Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Additive Neuroprotection of a 20-HETE Inhibitor with Delayed Therapeutic Hypothermia after Hypoxia-Ischemia in Neonatal Piglets

The severity of perinatal hypoxia-ischemia and the delay in initiating therapeutic hypothermia limit the efficacy of hypothermia. After hypoxia-ischemia in neonatal piglets, the arachidonic acid metabolite 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE) has been found to contribute to oxidative stress at 3 h of reoxygenation and to eventual neurodegeneration. We tested whether early administration of a 20-HETE synthesis inhibitor after reoxygenation augments neuroprotection with 3-hour delayed hypothermia. In two hypothermic groups, whole body cooling from 38.5 to 34°C was initiated 3 h after hypoxia-ischemia. Rewarming occurred from 20 to 24 h; then anesthesia was discontinued. One hypothermic group received a 20-HETE inhibitor at 5 min after reoxygenation. A sham-operated group and another hypoxia-ischemia group remained normothermic. At 10 days of recovery, resuscitated piglets with delayed hypothermia alone had significantly greater viable neuronal density in the putamen, caudate nucleus, sensorimotor cortex, CA3 hippocampus, and thalamus than did piglets with normothermic recovery, but the values remained less than those in the sham-operated group. In piglets administered the 20-HETE inhibitor before hypothermia, the density of viable neurons in the putamen, cortex and thalamus was significantly greater than in the group with hypothermia alone. Cytochrome P450 4A, which can synthesize 20-HETE, was expressed in piglet neurons in these regions. We conclude that early treatment with a 20-HETE inhibitor enhances the therapeutic benefit of delayed hypothermia in protecting neurons in brain regions known to be particularly vulnerable to hypoxia-ischemia in term newborns.
Evaluation of the efficacy of probiotics in plaque reduction and gingival health maintenance among school children - A Randomized Control Trial.

BACKGROUND Probiotics are live micro-organisms that when administered in adequate amounts confer health benefits upon the host. The impact of probiotics on oral health is relatively new with lots of research going on; the area of probiotics and periodontal disease is still in its infancy. The aim of the present trial was to evaluate the efficacy of the probiotics in plaque reduction among school children. MATERIALS & METHODS This is a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled parallel design study involving 216 school children (aged 14 - 17 years): 108 as experimental subjects and 108 as controls. Complete oral prophylaxes were performed for both the control group and experimental group. The pre-intervention plaque index and gingival index were recorded one week after the prophylaxis for both groups as the baseline data. The study subjects (Group A) included curd in their daily diet for 30 days, while the control subjects (Group B) excluded curd in their diet for 30 days. The post intervention plaque index and gingival index were recorded again and statistically compared with the baseline data. RESULTS the intervention group (Group A) was found to have statistically significant reduction in plaque when compared to that of the control group with p <0.001 and there was no significant improvement in gingival health. CONCLUSION A short-term daily ingestion of probiotics delivered via curd in diet reduced the levels of plaque. Hence if it can be promoted in the regular diet, it would help in improving the oral health among school children. How to cite this article: Karuppaiah RM, Shankar S, Raj SK, Ramesh K, Prakash R, Kruthika M. Evaluation of the efficacy of probiotics in plaque reduction and gingival health maintenance among school children - A Randomized Control Trial. J Int Oral Health 2013; 5(5):33-7.
Sleep Disturbance and Psychological Profiles of Medical Staff and Non-Medical Staff During the Early Outbreak of COVID-19 in Hubei Province, China

