Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of an acute exercise bout on immediate post‐exercise irisin concentration in adults: A meta‐analysis

Irisin is a recently discovered myokine that increases adipocyte metabolism, induces further “browning” of white adipose tissue, and enhances glucose metabolism. No study has ever determined how an acute bout of exercise impacts immediate post‐exercise irisin concentration using a meta‐analytic approach. The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of an acute bout of exercise on the magnitude of post‐exercise irisin concentration in adults using meta‐analytic procedures. Searches were performed on PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, PEDro, SCOPUS, and SPORTDiscus databases. Effect summaries were obtained using random‐effects models. Random‐effects single and multiple meta‐regressions were performed to determine relationships between, and potential confounding effects of, variables of interest. Ten articles were retained for the final meta‐analysis, producing 21 study estimates. An acute bout of exercise was accompanied by a post‐exercise average increase in irisin concentration of 15.0 (95% CI: 10.8%‐19.3%). There was no significant relationship between post‐exercise irisin concentration and age, intensity of aerobic exercise, or type of exercise training session (resistance vs aerobic training). Fitness level and body mass index were identified as significant predictive variables for post‐exercise irisin concentration. However, a multiple meta‐regression model identified fitness level as the single best predictor, with being fit (21.1%±2.2%) associated with a nearly twofold increase in post‐exercise irisin concentration, compared with being unfit (11.8%±2.1%). Immediately following an acute bout of exercise, irisin concentration increases substantially in adults, with fitness level as an important modifier for the effect.
Inhibition activities of colchicum luteum baker on lipoxygenase and other enzymes

In vitro enzymes inhibition activities of the crude methanolic extract and various fractions of Colchicum luteum Baker (Liliaceae) including chloroform, ethyl acetate, n-butanol and aqueous were carried out against actylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase, lipoxygenase and urease enzymes. A significant enzyme inhibition activity (89%) is shown by the crude methanolic extract and its fractions against lipoxygenase, while low to significant activity (32–75%) was evident against butyrylcholinesterase. The crude methanolic extract and its various fractions demonstrated low activity (29–61%) against acetylcholinesterase and no activity against urease.
A‐Theory for B‐Theorists

I attempt to characterize the A-theory of time in such a way as to avoid certain standard objections to it, like those derived from McTaggart's paradox. These objections often arise from conflation of the A-theory with other doctrines which are not entailed by it, but which happen to be held by individual A-theorists. In my view, the A-theory is most defensible when combined with a certain analysis of tense (which I call 'the counterfactual theory of tense'), and which realism about the past and future.
Influence of tissue origins and external microenvironment on porcine foetal fibroblast growth, proliferative life span and genome stability

Abstract. One of the challenges of manipulating genes in primary cells is that the cells have a finite proliferation capacity. This, combined with the lower gene targeting efficiency of somatic cells, makes identification of targeted clones very difficult. The objective of this study was to establish a system that allows porcine foetal fibroblasts to reach their maximal proliferation capacity in vitro. The influence of fibroblast origin, stage of foetal development, cell seeding densities and concentration of foetal bovine serum (FBS) on the population doublings, the percentage of β‐galactosidase‐activity‐positive cells and the genome stability of foetal fibroblasts during in vitro culture was investigated. It was found that porcine foetal fibroblasts could be cultured for over 80 population doublings in the appropriate culture system. Fibroblasts from earlier stages of foetal development were better candidate cells than those from the later stages. Cells from the heart were more actively proliferative and more resistant to replicative senescence than those from the liver. Compared to 10% FBS content, 15% FBS provided better homeostatic support, not only to proliferative performance, but also in maintaining a normal karyotype. In addition, the proliferative life span of porcine foetal fibroblasts is also dependent on seeding density of the culture.
Mechanism of Action of the Ribopyranoside Benzimidazole GW275175X against Human Cytomegalovirus

