 µg kg−1 for clopidol to 122 µg kg−1 for toltrazuril sulphoxide. Bovine milk accuracy ranged from 84% to 120% for all analytes except maduramicin, semduramicin and salinomycin, for which the values were higher. CCα values achieved ranged from 1.1 µg kg−1 for arprinocid, nequinate and lasalocid to 27 µg kg−1 for toltrazuril.
Autocrine Regulation of Inducible Nitric-oxide Synthase in Macrophages by Atrial Natriuretic Peptide*

Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), a cardiovascular hormone, has been shown to inhibit synthesis of nitric oxide in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages via activation of its guanylate cyclase-coupled receptor. The goal of the present study was to elucidate the potential sites of inducible nitric-oxide synthase (iNOS) regulation affected by ANP and revealed the following. 1) ANP and dibutyryl-cGMP did not inhibit catalytic iNOS activity measured by the conversion rate ofl-[3H]arginine tol-[3H]citrulline in homogenates of LPS-treated cells. 2) Pretreatment of cells with ANP dose-dependently reduced the LPS-inducedl-[3H]citrulline production that has been shown to be due to reduced iNOS protein levels detected by Western blot. 3) ANP does not alter the ratio of catalytically active iNOS dimer versus inactive iNOS monomer considered to be a major post-translational regulatory mechanism for the enzyme. 4) Macrophages exposed to ANP display decreased LPS-induced iNOS mRNA levels. 5) Importantly, two basic mechanisms seem to be responsible for this observation, i.e. ANP specifically induced acceleration of iNOS mRNA decay and ANP reduced binding activity of NF-κB, the transcription factor predominantly responsible for LPS-induced iNOS expression in murine macrophages. Moreover, 6) ANP acts via an autocrine mechanism since recently ANP was shown to be secreted by LPS-activated macrophages, and we demonstrated here that LPS-induced NO synthesis was increased after blocking the binding of endogenous ANP by a receptor antagonist. These observations suggest ANP as a new autocrine macrophage factor regulating NO synthesis both transcriptionally and post-transcriptionally. ANP may help to balance NO production of activated macrophages and thus may allow successful immune response without adverse effects on host cells.
Electrical stimulation attenuates morphological alterations and prevents atrophy of the denervated cranial tibial muscle

ABSTRACT Objective To investigate if electrical stimulation through Russian current is able to maintain morphology of the cranial tibial muscle of experimentally denervated rats. Methods Thirty-six Wistar rats were divided into four groups: the Initial Control Group, Final Control Group, Experimental Denervated and Treated Group, Experimental Denervated Group. The electrostimulation was performed with a protocol of Russian current applied three times per week, for 45 days. At the end, the animals were euthanized and histological and morphometric analyses were performed. Data were submitted to statistical analysis with a significance level of p<0.05. Results The Experimental Denervated Group and the Experimental Denervated and Treated Group had cross-sectional area of smaller fiber compared to the Final Control Group. However, there was significant difference between the Experimental Denervated Group and Experimental Denervated and Treated Group, showing that electrical stimulation minimized muscle atrophy. The Experimental Denervated and Treated Group and Initial Control Group showed similar results. Conclusion Electrical stimulation through Russian current acted favorably in maintaining morphology of the cranial tibial muscle that was experimentally denervated, minimizing muscle atrophy.