Objective The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has considerably burdened the healthcare system in the Hubei Province, the most severely affected region in China. The aim of our study was to assess the psychological effects of COVID-19 epidemic on the healthcare workers in Hubei. Methods A total of 2737 healthcare workers were sampled using a two-dimensional code shared online between Mar 4 and Mar 9, 2020. The questionnaires consisted of three elements: baseline characteristics, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The primary outcome variables were PQSI, anxiety and depression scores of non-medical staff, non-frontline medical staff and frontline medical staff. Binary logistical regression analyses were used to compare between respondents with and without sleep disturbance. Results About 61.6% of the respondents reported sleep problems, 22.6% experienced anxiety, and 35% exhibited depressive symptoms. The prevalence of sleep disorders was higher among the frontline healthcare workers compared to the non-frontline and non-medical staff, while anxiety and depression were prevalent in the entire cohort. Logistic regression analysis identified medical occupation, family burden, bereavement, anxiety, and depression as significantly predictive of poor sleep quality. Conclusions Frontline medical staff are more vulnerable to sleep disturbances. Psychosocial interventions are needed to help allied healthcare personnel to better respond to COVID-19 and future outbreaks.
The science of reason : a festschrift for Jonathan St. B.T. Evans

K. Manktelow, D. Over, S. Elqayam, Paradigms Shift: Jonathan Evans and the Science of Reason. Part 1. Thinking and Reasoning: Psychological Approaches. G. Politzer, Using Syllogisms in Everyday Life. V. Girotto, M. Gonzalez, Probabilistic Intuitions. D. Green, Arguments in Mind. R. Griggs, C. Koenig, Facilitation and Analogical Transfer on a Hypothetico-Deductive Reasoning Task. Part2. If. K. Oberauer, S. Geiger, K. Fischer, Conditionals and Disjunctions. P. Johnson-Laird, The Truth About Conditionals. N. Pfeifer, G. Kleiter, Uncertain Deductive Reasoning. S. Handley, S. Newstead, H. Neilens, Thinking Before you Decide on the Selection Task: Matching Bias Requires Analytical Reasoning. P. Barrouillet, C. Gauffroy, Dual Processes in the Development of the Understanding of Conditionals. Part 3. Dual Processes and Beyond. P. Legrenzi, Dual Process Theories of Thinking. A. Feeney, A. Crisp, A Conjunction of Fallacies: What Different Types of Causal Conjunction Error Reveal About Dual Processes for Thinking. K. Frankish, M. Kashmirli, Saying One Thing and Meaning Another: A Dual Process Approach to Conversational Implicature. L. Ball, The Dynamics of Reasoning: Chronometric Analysis and Dual-Process Theories. V. Thompson, S. Newstead, N. Morley, Methodological and Theoretical Issues in Belief-Bias: Implications for Dual Process Theories. M. Oaksford, N. Chater, Dual Systems and Dual Processes but a Single Function. Part 4. Rationality and Reasoning. K. Stanovich, R.F. West, M.E. Toplak, Individual Differences as Essential Components of Heuristics and Biases Research. S. Elqayam, Grounded Rationality: A Relativist Framework for Normative Rationality. Part 5. Perspectives on Thinking and Reasoning. J. St. B.T Evans, The Psychology of Reasoning: Reflections on Four Decades of Research.
Suicidal Ideation and Behaviours among University Students in Australia

Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence and demographic correlates of suicidal ideation and behaviours among university students in Australia and the utilisation of mental health services by this population. Method: Suicidal ideation and behaviours and demographic variables were assessed in a population of 1,678 undergraduate students by use of a modified Suicide Ideation Scale (SIS) and questionnaire. Results: Sixty two percent of students surveyed showed some suicidal ideation and 6.6% reported one or more suicide attempts. Over half of the group who reported suicide attempts did not use any type of mental health services. Suicidal ideation was found to be highly correlated with previous use of mental health services. In examining the relationship between suicidal ideation (SI) and demographic variables, SI was not significantly different for gender or parental marital status but was related to living arrangements, racial groups, religious affiliation and father's education. Conclusions: The results suggest that a higher proportion of students reported suicidal ideation and behaviours than that documented in related studies undertaken in the USA. While these findings draw attention to a higher level of suicidal ideation in students who utilise mental health assistance, more than half of those who reported suicide attempts did not use any kind of mental health service. The study has particular implications for detecting and assisting young people with a high suicide risk within the university environment.
A national risk assessment for intersex in fish arising from steroid estrogens

