Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessment of nitrate and nitrite contamination in herbal tea products

Herbal tea products, are used for medicinal purposes for infants, yet do not fall under strict regulations, like drugs. Herbal tea products, may lead to a cure, but under certain conditions may lead to serious health problems, due to over dosage, heavy metal contamination and presence of other contaminants and active ingredients. This research investigated the nitrate and nitrite contamination of herbal tea products sold in the market, as exceeding the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) permissible levels, could lead to serious health problems such as methemoglobinemia and cancer. This research indicated that some samples exceeded the permissible US EPA levels (10 mg/L nitrate-nitrogen and 1 mg/L nitrite-nitrogen), while other samples showed high levels but did not exceed the set standard limits, and in others no contamination was detected. This research presented important information about the contamination of herbal tea products and calls for stricter regulations for this industry, as these products are used as drugs but do not fall under strict drug regulations. Accordingly, this will ensure a safer product for our children and better health conditions. Key words: Herbal tea, nitrates, nitrites, contamination, methemoglobinemia, United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), WHO.
Lash Regression of pathological cardiac hypertrophy : Signaling pathways and therapeutic targets

Abbreviations: ACE, angiotensin converting enzyme creatine kinase; Cu,Zn-SOD, Cu,Zn-superoxide dismuta guanylyl cyclase-A; GMP, guanosine monophosphate; G ular assist devices; MAPK, mitogen-activated protein ki PCP, pro-collagen Nand C-proteinases; PCr, phosphocr resonance angiography; pVHL, von Hippel–Lindau prote constriction; TGF-β, transforming growth factor-β; TIMP Vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein; VEGF, Vascular ⁎ Corresponding author at: Regenerative Medicine Re Tel. /fax: +86 28 85164037. E-mail address: yjkang01@louisville.edu (Y.J. Kang).
International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups Recommendations on the Diagnosis and Classification of Hyperglycemia in Pregnancy

Lack of international uniformity for the diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) has been a clinical problem. The International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups (IADPSG) suggested new criteria for diagnosis and classification of diabetes in pregnancy (1) based on the association of maternal glycemia with perinatal outcomes reported in the Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome (HAPO) study (2). Clinical outcomes are the best way to define diagnostic thresholds, and this approach to GDM diagnosis has already been reported in the Brazilian population. The study by Schmidt et al. (3) merits mentioning since it is one of the few large studies of unselected pregnant women universally evaluated with the …
Obesity, Diabetes, and Gut Microbiota

The connection between gut microbiota and energy homeostasis and inflammation and its role in the pathogenesis of obesity-related disorders are increasingly recognized. Animals models of obesity connect an altered microbiota composition to the development of obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes in the host through several mechanisms: increased energy harvest from the diet, altered fatty acid metabolism and composition in adipose tissue and liver, modulation of gut peptide YY and glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 secretion, activation of the lipopolysaccharide toll-like receptor-4 axis, and modulation of intestinal barrier integrity by GLP-2. Instrumental for gut microbiota manipulation is the understanding of mechanisms regulating gut microbiota composition. Several factors shape the gut microflora during infancy: mode of delivery, type of infant feeding, hospitalization, and prematurity. Furthermore, the key importance of antibiotic use and dietary nutrient composition are increasingly recognized. The role of the Western diet in promoting an obesogenic gut microbiota is being confirmation in subjects. Following encouraging results in animals, several short-term randomized controlled trials showed the benefit of prebiotics and probiotics on insulin sensitivity, inflammatory markers, postprandial incretins, and glucose tolerance. Future research is needed to unravel the hormonal, immunomodulatory, and metabolic mechanisms underlying microbe-microbe and microbiota-host interactions and the specific genes that determine the health benefit derived from probiotics. While awaiting further randomized trials assessing long-term safety and benefits on clinical end points, a healthy lifestyle—including breast lactation, appropriate antibiotic use, and the avoidance of excessive dietary fat intake—may ensure a friendly gut microbiota and positively affect prevention and treatment of metabolic disorders.
No Protective Effect of Calcitriol on β-Cell Function in Recent-Onset Type 1 Diabetes

OBJECTIVE We investigated whether supplementation of the active form of vitamin D (calcitriol) in recent-onset type 1 diabetes can protect β-cell function evaluated by C-peptide and improve glycemic control assessed by A1C and insulin requirement. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Thirty-four subjects (aged 11–35 years, median 18 years) with recent-onset type 1 diabetes and high basal C-peptide >0.25 nmol/l were randomized in a double-blind trial to 0.25 μg/day calcitriol or placebo and followed-up for 2 years. RESULTS At 6, 12, and 24 months follow-up, A1C and insulin requirement in the calcitriol group did not differ from the placebo group. C-peptide dropped significantly (P < 0.001) but similarly in both groups, with no significant differences at each time point. CONCLUSIONS At the doses used, calcitriol is ineffective in protecting β-cell function in subjects (including children) with recent-onset type 1 diabetes and high C-peptide at diagnosis.
Relationship between significant coronary artery disease and coronary artery anomalies