ABSTRACT New human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) therapies with novel mechanisms of action are needed to treat drug-resistant HCMV that arises during therapy with currently approved agents. 2-Bromo-5,6-dichloro-1-β-d-ribofuranosyl-1H-benzimidazole (BDCRB) is an effective anti-HCMV agent with a novel mechanism of action, but problems with in vivo stability preclude clinical development. A d-ribopyranosyl derivative of BDCRB, GW275175X, displays similar antiviral activity without the in vivo stability problems. We present an initial description of the activity of GW275175X against HCMV, other herpesviruses, and selected nonherpesviruses. In addition, we show that it acts as a DNA maturation inhibitor like the parent compound, BDCRB, rather than via the mechanisms of action of 1263W94 or any anti-HCMV drugs approved for marketing. GW275175X is a promising candidate for clinical development as an anti-HCMV agent.
Structural homologues PII and Pz of Azospirillum brasilense provide intracellular signalling for selective regulation of various nitrogen‐dependent functions

PII (glnB ) is a signal transduction protein that in Azospirillum brasilense is specifically required for nitrogen fixation. Little is known about whether and how its homologue Pz (glnZ ) participates in the regulation of cellular functions. In this study, we have shown the regulatory action of the two proteins by analysing the relevant single and double null‐mutant strains. The transcription of glnZ is monocistronic, and it starts mainly from a σ54‐dependent promoter, activated by NtrC. glnZ expression is dependent on the ntr system, even under conditions of nitrogen excess, and is greatly enhanced in the presence of aspartate. Pz is uridylylated in response to nitrogen limitation, like PII, although different amounts of the two proteins are synthesized. PII is required for the dephosphorylation of NtrC. Thus, in the absence of PII, the repression of nitrate assimilation is not promoted, which, in turn, leads to a high rate of ammonium excretion. Unexpectedly, PII and Pz proteins are not essential for the reversible modification of glutamine synthetase. (Methyl)ammonium transport into the cell is negatively regulated by Pz. The growth of a double‐mutant strain (glnB ::kan; glnZ ::Ω ) is drastically disabled, although wild‐type growth is restored by complementation with either glnB or glnZ. We conclude that PII and Pz, despite their structural similarity, are involved in different regulatory processes, except for that required for cell growth.
Lesions in the cat prepositus complex: effects on the vestibulo‐ocular reflex and saccades.

The effects of bilateral electrolytic lesions within and around the prepositus hypoglossi (p.h.) nucleus on horizontal saccades in the dark and on the horizontal sinusoidal vestibulo‐ocular reflex (v.o.r.) in the dark were studied. After p.h. lesion, including its rostral part between P 7 and P 8, the v.o. r. showed a phase lead as much as about 90 deg at 0.10 Hz. A significant gain reduction paralleled that phase lead at lower frequencies. A large post‐saccadic drift was also observed, the time constant of which ranged from 0.3 to 0.6 s. After p.h. lesion extending from P 8 to P 11 (but sparing the rostral part of the p.h.), no significant gain or phase lead change was observed. Post‐saccadic drift was either missing or weak. A bilateral medial vestibular nucleus (m.v.n.) lesion from P 7 to P 11 produced a marked gain decrease, paralleled by a marked phase advance. A post‐saccadic drift was observed (tau = 0.6 s). A surgical mid‐line lesion from P 7 to P 11 (depth: about 2 mm) was followed by no remarkable change in the gain and in the phase of the v.o. r. No post‐saccadic drift was observed after such lesion. It was concluded that (i) both the horizontal v.o. r. integration processing, and the horizontal saccadic integration processing were destroyed when an electrolytic lesion was made 'in the region of' the rostral part of the p.h. nucleus, and that (ii) the posterior four‐fifths of the p.h. was the location of neither the horizontal v.o. r. integrator nor the horizontal saccadic integrator.
Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis in children: clinical features and HLA‐DR linkage