The occurrence of intersex fish is widespread in the rivers of England and Wales. The extent of intersex in fish populations is believed to be strongly linked to their exposure to steroid estrogens. The present study presents, to our knowledge, the first national, catchment‐based risk assessment for steroid estrogens in the world. A graphical information system–based model predicted the concentrations of estradiol (E2), estrone, and ethinylestradiol, which were combined and compared with known biological effect levels to predict the risk of endocrine disruption for 10,313 individual river reaches (21,452 km) receiving effluent from more than 2,000 sewage treatment plants serving more than 29 million people. The large scale of this assessment underlines the usefulness of computer‐based risk assessment methods. Overall, 39% of the modeled reaches (all percentages are in terms of the total river length modeled) in England and Wales were predicted to be not at risk from endocrine disruption (mean concentrations, <1 ng/L E2 equivalents). A large range existed in the percentage of river reaches at risk in the various regions, from 5% in Wales to 67% in the Thames catchment. Important factors influencing this proportion are the population density, particularly their location, and the available dilution. A very small proportion of reaches (∼1–3%) were predicted to be at high risk (>10 ng/L E2 equivalents). Many of these high‐risk reaches, however, were ditches, which were composed almost entirely of sewage effluent. The model could be applied equally well to any other chemical of concern emanating from the human population that would be impractical to assess by measurement.
Impact of HIV infection and HAART on serum lipids in men.

CONTEXT Alterations in serum lipid values have been widely reported among persons infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), but no data have yet been reported on changes from preseroconversion lipid values. OBJECTIVE To describe changes in serum cholesterol levels associated with HIV infection and antiretroviral medication exposure, and 1-time assessment of triglyceride levels post-HAART initiation. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS The Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study, a prospective study in which homosexual and bisexual men were enrolled and from which 50 of 517 HIV seroconverters were drawn for the analysis herein, who later initiated HAART, involving measurements of stored serum samples obtained between 1984 and 2002. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Changes in levels of total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) at 6 time points during an average of 12 years; 1-time assessment of triglyceride levels from the third post-HAART clinic visit. RESULTS Among the 50 men, notable declines in mean serum TC (-30 mg/dL [-0.78 mmol/L]), HDL-C (-12 mg/dL [-0.31 mmol/L]), and LDL-C values (-22 mg/dL [-0.57 mmol/L]) were observed after HIV infection. Following HAART initiation, there were large increases in mean TC and LDL-C values (50 and 21 mg/dL [1.30 and 0.54 mmol/L], respectively); however, the mean changes from the preseroconversion values were 20 mg/dL (0.52 mmol/L) (95% confidence interval [CI], -1 to 41) and -1 mg/dL (-0.03 mmol/L) (95% CI, -25 to 22), respectively. Mean HDL-C remained below baseline levels throughout follow-up. The median value (interquartile range) of triglycerides was 225 mg/dL (2.54 mmol/L) (147-331 mg/dL). CONCLUSIONS Before treatment, HIV infection results in substantial decreases in serum TC, HDL-C, and LDL-C levels. Subsequent HAART initiation is associated with increases in TC and LDL-C but little change in HDL-C. Increases in TC and LDL-C observed after about 3 years of HAART possibly represent a return to preinfection serum lipid levels after accounting for expected age-related changes.
Categoric overgeneral autobiographical memory in adolescents with major depressive disorder

Background. Categoric, overgeneral autobiographical memory is more common in depressed adults than controls and predicts persistence of depression. This cross-sectional study investigated whether, compared with non-depressed psychiatric cases and community controls, first episode major depressive disorder (MDD) in adolescents is associated with categoric overgeneral memory retrieval. Methods. Ninety-six clinically referred adolescents (aged 12–17 years) with MDD, 26 non-depressed psychiatric cases and a sample of 33 community controls were recruited. All subjects were assessed using the Kiddie-Schedule for Schizophrenia and Affective Disorders, and completed Williams' cued Autobiographical Memory Test and the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire. Hamilton Depression Rating Scales were completed with MDD subjects, as an index of depression severity. Results. Adolescents with current first episode MDD retrieved more categoric overgeneral memories than controls, but not than non-depressed psychiatric cases. Adolescents in full remission from a recent episode of MDD retrieved more categoric memories to positive cues than controls. Categoric memory in MDD was related to observer-rated and self-reported severity, but not to the pattern of co-morbid diagnoses. There were negative correlations between IQ and categoric memories in both clinical cases and controls. A positive correlation between categoric memory to negative cues and self-reported depressive symptoms was found in clinical cases (but not controls). Conclusions. In adolescents, increased categoric overgeneral memory is associated with, but not specific to first episode MDD. Positive categoric memories are also increased in fully remitted MDD as compared to controls.
Will the "Phisher-Men" Reel You In?: Assessing Individual Differences in a Phishing Detection Task