Materials and methods: We assessed retrospectively the coronary angiography records of 8120 adult patients. We defined and classified the CAAs according to the classification system described by Angelini et al. Significant CAD was defined as the presence of angiographic coronary stenosis of >50% of the luminal diameter in at least 1 of the epicardial coronary arteries. Moreover, we compared the frequencies and features of the CAAs among CAD cases. Results: We detected coronary artery anomalies in 3.32% and 64.4% of the patients with significant CAD. The percentage of anomalous coronary artery origin was significantly higher in CAD (-) patients than CAD (+) patients. The incidence of absence of left main coronary artery (LMCA) and the left anterior descending artery originating from the right sinus of Valsalva or the right coronary artery was significantly higher in CAD (-) patients than CAD (+) patients. Conclusion: The development of coronary artery disease might be associated with coronary artery anomalies. In particular, the lack of LMCA seems to restrict the development of CAD.
Obesity in Children and Future Cardiometabolic Risk

Rates of pediatric obesity have increased substantially in recent years (1) and now pose a major risk for increased morbidity and premature mortality in adulthood for those affected, with cardiovascular disease (CVD) being a major contributor. In the current issue, Libman et al. (2) examine the relationship between glucose and insulin in overweight children and adolescents and a range of biomarkers for cardiovascular disease. They report that increased fasting and postprandial insulin are related to CVD risk factors, including systolic blood pressure and triglycerides, whereas glucose is not. These results are perhaps not surprising given what we already know about glucose homeostasis in obese children and adolescents (3) and recent evidence supporting a relatively weak relationship between elevations in fasting glucose within the normal range and incident CVD events in adults (4). Hyperinsulinemia is the hallmark of metabolic dysfunction in children and adolescents, with hyperglycemia not manifesting until a very late stage of β-cell failure (3), making the process far lengthier than in adults and reflecting the ability of the young pancreas to better compensate. Given the epidemic of childhood …
The effect of training frequency on selected physical and hemodynamic parameters in the training and retraining of sedentary adult males

In the endeavour to apply exercise as a therapeutic or prophylactic modality, the health professional is challenged by the science of exercise prescription. In order to prescribe the correct “dosage” for a specific problem, the exercise principles (frequency, intensity, duration and time) should be borne in mind. Another frequently asked question to the Biokineticist/ Exercise Physiologist is what the effect of detraining and retraining will be when an interruption occurs in the rehabilitation or conditioning regimen. Hence the aim of this study was to determine the effect of training frequency on some physical and hemodynamic parameters in the training and retraining of adult males. Sixty (60) healthy but sedentary Caucasian males aged 28 – 49 years were recruited to participate in this study. They were randomly selected into 3 groups of 20 each. Groups A and B served as the training groups while group C formed the control group which remained sedentary, and followed their normal lifestyle. The experimental groups (A & B) initially trained for 12 weeks at a training frequency of 3 times a week. This was followed by a detraining and retraining regimen of 12 weeks each. During the retraining period, Groups A and B retrained at a frequency of 2 and 4 times per week respectively. Some physical and hemodynamic parameters were assessed before (baseline) as well as after each phase. The physical working capacity (PWC) results of this study indicated that the experimental groups lost about 50% of the gained benefits after 12 weeks of detraining. With retraining, a frequency of 2 times a week was able to maintain the level of PWC (Group A) while Group B, retraining at a frequency of 4 times a week, improved and exceeded the capacity reached after the initial training phase. The systolic and diastolic blood pressure at rest indicated salutogenic changes following the training and retraining regimens, with deterioration during detraining. However, not all changes were statistically significant. The parameters representing the effectiveness of cardio-vascular functioning during exercise, viz. systolic blood pressure as well as double product at peak (DP peak) workload, reflected statistically significant improvement with a training frequency of 3 times a week. After 12 weeks of detraining, deterioration occurred in all mentioned parameters, but not to the pre-training level. With retraining, a training frequency of 2 times a week showed improvement (but not significant) in DP peak but not in SBP peak, while retraining at a frequency of 4 times a week resulted in statistically significant improvements.
Vertically and horizontally directed muscle power exercises: Relationships with top-level sprint performance