This study includes 90 children (41 female and 49 male) in the age range of 2–16 years with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM). Thirty‐three patients developed ADEM following rubella infection, 26 children following varicella infection, 20 suspected viral aetiology ADEM and 11 multiphasic disseminated encephalomyelitis (MDEM). All patients had neurological, routine laboratory and viral serology study with an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Brain and/or spinal cord magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were performed in 14 children. A follow‐up study was in 1–5 years. Typing of DRB1 gene HLA class II was performed in 38 patients. We established that the varicella and rubella groups had preferential patterns. Rubella ADEM is characterized by acute explosive onset, seizures, coma and moderate pyramidal signs, whereas varicella infection is characterized by cerebella ataxia and mild pyramidal dysfunction. The suspected viral aetiology ADEM was characterized by polisymptomatic presentation. MDEM was characterized by older age of patients (11.6 ± 2.8 years), more severe and prolonged local neurological symptoms, including myelitis symptoms and marked extrapyramidal signs, with distinct demyelination in MRIs. As a whole, ADEM is associated with DRB1*01 and DRB1*017(03) in the Russian population. Thus, ADEM is a separate autoimmune condition with a specific mechanism due to the type of genetic immunoregulatory base and specificity of viral trigger.
Prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria among pregnant women in Nnewi, southeast Nigeria

Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) in pregnancy is associated with obstetric complications including preeclampsia, pyelonephritis, preterm labour, low birth weight and prematurity. Determining the prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria among pregnant women locally is needed to justify routine screening for ASB in pregnancy. This cross sectional, case controlled study examined 440 women comprising equal numbers of pregnant and non pregnant women attending various clinics at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH) Nnewi, Nigeria with the aim of determining the prevalence of ASB among them and the antibiotic sensitivity of the isolated organisms. Urine culture using MacConkay and blood agar were used to isolate bacteria organisms. Significant bacteriuria was defined as the finding of single pure isolate of ≥105 in two consecutive, freshly voided, midstream urine. The prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria among the pregnant women was 19.5% (n=43) and 6.4% ( n=14) for the non pregnant women. (x 2 =16.9,0R=3.6, P=0.00). There was no significant influence of age (x 2 =1.89,P=0.39), parity (x 2 =3.92,P=0.14) or social class (x 2 =5.7, p=0.22) on the prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria in pregnancy. Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) was the commonest isolated organism, 30(52.6%) followed by Staphylococcus aureus , 10 (17.5%) and Klebsiella sp , 9 (15.8%). The isolated E. coli was 100% sensitive to ofloxacin, nitrofurantoin and nalidixic acid and 83.3%, 73.3% and 66.7% sensitive to augmentin, gentamicin and cefuroxime, respectively. Sensitivity to ampicillin and cotrimoxazole were 43.3% and 30.0%, respectively. The prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in NAUTH is high and the isolated organisms were mainly susceptible to ofloxacin, nitrofurantoin and nalidixic acid. Routine screening for ASB in pregnancy in the hospital is recommended for all pregnant women. Keywords : Prevalence, Asymptomatic bacteriuria, Nnewi, Nigeria
U.S. adult knowledge of risk factors and signs of oral cancers: 1990.

A sample of U.S. adults were asked questions to assess their knowledge of oral cancer as part of the 1990 Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Supplement of the National Health Interview Survey. Tobacco use was the only risk factor most adults identified correctly. Only 25 percent of those surveyed could identify one sign of oral cancer. Overall, there is extensive misinformation and a general lack of knowledge.
On the relationship between neuropathology and pathophysiology in the epileptic hippocampus of humans and experimental animals