Some authors suggest that regardless of how good security technology is, it is the “people problem” that must be overcome for successful cybersecurity (West, Mayhorn, Hardee, & Mendel, 2009). While security threats to the average computer user might take a variety of forms such as viruses or worms delivered via nefarious websites or USB drives, identity theft tactics such as phishing are becoming increasingly problematic and common. Phishing is a technology-based, social engineering tactic where attackers attempt to appear as authorized sources to target individuals and obtain personal and/or sensitive information. The current research aims to explore how individuals differ in phishing susceptibility within the context of a real world email-related decision making task.
Tumor necrosis factor-alpha in whole blood cultures of preeclamptic patients and healthy pregnant and nonpregnant women.

OBJECTIVES Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is recognized as a likely mediator of the excessive endothelial activation and injury that is a key pathogenetic mechanism of preeclampsia. We used whole blood cell cultures from 12 patients with severe preeclampsia and from 12 healthy pregnant and nonpregnant women to determine the release of TNF-alpha by unstimulated leukocytes as a measure of their state of activation, and their response to stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as an indicator of their state of priming. METHODS Blood was cultivated without and with LPS, and TNF-alpha release was measured after six and 24 hours of cultivation by enzyme-linked immunoassays. Differential leukocyte counts were performed, and TNF-alpha values calculated per 10(5) monocytes. RESULTS In unstimulated whole blood cultures, TNF-alpha release after six hours of cultivation was similar in all three groups; but after 24 hours, TNF-alpha concentrations in culture supernatants from preeclamptic patients were significantly higher than were values obtained in blood from normotensive pregnant women. In LPS-stimulated blood cultures with a maximum of TNF-alpha release at six hours cultivation time, TNF-alpha concentrations were significantly lower in preeclamptic women than they were in both control groups. We showed in an additional experiment that a strong LPS challenge following preactivation with high doses of LPS resulted in reduced release of TNF-alpha compared with release of TNF-alpha following preactivation with low doses of LPS. CONCLUSIONS The observed high capacity for spontaneous TNF-alpha release by leukocytes in preeclampsia indicates activation of TNF-alpha producing leukocytes by the disease process. Preactivation and exhaustion of leukocytes by leakage of TNF-alpha could lead to the reduced response to TNF-alpha inducer LPS as observed in blood cultures from preeclamptic patients.
Advances in treatment of mesothelioma

ABSTRACT Introduction: Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an uncommon, aggressive cancer, derived from pleural mesothelial cells, that has a close relationship to asbestos exposure. To date, MPM prognosis is poor and very few treatment options are available for both localized and advanced MPM. Areas covered: The standard of care is still chemotherapy with platinum derivates and antifolate agents. In the last few years, several new agents have been studied on the basis of mesothelioma carcinogenesis and invasiveness mechanisms; however, the recent results are poor and few drugs have been tested in phase III trials because of toxicity or because they did not improve patient outcomes. The aim of this review is to focus on the current available treatment for MPM through the analysis of the results comes from the phase III trials and to discuss the future perspectives in the pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment. Expert Opinion: Many compounds are currently under investigation in different subsets of patients. Interesting data have come from preliminary studies on immunotherapy, but randomized studies are needed to confirm the preliminary positive results of this new strategy. A better comprehension of MPM pathogenesis should be obtained to improve and develop new diagnostic tools and target therapies.
Influence of African American elders’ age stereotypes on their cardiovascular response to stress