The capacity to rapidly generate and apply a great amount of force seems to play a key role in sprint running. However, it has recently been shown that, for sprinters, the technical ability to effectively orient the force onto the ground is more important than its total amount. The force-vector theory has been proposed to guide coaches in selecting the most adequate exercises to comprehensively develop the neuromechanical qualities related to the distinct phases of sprinting. This study aimed to compare the relationships between vertically-directed (loaded and unloaded vertical jumps, and half-squat) and horizontally-directed (hip-thrust) exercises and the sprint performance of top-level track and field athletes. Sixteen sprinters and jumpers (including three Olympic athletes) executed vertical jumps, loaded jump squats and hip-thrusts, and sprinting speed tests at 10-, 20-, 40-, 60-, 100-, and 150-m. Results indicated that the hip-thrust is more associated with the maximum acceleration phase (i.e., from zero to 10-m; r = 0.93), whereas the loaded and unloaded vertical jumps seem to be more related to top-speed phases (i.e., distances superior to 40-m; r varying from 0.88 to 0.96). These findings reinforce the mechanical concepts supporting the force-vector theory, and provide coaches and sport scientists with valuable information about the potential use and benefits of using vertically- or horizontally-based training exercises.
Testing the PPAR hypothesis of tobacco use disorder in humans: A randomized trial of the impact of gemfibrozil (a partial PPARα agonist) in smokers

Previous pre-clinical studies demonstrated a promising role of alpha-type peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARα) agonists in decreasing nicotine self-administration and nicotine-seeking behavior in animals. Our goal was to investigate the potential of gemfibrozil, a PPARα agonist, on reducing tobacco smoking in humans. Methods: This was a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study evaluating the effects of gemfibrozil (1200 mg/day) on smoking in 27 treatment-seeking smokers. The study had two 2-week phases separated by a washout period of at least 1 week. In each phase and after 1 week on medication, participants underwent a lab session where cue reactivity and forced choice paradigms were conducted. Physiological responses and self-reported craving were monitored during the presentation of smoking and neutral cues. In addition, two types of cigarettes were used in the forced choice paradigms: the Nicotinized cigarettes (Nic) and the Denicotinized cigarettes (Denic). The goal of the forced choice was to calculate the percentage of choice of Nic cigarettes while taking gemfibrozil or placebo. The number of quit days was calculated during the two quit attempts weeks (one while taking gemfibrozil and one while taking placebo) of the study. Results: There were no significant differences between gemfibrozil and placebo groups in the percentage of choice of Nic cigarettes, the cue-reactivity (both physiological and subjective measures), or in the number of days of abstinence. Conclusions: Although preclinical studies with PPAR α agonists showed promising results, this preliminary study did not demonstrate positive effect of gemfibrozil on tobacco use and cessation indices.
Aberrant DNMT3B7 expression correlates to tissue type, stage, and survival across cancers

Cancer cells are known for aberrant methylation patterns leading to altered gene expression and tumor progression. DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) are responsible for regulating DNA methylation in normal cells. However, many aberrant versions of DNMTs have been identified to date and their role in cancer continues to be elucidated. It has been previously shown that an aberrant version of a de novo methylase, DNMT3B7, is expressed in many cancer cell lines and has a functional role in the progression of breast cancer, neuroblastoma, and lymphoma. It is clear that DNMT3B7 is important to tumor development in vitro and in vivo, but it is unknown if expression of the transcript in all of these cell lines translates to relevant clinical results. In this study, a bioinformatics approach was utilized to test the hypothesis that DNMT3B7 expression corresponds to tumor progression in patient samples across cancer types. Gene expression and clinical data were obtained from the Genomic Data Commons for the 33 cancer types available and analyzed for DNMT3B7 expression with relation to tissue type in matched and unmatched samples, staging of tumors, and patient survival. Here we present the results of this analysis indicating a role for DNMT3B7 in tumor progression of many additional cancer types. Based on these data, future in vitro and in vivo studies can be prioritized to examine DNMT3B7 in cancer and, hopefully, develop novel therapeutics to target this aberrant transcript across multiple tumor types.
Expectations and perceived benefits of a hospital-based low vision clinic: Results of an exploratory, qualitative research study

Background: It is known that unmet expectations are a common cause of patient dissatisfaction with health care. The purpose of this study was to determine the expectations of patients attending their first low vision clinic appointment in a specialist ophthalmic hospital and to determine how well their expectations were met by the low vision clinic. Method: Fifteen adults with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and significant vision loss were recruited. A one-to-one, semistructured interview was performed by a research psychologist to determine the difficulties patients were experiencing and their expectations of the low vision clinic. At a further interview 3 months later patients were again asked what difficulties they were experiencing and to comment on the perceived benefits of the low vision clinic. Results: Ninety-three percent (93%) (14/15) reported difficulty with reading. Other frequently reported problems included shopping (7/15), face recognition (5/15), crossing roads (4/15) and televisio.
Providing a primary care service for psychiatric in-patients