The discovery of hippocampal pathology in patients with chronic epilepsy long preceded the advent of electroencephalography, which revealed that “psychomotor” seizures arose from the temporal lobe (Gibbs et al., 1948; Jasper et al., 1951). Although Sommer (1880) originally suggested that the observed hippocampal pathology was the cause of the seizures, the hippocampal lesion has also been viewed as the “anoxic” passive result of seizures (Spielmeyer, 1927). If hippocampal cell loss is simply the result of repetitive seizures, it might underlie the memory impairment associated with the disorder but would not be significant with respect to epileptogenesis. However, it is now generally accepted that cryptogenic complex partial seizures of temporal lobe origin, i.e., those not associated with a tumor or malformation, often originate within or near the sclerotic hippocampus (Spencer et al., 1990). Removal of the hippocampus decreases seizure frequency or eliminates seizures altogether, and the presence of hippocampal sclerosis is a predictor of a successful post-surgical outcome (Falconer et al., 1964; Spencer and Inserni, 1991). Since the hippocampal pathology that may constitute the “epi-leptic focus” involves the loss of some cell populations and the survival of others, selective cell loss may affect the excitability of the remaining principal cells. Thus, studies of hippocampal pathology in epilepsy may lead to a more complete understanding of the nature of the epileptogenic “network” imbalance that presumably generates spontaneous population discharges.
Predicting treatment time with the Lidcombe Program: replication and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND The benefits of treating stuttering close to onset have become obvious in recent years, and the Lidcombe Program has emerged as an effective and safe treatment method for children in their preschool years. The benefits of implementing the programme with young children, however, need to be weighed against the knowledge that many children recover from stuttering without treatment. In light of this, speech-language therapists need to know how long treatment is likely to take and whether treatment time can be predicted. In particular, they need to know if adopting a 'watchful waiting' approach--to see if natural recovery occurs--jeopardizes responsiveness to treatment. A recent Australian study of 250 preschool-age children found that stuttering rate was the only significant predictor of treatment time with the Lidcombe Program. In other words, children whose stuttering was more severe took longer to pass through the programme. There were other trends in the data but they did not reach significance. AIMS The present study, conducted independently in the UK, was designed to replicate the Australian study. Direct replication enabled pooling of the data from the two studies in a meta-analysis. METHODS & PROCEDURES The study included 66 children who began treatment before 6 years of age. They were treated with the Lidcombe Program at a specialist stuttering clinic in Norwich. Logistic regression analyses were conducted on the data. The data from both the British and Australian cohorts were pooled in a meta-analysis. OUTCOMES & RESULTS Results indicated that Stage 1 of the Lidcombe Program was completed in a median of 11 clinic visits, which is in line with the findings of the Australian study. Stuttering rate at first clinic visit was again found to be a significant predictor of treatment time. The remaining data trends were similar to those in the Australian data. In the meta-analysis, stuttering rate was once more found to be a predictor of treatment time. Of particular interest, however, was that the increased power provided by the meta-analysis identified an additional predictor, namely onset-to-treatment interval. Contrary to what is known about the responsiveness of children to the Starkweather and Gottwald treatment, and contrary to what might be expected given what we know about natural recovery, children who had been stuttering for more than 12 months took less time to progress through the programme than children who had been stuttering for less than 12 months. CONCLUSIONS These findings indicate that delaying intervention with the Lidcombe Program for 1 year after onset, within the preschool years, is unlikely to jeopardize responsiveness to treatment. The clinical implications of these findings are discussed.
Long-term Stability of the Active Middle-ear Implant with Floating-mass Transducer Technology: A Single-center Study