Abstract Although it has been shown that White elders are vulnerable to the influence of age stereotypes, it was not known whether this effect applied to African American elders. In the present study, African American elders were randomly assigned to negative or positive implicit-age-stereotype groups. Compared to participants in the positive age-stereotype group, those in the negative age-stereotype group demonstrated significantly more elevated cardiovascular response to stress, as measured by blood pressure and heart rate following mental challenges. These results suggest that negative age stereotypes generate a susceptibility to stress among African American elders, whereas positive age may provide them with a defense against this stress.
Skin Exposure to Ultraviolet B Rapidly Activates Systemic Neuroendocrine and Immunosuppressive Responses

The back skin of C57BL/6 mice was exposed to a single 400 mJ cm−2 dose of ultraviolet B (UVB), and parameters of hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis in relation to immune activity were tested after 30–90 min following irradiation. Levels of brain and/or plasma corticotropin‐releasing hormone (CRH), β‐endorphin, ACTH and corticosterone (CORT) were enhanced by UVB. Hypophysectomy had no effect on UVB‐induced increases of CORT. Mitogen‐induced IFNγ production by splenocytes from UVB‐treated mice was inhibited at 30, 90 min and after 24 h. UVB also led to inhibition of IL‐10 production indicating an immunosuppressive effect on both Th1 and Th2 cytokines. Conditioned media from splenocytes isolated from UVB‐treated animals had no effect on IFNγ production in cultured normal splenocytes; however, IFNγ increased with conditioned media from sham‐irradiated animals. Sera from UVB‐treated mice suppressed T‐cell mitogen‐induced IFNγ production as compared to sera from sham‐treated mice. IFNγ production was inhibited in splenocytes isolated from UVB‐treated animals with intact pituitary, while stimulated in splenocytes from UVB‐treated hypophysectomized mice. Thus, cutaneous exposure to UVB rapidly stimulates systemic CRH, ACTH, β‐endorphin and CORT production accompanied by rapid immunosuppressive effects in splenocytes that appear to be independent of the HPA axis.
Formation of Prostaglandins E2 and D2 via the Isoprostane Pathway

It has heretofore been assumed that the cyclooxygenases (COXs) are solely responsible for peostaglandin (PG) synthesis in vivo. An important structural feature of PGH2 formed by COX is the trans-configuration of side chains relative to the prostane ring. Previously, we reported that a series of PG-like compounds termed isoprostanes (IsoPs) are formed in vivo in humans from the free radical-catalyzed peroxidation of arachidonate independent of COX. A major difference between these compounds and PGs is that IsoPs are formed from endoperoxide intermediates, the vast majority of which contain side chains that are cis relative to the prostane ring. In addition, unlike the formation of eicosanoids from COX, IsoPs are formed as racemic mixtures because they are generated nonenzymatically. IsoPs containing E- and D-type prostane rings (E2/D2-IsoPs) are one class of IsoPs formed, and we have reported previously that one of the major IsoPs generated is 15-E2t-IsoP (8-iso-PGE2). Unlike PGE2, 15-E2t-IsoP is significantly more unstable in buffered solutions in vitro and undergoes epimerization to PGE2. Analogously, the D-ring IsoP (15-D2c-IsoP) would be predicted to rearrange to PGD2. We now report that compounds identical in all respects to PGE2 and PGD2 and their respective enantiomers are generated in vivo via the IsoP pathway, presumably by epimerization of racemic 15-E2t-IsoP and 15-D2c-IsoP, respectively. Racemic PGE2 and PGD2 were present esterified in phospholipids derived from liver tissue from rats exposed to oxidant stress at levels of 24 ± 16 and 37 ± 12 ng/g of tissue, respectively. In addition, racemic PGs, particularly PGD2, were present unesterified in urine from normal animals and humans and represented up to 10% of the total PG detected. Levels of racemic PGD2 increased 35-fold after treatment of rats with carbon tetrachloride to induce oxidant stress. In this setting, PGD2 and its enantiomer generated by the IsoP pathway represented ∼30% of the total PGD2 present in urine. These findings strongly support the contention that a second pathway exists for the formation of bioactive PGs in vivo that is independent of COX.