AIMS AND METHOD A prospective descriptive study was set up to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability and activity of an innovative weekly primary care service for patients admitted for acute psychiatric care. RESULTS During 10 months, 36 clinics were held and 123 appointments were attended. Presenting complaints included a wide range of acute and chronic conditions, affecting all body systems. As well as treating specific complaints, the doctor providing this service undertook considerable health promotion work and gave advice about patient management to junior psychiatrists. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS It appears that there is considerable need for primary care expertise within an acute psychiatric unit, and that a weekly clinic is a feasible model of care.
Socioeconomic Status and Mortality

OBJECTIVE Although several studies have examined the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and mortality in the general population, few have investigated this relationship among people with diabetes. This study sought to determine how risk of mortality associated with measures of SES among adults with diagnosed diabetes is mitigated by association with demographics, comorbidities, diabetes treatment, psychological distress, or health care access and utilization. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The study included 6,177 adults aged 25 years or older with diagnosed diabetes who participated in the National Health Interview Surveys (1997–2003) linked to mortality data (follow-up through 2006). SES was measured by education attained, financial wealth (either stocks/dividends or home ownership), and income-to-poverty ratio. RESULTS In unadjusted analysis, risk of death was significantly greater for people with lower levels of education and income-to-poverty ratio than for those at the highest levels. After adjusting for demographics, comorbidities, diabetes treatment and duration, health care access, and psychological distress variables, the association with greater risk of death remained significant only for people with the lowest level of education (relative hazard 1.52 [95% CI 1.04–2.23]). After multivariate adjustment, the risk of death was significantly greater for people without certain measures of financial wealth (e.g., stocks, home ownership) (1.56 [1.07–2.27]) than for those with them. CONCLUSIONS The findings suggest that after adjustments for demographics, health care access, and psychological distress, the level of education attained and financial wealth remain strong predictors of mortality risk among adults with diabetes.
Lung emphysema treated successfully using volume reduction with lung sealant (AeriSeal®)

Emphysema is a progressive and irreversible disease for which there is no cure to date. Endoscopic lung volume reduction with valve implantation or using lung sealant is a treatment option for patients with severe emphysema. A 60-year-old ex-smoker (80 pack years) referred to our center because of severe lung emphysema with progressive worsening of the obstructive ventilator pattern and clinical condition. By our patient we detected collateral channels by using the Chartis system®, which allow airflow into the target lobe and prevent atelectasis and significant lung volume reduction. Thus, we decided to treat the advanced emphysema of our patient with endoscopic volume reduction using lung sealant (AeriSeal®). The foam of lung sealant AeriSeal® is instilled into the peripheral airways and alveoli where it polymerizes and functions as tissue glue, forming a film of material on the lung surface that seals the target region to cause durable absorption atelectasis. Over a period of 16 weeks, the air within the sealed region was absorbed. The follow- up evaluation of this patient showed improved lung function (increased FEV 1, and a reduction of TLC and RV) with improved quality of life. Correlation between changes in primary and secondary outcome measures in the lung function parameters and 6- minute-walking test before and after the application of AeriSealant revealed significant reduction of hyperinflation and improvement both in the flow rates and physical capacity of our patient.
The blessing of Dimensionality: Feature Selection outperforms functional connectivity-based feature transformation to classify ADHD subjects from EEG patterns of phase synchronisation

Functional connectivity (FC) characterizes brain activity from a multivariate set of N brain signals by means of an NxN matrix A, whose elements estimate the dependence within each possible pair of signals. Such matrix can be used as a feature vector for (un)supervised subject classification. Yet if N is large, A is highly dimensional. Little is known on the effect that different strategies to reduce its dimensionality may have on its classification ability. Here, we apply different machine learning algorithms to classify 33 children (age [6-14 years]) into two groups (healthy controls and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder patients) using EEG FC patterns obtained from two phase synchronisation indices. We found that the classification is highly successful (around 95%) if the whole matrix A is taken into account, and the relevant features are selected using machine learning methods. However, if FC algorithms are applied instead to transform A into a lower dimensionality matrix, the classification rate drops to less than 80%. We conclude that, for the purpose of pattern classification, the relevant features should be selected among the elements of A by using appropriate machine learning algorithms.