Objective: To examine the long-term results of an active middle-ear implant (AMEI) with floating-mass transducer (FMT) technology. Study Design: Prospective cohort study of German-speaking patients implanted with an AMEI between 2006 and 2013. Setting: Single-center study. Patients: Eighty-three patients. Intervention: AMEI with FMT technology implantation. Main Outcome Measures: Long-term outcome (27 mo; range, 12–84 mo) for FMT position in correlation with pure-tone audiometry, auditory thresholds for frequency-modulated (warble) tones, vibroplasty thresholds for pure tones, and speech audiometry in quiet and noise. Results: In 15.6% of patients, a revision surgery was necessary to improve functional performance of the AMEI, and the highest revision rate was found with FMT coupling to the round window not using couplers. A peak number of revision surgeries were observed 3 years after the initial surgery. Stable audiological results (pure-tone audiometry and speech audiometry in quiet and noise) were observed up to 84-month post-surgery. Incus vibroplasty (classic indication) showed a significantly lower functional gain compared with oval and round window vibroplasty. Vibroplasty in combined or conductive hearing loss showed no functional difference between forward and reverse stimulation of the cochlea; however, significantly lower vibroplasty thresholds were detected when using a coupler. Conclusions: The AMEI with FMT technology can be safely used in treatment of patients with mild-to-severe sensorineural, conductive, or mixed hearing loss. Optimized coupling, especially in incus vibroplasty, has to be developed to achieve enhanced audiological results.
Detection and genotyping of HPV in women with indeterminate cytology and low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions

Introduction: The human papillomavirus (HPV) is the main risk factor related to cervical cancer, the third most frequent type of cancer in Brazilian women. Early identification of high-risk HPV types in the normal cervix, or cervix with premalignant lesions may help prevent the progression of these lesions to cancer. Objective: This study aimed to detect and genotype HPV in women with low-grade intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) and atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US). Methods: Patients were selected from files of the cytology laboratory of Fundacao Alfredo da Mata (FUAM), between January 2009 and July 2011, for cytological reassessment and HPV molecular detection with genotyping. Results: Out of the100 eligible patients, 70% (70/100) participated in the study; initially, 34 of them had ASC-US and 36 had LSIL. After cytological reassessment, eight (11.4%) patients showed normal cytology; 33 (47.2%), inflammatory lesions; 22 (31.4%), ASCUS; six (8.6%), LSIL; and one (1.4%), high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL). HPV was detected in 28.6% (20/70) of the samples. Out of the 20 HPV-positive patients, one had normal cytology, six showed inflammatory cytology, 10 showed ASCUS, two had LSIL and one, HSIL. After genotyping, the HPV types identified were: 6, 16, 58, 61, 70, 83, 84 and 85. The most prevalent HPV type was the 58. Conclusion: The presence of high-risk HPV in women with old cervical lesions, whether they have evolved or not, indicates the need to improve patient monitoring and surveillance.
Serotonin reuptake inhibitor use in pregnancy and the neonatal behavioral syndrome

Objective. To assess the severity of neonatal behavioral syndrome (NBS) in infants of serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI)-treated pregnancies, compared with infants of women with psychiatric illness not treated with medication. Methods. This was a retrospective cohort study of pregnancies followed in a prenatal clinic for women with psychiatric illness. Infants of women who received SRI medication through delivery (SRI-treated) were compared with those who did not receive treatment or discontinued medication before the last month of pregnancy (SRI-untreated). NBS was defined as one or more of the following: jitteriness, irritability, lethargy, hypotonia, hypertonia, hyperreflexia, apnea, respiratory distress, vomiting, poor feeding, or hypoglycemia. Results. Findings of NBS were identified in 28% of 46 SRI-treated pregnancies and 17% of 59 untreated pregnancies. There were no differences in rates of prematurity (4% vs. 7%), fetal growth restriction (6% vs. 2%), transfer to a higher nursery for NBS (11% vs. 10%), respiratory abnormality (7% vs. 5%), or hospitalization duration among infants with NBS findings (2 vs. 6 days). Conclusions. Findings of NBS were identified in 28% of SRI-exposed neonates. However, these infants were not more likely than unexposed infants to be admitted to a higher nursery, experience respiratory abnormalities, or have prolonged hospitalization.
Cytocidal Effects of Polyphenolic Compounds, Alone or in Combination with, Anticancer Drugs Against Cancer Cells: Potential Future Application of the Combinatory Therapy

© 2012 Yuan 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. Cytocidal Effects of Polyphenolic Compounds, Alone or in Combination with, Anticancer Drugs Against Cancer Cells: Potential Future Application of the Combinatory Therapy